cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Androgen Receptor Serine 81 Phosphorylation Mediates Chromatin Binding and Transcriptional Activation

Our previous findings indicated that androgen receptor (AR) phosphorylation at serine 81 is stimulated by the mitotic cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1). In this report, we extended our previous study and confirmed that Ser-81 phosphorylation increases during mitosis, coincident with CDK1 activation. We further showed blocking cell cycle at G1 or S phase did not disrupt androgen-induced Ser-81 phosphorylation and AR-dependent transcription, consistent with a recent report that AR was phosphorylated at Ser-81 and activated by the transcriptional CDK9. To assess the function of Ser-81 phosphorylation in prostate cancer (PCa) cells expressing endogenous AR, we developed a ligand switch strategy using a ligand-binding domain mutation (W741C) that renders AR responsive to the antagonist bicalutamide. An S81A/W741C double mutant AR stably expressed in PCa cells failed to transactivate the endogenous AR-regulated PSA or TMPRSS2 genes. ChIP showed that the S81A mutation prevented ligand-induced AR recruitment to these genes, and cellular fractionation revealed that the S81A mutation globally abrogated chromatin binding. Conversely, the AR fraction rapidly recruited to chromatin after androgen stimulation was highly enriched for Ser-81 phosphorylation. Finally, inhibition of CDK1 and CDK9 decreased AR Ser-81 phosphorylation, chromatin binding, and transcriptional activity. These findings indicate that Ser-81 phosphorylation by CDK9 stabilizes AR chromatin binding for transcription and suggest that CDK1-mediated Ser-81 phosphorylation during mitosis provides a pool of Ser-81 phosphorylation AR that can be readily recruited to chromatin for gene reactivation and may enhance AR activity in PCa.
Artificially Induced Circulation of Lakes by means of Compressed Air

Turbulence induced by air bubbles causes circulation in small thermally stratified lakes. Tests were made under summer and winter (ice-cover) conditions. Homoiothermal conditions, isometric concentrations of phosphorus, and increases of dissolved oxygen were achieved, at various rates of treatment. The application of the technique for lake management and in studies of lake dynamics is suggested.
Penal Boundaries: Banishment and the Expansion of Punishment

We use this article to argue for greater recognition of legally imposed spatial exclusion—banishment—as a (re)emerging and consequential social control practice. Although the new social control techniques that entail banishment are buttressed by a blend of civil, administrative, and criminal law, they are best understood as punitive in nature. This argument is supported by two empirical findings. First, interviews with the banished indicate that spatial exclusion often has significant negative consequences akin to those identified by Sykes (1958) in his seminal account of the pains of imprisonment. Second, court data show that the growing use of civil and administrative banishment has increased the number of criminal cases involving allegations of noncompliance. These findings suggest that analysts of punishment might usefully broaden their focus to include phenomena that combine civil, criminal, and legal authority, and are not defined as punishment by their advocates.
Si/TiOx Core/Shell Nanowires with Branched Cathode Support Structures for Pt Catalysts in PEM Fuel Cells

There are several significant challenges that must be overcome for PEM fuel cell commercialization such as electrode flooding, carbon corrosion, and significant cost due to the high loading of the platinum catalyst. Thus, a new structure is proposed for the cathode catalyst support consisting of Si/TiOx core/shell nanowires with branched structures, which has the potential to reduce electrode flooding, increase stability, and dramatically reduce the required Pt loading. In this study, Pt-coated Si/TiOx core/shell nanowires with and without branches are compared. The Pt surface area on supports with branch structures was calculated to be more than 4 times larger than on supports without branch structures, while keeping the Pt loading at only about 0.1 mg/cm2 (for the samples with branched structures). SEM, XRD, AES, and TEM were used to characterize the morphologies and structures of the as-prepared samples. Branched Si/TiOx core/shell nanowire structures may be a promising catalyst support to enable commercialization of highly cost-efficient PEM fuel cells and to promote an era of clean energy usage.
Preservation of reactive organic matter in marine sediments

Abstract It is generally assumed that the reactivity of organic matter and the amount preserved in sedimentary deposits necessarily increases with total sedimentation rate. In some environments, such as deltas, where supply of unreactive terrigenous debris may vary independently of reactive organic matter input, the amount of reactive organic material preserved can in fact theoretically correlate either directly or inversely with sedimentation rate. The amount preserved can be shown quantitatively by transport-reaction models to depend on (1) the relative importance of electron acceptor concentration in the overlying water, (2) advection during sedimentation, (3) dilution by sedimentation, (4) solute diffusion, (5) initial flux of organic matter, and (6) the magnitudes of reaction rate constants. Both single reaction rate constant and multiple reaction rate constant models suggest that, at steady state, maximum preservation with respect to a given oxidant occurs when D s k = w 2 , where D s = whole sediment diffusion coefficient of the electron acceptor, k = first-order rate constant of the dominant organic fraction, and w = sedimentation rate. This is the likely basis for the reported correlation between average reactivity, k , of carbon in a deposit, percent carbon preservation, and w 1.5 –w 2 . Because of the variety of factors which determine these relationships, such correlations are probably valid only within specific classes of depositional environments.
Biochemical mechanism of insulin sensitization, lipid modulation and anti-atherogenic potential of PPAR α/γ dual agonist: Ragaglitazar

The current goal in the treatment of diabetes is not only to enhance the glycemic control but also to improve the associated cardiovascular risk factors. Among many of the strategies available, a co-ligand of PPARalpha and gamma in a single molecule which combines the insulin sensitizing potential of PPARgamma and the beneficial lipid modulating properties of PPARalpha agonism, has gained attention in the recent past. Here we report the biochemical mechanism by which a dual PPAR alpha/gamma agonist Ragaglitazar (Raga) achieves this goal. The PPARalpha component of Raga appears to contribute to a significant increase in beta oxidation, ApoA1 secretion and inhibition of TG biosynthesis in HepG2 cells. These effects of Raga at 60 microM were similar to that shown by Fenofibrate (Feno) at 250 microM. The PPARgamma component of Raga showed significant G3PDH activity and TG accumulation with a corresponding increase in aP2 expression in 3T3L1 cells. Significantly reduced levels of IL-6 and TNFalpha were observed in the culture supernatants of Raga treated 3T3L1 cells. Raga resulted in significant insulin dependent glucose uptake in 3T3L1 with a corresponding increase in GLUT4 expression. Further, Raga showed a significant cholesterol efflux with a corresponding increase in ABCA1 protein expression in THP-1 macrophages. In conclusion, Raga activates both PPARalpha and gamma regulated pathway in adipocytes as well as in hepatocytes which together contributes for its insulin sensitizing and lipid lowering activity. In addition the dual activation of PPAR alpha/gamma also shows an athero-protective potential by inducing reverse cholesterol efflux and inhibiting the pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Export composition and the impact of exports on economic growth of developing economies

Abstract Employing an augmented production-function framework, a number of studies have found that export growth exerts a positive impact on GDP growth in less developed countries (LDCs), even when capital and labor are controlled for. Using a similar framework but recognizing the possible heterogeneity of exports, the present paper finds, for the 1960–1980 period, that while the primary export sector exhibits little or no effect on GDP growth in LCDs, there is a differential positive impact by the manufacturing export sector.
Towards the exact dilatation operator of N=4 super-Yang–Mills theory

Abstract We investigate the structure of the dilatation operator D of planar N = 4 SYM in the sector of single trace operators built out of two chiral combinations of the 6 scalars. Previous results at low orders in 't Hooft coupling λ suggest that D has a form of an SU ( 2 ) spin chain Hamiltonian with long range multiple spin interactions. Instead of the usual perturbative expansion in powers of λ, we split D into parts D ( n ) according to the number n of independent pairwise interactions between spins at different sites. We determine the coefficients of spin–spin interaction terms in D ( 1 ) by imposing the condition of regularity of the BMN-type scaling limit. For long spin chains, these coefficients turn out to be expressible in terms of hypergeometric functions of λ, which have regular expansions at both small and large values of λ. This suggest that anomalous dimensions of “long” operators in the two-scalar sector should generically scale as λ at large λ, i.e., in the same way as energies of semiclassical states in dual AdS 5 × S 5 string theory.
The effects of castration and Silastic implants of testosterone on intermale aggression in the mouse.

Abstract Castration and testosterone (T) replacement were used to study developmental changes in aggressive behavioral responsiveness to androgenic stimulation. Male mice castrated at birth were less sensitive to circulating T than were prepubertal or adult castrates, but fighting was induced in neonatal castrates with a dose of androgen that produced hypertrophy of the accessory organ system in adult castrates. Gonadectomy shortly prior to pubertal increases in serum T concentration also reduced behavioral responsiveness to androgen administration. Intermale aggression was induced in prepubertal castrates only with T treatment that maintained accessory organ growth in adult castrates. The aggressive behavior of males castrated after the pubertal surge in serum T was supported with circulating levels of androgen that failed to stimulate the accessory organ system above that of oil-treated castrates. It was concluded that T stimulation during neonatal or pubertal life is not totally crucial for organization of neural substrates that mediate the ultimate expression of intermale aggression, but exposure to androgen from birth throughout pubertal development is normally required to produce maximal aggressive behavioral responsiveness to circulating T encountered in adulthood.
Possibility theory approaches for advanced information systems

This article describes the application of possibility theory concepts to the treatment of these problems in the context of active information system development. Possibility theory was introduced by Zadeh both as a mechanism to represent natural language constructs and as a tool to treat certain aspects of their imprecision and ambiguity. The approach presented closely follows Zadeh's idea, although the methodology proposed for manipulation is markedly different both from Zadeh's and from the procedures used to combine elements of imprecise information in systems such as prospector. 22 references.
Fuzzy confidence intervals

Fuzzy numbers have heretofore been conceived simply as convex fuzzy subsets of the real line, especially in the context of possibility theory. This paper proposes an alternative interpretation of fuzzy numbers: fuzzy confidence intervals. This number concept is particularly appropriate to problems of optimization with a fuzzy objective function or fuzzy constraints, and it is clearly free of some ambiguities or contradictions in possibility theory. The membership indices are not assumed to be numerical. Numerical examples of the construction of fuzzy confidence intervals from uncertain hypotheses are given.
InP photonic integrated circuit with on-chip tunable laser source for 2D optical beam steering

2D optical beam steering through an InP photonic integrated circuit with on-chip tunable laser source has been demonstrated for the first time.
The influence of a plasma factor on the erythrocyte antibody-antigen-bromelin reaction.

Summary In studying the erythrocyte antibody-antigen-bromelin reaction, a potentiating factor in human plasma was found. The reaction was quantified by establishing fixed and circulating erythrocyte antibodies in pure saline and pure plasma systems. A pure saline system inhibited the bromelin reaction. In a plasma system potentiation was marked and the factor was demonstrated in fresh ACD plasma, fresh heparinized plasma, and fresh serum. Resume L'etude de la reaction anticorps-antigene erythrocytaire en presence de bromeline a permis de deceler dans le plasma humain un facteur augmentant la puissance de la reaction. La reaction a ete pratiquee en dosant des anticorps antierythrocytaires circulants et cellulaires en milieu salin et plasmatique. En milieu salin, la reaction a la bromeline est inhibee. En milieu plasmatique, au contraire, l'augmentation de la puissance de la reaction est marquee, et ceci en milieu plasmatique ACD et heparine et en milieu serique frais. Zusammenfassung Bei der Untersuchung der erythrozytaren Antigen-Antikorperreaktionen in Anwesenheit von Bromelin wurde im menschlichen Plasma ein Faktor gefunden, welcher diese Reaktion potenziert. Die Reaktion wurde an Modellsystemen mit fixierten und zirkulierenden Antikorpern in Kochsalzlosung bzw. in Plasma quantitativ ausgewertet. Im NaCl-Milieu wird die Bromelinreaktion gehemmt. Im Plasmamilieu hingegen wird die Reaktion potenziert; der Potenzierungsfaktor ist im frischen ACD-Plasma, im frischen Heparin-Plasma sowie im frischen Serum enthalten.
A brief historical view of continuum theory

Abstract We explore a few topics in continuum theory from their roots. Specifically, we examine the evolution of the definition of continuum and then restrict most of our attention to one-dimensional continua. Particular attention is paid to indecomposable continua, the fixed point property, hereditary equivalent continua, homogeneous continua, chainable continua and span of continua. In this paper, we give an inverse limit description of an indecomposable circle-like continuum that is homeomorphic to the first example of an indecomposable continuum given by L.E.J. Brouwer in 1910.
The function of the primary ligaments of the knee in varus-valgus and axial rotation

Abstract Four in vitro human knee specimens have been loaded, two with varus-valgus femoral rotations and two with internal and external axial tibial rotations. Each specimen has been tested in full extension and in 30° of flexion. All orthogonal components of applied force and moment required to cause the rotations were measured as were all resultant orthogonal components of load on the femur. Curves fit to the data were studied to establish the portions of the applied load transmitted by each ligament.
Theoretical Comparison of the Bonding in CpCr(CO)2(NX) [X = O, S, Se, Te]

Molecular orbital calculations employing the PM3 model have been used to examine the bonding in the complexes CpCr(CO)2(NX) (X = O, S, Se, Te). The previously established trend of increasing Cr-N interaction as X changes from O to S is demonstrated by these calculations, and found to extend to Se and Te. Bond lengths, bond orders, vibrational frequencies, and heats of reaction are used to support the conclusion that metal to ligand π-backbonding increases down the periodic chart from NO to NTe.
Electroconvulsive shock decreases β-adrenoceptors despite serotonin lesions

We have measured the effect of electroconvulsive shock (ECS) on high- and low-affinity [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding in cerebral cortex of control rats and rats with lesions of serotonin neurons. Eleven days of treatment with ECS (once daily) resulted in a decrease in the number of beta-adrenoceptor binding sites for which isoproterenol has high-affinity. Following lesions with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine, ECS still resulted in a decrease in these receptors. Hence, ECS does not require intact serotonin neurons to decrease the number of high-affinity beta-adrenoceptors.
Sequential circuits for program analysis

A number of researchers have proposed the use of Boolean satisfiability solvers for verifying C programs. They encode correctness checks as Boolean formulas using finitization: loops and recursion are bounded, as is the size of the input instances. The SAT approach has been shown to find subtle bugs with reasonable resources. However, it does not scale well; in particular, it lacks the ability to handle larger bounds. We present SEBAC, which can handle the same class of programs as the SAT approach, and scales to bounds that are orders of magnitude higher. The key difference between SEBAC and SAT techniques is SEBAC's use of imperative Boolean sequential circuits, which are Boolean formulas with memory elements instead of the Boolean formulas which are stateless
An integrated debugging environment for reprogrammble hardware systems

Reprogrammable hardware systems are traditionally very difficult to debug due to their high level of parallelism. In our solution to this problem, features are inserted into the user's design which allow the system to be monitored and updated at runtime. An assortment of logic is added before synthesis to allow variable buffering, assertion checking, and automatic breakpointing. Low-level clock control and access to off-chip storage is managed by a custom hardware operating system. Through the addition of these features, a system can be debugged directly on the hardware, bypassing simulation and reducing iterations through the design flow.
Heart Rate Response During Underwater Treadmill Training in Adults with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury

Background: Walking on a submerged treadmill can improve mobility in persons displaying lower limb muscle weaknees and balance deficits. Little is known, however, regarding the effect of water treadmill exercise on cardiac performance in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). Obiective: To assess heart rate response during underwater treadmill training (UTT) in adults with iSCI. Methods: Seven males and 4 females with iSCI (age = 48 ± 13 years; 5 ± 8 years after injury) completed 8 weeks of UTT (3 sessions per week; 3 walks per session) incorporating individually determined walking speeds, personalized levels of body weight unloading, and gradual, alternating increases in speed and duration. Heart rate was monitored during the last 15 seconds of the final 2 minutes of each walk. Results: Over the course of 3 biweekly periods in which walking speed remained constant, heart rate fell by 7% (7 ± 1 b • min-1; P < .001) in weeks 2 and 3, 14% (17 ± 6 b • min-1; P < .00l) in weeks 4 and 5, and 17% (2...
Reasoning With Uncertainty About Textures

This paper is a description of a framework for reasoning about textured scenes where low level structural information is used as evidence for texture primitives instead of a particular texture. Although low level texture edge features are not robust enough to determine exactly the texture in the scene, they can be used to reason about the scene since they provide evidence about the type of texture present. The structural evidence is combined to determine a measure of belief in the type of texture in the scene. Our overall goal is to use texture as a cue to separate surfaces in a scene. Segmenting textures into homogeneous regions must be based on properties of the texture that are not affected by an oblique projection. Our earlier results using project invariants showed that invariants of low level features cannot reliably discriminate textures. This lead us to an approach to first identify the type of texture element, and then the tesselation of the texture elements. Projective invariants based on the tesselation can then be used to segment the scene. In this paper, the reasoning framework and low level features will be described, along with the results of some experiments using Brodatz textures.
Incidence of neuronal coupling in supraoptic nuclei of virgin and lactating rats: estimation by neurobiotin and Lucifer yellow

Dye coupling among neurons has been shown to reflect electrotonic coupling. Recent work in retina has revealed that the incidence of coupling is greater when estimated by neurobiotin (NB) transfer than by Lucifer yellow (LY). Several previous studies have shown that the incidence of LY coupling among supraoptic nucleus (SON) neurons of lactating rats is 2- to 4-fold higher than is observed in virgin females. We compared the incidence of coupling among SON neurons following simultaneous injections of LY and NB into the same cells in slices from virgin or lactating rats. As seen in previous studies, there were 4-fold more LY-coupled neurons per injection in lactating as compared to virgin rats. Under both conditions, the numbers of NB-coupled neurons per injection were 4-fold greater than was observed for LY; possible mechanisms are discussed. Individual NB-filled neurons were coupled to as many as 10 other cells distributed over a large area of the SON. These results confirm previous findings of more coupling in lactating than virgin SONs, and suggest that both the incidence and spatial extent of interneuronal coupling are greater and thus probably more important functionally than has been heretofore appreciated.
Multidimensional Analysis of Subjective Symptomatology during Prolonged Strenuous Exercise

Characteristics of subjective symptom changes during prolonged bicycle riding were explored in this study. On two occasions, 64 male subjects (mean age 22·9 years) rode a bicycle ergometer at 55·6 ± 2·8% aerobic capacity with instructions to continue riding until it became so discomforting that they felt it necessary to stop. Mean quitting times were 36 ± 24 min and 36 ± 22 min for Rides 1 and 2, respectively. Each item of an initial group of 63 adjectives potentially descriptive of subjectivo changes during exercise were arranged along a 5-point scale of severity (1 = absent; 5 = severe) and administered before and at the end of both rides. Through key cluster analysis of the 41 items showing at least 10% change during exercise, an 18 item Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ) was derived. It was composed of three unique, collinear symptom clusters labeled Fatigue, Task Aversion, and Motivation. Comparative key cluster analysis showed good similarity between clusters of both rides. Mean pre- to end-of-ri...
Theoretical Performance of a Hydrostatic Foil Bearing

The performance of a hydrostatic foil journal bearing operating with an incompressible fluid is discussed. In the configuration considered here, pressurized lubricant fluid is supplied through capillaries to recessed pockets on the surface of the journal. The foil is treated as a perfectly flexible, inextensible shell by a three dimensional finite element model. The pressure distribution is predicted by a finite elementformulation of the incompressible Reynolds equation. Results are presented which demonstrate that the foil structure enhances load support while increasing lubricant film thickness. In addition, results indicate that membrane effects are essential in the structural model
The sleepy adolescent: causes and consequences of sleepiness in teens

The majority of adolescents do not obtain the recommended amount of sleep, resulting in significant daytime sleepiness. For most adolescents, insufficient sleep results from the interaction between intrinsic factors such as puberty and extrinsic factors such as school start times. Insufficient sleep and sleepiness impact all areas of adolescent functioning, including academic, psychological and behavioural, which underscores the importance of evaluating sleepy adolescents. While polysomnography is required for the diagnosis of certain sleep disorders, causes of sleepiness are generally best identified with a detailed sleep history and daily sleep diary. The management of sleep problems in adolescents involves treating any underlying sleep disorders, increasing total sleep time and improving other environmental factors that impact sleep. Recognition and management of insufficient sleep and sleepiness is important for the health and functioning of adolescents.
Polyoxometalate clusters supported on functionalized graphene sheets as nanohybrids for the catalytic combustion of liquid fuels

Catalyzing the combustion of liquid fuels offers interesting prospects for further improvement of the fuel economy and the performance of engines, in particular for jets and advanced propulsion systems. Polyoxometalates are well-known oxidation catalysts which are expected to also catalyze combustion reactions. However, their polarity makes their dispersion in fuels particularly challenging. Herein, functionalized graphene sheets were used as a support due to their high surface area as well as their compatibility with the target reaction. In order to further improve the dispersion of the catalyst in fuels, alkyl chains were grafted to the sheets’ surface. An innovative grafting technique was developed to attach alkyls at a variety of oxygen-containing functionalities already present on reduced graphene oxide, such as hydroxyl and epoxy groups. A phase transfer to the organic phase was observed when dispersing the dry powder in water:toluene mixtures. In addition, the dry alkyl chain-modified graphene sheets readily dispersed in common organic solvents without the assistance of sonication. Polyoxometalates (H3PMo12O40 and H4PMo11VO40) were dispersed on the modified sheets as discrete clusters even at a relatively high loading (20 wt.%). The catalytic activity of these nanostructured materials was demonstrated for the combustion of methylcylcohexane, tested here as a model fuel.
Behavioral inhibition induced by ingestion in sea anemones (Anthopleura elegantissima)

Following tests for initial responsiveness, the suppressive effect of ingestion ofArtemia salina on the contraction response of the sea anemone,Anthopleura elegantissima, was assessed. During testing, repeated presentations of a water-stream stimulus occurred over a period of 70 min. All subjects also underwent control testing in which the water-stream sequence was presented in the absence of priorArtemia ingestion. Significant suppression of oral disk contraction to the water stream was observed followingArtemia ingestion with and without water exchange during testing. The relationship of this finding to similar results obtained withHydra is discussed.
Production of methanethiol from dimethylsulfoniopropionate in marine surface waters

Abstract Degradation of n M levels of dissolved dimethylsulfoniopropionate [DMSP(d)] in surface water samples from the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of Maine was accompanied by the accumulation of both dimethylsulfide (DMS) and methanethiol (MeSH). The mean net yields for DMS and MeSH, in terms of sulfur from DMSP, were 32% (range 12–66%) and 22% (range 3–64%), respectively. In six out of seventeen experiments, maximum net accumulations of MeSH were equivalent to, or greater than, those obtained for DMS. No relationship between net DMS and MeSH accumulations was found when all seventeen experiments were considered. Inhibition of DMSP(d) degradation with 50 μ M glycine betaine substantially lowered production of both MeSH and DMS, indicating that degradation of DMSP was required to produce these sulfur gases. The most likely route for MeSH formation is from demethiolation of 3-methiolpropionate (MMPA), a product of DMSP demethylation. Experimental additions of MMPA confirmed that MeSH could be produced from this compound. The MeSH produced from DMSP was rapidly lost in all water samples tested, much more rapidly than DMS. Direct determinations of MeSH loss rate constants showed these to fall in the range of 0.14–1.4 h −1 in different water samples. Filtration of water through 0.2-μm membrane filters resulted in a 1.3–4.5-fold decrease in the whole water loss rate constants, suggesting biological or particle sinks for MeSH. Addition of Suwannee River humic acid accelerated the loss of MeSH from filtered water, suggesting a possible interaction between MeSH and DOM. The results of this study indicate that a substantial fraction of the DMSP(d) degraded in aerobic seawater is converted to MeSH. The diversion of DMSP-sulfur to MeSH represents an important biogeochemical control on the production of climatically active DMS. In addition, the production of highly reactive MeSH suggests that the degradation of DMSP may have a more important impact on the chemistry of marine surface waters than previously recognized.
TU‐B‐204B‐03: Volumetric Ultrasound Guided Online Adaptive Partial Breast Irradiation

Purpose: To develop and innovative Volumetric Ultrasound guided Online Adaptive Partial Breast Irradiation system (VUSABI) for the improvement of the precision of the delivery of prescribed radiationdose to the target volume while sparing the adjunct normal breast tissues.Method and Materials: The VUSABI system consists of a volumetric breast ultrasound (VBUS) scanning system and an online adaptive replanning system. The VBUS system developed for early breast cancer detection is a non‐ionizing radiation, non‐compression, and operator‐free imagingsystem. It can provide real‐time, high quality volumetric breast images in pendulant position with low cost. A GPU‐based innovative supercomputing online adaptive replanning environment (SCORE) was developed for general‐purpose online adaptive radiotherapy(ART). The major components of SCORE system are: image registration,dose calculation, plan re‐optimization, and treatment plan user interface. We are integrating VBUS and SCORE into the whole VUSABI system by hardware integration and software adaptation. In this paper, we report on our progress of the VUSABI system development. Results: The performance of VBUS system was evaluated with both breast phantoms and patients. With the VBUS scanner, a 3D ultrasound breast image can be acquired in ∼18 sec and reconstructed in ∼ 5 sec. the overall performance are satisfactory. The initial PBI treatment plan was generated with Eclipse planning system. The major components of SCORE system were developed and evaluated with digital phantom data and clinical patient data. The whole replanning process can be accomplished in ∼10 second using a NVIDIA Tesla C1060 GPU platform. Conclusion: We are in the progress of developing VUSABI system. According to the initial results, the VUSABI system will be able to produce an optimized treatment plan based on a VBUS scan within 2 minutes when considering human intervention such as contour modification.
A Social-Psychological Grounded Theory of Teacher Stress and Burnout

This article presents a social-psychological model of teacher stress and burnout which emphasizes the importance of teacher performance variables and cycles of teacher-student interactions that dev...
The Psychological Role of Property Rights in Human Behavior

A number of psychologists are turning their interests to the problems of property rights in human behavior. This is a recent development, and the relevant work is found in studies of territoriality. A number of basic theories of territoriality are summarized here, with comments on the problems of defining the term. It has further been proposed that territories affect humans at three levels of analysis, including interaction with social rank distinction, reduction of disorder and complexity, and chaining individual behavior acts. From a subjective point of view territories are probably connected with a personal sense of security, control, self-determination, identity, and continuity.
Ascites Formation in the Chicken

Abstract We have observed the rapid development (4 to 5 hr after injection) of an ascitic condition in the hepatoperitoneal sac after the i.v. injection of large amounts of carbon. The amount of ascitic fluid varied from .5 to 12 ml/chicken. The protein content of the fluid was identical with that of the sera, but the specific IgM immunoglobulin was lower in the ascitic fluid than in the sera. The cellularity of the ascitic fluid was poor. Mononuclear cells containing lipid and phagosomes and aggregated thrombocytes were the predominant cells. A mechanism regulating water balance between the liver and cecal pouch was suggested by the ascitic fluid data.
Automated Metadata Generation and its Application to Biological Association Extraction

Text mining methods are used in this paper to extract associations among biological objects. Transitive association methods using metadata (MeSH terms) have the potential to discover implicit associations without relying on explicit co-occurrence of objects of interest. To avoid costly manual metadata assignment and deal with missing metadata, automated metadata generation methods are described in the paper. The association knowledge extracted using automatically generated metadata is found to be as good as that that using manually assigned metadata, in terms of precision.
Quantifying over-activity in bipolar and schizophrenia patients in a human open field paradigm

It has been suggested that a cardinal symptom of mania is over-activity and exaggerated goal-directed behavior. Nevertheless, few attempts have been made to quantify this behavior objectively in a laboratory environment. Having a methodology to assess over-activity reliably might be useful in distinguishing manic bipolar disorder (BD) from schizophrenia (SCZ) during highly activated states. In the current study, quantifiable measures of object interaction were assessed using a multivariate approach. Additionally, symptom correlates of over-activity were assessed. Patients admitted to an acute care psychiatric hospital for either BD with mania or SCZ (paranoid and non-paranoid subtypes) as well as non-patient comparison (NC) participants were assessed in an open field setting referred to as the human Behavioral Pattern Monitor (hBPM). Activity and interactions with novel and engaging objects were recorded for 15 min via a concealed video camera and rated for exploratory behavior. Both BD and SCZ patients spent more time near the objects and exhibited more overall walking compared to NC. In contrast, BD patients exhibited greater physical contact with objects (number of object interactions and time spent with objects) relative to SCZ patients or NC participants, as well as more perseverative and socially disinhibited behaviors, indicating a unique pattern of over-activity and goal-directed behavior. Further analyses revealed a distinction between SCZ patients according to their subtype. The current study extends our methodology for quantifying exploration and over-activity in a controlled laboratory setting and aids in assessing the overlap and distinguishing characteristics of BD and SCZ.
A Comparison of Reading Rates, Comprehension, and Stamina in Oral and Silent Reading of Fourth-Grade Students

This study examined the relationships between silent and oral reading fluency and comprehension. Findings indicated that fourth grade students had consistent levels of comprehension in both reading modes. Students of all reading levels showed a similar pattern across the segments of a text set in both oral and silent reading—a gradual increase in rate from texts one through three, a drop-off on text four, and the fastest speed on text five. A portion of the sample engaged in abnormally rapid silent reading relative to their oral reading rates coupled with low comprehension. Implications for instruction are discussed.
Surveillance Schedules for Medical Examinations

A model is developed to aid in determining examination schedules for the detection of an age-dependent disease. It is shown that in an optimal schedule the interval between examinations is proportional to the square root of the age-specific incidence probability of the disease. To illustrate the methodology, optimal schedules are developed for breast cancer examinations.
Evaluation of host resistance inducers and conventional products for fire blight management in loquat and quince

Fire blight disease is one of the most destructive diseases of pome fruits. Due to the lack of effective, non-phytotoxic and publicly acceptable materials for controlling fire blight in pome fruit trees, new strategies to manage Erwinia amylovora fire blight are being sought. The resistance-inducing compounds prohexadione-Ca, harpin protein and benzothiadiazole (acibenzolar-S-methyl), the fertilizer humic acid, the bactericides streptomycin and copper salts, and combinations of copper with chemicals were evaluated for their ability to control fire blight on quince and loquat cultivars. Prohexadione-Ca was applied at a rate of 125 mg L-1 at two shoot lengths (6-12 cm and 15-20 cm), while benzothiadiazole + metalaxyl (135 mg L-1) and harpin (50 mg L-1) were applied when the shoots measured between 15-20 cm, and again at 30-35 cm. On loquat cv. Cukurgobek, benzothiadiazole + metalaxyl showed about 60% effectiveness. The addition of copper salts reduced the effectiveness of benzothiadiazole + metalaxyl. On quince cultivars, streptomycin (P ≤ 0.05) was the most effective treatment during both years, followed by the harpin protein alone and in combination with copper salts. Prohexadione-Ca, benzothiadiazole + metalaxyl, and harpin protein applications reduced disease severity on inoculated shoots compared with copper and untreated controls. Prohexadione-Ca reduced both shoot length and shoot blight on the two hosts. Humic acid applications were ineffective in controlling fire blight on loquat and quince cultivars. Quince cv. Esme showed lower disease severity than cv. Ekmek (P ≤ 0.05). The use of resistance-inducing substances during the early phase of shoot growth may offer a means of managing the shoot blight phase of fire blight disease on quince and loquat.
Untangling food-web structure in an ephemeral ecosystem

Summary Scientists know relatively little about the ecology of ephemeral aquatic habitats beyond the importance of hydroperiod and vertebrate predators, especially regarding trophic structure. We used playa wetlands, ephemeral habitats common in arid to semi-arid regions, as our study ecosystem. We predicted that larger, more species-rich playas would have food webs with larger dimensions (longer food chains and more energy sources used), more variation (more niches filled) and more redundancy (niche overlap). We used geometric properties of stable C and N isotope biplots to explore: (i) what regulates trophic structure in ephemeral wetlands, (ii) the role of anthropogenic forces in altering factors controlling trophic structure and (iii) how trophic structure in ephemeral systems differs from that typical of permanent systems. We sampled aquatic animal food webs of 21 playa wetlands located mostly in the short-grass prairies of the Pawnee National Grassland in Colorado, U.S.A. Playas with higher insect diversity had more complex trophic structures than those dominated by large branchiopods (tadpole, clam and fairy shrimps). Insect diversity seemed dependent on length of the hydroperiod and time since filling, both of which are determined by playa depth. The key to understanding trophic structure in playas is an interaction between hydroperiod and the traits, lifespans and trophic niches of the species present. The trophic structure of naturally created playas was marginally more complex than artificial playas, and playas buffered by native vegetation were more likely to have food webs that included unique trophic strategies. Food webs of playas influenced by row crop agriculture had a broader selection of food sources. Playas grazed by cattle had food-web structures comparable to those in ungrazed playas, suggesting that playa biota may be adapted to large mammal disturbances. The trophic structure of ephemeral aquatic habitats may not respond to disturbance in the same way as permanent systems. Indeed, food chain length in a playa can actually increase as the ephemeral ecosystem approaches the end of its hydroperiod. Measures of ecosystem size need to include more than the two dimensions of surface area when being applied to general ecological theory. Food webs increase in complexity with time, and many of the same factors that control trophic structure in ephemeral habitats could be important at least at some time in the life of a relatively permanent ecosystem.
Ontology development for biological systems

Summary: We recently implemented improvements to the representation of immunology content of the biological process branch of the Gene Ontology (GO). The aims of the revision were to provide a comprehensive representation of immunological processes and to improve the organization of immunology related terms in the GO to match current concepts in the field of immunology. With these improvements, the GO will better reflect current understanding in the field of immunology and thus prove to be a more valuable resource for knowledge representation in gene annotation and analysis in the areas of immunology related to genomics and bioinformatics. Availability: http://www.geneontology.org Contact: adiehl@informatics.jax.org
Source-location privacy for networks of energy-constrained sensors

Wireless sensor networks are currently being investigated for ubiquitous computing applications. Privacy is a critical issue for these networks as adversaries may be able to eavesdrop or observe the presence of sensor data to infer information that was not intended to be revealed. The devices that constitute sensor networks are low-powered, compute-constrained devices. Any privacy solution should carefully consider the tradeoffs between supporting location-privacy and energy consumption. We explore two main classes of privacy issues: content privacy and originator location privacy. Content privacy can be maintained through conventional cryptographic methods that provide data confidentiality. We briefly discuss system design techniques that are needed to prevent an adversary from correlating observations from multiple messages to infer the content of encrypted sensor readings. We then examine the issue of protecting the originating sensor's location by studying several multihop routing mechanisms for ad hoc networks. We focus our discussion on three classes of routing protocols: the class of the shortest path routing protocols, the class offloading protocols, and a hybrid class of routing.
Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cells Recognize Vpr- and Rev-Derived Epitopes Early after Infection

The kinetics of CD8 + T cell epitope presentation contribute to the antiviral efficacy of these cells yet remain poorly defined. Here, we demonstrate presentation of virion-derived Vpr peptide epitopes early after viral penetration and prior to presentation of Vif-derived epitopes, which required de novo Vif synthesis. Two Rev epitopes exhibited differential presentation kinetics, with one Rev epitope presented within 1 h of infection. We also demonstrate that cytolytic activity mirrors the recognition kinetics of infected cells. These studies show for the first time that Vpr- and Rev-specific CD8 + T cells recognize and kill simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected CD4 + T cells early after SIV infection.
Weeds, seeds, and buds—opportunities and systems for dormancy investigations

Abstract Dormancy is a critical factor for the survival and persistence of weedy species. Contemporary approaches can be used to identify genes that regulate dormancy directly or indirectly to elucidate key mechanisms, signals, and pathways. Several domesticated plant species have been used as model systems to mark quantitative trait loci (QTL) that affect dormancy in seeds and vegetative propagules directly. A few weedy species have also been used to mark QTL and to determine dormancy genes using microarray analysis. Given the number of serious weeds worldwide and the role that dormancy plays in their persistence, developing fundamental knowledge on dormancy is an important step toward developing new strategies for weed management. This paper describes current research and outlines some weeds that might be candidates for dormancy investigations using molecular genetic and genomics approaches. An underlying theme in the selection of weeds for dormancy investigations is their relation to crop species and t...
Evaluation of an HPLC Test for Impurities in the Corticosteroid, 11β,21‐Dihydroxy‐pregna‐1,4‐diene‐3,20‐dione[17a,16a–d]2′‐methyloxazoline‐21‐acetate

Abstract A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) procedure was developed and evaluated for the determination of impurity levels in bulk 11β,21‐dihydroxy‐pregna‐1,4‐diene‐3,20‐dione[17a,16a–d]2′‐methyloxazoline‐21‐acetate, a corticosteroid compound. A gradient program, with a mobile phase of 0.025 M sodium phosphate buffer in acetonitrile/water (apparent pH 6.9), was used with a Hypersil ODS column. The acetonitrile composition was increased linearly from 15% to 50% over a 40 min period and held at 50% for 10 min. Ultraviolet detection at 245 nm was used to quantify all components. The procedure was validated for accuracy using spiked levels (0.1–1.4% w/w) with three suspected known impurities. A multi‐day repeatability study, using three different Hypersil ODS columns, showed consistent impurity quantification results with one batch lot of the compound.
Examining the effects of communication apprehension within assessment centres

Communication apprehension (CA), an individual difference variable not previously examined within assessment centres, was negatively related to critical thinking and oral communication scores. CA also mediated the relationships between participants' extraversion and emotional stability and their dimension scores. In addition, results indicated that for critical thinking scores, there was a significant interaction between exercise form (i.e., a presentation vs. group discussion) and CA.
Age Differences in Organization and Recall: An Analysis of Rehearsal Processes:

Organizational processing and free recall in younger (mean age = 18.0 yr.) and older (mean age = 71.9 yr.) adults were examined in an overt rehearsal procedure monitoring spontaneous rehearsal strategies. Subjects learned one of two equivalent lists of 18 unrelated nouns. Although a significant interaction of age × list was obtained in total recall, significant age differences in recall from long-term memory were associated with quality of rehearsal. No significant effect of age emerged in subjective organization or frequency of item rehearsal. Younger adults, recalling more, tended to rehearse in an active fashion by rehearsing the currently displayed item with several others. Results provide direct evidence that the elderly may suffer from a decrement in organizational processing in long-term memory with unstructured material, possibly stemming more from acquisition than retrieval-related mechanisms.
The structure of adeno-associated virus serotype 3B (AAV-3B): Insights into receptor binding and immune evasion

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are leading candidate vectors for human gene therapy. AAV serotypes have broad cellular tropism and use a variety of cellular receptors. AAV serotype 3 binds to heparan sulfate proteoglycan prior to cell entry and is serologically distinct from other serotypes. The capsid features that distinguish AAV-3B from other serotypes are poorly understood. The structure of AAV-3B has been determined to 2.6 A resolution from twinned crystals of an infectious virus. The most distinctive structural features are located in regions implicated in receptor and antibody binding, providing insights into the cell entry mechanisms and antigenic nature of AAVs. We show that AAV-3B has a lower affinity for heparin than AAV-2, which can be rationalized by the distinct features of the AAV-3B capsid. The structure of AAV-3B provides an additional foundation for the future engineering of improved gene therapy vectors with modified receptor binding or antigenic characteristics.