cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Natal dispersal and philopatry in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) in relation to population density, season, and natal social environment

We used intensive livetrapping to examine natal dispersal and philopatry in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). The majority of male (70.0%) and female prairie voles (75.1 %) remained at the natal nest until death. Those males and females that did disperse left home at about the same age (45–55 days) and moved similar distances (28–33 m). Dispersal was more common (1) from small natal groups than from large natal groups, (2) following disappearance of parents, (3) during the breeding period than during the nonbreeding period, and (4) at low population densities than at high densities. Dispersal was not associated with level of competition for mates within natal groups, and dispersers did not differ from nondispersers in body weight. Our data do not support competition for mates or resources as important factors influencing natal dispersal in prairie voles. The absence of sex differences in dispersal tendency or distance, and our fording that more than half of dispersers had become reproductive before leaving the natal nest, lead us to suggest that inbreeding avoidance is not a primary function of dispersal in this species. Dispersal was, however, more common when potential mates within the natal group were relatives than when they were nonrelatives. Although not tested here, if family members avoid mating with one another through patterns of mate choice, then some animals may leave home in search of mates. The precise benefits associated with philopatry in prairie voles remain to be identified.
Confirmation of differential binding of Interferon Regulatory Factor-1 (IRF-1) to the functional and HIV disease-influencing -2578 A/G polymorphism in CCL2

Confirmation of differential binding of Interferon Regulatory Factor-1 (IRF-1) to the functional and HIV disease-influencing −2578 A/G polymorphism in CCL2
Recent Advances in Childhood Arterial Ischemic Stroke

Although many underlying diseases have been reported in the setting of childhood arterial ischemic stroke, emerging research demonstrates that non-atherosclerotic intracerebral arteriopathies in otherwise healthy children are prevalent. Minor infections may play a role in arteriopathies that have no other apparent underlying cause. Although stroke in childhood differs in many aspects from adult stroke, few systematic studies specific to pediatrics are available to inform stroke management. Treatment trials of pediatric stroke are required to determine the best strategies for acute treatment and secondary stroke prevention. The high cost of pediatric stroke to children, families, and society demands further study of its risk factors, management, and outcomes. This review focuses on the recent findings in childhood arterial ischemic stroke.
A neutron hodoscope for medium energy np scattering experiments

Abstract A 24-element plastic scintillation counter hodoscope for np elastic and total cross section measurements at LAMPF is described. Details of construction, electronics, calibration with cosmic ray muons, and a determination of absolute detection efficiency at 289 and 435 MeV are presented.
Soils-Based Rapid Assessment for Quantifying Changes in Salt Marsh Condition as a Result of Hydrologic Alteration

Wetland condition can be severely altered as a result of a change in hydrology. In this study, we examined several soil-based methods to quantify and assess changes in salt marsh condition as a result of tidal restriction. Soil properties were compared between two tidally restricted and two (paired) unrestricted salt marshes. Organic horizon morphology provided a qualitative metric of marsh peat decomposition. Quantitative measures of the degree of decomposition included stable plant fragment content and bearing capacity. Soil pH provided simple metrics of changes in soil chemistry. Bulk density was measured to estimate marsh peat collapse and soil organic matter content provided a measure of carbon dynamics. Neither marsh showed significant differences in soil organic matter or bulk density relative to their paired reference marsh. In contrast, soil pH, stable plant fragment content, and bearing capacity were significantly different between restricted and reference marshes. With the exception of incubation pH, these soil properties can be simply and rapidly measured in the field to quantify physical, chemical, and biological changes in the wetland condition of salt marshes as a result of tidal restriction. Further studies should be conducted to develop a rapid protocol for measuring incubation pH in the field.
Retinal innervation of the inferior colliculus in rat and monkey.

Summary Visual pathways were studied using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as an anterograde tracer after intraocular injections in rats and monkeys. Retinal axons continue caudally from the stratum opticum of the contralateral superior colliculus at the medial and lateral sides of the superior colliculus. Fibers near the midline spread out as a flat sheet within the pericentral nucleus of the inferior colliculus. The optic axons travel through the dorsal pericentral nucleus and some reach the posterior pericentral nucleus, but their numbers diminish along the route, suggesting that the fibers terminate. The fact that a similar pathway was observed in rodent and primate suggests that the retino-pericentral nucleus pathway exists in other mammals.
Detection of an Epstein-Barr genome analog at physiological concentrations via the biometallization of interdigitated array electrodes.

This paper reports a simple DNA sensor having a detection limit of about 24 oligonucleotides and that operates without the need for PCR amplification. The sensor platform is based on an interdigitated array (IDA) of electrodes. The electrodes are modified with DNA capture probes, which are complementary to an analog for the Epstein−Barr genome, and then exposed to an alkaline phosphatase-labeled target. The enzyme catalyzes the formation of L-ascorbic acid, which reduces Ag+ in solution to yield conductive Ag filaments that span the gap between the electrodes of the IDA. Resistance measurements, made with an inexpensive, hand-held multimeter, signal the presence of the target. The sensor response is insensitive to the presence of a large excess of non-complementary DNA sequences.
An ecological study of the viper Vipera berus in southern Britain

A general ecological study was made of the Northern viper (adder) in Dorset. The principal aim was to obtain a detailed account of its seasonal activity and then to relate this to its habitat and other requirements. 166 marked individuals were studied in the field for at least three seasons and additional information was obtained from 194 post-mortem examinations and from studies of live individuals in an enclosure. It was found the viper occupies two distinct habitats, high, dry ground for winter hibernation and low-lying damp river meadows in the summer. Feeding essentially occurs from June to August and breeding is restricted by the short active season to alternate years. This study forms part of the research being carried out to help with the conservation of the British reptiles on the National Nature Reserves in this part of England.
Pioglitazone treatment reduces adipose tissue inflammation through reduction of mast cell and macrophage number and by improving vascularity.

Context and Objective Adipose tissue in insulin resistant subjects contains inflammatory cells and extracellular matrix components. This study examined adipose pathology of insulin resistant subjects who were treated with pioglitazone or fish oil. Design, Setting and Participants Adipose biopsies were examined from nine insulin resistant subjects before/after treatment with pioglitazone 45 mg/day for 12 weeks and also from 19 subjects who were treated with fish oil (1,860 mg EPA, 1,500 mg DHA daily). These studies were performed in a clinical research center setting. Results Pioglitazone treatment increased the cross-sectional area of adipocytes by 18% (p = 0.01), and also increased capillary density without affecting larger vessels. Pioglitazone treatment decreased total adipose macrophage number by 26%, with a 56% decrease in M1 macrophages and an increase in M2 macrophages. Mast cells were more abundant in obese versus lean subjects, and were decreased from 24 to 13 cells/mm2 (p = 0.02) in patients treated with pioglitazone, but not in subjects treated with FO. Although there were no changes in total collagen protein, pioglitazone increased the amount of elastin protein in adipose by 6-fold. Conclusion The PPARγ agonist pioglitazone increased adipocyte size yet improved other features of adipose, increasing capillary number and reducing mast cells and inflammatory macrophages. The increase in elastin may better permit adipocyte expansion without triggering cell necrosis and an inflammatory reaction.
Our debates: Finding, fixing, and enacting reality:

Working in the long historical shadow of what has been taken to be debates between quantitative and qualitative methods, Osatuke and Stiles (2011), Westerman (2011), and Yanchar (2011) seek to move...
Closing of the Protocadic Ocean and intraplate basins

THE presence of several long-lived, deeply subsiding basins, autogeosynclines1, such as those in Michigan, Illinois, North Kansas and Williston suggests that the North American craton or plate remained in a constant position relative to the underlying mantle during the Palaeozoic.
High-resolution imaging in Barrett's esophagus: a novel, low-cost endoscopic microscope

Background This report describes the clinical evaluation of a novel, low-cost, high-resolution endoscopic microscope for obtaining fluorescent images of the cellular morphology of the epithelium of regions of the esophagus with Barrett's metaplasia. This noninvasive point imaging system offers a method for obtaining real-time histologic information during endoscopy. Objective The objective of this study was to compare images taken with the fiberoptic endoscopic microscope with standard histopathologic examination. Design Feasibility study. Setting The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Department of Gastroenterology. Patients, Interventions, and Main Outcome Measurements The tissue samples studied in this report were obtained by endoscopic resection from patients with previous diagnoses of either high-grade dysplasia or esophageal adenocarcinoma. Results Three distinct tissue types were observed ex vivo with the endoscopic microscope: normal squamous mucosa, Barrett's metaplasia, and high-grade dysplasia. Squamous tissue was identified by bright nuclei surrounded by dark cytoplasm in an ordered pattern. Barrett's metaplasia could be identified by large glandular structures with intact nuclear polarity. High-grade dysplasia was visualized as plentiful, irregular glandular structures and loss of nuclear polarity. Standard histopathologic examination of study samples confirmed the results obtained by the endoscopic microscope. Limitations The endoscopic microscope probe had to be placed into direct contact with tissue. Conclusions It was feasible to obtain high-resolution histopathologic information using the endoscopic microscope device. Future improvement and integration with widefield endoscopic techniques will aid in improving the sensitivity of detection of dysplasia and early cancer development in the esophagus.
Global Gene Expression Analysis Reveals a Role for the α1 Integrin in Renal Pathogenesis

Abstract Kidney fibrosis is the hallmark of most types of progressive kidney disease, including the genetic disorder Alport's syndrome. We undertook gene expression analysis in Alport's syndrome mouse kidneys using microchip arrays to characterize the development of fibrosis. In addition to matrix and matrix-remodeling genes, consistent with interstitial fibrosis, macrophage-related genes show elevated expression levels in Alport's syndrome kidneys. Immunohistochemical analysis of kidney sections illustrated that macrophages as well as myofibroblasts accumulate in the tubular interstitium. Deletion of α1 integrin results in decreased accumulation of both myofibroblasts and macrophages in the tubular interstitium in Alport's syndrome mice and delays disease progression. Transforming growth factor β antagonism, although reducing interstitial fibrosis, does not limit macrophage accumulation in the tubular interstitium and disease progression. In this study, we identified previously overlooked inflammatory events that occur in the tubulointerstitial region. We propose that in addition to the previously suggested role for the α1β1 integrin in mesangial expansion and abnormal laminin deposition, this integrin may be critical for monocyte accumulation that, in turn, may lead directly to renal failure. Our gene expression and immunohistochemical data indicate that macrophage accumulation is dependent on α1 integrin expression on the macrophage cell surface and that anti-α1 integrin strategies may be employed as therapeutics in the treatment of chronic inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.
Accessory hepatic vein to pulmonary venous atrium as a cause of cyanosis after the Fontan operation

The presence of an accessory hepatic vein to the pulmonary venous atrium should be considered in the setting of progressive cyanosis following the Fontan procedure. An inferior vena caval angiogram with "levo-phase" should demonstrate it. Surgical intervention or transcatheter occlusion should lead to prompt resolution of cyanosis.
EXTRUSION COOKING OF SWEET POTATO ROOTS

An extruded product was prepared using a mixture of sweet potato roots (SP), high protein wheat flour (WF), oil and water. The mixture was extruded in a Wenger X-5 extruder. The best physical characteristics of the extruded product were obtained using drum dried baked sweet potato powder (DDSPP) and WF in the ratio of 3:1, oil content of 4.0% and an initial moisture content of 12.32%. This combination yielded a 4.33 fold expansion of the product. Physical measurements on the extruded product were: diameter, bulk density, expansion, and percent rehydration. The carotenoid content of the extruded product did not change considerably from that of DDSPP. The use of DDSPP: WF ratio of 3:1 represented 89.86% utilization of raw SP roots on a fresh weight basis.
Set systems with union and intersection constraints

Let 2=(n-1k-1). Then G contains d sets with union of size at most 2k and empty intersection. This extends the Erdos-Ko-Rado theorem and verifies a conjecture of the first author for large n.
A point focusing graphite spectrometer for low energy X-rays☆

Abstract A point-focusing graphite crystal spectrometer has been developed for the 2–10 keV X-ray range. With an efficiency of 10−5 and an energy resolution of 1%, it is a suitable instrument for the study of X-rays from light pionic atoms.
Carbon versus oxygen alkylation of gaseous nucleophiles

Abstract The reaction of gaseous ethyl cations with the ambident nucleophile 2,4-pentanedione produces o-alkylation, in agreement with the “hard and soft” acid-base principle.
Smartcards become an international technology

Smartcards were first introduced nearly 20 years ago in France to reduce credit card fraud. This new technology grew slowly but steadily for several years. It is now making a leap into new application areas and international markets. Smartcards are now used in many countries and acceptance is expected to grow dramatically.
Vocational adjustment after first myocardial infarction; comparative assessment of several variables suggested in the literature.

Abstract During the past 20 years, many factors have been identified as determinants of returning to work after myocardial infarction. The literature is reviewed and a variety of supposed predictors are tested simultaneously on 58 first heart attack patients. The patient's perception of his health status, social class, and sense of control over his fate predict return to work, while only amount of weekly work involvement before the attack and the perceived pressures from significant others predict amount of weekly work involvement 6 months after the attack. The findings are discussed in relation to strategies for improving post-attack vocational adjustment.
The role of vision, speed, and attention in overcoming directional biases during arm movements

Previous research has revealed directional biases (preferences to select movements in specific directions) during horizontal arm movements with the use of a free-stroke drawing task. The biases were interpreted as a result of a tendency to generate motion at either the shoulder or elbow (leading joint) and move the other (subordinate) joint predominantly passively to avoid neural effort for control of interaction torque. Here, we examined influence of vision, movement speed, and attention on the directional biases. Participants performed the free-stroke drawing task, producing center-out strokes in randomly selected directions. Movements were performed with and without vision and at comfortable and fast pace. A secondary, cognitive task was used to distract attention. Preferred directions remained the same in all conditions. Bias strength mildly increased without vision, especially during fast movements. Striking increases in bias strength were caused by the secondary task, pointing to additional cognitive load associated with selection of movements in the non-preferred directions. Further analyses demonstrated that the tendency to minimize active interference with interaction torque at the subordinate joint matched directional biases in all conditions. This match supports the explanation of directional biases as a result of a tendency to minimize neural effort for interaction torque control. The cognitive load may enhance this tendency in two ways, directly, by reducing neural capacity for interaction torque control, and indirectly, by decreasing capacity of working memory that stores visited directions. The obtained results suggest strong directional biases during daily activities because natural arm movements usually subserve cognitive tasks.
International evidence on the value of deposit insurance

Abstract The goal of this paper is to improve our understanding of the costs and benefits of explicit deposit insurance. To this end, we compare the opportunity-cost value of deposit insurance services for a large sample of banks drawn from countries with or without explicit deposit insurance. After correcting for certain bank- and country-specific factors, we find that the existence of explicit deposit insurance raises the opportunity-cost value of deposit insurance, but that the presence of a sound legal system with proper enforcement of rules reduces the adverse effects of explicit deposit insurance on the opportunity-cost value of deposit insurance services. Our findings suggest that moral hazards and other incentive problems created by existing governmental deposit insurance schemes differ in magnitude between different types of banks and among different countries, and that explicit deposit insurance should not be introduced in countries with weak institutional environments.
PECS has empirical support, but limitations in the systematic review process require this conclusion to be interpreted with caution

What is the effectiveness of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) interventions in enhancing communication skills? To what extent does PECS increase speech? To what extent does PECS decreas...
Summary of the National Institutes of Arthritis, Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases Conference on Urolithiasis: State of the Art and Future Research Needs

Many facts and statistics regarding urolithiasis are well known. Approximately two-thirds of patients with urolithiasis have calcium oxalatekalcium phosphate stones, and these calculi occur more commonly in men and white patients. The lifetime chance of an individual having a stone is approximately 10 to 15% and if that individual is untreated the chance of recurrence is nearly 60% within approximately 10 years. Many treatment programs include the use of various medications that have been effective in either eliminating or decreasing the incidence of stone recurrence. Recent treatment developments in percutaneous techniques and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWLP) have lessened the morbidity associated with open stone surgery and represent a major advance in management of this common problem. We also know that many stone patients exhibit low urinary volumes and/or hypercalciuria. Other metabolic disorders are also well recognized, including hyperuricosuria, hyperoxaluria and hypocitraturia. Identification of these disorders is relatively easy and treatment programs, including dietary modification in addition to pharmacological agents, have been shown to be effective. Prevention is recognized as being preferable to treatment (for example ESWL) and recurrence. With this background, why was another conference on urolithiasis needed? A National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored consensus conference on prevention and treatment of kidney stones was held March 28 to 30,1988 and many of these points were emphasized. Additionally, stone disease is not fatal, most patients eventually do well, incapacitation is usually short-lived and most return to their normal lifestyles. Although most individuals with kidney calculi pass the stone, often hospitalization is required. For individuals requiring intervention various procedures are performed, most in the operating room and most requiring anesthesia with use of ancillary medical personnel. Although patients as a group do well, there is significant expense associated with this treatment, time lost from work, need for recuperation and attendant morbidity. Additionally, after appropriate treatment most of these patients are not evaluated and resume their previous life-style, and many may have a recurrent stone. Another problem in the clinical arena relates to medical management itself. Although various pharmacological agents are available and many have been proved to be efficacious, treatment failures occur. Long-term followup is required to determine that preexisting stones do not grow and that new stones do not form. Efforts are needed to assess medical therapy better and also to develop new agents that can be used either alone or in combination to prevent stone formation more effectively in those so predisposed. Many investigations in the past have attempted to identify
Organic nature of colloidal actinides transported in surface water environments.

Elevated levels of 239,240Pu and 241Am have been present in surficial soils of the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), CO, since the 1960s, when soils were locally contaminated in the 1960s by leaking drums stored on the 903 Pad. Further dispersion of contaminated soil particles was by wind and water. From 1998 until 2001, we examined actinide (239,240Pu and 241Am) concentrations and phase speciation in the surface environment at RFETS through field studies and laboratory experiments. Measurements of total 239,240Pu and 241Am concentrations in storm runoff and pond discharge samples, collected during spring and summer times in 1998−2000, demonstrate that most of the 239,240Pu and 241Am transported from contaminated soils to streams occurred in the particulate (≥0.45 μm; 40−90%) and colloidal (∼2 nm or 3 kDa to 0.45 μm; 10−60%) phases. Controlled laboratory investigations of soil resuspension, which simulated storm and erosion events, confirmed that most of the Pu in the 0.45 μm filter-passi...
A Reflection on a Cross-Cultural Internship for International Students Studying Outside their Homeland

Abstract Using internship experiences to instruct international students in the acquisition of improved knowledge, skills, and attitudes relating to individuals with disabilities in developing nati...
A Markov Chain Application to Manpower Supply Planning

Markov chains have been suggested since the early sixties for modeling manpower supply, mostly in military, governmental and public agencies. An actual industrial application is presented. This will be of interest to managers as well as practitioners and students of operational research. The approach, use and validation of the Markov model are discussed, along with some limitations and extensions.
ELECTROKINETIC PHENOMENA. III : THE "ISOELECTRIC POINT" OF NORMAL AND SENSITIZED MAMMALIAN ERYTHROCYTES

A survey of the published electrophoretic mobilities of certain mammalian red cells reveals that the isoelectric points accorded to these cells are the result of equilibria incidental to red cell destruction. The electrophoretic mobilities of normal washed sheep and human cells have now been studied in 0.85 per cent NaCl solutions from about pH 3.6 to 7.4. All measurements were made within 2 minutes of the preparation of the suspension of red cells. In no case was reversal of sign of charge observed under these conditions. Reversal of sign of charge occurred only after sufficient time had elapsed to permit sufficient adsorption of the products of red cell destruction. There is little change in mobility as the pH of the medium is decreased. Reversal of sign of charge does occur in the presence of normal and immune (anti-sheep) rabbit sera. The isoelectric point determined under these conditions does not appear to be connected specifically with the immune body but is perhaps associated with phenomena incidental to red cell destruction and the presence of serum. The characteristic lowering of mobility by amboceptor occurs, however, from pH 4.0 to pH 7.4. The curves of mobility plotted against pH for normal and for immune sera support the viewpoint that the identity of the isoelectric points for normal and sensitized sheep cells is not primarily concerned with the immune reaction. It is most unlikely that an "albumin" or a "globulin" surface covers red cells with a complete protein film. Although serum protein reacts with red cells in acid solutions, this is not demonstrable for gelatin. The lowering of mobility usually ascribed to anti-sheep rabbit serum may also occur, but to a lesser degree, in normal rabbit serum. This diminution of mobility is not, in the first place, associated with sensitization to hemolysis induced by complement. This supports the view that only a very small part of the red cell surface need be changed in order to obtain complete hemolysis in the presence of complement.
Hopfnicity of negatively curved polygonal amalgams of finite groups

Abstract Polygonal amalgams of groups are the 2-dimensional analogues of free products with amalgamation. In a previous paper the automorphism structure of certain negatively curved polygonal amalgams was studied. Here we extend the tools of that paper to study endomorphisms of negatively curved polygonal amalgams of finite groups. In particular we show such groups are Hopfian.
Proving specifications of tasking systems using Ada/TL

ADA/TL is a language for specification of the behavior of systems of communicating tasks. It merges concepts of the specification part of ADA, VDM specification of packages, and temporal logic specification of task behavior. The TL part consists of constructive specification of behaviors of individual tasks and a system specification of the properties of the interaction of tasks. A proof of a system specification consists of showing that the system property holds over all possible interleavings of the task behaviors.This paper extends earlier work on proof of system specifications to cover more general branching behaviors of individual tasks, including cases of timed task calls and timed rendezvous. The constructive specification of each individual task defines a finite state computation model of its possible behaviors with allowed communication between task computations. The proof system uses marker symbols to represent the current state within each task computation, inference rules to justify transformations from one state to the next, and a proof tableau for representing the proof steps. The method rests upon the technique of using an invariant system property to identify a finite computation model of the interaction of all the system tasks. The proof tableau symbolically traces threads of control in all branches of the finite state model of the interaction of all of the system tasks. The proof method is illustrated herein using an example of a traffic walk-light controller with a timed behavior.
Comment on academic exclusion: the case of Alexander Del Mar

Abstract Del Mar made intellectual contributions that one would have thought merited at least the recognition, and if not more, that was given to other 19th century economists such as for example Henry George. The academic exclusion of Del Mar described by Joseph Aschheim and George Tavlas can be compared with the 20th century and with the intellectual openness of early 21st century academia.
ConfInement effect in flexural ductility of concrete: three-dimensional analysis

To study the effect of the transverse stress and strain distribution and steel ties (stirrups) upon the ultimate bending moment and bending ductility, a three-dimensional finite element analysis of a cross section slice is carried out. The slice consists of a layer of eight-node isoparametric elements, whose axial displacements are constrained so that the cross sections remain planar but not orthogonal. This allows interpreting the results in terms of curvature, bending moment, axial force and shear force. Each element within the layer is allowed to independently undergo cracking when its tensile strength limit is exceeded, and the incremental inelastic stiffness matrix of the cracked material is derived. The inelastic behavior of uncracked concrete or concrete between the cracks is modeled by the previously published endochronic theory, which allows representing the inelastic dilatancy due to shear, the hydrostatic pressure sensitivity, and the strain-softening (decrease of stress at increasing strain). The use of a constitutive relation that is capable of describing these effects is essential, since the dilatancy of concrete is opposed by ties which thus produce hydrostatic pressure in concrete thereby increasing its ductility. Transverse reinforcement is modeled either as reinforcement smeared throughout an element or as a steel bar connecting the nodes. Special measures are taken to eliminate spurious shear effects in the finite element model. A computer program to calculate the moment-curvature diagram of a given beam has been written using the incremental loading procedure. The calculated results compare satisfactorily with the available published test data on the effect of tie spacing upon the moment-curvature diagrams and flexural ductility.
Statistical analysis of statural growth following kidney transplantation

Factors affecting the growth rates of 59 children and adolescents for the first 2 years following kidney transplantation were evaluated. The factors assessed were age at transplantation, renal function, prednisone dosage, donor source, and prior history of transplantation. The observed growth velocity was expressed as the percentage of the growth velocity predicted by bone age. Normal growth (≥80%) was exhibited by 37% of the patients and 22% had accelerated growth (≥100%). The chronological age at transplantation did not correlate significantly with growth when bone age was used as the reference for expected velocity. Males grew better than did females. There was a unique sex/race interaction with black males growing most rapidly. Better renal function, the ability to lower prednisone dosage, alternate day prednisone, and a decreasing diastolic blood pressure were positively correlated with better growth rates after transplantation. Donor source and prior history of transplantation did not significantly influence growth rate.
Rapid, efficient, large-scale purification of unfused, non-denatured E7 protein of cottontail rabbit papillomavirus.

Cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) E7 protein is one of the :high risk' papillomavirus E7 oncoproteins that are partially insoluble in aqueous solution. An Escherichia coli expression system was used for purification of CRPV E7 protein in quantities sufficient for immunologic studies and structural analysis. A glutathione S-transferase (GST)-CRPV E7 fusion protein was solubilized in the presence of non-ionic and ionic detergents, and isolated on an affinity column of glutathione Sepharose beads. The CRPV E7 portion was cleaved from the column with thrombin at a thrombin cleavage site between the fused partners. Thrombin was removed subsequently by adsorption to benzamidine. This method is rapid, requiring just one week, and efficient, yielding 3 mg of pure CRPV E7 protein per liter of bacterial culture. It produced a protein product that was about 95% pure. High-titered polyclonal antisera generated to the product recognized CRPV E7 but not GST. Purified CRPV E7 protein exhibited the ability to bind pRB, making it the first unfused, non-denatured CRPV E7 product reported to do so. This attribute could facilitate structure-function studies of CRPV E7-pRB interactions.
QUANTUM RULES: AN EFFECT CAN HAVE MORE THAN ONE OPERATION

We review the formalism of Effects and Operations in order to demonstrate that this formalism is equivalent to the standard rules of quantum mechanics. D'Espagnat has studied an example where he finds a discrepancy between an analysis based on the standard quantum rule for calculating probabilities and an analysis that uses a particular Operation taken from the work of Barchielli and his collaborators. We use the formalism of Effects and Operations to explore and explain this discrepancy.
Thermal decomposition of methyl α-d-glycopyranosides

Abstract Thermal analysis, coupled with chemical studies, indicates that methyl α- d -glycopyranosides undergo thermal decomposition in two overlapping stages. At lower temperatures, the major reaction is loss of the methoxyl group as methanol, and intra- or inter-molecular condensation of the glycosyl portion of the molecule. At higher temperatures, the predominant reaction is fragmentation of the transglycosylation products. Both reactions were found to be dependent on the configuration of the starting methyl α- d -glycopyranoside.
Estimation of a system pulse transfer function in the presence of noise

Statistical estimation theory is applied to derive effective techniques for measurement of the pulse transfer function of a linear system from normal operating records obscured by additive noise. It is shown that the problem is equivalent to that of fitting a hyperplane to a set of observed points with random errors in certain coordinates. A method of Koopmans is applied to obtain generalized least squares estimates which are also maximum likelihood estimates when the noise is white and Gaussian. The estimates of the coefficients are obtained as the components of the eigenvector corresponding to the smallest eigenvalue of a matrix equation involving the sample auto- and cross-correlation functions of the input and output records and the covariance matrix of the corresponding noise components. Expressions for the sampling variances and biases are given. The properties of the simpler standard least squares estimates are also considered. The appropriate modifications for nonwhite noise are described.
Reducing printed circuit board emissions with low-noise design practices

This paper presents the results of an experiment designed to determine the effectiveness of adopting several low-noise printed circuit board (PCB) design practices. Two boards were designed and fabricated, each consisting of identical mixed-signal circuitry. Several important differences were introduced between the board layouts: one board was constructed using recommended low-noise practices and the other constructed without such attention. The emissions from the two boards were then measured and compared, demonstrating an improvement in radiated emissions of up to 22 dB.
Generation of reactive oxygen species by grape seed extract causes irreparable DNA damage leading to G2/M arrest and apoptosis selectively in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) accounts for 6% of all malignancies in USA and unfortunately the recurrence of secondary primary tumors and resistance against conventional treatments decrease the overall 5 year survival rate in HNSCC patients. Thus, additional approaches are needed to control HNSCC. Here, for the first time, employing human HNSCC Detroit 562 and FaDu cells as well as normal human epidermal keratinocytes, we investigate grape seed extract (GSE) efficacy and associated mechanism in both cell culture and nude mice xenografts. GSE selectively inhibited the growth and caused cell cycle arrest and apoptotic death in both Detroit 562 and FaDu cells by activating DNA damage checkpoint cascade, including ataxia telangiectasia mutated/ataxia telangiectasia-Rad3-related–checkpoint kinase 1/2–cell division cycle 25C as well as caspases 8, 9 and 3. Consistent with these results, GSE treatment resulted in a strong DNA damage and a decrease in the levels of DNA repair molecules breast cancer gene 1 and Rad51 and DNA repair foci. GSE-caused accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species was identified as a major mechanism of its effect for growth inhibition, DNA damage and apoptosis, which was remarkably reversed by antioxidant N-acetylcysteine. GSE feeding to nude mice decreased Detroit 562 and FaDu xenograft tumor growth by 67 and 65% (P < 0.001), respectively. In immunohistochemical analysis, xenografts from GSE-fed groups showed decreased proliferation but increased DNA damage and apoptosis. Together, these findings show that GSE targets both DNA damage and repair and provide mechanistic insights for its efficacy selectively against HNSCC both in cell culture and mouse xenograft, supporting its translational potential against HNSCC.
Concurrency Issues in Automating RTS for Web Services

Regression testing (RT), testing software with previously used test cases, is a mainstream practice in software maintenance. Regression test selection (RTS) is to reduce the number of tests which need to be retested. Safe RTS techniques add the assurance that no modification-revealing test case will be left unselected. Several effective safe RTS techniques were developed for traditional applications, but none of them can be directly applied to Web services, even though there have been RT tools and techniques for Web services test-case generation, and ranking competing services. We have developed an approach to adapt Rothermel and Harrold's safe RTS technique to Web services. This approach was designed to be automated. In doing so, we have recognized a set of challenging issues that arise as a result of multiple concurrent modifications in distributed, autonomous, but still interconnected services. We believe not only these issues are common to any automated RTS approach, the needs for the solutions to these issues will also become more and more keen as composite Web services are getting more and more ubiquitous.
Comprehensive analysis of yeast surface displayed cDNA library selection outputs by exon microarray to identify novel protein-ligand interactions

Phosphatidylinositides are important signaling molecules that interact with a myriad of cellular proteins, many of which remain unidentified. We previously screened a yeast surface displayed human proteome library to identify protein fragments with affinity for the phosphatidylinositides, phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate. Much of the diversity in the screened selection outputs was represented by clones present at low frequencies, suggesting that a significant number of additional phosphatidylinositide-binding protein fragments might be present in the selection outputs. In the studies described in this report, we developed a novel cDNA library analysis method and comprehensively analyzed the polyclonal selection outputs from the phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate and phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate selections using a high-density exon microarray. In addition to the nine previously reported phosphatidylinositide-binding protein fragments, we identified 37 new phosphatidylinositide-binding candidates. Nine of 37 contain known phosphatidylinositide-binding domains, whereas the remaining 28 contain no known phosphatidylinositide-binding domain. We cloned and confirmed phosphatidylinositide binding by fluorescence-activated cell sorting for 17 of these novel candidate protein fragments. Our experiments suggest that phosphatidylinositide binding by these 17 novel protein fragments is dependent on both the inositol phosphate “headgroup” and the lipid “tail.” This is in contrast with the PH domain containing fragments we tested, for which the inositol phosphate headgroup was sufficient for binding. The novel PtdIns-binding fragments come from a wide variety of proteins, including splicing factors, transcription factors, a kinase, and a polymerase. Intriguingly, 11 of the phosphatidylinositide-binding protein fragments are from nuclear proteins, including four containing homeobox domains. We found that phosphatidylinositides and double-stranded DNA oligonucleotides derived from homeobox domain target sequences compete for binding to homeobox domain-containing protein fragments, suggesting a possible mechanism for phospholipid-dependent transcriptional regulation. FACS enrichment of target-binding clones in yeast human cDNA display libraries coupled with comprehensive analysis of the selection output by DNA microarray analysis is an effective method for investigating common as well as rare protein interactions. In particular, this method is well suited for the study of small molecule/protein and drug/protein interactions.
Molecular cloning of the human rad gene: gene structure and complete nucleotide sequence☆

Abstract We have isolated and sequenced human genomic DNA clones encoding the Ras-related GTP-binding protein, Rad. The gene spans 3.75 kb and consists of five exons and four introns. Translation initiates from the first of two in-frame methionine residues in the second exon. Several potential transcription cis -elements were revealed throughout the 1.7 kb 5′-flanking region, including ‘E box’ and CArG binding sites for regulators of transcription in muscle.
Tumor Detection With a New Boundary Integral Equation Formulation

During pathological evolution, tissues mechanical properties, such as elastic moduli, will be changed. This feature has already been used in theory and application of elastography for detecting and characterizing tumors. In this paper, a tumor mass embedded in a breast tissue is modeled as an Eshelby inhomogeneity problem. Using a new anisotropic boundary element method (BEM) developed recently by the authors, the stress and strain fields due to an external load are solved efficiently and accurately. Furthermore, an inverse algorithm is also proposed for the detection and characterization of the embedded tumor mass. Numerical examples are presented to show that the BEM algorithm based on the Eshelby inclusion concept provides a useful method to solve certain biomedical problems.© 2004 ASME
Advances in Photodynamic Theory

THE AUTHORS PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY-A PROMISING TECHNIQUE TO TREAT CANCER, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, AND OTHER ILLNESSES.
The Starburst active database rule system

The paper describes the development of the Starburst Rule System, an active database rules facility integrated into the Starburst extensible relational database system at the IBM Almaden Research Center. The Starburst rule language is based on arbitrary database state transitions rather than tuple or statement level changes, yielding a clear and flexible execution semantics. The rule system has been implemented completely. Its rapid implementation was facilitated by the extensibility features of Starburst, and rule management and rule processing are integrated into all aspects of database processing.
Hawaii Mapping Research Group bathymetric and sidescan data processing

A new UNIX-based software system has been developed to process the data acquired by the new SEAMAP and HAWAII MR1 instruments. The goals of the software development were efficient shipboard creation of complete bathymetry and sidescan-mosaics, easy operability, and preservation of the original data together with a log of all transformations applied to it. The software is organized into two acquisition and post-processing subsystems, with the latter subsystem being subdivided into bathymetric processing, sidescan processing and mosaic generation. The post-processing subsystem features a highly interactive visual interface with extensive on-line help. >
Clock system design

Provides a framework for understanding system timing and then describes how the computer clock system executes the timing specifications. He examines clock generation and the construction of clock-distribution networks, which are integral to any clock system. Examples from contemporary high-speed systems highlight several common methods of clock generation, distribution, and tuning. Tight control of system clock skew is stressed. >
Acid contact in the rodent pulmonary alveolus causes proinflammatory signaling by membrane pore formation

Although gastric acid aspiration causes rapid lung inflammation and acute lung injury, the initiating mechanisms are not known. To determine alveolar epithelial responses to acid, we viewed live alveoli of the isolated lung by fluorescence microscopy, then we microinjected the alveoli with HCl at pH of 1.5. The microinjection caused an immediate but transient formation of molecule-scale pores in the apical alveolar membrane, resulting in loss of cytosolic dye. However, the membrane rapidly resealed. There was no cell damage and no further dye loss despite continuous HCl injection. Concomitantly, reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased in the adjacent perialveolar microvascular endothelium in a Ca2+-dependent manner. By contrast, ROS did not increase in wild-type mice in which we gave intra-alveolar injections of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-catalase, in mice overexpressing alveolar catalase, or in mice lacking functional NADPH oxidase (Nox2). Together, our findings indicate the presence of an unusual proinflammatory mechanism in which alveolar contact with acid caused membrane pore formation. The effect, although transient, was nevertheless sufficient to induce Ca2+ entry and Nox2-dependent H2O2 release from the alveolar epithelium. These responses identify alveolar H2O2 release as the signaling mechanism responsible for lung inflammation induced by acid and suggest that intra-alveolar PEG-catalase might be therapeutic in acid-induced lung injury.
Pressure Gradients in the Trabecular Pore Space of Femurs During Physiologic Loading

Bone marrow is an important niche for mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), which are progenitors for connective tissue cells. MSCs respond to mechanical stimuli (1). For example, steady and oscillatory fluid flow both affect MSC differentiation to the osteogenic lineages (2), while hydrostatic pressure increases MSC osteogenic protein expression (3). Both pressure and fluid flow are induced in bone marrow during loading due to the poroelastic nature of trabecular bone, and these may affect the differentiation or proliferation of the resident stromal cells.Copyright © 2013 by ASME