cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A Is Involved in Matrix Mineralization of Human Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Angiogenesis in the Chick Chorioallontoic Membrane

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) is an IGF binding protein 4 protease that can function to increase local IGF-I bioavailability. Aside from its assumed role during pregnancy, in vitro and in vivo studies have indicated roles for PAPP-A in IGF-I-mediated wound healing, vascular repair, and bone formation. Because bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) is known to up-regulate Igf-I gene expression, we hypothesized that PAPP-A may be involved in BMP-2 mechanisms in bone formation. To test this hypothesis, we quantified gene expression of Papp-A in response to BMP-2 treatment and runt-related transcription factor 2, Osterix, and Igf-I in response to PAPP-A protein treatment in human adult mesenchymal stem cells. Our results demonstrate that BMP-2 directly up-regulated Papp-A gene and protein expression. Purified PAPP-A protein directly up-regulated runt-related transcription factor 2 and Igf-I gene expression but not Osterix. When added in combination with recombinant human BMP-2, PAPP-A increased matrix mineralization in the absence of dexamethasone. PAPP-A further demonstrated an angiogenic effect in the chick chorioallontoic membrane, which implicates a critical developmental role and possible therapeutic potential. Our findings suggest that PAPP-A functions in the formation of mineralized tissues through direct up-regulation of key genes. Furthermore, PAPP-A is involved in the formation of new blood vessels, which is essential for proper bone regeneration.
Aging and cognition

As we grow older, we gain knowledge and experience greater emotional balance, but we also experience memory loss and difficulties in learning new associations. Which cognitive abilities decline, remain stable or improve with age depends on the health of the brain and body as well as on what skills are practiced or challenged in everyday life. Recent research provides a growing understanding of the relationship between physical and cognitive changes across the life span and reveals ways to increase mental sharpness and avoid cognitive decline. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Evaluation of the Battelle Developmental Inventory, 2nd Edition, Screening Test for Use in States' Child Outcomes Measurement Systems under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

This study evaluated the Battelle Developmental Inventory, 2nd Edition, Screening Test (BDI-2 ST) for use in states’ child outcomes accountability systems under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Complete Battelle Developmental Inventory, 2nd Edition (BDI-2), assessment data were obtained for 142 children, ages 2 to 62 months, who had been referred for eligibility evaluation for early intervention or preschool special education services. Results of a Rasch measurement analysis provided evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the five domain scores and total BDI-2 ST score. A comparison of children’s classifications as either having or not having a developmental delay based on the BDI-2 ST and the BDI-2 full assessment—using cut scores of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 standard deviations below the mean—indicated acceptable sensitivity, specificity, and overall classification accuracy of the BDI-2 ST. Implications of the findings are discussed for accountability reporting and clinical practice.
Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants in neurological and psychiatric diseases:An overview.

Rationale: Omega-3 fatty acids are known to play a role in nervous system activity, cognitive development, memory-related learning, neuroplasticity of nerve membranes, synaptogenesis and synaptic transmission. The brain is considered abnormally sensitive to oxidative damage, and aging is considered one of the most significant risk factors for degenerative neurological disorders. Recently, clinical trials of several neurodegenerative diseases have increasingly targeted the evaluation of the effectiveness of various antioxidants. Objectives: The effects of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants on the anatomic and functional central nervous system development and their possible therapeutical use in some neurological and psychiatric pathologies are evaluated. Results: A number of critical trials have confirmed the benefits of dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids not only in several psychiatric conditions, but also in inflammatory and autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. Many evidences indicate that antioxidants are also essential in maintaining a correct neurophysiology. Conclusions: Omega-3 fatty acids could be useful in the prevention of different pathologies, such as cardiovascular, psychiatric, neurological, dermatological and rheumatological disorders. A number of studies suggest that antioxidants can prevent the oxidation of various macromolecules such as DNA, proteins, and lipids. The ideal use of antioxidants should be a prophylactic and continue treatment before aging.
Structural requirements for centrally acting drugs. I.

Various CNS activities, such as antielectroshock, antipentylenetetrazol-induced seizures, muscle relaxant, and acute lethal toxicity, of different types of compounds were correlated with three physicochemical parameters, namely lipophilicity (log P), dipole moment, and steric considerations (Es). The relatively narrow range of log P0(2.0 ± 0.7) for compounds possessing a polar group, e.g., amido, thioamido, keto, or alcoholic function, strongly suggests that the rate-limiting step for these different CNS-acting drugs is probably the same, namely the penetration of the tightly packed neuroglial cells (the so-called blood-brain barrier). Negative dependence of the anticonvulsant or CNS depressant activity on the dipole moment and positive dependence of the stimulatory CNS toxicity on the same parameter were found to be statistically significant. Entirely different sites and mechanisms of action appear to be evident from the very low estimated log P0 values of lactones and 2-sulfa-moylbenzoates for their CNS depressant activities. The CNS activity of five lactones was studied in mice. While γ-butyrolactone caused dosage-dependent sedation and sleep at 100–1000 mg./kg., no loss of the righting reflex was observed for α-methyl-γ-butyrolactone (1000 mg./kg.), γ-valerolactone (2000 mg./kg.): γ-valerolactone (750 mg./kg.), and γ-heptalactone (1000 mg./kg.). After intraperitoneal injection of γ-valerolactone and γ-heptalactone, paralysis of the hind legs was observed, indicating local anesthetic activity on the peripheral nervous system.
Postpartum Depression: Perceptions of a Diverse Sample of Low-Income Women

Postpartum depression (PPD) continues to significantly impact women and their families during the perinatal period. Consequences of untreated PPD in the mother may lead to impaired mother-infant bonding, recurring psychiatric illness, and fewer positive parenting behaviors. North Carolina participates in the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) survey and has the second highest self-reported rate of postpartum depressive symptoms at 19.0%. The full study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The qualitative approach, an interpretive Heideggerian perspective, elicited the postpartum clients’ perceptions of risk factors, how those perceptions affected the pregnancy experience, and how self-efficacy played a role in their perceived ability to make healthy choices. The sample was comprised of 60 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 40. Four themes were found: (1) Feeling joy and apprehension at once, (2) Depression is something you think about (3) Rearranging your thinking, and (...
Energy-Efficient Multi-Access Technologies for Very-High-Throughput Avionic Millimeter Wave, Wireless Sensor Communication Networks

In this paper, we investigate energy-efficient wireless over fiber access channel and link layer technologies using 60-GHz millimeter-wave (mm-wave) band for avionic very high throughput millimeter-wave sensor communication networks (VHT-MSCNs). An efficient architecture for wireless sensor network employing directional mm-wave wireless access technologies is proposed for systems that require very high throughput, such as high definition video signals, for sensing, processing, transmitting, and actuating functions. Comparisons among various multi-access techniques in terms of power and link layer operation efficiency are presented. A specific multi-access network design for VHT-MSCN is proposed and evaluated here, including energy consumption modeling and protocol frame configuration. A proof-of-concept testbed of the proposed very-high-throughput wireless over fiber sensor communication network using 60-GHz mm-wave radio-over-fiber (RoF) technology in downlink transmission and multi-access technique in uplink transmission has been designed and demonstrated.
Dynamics of establishment of selective withdrawal of a stratified fluid from a line sink. Part 2. Experiment

An investigation is made of selective withdrawal of a linear stratified fluid from a line sink in a channel of depth d. The flow is characterized by a densimetric Froude number F = Q/Nd2, where Q is the discharge per unit width and N is the Vaisala frequency. The dynamics of establishment of flow are investigated theoretically. Analytic results are obtained from a linearized theory based on a systematic perturbation scheme for small values of F. These results lead to a proper identification of the successive arrival of ‘columnar disturbance modes’ as the mechanism responsible for the development of flow concentration in the withdrawal region. Viscous and diffusive effects are also examined. For larger times and higher discharges (higher values of F), nonlinear effects become important, and the full Navier-Stokes equations are now solved numerically by a finite-difference procedure in a ‘stretched’ co-ordinate system. The solutions indicate that the establishment of the steady flow field is due to the successive arrival and interaction of ‘columnar disturbance modes’. Steady-state solutions are also presented, and a similarity profile is obtained. Comparison of the theoretical findings with experimental results are presented in part 2. Agreement with experimental measurements is found to be excellent.
Parameterizing deep convection using the assumed probability density function method

Abstract. Due to their coarse horizontal resolution, present-day climate models must parameterize deep convection. This paper presents single-column simulations of deep convection using a probability density function (PDF) parameterization. The PDF parameterization predicts the PDF of subgrid variability of turbulence, clouds, and hydrometeors. That variability is interfaced to a prognostic microphysics scheme using a Monte Carlo sampling method. The PDF parameterization is used to simulate tropical deep convection, the transition from shallow to deep convection over land, and midlatitude deep convection. These parameterized single-column simulations are compared with 3-D reference simulations. The agreement is satisfactory except when the convective forcing is weak. The same PDF parameterization is also used to simulate shallow cumulus and stratocumulus layers. The PDF method is sufficiently general to adequately simulate these five deep, shallow, and stratiform cloud cases with a single equation set. This raises hopes that it may be possible in the future, with further refinements at coarse time step and grid spacing, to parameterize all cloud types in a large-scale model in a unified way.
Development of the Miniaturized Four-sensor Conductivity Probe and the Signal Processing Scheme

Abstract The objective of the present study is to develop a miniaturized four-sensor conductivity probe, applicable to a wide range of two-phase flows to obtain the time-averaged local two-phase flow parameters of various types of bubbles. Experimental data acquired by the probe are categorized into two groups in view of two-group interfacial area transport: namely spherical/distorted bubbles as Group 1 and cap/Taylor bubbles as Group 2. Benchmark experiment employing the image analysis method is performed. The results from the benchmark experiment assess both the measurement principle and signal processing scheme of the newly developed four-sensor conductivity probe method.
Wetland Restoration in the New Millennium: Do Research Efforts Match Opportunities?

Of 311 papers on wetland restoration, only 15 concerned large-scale experimentation in restoration sites. Most papers described what happened, reported on small field experiments, or discussed restoration targets. While these are important topics, our opinion is that we lose significant opportunities to learn how to recover populations, community structure, and ecosystem processes, and we limit our ability to document variability and whole-system responses, when we do not experiment at large scales. We suggest that, wherever possible, large projects facilitate field tests of alternative restoration approaches. Furthermore, we encourage researchers to take advantage of major restoration efforts by conducting large field experiments, assessing multiple responses, and offering restoration guidance in an adaptive framework.
Expression of group IA phospholipase A2 in Pichia pastoris: identification of a phosphatidylcholine activator site using site-directed mutagenesis.

Site-directed mutants of the group IA phospholipase A2 from cobra venom were constructed and expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris to probe for the proposed phosphatidylcholine (PC) activator site. Previous crystallographic and molecular modeling studies have identified two regions of the enzyme as likely candidates for this site. Residues Glu-55, Trp-61, Tyr-63, Phe-64, and Lys-65 were mutated to test the site advanced by Ortiz et al. [(1992) Biochemistry 31, 2887−2896] while Asp-23 and Arg-30 were mutated to assess the site proposed by Segelke et al. [(1998) J. Mol. Biol. 279, 223−232]. Expressed enzymes were purified by affinity chromatography and analyzed by SDS−PAGE, Western blotting, electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy, and circular dichroism. Both phospholipid headgroup specificity and rates of hydrolysis on monomeric PC substrates were determined and found to be similar for native, wild-type, and all of the mutant enzymes. These results suggest that all of the expressed enzym...
Eugenic Selection Benefits Embryos

The primary question to be addressed here is whether pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), used for both negative and positive trait selection, benefits potential supernumerary embryos. The phrase ‘potential supernumerary embryos’ is used to indicate that PGD is typically performed on a set of embryos, only some of which will be implanted. Prior to any testing, each embryo in the set is potentially supernumerary in the sense that it may not be selected for implantation. Those embryos that are not selected, and hence destroyed or frozen, are ‘actually supernumerary’. The argument to be advanced is hypothetical: If embryos may be said to benefit or be harmed by our actions, then PGD used to select for an embryo or embryos with the highest expected Wellbeing benefits potential supernumerary embryos. The argument shows that the ‘non-identity’ problem is not sufficient to show that eugenic selection does not benefit supernumerary embryos.
ANALYSIS OF CONDITIONAL BIAS IN RADAR RAINFALL PRODUCTS

The aim in radar rainfall (RR) estimation is to produce approximations of rainfall that are as close to the physical truth as possible. However, the question of how to rigorously formalize the requirement of “closeness to the truth” has no unambiguous answer. Ciach et al. (2000) discuss two RR estimation performance measures that contradict each other. One is the commonly-used mean square estimation error (MSE) and the other is a conditional bias. The conditional bias is recognized in the statistical literature on the error-in-variable problem (Carroll et al. 1995) as an "attenuation" effect. It appears when predictors are corrupted with errors and the predictive relationship is built using least square regression. The resulting statistical predictions systematically underestimate higher range and overestimate lower range of the outcomes. Rosenfeld and Amitai (1998) discuss the conditional bias in the RR context and claim that their Window Probability Matching Method removes it. The studies by Ciach et al. (2000) and by Ciach and Krajewski (1999) do not confirm this assertion. The conditional bias is just an example of a larger problem of comprehensive and conclusive evaluation of the remote sensing rainfall products. Following the verification techniques developed for the weather forecasts (Katz and Murphy 1997), one can distinguish several quality attributes that should be utilized in rationally based validation and intercomparison projects. Below, we only briefly outline this broader context and focus on the opposition of the conditional bias and the MSE criteria.
Gap prepulse inhibition and auditory brainstem-evoked potentials as objective measures for tinnitus in guinea pigs.

Tinnitus or ringing of the ears is a subjective phantom sensation necessitating behavioral models that objectively demonstrate the existence and quality of the tinnitus sensation. The gap detection test uses the acoustic startle response elicited by loud noise pulses and its gating or suppression by preceding sub-startling prepulses. Gaps in noise bands serve as prepulses, assuming that ongoing tinnitus masks the gap and results in impaired gap detection. This test has shown its reliability in rats, mice, and gerbils. No data exists for the guinea pig so far, although gap detection is similar across mammals and the acoustic startle response is a well-established tool in guinea pig studies of psychiatric disorders and in pharmacological studies. Here we investigated the startle behavior and prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the guinea pig and showed that guinea pigs have a reliable startle response that can be suppressed by 15 ms gaps embedded in narrow noise bands preceding the startle noise pulse. After recovery of auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds from a unilateral noise over-exposure centered at 7 kHz, guinea pigs showed diminished gap-induced reduction of the startle response in frequency bands between 8 and 18 kHz. This suggests the development of tinnitus in frequency regions that showed a temporary threshold shift (TTS) after noise over-exposure. Changes in discharge rate and synchrony, two neuronal correlates of tinnitus, should be reflected in altered ABR waveforms, which would be useful to objectively detect tinnitus and its localization to auditory brainstem structures. Therefore we analyzed latencies and amplitudes of the first five ABR waves at suprathreshold sound intensities and correlated ABR abnormalities with the results of the behavioral tinnitus testing. Early ABR wave amplitudes up to N3 were increased for animals with tinnitus possibly stemming from hyperactivity and hypersynchrony underlying the tinnitus percept.
The influence of comorbidity and other health measures on dental and medical care use among Medicare beneficiaries 2002.

Objective: To assess the impact of comorbidity and other health measures on the use of dental and medical care services among the community-based Medicare population with data from the 2002 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Methods: A comorbidity index is the main independent variable of our study. It includes oral cancer as a comorbidity condition and was developed from Medicare claims data. The two outcome variables indicate whether a beneficiary had a dental visit during the year and whether the beneficiary had an inpatient hospital stay during the year. Logistic regressions estimated the relationship between the outcome variables and comorbidity after controlling for other explanatory variables. Results: High scores on the comorbidity index, high numbers of self-reported physical limitations, and fair or poor self-reported health status were correlated with higher hospital use and lower dental care utilization. Similar results were found for other types of medical care including medical provider visits, outpatient care, and prescription drugs. A multiple imputation technique was used for the approximate 20 percent of the sample with missing claims, but the resulting comorbidity index performed no differently than the index constructed without imputation. Conclusions: Comorbidities and other health status measures are theorized to play either a predisposing or need role in determining health care utilization. The study's findings confirm the dominant role of these measures as predisposing factors limiting access to dental care for Medicare beneficiaries and as need factors producing higher levels of inpatient hospital and other medical care for Medicare beneficiaries.
Language Development in Deaf Infants Following Cochlear Implantation

Objective */To evaluate the benefits of cochlear implantation in infancy and compare them to those obtained in children implanted at a slightly older age. Material and Methods */Using standard language measurement tools, including the Grammatical Analysis of Elicited Language */Presentence Level (GAEL-P) and the Reynell Developmental Language Scales, progress was documented in a child who received a cochlear implant in infancy and compared to that achieved in children implanted at older ages. A new measurement tool, the Visual Habituation Procedure, was used to document early skills and the results were compared to those obtained in normal-hearing infants. Results */By the age of 2 years the subject implanted in infancy achieved scores on the GAEL-P which were nearly equivalent to those achieved at the age of 5 1 years by children implanted at later ages. Age-equivalent scores on the Reynell Developmental Language Scales were achieved by the subject implanted in infancy and the ability to discriminate speech patterns was demonstrated using the Visual Habituation Procedure. Conclusion */This report demonstrates enhanced language development in an infant who received a cochlear implant at the age of 6 months. Key words: cochlear implant, Grammatical Analysis of Elicited Language */Presentence Level, Reynell Developmental Language Scales, Visual Habituation Procedure
Population genetic structure of the cleistogamous plant species Viola pubescens Aiton (Violaceae), as indicated by allozyme and ISSR molecular markers

Few studies of genetic variation have focused on species that reproduce through both showy, chasmogamous (CH) flowers and self-pollinated, cleistogamous (CL) flowers. Using two different techniques, genetic variation was measured in six populations of Viola pubescens Aiton, a yellow-flowered violet found in the temperate forests of eastern North America. Results from eight allozyme loci showed that there was considerable genetic variation in the species, and population structuring was indicated by the presence of unique alleles and a θ (FST) value of 0.29. High genetic variation was also found using ISSR (inter-simple sequence repeat) markers, and population structuring was again evident with unique bands. Viola pubescens appears to have a true mixed-mating system in which selfing through CL and CH flowers contributes to population differentiation, and outcrossing through CH flowers increases genetic variation and gene flow among populations. Overall, allozyme and ISSR techniques yielded similar results, indicating that ISSR markers show potential for use in population genetic studies.
EXPLORING LEARNER PERCEPTION AND USE OF TASK-BASED INTERACTIONAL FEEDBACK IN FTF AND CMC MODES

Theoretical claims about the benefits of corrective feedback have been largely premised on learners’ noticing of feedback (e.g., Gass & Mackey, 2006; Long, 1996; Schmidt, 1990, 1995; Swain, 1995), and findings have demonstrated that both the feedback target (Mackey, Gass, & McDonough, 2000) and the mode of provision (Lai & Zhao, 2006) can affect learners’ accurate perception of feedback. The current study extended this research by investigating learners’ perception and use of feedback provided in task-based interaction in both computer-mediated (CMC) and face-to-face (FTF) modes. Utilizing stimulated recall, the study examined if 24 intermediate-level learners of Spanish as a foreign language accurately noticed feedback as feedback, if they noticed the feedback target, and if the environment in which they interacted (CMC vs. FTF) made a difference in their accuracy. The study also investigated if modality affected opportunities for modified output immediately following feedback and if learners used those opportunities differently according to mode. Results demonstrated that, overall, learners did notice feedback as feedback in both modes. Contrary to expectations, there were no statistical differences between modes in feedback perception accuracy. Significant differences were found, however, in learners’ opportunities for and use of feedback depending on the interaction environment and the type of error being addressed.
Merciful Justice: Lessons From 50 Years of New York Death Penalty Commutations

This article examines the reasons offered by seven New York governors in justification of their decisions to commute death sentences in 159 cases between 1920 and 1970. In doing so, it scrutinizes the common assertion that, in marked contrast to contemporary death penalty cases, merciful considerations once were bountiful in sparing condemned offenders from execution. An examination of the New York governors’ reasons for granting clemency and the legal context within which their decisions were made suggests that mercy accounted for few death sentence commutations during this time period and that other considerations predominated. To the extent that the New York experience resembles that of other states historically, the analysis suggests that the comparatively infrequent use of executive clemency in contemporary capital cases may owe more to the significant differences in death penalty laws and their administration during the different eras than to a diminished role for mercy.
A novel lipid-anchored A-kinase Anchoring Protein facilitates cAMP-responsive membrane events.

Compartmentalization of protein kinases with substrates is a mechanism that may promote specificity of intracellular phosphorylation events. We have cloned a low-molecular weight A-kinase Anchoring Protein, called AKAP18, which targets the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) to the plasma membrane, and permits functional coupling to the L-type calcium channel. Membrane anchoring is mediated by the first 10 amino acids of AKAP18, and involves residues Gly1, Cys4 and Cys5 which are lipid-modified through myristoylation and dual palmitoylation, respectively. Transient transfection of AKAP18 into HEK-293 cells expressing the cardiac L-type Ca 2F channel promoted a3 4 K9% increase in cAMP-responsive Ca 2F currents. In contrast, a targeting-deficient mutant of AKAP18 had no effect on Ca 2F currents in response to the application of a cAMP analog. Further studies demonstrate that AKAP18 facilitates GLP-1-mediated insulin secretion in a pancreatic b cell line (RINm5F), suggesting that membrane anchoring of the kinase participates in physiologically relevant cAMP-responsive events that may involve ion channel activation.
Nonparametric Approaches for Estimating Driver Pose

To better understand driver behavior, the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have collected several thousands of hours of driver video. There is now an immediate need for devising automated procedures for analyzing the video. In this paper, we look at the problem of estimating driver pose given a video of the driver as he or she drives the vehicle. A complete system is proposed to perform feature extraction and classification of each frame. The system uses a Fisherface representation of video frames and a nearest neighbor and neural network classification scheme. Experimental results show that the system can achieve high accuracy and reliable performance.
General imprecise causal reasoning representations

Recognizing and developing causal relationships is essential for reasoning; it forms the basis for acting intelligently in the world. Causal knowledge provides a deep understanding of a system; and, the potential control over a system that comes from being able to predict action's consequences. Knowledge of at least some relationships is inherently imprecise. Causal complexes are groupings of smaller causal relations that can make up a larger-grained causal object. Usually, commonsense reasoning is more successful in reasoning about a few large-grained events than many finer-grained events. However, larger-grained causal objects are necessarily more imprecise. Often, a network represents a causal relationship with conditioned edges (probability, possibility, randomness, etc.). Various representational graphs and models can be used. Needed necessary descriptions include cycles, including mutual dependencies, both with non-cumulative effects and cumulative effects. Without cyclic descriptions, there would be an incomplete representation of the variety and wealth of causal constructions used in science as well as in everyday life. Directed Bayesian causal networks have received significant attention; they have a significant weakness in that they do not allow cycles; they have other significant restrictions, including Markoff independence conditions. This paper discusses: causality, complexes, granularity, imprecision, general and Bayesian causal models; the perspective reflects data mining goals.
Spodoptera ochrea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): a New Host Record (Asparagus) from Peru and Description of the Female Genitalia

Spodoptera ochrea (Hampson) was recently reared on a new host, asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.), in Peru. Other host plants include cotton, tobacco, and potatoes in Peru. Distribution is restricted to the dry west coast of southern Ecuador and Peru. The female genitalia is illustrated and described for the first time. Additional records of asparagus feeding Spodoptera are discussed.
Rates and mechanisms of bedrock incision and strath terrace formation in a forested catchment, Cascade Range, Washington

Measurements of channel bed and bank incision into bedrock coupled with mapping and radiocarbon dating of strath terraces in the West Fork Teanaway River, Washington, provide insight into rates and mechanisms of river incision and strath terrace formation in a forested landscape. The West Fork drains 102 km 2 of the tectonically quiescent southeastern North Cascade Range, and it is rapidly eroding its bed and creating strath terraces in its lower reach. Minimum vertical incision, measured annually relative to nails embedded in the streambed, was greater in the seasonally exposed, weathering-dominated, high-flow channel (mean = 10.9 mm yr −1 ) than in the perennially wet, abrasion-dominated, low-flow channel (3.8 mm yr −1 ), documenting unsteady lowering of the channel margin. Ages of radiocarbon-dated materials from alluvium on strath terraces, 0.1 m to 5.4 m above the water surface, suggest three episodes of strath abandonment at maximum ages of ca. A.D. 830, A.D. 1560, and A.D. 1890, and average incision rates of 1.3 mm yr −1 , 1.4 mm yr −1 , and 7.4 mm yr −1 for the oldest to youngest surfaces, respectively. Weathering-promoted vertical incision in the high-flow channel provides a mechanism for “top-down” rapid lateral strath planation in which scour of alluvium on incipient strath terraces incorporates the surface into the high-flow channel, allowing rapid removal of bedrock weathered during wetting and drying cycles. Relationships among channel width, channel confinement by bedrock terrace risers, modeled bankfull shear stress, and alluvial bed cover suggest that rapid channel widening could also internally limit vertical incision by slowing incision as shear stresses decline and more alluvium is retained on the bed. The timing of the most recent (ca. A.D. 1890) strath abandonment corresponds with historic anthropogenic removal of fluvial wood, suggesting that the relative abundance of fluvial wood may influence episodes of vertical bedrock incision by affecting the retention of alluvium on streambeds.
Bose-Einstein Condensation of Long-Lifetime Polaritons in Thermal Equilibrium

Making use of improved microcavities, hybrid condensates of matter and light can be tuned to reach a thermal equilibrium state, despite their finite lifetime.
The Impact of Immigration Enforcement on the U.S. Farming Sector

This paper examines the eects of state and local immigration enforcement eorts on the U.S. Farming sector. We use variation in enforcement eorts generated by the timing of adoption of 287(g) programs by state and county law enforcement agencies (allowing local ocers
Retinofugal Projections from Melanopsin-Expressing Retinal Ganglion Cells Revealed by Intraocular Injections of Cre-Dependent Virus

To understand visual functions mediated by intrinsically photosensitive melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells (mRGCs), it is important to elucidate axonal projections from these cells into the brain. Initial studies reported that melanopsin is expressed only in retinal ganglion cells within the eye. However, recent studies in Opn4-Cre mice revealed Cre-mediated marker expression in multiple brain areas. These discoveries complicate the use of melanopsin-driven genetic labeling techniques to identify retinofugal projections specifically from mRGCs. To restrict labeling to mRGCs, we developed a recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying a Cre-dependent reporter (human placental alkaline phosphatase) that was injected into the vitreous of Opn4-Cre mouse eyes. The labeling observed in the brain of these mice was necessarily restricted specifically to retinofugal projections from mRGCs in the injected eye. We found that mRGCs innervate multiple nuclei in the basal forebrain, hypothalamus, amygdala, thalamus and midbrain. Midline structures tended to be bilaterally innervated, whereas the lateral structures received mostly contralateral innervation. As validation of our approach, we found projection patterns largely corresponded with previously published results; however, we have also identified a few novel targets. Our discovery of projections to the central amygdala suggests a possible direct neural pathway for aversive responses to light in neonates. In addition, projections to the accessory optic system suggest that mRGCs play a direct role in visual tracking, responses that were previously attributed to other classes of retinal ganglion cells. Moreover, projections to the zona incerta raise the possibility that mRGCs could regulate visceral and sensory functions. However, additional studies are needed to investigate the actual photosensitivity of mRGCs that project to the different brain areas. Also, there is a concern of "overlabeling" with very sensitive reporters that uncover low levels of expression. Light-evoked signaling from these cells must be shown to be of sufficient sensitivity to elicit physiologically relevant responses.
Rosa Parks Redux: Racial Mobility Projects on the Journey to Work

The iconic image of Rosa Parks sitting at the front of a bus documents the most famous commute in history. Rosa Parks was traveling home from work when she refused to give her seat to a white passe...
The Effectiveness of Counter-Terrorism Strategies

Since September 11th, there have been massive increases in personal, commercial, and governmental expenditures on anti-terrorism strategies, as well as a proliferation of programs designed to fight terrorism. These increases in spending and program development have focused attention on the most significant and central policy question related to these interventions: Do these programs work? To explore research evidence regarding this question, we conducted a Campbell systematic review on counter-terrorism strategies to determine the scope and strength of evaluation research in this area. In the course of our review, we discovered that there is an almost complete absence of evaluation research on counter-terrorism strategies. From over 20,000 studies we located on terrorism, we found only seven which contained moderately rigorous evaluations of counterterrorism programs. We conclude that there is little scientific knowledge about the effectiveness of most counter-terrorism interventions. Further, from the evidence we were able to locate, it appears that some evaluated interventions either didn’t work or sometimes increased the likelihood of terrorism and terrorism-related harm. The findings of this review dramatically emphasize the need for government leaders, policy makers, researchers, and funding agencies to include and insist on evaluations of the effectiveness of these programs in their agendas. These agendas would include identifying ways to overcome methodological and data challenges often associated with terrorism research, increasing funding to evaluate existing programs through methodologically rigorous evaluation designs, and paying attention to existing evaluations of programs when implementing them. Further, programs should be assessed to establish if they cause more harm than good or if they create unanticipated consequences.
A Formal Framework for Program Anomaly Detection

Program anomaly detection analyzes normal program behaviors and discovers aberrant executions caused by attacks, misconfigurations, program bugs, and unusual usage patterns. The merit of program anomaly detection is its independence from attack signatures, which enables proactive defense against new and unknown attacks. In this paper, we formalize the general program anomaly detection problem and point out two of its key properties. We present a unified framework to present any program anomaly detection method in terms of its detection capability. We prove the theoretical accuracy limit for program anomaly detection with an abstract detection machine. We show how existing solutions are positioned in our framework and illustrate the gap between state-of-the-art methods and the theoretical accuracy limit. We also point out some potential modeling features for future program anomaly detection evolution.
Recruitment and Retention of Lower Division Metallurgy/Materials Students

Opportunities in the materials science and engineering field appear quite plentiful into the next century. An increasing number of materials engineers will be needed by industry to develop new materials as well as adapt current ones to new needs. Is there a shortage of metallurgical/materials engineers? Academic institutions with existing or developing programs in materials may affect significant increases in enrollment by “marketing” materials high technology. The Department of Metallurgical Engineering at The University of Texas at El Paso has made exceptional progress in recruiting and retaining prospective engineering students into this technical area. What has been successful at UTEP may also benefit other academic programs.
Abstract 448: Mechanisms involved in the tumor-induced thymic involution.

The thymus is a central lymphoid organ critical for the development and maintenance of an effective peripheral T cell repertoire. Most important, it provides a specialized environment for the selection of rearranged clones that will function appropriately in the adaptive immune response. T cell maturation progresses through well-defined stages in which proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis are central to the selection of a functional TCR repertoire. During mammary tumorigenesis, there is a profound thymus involution associated with a severe depletion of the most abundant subset of thymocytes, CD4+CD8+ double positive (DP) immature cells. Thymic involution has been observed in several model systems; including graft-vs-host disease, aging, and tumor development, however, the precise mechanisms involved in this phenomenon remain poorly defined. Previous results from our laboratory have reported that the severe thymic atrophy and impaired T cell development seen in mammary tumor bearers are associated with a profound decrease in thymus size accompanied by a disrupture of the normal thymic architecture, an arrest in at least two steps of T cell differentiation, and an increase in thymic apoptosis in tumor-bearers. In our studies we have used the murine D1-DMBA-3 mammary tumor model to elucidate the exact mechanisms associated to the tumor-induced impaired T cell development and thymic involution. We have found that the disruption in the thymic architecture of tumor bearers appears to be related to a downregulated expression of hepatocyte growth factor in the medullar zone of the thymus. Moreover, the progressive increase of apoptosis in thymocytes during the tumor development is associated to a downregulation of Bcl-xL and A1, two important molecules that control programmed cell death. Additionally, the impaired T cell development observed during the tumor-induced thymic involution is associated to a profound decrease of IL-7 and IL-15, two crucial cytokines involved in T cell development; a downregulation in the expression of most of the Jak/Stat signaling proteins; and an increased expression of several suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) members. Our data provides the bases for understanding the mechanisms associated to the impaired T cell development and thymic involution present in the thymuses of tumor bearers. Citation Format: Roberto Carrio-Jardines, Vijaya Iragavarapu-Charyulu, Stephania Libreros, Ramon A. Garcia-Areas, Marta Torroella-Kouri, Diana M. Lopez. Mechanisms involved in the tumor-induced thymic involution. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 448. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-448
In vitro studies on the way in which the activation of factor VIII is affected in mixtures of plasma with hemophilia A plasma.

Factor VIII exchange test experiments with hemophilia A plasmas were performed to find out how the results were affected by submitting plasmas and plasma mixtures to different incubation periods at 37°C, heat precipitation, and ether extraction.
Proton therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer

Treatment using proton beam has advantages over X-rays due to its physical characteristics, which allow for dose escalation of the tumor with less scatter radiation dose to the surrounding tissues. There have been multiple published reports showing excellent clinical outcomes after treatment with proton therapy for prostate cancer. However, there continues to be significant controversy regarding the clinical advantage of proton therapy over using X-rays with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) as there have been no randomized trials comparing the two treatments reported. This chapter will summarize the physics of the proton therapy and the recent technical advances in the delivery of the proton beam, review the clinical results, and describe the treatment protocol used at our institution for the use of proton therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer patients.
Quality of Drinking Water in Shuangliu County,2009-2011

Objective To understand sanitary quality of drinking water in Shuangliu county,and to provide scientific evidence for drinking water security.Methods According to'Hygienic Criteria of Drinking Water Quality'(GB /T5750-2006),water samples were collected from the households in Shuangliu from 2009 to 2011 for quality detection.Results The overall qualified rate of drinking water was 79.5% from 2009 to 2011,with the qualified rate of centralized water supply(87.08%) higher than that of decentralized water supply(56.60%),and the qualified rate in wet season was lower than in dry season.Conclusion Part of indexes of daily drinking water in Shuangliu county have not yet met the national standards,thus attention should be paid to the management of centralized water supply in wet season and facilities development of water supply in rural area.
Overload Control Algorithm of Parlay X Gateway Based on Message

In order to solve the problems that the Parlay X gateway overload algorithm has low flexibility and cannot make the messages maximized,propose a Parlay X gateway system architecture based on contract. Set the priority of the message according to the feature of the Parlay X message,drop or cache the messages according to the message priority,after that conduct the load balance and admission control in accordance with load,the overload control process has been realized by four steps. The experimental results show that compared with traditional overload control,the proposed algorithm can reduce the average service time,increase the received number of calls,while guaranteeing the number of MakeCall message,make sure the maximal messages number when meeting the contract constrains.
Ultrasonography of Testis Tumors

AbstractIntratesticular masses can be identified with a high degree of accuracy using recently refined techniques of scrotal ultrasonography. In an attempt to correlate sonographic findings with histopathologic features the sonograms performed on 17 consecutive patients with testis tumors were reviewed. Two distinct categories were identified. Seminomas and lymphomas appeared hypoechoic and homogeneous, and had sharply demarcated intratesticular borders. N onseminomatous germ cell tumors, although also of lower echogenicity than normal testis, appeared to have cystic spaces, acoustic shadowing and irregular margins extending into the testis parenchyma. Preoperative characterization of a scrotal mass with ultrasound can facilitate surgical excision of the tumor. Scrotal ultrasonography also is useful in the detection of tumor in a palpable normal testis and is a convenient method for the examination of patients who have had a testis tumor previously.
THE CAST SYNDROME. A CASE REPORT AND DISCUSSION OF THE LITERATURE.

The previously published cases of the cast syndrome are reviewed and a new case is presented. The mechanism of obstruction is discussed in relation to the new case. Emphasis is made concerning early diagnosis, which is dependent on awareness of this syndrome.
Estimation of the physical properties of neurons and glial cells using dielectrophoresis crossover frequency

We successfully determine the ranges of dielectric permittivity, cytoplasm conductivity, and specific membrane capacitance of mouse hippocampal neuronal and glial cells using dielectrophoresis (DEP) crossover frequency (CF). This methodology is based on the simulation of CF directly from the governing equation of a dielectric model of mammalian cells, as well as the measurements of DEP CFs of mammalian cells in different suspension media with different conductivities, based on a simple experimental setup. Relationships between the properties of cells and DEP CF, as demonstrated by theoretical analysis, enable the simultaneous estimation of three properties by a straightforward fitting procedure based on experimentally measured CFs. We verify the effectiveness and accuracy of this approach for primary mouse hippocampal neurons and glial cells, whose dielectric properties, previously, have not been accurately determined. The estimated neuronal properties significantly narrow the value ranges available from the literature. Additionally, the estimated glial cell properties are a valuable addition to the scarce information currently available about this type of cell. This methodology is applicable to any type of cultured cell that can be subjected to both positive and negative dielectrophoresis.