cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transcriptional regulation of human CYP2A13 expression in the respiratory tract by CCAAT/enhancer binding protein and epigenetic modulation

CYP2A13, which is highly active in the metabolic activation of tobacco-specific nitrosamines, is selectively expressed in the respiratory tract, in which it is believed to play an important role in chemical carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the basis for tissue-specific regulation of CYP2A13 gene expression. We have shown that expression of CYP2A3, the rat homolog of CYP2A13, is regulated by nuclear factor I (NFI) in a tissue-specific manner. In the present study, we found that the transcriptional regulation of human CYP2A13 gene involves CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) transcription factors instead of NFI. DNase I footprinting and gel-shift assays with human lung nuclear extract identified two DNA elements bound by C/EBP. Reporter gene assays using a 216-base pair CYP2A13 promoter fragment confirmed the activation of CYP2A13 by transfected C/EBP factors, and results from chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicated that C/EBP is associated with CYP2A13 promoter in vivo in the olfactory mucosa of CYP2A13-transgenic mice. In NCI-H441 human lung cancer cells, we discovered that CYP2A13 expression can be induced by a combined treatment with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytosine, a DNA demethylation agent, and trichostatin, a histone deacetylation inhibitor. In 5-aza-2′-deoxycytosine/trichostatin-treated NCI-H441 cells, overexpression of C/EBPδ, a lung-enriched C/EBP, led to additional increases in CYP2A13 expression, whereas C/EBPδ knockdown by small interference RNA suppressed CYP2A13 expression, findings that confirm a role for C/EBP in CYP2A13 regulation. Our findings pave the way for further studies of the regulation of the CYP2A13 gene, particularly the gene9s potential suppression by airway inflammation, and the role of epigenetic modulation in the gene9s tissue-selective expression.
Amino acid replacement is rapid in primates for the mature polypeptides of COX subunits, but not for their targeting presequences.

We examined inferred amino acid replacements for 16 genes that encode the proteins of the cytochrome c oxidase (COX) holoenzyme in eight vertebrate species. Phylogeny-based analysis revealed that the human lineage (primates) has had an unusually large, statistically significant, number of amino acid replacements in the mature protein coding region of these genes. This finding is similar to earlier observations of an accelerated non-synonymous substitution rate for some lineages of primates for COX1, COX2, COX4, and COX7AH. In contrast, the mitochondrial targeting presequences of these same proteins have not undergone a concomitant rate change. This more comprehensive analysis suggests that COX5A, COX6B, COX6C, COX7C, and COX8L have also undergone an acceleration in amino acid replacement rates in anthropoid primates. Some of these rate accelerations (e.g. in COX5A and COX7C) are so pronounced that non-human mammalian sequences are more similar to sequences from Xenopus or zebrafish than they are to human. Since the functions of the targeting and mature proteins of these polypeptides are different, the mature portions of these genes are likely to have undergone a functionally significant change that is adaptive in nature.
Rainfall and climate variation over a sloping New Mexico Plateau during the north American Monsoon

Abstract The distribution of rainfall and other climatic variables is studied over sloping terrain surrounding Los Alamos in northern New Mexico. Long-term rainfall records and over 10 years of data measured routinely from a raingauge array and several meteorological towers were analyzed. Results indicate that 36% of annual precipitation high on a plateau (at the base of the Jemez Mountains) falls during July and August, primarily from early afternoon convective showers. The showers typically begin around noon high on the plateau during July, while they are more evenly distributed during the afternoon and evening toward lower elevation (near the Rio Grande River valley). However, a secondary peak of rain intensity occurs during early evening high on the plateau and several hours later near the valley. Several possible reasons for the spatial and temporal variations are discussed. The showers also routinely influence afternoon insolation temperature, and relative humidity, especially near the mountains. Do...
Important differences between human and mouse APOE gene promoters: limitation of mouse APOE model in studying Alzheimer’s disease

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE), encoded by the apolipoprotein E gene (APOE), plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The APOE epsilon4 variant is strongly associated with AD. APOE promoter polymorphisms have also been reported to associate with higher AD risk. Mouse models of APOE expression have long been used to study the pathogenesis of AD. Elucidating the role of the APOE gene in AD requires understanding of how its regulation differs between mouse and human APOE genes, and how the differences influence AD risk. We compared the structure and function of both the human APOE gene promoter (hAPOEP) and mouse APOE gene promoter (mAPOEP) regions. Homology is less than 40% at 180 bp or more upstream of the two species' transcription start site (TSS, +1). Functional analysis revealed both similarities and important differences between the two sequences, significantly affected by human versus rodent cell line origin. We likewise probed nuclear extracts from several cell lines of different origins (astrocytic, glial, and neuronal) and mouse brain with specific hAPOEP and mAPOEP fragments. Each fragment shared DNA-protein interactions with the other but, notably, also bound distinct factors, demonstrated by gel shift and southwestern analyses. We determined possible identities for these distinct factors. These results suggest that regulation of mouse and human APOE genes may be sufficiently unique to justify the use of both the human APOE promoter sequence in transgenic rodent models and non-rodent AD models for studying factors involved in AD pathogenesis.
Ion bombardment of alkali halides. I. Range and damage profiles of protons in KCl

Abstract The depth of the layer of F-centers created by protons in the : nergy intervals 0.5 to 2.3 MeV and 4 to 15 MeV was measured in single crystal KG. Photomicrographs were taken of irradiated crystals using F-band light. The optical density of the negatives was measured and calibrated to give a graph of optical density versus distance into the crystal. Using the stopping power of pro to ns in argon, a “theoretical” range-energy curve was calculated. Experimental results correspond to this curve within experimental error. The damage profiles produced by protons in the high energy interval showed Bragg peaks, consistent with the rise in energy-loss-rates of slowing protons. The damage profiles produced by protons in the low energy interval did not exhibit Bragg peaks, a feature attributed to the combined effect of reduced F-center production efficiency of low energy protons and saturation in the F-center concentration.
An Attack-Defense Game Theoretic Analysis of Multi-Band Wireless Covert Timing Networks

We discuss malicious interference based denial of service (DoS) attacks in multi-band covert timing networks using an adversarial game theoretic approach. A covert timing network operating on a set of multiple spectrum bands is considered. Each band has an associated utility which represents the critical nature of the covert data transmitted in the band. A malicious attacker wishes to cause a DoS attack by sensing and creating malicious interference on some or all of the bands. The covert timing network deploys camouflaging resources to appropriately defend the spectrum bands. A two tier game theoretic approach is proposed to model this scenario. The first tier of the game is the sensing game in which, the covert timing network determines the amount of camouflaging resources to be deployed in each band and the malicious attacker determines the optimal sensing resources to be deployed in each band. In the second tier of the game, the malicious attacker determines the optimal transmit powers on each spectral band it chooses to attack. We prove the existence of Nash equilibriums for the games. We compare the performance of our proposed game theoretic mechanism with that of other well known heuristic mechanisms and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Disseminated histoplasmosis in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus

Disseminated histoplasmosis is an AIDS-defining illness that occurs in about 5% of AIDS patients residing in histoplasmosis-endemic areas of the United States (the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys). This disease develops as a result of acute infection and perhaps also as the result of reactivation of latent infection : cases reported from areas such as New York City, where histoplasmosis is not endemic, are most likely due to reactivation of an infection acquired earlier in a histoplasmosis-endemic area, while cases in histoplasmosis-endemic areas are most likely due to acute infection, especially in outbreak settings. Disseminated histoplasmosis in HIV-infected patients is usually associated with advanced immunosuppression, with CD4 + lymphocyte counts of <75/mm 3 . Currently, histoplasmin skin testing of HIV-infected patients does not seem to be useful in detecting previous exposure and therefore is not helpful in identifying groups of patients who are at risk for dissemination and who should be targeted for preventive efforts. The current public health recommendation for HIV-infected patients is to avoid exposure to sites likely to harbor high levels of Histoplasma capsulatum, such as chicken coops and bird roosts. The role of chemoprophylaxis is not clear, but an ongoing study by the Mycoses Study Group is evaluating the role of prophylactic itraconazole. If strategies for the prevention of disseminated histoplasmosis in HIV-infected patients are to be improved, studies must better define the risk factors for this opportunistic infection, describe its natural history, and develop more reliable tests to predict its development.
Interaction with GM130 during HERG Ion Channel Trafficking DISRUPTION BY TYPE 2 CONGENITAL LONG QT SYNDROME MUTATIONS

Many mutations in the Human Ether-a-go-go-Related Gene (HERG) cause type 2 congenital long QT syndrome (LQT2) by disrupting trafficking of theHERG -encoded potassium channel. Beyond observations that some mutations trap channels in the endoplasmic reticulum, little is known about how trafficking fails. Even less is known about what checkpoints are encountered in normal trafficking. To identify protein partners encountered as HERG channels are transported among subcellular compartments, we screened a human heart library with the C terminus of HERG using yeast two-hybrid technology. Among the proteins isolated was GM130, a Golgi-associated protein involved in vesicular transport. The interaction mapped to two non-contiguous regions of HERG and to a region just upstream of the GRASP-65 interaction domain of GM130. GM130 did not interact with the N or C terminus of either KvLQT1 or Shaker channels. LQT2-causing mutations in the HERG C terminus selectively disrupted interactions with GM130 but not Tara, another HERG-interacting protein. Native GM130 and stably expressed HERG were co-immunoprecipitated from HEK-293 cells using GM130 antibodies. In rat cardiac myocytes and HEK-293 cells, confocal immunocytochemistry showed co-localization of GM130 and HERG to the Golgi apparatus. Overexpression of GM130 suppressed HERG current amplitude inXenopus oocytes, as if by providing an excess of substrate at the Golgi checkpoint. These findings indicate that GM130 plays a previously undefined role in cargo transport. We propose that the cytoplasmic C terminus of HERG participates in the tethering or possibly targeting of HERG-containing vesicles within the Golgi via its interaction with GM130.
Searching for frameshift evolutionary relationships between protein sequence families.

Theproteinsequencedatabasewas analyzed for evidence that some distinct sequence families might be distantly related in evolution by changes in frame of translation. Sequences were compared using special amino acid substitution matrices for the alternate frames of translation. The statistical significance of alignment scores were computed in the true database and shuffled versions of the database that preserve any potential codon bias. The comparison of results from these two databases provides a very sensitive method for de- tecting remote relationships. We find a weak but measurable relatedness within the database as a whole, supporting the notion that some proteins may have evolved from others through changes in frame of translation. We also quantify residual ho- mology in the ordinary sense within a database of generally unrelated sequences. Proteins 1999;37:
Towards Optimizing Wide-Area Streaming Analytics

Modern analytics services require the analysis of large quantities of data derived from disparate geo-distributed sources. Further, the analytics requirements can be complex, with many applications requiring a combination of both real-time and historical analysis, resulting in complex tradeoffs between cost, performance, and information quality. While the traditional approach to analytics processing is to send all the data to a dedicated centralized location, an alternative approach would be to push all computing to the edge for in-situ processing. We argue that neither approach is optimal for modern analytics requirements. Instead, we examine complex tradeoffs driven by a large number of factors such as application, data, and resource characteristics. We present an empirical study using Planet Lab experiments with beacon data from Akamai's download analytics service. We explore key tradeoffs and their implications for the design of next-generation scalable wide-area analytics.
Inhibition of drug-induced circling by GABA-ergic activity in the nucleus accumbens.

Abstract Injections of GABA (125–500 μg in 1 μl) or muscimol (40–200 ng in 1 μl) into the nucleus accumbens markedly reduced the amphetamine-induced circling of rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced lesions of nigrostriatal dopamine neurons. The potency of muscimol was approximately 104 times that of GABA. Muscimol exerted a similar effect when injected in a smaller volume (0.5 μl) at a slower rate (0.11 μl/min), a procedure which was shown to reduce the spread of injected [3H]muscimol. Intra-accumbens injections of subconvulsive doses of picrotoxin had no effect on amphetamine-induced circling. Intra-accumbens muscimol (40 ng, 0.5 μl, 0.11 μl/min) also reduced the contralateral circling evoked by apomorphine in rats with unilateral 6-OHDA-induced lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway and bilateral 6-OHDA-induced lesions of the mesolimbic dopamine terminals. These results suggest that GABA-ergic activity in the nucleus accumbens exerts an inhibitory influence on drug-induced circling. At least part of this action is at a step beyond the release of dopamine from mesolimbic terminals.
EFFECT OF FRIDAY AFTERNOON CLASSES ON GRADES AND ATTENDANCE

Summary.-It was hypothesized that more students would be absent from classes in the MWF afternoon sections than in the MWF morning sections or the morning and afternoon sections on TTh. Further, the increase in class absences would consequently mean lower grades. To test these hypotheses the data from 910 students were analyzed. There was a moderarely s~~nificant relationship (p < .lo) between class absences and grades in the MWF-pm classes. Srudents who were absent from classes more frequently tended to earn lower grades. The mean number of class absences for the MWF-pm classes was 3.19; for the MWF-am classes it was 3.70. Students in the MWF-pm earned higher grades (X2 = 19.71, p < .lo) than the other class meeting times. It is no secret thac present-day college students do not savor Friday afternoon classes. In the mid-1960s, classes which met on Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday were to be avoided, if at all possible. Around 1968 colleges began eliminating Saturday classes, to the delight of both students and professors. Jennings (1968) theorized that classes which meet on Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday will be comprised chiefly of students of low ability who lack the initiative to schedule only Monday-Wednesday-Friday classes. He found that students in Tuesday-Thursday-Sacurday classes did significantly more poorly than those in other sections even though the grade point averages were almost identical for all groups. Caffrey and Klugh (1971) hypothesized that more students would cut classes in the Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday sections than in the Monday-Wednesday-Friday sections and that the increased class cuts would be related to lower grades. They found a significant relationship (p < .05) between cuts and grades in both Monday-Wednesday-Friday and Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday classes. However, students in the Saturday classes obtained higher grades (p < .05) than the Monday-Wednesday-Friday group. Since no reported studies discuss the effects of class attendance in MondayWednesday-Friday afternoon classes on course grades, the present one was carried out. It was hypothesized that more students would be absent in the MondayWednesday-Friday afternoon sections than in the Monday-Wednesday-Friday morning sections or the morning and afternoon sections on Tuesday and Thursday. It wasfurther hypothesized thac the increased absences would consequently mean lower grades. The subjects were 910 college undergraduate students enrolled in 20 freshman English composition and 20 freshman mathematics sections from the first
Solvent dependence of the second order hyperpolarizability in p-nitroaniline

Abstract Values of the second order hyperpolarizability β have been determined for p-nitroaniline (PNA) in solvents of varying polarity using the electric field induced second harmonic generation experimental technique. An observed solvent dependence of β0, the second order hyperpolarizability extrapolated to zero-frequency, is correlated with the solvent-induced shift of the PNA charge transfer absorption maximum λmax. The correlation is similar to the correlation between λmax and β0 observed in donor/acceptor p-substituted benzenes with different substituents. Both dependences can be understood within the framework of a simple four level Huckel model.
The Place of Lester Ward among the Sociological Classics

Although there is a thriving industry of classical sociology within the discipline of sociology, not much attention has been focused on the early American sociologists. This paper offers a six-fold typology of the uses of the classics within sociology, and argues that the neglect of early American sociology among contemporary sociologists requires correction. For reasons delineated, Lester F. Ward is the overlooked early American sociologist most deserving of renewed attention and study.
Species selective resistance of cardiac muscle voltage gated sodium channels: Characterization of brevetoxin and ciguatoxin binding sites in rats and fish

Brevetoxins (PbTxs) and ciguatoxins (CTXs) are two suites of dinoflagellate derived marine polyether neurotoxins that target the voltage gated sodium channel (VGSC). PbTxs are commonly responsible for massive fish kills and unusual mortalities in marine mammals. CTXs, more often noted for human intoxication, are suspected causes of fish and marine mammal intoxication, although this has never been reported in the field. VGSCs, present in the membrane of all excitable cells including those found in skeletal muscle, nervous and heart tissues, are found as isoforms with differential expression within species and tissues. To investigate the tissue and species susceptibility to these biotoxins, we determined the relative affinity of PbTx-2 and -3 and P-CTX-1 to native VGSCs in the brain, heart, and skeletal muscle of rat and the marine teleost fish Centropristis striata by competitive binding in the presence of [(3)H]PbTx-3. No differences between rat and fish were observed in the binding of PbTxs and CTX to either brain or skeletal muscle. However, [(3)H]PbTx-3 showed substantial lower affinity to rat heart tissue while in the fish it bound with the same affinity to heart than to brain or skeletal muscle. These new insights into PbTxs and CTXs binding in fish and mammalian excitable tissues indicate a species related resistance of heart VGSC in the rat; yet, with comparable sensitivity between the species for brain and skeletal muscle.
Work in Progress: Using e-Portfolio to Define, Teach, and Assess ABET Professional Skills

While most engineering programs are confident developing specific criteria and assessment tools for the technical skills described in ABET Criterion 3a-k, the question of how to define, teach and assess the professional outcomes (teamwork, professional and ethical responsibility, communication, impact of engineering solutions, life-long learning, and contemporary issues) remains much more challenging. This paper will describe expectations that connect student work to professional skills, broken down by level and organized into ePortfolio assessment matrices. The authors drew on two well-known learning paradigms: Bloom's taxonomy and Baxter Magolda's schema of Intellectual Development. Changes resulting from consulting with an external assessor are discussed. Finally, the paper will conclude with a series of problems and answers in using this digital tool to meet the divergent goals of students, faculty, and program administrators.
Assessing the impact of influential observations on multiple regression analysis in human resource research

An overlooked aspect of multiple regression research using employee-provided data is the potential for microlevel bias that can influence regression results. This article demonstrates the potential impact of influential observations using a case study and outlines an improved procedure for identifying which influential observations to delete. Because human resource research frequently asks employees to provide information about themselves or others, the potential for microlevel bias is almost always present. Increased attention to evaluating influential observations and outliers is suggested.
Media frames of mental illnesses: The potential impact of negative frames

Background: Mass media (e.g., television news and entertainment programming, films and newspapers) are a primary source for information about mental illnesses. Aims: The possible effects of media coverage and predominant frames in which mental illnesses are portrayed are discussed. Methods: Framing is defined as the means by which media information is organized, presented and interpreted. The literature focused on media coverage of mental illnesses and media framing is reviewed. Results: The frequently negative frames used by the media to portray mental illnesses contribute to the development and persistence of the public's negative attitudes toward persons with mental illnesses. Conclusions: An obvious extension to this work is a systematic analysis of framing functions, structures and elements used in the media to describe mental illnesses. The experimental manipulation of mental illness frames and their consequences on media consumers will help to provide some understanding of how media consumers react...
Accidental Communities: Race, Emergency Medicine, and the Problem of PolyHeme®

This article focuses on emergency medical care in black urban populations, suggesting that the classification of a “community” within clinical trial language is problematic. The article references a cultural history of black Americans with pre-hospital emergency medical treatment as relevant to contemporary emergency medicine paradigms. Part I explores a relationship between “autonomy” and “community.” The idea of community emerges as a displacement for the ethical principle of autonomy precisely at the moment that institutionalized medicine focuses on diversity. Part II examines a clinical trial for the blood substitute PolyHeme® (Northfield Laboratories, Inc., Evanston, IL). It illustrates the ways in which bias in research paradigms and Institutional Review Board decisions attach to the notion and utility of the language of “community.” The conclusion's contemporary anecdote makes apparent the vitality of the issues of prehospital emergency medical care and the ways in which decisions and practices fal...
The Roles of Recognition Processes and Look-Ahead Search in Time-Constrained Expert Problem Solving: Evidence From Grand-Master-Level Chess

Chess has long served as an important standard task environment for research on human memory and problem-solving abilities and processes In this article, we report evidence on the relative importance of recognition processes and planning (look-ahead) processes in very high level expert performance in chess The data show that the rated skill of a top-level grand master is only slightly lower when he is playing simultaneously against a half-dozen grand-master opponents than under tournament conditions that allow much more time for each move As simultaneous play allows little time for look-ahead processes, the data indicate that recognition, based on superior chess knowledge, plays a much larger part in high-level skill in this task than does planning by looking ahead
Effectiveness of a Stress Management Program in Reducing Anxiety and Depression in Nursing Students

This study sought to develop a stress management program based on the arousal-attribution stress model and to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in reducing anxiety and depression experienced by nursing students. Forty-two sophomore and 34 senior nursing students in a private, sectarian, liberal arts college were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. All subjects were given pre- and posttests consisting of the State form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing Depression Scale. Posttest analysis indicated that the experimental group had significantly lower anxiety and depression than the control group (p less than .05). These results support the use of the arousal-attribution stress model as a theoretical framework for stress management training.
Impact of resident call eligibility on major discrepancy rate.

Rationale and Objectives The Resident Review Committee (RRC) recently changed the policy concerning first-year resident call. Our study is intended to evaluate whether the additional 6 months of training before a resident's first call made a significant difference in the resident's ability to provide patient care. To evaluate this, we assessed the discrepancy rates between preliminary interpretations made by residents and final reports by attendings. Materials and Methods All cross-sectional imaging interpreted by on-call residents (5 PM to 8 AM) during the first 6 months of call duties was reviewed for discrepant findings between the preliminary resident report and the final interpretation by an attending. Only major discrepancies were evaluated. A major discrepancy was defined as a change made to the resident preliminary report by an attending radiologist where a delay in communicating that finding had the potential to negatively affect clinical outcomes. Major discrepancy rates between groups were then compared. Results During the second 6 months of the 2008–2009 academic year, first-year residents interpreted 3331 studies. Fifty-nine of those were declared to be discrepancies after an attending over-read, a rate of 1.8%. During the first 6 months of the 2009–2010 academic year, second-year residents interpreted 4649 studies with 49 discrepancies, a rate of 1.0%. This difference is statistically significant (P = .008). Conclusions The recent RRC policy change requiring 6 additional months of training before assuming independent on-call responsibilities has significantly decreased the major discrepancy rate at our institution.
Intravenous Clofilium for Conversion of Atrial Fibrillation

Clofilium was administered to 14 patients with mainly chronic atrial fibrillation in a pilot study. QTc prolongation was observed, and 2 patients had conversion to sinus rhythm after drug infusion.
Immunoregulatory mechanisms in multiple myeloma.

The patient with multiple myeloma commonly presents with elevated monoclonal immunoglobulin and suppressed polyclonal immunoglobulins that confer increased susceptibility to infectious complications. A variety of associated phenotypic and functional abnormalities of T and B cells have been recognized, raising questions about immunoregulation of this disease with regard to its causation, progression, and symptomatology. Successful attempts to induce anti-idiotype responses after idiotype-carrier protein inoculation, 36 or to induce a graft-versus-myeloma effect after allogeneic transplantation, 84 point to the role of immunomodulation in the understanding of pathogenesis and treatment of this disease. Elucidating the complex interplay of various immunoregulatory cells related to disease control or progression could lead to more effective therapy for multiple myeloma.
Modeling and composing gestures for human-robot interaction

We formalize the representation of gestures and present a model that is capable of synchronizing expressive and relevant gestures with text-to-speech input. A gesture consists of gesture primitives that are executed simultaneously. We formally define the gesture primitive and introduce the concept of a spatially targeted gesture primitive, i.e., a gesture primitive that is directed at a target of interest. The spatially targeted gesture primitive is useful for situations where the direction of the gesture is important for meaningful human-robot interaction. We contribute an algorithm to determine how a spatially targeted gesture primitive is generated. We also contribute a process to analyze the input text, determine relevant gesture primitives from the input text, compose gestures from gesture primitives and rank the combinations of gestures. We propose a set of criteria that weights and ranks the combinations of gestures. Although we illustrate the utility of our model, algorithm and process using a NAO humanoid robot, our contributions are applicable to other robots.
Roman Comedy Gets Back to Basics

Twenty-one plays survive under the name of Plautus. Add the six by Terence and the fragmentary record from Andronicus in the mid-third century to Turpilius late in the second, and the result is a significant corpus with something for nearly everyone: an extensive record of Latin at a key period in its history, a major arena for the Romans' ongoing struggle with Hellenism, a genre more central to later Western drama than anything Greek, and, however well scholarship may sometimes obscure the fact, plays that are genuinely funny and replete with the sights, sounds, and smells of what passes for daily life in the Roman Republic. Small wonder the comoedia palliata once attracted some of the great names in Roman studies. What Alison Sharrock was taught to regard as only ‘a stereotype-ridden exercise in lamentable literary secondariness’ (ix) must from the beginning have meant something quite different to Ritschl and Leo, not to mention Studemund, whose eyesight never recovered from the strain of transcribing the Ambrosian palimpsest of Plautus. How did the study of comedy ever become a literary backwater? And what has happened to it since?
Integrating Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis into the ART Laboratory

Technology has become the driving force in the field of assisted reproductive infertility medicine. The ability to conduct in vitro fertilization, embryo micromanipulation, and cryopreservation allows the clinical embryologist to obtain an ever increasing ability to observe and test the viability of the human embryo in the laboratory. At the same time, molecular genetics and molecular biology have developed to the point of allowing the laboratory to detect and determine various aspects of the embryonic genome and knowledge of the detailed structure of human chromosomes. These technological abilities are now used not only to identify single gene mutations linked to specific diseases, but identify chromosomal abnormalities residing in the in vitro cultured human embryo as well. Selection of mutation-free and chromosomally normal embryos is now a reality that brings new hope to couples at risk for giving birth to affected offspring. There are also mounting indications that these technologies are also able to benefit couples facing other infertility issues such as failure to conceive during ART procedures. Ethical issues, concerning the use of these new technologies, have arisen from a number of quarters where it is troubling to think of, no less accept, the possible outcomes derived from their applications. One long sought after outcome, being requested by prospective parents, is to select the gender of the desired offspring for purely non-medical motives. Infertility programs throughout the United States and the world are now capable of utilizing these advanced technologies to make gender selection a reality for interested couples, as well as, enhance the ability to treat a variety of problems relating to infertility. Reproductive genetic programs may want to consider early on how they wish to utilize these technical abilities within their individual programs. There should be serious consideration of the pros and cons of developing these highly technical, time consuming and expensive procedures within a given facility. This chapter is designed to consider and help answer those questions.
Mechanisms of action of topical 5-fluorouracil: Review and implications for the treatment of dermatological disorders

Topical 5-fluorouracil has proved to be a useful therapy since its discovery nearly 50 years ago for the treatment of a range of cancers (e.g. skin, colorectal, breast) and dermatological conditions (e.g. cancerous and precancerous conditions such as actinic keratosis, benign tumors, nail psoriasis, mycosis fungoides, and porokeratoses). As a result of the enduring utility in these conditions, the mechanism of action of 5-fluorouracil has been studied extensively in vivo and in vitro. This review provides an overview of the history and general mechanism of action of 5-fluorouracil and discusses the dermatological implications of the drug, including systemic absorption, selectivity for abnormal skin, targeted delivery, and skin-specific molecular effects. Considerations of 5-fluorouracil treatment in specific dermatological settings are also discussed, as well as recent findings of a role for 5-fluorouracil in the treatment of photoaging.
Crime, film and criminology Recent sex-crime movies

This article aims at giving crime-film research a stronger sense of purpose by asking: How do crime films relate to criminology? Using the example of recent films about sex crimes, I argue that crime films should be conceptualized as an aspect of popular criminology, and popular criminology as an aspect of criminology itself. If we define criminology as the study of crime and criminals, it becomes clear that film is one of the primary sources through which people get their ideas about the nature of crime. Some of those ideas echo academic criminology, while others bring to bear ethical, philosophical and psychological perspectives beyond the scope of academic research. By recognizing that popular criminology is integral to criminology, we can invigorate the study of crime films—and criminology itself.
Trousseau's syndrome : Multiple definitions and multiple mechanisms

In 1865, Armand Trousseau noted that unexpected or migratory thrombophlebitis could be a forewarning of an occult visceral malignancy. An analysis by Sack and colleagues in 1977 extended the term Trousseau's syndrome to include chronic disseminated intravascular coagulopathy associated with microangiopathy, verrucous endocarditis, and arterial emboli in patients with cancer, often occurring with mucin-positive carcinomas. In recent times the term has been ascribed to various clinical situations, ranging all the way from these classic descriptions to any kind of coagulopathy occurring in the setting of any kind of malignancy. These multiple definitions of Trousseau's syndrome are partly the consequence of multiple pathophysiologic mechanisms that apparently contribute to the hypercoagulability associated with cancer. Even the classic syndrome probably represents a spectrum of disorders, ranging from exaggerated fluid-phased thrombosis dependent on prothrombotic agents such as tissue factor to a platelet- and endotheliumum-based selectin-dependent microangiopathy associated with mucin-producing carcinomas, along with thrombin and fibrin production. Also considered here are recent hypotheses about genetic pathways within tumor cells that might trigger these thrombotic phenomena, and the reasons why therapy with heparins of various kinds remain the preferred treatment, probably because of their salutary actions on several of the proposed pathologic mechanisms.
COMMERCIAL MAGNETO-RHEOLOGICAL FLUID DEVICES

Controllable magnetorheological (MR) fluid devices have reached the stage where they are in commercial production. Such devices are finding application in a variety of real world situations ranging...
A further assessment of factors correlating with presence in immersive virtual environments

In previous work, we have found significant differences in participants' distance perception accuracy in different types of immersive virtual environments (IVEs). Could these differences be an indication of, or consequence of, differences in participants' sense of presence under these different virtual environment conditions? In this paper, we report the results of an experiment that seeks further insight into this question. In our experiment, users were fully tracked and immersed in one of three different IVEs: a photorealistically rendered replica of our lab, a non-photorealistically rendered replica of our lab, or a photorealistically rendered room that had similar dimensions as our lab, but was texture mapped with photographs from a different real place. Participants in each group were asked to perform a series of tasks, first in a normal (control) version of the IVE and then in a stress-enhanced version in which the floor surrounding the marked path was cut away to reveal a two-story drop. We assessed participants' depth of presence in each of these IVEs using a questionnaire, recordings of heart rate and galvanic skin response, and gait metrics derived from tracking data, and then compared the differences between the stressful and non-stressful versions of each environment. Pooling the data over all participants in each group, we found significant physiological indications of stress after the appearance of the pit in all three environments, but did not find significant differences in the magnitude of the physiological stress response between the different environment conditions. However, we did find significant differences in the change in gait: participants in the photorealistic replica room group walked significantly slower, and with shorter strides, after exposure to the stressful version of the environment, than did participants in either the photorealistically rendered unfamiliar room or the NPR replica room conditions.
The mobility of an HIV-1 integrase active site loop is correlated with catalytic activity.

Replication of HIV-1 requires the covalent integration of the viral cDNA into the host chromosomal DNA directed by the virus-encoded integrase protein. Here we explore the importance of a protein surface loop near the integrase active site using protein engineering and X-ray crystallography. We have redetermined the structure of the integrase catalytic domain (residues 50-212) using an independent phase set at 1.7 A resolution. The structure extends helixR4 on its N-terminal side (residues 149-154), thus defining the position of the three conserved active site residues. Evident in this and in previous structures is a conformationally flexible loop composed of residues 141-148. To probe the role of flexibility in this loop, we replaced Gly 140 and Gly 149, residues that appear to act as conformational hinges, with Ala residues. X-ray structures of the catalytic domain mutants G149A and G140A/G149A show further rigidity of R4 and the adjoining loop. Activity assays in vitro revealed that these mutants are impaired in catalysis. The DNA binding affinity, however, is minimally affected by these mutants as assayed by UV cross-linking. We propose that the conformational flexibility of this active site loop is important for a postbinding catalytic step.
In vivo chemotactic properties and spatial expression of PDGF in developing mesenteric microvascular networks.

The recruitment of perivascular cells to developing microvessels is a key component of microvessel assembly. Whereas platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling is critical for this process dur...
Software localization: the challenging aspects of Arabic to the localization process (Arabization)

Although there are several open-source Arabization projects, as well as individual and collective initiatives by many volunteers for the Arabization of software interfaces, operating systems, and web sites, etc. the quality of Arabization is still very poor and does not meet the minimum quality standards we found in other localized software. In the case of major software companies like Microsoft and IBM, and many other localization companies, we still find the quality level is barely adequate. There are many reasons for being in such a state, and this paper is intended to highlight some of the main issues concerning the Arabic Language and the Arabization process.
Studies on the anemia of disseminated malignant neoplastic disease. II. Study of the life span of the erythrocyte.

1. A study of the life span of the erythrocyte in patients with advanced neoplastic disease was performed by transfusing blood from 23 hospitalized patients into 53 healthy volunteers. 2. The Ashby technic for red cell labeling was used alone in 16 instances, Cr 51 technic in 52 instances, and a combination of the 2 technics in 8 instances. 3. Normal or nearly normal life spans were suggested by the slopes of curves in 15 instances where whole blood from patients was transfused into volunteers. 4. Some shortening of the life span of the patient’s red cells was noted when these cells, separated from the plasma, were transfused into volunteers or back into patients, possibly related to the handling during plasma removal. 5. Control studies using either Cr 51 or Ashby labeling technic indicated a normal life span of approximately 120 days in the volunteers employed could be achieved by each method. 6. Values obtained with Cr 51 were so similar to those using Ashby labeling that the easier Cr 51 technic is recommended for future studies. 7. The normal erythrocyte transfused into patients with neoplastic disease may have a moderate to considerably shortened life span. 8. These studies seem to demonstrate an absence of an intrinsic defect in the erythrocytes of patients with neoplastic disease, and further favor the presence of a hemolytic plasma factor of considerable importance in the pathogenesis of the anemia of cancer.
STEREOCHEMISTRY OF INCIPIENT ELECTROPHILIC AND NUCLEOPHILIC REACTIONS AT DIVALENT SELENIUM CENTER: ELECTROPHILIC-NUCLEOPHILIC PAIRING AND ANISOTROPIC SHAPE OF Se IN Se…Se INTERACTIONS

Abstract Using the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Base and computer retrieval methods, we have studied the preferred directions of approach of nucleophiles and electrophiles at divalent selenium centers. We find that electrophiles approach Se in a direction nearly normal to the selenide plane Y-Se-Z while nucleophiles approach Se nearly in the selenide plane and along the back side of Y-Se or Z-Se bonds. We also found evidence for the incipient formation of attractive electrophile-nucleophile pairing in Se…Se interactions. Other Se…Se contacts which did not fit the above pattern showed non-spherical effective shape for Se atoms. The preferred directions of approach of electrophiles and nucleophiles for Se and S are very similar and may be understood in terms of frontier orbitals. Such similarity in the shape and orbital environment of S and Se indicate to some extent how Se can play the role of S in some enzymes.
Comparison of RT-PCR and ELISA in the detection of Norwalk-like viruses in the out-break of acute non-bacterial gastroenteritis

Norwalk-like viruses are the important etiological agents of the worldwide distributed acute epidemic non-bacterial gastroenteritis. In the present study, these viruses in the clinical specimens of patients in two outbreaks of acute non-bacterial gastroenteritis in Guangzhou area were investigated by RT-PCR and ELISA.Serenty-six fecal specimens, 23 anus swabs and 12 food materials were examined by RT-PCR and ELISA. The results showed that Norwalk-like viruses were found by using RT-PCR in 37 fecal specimens, but only 17 fecal specimens were found to be positive for Norwalk-like viruses by ELISA. Only one anus swab was found to be positive by RT-PCR, and no virus was detected in food materials by both method. The sequence identity of the isolated viruses with the corresponding standard strains was more than 90%.
A 3D Solid Modeling Oriented MEMS Design Approach

Driven by the "What You See Is What You Get" design concept,this paper presents a 3D solid modeling oriented MEMS design approach which ensures a design flow from 3D solid model to system-level model and process layout.In this design flow,the 3D solid model is firstly constructed,after FEA simulation,the system-level model can be obtained via component mapping and macro-model extraction,also obtained is the layout through automatic layout conversion.This design approach enhances the design efficiency,and the consistency and accuracy of model data can be assured.
Simulation and Discussion on Mechanism of Dynamic Interaction Between Frequency and Voltage in Islanded Power Grid

At present the under-frequency load shedding device and the under-voltage load shedding device are configured in power grid independently. When these devices are applied in the secure control of frequency and voltage in an islanded power grid, due to the intercoupling of dynamic processes of voltage and frequency it is impossible to accurately judge the frequency variation of the islanded grid only by initial active power vacancy. Through the simulation of typical example, the impacts of initial active power vacancy, initial reactive power vacancy, load characteristics, etc. on dynamic process of island frequency are analyzed, and it is pointed out that the load characteristics and initial reactive power vacancy intensively impact on both island voltage condition and dynamic variation of island frequency. During the research on post-splitting dynamic frequency in the island with a lot of active power vacancy it is necessary to fully consider the impact of voltage variation on dynamic frequency. Conclusion of this research is available for reference to joint emergency control of island frequency and voltage after the splitting of power grid.
GPU-centric resolved-particle disperse two-phase flow simulation using the Physalis method

We present work on a new implementation of the Physalis method for resolved-particle disperse two-phase flow simulations. We discuss specifically our GPU-centric programming model that avoids all device-host data communication during the simulation. Summarizing the details underlying the implementation of the Physalis method, we illustrate the application of two GPU-centric parallelization paradigms and record insights on how to best leverage the GPU’s prioritization of bandwidth over latency. We perform a comparison of the computational efficiency between the current GPU-centric implementation and a legacy serial-CPU-optimized code and conclude that the GPU hardware accounts for run time improvements up to a factor of 60 by carefully normalizing the run times of both codes.