cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Public-private collaborations and partnerships in stratified medicine: making sense of new interactions.

The field of personalised or stratified medicine is evolving alongside the formation of a plethora of public/private partnerships and collaborations. These new institutional forms, or ‘social technologies’, are varied and emerge in response to several drivers, including the need to draw on a broader base of data inputs relating to genomics, patient behaviour and healthcare system differentiation. This paper discusses some of these drivers of partnerships and collaborations. Although the number of such partnerships is growing, their rationale and basis for collaboration remains unclear. Public–private collaborations are at the core of the set of new life sciences policies in the UK but there is little indication in the policy documents of clear boundaries for these partnerships. In part, this is due to the lack of empirical evidence at the system level for conceptualising what is still a relatively new approach. The collection of evidence in the form of broad evaluations, rather than tightly focused theoretical studies, is more likely to be related back to systems and be of more use for formulating policy rationales.
Gender and health: an update on hypotheses and evidence.

This is a "state of the issue" paper about gender and physical health. It organizes the hypotheses proposed for male-female differences in physical health status, therapeutic health behaviors, and longevity and it summarizes empirical research, especially sociological research, on the topic over the past 10-15 years. Capsule summaries of sex differentials in health and of recent trends in health and morality are also presented for American (U.S.) men and women. The central theoretical viewpoint of this paper is that sex differences in health are principally the outcome of differential risks acquiredfrom roles, stress, life styles, and preventive health practices. Psychosocial factors-how men and women perceive and evaluate symptoms, and their readiness and ability to take therapeutic actions-are important as well, but typically secondary to acquired risks. Other factors such as prior health care, biological risks, health reporting, and caretaker effects (for example, physician sex bias) have even smaller importance. We hypothesize that the relative weight of acquired risks and psychosocialfactors varies for different types of health problems as follows: (1) Psychosocial factors have their greatest weight in responses to chronic, nonfatal, or low severity diseases and injuries and (2) gender differences are also greatest in responses to these; that is, men and women differ more in their perception, evaluation, and treatment of prolonged, mild conditions than of acute, life-threatening, or severe ones. The paper suggests some strategies for social science research on male-female health differences in the next decade or two.
Correlating yield response with molecular architecture in polymer glasses

The yield response of nine architecturally different glassy networks is investigated under several stress states, strain rates, and temperatures, and correlations are made among them. Differences in molecular architecture are quantified through two proposed governing parameters; the glass transition temperature, T g, capturing network stiffness and the cohesive energy density, E c, reflecting network strength. Cohesive energy density is estimated using molecular modeling techniques and supported by solvent swelling experiments. The limits of the correlations made between molecular architecture and yield behavior are further studied with attempts to relate yielding in thermoplastic glasses and heterogeneous networks.
A Distributed Reactivity Model for Sorption by Soils and Sediments. 10. Relationships between Desorption, Hysteresis, and the Chemical Characteristics of Organic Domains.

Phenanthrene sorption and desorption equilibria were measured for 10 natural sorbents having significantly different geological ages and organic matter compositions. Three geologically young peats, one humic acid, three geologically old shales, and samples of kerogen isolated from each of the shales were examined. Elemental analyses and solid-state 13C-NMR spectra reveal that the oxygen/carbon (O/C) atomic ratios of the soil organic matter (SOM) as sociated with the samples decrease with increased age and, thus, apparently with diagenetic alteration. The sorption affinities of these materials for phenanthrene as well as their respective isotherm nonlinearities and hysteretic behaviors were found to correlate inversely with the O/C atomic ratio; samples containing more physically condensed and chemically reduced SOM matrices exhibited greater solute affinity, more nonlinear sorption equilibria, and more pronounced hysteresis. Observed relationships between the chemical and structural characteristics of ass...
Angel Pope and Papal Antichrist

In one of the great purple passages of nineteenth-century English historiography, Thomas Babington Macauley in his review of Leopold von Ranke's History of the Popes declared the papacy to be the western institution most worthy of historical study. Accordingly, historians have devoted innumerable pages to the analysis of papal politics, ideology, finances, and many other areas. However, there are still aspects of the history of the papacy that have been seriously neglected.
Effect of early handling of turkey poults on later responses to multiple dexamethasone-Escherichia coli challenge. 2. Resistance to air sacculitis and turkey osteomyelitis complex.

Abstract Dexamethasone (DEX)-induced immunosuppression facilitates Escherichia coli pathogenesis leading to lesions of air sacculitis and turkey osteomyelitis complex (TOC). The purpose of this study was to determine if early handling could affect resistance to disease in this model. Seven hundred twenty male turkey poults were handled 0, 1 (1x), or 2 (2x) times daily for the first 10 d after hatch. Handling consisted of gently catching each individual poult, holding it for 10 s, and placing it into a basket. Starting on Day 11 after hatch, half of the birds from each handling treatment were treated with three injections of 2 mg DEX/kg BW on alternating days. On the day of the third DEX treatment, duplicate pens of birds were also inoculated in the air sac with 0 or 50 cfu of E. coli. All DEX-treated birds were given a second series of DEX injections at 5 wk of age, and 10 birds per pen were necropsied 3 wk later. Surviving birds were treated with a third series of DEX injections at 10 wk of age. Two weeks later, all surviving turkeys were necropsied. All mortalities and necropsied birds were scored for air sacculitis and examined for TOC lesions. All livers, air sacs, and TOC lesions were cultured for bacteria. There was increased mortality after the first series of DEX treatments of birds handled 2x. After the second series of DEX treatments, birds handled 1x had increased mortality, incidence of air sacculitis, and recovery of E. coli from tissues, whereas 2x handled birds were identical to unhandled controls. After the third series of DEX treatments, handling 1x resulted in decreased air sacculitis scores and decreased incidence of mortality, green liver, TOC lesions, and recovery of E. coli from tissues. The effects of early handling of turkey poults were variable, depending on the number of DEX treatments and the age of the birds. These results suggest that early handling can affect the susceptibility of stressed turkeys to E. coli air sacculitis and TOC and that differences in susceptibility may be influenced by age and individual variability in the stress response.
Interrater reliability of the International Continence Society and International Urogynecological Association (ICS/IUGA) classification system for mesh-related complications

OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess interrater reliability of the International Continence Society (ICS)/International Urogynecological Association (IUGA) classification system of vaginal mesh-related complications and compare thiswithseveralotheravailablecomplicationclassificationsystems. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective analysis of mesh-related complications in patients presenting after pelvic organ prolapse or incontinence surgery. The complications were classified by 2 independent reviewers using the ICS/IUGA classification system as well as 3 other available classification systems. Interrater reliability was assessed using percent agreement and the weightedstatistic. RESULTS: The ICS/IUGA mesh complication classification system was foundtohavepoorinterraterreliability(0.15-0.78).Theothersystems yielded a that ranged from 0.18-0.60, but were too general or could only be applied to 68% of the complications. CONCLUSION: The complexity of the ICS/IUGA mesh complication system,thelargenumberofcategories,andlackofclaritylikelycontribute to its poor interrater reliability.
Reprogramming antitumor immunity

Regenerative medicine holds great promise in replacing tissues and organs lost to degenerative disease and injury. Application of the principles of cellular reprogramming for the treatment of cancer, however, is not well established. Here, we present an overview of cellular reprogramming techniques used in regenerative medicine, and within this context, envision how the scope of regenerative medicine may be expanded to treat metastatic cancer by revitalizing an exhausted and senescent immune system.
Facile Chemical Functionalization of Proteins through Intein-Linked Yeast Display

Intein-mediated expressed protein ligation (EPL) permits the site-specific chemical customization of proteins. While traditional techniques have used purified, soluble proteins, we have extended these methods to release and modify intein fusion proteins expressed on the yeast surface, thereby eliminating the need for soluble protein expression and purification. To this end, we sought to simultaneously release yeast surface-displayed proteins and selectively conjugate with chemical functionalities compatible with EPL and click chemistry. Single-chain antibodies (scFv) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) were displayed on the yeast surface as fusions to the N-terminus of the Mxe GyrA intein. ScFv and GFP were released from the yeast surface with either a sulfur nucleophile (MESNA) or a nitrogen nucleophile (hydrazine) linked to an azido group. The hydrazine azide permitted the simultaneous release and azido functionalization of displayed proteins, but nonspecific reactions with other yeast proteins were det...
Coincident emission of a characteristic and a continuum x ray in electron-atom collisions.

An observation of the simultaneous emission of a characteristic {ital K} x ray and a continuum photon has been made for 70-keV electrons bombarding target atoms of Fe, Cu, Y, and Ag. The absolute cross section for Y and Ag agree well with a model that considers a contribution from both double-bremsstrahlung and electron-electron bremsstrahlung processes. The data for Fe and Cu, on the other hand, are about an order of magnitude higher than the model, suggesting the possibility of a resonant polarization bremsstrahlung contribution to the double-bremsstrahlung process.
A generalized set of discrete frequency distributions with Fortran program

Geologists unfamiliar with the application of probability theory to discrete data in other fields of research are usually acquainted with only three discrete theoretical frequency distributions: Poisson, binomial, and negative binomial distributions. In some situations these distributions may fail to adequately describe a set of experimental data. Other distributions such as the Poisson with zeros, Neyman type A, logarithmic with zeros, Poisson-binomial, and Thomas double Poisson together with the more common Poisson, binomial, and negative binomial form a generalized subset of discrete theoretical distributions, one of which should fit almost any experimental data set. A computer program is presented which allows testing of any combination of these distributions against observed discrete data.
CHANGE IN ATTITUDES TOWARD SMOKING AND COMMUNICATOR CREDIBILITY AS A FUNCTION OF TYPE OF COMMUNICATION

The mean credibility scores for the supportive communicator and the refurative communicator were 11.39 crn. (SD = 1.04) and 10.97 cm. (SD = 1.05), respectively. This difference (.42) was not significant (r = 1.24, df = 38, n.s.) and indicates that the overall communicator credibility did not differ as a function of the type of communication by the communicator (S or R). It was discovered, however, that whereas the relationship between communicator-credibility scores and the magnitude of change in negative attitude toward smoking was significant for the group receiving the R-communication (T = .48, p < .05), chis relarionship was not significant (r = .23, n.s.) for the group receiving the S-communication. These results are consisrent with others (2, 3) only for the group receiving the Rcommunication. Type of cornrnunication thus appears to have an important influence on the relarionship between the credibility of the communicator and extent of attitude change.
Developing a Sociological Imagination by Doing Sociology: A Methods Based Service Learning Course on Women and Immigration

The author addresses the development and implementation of a service learning project for an undergraduate course in which students interview immigrant women, incorporate the interviewees’ experiences into an analytical paper, and present the findings at the end of the semester. Students are required to use C. Wright Mills’ concepts of history and biography by situating the stories told by the women within the larger sociohistorical contexts in which they live. The article proceeds in four sections. The first section provides an overview of service learning and its benefits. This is followed by a detailed description of the service-learning project. In the third section, the author draws from a postclass survey, course evaluations, and her observations to illustrate the ways in which the project enhances student learning and enables students to deepen their understanding of the sociological imagination. The article concludes with suggestions for how the project can be applied in other courses.
Stimulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity in rat tissues by growth hormone and by serum growth factor from rats infested with spargana of Spirometra mansonoides.

Abstract Ornithine decarboxylase activity was studied in heart, kidney, liver, thymus, lung, spleen, skeletal muscle and fat of hypophysectomized rats after growth hormone treatment. A marked increase in enzyme activity was observed in kidney and liver, and a significant increase in heart and thymus at 4 h after injection of growth hormone. The kidney was the most responsive organ with an increase in activity of about 100 fold. The enzyme activity in kidney responded to a dose of 10 μg of growth hormone. Daily injection for 12 days raised activity only in the heart. Infestation for 6–13 days with spargana of Spirometra mansonoides, which also causes growth of hypophysectomized rats, increased enzyme activity in the heart and thymus. Intravenous injection of serum of hypophysectomized rats infested with spargana of Spirometra mansonoides caused a significant increase in the enzyme activity in liver and kidney after 4 h. Growth hormone and the serum growth factor of sparganosis seem to share the characteristic of causing an early increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity in rat tissues. The marked response in kidney and liver raises the possibility that these organs are the primary targets of both substances.
Automating Telephone Surveys: Using T-ACASI to Obtain Data on Sensitive Topics

This paper describes a new interview data collection system that uses a personal computer equipped with a telephone interface card. This system, telephone audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (T-ACASI), offers the economy of telephone interviews while providing the privacy of self-administered questionnaires. We describe T-ACASI design considerations and operational characteristics. In addition, we present data from recent studies indicating that the T-ACASI system is stable, robust, and suitable for administering relatively long and complex questionnaires on sensitive topics, including drug use and sexual behaviors associated with HIV and other STDs.
Protein Requirements of an Omnivorous and a Granivorous Songbird Decrease During Migration

ABSTRACT. Many songbirds are seasonally frugivorous and eat primarily fruit during migration and insects or seeds during nonmigratory periods. Previous work has suggested that most wild fruits may have inadequate protein for birds. Assessing the nutritional adequacy of fruit requires knowing the protein requirements of birds in relation to the composition of available fruits. We tested predictions of two hypotheses: (1) interspecific differences in protein requirements of birds are related to their foraging strategy; and (2) protein requirements of birds increase with demand, for example during migratory periods of the annual cycle. We measured the protein requirements of the omnivorous Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) and the granivorous White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) during nonmigratory and migratory stages of the annual cycle and compared the results with published estimates for other songbird species. In the nonmigratory state both species ate less, lost body mass, and had more negat...
Cu-metal interfacial interactions during metal organic chemical vapour deposition

Abstract The interactions of Cu(II) bishexafluoroacetylacetonate (Cu11(hfac)2) with polycrystalline Ta surfaces under ultrahigh vacuum conditions are reported here for temperatures between 115 and 1000 K. Cu11(hfac)2 adsorbed at 115 K is reduced to Cu(0) by 450 K without the use of an external reducing agent. The reduction occurs without disproportionation of Cu(I) intermediates. This behavior is unique to Ta and differs sharply from reported results for TiN or other metallic substrates. The Cu overlayer is stable on the Ta surface to 750 K. Between 750 and 950 K a decrease in Cu intensity is observed which becomes more pronounced above 950 K. This decrease in Cu intensity is due to diffusion of Cu into the Ta substate.
“Trickle-down” reform: Hispanics, higher education, and the excellence movement

The current excellence-in-education movement has dealt a heavy blow to the advancement of Hispanics seeking degrees in higher education. Attempting to reform education while ignoring the concerns of minorities who traditionally have not fared well in schools strongly suggests that reformers expect the benefits of reform to “trickle down” to minorities after first benefiting mainstream students. The result is that reform measures such as the raising of college admission standards, the restructuring of financial aid, curriculum changes, and competency tests for teachers have added additional hurdles for Hispanic students, placing greater restrictions on their access to higher education. Reconceptualizing the definition ofexcellence to include not only higher standards, but educational equity, is a demographic imperative as the nation moves to a “minority majority.”
EnvThs: a controlled vocabulary service application for environmental data

In this paper we present a controlled vocabulary service application (CVSA) that we primarily developed in semantic support for the Environmental Data Store (EDS), but also as an access point for other controlled vocabularies that are commonly used in the environmental field. We use a Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) implementation for the representation of the controlled vocabularies associated with the EDS in addition to those others that we placed side by side. The EDS controlled vocabularies were created as an amalgamation of eight commonly used vocabularies, taxonomies, and ontologies in the geoscience/environmental informatics community. From these, ten top concepts were selected or defined as the base of our classification system. We deploy the TemaTres, implementation of SKOS which is an open-source, web –based thesaurus management package to create and manage our EDS vocabularies. TemaTresView and VisualVocabulary tools that work well with TemaTres are also integrated in the application to provide tree view and graphical view of the vocabulary structure. The open source edition of Virtuoso Universal Server is used to provide a Web interface in support of SPARQL queries against the EDS controlled vocabularies. Replicas of some of the key vocabularies commonly used in the community are also maintained as part of the application, such as the General Multilingual Environmental Thesaurus (GEMET), and the NetCDF Climate and Forecast (CF) Standard Names. The application has been deployed as an elementary and experimental prototype that can be accessed at http://edscvs.ccny.cuny.edu .
Grazing protozoa and the evolution of the Escherichia coli O157:H7 Shiga toxin-encoding prophage

Humans play little role in the epidemiology of Escherichia coli O157:H7, a commensal bacterium of cattle. Why then does E. coli O157:H7 code for virulence determinants, like the Shiga toxins (Stxs), responsible for the morbidity and mortality of colonized humans? One possibility is that the virulence of these bacteria to humans is coincidental and these virulence factors evolved for and are maintained for other roles they play in the ecology of these bacteria. Here, we test the hypothesis that the carriage of the Stx-encoding prophage of E. coli O157:H7 increases the rate of survival of E. coli in the presence of grazing protozoa, Tetrahymena pyriformis. In the presence but not the absence of Tetrahymena, the carriage of the Stx-encoding prophage considerably augments the fitness of E. coli K-12 as well as clinical isolates of E. coli O157 by increasing the rate of survival of the bacteria in the food vacuoles of these ciliates. Grazing protozoa in the environment or natural host are likely to play a significant role in the ecology and maintenance of the Stx-encoding prophage of E. coli O157:H7 and may well contribute to the evolution of the virulence of these bacteria to colonize humans.
A note on the evaluation of Schottky diode parameters in the presence of an interfacial layer

Metal-semiconductor barrier height and semiconductor doping concentration evaluated from room temperature current-voltage and capacitance-voltage data of Schottky barrier diodes exhibit significant error in the presence of an interfacial oxide layer of appreciable thickness (≥50 A). The effective Richardson constant obtained from an activation energy plot of saturation current is shown to provide a sensitive indication of the presence of the interfacial layer.
Physical Properties of Dietary Fiber and Binding of Mutagens

Some characteristics of dietary fiber that may contribute to the epidemiology of intestinal disease including colon cancer were investigated. Soft white wheat bran (AACC), hard red wheat bran (AACC), corn bran, and cellulose were tested for their ion exchange capacity and ability to bind mutagens (benzopyrene, 2-amino anthracene (2-AA), and mutagens extracted from fried ground beef. The wheat brans had the highest ion exchange capacity and were effective in binding the 2-AA. Benzopyrene and the fried ground beef mutagens were not effectively bound by fibers. The results suggest that dietary fibers may modify the levels of some intestinal mutagens, but may be ineffective for fried ground beef mutagens.
X and Y Chromosome Complement Influence Adiposity and Metabolism in Mice

Three different models of MF1 strain mice were studied to measure the effects of gonadal secretions and sex chromosome type and number on body weight and composition, and on related metabolic variables such as glucose homeostasis, feeding, and activity. The 3 genetic models varied sex chromosome complement in different ways, as follows: 1) "four core genotypes" mice, comprising XX and XY gonadal males, and XX and XY gonadal females; 2) the XY* model comprising groups similar to XO, XX, XY, and XXY; and 3) a novel model comprising 6 groups having XO, XX, and XY chromosomes with either testes or ovaries. In gonadally intact mice, gonadal males were heavier than gonadal females, but sex chromosome complement also influenced weight. The male/female difference was abolished by adult gonadectomy, after which mice with 2 sex chromosomes (XX or XY) had greater body weight and percentage of body fat than mice with 1 X chromosome. A second sex chromosome of either type, X or Y, had similar effects, indicating that the 2 sex chromosomes each possess factors that influence body weight and composition in the MF1 genetic background. Sex chromosome complement also influenced metabolic variables such as food intake and glucose tolerance. The results reveal a role for the Y chromosome in metabolism independent of testes and gonadal hormones and point to a small number of X-Y gene pairs with similar coding sequences as candidates for causing these effects.
Optimum design and control of amine scrubbing in response to electricity and CO2 prices

Abstract This paper presents steady state and dynamic modelling of post combustion CO 2 capture using 30 wt% MEA integrated with models of CO 2 compression and the steam power cycle. It uses multivariable optimization tools to maximize hourly profit of a 100 MWe coal-fired power plant. Steady state optimization for design provided optimum lean loading and CO 2 removal as a function of price ratio (CO 2 price/electricity price). The results indicated that for price ratio between 2.1 and 7, the plant should be designed at removal between 70% and 98% and lean loading in the range of 0.22–0.25. Dynamic optimization determined the operation of the capture system in response to two partial load scenarios (reboiler steam load reduction and power plant boiler load reduction) and provided optimum set points for steam rate, solvent circulation rate and stripper pressure control loops. Maximum profit is maintained by allowing the stripper pressure to drop and implementing a ratio control between solvent and steam rate (and flue gas rate for partial boiler load operation).
The biosynthesis of steroidal sapogenins in Dioscorea floribunda from doubly labelled cholesterol

Abstract Cholesterol-4- 14 C-25- 3 H was converted by Dioscorea floribunda plants to diosgenin, which had the same 3 H/ 14 C ratio as the administered cholesterol. The results indicate that cholesterol is not dehydrogenated at C-24 prior to forming diosgenin.
Effect of Dibenamin on the Vascular Response of Rabbits to Typhoid Endotoxin.

Summary and conclusionsThe injection S. typhosa endotoxin appears to stimulate the liberation of adrenalin or adrenalin-like substances, bringing about peripheral vasoconstriction. Dibenamin, a sympatho-adrenal blocking substance, antagonizes this effect.
Activation and inhibition of adrenaline metabolism.

MANY drugs enhance or block the actions of adrenaline; but little is known as to whether they act by modifying the metabolism of the catecholamine. In this work the effects of a variety of drugs on the rate of disappearance of radioactive adrenaline in the whole mouse were examined. Details of drug dosage are given in Table 1. Mice were treated with drug and then adrenaline (3 µgm.) labelled with H-3 was administered intravenously. Ten minutes after the adrenaline injection the animals were killed, homogenized in a Waring blendor, and an aliquot of the homogenate assayed for labelled adrenaline remaining1. Control animals, untreated with drug, were given adrenaline labelled with H-3 at a similar time.
Modeling data from titration, amide H/D exchange, and mass spectrometry to obtain protein-ligand binding constants

We recently reported a new method for quantification of protein-ligand interaction by mass spectrometry, titration and H/D exchange (PLIMSTEX) for determining the binding stoichiometry and affinity of a wide range of protein-ligand interactions. Here we describe the method for analyzing the PLIMSTEX titration curves and evaluate the effect of various models on the precision and accuracy for determining binding constants using H/D exchange and a titration. The titration data were fitted using a 1:n protein:ligand sequential binding model, where n is the number of binding sites for the same ligand. An ordinary differential equation was used for the first time in calculating the free ligand concentration from the total ligand concentration. A nonlinear least squares regression method was applied to minimize the error between the calculated and the experimentally measured deuterium shift by varying the unknown parameters. A resampling method and second-order statistics were used to evaluate the uncertainties of the fitting parameters. The interaction of intestinal fatty-acid-binding protein (IFABP) with a fatty-acid carboxylate and that of calmodulin with Ca2+ are used as two tests. The modeling process described here not only is a new tool for analyzing H/D exchange data acquired by ESI-MS, but also possesses novel aspects in modeling experimental titration data to determine the affinity of ligand binding.
Traumatic pseudolipoma: herniation of buccal fat pad, a report of two cases

Traumatic pseudolipoma is a term used to describe intra-oral herniation of the buccal fat pad. A tear of the buccinator muscle and buccal mucosa allows the buccal fat pad to extrude into the oral cavity. Initially, the lesion can suggest a more sinister cause, but a history of trauma, an absence of mass before the accident, anatomical site and fatty appearance should suggest a diagnosis of traumatic herniation of buccal fat pad. This injury is rare, but two cases presented to the authors' hospital over a period of 3 months.
An empirical study of data race detector tools

The industry of software applications has been increased significantly because of the high demand of using the software applications. This revolution leads on developing many concurrent software systems. Noticeably, some of these concurrent software systems have falsely report data race condition to one or more of their shared variables. Debugging such concurrent software systems to find the race condition is a challenge, especially for large and complex software systems. Since the race condition concerned mostly ignored in the concurrent software systems, adopting it could help to ensure the efficiency of these software systems. There are few detector tools that have been known in the industry focusing on data race detectors. This paper aims to study those tools. We are going to conduct empirical study of data race using well known tools in order to measure the correctness, performances and effectiveness of those tools in practical by using some benchmarks. Those benchmarks will be tested on each tool and compare it with others to see the similarity and differentiate.
Characterization of Glis2, a novel gene encoding a Gli-related, Krüppel-like transcription factor with transactivation and repressor functions. Roles in kidney development and neurogenesis.

Abstract In this study, we describe the characterization of a gene encoding a novel Kruppel-like protein, named Glis2. Glis2 encodes a relatively proline-rich, basic 55.8-kDa protein. Its five tandem Cys2-His2 zinc finger motifs exhibit the highest homology to those of members of the Gli and Zic subfamilies of Kruppel-like proteins. Confocal microscopic analysis demonstrated that Glis2 localizes to the nucleus. Analysis of the genomic structure of the Glis2 gene showed that it is composed of 6 exons separated by 5 introns spanning a genomic region of more than 7.5 kb. Fluorescence in situ hybridization mapped the mouse Glis2 gene to chromosome 16A3-B1. Northern blot analysis showed that the Glis2 gene encodes a 3.8-kb transcript that is most abundant in adult mouse kidney. By in situ hybridization, expression was localized to somites and neural tube, and during metanephric development predominantly to the ureteric bud, precursor of the collecting duct, and inductor of nephronic tubule formation. One-hybrid analysis using Glis2 deletion mutants identified a novel activation function (AF) at the N terminus. The activation of transcription through this AF domain was totally suppressed by two repressor functions just downstream from the AF. One of the repressor functions is contained within the first zinc finger motif. The level of transcriptional activation and repression varied with the cell line tested, which might be due to differences in cell type-specific expression of co-activators and co-repressors. Our results suggest that Glis2 behaves as a bifunctional transcriptional regulator. Both the activation and repressor functions may play an important role in the regulation of gene expression during embryonic development.
DETERMINING THE RELIABILITY, VALIDITY, AND SCALABILITY OF THE GRADUATED DICTATION TEST

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability, validity, and scalability of a new technique for constructing, administering, and scoring dictation tests to measure second language proficiency. The “graduated” dictation test used in this study involved the auditory presentation of progressively longer text segments to be written down by the examinees. A total of 624 students learning English as a second language at an American university took the dictation test and several other measures of English-language proficiency. The results of this study demonstrate that the graduated dictation task is a reliable and valid language testing technique. Using Mokken's criteria of scalability, the test was also shown to constitute a valid cumulative scale with no non-scale items. These findings and the advantages of this technique over commonly used dictation tests are discussed.
WE-C-230A-02: The Application of Error Reduction QA Philosophy in IMRT

The increasing complexity, functionality, and site‐to‐site variability of modern radiation therapy planning and delivery techniques challenge the traditional prescriptive quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) programs that ensure safety and reliability of treatment planning and delivery systems under all clinical scenarios. The manufacturing industry has historically relied on extensive testing and use of techniques such as probabilistic reliability modeling for developing and maintaining new products. Among the most widely used method of risk analyses are Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). This is a methodology for analyzing potential reliability problems early in the development cycle where it is easier to take actions to overcome these issues, thereby enhancing reliability through design. FMEA is used to identify potential failure modes, determine their effect on the operation of the product, and identify actions to mitigate the failures. From a manufacturer's perspective, FMEA is a valuable method to systematically evaluate a device design's potential for inducing user errors. User errors are defined as a pattern of predictable human errors that can be attributable to inadequate or improper design. When these risk analyses are done early in the development cycle, potential faults and their resulting hazards are identifiable and much easier to mitigate with error‐reducing designs. These risk management methods are excellent complements to other important user‐centered design best practices. Risk analysis, or hazard analysis, is a structured tool for the evaluation of potential problems which could be encountered in connection with the use of a device. The early and consistent use of FMEAs in the design process allows the engineers to design out failures and produce reliable and safe products. FMEAs also capture historical information for use in future product improvement. We will first review current paradigms of QC/QA issues in IMRT with a goal to define the problems and challenges associated with the implementation of traditional methods of quality assurance. This will be followed by a second presentation, which will describe a step‐by‐step implementation of the aforementioned hazard analyses and error mitigation methodologies of industrial engineering in addressing QA/QC and safety issues in IMRT. Such an approach should result in a QA/QC program for IMRT that has a good scientific rationale and justification.
The changing scenario in diagnosing prostate cancer

Fifty patients were evaluated for serum total PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen), free PSA (f-PSA), free/total PSA ratio (f/t PSA ratio) and TPSTM (Tissue Polypeptide Specific Antigen). Fifty patients were clinically evaluated and categorized into BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy) and CaP (carcinoma prostate) with twenty-five in each category before the serological examination. Serum total PSA concentration is elevated in 80% of BPH cases while it was elevated in all cases of CaP. With total PSA>10ng/mL, f/t PSA ratio was not applicable. For TPSTM, a cell proliferation marker these values were 32% and 92% respectively. The advanced cases of CaP were reflected by the pronounced elevations of PSA and TPStM while f/t PSA ratio was much below the cut-off limit (cut-off limit=0.14). The data suggest that whentotal PSA concentration <10ng/mL, f/t PSA ratio plays a very important role in discriminating BPH and CaP. However, TPSTM can be used as a valuable adjunct in diagnosis and follow-up of prostate cancer patients, especially in differentiating benign from malignant cases.
Clinical outcomes for a novel 6 degrees of freedom image guided localization method for frameless radiosurgery for intracranial brain metastases

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an accepted method of treatment for intracranial brain metastases with sub-millimeter accuracy. Frameless radiosurgery (FRS) is becoming an alternative to framed SRS due to its less invasive requirements. The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical outcomes and local patterns of failure for a novel 6 degrees of freedom CT guided method of localization for FRS of intracranial brain metastases. 42 patients underwent linear accelerator-based FRS to 94 intracranial brain metastases between 01/2009 and 07/2011. 78 and 22 % of treated sites were intact metastases and resection cavities, respectively. 55 % of patients had undergone prior brain radiotherapy (45 % SRS, 26 % whole brain radiation therapy). The 1 year actuarial local recurrence rate was 18 %, with a median imaging follow-up period of 13.2 months. Single fraction equivalent dose was the most important predictor of local recurrence. The 1 year actuarial first distant brain recurrence and total intracranial recurrence rate was 58 and 69 %, respectively. The crude radiographic radiation necrosis rate was 3 %. Of the 10 local recurrence events, 8 (80 %) were in-field only, 1 (10 %) was marginal only, and 1 (10 %) was both. The preponderance of in-field only patterns of failure suggests that geographic miss is not a major contributor to local recurrence using this novel localization method for FRS. The 1 year local control rate is comparable to other similar published series of framed and frameless radiosurgery.
Effect of repeated organophosphate administration on carbachol-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the rat brain.

Abstract The effects of repeated exposure to two organophosphates on the turnover of phosphoinositides, the second messenger system coupled to the M 1 and M 3 subtypes of muscarinic receptors, were examined in the rat hippocampus. Repeated diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) exposure (0.2–0.8 mg/kg, SC) decreased brain acetylcholinesterase activity and muscarinic receptor density. The incorporation of [ 3 H] myo inositol into brain slices was also decreased. Phosphoinositide turnover was measured as the accumulation of [ 3 H]inositol phosphates (IP) in the presence of lithium. DFP did not affect basal IP accumulation, but decreased carbachol-stimulated IP accumulation in the hippocampus after 0.4 and 0.8 mg/kg. The effects of repeated disulfoton administration (2.0 mg/kg, IP) were also examined in the hippocampus. Similar to DFP, repeated disulfoton exposure decreased acetylcholinesterase activity, receptor density, and carbachol-stimulated IP accumulation. The incorporation of myo inositol, however, was increased in disulfoton-treated rats. These data indicate that repeated organophosphate exposure results in a functional decrease in muscarinic receptor activity, as well as changes in myo inositol incorporation into phopholipids.
A time-of-flight backscattering spectrometer at the Spallation Neutron Source, BASIS

We describe the design and current performance of the backscattering silicon spectrometer (BASIS), a time-of-flight backscattering spectrometer built at the spallation neutron source (SNS) of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). BASIS is the first silicon-based backscattering spectrometer installed at a spallation neutron source. In addition to high intensity, it offers a high-energy resolution of about 3.5 μeV and a large and variable energy transfer range. These ensure an excellent overlap with the dynamic ranges accessible at other inelastic spectrometers at the SNS.
Knowledge networks, collaboration networks, and exploratory innovation.

Innovation in firms is doubly embedded: in a social network of collaborations between researchers, and in a knowledge network composed of linkages between knowledge elements. The two networks are decoupled. Their structural features are distinct and influence researchers' exploratory innovation differently. Using the patent data of a leading U.S. microprocessor manufacturer, we constructed the firm's collaboration and knowledge networks, and examined the effects of two structural features in the two networks--structural holes and degree centrality--on researchers' exploratory innovation. Our findings show that a researcher with knowledge elements rich in structural holes in the knowledge network tends to explore fewer new knowledge elements from outside the firm, while structural holes in the collaboration network increase exploratory innovation. The average degree centrality of a researcher's knowledge elements in the knowledge network has an inverted-U-shaped relationship with his or her exploratory innovation, while degree centrality in the collaboration network has a negative effect. This study suggests that knowledge and social networks influence where researchers search for discoveries
Characterization of an alcohol, dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus active with ethanol and secondary alcohols.

Summary Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus contains a NADP-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase. Ethanol is a substrate but secondary alcohols such as 2-propanol, 2-butanol and 2-pentanol are oxidized at a faster rate. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 172,000 and consists of 4 subunits. Each subunit contains 4 zinc atoms. With ethanol the kinetics are sigmoidal; however, in the presence of pyruvate a Michaelis-Menten kinetic pattern is approached. At 70°C and pH 9 the purified enzyme oxidizes ethanol with NADP at a rate of 13 μmol min −1 mg −1 , whereas it reduces acetaldehyde with NADPH two times that rate.
When Your Sources Talk Back: Toward a Multimodal Approach to Scientific Biography

Interviewing offers the biographer unique opportunities for gathering data. I offer three examples. The emphatic bacterial geneticist Norton Zinder confronted me with an interpretation of Barbara McClintock’s science that was as surprising as it proved to be robust. The relaxed setting of the human geneticist Walter Nance’s rural summer home contributed to an unusually improvisational oral history that produced insights into his experimental and thinking style. And “embedding” myself with the biochemical geneticist Charles Scriver in his home, workplace, and city enabled me to experience the social networks that drive the practical events of his career, which in turn helped me explain the theoretical basis of his science. Face-to-face interaction and multisensory experience will shape each biographer’s experience uniquely. Recent developments in sensory physiology suggest that the experience of integrating sense data encourages different patterns of observation and reflection. It is reasonable, then, to think that biography based on face-to-face interviews will, for a given author, have a different character than one based entirely on documents. I reflect on how interviewing shapes my own writing and I encourage the reader to do the same.
Unnatural Selection: An Analysis of the Ecological Representativeness of Natural World Heritage Sites*

In 1994, the World Heritage Committee adopted a strategy to make World Heritage Sites more “representative.” This article assesses the biogeographic representativeness of natural World Heritage Sit...
Isolation of E. coli mutants containing multiple transpositions of IS sequences.

The characterization of three E. coli mutants that appeared to have unselected IS1 insertions on the chromosome are described. One had a single new IS1 sequence. The second had three new IS1 sequences. The third had two new IS1 sequences and one of the IS1 sequences in the parent was missing. These mutants were found in a collection of strains that contained IS insertions in the spc operon. The frequency of finding mutants with unselected IS1 transpositions was at least 100 times greater than expected. The results suggest several transposition events may frequently occur in the same cell.
Note-taking while learning hypermedia: Cognitive and motivational considerations

The non-linear format of hypermedia requires the use of self-regulated learning (SRL) processes, including making decisions about which representation to access. The design of hypermedia environments can make these decisions difficult, and may result in extraneous cognitive load. Note-taking, a SRL strategy may offload extraneous cognitive load while learning with hypermedia. This study examined factors related to undergraduate students' note-taking while learning with hypermedia. Think-aloud, self-report, pretest, and posttest data were collected from 53 undergraduates while they learned about a challenging science topic for 30min with hypermedia. Results indicated that participants' prior domain knowledge, as measured by the pretest, did not significantly predict the content of their notes. However, motivation, as measured by a self-report questionnaire, had a significant relationship with the content of the participants' notes. Specifically, intrinsic motivation had a significant negative relationship while extrinsic motivation had a significant positive relationship with the content of notes. Additionally, there was a significant interaction between the content of the participants' notes and their use of self-regulatory processes while learning with hypermedia.