cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Binding properties of coumestrol to expressed human estrogen receptor

Abstract We have studied the binding of coumestrol, an inherently fluorescent analog of 17β-estradiol, to human estrogen receptor (hER) in extracts of transfected cultured cells. The binding of coumestrol to the hER as well as its dissociation from the receptor can be directly determined by the change in fluorescence intensity of the probe. In agreement with previous studies using calf uterine extracts, we find that coumestrol binds to the receptor with a ten-fold lower affinity than 17β-estradiol. However, the rate of dissociation appears to be close to that of the native ligand. Coumestrol can accept energy from Trp residues in the excited state and, using a C530W hER mutant, we have confirmed that residue 530 is close to the ligand-binding pocket. We also find that the presence of saturating amounts of the specific DNA binding sites (ERE) did not significantly alter the binding affinity of coumestrol to either wild type hER or the C530W mutant.
Basel II and Bankers’ Propensity to Take or Avoid Excessive Risk

Both Basel I and Basel II are concerned (indeed, obsessed) with risk taking by bankers. But risk is an essential part of banking. The essential issues are “when are such risks excessive and does Basel II effectively constrain bankers from taking excessive risks?” I answer these questions by outlining alternative definitions of excessive risk and analyzing the extent to which Basel II deals effectively with this risk. I find the Basel II measures both costly and inadequate, and likely increase excessive risk taking. I conclude with a preferable alternative procedure – including subordinated debt fully in required capital and prompt corrective action based on prestructured capital/asset ratios.
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) causes an Ah receptor-dependent and ARNT-independent increase in membrane levels and activity of p60Src

Abstract 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD) is known to affect various cellular activities including growth factor signal transduction, hormone responses, and cell differentiation. The purpose of this study was to examine more closely the very early effects of TCDD on protein tyrosine kinase activity, specifically p60 Src . We found that TCDD causes rapid changes in the plasma-microsomal membrane levels and activity of p60 Src in Hepa 1c1c7, Hepa c4 cells, and SR3Y1 cells, a p60 v-Src overexpressing cell line. Such cellular changes occur within 30 minutes after 10 nM TCDD treatment, as measured by Western blot analysis. TCDD's ability to increase p60 Src levels was found to be: (1) dose-dependent, with an estimated EC 50 between 10 −10 and 10 −11 M TCDD; (2) Ah receptor (AhR)-dependent, since TCDD's effect was blocked by co-administration with 1 μ M α -naphthoflavone, an AhR antagonist; and interestingly (3) ARNT-independent, since TCDD's effect was observed in Hepa c4 cells, an ARNT − mutant cell line. Since ARNT is a heterodimerization partner of the AhR required for binding of the ligand-activated AhR to dioxin-responsive elements on DNA in the nucleus to transactivate genes controlled by the AhR, an alternative mechanism for TCDD's action is discussed which does not require ARNT. Along with increased membrane levels of p60 Src , we observed a corresponding increase in the activity of a 60 kDa protein tyrosine kinase using two different kinase detection assays. This effect of TCDD was also found to be AhR-dependent, ARNT-independent, and independent of de novo protein synthesis since cycloheximide was unable to completely abolish TCDD's effect. The present findings provide a potentially important mechanism by which TCDD can alter cell growth and differentiation.
First results: ERIM elastic backscatter lidar

The Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM) has developed a simple elastic backscatter lidar system using multiple aperture incoherent detection to study radiative properties of clouds and aerosols. The capabilities of the system are elastic backscatter measurement of cloud height, aerosol spatial density distribution, atmospheric mixed layer height and optical thickness of thin aerosol and cloud layers. The ERIM lidar system utilizes an Nd:YAG laser and collects return signal using a several aperture telescope array to demonstrate the concept of multiple aperture incoherent detection. Initial tropospheric measurements of clouds and aerosols made with the system are presented.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
DNA-DNA hybridization studies of mitochondrial DNA of ethidium-bromide-induced petite mutants of yeast.

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of a grande strain and three petite mutant strains of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has been analyzed by DNA-DNA filter hybridization and CsCl isopyknic density gradient centrifugation. All strains genetically transmitted either chloramphenicol or erythromycin resistance or both to sensitive nonpetite strains. The grande mtDNA had a buoyant density of 1.683 g/cm3, and the three petite mtDNAs had buoyant densities of 1.683, 1.682, and 1.689 g/cm3, respectively. The hybridization between 3H-labelled grande mtDNA and each of the three petite mtDNA filters was 42%, 11%, and 4% of isohybridization levels. Thermal denaturation of the hybrids indicated very specific hybridization. Homology between petite mtDNA was greatest in petites retaining common genetic markers for antibiotic resistance, and was least when different markers were retained. The results are consistent with deletion of different segments of grande mtDNA in the petite mutant.
Random walks and local cuts in graphs

For a specified subset S of vertices in a graph G we consider local cuts that separate a subset of S. We consider the local Cheeger constant which is the minimum Cheeger ratio over all subsets of S, and we examine the relationship between the local Cheeger constant and the Dirichlet eigenvalue of the induced subgraph on S. These relationships are summarized in a local Cheeger inequality. The proofs are based on the methods of establishing isoperimetric inequalities using random walks and the spectral methods for eigenvalues with Dirichlet boundary conditions.
Comparison of peripheral thyroid hormone metabolism in normal rats and in rats receiving prolonged glucagon infusion.

An elevated plasma glucagon concentration and reduced T3 production from T4 have both been observed in several clinical disorders, including hepatic cirrhosis, uremia, diabetes mellitus, and starvation. The question of whether glucagon has a direct effect on T3 production was studied in normal rats infused iv with [125I]T4 or [125I]T3 and 3 μg T4/day, using implanted minipumps. The blood [125I]T4 and [125I]T3 levels maintained a plateau between the fifth and ninth days of infusion. Each animal also received a second minipump, implanted ip, that infused either a diluant solution or 30 μg glucagon/100 g BW· day. After 7 days of continuous infusion, the glucagontreated animals showed a 20% increase in plasma glucose and a 4-fold increase in plasma glucagon from baseline. However, the levels of insulin, T4) and T3 remained unchanged. The MCRs and the disposal rates of T4 and T3) calculated by the constant infusion method, showed T4 and T3 MCRs to be 0.99 ± 0.18 and 11.25 ± 2.52 ml/h-100 g, respectively, and T...
Old-age security motives, labor markets, and farm family fertility in antebellum American

Abstract The demand for children on the part of farm couples in antebellum America declined as labor market opportunities outside the agricultural sector improved. A connection between these two secular developments was forged by the operation of the old-age security motive for raising children. In exchange for their role in providing old-age security for their parents, the mature offspring of a farm couple expected to receive a portion of the farm family's wealth, either as an inheritance or as an inter vivos transfer. The terms of this exchange are modeled as the outcome of an intergenerational bargaining process. The bargaining position and hence the allotted share of the young improved when they could point to greater opportunities for employment which they would forgo by remaining in the neighborhood of the parental farmstead. The value of children as old-age security assets consequently diminished. Under identifiable conditions, rational parents would respond by reducing their fertility. In multivariate regressions to explain the antebellum United States pattern of geographical variation in a fertility index (the rural white refined birth ratio), measures of nonagricultural labor market opportunities are found to have a large and significantly negative effect, as the foregoing theory predicts. The most widely cited alternative explanation for temporal and spatial variations in the fertility of the rural white population—the decreasing availability of cheap farmland with the progress of settlement—is shown to have little explanatory power when the labor market opportunity variables are included in the cross-section regression for state-wide averages in 1840.
Minimum delay in class of throughput-optimal control policies on wireless networks

This paper considers the problem of average network delay minimization on multiclass, multihop, stochastic wireless networks subject to inter-channel interference and time-varying topology. We present a network control policy that solves this problem in the class of all policies whose control decision is a function only of current queue congestion and current channel states, including policies that have perfect knowledge of probabilities associated with future random events. As important features of our proposed control policy, it is throughput-optimal in the sense that it can stabilize queues for any stabilizable arrival rate, it is robust to varying network topology and arrival rates, and it is implemented without requiring any knowledge of statistics and probabilities in the system. The proposed control policy is analyzed via the theory of stochastic discrete-time Lyapunov drift with a significant difference that unlike prior works that merely push down an upper-bound on the drift, our design genuinely minimizes the drift itself.
Learning to identify new objects

Identifying objects based on language descriptions is an important capability for robots interacting with people in everyday environments. People naturally use attributes and names to refer to objects of interest. Due to the complexity of indoor environments and the fact that people use various ways to refer to objects, a robot frequently encounters new objects or object names. To deal with such situations, a robot must be able to continuously grow its object knowledge base. In this work we introduce a system that organizes objects and names in a semantic hierarchy. Similarity between name words is learned via a hierarchy embedded vector representation. The hierarchy enables reasoning about unknown objects and names. Novel objects are inserted automatically into the knowledge base, where the exact location in the hierarchy is determined by asking a user questions. The questions are informed by the current hierarchy and the appearance of the object. Experiments demonstrate that the learned representation captures the meaning of names and is helpful for object identification with new names.
Are Art Auction Estimates Biased

This article considers whether presale auction estimates are unbiased predictors of price when �no-sales� are considered utilizing a newly constructed sample of over 500 works by eight early twentieth-century American artists. Unbiased presale auction estimates in predicting price, while expected, are generally not supported in previous work, but these studies (excepting one) do not include no-sales in the calculations. In order to study the question, we employ a standard approach that uses an inverse Mills ratio arising from a sample selection probit to correct for selection bias. We find that controlling for selection bias, presale auction estimates appear to be biased downward, and we offer possible reasons for this result.
Comparative Raman Study of Mixed-Alkali and Similar Ion Exchanged Glasses.

Abstract The Raman spectra of analogous ion-exchanged and mixed alkali disilicate and aluminodisilicate glasses of the same relative composition of dissimilar cations have been determined and employed to investigate the origin of the similarity of the mechanical loss features exhibited by them. Ion-exchange of Na + for Li + in Li 2 O · Al 2 O 3 · 2 SiO 2 glasses is shown to yield glasses whose network structure is different from that of the mixed alkali glasses of the same stoichiometry, but to attain that structure upon annealing. The network structure of ion-exchanged and conventionally mixed alkali disilicate glasses are apparently identical. These results are interpreted in light of the mechanical loss spectra of the analogous glasses prepared in the two ways.
Calcium stores in cultured fibroblasts and their changes with Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract The experiments in this paper identify multiple calcium compartments in cultured human fibroblasts and reveal abnormalities in one of these pools in cells from Alzheimer patients. In the presence of external calcium, bradykinin (BK) increased cytosolic free calcium ([Ca 2+ ] i ) about 3-fold and then [Ca 2+ ] i rapidly declined. Omission of calcium from the media did not affect the BK-induced peak, which indicates that the peak reflects internal stores. Other compounds that also released calcium from internal stores included A23187 (a calcium ionophore), thapsigargin (Tg; an inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum ATPase), and FCCP (an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation). The [Ca 2+ ] i response to sequential addition of compounds in calcium-free media identified discrete internal calcium stores. BK depleted internal calcium pools such that subsequent stimulation with BK, FCCP or bombesin did not increase [Ca 2+ ] i . However, A23187 or thapsigargin still elicited responses. A23187 depleted essentially all internal calcium pools. Either Tg or FCCP reduced the calcium stores that could be released by BK or A23187. Thus, cellular calcium compartments that respond to BK and A23187 partially overlap. The common pool includes Tg- and FCCP-sensitive compartments. Calcium stores were examined in cells from Alzheimer disease patients, because previous studies suggest that their calcium homeostasis is altered. A23187 addition to BK-treated cells produced a 95% greater response in cell lines from Alzheimer patients ( n = 7) than in those from controls ( n = 5). Thus, various calcium stores can be pharmacologically distinguished in fibroblasts and at least one of these compartments is abnormal in Alzheimer's disease.
Spectroscopic methods in photosynthesis: photosystem stoichiometry and chlorophyll antenna size

Light-induced absorbance change and fluorescence measurements were employed in the quantitation of photosystem stoichiometry and in the measurement of the chlorophyll (Chl) antenna size in thylakoid membranes. Results with thylakoid membranes from diverse photosynthetic tissues indicated a PSII/PSI reaction-centre stoichiometry that deviates from unity. Cyanobacteria and red algae have a PSII/PSI ratio in the range of 0.3 to 0.7. Chloroplasts from spinach and other vascular-plant species grown under direct sunlight have PSII/PSI = 1.8±0.3. Chlorophyll b -deficient and Chi b -lacking mutants have PSII/PSI > 2. The observation that PSII/PSI ratios are not unity and show a large variation among different photosynthetic membranes appears to be contrary to the conventional assumption derived from the Z-scheme. However, the photosystem stoichiometry is not the only factor that needs to be taken into account to explain the coordination of the two photosystems in the process of linear electron transport. The light-harvesting capacity of each photosystem must also be considered. In cyanobacterial thylakoids (from Synechococcus 6301, PSII/PSI = 0.5±0.2), the phycobilisome-PSII complexes collectively harvest as much light as the PSI complexes. In vascular plant chloroplasts, the light-harvesting capacity of a PSI I complex (250 molecules, Chi a/Chi b = 1.7) is lower than that of a PSI complex (230 Chl, Chl a /Chl b = 8.0) because Chi b has a lower extinction coefficient than Chi a . A differential attenuation of light intensity through the grana further reduces the light absorbed by PSII. Hence, a PSII/PSI ratio greater than one in vascular-plant chloroplasts compensates for the lower absorption of light by individual PSII complexes and ensures that, on average, PSII will harvest about as much light as PSI. In conclusion, distinct light-harvesting strategies among diverse plant species complement widely different photosystem stoichiometries to ensure a balanced absorption of light and a balanced electron flow between the two photoreactions, thereby satisfying the requirement set forth upon the formulation of the Z-scheme by Hill & Bendall ( Nature, Lond. 186, 136-137 (1960)) and by Duysens, Amesz & Kamp ( Nature, Lond . 190, 510-511 (1961)).
On the Organisation of the Fossil Plants of the Coal-Measures. Part XVI

During the last twenty years many single examples of vegetable forms from Carboniferous rocks have come into my possession, which were obviously different from any hitherto described. But I have carefully abstained from publishing such specimens until examples of each multiplied in my cabinet, enabling me to determine how far their apparently distinctive features were constant, and not merely individual, variations. Many such imperfectly known forms still occupy a drawer in my cabinet; but in the present Memoir I propose to describe several of which examples have accumulated so far as to enable me to speak with reasonable certainty as to their specific distinctiveness. In several of my previous memoirs I have from time to time called attention to a curious development of a medulla in the centre of the axial vascular bundle, especially of the Lepidodendra. This was especially done in the Memoir, Part III., when describing the Burntisland Lepidodendron , to which, as was also the case with the Arran form (Part X.), I have not yet ventured to give a specific name.
Lymph Node Harvest During Esophagectomy Is Not Influenced by Use of Neoadjuvant Therapy or Clinical Disease Stage

Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of neoadjuvant therapy on lymph node harvest (LNH), lymph node ratio (LNR), and overall survival rates after esophagectomy. Methods A retrospective analysis of 111 patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal adenocarcinoma from 2001 to 2010 was performed. Patients were divided into two groups: neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy prior to surgery (NEOSURG) versus surgery alone (SURG). Results There were 83 patients (75 %) in the NEOSURG group and 28 (25 %) in the SURG group with a mean age of 66 and 67 years, respectively. The median LNH in the NEOSURG group and SURG group was 16.0 and 15.5, respectively (p=0.57). Within the NEOSURG group, the median LNH was 16 for complete responders, 14 for partial responders, 16 for nonresponders, and 18 in those who were pathologically upstaged (p=0.434). The median LNR was 0, 0, 0.1, and 0.2, respectively (p<0.001). Complete response after neoadjuvant therapy demonstrated a trend toward improved survival (p=0.056). Conclusion TheLNH wasnot significantlyinfluencedbyneoadjuvant treatment orpathologicresponse. The LNRwas inversely related to pathologicresponseafter neoadjuvant therapy.Completepathologicresponsetoneoadjuvant therapy trendstoimprove survival rates.
Gravity anomalies and the structure of western Tibet and the southern Tarim Basin

Gravity anomalies across the western part of the Tarim Basin and the Kunlun mountain belt show that this area is not in local isostatic equilibrium. These data can be explained if a strong plate underlying the Tarim Basin extends southwestward beneath the belt at least 80 km and supports part of the topography of northwest Tibet. This corroborates Norin's inference that late Tertiary crustal shortening has occurred in this area by southward underthrusting of the Tarim Basin beneath the Kunlun. This study places a lower bound on the amount of underthrusting.
The (C III lambda 1909/Si III lambda 1892) Ratio as a Diagnostic for Planetary Nebulae and Symbiotic Stars

Suitable IUE archival material on planetary nebulae has been examined to determine the log R /F(lambda 1909 C III)/F(lambda 1892 Si III)/ as a discriminant for distinguishing planetary nebulae from symbiotic stars and related objects. The mean value of log R for 73 galactic planetaries is 1.4, while that of extragalactic planetaries appears to be slightly lower, and that for symbiotics is 0.3. The lower value of log R for symbiotics is easily understood as a consequence of their higher densities. A plot of log R versus N-epsilon indicates that 80 percent of the planetaries fall into the range of log R between 1.2 and 1.8, but some of the 'peculiar' and bipolar nebulae fall below log R = 1.2. The corresponding N(C++)/N(Si++) ionic ratio varies over a large range.
Pathogenesis of periodontitis.

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease of the periodontium which is characterized by a progressive destruction of the tissues supporting the tooth. Its primary etiology is an ill-defined series of microbial infections which may be composed of only some of the more than 300 species of bacteria currently recognized in the oral cavity. The disease is currently considered to progress as periodic, relatively short episodes of rapid tissue destruction followed by some repair, and prolonged intervening periods of disease remission. Despite the apparent random distribution of episodes of disease activity, the resulting tissue breakdown exhibits a symmetrical pattern of alveolar bone loss and pocket formation which is common to several forms of periodontitis, although the distribution of the most affected teeth and surfaces may vary among diseases (e.g., juvenile periodontitis versus adult periodontitis or rapidly progressive periodontitis). Several reports have indicated that bacterial cells can be found in the pocket wall of periodontitis lesions. The translocation of bacteria into the tissues from the pocket environment is quite common, as evidenced by the common occurrence of bacteremias in patients with periodontitis following relatively minor events such as chewing and oral hygiene procedures. However, it is important to distinguish between the passive introduction of bacteria into periodontal tissues and frank invasion as might occur in an acute infection, since the pathological implications may be quite different.
Nuclear Configurations in the Spin-Orbit Coupling Model. II. Theoretical Considerations

The assumption of short-range attractive forces between identical nucleons in the $jj$ coupling model of nuclear structure is in agreement with the empirically observed spins.
Quantitative measurement of whealing in hypersensitiveness to cold treated with histamine and histaminase

Abstract Quantitative methods are described for studying the whealing response to cold. A case of cold urticaria was treated with graded doses of histamine and histaminase; 50 mg. of histamine and 525 units of histaminase were administered without any effect upon the size of the wheal or its rate of formation after the application of a standard cold stimulus.
An efficient One-Time Password authentication scheme using a smart card

This paper presents a One-Time Password (OTP) mechanism to provide authentication, with particular application to thin clients in wireless networks. Many of the current OTP mechanisms have high client side computation costs, high communication costs, or limited login times. To cope with these problems, this paper proposes a new one-time password scheme using a smart card. In the scheme, we present a novel modification to the Depth-First Search (DFS) based on a unique tree structure to generate a private key. We present a detailed analysis of the proposed scheme using an OpenSSL based implementation.
The Effect of Simultaneous Electron and Kr+ Irradiation on Amorphization of CuTi

CuTi was irradiated with 1-MeV electrons and Kr/sup +/ ions simultaneously at temperatures from 10 to 423 K. Retardation of Kr/sup +/-induced amorphization was observed with simultaneous electron irradiation at 295 and 423 K. The retardation effect increased with increasing irradiation temperature and relative electron-to-Kr dose rate. In contrast, simultaneous irradiation below 100 K showed an additive effect of electron- and Kr/sup +/-induced amorphization. The results can be explained by the mobility point defects introduced by electron irradiation interacting with Kr/sup +/-induced displacement cascades. 6 refs., 6 figs.
Examining mediators of child sexual abuse and sexually transmitted infections.

BACKGROUND Interpersonal violence has increasingly been identified as a risk factor for sexually transmitted infections. Understanding the pathways between violence and sexually transmitted infections is essential to designing effective interventions. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine dissociative symptoms, alcohol use, and intimate partner physical violence and sexual coercion as mediators of child sexual abuse and lifetime sexually transmitted infection diagnosis among a sample of women. METHODS A convenience sample of 202 women was recruited from healthcare settings, with 189 complete cases for analysis. A multiple mediation model tested the proposed mediators of child sexual abuse and lifetime sexually transmitted infection diagnosis. Bootstrapping, a resampling method, was used to test for mediation. Key variables included child sexual abuse, dissociative symptoms, alcohol use, and intimate partner violence. RESULTS Child sexual abuse was reported by 46% of the study participants (n = 93). Child sexual abuse was found to have an indirect effect on lifetime sexually transmitted infection diagnosis, with the effect occurring through dissociative symptoms (95% confidence interval = 0.0033-0.4714) and sexual coercion (95% confidence interval = 0.0359-0.7694). Alcohol use and physical violence were not found to be significant mediators. DISCUSSION This study suggests that dissociation and intimate partner sexual coercion are important mediators of child sexual abuse and sexually transmitted infection diagnosis. Therefore, interventions that consider the roles of dissociative symptoms and interpersonal violence may be effective in preventing sexually transmitted infections among women.
Detection of text marks on moving vehicles

Vehicle text marks are unique features which are useful for identifying vehicles in video surveillance applications. We propose a method for finding such text marks. An existing text detection algorithm is modified such that detection is increased and made more robust to outdoor conditions. False alarm is reduced by introducing a binary image test which remove detections that are not likely to be caused by text. The method is tested on a captured video of a typical street scene.
A Novel Emulator for Discrete-Time MIMO Triply Selective Fading Channels

Hardware implementation of discrete-time triply selective Rayleigh fading channel emulators is proposed for multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) communications. The proposed work differs from existing ones in that it incorporates temporal correlation, intertap correlation, and spatial correlation matrices into multiple uncorrelated frequency-flat fading waveforms to obtain a triply selective fading channel. The flat fading waveforms with temporal correlation or Doppler spectrum are generated using a sum-of-sinusoid method. The intertap correlation matrix associated with multipath delay spread is computed according to the channel power delay profile and transmit/receive filters. The spatial correlation matrices are predefined inputs associated with transmit and receive antenna arrangements. The square roots of the three correlation matrices are computed via singular-value decomposition and then combined in real time with the flat fading waveforms. Several fading channel examples are implemented on an Altera Stratix III EP3SL150F field-programmable gate array (FPGA) DSP development kit with fixed-point arithmetics. A 4-by-4 MIMO triply selective channel with ten correlated delay taps per subchannel utilizes one-third of the hardware resource of the FPGA chip. The statistical properties of the emulated fading waveforms match those of the software-based simulators and the theoretical ones. The proposed method achieves good balance between computational complexity and resource utilization.
Stability and performance analysis with double-graph model of vehicle formations

In this paper, we treat the string stability as a kind of performance of a linear multi-vehicle system with acyclic formation structures. By using a double-graph model, we can describe information flows and formulate the string stability. This paper provides a systematic way to design the local controller and the system control strategy with the performance constrains. We also present the connection failure tolerance problem and give some essential conclusions.
Lessons learned in building a successful undergraduate information systems academic program

Since 1978, the Department of Computer Technology (CPT), an undergraduate computer information systems (CIS) program in Purdue University’s School of Technology, has successfully followed an innovative approach to meeting the critical need for competent, occupationally ready information systems professionals. The department opened its doors in the fall of 1978 to 60 students. Today its enrollment exceeds 500 students in five locations!
Degeneration of vestibular neurons in late embryogenesis of both heterozygous and homozygous BDNF null mutant mice

The generation of mice lacking specific neurotrophins permits evaluation of the trophic requirements of particular neuronal populations throughout development. In the present study, we examined the developing vestibulocochlear system to determine the time course of neurotrophin dependence and to determine whether competition occurred among developing cochlear or vestibular neurons for available amounts of either brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) or neurotrophin-4/5 (NT-4/5). Both cochlear and vestibular neurons were present in mice lacking NT-4/5. In contrast, vestibular neurons decreased in number beginning at mid-stages of inner ear development, in mice lacking BDNF. Early in development (E12.5-13), the size of the vestibular ganglion was normal in bdnf -/- mice. Decreased innervation to vestibular sensory epithelia was detected at E13.5-15, when progressive loss of all afferent innervation to the semicircular canals and reduced innervation to the utricle and saccule were observed. At E16.5-17, there was a reduction in the number of vestibular neurons in bdnf -/- mice. A further decrease in vestibular neurons was observed at P1 and P15. Compared to bdnf -/- mice, mice heterozygous for the BDNF null mutation (bdnf +/-) showed an intermediate decrease in the number of vestibular neurons from E16.5-P15. These data indicate a late developmental requirement of vestibular neurons for BDNF and suggest competition among these neurons for limited supplies of this factor.
Changes of time mean state and variability of hydrology in response to a doubling and quadrupling of CO2

This paper examines the subject of hydrologic variability and its changes in two separate integrations of a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model developed at the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory/NOAA assuming a 1% per year increase to a doubling and quadrupling of CO2, respectively. Changes in time mean state and variability of precipitation, runoff and soil moisture are evaluated using monthly and seasonal mean data derived from these integrations. Various statistical tests are then performed on the resulting time mean and variability changes. The patterns of hydrologic change for these three quantities are similar to those obtained from previous studies. In northern middle to higher latitudes for the time means, the changes include increases in monthly mean precipitation, increases in monthly mean runoff during the fall, winter and spring seasons and decreases of monthly mean soil moisture during summer. Many of these changes are found to be statistically significant at the 5% significance level for both the time mean and variability especially for the results where CO2 is quadrupled such as monthly mean precipitation. Significant changes also include increases of runoff variability during spring, winter and spring and increases of soil moisture variability during the summer season. These results support statements made in previous IPCC reports that increasing greenhouse gases can lead to more severe and frequent floods and droughts depending upon season and latitude. This study also indicates that the approaches to equilibrium of these two integrations, and the resulting hydrologic changes, take place over time scales of hundreds of years in agreement with several previous investigations.
Evaluation of Pedestrian and Driver Behaviors at Countdown Pedestrian Signals in Peoria, Illinois

A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of countdown pedestrian signals on both pedestrian and motorist behaviors at 13 intersections in Peoria, Illinois. The variables tested in this study included the proportion of pedestrians who started crossing the street during the "Walk," flashing "Don't Walk," and steady "Don't Walk" intervals, as well as vehicular positions in the intersection with respect to the traffic signal indication (late in the yellow signal indication and after the red signal indication). A before-and-after study was used at three intersections at which the pedestrian countdown signals were installed. Additionally, five test intersections with countdown pedestrian signals were compared with five control intersections with traditional pedestrian signals. The traffic volumes, geometry, and adjacent land use at the control sites were similar to those at the test sites; however, the control sites did not have the countdown feature. The results of the study indicate that countdown pe...
In Vitro Hydroxyurea Decreases Th1 Cell-Mediated Immunity

Hydroxyurea (HU) is used in the treatment of hematologic disorders and is sometimes added to antiretroviral combination therapy to potentiate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) suppression. However, HU has toxic effects on rapidly dividing cells, including the effectors of the immune response. To determine whether HU affects specific T-cell responses, we measured lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production in response to microbial antigen and mitogen stimulation in the presence of added HU (10 to 1,000 μM). HU treatment of peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from HIV-infected patients and uninfected controls decreased lymphocyte proliferation and gamma interferon production compared with untreated cells. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-10 production was not affected by HU. The HU-mediated decrease of lymphocyte proliferation was similar in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HIV-infected patients and from uninfected controls. The inhibitory effect of HU required continuous exposure to the drug and could be reverted by washing the drug out of the culture environment. These findings suggest that HU-containing therapeutic regimens might decrease Th1-cell-mediated immune responses in vivo.
Attitude Control of Solar Electric Spacecraft by Thruster Gimballing

HE concept of two-axis mechanical gimballing of individual thrusters for attitude control of solar electric spacecraft has been evaluated and determined to be feasible with advantages over other control schemes. The primary advantage of the concept is its high redundancy character and implied reliability. For attitude control purposes, maximum two-axis symmetry should be observed in the thruster configuration to reduce coupling between axes. When an odd number k of thrusters operates, k— 1 thrusters should be arranged in symmetric pairs and the unsymmetric thruster not be used for controlling the thrust axis. The thruster gimballing scheme," together with articulated solar array-mounted celestial sensors, can also be used for reorienting the thrust vector and simultaneously retaining solar array sun orientation.
Lead poisoning from ingestion of Chinese herbal medicine.

A 4-month-old infant was proven to have acute plumbism attributed to the ingestion of lead-containing Chinese herbal medicines. The analyses of 11 brands of Chinese herbal medicines by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry revealed that one of the medicines, Po Ying Tan, made by company A, had a mean lead content of 7.5 mg per unit dose; the other 10 brands had lower but still significant lead contents. In Chinese communities, these medicines are used very frequently, without prescription, for many minor ailments. This practice places a large number of individuals at risk for acute and chronic lead poisoning. Language: en
WDM addressed SOI ring resonator biosensor array

We report a SOI ring resonator biosensor array with 1 reference ring and 4 sensing rings, using WDM as the addressing scheme. On-chip referencing and temperature shift cancellation are demonstrated, and the differential signal shows a low temperature sensitivity of ~ ± 0.8 pm/°C.
Phylogenetic affinities and distribution of the Hawaiian freshwater red algae (Rhodophyta)

The present study documents the nonmarine red algal species present in the Hawaiian Islands, including their distribution patterns and phylogenetic affinities of the most common taxa. Large-scale survey collections of freshwater algae were made throughout the six largest main Hawaiian Islands, resulting in 155 red algal isolates. Of these, 69 were used for molecular analyses, with DNA sequences generated for four markers from three genomes. Phylogenetic affinities with global reference sequences for the two most common taxa, Composopogon caeruleus (Compsopogonales, Rhodophyta) and the form genus Chantransia, were inferred in an effort to determine the origin of Hawaiian populations. Morphometric measurements and cluster analysis were used to assess the congruence between morphology and molecular data among Chantransia lineages. Phylogeographic patterns within Hawaii were examined for the most common form of Chantransia, Batrachospermum arcuatum (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta). Seven species of freshwater ...
Business processes can be software too: some initial lessons learned

The author discusses how his research team at USC has been investigating how and why software process engineering tools and techniques might be applied to problems of understanding and engineering of complex business processes. They have been engaged in process engineering research studies in business domains such as corporate finance, new product development, order fulfilment, supply chain logistics, and military procurement as well as large-scale software development and maintenance. >
The Application of Renal Microdissection to the Study of Kidney Disease in Infancy and Childhood

The methods of renal microdissection are of essential value in the study of kid ney problems in infancy and childhood. Characteristics of nephrons in normal kidneys in the pediatric age group are presented, as well as examples of some of the proximal tubular abnormalities which have been demonstrated in renal disease in infancy and childhood.These illustrations were shown in an Exhibit at the American Association of Urology Meeting and won an Honorable Mention; and at the College of American Pathologists ASCP Meeting where it re ceived the Gold Award in the Educational Division.
Perinatal care: cultural and technical differences between China and the United States.

A comparison of perinatal care in the U.S. and China is presented. Perinatal care has made tremendous achievements in both countries since mid-century. However, the outcomes in the two cultures are different due to the different focus on caring concepts, the strengths of a nursing philosophy, and the emphasis on the nursing role in maternal care. Perinatal family in the U.S. will have advantages in perinatal education physical facilities, and a philosophy of care. North American women have greater access to early prenatal and continuing care, and less infant mortality. Chinese women have less access to qualified nursing services, higher infant mortality rates, and limited perinatal education. Overall, Chinese perinatal care is far behind that which is found in the U.S. This comparison analyzes the strengths and weaknesses in both cultures with a focus on change that will produce healthier and more consistent optimal outcomes.
Multi-Scalar Regionalization, Network Connections and the Development of Yunnan Province, China

Su X. Multi-scalar regionalization, network connections and the development of Yunnan Province, China, Regional Studies. Taking China's Yunnan Province as a study case, this paper analyses the network connections that undergird regional development and how the Yunnan provincial government builds these connections to facilitate multi-scalar regionalization. It is argued that Yunnan's multi-scalar regionalization should not be perceived as a process of inevitable diffusion from the established centres, but as a dynamic process of place-making that entails an assemblage of state institutions and enterprises at various scales. It expands the literature on regional development and sheds light on how China's less developed regions struggle to improve their competitiveness in relation to an increasingly globalized economy.
Claudins: emerging targets for cancer therapy

The claudin (CLDN) family of transmembrane proteins plays a critical role in the maintenance of epithelial and endothelial tight junctions. In addition to their function in preserving the structure of tight junctions, CLDNs might also play a role in the maintenance of the cytoskeleton and in cell signalling. Interestingly, several studies have recently reported specific CLDN family members to be overexpressed in a wide variety of cancer types. Although their functional role in cancer progression remains unclear, the differential expression of these proteins between tumour and normal cells, in addition to their membrane localisation, makes them prime candidates for cancer therapy. Preclinical studies have shown that tumour cells overexpressing CLDNs can be successfully targeted via several approaches, including the use of anti-CLDN antibodies as well as the cytolytic enterotoxin from Clostridium perfringens. Further studies are needed to determine the potential systemic toxicity of this approach considering the ubiquitous expression of CLDNs in the body, but CLDN-targeted therapeutics appear to have promise in the treatment of cancer.
Insights into a dinoflagellate genome through expressed sequence tag analysis

Dinoflagellates are important marine primary producers and grazers and cause toxic "red tides". These taxa are characterized by many unique features such as immense genomes, the absence of nucleosomes, and photosynthetic organelles (plastids) that have been gained and lost multiple times. We generated EST sequences from non-normalized and normalized cDNA libraries from a culture of the toxic species Alexandrium tamarense to elucidate dinoflagellate evolution. Previous analyses of these data have clarified plastid origin and here we study the gene content, annotate the ESTs, and analyze the genes that are putatively involved in DNA packaging. Approximately 20% of the 6,723 unique (11,171 total 3'-reads) ESTs data could be annotated using Blast searches against GenBank. Several putative dinoflagellate-specific mRNAs were identified, including one novel plastid protein. Dinoflagellate genes, similar to other eukaryotes, have a high GC-content that is reflected in the amino acid codon usage. Highly represented transcripts include histone-like (HLP) and luciferin binding proteins and several genes occur in families that encode nearly identical proteins. We also identified rare transcripts encoding a predicted protein highly similar to histone H2A.X. We speculate this histone may be retained for its role in DNA double-strand break repair. This is the most extensive collection to date of ESTs from a toxic dinoflagellate. These data will be instrumental to future research to understand the unique and complex cell biology of these organisms and for potentially identifying the genes involved in toxin production.
Characterization of storage workload traces from production Windows Servers

The scarcity of publicly available storage workload traces of production servers impairs characterization, modeling research, and development efforts across the storage industry. Twelve sets of storage traces from a diverse set of Microsoft Corporation production servers were captured using ETW (event tracing for windows) instrumentation. Windows server 2008 dramatically increases the breadth and depth of ETW instrumentation, and new trace capture and visualization tools are available in the Windows Performance Tools kit. Additional analytical tools were developed to analyze and visualize traces captured from Exchange, software build and release, Live Maps, MSN storage, security authentication, and display advertisement platform servers. This paper contains a first set of characterizations for these traces, including simple block-level statistics, multi-parameter distributions, rankings of file access frequencies, and more complex analyses such as temporal and spatial self-similarity measurements. Trace data visualizations enable the examination of workload parameters, subcomponents, phases, and deviations from predicted behavior.
Allocating government education expenditures across K-12 and college education

As of the late 1990s, public spending on education in the US comprised approximately 7.1% of GDP; about 60% of that support was directed at K-12 education and the remainder at college education. We investigate the welfare and output implications of this spending in a theoretical model in which agents of differential innate ability choose whether to pursue higher education. Higher ability agents support greater expenditures at both the K-12 and college levels. When public education expenditures are low, all agents prefer that spending be directed solely to K-12 education; when expenditures are high, all prefer that some spending be allocated to college education.
Cytologic separation of branchial cleft cyst from metastatic cystic squamous cell carcinoma: A multivariate analysis of nineteen cytomorphologic features

Background The separation of branchial cleft cysts from metastatic cystic squamous cell carcinomas in adults can be clinically and cytologically challenging. Diagnostic accuracy for separation is reported to be as low as 75% prompting some authors to recommend frozen section evaluation of suspected branchial cleft cysts before resection. We evaluated 19 cytologic features to determine which were useful in this distinction. Methods Thirty-three cases (21 squamous carcinoma and 12 branchial cysts) of histologically confirmed cystic lesions of the lateral neck were graded for the presence or absence of 19 cytologic features by two cytopathologists. The cytologic features were analyzed for agreement between observers and underwent multivariate analysis for correlation with the diagnosis of carcinoma. Results Interobserver agreement was greatest for increased nuclear/cytoplasmic (N/C) ratio, pyknotic nuclei, and irregular nuclear membranes. Recursive partitioning analysis showed increased N/C ratio, small clusters of cells, and irregular nuclear membranes were the best discriminators. Conclusion The distinction of branchial cleft cysts from cystic squamous cell carcinoma is cytologically difficult. Both digital image analysis and p16 testing have been suggested as aids in this separation, but analysis of cytologic features remains the main method for diagnosis. In an analysis of 19 cytologic features, we found that high nuclear cytoplasmic ratio, irregular nuclear membranes, and small cell clusters were most helpful in their distinction. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.