cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prediction model for brain metastasis (BM) in patients with metastatic germ-cell tumors (mGCT) accounting for size of pulmonary metastases.

378Background: BM is an independent adverse prognostic factor that can lead to treatment complications and failure in pts with mGCT. We aimed to establish an effective and practical BM prediction m...
Uncommon Outcome from a Common Procedure: A Case of Cerebral Salt Wasting After Uncomplicated Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy

Introduction: Cerebral Salt-Wasting (CSWS) is characterized by hyponatremia and sodium wasting in the urine This entity is triggered by various neurosurgical disorders such as subarachnoid hemorrhage and brain surgery. To our knowledge, CSW caused by uncomplicated endoscopic third ventriculostomy (EVT) for treatment of non-communicating hydrocephalus has not been reported. Case Report:A 9-year-old female was admitted to the hospital for breakthrough seizure. She has past medical history of prematurity, congenital hydrocephalus, ventriculostomy at 2 years of age and mild developmental delay but had been lost to follow up. On examination, she had frontal bossing, macrocephaly and severe developmental delay. MRI showed enlarged lateral and …
The Writing Process Photo Essay

This article describes and reflects on experiences teaching students to compose a “Writing Process Photo Essay” in the context of an upper-division college writing course that satisfies a campus-wide writing requirement. As the culmination of a quarter-long student inquiry into their own writing processes, this multimodal assignment asks students to combine text and images to help them reflect on the environments, tools, habits and routines that surround their writing activity. This assignment takes its inspiration from calls for renewed scholarly attention to material and embodied aspects of writing process. In the end, this assignment creates opportunities for students to recognize, reflect, and reimagine their own writing activity in school contexts and beyond.
Robotics Education as an Integrator Tool

Robots and robot technology have been used widely across disciplines at the postsecondary level, but have not gained traction at the secondary (K-12) level. In higher education, for example, mechanical engineers design the kinematics of a robot, the electrical engineers determine electrical needs, and the industrial and systems engineers determine best use in optimizing production. At the secondary level, courses are taught in a “silo” format and seem unrelated resulting in students wondering why some subjects are required. The robot is appealing as an integrator of courses because of permeation across the subject matter. Although the typical subject matters referred to when robots are in discussion are science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), other subject areas such as language, geography, medicine, and art are easily integrate-able. The ability of robot technology to use knowledge across fields of study and across all levels of education is valuable. The ability of robot education to cut across the discipline’s knowledge helps to show interconnectedness, interdependence, and relevance of courses. The ability to scale the robot education from elementary to college creates a platform for continued growth. In addition, robot technology can be customized to local economy or needs. This chapter presents three case studies that were conducted to reach 5th- and 6th-grade students in three different continents. The case studies, though conducted at different times using different research methods, offer a glimpse of not only the interaction of subject matter, but also a larger aspect of value of education.
Dietary phosphorus level regulates appetite through modulation of gut and hypothalamic expression of anorexigenic genes in broiler chickens

ABSTRACT Two experiments were designed to elucidate gut and hypothalamic molecular regulation of appetite by dietary phosphorus (P) concentration in broiler chickens. Birds (192 Cobb-500 broiler chickens) were randomly assigned to 3 experimental diets in experiment 1 (Exp. 1) and 24 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups in Exp. 2. Each diet comprised 8 replicate cages, with either 8 birds (Exp. 1) or 1 bird (Exp. 2) per replicate cage. In Exp. 1, diets contained 1.2 (P-deficient), 2.8 (P-marginal) or 4.4 (P-adequate) g/kg non-phytate P (nPP). In Exp. 2, birds fed the P-adequate diet was pair-fed (PF) to the feed consumption levels of birds fed the P-deficient diet. Feed intake and BW gain (P
Collaborative Decision Approach for Electricity Pricing-demand Response Stackelberg Game

Demand response programs are considered as a valuable resource in smart grids that provide several advantages of load shifting, peak load reduction, mediating intermittency of renewable energy integration, etc. Flexible price-based incentives have been recognized as a critical strategy in motivating and compensating consumers’ load adjustment actions for a successful implementation of demand response. Game theoretical approaches, especially Stackelberg games are popularly adopted to model the relationship between electricity price and customers’ demand response and solved by the classical centralized backward induction (BI) method. However, the BI method generally requires convexity of the follower’s model for necessary optimality conditions, and the computational time of any centralized approach increases sharply with larger problem instances. In this paper, the Stackelberg game of electricity pricing-demand response between a distribution system operator (DSO) and load aggregators (LAs) is decomposed based on a collaborative optimization (CO) framework, where each LA is treated as a discipline with its own domain constraints (e.g. building temperature control), while the DSO at the system level tries to reduce the solution discrepancy and guide the searching towards optimality. Several groups of comparison experiments have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed collaborative decision approach in solving the demand response game.
Surgical Management of Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is a progressive disease, which may lead to severe right ventricular dysfunction and debilitating symptoms. Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) provides the best opportunity for complete resolution of obstructing thromboembolic disease and functional improvement in appropriately selected patients. In this article, the authors review preoperative workup, patient selection, operative technique, postoperative care, and outcomes after PTE.
Logical Linguistic and Affective Prosodic Speech

Most intimate to the localization controversy was Paul Broca’s (1861) discovery of the role of the left inferior posterior frontal region or frontal operculum in expressed speech and the derivation of the fluency construct in the neuropsychological literature. The impact of this discovery was taken to the next level with the subsequent legendary conclusion, derived by Broca, when he stated “We speak with the left brain.” Later, Wernicke (1874) extended our knowledge of the logical, linguistic analysis of speech with his presentation of a fluent patient with impaired comprehension or impaired meaning as a result of a superior left temporal lobe lesion. It is now fully common within the neurosciences to appreciate the left brain’s specialization for logical linguistic or “propositional” speech; the role of “Broca’s area” in fluent speech expression; and the role of “Wernicke’s area” in speech comprehension or the provision of meaningful speech. Indeed, the layperson is instructed to appreciate changes in speech as a primary warning feature of an impending or actual stroke, where a rapid presentation to the emergency room and perhaps treatment with a blood thinner such as tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) may alter the outcome or prognosis as with a nonhemorrhagic event or with regional cerebral infarction.
Permanent Income, Import Prices, and the Demand for Imported Consumer Durbales: A Structural Econometric Investigation

This paper derives a rational expectations, permanent income model of the demand for imported consumer durable goods. Assuming that the preferences of the representative household are addilog, our model implies that the log of the exact but unobservable utility index of permanent income must in equilibrium be cointegrated with log consumption of nondurables. Using nondurables consumption as our noisy proxy for permanent income, we estimate that log nondurables consumption, the log relative price of durables imports, and log spending on durables imports are cointegrated, and that this cointegrating vector exactly identifies the model's structural parameters. We are unable to reject the essential empirical implications of the model, and obtain sensible estimates of the price and income elasticities of the demand for imported consumer durables. In particular, we find that consumer durables imports are quite price elastic in the long run, and that the permanent income elasticity of imported durable goods demand averages 2.3.
Dynamic Wavelength Routing in WDM Networks via Ant Colony Optimization

This study considers the routing and wavelength assignment problem (RWA) in optical wavelength-division-multiplexed networks. The focus is dynamic traffic, in which the number of wavelengths per fiber is fixed. We minimize connection blocking using an ant-colony-optimization (ACO) algorithm that quantifies the importance of combining path-length and congestion information in making routing decisions to minimize total network connection blocking. The ACO algorithm achieves lower blocking rates than an exhaustive search over all available wavelengths for the shortest path.
Multipulse controller signals

We apply minimum time as an optimality criterion for human saccadic eye movements. This constrains the class of admissable controller signals to those taking only their maximum and minimum values. We then assume set numbers of switchings between maximum and minimum for each extraocular muscle, and explore the space of switching times to find the fastest model-generated trajectory, for each number of switches. We find that controller signals with bursts of antagonist "braking" activity cause much faster movements than do simple pulse-step patterns, and that signals with an extra pulse of agonist innervation produce still faster movements. The slight increase in speed for still more pulses is at the expense of unreasonably short final pulses. The use of the global optimization algorithm confirms and extends our previous study of multipulse control using a parallel processor.
Approximate treatment of correlations in nuclear spectroscopy: (II). Two-nucleon transfer in the lead region

Abstract The effect of ground state correlations on calculated two-nucleon transfer cross sections for the reactions (p, t), (t, p), ( 3 He, p) an ( 3 He, n) in the lead region is investigated. The sensitivity to ground state correlations is isolated by comparing calculated DWBA cross sections obtained by using two-nucleon shell-model (2n SM) states with those obtained by using two-nucleon random-phase approximation (2n RPA) state descriptions. The correlations obtained in a 2n RPA calculation produce strong enhancements of the calculated ground state to ground state transitions involving the transfer of two identical particles over the same transitions calculated without correlations. In addition, certain other transitions are substantially affected while others are unaltered. The sensitivity of the calculated cross sections to the model and the choice of effective interaction is investigated and compared with the sensitivity of other calculated quantities.
Which Operation for Trigeminal Neuralgia

INTRODUCTION Trigeminal neuralgia is a severe, debilitating facial pain disorder that has driven some to suicide when unable to obtain relief. Afflicted patients often describe the pain as ‘shocking’, ‘lightning’, or ‘electric’. If a patient describes pain in the face with words such as these, the diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia should be at the top of the differential diagnosis. Historically, treatment has ranged from poultices and salves to injecting boiling water into the cheek to kill the nerve. The introduction of carbamazepine brought successful medical management to many, but adverse effects, and gradual development of refractory pain, mean that some patients still require invasive procedures to achieve pain control. The goal is to identify the point at which surgical intervention should be considered, and then to guide the choice of procedure. MEDICAL MANAGEMENT First line therapy for trigeminal neuralgia is carbamazepine (Tegretol). If the patient cannot tolerate carbamazepine, other anticonvulsants
Phosphorylation regulates myo-inositol 3-phosphate synthase: A novel regulatory mechanism of inositol biosynthesis (LB190)

Myo-inositol phosphate synthase (MIPS) plays a crucial role in inositol homeostasis. Transcription of the coding gene INO1 is highly regulated. However, regulation of the enzyme is not well defined. We previously showed that MIPS is indirectly inhibited by valproate (VPA), suggesting that the enzyme is post-translationally regulated. Using 32Pi - labeling and phosphoamino acid analysis, we show that yeast MIPS is a phosphoprotein. Mass spectrometry analysis identified five phosphosites, three of which are conserved in the human MIPS. Analysis of phosphorylation-deficient and phosphomimetic site-mutants indicated that the three conserved sites in yeast (S184, S296, and S374) and human (S177, S279, and S357) affect MIPS activity. Both S296A and S296D yeast mutants and S177A and S177D human mutants exhibited decreased enzymatic activity, suggesting that a serine residue is critical at that location. The phosphomimetic mutations S184D (human S279D) and S374D (human S357D) but not the phospho-deficient mutatio...
Increasing visibility for LGBTQ students: What schools can do to create inclusive classroom communities

The number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students is increasing in schools. School districts, administrators and teachers need to increase awareness of these students and work to make them feel included and welcomed in a safe school environment, one free from offensive languages and practices. This article discusses some of the problems that these students and teachers face and some strategies that educators can use to help them be a valuable part of a learning community.
The role of reactant rotation and rotational alignment in the dissociative chemisorption of hydrogen in Ni(100)

Abstract We have carried out classical trajectory calculations on the dissociative chemisorption of H2(0, j) on Ni(100). Above threshold, the results are found to be in good agreement with a recent mixed quantum-classical treatment. We find that rotational effects in direct chemisorption reactions can be explained by the same concepts which have been employed in gas phase reactions.
Adaptive parametric spectral estimation with Kalman smoothing for online early seizure detection

Tracking spectral changes in neural signals, such as local field potentials (LFPs) and scalp or intracranial electroencephalograms (EEG, iEEG), is an important problem in early detection and prediction of seizures. Most approaches have focused on either parametric or nonparametric spectral estimation methods based on moving time windows. Here, we explore an adaptive (time-varying) parametric ARMA approach for tracking spectral changes in neural signals based on the fixed-interval Kalman smoother. We apply the method to seizure detection based on spectral features of intracortical LFPs recorded from a person with pharmacologically intractable focal epilepsy. We also devise and test an approach for real-time tracking of spectra based on the adaptive parametric method with the fixed-interval Kalman smoother. The order of ARMA models is determined via the AIC computed in moving time windows. We quantitatively demonstrate the advantages of using the adaptive parametric estimation method in seizure detection over nonparametric alternatives based exclusively on moving time windows. Overall, the adaptive parametric approach significantly improves the statistical separability of interictal and ictal epochs.
Experimental and theoretical studies on collision-broadened lines in the v4-fundamental of methane

High-resolution experimental and theoretical studies performed earlier by us on the collision-broadened rotational lines in the nu-3 and 2nu-3 bands of methane have been repeated on the lines in the nu-4 fundamental of the molecule. Line-width measurements and computations, as well as line-shape measurements, indicate that the significant differences which exist between the rotational term values of the nu-3 and nu-4 vibrational levels have no observable effect on the collision-broadening mechanism. Using the predictions of line-widths, based on the Anderson-Tsao-Curnutte theory in the extended version of Tejwani for octopolar molecules, the theoretical dependence of line-widths on temperature has been calculated for CH4-CH4, CH4-H2 and CH4-He collisions.
Empiric oral monotherapy for hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia: an idea whose time has come.

In the past, patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) were treated entirely with parenteral antibiotics. Traditionally, severe communityacquired pneumonia (SCAP) was treated with intravenously administered antibiotics, and, by extension, this type of therapy was also administered to hospitalized patients with moderately severe community-acquired pneumonia (MSCAP). As more oral antimicrobial agents with the appropriate spectrum to treat CAP became available, infectious disease clinicians interested in antimicrobial therapy and pharmacokinetics began to use oral antimicrobial therapy in hospitalized patients. Decades ago, Dr. Harold Neu of the Columbia College of Physicians Surgeons, an authority on antimicrobial therapy and a pioneer in applying pharmacokinetic principles to the optimization of antimicrobial therapy, was the first to use oral antibiotics extensively in the intensive care setting to treat a variety of infectious diseases. He had antibiotic capsules/tablets administered orally via a nasogastric tube in the intensive care unit. He and others learned that orally administered antibiotics, even in critically ill patients, are absorbed with essentially the same efficiency and completeness that occurs in healthy individuals.
Expression and distribution of glucocorticoid receptors in the ovine fetal adrenal cortex: effect of long-term hypoxia.

This study was designed to determine if long-term hypoxia (LTH) alters adrenal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression in the ovine fetal adrenal cortex. Ewes were maintained at 3820 m from ∼30 to 138 to 140 days’ gestation, and fetal adrenals were collected. Western analysis revealed two ∼94-kDa GR-α isoforms and a lower molecular weight (45 kDa) form. A decreasing trend in the ratio of 94-kDa/45-kDa bands following LTH suggested an increase in GR turnover. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated dense GR staining in the zona glomerulosa with minimal staining in the zona fasciculata in the control group, while dense staining was observed throughout the cortex in LTH. Western analysis and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction confirmed that the GR-β isoform is not present or expressed at extremely low levels in the fetal adrenal, hypothalamus, pituitary, and placenta. These data indicate that LTH alters GR-α function in the fetal adrenal cortex and suggest that GR-β is not expressed in sheep.
High-power multiwavelength Er/sup 3+/-Yb/sup 3+/ codoped double-cladding fiber ring laser

A high-power simultaneous multiwavelength lasing in an Er/sup 3+/-Yb/sup 3+/ codoped double-cladding fiber (EYCDF) ring laser is demonstrated based on a wavelength-dependent filter through spatial mode beating within the multimode fiber section. We have investigated the relationship between the lasing wavelengths and the length of the EYCDFs. The experimental results indicate that both the number of lasing wavelength lines and the spacing between two adjacent lasing lines can be controlled by the changes of the lasing light polarization states.
Millimeter wave and optical comparisons for satellite communication

Millimeter wave systems in the 30 - 47, 95 - 100, and 140 GHz regions are found attractive for satellite communications on the basis of expected cost per information bit. Loss comparisons with optical systems may be found with Chu and Hogg's analysis. Chan's economic comparison of millimeter wave and optical systems implies that 10 micron systems may be competitive for cloud thickness less than 300 meters.
Synthesis of all optically active spermine macrocycle, (S)-6-(hydroxymethyl)-1,5,10,14-tetraazacyclooctadecane, and its complexation to ATP

The title compound was prepared in high yield from L-ornithine via a Richman-Atkins type macrocyclization. 31P-NMR binding studies indicate formation of a 1:1 complex of the protonated macrocycle with ATP.
Science linking environmental contaminant exposures with fertility and reproductive health impacts in the adult female

Study Objective To broadly review the recent literature linking environmental factors and adult female reproductive health for the UCSF–CHE Summit on Environmental Challenges to Reproductive Health and Fertility. Design Reviewed articles indexed in PubMed from 1999–2007 addressing environment and puberty, menstrual and ovarian function, fertility, and menopause. Result(s) The strongest evidence of environmental contaminant exposures interfering with healthy reproductive function in adult females is for heavy metals, particularly lead. Compounds that can influence hormone function, including pesticides and persistent pollutants, are also associated with risk. The pattern of effects for these endocrine-active compounds is often complex, with no clear dose response, but alterations in function and poor reproductive health outcomes are observed. From a clinical perspective, most modifiable risk appears to be associated with exposures in unique populations (contaminated fish consumers) or occupational groups (farmworkers). Many compounds have demonstrated increased risks for reproductive health impairment in women, but the literature is largely cross-sectional in nature and too sparse or inconclusive to support causal inference. Conclusion(s) Reproductive function in adult females is impaired by lead exposure. Pesticides and persistent pollutants can alter hormone function resulting in adverse reproductive health effects. Coordinated research is needed to address contaminant effects across the life span.
Realtime motion detection based on the spatio-temporal median filter using GPU integral histograms

Motion detection using background modeling is a widely used technique in object tracking. To meet the demands of real-time multi-target tracking applications in large and/or high resolution imagery fast parallel algorithms for motion detection are desirable. One common method for background modeling is to use an adaptive 3D median filter that is updated appropriately based on the video sequence. We describe a parallel 3D spatiotemporal median filter algorithm implemented in CUDA for many core Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) architectures using the integral histogram as a building block to support adaptive window sizes. Both 2D and 3D median filters are also widely used in many other computer vision tasks like denoising, segmentation, and recognition. Although fast sequential median algorithms exist, improving performance using parallelization is attractive to reduce the time needed for motion detection in order to support more complex processing in multi-target tracking systems, large high resolution aerial video imagery and 3D volumetric processing. Results show the frame rate of the GPU implementation was 60 times faster than the CPU version for a 1K x 1K image reaching 49 fr/sec and 21 times faster for 512 x 512 frame sizes reaching 194 fr/sec. We characterize performance of the parallel 3D median filter for different image sizes and varying number of histogram bins and show selected results for motion detection.
Predictable Communication and Migration in the Quest-V Separation Kernel

Quest-V is a separation kernel, which partitions a system into a collection of sandboxes. Each sandbox encapsulates one or more processing cores, a region of machine physical memory, and a subset of I/O devices. Quest-V behaves like a distributed system on a chip, using explicit communication channels to exchange data and migrate addresses spaces between sandboxes, which operate like traditional hosts. This design has benefits in safety-critical systems, which require continued availability in the presence of failures. Additionally, online faults can be recovered without rebooting an entire system. However, the programming model for such a system is more complicated. Each sandbox has its own local scheduler, and threads must communicate using message passing with those in remote sandboxes. Similarly, address spaces may need to be migrated between sandboxes, to ensure newly forked processes do not violate the feasibility of existing local task schedules. Migration may also be needed to move a thread closer to its required resources, such as I/O devices that are not directly available in the local sandbox. This paper describes how Quest-V performs real-time communication and migration without violating service guarantees for existing threads.
Connected histories, power and meaning: Transnational forces in the construction of collective identities

The construction of collective identities is central to Shmuel N.Eisenstadt’scomparative research program, as reflected in his studies of civilizations and multiple modernities. This article suggests the theoretical relevance of bridging comparative and transnational studies, calling attention to the impact of connected histories in processes of crystallization of collective identities. Focusing on Central America, this analysis shows that, following independence, the societies of this region found it hard to articulate distinct identities; they came to such issues belatedly, almost by default; and were unable to completely disengage from transnational forces that pulled them together time and again. It thus indicates how societies oftenlead a Janus-faced dynamics in constructing their visions of collective membership, which can only be followed by taking into account transnational undercurrents at worklong before the onset of recent cycles of globalization.
Feasibility of detecting neutrinoless double-beta decay between pairs of single-beta emitters.

New experiments are suggested to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay between pairs of single-beta emitters. This addresses the Majorana mass of the neutrino. The electron capture decay mode for single-beta emitters is much easier to investigate than the previously considered beta-decay modes. The experimental problems introduced by the bremsstrahlung background are examined. Actual implementation of these experiments appears somewhat beyond current technical means.
A law of corresponding states for the superfluid fraction of He II

Abstract The superfluid fraction ϱ s /ϱ in He II has been accurately measured at more than 400 points throughout the P - T plane above 1.2 K and is found to be a universal function of the reduced temperature T / T λ ( P ).
Time Available Does Not Limit High School Lunch Participation Rate

Abstract Concerns have been raised that students are not provided with enough time to receive and consume their lunches. A field research method was employed in two high schools in Plattsbttfga-, NY (PL) and Ellensburg, WA (EL) to determine waiting time in service line (WSL), waiting time in cashier line (WCL), and travel time to the eating area (TTEA), the sum of these resulted in total student waiting time (TSWT). Opportunity time to eat (OTE), was also measured which consisted of consumption time (CT) and non-consumption time (NCT). 2560 student observations were made over 20 days of data collection. The lunch period in EL consisted of two, 35minute lunch periods. PL provided three, 44minute lunch periods. Participation rate in the school lunch program was higher in PL than EL (37.5% versus 16%) largely because of a larger number of free and reduced meals (PL: 121.5 ± 4.8 daily meals; EL: 59.2 ± 4.2 daily meals, (all data are mean + SD), p
ADDITIONAL RHINOVIRUS SEROTYPES.

SummaryFifty-two rhinovirus strains were isolated from 672 cases of acute respiratory illness in children and adults and 4 strains were recovered from well controls. Respiratory disease cases among adults which yielded a rhinovirus were nearly all upper respiratory illness (common cold) whereas the cases among children often showed lower respiratory tract involvement. Nearly all cases revealed a homotypic neutralizing antibody response during convalescence. Among the total 56 strains isolated, 20 new serotypes were found. These 20 new types added to the 20 types described previously by our laboratory and 13 types recognized by other workers bring the total number of known serotypes to 53. The extreme diversity of serotypes among rhinoviruses goes far toward explaining the recurrent nature of the common cold and emphasizes the likely difficulty for development of effective vaccines for protection against this syndrome.We are indebted to Drs. S. M. Hoch, W. Freeborn, H. H. Palmer, Merck and Co., and to Drs....
Acid Precipitation: What is it Doing to our forests?

A serious form of acid-induced ecological damage may be affecting forests in Europe and North America. Because forests and forestry products are a vital part of these regions' economies, the outcome of continuing research could dictate the direction of governmental response to acid deposition both at home and abroad.
Effects of deformation on shielding currents in YBa2Cu3O7

Abstract Magnetization data from magnetically aligned deformed YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ powder shows that the superconducting currents are disrupted in the ab plane by intracrystalline fractures and in the c-axis direction by dislocation arrays. Upon re-sintering at 900°C, the dislocation arrays are replaced by stacking faults which do not disrupt the superconducting currents.
Evaluation of the Lytic Origins of Replication of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Virus/Human Herpesvirus 8 in the Context of the Viral Genome

The lytic origins of DNA replication for human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), oriLyt-L and oriLyt-R, are located between open reading frames K4.2 and K5 and ORF69 and vFLIP, respectively. These lytic origins were elucidated using a transient replication assay. Although this assay is a powerful tool for identifying many herpesvirus lytic origins, it is limited in its ability to evaluate the activity of replication origins in the context of the viral genome. To this end, we investigated the ability of a recombinant HHV8 bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) to replicate in the absence of oriLyt-R, oriLyt-L, or both oriLyt regions. We generated the HHV8 BAC recombinants (BAC36-ΔOri-R, BAC36-ΔOri-L, and BAC36-ΔOri-RL), which removed one or all of the identified lytic origins. An evaluation of these recombinant BACs revealed that oriLyt-L was sufficient to propagate the viral genome, whereas oriLyt-R alone failed to direct the amplification of viral DNA.
Molecular cloning and functional expression of a human intestinal lactoferrin receptor.

Lactoferrin (Lf), a major iron-binding protein in human milk, has been suggested to have multiple biological roles such as facilitating iron absorption, modulating the immune system, embryonic development, and cell proliferation. Our previous binding studies suggested the presence of a specific receptor for Lf (LfR) in the small intestine of newborn infants, which may facilitate iron absorption. We here report the cloning and the functional expression of the human intestinal LfR and the evidence of its involvement in iron metabolism. The entire coding region of the LfR cDNA was cloned by PCR based on amino acid sequences of the purified native LfR (nLfR). The recombinant LfR (rLfR) was then expressed in a baculovirus−insect cell system and purified by immobilized human Lf (hLf) affinity chromatography where binding of hLf to the rLfR was partially Ca2+ dependent. The apparent molecular mass was 136 kDa under nonreducing conditions and 34 kDa under reducing conditions. 125I-hLf bound to the rLfR with an ap...
USE OF MYCOBACTERIAL SMEARS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN AIDS/ARC PATIENTS

Pulmonary tuberculosis in AIDS/ARC patients is an increasing problem. To assess the utility of acid-fast smears of pulmonary secretions in this patient population, we evaluated 38 AIDS/ARC patients with culture-positive pulmonary infection. A control group consisted of 57 non-AIDS/ARC patients, who also did not belong to an AIDS risk group, diagnosed during the same period. The number of culture-positive sputum samples evaluated per patient was similar in both groups (3.82 ±3.11 AIDS/ARC vs 4.47 ±2.83 control group). Significantly fewer AIDS/ARC patients, 45 percent, however, had a positive acid-fast smear compared with the control group, 81 percent (p
Occurrence of inorganic elements in condensed volatile matter emitted from coal pyrolysis and their contributions to the formation of ultrafine particulates during coal combustion

Coal pyrolysis is the first step during coal combustion, when the injected coal particles swell to release the volatile matter (VM) at a very short residence time. Simultaneously, the organically bound fraction of inherent metals is likely emitted out too. To prove the presence of organically bound metals in coals, five bituminous coals and one anthracite coal from China were pyrolyzed in N2 in a lab-scale drop tube furnace. The gas temperature in furnace was about 900−1400 K so that almost all the inorganic elements except those containing Na hardly vaporized. The emitted VM was collected by a low-pressure impactor. The results indicate that the condensed VM (CVM) smaller than 1.0 μm has an amorphous carbon structure, which contains the inorganic elements too. Sulfur is the most prevalent, followed by sodium, silicon, chlorine, calcium, and others in the decreasing order. Apart from a portion of sodium in form of NaCl, all the inorganic elements are organically bound with CVM as determined by both TEM-ED...
Automatically extracting multilingual information to support international business decision making

Corporate decision makers can gain competitive advantage if they have comprehensive information. This information can be found in many forms and from many sources nationally and internationally. Searching and gathering of this information is time consuming and labour intensive. In this research, we propose a technique to automatically perform these tasks using text mining tools that search, translate and extract information from online documents. Updated information produced by these tools will be current and accessible by all levels of management.
Design of a Microscale Breather for Two-Phase Thermal Management Devices

Two-phase microchannels promise an efficient method to dissipate heat from high performance electronic systems by utilizing the latent heat of vaporization during the phase-change process. However, phase-change in microchannel heat sinks leads to challenges that are not present in macroscale systems due to the increasing importance of surface tension and viscous forces. In particular, flow instabilities often occur during the boiling process, which lead to liquid dry-out in the microchannels and severely limits the heat removal capabilities of the system. We propose a microscale breather device consisting of an array of hydrophobic breather ports which allow vapor bubbles to escape from the microchannels to improve flow stability. In this study, we use the combination of microfabricated structures and surface chemistry to separate vapor from the liquid flow. We designed test devices that allow for cross-sectional optical visualization to better understand the governing parameters of a breather design with high vapor removal efficiencies and minimal liquid leakage. We examined breather devices with average liquid velocities ranging from 0.5 cm/s to 4 cm/s and breather vacuum levels between 1 kPa and 9 kPa on the maximum gas removal rate through the breather. We demonstrated successful breather performance. In addition, a model was developed that offers design guidelines for future integrated breathers in microchannel heat sinks. The breathers also have significant promise for other microscale systems, such as micro-fuel cells, where liquid-vapor separation can significantly enhance system performance.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
CENP-A associated complex satellite DNA in the kinetochore of the Indian muntjac

The centromere/kinetochore complex is a chromosomal assembly that mediates chromosome motility and mitotic regulation by interacting with microtubules of the mitotic spindle apparatus. Centromere protein A (CENP-A) is a histone H3 homolog that is concentrated in the chromatin of the inner kinetochore plate of human chromosomes. To identify DNA sequences associated with the inner kinetochore plate, we used anticentromere autoantibodies to immunoprecipitate CENP-A associated chromatin selectively from Indian muntjac fibroblasts. DNA was cloned from immunoprecipitated CENP-A- associated chromatin and characterized by DNA sequence and hybridization analyses. A novel centromeric satellite DNA sequence was identified and shown by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis to be present at all centromeres of the Indian muntjac. This satellite DNA constitutes a 972 bp monomer repeat and shows partial homology with satellite II DNA of the white-tailed deer. Southern blot analysis of muntjac genomic DNA suggests that this satellite DNA is present in repetitive tandem arrays and contains complex internal arrangements. In conjunction with previous work showing the association of CENP-A with human α-satellite DNA, we conclude that the mammalian inner kinetochore plate contains a unique form of chromatin that contains CENP-A in association with complex satellite DNA.
Modified vaccinia Ankara expressing survivin combined with gemcitabine generates specific antitumor effects in a murine pancreatic carcinoma model.

Survivin is overexpressed by 70–80% of pancreatic cancers, and is associated with resistance to chemotherapy and a poor prognosis. Gemcitabine has been a standard treatment for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer for a decade. Recent reports have demonstrated that gemcitabine treatment attenuates the tumor-suppressive environment by eliminating CD11b+/Gr-1+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). We hypothesize that a cancer vaccine targeting survivin can achieve enhanced efficacy when combined with gemcitabine. In this study, we tested this hypothesis using modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) expressing full-length murine survivin. The poorly immunogenic mouse pancreas adenocarcinoma cell line, Pan02, which expresses murine survivin and is syngeneic to C57BL/6, was used for this study. Immunization with MVA-survivin resulted in a modest therapeutic antitumor effect on established Pan02 tumors. When administered with gemcitabine, MVA-survivin immunization resulted in significant tumor regression and prolonged survival. The enhanced vaccine efficacy was associated with decreased CD11b+/Gr-1+ MDSCs. To analyze the survivin-specific immune response to MVA-survivin immunization, we utilized a peptide library of 15mers with 11 residues overlapping from full-length murine survivin. Splenocytes from mice immunized with MVA-survivin produced intracellular γ-interferon in response to in vitro stimulation with the overlapping peptide library. Increased survivin-specific CD8+ T cells that specifically recognized the Pan02 tumor line were seen in mice treated with MVA-survivin and gemcitabine. These data suggest that vaccination with MVA-survivin in combination with gemcitabine represents an attractive strategy to overcome tumor-induced peripheral immune tolerance, and this effect has potential for clinical benefit in pancreatic cancer.
CFD predictions of standby liquid control system mixing in lower plenum of a BWR

Abstract During an anticipated transient without scram (ATWS) scenario in certain boiling water reactor (BWR) systems, a standby liquid control system (SLCS) is used to inject a sodium pentaborate solution into the reactor system in order to quickly shut down (scram) the reactor without the use of the control rods. Some BWR designs utilize a SLCS that injects through a set of nozzles on a vertical pipe in the peripheral region of the lower plenum of the reactor vessel. During the scenario, system water levels are reduced and natural circulation flow rates down through the jet pump nozzles and up into the core are a small fraction of the rated system flow. It is during this period that the SLCS flows are considered. This work outlines some initial scoping studies completed by the staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). An attempt at benchmarking the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach using a set of available test data from a small facility is outlined. Due to our lack of information related to specific details of the facility geometry along with the limited data available from the test, the benchmark exercise produced only a qualitative basis for selecting turbulence models and mesh density. A CFD model simulating a full-scale reactor system is developed for the lower plenum of a representative BWR/4 design and SLCS flows and mixing are studied under a range of flow conditions. The full-scale BWR simulation builds upon the lessons learned from the benchmark exercise. One challenge for this work is the large size of the domain and the relatively small size of the geometric details such as flow passages and gaps. The geometry is simplified to make meshing feasible by eliminating some of the small features. The model includes the lower plenum, control rod drive tubes, basic support structures, and SLCS piping. A series of simulations are completed and modeling choices are discussed in light of best practice guidance. The predictions shed light on the applicability of previous test programs and provide a clearer understanding of the lower plenum flows and mixing.
Investigation of the Role of Phosphorus in Symbiotic Dinitrogen Fixation

The interactive effects of phosphorus supply and combined nitrogen (nitrate) on dry matter and nitrogen accumulation by nodulated soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) plants, and the relative effects of phosphorus supply on nodule number, mass, and function in comparison to host plant growth were used to investigate the role of phosphorus in symbiotic dinitrogen fixation. Mixed positive and negative phosphorus by nitrogen source interactions indicated that severe phosphorus deficiency markedly impaired both host plant growth and symbiotic dinitrogen fixation and that symbiotic dinitrogen fixation has a higher phosphorus requirement for optimal functioning than either host plant growth or nitrate assimilation. In the whole plant phosphorus concentration range of 0.8 to 1.5 grams per kilogram dry weight, plants supplied with 20 millimolar nitrate accumulated significantly more dry matter and nitrogen than symbiotic plants without nitrate. This suggested that the higher phosphorus requirement for symbiotic dinitrogen fixation is internal rather than being associated with differences in the ability of roots in the two nitrogen regimes to absorb phosphorus from the external solution. Increasing the phosphorus concentration in plants solely dependent on dinitrogen fixation resulted in highly significant (P = 0.0001) increases in whole plant nitrogen concentration as well as highly significant increases (P = 0.0001) in whole plant dry matter and nitrogen accumulation. This indicated a greater responsiveness of symbiotic dinitrogen fixation than of host plant growth to improvement in phosphorus nutrition. The large increases in whole plant nitrogen concentration were associated with about 3.5-fold increases in the ratio of nodule mass to whole plant mass and about 2-fold increases in specific acetylene reduction (nitrogenase) activity of the nodules. The large increase in nodule mass (>30-fold) between the 0 and 2.0 millimolar phosphorus levels resulted from 11- and 3-fold increases in nodule number per plant and average mass of individual nodules, respectively. Root mass per plant over the same concentration range increased 3.5-fold. These results indicate that phosphorus has specific roles in nodule initiation, growth, and functioning in addition to its involvement in host plant growth processes.
L-arginine's effect on the hypoxia-induced release of acetylcholine from the in vitro cat carotid body.

Abstract NO is known to reduce the hypoxia-induced increase in carotid body neural activity (CBNA). Acetylcholine (ACh), a known excitatory transmitter in the cat carotid body (CB), is released during hypoxia. This study addressed the impact of an NO precursor on ACh release during hypoxia. Both CBs from nine cats were prepared for incubation, then inserted into a medium and bubbled with three consecutive gas mixtures, hyperoxic, hypoxic, and a final hyperoxic mixture. This series of exposures was performed in the absence of l -arginine, followed by the three exposures in a 1 mM l -arginine medium, and followed, thirdly, in a 10 mM l -arginine medium. l -Arginine significantly attenuated the hypoxia-induced release of ACh. Two post-arginine procedures suggested strongly that the reduction in the ACh release was not due to a gradual exhaustion of carotid body ACh stores over the course of the experiment. The data are consistent with those reports showing that NO donors and precursors reduce the hypoxia-induced increase in CBNA, and further support a role for ACh in the hypoxia-induced increase in CBNA.
Talent and expertise: the empirical evidence for genetic endowment

I will focus this comment on the claim summarized in the last sentence of the target article's abstract. To begin, the concept of talent does not require the existence of ‘innate constraints to the...
Behavioral Modification of Evaporative Water Loss by a Puerto Rican Frog

Leptodactylid frogs (Eleutherodactylus coqui Thomas) reduce rates of evaporative water loss threefold by adjusting their postures and activities in response to changing conditions of availability of water during their nocturnal activity periods. Frogs that do not make these adjustments experience a potentially lethal loss of body water on a rainless night. Dehydration of a frog's body tissues increases its resting metabolic rate and lowers its maximum rate of aerobic metabolism. Water is reabsorbed from urine in the bladder to maintain tissue water content on dry nights. Use of water—conserving postures precludes vocalization by male frogs and response to calling males by females. Frogs in water—conserving postures feed less readily than active frogs. Frogs in the forest canopy experience higher rates of evaporative water loss than those in the understory, but there are more anthropods in the canopy, and leaf surfaces are twice as likely to be wet by rain. Despite these potential benefits of activity in the forest canopy, most frogs remain in understory vegetation. In that microhabitat their behavioral and physiological adjustments permit them to occupy their normal perches despite wide fluctuations in hydric conditions.