cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human Pancreatic Islet-Derived Progenitor Cell Engraftment in Immunocompetent Mice

The potential for the use of stem/progenitor cells for the restoration of injured or diseased tissues has garnered much interest recently, establishing a new field of research called regenerative medicine. Attention has been focused on embryonic stem cells derived from human fetal tissues. However, the use of human fetal tissue for research and transplantation is controversial. An alternative is the isolation and utilization of multipotent stem/progenitor cells derived from adult donor tissues. We have previously reported on the isolation, propagation, and partial characterization of a population of stem/progenitor cells isolated from the pancreatic islets of Langerhans of adult human donor pancreata. Here we show that these human adult tissue-derived cells, nestin-positive islet-derived stem/progenitor cells, prepared from human adult pancreata survive engraftment and produce tissue chimerism when transplanted into immunocompetent mice either under the kidney capsule or by systemic injection. These xenografts seem to induce immune tolerance by establishing a mixed chimerism in the mice. We propose that a population of stem/progenitor cells isolated from the islets of the pancreas can cross xenogeneic transplantation immune barriers, induce tissue tolerance, and grow.
Insulin Secretion Is Increased in Pancreatic Islets of Neuropeptide Y-Deficient Mice

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), whose role in appetite regulation is well known, is also expressed in pancreatic islets. Although previous studies indicated that application of NPY to pancreatic islets inhibits insulin secretion, its physiological role in the regulation of insulin secretion is not fully understood. We hypothesized that NPY in islets tonically suppresses insulin secretion and the reduction of islet NPY increases insulin secretion. To address the hypothesis, islet function of NPYdeficient mice was analyzed. Although there was little change in glucose homeostasis in vivo, pancreatic islets from NPYdeficient mice had higher basal insulin secretion (1.5 times), glucose-stimulatedinsulinsecretion(1.5times),andisletmass (1.7times),comparedwithwild-typemouse.Nextwesoughtto determine whether the expression of NPY and Y1 receptor in islets was altered in hyperinsulinemia associated with obesity. Islets from C57BL/6J mice on a high-fat diet had 1.9 times higher basal insulin secretion and 2.4 times higher glucosestimulated insulin secretion than control mice, indicating islet adaptation to obesity. Expression of NPY and Y1 receptor mRNA levels was decreased by 70 and 64%, respectively, in high-fat diet islets, compared with controls. NPY and Y1 receptor in islets were also reduced by 91 and 80%, respectively, in leptin-deficient ob/ob mice that showed marked hyperinsulinemia. Together these results suggest that endogenous NPY tonically inhibits insulin secretion from islets and a reduction of islet NPY may serve as one of the mechanisms to increase insulin secretion when islets compensate for insulin resistance associated with obesity. (Endocrinology 148: 5716–5723, 2007)
Forebrain circuitry involved in effort-related choice: Injections of the GABAA agonist muscimol into ventral pallidum alter response allocation in food-seeking behavior.

Organisms often make effort-related choices based upon assessments of motivational value and work requirements. Nucleus accumbens dopamine is a critical component of the brain circuitry regulating work output in reinforcement-seeking behavior. Rats with accumbens dopamine depletions reallocate their instrumental behavior away from food-reinforced tasks that have high response requirements, and instead they select a less-effortful type of food-seeking behavior. The ventral pallidum is a brain area that receives substantial GABAergic input from nucleus accumbens. It was hypothesized that stimulation of GABAA receptors in the ventral pallidum would result in behavioral effects that resemble those produced by interference with accumbens dopamine transmission. The present studies employed a concurrent choice lever pressing/chow intake procedure; with this task, interference with accumbens dopamine transmission shifts choice behavior such that lever pressing for food is decreased but chow intake is increased. In the present experiments, infusions of the GABAA agonist muscimol (5.0–10.0 ng) into the ventral pallidum decreased lever pressing for preferred food, but increased consumption of the less preferred chow. In contrast, ventral pallidal infusions of muscimol (10.0 ng) had no significant effect on preference for the palatable food in free-feeding choice tests. Furthermore, injections of muscimol into a control site dorsal to the ventral pallidum produced no significant effects on lever pressing and chow intake. These data indicate that stimulation of GABA receptors in ventral pallidum produces behavioral effects similar to those produced by accumbens dopamine depletions. Ventral pallidum appears to be a component of the brain circuitry regulating response allocation and effort-related choice behavior, and may act to convey information from nucleus accumbens to other parts of this circuitry. This research may have implications for understanding the brain mechanisms involved in energy-related psychiatric dysfunctions such as psychomotor retardation in depression, anergia, and apathy.
Mechanisms of amine-catalyzed organosilicate hydrolysis at circum-neutral pH.

Mono- and polyamines can catalyze the hydrolysis and condensation of organosilicate starting materials in biomimetic silica synthesis pathways at circum-neutral pHs and room temperature. Our study ...
A Strategy for Genome-Wide Identification of Gene Based Polymorphisms in Rice Reveals Non-Synonymous Variation and Functional Genotypic Markers

The genetic diversity of plants has traditionally been employed to improve crop plants to suit human needs, and in the future feed the increasing population and protect crops from environmental stresses and climate change. Genome-wide sequencing is a reality and can be used to make association to crop traits to be utilized by high-throughput marker based selection methods. This study describes a strategy of using next generation sequencing (NGS) data from the rice genome to make comparisons to the high-quality reference genome, identify functional polymorphisms within genes that might result in function changes and be used to study correlations to traits and employed in genetic mapping. We analyzed the NGS data of Oryza sativa ssp indica cv. G4 covering 241 Mb with ∼20X coverage and compared to the reference genome of Oryza sativa ssp. japonica to describe the genome-wide distribution of gene-based single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The analysis shows that the 63% covered genome consists of 1.6 million SNPs with 6.9 SNPs/Kb, and including 80,146 insertions and 92,655 deletions (INDELs) genome-wide. There are a total of 1,139,801 intergenic SNPs, 295,136 SNPs in intronic/non-coding regions, 195,098 in coding regions, 23,242 SNPs at the five-prime (5′) UTR regions and 22,686 SNPs at the three-prime (3′) UTR region. SNP variation was found in 40,761 gene loci, which include 75,262 synonymous and 119,836 non-synonymous changes, and functional reading frame changes through 3,886 inducing STOP-codon (isSNP) and 729 preventing STOP-codon (psSNP) variation. There are quickly evolving 194 high SNP hotspot genes (>100 SNPs/gene), and 1,513 out of 2,458 transcription factors displaying 2,294 non-synonymous SNPs that can be a major source of phenotypic diversity within the species. All data is searchable at https://plantstress-pereira.uark.edu/oryza2. We envision that this strategy will be useful for the identification of genes for crop traits and molecular breeding of rice cultivars.
Rigorous derivation of the anelastic approximation

Abstract We give a rigorous derivation of the anelastic approximation starting from the compressible Navier–Stokes system when the Mach number and the Froude number go to zero with the same speed.
Tribological behavior of diamond-like-carbon (DLC) coatings against aluminum alloys at elevated temperatures

Diamond-like-carbon (DLC) coatings have a low friction coefficient and aluminum tends not to stick with it, which makes it a promising candidate tool coating for aluminum dry machining and hot forming applications. In this work, we compared the tribological properties of hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated DLC coatings made by unbalanced magnetron sputtering. Their friction, wear, and tendency of adherence at room and elevated temperatures were studied by sliding against 319 aluminum pins. In ambient air, aluminum did not stick to hydrogenated or non-hydrogenated DLC. At elevated temperature, aluminum adhered to the non-hydrogenated DLC. Hydrogenated DLC maintained its non-sticking nature at elevated temperature but its wear resistance deteriorated. The wear mechanism of hydrogenated-DLC at elevated temperature was investigated using thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), elastic recoil detection (ERD), nano-indentation, and Raman analysis. The accelerated wear of hydrogenated DLC at elevated temperature was attributed to the graphitization process.
Catalyst-Directed Diastereoselectivity in Hydrogenative Couplings of Acetylene to α-Chiral Aldehydes: Formal Synthesis of All Eight l-Hexoses

Hydrogenative coupling of acetylene to α-chiral aldehydes 1a−4a using enantiomeric rhodium catalysts ligated by (S)-MeO-BIPHEP and (R)-MeO-BIPHEP delivers the diastereomeric products of carbonyl-(Z)-butadienylation 1b−4b and 1c−4c, respectively, with good to excellent levels of catalyst directed diastereofacial selectivity. Diastereomeric l-glyceraldehyde acetonide adducts 1b and 1c were converted to the four isomeric enoates 6b, 8b, 6c, and 8c, representing a formal synthesis of all eight l-hexoses.
Recruitment of Local Inhibitory Networks by Horizontal Connections in Layer 2/3 of Ferret Visual Cortex

To investigate how neurons in cortical layer 2/3 integrate horizontal inputs arising from widely distributed sites, we combined intracellular recording and voltage-sensitive dye imaging to visualize the spatiotemporal dynamics of neuronal activity evoked by electrical stimulation of multiple sites in visual cortex. Individual stimuli evoked characteristic patterns of optical activity, while delivering stimuli at multiple sites generated interacting patterns in the regions of overlap. We observed that neurons in overlapping regions received convergent horizontal activation that generated nonlinear responses due to the emergence of large inhibitory potentials. The results indicate that co-activation of multiple sets of horizontal connections recruit strong inhibition from local inhibitory networks, causing marked deviations from simple linear integration.
Toward Reconstructing the Narrative of Teacher Education: A Rhetorical Analysis of Preparing Teachers

Drawing on insights from literary critic and theorist Kenneth Burke, this rhetorical analysis of Preparing Teachers (2010), a publication of the National Research Council, reveals then critiques’ key assumptions that are shaping policies and current reform efforts in teacher education, including changes in U.S. teacher accreditation. Connections are made between these assumptions and the development and influence of scientism in teacher education, and elements of an alternative future are explored.
Economics of reducing insecticide use on celery through low-input pest management strategies

A low pesticide input management system for celery, Apium graveolens, was developed and implemented. The overall effectiveness of this system was compared with a conventional pesticide application program and an untreated control, over 4 years in field station trials, and then implemented in a commercial trial. The low-input program relied on biological control agents and rotations of selective, environmentally-safe biorational insecticides (Bacillus thuringiensis, spinosad, tebufenozide) applied only when pests exceeded threshold levels. The conventional program included prophylactic applications of broad spectrum synthetic pesticides. Yield losses from key insect pests were documented and economic analyses comparing the monetary returns accruing from the use of the different programs were generated. Insect damage was lower for conventional program in only one of the 4 years. The integrated pest management (IPM) program utilized significantly fewer applications of insecticides, but there were no significant differences in the total number of marketable cartons. These lower insecticide costs resulted in greater net profits for the IPM program. A commercial trial, which included a low input program for managing the fungal pathogen Septoria apiicola, was conducted in collaboration with a celery producer in Ventura county, California and provided similar results to the field station trials. The combined IPM program used over 25% fewer pesticides than the grower’s program, and pest management costs were over $250 ha ˇ1 lower for the IPM program than for the grower standard program. Although the IPM program used fewer pesticide applications, there were no significant differences in yield or net profits among treatments. # 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Optimization of Vortex Promoter Design Using a Dynamic Data Driven Approach

Thermal management of electronic equipment is one of the major technical problems in the development of electronic systems that would meet increasing future demands for speed and reliability. It is necessary to design cooling systems for removing the heat dissipated by the electronic components efficiently and with minimal cost. Vortex promoters have important implications in cooling systems for electronic devices, since these are used to enhance heat transfer from the heating elements. In this paper, an application of Dynamic Data Driven Optimization Methodology (DDDOM), which employs concurrent use of simulation and experiment, is presented for the design of the vortex promoter to maximize the heat removal rate from multiple protruding heat sources located in a channel, while keeping the pressure drop within reasonable limits. Concurrent use of computer simulation and experiment in real time is shown to be an effective tool for efficient engineering design and optimization. Numerical simulation can effectively be used for low flow rates and low heat inputs. However, with transition to oscillatory and turbulent flow at large values of these quantities, the problem becomes more involved and computational cost increases dramatically. Under these circumstances, experimental systems are used to determine the component temperatures for varying heat input and flow conditions. The design variables are taken as the Reynolds number and the shape and size of the vortex promoter. The problem is a multi-objective design optimization problem, where the objectives are maximizing the total heat transfer rate, as given by the Nusselt number, Nu, and minimizing the pressure drop, ΔP. This multi–objective problem is converted to a single-objective problem by combining the two objective functions of the form Nutot a /ΔPb , where a and b are constants.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Distortions of sex ratios at birth in the United States; evidence for prenatal gender selection

Objective The normal male to female livebirth sex ratio ranges from 1.03 to 1.07. Higher ratios in China, India and Korea reflect prenatal sex selection. We reviewed sex ratios for US births to investigate potential prenatal sex selection. Methods We reviewed all US livebirths from 1975 to 2002 using National Center for Health Statistics birth certificates in 4-year intervals. We compared the sex ratios of Blacks, Chinese, Filipinos, Asian Indians and Koreans relative to Whites. We also compared the sex ratios by birth order for first, second and third and more births (third+) from 1991 to 2002. Results The male to female sex ratio from 1975 to 2002 was 1.053 for Whites, 1.030 (p < 0.01) for Blacks, 1.074 (p < 0.01) for Chinese and 1.073 (p < 0.01) for Filipinos. From 1991 to 2002, the sex ratio increased from 1.071 to 1.086 for Chinese, 1.060 to 1.074 for Filipinos, 1.043 to 1.087 for Asian Indians and 1.069 to 1.088 for Koreans. The highest sex ratios were seen for third+ births to Asian Indians (1.126), Chinese (1.111) and Koreans (1.109). Conclusion The male to female livebirth sex ratio in the United States exceeded expected biological variation for third+ births to Chinese, Asian Indians and Koreans strongly suggesting prenatal sex selection. Copyright  2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Emerging Health Care-Associated Infections in the Geriatric Population

The increasing number of persons >65 years of age form a special population at risk for nosocomial and other health care-associated infections. The vulnerability of this age group is related to impaired host defenses such as diminished cell-mediated immunity. Lifestyle considerations, e.g., travel and living arrangements, and residence in nursing homes, can further complicate the clinical picture. The magnitude and diversity of health care-associated infections in the aging population are generating new arenas for prevention and control efforts.
Plugs and chugs—seismic and acoustic observations of degassing explosions at Karymsky, Russia and Sangay, Ecuador

Frequent degassing explosions, occurring at intervals of minutes to tens of minutes, are common at many active basaltic and andesitic volcanoes worldwide. In August 1997, April 1998, and September 1998 we recorded seismic and acoustic signals generated at two andesitic volcanoes with ‘Strombolian-type’ activity. Despite variations in explosion frequency (5‐15 h 21 at Karymsky as opposed to 1‐3 h 21 at Sangay), the signatures of the explosions are remarkably similar at these two, diverse field sites. In all explosions, gas emission begins rapidly and is correlated with an impulsive acoustic pressure pulse. Seismic waveforms are emergent and begin 1‐2 s before the explosion. We classify explosion events at the two volcanoes as either short-duration (less than 1 min) simple impulses or long-duration (up to 5 min) tremor events. Many tremor events have harmonic frequency spectra and correspond to regular 1 s acoustic pulses, often audible, that sound like chugging from a locomotive. Chugging events are intermittent, suggesting that the geometry or geochemistry of the process is variable over short time scales. We attribute the 1 Hz periodic chugs to a resonant phenomenon in the upper section of the conduit. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
CORRELATION BETWEEN GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHIC PATTERNS AND FLAVOR EVALUATION OF CHEMICAL MIXTURES AND OF COLA BEVERAGES

SUMMARY Two methods of discriminant analysis, Chi-square tests, “t” tests and analysis of variance were applied to gas-liquid chromatographic (GLC) data to compare GLC measurements of food volatiles with organoleptic evaluation of flavor. Model systems composed of ethyl butyrate, ethyl heptylate and benzaldehyde were used for one set of trials. A second system consisted of blends of Pepsi-Cola® and Coca-Cola®. The stepwise discriminant analysis (SDA) procedure described by Powers et al. (1968) was only moderately successful in classifying the mixtures when applied to the GLC data for the model systems, but the cola blends could be classified readily. From GLC data, cola blends differing from each other by only 7–10% could be distinguished. A new discriminant analysis program, designated MUDAID by its originator (Bargmann, 1967), is more useful for predictive purposes. The analysis yields the correlation coefficients for each peak area with sample differences and the weighting factors. Discriminant equations can thus be written. By substitution of measurement values for unknowns, their identity may be predicted. Organoleptic subthreshold additive effects could not be demonstrated with binary mixtures of flavor substances, but judge-compound interaction effects were observed.
Cloning of the Zymomonas mobilis structural gene encoding alcohol dehydrogenase I (adhA): sequence comparison and expression in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Zymomonas mobilis ferments sugars to produce ethanol with two biochemically distinct isoenzymes of alcohol dehydrogenase. The adhA gene encoding alcohol dehydrogenase I has now been sequenced and compared with the adhB gene, which encodes the second isoenzyme. The deduced amino acid sequences for these gene products exhibited no apparent homology. Alcohol dehydrogenase I contained 337 amino acids, with a subunit molecular weight of 36,096. Based on comparisons of primary amino acid sequences, this enzyme belongs to the family of zinc alcohol dehydrogenases which have been described primarily in eucaryotes. Nearly all of the 22 strictly conserved amino acids in this group were also conserved in Z. mobilis alcohol dehydrogenase I. Alcohol dehydrogenase I is an abundant protein, although adhA lacked many of the features previously reported in four other highly expressed genes from Z. mobilis. Codon usage in adhA is not highly biased and includes many codons which were unused by pdc, adhB, gap, and pgk. The ribosomal binding region of adhA lacked the canonical Shine-Dalgarno sequence found in the other highly expressed genes from Z. mobilis. Although these features may facilitate the expression of high enzyme levels, they do not appear to be essential for the expression of Z. mobilis adhA.
Neurobiology and Patenting Thought

Many have argued that thought should constitute per se unpatentable subject matter, and some have even suggested that any patent claim that includes a mental step should lie outside patentability. Many courts have long disagreed with such a draconian rule, and have instead upheld myriad patent claims that include mental steps. Recently there has been renewed interest in the venerable Mental Steps Doctrine, and in patents claiming thoughts or aspects of thoughts, by the courts, including, most notably, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. Insights from neurobiology about how to differentiate categories of thought can offer useful criteria for deciding between patentable and unpatentable mental steps, and for setting more coherent and defensible boundaries on the patenting of thought. In particular, this article argues that thoughts subject to "executive control" should be situated more towards the patentable end of the spectrum, whereas "default thoughts" should be situated closer to the unpatentable end of the spectrum. This schema represents somewhat of a departure from the traditional view that First Amendment interests should privilege sophisticated, expressive thought by protecting it from patentability. Nevertheless, it accords well with Thirteenth Amendment interests, privileging thoughts that cannot be avoided by protecting them from patentability, and thus preventing the iniquity of involuntary patent servitude.
Globalization from Below: Democracy after the Cold War

Global Civil Society: An Answer to War. By Mary Kaldor. Oxford: Polity Press, 2003. 200 pp., $56.95 cloth: (ISBN: 0-745-62757-9), $22.95 paper: (ISBN: 0-745-62758-7). In the summer of 1982, a small, explicitly transnational group, END (European Nuclear Disarmament), sponsored an international conference for peace movement activists at a time when the larger movement had captured the attention of mass media in United States and Western Europe. The movement—and the conference—also piqued the concern of elected officials in the West and sparked the imagination of activists around the world. END organizers wanted to help coordinate activist efforts not only to stop the next round of nuclear weapons modernization in Europe, but also to unmake the Cold War, dissolve the bipolar bloc system that organized world politics, unite Europe, and promote human rights and democracy. Conference folders—which contained programs, addresses, and polemics in various languages—were marked by language. One participant crossed out “German” on her folder, and wrote “European” below it. Noticing another participant, obviously from the United States, she started experimenting with broader identities, finally fixing on “Global Citizen.” The peace movement, for END, was always about more than nuclear weapons, including forging an identity among activists and citizens not bound by national or bloc boundaries. Mary Kaldor's Global Civil Society: An Answer to War continues this effort to conceptualize and create workable global governance and identities. END was a small portion of the very large peace movement of the 1980s. Most of the activism came primarily from groups that were nationally based and focused on particular weapons systems or arms control proposals like the US movement's nuclear freeze (Meyer 1990). Never a mass movement, END emphasized ideas as much as mobilization, explicitly working to unravel what E. P. Thompson (1982a, 1982b) called the ideology of exterminism and cultivate alternatives. Thompson wrote polemics for activists (see especially Thompson and Smith 1981), trying to promote a broad change in ideology from the bottom up. Along …
The Race Factor in African Americans’ College Choice:

In this Spencer postdoctoral funded, qualitative inquiry across a range of cities, schools, and family circumstances, African American high school students were given the opportunity to voice their perceptions of the influences on African Americans’college choice—their decision making to participate or not to participate in higher education. The study concludes that to address the issues relating to African Americans’college choice, there is a great need to better understand these factors within a racial/cultural context.
Impact of a selfish B chromosome on chromatin dynamics and nuclear organization in Nasonia

B chromosomes are centric chromosomal fragments present in thousands of eukaryotic genomes. Because most B chromosomes are non-essential, they can be lost without consequence. In order to persist, however, some B chromosomes can impose strong forms of intra-genomic conflict. An extreme case is the paternal sex ratio (PSR) B chromosome in the jewel wasp Nasonia vitripennis. Transmitted solely via the sperm, PSR 'imprints' the paternal chromatin so that it is destroyed during the first mitosis of the embryo. Owing to the haplo-diploid reproduction of N. vitripennis, PSR-induced loss of the paternal chromatin converts embryos that should become females into PSR-transmitting males. This conversion is key to the persistence of PSR, although the underlying mechanisms are largely unexplored. We assessed how PSR affects the paternal chromatin and then investigated how PSR is transmitted efficiently at the cellular level. We found that PSR does not affect progression of the paternal chromatin through the cell cycle but, instead, alters its normal Histone H3 phosphorylation and loading of the Condensin complex. PSR localizes to the outer periphery of the paternal nucleus, a position that we propose is crucial for it to escape from the defective paternal set. In sperm, PSR consistently localizes to the extreme anterior tip of the elongated nucleus, while the normal wasp chromosomes localize broadly across the nucleus. Thus, PSR may alter or bypass normal nuclear organizational processes to achieve its position. These findings provide new insights into how selfish genetic elements can impact chromatin-based processes for their survival.
Pathologic Evaluation of Routine Pediatric Tonsillectomy Specimens Analysis of Cost-Effectiveness

Objective. Evaluate the utility and explore the cost-effectiveness of mandatory gross or pathologic analysis of routine tonsillectomy specimens in children.Study Design. Case series with chart review.Setting. Tertiary care children’s hospital.Subjects and Methods. Retrospective case series of results of pathologic analysis of tonsillectomy specimens from all pediatric patients who underwent tonsillectomy between 1996 and 2008 (n = 5235). The results of pathologic evaluation of routine and nonroutine specimens were evaluated, and an economic analysis of alternative methods of specimen handling was performed.Results. Zero cases of unsuspected pathology were identified on planned gross specimen evaluation (n = 4186), resulting in an estimated prevalence of 0 to 0.00088 (95% confidence interval [CI]). Positive pathologic findings on microscopic analysis (n = 1066) were only identified in posttransplant patients (10/63; 95% CI, 0.079-0.27) and cases of surgeon suspicion (8/78; 0.045-0.19). No cases were identi...
A vectorized method of importance sampling with applications to models of mutation and migration

An importance-sampling method is presented for computing the likelihood of the configuration of population genetic data under general assumptions about population history and transitions among states. The configuration of the data is the number of chromosomes sampled that are in each of a finite set of states. Transitions among states are governed by a Markov chain with transition probabilities dependent on one or more parameters. The method assumes that the joint distribution of coalescence times of the underlying gene genealogy is independent of the genetic state of each lineage. Given a set of coalescence times, the probability that a pair of lineages is chosen to coalesce in each replicate is proportional to the contribution that the coalescence event makes to the probability of the data. This method can be applied to gene genealogies generated by the neutral coalescent process and to genealogies generated by other processes, such as a linear birth–death process which provides a good approximation to the dynamics of low-frequency alleles. Two applications are described. In the first, the fit of allele frequencies at two microsatellite loci sampled in a Sardinian population to the one-step mutation model is tested. The one-step model is rejected for one locus but not for the other. The second application is to low-frequency alleles in a geographically subdivided population. The geographic location is the allelic state, and the alleles are assumed to be sufficiently rare that their dynamics can be approximated by a linear birth–death process in which the birth and death rates are independent of geographic location. The analysis of eight low-frequency allozyme alleles found in the glaucous-winged gull, Larus glaucescens, illustrates how geographically restricted dispersal can be detected. r 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Visualizing Design Patterns in Their Applications and Compositions

Design patterns are generic design solutions that can be applied and composed in different applications where pattern-related information is generally implicit in the Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams of the applications. It is unclear in which pattern instances each modeling element, such as class, attribute, and operation, participates. It is hard for a designer to find the design patterns used in an application design. Consequently, the benefits of design patterns are compromised because designers cannot communicate with each other in terms of the design patterns they used and their design decisions and trade-offs. In this paper, we present a UML profile that defines new stereotypes, tagged values, and constraints for tracing design patterns in UML diagrams. These new stereotypes and tagged values are attached to a modeling element to explicitly represent the role the modeling element plays in a design pattern so that the user can identify the pattern in a UML diagram. Based on this profile, we also develop a Web service (tool) for explicitly visualizing design patterns in UML diagrams. With this service, users are able to visualize design patterns in their applications and compositions because pattern-related information can be dynamically displayed. A real-world case study and a comparative experiment with existing approaches are conducted to evaluate our approach.
Nuclear factor κB protects against host cell apoptosis during Rickettsia rickettsii infection by inhibiting activation of apical and effector caspases and maintaining mitochondrial integrity

Apoptotic host cell death is a critical determinant in the progression of microbial infections and outcome of resultant diseases. The potentially fatal human infection caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, the etiologic agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, involves the vascular endothelium of various organ systems of the host. Earlier studies have shown that survival of endothelial cells (EC) during this infection depends on their ability to activate the transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). Here, we investigated the involvement of caspase cascades and associated signaling pathways in regulation of host cell apoptosis by NF-κB. Infection of cultured human EC with R. rickettsii with simultaneous inhibition of NF-κB induced the activation of apical caspases 8 and 9 and also the executioner enzyme, caspase 3, whereas infection alone had no significant effect. Inhibition of either caspase-8 or caspase-9 with specific cell-permeating peptide inhibitors caused a significant decline in the extent of apoptosis, confirming their importance. The peak caspase-3 activity occurred at 12 h postinfection and led to cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, followed by DNA fragmentation and apoptosis. However, the activities of caspases 6 and 7, other important downstream executioners, remained unchanged. Caspase-9 activation was mediated through the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, as evidenced by loss of transmembrane potential and cytoplasmic release of cytochrome c. These findings suggest that activation of NF-κB is required for maintenance of mitochondrial integrity of host cells and protection against infection-induced apoptotic death by preventing activation of caspase-9- and caspase-8-mediated pathways. Targeted inhibition of NF-κB may therefore be exploited to enhance the clearance of infections with R. rickettsii and other intracellular pathogens with similar survival strategies.
Perfect cryptography, S5 knowledge, and algorithmic knowledge

We propose a principled approach to model secrecy in multiagent systems, by defining a set of possible observations and providing agents with algorithms used to distinguish the possible states of the system. Our approach fits naturally within a knowledge-based account of secrecy. By adjusting both the kind of observations and the capabilities of the agents, we can capture in a natural way different forms of secrecy in the presence of perfect cryptography. In particular, we show how to model extraction secrecy. Our formalization suggests a unified definition of secrecy for cryptographic protocols and for systems that seek to prevent inadmissible flows of information.
Risk of using logistic regression to illustrate exposure-response relationship of infectious diseases

Background In most biological experiments, especially infectious disease, the exposure-response relationship is interrelated by a multitude of factors rather than many independent factors. Little is known about the suitability of ordinary, categorical exposures, and logarithmic transformation which have been presented in logistic regression models to assess the likelihood of an infectious disease as a function of a risk or exposure. This study aims to examine and compare the current approaches.
M theory as a holographic field theory

We suggest that M theory could be nonperturbatively equivalent to a local quantum field theory. More precisely, we present a “renormalizable” gauge theory in eleven dimensions, and show that it exhibits various properties expected of quantum M theory, most notably the holographic principle of ’t Hooft and Susskind. The theory also satisfies Mach’s principle: A macroscopically large space-time (and the inertia of low-energy excitations) is generated by a large number of “partons” in the microscopic theory. We argue that at low energies in large eleven dimensions, the theory should be effectively described by eleven-dimensional supergravity. This effective description breaks down at much lower energies than naively expected, precisely when the system saturates the Bekenstein bound on energy density. We show that the number of partons scales like the area of the surface surrounding the system, and discuss how this holographic reduction of degrees of freedom affects the cosmological constant problem. We propose the holographic field theory as a candidate for a covariant, nonperturbative formulation of quantum M theory.
JOURNAL CLUB: Incidence of Complications Following Fluoroscopically Guided Lumbar Punctures and Myelograms.

OBJECTIVE. Headaches due to CSF leak are a well-described complication of dural puncture. It is uncertain how long patients should be observed after dural puncture to reduce the risk of headache. Most of the literature has focused on dural punctures performed without fluoroscopic guidance. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of complications from fluoroscopically guided dural punctures, with attention to predictive factors such as the length of bed rest after the procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We retrospectively reviewed 2141 fluoroscopically guided dural punctures performed over a 5-year period by a single radiology practitioner assistant. All patients were contacted 48–72 hours after the procedure to assess for complications. Complications were categorized according to whether the patient reported having severe headache (requiring epidural blood patch for treatment), any headache, or any complaint. Using a multivariate logistic regression model, we assessed several possible predi...
An Investigation of Real Estate Investment Decision-Making Practices

(2007). An Investigation of Real Estate Investment Decision-Making Practices. Journal of Real Estate Practice and Education: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 209-222.
A comprehensive approach to enterprise network security management

Enterprise network security management is a vitally important task, more so now than ever before. Networks grow ever larger and more complex, and corporations, universities, government agencies, etc. rely heavily on the availability of these networks. Security in enterprise networks is constantly threatened by thousands of known software vulnerabilities, with thousands more discovered annually in a wide variety of applications. An overwhelming amount of data is relevant to the ongoing protection of an enterprise network. Previous works have addressed the identification of vulnerabilities in a given network and the aggregated collection of these vulnerabilities in an attack graph, clearly showing how an attacker might gain access to or control over network resources. These works, however, do little to address how to evaluate or properly utilize this information. I have developed a comprehensive approach to enterprise network security management. Compared with previous methods, my approach realizes these issues as a uniform desire for provable mitigation of risk within an enterprise network. Attack graph simplification is used to improve user comprehension of the graph data and to enable more efficient use of the data in risk assessment. A sound and effective quantification of risk within the network produces values that can form a basis for valuation policies necessary for the application of a SAT solving technique. SAT solving resolves policy conflicts and produces an optimal reconfiguration, based on the provided values, which can be verified by a knowledgeable human user for accuracy and applicability within the context of the enterprise network. Empirical study shows the effectiveness and efficiency of these approaches, and also indicates promising directions for improvements to be explored in future works. Overall, this research comprises an important step toward a more automated security management initiative.
Paraneoplastic neurological syndrome as initial presentation of pulmonary adenocarcinoma

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes are defined as remote effects of cancer that are not caused by the tumour and its metastasis, or by infection, ischaemia or metabolic disruptions. The author reports a 63-year-old Caucasian woman presenting with slowly progressing cognitive deficits. Initial workup failed to reveal any obvious cause of her cognitive deficits. Retrospective medical data review revealed a pulmonary nodule, which on further evaluation revealed pulmonary adenocarcinoma with metastatic spread to liver and spine. MRI of the brain did not reveal any metastatic lesion. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed the presence of anti-Hu antibody and a diagnosis of limbic encephalitis was made. Limbic encephalitis is an inflammatory process localised to structures of the limbic system that produces cognitive impairment along with other neuropsychiatric symptoms. This case highlights the importance of considering paraneoplastic syndromes in patients presenting with cognitive deficits.
Immunocontraception in feral horses: One inoculation provides one year of infertility

We determined contraceptive effectiveness of a 1-inoculation, 1-year porcine zona pellucida (PZP) vaccine in free-roaming feral horses (Equus caballus) in Nevada. We captured, freeze-branded, treated, and subsequently released 267 adult feral mares given (1) 2 inoculations (13-17 days apart) of vaccine emulsion consisting of aqueous PZP and Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA; injection 1) or Freund's Incomplete Adjuvant (FIA; injection 2), (2) same 2 inoculations as in (1) except also containing a carbomer adjuvant in inoculation 1, or (3) a single inoculation of an emulsion of PZP and FCA containing a second dose of PZP and carbomer adjuvant in controlled-release polymer microspheres. We administered inoculations in January 1996, and monitored the mares via fecal analysis for pregnancy and via ground survey for foal production through October 1997. We determined pregnancy via measurement of estrone sulfate and progesterone metabolites in fresh feces collected from the ground. Among 2-inoculation mares, reproductive success across 1 year was 12.8% (carbomer adjuvant absent) and 10.6% (carbomer adjuvant present). In mares given 1 injection containing microspheres, reproductive success was 11.3%. The concurrent rate in 72 untreated mares was 62.5%. This study revealed marked and equivalent 1-year contraceptive efficacy in 1-and 2-inoculation PZP vaccine, indicating that controlled-release technology can replace a second inoculation and thereby increase PZP vaccine cost effectiveness and potential for use in feral horse management.
Investigation and analyses of fall injuries in school-aged children in rural,Zunyi

Objective To investigate the incidence and explore the risk factors of fall injuries in school-aged children in Zunyi,and to provide a scientific evidence for the prevention and controlling of children's injuries. Methods Using a stratified sampling method,a total of 2 854 rural children(1 437 boys and 1 417girls)were recruited.Fall injury-related items were collected using a structured questionnaire in a class interview. Results The fall incidence was 6.2%(n=178)with aproportion 37.3%of overall injuries.Moreover,there was a significant difference between different age.The main locations of falls were at homes(37.1%)and schools(29.2%);the top cause of fall injuries was entertainment(41.6%);And the first injury part of body was limbs(72.4%).The cognition rate about falls prevention was 79.0%. Conclusions The incidence of fall injuries of school-aged children in rural Zunyi accounts for the highest proportion of overall injuries,moreover,it relates to lack of injury-prevention knowledge.The results suggest that efforts should be taken to create a safe environment to prevent children from fall injuries in the whole society.
Should all patients with first rib fracture undergo arteriography

During the past decade, there has been increasing recognition of the association between fracture of the first rib due to blunt trauma and the injury of the closely related vascular structures. As percutaneous arteriography became routine, it was recommended that all patients with fracture of the first rib undergo arteriography. Twenty-six consecutive patients with 31 first rib fractures had aortic arch arteriography for the indication of first rib fracture at the Harbor/UCLA Medical Center from January, 1977 through December, 1980. Their records and arteriograms were reviewed to evaluate this policy. Twenty-five were injured in motor vehicle accidents and one in a fall. Twenty had associated injuries. Review of chest roentgenograms revealed seven fractures to be anterior, 14 lateral, nine posterior, and one segmental. Apical extrapleural density was noted in 23 of 31 fractures and a hemothorax in five. Two patients had brachial plexus palsies, and one of these is the only patient in the series to have a distal pulse deficit. Only the patient with a pulse deficit and nerve injury showed positive findings on arteriography, complete transection of the left subclavian artery in association with a lateral fracture of the first rib. This experience indicates that the subclavian artery is infrequently injured in association with first rib fracture and that arteriography should be performed selectively rather than routinely. This policy is supported by a review of the literature. Arteriography is indicated for stable patients with evidence of {1) distal vascular insufficiency, (2) hemorrhage, particularly large extrapleural hematoma or hemothorax, (3) concomitant brachial plexus injury, (4) significantly displaced fragments, and (5) multiple thoracic-injuries. Immediate exploration may be necessary, and patients must be followed for possible late complications.
Development Planning of Offshore Oilfield Infrastructure

The development planning of an offshore oilfield infrastructure involves critical investment and operating decisions at an early stage of the project that impact the overall project profitability. These strategic/tactical decisions need to be made considering sufficient reservoir details, fiscal contracts with the government and uncertainty in the field parameters to be useful in practice. However, it makes the optimization problem difficult to model and solve. With this motivation, the objective of this chapter is to present a comprehensive review of a unified modeling framework and solution strategies to address the issues of complex fiscal rules and endogenous uncertainties in the development planning of offshore oil and gas field infrastructure. In particular, the chapter emphasizes the need to have as a basis an efficient deterministic model that can account for various alternatives in the decision-making process for a multi-field site incorporating sufficient level of details, while being computationally tractable for large instances. Consequently, such a model can effectively be extended to include other complexities, for instance a production sharing agreement and endogenous uncertainties. Computational results on the deterministic as well as multistage stochastic instances of the problem are discussed, with extension to incorporate Lagrangian decomposition solution algorithms.
History of the First-Generation Marek's Disease Vaccines: The Science and Little-Known Facts

SUMMARY Shortly after the isolation of Marek's disease (MD) herpesvirus (MDV) in the late 1960s vaccines were developed in England, the United States, and The Netherlands. Biggs and associates at the Houghton Poultry Research Station (HPRS) in England attenuated HPRS-16, the first cell-culture–isolated MDV strain, by passaging HPRS-16 in chick kidney cells. Although HPRS-16/Att was the first commercially available vaccine, it never became widely used and was soon replaced by the FC126 strain of herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) vaccine developed by Witter and associates at the Regional Poultry Research Laboratory (now Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory [ADOL]) in East Lansing, MI. Ironically, Kawamura et al. isolated a herpesvirus from kidney cell cultures from turkeys in 1969 but never realized its potential as a vaccine against MD. Rispens of the Central Veterinary Institute (CVI) developed the third vaccine. His associate, Maas, had found commercial flocks of chickens with MDV antibodies but without MD. ...