cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risks of unbalanced progeny at amniocentesis to carriers of chromosome rearrangements: Data from United States and Canadian laboratories

Data on 1,237 prenatal (amniocyte) diagnoses in cases of familial chromosome rearrangements were collated from 79 American and Canadian laboratories. These were added to European data (Daniel et al: Prenatal Diagn 6:315-350, 1986) on 596 reciprocal translocations (rcp) from 71 collaborative laboratories. The total data set was examined for relationships between balanced or unbalanced result and mode of ascertainment, sex of carrier parent, chromosomes involved, and (in cases of reciprocal translocations and pericentric inversions) for potential or actual chromosome imbalance size (% haploid autosome length). Risk rates for unbalanced segregants were markedly dissimilar. These ranged from approximately 50% down to essentially a negligible risk. The risk was approximately 50% for carriers of the following: complex chromosome rearrangements (ccr); insertions (ins); and for 2:2 segregating rcp ascertained by mode 1 (term unbalanced proband) with small imbalance segments. Pooled carriers (either sex) of 2:2 segregating rcp of mode 1 had a risk of 20-25% whereas female Robertsonian (rob) translocation (D;21) carriers and pericentric inversion (pii) carriers of pii with small distal segments had a risk of 10-15%. Pooled 2:2 segregating rcp carriers ascertained by mode 2 (a couple with recurrent miscarriages) and male carriers of rob (D;21) had a risk of 1.5-5%. The risk of unbalanced segregants was 1-2% (in this data) for male and female rob (13;14) carriers and for pooled pericentric inversion carriers. However, for carriers of most "type" (recurrent breakpoints) pii, for all paracentric inversions, and (as expected) for rob not involving 13 or 21, there were no term unbalanced progeny. For 2:2 segregating reciprocal translocations plots were prepared that could be used to determine broad risk groups for carriers of such rcp. In 3:1 segregating rcp there were 3.3 times fewer male than female carriers, whereas there were 1.3 times fewer male carriers in 2:2 segregating rcp. In 2:2 segregating rcp there is little effect on the fertility of male carriers and risks of unbalanced progeny were found to be equal to those for female carriers, whereas in the 3:1 segregating rcp, risks were much less for male as compared to female carriers. This indicates that 3:1 segregating rep are more similar to Robertsonian translocations in their greater effect on the fertility of male carriers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation rates in the Olmsted County, Minnesota, population: 1989-1999.

Abstract Although the efficacy of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) has been demonstrated in randomized clinical trials, implantation and survival rates have not been reported for a defined population. We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of Olmsted County, Minnesota residents ( n = 70) who received their first ICD between 1 January 1989 and 31 December 1999. The ICD implantation rate increased from approximately 2.5/100,000 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.9–4.1) in the first 4 years to 11.5/100,000 (95% CI, 6.7–16.2) in the last 2 years. Twenty-three patients (33%) received an appropriate ICD shock during the observation period. Based on these data, ICDs are estimated to reduce total mortality rates in this population by 0.3%. We conclude that, in patients drawn from a community setting with AHA/ACC class I indications for ICD implantation, implantation of ICDs appears to be highly efficacious in aborting potentially fatal events.
Teaching Practices and Class Size: A New Look at an Old Issue.

The reduction of class size is one of a number of policy decisions with the potential for direct impact on classrooms and classroom instruction; however, little descriptive information exists about how teachers may adapt teaching practices to take advantage of possible benefits of reduced numbers of students. With few exceptions, studies of class size have examined achievement effects, but have not documented how class size affects teaching practices. Investigators who have addressed this question have reported mixed results. Filby, Cahen, McCutcheon, and Kyle (1980, and discussed in Odden, 1990), in intensive case studies, found that teachers in smaller classes were more able to complete their direct lessons in reading and math, and to develop them in depth; smaller classes functioned more smoothly and were better managed; and students in smaller classes received more individualized attention, had less wait time, and tended to have better task engagement. Bourke (1986) documented relationships among class size, teaching practices, and student achievement in Australian math classes. Teachers in larger classes used more groups and lectured or explained more to students; students in larger classes asked more questions. Teachers in smaller classes asked more follow-up questions, assigned more homework, gave more oral tests, had more direct interaction with students, and made fewer nonacademic procedural arrangements. Teachers with smaller classes followed teaching practices similar to those found in classes with higher ability students. Teaching practices affected student
Riemann functions for a system of hyperbolic form in three independent variables

Functions are defined which permit the solution of a special hyperbolic system to be expressed as a quadrature of its initial data over the initial surface.
Peer Review: Selecting the Best Science

The major challenge facing today’s biomedical researchers is the increasing competition for available funds. The competitive review process, through which the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards grants, is built upon review by a committee of expert scientists. The NIH is firmly committed to ensuring that its peer review system is fair and objective.
Herbivore-driven mycorrhizal mutualism in insect-susceptible pinyon pine

THE mutualistic ectomycorrhizal fungi associated with the roots of woody perennials can enhance nutrient uptake and provide protection from pathogens in exchange for up to 40% of the photosynthate produced by host plants1–9. By removing photo-synthetic tissue, herbivores could reduce the amount of photosynthate available for maintaining this mutualism10–15, 29. Here we examine how ectomycorrhizal levels vary between trees resistant and susceptible to an insect herbivore, and demonstrate how mycorrhizal levels respond to the experimental removal of a native herbivore under natural conditions. We find that pinyon pine trees susceptible to chronic insect attack have 33% fewer ectomycor-rhizae than resistant trees, demonstrating that the herbivore–mycorrhizae–host plant interaction differs between resistant and susceptible trees. We removed insects from susceptible trees and find that the mycorrhizal levels of these trees increased to a level comparable to that of resistant trees. This demonstrates that herbivores negatively affect the mutualism between ectomycorrhizal fungi and susceptible trees, and that mycorrhizal levels can rebound after herbivore removal. The dynamics of these interactions on resistant and susceptible plants could be important for understanding plant–pest interactions in natural and managed systems.
Comparative studies of monkey and human immunoglobulins.

Abstract Immunoglobulins G, A and M of monkey Macaca mulatta were separated by methods similar to those used for the separation of human serum immunoglobulins. Monospecific antisera to the monkey and human IgG, IgA and IgM were prepared and used for examination of the cross reactivity between the monkey and human immunoglobulins. When antisera to human immunoglobulins were applied, definite differences were seen between the IgG and IgA but not between the IgM. However, when antisera to monkey immunoglobulins were used, definite differences were seen in all three immunoglobulins. In the quantitative precipitation reaction, the IgG of the monkey cross reacted with the antibodies to human IgG in a range of 56–60 per cent and the IgG of human cross reacted with antibodies to monkey IgG in a range of 57–68 per cent. The single radial diffusion test was utilized for the studies of cross reactivity. Larger diameters of the precipitation rings with the heterologous than with the same concentration of the homologous antigen were obtained. The concentration of the serum immunoglobulins of Macaca mulatta monkeys were determined using monospecific antisera. The mean value of the IgG was 12·43 mg/ml, the IgA 3·5 mg/ml and the IgM 0·87 mg/ml.
Thermal Properties of Starch from Exotic-by-Adapted Corn (Zea mays L.) Lines Grown in Four Environments

ABSTRACT The effect of four growing environments (two at Ames, IA; one at Clinton, IL; and one at Columbia, MO) on the thermal properties of starch from five exotic-by-adapted corn inbred lines (Chis37, Cuba34, Cuba38, Dk8, Dk10) and two control lines (B73 and Mo17) were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The variations in thermal properties within environments were similar for the exotic-by-adapted lines and control lines. Missouri was the warmest environment and generally produced starch with the greatest gelatinization onset temperature (ToG), the narrowest range of gelatinization (RG), and the greatest enthalpy of gelatinization (ΔHG). Illinois was the coolest environment and generally resulted in starch with the lowest ToG, widest RG, and lowest ΔHG. These differences were attributed to higher temperatures in Missouri during grain-filling months either increasing the amount of longer branches of amylopectin or perfecting amylopectin crystalline structure. The Ames 1 environment pr...
Vapor sensing with arrays of carbon black-polymer composites

Thin films of carbon black-organic polymer composites have been deposited across two metallic leads, with swelling- induced resistance changes of the films signaling the presence of vapors. To identify and classify vapors, arrays of such vapor-sensing elements have been constructed, with each element containing a different organic polymer as the insulating phase. The differing gas-solid partition coefficients for the various polymers of the sensor array produce a pattern of resistance changes that can be used to classify vapors and vapor mixtures. This type of sensor array has been shown to resolve all organic vapors that have been analyzed, and can even resolve H2O from D2O. Blends of poly(vinyl acetate) and poly(methyl methacrylate) have been used to produce a series of sensor that response to vapors with a change in resistance of a magnitude that is not simply a linear combination of the responses of the pure polymers. These compatible blend composite detectors provided additional analyte discrimination information relative to a reference detector array that only contained composites formed using the pure polymer phases. Vapor signatures from chemicals used in land mine explosives, including TNT, DNT, and DNB, have been detected in air in short sampling time and discriminated from each other using these sensor arrays.
Efficient implementation of Java interfaces: Invokeinterface considered harmless

Single superclass inheritance enables simple and efficient table-driven virtual method dispathc. However, virtual method table dispatch does not handle multiple inheritance and interfaces. This complication has led to a widespread misimpression that interface method dispatch is inherently inefficient. This paper argues that with proper implementation techniques, Java interfaces need not be a source of significant performance degradation.
ASEXUAL SPORES IN CLOSTERIUM DIDTMOTOCUM RALFS

summary Closterium didymotocum var. pygmaeiim is described as a new variety because of its narrow width and its lack of subapical thickenings on the cell wall. An unusual type of asexual spore formation is described in which the protoplast escapes from the enclosing cell wall and forms a spherical resistant spore. On germination the spore produces a single vegetative cell.
A LABORATORY APPROACH TO INTERPERSONAL ASPECTS OE TEAM PEREORJ1ANCE

Thin paper brings together and re-appraises a number of studios, mostly already published elsewhere, from a laboratory research programme to deal in an experimental fashion with certain problems of team performance. An attempt has been made to bo sufficiently comprehensive to anticipate a variety of team performance problems observed in the Air i'oreo and other work-group settings. Rosoareh to date in this programme has dealt primarily with ream training, although ono may also noto implications in this work for the probloms of tho distribution of displays and controls among team members, The conceptual approach adopted is traceable to contemporary stimulus-responso thoorios in psychology. Basic concepts and methods are briefly describod followed by an analysis of stimulus-response arrangements in dyads. Feedback (reinforcing) stimuli in social settings are first given special attention sinco they seom central to almost any training problem. Experiments are summarized which deal with parameters relevant to...
Content dissemination over VANET: Boosting utility based heuristics using interests

Drivers are not expected to vote while driving, but VANETs are an excellent media for dissemination of pre-recorded support/opinions on regional issues in a decentralized deliberative petition drive or opinion poll. We propose and evaluate heuristics for scheduling messages in a VANET broadcasting-based dissemination of data for decentralized petition drives among self-interested participants. The goal of the heuristics is to increase dissemination of the citizen initiatives questions and results under the given assumptions. The self-interest of the participants is assumed to be manifested by selectivity in the storage and forwarding of raised issues and positions for those issues. Here we describe the concepts enabling the fully decentralized organization of the petition drives and polls. The underlying protocol that we implemented for fully decentralized polling of opinions over VANETs is also introduced and evaluated.
ABANDONING THEORETICAL FORTRESSES: POSSIBILITIES FOR INTERACTION

In this review essay, William Proefriedt argues that it may be possible to reformulate three apparently irreconcilable stances in a manner that would allow more interaction among the elements championed within each stance. The arguments addressed are (1) the argument for the efficacy of educational reform; (2) the argument that social and economic realities decisively undercut the efficacy of educational reform; and (3) the argument that the heritability of IQ is dramatically more determinative of individuals' school and economic success than any set of school policies and practices. Proefriedt seeks to examine these positions as they have been developed in Linda Darling-Hammond et al.'s Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding, Richard Rothstein's Class and Schools: Using Social, Economic, and Educational Reform to Close the Black-White Achievement Gap, and Charles Murray's Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America's Schools Back to Reality. He concludes that the three analyses under consideration can be formulated so that each might serve to complement the strengths and correct the deficiencies of the others, thus yielding a broader explanatory scheme that could lead to wiser policies.
Classical diffusion in a field-reversed mirror

Classical transport of particles and heat in field-reversed mirrors is discussed. The X-points (field nulls on axis) are shown to have no deleterious effect on transport; this conclusion is true for any transport model. For an elongated Hill's vortex equilibrium the classical diffusion coefficient is calculated analytically and used to construct an analytic solution to the transport equation for particles or energy ; this yields exact results for particle and energy confinement times. These life-times are roughly 3 to 6 times shorter than previous heuristic estimates. Experimentally determined life-times are within a factor of 3 to 4 of our estimates. To assess the impact of these results on reactor designs, the authors construct an analytic reactor model in which neutral-beam input balances ion heat loss. Energy loss due to synchrotron radiation is calculated analytically and shown to be negligible, even with no wall reflection. Formulas are presented which give the reactor parameters in terms of plasma temperature, energy multiplication factor Q, and allowed neutron wall loading. The effect of anomalous resistivity is incorporated heuristically by assuming an anomalous resistivity which is enhanced by a factor A over classical resistivity. For large A the minimum power of a reactor scales as A11/6. A = 50 gives a reactor design which still seems reasonable, but A = 200 leads to extremely large, high-power reactors.
Stereochemical Course of the Transmethylation Catalyzed by Histamine N-Methyltransferase'

The stereochemical course of the methyl group transfer catalyzed by histamine N-methyltransferase was studied using S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet), which carried a chiral methyl group. The incubation of these AdoMet samples and histamine with a partially purified enzyme obtained from guinea pig brains gave the corresponding methylated histamine. The N-methylhistamine samples were degraded to convert the N-methyl group into the methyl group of acetate using a reaction sequence of known stereochemistry. The results of the configurational analysis of these acetate samples indicated that the enzymatic transfer of the methyl group from the sulfur of AdoMet to the nitrogen of histamine occurs with inversion of configuration.
Preliminary evidence for the interaction of the oxytocin receptor gene (oxtr) and face processing in differentiating prenatal smoking patterns.

Abstract Prenatal smoking cessation has been described as an empathic action “for the baby,” but this has not been empirically demonstrated. We capitalized on a genetically-characterized extant dataset with outstanding measurement of prenatal smoking patterns and maternal face processing data (as an indicator of empathy) to test this hypothesis, and explore how empathy and smoking patterns may be moderated by a genetic substrate of empathy, the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR). Participants were 143Caucasian women from the East Boston family study with repeated prospective reports of smoking level, adjusted based on repeated cotinine bioassays. Salivary DNA and face processing (Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy-2) were assessed 14 years later at an adolescent follow-up of offspring. Two-thirds of participants reported smoking prior to pregnancy recognition. Of these, 21% quit during pregnancy; 56% reduced smoking, and 22% smoked persistently at the same level. A significant interaction between face processing and OXTR variants previously associated with increased sensitivity to social context, rs53576GG and rs2254298A, was found (β = −.181; p = .015); greater ability to identify distress in others was associated with lower levels of smoking during pregnancy for rs53576(GG)/rs2254298(A) individuals (p = .013), but not for other genotypes (p = .892). Testing this “empathy hypothesis of prenatal smoking cessation” in larger studies designed to examine this question can elucidate whether interventions to enhance empathy can improve prenatal smoking cessation rates.
Uncertainty of Daily Isolation Estimates from a Mesoscale Pyranometer Network

Abstract Daily insulation values at the earth's surface are required for modeling of biophysical processes and solar energy engineering design. Ground-based pyranometer networks have proliferated in recent years, offering improved spatial coverage for some regions, although data assimilation is daunting. Geosynchronous satellites can provide high-spatial-resolution observations, although data are not routinely available and estimates for snow-covered areas are problematical. The adequacy of the present array of ground-based pyranometers in the Midwest for estimating daily insulation was tested using kriging, a geostatistical technique. First, the usefulness of the kriging variance for predicting likely errors in spatial interpolation was demonstrated using a high-spatial-resolution satellite-derived insulation dataset. Then, daily data for 51 locations in four states were screened for errors using double-mass plots, a technique widely used in hydrology. For each day, a variogram was fit to the observation...
Bacteria Fighting Back – How Pathogens Target and Subvert the Host Innate Immune System

The innate immune system has evolved under selective pressure since the radiation of multicellular life approximately 600 million years ago. Because of this long history, innate immune mechanisms found in modern eukaryotic organisms today are highly complex but yet built from common molecular strategies. It is now clear that evolution has selected a conserved set of antimicrobial peptides as well as pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) that initiate cellular-based signals as a first line of defense against invading pathogens. Conversely, microbial pathogens employ their own strategies in order to evade, inhibit, or otherwise manipulate the innate immune response. Here, we discuss recent discoveries that have changed our view of immune modulatory mechanisms employed by bacterial pathogens, focusing specifically on the initial sites of microbial recognition and extending to host cellular signal transduction, proinflammatory cytokine production, and alteration of protein trafficking and secretion.
Caregiver behaviours and adaptive behavior development of very young children in home care and daycare

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of home#shmother care and daycare caregiver behaviors on the adaptive behavior development of children #op18 to 24 months#cp. Other variables under investigation included two indices of socioeconomic status #opSES#cp: occupation and education of parents. The sample consisted of 72 children: 36 in a group daycare situation and 36 at home with the mother. The investigator measured adaptive behavior development using the revised Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale by Sparrow, Balla, and Cicchetti #op1984#cp. The investigators administered The Family Daycare Rating Scale #opHarms & Clifford, 1984#cp to mothers and caregivers of children to measure growth‐facilitating behaviors. A 3 X 2 ANOVA was used with two levels for mothers and with three levels of care ‐‐ child in home, child in daycare where caregivers show high frequency, and child in daycare where caregivers show low frequency of growth‐facilitating behavior. Results revealed higher Adaptive Behavior ...
Design and sampling methodology for a large study of preschool children's aggregate exposures to persistent organic pollutants in their everyday environments

Young children, because of their immaturity and their rapid development compared to adults, are considered to be more susceptible to the health effects of environmental pollutants. They are also more likely to be exposed to these pollutants, because of their continual exploration of their environments with all their senses. Although there has been increased emphasis in recent years on exposure research aimed at this specific susceptible population, there are still large gaps in the available data, especially in the area of chronic, low-level exposures of children in their home and school environments. A research program on preschool children's exposures was established in 1996 at the USEPA National Exposure Research Laboratory. The emphasis of this program is on children's aggregate exposures to common contaminants in their everyday environments, from multiple media, through all routes of exposure. The current research project, "Children's Total Exposure to Persistent Pesticides and Other Persistent Organic Pollutants," (CTEPP), is a pilot-scale study of the exposures of 257 children, ages 1(1/2)-5 years, and their primary adult caregivers to contaminants in their everyday surroundings. The contaminants of interest include several pesticides, phenols, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and phthalate esters. Field recruitment and data collection began in February 2000 in North Carolina and were completed in November 2001 in Ohio. This paper describes the design strategy, survey sampling, recruiting, and field methods for the CTEPP study.
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)

This paper is intended to be an introduction into the issues involved with delivering IPTV over DSL. IPTV technology and available broadband bandwidths are evolving to the point where DSL providers can effectively enter the market of TV delivery to their customers. However, there are still issues concerning bandwidth, codec selection, QoS, and ROI. This paper will address each of these issues and discuss the major players involved in deploying this new technology. Though the paper will not go in-depth technically about how IPTV works, it will provide a good overview of IPTV architecture, how it will be delivered from the service provider's head-end equipment to the end-user (the consumer), and the differences between IPTV architecture and legacy cable TV (television) architecture. Most importantly, it will describe the importance of why moving to IPTV is a competitive "have-to" for service providers to survive.
Microstructural Changes in Hot Isostatically Pressed Alumina-Glass Composites

Alumina-glass composites with a small amount of a continuous glassy phase and closed pores were prepared and isostatically hot-pressed under varied conditions. Induced macropore structure showed partiallcomplete pore filling with glass and some evidence of pore collapsing. Pore filling was achieved by viscous from of the glass from the grain boundary to the macropores, which causes a simultaneous localized rearrangement of the alumina grain structure.
Rational choice and gain functions derived from a fuzzy relation

Abstract No theory of choice and gain based on a set-theoretic approach developed from new relational concepts termed ‘fuzzy relations’ in mathematics [Kim (1979,1980)] has been advanced. As evidenced in the literature [Kim (1979, 1980)], advances have occurred in set theory involving the concept of fuzzy relations that appear to be suitable for application in constructing a new and rigorous theory of choice and gain. The purpose of this paper is to derive rational choice and gain functions using the concept of fuzzy relations.
Integral Inequalities and Second Order Linear Oscillation

on the interval [0, a), u 0. Below, by a solution we mean a non-trivial solution. A solution is oscillatory if it has an infinite number of zeros. Numerous oscillation criteria are known and diversified approaches have proved fruitful. Among these is the use of the associated Riccati equation. Although the theory of differential and integral inequalities has been used by some investigators, see, e.g., Hartman [4, 71, the authors believe that it has not been fully exploited. The non-oscillation of (1.1) is equivalent to the existence of a solution of the associated Riccati equation on a half line. Thus one technique of proving oscillation is to show that any solution of the Riccati equation diverges to i-co at a finite point. The theory of differential and integral inequalities comes in handy in the estimation of the growth of such a solution. Below we describe some known results that are relevant to results established in this paper. Although these are stated here for the case (I = co, in the rest of the paper we consider both cases a < 0~) and a = 00. It is well known that if q is large in the mean then (1.1) is oscillatory. A typical example of such a criterion is due to Fite, Leighton and Wintner. If
Transient Phosphorylation of the V1a Vasopressin Receptor

The V1a arginine vasopressin receptor (V1aR) expressed in HEK 293 cells was phosphorylated after binding to arginine vasopressin (AVP). The phosphate was incorporated very rapidly into the protein but remained attached for a very short time despite the continuous presence of hormone. The extent of phosphorylation depended upon the concentration of AVP suggesting the involvement of G-protein-coupled receptor kinases. Protein kinase C (PKC) contributed to V1aR phosphorylation as demonstrated by the fact that inhibition of the kinase decreased the amount of phosphate incorporated into the receptor. However, PKC activity was not responsible for the transient nature of V1aR phosphorylation. The hormone-free receptor could be phosphorylated by phorbol ester-activated PKC. Although the phosphorylation was transient, the phosphate groups incorporated remained on the receptor protein longer than those incorporated after AVP treatment. PKC phosphorylation of unoccupied V1aR was not sufficient to promote sequestration. Vasopressin also promoted sequestration of about 80% of the surface receptor, but measurements of the rate of accumulation of inositol phosphates in the sustained presence of the ligand did not reveal a significant desensitization of coupling to phospholipase C activity. The addition of a V1aR antagonist inhibited the sustained accumulation of inositol phosphates establishing that the sustained stimulation of PLC was mediated by receptors located on the cell surface. The transient character of V1aR phosphorylation seemed intrinsic to the receptor protein rather than a consequence of signaling within the cell, and receptor sequestration appeared to be responsible for the desensitization observed in HEK 293 cells.
Effect of mass spectrometric sampling interface on the fundamental parameters of an inductively coupled plasma as a function of its operating conditions: Part I. Applied r.f. power and vacuum

Abstract The effects of a mass-spectrometer sampling interface on the fundamental parameters of an argon inductively coupled plasma were studied. Laser-scattering techniques were used to obtain radially resolved values for electron number density ( n e ), electron temperature ( T e ), and gas-kinetic temperature ( T g ) of the ICP upstream from the sampler as a function of applied r.f. power while different sample solutions were introduced. In addition, radially resolved calcium ion and atom number densities were determined under the same conditions in order to study the effects of matrix elements upstream from the mass spectrometer interface. It was found that the interface causes changes in the fundamental parameters that are dependent on the ICP applied r.f. power and the pressure at the back of the sampling interface. Furthermore, the changes caused by matrix interferents are different in the presence and in the absence of the sampler.
Dimension augmentation and combinatorial criteria for efficient error-resistant DNA self-assembly

DNA self-assembly has emerged as a rich and promising primitive for nano-technology. Experimental and analytical evidence indicates that such systems are prone to errors, and accordingly, several error-correction mechanisms have been proposed for the tile model of self-assembly. These error-correction mechanisms suffer either from high resolution loss or a large increase in the number of tile-types. In this paper, we propose dimension augmented proof-reading, a technique that uses the third dimension to do error-correction in two dimensional self-assembling systems. This involves no resolution loss in the two dimensions of interest, results in a smaller increase in the number of tile-types than previous techniques, and appears to have the same error-correction properties. Error-correcting systems need to be analyzed in the kinetic Tile Assembly Model; such analysis involves complicated Markov Chains and is cumbersome. In this paper, we also present a set of completely combinatorial criteria that can be used to prove properties of error-correcting self-assembling systems. We illustrate these criteria by applying them to two known proof-reading systems, one of which was not previously known to work. We then use these criteria to prove the correctness of dimension augmented proof-reading applied to a self-assembling system that computes the parity of a string.
Equivalence between Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) and Residual Income (RI)

Recently, the residual income (RI) model has become very popular in valuation because it purports to measure "value added" by explicitly taking into account the cost for capital in the income statement. Some proponents of the residual income approach have even suggested that the RI model is superior to the discounted cash flow (DCF) method and consequently, the DCF model should be abandoned in favor of the RI model. The residual income model is seductive because it purports to provide assessments of performance at any given point in time. The claim that the RI model is superior to the DCF model in valuation is puzzling because the RI model is simply an interesting algebraic rearrangement of the DCF model. Since the same information is used in both models, it is not unexpected that both models should give the same valuation results. In this paper, I examine the idea that the residual income model is superior to the discounted cash flow model. Using a simple numerical example, I show that in a M & M world, the two approaches to valuation are equivalent. In practice, the choice between the two valuation methods will be determined by the ease with which the relevant information is available.
Auditory grouping mechanisms reflect a sound's relative position in a sequence.

The human brain uses acoustic cues to decompose complex auditory scenes into its components. For instance to improve communication, a listener can select an individual “stream”, such as a talker in a crowded room, based on cues such as pitch or location. Despite numerous investigations into auditory streaming, few have demonstrated clear correlates of perception; instead, in many studies perception covaries with changes in physical stimulus properties (e.g. frequency separation). In the current report, we employ a classic ABA streaming paradigm and human electroencephalography (EEG) to disentangle the individual contributions of stimulus properties from changes in auditory perception. We find that changes in perceptual state – that is the perception of one versus two auditory streams with physically identical stimuli – and changes in physical stimulus properties are reflected independently in the event-related potential (ERP) during overlapping time windows. These findings emphasize the necessity of controlling for stimulus properties when studying perceptual effects of streaming. Furthermore, the independence of the perceptual effect from stimulus properties suggests the neural correlates of streaming reflect a tone’s relative position within a larger sequence (1st, 2nd, 3rd) rather than its acoustics. By clarifying the role of stimulus attributes along with perceptual changes, this study helps explain precisely how the brain is able to distinguish a sound source of interest in an auditory scene.
The status of women and fertility

There is a great deal of interest in the relation between the status of women and fertility—by humanists, academics and policy-makers concerned with bringing about fertility declines. The three aspects of women's status most frequently linked to fertility are their education, employment and type of husband-wife interaction. Research to date has not given us a clear and consistent explanation of these relationships and has not confirmed causality. The effects of these three factors on fertility vary considerably across national boundaries and even within different sectors of the same society. Some of the assumptions held by both researchers and policymakers must be re-thought in the interests of more useful future research and of sounder policy.
Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia During Pregnancy

Objectives: Systematically review the literature assessing outcomes of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment during pregnancy. Data Sources: A Pubmed literature search (January 1969 to June 2014) for articles written about AML and pregnancy, and bibliographies/citations of previously published reviews. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Articles written in the English language that administered active AML chemotherapy during pregnancy were included. Data Synthesis: Eighty-five fetuses were exposed to chemotherapy from 83 mothers: 8 mothers began induction chemotherapy in the first trimester, 61 mothers in the second trimester, and 14 mothers in the third trimester. Chemotherapy resulted in more fetal deaths and spontaneous abortions during the first trimester (37.5%) compared with the second (9.7%) and third trimesters (0%). All cases included cytarabine; 47 fetuses were exposed to daunorubicin and 8 fetuses to idarubicin. The percentages of fetal defects and death for cytarabine and daunorubicin combi...
Spatial Sensing Using Electrical Impedance Tomography

The need for structural health monitoring has become critical due to aging infrastructures, legacy airplanes, and continuous development of new structural technologies. Based on an updated structural design, there is a need for new structural health monitoring paradigms that can sense the presence, location, and severity with a single measurement. This paper focuses on the first step of this paradigm, consisting of applying a sprayed conductive carbon nanotube-polymer film upon glass fiber-reinforced polymer composite substrates. Electrical impedance tomography is performed to measure changes in conductivity within the conductive films because of damage. Simulated damage is a method for validation of this approach. Finally, electrical impedance tomography measurements are taken while the conductive films are subjected to tensile and compressive strain states. This demonstrates the ability of electrical impedance tomography for not only damage detection, but active structural monitoring as well. This paper acts as a first step toward moving the structural health monitoring paradigm toward large-scale deployable spatial sensing.
Geodetic imaging: reservoir monitoring using satellite interferometry

SUMMARY Fluid fluxes within subsurface reservoirs give rise to surface displacements, particularly over periods of a year or more. Observations of such deformation provide a powerful tool for mapping fluid migration within the Earth, providing new insights into reservoir dynamics. In this paper we use Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) range changes to infer subsurface fluid volume strain at the Coso geothermal field. Furthermore, we conduct a complete model assessment, using an iterative approach to compute model parameter resolution and covariance matrices. The method is a generalization of a Lanczos-based technique which allows us to include fairly general regularization, such as roughness penalties. We find that we can resolve quite detailed lateral variations in volume strain both within the reservoir depth range (0.4‐2.5 km) and below the geothermal production zone (2.5‐5.0 km). The fractional volume change in all three layers of the model exceeds the estimated model parameter uncertainty by a factor of two or more. In the reservoir depth interval (0.4‐2.5 km), the predominant volume change is associated with northerly and westerly oriented faults and their intersections. However, below the geothermal production zone proper [the depth range 2.5‐5.0 km], there is the suggestion that both north- and northeast-trending faults may act as conduits for fluid flow.
Cell fate conversion by mRNA

Recent development of a synthetic mRNA-based technology for efficient reprogramming to pluripotency and cell fate conversion without any modification to the genome has generated great interest among researchers and clinicians alike. It is hoped that this technology could contribute to unmet needs on several fronts of regenerative medicine, including mechanistic study of reprogramming, generation of safe induced pluripotent stem cells suitable for clinical applications, and derivation of desired cell types for cell-replacement therapy. We will discuss the technological advancements made by this synthetic mRNA methodology, its implications, as well as the challenges that lie ahead in the field of regenerative medicine.
Optimization of the FIND Algorithm to Compute the Inverse of a Sparse Matrix

The FIND algorithm is a fast algorithm designed to calculate entries of the inverse of a sparse matrix. Such calculation is critical in many applications, e.g., quantum transport in nano-devices. For a 2D device discretized as N times N mesh, the best known algorithms have a running time of O(N 4 ), whereas FIND only requires O(N 3 ), although with a larger constant factor. By exploiting the extra sparsity and symmetry, the size of the problem where FIND becomes faster than others may decrease from a 130 times 130 mesh down to a 40 times 40 mesh. This improvement will make the optimized FIND algorithm appealing to small problems as well, thus becoming competitive for most real applications.
Disruption of transforming growth factor-β signaling through β-spectrin ELF leads to hepatocellular cancer through cyclin D1 activation

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling members, TGF-beta receptor type II (TBRII), Smad2, Smad4 and Smad adaptor, embryonic liver fodrin (ELF), are prominent tumor suppressors in gastrointestinal cancers. Here, we show that 40% of elf(+/-) mice spontaneously develop hepatocellular cancer (HCC) with markedly increased cyclin D1, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4), c-Myc and MDM2 expression. Reduced ELF but not TBRII, or Smad4 was observed in 8 of 9 human HCCs (P<0.017). ELF and TBRII are also markedly decreased in human HCC cell lines SNU-398 and SNU-475. Restoration of ELF and TBRII in SNU-398 cells markedly decreases cyclin D1 as well as hyperphosphorylated-retinoblastoma (hyperphosphorylated-pRb). Thus, we show that TGF-beta signaling and Smad adaptor ELF suppress human hepatocarcinogenesis, potentially through cyclin D1 deregulation. Loss of ELF could serve as a primary event in progression toward a fully transformed phenotype and could hold promise for new therapeutic approaches in human HCCs.
MHC-binding peptides as immunotherapeutics for cancer.

(2000). MHC-Binding Peptides as Immunotherapeutics for Cancer. Immunological Investigations: Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 105-110.
Effect of Insulin Injections Upon Plasma Free Fatty Acids (F.F.A.) and Lipolysis of Adipose Tissues of White Leghorn Hens

Abstract INSULIN, parenterally administered into mammalian species leads to a fall of plasma free fatty acids (F.F.A.) (Engel, 1962; Vaughan and Korn, 1962). In contrast, administration of insulin into domestic fowl leads to an increase in plasma F.F.A. (Heald et al., 1965; Lepkovsky et al., 1967). Heald et al. (1965) suggested that the action of insulin was due to a glucagons impurity since adipose tissue of the fowl is very responsive to treatment with glucagon (Grande, 1970; Heald et al., 1965). That the increase in plasma F.F.A. in response to administration of insulin was due to insulin was shown by Lepkovsky et al. (1967) who used glucagon-free insulin. While increases in plasma F.F.A. have been used as an index of mobilization of free fatty acids from the adipose tissues, (Gibson and Nalbandov, 1966), it is possible for plasma F.F.A. to originate elsewhere such as in the triglycerides of the blood. If…
Rho/ROCK-dependent inhibition of 3T3-L1 adipogenesis by G-protein-deamidating dermonecrotic toxins: differential regulation of Notch1, Pref1/Dlk1, and β-catenin signaling

The dermonecrotic toxins from Pasteurella multocida (PMT), Bordetella (DNT), Escherichia coli (CNF1-3) and Yersinia (CNFY) modulate their G-protein targets through deamidation and/or transglutamination of an active site Gln residue, which results in activation of the G protein and its cognate downstream signaling pathways. Whereas DNT and the CNFs act on small Rho GTPases, PMT acts on the α subunit of heterotrimeric Gq, Gi and G12/13 proteins. We previously demonstrated that PMT potently blocks adipogenesis and adipocyte differentiation in a calcineurin-independent manner through downregulation of Notch1 and stabilization of β-catenin and Pref1/Dlk1, key proteins in signaling pathways strongly linked to cell fate decisions, including fat and bone development. Here, we report that similar to PMT, DNT and CNF1 completely block adipogenesis and adipocyte differentiation by preventing upregulation of adipocyte markers, PPARγ and C/EBPα, while stabilizing the expression of Pref1/Dlk1 and β-catenin. We show that the Rho/ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 prevented or reversed these toxin-mediated effects, strongly supporting a role for Rho/ROCK signaling in dermonecrotic toxin-mediated inhibition of adipogenesis and adipocyte differentiation. Toxin treatment was also accompanied by downregulation of Notch1 expression, although this inhibition was independent of Rho/ROCK signaling. We further show that PMT-mediated downregulation of Notch1 expression occurs primarily through G12/13 signaling. Our results reveal new details of the pathways involved in dermonecrotic toxin action on adipocyte differentiation, and the role of Rho/ROCK signaling in mediating toxin effects on Wnt/β-catenin and Notch1 signaling, and in particular the role of Gq and G12/13 in mediating PMT effects on Rho/ROCK and Notch1 signaling.
Disruption-Tolerant Routing with Scoped Propagation of Control Information

We consider the problem of routing messages through a network with episodic connectivity without a priori knowledge of node schedules or locations. We present Steward assisted routing (StAR), an efficient loop-free routing framework that can operate in networks that are well-connected as well as in networks that exhibit intermittent connectivity; the proposed protocol uses Steward nodes to deliver data to destinations that may be partitioned from the source. We also introduce a companion protocol, scoped contact and interest propagation (SCIP), which contains mechanisms with which dissemination of routing control information for destinations of interest is scoped to a well-defined region of the network. We evaluate our protocols through simulations with four distinct mobility scenarios, including two that are generated using data traces from real networks. Our results show that StAR achieves delivery rates comparable to epidemic routing with far less signaling overhead. We also show that the addition of SCIP to StAR reduces route maintenance overhead significantly without impacting delivery rates.
Estimation of Ballistic Limit Velocities for Woven Composite Beams

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study to estimate ballistic limit velocity, V50 , of plain-weave hybrid S2 glass-IM7 graphite fibers/toughened SC-79 resin (cured at 177°C) composite beams. The tests were conducted on hybrid S2 glass-IM7 graphite fibers/toughened SC-79 resin and nonhybrid S2 glass-fiber/toughened SC-79 resin composites beams using high-speed gas-gun. The ballistic impact tests were then modeled using 3-D dynamic nonlinear finite element (FE) code, LS-DYNA, modified with a proposed user-defined nonlinear-orthotropic damage model. The ballistic limit velocities, V50 , for both composite beams were then estimated using (a) only experimental tests, (b) combined experimental and numerical tests, (c) FE calculated residual velocities, and (d) FE calculated residual and transferred energies. For each type of composite beams, the parameters for the well-known Lambert-Jones equation were also computed. Good agreement between experimental and numerical results was observed.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Analysis of Pulmonary Metabolites of Leu- and Met-Enkephalins in Isolated Perfused Rat Lung

A high-performance liquid radiochromatographic analytical system has been developed which allows the determination of [3H]Leuenkephalin, [3H]Met-enkephalin and their potential metabolites [3H]TyrGlyGlyPhe, [3H]TyrGlyGly, [3H]TyrGly and [3H]tyrosine. Using this procedure, the biotransformation of each of the above enkephalins after 20 min of recirculating transit through isolated perfused rat lungs resulted in the formation of two major metabolites: tyrosine and TyrGlyGly in each case. The results indicate that significant metabolism of enkephalins may occur in the pulmonary circulation.