cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TU-AB-303-03: CBCT-Based On-Site Simulation, Planning, and Delivery (OSPD) for Whole Brain Radiotherapy

Purpose: To demonstrate the feasibility of a CBCT-based on-site simulation, planning, and delivery (OSPD) for whole brain radiotherapy, in which all steps from imaging, planning to treatment delivery are performed at the treatment unit in one appointment time slot. This work serves as the proof of concept for future OSPD single fraction radiation therapy. Methods: An integrated on-site imaging, planning and delivery workflow was developed and tested for whole brain radiotherapy. An automated two-opposed-oblique-beam plan is created by utilizing the treatment planning system scripting and simple field-in-field IMRT. The IMRT plan is designed with maximum 8 control points to cover the target volume consisting of the brain to C1/C2 of the spinal cord, with dose homogeneity criteria from −5% to +7% of the prescription dose. Due to inaccuracy of reconstructed Hounsfield unit numbers in CBCT images, the dose distribution is calculated with non-heterogeneity correction introducing only clinically insignificant dose discrepancy. A coherent and synchronized workflow was designed for a team of attending physician, physicist, therapists, and dosimetrist to work closely with the ability to quickly modify, approve, and implement the treatment. Results: Thirty-one patients have been treated with this OSPD treatment, without compromising the plan quality compared to our regular clinically used parallel apposed 2D plans. The average time for these procedures are 48.02 ±11.55 minutes from the time patient entered the treatment room until s/he exited, and 35.09 ±10.35 minutes from starting CBCT until last beam delivered. This time duration is comparable to the net time when individual tasks are summed up during our regular CT- based whole brain planning and delivery. Conclusions: The OSPD whole brain treatment has been tested to be clinically feasible. The next step is to further improve the efficiency and to streamline the workflow. Other disease sites will be also tested with this new technology.
Ocean surface waves in Hurricane Ike (2008) and Superstorm Sandy (2012): Coupled model predictions and observations

Abstract Forecasting hurricane impacts of extreme winds and flooding requires accurate prediction of hurricane structure and storm-induced ocean surface waves days in advance. The waves are complex, especially near landfall when the hurricane winds and water depth varies significantly and the surface waves refract, shoal and dissipate. In this study, we examine the spatial structure, magnitude, and directional spectrum of hurricane-induced ocean waves using a high resolution, fully coupled atmosphere–wave–ocean model and observations. The coupled model predictions of ocean surface waves in Hurricane Ike (2008) over the Gulf of Mexico and Superstorm Sandy (2012) in the northeastern Atlantic and coastal region are evaluated with the NDBC buoy and satellite altimeter observations. Although there are characteristics that are general to ocean waves in both hurricanes as documented in previous studies, wave fields in Ike and Sandy possess unique properties due mostly to the distinct wind fields and coastal bathymetry in the two storms. Several processes are found to significantly modulate hurricane surface waves near landfall. First, the phase speed and group velocities decrease as the waves become shorter and steeper in shallow water, effectively increasing surface roughness and wind stress. Second, the bottom-induced refraction acts to turn the waves toward the coast, increasing the misalignment between the wind and waves. Third, as the hurricane translates over land, the left side of the storm center is characterized by offshore winds over very short fetch, which opposes incoming swell. Landfalling hurricanes produce broader wave spectra overall than that of the open ocean. The front-left quadrant is most complex, where the combination of windsea, swell propagating against the wind, increasing wind–wave stress, and interaction with the coastal topography requires a fully coupled model to meet these challenges in hurricane wave and surge prediction.
Measurement of Polyclonal Immunoglobulin Synthesis Using the Reverse Plaque Technique

This unit describes the reverse hemolytic plaque assay, an effective method for measuring the number of immunoglobulin (Ig)-secreting cells present in a cell population at any particular time. Cell populations that can be assayed using the technique include peripheral blood mononuclear cells or cells from tissues such as the tonsils. The basic protocol is divided into three stages. First, protein A-sensitized sheep red blood cells (SRBC), guinea pig complement, and anti-Ig antibody are prepared. Test samples are then combined and incubated with the SRBC, complement, and antibody in appropriate chambers. Finally, the resulting plaques are scored. A support protocol describes the preparation of plaquing chambers.
Judging pathological assessment in cancer specimens.

The pathologist plays a critical role in the multidisciplinary team in charge of treating cancer patients, as many of the therapeutic decisions rely on the information conveyed through the pathology reports. The task of the pathologist includes not only an accurate assessment of pathological T and N categories, but also the evaluation of other indicators of prognosis including quality of surgery, margins of resection, as well as additional histopathological and molecular markers that influence prognosis and could predict response to therapy. J. Surg. Oncol. 2014 110:543–550. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of a Differential Observing Response on Intraverbal Performance of Preschool Children: A Preliminary Investigation

Axe (2008) speculated that some instances of intraverbal responding might be associated with limited or delayed acquisition because they require discrimination of multiple components of verbal stimuli. Past studies suggest that acquisition of responses under control of complex, multicomponent antecedent stimuli (e.g., conditional or compound stimulus control) can be facilitated with the introduction of a differential observing response (DOR; Dube & McIlvane, 1999; Gutowski, Geren, Stromer, & Mackay, 1995). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of a DOR (i.e., repeating the question) on intraverbal responding with six neurotypical preschool children. Findings included that (a) accuracy of intraverbal performance increased when the experimenter prompted a DOR; (b) 1 of 6 participants overtly emitted the DOR for a second relation in the absence of prompts, which was correlated with increased accuracy; and (c) following mastery, response accuracy was variable for 3 participants. Based on these findings, prompted DORs may offer an effective, if temporary, aid to intraverbal instruction for neurotypical preschool children.
Asthma control with fluticasone propionate/salmeterol 100/50μg Diskus® versus montelukast in patients previously receiving short-acting beta2-agonists

Abstract Rationale According to asthma guidelines, patients with persistent asthma can be classified as mild, moderate or severe based upon lung function, albuterol use and symptoms. Although asthma is a variable and unpredictable disease, few studies have used guideline classification to evaluate asthma control over time in response to treatment. Methods The analysis was based on patients (n=855) previously receiving short-acting beta 2 -agonists alone from two completed 12-week trials in which patients received fluticasone/salmeterol 100/50μg (FSC) BID or montelukast 10mg QD. Baseline values included AM PEF=75-76% predicted; asthma symptoms=6.5-6.6 days/wk and albuterol use=6.4 days/wk. Asthma severity classification was based upon NIH criteria. Results With respect to AM PEF %predicted, FSC patients were classified as intermittent/mild, moderate or severe on 72%, 25% and 3% of weeks, compared with 50%, 38%, and 12% for montelukast. By week 3, >70% of FSC patients were classified as intermittent/mild based on AMPEF %predicted and they remained there until Week 12 compared with only 50% of montelukast recipients. FSC recipients spent 42%, 28% and 30% of weeks as intermittent, mild or moderate/severe based upon asthma symptoms, compared with 19%, 31% and 49% for montelukast. FSC patients spent 52%, 26% and 22% of weeks as intermittent, mild or moderate/severe based upon albuterol use compared with 27%, 30% and 44% for montelukast. Based upon AMPEF, 28% of patients receiving FSC changed severity categories >10 times compared with 46% of montelukast patients. Conclusions This analysis clearly demonstrates that sustained asthma control was achieved more rapidly and in more patients receiving FSC compared with montelukast. (SAS40020/40021)
Age and survival from squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue

Background A worse outcome for young patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma has been previously suggested in the literature. This issue has been investigated with respect to squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program tumor registries were used. Cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (ICD-9 codes 141.1–141.5) diagnosed from 1988–1993 in which this cancer was the one and only cancer were included (n = 749). Disease-specific survival was evaluated with respect to age, type of surgical treatment, and radiotherapy while stratifying for stage using Cox proportional hazards analysis. A secondary analysis included the additional variables, tumor size and nodal status. (These fields were recorded in SEER for only about half of the cases in the primary analysis.) Results Analysis revealed that increasing age predicted worse disease-specific survival. A 10-year increase in age was associated with an 18% increase in risk of death. Surgical therapy with excision of the primary tumor alone or excision plus neck dissection predicted improved survival, whereas the use of radiotherapy was associated with worse survival. (The latter may reflect bias associated with positive surgical margins or premorbid conditions.) In the secondary analysis, age, tumor size, and positive lymph node status were associated with significantly worse disease-specific survival, whereas surgical excision plus neck dissection was associated with improved survival. Conclusion The SEER database shows increased disease-specific mortality with increasing age in patients with cancer of the oral tongue. Surgical therapy is associated with improved survival, whereas the use of radiotherapy, increasing tumor size, and positive lymph node status are associated with worse outcome. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck 23: 273–279. 2001.
A New Species of Histura Razowski (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Polyorthini) from Guatemala Attacking Avocados (Persea americana) (Lauraceae)

Histura perseavora Brown, new species, from Guatemala, is described and illustrated. It is compared with Histura curvata (Meyrick) from Brazil and Histurodes costaricana Razowski from Costa Rica. All specimens of H. perseavora were reared from either fruit, fruit pedicels, or young green branches of avocados (Persea americana Mill.; Lauraceae) during efforts to identify lepidopteran pests of this commodity in Guatemala. Coincidentally, we discovered museum specimens of H. costaricana reared from avocados in Costa Rica. We present a brief review of the fragmentary knowledge of the larval stages of Polyorthini, the tribe to which H. perseavora is assigned.
A comparison of the direct cost of care in an open-bay and single-family room NICU

This research examined the proposition that the direct costs of care were no different in an open-bay (OPBY) as compared with a single-family room (SFR) neonatal intensive care (NICU) environment. This was a sequential cohort study. General linear models were implemented using clinical and cost data for all neonates admitted to the two cohorts studied. Costs were adjusted to year 2007 U.S. dollars. Models were constructed for the unadjusted regression and subsequently by adding demographic variables, treatment variables, length of respiratory support and length of stay. With the exception of the last, none were found to achieve significance. The full model had R2=0.799 with P=0.0095 and predicted direct costs of care less in the SFR NICU. For the time, location and administrative practices in place, this study demonstrates that care can be provided in the SFR NICU at no additional cost as compared with OPBY NICU.
Inhibition of an allospecific T cell hybridoma by soluble class I proteins and peptides: estimation of the affinity of a T cell receptor for MHC.

Abstract To investigate the molecular basis of the interaction between the T cell receptor and the MHC class I antigen in an allogeneic response, a soluble counterpart of the murine class I molecule, H-2K b , was genetically engineered. Cells secreting this soluble molecule, H-2K b /Q10 b , inhibited stimulation of an H-2K b -reactive T cell hybridoma by cells transfected with H-2K bm10 , a weak stimulus, but not by H-2K b - or H-2K bm6 -transfected cells. Soluble purified H-2K b /Q10 b protein also blocked T cell stimulation. In addition, a peptide from the wild-type H-2K b molecule spanning the region of the bm10 mutation specifically inhibited activation of the T cell hybridoma by H-2K bm10 cells, thus suggesting that amino acid residues 163–174 of H-2K b define a region important for T cell receptor binding. An estimate for the K d of the T cell receptor for soluble H-2K b /Q10 b was 10 −7 M, while the K d for soluble peptide 163–174 was 10 −4 M.
Psychological distress and substance use by adolescent mothers: associations with parenting attitudes and the quality of mother-child interaction.

This study examines associations between psychological distress and alcohol and drug use across the first 5 years of raising a child and parenting quality at child age 6 for 185 adolescent mothers. Overall alcohol and other drug use in this sample was relatively low but drug use was associated with more mother- reported unrealistic expectations of child behavior and more attributions of child intent to annoy parent by misbehaving. Maternal psychological distress was associated with maternal reports of negative control (yelling pushing spanking etc.) and alcohol use moderated the association between psychological distress and negative control. At low levels of alcohol use more maternal distress was associated with greater negative control; at higher levels of alcohol use maternal distress was not related to negative control but the absolute level of negative control was similar to that reported by more distressed mothers. Neither psychological distress nor alcohol and other drug use were related to maternal behavior during an interaction task. Overall much stronger associations with parenting outcomes were found for an index of maternal vocabulary compared with maternal psychological distress or maternal alcohol and other drug use. (authors)
Male mate retention mediates the relationship between female sexual infidelity and female-directed violence

Abstract Previous research has documented relationships between (1) female sexual infidelity and men’s non-violent mate retention behaviors, and (2) men’s non-violent mate retention behaviors and partner-directed violence. In the two studies, we examined two additional relationships: (1) the relationship between accusations of female sexual infidelity and men’s partner-directed violence and (2) whether men’s direct guarding mate retention behaviors mediates the relationship between accusations of female sexual infidelity and men’s partner-directed violence. The results indicate that (1) accusations of female sexual infidelity predict men’s partner-directed violence, (2) men’s reports of direct guarding mediates the relationship between accusations of partner sexual infidelity and partner-directed violence (Study 1, N = 165) and (3) women’s reports of men’s direct guarding partially mediates the same relationship (Study 2, N = 306). The discussion addresses sex differences identified in the mediation analyses, notes limitations of the research, and highlights directions for future research.
Defending Multiple-User-Multiple-Target Attacks in Online Reputation Systems

As online reputation systems are playing increasingly important roles in reducing risks of online interactions, attacks against such systems have evolved rapidly. Nowadays, some powerful attacks are conducted by companies that make profit through manipulating reputation of online items for their customers. These items can be products (e.g. in Amazon), businesses (e.g. hotels in travel sites), and digital content (e.g. videos in You tube). In such attacks, colluded malicious users play well-planned strategies to manipulate reputation of multiple target items. To address these attacks, we propose a defense scheme that (1) sets up heterogeneous thresholds for detecting suspicious items and (2) identifies target items based on correlation analysis among suspicious items. The proposed scheme and two other comparison schemes are evaluated by a combination of real user data and simulation data. The proposed scheme demonstrates significant advantages in detecting malicious users, recovering reputation scores of target items, and reducing interference to normal items.
Silane to enhance the bond between polymethyl methacrylate and titanium

The machined surface of wrought titanium frameworks used in implant-supported, fixed prostheses does not bond well with acrylic resin. Surface pretreatment has been suggested to enhance the retention of polymethyl methacrylate to machined titanium surfaces. This study evaluated a new bonding material (Rocatec) to determine its effect on the bond strength between titanium and polymethyl methacrylate. Twenty rod-shaped specimens of grade 2 titanium (7.6×0.3 cm in diameter) were divided into two groups of 10 samples. Group A received no pretreatment and group B was pretreated with 110 μm alumina air abrasive and the Rocatec material. Heat-cured denture base resin was processed around each titanium sample in a cylindrical shape approximately 0.9×1.5 cm. A Shell-Nielsen shear test was performed with a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/minute to determine the bond strength in megapascals (MPa). Group B specimens (23.8±1.78 MPa) had a shear strength 68% greater than group A (16.1±1.61 MPa) ( p 0.0001). The results of this study indicated that surface pretreatment of grade 2 titanium with 110 μm alumina air abrasive plus Rocatec bonding material significantly enhances the shear bond strength to PMMA.
Temporary culture in isoleucine-free medium enhances transformation of 10T½ cells by N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)

Summary Arrest of proliferation of C3H 10T½ cells in isoleucine-free medium sensitizes them to the transforming action of MNNG when they are exposed to this chemical after release. Exposure of 10T½ cells to MNNG for 30 min causes three to four times the rate of transformation in these cells when they are recycling following arrest of proliferation by isoleucine deficiency than does similar treatment of the same cells when they are recycling after arrest of proliferation by growth to confluence. Rates of transformation differ even though the magnitude of binding of MNNG to DNA is similar in cells recycling after suppression of proliferation by either method.
Predictors of Length of Stay of Psychiatric Adolescent Inpatients

Abstract This study reviewed 158 consecutive admissions to an inpatient adolescent psychiatric service for factors that determine length of hospitalization. Variables associated with length of stay included diagnostic category and the treatment variables of number and type of psychotropic medications prescribed. Patients with disruptive behavior disorders had the shortest hospitalizations, those with anxiety and affective disorders had stays of intermediate length, and patients with psychotic/organic disorders had the longest hospitalizations. Treatment with lithium, neuroleptics, or tricyclic antidepressants was associated with longer stays. Demographic variables and variables describing the social and family situation or level of dangerousness were not significantly associated with length of hospitalization. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry , 1991, 30, 6:994–998.
5.4 Ivytown: A 22nm 15-core enterprise Xeon® processor family

The next-generation enterprise Xeon® server processor has 15 dual-threaded 64b Ivybridge cores [1] and 37.5MB shared L3 cache. The system interface includes two on-chip memory controllers, each with two memory channels and supports multiple system topologies. The processor has 4.31B transistors in a high-κ metal-gate tri-gate 22nm CMOS technology with 9 metal layers [2]. The design supports a wide array of product offerings with thermal design power ranging from 40 to 150W and frequencies ranging from 1.4 to 3.8GHz. Fig. 5.4.1(a) shows the processor block diagram. The floorplan (Fig. 5.4.1(b)) is driven by the ring bus routability and latency, as well as the chop requirements to smaller core counts. The cores and associated L3 cache are organized in columns of five, with the ring bus segment embedded. The fully populated die has 15-cores in three columns. The 10-core chop removes the rightmost 3rd column and its dedicated top and bottom IOs. CMOS muxes embedded in the ring bus are programmably operable in a 2-or-3-columns configuration. The 6-core chop removes the 2nd and 4th rows from the 10-core die.
Loss of circadian behavioral rhythms and per RNA oscillations in the Drosophila mutant timeless

Eclosion, or emergence of adult flies from the pupa, and locomotor activity of adults occur rhythmically in Drosophila melanogaster, with a circadian period of about 24 hours. Here, a clock mutation, timeless (tim), is described that produces arrhythmia for both behaviors. The effects of tim on behavioral rhythms are likely to involve products of the X chromosome-linked clock gene period (per), because tim alters circadian oscillations of per RNA. Genetic mapping places tim on the left arm of the second chromosome between dumpy (dp) and decapentaplegic (dpp).
Voluntary aerobic exercise increases the cognitive enhancing effects of working memory training.

Abstract Increases in performance on tests of attention and learning are often observed shortly after a period of aerobic exercise, and evidence suggests that humans who engage in regular exercise are partially protected from age-related cognitive decline. However, the cognitive benefits of exercise are typically short-lived, limiting the practical application of these observations. Here, we explored whether physical exercise might induce lasting changes in general cognitive ability if that exercise was combined with working memory training, which is purported to broadly impact cognitive performance. Mice received either exercise treatment (6 weeks of voluntary running wheel access), working memory training (in a dual radial-arm maze), both treatments, or various control treatments. After this period of exercise, working memory training was initiated (alternating with days of exercise), and continued for several weeks. Upon completion of these treatments, animals were assessed (2–4 weeks later) for performance on four diverse learning tasks, and the aggregate performance of individual animals across all four learning tasks was estimated. Working memory training alone promoted small increases in general cognitive performance, although any beneficial effects of exercise alone had dissipated by the time of learning assessments. However, the two treatments in combination more than doubled the improvement in general cognitive performance supported by working memory training alone. Unlike the transient effects that acute aerobic exercise can have on isolated learning tasks, these results indicate that an acute period of exercise combined with working memory training can have synergistic and lasting impact on general cognitive performance.
Sialic acid in normal and arthritic human synovial fluids

The authors report careful and significant studies of the synovial fluid concentrations of sialic acid, a term which is applied to a group of related compounds first isolated from saliva. The nature of such compounds is reviewed. Since available methods for determining sialic acid are not specific, two colorimetric procedures were applied. A critical discussion of methodology is presented. Increased concentrations of sialic acid were observed in both the synovial fluids and sera of rheumatoid patients. Le autores reporta meticulose e significative studios in re le concentration—in le fluido synovial—del si-appellate acido sialic. Iste termino es applicate a un gruppo de inter-relationate compositos primo isolate ab specimens de saliva. Le natura de tal compositos es passate in revista. Viste que le nunc disponibile methodos pro determinar acido sialic non es specific, duo technicas colorimetric esseva applicate. Es presentate un discussion critic del methodologia. Augmentate concentrationes de acido sialic esseva observate in le fluidos synovial e in le seros de patientes rheumatoide.
With J: fractal forecasting

Modeling techniques forecast future behavior based upon available data. Traditional models use linear or differential equations to create deterministic models that use the available information to estimate parameters in the model and then current information is used as input to the model to forecast subsequent evolution. The idea of fractal or chaotic forecasting is to use historical data that closely matches the pattern of the current situation, and only utilize the most relevant historical data for the construction of the forecast. The technique is fairly simple and can be effective, especially if the phenomenon contains subtly hidden, deterministic, nonlinear behavior. For more discussion of fractal forecasting, see [1,2]; earlier versions of some of these experiments and some variants of the implementation appear in [3].
Thermochronologic Approaches to Paleotopography

Although thermochronology cannot directly constrain paleoelevation, it can provide estimates of the form, location, and scale of paleotopographic relief, i.e., paleotopography, and its change through time. Unique thermochronologic perspectives on paleotopography come from 1) spatial patterns of surface and subsurface cooling ages or cooling histories that reflect either the influence of topography on subsurface isotherm warping, or spatially focused erosion (including incision), and 2) the age-elevation relationship in paleolandscapes that may be preserved in detrital cooling age distributions. This chapter reviews the fundamental theory and results of these approaches and several example applications. Case studies show examples of both decreasing and increasing topographic relief through time, at the orogen scale and across short ridge-valley wavelengths, and significant modification of local topographic features in glaciated and fluvial settings. In some cases, thermochronologic evidence for fluvial incision at short wavelengths has also been argued to be the result of surface uplift at very long wavelengths. Although not yet used for such purposes, detrital approaches also have the potential to reconstruct paleotopographic relief and paleohypsometry in paleocatchments. In all cases, paleotopographic interpretations from thermochronology require important assumptions or case-by-case support from other lines of evidence. Central issues pertinent to thermochronologic interpretations of paleotopography are the nature of the shallow crustal thermal field through which the samples cooled (including the influence of fluid flow) and the role of rock uplift gradients in modifying simple relationships between erosion and topography.
The relative efficacy of autogenic phrases and autogenic-feedback training in teaching hand warming to children.

There are few well-controlled biofeedback temperature training studies in the literature that have used children as subjects. The purposes of this study were (1) to evaluate whether children can learn to increase hand temperature, controlling for methodological factors that have been overlooked in previous experiments, and (2) to determine whether adding thermal biofeedback to autogenic phrases results in improved ability to produce voluntary increases in hand temperature over the use of autogenic phrases alone. Twenty-six subjects (ages 9–11) were divided into two groups of 13 subjects each. All subjects participated in four 35 to 45-minute sessions consisting of a stabilization phase, a training phase, and a post-training phase on 4 consecutive days. One group was trained to increase finger temperature with autogenic phrases only, and the other was trained with autogenic phrases plus thermal feedback. None of the subjects in either group learned to increase hand temperature significantly within sessions. There was a consistent and reliable decreasing trend within each session; however, finger temperature did increase (.27° F) for the first 8 minutes of the training phase. There was a significant increase in hand temperature from day 1 to days 3 and 4, and there were significant increases in temperature during the stabilization phase alone. There were no differential effects of treatments. Methodological issues concerning stabilization, the potential confounding effect of boredom and fatigue, and different training methods for children are discussed.
Single- and Two-Phase Thermal Transport in Microchannels With Embedded Staggered Herringbone Mixers

Improving mixing is an effective means to enhance single- and two-phase heat transfer in microchannels. However, it is challenging to induce since the flow in microchannels is laminar in the most working conditions. We report that heat transfer rate and critical heat flux (CHF) on 1-methoxyheptafluoropropane (HFE-7000) can be significantly enhanced by patterning embed- ded micromixers on the bottom walls in a parallel silicon microchannel array, which consists of five parallel channels (height, width, length: 250 µm × 220 µm × 10 mm). Compared with a plain-wall microchannel array at a mass flux range of 1018 to 2206 kg/m 2 · s and a heat flux range of 10 to 198 W/cm 2 ,s ingle- phase heat transfer rate, two-phase heat transfer rate, and CHF are enhanced up to 221%, 160%, and 61% using microscale staggered herringbone mixers in microchannels, respectively. These mixers consist of 7 or 3.5 Hz with 12 staggered herringbone grooves (50 µm in depth and width) with 90° between two asym- metric arms in each cycle. Its asymmetry is defined in accordance with the off center position of the apex of the herringbone groove. Finally, experimental results suggest that the locations and coverage of the micromixers have significant impacts on both single and two-phase heat transfer in microchannels.(2013-0372)
Androgen "receptor" in rat liver: cytosol "receptor" deficiency in pseudohermaphrodite male rats.

EVIDENCE with a variety of experimental systems has indicated that the first step in the action of steroid hormones on target cells is the binding of the hormones with specific receptor proteins1–10. It is reasonable, therefore, to assume that any hormone sensitive target tissue should contain these specific steroid binding proteins or “hormone receptors”. On the basis of our previous work on androgen dependent synthesis of α2U globulin in rat liver11–14, the hepatic parenchymal cells could be considered as an important target for androgenic steroids. In spite of an earlier report indicating no significant androgen binding in the liver tissue5, we studied this with improved detection methods. Our results show the existence of androgen receptor in the soluble cytoplasmic fraction (cytosol) of the liver tissue of normal male rats. The androgen receptor of the hepatic tissue is found to be distinctly different from the binding protein present in the blood serum and the receptor is virtually absent in the liver cytosol of androgen insensitive pseudohermaphrodite male rats. The absence of androgen receptors in this mutant strain of rats might explain the molecular basis for their end organ androgen-insensitivity.
A comparison of numerical and biosystematic studies in Haplopappus

Numerical phenetics, based on indiscriminate choice of characters and equal weighting, does not directly reflect cladistic or lineage relationships in some taxa ofHaplopappus. However, the degree to which the lineage and phenetic relationships diverge may be used as an assay of the amount of parallel evolution that has occurred. Several numerical taxonomic methods were employed. For each method a change in the number of characters from 31 to 29, by deletion of two karyotypic characters, yielded a significant change in the results. Uses of numerical techniques for the study of character dines and adaptive character complexes are discussed.
Emerging pharmacotherapy for treatment of Graves' disease.

The clinical triad of Graves’ disease (GD) includes hyperthyroidism, diffuse goiter and the associated ocular condition, Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO). Hyperthyroidism can cause not only significant ...
Climatic conditions and migration: an econometric inquiry.

Among a burgeoning literature dealing with the economic and noneconomic determinants of migration, one area that has received relatively little attention is the relationship between climate and migration. In the few studies which include climate variables in models used to explain migration, the treatment accorded to climate as an explanatory variable has not been satisfactory. This paper attempts to fill this void. Our paper first critically reviews the treatment of climate in the migration literature and then proposes alternative ways of dealing with it which represent improvements from both a theoretical and an empirical point of view. Our regression results suggest that individuals do indeed consider climatic conditions in different areas when deciding where to live. Our results also indicate that the climate variables which yield the best results are generally those which have not been used in the literature.
Morphine inhibits VEGF expression in myocardial ischemia.

Abstract Background. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may contribute to the resolution of myocardial ischemia by stimulating collateral circulation. Morphine analgesia after myocardial ischemia is thought to increase infarct size. We hypothesize that morphine inhibits myocardial VEGF expression by inhibiting hypoxia-induced factor 1α (HIF-1α) and the signal transduction mechanisms involving Erk-1,2 MAP kinase (p42/p44), and PI3 kinase activity (phospho-Akt). Methods. (1) In vitro: primary cultures of rat cardiac myocytes; (2) in vivo: rat coronary ligation model; (3) mRNA measurement: real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction; (4) protein measurements: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western immunoblot, electromobility shift assay (EMSA), and immunohistochemistry. Results. Using rat cardiac myocytes in vitro, we show that morphine: (1) decreases hypoxia-induced VEGF121 and VEGF165 mRNA expression and VEGF protein concentration through an opioid receptor mechanism; (2) decreases HIF-1α protein expression (immunoblot) and nuclear protein binding to the VEGF HIF-1α DNA response element (EMSA); and (3) inhibits phospho-Erk-1,2 MAP kinase (immunoblot) and phospho-Akt kinase activity (immunoblot). Using a rat coronary ligation model, we show that morphine treatment: (1) decreases myocardial VEGF protein expression (immunohistochemistry); (2) decreases HIF-1α protein expression (immunoblot); and (3) decreases phospho-Erk-1,2 and phospho-Akt expression. Conclusions. (1) Morphine inhibits hypoxia-induced VEGF transcription, in part, through an HIF-1α-mediated mechanism and (2) morphine inhibition of hypoxia-induced HIF-1α may be mediated by inhibition of ERK 1,2 MAP kinase activity and PI3 kinase activity. (Surgery 2003;134:336-44.)
Functional genomics and the study of development, variation and evolution

It has rarely been possible to connect the developmental and evolutionary branches of genetics, particularly with regard to the precise changes in the molecular control of development that are responsible for phenotypic variation and evolution. Making such connections will require a high-resolution molecular description of the genetic networks that underlie development and an understanding of their responses to genetic and environmental variation. Functional genomics approaches to development and evolution promise to accelerate the research necessary to accomplish these goals.
Loss of Drosophila melanogaster p21-activated kinase 3 Suppresses Defects in Synapse Structure and Function Caused by spastin Mutations

Microtubules are dynamic structures that must elongate, disassemble, and be cleaved into smaller pieces for proper neuronal development and function. The AAA ATPase Spastin severs microtubules along their lengths and is thought to regulate the balance between long, stable filaments and shorter fragments that seed extension or are transported. In both Drosophila and humans, loss of Spastin function results in reduction of synaptic connections and disabling motor defects. To gain insight into how spastin is regulated, we screened the Drosophila melanogaster genome for deletions that modify a spastin overexpression phenotype, eye size reduction. One suppressor region deleted p21-activated kinase 3 (pak3), which encodes a member of the Pak family of actin-regulatory enzymes, but whose in vivo function is unknown. We show that pak3 mutants have only mild synaptic defects at the larval neuromuscular junction, but exhibit a potent genetic interaction with spastin mutations. Aberrant bouton morphology, microtubule distribution, and synaptic transmission caused by spastin loss of function are all restored to wild type when pak3 is simultaneously reduced. Neuronal overexpression of pak3 induces actin-rich thin projections, suggesting that it functions in vivo to promote filopodia during presynaptic terminal arborization. pak3 therefore regulates synapse development in vivo, and when mutated, suppresses the synaptic defects that result from spastin loss.
Sulfation factor activity of sera from patients with pituitary disorders.

ABSTRACT Previous work from this laboratory established the fact that normal human and rat serum contains a factor which stimulates the in vitro incorporation of sulfate-S35 into cartilage from hypophysectomized rats. This activity of serum which appears to be due to a protein or protein-bound component is not attributable to the presence of unaltered growth hormone. An assay for sulfation factor in human serum is described in this paper. The serum from normal subjects was found to contain from 0.5 to 1.5 times the activity of a standard reference serum in nearly all cases. No significant change in sulfation factor activity with age could be demonstrated. Decreased sulfation factor activity was present in the sera of patients with spontaneous hypopituitarism or panhypopituitarism following hypophysectomy. The sulfation factor activity was increased in the serum of 5 patients with acromegaly early in the course of the disease but later, when the disease was inactive, the concentration of sulfation factor w...
Post-oral fat stimulation of intake and conditioned flavor preference in C57BL/6J mice: A concentration-response study.

In a recent study, intragastric (IG) self-infusion of 16% glucose stimulated 1-h intake and conditioned a preference for a flavored saccharin solution in C57BL/6J mice (Zukerman et al., 2011). Experiment 1 of the present study presents a concentration-response analysis of IG glucose-induced intake stimulation monitored by recording licking response every min of the 1h/day sessions. Separate groups of food-restricted mice consumed a flavored saccharin solution (the CS-) paired with IG self-infusions of water (Test 0) followed by a different flavored solution (the CS+) paired with IG self-infusions of 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32% glucose (Tests 1-3). Following additional CS- and CS+ training sessions, a two-bottle CS+ vs. CS- choice test was conducted without infusions. Self-infusions of 8%, 16% or 32% glucose stimulated CS+ licking within 12 min of the first test session and even earlier in subsequent test sessions, and also conditioned significant CS+ preferences in the two-bottle test. The stimulation of early licking and CS+ preference increased as a function of glucose concentration. The amount of glucose solute self-infused increased with sugar concentration as did post-infusion blood glucose levels. The 2% glucose infusion did not stimulate CS+ intake and the 2% and 4% infusions failed to produce a CS+ preference in the 1-h test. Experiment 2 revealed that intraperitoneal self-infusions of 8% glucose, unlike IG glucose self-infusions, failed to stimulate CS+ licking or preference despite producing maximal increases in blood glucose levels. Taken together, these and other findings suggest that glucose rapidly produces concentration-dependent intestinal signals that stimulate intake and condition flavor preferences while post-oral satiation signals limit total amounts consumed.
Two observations about low‐frequency signals on accelerograms from the october 15, 1979 imperial valley, california earthquake

Accelerograms from the Imperial Valley have been integrated and baseline corrected by a simple procedure which keeps track of the signal that is removed at long periods. Specifically, acceleration is integrated once to obtain velocity, a linear baseline is subtracted from velocity, the velocity is integrated to displacement, and low order terms of a trigonometric expansion of displacement are subtracted. It is observed that even though this procedure is not suitable for routine processing, one obtains displacement traces which usually resemble the results obtained by standar methods. It is also observed that amplitudes of the trigonometric series expansions are consistent with a simple earthquake source theory for frequencies greater than 1/12 Hz, suggesting that the records are dominated by signal at those frequencies.
Deuteranopic convergence point.

The technique, described by Nuberg and Yustova in 1955 to determine the convergence points of dichromats, was used at the National Bureau of Standards for three deuteranopic eyes, to obtain data on the deuteranopic convergence point. A study of the convergence point for deuteranopes obtained at NBS and by several other investigators has indicated a fairly wide range of values for this convergence point (1.08 to 2.30 for x, −0.08 to −1.30 for y). The NBS data for deuteranopic observers yield points that fall within this range.
Semantic Back-Pointers from Gesture

Although the natural-language processing community has dedicated much of its focus to text, face-to-face spoken language is ubiquitous, and offers the potential for breakthrough applications in domains such as meetings, lectures, and presentations. Because spontaneous spoken language is typically more disfluent and less structured than written text, it may be critical to identify features from additional modalities that can aid in language understanding. However, due to the long-standing emphasis on text datasets, there has been relatively little work on nontextual features in unconstrained natural language (prosody being the most studied non-textual modality, e.g. (Shriberg et al., 2000)).
Targeting inflammatory kinase as an adjuvant treatment for osteosarcomas.

Background: A subset of patients with aggressive osteosarcomas responds poorly to conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Recent evidence from studies involving the liver, skin, stomach, and colon suggests that carcinogenesis is associated with inflammation. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) has diverse roles in cancer and inflammation. The hypothesis of the present study is that targeted ERK1/2 inhibition will demonstrate anti-cancer effects in osteosarcoma both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: The therapeutic effect of PD98059, a MAPK/ERK pathway inhibitor, was examined with respect to cell death, survival, and anti-apoptotic protein expression by means of flow cytometry and immunoblotting in vitro. Additionally, we transplanted green fluorescent protein and luciferase-tagged 143B osteosarcoma cells into the proximal part of the tibia of nude mice. Mice were randomly assigned to treatment with doxorubicin, PD98059, or both. Vehicle-treated mice served as controls. Treatment outcome was assessed by measuring bioluminescence and by monitoring survival. Results: In vitro, ERK1/2 blockage increased the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins and increased cell death in 143B osteosarcoma cells. Doxorubicin treatment increased the expression of Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic protein, but this upregulation was blocked by combined treatment with PD98059, suggesting a role for ERK1/2 in conferring drug resistance. In osteosarcoma-bearing mice, targeting ERK1/2 with PD98059 resulted in prolonged survival in comparison with vehicle-treated control mice (median survival time, sixty-seven days compared with seventy-four days; p = 0.0272; survival ratio = 0.9122; 95% confidence interval = 0.4354 to 1.389). Standalone doxorubicin treatment yielded similar animal morbidity (median survival time, sixty-seven days compared with seventy-six days; p = 0.0170; survival ratio = 0.8882; 95% confidence interval = 0.4181 to 1.358). Combined PD98059 and doxorubicin treatment further prolonged survival (median survival time, sixty-seven days compared with eighty-two days; p = 0.0023; survival ratio = 0.8232; 95% confidence interval = 0.3606 to 1.286). Conclusions: Inhibiting ERK1/2 signaling resulted in osteosarcoma cell death by upregulating pro-apoptotic genes and inhibiting the Bcl-2-mediated resistance to doxorubicin. In osteosarcoma-bearing mice, ERK1/2 targeting alone or in combination with doxorubicin prolonged survival as compared with untreated mice. Clinical Relevance: Our study highlights the anti-cancer effect of the inflammatory kinase inhibitor PD98059 on osteosarcoma cells by inducing cell death and by inhibiting a potential drug-resistance mechanism. Taken together, these results suggest that ERK signaling blockade (targeted therapy) may be considered as a new targeted adjuvant therapy for osteosarcoma.
Fifty years of IBM innovation with information storage on magnetic tape

On May 21, 1952, the International Business Machines Corporation announced the IBM Model 726 Tape Unit with the IBM Model 701 Defense Calculator, marking the transition from punched-card storage to digital storage on flexible magnetic tape. That bold introduction was the beginning of what is now a 50-year history of invention that has seen remarkable advances in the storage of information on flexible magnetic ribbons ten times thinner than a human hair and capable of storing more than 100000 times more data in the same volume as the first reel of tape introduced in 1952. This historical perspective is dedicated to the people who made that first tape drive possible and to those who continue that tradition in the Removable Media Storage Solutions (RMSS) team of the International Business Machines Corporation Tape Development Laboratory, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.
Historical trends in radiation protection, policy and communications: 1964 to the present

The past 50 y have seen substantial developments in radiation epidemiology, technology, dosimetry, regulations, and protection efforts. During the last five decades, radiation communication has also evolved, growing more sophisticated as communication science and practice have advanced and matured. This talk covers the trends in radiation protection over the past 50 y, illustrated by progress in science and practice of risk communication and changes in societal expectations, and examines challenges that will confront radiation risk communication in the future. Language: en