cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of GlnK in NifL-Mediated Regulation of NifA Activity in Azotobacter vinelandii

In several diazotrophic species of Proteobacteria, P(II) signal transduction proteins have been implicated in the regulation of nitrogen fixation in response to NH(4)(+) by several mechanisms. In Azotobacter vinelandii, expression of nifA, encoding the nif-specific activator, is constitutive, and thus, regulation of NifA activity by the flavoprotein NifL appears to be the primary level of nitrogen control. In vitro and genetic evidence suggests that the nitrogen response involves the P(II)-like GlnK protein and GlnD (uridylyltransferase/uridylyl-removing enzyme), which reversibly uridylylates GlnK in response to nitrogen limitation. Here, the roles of GlnK and GlnK-UMP in A. vinelandii were studied to determine whether the Nif (-) phenotype of glnD strains was due to an inability to modify GlnK, an effort previously hampered because glnK is an essential gene in this organism. A glnKY51F mutation, encoding an unuridylylatable form of the protein, was stable only in a strain in which glutamine synthetase activity is not inhibited by NH(4)(+), suggesting that GlnK-UMP is required to signal adenylyltransferase/adenylyl-removing enzyme-mediated deadenylylation. glnKY51F strains were significantly impaired for diazotrophic growth and expression of a nifH-lacZ fusion. NifL interacted with GlnK and GlnKY51F in a yeast two-hybrid system. Together, these data are consistent with those obtained from in vitro experiments (Little et al., EMBO J., 19:6041-6050, 2000) and support a model for regulation of NifA activity in which unmodified GlnK stimulates NifL inhibition and uridylylation of GlnK in response to nitrogen limitation prevents this function. This model is distinct from one proposed for the related bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, in which unmodified GlnK relieves NifL inhibition instead of stimulating it.
Analysis of Ontong Java Plateau palaeolatitudes: evidence for large-scale rotation since 123 Ma?

SUMMARY We have discovered evidence of a previously unrecognized, large-scale rotation of the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) recorded in its basement palaeolatitudes. When palaeolatitude differences computed among Ocean Drilling Program Sites 807 and 1183–1187 are plotted versus their present-day site latitude differences, a systematic 2:1 slope bias is evident. While it is possible to resolve this bias by introducing ad hoc tilt corrections at all six sites, drilling records indicate relatively undisturbed conditions at Sites 1183 and 1185–1187. Of the possible causes of the bias, only whole plateau rotation resolves it while honouring the majority of published palaeolatitudes. This implies that only Sites 807 and 1184 palaeolatitudes, both questioned in the literature, are erroneous. A 9 ◦ northward dip previously reported at Site 1184 appears to stem from inclined deposition rather than post-emplacement deformation. We also estimate an 8 ◦ southward tilt correction at Site 807 to make the data set self-consistent. Based on the six sites analysed, we find that OJP may have experienced ∼40 ◦ of clockwise rotation since its formation at ∼123 Ma. In contrast, available Pacific absolute plate motion (APM) models predict less than 10 ◦ of rotation. If our analysis is correct, it suggests that the plateau moved independently of the Pacific Plate early in its history or that Pacific APM models for the Lower Cretaceous are unreliable. While our corrections to Sites 807 and 1184 combined with ∼40 ◦ rotation resolve the internal inconsistencies, the mean palaeolatitude value of Ontong Java remains largely unchanged and is still anomalous with respect to the Pacific apparent polar wander path at ∼123 Ma.
Singing the glory of asceticism: devotion of asceticism in Jainism

The Jain tradition is commonly portrayed in scholarly literature as being focused on, if not obsessed with, various and oftentimes extreme forms of asceticism. In the resulting scholarly portrait of the Jains, there is little if any place for devotion (bhakti). This scholarly separation of asceticism and devotion, as constituting radicaly different spheres of religious activity, is not restricted to the Jains but, rather, is widespread in the comparative study of religion. This article places Jain asceticism within a larger Jain religious framework to show some of the ways in which asceticism interacts with, and is often interdependent with, devotion. Asceticism is often performed in a devotional spirit. It is also often the object of devotion. A Jain can accomplish the spiritual goal of an improved karmic balance by performing asceticism him - or herself. A Jain can also accomplish this by praising asceticism with enthusiasm and devotion. This article argues that asceticism and devotion are not so much alternative practices as they are mutually reinforcing practices in Jainism. It also indicates that Jains practice bhakti to abstract principles similarly to the way they practice bhakti to humans and deities, and so we need to expand our scholarly understanding of bhakti and devotion.
Habitat of Origin and Changes in Water Chemistry Influence Development of Western Chorus Frogs

A variety of biotic and abiotic variables have been shown to affect length of larval period and size of juveniles at metamorphosis in amphibians. However, influence of water quality on phenotypic plasticity of growth and development of tadpoles generally has received less attention. We examined how abiotic factors in the larval environment change over time and how these changes affect the growth and development of larval amphibians. Western Chorus Frogs, Pseudacris triseriata, in tallgrass prairie breed in ephemeral aquatic habitats including intermittent streams and bison wallows. Our objectives were to determine whether abiotic factors in the larval environment of P. triseriata changed predictably as pools dried and to determine whether these changes affected growth and development of tadpoles when the environment was simulated in the laboratory. In our field studies, pH increased gradually in wallows, whereas ammonium increased in streams, as each habitat dried. In the laboratory, we examined the effects of increased levels of pH and ammonium on growth and development of tadpoles collected from both wallows and streams. Tadpoles collected from streams metamorphosed significantly faster in the high ammonium treatment than tadpoles from wallows. In contrast, tadpoles from wallows metamorphosed faster in the high pH treatment than tadpoles collected from streams. Growth rates of tadpoles from streams were not significantly affected by high pH, whereas those from wallows were not significantly affected by high ammonium treatments. We suggest that changes in abiotic factors over the course of the larval period may influence developmental rate and that natal habitat may determine how tadpoles respond to changes in abiotic factors.
The Eosinophil in Infection

First described by Paul Ehrlich in 1879, who noted its characteristic staining by acidophilic dyes, for many years, the eosinophil was considered to be an end-effector cell associated with helminth infections and a cause of tissue damage. Over the past 30 years, research has helped to elucidate the complexity of the eosinophil’s function and establish its role in host defense and immunity. Eosinophils express an array of ligand receptors which play a role in cell growth, adhesion, chemotaxis, degranulation, and cell-to-cell interactions. They play a role in activation of complement via both classical and alternative pathways. Eosinophils synthesize, store and secrete cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors. They can process antigen, stimulate T cells, and promote humoral responses by interacting with B cells. Eosinophils can function as antigen presenting cells and can regulate processes associated with both T1 and T2 immunity. Although long known to play a role in defense against helminth organisms, the interactions of eosinophils with these parasites are now recognized to be much more complex. In addition, their interaction with other pathogens continues to be investigated. In this paper, we review the eosinophil’s unique biology and structure, including its characteristic granules and the effects of its proteins, our developing understanding of its role in innate and adaptive immunity and importance in immunomodulation, and the part it plays in defense against parasitic, viral, fungal and bacterial infections. Rather than our worst enemy, the eosinophil may, in fact, be one of the most essential components in host defense and immunity.
Ex situ study of the effectiveness of enucleation in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

AbstractWe wished to identify the efficacy of enucleation (excavation) in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. Surgical specimens from 26 patients with polar or peripheral lesions, 50 per cent of which were found incidentally by computerized tomography scan, were considered amenable to this form of treatment and were studied by ex situ enucleation after standard radical nephrectomy. Eleven patients were determined to have unsuccessful enucleation after histopathological study demonstrated capsular invasion, vascular invasion, residual tumor in the bed or multicentric tumors. Preoperative computerized tomography assessment did not accurately predict success of enucleation. The presence of a fibrous pseudocapsule of compressed renal parenchyma, which might facilitate a dissection plane and successful enucleation, did not correlate with tumor size. Microscopic examination of pseudocapsular integrity frequently revealed areas of thinning, disruption and penetration by neoplasm. When parenchymal preservation...
Building a Hierarchically Aligned Chinese-English Parallel Treebank

We construct a hierarchically aligned Chinese-English parallel treebank by manually doing word alignments and phrase alignments simultaneously on parallel phrase-based parse trees. The main innovation of our approach is that we leave words without a translation counterpart (which are mostly language-particular function words) unaligned on the word level, and locate and align the appropriate phrases which encapsulate them. In doing so, we harmonize word-level and phraselevel alignments. We show that this type of annotation can be performedwith high inter-annotator consistency and have both linguistic and engineering potentials.
Assessing quality of unmet user needs: Effects of need statement characteristics

Abstract We demonstrate a front-end, user-centered method to prioritize unmet needs previously generated from large groups. Several hypotheses were tested: (1) Needs submitted first will be less likely to be high quality than needs submitted after a sustained period of time; (2) Semantically similar need statements will be rated as equivalent in quality; (3) Need statements will be rated as higher quality if a detailed description of the need context was available. Over 20 000 ratings for 1697 statements across three common product areas were analyzed. The results showed needs that first come to mind are not lower quality than needs that come to mind later and can inform early design phases to balance in-depth research and size of user groups.
Liver transplantation for the treatment of neuroendocrine liver metastases

Neuroendocrine neoplasms represent a heterogeneous group of cancers arising from a variety of neuroendocrine cell types. In general, these tumors (NET) are asymptomatic and are discovered late once metastatic disease is present (40-80%). The liver is the most common organ involved when metastases occur (40-93%), followed by bone (12-20%) and lungs (8-10%). A number of different therapeutic options are available for patients with hepatic metastases including surgical resection, transplantation, transarterial chemoembolization, radiofrequency and microwave ablation, radioembolization (Y90), chemotherapy, somatostatin analogues and molecular targeted therapies. Surgical resection is still considered the treatment of choice and provides excellent disease control with an overall survival of 47-92%. Liver transplantation has been advocated in selected patients with bilateral unresectable symptomatic liver metastases. The aim of this study is to review the existing literature emphasizing on the role of transplantation to treat patients with liver metastases from NET.
Transportation in Knowledge Society

The history of transportation is one ever increasing speed, comfort, convenience, safety, reliability, and continuously dropping costs of travel. Most people attribute this historical progression of transportation to technological progress in the vehicles and infrastructures. It is true that from the invention of the wheel, the harness, the sailing ship etc. in early times, the pace of technology advances in vehicles and propulsion systems quickened in recent times, as the steam engine, the electric street car and railroad, the internal combustion engine, the jet engine, containerization, and the “mega-ship” have arrived to improve the quality, and lower sharply the costs of travel. Parallel advances in transport physical infrastructures — tunnels, suspension bridges, railroads over all kinds of terrain, the U.S. Interstate System, and modern airports and marine terminals - have also contributed. Third, the development of appropriate non-material infrastructure — knowledge, technical standards, procedures, laws, and policies that guide the governance of transportation— has provided social coordination of the vehicles and the physical facilities and made possible a remarkable level of cheap, efficient, and safe transport—even as all types of travel are expanding dramatically.
Continued lessons from the INS gene: an intronic mutation causing diabetes through a novel mechanism

Background Diabetes in neonates usually has a monogenic aetiology; however, the cause remains unknown in 20–30%. Heterozygous INS mutations represent one of the most common gene causes of neonatal diabetes mellitus. Methods Clinical and functional characterisation of a novel homozygous intronic mutation (c.187+241G>A) in the insulin gene in a child identified through the Monogenic Diabetes Registry ( ). Results The proband had insulin-requiring diabetes from birth. Ultrasonography revealed a structurally normal pancreas and C-peptide was undetectable despite readily detectable amylin, suggesting the presence of dysfunctional β cells. Whole-exome sequencing revealed the novel mutation. In silico analysis predicted a mutant mRNA product resulting from preferential recognition of a newly created splice site. Wild-type and mutant human insulin gene constructs were derived and transiently expressed in INS-1 cells. We confirmed the predicted transcript and found an additional transcript created via an ectopic splice acceptor site. Conclusions Dominant INS mutations cause diabetes via a mutated translational product causing endoplasmic reticulum stress. We describe a novel mechanism of diabetes, without β cell death, due to creation of two unstable mutant transcripts predicted to undergo nonsense and non-stop-mediated decay, respectively. Our discovery may have broader implications for those with insulin deficiency later in life.
CS-38BAI1 IS A NEW TUMOR SUPPRESSOR IN MEDULLOBLASTOMA.

Brain-specific Angiogenesis Inhibitor 1 (BAI1) is a seven transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) with potent anti-angiogenic and anti-tumorigenic properties in gliomas. Our novel findings show that BAI1 expression is significantly reduced in human medulloblastoma (MB) by epigenetic mechanisms, leading us to hypothesize that loss of expression of BAI1 may favor tumor development during cerebellar development. To test this hypothesis, we generated a Bai1 knockout (KO) mouse and detected aberrant activation of Sonic hedgehog signaling and a thicker external granular layer during early postnatal cerebellum development. Furthermore, upon crossing the Bai1 KO mice with mice heterozygous for patched 1 (ptc1 + /-), we found that deficiency of Bai1 dramatically accelerated MB tumorigenesis, the first demonstration that a reduction in Bai1 dosage can promote MB formation in vivo. Moreover, restoration of BAI1 expression in human MB cells inhibited cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. These results support that BAI1 is a novel tumor suppressor for MB and that down-regulation of BAI1 in the cerebellum may drive inappropriate downstream growth signaling and contribute to neoplastic transformation leading to the formation of MB. To further elucidate the molecular mechanisms, we are currently exploring the Bai1 downstream signaling involved in MB tumorigenesis and will present the related findings. Our results also suggest that restoration of BAI1 expression may represent a novel therapeutic intervention for MB. Specifically, we demonstrate that small molecule epigenetic inhibitors of either EZH2 or MBD2 can reactivate BAI1 expression. Taken together, our novel findings provide insight into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying MB tumorigenesis and provide the rationale for the use of epigenetic therapeutics against MB.
Efficiency of a New Trapping and Marking Technique for Peridomestic Cockroaches (Dictyoptera: Blattaria)

A lightweight baited trap is described for use either at ground level or attached to vertical surfaces for live-trapping cockroaches where nontarget animals are common. Dry distiller's grain in small plastic condiment cups was the bait. Reliability was exceptional: in a trial of 1,500 trap-days (125 traps used over a period of 12 d), only one trap was disturbed. Cumulatively, 15 species of cockroaches have been captured with this baited trap. Trapped cockroaches (adults and nymphs) were marked, and recapture rates for the two most commonly trapped species ( Periplaneta fuliginosa (Serville) and Eurycotis floridana (Walker)) ranged from 38.5 to 75%. Mean number of trap-days between recapture (3.5 ± 0.10) indicated that the release of marked individuals at the point of capture did not result in immediate recapture and therefore did not inflate recapture rates inordinately.
Evaluation of Flow Solver Accuracy using Five Simple Unsteady Validation Cases

The goal of this study was to evaluate the time accuracy of five different Navier-Stokes flow solvers using five simple two-dimensional validation cases. The five flow solvers included Cobalt, USM3D, FUN3D, Beggar and NASCART-GT. The five validation cases included the laminar flow over a circular cylinder, the laminar shock tube, the inviscid convecting vortex, the 18%-thick circular-arc airfoil and the NACA 0015 pitching airfoil. This study was conducted in an effort to better understand the capabilities of each flow solver for time-accurate calculations. The eventual goal of the project was to use one or more of these flow solvers to analyze the unsteady transonic flow over a fighter aircraft with stores in captive carriage. Evaluating the capabilities of each flow solver with simple validation cases rather than a complicated fighter aircraft was desirable.
Extending the lean operation limit of a gasoline Wankel rotary engine using hydrogen enrichment

Abstract In this paper, an experimental investigation of the effect of hydrogen enrichment on a gasoline Wankel engine's Lean Operation Limit (LOL) was performed. A monorotor Wankel engine operating at 3000 rpm and wide open throttle was modified to run on gasoline and hydrogen blends. Excess air ratio varying from stoichiometric mixtures to the engine lean burn limit with 0%, 3% and 6% of hydrogen energy fractions in the intake were investigated. The experimental results proved that adding hydrogen to gasoline extends the original engine LOL while improving the engine stability. An increased thermal efficiency and reduced burn duration, brake specific energy consumption, and HC, CO and CO2 emissions were observed with hydrogen enrichment. Furthermore, the extension of the engine LOL with hydrogen addition could potentially control the NOx emissions of a gasoline Wankel engine to very low levels without using a three-way catalytic converter.
High-Dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Transplantation (AHCT) for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) in Patients over 65 Years of Age.

Abstract High-dose chemotherapy followed by AHCT is the treatment of choice for relapsed NHL. Often this therapy is not offered to patients over 65 yrs of age because of concerns regarding their ability to tolerate “aggressive therapy”. We present a retrospective analysis of 99 consecutive pts. who underwent AHCT for NHL at our institution from 6/96–3/06. RESULTS: Median age at AHCT was 68 yrs (range, 65–83). Seventy percent were males. Most common histologies were DLCL (55%), MCL (15%), and FL grades 1–3 (15%). Median number of chemoregimens administered prior to AHCT were 2 (range, 1–6). Median IPI score at AHCT was 1 (range, 0–4). Majority of patients (99%) had a ECOG PS score of Table . *RRT Grades 3–5 Age years (No.) 65–69 (58 pts) 70–75 (34 pts) > 75 (8 pts) Toxicity Grade 3/4/5 3/4/5 3/4/5 Pulmonary (pnemonitis) 1/1/0 0/0/1 0/0/1 GI (diarrhea) 6/0/0 2/0/0 0/0/0 GI (mucositis/stomatitis) 6/0/0 0/0/0 1/0/0 GI (nausea) 0/0/0 0/0/0 1/0/0 Neurologic (confusion) 1/0/0 1/0/0 0/0/0 GU (inc creatinine) 1/0/0 2/0/0 0/0/0 Hepatic 1/1/0 1/0/0 0/0/0 Cardiovascular 3/0/0 1/0/0 1/1/0 Allergy (BCNU) 1/0/0 0/0/0 0/0/0 Skin rash 1/0/0 0/0/0 0/0/0 Fatigue/Bone pain 1/0/0 0/0/0 1/0/0 *CTCAE ver 3.0 Cumulative TRM was 12 % (95% CI 6–22) at 3 yrs. Median follow-up among survivors is 26 mths (range, 1–115). OS at 3 yrs was 61% (95% CI 49–71) for the entire cohort. At 3 yrs the DFS was 48% (95% CI 33–61), 68% (95% CI 36–87), and 63% (95% CI 22–87) for DLCL, MCL and FL respectively. On univariate analysis IPI > 1, LDH > normal, and SD/PD at the time of AHCT were predictors of worse OS. Disease status at transplant and LDH > normal remained significant predictors for OS on multivariate analysis. Age, gender, histology, number of prior chemoregimens, time from diagnosis to AHCT, and conditioning regimen were not significant predictors of OS. Cause of death was disease progression/relapse in 60%. Eight patients developed sMDS/AML after AHCT. CONCLUSIONS: Patients over 65 yrs of age can undergo AHCT with acceptable toxicity and should be considered transplant candidates if they have chemosensitive disease and an IPI score of ≤ 1 at the time of AHCT.
Dynamics and control of novel orbiting formations with internal dynamics

This study analyzes for the first time the interaction between a rigid and a deformable vehicle in formation. In this paper we investigate the interaction between an orbiting system of two tethered spacecraft and a single separated spacecraft. This problem arises when a distributed sensor array formed by connected vehicles is being commanded to reconfigure from a remote location by another remote vehicle. In another example, a free-flying robotic inspector vehicle flies around a deployed large space structure, such as a tethered spacecraft, deployed membrane or solar reflector, with the intent of monitoring the structural integrity of the larger vehicle prior to docking and possibly servicing it. This paper points out that even if the additional internal dynamics of the system caused by flexibility is considered, high pointing precision can be achieved when a fictitious rigid frame is used to track the tethered system. Even higher precision can be achieved when one specific point on the deformable structure is directly tracked. The results show that accuracy to the sub centimeter level or less in relative positioning and to the arc second level in relative angle can also be achieved with this novel architecture.
The use of ImageJ software to correlate the percentage area of Ag crystallites to contact resistance in Si solar cells

The formation of a continuous contact in a silicon solar cell with high percentage area of Ag crystallite ensures low contact resistance. This work utilizes ImageJ open source software to measure and analyze the percentage area of Ag crystallite and other impurities in a contact of a silicon solar cell. It measures the percentage area of Ag crystallite in the contact of Si solar cells with three different Ag pastes: A, B, and C. The A-paste repeatedly shows high percentage area of Ag crystallite, fill factor (FF) and the lowest contact resistance, followed by the B-paste, and finally the C-paste. With the data collected and analyzed, an inverse correlation was shown between the percentage area of Ag crystallite and the contact resistance.
Neuroimaging Biomarkers of Caloric Restriction on Brain Metabolic and Vascular Functions

Non-invasive neuroimaging methods have been developed as powerful tools for identifying in vivo brain functions for studies in humans and animals. Here, we review the imaging biomarkers that are being used to determine the changes within brain metabolic and vascular functions induced by caloric restriction (CR) and their potential usefulness for future studies with dietary interventions in humans. CR causes an early shift in brain metabolism of glucose to ketone bodies and enhances ATP production, neuronal activity, and cerebral blood flow (CBF). With age, CR preserves mitochondrial activity, neurotransmission, CBF, and spatial memory. CR also reduces anxiety in aging mice. Neuroimaging studies in humans show that CR restores abnormal brain activity in the amygdala of women with obesity and enhances brain connectivity in old adults. Neuroimaging methods have excellent translational values and can be widely applied in future studies to identify dietary effects on brain functions in humans.
Conservation laws for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Abstract We propose a method of calculating the operator densities h ˆ n n = 0 , 1 , … of the conservation laws for the quantum nonlinear Schrodinger equation. It follows from the method that h ˆ n are polynomials in fields and their derivatives and in the coupling constant. The densities h ˆ n n ≤ 4 are explicitly calculated. Comparison with the integral densities bn n = 0, 1, … for the classical nonlinear Schrodinger equation shows that the correspondence between h ˆ n and bn breaks down after n = 3.
Divergent roles of a peripheral transmembrane segment in AMPA and NMDA receptors

Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), including AMPA receptor (AMPAR) and NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subtypes, are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate signaling at the majority of excitatory synapses in the nervous system. The iGluR pore domain is structurally and evolutionarily related to an inverted two-transmembrane K+ channel. Peripheral to the pore domain in eukaryotic iGluRs is an additional transmembrane helix, the M4 segment, which interacts with the pore domain of a neighboring subunit. In AMPARs, the integrity of the alignment of a specific face of M4 with the adjacent pore domain is essential for receptor oligomerization. In contrast to AMPARs, NMDARs are obligate heterotetramers composed of two GluN1 and typically two GluN2 subunits. Here, to address the function of the M4 segments in NMDARs, we carry out a tryptophan scan of M4 in GluN1 and GluN2A subunits. Unlike AMPARs, the M4 segments in NMDAR subunits makes only a limited contribution to their biogenesis. However, the M4 segments in both NMDAR subunits are critical for receptor activation, with mutations at some positions, most notably at the extreme extracellular end, completely halting the gating process. Furthermore, although the AMPAR M4 makes a minimal contribution to receptor desensitization, the NMDAR M4 segments have robust and subunit-specific effects on desensitization. These findings reveal that the functional roles of the M4 segments in AMPARs and NMDARs have diverged in the course of their evolution and that the M4 segments in NMDARs may act as a transduction pathway for receptor modulation at synapses.
Team Logo Predicts Concussion Risk: Lessons in Protecting a Vulnerable Sports Community from Misconceived, but Highly Publicized Epidemiologic Research.

BACKGROUND Observational research has linked altitude to concussion risk, but the physiologic and epidemiologic bases for this association remain questionable. METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study by analyzing four seasons of National Football League data from a widely used database (Concussion Watch) to determine if previous claims that altitude ≥196 m reduced concussion risk were replicable and whether an arbitrary predictor variable (animal vs. non-animal team logo) was related to concussion risk. Relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were computed. RESULTS The previous association with altitude was reproduced for earlier seasons, but not replicable for recent seasons (RR = 0.92 [95% CI = 0.70, 1.22]). Across four combined seasons, "higher altitude" (RR = 0.78 [0.64, 0.96]) and animal logo (RR = 0.75 [0.63, 0.89]) were similarly associated with reduced concussion risk. CONCLUSIONS Inconsistent epidemiologic effects, combined with weak physiologic rationale, suggest links between altitude and concussion are coincidental. Interdisciplinary critique of concussion research is necessary to ensure that marketing claims and clinical recommendations are scientifically justified.See video abstract at, http://links.lww.com/EDE/B234.
Proteasome inhibition promotes tumor cell apoptosis by exogenous TRAIL without blocking anti-tumor immune effectors in vivo (50.6)

The resistance of tumors to cell death poses a major clinical problem. Bortezomib (Velcade/PS-341), a specific and reversible proteasome inhibitor, sensitized renal (Renca) and mammary (4T1) mouse carcinomas to apoptosis induced by the TNF family ligand TRAIL or its receptor (DR5) agonist antibody. The molecular basis of the tumoritoxicity of the combination of bortezomib and TRAIL seemingly involved amplification of the extrinsic cell death pathway as increased expression of DR5, activation of caspase-8 and -3, and decreased apoptosis inhibitory proteins cFLIP, cIAP-1 and XIAP were observed in bortezomib-treated tumors. In an established tumor setting, anti-DR5 administration to mice pre-treated with bortezomib not only reduced lung metastases of Renca and 4T1 tumors but also significantly increased long-term survival in mice bearing Renca as compared to either agent alone. Encouragingly, no evidence of any overt tissue damage was noted in the treated mice. This provides the first experimental evidence that proteasome inhibition can be combined with DR5 agonist antibody for successful cancer therapy. Moreover, bortezomib administration 24 hours prior to adoptive transfer of T cells did not block their anti-tumor effector function. This suggests that tumor sensitization with bortezomib may also be combined with tumor-specific T cell immunotherapy of cancer. Funded in part by NCI contract N01-CO-12400.
Functional and antioxidant properties of protein hydrolysates obtained from white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

Protein hydrolysates from white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) with different degrees of hydrolysis (DH—10 and 20%) were prepared using the enzymes Alcalase 2.4 L and Protamex. The hydrolysates were evaluated for amino acid composition, solubility, foaming properties, emulsifying and antioxidant activity. All the hydrolysates showed high concentrations of Glutamic Acid, Aspartic acid, Arginine, Glycine, Lysine, Proline. It was found that the increase in the production of negatively charged amino acids was related to increase in DH. The hydrophobic amino acids were higher for hydrolysates obtained with Alcalase (10% DH) and Protamex (20% DH). The results indicated that higher degree of hydrolysis showed positive relation with the protein solubility of the hydrolysates, while negatively influenced foam and emulsification properties. The antioxidant properties presented by the white shrimp protein hydrolysates were influenced by the composition and peptides size. Hydrolysates with higher peptide chain showed the highest antioxidant power for the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging and reducing power, while hydrolysates with lower peptide chain showed higher antioxidant power for 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline sulfonic acid) radical scavenging. All hydrolysates showed dose-dependent antioxidant activities. Therefore, the results of the present study suggest that white shrimp is a potential source of protein hydrolysates as bioactive ingredients for the use in the formulation of functional foods as well as natural antioxidants in lipid food systems.
Social cost of carbon pricing of power sector CO 2 : accounting for leakage and other social implications from subnational policies

In environments where climate policy has partial coverage or unequal participation, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions or economic activity may shift to locations and sectors where emissions are unregulated. This is referred to as leakage. Leakage can offset or augment emissions reductions associated with a policy, which has important environmental and economic implications. Although leakage has been studied at national levels, analysis of leakage for subnational policies is limited. This is despite greater market integration and many existing state and regional environmental regulations in the US. This study explores leakage potential, net emissions changes, and other social implications in the US energy system with regionally differentiated pricing of power sector CO2 emissions. We undertake an economic analysis using EPRI's US-REGEN model, where power sector CO2 emissions are priced in individual US regions with a range of social cost of carbon (SCC) values. SCC estimates are being considered by policy-makers for valuing potential societal damages from CO2 emissions. In this study, we evaluate the emissions implications within the SCC pricing region, within the power sector outside the SCC region, and outside the power sector (i.e. in the rest of the energy system). Results indicate that CO2 leakage is possible within and outside the electric sector, ranging from negative 70% to over 80% in our scenarios, with primarily positive leakage outcomes. Typically ignored in policy analysis, leakage would affect CO2 reduction benefits. We also observe other potential societal effects within and across regions, such as higher electricity prices, changes in power sector investments, and overall consumption losses. Efforts to reduce leakage, such as constraining power imports into the SCC pricing region likely reduce leakage, but could also result in lower net emissions reductions, as well as larger price increases. Thus, it is important to look beyond leakage and consider a broader set of environmental and economic metrics. Leakage rates, net emissions outcomes, electricity price changes, fuel market effects, and macroeconomic costs vary by region of the country, time, policy stringency, policy design (e.g. leakage mitigation provisions), policy environment in neighboring regions, and price responsiveness of demand.
A Case Study of Change in the Teaching and Learning of Precalculus to Calculus 2: What We Are Doing with What We Have.

This article presents a case study that details the successes and lessons learned by faculty and administrators at San Diego State University (SDSU) who are in the process of implementing a substan...
Pressure Pain Phenotypes in Women Before Breast Cancer Treatment

Objectives To explore associations between quantitative sensory testing (QST) and pretreatment pain, physical, and psychological characteristics in women with breast cancer. Sample & setting 41 women with treatment-naive stage 0-III breast cancer at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor. Methods & variables Participants completed self-report surveys and QST within the month before breast surgery. Pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were measured bilaterally at each trapezius with a manual QST algometer. PPT values were split, yielding low, moderate, and high pain sensitivity subgroups. Subgroup self-reported characteristics were compared using Spearman's correlation, chi-square, and one-way analysis of variance. Results Lower PPT (higher sensitivity) was associated with higher levels of pain interference and maladaptive pain cognitions. The high-sensitivity group reported higher pain severities, interference, and catastrophizing and lower belief in internal locus of pain control than the low-sensitivity group. Implications for nursing Individualized interventions for maladaptive pain cognitions before surgery may reduce pain sensitivity and the severity of chronic pain developed after surgery.
Mission-phasing techniques for constrained agents in stochastic environments

Resource constraints restrict the set of actions that an agent can take, such that the agent might not be able to perform all its desired tasks. Computational time limitations restrict the number of states that an agent can model and reason over, such that the agent might not be able to formulate a policy that can respond to all possible eventualities. This work argues that, in either situation, one effective way of improving the agent's performance is to adopt a phasing strategy. Resource-constrained agents can choose to reconfigure resources and switch action sets for handling upcoming events better when moving from phase to phase; time-limited agents can choose to focus computation on high-value phases and to exploit additional computation time during the execution of earlier phases to improve solutions for future phases. This dissertation consists of two parts, corresponding to the aforementioned resource constraints and computational time limitations. The first part of the dissertation focuses on the development of automated resource-driven mission-phasing techniques for agents operating in resource-constrained environments. We designed a suite of algorithms which not only can find solutions to optimize the use of predefined phase-switching points, but can also automatically determine where to establish such points, accounting for the cost of creating them, in complex stochastic environments. By formulating the coupled problems of mission decomposition, resource configuration, and policy formulation into a single compact mathematical formulation, the presented algorithms can effectively exploit problem structure and often considerably reduce computational cost for finding exact solutions. The second part of this dissertation is the design of computation-driven mission-phasing techniques for time-critical systems. We developed a new deliberation scheduling approach, which can simultaneously solve the coupled problems of deciding both when to deliberate given its cost, and which phase decision procedures to execute during deliberation intervals. Meanwhile, we designed a heuristic search method to effectively utilize the allocated time within each phase. As illustrated in analytical and experimental results, the computation-driven mission-phasing techniques, which extend problem decomposition techniques with the across-phase deliberation scheduling and inner-phase heuristic search methods mentioned above, can help an agent judiciously emphasize high-value portions of a large problem, while paying less attention to others, to generate a better policy within its time limit.
Success and Failure in Education and Criminal Justice: Identifying Common Mechanisms

This article provides a literature review of research that investigates the relationship between the United States education and criminaljustice systems. From a sociological perspective, our aim is to explore mechanisms that have been identified as leading to successes and failures within the two respective institutions. In particular, we highlight research conducted on alternative school programs. Furthermore, we provide a discussion about the processes that link the two systems, namely state funding and punitive policies within schools.
Structured Sets of Graphs

We present many examples of structured sets of graphs that convey and support statistical analyses. Structured sets of graphs can be drawn with any modern statistical software system with graphics capabilities. We use S-Plus and R, two dialects of the S language that offer substantial capabilities for producing graphs customized to the particular needs and visions of the analyst. We emphasize two basic paradigms for constructing structured graphs: Cartesian products and the Trellis paradigm. Our software for all examples in this article is available from Heiberger and Holland (2004).
A Commentary on the Parenting of Adolescents in Diverse and Multicultural Contexts

This commentary on the Special Issue on Parenting Adolescents in Multicultural Contexts discusses key concepts addressed by the authors in this special issue. The connecting themes of parenting styles, relationships, and the need for relevant research methods and measures are discussed. The commentary concludes with reflections on these themes for the field of developmental science and important questions for developmental scientists to ponder to advance the research in this important area of inquiry.
Multicultural American Exceptionalism in the Speeches of Frederick Douglass and Barack Obama

AbstractIn his Reconstruction-era speeches, Frederick Douglass faced a more complex rhetorical situation than prior to Emancipation: for the first time an African American man worked from within a major political party and to do this effectively Douglass pioneered a new kind of American exceptionalism rooted in America's “composite nationality” and founding social compact as well as his claim to a representative American identity. His rhetoric of Reconstruction contrasted with his ironic posture toward American principles in the era of slavery and the bitter period after “Southern Redemption,” but his constitution of self and nationhood formed an important model later adopted by Barack Obama. This article specifically examines Frederick Douglass's 1872 stump speeches, Barack Obama's 2008 stump speeches, “Recollections of the Antislavery Conflict” (1873), and “A More Perfect Union” (2008).
Vasodilatory function in human skeletal muscle feed arteries with advancing age: the role of adropin.

KEY POINTS The present study aimed to determine the impact of ageing on endogenous adropin levels in human skeletal muscle feed arteries (SMFAs) and the role of adropin in age-related vascular dysfunction. Adropin protein expression falls progressively with advancing age in the human peripheral vasculature. Endothelial-dependent vasodilatation, typically attenuated with age, was strongly correlated with SMFA adropin protein levels. Adropin incubation restored age-related endothelial-dependent vasodilatory dysfunction and increased the phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)/eNOS ratio in an age-dependent manner in the SMFAs. The role of nitric oxide bioavailability was additionally indicated by NOS blockade ablating both the positive vascular effects of adropin incubation and the relationship between endothelial function and adropin protein expression. Additional evidence of a mechanistic link between declining adropin and age-related endothelial dysfunction was documented by a progressively increasing magnitude of effect of adropin-induced eNOS-mediated vasodilatation with ageing. Adropin appears to be a novel therapeutic target for facilitating the restoration of endothelial function with ageing. ABSTRACT The present study aimed to determine the impact of advancing age on endogenous adropin levels in human skeletal muscle feed arteries (SMFAs) and the role of adropin in age-related vascular dysfunction. Adropin protein expression and vasodilatory capacity was assesed in SMFAs from Young (27 ± 2 years, n = 10), Middle Aged (54 ± 2 years, n = 10) and Old (75 ± 2 years, n = 16) subjects. Endothelial-dependent vasodilatation, with and without adropin incubation, was assessed in response to flow-induced shear stress and ACh. Both SMFA adropin protein expression and endothelial-dependent vasodilatory function exhibited a progressive, age-related, reduction (Flow: Y: 65 ± 3%; Middle Aged: 36 ± 3%; Old: 15 ± 2%; ACh: Young: 63 ± 2%, Middle Aged: 34 ± 3%; Old: 23 ± 3%, P < 0.05). There was a strong positive correlation between SMFA adropin protein expression and both flow (r = 0.81, P < 0.05) and ACh (r = 0.78, P < 0.05). Adropin incubation in the Middle Aged and Old SMFAs restored the vasodilatory response to flow (Middle Aged + Adropin: 59 ± 3%; Old + Adropin: 47 ± 3%, P < 0.05) and ACh (Middle Aged + Adropin: 59 ± 3%; Old + Adropin: 49 ± 2%, P < 0.05). A mechanistic link between adropin and nitric oxide (NO) biovavailabilty was supported by (i) increased phosphorylated endothelial NO synthase (eNOS)/eNOS protein expression with adropin incubation only in the Middle Aged and Old SMFAs; (ii) eNOS blockade ablating both the positive vascular effects of adropin incubation and the relationship between endothelial function and adropin protein expression and (iii) a progressive increase in the magnitude of effect of adropin-induced eNOS-mediated vasodilatation with advancing age. Adropin could be a novel therapeutic target for facilitating the restoration of endothelial function via increased NO bioavailability, with advancing age.
Serum amyloid A and plasma protein electrophoresis fractions in farmed white-tailed deer.

Tools to measure the acute-phase response have been utilized widely in veterinary medicine. Evaluation by plasma protein electrophoresis (PPEP) has become an increasingly common assay in veterinary...
Endothelial struts, a mechanism to generate large lumenized blood vessels de novo

Lumenization of de novo formed blood vessels occurs either through cell hollowing (intracellular lumen)1–3 or cord hollowing (extracellular lumen)4–6 and restricts thereby the initial lumen diameter to one or two endothelial cells (ECs) respectively. However, vasculogenesis can result in large diameter blood vessels, raising the question how these vessels are formed. Here, we describe an alternative model of vasculogenesis that results in the formation of large diameter vessels. In this model, ECs coalesce into a branched network of EC struts within the future lumen of the vessel. These struts maintain the patency of the vessel and serve as a scaffold for the ECs forming the vessel wall, which initially consists out of a few patches of ECs. Together, we show that endothelial struts facilitate the formation of large blood vessels without being bound by the prerequisite of a cord-like structure, nor are they restricted in size.
Exposure to violence and low family income are associated with heightened amygdala responsiveness to threat among adolescents

Abstract The processing of emotional facial expressions is important for social functioning and is influenced by environmental factors, including early environmental experiences. Low socio-economic status (SES) is associated with greater exposure to uncontrollable stressors, including violence, as well as deprivation, defined as a lack or decreased complexity of expected environmental input. The current study examined amygdala and fusiform gyrus response to facial expressions in 207 early adolescents (mean age = 13.93 years, 63.3% female). Participants viewed faces displaying varying intensities of angry and happy faces during functional MRI. SES was assessed using the income-to-needs ratio (INR) and a measure of subjective social status. Cumulative exposure to violence was also assessed. When considered in isolation, only violence exposure was associated with heightened amygdala response to angry faces. When considered jointly, violence exposure and lower INR were both associated with increased amygdala response to angry faces and interacted, such that lower INR was associated with increased amygdala reactivity to anger only in those youth reporting no exposure to violence. This pattern of findings raises the possibility that greater amygdala reactivity to threat cues in children raised in low-SES conditions may arise from different factors associated with an economically-deprived environment.
O-Band 10-km Transmission of 93-Gbaud PAM4 Signal using Spectral Shaping Technique Based on Nonlinear Differential Coding with 1-Tap Precoding

We propose a simple and flexible spectral shaping technique based on nonlinear differential coding for short-reach IM-DD transmission. Experimental results show the achievement of 7% HD-FEC threshold in 186-Gb/s 10-km transmission with 14-GHz bandwidth limitation.