cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Una falla geológica de fallas raciales: el Sur norteamericano en Piri Thomas y Manuel Zapata Olivella

En los anos 1940 dos afro-latinos hemisfericos, el afro-puertorriqueno Piri Thomas y el afro-colombiano Manuel Zapata Olivella, viajaron al Sur durante la epoca de las leyes discriminatorias Jim Crow y los linchamientos de negros. ?Por que se pusieron en peligro? Mi respuesta adapta el concepto de los “movimientos continentales” inter-americanos del critico John D. “Rio” Riofrio al contexto de Jim Crow para mostrar que el Sur norteamericano era una “zona catastrofica” a la cual viajaron estos escritores en su juventud para fortalecer sus identidades afro-latinas y su compromiso con la comunidad. Las confrontaciones de estos autores y sus protagonistas con la zona de desastre del Sur son relevantes mientras America experimenta el Nuevo Jim Crow y la epoca de Trump.
Optimal packet scheduling for a piezoelectric energy harvesting node

We consider a wireless sensor node equipped with a piezoelectric vibration energy harvester, which is excited by a series of periodic base acceleration impulses. The magnitude and arrival times of the impulses are known a priori. The node also contains a finite energy storage system, a data queue, and a data transmitter. While most piezoelectric energy harvesters trickle-charge the storage system, in this study, we model a PWM-controlled H-bridge circuit at the transducer and energy storage system interface, which can realize any desired transducer current including two-way power flow. Our goal is to maximize the bits of data transmitted from the node over a fixed period of time through the control of the transmission power and transducer current. However, there are parasitic losses associated with the circuitry used to extract power, and therefore, the optimal scheduling policy must balance energy resources between the two energy-consuming tasks: harvesting energy and transmitting data. Using barrier methods, we develop the optimal off-line control policy to maximize data transmission, and compare how this optimal control policy behaves with a finite versus an infinite energy storage system. The resulting off-line control policy provides an upper bound on the performance of a real-time controller, and the analysis can be used for design purposes.
She’-E-O Compensation Gap: A Role Congruity View

Is there a compensation gap between female CEOs (She’-E-Os) and male CEOs? If so, are there mechanisms to mitigate the compensation gap? Extending role congruity theory, we argue that the perception mismatch between the female gender role (that assumes communal traits) and the leadership role (that assumes agentic traits) may lead to lower compensation to female CEOs, resulting in a gender compensation gap. Nevertheless, the compensation gap may be narrowed if female CEOs display agentic traits through risk-taking, or alternatively, work in female-dominated industries where communal traits are valued. Additionally, we expect that female CEOs’ risk-taking is less effective in reducing the gender compensation gap in female-dominated industries due to the conflicting emphases on agentic and communal traits. Leveraging a sample of Chinese publicly listed firms, we find support for our hypotheses. Overall, this study contributes to the ethics literature on income inequality issues, by highlighting the effectiveness of potential mechanisms to close the gender compensation gap between female and male CEOs.
On the native and induced floatability of coal and pyrite

Abstract The native and induced floatabilities of coal and pyrite have been systematically investigated in order to elucidate the causes of the undesirable recovery of pyrite in coal cleaning by flotation. Comparative flotation studies were conducted with coal, coal- and orepyrite under various chemical conditions. In the absence of collectors, the Ky No.9 coal exhibits moderate flotation in acidic media. The floatability of the coal decreases as pH increases. The coal-pyrite and ore-pyrite samples (prepared by dry grinding) showed no flotation in the absence of collectors. In the presence of fuel oil, coal shows a complete flotation up to pH=12. The presence of fuel oil also increases the floatability of coal-pyrite, especially for fine size fractions. However, the flotation of ore-pyrite is only slightly improved by fuel oil. When xanthate is used as collector, the floatability of ore-pyrite is considerably enhanced, particularly in neutral to alkaline media. For coal-pyrite, however, the flotation is improved only in acidic media and is almost independent of the particle size. It was found that xanthate can also increase the flotation of coal. The results demonstrate that the flotation behavior of coal-pyrite is to a large extent determined by the coal/carbon coating. The recovery of pyrite in coal flotation is mainly attributed to the oil-induced floatability due to the hydrophobic coal/carbon coating on the surface rather than mechanical entrainment or entrapment.
Econometrics Needs a History: Two Cases of Conspicuous Neglect

Econometrics needs a history. Our knowledge of our own past is very fragmentary. Instead of history we have oral traditions, and the traditions of different schools have glaring inconsistencies and incredible gaps. No civilized community would be content with this state of affairs, and if we econometricians are a community and are civilized, neither should we.
Understanding and quantifying the systematic effects of clutter within a radiation detection scene

Because of low signal-to-noise ratios, the main difficultly in real-world detection scenarios is distinguishing between benign sources and potentially-threatening radioactive materials. The variability in observed signal during a radiation detection search operation can be contributed to the stochastic nature of the underlying physics and the systematic errors inherent to the detection systems employed. This variability is compounded for dynamic detection scenarios, where objects, referred to as clutter, traverse through the primary detection scene, introducing potential suppressions in the observed signal due to the attenuation of background radiation. This study examines the impact that clutter, namely automobiles such as small utility vehicles, sedans, and trucks, produces on the observed signal in a 2 in. × 4 in. × 16 in. NaI(Tl) detector. The clutter is identified and tracked in the detection scene using a time-synced video camera and a 2-D light distance and ranging contextual sensors. Two experiments were performed on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory reservation: one using a distributed source within the scene to understand the systematics of detecting and analyzing the clutter, and the second experiment mimicking an urban environment with large buildings positioned on either side of a roadway. The experiments exhibited unique results in the amount of signal suppression and variability of the cluttered signal, both demonstrating an observable suppression from the clutter-free background. These results reveal a new potential category of signal noise intrinsic to real-world detection scenarios that should be considered when establishing detection thresholds based on expected values.
ADHD, depression, and substance abuse risk among beginning college students

Objective: This study examined differences in substance use, depression, and academic functioning among ADHD and non-ADHD college students. Participants: Included 1,748 students (ages 18-25; women 68.4%; Caucasian 71.3%) with and without history of ADHD. Methods: We assessed the relationship of ADHD to substance use variables, controlling for depressive symptoms and examined relationships with GPA. Results: ADHD students were more likely to have engaged in frequent alcohol use, binge drinking, regular marijuana use and to have used other drugs in the last year. They reported higher depression symptoms than non-ADHD students, although substance abuse risk remained high even when controlling for depressive symptoms. ADHD students had lower overall GPA than those without ADHD. However, this difference was no longer significant when controlling for depression and marijuana use. Conclusions: College campuses should consider programing aimed at identifying ADHD students at risk for developing substance abuse problems and emotional difficulties.
Author Correction: Mechanically tunable conductive interpenetrating network hydrogels that mimic the elastic moduli of biological tissue

The original version of this Article contained an error in the second sentence of the ‘Materials’ section of the Methods, which incorrectly read ‘PEDOT:PSS synthesized by Orgacon (739324 Aldrich, MDL MFCD07371079) was purchased as a surfactant-free aqueous dispersion with 1.1 wt% solid content.’ The correct version replaces this sentence with ‘PEDOT:PSS Orgacon ICP 1050 was provided by Agfa as a surfactant-free aqueous dispersion with 1.1 wt% solid content.’ This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
2371 Validation of a novel PD-L1 assay for bladder cancer circulating tumor cells

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Bladder cancer patients being considered for immune checkpoint blockade are often judged on immunohistochemical staining for the checkpoint target protein PD-L1 in the original surgery or biopsy sample. However, sampling error or the clinical evolution of most patients’ cancer can render the original PD-L1 assessment no longer accurate. In contrast, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) allow serial noninvasive sampling of the current tumor status throughout a patient’s clinical course including those with the highest metastatic potential. We therefore sought to develop a method for quantifying PD-L1 expression in CTCs towards addressing inherent limitations of current UC management. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This work utilizes both cancer cell lines as well as patient samples. Positive and negative control cancer cell lines were assessed via “industry standard” antibodies for PD-L1 expression via Western blots and immunofluorescence, and a threshold-based method was developed for reliable quantification. PDL-1 expression was additionally verified via interferon-mediated up-regulation. CTCs isolated from bladder cancer patient samples via a density centrifugation method were then assessed for PD-L1 via the same antibodies. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We will show preliminary preclinical and clinical data that validates the sensitivity and specificity of our assay. A case study will be presented that illustrate the potential useful of the novel approach we describe and which should be complementary to current clinical practices. In a patient with metastatic bladder cancer, this method effectively detected the PD-L1 expression in CTCs taken at a time coincident to when the patient derived an excellent response to the PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor Pembrolizumab. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: This work highlights the potential utility of CTCs in the management of bladder cancer. It may be the case that this assay in conjunction with current methods of patient selection for immunotherapy may allow for better response prediction than either method alone.
Field Detection of Nuclear Materials

Abstract Unconventional radiological and nuclear threats in the form of an improvised device that produces a devastating nuclear explosion, or a "dirty bomb," which releases deadly radiation, remain a serious international security concern. Preventing such attacks requires a layered defense with multiple elements including intelligence, law enforcement, search and emergency response, and consequence management. Essential to each of these layers are technical systems capable of detecting and/or characterizing special nuclear materials (SNM) and/or other radioactive threat materials such as intense industrial radionuclides. All nuclear and radiological threat detection technology relies on measuring either emitted radiation signatures or signatures that can be induced by interrogating the threat material with other radiation. This chapter introduces the scientific basis of and technology used in the detection of nuclear and radiological materials.
The De-Scent of Sexuality: Did Loss of a Pheromone Signaling Protein Permit the Evolution of Same-Sex Sexual Behavior in Primates?

Primate same-sex sexual behavior (SSSB) is rarely observed in strepsirrhine species, and only somewhat more common in platyrrhines, but is observed in nearly all catarrhine species, including humans, suggesting the common catarrhine ancestor as the origin of routine SSSB. In mice, disruption of the transient receptor potential cation channel 2 (TRPC2) gene, which is crucial for transducing chemosensory signals from pheromones in the vomeronasal organ, greatly increased the likelihood of SSSB. We note that catarrhine primates share a common deleterious mutation in this gene, indicating that the protein was dysfunctional in the common catarrhine ancestral primate approximately 25 mya (million years ago). We hypothesize that the loss of this protein for processing pheromonal signals in males and females made SSSB more likely in a primate ancestral species by effectively lifting a pheromonally mediated barrier to SSSB and that this was an important precursor to the evolution of such behavior in humans. Additional comparisons between SSSB and the functional status of the TRPC2 gene or related proteins across primate species could lend support to or falsify this hypothesis. Our current research indicates that loss of TRPC2 function in developing mice leads to the loss or attenuation of sexually dimorphisms in the adult brain, which may help us to understand the biological underpinnings of SSSB. Our hypothesis offers an ultimate evolutionary explanation for SSSB in humans.
Abstract 3579: Long non-coding RNA ADAMTS9-AS2 inhibits ovarian tumor growth via Annexin A1

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNA), which account for more than 75% genome transcripts, have unique functions in regulating cancer pathogenesis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression and are involved in cancer progression and metastasis. However, the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) is not well understood. We used the NCode™ non-coding RNA array to screen downregulated lncRNAs in HGSCs. After analyzing the array data of lncRNAs in HGSCs (n=29) and normal ovarian (n=11) samples, the probes mapping to the top 25 most down-regulated non-coding RNAs were analyzed. Two lncRNAs (ADAMTS9-AS1 and ADAMTS9-AS2) were identified as the antisense of gene ADAMTS9, and we validate by in vitro translation assay, q-RT-PCR, in-situ hybridization and the biological functions of ADAMTS9-AS2 in ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, using A2780-CP20 orthotopic mouse models of ovarian cancer, we further demonstrated restoring ADAMTS9-AS2 resulted in profound reduction of tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we demonstrate that ADAMTS9-AS2 is highly down-regulated (5.01x10 -13 and 1.6x10 -19 ) in ovarian cancers. Overexpression of ADAMTS9-AS2 leads to significantly increased apoptosis (7.5% control and 19.5% AS2OE) and decreased proliferation (49.5% control and 37.0% AS2OE) compared with controls. Consistently, increased expression of ADAMTS9-AS2 led to significantly reduced tumor burden in A2780-CP20 orthotopic ovarian cancer mouse models. We identified the promoter region of Annexin A1 as the major target of ADAMTS9-AS2. The binding of lncRNA ADAMTS9-AS2 to the promoter region can facilitate the expression of tumor suppressor Annexin A1 thereby decrease the proliferation and increase apoptosis of cancer cells. Collectively, our data point to an important role for ADAMTS9-AS2 as a tumor suppressor in ovarian cancer. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Cristian Rodriguez-Aguayo, Emine Bayraktar, Lingegowda S. Mangala, Cristina Ivan, Gabriel Lopez-Berestein, Anil K. Sood. Long non-coding RNA ADAMTS9-AS2 inhibits ovarian tumor growth via Annexin A1 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3579.
Development of combination chemotherapy regimens: What is the yield of published phase II trials?

6510 Background: Although combination therapy presents an opportunity to advance cancer care, how well typical phase II development methods screen for regimens that improve care is not known. Since...
Caring for gender diverse youth with cystic fibrosis

Gender diverse youth with cystic fibrosis have unique health needs. Providers should be aware of existing health disparities in this population as well as aspects of gender-affirming care including hormone therapy, chest binding, and use of affirming language. This communication provides an introduction to these concerns.
Chapter 9 – The Theory of Decreasing Cost Production

Chapter 9 analyzes decreasing cost services (natural monopolies), in which the average cost curve of an individual firm declines all the way to the market demand curve. The chapter develops the optimal pricing and investment rules, with the latter distinguishing between the easy case (a profit-maximizing monopolist can at least break even) and the hard case (a profit-maximizing monopolist incurs a loss). Among the topics covered are the public's desire to minimize the deficit in the hard case and the need to distinguish between nonexclusive goods and decreasing cost services with zero marginal costs, even though both exhibit nonrivalry in consumption.
No pains, no gains: how chromosome fragmentation promotes gene amplification.

Combining live-cell imaging, cytogenetics, genome sequencing, and in vitro evolution, Shoshani et al. (2020) revealed deep connections between chromothripsis, the catastrophic shattering of a chromosome in abnormal nuclear structures, and gene amplification, a frequent culprit of oncogenic activation.
Descriptions and records of liparid fishes (Scorpaeniformes, Liparidae) from the Mariana Islands

Three new bathyal species of Paraliparis (Liparidae) are described from Tinian and Anatahan Islands, and from Esmeralda Bank, in the Mariana Islands. All were collected in shrimp traps set at 903–1207 m. Although liparids have been found, described, and studied at hadal depths in the Mariana Trench, Paraliparis echongpachot sp. nov., Paraliparis kadadakaleguak sp. nov., and Paraliparis marianae sp. nov. are the first species of the family described from bathyal depths of the Mariana Islands. The existence of three species from collections at three locations in the same archipelago, and their distinctiveness from liparids known from other areas in the western Pacific to the north and south of the Mariana Archipelago, is in accordance with the high degree of endemism in species of Paraliparis. Biogeographic and liparid life-history factors that influence bathyal fish distributions in the Mariana Archipelago and enhance endemism in Paraliparis are discussed.
Effect of obesity on perioperative and 180-day outcomes following anatomic and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty

Abstract Background An increasing number of anatomic and reverse total shoulder arthroplasties (aTSA and rTSA, respectively) are being performed on obese patients. Current literature shows highly variable results regarding the relationship between obesity and TSA outcomes. The purpose of this study is to more clearly define the effect of obesity on complication rates and outcomes following TSA using large, national databases. Methods The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database and Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) were queried from 2011 to 2017 to identify all cases of aTSA and rTSA. These groups were further stratified into non-obese, obese, and morbidly obese cohorts. The NIS database was used to perform a demographic, hospital characteristic analysis, and peri‑operative complication analysis (n = 433,111). The NRD was then used to analyze 180-day rates of complications, revisions, mortality, extended hospital stays, non-home discharges, and overall total cost (n = 303,755). Results The most obese individuals were significantly more likely to be younger, female, black, and have higher comorbidity scores (all P Conclusions While obesity was predictive of higher rates of peri‑operative complications following aTSA and 180-day revision rates following rTSA, it otherwise appears to be a safe procedure in the obese population. Morbid obesity, however, appears to be predictive of increased peri‑operative and 180-day complication rates, longer hospital stays, and more frequent non-home discharge rates following TSA. Patients should be counseled appropriately on this information when considering surgery in order to facilitate shared decision making, and surgeons should take particular care when performing TSA in the morbidly obese population. Level of Evidence Level III; Retrospective Cohort; Treatment Study
In vivo quantitative assessment of therapeutic response to bortezomib therapy in disseminated animal models of multiple myeloma with [18F]FDG and [64Cu]Cu-LLP2A PET.

BACKGROUND Multiple myeloma (MM) is a disease of cancerous plasma cells in the bone marrow. Imaging-based timely determination of therapeutic response is critical for improving outcomes in MM patients. Very late antigen-4 (VLA4, CD49d/CD29) is overexpressed in MM cells. Here, we evaluated [18F]FDG and VLA4 targeted [64Cu]Cu-LLP2A for quantitative PET imaging in disseminated MM models of variable VLA4 expression, following bortezomib therapy. METHODS In vitro and ex vivo VLA4 expression was evaluated by flow cytometry. Human MM cells, MM.1S-CG and U266-CG (C: luciferase and G: green fluorescent protein), were injected intravenously in NOD-SCID gamma mice. Tumor progression was monitored by bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Treatment group received bortezomib (1 mg/kg, twice/week) intraperitoneally. All cohorts (treated, untreated and no tumor) were longitudinally imaged with [18F]FDG (7.4-8.0 MBq) and [64Cu]Cu-LLP2A (2-3 MBq; Molar Activity: 44.14 ± 1.40 MBq/nmol) PET, respectively. RESULTS Flow cytometry confirmed high expression of CD49d in U266 cells (> 99%) and moderate expression in MM.1S cells (~ 52%). BLI showed decrease in total body flux in treated mice. In MM.1S-CG untreated versus treated mice, [64Cu]Cu-LLP2A localized with a significantly higher SUVmean in spine (0.58 versus 0.31, p < 0.01) and femur (0.72 versus 0.39, p < 0.05) at week 4 post-tumor inoculation. There was a four-fold higher uptake of [64Cu]Cu-LLP2A (SUVmean) in untreated U266-CG mice compared to treated mice at 3 weeks post-treatment. Compared to [64Cu]Cu-LLP2A, [18F]FDG PET detected treatment-related changes at later time points. CONCLUSION [64Cu]Cu-LLP2A is a promising tracer for timely in vivo assessment of therapeutic response in disseminated models of MM.
Brain metastases

Brain metastases are an increasingly common complication in patients with systemic cancer. The optimal treatment for each patient depends on careful evaluation of several factors: the location, size, and number of brain metastases; the patient's age, general condition, and neurologic status; and the extent of systemic cancer to name a few. For patients with a single brain metastasis and limited systemic disease, the standard treatment is surgical resection followed by whole brain radiation therapy. In patients with a small, single metastasis, stereotactic radiosurgery is probably comparable to surgery. Patients with several metastases (up to three) and controlled systemic disease can be treated with whole-brain radiation and stereotactic radiosurgery. Patients with multiple metastases (more than three) are generally treated with whole-brain radiation alone. Radiosurgery is effective in treating patients with a limited number of recurrent brain metastases and stable systemic diseases. Surgery may have a role in patients with a large symptomatic recurrent lesion producing mass effect. Reirradiation and chemotherapy may have a limited role in patients with multiple recurrent metastases.
High-throughput imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans aging using collective activity monitoring

The genetic manipulability and short lifespan of C. elegans make it an important model for aging research. Widely applied methods for measurements of worm aging based on manual observation are labor intensive and low-throughput. Here, we describe the Worm Collective Activity Monitoring Platform (WormCamp), a system for assaying aging in C. elegans by monitoring activity of populations of worms in standard 24-well plates. We show that metrics based on the rate of decline in collective activity can be used to estimate the average lifespan and locomotor healthspan in the population. Using the WormCamp, we assay a panel of highly divergent natural isolates of C. elegans and show that both lifespan and locomotor healthspan display substantial heritability. To facilitate analysis of large numbers of worms, we developed a robotic imaging system capable of simultaneous automated monitoring of activity, lifespan, and locomotor healthspan in up to 2,304 populations containing a total of ~90,000 animals. We applied the automated system to conduct a large-scale RNA interference screen for genes that affect lifespan and locomotor healthspan. The WormCamp system is complementary to other current automated methods for assessing C. elegans aging and is well suited for efficiently screening large numbers of conditions.
Youth Violence Prevention and Safety Opportunities for Health Care Providers

Violence involvement remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for youth and young adults in the United States. The impact of adverse childhood experiences on violence involvement can be translated to the cellular level, including alterations in brain structure and function responsible for stress reactivity and coping. This knowledge is counterbalanced by a growing understanding of what works in the realm of youth violence prevention. Incorporating a resilience framework, with its focus on building developmental assets and resources at individual, family, and community levels, offers a renewed approach to fostering healthy behaviors and coping strategies.
Update on Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by autoantibody production, small-vessel vasculopathy, and skin and other organ fibrosis. The disease is clinically heterogeneous with most patients having some degree of skin sclerosis with varying organ system involvement. Early disease can be difficult to diagnose, especially with minimal skin sclerosis and absence of anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) positivity; however, studies have demonstrated early diagnosis is important as early treatment could potentially lead to better outcomes. New classification criteria have recently been published that have higher sensitivity for detecting early disease thus allowing for a broader spectrum of patients to be represented in clinical trials. Treatment guidelines have been published based on a limited number of randomized-controlled clinical trials; however, there are ongoing phase II and III clinical trials with novel agents that are promising and will change the treatment landscape over the next decade.
2. Late Quaternary marine sediment studies of the iceland shelf—palaeocenography, land/ice sheet/ocean interactions, and deglaciation: a review

The Iceland margin is crossed by a series of broad, relatively shallow troughs which contain various thicknesses of late Quaternary sediments. The bounding slopes have a variety of morphologies and sediment types. Dates from Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 and 3 have been obtained from sediments recovered from Hunafloaall (N. Iceland), Djupall (NW Iceland), and the Latra Bank (W. Iceland). Sediments of this age have also been recovered from the slope of W and NW Iceland above the Denmark Strait sill, and from the base of the slope below Djupall. However, it is still not clear where the margins of the Iceland Ice Cap were located during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). It appears probable that the extent of ice on the North West Peninsula was restricted during the LGM and did not extend any distance across Djupall (the trough which extends from Isafjarðardjup to the shelf break). In places on the shelf, cores have penetrated through Holocene and late glacial marine sediments into underlying diamictons. Radiocarbon dates from sediments immediately above diamictons from troughs off N and SW Iceland give dates on deglaciation of ca 13.4k±14C yr BP (with a 400 yr ocean reservoir correction). It appears that deglaciation of the shelf occurred rapidly after ca 13.4k±14C yr BP and the ice was grounded near the present coast by 12.5 k 14C yr BP. On the NW and N Iceland shelves, 3.5 kHz seismic surveys reveal regional reflectors which can be tracked over 10s to 100s of kilometers. Recovery of sediment cores which penetrate these reflectors indicate that they mark the Saksunarvatn and Vedde ashes with ages of 9k±and 10.3k±14C yr BP. A variety of evidence, including foraminifera and carbonate variations, suggests that the Holocene of N Iceland in particular was marked by rapid changes in oceanography. In the last 5k yr there has been a noticeable cooling of the climate, which led to the reoccurrence of species of cold water benthic forminifera and a reduction in net carbonate production. The Little Ice Age is a marked feature in the sediment record from Reykjarfjorður, a small fjord on the Strandir coast of N Iceland.
The Association of a Metabolite of Vitamin D3 with Intestinal Mucosa Chromatin in Vivo

Abstract Administration of a physiological dose of radioactive vitamin D3 to vitamin D-deficient chicks results in a localization of the radioactivity isolated from intestinal mucosa within the nuclear chromatin fraction. Extraction and chromatography of this chromatin-bound radioactivity in several systems indicates that 87% of it exists as a polar metabolite of vitamin D3. This polar metabolite has biological activity equivalent to the parent vitamin. The association of this metabolite with the chromatin fraction occurs only in the target intestinal mucosa and is specifically inhibited by pretreatment of the rachitic chick with nonradioactive vitamin D3 or vitamin D3 analogues such as vitamin D2 and dihydrotachysterol3. The time course of appearance of the polar metabolite in the entire intestine parallels the location of radioactivity in the chromatin fraction and is consistent with the lag in the physiological response to vitamin D.
Wavelet beamspace STAP for uniform linear arrays

Space time adaptive processing is implemented in this paper in beamspace using a wavelet based transformation. We show that given a fixed number of beamspace elements, wavelet based STAP outperforms that of DFT based STAP, or sinusoidal tapers based STAP. Wavelet based decomposition divides the uniformly sampled element-space array into nonuniform dyadically distributed orthogonal beamspace elements. Adaptive processing in the wavelet domain improves signal-to-interference plus noise ratio depending on the type of wavelet used.
Molecular cloning and characterization of two genes encoding sigma factors that direct transcription from a Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein gene promoter.

Abstract Two sigma factors, sigma 35 and sigma 28, direct transcription from the Bt I and Bt II promoters of the cryIA(a) gene of Bacillus thuringiensis; this gene encodes a lepidopteran-specific crystal protoxin. These sigma factors were biochemically characterized in previous work (K. L. Brown and H. R. Whiteley, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:4166-4170, 1988; K. L. Brown and H. R. Whiteley, J. Bacteriol. 172:6682-6688, 1990). In this paper, we describe the cloning of the genes encoding these two sigma factors, as well as their nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences. The deduced amino acid sequences of the sigma 35 and sigma 28 genes show 88 and 85% identity, respectively, to the sporulation-specific sigma E and sigma K polypeptides of Bacillus subtilis. Transformation of the sigma 35 and sigma 28 genes into B. subtilis shows that the respective B. thuringiensis sigma factor genes can complement spoIIG55 (sigma E) and spoIIIC94 (sigma K) defects. Further, B. thuringiensis core polymerase reconstituted with either the sigma 35 or sigma 28 polypeptide directs transcription from B. subtilis promoters recognized by B. subtilis RNA polymerase containing sigma E and sigma K, respectively. Thus, sigma 35 and sigma 28 of B. thuringiensis appear to be functionally equivalent to sigma E and sigma K of B. subtilis. However, unlike the situation for sigma K in B. subtilis, the homologous sigma 28 gene in B. thuringiensis does not result from a late-sporulation-phase chromosomal rearrangement of two separate, partial genes.
Developing RNase P ribozymes for gene-targeting and antiviral therapy.

Summary RNase P, a tRNA processing enzyme, contains both RNA and protein subunits. M1 RNA, the catalytic RNA subunit of RNase P from Escherichia coli, recognizes its target RNA substrate mainly on the basis of its structure and cleaves a double stranded RNA helix at the 5′ end that resembles the acceptor stem and T-stem structure of its natural tRNA substrate. Accordingly, a guide sequence (GS) can be covalently attached to the M1 RNA to generate a sequence specific ribozyme, M1GS RNA. M1GS ribozyme can target any mRNA sequence of choice that is complementary to its guide sequence. Recent studies have shown that M1GS ribozymes efficiently cleave the mRNAs of herpes simplex virus 1 and human cytomegalovirus, and the BCR-ABL oncogenic mRNA in vitro and effectively reduce the expression of these mRNAs in cultured cells. Moreover, an in vitro selection scheme has been developed to select for M1 GS ribozyme variants with more efficient catalytic activity in cleaving mRNAs. When expressed in cultured cells, these selected ribozymes also show an enhance ability to inhibit viral gene expression and growth. These recent results demonstrate the feasibility of developing the M1GS ribozyme-based technology as a promising gene targeting approach for basic research and clinical therapeutic application.
Differences in Duty Hours and Their Relationship With Academic Parameters Between Preliminary and Categorical General Surgery Residents

Background There is the perceived notion that nondesignated preliminary general surgery (P-GS) interns are treated differently (i.e., overworked) than their categorical GS (C-GS) counterparts are treated, or in an effort to prove themselves worthy of a categorical position, nondesignated preliminary residents may self-choose to work more. Empirical evidence examining duty-hour differences between P-GS and C-GS residents is lacking. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 4 academic years (July 2009 to June 2013) of our self-entered duty-hour database. Duty hours were averaged over 4-week periods and then averaged annually for each intern. Duty-hour averages and the percentage of conference attendance between P-GS and C-GS interns were compared. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect of the 2011 duty-hour regulations, attendance to educational activities, seasonal variations in workload, and the Match Day effect. Results A total of 70 P-GS and 43 C-GS interns were compared. Duty-hour averages (±standard deviation, range) were 64.4 h/wk (±4.6; 45-70) for the P-GS interns and 64.1 h/wk (±3.9; 57-72) for the C-GS interns, p = 0.8. Mean (±standard deviation, range) conference attendance was 61% (±17; 33-89) for the P-GS interns and 66% (±18; 44-85) for the C-GS interns (p = 0.13). Duty-hour averages for both the groups positively correlated with conference attendance (r = 0.27, p = Conclusions At our institution, the P-GS and the C-GS interns have equivalent duty-hour periods and similar conference attendance. An expected, a positive correlation was observed between duty hours and conference attendance. Average weekly duty hours increased by almost 5 hours after the implementation of the 2011 duty-hour regulations.
Creatine kinase as an intracellular regulator

Several recent studies have demonstrated the presence of creatine kinase and of phosphorylcreatine in a variety of cells besides striated muscle and brain cells. The total creatine kinase and phosphagen levels in these cells encompass a wide range of values. The available data are collected in this article to demonstrate that the variation of the enzyme and phosphagen concentrations is not random but that the two are interrelated. With both the major isoenzymes of creatine kinase, namely the muscle type and the brain type, the basal levels of phosphorylcreatine follow closely the cellular creatine kinase levels. A hypothesis is presented in which the enzyme itself is the major determinant of phosphorylcreatine content by virtue of its ability to act as an intracellular binding protein for creatine derived from extracellular fluid, and also for cellular ADP. The proposed mechanism further predicts that in cells that contain high levels of actin and thus sequester the cytoplasmic free ADP (e.g. most muscle cells), a high level of creatine kinase can effectively regulate the myokinase reaction by its ability to bind ADP. The net effect of such regulation is to conserve the adenine nucleotide pools in the cell. The evolutionary advantage of these two regulatory functions of creatine kinase in terms of energy conservation is discussed.
Arginine vasotocin neuronal phenotypes, telencephalic fiber varicosities, and social behavior in butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): Potential similarities to birds and mammals

The neuropeptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) influences many social behaviors through its action in the forebrain of mammals. However, the function of the homologous arginine vasotocin (AVT) in the forebrain of fishes, specifically the telencephalon remains unresolved. We tested whether the density of AVT-immunoreactive (-ir) fiber varicosities, somata size or number of AVT-ir neuronal phenotypes within the forebrain were predictive of social behavior in reproductive males of seven species of butterflyfishes (family Chaetodontidae) in four phylogenetic clades. Similar to other fishes, the aggressive (often territorial) species in most cases had larger AVT-ir cells within the gigantocellular preoptic cell group. Linear discriminant function analyses demonstrated that the density of AVT-ir varicosities within homologous telencephalic nuclei to those important for social behavior in mammals and birds were predictive of aggressive behavior, social affiliations, and mating system. Of note, the density of AVT-ir varicosities within the ventral nucleus of the ventral telencephalon, thought to be homologous to the septum of other vertebrates, was the strongest predictor of aggressive behavior, social affiliation, and mating system. These results are consistent with the postulate that AVT within the telencephalon of fishes plays an important role in social behavior and may function in a similar manner to that of AVT / AVP in birds and mammals despite having cell populations solely within the preoptic area.
Lewis Acid Acceleration of C–N Bond-Forming Reductive Elimination from Heteroarylpalladium Complexes and Catalytic Amidation of Heteroaryl Bromides

A large acceleration of carbon−nitrogen bond-forming reductive elimination from heteroarylpalladium amido complexes by addition of Lewis acids is described. Several lines of data imply that this effect arises from coordination of the Lewis acid to the nitrogen of the heteroaryl group. The presence of this coordination was confirmed by isolation of a Lewis acid base complex with a borane coordinated to the pyridyl nitrogen. This adduct underwent reductive elimination faster than the complex lacking the Lewis acid, and it occurred in high yield. Control experiments showed that this acceleration of reductive elimination was not observed for the reactions of arylpalladium amide complexes. This effect of Lewis acids translated to catalytic C−N bond-forming coupling processes. The binding of Lewis acids to the pyridyl nitrogen led to an acceleration of the amidation of unactivated heteroaryl bromides catalyzed by palladium complexes of Xantphos. The rates were faster and the yields were higher for reactions of ...
Looking for Signs of Life

there are some resonant parallels between what is generally considered the paradigm of modern museums, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Moderna Museet. In 1957 MoMA went from being a v...
Is hepatitis C virus carcinogenic

Although infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become a leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma, the mechanisms by which it results in carcinogenesis remain a subject of debate. Here, we explore the possibility that HCV replication impairs cellular DNA damage responses, thereby promoting instability of the infected host cell genome, and that HCV exerts a direct cancer-promoting effect in addition to eliciting immune-mediated inflammation and apoptosis of hepatocytes contributing to hepatocellular carcinogenesis.
Pregnancy wastage as a factor in the analysis of fertility data

Esteestudio considera el efecto delas muertes fetales en las tasasdefecundidad y en lasinferencias derivadas de ellas, utilizando un modelo estocastico para la fecundidad humana. El modelo proporciona una probabilidad eepecifica para un numero de diferentes resultados de la concepcion, por ejemplo, muertesfetales espontaneas (tempranas y nacidosmuertos) nacidos vivos y abortos inducidos. La duracion del embarazo se tomacomo una variable cuya distribucion varia de acuerdo conel resultado de la concepcion. Se hace la misma presuncion para la duracion de la esterilidad jisiologica quesigue a la terminacion delembarazo. Se sugiere un metoda paraestimar el efecto de los porametros en el modelo y se dan ejemplos numericos. De este modelo se derivan los siguientes resultados: 1. El acaecimiento de las perdidas fetales influye en los indices de fecundidad esperada aun en compasacion con los resultados esperados de la misma probabilidad real de concebir sin perdidas fetales. Deeste modo: (a) la tasadefecundidad esperada denacidos vivos es disminuida; (b) la media y la varianza de los intervalos entre nacidos vivos son aumentadas. 2. Una tasa de perdidas fetales de un cierto porcentaje dado, reducira la tasa defecundidad en un porcentaje menor a aquel. La reduccion es menos notoria cuando ammenta la probabilidad de concebir y cuando es creciente la duracion de la esterilidad fisiologica, asociada a los nacimientos vivos. 3. Similarmente, en presencia de niveles altos de probabilidad de concebir y largos periodos de esterilidad fisiologica asociada a los cimienios vivos, la reduccion de la perdidafetal tendria menor efecto en las tasas de natalidad. 4. Un contraceptivo de una relativa efectividad dada en presencia de una creciente incidencia de perdidas fetales, de decreciente probabilidad de concebir y de periodos mas cortes de esterilidad fisiologica, tiene un mayor efecto relativo sobre las tasas de natalidad. 5. El efecto de cambios en la frecuencia deabortos inducidos (δ) depende dela tasacomplementaria de abortos previa (1 — δ), asi como de la probabilidad de concebir, de la frecuencia de perdidas fetales espontaneas, y de la duracion de los diversos periodos de esterilidad fisiologica. Coneste juego de porametros, porejemplo, se calculo quesi la mitad de todoslos embarazos dentro deun periodo de diez semanas fueran artificialmente interrumpidos, la tasa de fecunidad se reduciria en un 30 por ciento.
On celestial events, auroral activity, and the solar cycle in classical antiquity

Abstract Auroral activity is known to be connected to the ∼11-yr solar cycle. Ancient records of celestial events, if they can be related to auroral activity, can provide information about solar activity in the past. A record of such events, extracted from Livy's history of Rome, was previously analyzed and an ∼11-yr periodicity was identified, suggesting that the events were auroral in nature. The goal of the present analysis is to estimate the form of the ∼11-yr cycle in the rate of events. The estimated rate is bimodal. This is similar to modern variations in geomagnetic activity and lends independent support to the earlier conclusion that at least some of these ancient events represent aurorae.
Evaluation of neural network performance by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis: examples from the biotechnology domain

A need exists for an unbiased measure of the accuracy of feed-forward neural networks used for classification. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis is suited for this measure, and has been used to assess the performance of several different network weights. The area under an ROC and its standard error were used to compare different network weight sets, and to follow the performance of a network during the course of training. The ROC is not sensitive to the prior probabilities of examples in the testing set nor to the system's decision bias. The area under an ROC curve is a readily understood measure, and should be used to evaluate neural networks and to report results of learning experiments. Examples are provided from experiments with data from the biotechnology domain.
Developmental Function of Nm23/awd - A Mediator of Endocytosis

The metastasis suppressor gene Nm23 is highly conserved from yeast to human, implicating a critical developmental function. Studies in cultured mammalian cells have identified several potential functions, but many have not been directly verified in vivo. Here, we summarize the studies on the Drosophila homolog of the Nm23 gene, named abnormalwingdiscs (awd), which shares 78% amino acid identity with the human Nm23-H1 and H2 isoforms. These studies confirmed that awd gene encodes a nucleoside diphosphate kinase, and provided strong evidence of a role for awd in regulating cell differentiation and motility via regulation of growth factor receptor signaling. The latter function is mainly mediated by control of endocytosis. This review provides a historical account of the discovery and subsequent analyses of the awd gene. We will also discuss the possible molecular function of the Awd protein that underlies the endocytic function.
Gustav III of Sweden and the east Baltic, 1771–1792

(1976). Gustav III of Sweden and the east Baltic, 1771–1792. Journal of Baltic Studies: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 13-30.
Silicon interposer request-for-quote IC-package Co-design flow

In the early stages of a chip design, i.e. before RTL coding is complete, before a cell library is selected, and before a package is selected, it can be beneficial to run some cost estimates on the silicon, package, and board to determine the feasibility of a project. The main questions to be answered in this are, “Can it be built in a reasonable amount of time, and how much will it cost to make and package a silicon die or dice?” This paper proposes a methodology to answer these questions. This methodology is especially useful in doing 2.5-D IC design and will be described in the context of a silicon interposer flow.
Analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and the impact of family structure on children's well-being in the United States

Different family structures can significantly impact the well-being of children. From 1980 to 2008, reported births to unwed mothers in the United States rose from 18.4% to 40.6% and children in single-parent households in the United States increased from 19.5% to 29.5%. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (2001–2005) collected data on 13 582 American children 5–19 years old. A multiple-regression analysis tested for differences regarding family structure and income and the MEPS results on physical health, mental health, Body Mass Index (BMI) and class attendance. Level of significance for the study was p < 0.05. Children from single-mother households had significantly higher absentee rates than children from single-father households. Children from single-father families had significantly better rates of well-being when compared to single-mother families in general by income level. Children from higher income households had significantly better rates of mental and physical health and lower BMI and...