cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Review of the Current Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

For many decades, Pap smear screening has been synonymous with well-woman visits. Although Pap smears have greatly decreased the rates of cervical cancer, current guidelines support less frequent screening. This commentary reviews the currently recommended strategies for cervical cancer screening.
A Tailor-Made Protein Synthesis Program Drives Erythroid Development and Disease

Abstract Erythropoiesis constitutes the largest demand on the hematopoietic system due to its extraordinary production on a daily basis. The erythroid proteome requires an integration of multiple external cues to coordinate programs of differentiation as well as maintenance of erythroid precursors. The biomedical relevance of this critical process is underscored by recent findings showing impaired ribosome function in an entire class of clinical disorders with severe impairments in erythroid differentiation, known as ribosomopathies, which remain poorly understood. One of the main signaling pathways controlling post-transcriptional gene expression during erythropoiesis is the mTOR pathway. mTOR activation downstream of SCF/Epo in erythroid progenitors controls the activity of the major cap-binding protein eIF4E. However, the functional role of eIF4E during erythropoiesis and protein synthesis control in this cell type remains unexplored. Here we show that eIF4E activity, through mTOR-dependent phosphorylation of its inhibitory protein 4EBP1, unexpectedly undergoes a dynamic switch between early erythroid precursor populations and during terminal erythrocyte maturation, where eIF4E becomes progressively silenced. Employing a unique eIF4E transgenic mouse model, we strikingly show that overexpression of eIF4E in the bone marrow compartment results in an early accumulation of erythrocyte precursors and a block in erythrocyte differentiation. Surprisingly, this new role of eIF4E in erythropoiesis is independent from control of global protein synthesis but instead may promote a specialized program of translation control that is customized for erythroid cell function. Employing state of the art unbiased proteomics, our work is uncovering distinct networks of proteins, whose expression levels are controlled by eIF4E dosage during specific phases of erythrocyte maturation. Together, our research highlights a novel molecular program linking exquisite regulation of eIF4E activity to specialized translational control underlying erythroid development, providing unprecedented insight into the etiology of erythroid dysfunction in ribosomopathies. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Leonard Schulman: Associativity

Schulman was program chair of the STOC 2010 conference. This chapter presents a surprising upper bound he proved in 1999 with Sridhar Rajagopalan on the complexity of testing whether an unknown binary operator is associative.
Role of Oxidative Stress and Reactive Oxygen Radicals in the Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease which causes progressive fibrosis of skin and numerous internal organs. Although the etiology of SSc is unknown and the detailed mechanisms responsible for the fibrotic process have not been elucidated, there is strong evidence to support the concept that oxidative stress mediated by an excessive generation of oxidative free radicals plays a crucial role. Elevated levels of markers of oxidative stress and reduced levels of antioxidants have been found in SSc patients, and the most commonly studied animal models of SSc are induced by chemical agents that generate oxidative stress. In this chapter, the available evidence for the participation of oxidative stress in SSc pathogenesis will be reviewed emphasizing the link between free radicals and the process of fibrosis and the potentially beneficial effects of antioxidant treatment for the disease.
The Timing of Early Antibiotics and Hospital Mortality in Sepsis

Rationale: Prior sepsis studies evaluating antibiotic timing have shown mixed results.Objectives: To evaluate the association between antibiotic timing and mortality among patients with sepsis receiving antibiotics within 6 hours of emergency department registration.Methods: Retrospective study of 35,000 randomly selected inpatients with sepsis treated at 21 emergency departments between 2010 and 2013 in Northern California. The primary exposure was antibiotics given within 6 hours of emergency department registration. The primary outcome was adjusted in-hospital mortality. We used detailed physiologic data to quantify severity of illness within 1 hour of registration and logistic regression to estimate the odds of hospital mortality based on antibiotic timing and patient factors.Measurements and Main Results: The median time to antibiotic administration was 2.1 hours (interquartile range, 1.4–3.1 h). The adjusted odds ratio for hospital mortality based on each hour of delay in antibiotics after registrat...
The Debye-Waller factor Debye temperature for nickel

Abstract Three Born-von Karman lattice dynamical models obtained from neutron measurements and elastic constant measurements on Ni have been considered chiefly to calculate the Debye-Waller factor Debye temperature, θ M ( T ). The results are compared with X-ray experimental data in the region 100°K ⩽ T ⩽ 520°K. Also considered are the dispersion curves, the moments of the frequency spectrum and the dependence of these moments upon the temperature. It is seen that for θ M ( T = 296°K), the models based on the neutron data yield 403° and 406°K, the model based on the elastic constant data yields 425°K, and the X-ray experimental value is 410°K. It appears that at high temperatures the temperature dependence of θ M ( T ) determined using the model based on the elastic constant data agrees closely with experiment whereas the temperature dependence of θ M ( T ) determined from thermal expansion effects alone is too small by a factor of two. However, due to experimental scatter, it is possible that only volume expansion effects are important in determining the temperature dependence of θ M ( T ) at high temperatures.
Youth firearm suicide: precipitating/risk factors and gun access

Abstract Using 2005–2014 National Violent Death Reporting System data, we examined firearm suicides among youth (age
Differential Stability of Biosensing Proteins on Transferred Mono-/bilayer Graphene

Graphene, because its outstanding electrical and optical properties, has been an attractive material for developing biosensors and bioelectronics. The stability of proteins on graphene, as a function of its secondary structure, has been studied computationally; however, there has been a lack of experimental validity of such simulations results. This study examines the stability of two biosensing enzymes on graphene and in solution: horseradish peroxidase (an all α-helix protein) and glucose oxidase (a protein with both α-helix and β-sheet content). At three different temperatures (4, 20, and 37 °C), glucose oxidase tethered to graphene was found to be more stable than when in solution. In contrast, horseradish peroxidase tethered to graphene showed rapid loss in activity than when in solution. This is the first experimental evidence showing differential stability of proteins on graphene, and we believe this is due to the difference in the secondary structure of the proteins.
Cerebellar and Prefrontal Cortex Contributions to Adaptation, Strategies, and Reinforcement Learning

Traditionally, motor learning has been studied as an implicit learning process, one in which movement errors are used to improve performance in a continuous, gradual manner. The cerebellum figures prominently in this literature given well-established ideas about the role of this system in error-based learning and the production of automatized skills. Recent developments have brought into focus the relevance of multiple learning mechanisms for sensorimotor learning. These include processes involving repetition, reinforcement learning, and strategy utilization. We examine these developments, considering their implications for understanding cerebellar function and how this structure interacts with other neural systems to support motor learning. Converging lines of evidence from behavioral, computational, and neuropsychological studies suggest a fundamental distinction between processes that use error information to improve action execution or action selection. While the cerebellum is clearly linked to the former, its role in the latter remains an open question.
Integrin and Calcitonin Receptor Signaling in the Regulation of the Cytoskeleton and Function of Osteoclasts

Publisher Summary Osteoclast function starts with adhesion to the bone matrix, leading to cytoskeletal reorganization that is important for the migration of these cells to and between the resorption sites and their polarization during the resorption process. This chapter focuses on the signaling pathways that mediate cytoskeletal organization during osteoclast migration and polarization. Integrins, a superfamily of heterodimeric transmembrane receptors, mediate cell–matrix and cell–cell interactions. Upon ligand binding, integrins usually undergo receptor clustering, leading to the formation of focal adhesion contacts, where these receptors are linked to intracellular cytoskeletal complexes and bundles of actin filaments. Integrin-mediated signaling has been shown to change phosphoinositide metabolism, raise intracellular calcium, and induce tyrosine or serine phosphorylation of signaling molecules. Adhesion of osteoclasts to the bone surface involves the interaction of integrins with extracellular matrix proteins within the bone matrix. In bones, the tyrosine kinase c-Src is essential for osteoclast-resorbing activity and/or motility. Targeted disruption of c-Src in mice induces osteopetrosis due to a loss of osteoclast function, without a reduction in osteoclast number. c-Src is associated with the plasma membrane and multiple intracellular organelles and it is concentrated in the actin ring and the cell periphery, regions that are involved in osteoclast attachment and migration. This suggests that the absence of Src might compromise these aspects of osteoclast function. Pyk2 has been identified as a major adhesion-dependent tyrosine kinase in osteoclasts, both in vivo and in vitro. These cells do not resorb bone accompanied with defects in cell adhesion, spreading, and sealing zone organization, thus suggesting that Pyk2 is also important for cytoskeletal organization in osteoclasts.
Racial and Ethnic Identity of Elected Officials of Color: A Closer Look at a Complex Matter

This research seeks to understand how our non-White elected officials identify themselves ethnoracially and to what extent they report an identity or background made of more than one race. In this paper we deconstruct the complexities of racial/ethnic identity among elected officials of color from the intersecting angles of gender and race. We first examine the numerous challenges facing researchers in understanding the contested nature of racial and ethnic identity. These challenges lead us to explore the very distinctive relationships Latinos, Blacks and Asian Americans have with racial identity due to their very different experiences in this country and elsewhere. Using a model whereby the individual is considered within competing notions of race/ethnicity and the varying methods of state-sanctioned categories for classifying them, we then examine the distinctive patterns of racial and ethnic identity among a previously unexamined group: elected officials of color in the United States. Using data from the Gender and Multicultural Leadership Survey, we describe the ways elected officials of color reveal backgrounds that are more complex than commonly understood. In this paper we use descriptive statistics to examine the degree to which elected officials of color, in describing their backgrounds, have “claimed identities” that are more multiracial than their ascribed identities and to compare the extent of these multiracial identities to those found in the general population. We then present both bivariate and multivariate analyses to test two hypotheses, first on the predictive factors associated with a multiracial identity, and second on the intersecting roles of race and gender as well as a measure of inter-minority solidarity (i.e., linked fate) on structuring multiracial identity.
Abstract TP282: S3TOP for Stroke: Improving In-Hospital Stroke Alert Activation Criteria

Background and purpose: The study aimed to assess the efficiency (percent treated) of existing in-hospital stroke alert activation criteria and to improve these criteria. Methods: 209 patient recor...
A review of existing mixing indices in solid-based continuous blending operations

Abstract Blend uniformity is a critical quality attribute in continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing. However, its measurement is challenging due to the difficulty and inaccessibility of sampling locations in a continuous blender. Though computational approaches like Discrete Element Method (DEM) can address this, one of the underlying challenges is the appropriate selection of mixing index for measurement of blend uniformity. Given the wide plethora of literature implementing different indices, it becomes cumbersome to identify suitable index for specific blending application. The proposed article aims to address this concern using a detailed review, classification and comparison of existing mixing indices. These indices are used to evaluate mixing in a periodic section of blender using DEM. The effects of process parameters, like blade speed, on mixing are further investigated. This review article, thus, contributes towards devising a systematic strategy for selection of appropriate mixing index based on the powder system and its application.
Robust age estimation of southern sea otters from multiple morphometrics

Reliable age estimation is an essential tool to assess the status of wildlife populations and inform successful management. Aging methods, however, are often limited by too few data, skewed demographic representation, and by single or uncertain morphometric relationships. In this study, we synthesize age estimates in southern sea otters Enhydra lutris nereis from 761 individuals across 34 years of study, using multiple noninvasive techniques and capturing all life stages from 0 to 17 years of age. From wild, stranded, and captive individuals, we describe tooth eruptions, tooth wear, body length, nose scarring, and pelage coloration across ontogeny and fit sex-based growth functions to the data. Dental eruption schedules provided reliable and identifiable metrics spanning 0.3-9 months. Tooth wear was the most reliable predictor of age of individuals aged 1-15 years, which when combined with total length, explained >93% of observed age. Beyond age estimation, dental attrition also indicated the maximum lifespan of adult teeth is 13‒17 years, corresponding with previous estimates of life expectancy. Von Bertalanffy growth function model simulations of length at age gave consistent estimates of asymptotic lengths (male Loo = 126.0‒126.8 cm, female Loo = 115.3‒115.7 cm), biologically realistic gestation periods (t0 = 115 days, SD = 10.2), and somatic growth (male k = 1.8, SD = 0.1; female k = 2.1, SD = 0.1). Though exploratory, we describe how field radiographic imaging of epiphyseal plate development or fusions may improve aging of immature sea otters. Together, our results highlight the value of integrating information from multiple and diverse datasets to help resolve conservation problems.
Live and Let Live: Explaining Long-term Truces in Separatist Conflicts

Policymakers and scholars generally assume that, unlike in interstate wars, in civil conflicts opposing forces cannot simply ‘agree to disagree:’ in order to stop fighting, one side must collapse, ...
Prevalence of intellectual disability among eight-year-old children from selected communities in the United States, 2014.

Abstract Background Children with intellectual disability (ID), characterized by impairments in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, benefit from early identification and access to services. Previous U.S. estimates used administrative data or parent report with limited information for demographic subgroups. Objective Using empiric measures we examined ID characteristics among 8-year-old children and estimated prevalence by sex, race/ethnicity, geographic area and socioeconomic status (SES) area indicators. Methods We analyzed data for 8-year-old children in 9 geographic areas participating in the 2014 Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. Children with ID were identified through record review of IQ test data. Census and American Community Survey data were used to estimate the denominator. Results Overall, 11.8 per 1,000 (1.2%) had ID (IQ ≤ 70), of whom 39% (n = 998) also had autism spectrum disorder. Among children with ID, 1,823 had adaptive behavior test scores for which 64% were characterized as impaired. ID prevalence per 1,000 was 15.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 15.0–16.5) among males and 7.7 (95% CI, 7.2–8.2) among females. ID prevalence was 17.7 (95% CI, 16.6–18.9) among children who were non-Hispanic black; 12.0 (95% CI, 11.1–13.0), among Hispanic; 8.6 (95% CI, 7.1–10.4), among non-Hispanic Asian; and 8.0 (95% CI, 7.5–8.6), among non-Hispanic white. Prevalence varied across geographic areas and was inversely associated with SES. Conclusions ID prevalence varied substantively among racial, ethnic, geographic, and SES groups. Results can inform strategies to enhance identification and improve access to services particularly for children who are minorities or living in areas with lower SES.
Evolution of Nipah Virus Infection: Past, Present, and Future Considerations

Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic paramyxovirus of the Henipavirus genus first identified in Malaysia in 1998. Henipaviruses have bat reservoir hosts and have been isolated from fruit bats found across Oceania, Asia, and Africa. Bat-to-human transmission is thought to be the primary mode of human NiV infection, although multiple intermediate hosts are described. Human infections with NiV were originally described as a syndrome of fever and rapid neurological decline following contact with swine. More recent outbreaks describe a syndrome with prominent respiratory symptoms and human-to-human transmission. Nearly annual outbreaks have been described since 1998 with case fatality rates reaching greater than 90%. The ubiquitous nature of the reservoir host, increasing deforestation, multiple mode of transmission, high case fatality rate, and lack of effective therapy or vaccines make NiV's pandemic potential increasingly significant. Here we review the epidemiology and microbiology of NiV as well as the therapeutic agents and vaccines in development.
Return to Play Rates Following Arthroscopic Treatment of Elbow Osteochondritis Dissecans Lesions in Adolescent Baseball Players

Objectives:Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the humeral capitellum is a common elbow injury in adolescent overhead throwing athletes likely secondary to the excessive valgus stress placed on the ...
High-Throughput Crop Phenotyping Systems for Controlled Environments

Increasing crop production through genetic improvements and crop breeding programs is a key solution for the expected food crisis in 2050. Crops with improved traits of high yield potential and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses due to adverse environments can be developed at a faster speed by integrating crop genotypic data with phenotypic data. While the efficiency of breeding programs is limited by unpredictable environmental conditions in field conditions, facility with controlled environments and emerging technologies can provide a better alternative for the fast development of new crop varieties. This chapter introduces the high-throughput phenotyping systems used in controlled environments and their potentials to be used for fast characterization of plant traits. Various styles of automated phenotyping platforms are summarized and their features are compared to provide a vision on how to select such systems. The chapter also provides an introduction of some typical sensors that are typically used by researchers and commercial sectors for plant phenotyping in controlled environments. At the end of the chapter, a case study is provided to demonstrate how low-cost and automated plant phenotyping systems can be developed to suit customized studies. Methods of hardware development, data analysis, and results are discussed to show case the application of such a low-cost system. A vision of next-generation autonomous crop phenotyping system is provided too.
A Novel Combination of Immunotherapy and Radiation Therapy in a Primary Mouse Model of Soft Tissue Sarcoma With High Mutational Load.

Purpose/objective(s) Preclinical studies using transplant tumor models have shown promising results for immunotherapy combined with radiotherapy (RT). However, research using primary tumor models is limited, and results from tumors using transplanted cell lines that do not develop in a native microenvironment under immunosurveillance often do not translate to the clinic. We previously found that tumors generated by transplanting cell lines from primary mouse sarcomas into syngeneic mice were cured by anti-PD-1 and RT. However, identical treatment failed to achieve local control in autochthonous sarcomas from the same model. Recent data has shown agonistic anti-OX40 immunotherapy combined with CpG oligonucleotide, a TLR9 agonist, eradicates tumors in a spontaneous mouse model of mammary cancer. Other studies have shown synergistic effects of anti-OX40 with anti-PD-1 or RT in transplant models. We hypothesize that the combination of anti-OX40, CpG, anti-PD-1, and RT will improve local control compared to RT or immunotherapy alone in a primary mouse model of soft tissue sarcoma with high mutational load. Materials/methods We generated autochthonous soft tissue sarcomas in 129/SvJ mice by intramuscular injection of adenovirus expressing Cas9 and a gRNA targeting Trp53 followed by exposure to the carcinogen 3-methylcholanthrene. Once tumors reached 70 mm3, mice were treated with RT (20 Gy, day 0), anti-OX40 (20 µg intraperitoneal (IP), randomized to one of two schedules: days 1 & 8 or days 3 & 10), CpG (50 µg intratumor, days 1 & 8 or 3 & 10), and anti-PD-1 (200 µg IP, days 1, 4, 7 or 3, 7, 10). Tumors were measured 3x/week. Time to tumor quintupling was compared to historical control mice treated with RT and isotype controls for anti-PD-1 and/or anti-CTLA-4 using the Mann-Whitney test. Results Sarcomas from this model are histologically similar to undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. For mice treated with anti-OX40, CpG, and anti-PD-1 beginning day 1 (n = 17) compared to day 3 after RT (n = 13), median time to tumor quintupling was 36.2 vs. 44.3 days, respectively (P = 0.09). Time to tumor quintupling for mice treated with RT, anti-OX40, CpG, and anti-PD-1 (pooled groups with immunotherapy-initiated day 1 or 3) was significantly delayed compared to historical control mice treated with RT and isotype controls (n = 52) (median 38.7 vs. 30.5 days, respectively, P = 0.0009). Studies comparing combined RT, anti-OX40, CpG, and anti-PD-1 to contemporaneous controls are ongoing. Conclusion In a high mutational load primary mouse model of soft tissue sarcoma that is resistant to RT and anti-PD-1, RT combined with anti-OX40, CpG, and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy significantly delays tumor growth compared to historical controls. Results using this novel treatment combination with contemporaneous control groups are pending to determine if this regimen warrants further evaluation in a phase I clinical trial.
“Brown Bag Clinic”: A Pharmacist-led Approach to Reduce Heart Failure Hospital Readmission

Objectives: Heart failure (HF) affects approximately 6 million in the United States and despite guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), still more than 20% of patients are readmitted within 30 days.1,2 This study evaluated the impact of a “pharmacist-led HF Brown Bag Clinic” (BBC) on HF patient outcomes including readmissions and mortality. Methods: This retrospective study, conducted at an academic medical center, included adult patients 18 to 89 years old with HF presenting to the BBC 7-14 days post HF hospitalization. Those failing to attend the BBC within 30 days of hospital discharge were in the control group. Our electronic medical records were used to capture patients’ baseline characteristics and describe pharmacists’ interventions. Thirty- and ninety-day post-discharge HF readmission and all-cause mortality were evaluated. Results: A total of 32 patients met the inclusion criteria; 15 receiving intervention and 17 controls. A total of 18 HF hospital readmissions occurred, 4 (22%) readmissions in the intervention group and 14 (78%) in the control group (p= 0.06). Hospital readmissions within 30 days and 90 days were greater in the control group compared with the intervention group (18% vs. 7% and 41% vs. 21% respectively). Conclusion: A pharmacist-led post-discharge clinic demonstrated numerically fewer HF hospital readmissions compared with a scheduled but “no show” control group.
Vertical upward intermediate scale Taylor flow: Experiments and kinematic closure

Abstract The vertical upward Taylor flow regime has been extensively studied at the capillary and large channel scale limits. However, flow behavior at the intermediate scale ( 5 ≲ Bo ≲ 40 , or 6 mm ≲ D ≲ 17 mm for ambient gas–water flows) is comparatively poorly characterized. This regime is fundamentally different because classes of forces conventionally associated with either small or large Bond number flows are all relevant. In this investigation, air–water Taylor-flow experiments are conducted in 6.0, 8.0, and 9.5 mm diameter tubes. High-speed video data are collected, and automated image analysis algorithms are developed to measure flow parameters including: bubble rise velocity, liquid film thickness, void fraction, and Taylor bubble and liquid slug lengths. New correlations and flow models are developed to predict these parameters at the intermediate scale. Results from this study enable kinematic closure of intermediate scale Taylor flows.
Géneros orales y estilos de narrativa: El desarrollo de la competencia discursiva

A partir del analisis de un texto tipo narrativa personal, el estudio examina aspectos del desarrollo del discurso secundario, las continuidades y las distinciones respecto al discurso primario (conversacional, contextualizado en la interaccion verbal interpersonal). El autor recupera las observaciones y analisis de M. Bajtin y D. Tannen como marco de referencia, ademas de un estudio de J. Hill sobre un texto proveniente de la misma comunidad de habla: bilingue nahuatl/espanol de Puebla y Tlaxcala de la region de la Malintzin. El estudio de como empiezan a surgir los generos orales de tipo formal, estructurados en mayor grado, nos ayudara a entender aspectos centrales de la heterogeneidad de las competencias discursivas, y cual es su relacion con la facultad del lenguaje (competencia gramatical), y otras facultades no linguisticas que participan en su desarrollo (por ejemplo en los ninos), y en el desempeno en el caso del hablante maduro.
CST: Constructing Skill Trees by Demonstration

We describe recent work on CST, an online algorithm for constructing skill trees from demonstration trajectories. CST segments a demonstration trajectory into a chain of component skills, where each skill has a goal and is assigned a suitable abstraction from an abstraction library. These properties permit skills to be improved efficiently using a policy learning algorithm. Chains from multiple demonstration trajectories are merged into a skill tree. We describe applications of CST to acquiring skills from human demonstration in a dynamic continuous domain and from both expert demonstration and learned control sequences on a mobile manipulator.
Wrist breadth and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in youth: the Fels Longitudinal Study.

Objectives There is biological crosstalk between insulin signaling and bone remodeling pathways, and wrist circumference and bone area were recently found to associate with insulin resistance independent of body mass index (BMI) in overweight/obese children. We aimed to expand on this work by using more specific measures of adiposity for adjustment and examining children with broader range of BMI. Methods We used serial data (1,051 total measures) on 313 non-Hispanic white youth (ages 8–18 y) from the Fels Longitudinal Study with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) as the outcome. Internal standard deviation score (SDS) for wrist breadth was evaluated as a predictor of HOMA-IR (log-transformed) before and after adjusting for internal-sample SDSs for BMI, waist circumference (WC), and total body fat (TBF) from dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, in addition to age, sex, Tanner stage, and birth year, using generalized estimating equations. Results Before additional adiposity adjustment, we found a significant positive association between wrist breadth SDS and log-transformed HOMA-IR (β = 0.13; 95%CI: 0.09–0.17), which remained significant after adjusting for TBF SDS (β = 0.09; 95%CI: 0.05–0.13; P < 0.001), BMI SDS (β = 0.06; 95%CI: 0.02–0.10; P = 0.007), and WC SDS (β = 0.06; 95%CI: 0.02–0.09; P = 0.005). Conclusions Further work is needed to determine whether simple frame size measures such as wrist breadth may be useful markers of metabolic risk. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 25:581-585, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A preferred origin and direction of bacteriophage T4 DNA replication. I. A gradient of allele frequencies in crosses between normal and small T4 particles.

Abstract Results of crosses between normal and small particles of bacteriophage T4 indicate that DNA replication starts preferentially near gene 43 and proceeds in a clockwise direction on the genetic map. Different classes of small T4 particles contain incomplete chromosomes of different discrete lengths. The incomplete chromosomes represent random segments of the T4 genome. Each small T4 particle can only produce progeny when it infects a bacterium simultaneously with another particle that can provide the genes in the missing segment (Mosig, 1968). However, after single infection, the incomplete chromosomes can initiate some abortive replication. The pattern of this abortive replication suggested that incomplete chromosomes start from a genetically fixed origin and proceed to one end of the molecule (Mosig & Werner, 1969). The experiments reported here were designed to map this origin and determine the direction of replication. After simultaneous infection with normal am and small am+ particles, the progeny contains am+ particles but in reduced yield as compared to similar crosses with normal am+ particles. This observation suggests that under these conditions, as well as after single infection, replication of incomplete chromosomes is impaired until they are integrated into a complete chromosome. However, the extent of reduction of am+ progeny varies with the map position of the markers used in different crosses and shows a gradient in a clockwise direction on the circular T4 map with a discontinuity between genes 42 and 43. Markers on incomplete chromosomes appear more frequently when they are physically linked to a region near gene 43 (in a clockwise direction from gene 43) than when they are unlinked to that gene.
Precision null-point potentiometry:A simple, rapid and accurate method for low concentration chloride determinations

Abstract A new, rapid and accurate potentiometric technique is described for the determination of chloride in the concentration range 10-6 to 10-1M. For many samples results can be obtained in less than a minute with 0.1% accuracy. The method consists simply of changing the chloride concentration of an unknown solution, while maintaining the ionic strength constant, until it is of identical concentration to a known reference solution. This can be accomplished experimentally in such a way that temperature control and calculation corrections for chloride from reagents or electrodes are not necessary. The procedure can be set up so that the calculation for the result is merely an addition or subtraction of two numbers. The general principles and simple experimental techniques are described and results for chloride presented.
Correlated Query Process and P2P Execution

A technical trend in supporting data intensive applications is to push-down them to database engines by wrapping computations with User Defined Functions (UDFs) callable from the SQL interface. For seamlessly integrating applications into SQL queries, we introduce a special kind of UDFs with both input and output as relations, or row sets, called Relation Valued Functions (RVFs). As a single SQL statement has limited expressive power on complex data flows and control flows, we propose the notion of Correlated Query Process(CQP), for specifying an application at the process level, by several queries and RVFs with interleaved steps. We further extend this notion to Collaborative CQP with multiple participating parties which have correlated but separate goals. A truly P2P execution model is proposed, under which the logical execution of a collaborative CQP consists of a set of individual peer CQP executions run by the participating parties. These peer executions are based on the same CQP template; but each peer represents a designated role, it actively processes the steps belong to that role, and skip the steps not belonging to that role. They synchronize peer CQP executions by passing the query return messages. This collaborative process execution model represents a shift from coordinator based distributed query processing to truly P2P collaboration. This work represents an initial step to the synthesis of relational operation, UDF and business process. We further envisage that the proposed P2P CQP execution model will have impact not only on inter-enterprise collaboration but also on the cooperation of multiple share-nothing data servers.
No Mere Error of State Law: When State Appellate Courts Deny Criminal Defendants Due Process

It is well established that federal courts generally lack jurisdiction in criminal cases to review errors of state law. This is true of direct review by the United States Supreme Court and when criminal defendants seek habeas review. This article examines federal court treatment of state law errors in criminal cases. It concludes that the phrase "mere error of state law" has usually been the end point of federal analysis, and that this is in essence judicial abdication. Defendants have a right to a meaningful appeal, and just as counsel cannot act ineffectively to deny a fair appeal the Due Process Clause should act as a check on appellate courts which act in an irrational, fundamentally unfair or arbitrary and capricious manner. The article attempts to take into account jurisdictional limitations and notions of comity in providing a framework for identifying those rare instances when a state appellate court should be found to have violated a defendant's due process rights.
A Lattice Based Screw-Edge Dislocation Dynamics Simulation of Body Center Cubic Single Crystals

This article is an introduction to the three-dimensional (3d) dislocation dynamics (dd) simulation method. It is complementary to the article by Z Bib in Chapter 3 of this handbook. It is the intention of the author to introduce a specific model of the method with examples that can be understood rather easily.
Mechanisms of giemsa banding of chromosomes. I. Giemsa-11 banding with azure and eosin.

Abstract Two components of Giemsa are necessary to obtain Giemsa-11 banding. These are an azure (either azure A or B) and eosin Y. The conditions under which azure and eosin interact to differentiate 9qh and other magenta-colored regions involve: (1) the absolute concentrations and ratio of the two dyes; (2) the pH and, to a lesser extent (3) the buffer composition of the staining solution. Differentiation is accompanied by the presence of magenta-colored precipitate, the formation of which is altered by any of the above-mentioned conditions. The absorption spectra of magentacolored and adjacent pale blue regions, measured in situ, show a significant change from those of dye mixtures and dye components in solution. These changes suggest the formation of an azure-eosinate complex. At neutral pH, differentiation of magenta-colored regions is not successful under conditions which denature DNA; e.g. (1) high temperatures; or (2) incubation in formamide. At alkaline pH (11.6), neither moderately high temperature nor fixation of chromosomes with formalin appears to affect Giemsa-11 banding. Thus, differential denaturation of DNA does not appear to play a key role.
Global river inflow with Navy Coastal Ocean Model

One of the primary concerns driving the development of U.S. Navy global models has been improved performance and nesting support in shelf and nearshore regions with short notice applicability anywhere on the globe. A global implementation of the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) is a product of some of the efforts to meet this need. One purpose of Global NCOM is to provide a global capability for initializing, nesting, and evaluating fixed and relocatable coastal ocean models. In support of that objective, a database of river flow estimates is needed. Perry et al. (1996) provides a start with estimates of annual mean river discharges for 981 of the largest global rivers. However, many rivers exhibit a strong seasonal variability, which we would like to reflect in our ocean models. Through the use of multiple Internet sources and published data sets we have expanded on the Perry (1996) data to provide a global database of monthly mean river discharge and incorporated this data in global and nested NCOM runs. Where sufficient data is unavailable to construct monthly means, a seasonal cycle is imputed from nearby rivers and scaled to the appropriate annual mean. Real time discharge rates are routinely available for almost no rivers outside of the United States, so a monthly mean is likely to be the most appropriate estimate of real time flow for analyses and forecasts in most areas. The monthly river outflow can contribute to more accurate seasonal representation of areas near coastlines. Seasonality particularly affects the polar areas, where river outflow can become quite small during winter months and quite large during the summer melting season. Multiannual daily USGS observations for selected US rivers are used to quantify the improvement in estimation of daily flow by the monthly means versus a multiannual mean. Case studies examine the impact of river input into NCOM.
IRA Asset Allocation, 2010

This paper is the second examination of asset allocation from the EBRI IRA Database. The EBRI IRA Database is an ongoing project of the Employee Benefit Research Institute that currently contains information on 14.85 million accounts of 11.1 million unique individuals with total assets of $1.002 trillion, as of year-end 2010. It studies asset allocation on a dollar-weighted basis within IRA accounts by IRA type and account balance as well as by gender and account-owner age. In addition to presenting the average asset allocation across the accounts, this study includes a presentation of the percentage of accounts with “extreme” allocations -- either less than 10 percent or more than 90 percent in a particular asset category. This helps illustrate the distribution of the allocations across the accounts. Analysis of the EBRI IRA Database finds that about half of all individual retirement account (IRA) assets are allocated to equities, although this varied with age, account balance, and IRA type. Those older, having higher account balances, or owning a traditional-rollover IRA had, on average, lower allocations to equities. Roth IRA owners were much more likely to have 90 percent or more of their account invested in equities than owners of the other types. Above age 35, the likelihood that an IRA owner has more than 90 percent in equities decreases. IRA owners with higher account balances were less likely to have extreme asset allocations. This research on IRA asset allocation will be built upon in future studies by examining how IRA owners with a 401(k) plan allocate their assets across those accounts, leveraging the unique ability of EBRI’s databases to link individuals’ IRAs and 401(k) accounts.The PDF for the above title, published in the October 2012 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another October 2012 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: “Savings Needed for Health Expenses for People Eligible for Medicare: Some Rare Good News.”
Abstract 2080: Plasma membrane fluidity drives metastasis in breast cancer

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA New therapeutic targets that can inhibit cancer metastasis are desperately needed. To address this issue, we have leveraged a computational approach and performed an unbiased screen for therapies that can inhibit an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) gene expression profile, a phenotype that is believed to promote metastases. This yielded predictions of drugs that can both promote and inhibit an EMT transcriptional profile. Following up on these predictions, we confirmed that these drugs can induce or repress an EMT in a range of breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we discovered that they do so by altering the fluidity of the plasma membrane. An increase in plasma membrane fluidity is necessary and sufficient to induce and maintain an EMT state, increased motility, and increased mammosphere forming ability. Finally, we found that human cancers can regulate their membrane fluidity through cholesterol homeostasis pathways. Human breast tumors with altered cholesterol profiles have a significantly shorter time to metastasis. These data demonstrate that plasma membrane fluidity is a cellular attribute that is leveraged by human tumors to increase metastatic capacity, and that it can, in principle, be targeted by therapeutics to prevent metastasis. Citation Format: Weina Zhao, Michael Tisza, Jessie Sjol, Sendurai Mani, Jeffrey T. Chang. Plasma membrane fluidity drives metastasis in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2080. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2080
De indio a serrano: nociones de raza y geografía en el Perú (siglos XVIII-XXI)

In Peru the terms Indian and serrano (technically, a person from the hills or the mountains) are used as synonyms, and are frequently considered insults. But it wasn’t always like that. In colonial times the term Indian was not associated with any geographical region in particular. Indians could be found anyplace: on the coast, in the foothills or in the mountains. However, at some moment toward the end of the eighteenth century, and most of all during the course of the nineteenth century, the term Indian came to be intrinsically associated with the mountains, and the word serrano acquired a derogatory connotation. Based on literary, historical and visual sources this article aims to describe the process by which the concept of Indian came to be closely associated with serrano, and how the adjective serrano became a substantive and, finally, how that term ended up in Peru as an insult.
Realistic simulation of diagnostic endoscopy

Current American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and American College of Gastroenterology guidelines recommend that credentialing should occur for upper endoscopy and colonoscopy after at least 130-140 endoscopic procedures have been performed. We reviewed the currently available literature published on endoscopic simulators including the AccuTouch Immersion Simulator, the Simbionix GI Mentor II, and the Olympus colonoscopy simulator to determine their utility for training in diagnostic endoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy. All of the endoscopic simulators demonstrated face, construct, and expert validity when comparing novices with experts in the performance of diagnostic endoscopic procedures. For diagnostic upper endoscopy, clinical trials comparing training on an endoscopic simulator to no training demonstrated improved outcomes for performance parameters on subsequent live endoscopy cases. Data from prospective studies using simulation for teaching of flexible sigmoidoscopy skills did not demonstrate a benefit compared with bedside training, although 1 clinical trial did demonstrate reduced patient discomfort. The use of colonoscopy simulators has been associated with improved performance on subsequent live colonoscopy cases. In a large multicenter clinical trial, objective and subjective competency scores for colonoscopy were higher after 20 live cases had been performed for the simulator-trained group, and this difference persisted to 100 cases. However, a median number of 160 exams were required to achieve 90% competency in both groups. The implementation of endoscopic simulation into endoscopic training programs deserves further evaluation and consideration.
12. Surface drip irrigation

Publisher Summary Surface drip irrigation is widely used to irrigate perennial crops (trees and vines) and annual row crops. However, because the design and management of irrigation systems for these types of crops are different, this chapter addresses the two cropping systems separately. The design of surface drip irrigation systems for trees and vines is similar. Polyethylene drip tubing with on-line drip emitters is very common, but built-in or fused-in drip emitters are also used. Thin-walled collapsible emitting hoses, commonly referred to as drip tapes in the United States, are frequently used to irrigate annual crops, but seldom used to irrigate permanent crops because these drip-lines do not have the longevity required. Filters, control and valve systems, injection systems, underground pipelines, and other components of drip irrigation systems are similar for both orchards and vineyards. They are discussed in the chapter together and key differences are noted when necessary.
DC Calibration Of The Strain Sensitivity Of A Single Mode Optical Fiber Interferometer

The strain sensitivity of an optical fiber interferometer developed for the detection of pulsed ultrasonic waves in solids has been calibrated. The optical paths in both signal and reference arms of the interferometer are through similar 2 m lengths of ITT-110 single mode fibers mode stripped by index matching at both ends and attached to opposite sides of a 30 cm plexiglas bar 0.3 cm thick. Light from the output ends of both fibers was superimposed to form an interference fringe pattern that was interrogated in the far field to give a signal proportional to the differential optical fiber path length. Strain sensitivity was determined by comparing data obtained by clamping and bending the bar at different lengths to simple cantilever beam theory. Calibration indicates a minimum theoretical detectable strain of less than 10 to the -10.