cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity of the earth-atmosphere bidirectional reflectivity functions to variations in cloud parameters

The study of the Earth radiation budget is important for understanding the long-term impact of industrialization on the environment. Clouds exert the single most important influence on the Earth radiation budget. The ideal situation for predicting the effect of clouds is to have one of two extremes: either a cloud-free sky or a completely overcast sky. Each of these cases can easily be treated with a simple one-dimensional model. However, the more usual partly-cloudy sky condition introduces the possibility of an unlimited variety of cloud geometries, size and spatial distributions, and properties. In most of these cases the interaction among neighboring clouds presents a set of problems which cannot be accurately simulated with plane-parallel or even two-dimensional models. Only in recent years have researchers begun to understand the relationships between cloud three-dimensional effects and the anisotropy of Earth-reflected radiance. In the real world, the influence of clouds on radiation depends not only on liquid water content, or optical depth, but also on cloud microphysical properties such as particle shape, size distribution, and on cloud morphology and spatial distribution (Parol, et al., 1994). As shown by Stevens and Greenwald (1991), cloud morphology is likely to have a larger impact on the Earth radiation budget than cloud microphysics. Thus, it is very important to quantify and parameterize the influence of cloud inhomogeneities on the radiation field. The anisotropy of any radiation field can be studied by normalizing the emitted or reflected radiance by the equivalent Lambertian directional distribution of energy leaving the field. The work in this paper deals entirely with the shortwave portion of the spectrum; longwave emitted energy is not treated.
Development and use of a microdissected swine chromosome 6 DNA library

To facilitate the identification of microsatellite genetic markers from a single swine chromosome, chromosome microisolation and microcloning have been used to generate a swine chromosome 6-specific DNA library. Ten copies of swine chromosome 6 were scraped from metaphase spreads, ligated to custom-prepared adaptors, and amplified by PCR. The purity of the amplified product was verified by fluorescent in situ hybridization. The utility of the chromosome painting probe for heterologous painting was demonstrated and confirmed that swine chromosome 6 is syntenic to human chromosomes p and 19q. A small insert genomic library of 1.39 × 106 clones was generated from the PCR-amplified chromosome 6 genomic DNA and screened for (GT)n microsatellite genetic markers. Nine (GT)n microsatellite markers were developed and genotyped on a Yorkshire × Meishan swine reference family. All nine markers genetically mapped to chromosome 6, confirming the purity of the microisolation method. The method used here should be adaptable to the microdissection of sub-chromosomal regions of not only the swine genome but also other livestock genomes.
Supporting the Decentralized Development of Large-Scale Distributed Real-Time LVC Simulation Systems with TENA (The Test and Training Enabling Architecture)

Interoperability of constituent systems is the primary challenge for a large-scale distributed Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) simulation activity. The grand challenge is to integrate, for the first time, all aspects of interoperability necessary not only to enable but to ensure interoperability throughout an large-scale LVC system. Previously, a handful of these aspects of interoperability have been partially addressed in isolation. Only an integrated solution of all aspects of interoperability into a computer-enforceable architecture will make possible attaining the goal of ensuring interoperability throughout a large-scale LVC activity. The enforceable nature of the LVC activity models implies that the models accurately reflect the “reality” of the LVC activity. Without enforcement, the complex nature of the myriads of components would tend to introduce inaccuracies into models, ultimately rendering those models useless. Actual enforcement of the models elevates the LVC software systems’ usefulness to a level that would otherwise be unattainable in practice. Preparing for an LVC activity involves answering deceptively simple questions such as, “Will an individual piece of software work during this LVC activity?” At present, reliably answering such questions is impossible, because no detailed, precise, and accurate descriptions of the software or the LVC event exist. Other simple questions such as, “Which data collection systems are suitable for use in this LVC activity?” are equally difficult to answer reliably. This paper discusses the need for computer-enforceable models of individual software components as well as entire LVC activities, along with creating new extensions to the existing TENA object modeling language and to the TENA Middleware itself.
Comparison of Cyclooxygenase-1 Crystal Structures: Cross-Talk between Monomers Comprising Cyclooxygenase-1 Homodimers

Prostaglandin endoperoxide H synthases (PGHSs)-1 and -2 (also called cyclooxygenases (COXs)-1 and -2) catalyze the committed step in prostaglandin biosynthesis. Both isoforms are targets of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). PGHSs are homodimers that exhibit half-of-sites COX activity; moreover, some NSAIDs cause enzyme inhibition by binding only one monomer. To learn more about the cross-talk that must be occurring between the monomers comprising each PGHS-1 dimer, we analyzed structures of PGHS-1 crystallized under five different conditions including in the absence of any tightly binding ligand and in the presence of nonspecific NSAIDs and of a COX-2 inhibitor. When crystallized with substoichiometric amounts of an NSAID, both monomers are often fully occupied with inhibitor; thus, the enzyme prefers to crystallize in a fully occupied form. In comparing the five structures, we only observe changes in the positions of residues 123-129 and residues 510-515. In cases where one monomer is fully occupied with an NSAID and the partner monomer is incompletely occupied, an alternate conformation of the loop involving residues 123-129 is seen in the partially occupied monomer. We propose, on the basis of this observation and previous cross-linking studies, that cross-talk between monomers involves this mobile 123-129 loop, which is located at the dimer interface. In ovine PGHS-1 crystallized in the absence of an NSAID, there is an alternative route for substrate entry into the COX site different than the well-known route through the membrane binding domain.
MAINSTREAMING PRICING ALTERNATIVES IN THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Pricing can be incorporated into alternatives being considered during the National Environmental Policy Act process for major highway improvements in metropolitan areas, and the transportation performance and other impacts of pricing can be evaluated and compared with more traditional alternatives. A case study demonstrated that relatively simple analytical procedures may be used to estimate the impacts of pricing alternatives and generate information for use by local decision makers. It also demonstrated that pricing alternatives can accomplish the purpose and need of a major highway project in a way that effectively competes with conventional alternatives that exclude pricing while generating net revenue surpluses to make the funding of transportation improvements financially feasible.
Slowed orienting of covert visual-spatial attention in autism: Specific deficits associated with cerebellar and parietal abnormality

The most commonly reported finding from structural brain studies in autism is abnormality of the cerebellum. Autopsy and magnetic resonance imaging (MR) studies from nine independent research groups have found developmental abnormality of the cerebellar vermis or hemispheres in the majority of the more than 240 subjects with autism who were studied. We reported previously that patients with autism and those with acquired damage to the cerebellum were slow to shift attention between and within sensory modalities. In this study, we found that patients with autism who come from a group with significant cerebellar abnormality were also slow to orient attention in space.A subgroup of these patients who have additional or corollary parietal abnormality, like previously studied patients with acquired parietal damage, were also slow to detect and respond to information outside an attended location. Posner, Walker, Friedrich, and Rafal (1984) showed that patients with parietal lesions were slow to respond to contralesional information if they were attending an ipsilesional location. This study has replicated that finding in patients with autism who have developmental bilateral parietal abnormality, and found a strong correlation between the attentional deficits and the amount of neuroanatomic parietal abnormality in these patients. This is the first time in the study of autism that there is evidence for a statistically significant association of the size of a specific brain structural abnormality with a specific behavioral deficit.These findings illustrate that in autism different patterns of underlying brain pathology may result in different patterns of functional deficits. In conjunction with previous studies of patients with acquired lesions, these data have implications for the brain bases of normal attention. The cerebellum may affect the speed with which attentional resources can be activated, while the parietal cortex affects the ability to use those resources for efficient information processing at locations outside an attended focus. Deficits in the speed and efficiency with which neural activity can be modulated to facilitate processing can clearly influence cognitive function. Such deficits may contribute to the behavioral disabilities that characterize autism.
Making security measurable and manageable

The security and integrity of information systems is a critical issue within most types of organizations. Finding better ways to address the topic is the objective of many in industry, academia, and government. One of the more effective approaches gaining popularity in addressing these issues is the use of standard knowledge representations, enumerations, exchange formats and languages, as well as sharing of standard approaches to key compliance and conformance mandates. By standardizing and segregating the interactions amongst their operational, development and sustainment tools and processes organizations gain great freedom in selecting technologies, solutions and vendors. These ldquomaking security measurablerdquo initiatives provide the foundation for answering todaypsilas increased demands for accountability, efficiency and interoperability without artificially constraining an organizationpsilas solution options.
Cosmological Constraints on Strongly Coupled Moduli from Cosmic Strings

Cosmic (super)string loops emit moduli as they oscillate under the effect of their tension. Abundance of such moduli is constrained by diffuse gamma ray background, dark matter, and primordial element abundances if their lifetime is of the order of the relevant cosmic time. It is shown that the constraints on string tension G{mu} and modulus mass m are significantly relaxed for moduli coupling to matter stronger than gravitational strength which appears to be quite generic in large volume and warped compactification scenarios in string theory. It is also shown that thermal production of strongly coupled moduli is not efficient, hence free from constraints. In particular, the strongly coupled moduli in warped and large volume compactification scenarios and the radial modulus in the Randall-Sundrum model are found to be free from the constraints when their coupling constant is sufficiently large.
Tobacco use prevalence and factors associated with tobacco use in new U.S. Army personnel

This study examined the prevalence of tobacco use and factors associated with pre-military service cigarette and smokeless tobacco use. From January 2000 to December 2006, military students arriving for Advanced Individual Training at the U.S. Army Ordnance School completed a questionnaire that asked about their use of tobacco products. The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use from 2000 to 2006 for women generally decreased, as did the number of cigarettes smoked per day by men. For men and women, factors associated with cigarette use included younger age, Caucasian race, and use of smokeless tobacco. Factors associated with smokeless tobacco use among men included younger age, Caucasian race, and cigarette use. For women, cigarette use was the only factor associated with smokeless tobacco use. The identified factors in this study could be used to establish strategies in the future to reduce tobacco use in the military.
RIP1 negatively regulates basal autophagic flux through TFEB to control sensitivity to apoptosis

In a synthetic lethality/viability screen, we identified the serine–threonine kinase RIP1 (RIPK1) as a gene whose knockdown is highly selected against during growth in normal media, in which autophagy is not critical, but selected for in conditions that increase reliance on basal autophagy. RIP1 represses basal autophagy in part due to its ability to regulate the TFEB transcription factor, which controls the expression of autophagy-related and lysosomal genes. RIP1 activates ERK, which negatively regulates TFEB though phosphorylation of serine 142. Thus, in addition to other pro-death functions, RIP1 regulates cellular sensitivity to pro-death stimuli by modulating basal autophagy.
Avoidance of Chemical Alarm Cues Released from Autotomized Tails of Ravine Salamanders (Plethodon richmondi)

The ability of animals to detect and avoid areas containing chemical alarm cues from conspecifics is well documented in aquatic species. The ability to detect chemical alarm cues in terrestrial organisms has not been tested until recently. In this study, we tested the ability of the ravine salamander (Plethodon richmondi )t o detect and avoid areas containing chemicals released from the autotomized tails of conspecifics and sympatric zigzag salamanders (P. dorsalis). We also ascertained whether any avoidance response could be attributed to the size or sex of the animal. Our results suggest that ravine salamanders avoid substrates containing odors released from the autotomized tails of conspecifics, but not of heterospecific salamanders and that this response occurs independent of the size and/or sex of the animal. By avoiding areas where a conspecific has recently been injured, an organism could reduce its chances of encountering a predator and thus increase its chances of survival.
Corruption Distance and Foreign Direct Investment

We study the effects of “corruption distance,” defined as the difference in corruption levels between country pairs on bilateral foreign direct investment (FDI). Using a “gravity” model and the Heckman (1979) two-stage framework on a data set of forty-five countries from 1997 to 2007, we find that corruption distance adversely influences both the likelihood of FDI and the volume of FDI. A novel finding in this study is that we identify the asymmetric effect of corruption distance and find that the positive corruption distance, defined as the corruption distance from a high corruption source to a low corruption host country, is the prominent one that affects the behavior of bilateral FDI.
Effect of mantle compressibility on the thermal and flow structures of the subduction zones

[1] The heat generated by viscous dissipation is consistently evaluated using a 2-D compressible subduction model with variations of mantle rheology (constant as well as pressure and temperature dependent viscosity), dip, age, and velocity of the subducting slab. For comparison, we also conduct 2-D incompressible subduction calculations with the same conditions and parameters used in the compressible formulation. The effect of compressibility on the thermal and flow structures of the subduction zones is relatively small and concentrated along the base of the mantle wedge, with temperature differences <100°C and differences in kinematic energy of the mantle wedge <1% between compressible and incompressible models. Mantle rheology has a stronger effect on thermal and flow structures than mantle compressibility as well as the variations of dip, age, and velocity of the subducting slab. The heat from viscous dissipation in the compressible model increases the slab temperatures over the incompressible model (<70°C), as a result of additional conduction across the slab surface (constant viscosity) and thinning of the thermal boundary layer caused by viscosity reduction (pressure- and temperature-dependent viscosity).
The Imago Dei and Election: Reading Genesis 1:26–28 and Old Testament Scholarship with Karl Barth

Abstract: Barth's treatment of the imago dei within his interpretation of the Genesis creation story (CD III/1) divides biblical scholars and dogmaticians. In an attempt to bridge the impasse Barth's relational interpretation is re-examined. A narrow focus on the small print exegesis of Genesis 1:26–28 has often led to Barth being misread. In contrast, attention is given to Barth's hermeneutical principles and his exegesis is placed within the wider context of his understanding of the creation story. Even in terms of his own hermeneutic Barth's reading of the imago is shown to be problematic. This hermeneutic can, however, be applied to provide a reading of the imago as a relationship to God and the world analogous to Israel's election. Such a reading is exegetically defensible and theologically suggestive.
Integrated strategies to reduce vulnerability and advance adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable development

Determinants of adaptive and mitigative capacities (e.g., availability of technological options, and access to economic resources, social capital and human capital) largely overlap. Several factors underlying or related to these determinants are themselves indicators of sustainable development (e.g., per capita income; and various public health, education and research indices). Moreover, climate change could exacerbate existing climate-sensitive hurdles to sustainable development (e.g., hunger, malaria, water shortage, coastal flooding and threats to biodiversity) faced specifically by many developing countries. Based on these commonalities, the paper identifies integrated approaches to formulating strategies and measures to concurrently advance adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development. These approaches range from broadly moving sustainable development forward (by developing and/or nurturing institutions, policies and infrastructure to stimulate economic development, technological change, human and social capital, and reducing specific barriers to sustainable development) to reducing vulnerabilities to urgent climate-sensitive risks that hinder sustainable development and would worsen with climate change. The resulting sustainable economic development would also help reduce birth rates, which could mitigate climate change and reduce the population exposed to climate change and climate-sensitive risks, thereby reducing impacts, and the demand for adaptation. The paper also offers a portfolio of pro-active strategies and measures consistent with the above approaches, including example measures that would simultaneously reduce pressures on biodiversity, hunger, and carbon sinks. Finally it addresses some common misconceptions that could hamper fuller integration of adaptation and mitigation, including the notions that adaptation may be unsuitable for natural systems, and mitigation should necessarily have primacy over adaptation.
Targeting the cancer stroma with a fibroblast activation protein-activated promelittin protoxin

Fibroblast-Activation Protein-α (FAP) is a membrane-bound serine protease that is expressed on the surface of reactive stromal fibroblasts present within the majority of human epithelial tumors but is not expressed by normal tissues. FAP is a postprolyl peptidase that differs from other dipeptidyl prolyl peptidases such as diprolylpeptidase 4 in that it also has gelatinase and collagenase endopeptidase activity. Therefore, FAP represents a potential pan-tumor target whose enzymatic activity can be exploited for the intratumoral activation of prodrugs and protoxins. To evaluate FAP as a tumor-specific target, putative FAP-selective peptide protoxins were constructed through modification of the prodomain of melittin, a 26 amino acid amphipathic cytolytic peptide that is the main toxic component in the venom of the common European honeybee Apis milefera. Melittin is synthesized as promelittin, containing a 22 amino acid NH(2)-terminal prodomain rich in the amino acids proline and alanine. In this study, peptides containing truncated melittin prodomain sequences were tested on erythrocytes to determine the optimal prodomain length for inhibiting cytolytic activity. Once optimized, modified promelittin peptides were generated in which previously identified FAP substrate sequences were introduced into the prodomain. Peptide protoxins were identified that were efficiently activated by FAP and selectively toxic to FAP-expressing cell lines with an IC(50) value in the low micromolar range that is similar to melittin. Intratumoral injection of an FAP-activated protoxin produced significant lysis and growth inhibition of human breast and prostate cancer xenografts with minimal toxicity to the host animal.
Biological Control of Musk Thistle: A Reassessment

Musk thistle and nodding thistle are names commonly used to describe Old World thistles in the Carduus nutans species group (family Asteraceae). These include Carduus macrocephalus Desfontaines (big-headed thistle), C. nutans ssp. leiophyllus [Petrovic]) Stoj.and Stef. (nodding thistle) a.k.a. C. thoermeri, and C. nutans L. (musk thistle proper). According to (1986), C. macrocephalus is a subspecies of C. nutans along with C. nutans ssp. leiophyllus. Other classifications exist (Kazmi 1964, McCarty 1982, Desrochers et al. 1988). In this chapter, the term “musk thistle” will be used generically to refer to any and all of the names used in the various classification schemes. Musk thistle became established in North America sometime during the mid-1800s (Stuckey and Forsythe 1971). Introduction appears to have been accidental, possibly as seed contaminants of imported grain. By the mid-1900s, musk thistle had proliferated throughout much of the eastern and north central parts of United States (Dunn 1976) and into parts of southern Canada (Harris and Zwolfer 1971). In 1981, this weed occupied an estimated 730,000 hectares in 40 of the United States (Batra et al. 1981). In Kansas, C. nutans occurred on more than 400 hectares in 75 of the 105 counties (Robinson 1976). Musk thistle’s weed status derives from a combination of structural, developmental and ecological characteristics. The presence of sharp spines on stems, leaf margins and floral bracts of plants, and the fact that plants may reach two meters or more in height, represent a nuisance in urban and suburban landscapes. Encounters with stands of musk thistle by livestock also are reported to interrupt grazing (Batra 1978, Trumble and Kok 1982, Rees 1992). Economic losses also have resulted from the thistle’s competition with forage crops, particularly in overgrazed or disturbed pastures and rangeland (Trumble and Kok 1982, Reece and Wilson 1983, Moore et al. 1989, Fick 1995, Thompson et al. 1995). Musk thistle has been categorized as a noxious weed in many states, where control is mandated by law.
Voice convergin: Speaker de-identification by voice transformation

Speaker identification might be a suitable answer to prevent unauthorized access to personal data. However we also need to provide solutions to secure transmission of spoken information. This challenge divides into two major aspects. First, the secure transmission of the content of the spoken input and second the secure transmission of the identity of the speaker. In this paper we concentrate on the latter, i.e. how to securely transmit information via voice without revealing the identity of the speaker to unauthorized listeners. In order to make the first steps toward solving this problem we study in this paper the potential of voice transformation for speaker de-identification. We use two speaker identification approaches to verify the success of de-identification with voice transformation, a GMM-based and a Phonetic approach, and study different voice transformation strategies to disguise speaker identity information while preserving understandability.
Lipid-lowering diets in patients taking pravastatin, a new HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor: compliance and adequacy.

We examined seven l-d diet records kept dur- ing 1 y by 272 men and women instructed to follow a lipid- lowering diet while participating in a clinical trial of pravastatin, a new 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor. The mean percentage ofcalories from total fat and saturated, unsaturated, and monounsaturated fatty acids was similar throughout the year even though the patients knew they were taking an effective lipid-lowering agent. However, the diets of > 40% of women included less than two-thirds of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of folic acid, vitamins B-6 and D, and calcium and zinc; in men, folic acid and zinc intakes were low. We conclude that patients comply with lipid- lowering diets even when they know that they are receiving an effective serum lipid-lowering agent. However, for both men and women special attention should be given to the intake of several nutrients. Am J C/in Nutr 199 l;54:696-700.
MRI simulator with static field inhomogeneity

This paper describes a new MRI simulator that provides realistic images for arbitrary pulse sequences executed in the presence of static field inhomogeneities including those due to magnetic susceptibility, errors in the applied field, and chemical shift. In contrast to previous simulators, this system generates object-specific inhomogeneity patterns from first principles and propagates the consequent frequency offsets and intravoxel dephasing through the acquisition protocols to produce images with realistic artifacts. The simulator consists of two parts. Part 1 calculates a frequency offset for each voxel. It calculates the size of the static field offset at each voxel in the image based on the known magnetic susceptibility of each of the components at all voxels. It uses a novel implementation of the ?Boundary Element Method? and takes advantage of the superposition principle of magnetism to include voxels with mixtures of substances of differing susceptibilities. Part 2 produces both a signal and a reconstructed image. Its inputs include the 3D digital brain phantom introduced by the McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, frequency offsets computed by part 1, applied static field errors, chemical shift values, and a description of the acquisition protocol.
Isotropic fading vector broadcast Channels:The scalar upper bound and loss in degrees of freedom

We propose a scalar upper bound on the capacity region of the isotropic fading vector broadcast channel in terms of the capacity region of a scalar fading broadcast channel. The scalar upper bound is applicable to the broad class of isotropic fading broadcast channels regardless of the distribution of the users' channel magnitudes, the distribution of the additive noise experienced by each user, or the amount of channel knowledge available at the receiver. Using this upper bound, we prove the optimality of the Alamouti scheme in a broadcast setting, extend the recent results on the capacity of nondegraded, fading scalar broadcast channels to nondegraded fading vector broadcast channels, and determine the capacity region of a fading vector Gaussian broadcast channel with channel magnitude feedback. We also provide an example of a Rayleigh-fading broadcast channel with no channel state information available to the receiver (CSIR), where the bound on the capacity region obtained by a naive application of the scalar upper bound is provably loose, because it fails to account for the additional loss in degrees of freedom due to lack of channel knowledge at the receiver. A tighter upper bound is obtained by separately accounting for the loss in degrees of freedom due to lack of CSIR before applying the scalar upper bound.
Carnival and contestation in the Aztec marketplace

A partir de l'analogie entre marche et carnaval - d'une lecture du carnavalesque (Bakhtin) de la promiscuite sociale du marche -, l'A. examine la dynamique sociale des marches azteques en les replacant dans leurs contextes theorique et ethnohistorique, afin de clarifier la nature de cette dynamique dans le cadre englobant de la societe azteque et de mettre en relation cet exemple avec les debats interdisciplinaires sur le marche en tant qu'espace de divertissement et de controle. Centrant notamment son analyse sur le marche de Tlatelolco, il soutient que la place de marche, en tant que heterotopie (Foucault), simultanement, represente, conteste, et inverse les sites ordinaires et l'ideologie de la societe azteque. Selon l'A., le marche azteque est un site de comportement indiscipline, et il represente un des rares lieux qui permet la transformation partielle des normes et de la hierarchie sociale azteques. L'acces a ces pratiques des gens du commun permet de mieux cerner les relations de pouvoir du passe.
Nonhistone protein antigen profiles of five leukemic cell lines reflect the extent of myeloid differentiation

The human leukemic cell lines, K562, KG-1, and HL-60, and the blast subclones, KG-1a and HL-60 blast, were utilized to relate differences in nonhistone protein antigens to stages of myeloid cell differentiation. Chromatin proteins were separated on SDS- polyacrylamide gels, transferred electrophoretically to nitrocellulose sheets, and visualized by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method of Sternberger. Screening with antisera raised against total and dehistonized chromatin and a nuclear extract from these cells revealed quantitative as well as qualitative differences between the cell lines. A decrease in antigen content seemed to parallel progressive stages of myeloid cell development. The results indicate that a number of chromosomal protein antigens are lost or modified during differentiation. An antigen(s) of approximately 55,000 molecular weight was found in HL-60 chromatin, but was not present in its less differentiated subclone or in the other lines representative of earlier stage cells. Upon the induction of HL-60 cells to mature to end stages with 4 microM retinoic acid, a significant increase in the mol wt 55,000 activity was seen. This antigen was detected only with antisera against HL-60 total chromatin and granulocyte nuclei, and it was found only in normal mature granulocytes and in the later stage cells of the HL-60 culture. Thus, the antigen appears to be associated with a differentiated myeloid function.
The weight-bearing function of the fibula: a strain gauge study

The Weight-Bearing Function of the Fibula: A STRAIN GAUGE STUDY KENNETH LAMBERT; The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
Correlation between VEGF expression and MVD in sporadic and NF2-related schwannomas

2083 Background: Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) is a tumor suppressor syndrome characterized by the presence of bilateral vestibular schwannomas (VS) and multiple meningiomas for which alternative treat...
Phase I evaluation of diaziquone in childhood cancer. A Pediatric Oncology Group study.

We conducted a phase I clinical study of aziridinylbenzoquinone (Diaziquone, AZQ) given as a 4 hour infusion weekly × 4. Forty-five children with recurrent acute leukemia and 33 children with various advanced solid tumors participated. Severe myelosuppression was the dose limiting toxic effect, occurring in all patients at the upper dose levels. Gastrointestinal and hepatic toxicities were infrequent and not severe. No allergic reactions occurred. Objective tumor regression was noted in 3 of 25 patients with a CNS tumor and in 6 of 45 patients with acute leukemia. For phase II trials the recommended dosage of Diaziquone given by this schedule is 18 mg/M2×4 for patients with a solid tumor, and is 30 mg/M2/week × 4 for children with acute leukemia.
Role of patient specifics on mechanical risk and load relief during support of bony prominences

Prolonged mechanical loading of tissue in between a bony prominence and a support surface can lead to pressure ulcers. Despite recent initiatives to curb down incidence rates, the health care burden of pressure ulcer prevention remains significant [1]. Etiology of pressure ulcers are commonly attributed to interface pressures. As a result, interventions, e.g., support surfaces, routinely aim to reduce contact pressures. However, the clinical effectiveness of such an objective can be questionable [2]. Recent studies have shown that internal mechanics of the tissue can be associated with pressure ulcer development [3], potentially indicating the inefficacy of interventions targeted solely at contact pressure relief. Tissue characteristics at a bony prominence, e.g., tissue thickness and material properties, also influence load distribution within and on the surface of the tissue. Given the variability in patient populations and for a bony region of interest [4], it is possible that patient specific risk and load relief (with the use of support surface) may differ widely.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Review Article: Best Evidence Regarding Contemporary Use of Prostate Cancer Biomarkers

AbstractIntroduction: Management of prostate cancer was revolutionized by the discovery of prostate specific antigen. While prostate specific antigen is an excellent biomarker for followup after treatment, it has low specificity as a screening test and most biopsies are negative when prompted by elevated prostate specific antigen. Better prognostic biomarkers are needed to improve risk stratification to decide between treatment and observation.Methods: We reviewed the current evidence for and against available biomarkers, and discuss the specific contexts in which biomarkers may have greatest usefulness.Results: Recently introduced biomarkers attempt to improve on all aspects of the current prostate cancer management paradigm, including screening and diagnosis of disease, risk stratification and treatment allocation as well as disease monitoring after treatment.Conclusions: Each marker represents an important advance in 1 or more disease settings. Further studies are needed to determine the comparative ef...
Photovoltaic Devices: A 2000 Overview

The status and directions of current photovoltaic technologies are presented. The emphasis is on the cell and module performances, with indications of the limitations and strengths of crystalline (Si and GaAs) and thin-film (Si, a-Si:H, CdTe, Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2) approaches. Recent advances in concentrator technologies, promise of thin films, and the continuing commercial dominance of crystalline Si photovoltaics are evaluated and considered in their evolution for this new century.
Adaptive Waveform Design for a Multi-Antenna Radar System

We consider a radar system which uses an array of antennas, and is capable of adjusting the waveform transmitted through these antennas based on target and clutter statistics, on a pulse by pulse basis. A model for the radar returns which incorporates the transmit waveforms is developed. The target detection problem is formulated for that model. An algorithm is derived for designing the transmit waveform so as to optimize detection performance.
Abstract 4759: Whole genome sequencing of sequentially acquired lung and lymph node metastatic sites from a never smoker lung adenocarcinoma patient revealed extensive genomic heterogeneity

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Recent large-scale cancer genome sequencing studies have uncovered extensive diverse mutational landscapes in lung cancer patients. Furthermore, tumor heterogeneity has been widely recognized and it has significant clinical implications in selection of targeted treatment strategies as well as treatment response. Using whole genome sequencing, we demonstrate an unprecedented genomic heterogeneity between sequentially acquired lung and lymph node metastatic sites from an African American never-smoker lung adenocarcinoma patient who has survived with metastatic disease for over seven years while being treated with single or combination HER2-directed therapies. We determined that less than 1% of somatic variants were common between the two tumor sites. Copy number variations were more intense in the lung tumor than in the metastatic lymph node. We identified several novel somatic mutations in key cancer genes in both sites. Interestingly, one novel translocation, PLAG1-ACTA2 was highly expressed in both the lung and lymph node metastases resulting in overexpression of ACTA2, which has been suggested to increase the metastatic potential in lung adenocarcinoma. Using ultra deep targeted re-sequencing, we validated all non-synonymous variants, and approximately 80% of those identified in the metastatic lymph node were also present in a second lymph node biopsied two years after the first one. Although this degree of tumor heterogeneity was surprising, somatic variants affected key hallmarks of tumorigenesis in both sites. These findings suggest a model of early metastatic spread and parallel clonal evolution in disparate metastatic sites. Citation Format: Shaojian Gao, Constance Cultraro, Romi BIswas, Corey A. Carter, Tapan K. Maity, Anish Thomas, Arun Rajan, Paul Meltzer, David Schrump, Giuseppe Giaccone, Javed Khan, Udayan Guha. Whole genome sequencing of sequentially acquired lung and lymph node metastatic sites from a never smoker lung adenocarcinoma patient revealed extensive genomic heterogeneity. [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 4759. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4759
Sex Differences in Regional Brain Glucose Metabolism Following Opioid Withdrawal and Replacement

Methadone and buprenorphine are currently the most common pharmacological treatments for opioid dependence. Interestingly, the clinical response to these drugs appears to be sex specific. That is, females exhibit superior therapeutic efficacy, defined as extended periods of abstinence and longer time to relapse, compared with males. However, the underlying metabolic effects of opioid withdrawal and replacement have not been examined. Therefore, using 18FDG and microPET, we measured differences in regional brain glucose metabolism in males and females following morphine withdrawal and subsequent methadone or buprenorphine replacement. In both males and females, spontaneous opioid withdrawal altered glucose metabolism in regions associated with reward and drug dependence. Specifically, metabolic increases in the thalamus, as well as metabolic decreases in insular cortex and the periaqueductal gray, were noted. However, compared with males, females exhibited increased metabolism in the preoptic area, primary motor cortex, and the amygdala, and decreased metabolism in the caudate/putamen and medial geniculate nucleus. Methadone and buprenorphine initially abolished these changes uniformly, but subsequently produced their own regional metabolic alterations that varied by treatment and sex. Compared with sex-matched control animals undergoing spontaneous opioid withdrawal, male animals treated with methadone exhibited increased caudate/putamen metabolism, whereas buprenorphine produced increased ventral striatum and motor cortex metabolism in females, and increased ventral striatum and somatosensory cortex metabolism in males. Notably, when treatment effects were compared between sexes, methadone-treated females showed increased cingulate cortex metabolism, whereas buprenorphine-treated females showed decreased metabolism in cingulate cortex and increased metabolism in the globus pallidus. Perhaps the initial similarities in males and females underlie early therapeutic efficacy, whereas these posttreatment sex differences contribute to clinical treatment failure more commonly experienced by the former.
Probing the Mechanism of LAL-32, a Gold Nanoparticle-Based Antibiotic Discovered through Small Molecule Variable Ligand Display

The unrelenting rise of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria has necessitated the search for novel antibiotic solutions. Herein we describe further mechanistic studies on a 2.0-nm-diameter gold nanoparticle-based antibiotic (designated LAL-32). This antibiotic exhibits bactericidal activity against the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli at 1.0 μM, a concentration significantly lower than several clinically available antibiotics (such as ampicillin and gentamicin), and acute treatment with LAL-32 does not give rise to spontaneous resistant mutants. LAL-32 treatment inhibits cellular division, daughter cell separation, and twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway dependent shuttling of proteins to the periplasm. Furthermore, we have found that the cedA gene imparts increased resistance to LAL-32, and shown that an E. coli cedA transposon mutant exhibits increased susceptibility to LAL-32. Taken together, these studies further implicate cell division pathways as the target for this nanoparticle-based anti...
Opportunistic Energy Sharing Between Power Grid and Electric Vehicles: A Game Theory-Based Pricing Policy

Electric vehicles (EVs) have great potential to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. The recent surge in the development of online EV (OLEV) will help to address the drawbacks associated with current generation EVs, such as the heavy and expensive batteries. OLEVs are integrated with the smart grid of power infrastructure through a wireless power transfer system (WPT) to increase the driving range of the OLEV. However, the integration of OLEVs with the grid creates a tremendous load for the smart grid. The demand of a power grid changes over time and the price of power is not fixed throughout the day. There should be some congestion avoidance and load balancing policy implications to ensure quality of services for OLEVs. In this paper, first, we conduct an analysis to show the existence of unpredictable power load and congestion because of OLEVs. We use the Simulation for Urban MObility tool and hourly traffic counts of a road section of the New York City to analyze the amount of energy OLEVs can receive at different times of the day. Then, we present a game theory based on a distributed power schedule framework to find the optimal schedule between OLEVs and smart grid. In the proposed framework, OLEVs receive the amount of power charging from the smart grid based on a power payment function which is updated using best response strategy. We prove that the updated power requests converge to the optimal power schedule. In this way, the smart grid maximizes the social welfare of OLEVs, which is defined as mixed consideration of total satisfaction and its power charging cost. Finally, we verify the performance of our proposed pricing policy under different scenarios in a simulation study.
Mature Hippocampal Neurons Require LIS1 for Synaptic Integrity: Implications for Cognition

Abstract Background Platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase 1B1 (LIS1), a critical mediator of neuronal migration in developing brain, is expressed throughout life. However, relatively little is known about LIS1 function in the mature brain. We previously demonstrated that LIS1 involvement in the formation and turnover of synaptic protrusions and synapses of young brain after neuronal migration is complete. Here we examine the requirement for LIS1 to maintain hippocampal circuit function in adulthood. Methods Effects of conditional Lis1 inactivation in excitatory pyramidal neurons, starting in juvenile mouse brain, were probed using high-resolution approaches combining mouse genetics, designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug technology to specifically manipulate CA1 pyramidal neuron excitatory activity, electrophysiology, hippocampus-selective behavioral testing, and magnetic resonance imaging tractography to examine the connectivity of LIS1-deficient neurons. Results We found progressive excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic dysfunction as soon as 10 days after conditional inactivation of Lis1 targeting CA1 pyramidal neurons. Surprisingly, by postnatal day 60 it also caused CA1 histological disorganization, with a selective decline in parvalbumin-expressing interneurons and further reduction in inhibitory neurotransmission. Accompanying these changes were behavioral and cognitive deficits that could be rescued by either designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug–directed specific increases in CA1 excitatory transmission or pharmacological enhancement of gamma-aminobutyric acid transmission. Lagging behind electrophysiological changes was a progressive, selective decline in neural connectivity, affecting hippocampal efferent pathways documented by magnetic resonance imaging tractography. Conclusions LIS1 supports synaptic function and plasticity of mature CA1 neurons. Postjuvenile loss of LIS1 disrupts the structure and cellular composition of the hippocampus, its connectivity with other brain regions, and cognition dependent on hippocampal circuits.
The Role of African Dust in Atlantic Climate During Heinrich Events

Increased ice discharge in the North Atlantic is thought to cause a weakening, or collapse, of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) during Heinrich events. Paleoclimate records indicate that these periods were marked by severe tropical aridity and dustiness. Although the driver of these events is still under debate, large freshwater input is necessary for climate models to simulate the magnitude, geographical extent, and abruptness of these events, indicating that they may be missing feedbacks. We hypothesize that the dust-climate feedback is one such feedback that has not been previously considered. Here we analyze the role of dust-climate feedbacks on the AMOC by parameterizing the dust radiative effects in an intermediate complexity model and consider uncertainties due to wind stress forcing and the magnitude of both atmospheric dust loading and freshwater hosing. We simulate both stable and unstable AMOC regimes by changing the prescribed wind stress forcing. In the unstable regime, additional dust loading during Heinrich events cools and freshens the North Atlantic and abruptly reduces the AMOC by 20% relative to a control simulation. In the stable regime, however, additional dust forcing alone does not alter the AMOC strength. Including both freshwater and dust forcing results in a cooling of the subtropical North Atlantic more comparable to proxy records than with freshwater forcing alone. We conclude that dust-climate feedbacks may provide amplification to Heinrich cooling by further weakening AMOC and increasing North Atlantic sea ice coverage.