cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The identification of pats1, a novel gene locus required for cytokinesis in Dictyostelium discoideum.

Here, we describe the identification and characterization of the cytokinesis-deficient mutant cell line 17HG5, which was generated in a restriction enzyme–mediated integration mutagenesis screen designed to isolate genes required for cytokinesis in Dictyostelium discoideum. Phenotypic characterization of the 17HG5 cell line revealed no apparent defects in the global functionality of the actomyosin cytoskeleton except for the observed cytokinesis defect when grown in suspension culture. Plasmid rescue was used to identify the disrupted gene locus (pats1; protein associated with the transduction of signal 1) that caused the cytokinesis defect. Disruption of the pats1 locus was recreated through homologous recombination in several independent cell lines, each recapitulating the cytokinesis-defective phenotype and thereby confirming that this gene locus is important for proper cytokinesis. Sequence data obtained by analysis of the genomic region flanking the inserted restriction enzyme–mediated integration plasmid revealed an 8892-bp genomic open reading frame encoding a 2964-amino-acid protein. The putative pats1 protein contains 3 regulatory domains (RI-phosphatase, RII-GTP– binding, R-III protein kinase), 13 leucine-rich repeats, and 8 WD-40 repeats. These regulatory domains coupled with the protein– protein interacting domains suggest that pats1 is involved in signal transduction during cytokinesis in Dictyostelium.
Novel Haemoproteus Species (Haemosporida: Haemoproteidae) from the Swallow-Tailed Gull (Lariidae), with Remarks On the Host Range of Hippoboscid-Transmitted Avian Hemoproteids

Haemoproteus (Haemoproteus) jenniae n. sp. (Haemosporida: Haemoproteidae) is described from a Galapagos bird, the swallow-tailed gull Creagrus furcatus (Charadriiformes, Laridae), based on the morphology of its blood stages and segments of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene. The most distinctive features of H. jenniae development are the circumnuclear gametocytes occupying all cytoplasmic space in infected erythrocytes and the presence of advanced, growing gametocytes in which the pellicle is closely appressed to the erythrocyte envelope but does not extend to the erythrocyte nucleus. This parasite is distinguishable from Haemoproteus larae, which produces similar gametocytes and parasitizes closely related species of Laridae. Haemoproteus jenniae can be distinguished from H. larae primarily due to (1) the predominantly amoeboid outline of young gametocytes, (2) diffuse macrogametocyte nuclei which do not possess distinguishable nucleoli, (3) the consistent size and shape of pigment granules, and (4) the absence of rod-like pigment granules from gametocytes. Additionally, fully-grown gametocytes of H. jenniae cause both the marked hypertrophy of infected erythrocytes in width and the rounding up of the host cells, which is not the case in H. larae. Phylogenetic analyses identified the DNA lineages that are associated with H. jenniae and showed that this parasite is more closely related to the hippoboscid-transmitted (Hippoboscidae) species than to the Culicoides spp.-transmitted (Ceratopogonidae) species of avian hemoproteids. Genetic divergence between morphologically well-differentiated H. jenniae and the hippoboscid-transmitted Haemoproteus iwa, the closely related parasite of frigatebirds (Fregatidae, Pelecaniformes), is only 0.6%; cyt b sequences of these parasites differ only by 1 base pair. This is the first example of such a small genetic difference in the cyt b gene between species of the subgenus Haemoproteus. In a segment of caseinolytic protease C gene (ClpC), genetic divergence is 4% between H. jenniae and H. iwa. This study corroborates the conclusion that hippoboscid-transmitted Haemoproteus parasites infect not only Columbiformes birds but also infect marine birds belonging to Pelecaniformes and Charadriiformes. We conclude that the vertebrate host range should be used cautiously in identification of subgenera of avian Haemoproteus species and that the phylogenies based on the cyt b gene provide evidence for determining the subgeneric position of avian hemoproteids.
Pseudo-polynomial auction algorithm for Nonlinear Resource Allocation

We study the problem of optimally assigning N divisible resources to M competing tasks. This is called the Nonlinear Resource Allocation Problem (RAP). Recently, we proposed a new algorithm, RAP Auction [1], which finds a near optimal solution in finite time. It works for monotonic convex cost functions and has a simple computation structure. In this paper, we propose an elegant extension which enables RAP Auction to have pseudo-polynomial complexity.
Pharmacokinetics and modeling of immune cell trafficking: quantifying differential influences of target tissues versus lymphocytes in SJL and lipopolysaccharide-treated mice

Immune cell trafficking into the CNS and other tissues plays important roles in health and disease. Rapid quantitative methods are not available that could be used to study many of the dynamic aspects of immune cell-tissue interactions. We used pharmacokinetics and modeling to quantify and characterize the trafficking of radioactively labeled lymphocytes into brain and peripheral tissues. We used variance from two-way ANOVAs with 2 × 2 experimental designs to model the relative influences of lymphocytes and target tissues in trafficking. We found that in male CD-1 mice, about 1 in 5,000 intravenously injected lymphocytes entered each gram of brain. Uptake by brain was 2 to 3 times higher in naive SJL females, but uptake by spleen and clearance from blood was lower, demonstrating a dichotomy in immune cell distribution. Treatment of CD-1 mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) increased immune cell uptake into brain but decreased uptake by spleen and axillary nodes. Differences in brain uptake and in uptake by spleen between SJL and CD-1 mice were primarily determined by lymphocytes, whereas differences in uptake with LPS were primarily determined by lymphocytes for the brain but by the tissues for the spleen and the axillary lymph node. These results show that immune cells normally enter the CNS and that tissues and immune cells interact in ways that can be quantified by pharmacokinetic models.
Molecular Mobilities of Instant Starch Gels Determined by Oxygen‐17 and Carbon‐13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

The molecular mobility of both the water component and the starch component of three instant starches was determined by proton decoupled oxygen-17 (17O) and proton decoupled carbon-13 (13C) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The effect of starch concentration and various storage conditions were studied. The molecular mobility of the water associated with each of the instant starches over all concentrations studied as measured by 17O NMR transverse relaxation rates was not much slower than that of free or bulk water. The effect of storage conditions on the molecular mobility and conformation of the starches, as monitored by proton decoupled 17O and 13C NMR, was in most cases small, despite the observed differences in retrogradation among the starches.
An integer programming model for prescribing material recovery strategies

A disposed product is comprised of several parts, each of which may have some material value or reuse. The goal of a disassembly operation is to retrieve these valuable parts and then forward them to the appropriate recycling streams. From a disassembly perspective the problem then is to determine which parts to retrieve from the product, and then which bin to dispose the retrieved part to. Often parts are retrieved as subassemblies and disposed as a whole. This problem is combinatorial in nature and is amenable to mathematical modeling, since a variety of disposable options are possible. In this paper we present the optimal part disposal (OPD) model for solving the above problem. The OPD is formulated as a mixed integer program and maximizes the net profit from the disposal action. The OPD can be incorporated in a DFE tool to improve the recycling yield of new products.
Pilot randomized phase II study of celecoxib in oral premalignant lesions.

Purpose: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)–specific inhibition suppresses carcinogenesis in preclinical models and is a promising strategy for preventing oral cancer. In this pilot randomized phase II study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib in patients with oral premalignant lesions (OPL). Experimental Design: Patients were randomly assigned to placebo ( n = 18), celecoxib 100 mg twice daily ( n = 17), or celecoxib 200 mg twice daily ( n = 15) for 12 weeks. Six additional patients received celecoxib (400 mg twice daily) in an unblinded extension of the study. Biopsies were obtained at baseline and week 12. All patients entering the study were required to have at least one histologically confirmed early (atypical hyperplasia, atypical hyperkeratosis, or mild dysplasia) or advanced (moderate to severe dysplasia) OPL. Results: Forty-nine patients (46 of 50 randomized and 3 of 6 open label) were evaluable for efficacy analyses. There were no statistically significant differences between the response rates of the randomly assigned arms: placebo, 33.3% (6 of 18); celecoxib 100 mg twice daily, 41.2% (7 of 17); and celecoxib 200 mg twice daily, 20.0% (3 of 15). Two patients responded on celecoxib 400 mg twice daily. Celecoxib was generally well tolerated. Patients with higher baseline COX-2 mRNA levels had an increased risk of disease progression within 3 months. Conclusions: Celecoxib at 100 or 200 mg twice daily was ineffective in controlling OPLs in this randomized controlled trial. This result and cardiovascular toxicity results of other (large scale) randomized controlled trials of selective COX-2 inhibitors have discouraged the continued investigation of these agents in oral cancer chemoprevention. Better methods for identifying high-risk patients and more active interventions are needed for future oral cancer chemoprevention trials.
The role of time constraints in the design of control for the jogger's problem

Control schemes in real-time sensor-based systems often operate under tight time constraints determined by the system sampling rate. One area where such constraints are especially severe is the sensor-based motion planning with dynamics in robotics. Though very important both theoretically and in practice, this problem has not been addressed so far. The typical sampling rates in such systems are 20 to 50 per second. This leaves only 20 to 50 msec for the whole cycle, including sensing, complex geometric (intelligence) analysis, calculations due to dynamics and control, and motion execution. As a first attempt to solve the problem, we show that the time constraints can be met by a combination of a simple model with a carefully chosen analytical solution of the dynamic equations. The resulting control scheme guarantees convergence and safety of motion, and blends well with kinematic path planning algorithms. Two such strategies are discussed, one using a simple heuristic and the other with local optimization.
A numerical method for solving a scalar advection-dominated transport equation with concentration-dependent sources

A numerical scheme, upstream biased Eulerian algorithm for transport equations with sources (UpBEATES), is developed for solving a scalar advective-dominated transport equation with concentration-independent and -dependent source terms. A controlvolume method is used for spatial discretization. Time integration is invoked to yield a discrete system of integrated-flux-integratedsource form equations. The Bott’s upstream-biased Eulerian advection scheme [Moneatry and Weakly Review 117 (1989a) 1006; Moneatry and Weakly Review 117 (1989b) 2633] is employed for approximating advective fluxes. A two-level time weighting scheme is employed for the dispersive fluxes. An upstream-biased Eulerian algorithm is proposed for the concentration-dependent source term. Flux and source limiters are developed to ensure non-negativ ee volution of the scalar concentration field. Numerical experiments were presented to illustrate its performance in comparison with theoretical solutions and those of conventional methods. The proposed scheme is mass-conservative, produces non-negative concentration values, exhibits low numerical dispersion, and is efficient for advection-dominated problems with concentration-dependent source terms. Like other Eulerian schemes, the Courant � /Friedrich � /Levy (CFL) stability criterion has to be met. # 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Lithium Salt Solutions in Mixed Sulfone and Sulfone-Carbonate Solvents: A Walden Plot Analysis of the Maximally Conductive Compositions

In seeking solutions to the problem of the high viscosity of electrochemically stable sulfone electrolyte solvents for high voltage lithium cells, we have explored a number of binary sulfone + cosolvent systems, including all-sulfone cases. We report systems that at 55 °C are nearly as conductive as the “standard” carbonate-based electrolyte and may merit further study. We employ a plot based on the classical Walden rule as a primary tool for assessing the loss of potential conductivity to undesirable ion-pairing phenomena. To conclude, we briefly consider the possible alternatives to molecular solvent-based electrolytes for high voltage cathode cells.
Distributed Parametric Resonator: A Passive CMOS Frequency Divider

We present an electrical distributed parametric oscillator to realize a passive CMOS frequency divider with low phase noise. Instead of using active devices, which are the main sources of noise and power consumption, an oscillation at half of the input frequency is sustained by the parametric process based on nonlinear interaction with the input signal. To show the feasibility of the proposed approach, we have implemented a 20-GHz frequency divider in a 0.13-μm CMOS process. Without any dc power consumption, 600-mV differential output amplitude is achieved for an input amplitude of 600 mV. The input frequency ranges from 18.5 to 23.5 GHz with varactor tuning. The output phase noise is almost 6 dB lower than that of the input signal for all offset frequencies up to 1 MHz. There is a good agreement among analysis, simulation, and 10-MHz measurement results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first passive frequency divider in a CMOS process.
Making big data useful for health care: a summary of the inaugural mit critical data conference.

With growing concerns that big data will only augment the problem of unreliable research, the Laboratory of Computational Physiology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology organized the Critical Data Conference in January 2014. Thought leaders from academia, government, and industry across disciplines—including clinical medicine, computer science, public health, informatics, biomedical research, health technology, statistics, and epidemiology—gathered and discussed the pitfalls and challenges of big data in health care. The key message from the conference is that the value of large amounts of data hinges on the ability of researchers to share data, methodologies, and findings in an open setting. If empirical value is to be from the analysis of retrospective data, groups must continuously work together on similar problems to create more effective peer review. This will lead to improvement in methodology and quality, with each iteration of analysis resulting in more reliability. [JMIR Med Inform 2014;2(2):e22]
Lorentzian based iterative hard thresholding for compressed sensing

In this paper we propose a robust iterative hard thresholding (IHT) algorithm for reconstructing sparse signals in the presence of impulsive noise. To address this problem, we use a Lorentzian cost function instead of the L 2 cost function employed by the traditional IHT algorithm. The derived algorithm is comparable in computational load to the least squares based IHT. Analysis of the proposed method demonstrates its robustness under heavy-tailed models. Simulations show that the proposed algorithm significantly outperform commonly employed sparse reconstruction techniques in impulsive environments, while providing comparable reconstruction quality in less demanding, light-tailed environments.
Fabrication and Characterization of Micromachined Active Probes With Polymer Membranes for Biomolecular Force Spectroscopy

A micromachined polymer membrane-based active probe has been developed for biomolecular force spectroscopy. The probe has integrated but significantly decoupled electrostatic actuation and optical interferometric force sensing capabilities. Devices have been fabricated on silicon substrates using Parylene as the membrane material. The electrostatic actuator integrated into the probe could provide > 1-μm displacement with a flat response of up to 30 kHz in fluid, a feature particularly useful in fast-pulling force spectroscopy experiments involving biomolecules. The probes were successfully employed to measure the unbinding forces between biotin and streptavidin, wherein the force noise level was <;10 pN with a 1-kHz bandwidth for an 8-N/m membrane with a 25-kHz resonance frequency in fluid. This is in agreement with the thermal noise data generated by a finite-element model that predicts further improvements with simple design changes.
Noisy speech recognition using cepstral-time features and spectral-time filters

This paper explores the advantages of using cepstral-time feature matrices, and spectral-time filters, for noisy speech recognition within a hidden Markov model framework. The use of cepstral-time features with spectral subtraction and state-based time-varying Wiener filters is investigated. Experimental results indicate that cepstral-time features, and spectral-time noise processing, provide an effective framework for robust speech recognition in noisy environments. >
New parton distributions from large-$x$ and low-$Q^2$ data

We report results of a new global next-to-leading order fit of parton distribution functions in which cuts on $W$ and $Q$ are relaxed, thereby including more data at high values of $x$. Effects of target mass corrections, higher twist contributions, and nuclear corrections for deuterium data are significant in the large-$x$ region. The leading twist parton distributions are found to be stable to target mass correction model variations as long as higher twist contributions are also included. The behavior of the $d$ quark as $x\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1$ is particularly sensitive to the deuterium corrections, and using realistic nuclear smearing models the $d$-quark distribution at large $x$ is found to be softer than in previous fits performed with more restrictive cuts.
Abdominal Incision Selection for Cesarean Delivery of Women with Class III Obesity.

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate cesarean outcomes, stratified by abdominal incision type, in women with class III obesity. Study Design We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with class III obesity undergoing cesarean at our institution from 2010 to 2013 with singletons ≥ 34 weeks. Outcomes were compared between patients with transverse subpannicular and vertical abdominal incisions. The primary outcome was a wound composite (cellulitis, abscess, hematoma, seroma, or dehiscence). Other outcomes included transfusion, vertical hysterotomy, 5-minute Apgar Results Of 423 patients, 364 had subpannicular transverse, 57 had vertical, and 2 had periumbilical transverse incisions (not analyzed). Although vertical incisions were associated with more wound complications (26.3 vs. 14.8%; p = 0.03), the difference became null after adjustment (adjusted odds ratios [aOR], 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.7, 4.1). Vertical incisions were associated with increased risk of vertical hysterotomy (aOR 4.8; 95% CI, 2.2, 10.4), decreased risk of 5-minute Apgar Conclusions In women with class III obesity cesarean delivery via vertical abdominal incisions is associated with more maternal but less immediate neonatal complications.
Ecology and Management of the Invasive Marine Macroalga Caulerpa taxifolia

In coastal waters of Australia, the USA, and Europe, aquarium strains of the green macroalga Caulerpa taxifolia have invaded and caused ecological and economic disasters. As a result, this alga was placed on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's list of 100 worst invasive species. Two things have promoted the invasions. First, C. taxifolia asexually reproduces by vegetative fragmentation. Fragments as small as 4 mm can survive and attach within 2 days. Second, this species has been and continues to be very popular with the aquarium industry, prized by both home hobbyists and public aquaria. Although regulations are now in place in many countries, retail shops and e-commerce continue to sell many species of feather Caulerpa, including C. taxifolia. “Aquarium dumping” is thought to be the reason for most, if not all, of the major invasions. Field eradication efforts have included manual and vacuum pump harvesting, covering colonies with opaque tarpaulins, subjecting C. taxifolia to a range of noxious chemicals, temperature, and salinity shocks, while outreach, monitoring, and modeling are promoted as ways to prevent future incursions. To date, only the USA and the West Lakes area of South Australia have eradicated C. taxifolia. Further research and outreach are needed to prevent future invasions of this noxious alga.
Charm hadrons above $T_c$

Abstract From the analysis of the lattice data on fluctuations and correlations of charm we conclude that open charm meson and baryon-like excitations exist above the QCD crossover temperature, and in fact are the dominant degrees of freedom for thermodynamics in the vicinity of the transition. Charm quarks become the dominant charm degrees of freedom only for temperatures T > 200 MeV .
Retroviral transmission by the transplantation of connective-tissue allografts : an experimental study

The transmission of a retrovirus by the transplantation of allografts of connective tissues was studied in a feline model with use of the feline leukemia virus, a retrovirus with a replication cycle and pathological characteristics similar to those of the human immunodeficiency virus. The retrovirus was used to infect four specific-pathogen-free cats that were subsequently used as tissue donors. Fresh allografts of menisci, patellar ligaments, and patellar ligament and bone composites were harvested from infected donors and were transplanted into the knee joints of twelve specific-pathogen-free cats. A fresh cancellous-bone allograft was transplanted into the proximal part of the tibia of four additional specific-pathogen-free cats, which served as positive control animals. Additional grafts from infected donors were harvested and were stored at -80 degrees Celsius for ten weeks. A fresh-frozen graft was then transplanted into the knee of twelve other specific-pathogen-free cats. Samples of plasma were obtained weekly from all twenty-eight cats and were tested with both an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect the presence of viral antigen and an immunofluorescent antibody assay to determine exposure to the virus. All types of fresh and fresh-frozen connective-tissue allografts from the infected donors resulted in transmission of the retrovirus to the recipient cats. The recipients had evidence of viral antigen or rising antibody titers as early as two weeks after the transplantation. Histological examination of specimens of the allografts revealed normal incorporation of the transplanted tissues, with no sign of rejection of the graft.
The anatomic basis of maternal serum screening

Fetal serum markers, such as alpha fetoprotein (AFP), must traverse one of two very different pathways to reach maternal serum, either from fetus to amnion fluid, membranes and decidua or from fetal to maternal circulation through the placental villi. Alpha fetoprotein usually enters the amnion fluid through body wall defects uncovered by skin or through urine. Placental AFP leakage may be from villous hemorrhage or injury. These observations from anatomic pathology suggest that biochemical markers may exist to identify the source of elevated maternal serum AFP.
Additive antinociceptive effects of mixtures of the κ-opioid receptor agonist spiradoline and the cannabinoid receptor agonist CP55940 in rats.

Pain is a significant clinical problem, and there is a need for pharmacotherapies that are more effective with fewer adverse effects than currently available medications. Cannabinoid receptor agonists enhance the antinociceptive effects of μ-opioid receptor agonists; it is unclear whether they impact the effects of agonists acting at other opioid receptors. κ-Opioid receptor agonists have antinociceptive effects, but their clinical use is precluded by adverse effects; however, their therapeutic potential might be realized if antinociceptive effects could be selectively enhanced. In this study, the antinociceptive effects of the cannabinoid receptor agonist CP55940 and the κ-opioid receptor agonist spiradoline, alone and in combination, were studied in rats (n=7) using a warm water tail-withdrawal procedure. When administered alone, CP55940 (0.032-1.0 mg/kg) and spiradoline (1.0-32.0 mg/kg) increased tail-withdrawal latency, and mixtures of CP55940 and spiradoline (ratios of 1 : 3, 1 : 1, and 3 : 1) produced additive effects. It remains to be determined whether this additive interaction between a κ-opioid receptor agonist and a cannabinoid receptor agonist is selective for antinociception and whether it can be generalized to other drugs.
Critical Multiculturalism, Whiteness, and Social Work: Towards a More Radical View of Cultural Competence

In this paper, I suggest that most cultural diversity class- es in social work are taught from a liberal or conservative multicultural perspective that precludes a power analysis and a critical discussion of whiteness. In order to undo this status quo, social educators and practi- tioners need to incorporate critical multiculturalism as a tool in subverting racism. A critical multicultural practice includes an analysis of whiteness and a commitment on the part of white social workers to take up an antiracist practice. Pedagogical strategies are described that unmask whiteness. Finally, Stephen Madigan's oppositional whiteness, illustrated in a case vignette, is illustrated as an antiracist practice in which a white social worker/therapist situates his own privilege and becomes an ally. (Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Ser- vice: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website: © 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Current Trends in Higher Education Technology: Simulation.

This paper is focused on how technology in use changes over time, and the current trend of simulation technology as a supported classroom technology. Simulation-based training as a learning tool is discussed within the context of adult learning theories, as is the technology used and how today’s higher education technology administrators support that technology. Examples are given from a major land-grant university and the College of Nursing where the author is the Information Technology (IT) Director and one of two employees designated to support technology there.
Effects of morphine and naloxone on phasic release of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone.

SummaryIn ovariectomized rats given estradiol benzoate (EB), followed 3 days later by EB or progesterone, morphine, and naloxone altered the LH and FSH surges on the day of treatment (Day 1) and on the next day (Day 2). In the EB-EB-treated rats, morphine prevented, whereas naloxone enhanced the surge of LH and FSH on Day 1. On Day 2, the morphine-treated rats showed a large rebound surge of LH and FSH, whereas the naloxone-treated rats showed no surge. In the EB-progesterone-treated rats, morphine blocked, whereas naloxone had no effect on the LH and FSH surge on Day 1. On Day 2, the morphine-treated rats showed a large LH and FSH surge, whereas the naloxonetreated rats showed no surge. The effects of these drugs on the Day 2 surge of LH and FSH were found not to be the result of a build up or depletion of releasable stores of LH in the pituitary on Day 1. These results suggest a possible role for the endogenous opioid peptides in modulating steroid regulation of the neural surge signal for LH and FSH.
432 ADOPTIVE TRANSFER OF DIABETOGENIC AUTOAGRESSIVE CD40+ T CELLS INDUCES ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION IN NOD.SCID MICE.

Vascular complications due to diabetes mellitus occur despite adequate euglycemic control in some patients. Previously we demonstrated that a vascular NADPH oxidase-dependent oxidative stress leads to endothelial dysfunction in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice prior to overt diabetes. This dysfunction manifests as a paradoxical vasoconstriction in response to the vasodilator acetylcholine (Ach). As type I diabetes results from autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic beta cells, we addressed the role of the immune system in the paradoxical vasoconstriction. We isolated thoracic aortae from euglycemic NOD, from diabetes-resistant non-autoimmune BALB/c and from the diabetes-resistant severely combined immunodeficient (NOD.scid) mice. We segmented the aortae into rings and measured isometric force in response to cumulative doses of Ach. In contrast to rings from NOD mice, rings from NOD.scid mice showed no vasoconstriction, behaving like BALB/c mice. Since the NOD.scid is genetically identical to the NOD mouse, but lacks T or B cells, these findings suggest that an intact immune system must be present for endothelial dysfunction to occur. In order to further dissect the immune components responsible, CD4+/CD40+ or CD4+/CD40- T cells were isolated from NOD mice and adoptively transferred into NOD.scid mice. The CD40+ cell population is autoimmune-prone and able to transfer diabetes. Surprisingly, all aortic rings isolated from mice that received the CD40+, but not from mice that received the CD40- cells showed the paradoxical vasoconstriction, suggesting that the endothelial dysfunction seen in the NOD could be adoptively transferred as well. We also found that expression of NADPH oxidase subunits p47 and p67 phox was elevated in NOD.scid/CD40+ mouse hearts when compared to NOD.scid/CD40- and NOD.scid mice. Furthermore, the acetylcholine-induced paradoxical vasoconstriction seen in NOD.scid/CD40+ isolated aortic rings was prevented by dyphenyleneiodonium, a non-specific NADPH oxidase inhibitor. Ex vivo transduction with a recombinant adenovirus expressing a transdominant negative p67 phox subunit inhibited the paradoxical vasoconstriction seen in NOD mice, further implicating NADPH oxidase in NOD endothelial dysfunction. These findings suggest that endothelial dysfunction is not a direct result of the hyperglycemia, but rather, an autoimmune-mediated phenomenon which occurs in conjunction with the pathogenesis of Type I diabetes.
AREA POSTREMA EXCITES AND INHIBITS SYMPATHETIC-RELATED NEURONS IN ROSTRAL VENTROLATERAL MEDULLA IN RABBIT

This study investigated the effects of area postrema stimulation on the activity of cardiovascular-related neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla and determined whether the effects were mediated by cell bodies. Results are based on recordings of extracellular spikes from 113 neurons in 37 alpha-chloralose- or pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized rabbits. Single sequential stimuli evoked an excitation (onset, 22 +/- 8 ms; duration, 20 +/- 14 ms) followed by an inhibition (onset, 53 +/- 21 ms; duration, 127 +/- 82 ms) in 1) 58 neurons with discharge patterns that were correlated with sympathetic nerve activity (determined by spike-triggered averaging) and with the cardiac cycle (determined by post-R wave-triggered histograms) and that were inhibited by increasing arterial pressure and 2) 27 neurons that exhibited a cardiac rhythm but not a sympathetic rhythm. Area postrema-evoked excitation and inhibition were markedly attenuated by kainic acid injections in area postrema, suggesting that both inputs were derived from cell bodies. The results suggest that area postrema neurons may modulate the activity of medullary neurons in the baroreflex-sympathetic arc as well as neurons in other networks that share baroreceptor input but may not be related to sympathetic nerve activity.
Enhanced composite adaptive IMC for boost pressure control of a turbocharged gasoline engine

Internal model control (IMC) offers an intuitive control structure and simple tuning philosophy, which makes it appealing to industrial applications. In our recent work [1], we proposed composite adaptive IMC (CAIMC) which simultaneously identified the model and the inverse in the IMC structure. It demonstrates good performance and auto-tuning capability in simulations and experiments. In this paper, an innovative approach is taken to express the IMC tracking error in terms of the modeling error and right-inverse modeling error, which analytically justifies the CAIMC design and its auto-tuning property. This new expression of the tracking error also suggests reformulation of the inverse model estimation problem, leading to enhanced CAIMC performance. The CAIMC from [1] and the enhanced CAIMC with the reformulated inverse are presented and compared, and applied to the boost-pressure control problem of a turbocharged gasoline engine. Results from simulations on a proprietary model and experiments on a vehicle with a turbocharged 2:0L engine are presented to demonstrate the advantages of the enhanced CAIMC.
Reductions in Negative Parenting Practices Mediate the Effect of a Family–School Intervention for Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract Accumulating research has identified family behavioral interventions as an empirically supported psychosocial treatment for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The mechanisms behind the effectiveness of these interventions, however, have been less well studied. The current study examined possible mediators of improvement in 181 children's homework performance as a result of a family–school intervention for children in Grades 2–6 with ADHD (Family–School Success program, FSS). Specifically, changes in parenting practices and the family–school relationship were examined as potential mediators of the relationship between FSS treatment and improvements in students' homework performance. When we controlled for pretreatment levels of behavior and demographic variables, reductions in negative parenting practices were associated with both parent and teacher reports of homework performance at posttreatment. The relationship between treatment group and teacher reports of homework...
Satellite propulsion spectral signature detection and analysis through Hall effect thruster plume and atmospheric modeling

Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is of utmost importance in today's congested and contested space environment. Satellites must perform orbital corrections for station keeping, devices like high efficiency electric propulsion systems such as a Hall effect thrusters (HETs) to accomplish this are on the rise. The health of this system is extremely important to ensure the satellite can maintain proper position and perform its intended mission. Electron temperature is a commonly used diagnostic to determine the efficiency of a hall thruster. Recent papers have coordinated near infrared (NIR) spectral measurements of emission lines in xenon and krypton to electron temperature measurements. Ground based observations of these spectral lines could allow the health of the thruster to be determined while the satellite is in operation. Another issue worth considering is the availability of SSA assets for ground-based observations. The current SSA architecture is limited and task saturated. If smaller telescopes, like those at universities, could successfully detect these signatures they could augment data collection for the SSA network. To facilitate this, precise atmospheric modeling must be used to pull out the signature. Within the atmosphere, the NIR has a higher transmission ratio and typical HET propellants are approximately 3x the intensity in the NIR versus the visible spectrum making it ideal for ground based observations. The proposed research will focus on developing a model to determine xenon and krypton signatures through the atmosphere and estimate the efficacy through ground-based observations. The model will take power modes, orbit geometries, and satellite altitudes into consideration and be correlated with lab and field observations.
A million variables and more: the Fast Greedy Equivalence Search algorithm for learning high-dimensional graphical causal models, with an application to functional magnetic resonance images

We describe two modifications that parallelize and reorganize caching in the well-known Greedy Equivalence Search (GES) algorithm for discovering directed acyclic graphs on random variables from sample values. We apply one of these modifications, the Fast Greedy Search (FGS) assuming faithfulness, to an i.i.d. sample of 1,000 units to recover with high precision and good recall an average degree 2 directed acyclic graph (DAG) with one million Gaussian variables. We describe a modification of the algorithm to rapidly find the Markov Blanket of any variable in a high dimensional system. Using 51,000 voxels that parcellate an entire human cortex, we apply the FGS algorithm to Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) time series obtained from resting state fMRI.
Abstract 1774: The effects of diarylthiourea analogs on triple negative breast cancer cell growth

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Breast cancer is the most common cancer occurring in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer. Breast cancer is often classified at the molecular level in terms of whether the cancer expresses the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor 2 receptor. Hormone receptor positive breast cancer accounts for 75-80% of all breast cancer and the remaining 20-25% accounts for the most aggressive types of cancer which are negative for all three receptors– known as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The current treatment used to manage TNBC is chemotherapy. Although chemotherapy has been effective in improving patients’ prognosis, a significant number of patients either relapse or develop resistance to these drugs. There is a significant interest in developing new therapeutic drugs aimed at improving outcomes in TNBC patients. Many studies have shown that flexible heteroarotinoids (Flex-Het) are a promising new class of drugs due to their ability to regulate growth, differentiation and apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells without activating the nuclear retinoic acid receptors. Previous studies have shown ShetA2 as the leading Flex-Het anti-cancer drug with the greatest efficacy in treating various types of cancer cells (Liu et al. 2004, Benbrook et al. 2005, and Liu et al. 2007). Some of the limitations of the ShetA2 are its high lipophilicity, toxic side effects and the low yields associated with the laborious synthesis. Therefore, efforts have been made to develop 2nd generation diarylthiourea compounds that retain anti-cancer activity, but with minimal side effects. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of two 2nd generation drugs SL1-18 and SL1-09 on various TNBC cell lines including MDA-MB-453, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468. Our preliminary data shows that exposure to micromolar levels of the diarylthiourea compounds effectively inhibited cancer cell growth in all three TNBC cell lines; however additional studies are necessary to understand the molecular mechanism of how SL1-18 and SL1-09 work to block cell growth and whether these anti-cancer drugs are promising therapeutic leads for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer. Citation Format: Deborah Nambi, Maggie C. Louie, Shengquan Liu. The effects of diarylthiourea analogs on triple negative breast cancer cell growth. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1774. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1774
Geertz and the interpretive approach in anthropology

In contemporary thought, Clifford Geertz's name has become closely associated with an interpretive approach not only to anthropology but also to social science generally (including history).1 Although Peter Winch, Charles Talyor, Alfred Schutz, Paul Ricoeur, Hans-Georg Gad amer, and J?rgen Habermas are also advocates of interpretivism, Geertz is perhaps the only well known one who has actually used this approach in practicing social science. Thus, while the other advocates' writings have provided a philosophical rationale, Geertz's theoretical papers together with his anthropological fieldwork have provided both a rationale and a concrete model of what the results of an interpretive approach would look like. There is no doubt that Geertz's work has had a great impact on the anthropological profession itself. It has revived the holistic and the humanistic approaches to culture of Kroeber and of Boas in American anthropology.2 In addition, he has challenged his colleagues to reject the natural science approach that tends to dominate the profession. As Paul Shankman has noted:
Inhibition of BCR Signaling Using the SYK Inhibitor R406 Antagonizes Migratory and Pro-Survival Responses in CLL Cells.

Disrupting B cell receptor- (BCR-) induced signaling by inhibiting the spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) represents a novel therapeutic approach in CLL. R406 is an ATP-competitive SYK inhibitor, and its prodrug, R788 (Fostamatinib disodium), displays clinical activity in patients with B cell lymphoma and CLL (Friedberg J. et al. Ann Oncol. 2008 Jun; 19 Suppl 4). In normal lymphocytes BCR engagement and SYK activation modulate cell adhesion and migration, suggesting that this pathway affects chemokine receptor and adhesion molecule function/signaling. The effects of SYK on CLL cell migration, activation and survival are largely unknown. Therefore, we examined the effects of BCR stimulation and its inhibition with R406 on CLL cell chemotaxis, expression of adhesion- and costimulatory- molecules, and survival. Activation of BCR with polyclonal goat F(ab’)2 fragments to human IgM significantly increased chemotaxis towards CXCL12 to 135.4% ±5.2% of controls and towards CXCL13 to 170.5% ± 31.5% of controls (Mean ± SEM, n=15). Engagement of BCR also significantly increased expression of CD40, CD44, CD54, and CD62L and decreased the expression of CXCR4. Pre-treatment with R406, which was kindly provided by Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., abrogated the increased chemotaxis, adhesion- and co-stimulatory molecule expression, and pro-survival signals seen in response to BCR engagement. As displayed in Fig. 1, CLL cell viability at 24 hours was significantly increased to 60±5.2% with anti-IgM, compared to controls (41.8±6.7%) or CLL cells treated with anti-IgM plus R406 5 μM (39±6.6%, mean± SEM, n=9). Moreover, we found that R406 induced apoptosis in CLL cells in suspension culture and co-cultures with nurselike cells (NLC) and marrow stromal cells (MSC). When compared to CLL cells cultured with NLC (100%), the mean relative viability of CLL cells at 48h was reduced to 71.2±6.4% with 5 μM R406 and to 75.4±5.6% with 2.5 μM R406, whereas the same CLL samples cultured without NLC displayed a mean relative viability of 87±2.9% in controls, 58.9±6.8% with 5 μM R406, and 59.9±7.3%% with 2.5 μM R406 (mean±SEM, n=10). Similar levels of apoptosis were observed when CLL cells were incubated with R406 in MSC co-cultures. Collectively, this study demonstrates that BCR engagement increases CLL cell migration, adhesion- and co-stimulatory-molecule expression, and survival. R406 effectively antagonizes these responses and induces CLL cells apoptosis, providing an explanation for the clinical activity of R406 in CLL patients.
Climate change is projected to have severe impacts on the frequency and intensity of peak electricity demand across the United States

It has been suggested that climate change impacts on the electric sector will account for the majority of global economic damages by the end of the current century and beyond [Rose S, et al. (2014) Understanding the Social Cost of Carbon: A Technical Assessment]. The empirical literature has shown significant increases in climate-driven impacts on overall consumption, yet has not focused on the cost implications of the increased intensity and frequency of extreme events driving peak demand, which is the highest load observed in a period. We use comprehensive, high-frequency data at the level of load balancing authorities to parameterize the relationship between average or peak electricity demand and temperature for a major economy. Using statistical models, we analyze multiyear data from 166 load balancing authorities in the United States. We couple the estimated temperature response functions for total daily consumption and daily peak load with 18 downscaled global climate models (GCMs) to simulate climate change-driven impacts on both outcomes. We show moderate and heterogeneous changes in consumption, with an average increase of 2.8% by end of century. The results of our peak load simulations, however, suggest significant increases in the intensity and frequency of peak events throughout the United States, assuming today's technology and electricity market fundamentals. As the electricity grid is built to endure maximum load, our findings have significant implications for the construction of costly peak generating capacity, suggesting additional peak capacity costs of up to 180 billion dollars by the end of the century under business-as-usual.
A New Framework for Leadership Preparation: Appreciative Organizing in Education

The authors describe how teams of faculty and district leadership development directors used an appreciative organizing in education (AOE) framework using appreciative inquiry (AI) scholarship to p...
Load-aware and congestion-free state management in network function virtualization

Software-defined networks are constantly evolving due to the updates such as network function (NF) state updates, VM migrations. Network functions virtualization (NFV) with software-defined networking (SDN) has the capability of accurately monitoring and manipulating network traffic, and reducing operating cost. However, it cannot effectively handle the congestion and satisfy service level agreements (SLAs) on NF performance (e.g., throughput) while minimizing the operating cost in the scenarios of requirements for packet processing to be redistributed across a collection of NF instances simultaneously. Although OpenNF, a control plane architecture can allow quick, safe, and fine-grained reallocation of flows across NF instances, it neglects the congestion existing in practical scenarios for scheduling the updates, which can result in SLA violations. Also, it does not consider the load of links to schedule the updates for minimizing the operating cost. To address this problem, we adequately consider the congestion caused by the competition for limited resource (e.g., bandwidth) and utilize the load information to propose a load-aware and congestion-free state management (LCSM) strategy. LCSM can provide congestion-free scheduling of updates and minimize the operating cost. Extensive simulation results show the advantages of our proposed LCSM.
Computational information retrieval

Computational Information Retrieval Workshop held October 2000, Raleigh, North Carolina This volume contains selected papers that focus on the use of linear algebra, computational statistics, and computer science in the development of algorithms and software systems for text retrieval. Experts in information modeling and retrieval share their perspectives on the design of scalable but precise text retrieval systems, revealing many of the challenges and obstacles that mathematical and statistical models must overcome to be viable for automated text processing. This very useful proceedings is an excellent companion for courses in information retrieval, applied linear algebra, and applied statistics.