cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of the thalamus: From early patterning to regulation of cortical functions

The thalamus is a brain structure of the vertebrate diencephalon that plays a central role in regulating diverse functions of the cerebral cortex. In traditional view of vertebrate neuroanatomy, the thalamus includes three regions, dorsal thalamus, ventral thalamus, and epithalamus. Recent molecular embryological studies have redefined the thalamus and the associated axial nomenclature of the diencephalon in the context of forebrain patterning. This new view has provided a useful conceptual framework for studies on molecular mechanisms of patterning, neurogenesis and fate specification in the thalamus as well as the guidance mechanisms for thalamocortical axons. Additionally, the availability of genetic tools in mice has led to important findings on how thalamic development is linked to the development of other brain regions, particularly the cerebral cortex. This article will give an overview of the organization of the embryonic thalamus and how progenitor cells in the thalamus generate neurons that are organized into discrete nuclei. I will then discuss how thalamic development is orchestrated with the development of the cerebral cortex and other brain regions. This article is categorized under: Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: Regional Development Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: General Principles.
What Will Happen to This Child If I Report? Outcomes of Reporting Child Maltreatment

Through a review of empirical and practice literature, this chapter describes the different outcomes that result from reporting child maltreatment—screen outs, substantiation, ongoing child protective service, child placement, and referral to differential response—and examines their frequency and predictors. Most reports receive a modest response (screen out or no ongoing protective services). Limitations in information often hamper decision making. Outcomes vary by case characteristics such as child age and by available resources, but there is also enormous unexplained variation across states and communities. More research is needed, including enhanced program evaluations with greater focus on these outcomes.
Right Reason in the Integration of Group and Single-Subject Research in Behavioral Disorders:

In this discussion of quantitative research synthesis (meta-analysis), past criticisms of meta-analysis are reviewed along with the ways in which they have been addressed. The problems associated w...
Design and Characterization of a Novel, Continuum-Robot Surface for the Human Environment

We present a novel, robot form aimed at adaptively automating the shape and functionality of the human environment. While robots tend to be rigid-link, stiff objects when set within human environments, serving specific human objectives, they can also be compliant and give form to the physical environment and widen human activities within it. We introduce such a robot, a novel, tendon-driven, continuum robot surface we call a “Space Agent This paper presents our concept, design, and realization of the Space Agent. Experiments with this robot surface compare our prototype to our simulations of five spatial configurations that are formally distinct and suggestive of how the surface might be applied to habitable, physical space in response to human needs and wants. We found a validating match between prototype and simulations for the five configurations investigated. The paper concludes with a consideration of potential applications for robot surfaces like this one.
Accelerated fixed-point formulation of topology optimization: Application to compliance minimization problems

Abstract We present a simple, effective, and scalable approach for significantly accelerating the convergence in Topology Optimization simulations. Specifically, treating the design process as a fixed-point iteration, we propose employing a recently developed acceleration technique in which Anderson extrapolation is applied periodically, with simple weighted relaxation used for the remaining steps. Through selected examples in compliance minimization, we show that the proposed approach is able to accelerate the overall simulation several fold, while maintaining the quality of the solution.
Antiviral Effectors and Gene Drive Strategies for Mosquito Population Suppression or Replacement to Mitigate Arbovirus Transmission by Aedes aegypti

The mosquito vector Aedes aegypti transmits arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) of medical importance, including Zika, dengue, and yellow fever viruses. Controlling mosquito populations remains the method of choice to prevent disease transmission. Novel mosquito control strategies based on genetically manipulating mosquitoes are being developed as additional tools to combat arbovirus transmission. Genetic control of mosquitoes includes two basic strategies: population suppression and population replacement. The former aims to eliminate mosquito populations while the latter aims to replace wild populations with engineered, pathogen-resistant mosquitoes. In this review, we outline suppression strategies being applied in the field, as well as current antiviral effector genes that have been characterized and expressed in transgenic Ae. aegypti for population replacement. We discuss cutting-edge gene drive technologies that can be used to enhance the inheritance of effector genes, while highlighting the challenges and opportunities associated with gene drives. Finally, we present currently available models that can estimate mosquito release numbers and time to transgene fixation for several gene drive systems. Based on the recent advances in genetic engineering, we anticipate that antiviral transgenic Ae. aegypti exhibiting gene drive will soon emerge; however, close monitoring in simulated field conditions will be required to demonstrate the efficacy and utility of such transgenic mosquitoes.
The Lie of the Child Redeemer.

This essay describes the image of the child in educational theory and argues that the image of the child redeemer is, in its emphasis on isolation from others and from the surrounding world, a spurious image for reform. It suggests that we attend to the redeeming lies of our daughters instead of the pronouncements of our innocent sons. It argues, however, that both innocence and deceit are properties of relations, not of individual persons. Curriculum and teaching must acknowledge the child's experience rather than constraining it in innocence or labeling it a lie. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. Isaiah 11:6 The child redeemer makes his debut in this passage of Old Testament prophecy. But even then - when, from our vantage point, the world was new- it required reordering for this little child, this courageous innocent, to prevail. So the verse both assumes and transforms a world divided between nature and culture as it brings wild predators and domesticated animals together in peace. The division that splits contemporary consciousness, the schism between the public and private world, rests on this even deeper fault: the radical division of ordered civil life from the threatening and chaotic domain of nature. Additional verses appear to repair this wound in human consciousness and thus establish the smooth, unrippled world which provides the ground for the child's power:
Outcomes of 43 small breed dogs treated for splenic hemangiosarcoma.

OBJECTIVE To determine outcome and prognostic factors in small breed dogs in which hemangiosarcoma was diagnosed and whether outcomes differed between small and large breed dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma. STUDY DESIGN Bi-institutional retrospective study. ANIMALS Forty-three small breed (<20 kg) and 94 large breed client-owned dogs. METHODS Medical records were reviewed to identify dogs treated with splenectomy for splenic hemangiosarcoma. Data acquired included signalment, preoperative staging, bloodwork results, surgical findings, histopathologic findings, administration of chemotherapy, presence/absence of metastatic disease, and survival time (ST). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to assess prognostic factors associated with survival. RESULTS The overall median ST was 116 days and 97 days for small and large breed dogs, respectively. The ST for dogs treated with surgery and chemotherapy was 207 and 139 days for small and large breed dogs, respectively. The disease-free interval (DFI) was 446 and 80 days for small and large breed dogs, respectively. Dog size was associated with DFI (P = .02) but not with ST (P = .09). The presence of metastasis at diagnosis was associated with decreased ST in small (P = .03) and large (P = .0009) breed dogs. Administration of chemotherapy (P = .02) was associated with increased ST (P = .02) in small breed dogs. CONCLUSION The ST was not different in small and large breed dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma treated with splenectomy and chemotherapy. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Prognosis remains poor despite aggressive therapies in small and large breed dogs.
Creation and implementation of a novel clinical workflow based on the AAST uniform anatomic severity grading system for emergency general surgery conditions.

Objective Emergency general surgery (EGS) conditions encompass a variety of diseases treated by acute care surgeons. The heterogeneity of these diseases limits infrastructure to facilitate EGS-specific quality improvement (QI) and research. A uniform anatomic severity grading system for EGS conditions was recently developed to fill this need. We integrated this system into our clinical workflow and examined its impact on research, surgical training, communication, and patient care. Methods The grading system was integrated into our clinical workflow in a phased fashion through formal education and a written handbook. A documentation template was also deployed in our electronic medical record to prospectively assign severity scores at the time of patient evaluation. Mixed methods including a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews of trainees and attending surgeons were used to evaluate the impact of the new workflow and to identify obstacles to its adoption. Results We identified 2291 patients presenting with EGS conditions during our study period. The most common diagnoses were small bowel obstruction (n=470, 20.5%), acute cholecystitis (n=384, 16.8%), and appendicitis (n=370, 16.1%). A total of 21 qualitative interviews were conducted. Twenty interviewees (95.2%) had a positive impression of the clinical workflow, citing enhanced patient care and research opportunities. Fifteen interviewees (75.0%) reported the severity grading system was a useful framework for clinical management, with five participants (25.0%) indicating the system was useful to facilitate clinical communication. Participants identified solutions to overcome barriers to adoption of the clinical workflow. Conclusions The uniform anatomic severity grading system can be readily integrated into a clinical workflow to facilitate prospective data collection for QI and research. The system is perceived as valuable by users. Educational initiatives that focus on increasing familiarity with the system and its benefits will likely improve adoption of the classification system and the clinical workflow that uses it. Level of evidence Level III.
Chromosomal Sequence of Lactobacillus brevis Oregon-R-modENCODE Strain BDGP6, a Lactic Acid Bacterium Isolated from the Gut of Drosophila melanogaster.

Lactobacillus brevis Oregon-R-modENCODE strain BDGP6 was isolated from the gut of Drosophila melanogaster for functional host-microbial interaction studies. The bacterial chromosome is a single circular DNA molecule of 2,785,111 bp with a G+C content of 46%.
Bottom–Up Modeling of Design Knowledge Evolution: Application to Circuit Design Community Characterization

Group learning offers novel yet intriguing opportunities to improve a community’s effectiveness by obtaining insight into the emergence of new design problems and concepts. This article proposes a new computational model and the related algorithmic methods to characterize circuit design communities over time. The bottom–up model explains knowledge evolution using two operators, combination/improvement for knowledge expansion, and blocking for concept elimination. New metrics were proposed to describe the effect of the two operators. Experiments considered three large data sets of circuit designs (switched-capacitor filters, CMOS OpAmp/OTAs, and $\Delta \Sigma $ ADCs). Opportunities to improve the communities were discussed.
MUSE: The MUon Scattering Experiment

MUSE is a high-precision muon scattering experiment aiming to determine the proton radius. Muon, electron, and pion scattering will be measured at the same time. Two- photon exchange corrections will be determined with data using both beam polarities.
Natural immunoglobulin M-based delivery of a complement alternative pathway inhibitor in mouse models of retinal degeneration.

Abstract Purpose Age-related macular degeneration is a slowly progressing disease. Studies have tied disease risk to an overactive complement system. We have previously demonstrated that pathology in two mouse models, the choroidal neovascularization (CNV) model and the smoke-induced ocular pathology (SIOP) model, can be reduced by specifically inhibiting the alternative complement pathway (AP). Here we report on the development of a novel injury-site targeted inhibitor of the alternative pathway, and its characterization in models of retinal degeneration. Methods Expression of the danger associated molecular pattern, a modified annexin IV, in injured ARPE-19 cells was confirmed by immunohistochemistry and complementation assays using B4 IgM mAb. Subsequently, a construct was prepared consisting of B4 single chain antibody (scFv) linked to a fragment of the alternative pathway inhibitor, fH (B4-scFv-fH). ARPE-19 cells stably expressing B4-scFv-fH were microencapsulated and administered intravitreally or subcutaneously into C57BL/6 J mice, followed by CNV induction or smoke exposure. Progression of CNV was analyzed using optical coherence tomography, and SIOP using structure-function analyses. B4-scFv-fH targeting and AP specificity was assessed by Western blot and binding experiments. Results B4-scFv-fH was secreted from encapsulated RPE and inhibited complement in RPE monolayers. B4-scFv-fH capsules reduced CNV and SIOP, and western blotting for breakdown products of C3α, IgM and IgG confirmed a reduction in complement activation and antibody binding in RPE/choroid. Conclusions Data supports a role for natural antibodies and neoepitope expression in ocular disease, and describes a novel strategy to target AP-specific complement inhibition to diseased tissue in the eye. Precis AMD risk is tied to an overactive complement system, and ocular injury is reduced by alternative pathway (AP) inhibition in experimental models. We developed a novel inhibitor of the AP that targets an injury-specific danger associated molecular pattern, and characterized it in disease models.
Drosophila fabp is a retinoid-inducible gene required for Rhodopsin-1 homeostasis and photoreceptor survival

Retinoids act as chromophore co-factors for light-detecting rhodopsin proteins. In vertebrates, retinoids also actively regulate gene expression. Whether retinoids regulate gene expression in Drosophila for a specific biological function remains unclear. Here, we report that Drosophila fatty acid binding protein (fabp) is a retinoid-inducible gene required for Rhodopsin-1 (Rh1) protein homeostasis and photoreceptor survival. Specifically, we performed a photoreceptor-specific gene expression profiling study in flies bearing a misfolding-prone Rhodopsin-1 (Rh1) mutant, ninaEG69D, which serves as a Drosophila model for Retinitis Pigmentosa. ninaEG69D photoreceptors showed increased expression of genes that control Rh1 protein levels, along with a poorly characterized gene, fabp. We found that in vivo fabp expression was reduced when the retinoids were deprived through independent methods. Conversely, fabp mRNA was induced when we challenged cultured Drosophila cells with retinoic acid. In flies reared under light, loss of fabp caused an accumulation of Rh1 proteins in cytoplasmic vesicles. fabp mutants exhibited light-dependent retinal degeneration, a phenotype also found in other mutants that block light-activated Rh1 degradation. These observations indicate that a retinoid-inducible gene expression program regulates fabp that is required for Rh1 proteostasis and photoreceptor survival. Author SummaryRhodopsins are light-detecting proteins that use retinoids as chromophore co-factors. In vertebrates, retinoids also actively regulate gene expression. Whether retinoids regulate Rhodopsin function aside from its role as a chromophore remains unclear. Here, we report that Drosophila fatty acid binding protein (fabp) is a retinoid-inducible gene required for Rhodopsin-1 (Rh1) protein homeostasis and photoreceptor survival. Specifically, we found that fabp is among the genes induced by a misfolding-prone Rhodopsin-1 (Rh1) mutant, ninaEG69D, which serves as a Drosophila model for Retinitis Pigmentosa. We further found that fabp induction in ninaEG69D photoreceptors required retinoids. fabp was required in photoreceptors to help degrade light-activated Rh1. In the absence of fabp, Rh1 accumulated in cytoplasmic vesicles in a light-dependent manner, and exhibited light-dependent retinal degeneration. These observations indicate that a retinoid-inducible gene expression program regulates fabp that is required for Rh1 proteostasis and photoreceptor survival.
Machine-Learning-Enabled Cooperative Perception for Connected Autonomous Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities

Connected and autonomous vehicles is a disruptive technology that has the potential to transform the current transportation system by reducing traffic accidents and enhancing driving safety. One major challenge of building such a system is how to realize effective and efficient cooperative perception among vehicles, which enables them to share local (raw or processed) perception data with each other or roadside infrastructures through wireless communications. As machine learning techniques become prevalent in autonomous vehicles, particularly in their perception subsystem, we articulate the possibility to design a machine-learning-enabled cooperative perception system for connected autonomous vehicles. Not only are the research challenges in designing cooperative perception presented, but we also focus on how to reduce communication and data processing latency in order to meet the stringent time requirements posed by autonomous driving applications. The article outlines the research challenges and opportunities in designing cooperative perception for autonomous vehicles, leveraging the recent research outcomes from machine learning, feature map quantification, millimeter-wave communications, and vehicular edge computing.
Eddy Resolving Global Ocean Prediction including Tides

Abstract : The long-term goal is to use the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) with tides, dynamic sea ice, and data assimilation in an eddy-resolving, fully global ocean prediction system with 1/25 horizontal resolution that will run in real time at the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) starting in FY14. The model will include shallow water and provide boundary conditions to finer resolution coastal models that may use HYCOM or a different model. The objectives are to develop, evaluate, and investigate the dynamics of 1/25 global HYCOM (HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model) with tides coupled to CICE (Los Alamos Community Ice CodE) with atmospheric forcing only, with data assimilation via NCODA (NRL Coupled Ocean Data Assimilation), and in forecast mode. Also to incorporate advances in dynamics and physics from the science community into the HYCOM established and maintained within the Navy.
Trish Reid, Theatre & Scotland . Theatre&. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Pp. xiii + 103. ISBN 978-0-23029-261-1. £5.99.

Trish Reid, Theatre & Scotland . Theatre&. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Pp. xiii + 103. ISBN 978-0-23029-261-1. £5.99.
A trend toward more centralized information technology (IT) management

Prevailing research on IT governance suggests that a large and increasing majority of multi-divisional organizations utilize a federal model of organization. Contingencies that influence a choice of centralized, decentralized or federal model include the organizational structure, business unit scope and the absorptive capacity of the business unit (Sambamurthy & Zmud 1999). Given the attention to flexibility and responsiveness in a sense and respond world, one would expect that flatter organizations, more diverse business unit scope and improved absorptive capacity lead to the predominance of federal and decentralized models of IT governance. Surprisingly, the results of our survey study of large, multibusiness unit companies shows a strong majority of CIO respondents describing their structure as centralized and desiring it to become even more so. Given our recent interactions with IT organizations and our empirical findings, we develop a generalized explanation that integration is a dominating force driving a more centralized approach to IT governance.
Grounded Practical Theory

Grounded practical theory (GPT) is a metatheoretical and methodological framework for developing normative theories that can inform reflective thinking on communication problems and practices. Informed by the traditions of Aristotelian practical philosophy and American pragmatism, GPT is based on the principles of communication as a practical discipline, according to which an essential purpose of communication studies is to cultivate the practice of communication in society. The conceptual framework of GPT allows for communicative practices to be reconstructed at three interrelated conceptual levels: the problem level, the technical level, and the philosophical level. The formal research process of GPT includes four main elements: framing a practice for study; empirical data collection and qualitative analysis; theoretical reconstruction of the practice according to the three-level conceptual framework; and formulation of normative theoretical claims concerning the practice. Several examples of GPT research are described, and related theoretical approaches are discussed. Keywords: applied communication; communication theory; language and social interaction; qualitative methods; action-implicative discourse analysis (AIDA); practical discipline; practical theory
Access and Meaning: The Keys to Effective Computer Use by Children with Language Disabilities.

Computers can empower children with disabilities to participate in the normal processes of spoken and written language learning. To accomplish this, teachers must put access to computer-based speec...
Roles of oxygen for methanol adsorption on polycrystalline copper surface revealed by sum frequency generation imaging microscopy

Abstract The adsorption of atmospheric pressure methanol on the polycrystalline copper surface has been studied by a combination of sum frequency generation imaging microscopy (SFGIM) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD). Methoxy species can be generated by exposing the polycrystalline copper surface to methanol vapor at room temperature. SFGIM results demonstrate that oxygen promotes the surface adsorption of methanol and the increase in the amount of methoxy produced on copper surface. SFGIM orientation analysis suggests the methoxy monolayer is oriented closer to the surface normal with introduction of oxygen. Employing the image statistical analysis approach, the heterogeneities and conformation distribution of methoxy monolayers on copper surface with and without oxygen adsorption are compared. These results illustrate SFGIM indeed could provide more insight for understanding the heterogeneous metal/metal oxide surface in the molecular level.
Establishing disease causality for a novel gene variant in familial dilated cardiomyopathy using a functional in-vitro assay of regulated thin filaments and human cardiac myosin

Background As next generation sequencing for the genetic diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders becomes more widely used, establishing causality for putative disease causing variants becomes increasingly relevant. Diseases of the cardiac sarcomere provide a particular challenge in this regard because of the complexity of assaying the effect of genetic variants in human cardiac contractile proteins.
Fertility and offspring survival in mice selected for different sensitivities to alcohol

The LS (long-sleep) and SS (short-sleep) selected lines of mice exhibit relatively high and low sensitivity to alcohol, respectively, because of their previous history of selective breeding. The present study identifies other differences between the two lines. SS animals are almost twice as fertile as LS animals. Analysis of vaginal plug formation suggested that higher sexual activity of SS mice is an important component of their greater fertility. Forced maternal drinking of a 10% ethanol solution during gestation, and especially during lactation, caused a decrease in survival of LS but not of SS offspring. Increased cannibalism of pups by LS mothers was probably an important component of this decrease in progeny survival. Maternal consumption of liquid in both lines was decreased during gestation, and especially during lactation, when 10% ethanol was the only available liquid in each case. The physiological basis for decreased survival of LS progeny may involve either direct effects of alcohol on progeny or indirect effects caused by water, nutritional, or hormonal imbalance in LS mothers when they are exposed to alcohol stress. The relationship of fertility and progeny survival differences in the two lines to their differences in alcohol sensitivity produced by selective breeding is discussed.
Disease risk analysis: a paradigm for using health‐based data to inform primate conservation and public health

Risk analysis is a multidisciplinary process used to evaluate existing knowledge in order to prioritize risks associated with the spread of disease. A principle aim of risk analysis is to facilitate the development of cost-effective management strategies. Risk analysis calls for a multidisciplinary approach to piece together and integrate the numerous factors that influence disease transmission. The seven papers included in this volume of AJP present current primatological research as viewed through the prism of risk analysis. Issues such as interspecies disease transmission, public health, and conservation of endangered species are addressed, and risk analysis is put forward as a possible paradigm to promote understanding of infectious disease and its impact on nonhuman primate and human populations.
Major changes in fecundity and the effect on population egg production for three species of north-west Atlantic flatfishes

Temporal and spatial variability in fecundity was investigated for three species of north-west Atlantic flatfishes: American plaice Hippoglossoides platessoides, yellowtail flounder Limanda ferruginea and witch flounder Glyptocephalus cynoglossus. Significant log10 linear relationships existed between fecundity and total length (LT) for all three species and for all combinations of area (NAFO regulatory areas) and year. Fecundity differed between areas for yellowtail flounder and witch flounder and changed significantly for all three species since the last reported fecundity studies in the region 30–40 years ago. Three populations experienced decreases in fecundity (3LNO American plaice and yellowtail flounder, 3Ps witch flounder), one experienced an increase (3NO witch flounder) and one did not change (3L witch flounder). Significant yearly variability in fecundity at length and relative fecundity existed for all three species within the 6 year sampling period (1993–1998). Estimates of population egg production based on new and historic fecundity data revealed that using the old, invariant fecundity and LT relationship resulted in overestimation of total annual egg production by up to 24% for 3LNO American plaice and as high as 41% for 3LNO yellowtail flounder. These results clearly demonstrate the variable nature of fecundity for flatfishes in Newfoundland waters and suggest that the use of an invariant fecundity and LT relationship may result in inaccurate estimates of stock reproductive potential.
THE REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF U.S. BUSINESS SERVICES GROWTH, 1977–1987: EVIDENCE AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Regional analysts and policy makers have long struggled with problems arising from the uneven development of industrial systems. Most efforts have focused on manufacturing even though the business services sector continues to gain importance as a source of employment. This paper provides rigorous analyses of the regional organization of business services employment growth in the United States and discusses some implications of regionalism for the development of industrial policy. The analyses use chi-square goodness-of-fit tests and spatial statistics to examine regional structure. State-level employment data in ten business service industries for two periods, 1977–1982 and 1982–1987, are used in the analyses. The results show that although employment growth varies across the United States, it does not exhibit consistent regional organization. Instead, growth is organized more around metropolitan complexes. The lack of regional organization suggests that industrial policy should focus on the urban concentration of growth, telecommunications infrastructure and urban-rural linkages.
The human DEK oncogene stimulates β-catenin signaling, invasion and mammosphere formation in breast cancer

Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths in American women; therefore, the identification of novel breast cancer-related molecules for the discovery of new markers and drug targets remains essential. The human DEK gene, which encodes a chromatin-binding protein and DNA topology regulator, is upregulated in many types of cancer. DEK has been implicated as an oncogene in breast cancer based on mRNA expression studies, but its functional significance in breast cancer growth and progression has not yet been tested directly. We demonstrate that DEK is highly expressed in breast cancer cells compared with normal tissue, and functionally important for cellular growth, invasion and mammosphere formation. DEK overexpression in non-tumorigenic MCF10A cells resulted in increased growth and motility, with a concomitant downregulation of E-cadherin. Conversely, DEK knockdown in MCF7 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells resulted in decreased growth and motility with upregulation of E-cadherin. The use of DEK-proficient and -deficient breast cancer cells in orthotopic xenografts provided further in vivo evidence that DEK contributes to tumor growth. Activation of the β-catenin signaling pathway is important for normal and cancer stem cell character, growth and metastasis. We show that DEK expression stimulated, and DEK knockdown repressed β-catenin nuclear translocation and activity. Importantly, the expression of constitutively active β-catenin rescued breast cancer invasion defects of DEK knockdown cells. Together, our data indicate that DEK expression stimulates the growth, stem cell character and motility of breast cancer cells, and that DEK-dependent cellular invasion occurs at least in part via β-catenin activation.
Resonance anlaysis of e + e - annihilation

We present a formalism of overlapping resonances with variable channel structure which is suitable for the analysis of inclusive and exclusive data in ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ annihilation into hadrons. We use it in a discussion of the ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}(3.68)$ and ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}(3.77)$ states, in a fit to SPEAR data in the range 3.9-4.1 GeV and a fit to DESY data in the range 4.0-4.3 GeV. Two fits to the SPEAR data are used as examples of various features of the resonance system. Special attention is paid to the contraint that a very strong channel (${D}^{*}{\overline{D}}^{*}$) opens up in the middle of the resonance structure. Both inclusive and exclusive quantities are displayed and the correlation between them is discussed.
Efficient High Accuracy Non-Bonded Interactions in the CHARMM Simulation Package

Most molecular dynamics simulations are carried out using isotropic atom-atom potentials to model non-bonded interactions. Such potentials can be insufficient to accurately model a variety of physical properties present in biologically relevant molecules. A proper description of the anisotropy of the electrostatic interactions is of particular importance, as it directly affects a variety of structural and transport properties such as hydrogen bonding and diffusion. We have recently developed a novel, algorithm to efficiently calculate coulombic forces in the CHARMM simulation package using an arbitrary order multipole expansion. Further work has extended this algorithm to efficiently account for dipolar polarization and dispersion. We present details of the algorithm, its implementation and initial calculations on condensed phase water enabled by this work.
Newspaper photo morgues—a survey of institutional holdings and practices

In preparation for the acquisition of an extensive newspaper photo morgue collection, the Audio-Visual Archives (A-V Archives) at the University of Kentucky sought to gather information from other institutions holding similar materials. The inquiries were presented as a survey that collected information about the organization, description, maintenance, and preservation of photo morgues. Questions included size, age, and formats contained in the collection, number of years at the institution, institution's processing goals and methods, funding, staffing, access, and copyright. Given the research value of these collections, the responses to this survey will aid other institutions considering future acquisitions of such unique materials.
Computer analysis of physiologic signals in a cardiovascular research laboratory

A comprehensive computer program which provides immediate computation and feedback has been developed for data acquisition and analysis of signals in a cardiovascular animal laboratory. The system is based on a microcomputer equipped with analog-to-digital converter and supports function modules which digitize, filter, and differentiate up to 8 simultaneously sampled cardiovascular signals. The program detects, analyses, and plots incoming and averaged beats. Beat-by-beat signal averaging for each channel is performed and cardiac cycles are partitioned automatically. For each cardiac and average cycle the amplitude at 6 physiologic fiducial markers are measured and derived calculations are made. Channel vs channel plots and loop area measurements are also computed and displayed. The computer algorithms have been shown to give accurate, precise, and reproducible results when tested on canine cardiovascular data. Also, it has been demonstrated that signal averaging is an appropriate analysis technique for cardiovascular signals.
Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Curriculum

Circular dichroism spectropolarimetry (CD) is a method of optical spectroscopy that seems in most practical ways like UV−visible spectroscopy. The main difference between the two methods is that CD, instead of measuring the absorbance of light as a function of wavelength, measures the difference in absorbance of left versus right circularly polarized light as a function of wavelength. A CD spectrum is an observation of the structure of a chiral compound; it often serves as a “fingerprint” of the structure of biological molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. For this reason, CD has been broadly applied in biochemistry and in many other areas ranging from organometallic to nanoscale chemistry. Despite its exceptional ease of use and connection to central topics in chemistry, however, CD remains rare in the undergraduate curriculum. This article briefly introduces the theory and practice of CD spectroscopy and a discussion of its advantages in the undergraduate curriculum and the required instrumentation.
Three-dimensional transport of cosmic rays in the heliosphere

The three-dimensional transport of cosmic rays in the heliosphere is reviewed. We report on results from our numerical simulations including convection, anisotropic diffusion, drifts, and both adiabatic energy loss and shock acceleration. Our model-heliosphere incorporates a wavy current sheet and Corotating Interaction Regions due to the increase of solar wind speed away from the current sheet. We are able to model the latitudinal as well as longitudinal variations, which latter appear as 26- and 13-day intensity waves. Our simulations for solar-wind speed, magnetic field, and cosmic-ray variations seem in general form quite similar to observational findings. Quantitative predictions depend on a number of physical parameters as the parallel and perpendicular diffusion coefficients, as well as on assumptions made on the structure of the heliospheric magnetic fields.
Combined therapy to prevent complete pelvic exenteration for rhabdomyosarcoma of the vagina or uterus

Three children with rhabdomyosarcoma (sarcoma botryoides) of the vagina or uterus were managed by modified radical resection combined with pre- and/or postoperative chemotherapy and high-dose irradiation. This plan of therapy contrasts sharply with the conventional approach: i.e., pelvic exenteration consisting of cystectomy, hystovaginectomy, and oophorectomy, with urinary diversion by ureteroileostomy or ureterosigmoidostomy. Two patients had complete regressions of tumor following preoperative chemotherapy and irradiation. The third patient received no preoperative therapy, but was given postoperative radium implantation, irradiation, and chemotherapy. The surgical approach consisted of hystovaginectomy and oophorectomy without urinary diversion. These patients are free of tumor for 32, 44, and 54 months, respectively. There were no serious toxic reactions to the drugs, nor any significant postoperative urinary tract problems. The results reported here suggest that hystovaginectomy and oophorectomy coordinated with chemotherapy and irradiation is an acceptable alternative to pelvic exenteration in patients with sarcoma botryoides of the vagina or uterus.
Southwestern Internal Medicine Conference: Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Problem of Tumor Heterogeneity

Small cell undifferentiated carcinoma represents a subtype of lung cancer that possesses biologic and clinical characteristics that make it significantly distinct from other forms. A major impact on the natural history of this disease has been accomplished during the past 15 years, including the potential for cure by non-surgical treatment modalities. Further progress in the management of this disorder has been impaired by a number of factors that appear to be inherent to the biology of the tumor and its clinical features. Analysis of initial clinical trials and more detailed examination of this tumor in vitro have permitted the elucidation of many barriers to curative outcome presently being evaluated at the laboratory and clinical levels. These include clear biologic and morphologic heterogeneity; problems with chemotherapy responsiveness including drug resistance; the potential for combining chemotherapy and radiation modalities; the re-examination of the role of surgical intervention in selected patients; and the need to deal with central nervous system dissemination of tumor cells. Further advances in this disease will be dependent on the successful integration of laboratory and clinical disciplines.
Kinetic Characterization of Human Liver Phosphofructokinase

Phosphofructokinase (PFK) catalyzes the phosphorylation of fructose 6-phosphate (F6P) to fructose 1,6-bisphosphate in an ATP dependent reaction. This reaction represents the first committed step of the glycolytic pathway and as such, plays an important role in metabolism. In liver, this regulation is especially interesting, as hepatocytes can alternatively undergo gluconeogenesis or glycolysis. While PFKs from the livers of several mammalian species have been characterized, human liver PFK has not been thoroughly examined. The gene encoding human liver PFK was cloned into an expression vector utilizing the tac promoter. Human liver PFK was expressed in an Escherichia coli cell line, RL257a, which contains no native PFK. The protein has been purified to a specific activity of 105 U/mg through a combination of heat denaturation, ammonium sulfate precipitation, anion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration chromatography. Human liver PFK is inhibited by ATP with a coupling free energy (ΔGax) of 3.0 kcal/mol, as compared to rat liver PFK (ΔGax 4.1 kcal/mol), a well characterized mammalian PFK. Additionally, human liver PFK demonstrates a 10-fold increase in F6P affinity when the pH is increased as demonstrated by the dissociation constants at pH 7 (Kia 0.26) and pH 9 (Kia 0.032). Ammonium sulfate activates the enzyme (ΔGax −1.9 kcal/mol), while citrate inhibits the enzyme (ΔGax 0.89 kcal/mol). This work seeks to quantify the kinetic and allosteric behaviors of human liver PFK and compare the magnitude of the effects between rat and human liver PFKs and is supported by the NIH, Grant #GM033216.
Growth and Characterization of Ga x In1 − x Sb Solid Solutions Using Temperature‐Gradient Zone Melting

Temperature‐gradient zone melting has been utilized to grow a wide range of solid solution compositions of using indium and lead as zone metals. Single crystal growth was accomplished on {111} seed substrates. Migration velocities as large as were observed during indium growth experiments, while velocities as large as were noted during lead growth experiments. All growth runs were performed with the top of the seed substrate at 420°C to provide a reference temperature for the migration experiments. Electron microprobe scans of sections taken along the growth direction have shown gradual increases in the concentration of in growth layers over the first 2 to 3 mm of solid solution growth. There after, uniform compositional growth is indicated. Photomicrographs of growth surfaces have clearly indicated that growth proceeded by a two‐dimensional nucleation mechanism. Etch pit observations taken along the growth direction have indicated noticeable decreases in the dislocation densities of the individual growth layers compared with those in the respective seed substrates.
Comparative genomics of the family Vibrionaceae reveals the wide distribution of genes encoding virulence-associated proteins

Background Species of the family Vibrionaceae are ubiquitous in marine environments. Several of these species are important pathogens of humans and marine species. Evidence indicates that genetic exchange plays an important role in the emergence of new pathogenic strains within this family. Data from the sequenced genomes of strains in this family could show how the genes encoded by all these strains, known as the pangenome, are distributed. Information about the core, accessory and panproteome of this family can show how, for example, genes encoding virulence-associated proteins are distributed and help us understand how virulence emerges.
Isoperimetric and Sobolev inequalities for Carnot-Carathéodory spaces and the existence of minimal surfaces

After Hormander's fundamental paper on hypoellipticity [54], the study of partial differential equations arising from families of noncommuting vector fields has developed significantly. In this paper we study some basic functional and geometric properties of general families of vector fields that include the Hormander type as a special case. Similar to their classical counterparts, such properties play an important role in the analysis of the relevant differential operators (both linear and nonlinear). To motivate our results, we recall some classical inequalities. Let E C R" be a Caccioppoli set (a measurable set having a locally finite perimeter); then one has the isoperimetric inequality
Riverine inorganic carbon flux and rate of biological uptake in the Mississippi River plume

[1] Inorganic carbon parameters were studied for the first time in the Mississippi River estuary and plume. Area-integrated biological uptake rates (1.5–3 gC m−2 d−1) derived from riverine total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TAlk) fluxes as well as that based on the consumptions of DIC and TAlk in the plume are comparable to earlier results of 14C incubation in individual water samples. This rate is among the highest in the estuaries and plumes of the world's largest rivers. Fluvial DIC flux (13.5 × 1012 gC yr−1) indicates a 16% increase in the inorganic carbon flux over the earlier estimate and perhaps an increase in the weathering rate in the Mississippi River basin over the past four decades.
Parallel Computing for Long‐Time Simulations of Calcium Waves in a Heart Cell

Calcium waves are modeled by parabolic partial differential equations, whose simulation codes contain Krylov subspace methods as computational kernels. This paper presents GPU-based parallel computations for the conjugate gradient method applied to the finite difference discretization of a Poisson equation as prototype problem for the computational kernel. The CUDA algorithm tests the three memory systems of global memory, texture memory, and shared memory of a CUDA-enabled GPU. Due to the caching mechanism and coalesced read/write operations, the CUDA algorithm using global memory and single precision floating point numbers outperforms algorithms accessing texture memory and the shared memory. (© 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A modern approach to the solution and analysis of the Simha-Somcynsky model for the description of pressure-volume-temperature properties of polymer fluids

We revisit the Simha-Somcynsky model of polymer fluids with the purpose of developing novel theoretical and computational approaches to simplify and speed up its solution as well as the fitting of experimental data, and decrease its level of mathematical complexity. We report a novel method that allows us to solve one of the two equations of the model exactly, thus putting the level of mathematical difficulty on a par with the one of other models for polymer fluids. Moreover, we describe a computational algorithm capable of fitting all five parameters of the model in an unbiased way. The results obtained reproduce literature results and fit experimental pressure-volume-temperature and solubility parameter data for three polymers very accurately. Moreover, the new techniques allow for the investigation of the model at very low temperatures. Unexpectedly, the model predicts behaviors that could be interpreted as a glass transition, as routinely observed in dilatometry and differential scanning calorimetry, and a glass phase. We compared the predicted and experimental Tg’s for cis poly(1,4-butadiene) and found an excellent quantitative agreement.