cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel triterpenoid 25-hydroxy-3-oxoolean-12-en-28-oic acid induces growth arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

25-Hydroxy-3-oxoolean-12-en-28-oic acid (Amooranin-AMR) is a triterpene acid isolated from the stem bark of a tropical tree (Amoora rohituka) grown wild in India. A herbal preparation used for the treatment of cancer by the Ayurvedic system of medicine contains the stem bark of Amoora rohituka as one of the ingredients. In this paper, we show that AMR displays a strong inhibitory effect on survival of human breast carcinoma MDA-468, breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cells compared to breast epithelial MCF-10A control cells. A 50% decrease in cells (IC50) ranged from 1.8 to 14.6 µM and cell growth was suppressed by arresting cell cycle at G2 + M phase. AMR effectively induces apoptosis and triggered a series of effects associated with apoptosis including cleavage of caspase-8, -9, -3, Bid and ER stress in MDA-468 cells and caspase- 8, -9, -6 and Bid in MCF-7 cells, release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria, cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and DNA fragmentation with a concomitant upregulation of p53, Bax and down-regulation of Bcl-2 in MDA-468 cells, but Bax unchanged in MCF-7 cells. The use of caspase blocking peptides and acridine orange staining confirmed the involvement of primarily caspase-9 and -3 in MDA-468 cells with mutated p53 and primarily caspase-8, -9 and -6 in MCF-7 cells expressing wt p53. We also observed in MCF-7/p53siRNA cells AMR treatment caused reduced expression of Bcl-2 without affecting levels of Bax similar to MCF-7 cells treated with AMR and proteolytic activation of Bax in MDA-468 cells. These results suggest that AMR induces apoptosis in human breast carcinoma cells via caspase activation pathway and likely it is a p53-independent apoptosis.
Elevated GFAP induces astrocyte dysfunction in caudal brain regions: A potential mechanism for hindbrain involved symptoms in type II Alexander disease.

Alexander Disease (AxD) is a “gliopathy” caused by toxic, dominant gain-of-function mutations in the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene. Two distinct types of AxD exist. Type I AxD affected individuals develop cerebral symptoms by 4 years of age and suffer from macrocephaly, seizures, and physical and mental delays. As detection and diagnosis have improved, approximately half of all AxD patients diagnosed have onset >4 years and brainstem/spinal cord involvement. Type II AxD patients experience ataxia, palatal myoclonus, dysphagia, and dysphonia. No study has examined a mechanistic link between the GFAP mutations and caudal symptoms present in type II AxD patients. We demonstrate that two key astrocytic functions, the ability to regulate extracellular glutamate and to take up K+ via K+ channels, are compromised in hindbrain regions and spinal cord in AxD mice. Spinal cord astrocytes in AxD transgenic mice are depolarized relative to WT littermates, and have a three-fold reduction in Ba2+-sensitive Kir4.1 mediated currents and six-fold reduction in glutamate uptake currents. The loss of these two functions is due to significant decreases in Kir4.1 (>70%) and GLT-1 (>60%) protein expression. mRNA expression for KCNJ10 and SLC1A2, the genes that code for Kir4.1 and GLT-1, are significantly reduced by postnatal Day 7. Protein and mRNA reductions for Kir4.1 and GLT-1 are exacerbated in AxD models that demonstrate earlier accumulation of GFAP and increased Rosenthal fiber formation. These findings provide a mechanistic link between the GFAP mutations/overexpression and the symptoms in those affected with Type II AxD. GLIA 2015;63:2285–2297
Associations between family income and children's physical fitness and obesity in California, 2010-2012.

INTRODUCTION Socioeconomic status may influence childhood obesity prevalence and children's fitness level. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between family income and children's physical fitness level and obesity prevalence for 8 racial/ethnic groups. METHODS Data for 1,617,400 fifth-, seventh-, and ninth-grade children who took a physical fitness test from 2010 through 2012 in California were used in this cross-sectional study. Multiple linear and log-binomial regressions were used to test whether low family income (as indicated by eligibility for National School Lunch Program) was associated with physical fitness level or obesity prevalence. Differences were tested by race/ethnicity while adjusting for age and sex. Fitness score was measured on a scale from 0 (least healthy) to 6 (most healthy). RESULTS Average fitness score was 4.45 (standard deviation, 1.47). Prevalence of obesity was 20.3%, and 56% of children were classified as having lower family income. Lower family income (vs higher) was associated with lower fitness score (coefficient = -0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.62 to -0.53). Lower-income children had higher prevalence of obesity (relative risk = 1.81; 95% CI, 1.72-1.89) compared with higher-income children. These inverse associations were seen among American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, Filipino, Hispanic/Latino, African American, and white children and among children who were identified as being of 2 or more races/ethnicities. CONCLUSION Children with lower family incomes tend to have less healthy physical fitness status and have higher risk of obesity than children with higher family incomes. This information can be used to help set policies and provide programs aimed at improving fitness and decreasing obesity risk among low-income children.
Influence of the Great Lakes on the dynamics of the southern Laurentide ice sheet: Numerical experiments

A time-dependent, flow-line ice-sheet model is used to explore interactions between last glacial climate, the Laurentide ice sheet, and the Great Lakes. We seek to understand perturbations in the ice-flow field that caused three neighboring lobes to leave different geomorphic and sedimentary records. Driven by reconstructed air- temperature variations from 65 to 18 ka, the simulated lobe dynamics are consistent with constraints from loess and till chronologies, till stratigraphy, and ice-surface profiles. Contrasts in lobe dynamics are best explained by the geometry of lakes along each flow line. As ice entered these lakes, calving influenced glacier mass balance. In particular, deep water in Lake Superior likely delayed ice advance into northern Wisconsin by promoting large calving losses, whereas lobes to the east that encountered shallower water were less affected by calving. The Driftless Area of Wisconsin may thus owe its existence, at least in part, to the presence of Lake Superior. Our results suggest that morainal-bank evolution should be treated in ice-sheet models in lacustrine and shallow-marine settings. Determining the sediment flux to the morainal bank remains a difficult task. For example, ice advance across central Lake Superior was probably sediment-flux limited. Otherwise, the Driftless Area would have been glaciated.
Strategies for achieving research utilization in the Bangladesh population program: implications for health education

Focus in this discussion is on how research results were implemented over the 1961-73 period in Bangladesh in the Training Research Evaluation and Communication Center in Family Planning and its predecessors. The history of research utilization in the family planning program is uneven. It was only over time that a capacity for program related action research developed. The process by which this development occurred has been studied and analyzed. This presentation is a case study of some of the more salient factors that seem to have facilitated or inhibited research utilization in East Pakistan and Bangladesh. The basis of the analysis in addition to personal experience and observation includes a review of some 148 family planning research papers now in progress an analysis of the implication of studies undertaken in 1965-70 and a study of the institution building process at the Training Research Evaluation and Communiation (TREC) Center in Dacca. Attention is directed to the following: organizational constraints; interpersonal influence and establishing a role empathic relationship; and linking the institution to its natural environment. 6 interrelated user subsystems could be identified. These were in order of utilization and communication priorities: the Provincial Family Planning Board; the Central Family Planning Council; the external sponsors; the members of the field structure (trainers supervisors and field workers); the clientele; and the linkage system (other research centers development programs and so forth. The special needs of each of these is outlined along with what media and strategies were used to channel information to them and to encourage their utilization of research findings. The barriers to communication that operated with these systems included traditional orientations of administrators toward intuitive decision making interagency differences about priorities sociopsychological distance between users and producers the research planning process which initially did not involve the users sufficiently the length of time between initiation of research and release of findings and the insularity of the family planning organizations from other national development programs.
Genetic background impacts developmental potential of enteric neural crest-derived progenitors in the Sox10Dom model of Hirschsprung disease

Abnormalities in the development of enteric neural crest-derived progenitors (ENPs) that generate the enteric nervous system (ENS) can lead to aganglionosis in a variable portion of the distal gastrointestinal tract. Cumulative evidence suggests that variation of aganglionosis is due to gene interactions that modulate the ability of ENPs to populate the intestine; however, the developmental processes underlying this effect are unknown. We hypothesized that differences in enteric ganglion deficits could be attributable to the effects of genetic background on early developmental processes, including migration, proliferation, or lineage divergence. Developmental processes were investigated in congenic Sox10Dom mice, an established Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) model, on distinct inbred backgrounds, C57BL/6J (B6) and C3HeB/FeJ (C3Fe). Immuno-staining on whole-mount fetal gut tissue and dissociated cell suspensions was used to assess migration and proliferation. Flow cytometry utilizing the cell surface markers p75 and HNK-1 was used to isolate live ENPs for analysis of developmental potential. Frequency of ENPs was reduced in Sox10Dom embryos relative to wild-type embryos, but was unaffected by genetic background. Both migration and developmental potential of ENPs in Sox10Dom embryos were altered by inbred strain background with the most highly significant differences seen for developmental potential between strains and genotypes. In vivo imaging of fetal ENPs and postnatal ganglia demonstrates that altered lineage divergence impacts ganglia in the proximal intestine. Our analysis demonstrates that genetic background alters early ENS development and suggests that abnormalities in lineage diversification can shift the proportions of ENP populations and thus may contribute to ENS deficiencies in vivo.
A Portfolio Theoretic Approach to Administering Advanced Analytics: The Case of Multi-Stage Campaign Management

Current approaches to managing an organizations' portfolio of predictive analytical models are currently ad hoc and under-informed by theory. In time-sensitive campaigns, analytical models may be constructed, applied and maintained by departments or individuals working in isolation. This silo-based approach fails to take into account complex model inter-relationships, possible model correlation and covariance, and other types of interdependencies that can confound and limit the effectiveness of campaigns. In this paper, we view a suite of predictive analytical models from a portfolio theoretic-based vantage point, we state the nature of a multi-stage campaign management bottleneck effect in portfolio terms, and we establish cases where informing campaign managers about the state of portfolio under-performance can be expressed and tracked. For the most complex case, we develop a Cross-stage Dispersion Index (CDI) that can be used as a benchmark and tracked over time.
Phenomenon of supernormality in the human heart.

This report documents five cases of supernormal (SN) conductivity in the sense of unexpected normalization of the previously existing bundle-branch block (BBB) and three cases of SN excitability in which impulses delivered to the ventricles propagated to the myocardium only during a well-defined interval in the cardiac cycles corresponding to the U waves of the preceding beat. In none of the patients could SN be abolished by atropine, suggesting absence of an important vagal role. In the five patients with SN conductivity there were three examples of right BBB in which spontaneous, as well as electrically induced premature atrial beats, were followed by normal QRS complexes only if they reached the right bundle during its SN phase. In the other two patients with bilateral BBB, strategically placed sinus P waves and electrically induced atrial impulses were conducted to the ventricles with normal P-His and His-Q intervals. Analysis of the electrocardiograms and His bundle electrograms indicated that SN con...
Ornithine decarboxylase activity in maternal and fetal tissues during inanition in pigs.

The relationships between maternal liver and fetal brain and liver ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity and porcine fetal development were investigated. Yorkshire gilts were subjected to prolonged inanition (40 days; 0 kcal/day; water only) from Day 50 to Day 90 of gestation and, on Day 90, either hysterectomized or realimentated to a full diet and allowed to advance to term; controls received a full diet (7,028 kcal/day) until hysterectomy at Day 90 or throughout pregnancy. ODC activity was determined in maternal liver tissue collected from 6 experimental and 6 control gilts on Days 50, 70, 89 and 91. Furthermore, ODC activity of Day 90 fetal brain and liver tissue was determined in 6 fetuses from each of 3 additional experimental and control dams (36 fetuses). Prolonged inanition of gilts during late pregnancy had a marked effect upon maternal liver ODC activity. Liver ODC activity in full-fed guts remained constant across days, with a mean activity of 59 (pmol CO3 released per 60 mm per mg soluble protein). ODC activity before inanition (Day 50) in experimental gilts was similar to that of controls, but by Day 70 and continuing to Day 89 (during inanition), was reduced greater than 7-fold. In contrast, after 1 day realimentation (Day 91), ODC activity had increased by greater than 10-fold to levels similar to controls. Day 90 fetal brain ODC activity in inanition gifts was greater than the activity observed in control gilts, and fetal brain weights were similar in all dams, suggesting that ODC may play a role in maintenance of normal fetal brain development. ODC activity of Day 90 fetal liver tissue was decreased in inanition as compared with control gilts, as were fetal liver weights. Reproductive performance, as determined by fetal survival rates, body weight, litter weight and size, was similar in inanition and control gilts. These data indicate that changes in ODC activity may play a role in compensatory responses of the porcine dam and fetus during periods of severe nutrient deprivation to allow normal fetal survival and dev#{231}lopment.
Application of reinforcement learning to requirements engineering: requirements tracing

We posit that machine learning can be applied to effectively address requirements engineering problems. Specifically, we present a requirements traceability method based on the machine learning technique Reinforcement Learning (RL). The RL method demonstrates a rather targeted generation of candidate links between textual requirements artifacts (high level requirements traced to low level requirements, for example). The technique has been validated using two real-world datasets from two problem domains. Our technique demonstrated statistically significant better results than the Information Retrieval technique.
Simulation of ultra-small GaAs MESFET using quantum moment equations

Ultra-small MESFETs have characteristic lengths comparable to quantum lengths: wavelength, mean free path, etc. In a first attempt to incorporate these quantum lengths, the authors develop a model based upon a set of quantum moment equations obtained from the Wigner function equation-of-motion. Interesting time-dependent current oscillation behavior has been observed when a step voltage is applied to the initial steady state. The oscillation frequency is peaked around 500 GHz, which is related to the plasma response of the carriers in the channel. Quantum effects, such as barrier repulsion and penetration, have been demonstrated in the simulation. These effects modify the electron density distribution and current density distribution both in the channel and near the source. Modifications of the frequency spectrum of the oscillation current due to the quantum effects are obvious. >
Preliminary macroscopic observations concerning the potentiality of supra-alveolar collagenous fibers in orthodontics

Abstract 1. 1. Some evidence has been presented indicating that the disruption of the collagenous connective tissue fibers above the alveolar bone aids retention after orthodontic tooth movement. 2. 2. The evidence presented also indicated that some complicating factors could alter this result.
Aristotle's Three Cities and the Problem of Faction

Aristotle describes the polis as a self-sufficient compound. Its regime, he says, is responsible for shaping the whole character of the city's people. But rarely is the city unified in its parts, and the formative power of the regime is not always this extensive. There are in fact three kinds of cities depicted in the Politics. They differ by the degree of partnership tying city members together. Accordingly, the problem of faction and its cure differs for each: for some cities, where the regime is unitary, the cure is consent; for others, with mixed regimes, it is participation; but for the ideal city it is homogeneity.
Type III secretion chaperone-dependent regulation: activation of virulence genes by SicA and InvF in Salmonella typhimurium.

Invasion of the intestinal epithelium by Salmonella sp. requires a type III secretion system (TTSS) common in many bacterial pathogens. TTSS translocate effector proteins from bacteria into eukaryotic cells. These effectors manipulate cellular functions in order to benefit the pathogen. In the human and animal pathogen Salmonella typhimurium, the expression of genes encoding the secreted effector molecules Sip/Ssp ABCD, SigD, SptP and SopE requires both the AraC/XylS-like regulator InvF and the secretion chaperone SicA. In this work, an InvF binding site was identified in the promoter regions of three operons. SicA does not appear to affect InvF stability nor to bind DNA directly. However, SicA could be co-purified with InvF, suggesting that InvF and SicA interact with each other to activate transcription from the effector gene promoters. This is the first demonstration of a contact between a protein cofactor and an AraC/XylS family transcriptional regulator and, moreover, is the first direct evidence of an interaction between a transcriptional regulator and a TTSS chaperone. The regulation of effector genes described here for InvF and SicA may represent a new paradigm for regulation of virulence in a wide variety of pathogens.
Chemical stimulation of feeding behavior in the pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides: Characterization and identification of stimulatory substances extracted from shrimp

1. 1. Substances in shrimp extract that induce feeding behavior in the pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides, had amino acid-like properties as evidenced by molecular weights of less than ca. 1000, methanol solubility, stability to acid hydrolysis, retention on a cation exchange column and their non-volatile nature. 2. 2. A quantitative analysis of the 20 amino acids present in shrimp extract provided specific concentrations used to prepare artificial solutions whose potencies were compared in a quantitative manner to the extract itself. 3. 3. A mixture was resolved that contained five amino acids (aspartic acid, glycine, glutamine, isoleucine and phenylalanine) plus betaine which accounted for 20–25% of the activity of the extract. Of the individual substances in the mixture, only betaine had significant activity when tested alone yet it accounted for less than 10% of the activity of the mixture. Quantitative data on the combined effects of various of the six substances are provided.
Relationship between AVHRR surface temperature and NDVI in Arctic tundra ecosystems

A negative, linear relationship between thermal emissions and a spectral vegetation index has been demonstrated for numerous mid‐latitude ecosystems. In this study, it is hypothesized that the relationship between surface temperature and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) will be linear, but positive in Arctic tundra ecosystems due to the contrast between warm vegetation and the cold soil/moss background. This hypothesis is tested using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data collected over the North Slope of Alaska on three days during the summer of 1999. Results of the study generally provide support for this hypothesis. However, a consistent relationship observed across two contrasting physiographic provinces on one study day was shown to change the following day and could not be readily explained by differences in satellite zenith angle or observed air temperature. Surface temperatures are shown to respond directly to spatial and temporal variations in air temperature.
Identity of the U.S. Military: Comments on “An N of 1”

Political scientist Russell A. Burgos has written an interesting and timely account of his intellectual journey from a “systemically inclined neorealist” to a “leaning constructivist” as a consequence of his active duty service with the U.S. Army in Iraq. In doing so, he offers some astute observations on several of the most important and enduring issues in American foreign and defense policy that are of interest to all international relations scholars. Rather than attempting to comment on the full range of his observations, this essay will focus on one of these—what Captain Burgos calls “the identity of the army in a ‘neo-imperial’ age”—with a view to assessing and bringing to bear some systematic evidence on his observations that the army has become staunchly Republican and conservative and that it sees itself as “separate from and superior to society at large.”Ole R. Holsti's latest book, Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy, revised edition, was published this year.
HDAC3 overexpression and colon cancer cell proliferation and differentiation

An immunohistochemical analysis of human colorectal adenocarcinomas showed that cancer cells express widely varying levels of HDAC3. The SW480 colon cancer cell line was found to express high levels of HDAC3 compared to other colon cancer cell lines. p21 was poorly induced in SW480 cells relative to the lower HDAC3-expressing HT-29 cells. RNAi-induced reduction of HDAC3 in SW480 cells increased their constitutive, butyrate-, TSA-, and TNF-α-induced expression of p21, but did not cause all the gene expression changes induced upon general histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition. SW480 cells with lower HDAC3 expression appeared to be poised for gene expression responses with increased histone H4-K12 acetylation, but not K5, K8, or K16 acetylation. Even though p21 was readily activated in HT29 cells, HDAC3 siRNA nonetheless stimulated p21 expression in these cells to a greater degree than HDAC1 and HDAC2 siRNA. SW480 cells with lower HDAC3 levels displayed an enhanced cell cycle arrest and growth inhibition by butyrate, but without changes in apoptosis or sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. As reported for other colon cancer cell lines, butyrate induced the rapid downregulation of the secretory cell differentiation markers mucin 2 and intestinal trefoil factor in SW480 cells. Interestingly, selective HDAC3 inhibition was sufficient to downregulate these genes. Our data support a central role for HDAC3 in regulating the cell proliferation and differentiation of colon cancer cells and suggest a potential mechanism by which colon cancers may become resistant to luminal butyrate. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Mechanisms Mediating Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide Depolarization of Rat Sympathetic Neurons

The direct effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptides (PACAP) on sympathetic neurons were investigated using rat superior cervical ganglion neurons. Electrophysiological and pharmacological analyses were used to evaluate PACAP modulation of sympathetic neuron membrane potentials and to investigate potential ionic and intracellular signaling mechanisms mediating the responses. More than 90% of the sympathetic neurons were depolarized by the PACAP peptides even when stimulated release was blocked, indicating that the PACAP peptides elicited primary responses in the postganglionic neurons. The response profile was consistent for activation of PACAP-selective PAC 1 receptors: nanomolar concentrations of PACAP27 and PACAP38 were required to stimulate depolarization, whereas vasoactive intestinal peptide failed to evoke any response. Furthermore, depolarizations elicited by PACAP27 were reduced by the PAC 1 receptor antagonist PACAP(6–38). Both sodium influx and inhibition of a potassium current contributed to the peptide-induced depolarizations. Activation of neither pertussis toxin- nor cholera toxin-sensitive G-proteins was required for generation of the depolarizations. cAMP and diacylglycerol production and activation of protein kinase A or protein kinase C also were not requisite for the responses. By contrast, phospholipase C (PLC)-dependent inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP 3 ) synthesis was crucial to the PACAP-mediated depolarizations. Although calcium release from IP 3 -sensitive stores was not required for the PACAP-induced responses, inhibition of IP 3 receptors reduced the depolarizations. Thus, among the many signal transduction pathways coupled to the PAC 1 receptor, the PACAP-induced depolarization of sympathetic neurons appears to require activation of PLC and subsequent generation of IP 3 .
Deradicalization or disengagement? A process in need of clarity and a counterterrorism initiative in need of evaluation

AbstractAs a result of the overwhelming preoccupation with uncovering the process of radicalization into terrorist activity, little attention has been paid to the related, yet distinct processes of disengagement and deradicalization from terrorism. This continuing neglect is ironic because it may be in the analysis of disengagement that practical initiatives for counterterrorism may become more apparent in their development and feasible in their execution. While a variety of deradicalization initiatives worldwide are currently receiving enormous interest, it is inevitable they be subjected to scrutiny regarding their alleged outcomes and claimed successes. A more immediate challenge, however, is to assert some conceptual and terminological clarity. While deradicalization has become a recent concern within counterterrorism, it is critical that we distinguish it from disengagement and stress that not only are they different, but that just because one leaves terrorism behind, it rarely implies (or even neces...
The Backrub Motion: How Protein Backbone Shrugs When a Sidechain Dances

Summary Surprisingly, the frozen structures from ultra-high-resolution protein crystallography reveal a prevalent, but subtle, mode of local backbone motion coupled to much larger, two-state changes of sidechain conformation. This "backrub" motion provides an influential and common type of local plasticity in protein backbone. Concerted reorientation of two adjacent peptides swings the central sidechain perpendicular to the chain direction, changing accessible sidechain conformations while leaving flanking structure undisturbed. Alternate conformations in sub-1 A crystal structures show backrub motions for two-thirds of the significant Cβ shifts and 3% of the total residues in these proteins (126/3882), accompanied by two-state changes in sidechain rotamer. The Backrub modeling tool is effective in crystallographic rebuilding. For homology modeling or protein redesign, backrubs can provide realistic, small perturbations to rigid backbones. For large sidechain changes in protein dynamics or for single mutations, backrubs allow backbone accommodation while maintaining H bonds and ideal geometry.
Heterospecific nonalarm vocalizations enhance risk assessment in common mynas

Animals rely on their acoustic environments to gain information regarding predator threats and social opportunities. However, because individuals have limited attention, focusing on a particular aspect of their acoustic environment may affect their ability to allocate attention elsewhere. Some previous studies support the distracted prey hypothesis, which suggests that animals may be distracted by any stimuli, inhibiting their ability to detect approaching predators. In this study, we further tested the distracted prey hypothesis by employing playback experiments to simultaneously examine the relative effects of 3 types of noises—anthropogenic sounds, conspecific nonalarm sounds, and heterospecific nonalarm sounds—as distractors for common mynas (Acridotheres tristis). We used 3 different stimuli: motorcycle noise, social common myna calls, and social red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) calls. We first examined myna response to each stimulus by measuring time allocation to various behaviors immediately before and during broadcasting the 3 playbacks. We then studied how these stimuli affected their antipredator behavior by measuring the distance at which they fled from an approaching predator (flight initiation distance). We found that mynas responded to all 3 stimuli by delaying their return to relaxed behavior following the playbacks compared with a silent treatment. In contrast to the distracted prey hypothesis, we found that mynas fled at greater distances when hearing red-vented bulbul social vocalizations than during our silent treatment. This suggests that rather than distracting, some social vocalizations may enhance prey vigilance and lead to earlier flight.
Modeling file-system input traces via a two-level arrival process

A method for analyzing, modeling and simulating a two-level arrival--counting process is presented. This method is particularly appropriate when the number of independent processes is large. The initial motivation for this method was the need to analyze and represent computer file system trace data that involves activity on some 8,000 files. The method is also applicable to network trace data characterizing communication patterns between pairs of computers. Cluster analysis with a novel stopping rule is used to decompose the arrival process into groups. The resulting clusters can be characterized using the time between clusters, the time between arrivals within clusters, and the size of each cluster. Each of these three components is then analyzed as a univariate problem. The effectiveness of this method is measured by comparing the output of a simulation driven by the original trace data to the output of the same simulation driven by the input model.
Supercritical CO2 and brine displacement in geological carbon sequestration: Micromodel and pore network simulation studies

Abstract The competence of geological carbon sequestration to a large extent relies on the short-term injection efficiency and the long-term capillary trapping and geological stability. This study uses a high-pressure micromodel and pore network simulation to investigate pore-scale displacement phenomena during the injection of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) into brine-saturated reservoirs. Results show that the brine displacement can be enhanced by increasing the scCO2 injection rate, but hindered by brine salinity which alters the interfacial contact properties and displacement patterns. The scCO2–brine displacement ratio increases with the capillary number Nc, increasing which by adding viscosifiers or surfactants would enhance the overall scCO2 injection efficiency in microscopic flows. Results also suggest that better injection efficiency and capillary trapping capacity can be achieved in reservoirs with more widely-distributed pore sizes. It is not evident that mutual solubility and upscaling using the Leverett-J function readily allow to expand the injection efficiency results of microscopic flows to reservoirs; yet, the effects of salinity and pore size distribution on the scCO2–brine displacement process remain pertinent in both microscopic and macroscopic flows through porous media.
Migration of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) oligomers from PET plastics into foods during microwave and conventional cooking and into bottled beverages

The migration of total levels of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) oligomers into a diverse range of foods has been determined using an analytical approach that involves hydrolysis of oligomers to terephthalic acid, methylation, and analysis as dimethyl terephthalate by stable isotope dilution GC/MS. Aspects of use of PET materials examined in this study include roasting bags, PET trays (for conventional and microwave oven use), and "susceptor pads" for microwave browning applications. Total levels of migration of PET oligomers were found to range from 0.02 to 2.73 mg/kg depending on the foodstuff and the temperature attained during cooking. On repeated-use of PET trays for heating olive oil there was a decline in migration of oligomers from the first to second and subsequent uses of the container. Migration of oligomers was found to occur at only very low levels from PET bottles into alcoholic and carbonated beverages.
Mechanisms of Microtubule Guiding on Microfabricated Kinesin-Coated Surfaces: Chemical and Topographic Surface Patterns

Cells regulate active transport of intracellular cargo using motor proteins. Recent nanobiotechnology efforts aim to adapt motor proteins to power the movement and assembly of synthetic materials. ...
Viral hepatitis in the 1990s, part II: hepatitis B and delta virus

Parenterally shared blood and sexual transmission are the main routes of spread of hepatitis B in the United States. Most cases resolve spontaneously without specific treatment. Passive immunization provides temporary protection in certain postexposure settings. Active immunization achieves high protection rates. Duration of protection and the need for booster doses are not well defined. Many cases of fulminant B hepatitis, severe chronic active hepatitis, and end-stage cirrhosis secondary to hepatitis B are due to hepatitis delta virus infection. The delta virus requires the presence of hepatitis B for expression of disease. Hepatitis B prophylaxis should help eliminate delta hepatitis.
Crossing the Line: Gender Transgressions in Three Italian Films

As a medium that produces both a visual and spoken interpretation of elements of social identity, cinema proffers an instructive look at a culture's reaction to challenges to the gender conventions that define it. Alessandro Blasetti's La corona di ferro (1941), Bernardo Bertolucci's Il conformista (1970), and Lina Wertmuller's Sotto … Sotto … Strapazzato d'anomala passione (1984) reveal what can occur when individuals step outside the strict parameters of gender enforced by society and usher in the possibility of alternatives to the heterosexual union. The way the three films respond to their female characters' attempts at controlling gender provides insight into the social unease with the interpretation of masculinity and femininity. Indeed, the films mobilize to strengthen and reaffirm conventional gender categories. The female character who defies conventional codes of feminine behavior in these films is, respectively, the transvestite, the androgyne, and the lesbian. Because they obfuscate the social...
Roof Rockmass Characterization in an Illinois Underground Coal Mine

Among all United States underground coal fields, those in Illinois have the highest rate of roof fall events due to their weak and severely moisture sensitive roof rock units. Rockmass characterization is the key initial step in designing safe and economical roof control measures in underground coal mines. In this study, a performance-based roof rockmass characterization is investigated. The geologic conditions as well as underground mine geographic specifications, roof fall analysis, mining method, utilized supplemental roof control measures, and geotechnical properties of roof rock units were considered to link the roof performance to rockmass characterization. The coal mine roof rating (CMRR) rockmass characterization method was used to evaluate the roof conditions and roof support design for an underground coal mine located in the Illinois Coal Basin. The results of several mine visit mappings, laboratory test results, and geotechnical issues and concerns are presented and discussed. The roof support designs are analyzed based on the rockmass characterization and are compared with the observed performance. This study shows that (1) CMRR index is a reasonable method for characterizing roof rockmass; (2) moisture sensitivity and bedding strengths in the horizontal direction are essential parameters for roof support design in mines with weak roof conditions; and (3) the applicability of the analysis of roof bolt system for roof support design of the studied mine is questionable.
Myth Smashers, Myth Makers:: (Re)Visionary Techniques in the Works of Paula Gunn Allen, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Audre Lorde

This paper examines the revisionist mythmaking strategies employed by three lesbian-feminist writers of color: Paula Gunn Allen (Laguna/Sioux/Lebanese/Scottish), Gloria Anzaldua (Chicana tejana), a...
Exact Statistical Inference for Group Sequential Trials

SUMMARY This paper considers clinical trials comparing two treatments with dichotomous responses where the data are examined periodically for early evidence of treatment difference. The existing group sequential methods for such trials are based on the large-sample normal approximation to the joint distribution of the estimators of treatment difference over interim analyses. We demonstrate through extensive numerical studies that, for small and even moderate-sized trials, these approximate procedures may lead to tests with supranominal size (mainly when unpooled estimators of variance are used) and confidence intervals with under-nominal coverage probability. We then study exact methods for group sequential testing, repeated interval estimation, and interval estimation following sequential testing. The new procedures can accommodate any treatment allocation rules. An example using real data is provided. In clinical trials with sequential patient entry, fixed-sample-size designs are sometimes unjustified on ethical grounds and fully sequential procedures are often impractical. One compromise is the group sequential design under which "multiple looks" are performed during the trial. It is widely recognized that the use of the standard single-stage, f1xedsample-size test (or confidence interval) at each look would lead to an overall Type I error (or noncoverage rate) significantly higher than the nominal level. A number of methods have been proposed to determine proper critical values for maintaining a prespecified overall significance level in sequential testing, to construct repeated confidence intervals with a given overall coverage probability, and to obtain a valid confidence interval following a sequential trial. An excellent review on the existing methodology was given by Jennison and Turnbull (1989). In this paper, we are mainly concerned with the commonly used group sequential trials comparing two treatments (A and B) with relatively quick dichotomous responses (success and failure). The data are reviewed periodically with cumulative mk subjects receiving treatment A and nk subjects receiving treatment B by the kth look. Let random variables Xk and Yk denote the numbers of successes out of the MSk and nk subjects, respectively. We assume that the maximum number of looks, K, is fixed in advance, though some of the procedures developed here can be extended to the case where K is not fixed in advance.
Multivariate Poisson distributions associated with Boolean models

We consider a d-dimensional Boolean model $$\varXi = (\varXi _1+X_1)\cup (\varXi _2+X_2)\cup \cdots $$ generated by a Poisson point process $$\{X_i, i\ge 1\}$$ with intensity measure $$\varLambda $$ and a sequence $$\{\varXi _i, i\ge 1\}$$ of independent copies of some random compact set $$\varXi _0\,$$ . Given compact sets $$K_1,\ldots ,K_{\ell }$$ , we show that the discrete random vector $$(N(K_1),\ldots ,N(K_\ell ))$$ , where $$N(K_j)$$ equals the number of shifted sets $$\varXi _i+X_i$$ hitting $$K_j$$ , obeys an $$\ell $$ -variate Poisson distribution with $$2^{\ell }-1$$ parameters. We obtain explicit formulae for all these parameters which can be estimated consistently from an observation of the union set $$\varXi $$ in some unboundedly expanding window $$W_n$$ (as $$n \rightarrow \infty $$ ) provided that the Boolean model is stationary. Some of these results can be extended to unions of Poisson k-cylinders for $$1\le k < d$$ and more general set-valued functionals of independently marked Poisson processes.
BI-19PSEUDOPROGRESSION IN OLIGODENDROGLIOMAS AND MIXED OLIGOASTROCYTOMAS IS ASSOCIATED WITH POOR PROGNOSIS

INTRODUCTION: Pseudoprogression (PsP) is a radiologic phenomenon in which treatment results in disruption of the blood brain barrier resulting in areas of contrast enhancement that is indistinguishable from true tumor progression. In glioblastoma, PsP occurs more frequently in tumors with MGMT promoter methylation and is associated with a better prognosis. We investigated whether the two recurrent genetic alterations, 1p/19q codeletions and IDH1 R132H mutation, which have prognostic significance in oligodendrogliomas (OG) and oligoastrocytomas (OA), are associated with PsP. METHODS: Institutional review board approval was granted to query a pathologic database for grade II and III OG/OA and to perform IDH1 R132H immunohistochemistry on archival material. 139 patient cases were identified, in which serial imaging was performed, records were available for review, and the tumors were treated with fractionated radiotherapy. IDH1 R132H immunohistochemistry was performed on archival material from these cases when available and their charts were reviewed for clinical data. RESULTS: PsP occurred less frequently in OG/OAs with 1p/19q codeletions (8% of tumors) than tumors without 1p/19q codeletions (27% of tumors) with an odds ratio of 0.168 and 95% CI of 0.050-0.562 when adjusting for covariables by multivariate modeling. Within the cohort without 1p/19q codeletions, the development of PsP in OG/OA was independently associated with worse survival when compared to tumors without early contrast enhancement following treatment (p = 0.0059). Additionally, within this cohort without 1p/19q codeletions, 50% of the tumors with PsP were negative for IDH1 R132H mutation by immunohistochemistry, compared to 26% negativity among tumors without early contrast enhancement. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we are the first to show that PsP occurs more frequently in OG/OA with a worse prognosis and that PsP may have an inverse association with 1p/19q codeletions and IDH1 R132H mutation.
Geodolite measurements near the Briones Hills, California, earthquake swarm of January 8, 1977

Two geodetic stations, the positions of which are frequently monitored by geodetic distance-measuring techniques, were located 5 and 10 km from the epicentral area of the Briones Hills earthquake swarm (maximum magnitude ML = 4.3) of January 1977. Although a 10 μ radian postearthquake tilt change was recorded at a nearby tiltmeter, no significant change in geodetic distances could be detected at a sensitivity of at least 0.5 ppm. A simple dislocation model of the main earthquake in the swarm would predict no observable change in either tilt or geodetic distance.
Local Population Change and Variations in Racial Integration in the United States, 2000–2010:

While population growth has been consistently tied to decreasing racial segregation at the metropolitan level in the United States, little work has been done to relate small-scale changes in population size to integration. We address this question through a novel technique that tracks population changes by race and ethnicity for comparable geographies in both 2000 and 2010. Using the Theil index, we analyze the fifty most populous metropolitan statistical areas in 2010 for changes in multigroup segregation. We classify local areas by their net population change between 2000 and 2010 using a unique unit of analysis based on aggregating census blocks. We find strong evidence that growing parts of rapidly growing metropolitan areas of the United States are crucial to understanding regional differences in segregation that have emerged in past decades. Multigroup segregation declined the most in growing parts of growing metropolitan areas. Comparatively, growing parts of shrinking or stagnant metropolitan area...
Cost, Precision, and Task Structure in Aggression-Based Arbitration for Minimalist Robot Cooperation

This paper reexamines a multi-robot transportation task, introduced and studied by Vaughan and his collaborators, in which constrained space induces inter-agent interference. Previous research demonstrated the effectiveness of an arbitration mechanism inspired by biological signaling where the level of aggression displayed by each agent effectively prioritizes the limited resources. This paper shows that apart from determining the correct fitness of an individual several other factors, such as signaling cost, precision of the outcome and properties of the resource and task are key to determine an effective arbitration technique. Based on these factors we present a taxonomy of the arbitration mechanisms.
Systematic Review of Video-Based Instruction Component and Parametric Analyses:

Video-based instruction (VBI) has a substantial amount of research supporting its use with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. However, it has typically ...
Interactive Tracking for Robot-Assisted Autism Therapy

Autism therapy is often associated with enormous financial cost. Robotic technology is promising for autism applications for its affordability, multimodal interaction, and being able to provide repeatable, standardized stimulus while quantitatively recording and monitoring performance. A robot integrated into the therapy session enhances the ability to collect relevant data such as attention, affect, gaze direction, and gestures in addition to conventional measures. The PABI® is a penguin-like humanoid robot built for guiding Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy; it was developed from the ground up for this application taking into account the psychological underpinnings. Through facial expressions, body motion, verbal cues, vision-based tracking, and a tablet computer, the robot interacts meaningfully with an autistic child. The system has been piloted with five children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).