cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The extragalactic background light at 4400 A

Space based photometric determinations of the extragalactic background light (EBL) are compared with galaxy count determinations of EBL brightness. The results of various EBL studies at blue and visual wavelengths are summarized, and an upper limit of 3.9 S-sub-10 (V)-sub-G2V at the 2 sigma level is placed on the brightness of the extragalactic background at 4400 A. EBL data in regions near the north and south galactic poles are also presented, the first such data obtained from heliocentric distances where the zodiacal light is negligible. Several paradigms consistent with the inferred EBL limits are mentioned, including less galactic evolution or masking of galactic evolution, galaxy formation at very high redshifts, and dusty primeval galaxies decreasing optical EBL and increasing infrared EBL. Models promulgating all primeval galaxies as high-luminosity objects undergoing bursts of star formation are incompatible with the EBL observations.
Social Construction and White Attitudes toward Equal Opportunity and Multiculturalism

As the United States moves from being a predominantly biracial to a multiracial society, racial attitudes continue to become more diverse and more complex. Scholars need to address these changes not only in terms of black and white Americans, but also how these changes involve and affect other racial groups, particularly Asian and Hispanic Americans. This inquiry looks at some of these complexities by examining how social construction differentials in the minds of white Americans affect their attitudes toward the issues of equal opportunity and multiculturalism. The analysis shows that differences in the cognitive images whites hold of minority groups in comparison to their own race have a significant impact in determining white attitudes toward group-based issues. In effect, negative constructions of racial groups lower one's support for policies aimed at these groups.
Phospholipase A2 activity on mixed lipid monolayers: inhibition and activation of phospholipases A2 from porcine pancreas and Crotalus adamanteus by anionic and neutral amphiphiles.

Abstract The effects of anionic and neutral amphiphiles on porcine pancreatic and Crotalus adamanteus phospholipases A2 were studied in a monolayer system as a function of surface pressure. The insoluble amphiphile, dicetyl phosphate (DCP), inhibited the hydrolysis of didecanoylphosphatidylcholine (DDPC) by both enzymes below their normal cutoff pressures with pure DDPC. DCP, however, enhanced enzyme penetration and thus activated the pancreatic enzyme above its normal cutoff pressure. The soluble surfactants, 3,5-dibromo- and 3,5-diiodosalicyclate, acetyl salicylate, and salicylic acid, had similar effects. 1,2-Didecanoin inhibited the hydrolysis of DDPC below the normal cutoff pressures and increased the cutoff pressures for both enzymes. Zwitterionic detergents, N -dodecyl- and N -tetradecyl- N,N -dimethyl-3-aminopropanesulfonate, were found to be potent inhibitors of the pancreatic enzyme on DDPC monolayers. Relative substrate specificities for both enzymes were determined as a function of surface pressure with phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, and phosphatidic acid. Pancreatic phospholipase A2 was more active and penetrated to higher pressures with the anionic phospholipids, while the venom enzyme was more active with phosphatidylcholine.
Determination of in-plane thermal conductivity of Nax Co2O4 single crystals via a parallel thermal conductance (PTC) technique

A novel parallel thermal conductance ("PTC") system was specifically developed to conduct the steady state thermal conductivity measurement on small size samples such as single crystals of Na ℵ Co 2 O 4 as reported here. The accuracy and reproducibility of the PTC system has been confirmed by measuring several standard reference materials. The in-plane thermal conductivity κ of Na ℵ Co 2 O 4 single crystals grown by a NaCl flux method was measured from 10 K to 300 K and κ was found to be ∼5 W m -1 K -1 at 300 K. The phonon mean file path (MFP) is estimated to be l ph ∼ 9 A at 300 K, which is comparable to the lattice constant but much smaller than is comparable to the lattice constant but much smaller than the reported MFP of conducting carriers.
Further analysis of radiobiological parameters from the First and Second British Institute of Radiology randomized studies of larynx/pharynx radiotherapy.

Abstract Purpose: This retrospective analysis of 1345 patients treated for cancer of the larynx or pharynx by randomization into two groups in each center in two separate trials of fractionated radiotherapy was carried out in an attempt to extract the radiobiological parameters α (dose), β (fraction size), and γ (overall time) from the data. Methods and Materials: Details of the trials have been published previously. In the first, 734 patients were randomized to either five or three fractions per week, in centers each using their own overall time, which varied from 3 to 7 weeks in different centers. In the second trial, 611 patients were randomized to "short" (≤ 4 weeks) or "long" (4–7 weeks) overall time. We combine the data from both studies and use the linear-quadratic formula with logistic regression and maximum-likelihood methods to obtain the radiological logical factors, taking into account other variables such as stage or age, when significant. Results: The parameters calculated for local tumor control showed significant estimates of α, very small estimates of β, and significant values of γ. The derived estimates of α/β were large, but very variable. The time-dose tradeoff - γ/α was 0.76 Gy/day for larynx and 0.3 Gy/day for pharynx tumors (not significantly different from each other). Late complications gave indetermine α/β ratios and a time-dose factor not of 0.8 – 0.9 Gy/day. Conclusions: The results are consistent with other published values with exception that significant time factors for late complications could not excluded.
Regional Admittivity Spectra with Tomosynthesis Images for Breast Cancer Detection

Because the electrical properties of many breast tumors are different from those of surrounding, normal tissue, imaging these properties may provide useful diagnostic information. At the present time, X-ray mammography is the standard imaging modality used for breast cancer screening. The interpretation of EIT imaging is thus enhanced by its use together with X-ray mammography in the same geometry. This paper reports the ability of electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to localize and distinguish cancers from normal tissues. These findings are confirmed by simultaneous, co-registered 3-D mammograms or tomosynthesis images and are verified with biopsy reports.
Picosecond fluorescence decay and exciton dynamics in a new far-red molecular J-aggregate system

Abstract We present and characterize a new J-aggregate-type nanostructure formed by self-assembling of 3,3′-diethylthiadicarbocyanine iodide molecules in a solution. We measure picosecond kinetics of fluorescence from the lowest exciton band, lying in the far-red wavelength range around 810–830 nm. At temperatures 4–300 K we observe a non-exponential fluorescence decay and show that this is a result of exciton–exciton annihilation in a small exciton domain regime. We also measure the temperature dependence of single-exciton radiative lifetime and give a consistent description of it in terms of a self-trapping of exciton in a discrete one-dimensional chain.
Review of Orthopaedic Trauma

Mark R. Brinker, editor. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; 2001. 496 pages. $55.00. This review text, an offshoot of the popular Review of Orthopaedics by Miller, provides a concise, current overview of musculoskeletal trauma. Major topics related to both adult and pediatric orthopaedic trauma are included in an organized, outline form. …
New Host and Distribution Records for the Amphibian Leech Desserobdella picta (Rhynchobdellida: Glossiphoniidae) from Nebraska and Wisconsin

ABSTRACT The leech, Desserobdella picta is reported for the first time from Nebraska. We found D. picta on five species of amphibians (larvae Ambystoma tigrinum mavortium, tadpoles of Bufo woodhousii, Rana blairi, and R. pipiens, and adult R. catesbeiana) from two eastern counties and one western county in Nebraska. We also observed this leech feeding on adult Hyla chrysoscelis and B. americanus in southeastern Wisconsin. Bufo woodhousii H. chrysoscelis and R. blairi are new host records. Additionally, we report the first record of this leech feeding on a human host.
Problems and solutions in the genetic analysis of late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

The identification of the apolipoprotein E gene as a risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease was a spectacularly successful application of genetic analysis to a complex trait, and it led to the
A Comparison of Alternative Strategies for Cost-Effective Water Quality Management in Lakes

Roughly 45% of the assessed lakes in the United States are impaired for one or more reasons. Eutrophication due to excess phosphorus loading is common in many impaired lakes. Various strategies are available to lake residents for addressing declining lake water quality, including septic system upgrades and establishing riparian buffers. This study examines 25 lakes to determine whether septic upgrades or riparian buffers are a more cost-effective strategy to meet a phosphorus reduction target. We find that riparian buffers are the more cost-effective strategy in every case but one. Large transaction costs associated with the negotiation and monitoring of riparian buffers, however, may be prohibiting lake residents from implementing the most cost-effective strategy.
Processing and Properties of Sub-Micron CIGS Solar Cells

We report on the progress in fabricating CIGS solar cells where the absorber thickness is nominally about 1-mum. This is done with the objective of reducing the material cost in large-volume production of CIGS where the cost of the high-purity metals, and especially that of In, will become significant factors. At the present time, we have fabricated a 17.1% efficient solar cell for a 1-mum thick CIGS absorber, and this is arguably the best result for this thickness. Further improvements can be made by optimizing the absorber bandgap and minimizing the window layer losses. We compare the properties of thin films and solar cells fabricated by the three-stage process and co-evaporation. The effect of absorber bandgap and bandgap grading are discussed with the help of experimental data. An analysis of the mechanisms that contribute to the loss of performance in thin cells is provided
SP-100 advanced radiator designs for thermoelectric and Stirling applications

Advanced radiator designs employing carbon-carbon liquid metal heat pipe technology, which significantly reduce the mass of the heat rejection subsystem for high temperature space technology systems such as the SP-100 are discussed. This technology is being developed to address the need for lightweight heat transfer components and structures for space applications. Heat pipe and subsystem designs were optimized for thermoelectric- and Stirling-engine-based SP-100 system designs. A multiple, deployed-petal radiator concept was selected for the heat rejection subsystem design as it provided minimum mass. Radiator stowage in the space transportation system cargo bay and deployment schemes were investigated for each of the optimized designs. >
Analog characteristics of metal-insulator-metal capacitors using PECVD nitride dielectrics

The frequency dependence of PECVD nitride and LPCVD oxide metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors is investigated with special attention for precision analog applications. At measurement frequencies of 1.0 MHz, nitride MIM capacitors show capacitance linearity close to that of oxide MIM capacitors, indicating potential for precision analog circuit applications. Due to dispersion effects, however, nitride MIM capacitors show significant degradation in capacitor linearity as the frequency is reduced, which leads to accuracy limitations for precision analog circuits. Oxide MIM capacitors are essentially independent of frequency.
Measurement of corneal epithelial healing rates and corneal thickness for evaluation of ocular toxicity of chemical substances

AbstractThe epithelial cells bordering a corneal epithelial wound normally slide across the denuded area to close the wound. This reepithelialization generally occurs at a rate of 0.80 to 1.00 mm2/hr in the rabbit. The cornea also swells after wounding and then returns to normal thickness during the healing process. Because this is a predictable process, it is proposed that measurement of corneal healing rate and corneal thickness be used in the evaluation of potential eye irritants. It is shown that several substances, including methylene blue, isopropanol, and benzalkonium chloride, reduce the healing rate of a standardized, 6-mm diameter corneal epithelial wound as compared to a paired, untreated control. Heptanol and isopropanol cause the wounded cornea to swell to a greater thickness and delay the return to normal thickness. Thus, it is clear that toxic substances can inhibit corneal epithelial healing. Measurement of reepithelialization rate and corneal thickness yield quantitative, statistical data...
Novel intercore-cladding lithium niobate thin film coated MOEMS fiber sensor/modulator

A MOEMS fiber modulator/sensor is fabricated by depositing a lithium niobate sol-gel thin film between the core and cladding of a fiber preform. The preform is then drawn into 125-micron fibers. Such a MOEMS modulator design is expected to enhance existing lithium niobate undersea acousto-optic sound wave detectors. In our proposed version, the lithium niobate thin film alters the ordinary silica core/cladding boundary conditions such that, when a stress or strain is applied to the fiber, the core light confinement factor changes, leading to modulation of fiber light transmission. Test results of the lithium niobate embedded fiber with a 1550-nm, 4-mW laser source revealed a reduction in light transmission with applied tension. As a comparison, using the same laser source, an ordinary silica core/cladding fiber did not exhibit any reduction in transmitted light when the same strain was applied. Further experimental work and theoretical analysis is ongoing.
Do consumers want interactive TV

Although it is impossible to predict consumer's response to interactive television, it may be possible to extract from current media usage patterns and attitudes some indications of how consumers may respond to interactive television in the future. A survey study was conducted at MIT's Audience Research Facility which: (1) examined the relationship between current media use and preferences for interactive television, (2) examined demographic and motivational differences in active and passive media use, and (3) explored audience response to various types of interactive television content and control. >
Influence of particle size and chemistry on the cloud nucleating properties of aerosols

Abstract. The ability of an aerosol particle to act as a cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) is a function of the size of the particle, its composition and mixing state, and the supersaturation of the cloud. In-situ data from field studies provide a means to assess the relative importance of these parameters. During the 2006 Texas Air Quality – Gulf of Mexico Atmospheric Composition and Climate Study (TexAQS-GoMACCS), the NOAA RV Ronald H. Brown encountered a wide variety of aerosol types ranging from marine near the Florida panhandle to urban and industrial in the Houston-Galveston area. These varied sources provided an opportunity to investigate the role of aerosol sources and chemistry in the potential activation of particles to form cloud droplets. Measurements were made of CCN concentrations, aerosol chemical composition in the size range relevant for particle activation in warm clouds, and aerosol size distributions. Variability in aerosol composition was parameterized by the mass fraction of Hydrocarbon-like Organic Aerosol (HOA) for particle diameters less than 200 nm (vacuum aerodynamic). The HOA mass fraction in this size range was lowest for marine aerosol and highest for aerosol sampled close to anthropogenic sources. Combining all data from the experiment reveals that composition (defined by HOA mass fraction) explains 40% of the variance in the critical diameter for particle activation at the instrumental supersaturation (S) of 0.44%. Correlations between HOA mass fraction and aerosol mean diameter show that these two parameters are essentially independent of one another for this data set. We conclude that, based on the variability of the HOA mass fraction observed during TexAQS-GoMACCS, variability in particle composition played a significant role in determining the fraction of particles that could activate to form cloud droplets. Using a simple model based on Kohler theory and the assumption that HOA is insoluble, we estimate the degree to which calculated CCN concentrations are under- or overestimated if the variability in the HOA mass fraction that was observed during TexAQS-GoMACCS is neglected. The percent under- or overestimation in the CCN concentration is related to the source of the aerosol. Relative to the mean HOA mass fraction of 0.4±0.2 (average ±1σ standard deviation) for the entire experiment, CCN concentrations are underestimated by up to 50% (at 0.22% S) for aerosol sampled far from anthropogenic source regions as it had a lower HOA mass fraction and overestimated by up to 50% for organic-rich aerosol sampled near the source as it had a higher HOA mass fraction.
Toward a better understanding of ADHD: LPHN3 gene variants and the susceptibility to develop ADHD

During the past 15 years, an impressive amount of genetic information has become available in the research field of psychiatry, particularly as it relates to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the classical clinical approach to ADHD has minimally affected and not significantly been improved by this genetic revolution. It is difficult to predict how long it will take for genetic findings to alter the way clinicians treat patients with ADHD. New medications or treatment protocols may take years to become routine clinical practice. However, when taken together, recent successes in genomics, pharmacogenomics, and genetic epidemiology have the potential (1) to prevent comorbid consequences of ADHD, (2) to individualize therapies for patients with ADHD, and (3) to define new epidemiological policies to aid with the impact of ADHD on society. Here, we present an overview of how genetic research may affect and improve the quality of life of patients with ADHD: as an example, we use the discovery of LPHN3, a new gene in which variants have recently been shown to be associated with ADHD.
In Search of the Bullwhip Effect

The bullwhip effect is the phenomenon of increasing demand variability in the supply chain from downstream echelons (retail) to upstream echelons (manufacturing). The objective of this study is to document the strength of the bullwhip effect in industry-level U.S. data. In particular, we say an industry exhibits the bullwhip effect if the variance of the inflow of material to the industry (what macroeconomists often refer to as the variance of an industry's “production”) is greater than the variance of the industry's sales. We find that wholesale industries exhibit a bullwhip effect, but retail industries generally do not exhibit the effect, nor do most manufacturing industries. Furthermore, we observe that manufacturing industries do not have substantially greater demand volatility than retail industries. Based on theoretical explanations for observing or not observing demand amplification, we are able to explain a substantial portion of the heterogeneity in the degree to which industries exhibit the bullwhip effect. In particular, the less seasonal an industry's demand, the more likely the industry amplifies volatility---highly seasonal industries tend to smooth demand volatility whereas nonseasonal industries tend to amplify.
A computational model of symbiotic composition in evolutionary transitions.

Several of the major transitions in evolutionary history, such as the symbiogenic origin of eukaryotes from prokaryotes, share the feature that existing entities became the components of composite entities at a higher-level of organization. This composition of pre-adapted extant entities into a new whole is a fundamentally different source of variation from the gradual accumulation of small random variations, and it has some interesting consequences for issues of evolvability. Intuitively, the pre-adaptation of sets of features in reproductively independent specialists suggests a form of ‘divide and conquer’ decomposition of the adaptive domain. Moreover, the compositions resulting from one level may become the components for compositions at the next level, thus scaling-up the variation mechanism. In this paper, we explore and develop these concepts using a simple abstract model of symbiotic composition to examine its impact on evolvability. To exemplify the adaptive capacity of the composition model, we employ a scale-invariant fitness landscape exhibiting significant ruggedness at all scales. Whilst innovation by mutation and by conventional evolutionary algorithms becomes increasingly more difficult as evolution continues in this landscape, innovation by composition is not impeded as it discovers and assembles component entities through successive hierarchical levels. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
A Glucose Transporter Chimera Confers a Dominant Negative Glucose Starvation Phenotype in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A family of glucose transporters mediates glucose uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that the dominant mutation GSF4-1, which impairs glucose repression of SUC2, results in a nonfunctional chimera of the transporters Hxt1p and Hxt4p. Hxt1/4p inhibits the function of wild-type glucose transporters. Similar mutations may facilitate analysis of the major facilitator superfamily.
Spatial characteristics of thunderstorm rainfall fields and their relation to runoff

Abstract The main aim of this study was to assess the ability of simple geometric measures of thunderstorm rainfall in explaining the runoff response from the watershed. For calculation of storm geometric properties (e.g. areal coverage of storm, areal coverage of the high-intensity portion of the storm, position of storm centroid and the movement of storm centroid in time), spatial information of rainfall is needed. However, generally the rainfall data consists of rainfall depth values over an unevenly spaced network of raingauges. For this study, rainfall depth values were available for 91 raingauges in a watershed of about 148 km2. There was a question about which interpolation method should be used for obtaining uniformly gridded data. Therefore, a small study was undertaken to compare cross-validation statistics and computed geometric parameters using two interpolation methods (kriging and multiquadric). These interpolation methods were used to estimate precipitation over a uniform 100 m×100 m grid. The cross-validation results from the two methods were generally similar and neither method consistently performed better than the other did. In view of these results we decided to use multiquadric interpolation method for the rest of the study. Several geometric measures were then computed from interpolated surfaces for about 300 storm events occurring in a 17-year period. The correlation of these computed measures with basin runoff were then observed in an attempt to assess their relative importance in basin runoff response. It was observed that the majority of the storms (observed in the study) covered the entire watershed. Therefore, it was concluded that the areal coverage of storm was not a good indicator of the amount of runoff produced. The areal coverage of the storm core (10-min intensity greater than 25 mm/h), however, was found to be a much better predictor of runoff volume and peak rate. The most important variable in runoff production was found to be the volume of the storm core. It was also observed that the position of the storm core relative to the watershed outlet becomes more important as the catchment size increases, with storms positioned in the central portion of the watershed producing more runoff than those positioned near the outlet or near the head of the watershed. This observation indicates the importance of interaction of catchment size and shape with the spatial storm structure in runoff generation. Antecedent channel wetness was found to be of some importance in explaining runoff for the largest of the three watersheds studied but antecedent watershed wetness did not appreciably contributed to runoff explanation.
Membrane Type 1-Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-Associated MMP-2 Activation Increases in the Rat Ovary in Response to an Ovulatory Dose of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

Gonadotropins stimulate ovarian proteolytic enzyme activity that is believed to be important for the remodeling of the follicular extracellular matrix. Membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) has been identified in vitro as an activator of pro-MMP-2 by forming a complex with tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2). In the present study, the expression pattern of MT1-MMP mRNA and the role of MT1-MMP were examined in the ovary using the gonadotropin-treated immature rat model. Ovaries were collected at selected times after eCG or hCG. RNase protection assays revealed a transient increase in MT1-MMP mRNA beginning 4 h after hCG. High expression of MT1-MMP mRNA was localized to the theca-interstitial layer of developing and preovulatory follicles, while low expression was observed in the granulosa cell layer of developing follicles by in situ hybridization. The localization pattern of MT1-MMP mRNA was compared with TIMP-2 mRNA. Both MMP-2 and TIMP-2 mRNA were expressed in the theca layer of preovulatory follicles, showing a similarity to MT1-MMP mRNA expression. To further determine whether MT1-MMP activates pro-MMP-2 in the ovary, crude plasma membrane fractions from preovulatory ovaries were analyzed by gelatin zymography. In plasma membrane fractions, pro-MMP-2 increased around the time of ovulation. Upon incubation, pro-MMP-2 was activated with the highest levels of activation at 12 h post-hCG. The addition of MT1-MMP antibody or excess TIMP-2 to membrane fractions inhibited pro-MMP-2 activation. The increase in MT1-MMP mRNA may be an important part of the mechanism necessary for the efficient generation of active MMP-2 during the ovulatory process.
Personal and Familial Aspects of Perfectionism in Latino/a Students

This study investigated the relevance of both personal and familial aspects of perfectionism for Latino college students. The participants were 207 Latino college students (76% women, 24% men; M age = 21.13 years). Psychometric evaluations of the Almost Perfect Scale–Revised (APS-R) and Family Almost Perfect Scale (FAPS) provide promising support of their cultural validity for Latino students. Patterns of how personal and family dimensions of perfectionism associate with psychological measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and self-esteem generally replicated past studies with other cultural groups. Participants in the study were classified into three different types of perfectionists as well as three perceived types of perfectionistic families. These groups were compared on the psychological indicators of depression, anxiety, and self-esteem (η2 = .06-.19). Counseling and cultural implications for Latino students with the focus on positive and negative aspects of perfectionism as well as futu...
Does PCMH "Work"?--The Need to Use Implementation Science to Make Sense of Conflicting Results.

Initiative (PACCI) in the northeastern part of the state. The study found that, compared with control practices, participating in PCMH was associated with better care processes for diabetes and breast cancer screening. No association was found between colorectal cancer screening and PCMH. There were significantly lower rates of all-cause hospitalizations and allcause and ambulatory care–sensitive emergency department visits. More primary care visits were accompanied by fewer specialty visits. Overall, this paper provides strong evidence for
Effect of Maysin on Wild-Type, Deltamethrin-Resistant, and Bt-Resistant Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Larvae of the Old World corn earworm, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner), were fed diets containing lyophilized silks from maize genotypes expressing varying levels of maysin, a flavone glycoside known to be toxic to the New World corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea Boddie. Three different H. armigera colonies were tested: a wild-type colony (96-S), a colony selected for resistance to deltamethrin (Del-R), and a colony selected for resistance to the Cry1Ac protoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt-R). A colony of H. zea was also tested as a control. High-maysin silk diets significantly slowed the growth and arrested the development of larvae from all H. armigera colonies compared with low-maysin silk diets, maysin-lacking silk diets, and no-silk control diets. The effects on the H. armigera and H. zea colonies were similar across maysin levels, although H. zea is a larger insect than H. armigera and this overall size difference was observed. Among the H. armigera colonies, maysin effects were generally similar, although 7-d-old Del-R larvae were significantly smaller than 7-d-old Bt-R and 96-S larvae for one no-silk control and two maysin-containing silk treatments. The toxic effect of maysin on the Bt-R and Del-R colonies suggests that physiological mechanisms of H. armigera resistance to Cry1Ac and deltamethrin do not confer cross-resistance to maysin.
Overview of genetic toxicology.

The field of genetic toxicology exists because of the concern that environmental agents can cause genetic damage in man and thereby have an adverse effect on human health. Genetic toxicologists are concerned about effects both in germ cells and in somatic cells. An increase in the incidence of mutational events in human eggs or sperms could lead to an increase in the incidence of genetic disease and disability in future generations. In contrast, effects in somatic cells do not pose a threat to future generations, because they are not genetically transmitted beyond the individual in which they occur. The lack of transmissibility to progeny does not mean that genetic damage in somatic cells makes no contribution to the human disease burden. Rather, there is good reason to believe that mutations in somatic cells play an important part in the initiation of cancers (76). In fact, the great majority of chemicals that are known to cause cancer in laboratory animals or man also cause mutational events in one or more organisms in which they have been tested.
Contrasting allozyme diversity between northern and southern populations of Cypripedium parviflorum (Orchidaceae): implications for pleistocene refugia and taxonomic boundaries.

Abstract Allozyme and morphological analyses were conducted to test speculation and recently published taxonomy concerning northern versus southern variation in the Cypripedium parviflorum complex. Allozyme analyses of 40 populations from 10 states revealed marked differences in genetic variation between northern and southern populations of var. pubescens, and between var. makasin and var. parviflorum. For both comparisons, the northern populations from previously glaciated regions generally contain more genetic variation and larger estimated population sizes than do their southern counterparts. These results are in contrast to most published findings on other taxa that report higher levels of genetic variation in populations near glacial refugia compared to conspecifics from previously glaciated territory. To explain the data in our paper, we suggest the existence of a northern refugium for C. parviflorum in a periglacial environment that contained abundant habitat for this species. This region could hav...
Preserved vagus nerve stimulator function after radiation therapy.

Background Epilepsy and breast cancer are both prevalent conditions. A subset of women with medically refractory epilepsy and vagus nerve stimulators (VNS) may later develop breast cancer and may require adjuvant radiation as part of their treatment regimen. However, to date, little data are available on the effects of radiation on VNS function. Case Presentation We present a young woman with tuberous sclerosis, developmental delay, and medically refractory epilepsy who developed left-sided breast cancer. Her epilepsy became controlled with a recent addition of a VNS implanted in her left chest wall. She required adjuvant radiation therapy to her left breast, and this raised the novel question of the safety of radiation on the integrity and functioning of the device, which we explore in this article. Conclusion This case is the first report of a patient with VNS for epilepsy and breast cancer who received radiation therapy proximal to the device. The device continued to function properly despite the exposure.
Band Gap of Carbon–Sulfur [n]Helicenes

Asymmetric synthesis of (−)-[9]helicene, as well as preparation of its lower homologues, completes the series of carbon–sulfur [5]-, [7]-, [9]-, and [11]helicenes. Spectroscopic and electrochemical studies of this series provide an absorption onset-based band gap, Eg = 3.40 eV, for a cross-conjugated (C2S)n helix; this value may be compared to Eg = 3.59 eV obtained from TD-DFT computed excitation energies for a series of dimethyl-substituted [n]helicenes (n ≤ 31).
Electrical Characterization of Polyfluorene-Based Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Diodes

Polyfluorenes (PFs) have emerged as a promising family of blue polymer light-emitting diodes (PLED) due to their high electroluminescence quantum yield. Metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) diodes are the two terminal analogues of thin film transistors sharing the same basic layer structure. We have investigated two different structures based on poly [9,9'-(di 2-ethylhexyl)fluorene] (PF2/6), a MIS diode and a hole-only PLED. The MIS diodes were fabricated with the PF2/6 layer on p + Si /Al 2 O 3 substrates, and were characterized by means of capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements as a function of frequency. From C-V measurements, the unintentional doping density is evaluated as ∼5.7×10 17 cm −3 at frequencies above 20 kHz. The interface trap density is estimated as ∼7.2×10 11 eV −1 cm −2 at 10 kHz. Current-voltage measurements of PF2/6-based PLEDs shows a shallow trap space-charge-limited conduction from which the energy of the traps and hole mobilities are estimated.
Human alveolar macrophages prevent apoptosis in polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) are recruited to the lungs to defend against injury and infection. However, PMN undergo apoptosis, thereby losing functional ability within hours, and die with lysis soon thereafter unless they receive specific signals preventing this phenomenon. We hypothesized that alveolar macrophages (AM) could provide these signals. Therefore AM, obtained through bronchoalveolar lavage of healthy volunteers (n = 9), were cultured for 24 h, after which the AM conditioned media (AM-CM) were removed. Freshly isolated PMN, which showed no apoptosis, were suspended in AM-CM, as well as in unconditioned media (UM), and followed over 48 h for apoptosis and survival. In eight of nine patients, AM-CM contained tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which modestly delayed AM apoptosis so that the percentage of PMN apoptotic at 24 h was 77 +/- 6% in AM-CM compared with 91 +/- 2% in UM (P < 0.05). In one patient, urticaria developed early in the lavage, and this subject's AM-CM profoundly prevented apoptosis of PMN (to 10% at 24 h). PMN survival in this patient was similarly enhanced, so that at 48 h of culture it was 60%, compared with 45 +/- 8% in AM-CM and 30 +/- 6% in UM (P < 0.05 UM vs. AM-CM). Granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), in addition to TNF-alpha, partly accounted for this medium's activity. Thus AM can delay apoptosis in PMN through production of TNF-alpha and in some cases by GM-CSF. When activated in vivo by conditions such as an allergic reaction, AM can rapidly and profoundly suppress PMN apoptosis.
Design and implementation of service grid portal

The research of grid portal is becoming more and more popular,accompany with further Grid's researching.It can be found that the distribution of inner resource and their relationship are too complex to reduce the efficiency of resource utilization of grid.A ser-vice grid portal is investigate and designd,including architecture and each relevant main module.Finally,it will be proved that,this designed portal can cover all of the use of grid existed resource,by demonstration.
5'-O-Alkylpyridoxamines: Lipophilic Analogues of Pyridoxamine Are Potent Scavengers of 1,2-Dicarbonyls.

Pyridoxamine (PM) is a prospective drug for the treatment of diabetic complications. In order to make zwitterionic PM more lipophilic and improve its tissue distribution, PM derivatives containing medium length alkyl groups on the hydroxymethyl side chain were prepared. The synthesis of these alkylpyridoxamines (alkyl-PMs) starting from pyridoxine offers high yields and is amenable to bulk preparations. Interestingly, alkyl-PMs were found to react with methylglyoxal (MGO), a major toxic product of glucose metabolism and autoxidation, several orders of magnitude faster than PM. This suggests the formation of nonionic pyrido-1,3-oxazine as the key step in the reaction of PM with MGO. Since the primary target of MGO in proteins is the guanidine side chain of arginine, alkyl-PMs were shown to be more effective than PM in reducing the modification of N-α-benzoylarginine by MGO. Alkyl-PMs in the presence of MGO also protected the enzymatic activity of lysozyme that contains several arginine residues next to its...
The strong and the weak: evaluation in modal desideratives

Modal auxiliaries can generate two desiderative readings: strong (1) and weak (2) desiderativity. These differ notably in whether they express strict preference and whether they are felicitous out of the blue. (1) (A: Cookie anyone?) B: I would like/enjoy a cookie. (2) #(A: Cookie anyone?) B: I would/might have/take/eat a cookie. We provide an analysis that accounts for the contrast by introducing 1) a comparison operator ≥ as part of the subjective morphology that can be pragmatically strengthened to > and 2) a criterion determining how alternative situations are introduced for comparison which allows introduction by evaluatives ( like , enjoy ).
Inhibition of apoptosis retinoblastoma-dependent reveals the two faces of RB: Tumor promoter by a tumor suppressor

C283 The RB protein regulates cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The best-known function of RB is its ability of blocking the cell cycle progression, a function in agreement with its tumor suppressor function. In a proliferating cell, cyclin-dependent protein kinases hyperphosphorylate and inactivate RB. Homozygous knockout of Rb gene in mice exhibits embryonic lethality, inappropriate cell cycle entry and massive apoptosis in liver, muscles, developing nervous system. RB was found to bind to a number of cellular proteins. This binding is known to be inhibitory, as it is to nuclear Abl tyrosine kinase, a kinase that can stimulate apoptosis induced by inflammatory stress in cell cultures. In order to investigate the role of Abl in the excessive apoptosis in the RB-null mice, we intercrossed Rb+/- and Abl+/- mice to generate double heterozygous Rb+/- Abl+/- mice. The compound Rb+/- Abl+/- were then intercrossed in a large-scale mating, collecting 1029 embryos. The incidence of cell death was evaluated and shown that the genetic ablation of Abl can reduce apoptosis in the developing central nervous system and the liver. These results provide in vivo evidence for the pro-apoptotic function of Abl and are consistent with the inhibitory interaction between RB and Abl previously identified in vitro. Mouse genetics were also applied to study whether anti-apoptotic function of RB contributes to tumor formation. In wild-type cells, RB protein is cleaved by caspase during apoptosis. A mutation of the caspase-cleavage site in the RB C-terminus domain has been made in the mouse Rb-1 locus; the resulting Rb-MI mice are resistant to inflammation-induced apoptosis in the intestine. These results show that RB inhibits cell death in vivo. The Rb-MI mice do not exhibit increased tumor incidence, because the MI mutation does not disrupt the Rb tumor suppressor function (inhibition of proliferation). By crossing RB-MI and p53 knockout mice, we showed that Rb-MI promote the formation of colonic adenomas in the p53-null genetic background, a tumor suppressor gene found mutated in 50% of human cancers. The RB-MI protein is expressed and phosphorylated in these tumors. We are also investigating whether RB might contribute to tumor promotion in colon cancer associated to chronic inflammation. Preliminary results suggest RB to be unregulated in human biopsies from patients with chronic inflammation. All together, the results indicate that RB tumor suppressor function, i.e., inhibition of proliferation, is inactivated by phosphorylation, whereas RB tumor promoting function, i.e., inhibition of apoptosis, is inactivated by caspase cleavage. This mechanism of tumor formation might be important for tumorigenesis in inflammation driven cancer.
Catheter-directed interventions compared with systemic thrombolysis achieve improved ventricular function recovery at a potentially lower complication rate for acute pulmonary embolism

Abstract Objective Catheter-directed interventions (CDIs) are increasingly performed for acute pulmonary embolism (PE) as they are presumed to provide similar therapeutic benefits to systemic thrombolysis (ST) while decreasing the associated complications. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes between CDI and ST. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent CDIs or ST for massive or submassive PE between 2006 and 2016 were identified. Clinical and echocardiographic parameters at baseline and after treatment were recorded. Clinical success was defined as decompensation resolution (or prevention) without major bleeding, stroke, other major treatment-related event, or in-hospital death. The χ2 test and t-test were used for between-groups comparisons. Results There were 213 patients who received CDIs (standard catheter thrombolysis in 56, ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis in 146, suction thrombectomies in 10, and pharmacomechanical thrombolysis in 1) and 104 patients who received ST (94 high dose [100 mg], 10 low dose [50 mg]). At baseline, CDI and ST groups had comparable echocardiographic parameters, demographics, and comorbidities, except for PE type (massive PE, 8.5% for CDIs vs 69.2% for ST; P Conclusions CDIs provide improved recovery of right ventricular function compared with ST. Major bleeding and stroke complications may be lower, but larger studies are needed to validate this. CDIs are complementary to ST, and their use should be individualized on the basis of the patients' clinical presentation, risk profile, and local resources.
KDE Analysis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients with B Cells Expressing IGHV3-21 and Discordant Mutational Status between Heavy and Light Chain.

Abstract Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells that use IGHV3-21 typically have aggressive disease similar to that of patients with CLL cells that use unmutated IGHV. However, the IGHV3-21 genes expressed in CLL often have less than 98% sequence homology with the known germline IGHV3-21 and hence are considered mutated. However, many “mutated” IGHV3-21 in CLL have higher homology with the germline IGHV3-21 (e.g. >97%) than do most other IGHV in CLL that also are considered mutated (mean percent homology = 93 ± 4% (SD), N= 1,260). As such, some argue that 97% be used as the threshold for defining IGHV mutation status. To test whether this definition is valid for IGHV3-21 we examined the mutation status of the rearranged and/or expressed Ig light chain V genes. We examined 63 (2.6%) IgVH3-21 cases from a large cohort (N=2,457) of CLL patients evaluated by the CRC. Forty of 63 (63.5%) IGHV3-21 cases used ? and 23 (36.5%) used ? light chains. While the ?-expressing cases had perfect correlation in mutational status between IgH and IgL, 12 of 40 (30%) ?-expressing cases were discordant in that they had IGHV3-21 with 94–97.6% germline sequence homology and IGLV that were all unmutated. Nine of these 12 (75%) also displayed a strikingly homologous and short IgH third complementary determining region (CDR) motif (DANGMDV) and light chains encoded by IGLV3-21. To study the differentiation history of such cases, we examined for productively-rearranged, and formerly-expressed, IGKV alleles and non-functional IGKV alleles that had undergone rearrangement with the kappa deleting element (KDE). Analysis for IGKV-KDE rearrangements was performed on 7 of the 9 IGHV3-21/IGLV3-21 cases. Two cases had two non-functional IGKV alleles and five (71%) had one non-functional IGKV allele and one productively-rearranged IGKV allele that apparently was aborted via receptor editing. All 5 productively rearranged IGKV alleles had somatic mutations with germline-homology ranging from only 93.6% to 97.6% (median 96.3%). Non-conservative mutations were clustered in the CDRs, arguing that they were selected in an apparent antigen-driven response. All 9 non-functional IGKV alleles had 100% homology with known germline IGKV genes. For comparison, we examined for IGKV-KDE rearrangements in 4 cases of ?-expressing CLL cells that used the unmutated IGHV1-69 gene and IGLV3-09. All such cases each had two non-functional IGKV alleles that had 100% homology with known IGKV rearranged with KDE, indicating that none of these cases experienced IGKV receptor editing, a significantly lower incidence than that noted for cases using IGHV3-21/IGLV3-21 (P 97% homology to the known germline IGHV3-21 and IGLV with >98% homology to known germline IGLV, these cases have experienced somatic mutation and apparent germinal center maturation prior to leukemogenesis.
Obesity, Hypogonadism, and Male Fertility—The Role of Diet and Environment

Obesity has become a major health problem in the United States, resulting in the development of hypogonadism with lowered gonadotropins, altered testosterone, estrogen, and sex hormone binding globulin levels with subsequent male-factor infertility. This chapter will discuss the multiple factors that may have an adverse effect on reproductive potential including diet, lifestyle, and environmental exposures.
Encouraging Metacognition in Digital Learning Environments

This chapter provides an overview of the theory of metacognition, empirical evidence regarding how to increase learning, and examples of how it can be incorporated into digital workplace settings. In a digital learning environment, the 13 principles of multimedia learning, coherence, signaling, redundancy, spatial contiguity, temporal contiguity, segmentation, pre-training, modality, multimedia, personalization, voice, embodiment, and images should be utilized to increase coherence. Evidence-based learning techniques such as practice testing, distributed practice, interleaved practice, self-explanation, and elaborative interrogation facilitate the retention and application of new material. In digital learning environments, applying a combination of the 13 principles and evidence-based pedagogical techniques should result in increased metacognition, learning, and engagement.
OROBORO: A Collaborative Bi-Manual Controller with Interpersonal Haptic Feedback.

OROBORO is a novel collaborative controller which focuses on musical performance as social experience by exploring synchronized actions of two musicians operating a single instrument. Each performer uses two paddle mechanisms – one for hand orientation sensing and one for servo-motor directed feedback. We introduce a haptic mirror in which the movement of one performer’s active hand is used to induce movement of the partner’s passive hand and vice versa. Theoretical motivation and system implementation are described.