cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antioncogenes and the development of tumors in the human nervous system

Two distinct mechanisms of tumorigenesis have been identified in humans. One mechanism is associated with the activation of growth-promoting factors such as proto-oncogenes, growth factors, and growth factor receptors. However, there is overwhelming evidence for the existence of an alternative tumor mechanism that is related to the loss or inactivation of genes that normally suppress cell growth. These genes have been called "anti-oncogenes" or "tumor-suppressor" genes. They appear to be involved fundamentally in the development of many human cancers. This article reviews the potential importance of tumor-suppressor genes in tumor development and growth control in the human nervous system.
Gender Disparities in Lipid-Lowering Therapy Among Veterans With Diabetes

Abstract Purpose We sought to compare lipid-lowering therapy among female and male veterans with diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of veterans serviced by the Veterans Health Administration in 2006 who had both diabetes and hyperlipidemia and compared all female patients to age- and facility-matched males. We compared proportions of patients with any prescription for lipid-lowering therapy in the year and, among those with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL >100 mg/dL) and no prior treatment, we compared initiation of lipid-lowering therapy. We used multiple logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for race, VA eligibility, health care utilization, cardiovascular diseases, mental health conditions, and a comprehensive list of other comorbidities. We also performed the analysis stratified by age. Findings Women had higher LDL levels than men (110 ± 38 vs. 101 ± 36 mg/dL) and were less likely to be receiving lipid-lowering therapy (80% vs. 84%; AOR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.76–0.82) or to be initiated on such therapy (37% vs. 42%; AOR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.74–0.90). Differences were greatest in the youngest women ( Conclusion Women veterans with diabetes and hyperlipidemia receive less aggressive lipid-lowering therapy than men, especially among younger age groups. This disparity is of concern, because early intervention to control hyperlipidemia can reduce the later burden of cardiovascular disease among diabetic women.
Two-photon absorption induced channel crosstalk in WDM OOK and DPSK

The effect of two-photon absorption on DPSK and OOK transmission is analyzed by simulation. DPSK is found to have an advantage over OOK in both Q and eye closure penalty for multi-channel WDM transmissions.
Big boys and little girls: Gender, acculturation, and weight among young children of immigrants

Previous research fails to find a consistent association between obesity and acculturation for children. We theorize that social isolation shelters children of immigrants from the U.S. “obesiogenic” environment, but this protective effect is offset by immigrant parents’ limited capacity to identify and manage this health risk in the United States. We further theorize that these factors affect boys more than girls. We use data from over 20,000 children in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort and find that boys whose parents were raised outside the United States weighed more and gained weight faster than any other group. However, within this group, sons of low English-proficient parents gained weight more slowly than sons of English-proficient parents. The results thus suggest that two dimensions of low acculturation—foreign place of socialization and social isolation—affect children’s weight gain in opposite directions and are more important for boys than girls.
Determination of the fractal dimension of membrane protein aggregates using fluorescence energy transfer

It is demonstrated that fluorescence resonance energy transfer may be used to determine the fractal dimension of aggregates of membrane-bound proteins. Theoretical and experimental results are presented for two different experimental designs: energy transfer between proteins and energy transfer from lipids to proteins. For energy transfer between proteins the lattice spacing must be known independently for a fractal dimension to be uniquely determined, and this represents a disadvantage to this experimental design. Results are presented for the calcium ATPase and a fractal dimension of 1.9 is estimated for ATPase aggregates by assuming a lattice spacing of 50 A. Energy transfer from lipids to protein provides a means of estimating the length of the "coast-line" of the aggregate. In this case the fractal dimension is uniquely determined from a log-log plot. An analysis of data for bacteriohodopsin reconstituted in phospholipid vesicles gives a fractal dimension of 1.6. The structural basis of the value for the fractal dimension is discussed for these two systems. These techniques provide a means of assessing the nature of protein-protein interactions in membranous systems.
Comment on “Possibility of synthesizing a doubly magic superheavy nucleus”

In a recent paper, Aritomo discusses the possibility of forming a doubly magic superheavy nucleus using reactions with radioactive beams. I point out the suggested reactions have negligible rates.
Control of thermally induced porosity for the fabrication of beryllium optics

In this study we have examined the polishability of bare beryllium as it relates to processing for the fabrication of a mirror substrate. Our work has shown that annealing treatments can produce microporosity in the beryllium by a mechanism known as Thermally Induced Porosity (TIP). When the porous material is polished, the achievable scatter is degraded. TIP response is sensitive to the processing history of the material and the effect can vary from minimal to substantial. We have also demonstrated a scatter screening test which can indicate the sensitivity of a given lot of material to TIP.
Distinguishing bounded reducibilities by sparse sets

Two kinds of restrictions on the power of oracle machines have arisen when considering resource-bounded reducibilities. The first restricts the underlying machine model used for reduction with respect to the number of queries allowed on each input (e.g. bounded-query reducibilities), the way the answers to the queries are to be used (e.g. conjunctive and disjunctive reducibilities), and the dependency between queries (e.g. adaptive and nonadaptive reducibilities). Comparison among reducibilities of this kind of restrictions reveals the differences among these oracle machine models. The second kind restricts the resources used by the oracle machine, usually in terms of runtime or workspace. The author studies the reducibilities defined by the first kind of restrictions, when the only resource bounded on oracle machines is the polynomial time bound. The results indicate that the relations between different reducibilities depend much on the formulations of the question. >
Relationships for Deriving Thunderstorm Anvil Ice Mass for CCOPE Storm Water Budget Estimates.

Abstract Relationships between radar reflectivity and ice water content are derived from pendmtions into thundemonn anvils in Montana on seven days during the Cooperative Convective Precipitation Experiment (CCOPE), using aircraft data and radar reflectivity, based upon an approach which minimizes the errors in converting measured crystal size to mass. Other sources of error do exist, particularly when measurements are taken in the vicinity of convective cells. The effects of truncation of the measured size spectrum due to sampling volume limitations are discussed. Ice water content (IWC) values predicted from the curves for most of the cases investigated are about the same for a given value of the radar reflectivity factor. Derived curves differ significantly in some cases from those applied to thunderstorm anvils in the past. A sensitivity study is performed to develop an improved mass-diameter relationship for anvil crystals. The choice of Z-IWC relationship has a major effect upon the estimate of the ...
A Method of “Controlling Sex” by Dipping of Eggs in Hormone Solutions

ABSTRACT SELTZER (1956), in a U. S. Patent, stated that dipping of eggs in hormone solutions enabled him to control the sex of the hatched chicks. The sex of the chicks was determined by an unspecified “physical examination.” He also stated, “ . . . female chicks derived from estrogenically influenced eggs, incubated according to my invention have been raised to maturity and found to be normal layers of normal eggs.” This statement is ambiguous because it leaves in doubt whether it refers to genetic males or genetic females. Injection of estrogen into fertile eggs before sex differentiation is known to affect embryonic development of the reproductive tract of male and female embryos. This subject has been reviewed by Domm (1939 Domm (1955), Witschi (1939), Benoit (1950), and Burns (1955). However, the laying of eggs by genetic males, although not specifically stated but implied in the quoted sentence above, would be contrary . . .
Mechanisms of hormonal regulation of hepatic glucose metabolism

Acute hormonal regulation of liver carbohydrate metabolism mainly involves changes in the cytosolic levels of cAMP and Ca2+. Epinephrine, acting through beta 2-adrenergic receptors, and glucagon activate adenylate cyclase in the liver plasma membrane through a mechanism involving a guanine nucleotide-binding protein that is stimulatory to the enzyme. The resulting accumulation of cAMP leads to activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, which, in turn, phosphorylates many intracellular enzymes involved in the regulation of glycogen metabolism, gluconeogenesis, and glycolysis. These are (1) phosphorylase b kinase, which is activated and, in turn, phosphorylates and activates phosphorylase, the rate-limiting enzyme for glycogen breakdown; (2) glycogen synthase, which is inactivated and is rate-controlling for glycogen synthesis; (3) pyruvate kinase, which is inactivated and is an important regulatory enzyme for glycolysis; and (4) the 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase bifunctional enzyme, phosphorylation of which leads to decreased formation of fructose 2,6-P2, which is an activator of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase and an inhibitor of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, both of which are important regulatory enzymes for glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. In addition to rapid effects of glucagon and beta-adrenergic agonists to increase hepatic glucose output by stimulating glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis and inhibiting glycogen synthesis and glycolysis, these agents produce longer-term stimulatory effects on gluconeogenesis through altered synthesis of certain enzymes of gluconeogenesis/glycolysis and amino acid metabolism. For example, P-enolpyruvate carboxykinase is induced through an effect at the level of transcription mediated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Tyrosine amino-transferase, serine dehydratase, tryptophan oxygenase, and glucokinase are also regulated by cAMP, in part at the level of specific messenger RNA synthesis. The sympathetic nervous system and its neurohumoral agonists epinephrine and norepinephrine also rapidly alter hepatic glycogen metabolism and gluconeogenesis acting through alpha 1-adrenergic receptors. The primary response to these agonists is the phosphodiesterase-mediated breakdown of the plasma membrane polyphosphoinositide phosphatidylinositol 4,5-P2 to inositol 1,4,5-P3 and 1,2-diacylglycerol. This involves a guanine nucleotide-binding protein that is different from those involved in the regulation of adenylate cyclase. Inositol 1,4,5-P3 acts as an intracellular messenger for Ca2+ mobilization by releasing Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Testing for genetic association: a powerful score test.

To study the association between a candidate gene and a complex genetic disease, Pearson's Χ 2 statistic can be applied to an m x 2 contingency table, where the m categories correspond to m haplotypes or marker alleles. For m>2, two alternative approaches for Pearson's Χ 2 can be followed, which are more powerful if one haplotype or marker allele is associated. For the first approach, various 2 x 2 tables are formed by combining various categories and the maximum of the corresponding chi-square statistics is considered as the final statistic. The second approach takes the average over the possible associated categories by writing down an overall likelihood. For the latter approach, we propose a new score statistic, which gives more weight to haplotypes or marker alleles that are common. Since the disease allele is often not observed, the power of the various statistics depends on both the linkage disequilibrium pattern and the frequencies of the associated haplotype or marker allele in the cases and the controls. We heuristically compare various statistics within the two approaches and present the results of a simulation that compares the performance of all considered statistics. Finally, we apply the statistics to a case-control study on the association between COL2A1 gene and radiographic osteoarthritis. Our conclusion is that overall the new proposed score statistic has good power.
Male and female range use in a group of white-bellied spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.

Spider monkeys (Ateles sp.) live in a flexible fission–fusion social system in which members of a social group are not in constant association, but instead form smaller subgroups of varying size and composition. Patterns of range use in spider monkeys have been described as sex-segregated, with males and females often ranging separately, females utilizing core areas that encompass only a fraction of the entire community range, and males using much larger portions of the community range that overlap considerably with the core areas of females and other males. Males are also reported to use the boundary areas of community home ranges more often than females. Spider monkeys thus seem to parallel the “male-bonded” patterns of ranging and association found among some groups of chimpanzees. Over several years of research on one group of spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth) in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, we characterized the ranging patterns of adult males and females and evaluated the extent to which they conform to previously reported patterns. In contrast to ranging patterns seen at several other spider monkey sites, the ranges of our study females overlapped considerably, with little evidence of exclusive use of particular areas by individual monkeys. Average male and female home range size was comparable, and males and females were similar in their use of boundary areas. These ranging patterns are similar to those of “bisexually bonded” groups of chimpanzees in West Africa. We suggest that the less sex-segregated ranging patterns seen in this particular group of spider monkeys may be owing to a history of human disturbance in the area and to lower genetic relatedness between males, highlighting the potential for flexibility some aspects of the spider monkeys' fission–fusion social system. Am. J. Primatol. 72:129–141, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Glutamate in synaptic terminals is reduced by lack of glucose but not hypoxia in rat hippocampal slices

Although excessive release of the neurotransmitter glutamate contributes to ischemic neuronal damage, immunocytochemical studies have not found a loss of glutamate from ischemic axon terminals. We examined the effects of two components of ischemia, hypoxia and hypoglycemia, on glutamate loss from rat hippocampal slices. In vitro hypoglycemia induced by incubation for 1 h without glucose depleted 50% of glutamate from slices when ATP levels were about 5 nmol/mg protein. Hypoxic slices aerated with N2 reached similar ATP levels without significant glutamate depletion. To induce 50% glutamate losses with chemical hypoxia, ATP had to be depleted to < 1 nmol/mg protein. Immunocytochemical staining indicated that glutamate-like immunoreactivity was reduced throughout slices by hypoglycemia. Hypoxia decreased glutamate-like immunoreactivity in neuronal perikarya and dendrites of pyramidal cells and granule cells. However, in contrast to hypoglycemia, hypoxia maintained or increased glutamate-like immunoreactivity in many terminals. Hypoxia and hypoglycemia induced similar, ATP-dependent releases of glutamate into supernatants, which could account for only part of the hypoglycemic losses. The additional hypoglycemic losses were consistent with increased catabolism of glutamate. Glutamate losses from hypoglycemic terminals were reduced by blockade of aspartate aminotransferase or the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Exogenous glutamate increased glutamate in hypoglycemic slices to hypoxic levels and returned glutamate-like immunoreactivity to terminals, suggesting that terminals maintained glutamate uptake during metabolic insults. Hypoglycemia induces a large loss of glutamate that does not occur during hypoxia. The greater loss of glutamate from terminals during hypoglycemia is consistent with increased metabolism of glutamate via aspartate aminotransferase and not increased release of glutamate. Continued uptake of glutamate by hypoxic terminals may help to maintain their levels of glutamate. Hypoglycemic metabolism of glutamate may decrease pathologic glutamate release and contribute to the prolonged neurologic abnormalities associated with recovery from hypoglycemia.
Structural Effects on the High Temperature Adsorption of CO2 on a Synthetic Hydrotalcite

Hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTlcs) are solid sorbents that may potentially be used for high-temperature separation and capture of CO2. The high-temperature adsorption of CO2 on Mg−Al−CO3 HTlc is affected by structural changes that take place upon heating of the material. The structural changes of a synthetic HTlc upon heating to 200 and 400 °C in a vacuum were characterized using various analytical techniques. These structural changes were then related to observed behavior with respect to the physisorption and chemisorption of CO2 at 200 °C. Upon heating to 200 °C, the material retains its layered structure, though the interlayer spacing is decreased by ∼0.6 A due to loss of interlayer water. Chemisorption of CO2 at 200 °C represents more than half of the total adsorption capacity (at 107 kPa) due to increased availability of the framework Mg2+ cation and the subsequent formation of MgCO3. There is no significant increase of surface area or pore volume after heating to 200 °C. Upon heating to 400 °C the ...
Parametric analysis of linear programs with upper bounded variables

Linear programming problems with upper bounded variables can be solved by regular simplex method by considering upper bounding constraints as explicit constraints of the problem. However, more efficient methods exist which consider these upper bound constraints implicitly. When parametric analysis for problems with upper bounds is to be carried out, one can use the regular parameter analysis by considering the upper bound constraints explicitly. This paper develops formulas for parametric analysis where upper bound constraints are used implicitly, thus reducing the size of the basic matrix.
A direct numerical simulation of axisymmetric liquid–gas two‐phase laminar flows in a pipe

An accurate finite-volume-based numerical method for the simulation of an isothermal two-phase flow, consisting of a liquid slug translating in a non-reacting gas in a circular pipe is presented. This method is built on a sharp interface concept and developed on an Eulerian Cartesian fixed-grid with a cut-cell scheme and marker points to track the moving interface. The unsteady, axisymmetric Navier–Stokes equations in both liquid and gas phases are solved separately. The mass continuity and momentum flux conditions are explicitly matched at the true surface phase boundary to determine the interface shape and movement. A quadratic curve fitting algorithm with marker points is used to yield smooth and accurate information of the interface curvatures. It is uniquely demonstrated for the first time with the current method that conservation of mass is strictly enforced for continuous infusion of flow into the domain of computation. The method has been used to compute the velocity and pressure fields and the deformation of the liquid core. It is also shown that the current method is capable of producing accurate results for a wide range of Reynolds number, Re, Weber number, We, and large property jumps at the interface. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Simulation of Rotational Hysteresis Energy Loss in Longitudinal Thin-Film Media

The field dependence of the rotational hysteresis energy loss was simulated for longitudinal thin-film media with the purpose of examining the validity of this method for measuring the anisotropy field. The field at which the rotational hysteresis vanishes, which is usually taken as the experimentally measured anisotropy field, was found to be smaller than the real anisotropy field when intergranular magnetostatic and exchange interactions are included in the simulations. Hence the rotational hysteresis method may result in an underestimation of the anisotropy field for the films with non-negligible grain interactions. To confirm this experimentally, two CoCrTa films, one with strong in-plane easy axis texture and the other with uniaxially aligned grain easy axes, were prepared under the same conditions. The anisotropy field determined by the rotational hysteresis of the first sample was found to be smaller than the more accurate value obtained from the hard axis hysteresis loop of the second sample.
Dopamine D1 receptor family agonists, SK&F38393, SK&F77434, and SK&F82958, Differentially affect locomotor activities in rats

Dopamine D1 receptor family agonists, 2,3,4,5,-tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1phenyl-1H-3-benzazepine (SK&F38393), 3-allyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-benzazepine (SK&F77434), and 3-allyl-6-chloro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-benzazep ine (SK&F82958), were compared for their behavioral effects on horizontal movement time, rearing time, stereotypy time, and thigmotaxis time. All agonists resulted in biphasic effects with attenuation followed by potentiation (0.01-10.0 mg/kg, SC). While SK&F38393 did not potentiate horizontal movement and rearing times, and had minor effects on thigmotaxis, SK&F77434 and SK&F82958 potentiated horizontal movement and rearing behaviors and attenuated thigmotaxis. The results were discussed in terms of the binding characteristics and current receptor theory.
Personality complexes in adolescence: Traits, interests, work values, and self-evaluations

Abstract Following the recent trend in psychology towards a more integrative view of personality, the study attempted to establish the connections and underlying complexes of fundamental personality dispositions within two cohorts of Swiss adolescents in eighth and eleventh grade (N = 492, ages 13–19): Big-Five basic traits, big six vocational interests, work values, and generalized self-efficacy and externality of control beliefs. Five factors were identified which accounted for 60% of variance among the relations of the variables: (1) enterprising-conventional interests, (2) favorable personality dispositions, (3) social-artistic personality characteristics, (4) investigative-realistic interests, and (5) work value endorsement. Cross-sectional findings indicate that particularly agreeableness and conscientiousness become closer related to interests and work values with increasing grade-level.
Relativistic Particle Dynamics for an N -Body Interacting System

Claims in a recent Comment by Liou to find new forms for the three-body interactions to order $\frac{1}{{c}^{2}}$ in an $N$-body relativistic interacting system are shown to arise from a misunderstanding. The proposed forms are encompassed by the solution to this problem obtained previously by the present authors. Several other clarifications are also made.
Tailoring graphite with the goal of achieving single sheets

We demonstrate the tailoring of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) to obtain uniformly sized islands of up to several microns in size. There has already been some research on manipulating individual sheets on HOPG surfaces with scanning probe microscope tips; such sheets were obtained either accidentally or with a less controllable indenting technique. Here we present a different approach, which is more reliable and controllable. The HOPG surface was first patterned to create an array of small graphite islands by reactive ion etching of the HOPG surface with an oxygen plasma. These islands were then manipulated with an atomic force microscope tip. Carbon nanotubes represent a promising material for nanotechnology and can be considered as a graphene sheet rolled into a seamless cylinder. While carbon nanotubes are synthesized successfully with laser ablation, carbon arc, or chemical vapour deposition techniques, we speculate that it might be possible, by the controlled fabrication of graphene sheets, to form nanotubes or other novel motifs of use for nanotechnology.
Integrins in mechanotransduction

Forces acting on cells govern many important regulatory events during development, normal physiology, and disease processes. Integrin-mediated adhesions, which transmit forces between the extracellular matrix and the actin cytoskeleton, play a central role in transducing effects of forces to regulate cell functions. Recent work has led to major insights into the molecular mechanisms by which these adhesions respond to forces to control cellular signaling pathways. We briefly summarize effects of forces on organs, tissues, and cells; and then discuss recent advances toward understanding molecular mechanisms.
Low Plasma Glucose with Normal Finger-stick Glucose

A 63-year-old man with metastatic lung cancer admitted for severe hip pain and malaise was noted to have erratic daily morning plasma glucose concentrations, with several critical values below 40 mg/dL (<2.2 mmol/L). Each time he had a critically low laboratory glucose value, a point-of-care finger-stick glucose was found to be within reference intervals. The remaining …
Transmitter channel state information and repetition protocols in block fading channels

In this paper, we study the throughput performance of repetition protocols over block fading channels. We show that, by allocating different power to different retransmissions, the throughput can be improved, especially at high SNR. We also show that, if one bit of available feedback is used to signal decoding failure and channel condition, then great throughput improvements are possible, especially at low SNR. We conclude, by proposing a simple repetition protocol with a single retransmission that improves the throughput with respect to the incremental redundancy protocol without TXCSI and with respect to the repetition protocol with TXCSI.
Comparison of diagenetic and low-grade metamorphic evolution of chlorite in associated metapelites and metabasites: an integrated TEM and XRD study

Chlorite is a common sheet silicate that occurs in various lithologies over a wide grade range involving diagenesis and low-grade metamorphism. Thus, the reaction progress of chlorite oVers a unique oppor- tunity for direct correlation of zonal classification of metasedimentary rocks based on illite crystallinity with metabasite mineral facies. To provide such correlation, chlorite crystallinity indices, apparent mean crystallite sizes and lattice strains, crystallite size distributions and compositions of chlorite from coexisting metapelites and metabasites were determined by X-ray diVraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), analytical electron microscopy (AEM) and electron microprobe (EMP) methods. Samples were from Palaeozoic and Mesozoic formations of the Bukkium (innermost Western Carpathians, Hungary) that underwent Alpine (Cretaceous) orogenic metamorphism. Metapelites range in grade from late diagenesis to epizone, whereas metabasites vary from prehnite- pumpellyite through pumpellyite-actinolite to greenschist facies. Despite significant diVerences in composition, mineral assemblages and textures, reaction progress, as measured in part by chlorite crystallinity, in metapelites paralleled that in metabasites. Chlorite crystal- linity and mean crystallite size increase and the proportion of mixed layers in chlorite decreases, whereas the calculated lattice strain does not change significantly with increasing metamorphic grade. Similar trends, but (especially at higher grades) significant diVerences, were found in mean crystallite size values using various methods for XRD line profile analyses. The increase in crystallite size with increasing grade was demonstrated also by direct TEM measurements on ion-milled whole-rock samples, but with a larger scatter of data at higher grades. In spite of the diVerent kinds of mixed layering in chlorite (Mg-rich smectitic, mostly random, local corrensite-like units in metabasites, and Fe-rich berthierine and diocta- hedral smectite in metapelites), XRD-calculated and TEM-measured parameters were found to be reliable tools for measuring reaction progress and metamorphic grade of the same degree in both lithotypes.
The Automation of SIBIOS Workflow Composition

Building a high-quality bioinformatics workflow needs not only good biology knowledge, but also extensive knowledge of existing online bioinformatics services. To facilitate this task, we present a novel approach of automatic workflow composition in SIBIOS system. Our approach regards the task of workflow composition as a planning problem, and uses Graphplan as the solution planner. We extended Graphplan to allow users to specify particular services that they want to use in the workflow, as well as the order those services are used. Automatically generated workflows are used as a baseline for researchers, to be refined to meet their needs. This paper describes the theoretical design and practical evaluation of automatic workflow composition in SIBIOS.
Progress Report For A New Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillator

This paper present design progress and subsystem test results for a new short-term frequency standard, the voltage controlled sapphire oscillator (VCSO). Included are sapphire resonator and coupling design, cryocooler environmental sensitivity tests, Q measurement results, and turnover temperature results. A previous report presented history of the design related to resonator frequency and frequency compensation. Performance goals are a frequency stability of 1times10-14 (1 second < tau < 100 seconds) and two years or more continuous operation. Long-term operation and small size are facilitated by use of a small Stirling cryo-cooler (160W wall power) with an expected 5 year life
Scalable MIMO ARQ Retransmission using Differential Space-Time Block Codes

Multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communication systems provide diversity and coding gain over that of a single antenna system. Furthermore, automatic repeat request (ARQ) retransmission provides time diversity and improves performance and reliability. We investigate partial ARQ in a fast fading MIMO channel environment when coherent detection is hard to realize. We present a scalable partial ARQ retransmission scheme under differential space-time block codes where the advantages of differential modulation technique with diversity and coding gain of space-time block codes are combined to improve MIMO-ARQ performance and reliability. By providing scalability under different channel qualities, scalable retransmission lowers the bandwidth requirement and improves the effective throughput.
A Simple Physical Model for the Prediction and Design of Protein–DNA Interactions

Protein-DNA interactions are crucial for many biological processes. Attempts to model these interactions have generally taken the form of amino acid-base recognition codes or purely sequence-based profile methods, which depend on the availability of extensive sequence and structural information for specific structural families, neglect side-chain conformational variability, and lack generality beyond the structural family used to train the model. Here, we take advantage of recent advances in rotamer-based protein design and the large number of structurally characterized protein-DNA complexes to develop and parameterize a simple physical model for protein-DNA interactions. The model shows considerable promise for redesigning amino acids at protein-DNA interfaces, as design calculations recover the amino acid residue identities and conformations at these interfaces with accuracies comparable to sequence recovery in globular proteins. The model shows promise also for predicting DNA-binding specificity for fixed protein sequences: native DNA sequences are selected correctly from pools of competing DNA substrates; however, incorporation of backbone movement will likely be required to improve performance in homology modeling applications. Interestingly, optimization of zinc finger protein amino acid sequences for high-affinity binding to specific DNA sequences results in proteins with little or no predicted specificity, suggesting that naturally occurring DNA-binding proteins are optimized for specificity rather than affinity. When combined with algorithms that optimize specificity directly, the simple computational model developed here should be useful for the engineering of proteins with novel DNA-binding specificities.
Sarcoidosis Presenting as Necrotizing Sarcoid Granulomatosis of the Liver, Sclerosing Cholangitis, and Gastric Ulcer.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease. The liver is affected in up to 50–90% of cases. Sarcoidosis typically presents as non-necrotizing epithelioid granuloma. The occurrence of non-infective necrotizing sarcoid granuloma (NSG) is infrequent, and the finding of NSG in the liver is rare. We report a case of NSG of the liver and lymph nodes, granulomatous gastric ulcer, and secondary cholangitis coexisting in a patient. We discuss the clinical features of the case and briefly review NSG. There is only 1 previously reported case of NSG of the liver in literature.
The Ubiquitin-Related Protein RUB1 and Auxin Response in Arabidopsis

The AXR1 (auxin-resistant) protein, which has features of the ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1, is required for normal response to the plant hormone auxin in Arabidopsis thaliana. ECR1 functions together with AXR1 to activate members of the RUB/NEDD8 family of ubiquitin-related proteins. Extracts from mutant seedlings lacking AXR1 did not promote formation of the RUB-ECR1 thiolester, indicating that AXR1 is the major activity in this tissue. AXR1 was localized primarily to the nucleus of dividing and elongating cells, suggesting that the targets of RUB modification are nuclear. These results indicate that auxin response depends on RUB modification of one or more nuclear proteins.
PointAssist: assisting individuals with motor impairments

We tested PointAssist, software that assists in pointing tasks by detecting difficulty through a sub-movement analysis and triggering help, with adjustments proposed to personalize the assistance provided to individuals with motor impairments. A within-subjects study with sixteen individuals with fine motor skills impairments resulted in statistically significant effects on accuracy using Friedman's test with (Χ2(1)=6.4, p=.011 in favor of personalized PointAssist compared to no assistance.
Vascular Smooth Muscle Growth: Autocrine Growth Mechanisms

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) exhibit several growth responses to agonists that regulate their function including proliferation (hyperplasia with an increase in cell number), hypertrophy (an increase in cell size without change in DNA content), endoreduplication (an increase in DNA content and usually size), and apoptosis. Both autocrine growth mechanisms (in which the individual cell synthesizes and/or secretes a substance that stimulates that same cell type to undergo a growth response) and paracrine growth mechanisms (in which the individual cells responding to the growth factor synthesize and/or secrete a substance that stimulates neighboring cells of another cell type) are important in VSMC growth. In this review I discuss the autocrine and paracrine growth factors important for VSMC growth in culture and in vessels. Four mechanisms by which individual agonists signal are described: direct effects of agonists on their receptors, transactivation of tyrosine kinase-coupled receptors, generation of reactive oxygen species, and induction/secretion of other growth and survival factors. Additional growth effects mediated by changes in cell matrix are discussed. The temporal and spatial coordination of these events are shown to modulate the environment in which other growth factors initiate cell cycle events. Finally, the heterogeneous nature of VSMC developmental origin provides another level of complexity in VSMC growth mechanisms.
Response to: ‘Is there a need for new thresholds to define remission and low disease activity by Disease Activity Score 28 calculated with C reactive protein? Real life data from a local registry’ by Favalli et al

We are delighted that the new cut-offs proposed for Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using CRP method (DAS28(CRP))1 have been tested and validated …
Managing Group Conflict: The Development of Comfort Among Social Group Workers

ABSTRACT This article describes a quantitative study to determine factors related to attaining comfort in managing group conflict, realizing that knowledge of conflict management theory and technique does not necessarily produce competence among social group workers. Subjects were BSW and MSW graduates who had previously taken a course in group dynamics. On a 17-item questionnaire, they were asked to disclose whether their comfort level had changed once employed in the social service field and what factors were related to either an increase or decrease in comfort when addressing group conflict. A 58% response rate yielded valuable information, suggesting direction for academic curricula and field training for social workers engaging in group work.
The management of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia complicating cardiac surgery. Patients who develop AF following cardiac surgery are at increased risk of stroke, congestive heart failure, and haemodynamic instability. Postoperative AF is invariably associated with increased intensive care unit stays and prolonged hospitalisations and is responsible for significant patient morbidity and health care expenditures. Management of AF after cardiac surgery can be guided by knowledge of what is known about clinical postoperative AF and the evidence available on the efficacy of treatment strategies. The following is a concise review of postoperative AF as well as an evidence based approach to the management of AF after cardiac surgery. Postoperative AF occurs in approximately 30–40% of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery and in as many as 64% of patients with concomitant valve surgery. In a prospective observational study of 4657 patients undergoing CABG surgery at 70 centres, the peak incidence of AF occurred on postoperative day 2 and 3. Over 60% of AF episodes occurred by day 2. Fifty-seven per cent of patients had only one episode of AF during their hospitalisation.1 Several clinical factors have been implicated as risk factors for postoperative AF (box 1). These risk factors include advanced age, concomitant valve surgery, a prior history of AF, congestive heart failure, left atrial enlargement, decreased left ventricular function, postoperative withdrawal of β-adrenergic blockade, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and P wave duration on a 12 lead ECG. Among these risk factors, age is the most consistently reproduced independent risk factor for postoperative AF. In a study of patients undergoing CABG, Zaman et al reported that only 3.4% of patients aged 50–54 years developed postoperative AF, compared to 42.2% of patients aged 70–74 years. The odds of developing AF increased 1.48-fold for each 5 year increase in …
Frequency dependence of pressure--volume loops in isolated dog lobes.

Abstract Eight excised dog lobes were cycled at frequencies ranging from 0.3 to 50 cycles/min. Using the retrograde catheter technique for measuring air pressure near alveoli, pressure-volume loops were recorded at several frequencies within the range. Two characteristics of these loops were examined systematically: the dynamic compliance and the hysteresis area (work loss per cycle). In the frequency range examined, all lobes showed some degree of dependence of hysteresis area on cycling frequency. About half the tracings exhibited local maxima in a work per cycle vs frequency plot. All of the eight lobes exhibited a decrease in dynamic compliance with increasing frequency. The monotonic decrease in dynamic compliance with frequency is consistent with reports of previous workers on excised and intact preparations. Our experiments demonstrate that the hysteresis area is frequency dependent and suggest that some frequency dependence should exist even in non-pathologic conditions. Possible interpretations of these results in terms of the dynamic behavior of surfactant films and lung tissue are given and the need is discussed for including such effects in continuum mechanics models of the lung.
Prediction of heart failure post myocardial infarction: comparison of ejection fraction, transmitral filling parameters, and the index of myocardial performance.

Following an acute myocardial infarction (MI), the development of congestive heart failure (CHF) has been associated with a reduced ejection fraction (EF), pseudonormal or restrictive diastolic filling, and an increased index of myocardial performance (IMP). Study Objectives: To determine the comparative predictive value of EF, transmitral filling parameters, and IMP for the development of CHF following a first MI. Design and Setting: A retrospective analysis of consecutive echocardiographic and Doppler studies in patients admitted for their first acute MI from the years 1988 through 1992. We studied 109 patients following their first MI with two-dimensional and Doppler within 24 hours of MI. We divided patients into those who developed CHF within 15 days (43 patients) and without CHF (66 patients). Results: Patients who developed CHF had greater LV dilatation, lower EF (27.7%± 10.2% vs 45.6%± 13.2%, P < 0.001), higher E/A, shorter deceleration times (DCT; 157 ± 69 msec vs 248 ± 105 msec, P < 0.001), and increased IMP. Utilizing multiple logistic regression, EF (strongest predictor), DCT, and IMP were predictive of CHF. Nineteen patients in the no CHF group developed late CHF and had lower EFs (30.5%± 13.1% vs 50.5%± 9.8%, P < 0.001), higher E/A and shorter DCTs (161 ± 39 msec vs 283 ± 103 msec, P < 0.001). EF, DCT, and E/A were predictive of late CHF in patients without initial CHF. For patients admitted with a first MI, the EF, DCT, and to a lesser extent IMP predicted who would ultimately develop CHF. An EF < 40% or a DCT < 200 msec correctly predicted CHF in 60 of 62 patients. Conclusion: We conclude that the early and ultimate development of CHF following a first MI were associated with an moderately reduced EF < 40%, pseudonormal diastolic filling indices, and an increased IMP. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 20, November 2003)
Social disorder and diagnostic order: the US Mental Hygiene Movement, the Midtown Manhattan study and the development of psychiatric epidemiology in the 20th century

Recent scholarship regarding psychiatric epidemiology has focused on shifting notions of mental disorders. In psychiatric epidemiology in the last decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century, mental disorders have been perceived and treated largely as discrete categories denoting an individual’s mental functioning as either pathological or normal. In the USA, this grew partly out of evolving modern epidemiological work responding to the State’s commitment to measure the national social and economic burdens of psychiatric disorders and subsequently to determine the need for mental health services and to survey these needs over time. Notably absent in these decades have been environmentally oriented approaches to cultivating normal, healthy mental states, approaches initially present after World War II. We focus here on a set of community studies conducted in the 1950s, particularly the Midtown Manhattan study, which grew out of a holistic conception of mental health that depended on social context and had a strong historical affiliation with: the Mental Hygiene Movement and the philosophy of its founder, Adolf Meyer; the epidemiological formation of field studies and population surveys beginning early in the 20th century, often with a health policy agenda; the recognition of increasing chronic disease in the USA; and the radical change in orientation within psychiatry around World War II. We place the Midtown Manhattan study in historical context—a complex narrative of social institutions, professional formation and scientific norms in psychiatry and epidemiology, and social welfare theory that begins during the Progressive era (1890-1920) in the USA.
A large salmonellosis outbreak associated with a frequently penalized restaurant

Between January and June 1990, Restaurant A in Greenville, South Carolina repeatedly failed local health department inspection and was repeatedly sanctioned. In September 1990, two persons, hospitalized with salmonellosis after attending a convention catered by Restaurant A, contacted the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. We inspected Restaurant A, interviewed food handlers, and surveyed by telephone persons from every sixth business attending the convention. Of 398 persons interviewed, 135 (34%) reported gastroenteritis. Nine had culture-confirmed salmonella infection. People who ate turkey were 4.6 times more likely to become ill than those who did not eat turkey (95% confidence interval 2.0, 10.6). We estimate that of 2430 attendees, 824 became ill. Sanitarians judged Restaurant A's kitchen too small to prepare over 500 meals safely. The cooked turkey was unrefrigerated for several hours, incompletely rewarmed, and rinsed with water to reduce its offensive odour prior to serving. Stronger sanctions may be needed against restaurants that repeatedly fail local health department inspection.
The effect of time pressure on auditor attention to qualitative aspects of misstatements indicative of potential fraudulent financial reporting

Abstract Motivated by recent concern regarding the auditor's role in fraud detection, this study predicts that (1) under time pressure auditors' attention will become focused on the dominant task at the expense of attention to the subsidiary task and (2) the task of accumulating documentary evidence regarding frequency of misstatements will dominate the task of attending to qualitative aspects of misstatements. Results from an experiment were consistent with expectations.
Changes in Virus Load Markers during AIDS-Associated Opportunistic Diseases in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Persons

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) load markers are being used increasingly to monitor disease progression and evaluate antiretroviral therapy. This study examined plasma HIV RNA and p24 antigen levels before, during, and after 15 AIDS-associated opportunistic disease events in patients with AIDS (median CD4 cell count = 65/microL). Plasma HIV RNA was detected during 13 of the 15 events (median level before an event = 21,000 copies/mL). There was an increase in the level of plasma HIV RNA with the onset of an AIDS-associated opportunistic disease during 11 of 13 events for which HIV RNA was detectable (median level during an event = 145,000 copies/mL). There was a decline in the level of HIV RNA with the recovery from disease (median level after an event = 29,700 copies/mL). In contrast, there was no consistent or significant change in p24 antigen levels or CD4 cell counts with either the onset of or recovery from an event. Clinical interpretation of plasma HIV RNA changes must take into account this reversible elevation during AIDS-associated opportunistic disease.