cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Behavior Changes the Reproduction of Spalangia cameroni, S. endius, Muscidifurax raptor, and Nasonia vitripennis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) at Increasing Fly Host Densities

Attack rates and progeny production of several strains of 4 fly parasite species were observed under single-confined (forced) and multiple free-choice densities of Musca domestica L. puparia. Progeny production always increased with an increased host density limited by specific reproductive capacity. Female:male sex ratio increased with higher host densities when forced on single parasite females, but decreased when 10 competing ovipositing parasites were allowed free choice of densities in test cages. A parasite “contamination” principal was suspected. Two behavioral changes in Spalangia endius Walker might account for its increased rate of attack at higher densities. First, parasites spent less time examining puparia before ovipositing; and second, they laid more eggs in the same time period at a high host density than at a low. Superparasitism and probable differential sex mortality were also greater at the low density. Spalangia species demonstrated a greater searching capacity than Muscidifurax raptor Girault and Sanders or Nasonia vitripennis (Walker), and would be favored candidates for use as biological control agents. Experimental results indicated that small-number releases might be best at any immediate release site for maximum female F1 progeny production.
Identification of a Surface Charged Residue in the S3-S4 Linker of the Pacemaker (HCN) Channel That Influences Activation Gating

Abstract I f, encoded by thehyperpolarization-activated cyclicnucleotide-modulated (HCN) channel family, is a key player in cardiac and neuronal pacing. Although HCN channels structurally resemble voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels, their structure-function correlation is much less clear. Here we probed the functional importance of the HCN1 S3-S4 linker by multiple substitutions of its residues. Neutralizing Glu235, an acidic S3-S4 linker residue conserved in all hyperpolarization-activated channels, by Ala substitution produced a depolarizing activation shift (V = −65.0 ± 0.7 versus −70.6 ± 0.7 mV for wild-type HCN1); the charge-reversed mutation E235R shifted activation even more positively (−56.2 ± 0.5 mV). Increasing external Mg2+ mimicked the progressive rightward shifts of E235A and E235R by gradually shifting activation (V = 1 < 3 < 10 < 30 mm); ΔV induced by 30 mmMg2+ was significantly attenuated for E235A (+7.9 ± 1.2 versus +11.3 ± 0.9 mV for wild-type HCN1) and E235R (+3.3 ± 1.4 mV) channels, as if surface charges were already shielded. Consistent with an electrostatic role, the energetic changes associated with ΔV resulting from various Glu235 substitutions (i.e. Asp, Ala, Pro, His, Lys, and Arg) displayed a strong correlation with their charges (ΔΔG = −2.1 ± 0.3 kcal/mol/charge;r = 0.94). In contrast, D233E, D233A, D233G, and D233R did not alter activation gating. D233C (in C318S background) was also not externally accessible when probed with methanethiosulfonate ethylammonium (MTSEA). We conclude that the S3-S4 linker residue Glu235 influences activation gating, probably by acting as a surface charge.
Calcium ions enhance systemin activity and play an integral role in the wound response

The activation of defense genes in response to wounding involves the integration of multiple inputs from various signaling molecules produced in different tissues and cellular compartments. In this report, we demonstrate that calcium and magnesium ions enhance systemin activity and that calcium fluxes are necessary for wound gene activation. During wounding, intracellular contents such as calcium, magnesium and the defense peptide systemin, a potent activator of the wound response, are released into the apoplastic space. Our analysis showed that elevated concentrations of calcium or magnesium ions in the apoplast significantly enhanced the biological activity of systemin by decreasing the concentration necessary to induce maximal proteinase inhibitor accumulation by 100-fold. Calcium ionophores disrupt calcium gradients across biological membranes and consequently elevate intracellular calcium levels. Plants treated with the calcium ionophores ionomycin and A23187 induced the accumulation of proteinase inhibitor proteins to levels similar to those produced by wounding. Ionophore-mediated proteinase inhibitor induction was blocked in the jasmonic acid signaling mutant def-1, indicating that increased levels of intracellular calcium activated the octadecanoid pathway leading to wound gene activation. Calcium transport antagonists (nifedipine, verapamil, ruthenium red, and erythrosine-B) were found to inhibit proteinase inhibitor synthesis in response to wounding, whereas extracellular calcium chelators were found to induce the synthesis of proteinase inhibitors in a jasmonic acid-dependent and systemin-independent manner. Taken together, our data show that calcium and potentially magnesium ions play an integral role in mediating the plant's response to wounding.
Celiac disease and multiple jejunal diverticulosis.

A 60-year-old woman with diarrhea, weight loss, steatorrhea, and anemia was found to have multiple jejunal diverticula and a flat jejunal mucosa on peroral biopsy. Serial metabolic studies and multiple jejunal biopsies conducted during a 40-day period of gluten withdrawal showed a decrease in steatorrhea, a return toward normal of mucosal lipid distribution, and focal improvement in the morphology of the jejunal surface epithelium. During gluten read-ministration, fecal fat excretion increased and the distribution of lipid droplets in the jejunal mucosa again became abnormal. The administration of an antibiotic for 16 days had no effect on the clinical, biochemical, or histologic abnormalities. The results suggest that the malabsorption was attributable to celiac disease and not to the jejunal diverticulosis.
Screening for lung cancer: a review of the current literature.

Study objectives To review the available data on the early detection of lung cancer, with a focus on three technologies: chest x-ray (CXR), sputum cytology, and low-dose CT (LDCT) scanning. Design, setting, participants Review of published clinical studies of early detection technologies. The best available evidence on each topic was selected for analysis. Randomized trials were used to evaluate CXR and sputum cytology. Cohort studies, as well as studies providing evidence regarding rates of overdiagnosis and efficacy of initial treatment, were considered in evaluation of LDCT. Study design and results were summarized in evidence tables. Statistical analyses of combined data were not performed. Measurement and results Five randomized trials of CXR with or without sputum cytology have been conducted, each which reports disease-specific mortality as well as other end points. None of these studies provide support for the use of either CXR or sputum cytology for the early detection of lung cancer in asymptomatic individuals. Eight completed and ongoing trials of LDCT were identified. All of these studies report the frequency and stage distribution of lung cancers found during initial ("prevalence") screening, and several studies also report rates of detection at the time of annual follow-up. No outcome data on survival or treatment are available. A number of studies support the hypothesis of "overdiagnosis"—that some lung cancers detected by LDCT may behave in an indolent manner. Conclusions The use of either CXR or sputum cytology for the early detection of lung cancer is not supported by the published evidence. The evidence for LDCT appears promising, in that the technology typically identifies lung cancer at an early stage, although corollary studies suggest that these findings in isolation may be misleading. Further high-quality research is needed to better define the role of LDCT in the evaluation of asymptomatic high-risk individuals.
Chronic ethanol exposure uncouples vasopressin synthesis and secretion in rats

To assess the chronic effect of ethanol on vasopressin release and synthesis, hypothalamic vasopressin mRNA, plasma vasopressin levels and plasma osmolality were measured in control rats and rats exposed chronically to ethanol by vapor inhalation for 8 days. The level of hypothalamic vasopressin mRNA (vasopressin synthesis) was unchanged or significantly decreased in ethanol-treated rats, even when these animals displayed increased plasma osmolality and vasopressin levels. The results suggest that chronic ethanol exposure produces a down-regulation of vasopressin synthesis and/or a disruption of vasopressin synthesis-secretion coupling. These findings may have important implications for evaluation of the hydration state of chronic alcoholics.
Measurement of Cleavage Strength in Ice Crystals by a Laser Spallation Technique

A laser spallation technique developed recently for measuring the tensile strength of interfaces between thin films and substrates was used to measure the cleavage strength across different crystallographic planes of a freshwater ice crystal. In this experiment, a laser-produced pressure pulse in the crystal, upon reflection into a tension form the free surface, spalls the crystallographic planes oriented normal to the pulse propagation direction. Average tensile strength values in the range (1.099[+-]0.085) GPa and (1.15[+-]0.088) GPa were measured across the basal planes at [minus]40 C and [minus]10 C, respectively. In addition, tensile strength values of (1.13[+-]0.087) GPa were measured at [minus]30 C. Similarly, the average tensile strength across the [l brace]10[bar 1]0[r brace] prismatic planes was measured in the range (1.29[+-]0.098) GPa at [minus]10 C, and (1.03[+-]0.076) GPa at [minus]40 C. Since, in the spallation experiment the planes are separated at a very high strain rate, all dislocation-related inelastic processes are suppressed. This allowed the measured cleavage strength to be related to the intrinsic toughness, or surface energy, of the ice samples. For crack growth along the basal planes, the intrinsic toughness values of (0.206[+-]0.032) J/m[sup 2] at [minus]10 C and (0.214[+-]0.032) J/m[sup 2] at [minus]40 C were obtained usingmore » a theoretical tensile strength-toughness relationship. The corresponding values of (0.498[+-]0.077) J/m[sup 2] at [minus]10 C and (0.30[+-]0.04) J/m[sup 2] at [minus]40 C were obtained for growth along the [l brace]10[bar 1]0[r brace] prismatic planes.« less
Fatty acid esters of testosterone in rat brain: identification, distribution, and some properties of enzymes which synthesize and hydrolyze the esters.

[4-14C]Testosterone was converted to an unknown compound with a much higher Rf on thin layer chromatogram than the substrate when it was incubated with a rat brain microsomal preparation. Evidence from its mass, infrared, and ultraviolet spectra indicated that the enzymic product is a mixture of fatty acid esters of testosterone. Saponification of the product yielded testosterone and a mixture of C12:0, C14:0, C16:0, C18:0, and C18:1 fatty acids. The enzymic product was identical to testosterone laurate and testosterone stearate which were synthesized chemically. The enzyme system had a pH optimum at 4.9 with acetate buffer. The apparent Km was 8.3 × 10−5m for testosterone and 5.0 × 10−5m for palmityl CoA. An enzyme which hydrolyzes testosterone[1-14C]oleate was also detected in rat brain. Most of this activity was in the nuclear and mitochondrial fractions. This enzyme had an optimum pH at 6.5 with phosphate buffer and its apparent Km was 2.1 × 10−4m. A low level of synthetic activity was found in fetal brain tissue which increased and reached a maximum at 3 weeks of age. The synthetic activity rapidly decreased with further increase in age. Hydrolytic activity was nearly undetectable in fetal rat brain, increased gradually until the animal reaches 3 weeks old, and remained at this level. Both synthetic and hydrolytic enzyme activities were higher in the brain than in other tissues examined.
An Investigation of Sample Size Splitting on ATFIND and DIMTEST

Modeling multidimensional test data with a unidimensional model can result in serious statistical errors, such as bias in item parameter estimates. Many methods exist for assessing the dimensionality of a test. The current study focused on DIMTEST. Using simulated data, the effects of sample size splitting for use with the ATFIND procedure for empirically deriving a subtest composed of items that potentially measure a second dimension versus DIMTEST for assessing whether this subtest represents a second dimension were investigated. Conditions explored included proportion of sample used for ATFIND, sample size, test length, interability correlations, test structure, and distribution of item difficulties. Overall, it appears that DIMTEST has Type I error rates near the nominal rate and good power in detecting multidimensionality, although Type I error inflation is observed for larger sample sizes. Results suggest that a 50/50 split maximizes power and keeps the Type I error rate below the nominal level unle...
Microvibration monitoring: some recent experiences in an operating microelectronics facility

Major construction work is currently underway at Intel''s Aloha, Oregon, campus. Because of concerns about the effects that construction-generated vibration might have on adjacent ongoing microelectronics manufacturing activities, two important steps were taken. The first of these was to establish guidelines that would be followed by the construction contractor to limit vibration disturbance. The second was to install a computer-based monitoring system that would continuously measure the vibration on the floor of the microelectronics manufacturing facility. In this way, the vibration effects of the construction activities would be monitored and adjusted, by modifying procedures, if necessary. The monitoring program is discussed in this paper. The major characteristics of the monitoring system, the placement of the transducers, and the ways in which the data were managed are described. Some typical data are shown and discussed.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Registration and nucleation of the Ag/Si(111)(√3×√3)R30° structure by scanning tunneling microscopy

Scanning tunneling microscope images showing the lateral registration of the Ag/Si(111)(\ensuremath{\surd}3 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} \ensuremath{\surd}3 )R30\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} structure relative to the Si(111)7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}7 structure demonstrate that protrusions are observed at threefold hollow sites. These protrusions can thus be associated with Ag atoms in the honeycomb structure but not with Si atoms in the embedded trimer structure. Images of domain boundaries and steps also suggest that the top double layer of Si is intact, in disagreement with another recent model.
Nonequilibrium neutrino oscillations in the early Universe with an inverted neutrino-mass hierarchy

Abstract The annihilation of electron-positron pairs around one second after the big bang distorts the Fermi-Dirac spectrum of neutrino energies. We determine the distortions assuming neutrino mixing with an inverted neutrino-mass hierarchy. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics, the Boltzmann equation, and numerical integration are used to achieve the results. The various types of neutrino behavior are established as a function of masses and mixing angles.
A SHORT SURVEY ON QUANTUM COMPUTERS

Quantum computing is an emerging technology. The clock frequency of current computer processor systems may reach about 40 GHz within the next 10 years. By then, one atom may represent one bit. Electrons under such conditions are no longer described by classical physics and a new model of the computer may be necessary by then. The quantum computer is one proposal that may have merit in dealing with the problems associated with the fact that certain important computationally intense problems present that current (classical) computers cannot solve because they require too much processing time. For example, Shor's algorithm performs factoring a large integer in polynomial time while classical factoring algorithms can do it in exponential time. In this paper we briefly survey the current status of quantum computers, quantum computer systems, and quantum simulators. Keywords Classical computers, quantum computers, quantum computer systems, quantum simulators, Shor's algorithm.
Atomic layer deposition on gram quantities of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was employed to grow coaxial thin films of Al2O3 and Al2O3 /W bilayers on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Although the MWCNTs have an extremely high surface area, a rotary ALD reactor was successfully employed to perform ALD on gram quantities of MWCNTs. The uncoated and ALD-coated MWCNTs were characterized with transmission electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Al2O3 ALD on untreated MWCNTs was characterized by nucleation difficulties that resulted in the growth of isolated Al2O3 nanospheres on the MWCNT surface. The formation of a physisorbed NO2 monolayer provided an adhesion layer for the nucleation and growth of Al2O3 ALD films. The NO2 monolayer facilitated the growth of extremely conformal coaxial Al2O3 ALD coatings on the MWCNTs. Cracks were also observed in the coaxial Al2O3 ALD films on the MWCNTs. After cracking, the coaxial Al2O3 ALD films were observed to slide on the surface of the MWCNTs and expose regions of bare MWCNTs. The Al2O3 ALD film also served as a seed layer for the growth of W ALD on the MWCNTs. The W ALD films can significantly reduce the resistance of the W/Al2O3/MWCNT wire. The results demonstrate the potential for ALD films to tune the properties of gram quantities of very high surface area MWCNTs.
Enhancing a Web-based distance-learning curriculum with dedicated tools

We aim at supporting students involved in a Web-based distance-learning curriculum. For such a purpose, the Saafir system proposes students with different tools that support them in their appropriation of this curriculum, e.g. visualization of the curriculum from different points of view or construction of individual projects by putting different items of the curriculum into relation. In order to allow using Saafir with already existing distance-learning Web sites, the system is designed as an epiphyte system, that can be associated to an existing Web site without modifying it. It is founded on an ontology-based model of the curriculum. We present the importance of supporting students in their definition of individual projects, the epiphyte approach we use, the modeling of the curriculum and the different support tools proposed by Saafir.
Multiple acute stroke syndrome: marker of embolic disease?

Objective: To determine the frequency and etiologic significance of multiple acute ischemic lesions in stroke. Background: Although patients may have more than one stroke during the course of their lives, acute ischemic stroke is usually thought of as a single event. Using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), an MRI technique that detects ischemic injury within minutes after onset, we have often observed multiple acute ischemic lesions. Methods: The MRI scans of 59 consecutively studied patients were reviewed to determine the frequency and etiologic significance of multiple acute ischemic lesions on DWI. Results: Multiple acute ischemic lesions were present in 10 (17%) of 59 patients. The lesions usually occurred within one major circulation (anterior or posterior), but in two patients (3%), lesions occurred in both cerebral hemispheres or in the anterior and the posterior circulations. The lesions often were small and resulted from presumed multiple emboli or the break-up of an embolus. Two patients had internal carotid artery occlusive disease and four had a cardiac or aortic source. In the other four patients the source was not determined. Lesions larger than 1 cm in diameter progressed to infarction, but some smaller lesions were not seen on follow-up T2-weighted imaging. Conclusions: Multiple acute stroke lesions on DWI are common and could be caused by multiple emboli or the breakup of an embolus. In some cases it might become possible to make early inferences concerning the stroke mechanism that could be of use for immediately directing the clinical work-up and treatment of the patient.
Fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3–Based Immunoprophylaxis against Infection Is Improved by Adjuvant Treatment with Anti–Interleukin-10 Antibody

BACKGROUND Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) expands dendritic-cell populations in vivo and protects against microbial infection in healthy and immunocompromised hosts. Approaches for optimizing the protective effects of Flt3L in vivo are not well known.METHODS. BALB/c mice were treated for 9 days with 10 microg of recombinant (r) Flt3L with or without the addition of 250 microg of anti--interleukin (IL)-10 antibody on day 9. After Leishmania major infection, disease progression was determined by measuring cutaneous lesions. Production of IL-12 and interferon (IFN)- gamma were determined.RESULTS. Flt3L pretreatment increased the synthesis of CD40-inducible IL-12 p40 but not of bioactive p70. Coculture with anti--IL-10 antibody increased p70 production. Combined Flt3L and single-dose anti--IL-10 antibody pretreatment improved lesion cure rates from 40% to 87% relative to mice pretreated with rFlt3L only (P<.01, chi (2) test) and increased T helper 1 (Th1)--type cytokine production 4 weeks after infection but did not cure Rag-2-- and IFN- gamma -knockout BALB/c mice. Flt3L and anti-IL-10 antibody pretreatments increased frequencies of IL-12- and IFN- gamma -secreting cells 2 and 4 days after infection. Both natural killer and CD4(+) cells contributed to increased early IFN- gamma production.CONCLUSION. A single dose of anti--IL-10 antibody significantly improves Flt3L immunoprophylaxis against infection mediated by Th1-type adaptive responses.
Environmental enrichment: effects on stereotyped behavior and dendritic morphology.

We evaluated whether environmental enrichment-related effects on the development of stereotyped behavior in deer mice were associated with alterations in dendritic morphology. Deer mice were reared under enriched or standard housing conditions and then tested in automated photocell detectors and classified as stereotypic or nonstereotypic. Dendritic morphology was assessed in layer V pyramidal neurons of the motor cortex, medium spiny neurons of the dorsolateral striatum, and granule cells of the dentate gyrus using Golgi-Cox histochemistry. Enriched nonstereotypic mice exhibited significantly higher dendritic spine densities in the motor cortex and the striatum than enriched stereotypic or standard-cage mice. Significant increases in dendritic arborization following environmental enrichment also were observed. These results suggest that the enrichment-related prevention of stereotyped behavior is associated with increased dendritic spine density. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 43: 20–27, 2003.
Situation-Aware Software Engineering for Sensor Networks

Sensor networks represent a new frontier in technology that holds the promise of unprecedented levels of autonomy in the execution of complex dynamic missions by harnessing the power of many inexpensive electromechanical devices. A sensor network operates on an infrastructure for sensing, computation, and communication, through which it perceives the time evolution of physical dynamic processes in its operational environment. Hence the communications and computation software that enables the distributed time critical interactions of individual devices is characteristically different from traditional software. In particular, the operational environment for its execution is not predetermined and operational specifications are dynamic and therefore difficult to pin down. Hence existing programming methods like structured programming are not applicable. The ad hoc build, test, scrap approach will not work. This paper presents a deliberate high assurance design and debugging methodology, akin to the spiral model for software development, for building and validating dynamic, interoperable, programmable applications of sensor networks that involve management, information gathering, querying and tasking of the nodes for resource-constrained time-critical missions. A middleware architecture has been developed for sensor networks that extends agent communication languages for designing specific behaviors of sensor networks. Building on this architecture, we develop a high assurance software design coordination network for designing and validating dynamic agents that maintain desired behaviors of sensor network software despite faults, failures, uncertainties and environmental perturbations.
The Methodist Quest for an Educated Ministry

Recent studies of English Methodism have called attention to the importance of the doctrine of the ministry and its evolution for the understanding of the Methodist tradition. Chief among these are John C. Bowmer's Pastor and People and the first two volumes of the new History of the Methodist Church in Great Britain . Each of these studies cites the evolution of the pastoral office, from its roots in John Wesley to its culmination under Jabez Bunting, as one of the distinguishing marks of the Wesleyan tradition. But while they mention the beginnings of formal education for ministry during this period, they do not attempt to gain insight into the understanding of ministry within Wesleyan Methodism that these foundations can provide. It is my intention in this paper to explore these connections and to encourage further investigation into related matters that could prove fruitful for our understanding of this tradition.
Vertical patterns of eddy diffusion during stratification in Castle Lake, California1

The vertical eddy diffusivity for heat, Kz, which characterizes the intensity of vertical mixing, was estimated for depths below the epilimnion in Castle Lake, California, calculated from a series of temperature profiles collected during summer 1972 suitably corrected for solar radiation absorption. Kz was usually much larger than the molecular value of diffusivity, indicating that thermal energy is transported in the vertical almost entirely by turbulent mechanisms, even below the epilimnion. Further, Kz varied significantly with depth and was well described in the region of high stratification by the form Kz = b(N2)m, where m = −0.40 ± 0.02 and N2 =(Brunt-Vaisala frequency)2, a result close to a previous theoretical prediction.
Osmotic Properties of Mitochondria

The osmotic behavior of rat liver mitochondria has been studied in a sucrose medium. The mitochondria behave like a two compartment system. One compartment is permeable to sucrose and has a volume of 1.22 microl/(mg mitochondrial dry weight) in a 272 milliosmol sucrose medium; the second, inaccessible to sucrose, has a volume of 0.555 microl/mg dry weight) under the same conditions. Part of the water in the sucrose inaccessible space is apparently not free to participate in osmotic phenomena. This volume is 0.272 microl/(mg dry weight) under the same conditions. It is suggested that the osmotically inactive water corresponds to the water of hydration of the mitochondrial macromolecules. The volume of the remainder of the water in the sucrose inaccessible space depends inversely on the osmolality of the medium, as is to be expected. The volume of water in the sucrose accessible space is constant, independent of the osmolality of the medium, as is the volume of the mitochondrial framework plus the nonvolatile solutes.
PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT AND THE PUBLIC ORGANIZATION

This article applies a broad theoretical framework identifying factors which provide an understanding of the relationship between electoral politics, organizational reform and institutional change. In focusing upon product i v i t y reforms undertaken in the 1970's and early 1980's. the authors find that political conflicts over measures of public performance may contribute to a life cycle in which organizational structures are reconstituted and subjects of regulation o r services redefined in ways that are potentially inconsistent with the demand for public accountability. The conjunction of such factors may contribute to a crisis of legitimacy resulting in the redefinition of the boundaries between public and private realms of responsibility, as expressed in the electoral process. Today liberal reformers are confronted by a dilemma of productivity and legitimacy involved in the cycle of reform and retrenchment in which the goal of public accountability is undermined by erosion of the rights of the subject. The attempt to break this bind requires, in part, an explicitness on the part of liberals about the presuppositions regarding the subject underpining the measures and strategies by which organizational reforms are undertaken.
Review mining for music digital libraries: phase II

We continue our work on the automatic mining of user-created music reviews towards the goal of connecting user opinions to music objects in Music Digital Libraries (MDL). We demonstrate an experimental system which automatically discovered the key descriptive patterns that differentiated positive from negative reviews which helps us to better understand our successful Phase I results. Comparison to an earlier study indicates an important consistency across projects that warrants further investigation.
The Inflammatory Tumor Microenvironment, Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition and Lung Carcinogenesis

The inflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME) has many roles in tumor progression and metastasis, including creation of a hypoxic environment, increased angiogenesis and invasion, changes in expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) and an increase in a stem cell phenotype. Each of these has an impact on epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), particularly through the downregulation of E-cadherin. Here we review seminal work and recent findings linking the role of inflammation in the TME, EMT and lung cancer initiation, progression and metastasis. Finally, we discuss the potential of targeting aspects of inflammation and EMT in cancer prevention and treatment.
Scale-Dependent Surface Roughness Behavior and Its Impact on Empirical Models for Radar Backscatter

One goal of radar remote sensing is the extraction of terrain statistics and surface dielectric properties from backscatter data for some range of wavelengths, incidence angles, and polarizations. This paper addresses empirical approaches used to estimate terrain properties from radar data over a wider range of roughness than permitted by analytical models. Many empirical models assume, at least implicitly, that roughness parameters like rms height or correlation length are independent of the horizontal length scale over which they are measured, in contrast to recent surveys of natural terrain, which show that self-affine, or power-law scaling, between horizontal scale and roughness statistics is very common. The rms slope at the horizontal scale of the illuminating wavelength s(lambda) is directly related to the variogram or structure function of a self-affine surface, can be readily obtained from field-measured topography, and, when used in an empirical model, avoids the need for arbitrary wavelength-dependent terms. To facilitate comparison with earlier approaches, an expression that links the rms height at some profile length with the rms (Allan) deviation at an equivalent horizontal sampling interval is obtained from numerical simulations. An empirical model for polarimetric scattering as a function of s(lambda) at 35deg-60deg incidence from smooth to rugged lava surfaces is derived and compared with earlier models for backscatter from modestly rough soil surfaces. The asymptotic behavior of polarization ratios for the lava flows suggests that the depolarization of linear-polarized illuminating signals occurs as a first-order process, likely through single scattering by rock edges or other discontinuities, rather than as the solely multiple-scattering effect predicted by some analytical models. Efforts to fully understand radar scattering from geological surfaces need to incorporate wavelength-scale roughness, perhaps through computational simulations.
Recurrent laryngeal nerve reinnervation in children: Acoustic and endoscopic characteristics pre‐intervention and post‐intervention. A comparison of treatment options

Objectives/Hypothesis To establish the benefit of ansa cervicalis-recurrent laryngeal nerve reinnervation (ANSA-RLN) for the management of dysphonia secondary to unilateral vocal cord paralysis (UVCP) in children. Children treated with ANSA-RLN for the management of dysphonia secondary to unilateral vocal fold immobility will have superior acoustic, perceptual, and stroboscopic outcomes compared to injection laryngoplasty and observation. Study Design Retrospective case-series chart review. Methods Laryngeal, perceptual, and acoustic analysis of dysphonia was performed in 33 children (age 2–16 years) diagnosed with UVCP. Comparison of pre-post function for treatment groups (no treatment, injection laryngoplasty, ANSA-RLN) with additional comparison between gestational ages, age at initial evaluation, and gender were examined. Perceptual measures included Pediatric Voice Handicap Index (pVHI) and Grade, Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, Strain (GBRAS) perceptual rating. Objective measures included semitone (ST) range, jitter%, shimmer%, noise-to-harmonic ratio, voicing, and maximum phonation time. Results Post-treatment, pVHI, jitter%, and ST were significantly improved for ANSA-RLN subjects compared to injection subjects. Improved function (laryngeal diadochokinesis, pVHI, GRBAS, and/or acoustic) was observed in all ANSA-RLN subjects who had vocal fold paralysis as the only laryngeal diagnosis. Conclusions This study presents one of the largest studies of pediatric vocal fold paralysis diagnosis and treatment. The study looks at the spectrum of function in patients with UVCP and looks at the outcomes of options: no treatment, injection laryngoplasty, and ANSA-RLN. Although surgical outcomes vary, both injection laryngoplasty and ANSA-RLN show benefit in laryngeal function, voice stability, voice capacity, perceptual rating, and pVHI scores. Both injection laryngoplasty and ANSA-RLN showed improvements post-treatment, and should be considered for management of pediatric UVCP. However, the ANSA-RLN group showed better and longer-lasting perceptual and acoustic parameters in comparison with the injection and control groups. Reinnervation, even long term after the onset of vocal fold paralysis, should be considered a viable permanent treatment for pediatric UVCP. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 125:S1–S15, 2015
Persistent Cyclic Herpes Simplex Virus Infection In Vitro II. Localization of Virus, Degree of Cell Destruction, and Mechanisms of Virus Transmission

Hampar, Berge (National Institute of Dental Research, Bethesda, Md.). Persistent cyclic herpes simplex virus infection in vitro. II. Localization of virus, degree of cell destruction, and mechanisms of virus transmission. J. Bacteriol. 91:1959–1964. 1966. The localization of virus, degree of cell destruction, and mechanisms of virus transmission in persistent herpes simplex virus-infected cultures were studied. The major fraction of infectious virus was associated with the medium and a minor fraction was associated with the attached cells. Virus in the medium was further separable into a sedimentable (cellular) fraction and a nonsedimentable (extracellular) fraction. The sedimentable fraction was comprised of cellular debris, most of which appeared to contain viral antigen, and intact cells of which less than 10% contained infectious virus. Cell destruction during the cycle involved more than 99.9% of the maximal number of cells present. Infection could be transmitted by extracellular virus, cell-to-cell transfer, and reattachment of infectious cellular material. The results indicated that transmission by reattachment was probably mediated through the cellular debris rather than the intact cells.
Neighbor Recognition in a Solitary Desert Rodent (Dipodomys merriami)

Neighbor recognition in the Merriam’s kangaroo rat (Dzpodomys merrzamz) was tested in neighbor and nonneighbor pairs of the same and opposite sex in a large enclosure in the field. Mutual tolerance, rather than aggression, occurred in the encounters, and neighbor recognition was more apparent in females than in males. Females tolerated and engaged in nonagonistic contact with familiar males and females; males approached and attempted to contact neighbors and nonneighbors alike. Neighbor recognition is important to both spacing and mating in females. Males’ persistent attempts to interact with any conspecific may be important to their mating success.
Sample size estimation for alternating logistic regressions analysis of multilevel randomized community trials of under-age drinking

Under-age drinking is an enormous public health issue in the USA. Evidence that community level structures may impact on under-age drinking has led to a proliferation of efforts to change the environment surrounding the use of alcohol. Although the focus of these efforts is to reduce drinking by individual youths, environmental interventions are typically implemented at the community level with entire communities randomized to the same intervention condition. A distinct feature of these trials is the tendency of the behaviours of individuals residing in the same community to be more alike than that of others residing in different communities, which is herein called 'clustering'. Statistical analyses and sample size calculations must account for this clustering to avoid type I errors and to ensure an appropriately powered trial. Clustering itself may also be of scientific interest. We consider the alternating logistic regressions procedure within the population-averaged modelling framework to estimate the effect of a law enforcement intervention on the prevalence of under-age drinking behaviours while modelling the clustering at multiple levels, e.g. within communities and within neighbourhoods nested within communities, by using pairwise odds ratios. We then derive sample size formulae for estimating intervention effects when planning a post-test-only or repeated cross-sectional community-randomized trial using the alternating logistic regressions procedure.
Why Smart People Can Be So Foolish

Not only stupid people act foolishly: Smart people can act foolishly by virtue of their thinking they are too smart to do so. Such people tend to act foolishly through the commission of one or more of five cognitive fallacies: (1) unrealistic optimism, whereby they believe that they are so smart that they can do whatever they want and not worry about it; (2) egocentrism, whereby they focus on themselves and what benefits them while discounting or even totally ignoring their responsibilities to others; (3) omniscience, whereby they believe they know everything, instead of knowing what they do not know; (4) omnipotence, whereby they believe they can do whatever they want because they are all-powerful; and (5) invulnerability, whereby they believe that they will get away with whatever they do, no matter how inappropriate or irresponsible it may be. The antidote to foolishness is wisdom. The balance theory of wisdom proposes that people are wise to the extent they apply their intelligence, creativity, and wis...
Enhanced relaxation of nanoparticle-bound supercoiled DNA in X-ray radiation

A therapeutic methodology was developed based on the large X-ray absorption cross-section of gold nanoparticles at high photon energies (>81 keV). Experimental results showed that the amounts of the relaxed circular supercoiled DNA (scDNA) for gold nanoparticle-bound scDNA were more than doubled compared to that for free scDNA under otherwise identical radiation conditions.
Birth size and adult size in same-sex siblings discordant for fetal growth in the Early Determinants of Adult Health study.

Many studies have reported on relations between birth size and adult size but the findings to date are hard to compare due to the lack of uniform measures across studies. Interpretation of findings is also hampered by potential confounding by ethnic, socioeconomic and family factors. The purpose of this study is to explore these relationships in a comprehensive fashion, with multiple measures of birth size and adult size, using same-sex sibling controls discordant in birth weight to address potential confounding at the family level. Study subjects include pregnant women enrolled during 1959–1966 in the Child Health and Development Study in Oakland, CA and the Boston, MA, and providence, RI, sites of the Collaborative Perinatal Project in New England, currently combined into the New England Family Study. We assessed 392 offspring (mean age 43 years), the great majority as sibships as available. Our analyses confirm the positive association between birth weight and adult length reported in other studies, with a change in adult height of 1.25 cm (95% CI: 0.79 to 1.70 cm) for each quintile change in standardized birth weight. No associations were seen between birth weight and adult fatness for which findings in other studies are highly variable. As adult weight is likely to reflect recent variations in the adult nutritional environment rather than the early environment, it may be more useful for studies of birth size and adult size to focus on adult length rather than weight measures in evaluating the role of early influences on adult health.
Costate Estimation Using Multiple-Interval Pseudospectral Methods

A method is presented for costate estimation in nonlinear optimal control problems using multiple-interval collocation at Legendre-Gauss (LG) or Legendre-GaussRadau (LGR) points. Transformations from the Lagrange multipliers of the nonlinear programming problem to the costate of the continuous-time optimal control problem are given. When the optimal costate is continuous, the transformed adjoint systems of the nonlinear programming problems are discrete representations of the continuous-time first-order optimality conditions. If, however, the optimal costate is discontinuous, then the transformed adjoint systems are not discrete representations of the continuous-time first-order optimality conditions. In the case where the costate is discontinuous, the accuracy of the costate approximation depends on the locations of the mesh points. In particular, the accuracy of the costate approximation is found to be significantly higher when mesh points are located at discontinuities in the costate. Two numerical examples are studied and demonstrate the effectiveness of using the multiple-interval collocation approach for estimating costate in continuous-time nonlinear optimal control problems.
Scheduled video delivery for scalable on-demand service

Continuous media, such as digital movies, video clips, and music, are becoming an increasingly common way to present information, entertain and educate people. However, limited system and network resources have delayed the widespread usage of continuous media. In this paper, we propose a scalable and inexpensive video delivery paradigm, named Scheduled Video Delivery (SVD). In the SVD paradigm, users submit requests with specification of start time. The provider schedules these requests to meet the QoS specification and to maximize utilization of the resources. SVD scheduling has a different objective from many existing scheduling schemes. It does not aim at minimizing the waiting time. Instead, it focuses on meeting deadlines and at the same time combining requests to form multicasting groups. SVD scales not only to the number of users but also to the number of video objects.
Coding at the speed of touch

Although programming is one of the most creative things that one can do with a computer, there is currently no way to make programs on an increasingly popular class of tablet computers. Tablets appear unable to support capable (proficient) programming experiences because of their small form factor and touch-centric input method. This paper demonstrates how co-design of a programming language, YinYang, and its environment can overcome these challenges to enable do-it-yourself game creation on tablets. YinYang's programming model is based on tile and behavior constructs that simplify program structure for effective display and input on tablets, and also supports the definition and safe reuse of new abstractions to be competitive with capable programming languages. This paper details YinYang's design and evaluates our initial experience through a prototype that runs on current tablet hardware.
Comparative phylogeography of three common Neotropical tree species

Aim To determine spatial and temporal commonalities in patterns of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) variation in three widespread Neotropical tree species. We examine whether patterns of genetic variation are more consistent with Pliocene or Pleistocene divergence. Location Central American forests, located in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Methods We collected sequences from two cpDNA loci from c. 30 locations for each of three species –Bursera simaruba (Burseraceae; n = 278), Brosimum alicastrum (Moraceae; n = 210) and Ficus insipida (Moraceae; n = 222) – and additionally sequenced one nuclear locus for Bursera simaruba (n = 45). We used Monmonier’s algorithm to detect genetic barriers between regions. Divergence times between these regions were estimated using coalescent analyses. Results Spatial genetic boundaries were found in similar areas for these species, namely between Costa Rica and Nicaragua for all three species, and between El Salvador and Nicaragua for two species. These boundaries visually coincide with the spatial delimitations of Pliocene islands and previously hypothesized Pleistocene refugia. Divergence time estimates between regions are more consistent with Pleistocene divergence in two of the three species. Main conclusions Our results point to strong commonalities in the spatial locations of genetic boundaries in these three species, despite the complex geological and climatological history of this region, and ecological differences between the species. While spatial genetic boundaries coincide conspicuously with possible Pliocene and Pleistocene barriers to gene flow, we cannot distinguish between the two scenarios because of the strong spatial overlap of both barriers. However, the temporal data tentatively suggest that some of this divergence occurred in the Pleistocene, although limitations in the analysis cannot confirm Pleistocene divergence without external, corroborating data. While we cannot definitively implicate a single historical process as driving patterns of genetic differentiation in all three species, our results represent an initial step towards identifying a common history of Central American tree species.
INITIAL RECRUITMENT AND GROWTH OF SURFCLAMS (SPISULA SOLIDISSIMA DILLWYN) ON THE INNER CONTINENTAL SHELF OF NEW JERSEY

Abstract Surfclam (Spisula solidissima Dillwyn) larval settlement and the initial growth of recruits were studied on the inner shelf of New Jersey. Initial recruitment was measured by taking weekly benthic core samples during the summer settling season, and larval supply was characterized using meroplankton samples taken every four hours in July. The temporal variation in recruitment at two inshore stations (12-m depth) was linked to larval supply from the water column, and spatial differences (inshore vs. offshore) in recruitment also appeared to be related to larval supply. Spatial and temporal variation in larval concentrations was associated with wind-driven cross-shelf circulation. Contrasting recruitment patterns between the two inshore stations could not be explained by larval supply alone and were likely affected by near-bottom flows. Growth rates of initial surfclam recruits (with initial shell lengths 360 μm shell l...