cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 1922: Do stress response genes play a role in maintaining MDSC survival and suppression

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Myeloid- derived suppressor cells (MDSC) contribute to immune suppression in tumor bearing individuals. Their suppression and survival are increased by inflammation. MDSC production of toxic radicals is the primary mechanism of suppression but the toxic mediators do not affect the MDSC themselves. We are investigating stress response genes that may maintain MDSC survival and facilitate suppression. BALB/c mice were injected with BALB/c derived mammary carcinoma 4T1 or 4T1 constitutively expressing the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β (4T1/IL-1β). Primary tumors were surgically removed after 25 days. At 35 days, spleens were harvested and assayed for the percentage of Gr1+ CD11b+ MDSC. Surgical removal of 4T1 results in a regression of the MDSC population, however MDSC do not regress in mice bearing 4T1/IL-1β tumors, confirming that inflammation increases MDSC survival. Western blots and confocal microscopy of MDSC induced by 4T1 and 4T1/IL-1β tumors localize Nrf2 in the nucleus, demonstrating that Nrf2 is activated in MDSC. In flow cytometry assays, MDSC induced by 4T1/IL-1β have higher expression of one chain of the cystine transporter, xCT, compared to 4T1 induced MDSC. 4T1/IL-1β induced MDSC also expressed more reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared to 4T1 MDSC. The increased expression of ROS and xCT in 4T1/IL-1β induced MDSC represent mechanisms for the increased suppression of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells compared to 4T1 induced MDSC. Catalase, a protein transcriptionally regulated by Nrf2, when added to a T cell activation assay eliminates MDSC suppressive activity. Addition of catalase to T cells co-cultured with MDSC and peptide causes a synergistic effect, activating T cells to a greater level than peptide alone. Collectively these data suggest that stress genes may play a role in maintaining MDSC survival and suppressive activity. 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 1922.
Comparative columnar porous etching studies on n‐type 6H SiC crystalline faces

Comparative photo-electrochemical etchings have been performed on the Si-face, C-face and a-face of n-type 6H SiC. Two kinds of columnar pores are developed: nano-columnar (∼20 nm diameter) and macro-columnar (∼one µm diameter). The time dependences of the current densities during the etchings are discussed. Our results show that the nano-columnar pore formation is associated with the anisotropic electrochemical oxidation reaction rate on the different crystal faces. Our experiments show that, in the case of 6H SiC, the C-face should be used for nano-columnar pore formation. The electrochemical oxidation rate increases with the surface C atom density of SiC. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Play Therapy … A Way of Understanding and Helping “Reading Problems”

(1949). Play Therapy … A Way of Understanding and Helping “Reading Problems”. Childhood Education: Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 156-161.
Spirans XX. Synthesis of 8,8-dialkylazaspiro[4.5] decanes and 9,9-dialkylazaspiro[5.5]undecanes

N-(2-Dimethylaminopropyl)-8,8-dimethyl-2-azaspiro[4.5]decane (1), N-(2-dimethylaminopropyl)-8,8-diethyl-2-azaspiro[4.5]decane (2), N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-9,9-dimethyl-3-azaspiro[5.5]undecane (3), and N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-9,9-diethyl-3-azaspiro[5.5]undecane (4) have been synthesized from 4,4-dimethylcyclohexanone (5) and 4,4-diethylcyclohexanone (6). Biological evaluation of these amines showed significant inhibition of cancer cell growth in human cancer cells grown in tissue culture.
An Analytical Solution for the Thermal Characteristics of Journal Bearings

An analytical solution for the full thermal field in a journal bearing under isoviscous conditions is presented. The results are for adiabatic bearing surfaces and for isothermal bearing surfaces, with isothermal shaft in all cases. The effects of convection and of dissipation in the film are governed by a single dimensionless parameter, Pe = ρcp ωc2 /k, under the assumption that pressure gradient effects do not influence the thermal field. Results for bulk temperature, heat transfer to bearing surfaces, and for temperature profiles across the film are presented. For small values of Pe, the thermal field is fully-developed, while for large values, dissipation dominates the temperature field and is the primary heat transfer source.
Shepherd of the Hills Country: Tourism Transforms the Ozarks, 1880s–1930s

Shepherd of the Hills Country: Tourism Transforms the Ozarks, 1880s-1930s Lynn Morrow and Linda Myers-Phinney. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1999. Tourism is projected to become the number one industry in Missouri in the twenty-first century, bringing in more than $17 billion annually. Lynn Morrow and Linda Myers-Phinney draw on their experience as preservationists and archivists to examine the evolution and impact of tourism in the Ozarks, a mountain and river chain in Missouri and Arkansas. In the nineteenth century, immigrants came by wagon roads and keelboats, and established a stockman's agriculture centering on furs, pelts, cattle, hogs, cotton, grain, flour, and lumber. In the 1870s, railroads broke down the isolation of the frontier, expanded the population, and diversified the economy. As the United States industrialized and urbanized in the mid-nineteenth century, people sought escape from the stresses and strains of cities. The countryside offered opportunities of rest, relaxation, and regeneration from regimented lives. People of means from Kansas City, St. Louis, and other Midwestern points sought out the Ozarks for physical and spiritual regeneration. Harold Bell Wright romanticized the natural and primitive locale in The Shepherd of the Hills (1907). More and more people wanted to experience the romanticized ideal of simplicity and wholesomeness. Travelogues provided a popular way of explaining and inventing the mythical Ozarks. Tourists were attracted to the karst formations: valleys, caves, springs, and sinkholes carved by water running over limestone. In a state that had over 4,000 caves, Marble Cave, Missouri, for example, had multiple lives: a repository of minerals, relics of earlier civilizations, and natural fertilizer (bat dung); a sublime place to hold social and political events; and a natural storage site for food and moonshine. Hunting and fishing also proved popular, not simply for food and clothing but also for sport and recreation. Float trips became a popular wilderness adventure. In the 1890s, wealthy businessmen purchased thousands of acres for private game parks and made longterm investments. Over the decades, commercialization also set in. As the railroad added a spur to Marble Cave, management in turn accommodated visitors by erecting ladders down into the cavern, a stage for performances in the Great Room, and cabins and souvenir stands around the attraction. Local arts and crafts-handmade chairs, rugs, quilts, and baskets - became cottage industries. …
Classical Electrodynamics and Acoustics: Sound Radiation by Moving Multipoles

In classical electrodynamics (CED) P. Dirac used the average of retarded and advanced fields to represent the bound field and their difference to represent the free field in his derivation of the (Lorentz-Dirac) equation of motion for an electron. The latter skew-symmetric combination filtered out the radiation part of the field. It can also be used to derive many properties of the power radiated by acoustic sources, such as angular and frequency distributions. As in CED there is radiation due to source acceleration and radiation patterns exhibit the “headlight effect.” Power radiation patterns are obtained by this approach for point multipoles undergoing various motions. Applications to sound radiation problems from rotating machinery are shown. Numerous computed plots illustrate all cases.
Increased exudation of carbon compounds from 14C-labelled ungerminated Cochliobolus sativus conidia in response to several herbicides

The effect of several herbicides on exudation of carbon compounds from 14C-labelled conidia of Cochliobolus sativus was studied using a model system that imposes fungistasis. Ungerminated conidia were incubated on a bed of sand through which herbicides in a sterile, dilute salts solution were percolated for 3 h. Atrazine (10 p.p.m.), linuron (10 p.p.m.), trifluralin (24 p.p.m.), MCPA (800 p.p.m.), and paraquat (100 p.p.m.) increased exudation of labelled compounds from conidia by as much as 31%, 27%, 69% 220% and 237%, respectively, over the basal exudation rate. None of the herbicides at the concentrations used had any effect on subsequent germination of the conidia.
Applied General Equilibrium Welfare Analysis

Harberger has long advocated a particular technique for measuring the sum of all effects of an intervention, both in the intervened-in and related markets. The technique is to calculate consumer and producer surplus changes behind demand and supply curves that are explicitly general equilibrium (GE). That is, along curves that hold constant demand and supply conditions in related markets but not prices. By calculating surplus changes with respect to such curves, one simulates the equilibrium price paths in other markets resulting from the intervention and captures the sum of the welfare effects. Several authors have elaborated on Harber-
The proapoptotic 9-2 isozyme of 2-5 (A) synthetase cannot substitute for the sperm functions of the proapoptotic protein, Bax.

The 9-2 isozyme of 2-5 (A) synthetase has cellular proapoptotic functions that are mediated not by enzyme activity but by the Bcl-2 homology domain 3 present in its unique carboxyl-terminal region....
Video multiplexing with QoS constraints

Providing profitable video services is becoming one of the primary goals of many network services when delivering a large number of video streams in a single data link. Aggregated bandwidth utilization and QoS degradation are the issues that need to be considered. It is well known that Variable Bit Rate video traffic generated by Motion Picture Expert Group exhibits significant multiple-time-scale rate variability. This phenomenon causes difficulties for QoS provisioning, QoS control, and QoS management. Many research activities were concentrating on reducing the bursty nature of video traffic and increasing statistical multiplexing gain by using different buffering techniques at several transmission levels, which induces frame delays and delay variations. In this paper we propose a multiplexing technique that consists of two phases. First, we use the 'scene' property of the video traffic that exhibits a larger time scale for bit rate variation to segment the traffic. And second, we use MPEG temporal relationships to achieve multiplexing within each 'scene' segment in conjunction with the service classes requirements, so that better bandwidth utilization is achieved without sacrificing video quality. This approach is especially promising in the applications that have limited amount of resources, such as wireless network or in those that have a large amount of traffic types with different QoS requirements, such as video data servers or in situations where multicasting is not applicable. Finally, we suggest that even better statistical gain can be achieved by using the concept of differentiated services to multiplex on going traffic in a service-class fashion.
Tissue-Engineered Valves with Commissural Alignment

We present a novel approach to producing bioartificial valves using the tissue-equivalent method of entrapping cells within a biopolymer gel and using a mold design that presents appropriate mechanical constraints to the cell-induced gel compaction to yield both the fibril alignment and the geometry of a native valve. Bileaflet valves were fabricated from bovine collagen and neonatal human dermal fibroblasts as proof of principle. The resultant valves possessed both commissure-tocommissure alignment of collagen fibers in the leaflets and circumferential alignment in the root. While this alignment was manifested in planar biaxial tensile mechanical properties, histology of the leaflets revealed an aligned collagen matrix but lacking other extracellular matrix (ECM) components present in the native valve. The apparent lack of ECM production by the fibroblasts after contracting and aligning the collagen fibrils is consistent with peak loads during biaxial testing being only approximately 10% of native leaflet values and a 0:1 coupling index that was only approximately 50% of native leaflet values despite exhibiting comparable values for the anisotropy index.
The BBSome controls IFT assembly and turnaround in cilia

The bidirectional movement of intraflagellar transport (IFT) particles, which are composed of motors, IFT-A and IFT-B subcomplexes, and cargoes, is required for the biogenesis and signalling of cilia(1,2). A successful IFT cycle depends on the proper assembly of the massive IFT particle at the ciliary base and its turnaround from anterograde to retrograde transport at the ciliary tip. However, how IFT assembly and turnaround are regulated in vivo remains elusive. From a whole-genome mutagenesis screen in Caenorhabditis elegans, we identified two hypomorphic mutations in dyf-2 and bbs-1 as the only mutants showing normal anterograde IFT transport but defective IFT turnaround at the ciliary tip. Further analyses revealed that the BBSome (refs 3, 4), a group of conserved proteins affected in human Bardet-Biedl syndrome(5) (BBS), assembles IFT complexes at the ciliary base, then binds to the anterograde IFT particle in a DYF-2- (an orthologue of human WDR19) and BBS-1-dependent manner, and lastly reaches the ciliary tip to regulate proper IFT recycling. Our results identify the BBSome as the key player regulating IFT assembly and turnaround in cilia.
Achieving Efficiency and Distributive Justice in Marketing Programs for Economic Development

Two principal criteria are identified and used to evaluate regional resource allocation in marketing for economic development: efficiency, an economic dimension, and distributive justice, a polity ...
Information diffusion in social networks: observing and affecting what society cares about

Information diffusion in social networks provide great opportunities for political and social change as well as societal education. Therefore understanding information diffusion in social networks is a critical research goal. This greater understanding can be achieved through data analysis, development of reliable models that can predict outcomes of social processes, and ultimately the creation of applications that can shape the outcome of these processes. In this tutorial, we aim to provide an overview of such recent research based on a wide variety of techniques such as optimization algorithms, data mining, data streams covering a large number of problems such as influence spread maximization, misinformation limitation and study of trends in online social networks.
N-glycosylation of purified rat and rabbit hepatic UDP-glucuronosyltransferases.

Abstract Five UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UDPGTs) have been isolated to apparent homogeneity from rat and rabbit liver and have been characterized for their glycoprotein nature by reacting these proteins with commercially available endo- and exoglycosidases. The enzymes studied were rat hepatic p-nitrophenol, 17β-hydroxysteroid, and 3α-hydroxysteroid UDPGTs and rabbit hepatic p-nitrophenol and estrone UDPGTs. Hydrolysis of oligosaccharide moieties was evidenced by an increase in the mobility (decreased apparent molecular weight) of the protein subunits after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Purified rabbit hepatic estrone and p-nitrophenol UDP-GTs were hydrolyzed by almond glycopeptidase A and endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H from Streptomyces plicatus (endo H), but not by endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase D from Diplococus pneumoniae (endo D) suggesting that these transferases are glycoproteins of the high mannose type and not of the complex type. Likewise, purified rat hepatic 3α-hydroxysteroid and p-nitrophenol UDPGTs were substrates for glycopeptidase A and endo H but not for endo D. One enzyme, 17β-hydroxysteroid UDPGT, was not glycosylated since it was not hydrolyzed by any of the three endoglycosidases. All four glycosylated UDPGTs could serve as substrates for jack bean α-mannosidase, confirming the high mannose nature of the oligosaccharide. Deglycosylation of the purified UDPGTs by endo H did not have an effect on the catalytic activities of these proteins.
Frequencies of Band 3 variants of human red cell membranes in some different populations.

Summary A variant of Band 3, the major protein of the erythrocyte membrane, was observed by Mueller and Morrison in 1977 in 6–7% of healthy blood donors on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) of erythrocyte membranes treated with pronase. Pronase treated red cells containing this first recognized variant [here designated ‘Band 3-Memphis (m)’]§ had two bands of about 63000 and 60000 Mr while pronase treated normal cells had only the lighter Mr band. The present study includes data on the frequency of variants resembling Band 3-Memphis in patients of different ethnic groups and on random donors obtained earlier in Memphis. These variants were detected by the original method of Mueller and Morrison and were not associated with recognized clinical or haematological abnormalities. Significantly higher gene frequencies for the variants of the (m) type were observed in American Indians, African Americans and Filipinos than in Caucasians: putative heterozygotes and homozygotes were identified among each of these groups. The frequency of silent Band 3 polymorphisms in different populations should be considered in the interpretation of clinical findings associated with the presence of Band 3 variants.
Reformation of leucyl-tRNA synthetase complexes in revertants from CHO mutant tsH1.

A direct correlation was found to exist between increased thermolability of leucyl-tRNA synthetase and loss of the high-molecular-weight enzyme complexes in the CHO cell mutant tsH1 and its revenants. This was shown to occur apart from a differential thermostability between the complexes themselves and is supported by Michaelis constant determinations.
An improved fully stressed design algorithm for plate/shell structures

The stress-ratio algorithm associated with fully stressed design philosophy has been used as a convenient tool to achieve minimum weight design of strength-limited structures. The algorithm is effective and converges quickly for many cases. However, it presents extremely slow oscillatory iteration histories for plate-thickness design problems that involve transverse bending loads. Modification of the basic algorithm presented in this paper provides an effective remedy to this problem when both membrane and bending loads are present. The modified resizing algorithm requires numerical solutions of a fourth-order algebraic equation. No additional data, beyond the ordinary static analysis results, are required.
A prospective outcomes study of Swanson metacarpophalangeal joint arthroplasty for the rheumatoid Hand

Abstract Purpose Destruction and dislocation of the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints are common occurrences in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Disruption of the support ligaments around the MCP joints and ulnar deviation of the fingers affect hand function and hamper the ability to perform activities of daily living. A common surgical intervention is the Swanson Metacarpophalangeal Joint Arthroplasty (SMPA), which restores alignment of the fingers. Methods We conducted a prospective study with 16 patients to determine outcomes of this procedure. We present our data from the 6-month and 1-year follow-up periods. Results Functional assessment by grip strength, pinch strength, and Jebsen-Taylor Test did not improve significantly when compared with preoperative values. Subjective assessment by the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ), however, did improve significantly. Large improvements were seen in the function, activities of daily living, aesthetics, and patient satisfaction domains, with preoperative to 1-year postoperative score improvements of 26, 42, 57, and 43 points, respectively, based on a 100-point scale. Ulnar drift significantly decreased 1 year after surgery by an average of 24° and MCP joint range of motion increased, but this change was not significant. Conclusions Our data show that patients with RA who underwent SMPA had significant improvements in patient-reported outcomes at the 1-year interval. Continued follow-up evaluation of this cohort will determine whether these improvements are maintained in the long term.
1. NARRATIVE FORM AND HISTORICAL SENSATION: ON SAUL FRIEDLÄNDER'S THE YEARS OF EXTERMINATION1

Saul Friedlander's magnum opus, The Years of Extermination, has been received worldwide as an exemplary work of history. Yet it was written by a historian who in the last two decades has strenuously asserted the limits of Holocaust representation. At the center of this essay is a problem of historical writing: how to write a historical narrative of the Holocaust that both offers explanations of the unfolding events and also suggests that the most powerful sensation about those events, at the time and since, is that they are beyond words. I explore Friedlander's crafting of such a narrative by considering, first, the role of his attempt in The Years of Extermination to explain the Holocaust and, second, the narrative form of the book. The book is best seen, I argue, not primarily as a work of explanation but as a vast narrative that places an explanation of the Holocaust within a specific form of describing that goes beyond the boundaries of the historical discipline as it is usually practiced. This form of describing goes beyond the almost positivist attachment to facts that dominates current Holocaust historiography. By using Jewish individual testimonies that are interspersed in the chronological history of the extermination, Friedlander creates a narrative based on ruptures and breaks, devices we associate with works of fiction, and that historians do not usually use. The result is an arresting narrative, which I interpret by using Johan Huizinga's notion of historical sensation. Friedlander sees this narrative form as specific to the Holocaust. I view this commingling of irreducible reality and the possibility of art as a required sensibility that belongs to all historical understanding. And in this respect, The Years of Extermination only lays bare more clearly in the case of the Holocaust what is an essential element in all historical reconstruction.
An Intermedial Reading of Paley's Sita Sings the Blues

In her article "An Intermedial Reading of Paley's Sita Sings the Blues" Ipshita Chanda discusses the film text of Nina Paley's 2008 animation film, a culturally reconceptualized version of Valmiki's Sanskrit epic Ramayana. Chanda discusses the film as an intermedial retextualization of the Ramayana in the film where media boundaries and genres are crossed in "textual," audio, and visual media. The basic premise from which Chanda proceeds is that the condition of intermediality in film is produced by a "conceptual fusion" of different media which, in turn, are analyzed using theories of reception and contact between different media across time, space, and cultures with regard to "source" text and "received" text. Ipshita Chanda, "An Intermedial Reading of Paley's Sita Sings the Blues" page 2 of 9 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 13.3 (2011): Thematic issue New Perspectives on Material Culture and Intermedial Practice. Ed. Steven Totosy de Zepetnek, Asuncion Lopez-Varela, Haun Saussy, and Jan Mieszkowski
A State-Space Approach to the Synthesis of Random Vertical and Crosslevel Rail Irregularities

The work described in this paper provides a convenient method to generate random vertical and crosslevel irregularities when their time histories are required as inputs to a numerical simulation. The solution begins with mathematical models of vertical and crosslevel power spectral densities (PSDs) representing PSDs of track classes 4, 5, and 6. The method implements state-space models of shape filters whose frequency response magnitude squared matches the desired PSDs. The shape filters give time histories possessing the proper spectral content when driven by white noise inputs. The state equations are solved directly under the assumption that the white noise inputs are constant between time steps. Thus, the state transition matrix and the forcing matrix are obtained in closed form
The future of medical electronics

Medical electronics have a very important role to play in improving the quality of health care in the form of diagnosis and therapy of illness. In addition it has an equally important role in the prevention of sickness. The success of such devices depends on the ability to measure and interpret the wide variety of signals linked to the underlying physical condition. For example, in ultrasound systems, the electronics needs to be able to analyze signal strength varying over 100dB in magnitude. This paper will cover some of the range of process and design challenges to meet these requirements. Future trends and directions are also discussed.
Prevalence of cytomegalovirus in the gastrointestinal tract of renal transplant recipients with persistent abdominal pain

Abdominal pain occurs frequently in renal transplant recipients receiving mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) therapy. The cause of this abdominal pain has not been fully elucidated, but may involve local irritation, as well as inhibition of rapidly dividing cells of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This milieu of inflammation and added immunosuppression is conducive to activation of cytomegalovirus (CMV). We therefore sought to find the prevalence of active CMV in patients presenting with abdominal pain on maintenance MMF therapy. All patients receiving a renal transplant at our center from March 1, 1997, to September 1, 1997, were studied. Any patient presenting with midepigastric pain for greater than 3 days underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with biopsy. CMV was diagnosed by the presence of inclusion bodies and immunohistochemical studies. Ten patients presented with persistent midepigastric pain; nine of these patients had evidence of GI CMV. Patients who were CMV negative and received an allograft from CMV-positive donors and those with leukopenia were at significantly increased risk for the development of abdominal pain. In our study population, the majority of patients on maintenance MMF therapy who presented with persistent midepigastric pain had evidence of active CMV infection in the upper gastrointestinal tract.
Role of the photosynthetic electron transfer chain in electrogenic activity of cyanobacteria.

Certain anaerobic bacteria, termed electrogens, produce an electric current when electrons from oxidized organic molecules are deposited to extracellular metal oxide acceptors. In these heterotrophic “metal breathers”, the respiratory electron transport chain (R-ETC) works in concert with membrane-bound cytochrome oxidases to transfer electrons to the extracellular acceptors. The diversity of bacteria able to generate an electric current appears more widespread than previously thought, and aerobic phototrophs, including cyanobacteria, possess electrogenic activity. However, unlike heterotrophs, cyanobacteria electrogenic activity is light dependent, which suggests that a novel pathway could exist. To elucidate the electrogenic mechanism of cyanobacteria, the current studies used site-specific inhibitors to target components of the photosynthetic electron transport chain (P-ETC) and cytochrome oxidases. Here, we show that (1) P-ETC and, particularly, water photolysed by photosystem II (PSII) is the source of electrons discharged to the environment by illuminated cyanobacteria, and (2) water-derived electrons are transmitted from PSII to extracellular electron acceptors via plastoquinone and cytochrome bd quinol oxidase. Two cyanobacterial genera (Lyngbya and Nostoc) displayed very similar electrogenic responses when treated with P-ETC site-specific inhibitors, suggesting a conserved electrogenic pathway. We propose that in cyanobacteria, electrogenic activity may represent a form of overflow metabolism to protect cells under high-intensity light. This study offers insight into electron transfer between phototrophic microorganisms and the environment and expands our knowledge into biologically based mechanisms for harnessing solar energy.
Nuclear pore complex composition: a new regulator of tissue-specific and developmental functions

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are multiprotein aqueous channels that penetrate the nuclear envelope connecting the nucleus and the cytoplasm. NPCs consist of multiple copies of roughly 30 different proteins known as nucleoporins (NUPs). Due to their essential role in controlling nucleocytoplasmic transport, NPCs have traditionally been considered as structures of ubiquitous composition. The overall structure of the NPC is indeed conserved in all cells, but new evidence suggests that the protein composition of NPCs varies among cell types and tissues. Moreover, mutations in various nucleoporins result in tissue-specific diseases. These findings point towards a heterogeneity in NPC composition and function. This unexpected heterogeneity suggests that cells use a combination of different nucleoporins to assemble NPCs with distinct properties and specialized functions.
Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and C60 Encapsulated by a Molecular Macrocycle

Computational simulations of macrocycle-encapsulated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and C60 are reported. A molecular mechanical force field method has been used to calculate the physical properties of these complexes. The calculation shows that the macrocycle-encapsulated SWNTs and C60 are more stable than free SWNTs and C60. When macrocycles are bound to SWNTs, energetically stable well regions have been observed. The energetic and dipolar changes of an armchair SWNT upon binding by a macrocycle are different from those of a zigzag SWNT. SWNTs with pentagon−heptagon defects are compared with normal SWNTs. Calculated large energetic stabilization in a water environment suggests that wrapping inorganic macrocycles around SWNTs can promote the solubility of SWNTs.
Clinical Applications of Aortic 4D Flow Imaging

Quantitative aortic magnetic resonance (MR) blood flow imaging is a rapidly advancing technique that is likely to impact clinical medicine in the near future. The acquisition of comprehensive 4D velocity datasets is now possible in a clinically acceptable time frame. Unique and intuitive visualization methods are available. A number of important hemodynamic biomarkers can be derived from the data, and exploited to help understand how abnormal flow is inter-related with aortic pathology. Initial data suggest that some of the derived biomarkers can refine the clinical assessment of aortic disease and predict disease progression. We provide an overview of aortic imaging with emphasis on how flow imaging is currently used, discuss the fundamental technical aspects of multidimensional MR flow imaging, introduce key hemodynamic markers, and show how this type of imaging may soon be used for the early identification of patients at risk for the development of potentially devastating aortic complications.
Goodbye Lecture: A Student-Led Seminar Approach for Teaching Upper Division Courses

This article describes a seminar approach for teaching small classes of advanced undergraduates modeled on graduate seminar-style courses. Students act as daily discussion leaders for assigned readings, first in small teams and later individually, and the instructor acts as facilitator. Students received evaluations based on both their active discussion and written assignments. Student survey responses revealed high levels of satisfaction for the courses and with the instructors, as well as the perceived amount of new information learned. Students also commented positively on the discussions and the seminar format. The technique is applicable to teaching any advanced undergraduate topic, appeals to students, and emphasizes the active role of student learners.
Predicting phenotypic diversity and the underlying quantitative molecular transitions.

During development, signaling networks control the formation of multicellular patterns. To what extent quantitative fluctuations in these complex networks may affect multicellular phenotype remains unclear. Here, we describe a computational approach to predict and analyze the phenotypic diversity that is accessible to a developmental signaling network. Applying this framework to vulval development in C. elegans, we demonstrate that quantitative changes in the regulatory network can render ∼500 multicellular phenotypes. This phenotypic capacity is an order-of-magnitude below the theoretical upper limit for this system but yet is large enough to demonstrate that the system is not restricted to a select few outcomes. Using metrics to gauge the robustness of these phenotypes to parameter perturbations, we identify a select subset of novel phenotypes that are the most promising for experimental validation. In addition, our model calculations provide a layout of these phenotypes in network parameter space. Analyzing this landscape of multicellular phenotypes yielded two significant insights. First, we show that experimentally well-established mutant phenotypes may be rendered using non-canonical network perturbations. Second, we show that the predicted multicellular patterns include not only those observed in C. elegans, but also those occurring exclusively in other species of the Caenorhabditis genus. This result demonstrates that quantitative diversification of a common regulatory network is indeed demonstrably sufficient to generate the phenotypic differences observed across three major species within the Caenorhabditis genus. Using our computational framework, we systematically identify the quantitative changes that may have occurred in the regulatory network during the evolution of these species. Our model predictions show that significant phenotypic diversity may be sampled through quantitative variations in the regulatory network without overhauling the core network architecture. Furthermore, by comparing the predicted landscape of phenotypes to multicellular patterns that have been experimentally observed across multiple species, we systematically trace the quantitative regulatory changes that may have occurred during the evolution of the Caenorhabditis genus.
Mutations in gfpt1 and skiv2l2 cause distinct stage-specific defects in larval melanocyte regeneration in zebrafish.

The establishment of a single cell type regeneration paradigm in the zebrafish provides an opportunity to investigate the genetic mechanisms specific to regeneration processes. We previously demonstrated that regeneration melanocytes arise from cell division of the otherwise quiescent melanocyte precursors following larval melanocyte ablation with a small molecule, MoTP. The ease of ablating melanocytes by MoTP allows us to conduct a forward genetic screen for mechanisms specific to regeneration from such precursors or stem cells. Here, we reported the identification of two mutants, eartha j23e1 and julie j24e1 from a melanocyte ablation screen. Both mutants develop normal larval melanocytes, but upon melanocyte ablation, each mutation results in a distinct stage-specific defect in melanocyte regeneration. Positional cloning reveals that the eartha j23e1 mutation is a nonsense mutation in gfpt1 (glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase 1), the rate-limiting enzyme in glucosamine-6-phosphate biosynthesis. Our analyses reveal that a mutation in gfpt1 specifically affects melanocyte differentiation (marked by melanin production) at a late stage during regeneration and that gfpt1 acts cell autonomously in melanocytes to promote ontogenetic melanocyte darkening. We identified that the julie j24e1 mutation is a splice-site mutation in skiv2l2 (superkiller viralicidic activity 2-like 2), a predicted DEAD-box RNA helicase. Our in situ analysis reveals that the mutation in skiv2l2 causes defects in cell proliferation, suggesting that skiv2l2 plays a role in regulating melanoblast proliferation during early stages of melanocyte regeneration. This finding is consistent with previously described role for cell division during larval melanocyte regeneration. The analyses of these mutants reveal their stage-specific roles in melanocyte regeneration. Interestingly, these mutants identify regeneration-specific functions not only in early stages of the regeneration process, but also in late stages of differentiation of the regenerating melanocyte. We suggest that mechanisms of regeneration identified in this mutant screen may reveal fundamental differences between the mechanisms that establish differentiated cells during embryogenesis, and those involved in larval or adult growth. Citation: Yang CT, Hindes AE, Hultman KA, Johnson SL (2007) Mutations in gfpt1 and skiv2l2 cause distinct stage-specific defects in larval melanocyte regeneration in
Mohs micrographic surgery-induced pemphigus.

Background. Pemphigus is an autoimmune blistering disease that presents with flaccid intraepidermal blisters, erosions of the skin and mucous membranes, acantholysis, and in vivo bound and circulating autoantibodies against keratinocyte antigen. Currently a handful of reports incriminate surgical trauma as an initiating factor in this disease. Objective. To document pemphigus evolving in a wound after Mohs micrographic surgery. Methods. Case report. Results. We present a case of pemphigus that started in a Mohs surgical wound after the excision of a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from a 49-year-old woman. Biopsy of the preoperative lesion did not reveal pemphigus. Biopsy of the postoperative lesion revealed pemphigus with no residual SCC. Conclusion. We suggest that Mohs surgery, like any other skin surgery, may nonspecifically activate pemphigus. This change must be differentiated from postoperative wound infection and other causes of poor wound healing.
Correlation of marine and continental Quaternary pollen records from the Northeast Pacific and western Washington

Abstract Late-glacial and postglacial pollen stratigraphy and radiocarbon chronology of a marine core from the continental slope and a core from the western Olympic Peninsula, ca. 110 km apart, are compared. Divisible into four pollen assemblage zones (L, P-1, P-2, and P-3), the cores exhibit a succession of correlative zonal prominences: grass-sedge (L), pine (P-1), alder (P-1-P-2 boundary), and hemlock (P-3). Volcanic ash of Mt. Mazama provenance is also correlative in zone P-2. Quantitative relationships of the pollen in the cores (relative and absolute numbers and pollen influx) are dissimilar, however, and are attributed to the influence of the Columbia River pollen load reaching the locale of the continental slope core compared with the local pollen rain influencing the Olympic Peninsula core site.
Perceived Social Competence and Depression

Differences in impressions of social skills between depressed and non-depressed college student participants were investigated. Participants engaged in a 15-minute, face-to-face `getting acquainted' exercise with an assigned partner of the same sex. Based on Beck Depression Inventory scores, participants were classified as depressed or not and three types of dyads were studied: (i) depressed participant interacting with depressed participant; (ii) depressed participant interacting with non-depressed participant; and (iii) non-depressed participant interacting with non-depressed participant. Prior to the interaction, participants reported their mood. After the interaction, participants evaluated their own social competence and the competence of their partners, and completed a second measure of their mood. On all measures of social competence, depressed participants rated themselves as less competent than non-depressed participants. Depressed participants also rated their partners as less competent than non...
Bound to Empire: The United States and the Philippines

From the day Commodore Dewey's battleships destroyed the Spanish fleet at Manila to the closing of the Subic Bay naval base in 1992, America and the Philippines have shared a long and tangled history. It has been a century of war and colonialism, earnest reforms and blatant corruption, diplomatic maneuvering and political intrigue, an era colored by dramatic events and striking personalities. In Bound to Empire, acclaimed historian H.W. Brands gives us a brilliant account of the American involvement in the Philippines in a sweeping narrative filled with analytical insight. Ranging from the Spanish-American War to the fall of Ferdinand Marcos and beyond, Brands deftly weaves together the histories of both nations as he assesses America's great experiment with empire. He leaps from the turbulent American scene in the 1890s--the labor unrest, the panic of 1893, the emergence of Progressivism, the growing tension with Spain--to the shores of the newly acquired colony: Dewey's conquest of Manila, the vicious war against the Philippine insurgents, and the founding of American civilian rule. As Brands takes us through the following century, describing the efforts to "civilize" the Filipinos, the shaping of Philippine political practices, the impact of General MacArthur, and World War II and the Cold War, he provides fascinating insight into the forces and institutions that made American rule what it was, and the Republic of the Philippines what it is today. He uncovers the origins of the corruption and nepotism of post-independence Philippine politics, as well as the ambivalence of American rule, in which liberal principles of self-determination clashed with the desire for empire and a preoccupation first with Japan and later with communism. The book comes right up to the present day, with an incisive account of the rise and fall of Ferdinand Marcos, the accession (and subsequent troubles) of Corazon Aquino, the Communist guerrilla insurgency, and the debate over the American military bases. "Damn the Americans!" Manuel Quezon once said. "Why don't they tyrannize us more?" Indeed, as Brands writes, American rule in the Philippines was more benign than that of any other colonial power in the Pacific region. Yet it failed to foster a genuine democracy. This fascinating book explains why, in a perceptive account of a century of empire and its aftermath.
Performance measures for ranking and selection procedures

To efficiently compare Ranking and Selection procedures, we present a three-layer performance evaluation process. The two most popular formulations, namely the Bayes and Indifference Zone formulations, have a common representation analogous to convex risk measures used in quantitative risk management. We study decision makers' acceptance sets via an axiomatic approach and introduce a new performance measure using computational cost.
Utilization and Expenditures on Chiropractic Care in the United States from 1997 to 2006

Over the last two decades, public utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown substantially in the United States (Kessler et al. 2001; Barnes, Bloom, and Nahin 2008;). The chiropractic profession was the first CAM profession to become established in the United States, and it remains the largest constituent of the CAM workforce with over 53,000 practicing chiropractors (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007) having over 85,000 U.S. licenses (Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards, 2007) (some chiropractors have multiple licenses). Chiropractors are now regulated in all 50 states, reimbursed by government and private health care insurance, and integrated into the military health care system (Meeker and Haldeman 2002). Cross-sectional studies in the early 1990s showed substantive growth in utilization of CAM services by the American public (Eisenberg et al. 1993, 1998). Approximately 7.5 percent of U.S. adults are estimated to visit a chiropractor each year (Barnes et al. 2004), and 3.3 percent of the national office-based health care expenditures are devoted to chiropractic services (Davis et al. 2009). Although interest and utilization of CAM therapies appear to be growing, our previous work showed a decrease in new graduates from chiropractic colleges of 28 percent between academic years 2001 and 2003 (from approximately 3,500 to 2,500 graduates per annum) (Davis et al. 2009). However, from 1996 to 2005, national inflation-adjusted office-based expenditures on chiropractic care more than doubled, reaching a high of U.S.$7.3 billion in 2005. Whether U.S. chiropractors have attracted more patients to their practices or changed their clinical practices as an explanation for this increase in expenditures has not been explored. Therefore, we sought to more fully investigate utilization and national expenditures on chiropractic care from 1997 to 2006. From nationally representative datasets on health services utilization, we extracted data on chiropractic patient demographics, national expenditures and charges, and estimates of the total number of U.S. adults who saw a chiropractor over the 10-year time period.
Enhanced speaker recognition based on score level fusion of AHS and HMM

Speaker recognition history dates back to some four decades, and yet it has not been reliable enough to be considered as a standalone security system. This paper focuses on the enhancement of speaker recognition through fusion of likelihood scores generated by arithmetic harmonic sphericity (AHS) and hidden Markov model (HMM) techniques. Due to the contrastive nature of AHS and HMM, we have observed a significant performance improvement of 22% and 6% true acceptance rate at 5% false acceptance rate, when this fusion technique was evaluated on two different datasets - YOHO and USF multimodal biometric dataset, respectively. Performance enhancement has been achieved on both the datasets, however performance on YOHO was comparatively higher than that on USF dataset, owing to the fact that USF dataset is a noisy outdoor dataset whereas YOHO is an indoor dataset.
A logical language for specifying cryptographic protocol requirements

A formal language is presented for specifying and reasoning about cryptographic protocol requirements. Examples of simple sets of requirements in that language are given. The authors examine two versions of a protocol that might meet those requirements and show how to specify them in the language of the NRL Protocol Analyzer. They also show how to map one of the sets of formal requirements to the language of the NRL Protocol Analyzer and use the Analyzer to show that one version of the protocol meets those requirements. The Analyzer is used as a model checker to assess the validity of the formulas that make up the requirements. >
Quadriceps strength and corticospinal excitability as predictors of disability after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Background: Disability is common in a proportion of patients after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R). Neuromuscular quadriceps deficits are a hallmark impairment after ACL-R, yet the link between muscle function and disability is not understood. Purposes: To evaluate the ability of quadriceps strength and cortical excitability to predict self-reported disability in patients with ACL-R. Methods: Fifteen participants with a history of ACL-R (11 female, 4 male; 172 ± 9.8 cm, 70.4 ± 17.5 kg, 54.4 ± 40.9 mo postsurgery) were included in this study. Corticospinal excitability was assessed using active motor thresholds (AMT), while strength was assessed with maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC). Both voluntary strength and corticospinal excitability were used to predict disability measured with the International Knee Documentation Committee Index (IKDC). Results: The overall multiple-regression model significantly predicted 66% of the variance in self-reported disability as measured by...