cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of acupuncture for chronic low back pain: protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Chronic back pain is a major public health problem and the primary reason patients seek acupuncture treatment. Therefore, an objective assessment of acupuncture efficacy is critical for making informed decisions about its appropriate role for patients with this common condition. This study addresses methodological shortcomings that have plagued previous studies evaluating acupuncture for chronic low back pain. A total of 640 participants (160 in each of four arms) between the ages of 18 and 70 years of age who have low back pain lasting at least 3 months will be recruited from integrated health care delivery systems in Seattle and Oakland. They will be randomized to one of two forms of Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) acupuncture needling (individualized or standardized), a "control" group (simulated acupuncture), or to continued usual medical care. Ten treatments will be provided over 7 weeks. Study participants and the "Diagnostician" acupuncturists who evaluate participants and propose individualized treatments will be masked to the acupuncture treatment actually assigned each participant. The "Therapist" acupuncturists providing the treatments will not be masked but will have limited verbal interaction with participants. The primary outcomes, standard measures of dysfunction and bothersomeness of low back pain, will be assessed at baseline, and after 8, 26, and 52 weeks by telephone interviewers masked to treatment assignment. General health status, satisfaction with back care, days of back-related disability, and use and costs of healthcare services for back pain will also be measured. The primary analysis comparing outcomes by randomized treatment assignment will be analysis of covariance adjusted for baseline value. For both primary outcome measures, this trial will have 99% power to detect the presence of a minimal clinically significant difference among all four treatment groups and over 80% power for most pairwise comparisons. Secondary analyses will compare the proportions of participants in each group that improve by a clinically meaningful amount. Results of this trial will help clarify the value of acupuncture needling as a treatment for chronic low back pain. Clinical Trials.gov NCT00065585.
DFF45/ICAD Can Be Directly Processed by Granzyme B during the Induction of Apoptosis

Granzyme B (GzmB) is a component of cytotoxic lymphocyte granules that can rapidly initiate apoptosis in target cells. While several procaspases are cleaved and activated by GzmB, the absolute requirement of caspase activation for GzmB-induced apoptosis is controversial. In this report, we demonstrate that GzmB can initiate apoptosis in the absence of caspase-3 activity by directly cleaving DFF45/ICAD to liberate activated DFF40/CAD. DFF45/ICAD cleavage occurs less efficiently in cells that lack caspase-3 activity, suggesting that the caspases normally amplify the GzmB death signal. DFF45/ICAD-deficient mouse embryo fibroblasts are partially resistant to GzmB-induced death, demonstrating the biological importance of DFF45/ICAD for GzmB-mediated apoptosis.
Anatomic relationships of an endoscopic carpal tunnel device to surrounding structures

Anatomic relationships of an endoscopic carpal tunnel device to surrounding soft tissue structures along the ring finger and the long-ring interspace axis were investigated in 28 adult cadaver hands. The average distance from the center of the device to the median nerve in the carpal tunnel averaged 3.3 mm in the ring finger axis and 2.5 mm in the long-ring interspace axis. The average distance from the distal edge of the transverse carpal ligament to the superficial palmar arch was 4.8 mm in the ring finger axis and 5.5 mm in the long-ring interspace axis. These and other more subtle anatomic observations indicate the greater safety of using the ring finger axis for endoscopic carpal tunnel release.
A new inequality for distance-regular graphs

Given a nontrivial primitive idempotent E of a distance-regular graph ? with diameter d ? 3, we obtain an inequality involving the intersection numbers of ? for each integer i (3 ? i ? d). We show equality is attained for i = 3 if and only if equality is attained for all i (3 ? i ? d) if and only if ? is Q-polynomial with respect to E. If the intersection numbers of ? are such that qci ? bi ? q(qci?1 ? bi?1) is independent of i (1 ? i ? d) for some q??\{0, ?1} (as is the case for many examples), our inequalities take an especially simple form.
Concise Review: Insights from Normal Bone Remodeling and Stem Cell‐Based Therapies for Bone Repair

There is growing interest in the use of mesenchymal stem cells for bone repair. As a major reason for normal bone remodeling is the removal of fatigue microcracks, advances in our understanding of this process may inform approaches to enhance fracture healing. Increasing evidence now indicates that physiological bone remodeling occurs in close proximity to blood vessels and that these vessels carry perivascular stem cells that differentiate into osteoblasts. Similarly, fracture healing is critically dependent on the ingrowth of blood vessels not only for a nutrient supply but also for the influx of osteoblasts. A number of animal and human studies have now shown the potential benefit of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in enhancing bone repair. However, as in other tissues, the question of whether these cells improve fracture healing directly by differentiating into osteoblasts or indirectly by secreting paracrine factors that recruit blood vessels and the accompanying perivascular stem cells remains a major unresolved issue. Moreover, CD34+ cells, which are enriched for endothelial/hematopoietic cells, have also shown efficacy in various bone repair models, at least in part due to the induction of angiogenesis and recruitment of host progenitor cells. Thus, mesenchymal and nonmesenchymal stem/progenitor cells are attractive options for bone repair. It is possible that they contribute directly to bone repair, but it is also likely that they express paracrine factors in the appropriate amounts and combinations that promote and sustain the healing process.
Alternative Foundations: A Dialogue With Modernity and the Papacy of Benedict XVI 1

Abstract Throughout its history, the institution of the Catholic Church has been at odds with the social and political changes of modernity. However, many scholars claim that after Vatican II, the Church began to accept modernity's political regnancy, and subsequently embraced doctrines such as separation of Church and State and religious freedom. In fact, some scholars go so far as to claim that in recent decades, the Catholic Church has led political crusades that resulted in the political, economic, and social liberation of many, such as its spearhead movement against Communist countries and the liberation theology movements in Latin America. The purpose of this article is not only to examine such claims but to look more closely at the political implications of the thought of Pope Benedict XVI. I propose that Benedict XVI does not simply embrace modernity, but he challenges it from within and presents political society with an alternative foundation for political liberalism. To this effect, I examine t...
Bullous acral erythema: an additional consideration in the differential diagnosis of pauci-inflammatory subepidermal bullae*

Acral erythema is considered a frequent complication of chemotherapy administration. The bullous variant of chemotherapy-induced acral erythema, or bullous acral erythema, occurs less commonly. The condition typically begins with acral dysesthesias and produces symmetric erythema that blisters and eventually desquamates. Overall, 32 cases of bullous acral erythema have been described in the literature, including 21 cases associated with cytarabine administration and 11 cases attributed to methotrexate. We describe a 61-year-old woman with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in whom bullous acral erythema developed after she received cytarabine and methotrexate. The clinical presentation was unusual, as it was characterized by vesicles in an annular configuration suggestive of linear immunoglobulin A bullous disease. Histopathology revealed a pauci-inflammatory subepidermal bulla that was similar to previously reported cases of bullous acral erythema. We suggest that bullous acral erythema represents an important diagnostic consideration in the differential diagnosis of pauci-inflammatory subepidermal blistering in patients who have recently received chemotherapy.
Manufacture of Mozzarella Cheese by Direct Acidification with Reduced Amounts of Rennet and Pepsin

Abstract Mozzarella cheese was made by the direct acidification, continuous agitation method using varying amounts of commercial single strength rennet or pepsin. Yield, composition, and properties of cheese were not affected by the amount of enzyme except for a limited number of characteristics
Jobs or jails? The crime drop in Texas

Crime went down throughout the U.S. in the 1990s. Potential explanations include demographic shifts, improved economic opportunities, changes in drug markets, evolving police strategies, and an increasing prison population. Previous attempts to parcel out responsibility among these explanations are unpersuasive. Some do not consider all of the explanations, others rely on highly aggregated data, still others confuse cause and effect. An analysis of Texas counties that deals with these problems shows that the Texas crime drop was largely due to increases in the jail and prison population; property crime also dropped due to increases in real wages and wealth and in public order arrests. Further prison construction would not be cost-effective in Texas due to declining marginal returns, but direct interventions to improve economic opportunities or make police work more proactive may be. © 2005 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
The -SiH vibrational stretch as an indicator of the oxidation state of silicon on a cometary or asteroidal regolith

It has been experimentally shown that the position of the -SiH fundamental vibrational stretch is very sensitive to the chemical environment surrounding the Si atom. Si in an oxidizing environment will display an -SiH feature near 4.4 microns, whereas Si in a reducing grain could be responsible for a feature at 4.74 microns. It is further shown that, as an oxidized grain is reduced, the -SiH fundamental shifts to longer wavelengths through a series of intermediate bands.
Epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in lung adenocarcinoma

Despite tremendous progress in the last decade, lung adenocarcinoma still represents a tumor with unfavorable prognosis when detected at advanced clinical stage. High-stage tumors are not amenable to surgical resection, and therefore systemic therapies are needed to control these tumors to prolong patient survival. In the era of molecular and personalized therapeutics, the discovery of mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in 15-20% of lung adenocarcinomas and the associated response to EGFR-targeting tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors have provided a successful avenue of attack in high-stage adenocarcinomas. In this review, we will provide an overview of the EGFR pathway, review the significant somatic EGFR alterations in lung adenocarcinoma and highlight their implications for treatment. In addition, we will examine pathways by which tumors resist EGFR TK therapy, both as primary nonresponders and by acquired resistance. In doing so, we will examine other oncogenic pathways whose status in tumor samples may impact therapeutic responses despite presence of activating EGFR mutations.
Culture and Intelligence.

Intelligence cannot be fully or even meaningfully understood outside its cultural context. Work that seeks to study intelligence acontextually risks the imposition of an investigator's view of the world on the rest of the world. Moreover, work on intelligence within a single culture mayfail to do justice to the range of skills and knowledge that may constitute intelligence broadly defined and risks drawing false and hasty generalizations. This article considers the relevance of culture to intelligence, as well as its investigation, assessment, and development. Studies that show the importance of understanding intelligence in its cultural context are described; the author concludes that intelligence must be understood in such context.
The O*Net Jobs Classification System: A Primer for Family Researchers

We introduce family researchers to the Occupational Information Network, or O*Net, an electronic database on the work characteristics of over 950 occupations. The paper here is a practical primer that covers data collection, selecting occupational characteristics, coding occupations, scale creation, and construct validity, with empirical illustrations from the Family Life Project, a study of almost 1,300 families with infants born in 6 low-income, nonmetro counties in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. We factor analyzed parents' occupations on 35 O*Net characteristics and identified 5 factors: occupational self-direction, physical hazards, physical activity, care work, and automation/repetition, variables that supplement data collected from parents directly. Applied researchers can use the O*Net to expand their knowledge of participants' work circumstances with objective data.
Collider bounds on indirect dark matter searches: The WW final state

We describe an effective theory of interaction between pairs of dark matter particles (denoted $\ensuremath{\chi}$) and pairs of $W$ bosons. Such an interaction could accommodate $\ensuremath{\chi}\overline{\ensuremath{\chi}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}WW$ processes, which are a major focus of indirect dark matter experiments, as well as $pp\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{W}^{*}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}W\ensuremath{\chi}\overline{\ensuremath{\chi}}$ processes, which would predict excesses at the LHC in the $W+{\overline{)E}}_{T}$ final-state. We reinterpret an ATLAS $W+{\overline{)E}}_{T}$ analysis in the hadronic mode and translate the bounds to the space of indirect detection signals. We also reinterpret the $W+{\overline{)E}}_{T}$ analysis in terms of Kaluza-Klein graviton emission through the processes ${W}^{*}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}WG$ and ${Z}^{*}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}ZG$ in which $G$ is invisible. Finally, the final state is interpreted in terms of a ${W}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ model where ${W}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}WZ$, with $W$ decaying hadronically and $Z$ decaying to neutrinos.
A Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis of the Risk and Relative Odds of Temporomandibular Disorders as a Function of Common Occlusal Features

A multiple logistic regression analysis was used to compute the odds ratios for 11 common occlusal features for asymptomatic controls (n = 147) us. five temporomandibular disorder groups: Disc Displacement with Reduction (n = 81), Disc Displacement without Reduction (n = 48), Osteoarthrosis with Disc Displacement History (n = 75), Primary Osteoarthrosis (n = 85), and Myalgia Only (n = 124). Features that did not contribute included: retruded contact position (RCP) to intercuspal position (ICP) occlusal slides 6-7 mm (p < 0.05 to p < 0.01), ≥5-6 ...
Qualitative data collection technologies: a comparison of instant messaging, email, and phone

With the growing body of qualitative research on HCI and social computing, it is natural that researchers may choose to conduct that research in a mediated fashion - over telephone or computer networks. In this paper we compare three different qualitative data collection technologies: phone, instant message (IM), and email. We use quantitative analysis techniques to examine the differences between the methods specifically concerning word count and qualitative codes. We find that there are differences between the methods, and that each technology has affordances that impact the data. Although phone interviews contain four times as many words on average as email and IM, we were surprised to discover that there is no significant difference in number of unique qualitative codes expressed between phone and IM.
Spontaneous D-G translocation in fibroblasts derived from a patient with trisomy 21 mosaicism.

The present report describes the apparently de novo Occurrence of a D/G translocation in a libroblast cell culture initiated from a patient mosaic for trisomy 21.
Finite temperature perturbation theory and large gauge invariance

We examine finite temperature perturbation theory for Chern-Simons theories, in the context of an analogue 0+1-dimensional model. In particular, we show how nonextensive terms arise in the perturbative finite temperature effective action, using both the real-time and imaginary-time formalisms. We illustrate how large gauge invariance is restored at all orders, despite being broken at any given order in perturbation theory. We discuss which aspects generalize to a perturbative analysis of finite temperature Chern-Simons terms in higher dimensions.
Frequency of interspecific mating in salamanders of the plethodontid genus Desmognathus: different experimental designs may yield different results

Heterosexual courtship trials were staged between dusky salamanders of two species (Desmognathus fuscus and D. santeetlah) from two allopatric populations in the southern Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. Two experiments were conducted in order to test for effects of experimental design on estimates of the strength of sexual isolation between these species. In Experiment 1, frequencies of interspecific mating were determined when: (1) a male was presented with a conspecific and a heterotypic female successively; and (2) both types of females were presented simultaneously to a male. The frequency of interspecific mating by male D. fuscus was greatest when females were presented successively. The frequency of interspecific mating by male D. santeetlah was not influenced by method of female presentation. An index of sexual isolation of +0.29 was obtained between D. fuscus and D. santeetlah when females were presented successively, and of +0.63 when females were presented simultaneously. In Experiment 2, interspecific mating frequencies were determined in courtship arenas of two different sizes. No significant effect of arena size on frequency of interspecific mating was found for D. fuscus. In D. santeetlah, a trend towards greater mating frequency in small arenas was almost significant. These results suggest that interspecific mating frequencies (and thus estimates of the strength of sexual isolation between populations or species) may be sensitive to the experimental design employed. The validity and generality of this conclusion for other animals is an urgent, empirical issue.
Augmentation of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella typhimurium DT104 following exposure to penicillin derivatives

Antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has been a problem in both developed and developing countries. This problem is especially evident in Salmonella typhimurium, one of the most prevalent foodborne pathogens. While performing in vitro gentamicin protection-based invasion assays, we found that certain isolates of multiresistant S. typhimurium can be 'induced' to exhibit new resistance profiles. That is, bacteria become resistant to a wider range of antibiotics and they also exhibit quantitative increases in MIC values for antibiotics that were part of their pre-induction antibiograms. This 'induction' process involves growing the bacteria to stationary phase in the presence of antibiotics such as ampicillin, amoxicillin or ticarcillin. Since the isolates studied exhibited resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin and ticarcillin prior to exposing the bacteria to these antibiotics, the observed phenomenon suggests that resistant Salmonella not only have a selective advantage over non-resistant Salmonella but their resistance phenotypes can be accentuated when an inappropriate antibiotic is used therapeutically.
Inhibition of carcinogen-altered rat tracheal epithelial cell proliferation by normal epithelial cells in vivo.

The experiments described investigate the potential influence of surrounding normal tracheal epithelial cells on the survival and growth of carcinogen-exposed epithelial cells in tracheal mucosa reconstructed from known cell mixtures. Cell mixtures containing preneoplastic or neoplastic rat tracheal epithelial cells and a small fraction of normal tracheal or esophageal epithelial cells were inoculated into the lumen of previously frozen-thawed tracheas which were then transplanted s.c. into syngeneic hosts. Within 2-3 weeks an intact tracheal mucosa was regenerated from the inoculated cells. At various times after cell inoculation and transplantation, cells were harvested from the repopulated trachea and the number of diploid normal and/or aneuploid carcinogen-exposed tracheal epithelial cells determined by flow cytometry (DNA content) and the frequency of cells with altered in vitro growth capacity determined. The data suggest that normal tracheal epithelial cells have an enhanced 'survival' capacity relative to carcinogen-exposed cell lines in the regenerated tracheal mucosa. When greater than 10(4) normal cells were inoculated with a 2- to 100-fold excess of carcinogen-exposed cell lines the regenerated epithelium was comprised almost entirely of normal-diploid-epithelial cells. Independent of the ratio of normal to altered cells, when less than 10(4) normal epithelial cells were inoculated in the mixture some carcinogen-altered cells and some normal cells were present in the regenerated epithelium. When established repopulated tracheas containing mixtures of normal and neoplastic epithelial cells were left in the animal no tumors developed. In contrast tracheas containing neoplastic cells alone or partially scraped tracheas containing comparable numbers of neoplastic cells covering a contiguous area of the submucosa, tumors developed within 2-5 weeks of cell inoculation and transplantation. These data suggest that normal tracheal epithelial cells have the capacity to modulate expression of the neoplastic phenotype (tumor development) in neoplastic populations. This effect appears to require close contact with the normal cells as inhibition is not observed when the neoplastic cells occupy a single contiguous area of the trachea.
Leiomyosarcoma developing in a child during remission of leukemia.

7. Schenker S, and O'Donnell JF: Effect of maturation on hepatic adenosine triphosphate, Am J Physiol 208:628, 1965. 8. Hultman E, Nilsson LH, and Sahlin K: Adenine nucleotide content of human liver, Scand J Clin Lab invest 35:245, 1975. 9. Bode JC, Zelder O, Rumpelt HJ, and Wittkamp U: Depletion of liver adenosine phosphates and metabolic effects of intravenous infusion of fructose or sorbitol in man and in the rat, Europ J Clin Invest 3:436, 1973. 10. Schenker S, and Combes B: Role of hepatic adenosine triphosphate in BSP transport and metabolism in vivo, Am J Physiol 212:295, 1967. 11. Brown T, Hug G, Lansky L, et al: Transiently reduced activity of carbamyl phosphate synthetase and ornithine transcarbamylase in liver of children with Reye's syndrome, N Engl J Med 294:861, 1976. 12. Bove KE, McAdams AJ, Partin JC, Hug C, and Schubert WK: The hepatic lesion in Reye's syndrome, Gastroenterology 69:685, 1975.
Visualization and Analysis of Flow in an Offset Channel

This paper investigates flow characteristics for a benchmark experiment that is important for thermal hydraulic phenomena in nuclear power plant design. The flow visualization experiment is carried out for flow in a rectangular offset channel covering both the laminar and turbulent flow regimes. The Reynolds number, based on the inlet velocity and the height of the inlet channel, ranges from 25 to 4600. The offset channel is an idealized thermal hydraulic geometry. Duct flow expands in a rectangular chamber and exits to a duct that is offset from the entrance duct. The offset geometry creates zones of recirculation for thermal-hydraulic mixing. Flow patterns are visualized by a laser light sheet in the symmetry plane of the primary flow direction and in three cross-sectional planes. A charge-coupled device (CCD) images the flow field, simplifying the experimental process and subsequent image analyses. The flow pattern and size of the recirculation zones change dramatically with Reynolds number until the flow is fully turbulent. While the velocity field itself is predominantly two dimensional, it is shown that the walls of the chamber produce a fully three-dimensional flow that could not be predicted properly by a two-dimensional calculation. Quantitative measurements of particle path lines frommore » several images are superimposed to give a composite view of the velocity field at one of the Reynolds numbers examined. 10 refs., 15 figs.« less
How Much Room before you Rely: Balancing Privacy Control and Fidelity in the Location-based Pervasive Applications

Rapid development of innovative location-centric applications promoted through widespread proliferation of wireless technology and availability of small handheld devices have brought about a new era in pervasive computing. Besides, they are constantly challenged by individual privacy protection necessities as the location information are stored and exchanged among entities and service providers. In this paper, we attempt to categorize location-centric pervasive applications based on the utility and flexibility on imposing privacy measures. Our first category of applications "Services based on location constraints" provide less options for privacy protection, while the second one "Location-centric statistical query services" allows more control of privacy on the clients' side. But once again giving away too much control to regulate priva.cy on the client side also undermines the quality and fidelity of the applications. We discuss some of the research issues of the privacy flexible framework for location-centric application, ,the costs incurred upon losing fidelity and wayouts to cope with them without compromising privacy in the first place. The framework introduces an interesting class of applications where users relish on the balance of location privacy protection and fidelity of the application.
Wetting of hydrophobic substrates by nanodroplets of aqueous trisiloxane and alkyl polyethoxylate surfactant solutions

Abstract Trisiloxane surfactants at low concentrations promote the complete and rapid wetting of aqueous droplets on very hydrophobic (hydrocarbon) substrates. This behavior has not been demonstrated by any other surfactant which explains why the trisiloxanes are referred to as superspreaders. Despite many experimental and theoretical investigations the mechanism of superspreading is not fully understood. Molecular dynamics simulations using all-atom force fields have been conducted to attempt to elucidate the mechanism of superspreading. Spherical nanodroplets containing approximately 10,000 water molecules in the bulk and 475 surfactant molecules at the liquid–vapor interface were placed in the vicinity of a graphite substrate and allowed to spread freely at room temperature. In the trisiloxane case the droplet was found to spread very little, although randomly removing 175 surfactant molecules lowered the final contact angle from 110 ∘ to 80 ∘ . In contrast, an alkyl polyethoxylate surfactant-laden droplet was found to spread significantly further, with the equilibrium contact angle reaching 55 ∘ . Similar results for the two surfactant systems were found for cylindrical nanodroplets spreading on a self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The reasons for the lack of spreading in the trisiloxane case and the simulation challenges associated with these systems are discussed. In support of our arguments we demonstrate that the surfactant molecules of an initially uniform aqueous trisiloxane solution self-assemble into a bilayer in tens of nanoseconds on a graphite substrate. Lastly, in a final set of simulations, neat trisiloxane droplets at 450 K are found to arrange into a layered structure on a methyl-terminated SAM and to form a sand pile-shape on a hydroxyl-terminated SAM.
Some perspectives on intervention strategies for persons with developmental disorders

We present a view of language that crosses modal considerations (e.g.,speech vs. augmentative systems) and places language within an interaction framework. We emphasize the need to consider normal social, cognitive, and linguistic development in selecting program guidelines for developmentally delayed persons. We address the child's linguistic code not as a set of phonetic, syntactic, and semantic features that can be trained in isolation, but as a means by which he can exercise the various pragmatic uses of communication. In effect, our interest has thus expanded from the child alone to the child as one member of a communicating dyad. Programming in the areas of mother's verbal input, expanding children's language skills, training in augmentative systems — all reflect an overriding objective of optimizing the language-user's ability to successfully participate in interactions with other persons in his/her environment.
Selective Molecular Alterations in the Autophagy Pathway in Patients with Lewy Body Disease and in Models of α-Synucleinopathy

BACKGROUND Lewy body disease is a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by alpha-synuclein accumulation that includes dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's Disease (PD). Recent evidence suggests that impairment of lysosomal pathways (i.e. autophagy) involved in alpha-synuclein clearance might play an important role. For this reason, we sought to examine the expression levels of members of the autophagy pathway in brains of patients with DLB and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and in alpha-synuclein transgenic mice. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS By immunoblot analysis, compared to controls and AD, in DLB cases levels of mTor were elevated and Atg7 were reduced. Levels of other components of the autophagy pathway such as Atg5, Atg10, Atg12 and Beclin-1 were not different in DLB compared to controls. In DLB brains, mTor was more abundant in neurons displaying alpha-synuclein accumulation. These neurons also showed abnormal expression of lysosomal markers such as LC3, and ultrastructural analysis revealed the presence of abundant and abnormal autophagosomes. Similar alterations were observed in the brains of alpha-synuclein transgenic mice. Intra-cerebral infusion of rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTor, or injection of a lentiviral vector expressing Atg7 resulted in reduced accumulation of alpha-synuclein in transgenic mice and amelioration of associated neurodegenerative alterations. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE This study supports the notion that defects in the autophagy pathway and more specifically in mTor and Atg7 are associated with neurodegeneration in DLB cases and alpha-synuclein transgenic models and supports the possibility that modulators of the autophagy pathway might have potential therapeutic effects.
Adoption of WLANs in the Hotel Industry: A Theoretical Cost-analytic Framework

As many hotels have started implementing wireless networks to support a wide variety of business processes, others have followed suit in order to match the competitor's service offerings. Thus, although the adoption of wireless technologies is in many instances based on a bandwagon effect (Wolff, 2003), there are a number of factors potentially influencing the decision of whether or not to implement wireless technologies in hotel properties. This article provides an overview of the use of this technology in the hotel industry, identifies social, technical, and organisational factors influencing adoption decisions, and establishes a cost-theoretic model to analyse adoption decisions. The cost-analytic framework extends the theoretical underpinnings by creating a decision schedule to map the direct and indirect (non-linear) effects surrounding the evolving trend towards introducing wireless Internet access in hotels. The framework allows managers to objectively trace the economic net-present-value of their technology investment decisions. The cost-analytic model implicates adoption thresholds related to technology costs and setup-indirect effects that can mar direct positive effects of technical, organisational, and social antecedents.
Abstract 3101: Pituitary homeobox 2 (PITX2) promotes thyroid carcinogenesis by activation of cyclin D2

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Pituitary homeobox 2 (PITX2), a Paired-like homeodomain transcription factor and a downstream effector of β-catenin signaling, plays substantial roles in normal embryonic development but its possible involvement in tumorigenesis was unknown. In this study, we extend its function in human cancer. Remarkably, we found that PITX2 was frequently overexpressed in human cancerous (papillary, follicular, and anaplastic) thyroid tissues, indicating for the first time that overactivated PITX2 may contribute to thyroid cancer. Cell-based and biochemical studies were performed to uncover the molecular mechanism of PITX2 action in thyroid cancer. Knockdown of PITX2 gene expression in human thyroid cancer cells significantly reduced cell proliferation and soft-agar colony formation. Biochemical analysis of cell cycle regulators upon PITX2 knockdown revealed down-regulation of all three D-type Cyclins (Cyclin D1, Cyclin D2 and Cyclin D3), dephosphorylation of Rb, and up-regulation of p15(INK4B) and p27(Kip1). Chromatin immunoprecipitation and promoter reporter assay indicated that Cyclin D2 was a direct target gene of PITX2. Consistently, we observed that high expression levels of Cyclin D2 were frequently associated with PITX2 overexpression in thyroid cancer tissues. To confirm our results in vivo, we took advantage of a mouse model of thyroid cancer (TRbetaPV/PV mouse). Consistently, the aberrant elevation of Pitx2 levels in the thyroid cancer of TRbetaPV/PV mice was accompanied by up-regulation of Cyclin Ds, increased phosphorylation of Rb, and down-regulation of p15(INK4B). Collectively, our findings demonstrate that the overactivated PITX2-Cyclin D2 pathway promotes thyroid tumorigenesis, and they provide the first evidence implicating an oncogenic role of PITX2 in human cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3101.
Truman Capote's Use of Quotation Marks in IN COLD BLOOD

In a 1966 Playboy interview, Truman Capote said that In Cold Blood “would be precisely like a novel, with a single difference: every word of it would be true from beginning to end” (qtd. in De Bell...
Vacuum-free hard x-rays driven by high-field pulses from a femtosecond fiber laser

A compact vacuum-free hard X-ray source based on high-field pulses from a femtosecond fiber laser interacting with nickel in gently flowing helium is demonstrated. Ka X-ray conversion efficiency is 1.7times10-9.
Skills needed to help communities manage natural resource conflicts

Competition for natural resources has spawned unprecedented conflict between users, resulting in litigious and legislative actions. Citizens often expect Cooperative Extension professionals to engage communities in collaborative processes to manage these conflicts. This paper examines thirty-five skills Cooperative Extension professionals need if they are to engage communities in collaborative processes. Survey methodology is used to assess the skills extension professionals perceive as most needed, and the ranked means of the perceived skill needs are presented. The results offer information useful to strengthen the capacity of extension professionals to play an important role in helping citizens manage natural resource conflicts.
Prolonged Gq activity triggers fly rhodopsin endocytosis and degradation, and reduces photoreceptor sensitivity

Rapid deactivation of the Drosophila light receptor rhodopsin, through a visual arrestin Arr2 and a pathway that involves a transcription factor dCAMTA, is required for timely termination of light responses in the photoreceptor neuron. Here we report that this process is also critical for maintenance of the photoreceptor sensitivity. In both dCAMTA- and arr2-mutant flies, the endocytosis of the major rhodopsin Rh1 was dramatically increased, which was mediated by a Gq protein that signals downstream of rhodopsin in the visual transduction pathway. Consequently, the Rh1 level was downregulated and the photoreceptor became less sensitive to light. Remarkably, the Gq-stimulated Rh1 endocytosis does not require phospholipase C, a known effector of Gq, but depends on a tetraspanin protein. Our work has identified an arrestin-independent endocytic pathway of G protein-coupled receptor in the fly. This pathway may also function in mammals and mediate an early feedback regulation of receptor signaling.
Expression of Pax-3 is initiated in the early neural plate by posteriorizing signals produced by the organizer and by posterior non-axial mesoderm

Pax-3 is a paired-type homeobox gene that is specifically expressed in the dorsal and posterior neural tube. We have investigated inductive interactions that initiate Pax-3 transcript expression in the early neural plate. We present several lines of evidence that support a model where Pax-3 expression is initiated by signals that posteriorize the neuraxis, and then secondarily restricted dorsally in response to dorsal-ventral patterning signals. First, in chick and Xenopus gastrulae the onset of Pax-3 expression occurs in regions fated to become posterior CNS. Second, Hensen's node and posterior non-axial mesoderm which underlies the neural plate induce Pax-3 expression when combined with presumptive anterior neural plate explants. In contrast, presumptive anterior neural plate explants are not competent to express Pax-3 in response to dorsalizing signals from epidermal-ectoderm. Third, in a heterospecies explant recombinant assay with Xenopus animal caps (ectoderm) as a responding tissue, late, but not early, Hensen's node induces Pax-3 expression. Chick posterior non-axial mesoderm also induces Pax-3, provided that the animal caps are neuralized by treatment with noggin. Finally we show that the putative posteriorizing factors, retinoic acid and bFGF, induce Pax-3 in neuralized animal caps. However, blocking experiments with a dominant-inhibitory FGF receptor and a dominant-inhibitory retinoic acid receptor suggest that Pax-3 inductive activities arising from Hensen's node and posterior non-axial mesoderm do not strictly depend on FGF or retinoic acid.
Finite-precision analysis of the pipelined strength-reduced adaptive filter

In this correspondence, we compare the finite-precision requirements of the traditional cross-coupled (CC) and a low-power strength-reduced (SR) architectures. It is shown that the filter block (F block) coefficients in the SR architecture require 0.3 bits more than the corresponding block in the CC architecture. Similarly, the weight-update (WUD) block in the SR architecture is shown to require 0.5 bits fewer than the corresponding block in the CC architecture. This finite-precision architecture is then used as a near-end crosstalk (NEXT) canceller for 155.52 Mb/s ATM-LAN over unshielded twisted pair (UTP) category-3 cable. Simulation results are presented in support of the analysis.
Limited Memory, Categorization, and Competition

This paper investigates the effects of a limited consumer memory on the price competition between firms. It studies a specific aspect of memory---namely, the categorization of available price information that the consumers may need to recall for decision making. This paper analyzes competition between firms in a market with uninformed consumers who do not compare prices, informed consumers who compare prices but with limited memory, and informed consumers who have perfect memory. Consumers, aware of their memory limitations, choose how to encode the prices into categories, whereas firms take the limitations of consumers into account in choosing their pricing strategies. Two distinct types of categorization processes are investigated: (1) a symmetric one in which consumers compare only the labels of price categories from the competing firms and (2) an asymmetric one in which consumers compare the recalled price of one firm with the actual price of the other. We find that the equilibrium partition for the consumers calls for finer categorization toward the bottom of the price distribution. Thus consumers have a motivation to invest in greater memory resources in encoding lower prices to induce firms to charge more favorable prices. The interaction between the categorization strategies of the consumers and the price competition between the firms is such that small initial improvements in recall move the market outcomes quickly toward the case of perfect recall. Even with few memory categories, the expected price consumers pay and their surplus is close to the case of perfect recall. There is thus a suggestion in this model that market competition adjusts to the memory limitations of consumers.
General Surgeons in the World of Gatekeepers

Iam extremely honored to be speaking before my friends about some issues that are of critical interest to each of us, issues that we must tackle both individually and together if the role of the general surgeon in today’s society is to retain its significance. Since our meeting in Tucson last year, a great change has taken place in this country’s medical profession. Twelve months ago, doctors in the United States were carefully preparing themselves for the interface with government and the proposed health care reform. But that reform never happened. Since President Clinton’s so-called managed competition disappeared, it has been replaced with unbelievable speed by the appearance of new managed-care entities all over the country. Sometimes we are probably tempted to think that the difficulties our profession faces today are unique, the result of a government that has changed. But history tells us otherwise. The government has long been involved in our work, and only in the more recent generations has that relationship become more adversarial. Thirty-six years ago, in 1958, my father, Ken Sawyer, stood before this very organization and delivered his presidential address.’ The fact that he did that is another reason why I’m honored to be here before you all today. But more important, the core of his message was not all that different from what you will hear from me over the next few minutes. The title of his 1958 address was “Eternal Vigilance,” and it centered on the need to be organized and work together in the face of governmental changes affecting our calling as surgeons. For him, it was the threat of socialized medicine. For us, it is the threat of managed competition and managed care. Before I get into those topics and where we should consider taking ourselves in the future in light of them, however, I think it is appropriate to touch on a couple of historical footnotes about the Southwestern Surgical Congress, and its important role in organized medicine in this country. Nearly half a century ago, in 1948, three surgeons-Dr. B.T. Beasley of Atlanta, Dr. R.L. Saunders of Memphis, and Dr. Walter Stuck from here in San Antoni-attended the meeting of the Southeastern Surgical Congress in Hollywood, Florida. There, they acknowledged that the Southwest was
A comparison of acceleration procedures for the two-dimensional periodic Green's function

Alternate acceleration procedures are evaluated for the two-dimensional free-space periodic Green's function. Two of these techniques yield exponential convergence rates and are preferable if high accuracies are required. Numerical aspects of these procedures are described.
Wing and hindlimb myology of vultures and raptors (Accipitriformes) in relation to locomotion and foraging

Herein, we compare functional muscle properties among convergent forms of large, obligate avian scavengers. We performed quantitative analyses of all the muscle masses and cross-sectional areas (CSA) of the wings and hindlimbs of five species from two families, Cathartidae (New World vultures; Cathartes aura and Vultur gryphus) and Accipitridae (Old World vultures and raptors; Gyps africanus, Aquila rapax, and Buteo lineatus). These species comprise two paraphyletic functional groups, raptors (Aquila and Buteo) and vultures (Gyps, Cathartes, and Vultur). Our ordination analyses based on all of the muscles of the wings, hindlimbs, and wing and hindlimb muscles combined produced patterns that appeared to be more related to phylogeny, with a hint of a functional signal in wing muscle CSA. However, when wing muscles were grouped according to their functional roles (upstroke, downstroke, and wing stabilization), the percentages of mass and CSA allocated to the upstroke and stabilizing muscles were 1.4–5% greater in the vultures than in the raptors. Conversely, when hindlimb muscles were grouped according to their roles in grasping and terrestrial locomotion, the percentages of mass and CSA allocated to grasping muscles were 5.9–14% greater in the raptors. Our results provide a baseline for future lines of inquiry aimed at understanding how muscle mass and CSA are affected differentially across locomotor modules, possibly in response to differential demands on wing and hindlimb function experienced by these disparate accipitriform clades.
Concurrent low cost multi-carrier compensation of amplitude and phase distortions in RF power amplifiers

Distortion effects of wideband power amplifiers vary significantly with carrier frequency and need to be tested and characterized across a specified (wide) frequency range during production. In this paper, a low cost test approach is presented that allows AM-AM and AM-PM distortion effects of RF power amplifiers to be evaluated at multiple frequencies with a single multi-tone test. The response of the power amplifier is observed using a low cost envelope detector on the tester load board. The observed response is then used to determine the parameters of digital predistortion functions that allow accurate compensation of distortion effects at the relevant frequencies of interest. The predistortion functions are optimized using a twostep procedure that exhibits rapid convergence to the optimal function parameter values.
Inability of Simian Virus 40 To Establish Productive Infection of Lymphoblastic Cell Lines

Lymphoblastic cell lines were infected with simian virus 40 (SV40) and then monitored for evidence of a productive infection. No evidence of early gene expression was found 2 days following infection, as determined by assaying viral mRNAs and early antigens. Furthermore, only small amounts of virus could be detected by plaque assay 2 days after infection, and levels slowly declined until they were undetectable after a few weeks in culture. Thus, human lymphocytes are not readily infectible with SV40 and do not provide a simple model for studying interactions of SV40 with a human cell type.
Debulking blood stem cell collections by density gradient centrifugation in a closed-vessel system.

Background Blood stem cells collected by apheresis are largely mononuclear cells in nature, so manipulation of blood stem-cell components freequently requires more time and reagents than for a marrow harvest. Reducing the nucleated cell number in mobilized blood stemcell collections, while preserving hematopoietic progenitor content, would make such manipulations simpler and less costly, but only if debulking procedures were not complex. Methods We evaluated separation of light-density cells and enrichment of CD34+ cells from mobilized peripheral blood stem-cell collections by density gradient centrifugation over buoyant density solution 60 (BDS 60) in a single, closed vessel. Results Fifteen apheresis products from five normal volunteers and eight cancer patients contained 3.44 (range, 1.19-5.51) &#50 1010 nucleated cells. Following processing and washing, there was a median 29% recovery of nucleated cells, 79% recovery of CD34+ cells, 2.49-fold enrichment of CD34+ cells, 0.96-log depletion of CD3+ cells...