cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mitigation of autophagy ameliorates hepatocellular damage following ischemia-reperfusion injury in murine steatotic liver

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common clinical consequence of hepatic surgery, cardiogenic shock, and liver transplantation. A steatotic liver is particularly vulnerable to IRI, responding with extensive hepatocellular injury. Autophagy, a lysosomal pathway balancing cell survival and cell death, is engaged in IRI, although its role in IRI of a steatotic liver is unclear. The role of autophagy was investigated in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice exposed to IRI in vivo and in steatotic hepatocytes exposed to hypoxic IRI (HIRI) in vitro. Two inhibitors of autophagy, 3-methyladenine and bafilomycin A1, protected the steatotic hepatocytes from HIRI. Exendin 4 (Ex4), a glucagon-like peptide 1 analog, also led to suppression of autophagy, as evidenced by decreased autophagy-associated proteins [microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3) II, p62, high-mobility group protein B1, beclin-1, and autophagy-related protein 7], reduced hepatocellular damage, and improved mitochondrial structure and function in HFD-fed mice exposed to IRI. Decreased autophagy was further demonstrated by reversal of a punctate pattern of LC3 and decreased autophagic flux after IRI in HFD-fed mice. Under the same conditions, the effects of Ex4 were reversed by the competitive antagonist exendin 9-39. The present study suggests that, in IRI of hepatic steatosis, treatment of hepatocytes with Ex4 mitigates autophagy, ameliorates hepatocellular injury, and preserves mitochondrial integrity. These data suggest that therapies targeting autophagy, by Ex4 treatment in particular, may ameliorate the effects of IRI in highly prevalent steatotic liver.
Boson realizations of Lie algebras with applications to nuclear physics

The concept of boson realization (or mapping) of Lie algebras appeared first in nuclear physics in 1962 as the idea of expanding bilinear forms in fermion creation and annihilation operators in Taylor series of boson operators, with the object of converting the study of nuclear vibrational motion into a problem of coupled oscillators. The physical situations of interest are quite diverse, depending, for instance, on whether excitations for fixed- or variable-particle number are being studied, on how total angular momentum is decomposed into orbital and spin parts, and on whether isotopic spin and other intrinsic degrees of freedom enter. As a consequence, all of the semisimple algebras other than the exceptional ones have proved to be of interest at one time or another, and all are studied in this review. Though the salient historical facts are presented in the introduction, in the body of the review the progression is (generally) from the simplest algebras to the more complex ones. With a sufficiently broad view of the physics requirements, the mathematical problem is the realization of an arbitrary representation of a Lie algebra in a subspace of a suitably chosen Hilbert space of bosons (Heisenberg-Weyl algebra). Indeed, if one includes the study of odd nuclei, one is forced to consider the mappings to spaces that are direct-product spaces of bosons and (quasi)fermions. Though all the methods that have been used for these problems are reviewed, emphasis is placed on a relatively new algebraic method that has emerged over the past decade. Many of the classic results are rederived, and some new results are obtained for odd systems. The major application of these ideas is to the derivation, starting from the shell model, of the phenomenological models of nuclear collective motion, in particular, the geometric model of Bohr and Mottelson and the more recently developed interacting boson model of Arima and Iachello. A critical discussion of those applications is interwoven with the theoretical developments on which they are based; many other applications are included, some of practical interest, some simply to illustrate the concepts, and some to suggest new lines of inquiry.
High-power switching with electron-beam-controlled semiconductors

Measurements and model calculations on semi-insulating GaAs as material for optically and electron-beam controlled semiconductor switches have shown that the steady state current is a strongly nonlinear function of both the applied voltage and the radiation intensity. The nonlinear shape of these curves can be influenced over a wide range by doping with suitable deep acceptors or donors, a result which opens the possibility of "tailoring" the materials to meet specific demands. As an example, it is discussed how a current-controlled negative differential conductivity due to Cu-doping can be utilized for a fast (sub-nanosecond) e-beam controlled switch which operates at low dark current, high hold-off voltage and a forward resistance which lies considerably below the lock-on resistance.
Texture and microstructure properties of frozen chicken breasts pretreated with salt and phosphate solutions

This study investigated the effects of 10% NaCl, trisodium phosphate (TSP), sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), and tetrapotassium pyrophosphate (TKPP) treatments on textural and microstructural properties of chicken breasts during 10 mo of frozen storage at -20 C. Fresh chicken breasts were treated for 10 min with 10% NaCl and various phosphate solutions, including TSP, STPP, and TKPP, and stored in a -20 C freezer for 10 mo. Frozen chicken breasts were completely thawed at 4 C and oven-baked at 177 C for 20 min. Shear force, drip loss, and cooking loss were measured. In addition, ice crystal formation and structure changes of frozen chicken breasts during storage were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Treating chicken breasts with 10% TSP and STPP solution significantly reduced drip and cooking losses as well as minimized ice crystal formation and freeze-induced shrinkage of myofibrils. No significant texture toughening was observed in frozen chicken breasts regardless of treatments. These results suggest that the perceived quality losses of frozen chicken breast were not associated with texture toughening. The water-binding ability of chicken meat was the most important factor in maintaining the quality of chicken breast during extended frozen storage, which can be accomplished by treating chicken breasts with 10% TSP and STPP solutions before frozen storage.
Role of glutathione and glutathione S-transferase in the selectivity of acetochlor in maize and wheat

Abstract The role of shoot and root glutathione (GSH) content and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in the response of the ‘A632 × A635’ and ‘Anjou SC256’ hybrids of maize (Zea mays L.) and of ‘Jubilejnaja 50’ wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to the chloroacetanilide herbicide acetochlor was evaluated. The concentrations of root-applied acetochlor causing a 50% inhibition of plant shoot height were 20 μM for the tolerant ‘A632 × A635’ maize, 1 μM for the sensitive ‘Anjou SC256’ maize, and 0.1 μM for the very sensitive ‘Jubilejnaja 50’ wheat. The nonprotein thiol (mainly GSH) level in the roots of the tolerant ‘A632 × A635’ maize hybrid was 2-fold greater than that found in the roots of the sensitive maize hybrid and of wheat. Pretreatment with 10 μM of acetochlor induced the root nonprotein thiol levels of all three genotypes. The highest induction of root thiol content compared to controls was observed at 48 hr after acetochlor treatment and was 2.23-fold in the tolerant maize and 1.72-fold for the sensitive wheat. GST activities of etiolated maize and wheat seedlings were evaluated using both CDNB (1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene) and [14C]-acetochlor as substrates. GST(CDNB) activity was greater in the roots than in the shoots of both maize hybrids. The shoot GST(CDNB) activity of both maize genotypes was similar, but the tolerant ‘A632 × A635’ maize had slightly higher root GST(CDNB) activity. In the sensitive wheat, similar shoot and root GST(CDNB) activities were observed. GST(CDNB) activity in roots of the maize hybrids and of wheat was enhanced by 70–100% at 48 hr after pretreatment with 10 μM of acetochlor. Shoot GST(CDNB) activity of maize or wheat was not induced significantly by acetochlor pretreatment. Root and shoot GST(acetochlor) activities of the maize hybrids and wheat were much lower than GST(CDNB) activities. Root GST(acetochlor) activities of the two maize hybrids were greater and more inducible by acetochlor pretreatment than those of the sensitive wheat. These results demonstrate the important role of endogenous levels of GSH and of GST activity in chloroacetanilide herbicide detoxication and selectivity.
Hold on tightly, let go lightly: myosin functions at adherens junctions

Adherens junctions, the sites of cadherin-dependent cell–cell adhesion, are also important for dynamic tension sensing, force transduction and signalling. Different myosin motors contribute to adherens junction assembly and versatility in distinct ways.
Efficient combination of trace and scan signals for post silicon validation and debug

Post-silicon validation is as an important aspect of any integrated circuit design methodology. The primary objective is to capture the bugs that have escaped the pre-silicon validation phase. A major challenge in post-silicon debug is the limited observability of internal signals in the circuit. Recent technological advances, such as embedded logic analysis, allow to store some signal states in a trace buffer. A promising direction to improve observability is to combine a small set of signals traced every cycle with a large set of scan signals stored across several cycles. The limited size of the trace buffer constrains the number of trace and scan signals that can be stored. In this paper, we propose an efficient algorithm to select a profitable combination of trace and scan signals to maximize the overall signal restoration performance. Our experimental results using ISCAS'89 benchmarks demonstrate that our approach can improve the signal restoration by 17% compared to the existing techniques.
Loss-of-Excitation Protection for Synchronous Generators on Isolated Systems

Loss-of-field relays operating on an impedance-measuring principle provide an important part of the protection of a synchronous generator by minimizing possible damage to the machine and low voltages detrimental to system operation. These relays require an external source of reactive power, such as a utility tie or other in-plant generators, to insure proper operation on loss of generator field. In a multigenerator isolated system, the reactive current provided by the remaining generators may not be sufficiently large to allow proper operation of the loss-of-field relays on the generator in question. Some guidelines are provided as to the relative size of synchronous generators needed to insure proper operation of the impedance type loss-of-field relays.
Central nervous system lymphoma in immunocompetent patients: the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System experience.

Of the 74 immunocompetent patients diagnosed between July 2004 and June 2011 at the North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center with primary central nervous system lymphoma, 71 (95.9%) had diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL). The median patient age was 68 years (range: 19–87 years) with a slight male preponderance (1.1:1). The overall median survival time was 21 months. For patients older than 70 years, the median survival time was 8 months while for those 70 years or younger, the median survival time was 27 months (p < 0.01). Female patients had a worse prognosis than male patients (p < 0.05, median survival time, 17 months compared to 23 months). We had enough data from 52 of these 71 patients to define the lymphomas as either germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) or activated B-cell-like (ABC) DLBCL. Of these 52 patients, 42 (80.8%) had ABC DLBCL while only 10 (19.2%) had GCB DLBCL. The patients in the GCB subgroup seemed to survive longer than the patients in the ABC subgroup, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. No statistically significant difference in overall survival was seen between patients with BCL-6 positive or negative DLBCL; or between patients with BCL-2 positive or negative DLBCL.
Corneal biometry from volumetric SDOCT and comparison with existing clinical modalities.

We present a comparison of corneal biometric values from dense volumetric spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) scans to reference values in both phantoms and clinical subjects. We also present a new optically based “keratometric equivalent power” formula for SDOCT that eliminates previously described discrepancies between corneal power form SDOCT and existing clinical modalities. Phantom objects of varying radii of curvature and corneas of normal subjects were imaged with a clinical SDOCT system. The optically corrected three-dimensional surfaces were used to recover radii of curvature and power as appropriate. These were then compared to the manufacturer’s reference values in phantoms and to measurements from topography and Scheimpflug photography in subjects. In phantom objects, paired differences between SDOCT and reference values for radii of curvature were not statistically significant. In subjects, there were no significant paired differences between SDOCT and reference values from the other modalities for anterior radius and corneal keratometric power. In contrast to other studies, we found that dense volumetric scans with available SDOCT can be used to recover corneal biometric values—including power—that correspond well with existing clinical measurements.
Observation of continuous spike-waves during slow sleep in children with myelomeningocele

Cases Two patients with myelomeningoceles (MMC) and shunt-treated hydrocephalus are reported. At 5 and 7 years respectively, when they began presenting mental deterioration and behavioural disorders, sleep EEG showed continuous spike-waves during slow sleep (CSWS).
Living with achondroplasia in an average-sized world: An assessment of quality of life

Mutations in the gene encoding fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 cause achondroplasia, the most common form of inherited skeletal dysplasia. Although there are more than 10,000 individuals with achondroplasia living in the United States, there has been little study of their quality of life (QOL). For this study, surveys were collected from 189 individuals affected with achondroplasia (ACH) and 136 unaffected first-degree relatives (FDRs) of affected individuals. Individuals affected with achondroplasia had lower annual income, less education, and were less likely to be married than FDRs. They also differed significantly in their perceptions of achondroplasia, with FDRs believing that achondroplasia is a more serious condition. Total QOL indices and indices in each of four QOL subdomains were significantly lower in affected individuals than in relatives. When controlling for demographic characteristics and affected status, having lower self-esteem scores and perceiving achondroplasia as more serious were the independent factors most highly associated with lower QOL. A qualitative analysis of open responses to questions about the advantages and disadvantages of achondroplasia revealed that individuals were as likely to cite disadvantages relating to social barriers as they were to cite those relating to health and functioning. We interpret the low QOL scores to reflect the social challenges that individuals with achondroplasia regularly experience in the average-sized world. Genetics professionals should consider sources of lower QOL for affected individuals in their counseling sessions to acknowledge the relative importance of non-medical contributions.
ISSUES IN ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE: THE UNDOCUMENTED MEXICAN RESIDENT IN RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA

of specialization is the hardening of boundaries between organizations representing various speciality areas. The beginnings of such a process recently occurred at the 1985 American Anthropological Association meetings when the Council on Nutritional Anthropology announced its decision to sever formal ties with the Society for Medical Anthropology. Furthermore, rumors circulate to the effect that other special-interest groups within the Society are contemplating a similar move. Such maneuverings remind one of the formation of various independent associations and specialty certifying boards in the American medical profession during the 1920s and 1930s (Stevens 1971). In conclusion, it seems increasingly contradictory that, while on the one hand medical anthropologists bemoan the reductionism and fragmentation that in large measure emanate from specialization in biomedicine, on the other hand, partly in order to make themselves acceptable to the medical establishment, they are engaging in a replication of the medical division of labor. REFERENCES CITED
Introducing an observational measure of standards-based mathematics teaching practices: Evidence of validity and score reliability

The purpose of this study is to introduce a measure of standards-based mathematics teaching practices, the Mathematics Scan (M-Scan), and to examine its validity and score reliability. First, we define standards-based mathematics teaching practices based on eight dimensions that have emerged in recent conceptualizations by researchers and in the context of existing observational measures. Second, we present three sources of validity evidence: content review by experts, analysis of response processes of coders, and convergent and discriminant patterns with existing observational measures. Third, we provide evidence of inter-coder (or inter-rater) reliability through analyses of variance components and calculation of reliability coefficients, using the framework of generalizability theory. Results show the M-Scan holds promise as a useful tool in mathematics education research, measuring indicators of standards-based teaching practices unique to the subject of mathematics.
Radioactivity Produced by a Linac

Over 40 different materials have been irradiated in the 100 MeV bremsstrahlung beam from the NBS linac. The major contributions to the gamma ray spectrum from the radioactive products have been measured using a Ge(Li) detector. Measurements have been made of gamma rays of concern in the 30 minute to 30 day time interval but this includes in some cases gamma rays from nuclides with half lives as long as 30 years. Eighteen of the samples were pure materials and 25 were commonly used structural, shielding, electrical and mechanical components. In several important cases nuclides produced by multiple particle emission dominate the picture.
Intelligent mission control of robotic underwater vehicles

Deployment of robotic underwater vehicles (RUVs) in unpredictable underwater environments necessitates the development of an intelligent mission controller (IMC) that would facilitate autonomous navigation of predetermined waypoints while identifying objects, avoiding obstructions and building a model of what has been sensed in real time. The IMC should balance a preference for following a previously determined mission path and dynamically re-planning a mission in order to avoid obstacles and minimize pre-planned path deviation. This paper presents an IMC that combines an efficient three-dimensional world model representation with a frustum culling trajectory search method to create an intelligent, adaptive path planning algorithm balancing safe obstacle avoidance with minimal pre-planned path deviation. The IMC is tested in a real-world environment and results are discussed. Future improvements of this IMC will also factor in the ability to identify regions of interest off a mission path and explore them as necessary.
Analysis and evaluation of an Assemble-to-Order system with batch ordering policy and compound Poisson demand

We consider a multi-product and multi-component Assemble-to-Order (ATO) system where the external demand follows compound Poisson processes and component inventories are controlled by continuous-time batch ordering policies. The replenishment lead-times of components are stochastic, sequential and exogenous. Each element of the bill of material (BOM) matrix can be any non-negative integer. Components are committed to demand on a first-come-first-serve basis. We derive exact expressions for key performance metrics under either the assumption that each demand must be satisfied in full (non-split orders), or the assumption that each unit of demand can be satisfied separately (split orders). We also develop an efficient sampling method to estimate these metrics, e.g., the expected delivery lead-times and the order-based fill-rates. Based on the analysis and a numerical study of an example motivated by a real world application, we characterize the impact of the component interaction on system performance, demonstrate the efficiency of the numerical method and quantify the impact of order splitting.
Application of Hybrid Subgroup Decomposition Method to Gas Cooled Thermal Reactor Problem

In this paper, a newly developed hybrid subgroup decomposition method is tested in a 1D problem characteristic of gas cooled thermal reactors (GCR). The new method couples an efficient coarse-group eigenvalue calculation with a set of fine-group transport source iterations to unfold the fine-group flux. It is shown that the new method reproduces the fine-group transport solution by iteratively solving the coarse-group quasi transport equation. The numerical results demonstrate that the new method applied to 1D GCR problem is capable of achieving high accuracy while gaining computational efficiency up to 5 times compared to direct fine-group transport calculations.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
The synthesis of spin-labeled β-D-galactopyranoside analogs

Abstract The spin-labeled galactoside analogs 4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-imidazolin-2-yl 1-oxide)-2-nitrophenyl β- D -galactopyranoside, 4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-imidazolin-2-yl 1-oxide)phenyl β- D -galactopyranoside, and 4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-imidazolin-2-yl 1-oxide)-2-nitrophenyl β- D -fucopyranoside were synthesized by condensation of the corresponding 4-formylphenyl galactopyranosides with 2,3-di(hydroxyamino)-2,3-dimethylbutane and subsequent oxidation with lead dioxide, and characterized by u.v. and electron-spin resonance spectroscopy.
A practical repeater insertion flow

We present a repeater insertion flow targeted for circuit-level repeater insertion at different stages of physical synthesis. We propose how to organize circuit-level flow around the net-based dynamic programming algorithm for repeater insertion. We discuss what accuracy is required for the timing model at different stages of our flow and what stages determine the quality of the overall results. Our flow was tested on industrial designs with very high-fanout nets. It is capable of simultaneously solving the problem of fanout optimization and repeater insertion during the physical synthesis. We have achieved more than 60% reduction in repeater area without compromising timing by considering sink polarity during the topology generation and applying a set of refinement techniques.
Characterizing Efficiency of Multi-Enzyme Cascade-Based Biofuel Cells by Product Analysis

The performance of biofuel cells with enzyme cascades have normally been characterized with open circuit potential, power density, and current density measurements. In this work, we demonstrate that with the method of quantitative product analysis by mass spectrometry, we can obtain other valuable information about the biofuel cell efficiency. Faradaic efficiency, coulombic efficiency and product efficiency were calculated for a six-enzyme glucose biofuel cell system. Oxidation pathway bottlenecks were determined with quantitative mass spectrometry measurements via direct infusion. These measurements and calculations give an in-depth understanding of the bioelectrocatalytic bottlenecks in the enzyme cascade for the target fuel (glucose). © The Author(s) 2014. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 License (CC BY-NC-ND, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is not changed in any way and is properly cited. For permission for commercial reuse, please email: oa@electrochem.org. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0071408eel] All rights reserved.
Global Prospects for Utility-Scale Solar Power: Toward Spatially Explicit Modeling of Renewable Energy Systems

This paper provides high-resolution estimates of the global potential and cost of utility-scale photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies and uses a spatially explicit model to identify deployment patterns that minimize the cost of greenhouse gas abatement. A global simulation is run with the goal of providing 2,000 TWh of solar power (~7% of total consumption) in 2030, taking into account least-cost siting of facilities and transmission lines and the effect of diurnal variation on project profitability and required subsidies. The American southwest, Tibetan Plateau, Sahel, and Middle East are identified as major supply areas. Solar power consumption concentrates in the United States over the next decade, diversifying to Europe and India by the early 2020’s, and focusing in China in the second half of the decade - often relying upon long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines. Cost estimates suggest deployment on this scale is likely to be competitive with other prominent abatement options in the energy sector. Further development of spatially explicit energy models could help guide infrastructure planning and financing strategies both nationally and globally, elucidating a range of important questions related to renewable energy policy.
Temporal distributions : The basis for the development of mixing indexes for scale-up of polymer processing equipment

New and better mixing criteria are needed to assess dispersive and distributive mixing efficiency in polymer processing equipment. Such criteria can serve the purpose of process optimization and machine scale-up. In this work, the history of flow strength and shear stresses experienced by a number of particles in a twin-flight, single-screw extruder serve as the basis to produce temporal distributions of these parameters. In turn, the temporal distributions can be used for developing new mixing indexes for process optimization and scale-up. Using models for dispersion kinetics and experimental data, calculations of agglomerate size distribution and average agglomerate size can be used as a dispersive mixing criterion.
Arts, computers and artificial intelligence

Science and art seem to belong to different cultures. Science and technology, mainly the products of the intellect, use terminology and vocabulary that are concise and well defined. In contrast, in artistic expression, ambiguity is a powerful component. Still the relationship between these two different categories of human activity as interesting and fascinating. In this paper, a general comparison of these two disciplines is introduced. Then the possibility of mechanical creation of art using computers and artificial intelligence is discussed. This is followed by two techniques which are used to create poetry and music. First a statistical approach for mechanical composition of music is presented. This method uses "parameters" of existing music to create "similar" music. Second, a method of mechanical composition of poetry is presented which combines linguistic dictionary and semantic information.
Extracting company names from text

A detailed description is given of an implemented algorithm that extracts company names automatically from financial news. Extracting company names from text is one problem; recognizing subsequent references to a company is another. The author addresses both problems in an implemented, well-tested module that operates as a detachable process from a set of natural language processing tools. She implements a good algorithm by combining heuristics, exception lists and extensive corpus analysis. The algorithm generates the most likely variations that those names may go by, for use in subsequent retrieval. Tested on over one million words of naturally occurring financial news, the system has extracted thousands of company names with over 95% accuracy (precision) compared to a human, and succeeded in extracting 25% more companies than were indexed by a human. >
Results of combination chemotherapy and thoracic radiation therapy for unresectable non-small cell carcinoma of the lung.

Abstract From October 1979 to December 1982, 126 patients with locally advanced unresectable or inoperable Stage II (7 patients), Stage IIIA (81 patients), and Stage IIIB (38 patients) non-small cell carcinoma of the lung were treated in a prospective randomized trial using five cycles of CAP (Cytoxan, Adriamycin, and cisplatin), T-CAP (triazinate plus CAP), or V-CAP (VP-16 plus CAP) chemotherapy with thoracic radiation therapy (TRT). TRT consisted of 40 Gy in 10 fractions (split-course) with cycles 3 and 4 of chemotherapy. The treatment field included the primary tumor, ipsilateral hilum, mediastinum, and ipsilateral supraclavicular fossa. All patients were followed until death or for a minimum of 5 years for survivors. The evaluable subgroup consisted of 102 patients who completed TRT. Median and 5-year survivals for the entire group were 14.0 months and 10%, respectively; for the evaluable subgroup, they were 14.8 months and 12%, respectively. There was a trend toward better survival with V-CAP plus TRT than with CAP plus TRT ( p = 0.08). Median and 5-year survivals were 16.2 months and 18%, respectively, with V-CAP plus TRT. Of eight prognostic variables analyzed for their association with survival, only Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (0,1 versus 2) ( p = 0.02) and weight loss (10% versus 10%) ( p = 0.05) were significant. Sex, age, T stage, N stage, overall stage, and histologic type were not significantly associated with survival. Failure analysis revealed 83 patients (81 %) with identifiable first failures. The median time to first failure was 9.8 months, and the median survival after first failure was 4.7 months. Failure patterns included local failure alone (19%), local and distant (20%), and distant alone (43%). Nineteen percent of patients had no documented progression. Total failure patterns were local in 39% and distant in 63%. Twenty-three patients (23%) had failure in the brain; they accounted for 31% of all distant failures. In 20 of these patients (20% of all patients), this was the only site of failure. There were eight (8%) initial nodal failures in 96 untreated contralateral supraclavicular fossae. No initial failures were seen in any of 101 untreated contralateral hila. The data suggest the following: (a) Combined treatment with V-CAP and TRT yielded excellent results (median survival, 16.2 months; 5-year survival, 18%). (b) Inclusion of the contralateral supraclavicular fossa in the treatment field may improve local-regional control. (c) Exclusion of the contralateral hilum does not seem to increase local-regional failure. (d) Approximately a third of distant failures were in the brain alone, which suggests that prophylactic cranial irradiation has a role in future trials. (e) Long-term survival after isolated failure is uncommon but occurred in three patients re-treated for isolated failures.
Alternative Certification of Principals: Is Less More?.

Despite opposing trends and recom mendations nationwide, West Virginia has launched a "less is more" cam paign with respect to the certification of its school principals and other administrators. What has happened? Why? What are the implications? Here's one point of view.
In vitro contact stress distributions in the natural human hip.

Abstract Time variant distributions of intra-articular contact stress were assembled from direct measurement in seventeen grossly normal fresh cadaveric hips. Local stresses were sensed by arrays of 24 compliant miniature transducers inset superficially in the femoral head cartilage. Local contact stress magnitude was usually found to rise nearly linearly with applied joint loads in excess of about 1000 N. The sites of maximum local stress were found to underlie the general region of the acetabular dome. For a resultant joint load of 2700 N, the spatial mean contact stress and peak local contact stress averaged 2.92 MN m −2 and 8.80 MN m −2 , respectively, for the 68 loading cycles analyzed. The full contact stress patterns were irregular and complex, but most commonly the general feature was a central band or ‘ridge’ of pressure elevation, oriented in an approximately anterior-to-posterior direction.
Two domains of p80 katanin regulate microtubule severing and spindle pole targeting by p60 katanin

The assembly and function of the mitotic spindle requires the activity of a number of microtubule-binding proteins. Some microtubule-binding proteins bind microtubules in vitro but do not co-localize with microtubules in interphase cells. Instead these proteins associate with specific subregions of the mitotic spindle. Katanin, a heterodimeric microtubule-severing ATPase, is found localized at mitotic spindle poles. In this paper we demonstrate that human p60 katanin and the C-terminal domain of human p80 katanin both bind microtubules in vitro. Association of these two proteins results in an increased microtubule affinity and increased microtubule-severing activity in vitro. Association of these subunits in transfected HeLa cells increases microtubule disassembly activity and targeting to spindle poles. The N-terminal WD40 domain of p80 katanin acts as a negative regulator of microtubule disassembly activity and is also required for spindle pole localization, possibly through interactions with another spindle-pole protein. These results support a model in which katanin is targeted to spindle poles through a combination of direct microtubule binding by the p60 subunit and through interactions between the WD40 domain and an unknown protein. We propose that both domains of p80 are essential in precisely regulating katanin's activity in vivo.
Simple Models for the Dynamics of Biomolecules: How Far Can We Go?

Biological macromolecules exhibit a remarkable variety of dynamical phenomena. As experimental methods for characterizing these phenomena have improved in the last decade, two theoretical questions have been brought into focus: To what extent are the observed dynamics relevant to biological function?, and Can we develop a simple physical picture of the functionally important dynamics?
Tolerating memory leaks

Type safety and garbage collection in managed languages eliminate memory errors such as dangling pointers, double frees, and leaks of unreachable objects. Unfortunately, a program still leaks memory if it maintains references to objects it will never use again. Leaked objects decrease program locality and increase garbage collection frequency and workload. A growing leak will eventually exhaust memory and crash the program. This paper introduces a leak tolerance approach called Melt that safely eliminates performance degradations and crashes due to leaks of dead but reachable objects in managed languages, given sufficient disk space to hold leaking objects. Melt (1) identifies stale objects that the program is not accessing; (2) segregates in-use and stale objects by storing stale objects to disk; and (3) preserves safety by activating stale objects if the program subsequently accesses them. We design and build a prototype implementation of Melt in a Java VM and show it adds overhead low enough for production systems. Whereas existing VMs grind to a halt and then crash on programs with leaks, Melt keeps many of these programs running much longer without significantly degrading performance. Melt provides users the illusion of a fixed leak and gives developers more time to fix leaky programs.
Studies on the preparation of gradient‐index polymeric rods by interfacial‐gel copolymerization

The effects of reaction conditions on the formation of defects and the refractive index profiles of gradient index poly(methyl methacrylate-co-benzyl methacrylate) rods were investigated
Direct observation of microtubule dynamics in Reticulomyxa: Unusually rapid length changes and microtubule sliding

Microtubule dynamics has been studied extensively in vitro, but comparatively little information is available on the in vivo behavior of microtubules. Here we report on the assembly, disassembly, and sliding of microtubules in the giant freshwater amoeba, Reticulomyxa. We have found that treating the cell with 0.25% trypsin induces the rapid formation of exceedingly flat areas within the reticulopodial network, allowing for the direct observation of microtubule behavior by DIC optics and computer-enhanced video microscopy. In flattened areas, microtubule sliding occurs at rates of between 1 and 6.5 μm/sec. The average rate of microtubule assembly is 1.6 μm/sec, while microtubule disassembly takes place at about 4 μm/sec and can reach up to 19.5 μm/sec. We also observed many cases where a microtubule forms a hairpin loop and eventually breaks, resulting in bidirectional disassembly from the point of breakage. Our observations demonstrate sliding of cytoplasmic microtubules in vivo. The high rates of microtubule assembly/disassembly in this cell type are difficult to reconcile with conventional views of association and dissociation processes at microtubule ends and suggest unconventional mechanisms for the growth and shrinkage of microtubules.
On the influence of CMEs on the global 3-D coronal electron density

Abstract. In order to analize the influence of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on the coronal streamer belt, we made 3-D reconstructions of the electron density in the corona at heliospheric distances from 1.5 to 4 R o for periods before and after a CME occured. The reconstructions were performed using a tomography technique. We studied two CME cases: (i) a slow CME on 1 June 2008; (ii) two fast CMEs on 31 December 2007 and 2 January 2008. For the first case of slow CME, it was found: (i) the potential magnetic field configuration in the CME initiation region before the CME does not agree with the coronal density structure while after the CME the agreement between the field and density is much better. This could be manifistation of that that the field was non-potential before the CME and after the CME the field relaxes towards a more potential state. (ii) It was shown that the dimming caused by the slow CME is not due to rotation of the corona and a line-of-sight (LOS) effect but a streamer blow out effect took place.
Dectin Immunoadhesins and Pneumocystis Pneumonia

The opportunistic pathogen Pneumocystis jirovecii is a significant cause of disease in HIV-infected patients and others with immunosuppressive conditions. Pneumocystis can also cause complications in treatment following antiretroviral therapy or reversal of immunosuppressive therapy, as the newly reconstituted immune system can develop a pathological inflammatory response to remaining antigens or a previously undetected infection. To target β-(1,3)-glucan, a structural component of the Pneumocystis cell wall with immune-stimulating properties, we have developed immunoadhesins consisting of the carbohydrate binding domain of Dectin-1 fused to the Fc regions of the 4 subtypes of murine IgG (mIgG). These immunoadhesins bind β-glucan with high affinity, and precoating the surface of zymosan with Dectin-1:Fc can reduce cytokine production by macrophages in an in vitro stimulation assay. All Dectin-1:Fc variants showed specificity of binding to the asci of Pneumocystis murina, but effector activity of the fusion molecules varied depending on Fc subtype. Dectin-1:mIgG2a Fc was able to reduce the viability of P. murina in culture through a complement-dependent mechanism, whereas previous studies have shown the mIgG1 Fc fusion to increase macrophage-dependent killing. In an in vivo challenge model, systemic expression of Dectin-1:mIgG1 Fc significantly reduced ascus burden in the lung. When administered postinfection in a model of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), both Dectin-1:mIgG1 and Dectin-1:mIgG2a Fc reduced hypoxemia despite minimal effects on fungal burden in the lung. Taken together, these data indicate that molecules targeting β-glucan may provide a mechanism for treatment of fungal infection and for modulation of the inflammatory response to Pneumocystis and other pathogens.
Effect of sulfasalazine on inflammation and endothelial function in patients with established coronary artery disease.

Inflammation is critical for atherosclerosis development and may be a target for risk-reduction therapy. In experimental studies, activation of the inflammatory regulator, nuclear factor kappa B (NFlB), contributes to endothelial activation and reduced nitric oxide production. We treated patients with coronary artery disease with sulfasalazine, an inhibitor of NFκB, and placebo in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study design. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and digital vascular function were measured at baseline and after each 6-week treatment period. Of the 53 patients enrolled in the crossover study, 32 (age 60 ± 10, 22% female) completed all the visits, with a high rate of study withdrawal due to gastrointestinal side effects. In a subset of 10 participants, we compared the effects of 4 days of sulfasalazine treatment (n = 5) to no treatment (n = 5) on NFlB-regulated gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Tumor necrosis factor α-stimulated expression of CD69 and NFlB subunit p50 was significantly blunted after 4 days of sulfasalazine treatment but not after no treatment. However, FMD and digital vasodilator response did not significantly change from baseline with long-term sulfasalazine treatment. Short-term sulfasalazine inhibited NFlB activity; however, long-term treatment was poorly tolerated and did not improve endothelial function. Our findings suggest that sulfasalazine therapy is not the optimal anti-inflammatory treatment for reversing endothelial dysfunction in cardiovascular disease. Further studies are warranted to investigate the potential for NFlB inhibition to reduce cardiovascular risk.
Integrating Health Care to Meet the Needs of the Mother–Infant Pair: A Call for Papers for Year 3 of the Maternal Health Task Force–PLOS Collection

The Maternal Health Task Force (MHTF) and PLOS Medicine issue the call for papers for Year 3 of the MHTF-PLOS Collection: Integrating Health Care to Meet the Needs of the Mother–Infant Pair. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary
Transmission range control during autonomous node selection for wireless sensor networks

The operation of an effective wireless sensor network requires energy awareness. This paper focuses on the development of the autonomous node selection (ANS) algorithm as a means to conserve energy. The algorithm provides a protocol for a resource manager to conserve energy as a network of bearings-only sensors track a target in a decentralized manner. Specifically, each node within radio range of the active nodes uses the predicted target location to determine whether or not to actively measure and communicate bearing reports. The goal of ANS is to conserve energy by limiting communications while optimizing the geolocation performance of the tracker. Using derived bounds on the usefulness of nodes, the ANS method also conserves energy by limiting the transmission distance on the radios of the active nodes. As a result, nodes too far from the target to be useful can remain in a sleep mode. Once the target moves close enough to these nodes, they will receive transmissions from the active nodes and decide whether or not to actively sense and communicate. Simulations demonstrate the tradeoffs between geolocation performance and energy conservation when implementing different parameterizations of the ANS algorithm.
Spotlight on Geminin

In the previous issue of Breast Cancer Research, Gardner and co-workers describe a novel interaction between Geminin, a protein that prevents reinitiation of DNA replication, and Topoisomerase IIα (TopoIIα), an enzyme essential for removing catenated intertwines between sister chromatids. Geminin facilitates the action of TopoIIα, thereby promoting termination of DNA replication at the same time it inhibits initiation. In this manner, Geminin ensures that cells duplicate their genome once, but only once, each time they divide. Remarkably, either depletion of Geminin or over-expression of Geminin inhibits the action of TopoIIα, thereby making Geminin an excellent target for cancer chemotherapy.
Diastolic Filling Abnormalities in Children with Essential Hypertension

Objective To evaluate whether essential hypertension impacts diastolic function in children. Study design In this cross-sectional study, patients with essential hypertension (n = 50) were compared with a normotensive group (n = 53). Echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function included measures derived from transmitral, color M-mode, and tissue Doppler interrogation. Cardiac dimensions, wall thickness, geometry, and systolic function were also assessed. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of altered diastolic function. Results Diastolic filling abnormalities were found in 36% of the children with blood pressure elevation. Those subjects with concentric hypertrophy were more significantly affected. Abnormalities in indices reflective of left ventricular (LV) relaxation occurred more commonly (39%) than those of LV compliance (33%). Elevated indexed LV mass was found to be the most significant independent predictor of diastolic filling abnormalities. Conclusions LV diastolic filling abnormalities were found in one-third of the pediatric subjects with essential hypertension. Whether these changes represent an adaptive or maladaptive response requires further study.
Epigenetic Manipulation of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Improves Memory Deficiency Induced by Neonatal Anesthesia in Rats.

Although neonatal exposure to anesthetic drugs is associated with memory deficiency in rodent models and possibly in pediatric patients, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. The authors tested their hypothesis that exposure of the developing brain to anesthesia triggers epigenetic modification, involving the enhanced interaction among transcription factors (histone deacetylase 2, methyl-cytosine-phosphate-guanine–binding protein 2, and DNA methyltransferase 1) in Bdnf promoter region(s) that inhibit brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression, resulting in insufficient drive for local translation of synaptic mRNAs. The authors further hypothesized that noninvasive environmental enrichment (EE) will attenuate anesthesia-induced epigenetic inhibition of BDNF signaling and memory loss in rodent models. Seven days after birth (P7), neonatal rats were randomly assigned to receive either isoflurane anesthesia for 6 h or sham anesthesia. On P21, pups were weaned, and animals were randomly assigned to EE or a standard cage environment (no EE). Behavioral, molecular, and electrophysiological studies were performed on rats on P65. The authors found a substantial reduction of hippocampal BDNF (n = 6 to 7) resulting from the transcriptional factors–mediated epigenetic modification in the promoter region of Bdnf exon IV in rats exposed postnatally to anesthetic drugs. This BDNF reduction led to the insufficient drive for the synthesis of synaptic proteins (n = 6 to 8), thus contributing to the hippocampal synaptic (n = 8 to 11) and cognitive dysfunction (n = 10) induced by neonatal anesthesia. These effects were mitigated by the exposure to an enriched environment. The findings of this study elucidated the epigenetic mechanism underlying memory deficiency induced by neonatal anesthesia and propose EE as a potential therapeutic approach.