cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predator and population density control of homing behavior in the Caribbean echinoid Diadema antillarum

The frequency of homing behavior (percent returns to the same crevice) of Diadema antillarum Philippi varied from 30 to 84% among areas. Frequency of homing was positively correlated with predator abundance and negatively the protective quality of crevices and more readily vacates low quality crevices than more protective ones when a simulated predation attempt occurs. Previously grazed portions of the foraging range of homing individuals do not appear to be regrazed on successive nights and an avoidance of such areas is suggested. This predator-mediated behavior pattern and its effects on coral reef communities may be a tropical analog to predator-sea urchin-algal relationships in temperate marine communities.
Is The Acetate Anion Stabilized By Resonance Or Electrostatics? A Systematic Structural Comparison

Using ab initio MO theory, a series of isodesmic reactions was studied in which nitrogen-, oxygen-, and fluorine-containing species acted as proton donors and acceptors. Comparison of protonation and deprotonation energies suggests that approximately three-quarters of the enhanced acidity of acetic acid comes from electrostatic stabilization, while the remaining quarter results from π resonance. Similar logic shows that only one-third of the enhanced acidity of the nitrogen analogue acetamidine is electrostatic in nature, and that the remaining two-thirds derives from resonance. The primary importance of electrostatics for oxygen and of π resonance for nitrogen is further supported by the behavior of carbonic acid and guanidine. The contributions of hydroxy, amino, and fluorine substituents to the acidity and basicity of a series of alcohols and amines are well described by a simple electrostatic model with a single adjustable parameter. The model requires the electrostatic contributions of polar bonds to...
Wrapping of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by a π-Conjugated Polymer : The Role of Polymer Conformation-Controlled Size Selectivity

Wrapping of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) was examined by using a poly[( m-phenylenevinylene)- alt-( p-phenylenevinylene)] (PmPV) derivative. The polymer's intrinsic ability in forming a helical conformation was found to play an essential role in the separation of nanotubes. Among about 15 tubes present in the pure SWNT (HiPcoTM) sample, the polymer was found to selectively pick up the tubes (11,6), (11,7) and (12,6), which correspond to tube diameters of 1.19, 1.25 and 1.24 nm, respectively. The SWNTs of smaller diameters were held loosely by the PmPV, and were gradually dropped out under centrifugation. The suspension solution prepared from the SWNT and PmPV was not permanently stable, with precipitation occurring after a few weeks. Irradiation in the UV-vis region exhibited a catalytic effect to shorten the precipitation time to hours. Those tubes, which were held loosely by PmPV, were quickly separated from the suspension during the irradiation process.
Dielectric constant of water at very high temperature and pressure

Abstract Pertinent statistical mechanical theory is combined with the available measurements of the dielectric constant of water at high temperature and pressure to predict that property at still higher temperature. The dielectric constant is needed in connection with studies of electrolytes such as NaCl/H2O at very high temperature.
Protein conformation: autoplastic and alloplastic effects.

Abstract Protein conformation in a specific solvent environment is dependent upon (1) the genetically-determined constitution of the biomacromolecule and (2) the constituents of the solvent. The term autoplastic effect is used as a succinct label for the principle that “primary structure determines tertiary structure”. Alloplastic1 effects encompass those factors, which mold conformation of a macromolecule, that are environmental in origin. The latter effects may be of two types. Conformational changes may be brought about by direct combination of the macromolecule with a constituent of the solvent. One may also shift an equilibrium between conformational peers by the indirect route of modifying the chemical potential or structure of the solvent.
The social roles of bots and assisted editing programs

This paper investigates software programs as non-human social actors in Wikipedia, arguing that influence must not be overlooked in social scientific research of the on-line encyclopedia project. Using statistical and archival methods, the roles of assisted editing programs and bots are examined. proportion of edits made by these non-human actors is shown to be significantly more than previously described in earlier research.
Duration of colonization with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the duration of colonization with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and the adequacy of 3 consecutive negative cultures to determine clearance. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A university hospital. POPULATION: Patients identified by perirectal cultures as VRE carriers who had follow-up cultures. METHODS: Follow-up perirectal cultures were collected in inpatient and outpatient settings, at least 1 week apart, when patients were not receiving antibiotics with activity against VRE. The likelihood of culture positivity was analyzed given prior culture results and time from the initial positive culture. RESULTS: A total of 116 patients colonized with VRE had 423 follow-up cultures, a mean of 204 days (range, 4 to 709 days) after their initial isolate. The first follow-up culture, collected a mean of 125 days after the initial positive isolate, was negative in 64%. After 1 negative follow-up culture, the next one was negative in 92% of the patients. After 2 negative cultures, 95% remained culture-negative. After 3 sequential negative cultures, 35 (95%) of 37 patients remained culture-negative. As the interval between the initial and the follow-up isolates increased, the probability that a subsequent culture would be positive decreased (P <.001, chi square for trend). Prolonged hospitalization, intensive care, and antibiotic use each decreased the likelihood of clearing VRE. CONCLUSION: These data support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criterion of 3 sequential negative cultures, at least 1 week apart, to remove patients from VRE isolation. Nevertheless, this may reflect a decrease in the quantity of VRE to an undetectable level and these patients should be observed for relapse, especially when re-treated with antibiotics.
Older and newer challenges of tuberculosis in children

Tuberculosis (TB) in children represents one of the best examples of what we have termed an “adultosis”–a disease inflicted by adults on children and not by children on adultsand which can be acquired by direct contact or by the indirect result of various types of abuses, such as social ones. The same socioeconomic and political failures that have allowed TB and HIV to remain uncontrolled in many countries have also contributed to the emergence of multiple-drug resistant (MDR) M. tuberculosis. These older and newer challenges of TB in children and some approaches to their resolution are briefly discussed here. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Establishing Construct and Predictive Validity of the Prison Inmate Inventory for Use With Female Inmates

This study establishes the validity of the Prison Inmate Inventory for use among female inmates (N = 628). Contrast groups were used to establish construct validity; negative binomial regression analysis was used to confirm predictive validity. Female inmates who were arrested at a younger age demonstrated more severe problems with violence, antisocial traits, distress, adjustment to prison life, and judgment. Results from the negative binomial analysis revealed that inmate risk (low and severe) predicted expected counts of probation revocations, parole revocation, and escape attempts. Expected counts were not related to race/ethnicity in this sample.
Exploiting pointer and location equivalence to optimize pointer analysis

Pointer information is a prerequisite for most program analyses, and inclusion-based, i.e. Andersen-style, pointer analysis is widely used to compute such information. However, current inclusion-based analyses can have prohibitive costs in time and space, especially for programs with millions of lines of code. We present a suite of offline optimizations that exploit pointer and location equivalence to shrink the input to the subsequent pointer analysis without affecting precision, dramatically reducing both analysis time and memory consumption. Using a suite of six open-source C programs ranging in size from 169K to 2.17M LOC, we demonstrate that our techniques on average improve analysis time by 1.3-2.7× and reduce memory consumption by 3.2-6.9× over the best current techniques.
Human Trafficking in the Heartland Variation in Law Enforcement Awareness and Response

This analysis explores the extent and characteristics of human trafficking in Columbus and Toledo, Ohio, including the response to the problem by law enforcement agencies. Through a content analysis of newspaper accounts and interviews with criminal justice officials and social service providers in each city, the authors identified 10 cases of juvenile sex trafficking and forced prostitution in Toledo and 5 cases of trafficking for the forced labor of noncitizens in Columbus. The offenders and victims involved in the sex trafficking cases were largely from the local area, whereas those involved in the labor trafficking cases primarily involved foreign nationals, thereby illustrating at least one role the heartland plays in transnational crime. The authors compare the different responses to human trafficking in the two cities and suggest how to raise awareness about human trafficking and improve the responses of law enforcement agencies to the problem.
STeP: The Stanford Temporal Prover

We describe the Stanford Temporal Prover (STeP), a system being developed to support the computer-aided formal verification of concurrent and reactive systems based on temporal specifications. Unlike systems based on model-checking, STeP is not restricted to finite-state systems. It combines model checking and deductive methods to allow the verification of a broad class of systems, including programs with infinite data domains, N-process programs, and N-component circuit designs, for arbitrary N. In short, STeP has been designed with the objective of combining the expressiveness of deductive methods with the simplicity of model checking. The verification process is for the most part automatic. User interaction occurs mostly at the highest, most intuitive level, primarily through a graphical proof language of verification diagrams. Efficient simplification methods, decision procedures, and invariant generation techniques are then invoked automatically to prove resulting first-order verification conditions with minimal assistance. We describe the performance of the system when applied to several examples, including the N-process dining philosopher''s program, Szymanski''s N-process mutual exclusion algorithm, and a distributed N-way arbiter circuit.
Slow crack growth behavior in transformation-toughened Al2O3-ZrO2(Y2O3) ceramics

Significant increases in the critical fracture toughness (K/sub IC/) over that of alumina are obtained by the stress-induced phase transformation in partially stabilized ZrO/sub 2/ particles which are dispersed in alumina. More importantly, improved slow crack growth resistance is observed in the alumina ceramics containing partially stabilized ZrO/sub 2/ particles when the stress-induced phase transformation occurs. Thus, increasing the contribution of the ZrO/sub 2/ phase transformation by tailoring the Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ stabilizer content not only increases the critical fracture toughness (K/sub IC/) but also the K/sub Ia/ to initiate slow crack growth. For example, crack velocities (n..mu..) greater than or equal to 10/sup -9/ m/s are obtained only at K/sub Ia/ greater than or equal to 5 MPa.m/sup 1/2/ in transformation-toughened (K/sub IC/ = 8.5 MPa.m/sup 1/2/) composites vs K/sub Ia/ greater than or equal to 2.7 MPa.m/sup 1/2/ for comparable velocities in composites where the transformation does not occur (K/sub IC/ = 4.5 MPa.m/sub 1/2/). This behavior is a result of crack-tip shielding by the dissipation of strain energy in the transformation zone surrounding the crack. The stress corrosion parameter n is lower and A greater in these fine-grained composite materials than in fine-grained aluminas. This is amore » result of the residual tensile stresses associated with larger (greater than or equal to 1 ..mu..m) monoclinic ZrO/sub 2/ particles which reside along the intergranual crack path.« less
Treponema pallidum 3-phosphoglycerate mutase is a heat-labile enzyme that may limit the maximum growth temperature for the spirochete.

In the causative agent of syphilis, Treponema pallidum, the gene encoding 3-phosphoglycerate mutase, gpm, is part of a six-gene operon (tro operon) that is regulated by the Mn-dependent repressor TroR. Since substrate-level phosphorylation via the Embden-Meyerhof pathway is the principal way to generate ATP in T. pallidum and Gpm is a key enzyme in this pathway, Mn could exert a regulatory effect on central metabolism in this bacterium. To study this, T. pallidum gpm was cloned, Gpm was purified from Escherichia coli, and antiserum against the recombinant protein was raised. Immunoblots indicated that Gpm was expressed in freshly extracted infective T. pallidum. Enzyme assays indicated that Gpm did not require Mn2+ while 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) was required for maximum activity. Consistent with these observations, Mn did not copurify with Gpm. The purified Gpm was stable for more than 4 h at 25°C, retained only 50% activity after incubation for 20 min at 34°C or 10 min at 37°C, and was completely inactive after 10 min at 42°C. The temperature effect was attenuated when 1 mM DPG was added to the assay mixture. The recombinant Gpm from pSLB2 complemented E. coli strain PL225 (gpm) and restored growth on minimal glucose medium in a temperature-dependent manner. Increasing the temperature of cultures of E. coli PL225 harboring pSLB2 from 34 to 42°C resulted in a 7- to 11-h period in which no growth occurred (compared to wild-type E. coli). These data suggest that biochemical properties of Gpm could be one contributing factor to the heat sensitivity of T. pallidum.
Expression analysis and chromosome location of a novel gene (H11) associated with the growth of human melanoma cells.

We have previously described the isolation of a new human gene, H11, that codes for a 25 kDa phospho-protein with autokinase activity the expression of which is required for cell growth. The data described in this report extend these findings. Using FISH and M-FISH we show that H11 which maps at chromosome site 12q24.1-12q24.31 is not involved in chromosomal translocations. The tissue distribution of H11 mRNA is restricted, with expression being most abundant in skeletal muscle, heart, prostate and placenta. The H11 protein is cytoplasmic and it is associated with the plasma membrane. Cell surface localization in particulate aggregate formations suggests that it may be complexed to proteins involved in the transfer of extracellular growth signals.
Relationship between inoculum density and vector phenology on the incidence of potato virus Y in tobacco

SUMMARY The epidemiology of potato virus Y (PVY) in the tobacco crop, Nicotiana tabacum, was examined in the context of the seasonal abundance of aphid vectors, rate of disease progress, and disease gradient from a known virus source. The spring potato crop, Solanum tuberosum, was suspected of being the main source of inoculum; therefore, varying numbers of infected potato plants were used as the inoculum source in different test plots. A 3-wk lag phase was present in all disease progress curves prior to an exponential increase in disease incidence. The relatively low numbers of aphid vectors, primarily transient species, alighting on the crop during the lag phase were responsible for the primary spread of PVY from potato to tobacco. The arrival of large numbers of colonising aphid vectors, Myzus persicae, presumably from the harvested potatoes, coincided with the exponential increase in PVY incidence in tobacco. The initial number of potato plants infected with PVY was positively correlated with the final disease incidence, rate of disease progress, and the magnitude of radial dispersion of PVY into the tobacco. Aphid vector pressure was not a significant variable in the differences in spatial and temporal characteristics of PVY epidemics among test plots.
High-power THz generation, THz nonlinear optics and THz nonlinear spectroscopy

A review of generation of high-power terahertz single-cycle and shaped pulses by tilted pulse front excitation with up to 200 MW/cm2 intensity is given. Recent demonstrations of terahertz nonlinear optics and spectroscopy are then presented.
Lessons in disguise: multivariate predictive mistakes in collective choice models

Many political processes can be characterized as repeated collective decisions, in which individual choices rendered by the same actors are combined to produce salient outcomes (e.g., voting in legislatures). The inherent interdependence among the choices within repeated collective decisions is often missed in statistical analysis. I introduce the joint prediction error (JPE)—a grouping of individual decisions that is poorly predicted by a model. JPEs capture the intersecting information missed by conventional diagnostics. I demonstrate the use of JPEs on data from two published articles—one on U.S. Supreme Court voting and another on international defense alliances.
Reply to 'Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma with Supraclavicular Lymph Node Metastasis: Is This the Virchow's Node?'

Saif et al. [1] astutely point out that left sided supraclavicular lymph node involvement has been described in other malignancies, most notably gastric cancer, where it was first described by Rudolf Virchow, a German pathologist, in 1848 [2]. Troisier, a French pathologist, also noted association of left sided supraclavicular lymphadenopathy with abdominal malignancies [3]. The clinical significance of metastasis in pancreatic cancer involving Virchow’s node with regards to staging assessment, change in treatment course and prognosis has only recently been appreciated after so many years [4]. The advent and increased use of positron emission tomography (PET) has helped in detection of asymptomatic cases, particularly given that CT scans of the head and neck region are not utilized in routine staging and re-staging of patients with pancreatic cancer. The cumulative knowledge garnered through compiling individual cases and case series and reporting them in the literature has help confirm that this is a matter of clinical importance that has been appreciated by multiple groups. Given the prohibitive costs of PET scans, there currently exists a debate involving the cost effectiveness of finding a few patients within a larger group who exhibit this clinical presentation. With the wider use of PET in cancer diagnosis and treatment response monitoring the cost of this imaging modality should become more equivalent to more well established modalities such as CT scan and barriers such as economic feasibility will be less of a concern in using PET as a tool to help diagnose supraclavicular metastases in pancreatic cancer, particularly isolated ones.
CCR2 promotes accumulation of conventional dendritic cells in the lung during inflammation (CAM4P.149)

Migratory dendritic cells (DCs) take up antigens in peripheral tissues and migrate to tissue-draining lymph nodes (LNs) to present antigen-derived peptides to naive T cells. Our group recently found that although preDC-derived conventional DCs (cDCs) migrate from the lung to LNs, monocyte-derived DCs (moDCs) do not. It is well established that interactions between the chemokine receptor CCR7 and its ligands direct cDCs from peripheral tissue to LNs, but LNs also contain non-migratory ‘resident’ cDCs derived from preDCs that likely migrate directly from the blood to LNs. We found that these LN resident cDCs are present in CCR7-deficient mice, suggesting that preDC migration from the blood is directed by a different and unknown mechanism. To investigate the mechanism, we used quantitative PCR to study chemokine receptor expression in preDCs. Surprisingly, we found that preDCs express high levels of the gene encoding CCR2, which is primarily recognized as a molecule that directs monocyte trafficking. Ccr2 -deficient mice had normal numbers of cDCs in the lung at steady state, but these cells were significantly decreased compared to those of wild-type mice during inflammation. These findings suggest that CCR2 regulates accumulation of preDCs during inflammation, and that a different chemokine receptor directs preDC migration at steady state.
Gesture, sign and language: The coming of age of sign language and gesture studies

How does sign language compare with gesture, on the one hand, and spoken language on the other? Sign was once viewed as nothing more than a system of pictorial gestures without linguistic structure. More recently, researchers have argued that sign is no different from spoken language, with all of the same linguistic structures. The pendulum is currently swinging back toward the view that sign is gestural, or at least has gestural components. The goal of this review is to elucidate the relationships among sign language, gesture, and spoken language. We do so by taking a close look not only at how sign has been studied over the past 50 years, but also at how the spontaneous gestures that accompany speech have been studied. We conclude that signers gesture just as speakers do. Both produce imagistic gestures along with more categorical signs or words. Because at present it is difficult to tell where sign stops and gesture begins, we suggest that sign should not be compared with speech alone but should be compared with speech-plus-gesture. Although it might be easier (and, in some cases, preferable) to blur the distinction between sign and gesture, we argue that distinguishing between sign (or speech) and gesture is essential to predict certain types of learning and allows us to understand the conditions under which gesture takes on properties of sign, and speech takes on properties of gesture. We end by calling for new technology that may help us better calibrate the borders between sign and gesture.
Congenital Problems in the Adolescent Spine

Congenital abnormalities may be defined as defects in development of body form or function which are present at the time of birth. The embryological development of the spinal column is a complex process, as mentioned in the section on embryology, and is closely related to the development of the spinal cord, heart, great vessels, and genitourinary system which lie adjacent to it. Developmental anomalies in the spinal column are frequently associated with central nervous system malformations and abnormalities of cardiac and renal development. Only certain congenital conditions will be mentioned in this chapter, and those related to scoliosis and kyphosis will be separately described in subsequent chapters.
π-condensation and neutron star cooling

Abstract We show, within the context of an independent particle model, that π - condensation should occur in neutron stars having baryon densities exceeding∼0.4 – 0.5 fm -3 . This high concentration of π - implies a very fast cooling rate for ‘hot’ neutron stars.
The Contribution of Agricultural Research to Production

A LTHOUGH the efficient allocation of resources to and among research and development activities has become an important problem in public finance, to date little is available in the way of methodology to aid this analysis. The assessment of expected benefits from a given research effort is a key element in this analysis. While a high degree of uncertainty about the productivity of research is inherent, measurement of the output of past research effort is one basis on which expected future benefits might be assessed. This paper develops a framework for estimating the output of past research devoted to increasing agricultural production, by the state agricultural experiment stations and the United States Department of Agriculture. It is an aggregate analysis utilizing both time-series data for all United States agriculture and cross-section data for states.' In addition to estimates of the magnitude of the effects on production of this research, estimates of the time lag between dollar expenditures on research and its eventual effect on production are reported. The agricultural sector of the economy is characterized by relatively small firms. The homogeneity of agricultural products and the nature of the inventions or technological changes make it difficult for the farm firm to capture the benefits from research or inventive effort that it might undertake. The most important technological changes in agriculture are typified by plant varietal changes which can be easily reproduced or techniques which can be easily copied. In addition, the size and skill requirements for efficient research conduct means that little research of a biological and fundamental nature is likely to be undertaken by the farm firm. A recognition of this divergence between the ability of farmers to capture
Preparing Students for Embedded Software Development: An RTOS-based Approach

The worldwide demand for embedded computer systems continues to grow, but the complexities of embedded software make it increasingly difficult to produce robust and reliable systems that are also secure. The challenges increase as embedded systems become more connected and are used to control or monitor physical processes in critical infrastructure. This paper discusses challenges that arise in the development of embedded software, and it describes a senior-level course that is effective in exposing students to the constructs and situations in which those challenges arise. The core of the class is a sequence of labs in which students design and implement a real-time operating system. Each student-developed RTOS conforms to the same API, so all can run the same application code, but internal implementations vary widely. The design and coding challenges that must be addressed in their designs are remarkably well aligned with the general challenges arising in the development of embedded software. Thus, the overall experience of creating an RTOS is effective in helping students acquire first-hand knowledge of potential problems with frequently-used constructs in embedded software.
Locomotor Analysis of the Taiep Rat

Locomotor activity (tremor, ataxia, immobility, epilepsy, and paralysis) in the taiep rat, which suffers from a myelin deficient disorder, has not been previously documented. This study used walking track analysis of footprints to analyze locomotor activity in the taiep rat in comparison to normal, age-matched controls. The results confirmed differences between normal and taiep rats in terms of stride length, step length, and stride width. In addition, we found significant interactions between age and condition for stride and step length. The results suggest that locomotor analysis is a sensitive indicator of myelin deficiency. The results are discussed in terms of the underlying myelin deficiency and possible treatment regimens.
A method for the selection of a synchronized population of cloning HeLa cells.

SummaryA method is described in which individual clones of cells in synchrony can be selected out of a nonsynchronized population of cells. These cells have progressed no more than 3 hr into the G1 phase of the cell cycle. The clonal growth of these colonies can be observed microscopically for up to 72 hr before they begin to lose synchronous cell division.
Isolations of arboviruses from parous midges of the Culicoides variipennîs complex, and parous rates in biting populations.

A method for distinguishing parous from nulliparous Ceratopogonidae was applied to midges of the Culicoides variipennis complex collected in CO2-bait traps in Kern County, California. To evaluate the technique, matched pools of “parous” and “nulliparous” midges were tested for viruses. Thirty-six virus isolations, representing 3 viruses (Buttonwillow, Lokern, and Main Drain), were made from pools classified as parous, whereas no isolations were made from pools considered nulliparous. Biting populations and parous rates were relatively high in the spring and in the fall. The scarcity of parous females in midwinter and other features of the winter biology of C. variipennis indicate that adult females probably do not provide for overwintering of arboviruses in Kern County.
Function of the Borrelia burgdorferi FtsH Homolog Is Essential for Viability both In Vitro and In Vivo and Independent of HflK/C

ABSTRACT In many bacteria, the FtsH protease and its modulators, HflK and HflC, form a large protein complex that contributes to both membrane protein quality control and regulation of the cellular response to environmental stress. Both activities are crucial to the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, which depends on membrane functions, such as motility, protein transport, and cell signaling, to respond to rapid changes in its environment. Using an inducible system, we demonstrate that FtsH production is essential for both mouse and tick infectivity and for in vitro growth of B. burgdorferi. FtsH depletion in B. burgdorferi cells resulted in membrane deformation and cell death. Overproduction of the protease did not have any detectable adverse effects on B. burgdorferi growth in vitro, suggesting that excess FtsH does not proteolytically overwhelm its substrates. In contrast, we did not observe any phenotype for cells lacking the protease modulators HflK and HflC (ΔHflK/C), although we examined morphology, growth rate, growth under stress conditions, and the complete mouse-tick infectious cycle. Our results demonstrate that FtsH provides an essential function in the life cycle of the obligate pathogen B. burgdorferi but that HflK and HflC do not detectably affect FtsH function. IMPORTANCE Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, which is maintained in nature in an infectious cycle alternating between small mammals and Ixodes ticks. B. burgdorferi produces specific membrane proteins to successfully infect and persist in these diverse organisms. We hypothesized that B. burgdorferi has a specific mechanism to ensure that membrane proteins are properly folded and biologically active when needed and removed if improperly folded or dysfunctional. Our experiments demonstrate that FtsH, a protease that fulfills this role in other microorganisms, is essential to B. burgdorferi viability. Cells depleted of FtsH do not survive in laboratory culture medium and cannot colonize mice or ticks, revealing an absolute requirement for this protease. However, the loss of two potential modulators of FtsH activity, HflK and HflC, does not detectably affect B. burgdorferi physiology. Our results provide the groundwork for the identification of FtsH substrates that are critical for the bacterium’s viability.
Mannose-binding lectin levels in children with simple febrile convulsion(FC)

To analyze the mannose-binding lectin(MBL) plasma concentrations in children with simple febrile convulsion(FC),plasma was obtained from the normal controls and the FC patients both at acute stage and recovery stage.MBL plasma concentrations were measured by ELISA method and SPSS11.0 software was used in the statistical analysis.The means of MBL levels at acute stage and recovery stage in the patient group were(610.4±549.6)ng/ml and(591.5±442.1)ng/ml respectively and no difference was found between the two stages(Z=0.16,P=0.87),however,both of which were significantly lower than that in the control group(P0.05).More individuals with MBL levels not more than 200 ng/ml were found in the case group than in the control group.No correation was found between CRP levels and MBL levels in the patients.Low MBL levels in the plasma may responsible for susceptibility to acute respiratory tract infection,which in turn may be a latent predispositon of febrile convulsion in certain children.
Retrospective: 12 years of antigenic determinant predictions, and more

The Hopp and Woods hydrophilicity method for locating antigenic determinants was published in 1981. In the years since then, the method has been used widely and has played a vital role in many antigenic structure studies. The method has been criticized occasionally and replacements for it have been proposed. However, at this time, the Hopp and Woods method remains a method of choice for identifying antigenic sites and other protein interaction sites, because it has a higher success rate than other similar methods. Key to the success of this method is its cautious approach to charge-charge interactions, giving equal weight to positively and negatively charged residues, whereas other methods tend to favor one or the other. It has become clear that sites chosen by our method tend to be highly exposed, charged regions of the protein's surface which project into the environment and therefore have ample opportunity to contact other proteins. We have been exploring new uses for the method, and have found some applications in locating sites for other types of interactions, including those with other macromolecules such as DNA and RNA. It seems likely that this simple and reliable procedure will continue to find use in predicting the locations of major antigenic epitopes, and may also find use as a general prediction method to identify interaction sites on proteins that make charge-dependent contacts with a variety of other biological macromolecules.
Differential α-adrenergic modulation of rapid onset vasodilatation along resistance networks of skeletal muscle in old versus young mice

Rapid onset vasodilatation (ROV) in skeletal muscle is attenuated during advanced age via α-adrenoreceptor (αAR) activation however it is unknown where such effects predominate in the resistance vasculature. Studying the gluteus maximus muscle (GM) of anaesthetized young (4 months) and old (24 months) male C57BL/6 mice, we tested the hypothesis that attenuation of ROV during advanced age is most effective in proximal branches of microvascular resistance networks. Diameters of a feed artery (FA), first- (1A), second- (2A) and third- (3A) order arteriole were studied in response to single tetanic contractions (100 Hz, 100–1000 ms). ROV began within 1 s and peaked sooner in 2A and 3A (∼3 s) than in 1A or FA (∼4 s). Relative amplitudes of dilatation increased with contraction duration and with vessel branch order (FA<1A<2A<3A). In old mice, attenuation of ROV was greater in FA and 1A compared to 2A and 3A. With no effect on muscle force production, inhibiting αARs (phentolamine; 10−6 M) improved ROV in FA and 1A of old mice while subthreshold stimulation of αARs in young mice (noradrenaline; 10−9 M) depressed ROV most effectively in FA and 1A. In young mice, stimulating α1ARs (phenylephrine; 10−7 M) and α2ARs (UK 14304; 10−7 M) attenuated ROV primarily in FA. In Old mice, inhibiting α2ARs (rauwolscine; 10−7 M) restored ROV more effectively in FA and 1A than did inhibiting α1ARs (prazosin; 10−8 M). We conclude that, with temporal and spatial coordination along resistance networks, attenuation of ROV with advanced age is most effective in proximal branches via constitutive activation of α2ARs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
S 3 Invariants of Finite Dimensional Real Division Algebras

Finite dimensional real division algebras are examined under the permutation of their structure constants. It is noted that there is only one finite-dimensional real flexible division algebras with an automorphism group isomorphic to S3. We show that the 8-dimensional real division algebras with derivation algebra g2 are isotopic under all permutations of the structure constants. Being a composition algebra is preserved under all permutations. We simultaneously derive information about the quaternion division algebras as subalgebras of the eight dimensional algebras. Finally, a division algebra with derivation algebra \({su(2)\oplus su(2)}\) is looked at under the actions of S3. The quaternion, octonion and Okubo algebras are special cases of our results.
Utility of Second Surgery for Lymph Node Metastases

Although most patients with differentiated thyroid cancer enjoy long survival, locoregional recurrence is common. In light of the high incidence of recurrence, how to best manage nodal recurrence is an important issue in the treatment of thyroid cancer patients. Surgery is one treatment option, although its effectiveness is hard to define because of the paucity of studies with large sample size and long follow-up. The percentage of patients rendered disease-free by surgery for nodal recurrence varies substantially from study to study as do the criteria that define freedom from disease. In the two most recent large studies of reoperation for nodal recurrence, remission was achieved in 23 % and 51 % of patients. Overall, surgery appears to be a reasonable option for managing nodal recurrence in the short term, but the optimal extent of surgery has not been determined. Long-term studies are needed to assess the impact of surgery on survival. Some advocate dissection of the compartment containing the recurrence only, while others advocate routine dissection of the central compartment for lateral nodal recurrence. Because many patients are left with persistent disease even after extensive surgery, a candid preoperative dialogue with the patient is essential to achieve realistic expectations of surgery.
Abnormal Functional Lateralization of Language in Developmental Dysphasia

Researchers at University Hospital, Rennes, France compared functional MRI studies of 21 children with developmental dysphasia and matched controls using a panel of four language tests including auditory and visual tasks.
Abstract 352: Up-regulation of CD44 in the development of metastasis, recurrence and drug resistance of ovarian cancer

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Purpose: The clinical significance of Cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) remains controversial in human ovarian cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical significance of CD44 expression by using a unique tissue microarray, and then to determine the biological functions of CD44 in ovarian cancer. Experimental Design: A unique ovarian cancer tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed with paired primary, metastatic, and recurrent tumor tissues from 26 individual patients. CD44 expression in TMA was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Western blotting and Immunofluorescence assay determined the expression of CD44 and/or P-glycoprotein (Pgp) in ovarian cancer cell lines and the tumor tissues of a paclitaxel treated ovarian cancer xenograft mouse model. MTT assay, wound healing assay, and matrigel invasion assay were utilized to assess the proliferation, drug sensitivity, and migration/invasion ability, respectively. Results: Both the metastatic and recurrent ovarian cancer tissues expressed higher level of CD44 than the patient-matched primary tumor. A significant association has been shown between CD44 expression and both the disease free survival and overall survival. A strong increase of CD44 was found in the tumor recurrence of mouse model. Finally, when CD44 was knocked down, proliferation, migration/invasion activity, and spheroid formation were significantly suppressed, while drug sensitivity was enhanced. Conclusions: Up-regulation of CD44 represents a crucial event in the development of metastasis, recurrence, and drug resistance to current treatments in ovarian cancer. Developing strategies to target CD44 may prevent metastasis, recurrence, and drug resistance in ovarian cancer. Citation Format: Yan Gao, Rosemary Foster, Francis J. Hornicek, Mansoor M. Amiji, Zhenfeng Duan. Up-regulation of CD44 in the development of metastasis, recurrence and drug resistance of ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 352. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-352
The Propositional Calculus

Sentences may be combined in various ways to form more complicated sentences. Let us consider only truth-functional combinations, in which the truth or falsity of the new sentence is determined by the truth or falsity of its component sentences.
Susceptibility of cold hardy grapes to Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), known commonly as spotted wing drosophila, is a vinegar fly originating from South-East Asia and a major pest to many soft-skinned fruits. Due to the species recent arrival in North America in 2008, many fruit varieties are yet untested for susceptibility to infestation. While previous work has focused on Vitis vinifera, this study aimed to determine grape susceptibility of cold hardy varieties based on hybrids of V. labrusca, V. riparia and V. vinifera. Field sampling was conducted in Southern Wisconsin (USA) vineyards to establish adult and larval abundance and determine whether the number of adults caught in traps correlates with fruit infestation. Host susceptibility was further assessed through no-choice bioassays of both intact and damaged fruits. The field study found D. suzukii adults present in all varieties, low larval abundance and no correlation between adult abundance and larval presence. Peak adult abundance occurred mid-season between veraison and harvest, while larval infestation rates were highest near harvest. In laboratory no-choice tests, significantly more eggs, larvae and adults occurred in damaged than undamaged grapes. In damaged grapes, larvae and adult abundance was comparable between varieties and to the highly susceptible control of undamaged raspberry; however, D. suzukii developed significantly faster in raspberry than grapes. Fruit characteristics (°Brix, titratable acidity, pH) in grapes were uncorrelated with D. suzukii performance. Together, these findings suggest that cold hardy grapes are overall resistant to D. suzukii if intact and highly susceptible if damaged.
The nuclear pore complex core scaffold and permeability barrier: variations of a common theme.

The study of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a fascinating endeavor, as it not only implies uncovering the ‘engineering marvel’ of its architecture and function, but also provides a key window into a significant evolutionary event: the origin of the eukaryotic cell. The combined efforts of many groups in the field, with the help of novel methodologies and new model organisms, are facilitating a much deeper understanding of this complex assembly. Here we cover recent advances on the characterization of the structure of the NPC scaffold and of the biophysical mechanisms that define the permeability barrier. We identify common architectural and functional principles between those two NPC compartments, expanding the previous protocoatomer hypothesis to suggest possible evolutionary origins for the FG nucleoporins and the NPC permeability barrier.
Your Phone vs. Your Heart

Can you remember the last time you were in a public space in America and didn’t notice that half the people around you were bent over a digital screen, thumbing a connection to somewhere else? Most of us are well aware of the convenience that instant electronic access provides. Less has been said about the costs. Research that my colleagues and I have just completed, to be published in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science, suggests that one measurable toll may be on our biological capacity to connect with other people. Our ingrained habits change us. Neurons that fire together, wire together, neuroscientists like to say, reflecting the increasing evidence that experiences leave imprints on our neural pathways, a phenomenon called neuroplasticity. Any habit molds the very structure of your brain in ways that strengthen your proclivity for that habit.
Does environmental policy affect scaling laws between population and pollution? Evidence from American metropolitan areas.

Modern cities are engines of production, innovation, and growth. However, urbanization also increases both local and global pollution from household consumption and firms’ production. Do emissions change proportionately to city size or does pollution tend to outpace or lag urbanization? Do emissions scale differently with population versus economic growth or are emissions, population, and economic growth inextricably linked? How are the scaling relationships between emissions, population, and economic growth affected by environmental regulation? This paper examines the link between urbanization, economic growth and pollution using data from Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the United States between 1999 and 2011. We find that the emissions of local air pollution in these MSAs scale according to a ¾ power law with both population size and gross domestic product (GDP). However, the monetary damages from these local emissions scale linearly with both population and GDP. Counties that have previously been out of attainment with the local air quality standards set by the Clean Air Act show an entirely different relationship: local emissions scale according to the square root of population, while the monetary damages from local air pollution follow a 2/3rds power law with population. Counties out of attainment are subject to more stringent emission controls; we argue based on this that enforcement of the Clean Air Act induces sublinear scaling between emissions, damages, and city size. In contrast, we find that metropolitan GDP scales super-linearly with population in all MSAs regardless of attainment status. Summarizing, our findings suggest that environmental policy limits the adverse effects of urbanization without interfering with the productivity benefits that manifest in cities.
Children’s resilience and trauma-specific cognitive behavioral therapy: Comparing resilience as an outcome, a trait, and a process

Resilience, which is associated with relatively positive outcomes following negative life experiences, is an important research target in the field of child maltreatment (Luthar et al., 2000). The extant literature contains multiple conceptualizations of resilience, which hinders development in research and clinical utility. Three models emerge from the literature: resilience as an immediate outcome (i.e., behavioral or symptom response), resilience as a trait, and resilience as a dynamic process. The current study compared these models in youth undergoing trauma-specific cognitive behavioral therapy. Results provide the most support for resilience as a process, in which increase in resilience preceded associated decrease in posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms. There was partial support for resilience conceptualized as an outcome, and minimal support for resilience as a trait. Results of the models are compared and discussed in the context of existing literature and in light of potential clinical implications for maltreated youth seeking treatment.