cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular control of cell density-mediated exit to quiescence

Contact inhibition of cell proliferation regulates tissue size and prevents uncontrolled cell expansion. When cell density increases, contact inhibition can force proliferating cells into quiescence. Here we show that the variable memory of local cell density experienced by a mother cell controls the levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activator cyclin D1 and inhibitor p27 in newborn daughters, which direct cells to proliferation or quiescence. Much of this regulation can be explained by rapid suppression of ERK activity by high cell density in mothers, which leads to lower cyclin D1 and higher p27 levels in daughters. Strikingly, cell density and mitogen signals compete by shifting the ratio of cyclin D1/p27 levels below or above a single sharp threshold that controls the proliferation decision. Thus, the history of competing cell density and mitogen signals experienced by mothers is funneled into a precise activator-inhibitor balance that decides the fate of daughter cells.
Practical considerations for the preparation of multivariate Gaussian states on quantum computers

We provide explicit circuits implementing the Kitaev-Webb algorithm for the preparation of multi-dimensional Gaussian states on quantum computers. While asymptotically efficient due to its polynomial scaling, we find that the circuits implementing the preparation of one-dimensional Gaussian states and those subsequently entangling them to reproduce the required covariance matrix differ substantially in terms of both the gates and ancillae required. The operations required for the preparation of one-dimensional Gaussians are sufficiently involved that generic exponentially-scaling state-preparation algorithms are likely to be preferred in the near term for many states of interest. Conversely, polynomial-resource algorithms for implementing multi-dimensional rotations quickly become more efficient for all but the very smallest states, and their deployment will be a key part of any direct multidimensional state preparation method in the future.
Feedback and Optimal Sensitivity: Model Reference Transformations, Multiplicative Seminorms, and Approximate Inverses

In this paper, the problem of sensitivity reduction by feedback is formulated as an optimization problem and separated from the problem of stabilization. Stable feedback schemes obtainable from a given plant are parameterized. Salient properties of sensitivity reducing schemes are derived, and it is shown that plant uncertainty reduces the ability of feedback to reduce sensitivity. The theory is developed for input-output systems in a general setting of Banach algebras, and then specialized to a class of multivariable, time-invariant systems characterized by n × n matrices of H? frequency response functions, either with or without zeros in the right half-plane. The approach is based on the use of a weighted seminorm on the algebra of operators to measure sensitivity, and on the concept of an approximate inverse. Approximate invertibility of the plant is shown to be a necessary and sufficient condition for sensitivity reduction. An indicator of approximate invertibility, called a measure of singularity, is introduced. The measure of singularity of a linear time-invariant plant is shown to be determined by the location of its right half-plane zeros. In the absence of plant uncertainty, the sensitivity to output disturbances can be reduced to an optimal value approaching the singularity measure. In particular, if there are no right half-plane zeros, sensitivity can be made arbitrarily small. The feedback schemes used in the optimization of sensitiviiy resemble the lead-lag networks of classical control design. Some of their properties, and methods of constructing them in special cases are presented.
Product Life Cycle Theory and the Maturation of the Internet

Much of the recent debate over Internet policy has focused on the permissibility of business practices that are becoming increasingly common, such as new forms of network management, prioritization, pricing, and strategic partnerships. This Essay analyzes these developments through the lens of the management literature on the product life cycle, dominant designs, technological trajectories and design hierarchies, and the role of complementary assets in determining industry structure. This analysis suggests that many of these business practices may represent nothing more than a reflection of how the nature of competition changes as industries mature. This in turn suggests that network neutrality and other proposals to restrict such practices run the risk of diverting the industry from its natural evolutionary path.
Comparative Public Administration: Review of the Literature and Agenda for Future Research

Intensified globalization and the demands on government that are created by it make studying public administration comparatively – how the field is defined, how comparative issues are framed, what subjects are addressed, and what research designs and methods of data collection and analysis are employed – a timely and worthwhile endeavor. To assess the nature and scope of the field of Comparative Public Administration (CPA), this paper identifies and codes for content 69 articles published in refereed journals between 2005 and 2009 that are comparative in nature, that is, the article must concern two or more geographical regions. This could be across nations (at national or subnational level), groups of nations (OECD, G8) or across continents. To be included among the 69, the article must also be relevant for public administration. Four significant attributes of the articles that were coded are highlighted here. First, a majority of the articles referenced the context of institutions or administrative processes, and the major subjects that frequently organized an article were reform, including New Public Management, and budgeting and finance. Second, these comparative public administration articles were dominated by studies of the United States and Europe. Third, three of our every four articles in our sample either attempted to establish linkages between independent and dependent variables or described those variables. In slightly more than one of every four articles that we examined authors tested causal relationships among variables. Fourth, the vast majority of articles that we coded for content made use of existing or secondary data; interview and survey data were rarely used. Furthermore, we found that 15 percent of the authors in our sample used sophisticated statistical methods. In slightly more than half of the articles qualitative methods were used. Among other things, the uses of theory, method, and data in the 69 CPA articles published between 2005 and 2009 differ markedly from how they were used in the published journal articles that Van Wart and Cayer (1990) coded for content twenty years ago. The paper concludes with a set of seven recommendations for future comparative public administration research.
Systemwahl/Haustechnik-Konzepte

Die bisherige Planung eines Bauwerks lauft, insbesondere im Hochbau, in der Regel nach den in den SIA-Honorarordnungen 102, 103 und 108 festgelegten Phasen gemass Bild 9.1 ab. Auf diese Weise wird wohl vielfach gute Architektur nach aussen und in der inneren Konzeption der Bauten gemacht, doch wird den Belangen der Haustechnik und Energie meist nicht die gebuhrende Beachtung geschenkt.
Properties of extruded rice flour and acorn squash (Cucubita pepo) blends

Abstract Five formulations containing ground raw squash at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% levels with sweet rice flour were extruded at 100, 120 and 140°C using a Brabender Model PL V500 extruder equipped with a 3/1 screw operating at 80 rpm and a 5.7 mm die. Resulting extrudate color, expansion ratio, breaking strength, density, hydratability, water absorption and solubility were measured. Increasing squash levels decreased expansion ratio, whereas color, texture and density increased. Water absorption, solubility and hydratability increased until the 20% squash level, then they decreased. Increasing extrusion temperature decreased expansion ratio and color while decreasing solubility. Hydratability and water absorption were maximum at the intermediate extrusion temperature. The results demonstrated that it is technologically feasible to extrude 10–20% acorn squash with rice flour.
Language Comprehension and Production in Normal Aging

Publisher Summary Many of the broad models of cognitive aging are simply too general to account for the diverse range of data. General slowing cannot readily account for processing asymmetries in lexical processing or for differences in outcomes within single tasks. An understanding of the effects of normal aging on language processing requires attention to a complex interaction of processes, from low-level sensory deficits that can affect high-level discourse processes to vice versa. The current models of cognitive aging have typically been applied to only a subset of the phenomena we have discussed at word, sentence, and discourse levels of language comprehension and production. Moreover, the influence of lower level sensory deficits, which can have substantial effects on working memory and higher level comprehension, has generally not played a large role in theory development.
Witness Coaching by Prosecutors

Witness coaching has been described as the "dark" - some have even called it dirty - secret of the U.S. adversary system. It is a practice, some claim, that more than anything else has given trial lawyers a reputation as purveyors of falsehood. Witnesses are prepared by lawyers in private, no records are kept, and the participants do not openly discuss the encounter. If false or misleading testimony results, the only persons who know about it are the participants themselves. And the capacity of cross examination to expose improper coaching is extremely limited. Given its controversial nature, one would expect the practice and ethics of witness coaching to have attracted close scrutiny by courts and commentators. Interestingly, however, the subject has received relatively modest attention. A handful of judicial and ethics opinions have discussed superficially the subject of witness preparation and coaching. Practitioner manuals typically offer general guidance on how to prepare witnesses, and occasionally address tactical and ethical issues involved in coaching. Scholarly commentary has examined the ethical limits of witness preparation, particularly by differentiating acceptable techniques from improper techniques, which promote false or misleading testimony. In addition, popular culture occasionally has dramatized the subject. However, despite a discrete body of literature devoted to witness preparation generally, there has been very little discussion by courts and commentators on witness preparation and coaching by prosecutor.
Familial risk of childhood cancer and tumors in the Li-Fraumeni spectrum in the Utah Population Database: implications for genetic evaluation in pediatric practice.

We used the Utah Population Database to examine risk of cancer in relatives of 4,482 pediatric cancer cases (18 years old) diagnosed from 1966 to 2009 compared to matched population controls. We quantified cancer risk in relatives of children with cancer to determine evidence of familial aggregation and to inform risk assessment and counseling for families. Odds ratios that reflect risk were obtained using conditional logistic regression models adjusting for number of biological relatives, their degree of genetic relatedness and their person-years at risk. First-degree relatives (primarily siblings) of pediatric cases faced a twofold increased risk of a cancer diagnosis before age 19, which extended to their second-degree relatives (p < 10 24 , respectively). Furthermore, first-degree relatives of children diagnosed before age 5 had a 3.6-fold increased risk of developing pediatric cancer (p < 10 27 ), second-degree relatives of very young (under age 5) cases were at 2.5-fold risk (p < 10 24 ) and third-degree relatives were at twofold risk (P < 10 23 ) of childhood cancer. Although first-degree relatives of pediatric cases have a slight increased risk of adult tumors, when they do develop cancer they have a 1.7-fold risk of developing a tumor in the Li-Fraumeni spectrum. Our findings support the hypothesis of familial aggregation in pediatric cancer and suggest that a higher percent of childhood cancers may be related to hereditary syndromes than are adult cancers. We encourage the collection of a family medical history that is routinely updated for all pediatric cancer patients, and that families with early-onset adult cancers or clusters of several cancers are referred for genetic counseling. Family history is a well-established risk factor for most types of cancer. However, risk of cancer in family members of children diagnosed with a malignancy remains understudied at the population level. Family history of cancer (FHC) changes significantly with time, but accurate and ongoing assessment
Interactions Among LRF-1, JunB, c-Jun, and c-Fos Define a Regulatory Program in the G1 Phase of Liver Regeneration

In regenerating liver, a physiologically normal model of cell growth, LRF-1, JunB, c-Jun, and c-Fos among Jun/Fos/LRF-1 family members are induced posthepatectomy. In liver cells, high levels of c-Fos/c-Jun, c-Fos/JunB, LRF-1/c-Jun, and LRF-1/JunB complexes are present for several hours after the G0/G1 transition, and the relative level of LRF-1/JunB complexes increases during G1. We provide evidence for dramatic differences in promoter-specific activation by LRF-1- and c-Fos-containing complexes. LRF-1 in combination with either Jun protein strongly activates a cyclic AMP response element-containing promoter which c-Fos/Jun does not activate. LRF-1/c-Jun, c-Fos/c-Jun, and c-Fos/JunB activate specific AP-1 and ATF site-containing promoters, and in contrast, LRF-1/JunB potently represses c-Fos- and c-Jun-mediated activation of these promoters. Repression is dependent on a region in LRF-1 that includes amino acids 40 to 84 (domain R) and the basic/leucine zipper domain. As the relative level of LRF-1/JunB complexes increases posthepatectomy, c-Fos/Jun-mediated ATF and AP-1 site activation is likely to decrease with simultaneous transcriptional activation of the many liver-specific genes whose promoters contain cyclic AMP response element sites. Thus, through complex interactions among LRF-1, JunB, c-Jun, and c-Fos, control of delayed gene expression may be established for extended times during the G1 phase of hepatic growth.
Aldolase sequesters WASP and affects WASP/Arp2/3‐stimulated actin dynamics

In addition to its roles in sugar metabolism, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (aldolase) has been implicated in cellular functions independent from these roles, termed “moonlighting functions.” These moonlighting functions likely involve the known aldolase–actin interaction, as many proteins with which aldolase interacts are involved in actin-dependent processes. Specifically, aldolase interacts both in vitro and in cells with Wiskott–Aldrich Syndrome Protein (WASP), a protein involved in controlling actin dynamics, yet the function of this interaction remains unknown. Here, the effect of aldolase on WASP-dependent processes in vitro and in cells is investigated. Aldolase inhibits WASP/Arp2/3-dependent actin polymerization in vitro. In cells, knockdown of aldolase results in a decreased rate of cell motility and cell spreading, two WASP-dependent processes. Expression of exogenous aldolase rescues these defects. Whether these effects of aldolase on WASP-dependent processes were due to aldolase catalysis or moonlighting functions is tested using aldolase variants defective in either catalytic or actin-binding activity. While the actin-binding deficient aldolase variant is unable to inhibit actin polymerization in vitro and is unable to rescue cell motility defects in cells, the catalytically inactive aldolase is able to perform these functions, providing evidence that aldolase moonlighting plays a role in WASP-mediated processes. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 1928–1939, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Recommended Communication-Based Interventions for Individuals With Severe Intellectual Disabilities

Providing effective interventions for individuals with severe intellectual disabilities (ID) continues to challenge educators, speech-language pathologists, and other allied health professionals.This article reviews recommended intervention practices that have emerged over the past 30 years and illustrates their use through an evidenced-based case example. The article concludes with remarks specific to the case and a charge to those involved with communication interventions for this population.
X-linked adrenal hypoplasia congenita: a case report and ethical dilemma.

ABSTRACT Objective Our objective is to present the first case report of X-linked adrenal hypoplasia congenita in a child conceived by a donated egg and which also presented atypically, with initial mineralocorticoid deficiency. Methods Case report with literature review. Results A late preterm fraternal twin male, conceived by in vitro fertilization of donated eggs, presented shortly after birth with feeding intolerance, hyponatremia, and hyperkalemia. Testing revealed a low aldosterone level, high plasma renin activity, normal cortisol level, and normal 17-hydroxyprogesterone level. He was diagnosed with 18-hydroxylase deficiency based on low 18-hydroxycorticosterone levels and was treated with mineralocorticoid successfully for 17 months. At age 18 months, he presented with dehydration secondary to herpetic gingivostomatitis and was found to be hypoglycemic, hyponatremic, hyperkalemic, and acidotic, with a low serum cortisol level. An adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test revealed low levels of all adrenal cortex products, with an elevated ACTH level. He was started on glucocorticoids. Genetic testing confirmed X-linked adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC). His asymptomatic fraternal twin underwent genetic testing and the results were negative. The fertility center records indicated that the mother had donated eggs to other families, but none of the children were known to have this disorder. The egg donor was informed but did not pursue genetic testing. Conclusion We report a case of X-linked AHC presenting in the context of extraordinary ethical considerations. Our case raises a question unique to the era of assisted reproduction: should routine genetic screening of gamete donors be done for rare but potentially life-threatening conditions? (Endocr Pract. 2014;20:e126-e129)
The composition of dust in Jupiter-family comets inferred from infrared spectroscopy

Abstract We review the composition of Jupiter-family comet (JFC) dust as inferred from infrared spectroscopy. We find that JFCs have 10 μ m silicate emission features with fluxes roughly 20–25% over the dust continuum (emission strength 1.20–1.25), similar to the weakest silicate features in Oort Cloud (OC) comets. We discuss the grain properties that alter the silicate emission feature (composition, size, and structure/shape), and emphasize that thermal emission from the comet nucleus can have significant influence on the derived silicate emission strength. Recent evidence suggests that grain porosity is the is different between JFCs and OC comets, but more observations and models of silicates in JFCs are needed to determine if a consistent set of grain parameters can explain their weak silicate emission features. Models of 8 m telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope observations have shown that JFCs have crystalline silicates with abundances similar to or less than those found in OC comets, although the crystalline silicate mineralogy of comets 9P/Tempel and C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) differ from each other in Mg and Fe content. The heterogeneity of comet nuclei can also be assessed with mid-infrared spectroscopy, and we review the evidence for heterogeneous dust properties in the nucleus of comet 9P/Tempel. Models of dust formation, mixing in the solar nebula, and comet formation must be able to explain the observed range of Mg and Fe content and the heterogeneity of comet 9P/Tempel, although more work is needed in order to understand to what extent do comets 9P/Tempel and Hale-Bopp represent comets as a whole.
Shaker, Shal, Shab, and Shaw express independent K^+ current systems

Although many K+ channel genes encoding homologous subunits have been cloned, a central question remains: how do these subunits associate to produce the diversity of K+ currents observed in living cells? Previous work has shown that different subunits encoded by the Shaker gene subfamily are able to form heteromultimers, which add to the diversity of currents. However, the unrestrained mixing of subunits from all genes to form hybrid channels would be undesirable for some cells that clearly require functionally discrete K+ currents. We show that Drosophila Shaker, Shal, Shab, and Shaw subunits form functional homomultimers, but that a molecular barrier to heteropolymerization is present. Coexpression of all four K+ channel systems does not alter their individual properties in any way. These experiments also demonstrate that multiple, independent A-current systems together with multiple, independent delayed rectifier systems can coexist in single cells.
Background Oriented Schlieren Applied to Study Shock Spacing in a Screeching Circular Jet

Background oriented schlieren (BOS) is a recent development of the schlieren and shadowgraph methods. The BOS technique has the ability to provide visualizations of the density gradient in both the axial and radial directions. The resultant magnitude of the density gradients allows for comparison with shadowgraph images. This paper first compares data obtained by the BOS and shadowgraph techniques at identical conditions in a free jet. The patterns and spacing of the shock trains obtained by the two techniques are found to be consistent with one another. This provides confidence in the shock spacing measurement by the BOS technique. Due to its simpler setup, BOS is then applied to investigate the shock spacing associated with the screech phenomenon, especially during stage jumps. Screech frequencies from a 37.6 mm convergent nozzle, as a function of jet Mach number (M(sub j)), are shown to exhibit various stages. As many as eight stages are identified with the present nozzle over the range 1.0 < M(sub j) <1.7. BOS images are acquired at various screech conditions and the shock spacing is examined as a function of M(sub j).
Maximizing Performance Feedback Effectiveness through Videotape Replay and a Self-Controlled Learning Environment

This study was designed to examine whether participants who could control the schedule of performance feedback (KP) would learn differentially from those who received a rigid feedback schedule while learning a complex task. Participants (N = 48) were randomly assigned to self-controlled KP (SELF), summary KP (SUMMARY), yoked control (YOKE), or knowledge of results only (KR) conditions. Data collection consisted of an acquisition phase and a 4-day retention phase during which right-handed participants performed a left-handed ball throw. Overall, throwing form improved across trial blocks during acquisition, with the SUMMARY, SELF, and YOKE groups showing more improvement than the KR group. During retention, the SELF group retained a higher level of throwing form and accuracy in comparison to the other groups. Results suggest that when given the opportunity to control the feedback environment, learners require relatively less feedback to acquire skills and retain those skills at a level equivalent to or surpassing those who are given more feedback but receive it passively.
Differences in actinide metal–ligand orbital interactions: comparison of U(IV) and Pu(IV) β-ketoiminate N,O donor complexes

Syntheses and characterization of UCl2(Aracnac)2, UI2(Aracnac)2, and PuI2(Aracnac)2 are reported (Aracnac denotes a bis-phenyl β-ketoiminate ligand where Ar = 3,5-tBu2C6H3). Structural analyses and computations show significant metal–ligand orbital interaction differences in U(IV)vs.Pu(IV) bonding.
Virtual photography: a framework for teaching image synthesis

The camera has long served as a metaphor for teaching three-dimensional graphics in introductory computer graphics courses. We extend this metaphor to include the complete photographic pipeline as a framework for teaching image synthesis in a second graphics course. We present the correspondence between photographic processes and the areas of study in image synthesis, and discuss the success of using this framework in an image synthesis course at our university for the past two years.
Local factors important for water availability

One important issue that has grabbed the attention of scientists and policy makers alike is the amount of freshwater that will be available to populations across different climate settings, especially as rain belts reorganize in response to warming temperatures over the 21st century. The amount of freshwater available on land, calculated from runoff, is a function of supply and demand, where annual rainfall determines the supply and the dryness determined by solar radiation largely controls the demand. Local factors, such as vegetation and soil types that are directly tied to regional climate, modulate the surface water supply and demand. However, there are no observations to quantify the effect of regional climate on surface water availability.
Preparation of O17-labelled glasses and glass precursers

Abstract Novel methods for the preparation of O-17 labelled ionic oxide glasses which are label conservative and yield glasses at the same enrichment level as the starting materials, were designed to provide materials for the investigation of the O-17 NMR and the vibrational spectra.
Comparing Textual and Block Interfaces in a Novice Programming Environment

Visual, block-based programming environments present an alternative way of teaching programming to novices and have proven successful in classrooms and informal learning settings. However, few studies have been able to attribute this success to specific features of the environment. In this study, we isolate the most fundamental feature of these environments, the block interface, and compare it directly to its textual counterpart. We present analysis from a study of two groups of novice programmers, one assigned to each interface, as they completed a simple programming activity. We found that while the interface did not seem to affect users' attitudes or perceived difficulty, students using the block interface spent less time off task and completed more of the activity's goals in less time.
Cellular mechanisms of acute estrogen negative feedback on LH secretion: norepinephrine, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism in discrete regions of the rat brain.

Abstract Rats on diestrous day 1 were ovariectomized (OVX) and killed 10 days later. LH was measured by RIA and the metabolism of NE, DA and 5-HT were assayed concurrently in the suprachiasmatic (SCN), medial preoptic (MPO), dorsomedial (DMN), rostral (AN r ) and caudal (AN c ) arcuate nuclei as well as the median eminence (ME) utilizing HPLC with electrochemical detection. Serum LH increased 10–12 fold 10 days following OVX compared to diestrous controls. The injection of estradiol benzoate (Eb, 20 μg in corn oil/rat, SC) did not affect LH concentrations at 30 minutes but decreased serum LH both 60 and 180 min following its administration. OVX caused an increased NE metabolism (estimated by the concentration of the NE metabolite, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxypnenylethylene glycol) in the SCN, MPO, ME, and DMN and a decreased NE metabolism in the AN c compared to diestrous control values. All of these changes were reversed or attenuated 180 minutes following Eb treatment. Observed changes in the DA and 5-HT neuronal systems were more restricted and less dramatic with the largest effects on DA metabolism occurring in the DMN and ME and the clearest changes in 5-HT metabolism occurring in the MPO, AN r , and AN c . The results demonstrate that the inhibition of LH secretion following the injection of Eb to OVX rats is accompanied by changes in metabolism in NE neurons in preoptic (SCN and MPO) and medial (ME, DMN, and AN c ) hypothalamic areas, as well as in DA neurons in the DMN and ME, and in 5-HT neurons in the MPO, AN r , and AN c .
Suitability of DTAF as a fluorescent labelling reagent for direct analysis of primary and secondary amines — spectral and chemical reactivity considerations

DTAF has been used successfully to prepare fluorescent labelled reagents for fluorescence polarization immunoassays. Its applicability as a derivation reagent for direct fluorescence analysis of primary and secondary amines was evaluated. DTAF was shown to have spectral properties that closely resemble those of fluorescein and that are apparently insensitive to the presence of the triazine nucleus. Spectrally determined pKa values also closely resemble those of fluorescein and other amino aryl-s-triazines. DTAF is prone to hydrolytic degradation with the rate of reaction increasing with increasing pH, until a pH value is reached at which ionization of the amine bridging the two aromatic nuclei occurs; at this pH the rate reaches a plateau value. Both primary and secondary amines react efficiently with DTAF, and the reactivity increases with the increasing basicity of the amine reactants. The reaction is pH-dependent, proceeding most efficiently at pH values at which both the "bridging amine" of DTAF and the amine substrate are unionized. Methyl substituted secondary amines were consistently more reactive than the corresponding primary amine, but further imposition of steric bulk about the amine nitrogen significantly reduced the reactivity of amines toward DTAF. In cases where such steric bulk is minimal. DTAF appears to be a suitable fluorescent labelling reagent for direct analytical applications.
Responding to Structural Industry Changes: A Technological Evolution Perspective

We argue that the search for a dynamic theory of strategy and for a link between the product-market and resource-based views may be incomplete without an exploration of the evolution of the technology that underlies products and heterogeneous firm capability. As technology evolves, so do industry characteristics, products, and critical success factors. Firms without the right capabilities are forced to exit. Thus an industry's structure, attractiveness and the kinds of capabilities that it needs to succeed, may vary over time suggesting different strategies for each phase.
A Frequency Domain Analysis of Multi-Conductor Transmission Line Interconnect Topologies

This paper presents a frequency domain technique for optimization, sensitivity, and robustness analysis of large high speed lossy multi-conductor transmission line networks in VLSI regimes. The technique is used to compare several interconnect topologies in terms of their electrical performance. Finally, to demonstrate the usefulness and accuracy of the technique, the numerical frequency domain results have been validated by independent time domain simulations.
Sum rules and transverse-momentum fluctuations in semi-inclusive reactions

We derive sum rules and set up a formalism for transverse-momentum fluctuations in semi-inclusive reactions. We discuss the relevance of these fluctuations for the determination of the transverse-momentum structure of multiparticle events. (AIP)
The content reliability of a test

The content unreliability of an essay test is the error due to the items used or the content of the test. The reader unreliability is due to variation in judgment of the persons who read and score the essay test. The content reliability of an essay test is accordingly defined as being independent of the reader reliability. Formulae are derived for the reader reliability and for the content reliability. The content reliability is found to be equal to the geometric mean of the test reliabilities computed from the scores assigned by the two readers, divided by the reader reliability.
Understanding Selectivity in the Oxidative Addition of the Carbon−Sulfur Bonds of 2-Cyanothiophene to Pt(0)

The reaction of 2-cyanothiophene with a zerovalent platinum bisalkylphosphine fragment yields two thiaplatinacycles derived from the cleavage of the substituted and unsubstituted C—S bonds. While cleavage away from the cyano group is preferred kinetically, cleavage adjacent to the cyano group is preferred thermodynamically. Density functional theory using B3LYP level of theory on a model of this system is consistent with experimental results in that the transition state energy leading to the formation of the kinetically favored C—S bond cleavage product is lower by 5.3 kcal mol -1 than the barrier leading to the thermodynamically favored product. There is a 6.7 kcal mol -1 difference between these two products. The cyano substituent at the 2- position of thiophene did not substantially change the mechanism involved in the C—S bond cleavage of thiophene previously reported.
Hepatitis C Virus-Induced Changes in MicroRNA 107 (miRNA-107) and miRNA-449a Modulate CCL2 by Targeting the Interleukin-6 Receptor Complex in Hepatitis

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-mediated liver diseases are one of the major health issues in the United States and worldwide. HCV infection has been reported to modulate microRNAs (miRNAs) that control various cell surface receptors and gene-regulatory complexes involved in hepatic inflammation and liver diseases. We report here that specific downregulation of miRNA-107 and miRNA-449a following HCV infection in patients with HCV-mediated liver diseases modulates expression of CCL2, an inflammatory chemokine upregulated in patients with chronic liver diseases, by targeting components of the interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) complex. Computational analysis for DNA-bound transcription factors in the CCL2 promoter identified adjacent binding sites for CCAAT/CEBPα, spleen focus-forming virus, proviral integration oncogene (SPI1/PU.1), and STAT3. We demonstrate that CEBPα, PU.1, and STAT3 interacted with each other physically to cooperatively bind to the promoter and activate CCL2 expression. Analysis of IL-6R and JAK1 expression in HCV patients by quantitative PCR showed significant upregulation when there was impaired miRNA-107 and miRNA-449a expression, along with upregulation of PU.1 and STAT3, but not CEBPα. miRNA-449a and miRNA-107 target expression of IL-6R and JAK1 , respectively, in vitro and also inhibit IL-6 signaling and impair STAT3 activation in human hepatocytes. Taken together, our results demonstrate a novel gene-regulatory mechanism in which HCV-induced changes in miRNAs (miRNA-449a and miRNA-107) regulate CCL2 expression by activation of the IL-6-mediated signaling cascade, which we propose will result in HCV-mediated induction of inflammatory responses and fibrosis. IMPORTANCE Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced hepatitis is a major health concern worldwide. HCV infection results in modulation of noncoding microRNAs affecting major cellular pathways, including inflammatory responses. In this study, we have identified a microRNA-regulated pathway for the chemokine CCL2 in HCV-induced hepatitis. Understanding microRNA-mediated transcriptional-regulatory pathways will result in development of noninvasive biomarkers for better disease prediction and development of effective therapeutics.
Binding of isolectins from red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) to purified rat brush-border membranes

Ingestion of red kidney bean phytohemagglutinin causes impaired growth and intestinal malabsorption, and facilitates bacterial colonization in the small intestine of weanling rats. We have studied interactions of the highly purified phytohemagglutinin erythroagglutinating (E4) and mitogenic (L4) isolectins with microvillous membrane vesicles prepared from rat small intestines. E4 and L4 were radioiodinated with 125I by the chloramine-T technique. E4 and L4 isolectins both bound to microvillous membrane vesicles. Binding was saturable and reversible. Each mg of membrane protein bound 744±86 μg E4 and 213±21 μg L4. The apparent Ka for E4 and L4 binding was 2.5·10−6 and 13.0·10−6 M−1, respectively. Binding of each 125I-labelled isolectin was abolished by 100-fold excess of unlabelled isolectin. In each case binding also was inhibited by appropriate oligosaccharide inhibitors, indicating that isolectin-microvillous membrane interactions were mediated by carbohydrate recognition. Patterns of saccharide inhibition of isolectin binding were different for E4 and L4. Competitive binding experiments demonstrated mutual noncompetitive inhibition of E4 and L4 binding consistent with steric hindrance. Therefore, E4 and L4 each bound to its own set of receptors. Based on the known saccharide specificities of E4 and L4, these data indicate that there are differences in expression of complex asparagine-linked biantennary and tri- or tetraantennary oligosaccharides at the microvillous surface. The data also provide the possibility that direct interactions of one or more phytohemagglutinin isolectins with intestinal mucosa in vivo may contribute to the antinutritional effects associated with ingestion of crude red kidney beans.
Abnormal κB-binding protein in the cytoplasm of a plasmacytoma cell line that lacks nuclear expression of NF-κB

Abstract The transcription factor NF-κB appears to play an important role in immunoglobulin gene expression and lymphokine production, and may play a role in primary B cell activation. Constitutive nuclear expression of NF-κB has been found in all mature B cell lines with the notable exception of the murine plasmacytoma, S107. We report herein that S107 cells express cytoplasmic κB-binding material detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay that by several criteria represents authentic NF-κB. Despite the presence of cytoplasmic NF-κB, several stimuli known to induce nuclear translocation of NF-κB failed to do so in S107 cells, including: the PKC agonist, PMA; the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide; and LPS. Transfection of S107 cells with a κB-CAT reporter gene construct confirmed the absence of functional activity. Importantly, a global failure of nuclear transcription factor expression was ruled out by the ability of PMA to induce nuclear expression of another trans -acting factor, AP-1. Thus, rather than lacking NF-κB altogether, S107 cells manifest disordered regulation of NF-κB in which cytoplasmic material is incapable of translocation to the nucleus. While Northern analysis failed to reveal a gross defect in the mRNA coding for the DNA binding subunit of NF-κB, UV-photo-cross-linking followed by denaturing gel electrophoresis demonstrated the presence of a cytoplasmic κB-binding protein of abnormally elevated molecular size. This finding suggests that the abnormal regulation of NF-κ B in S107 cells is associated with the appearance of an unusual κB-binding molecule.
Data Assimilation in a Simple Tropical Ocean Model with Wind Stress Errors

Abstract A major error source in the numerical simulation of tropical oceans is the uncertainty in wind stress forcing. A reduced-gravity shallow-water model has been used to test how assimilated ocean data correct simulation errors caused by erroneous wind stress in the tropics. The geometry of the basin is rectangular and symmetric about the equator, and the long-wave approximation is applied. All experiments are of the identical-twin type: the “observations” are generated by sampling the desired reference solution, and the data are assimilated by optimal interpolation into the same model, with wind stress forcing different from that in the reference case. In this paper, three types of wind stress errors are considered: errors of timing only, as well as persistent errors, systematic or stochastic. The relative usefulness of thermocline depth and current observations, and the effect of data distribution on state estimation are examined. The role of equatorial ocean waves in the process of data assimilati...
432 CHONDROCYTE FUNCTION IS DISTURBED IN RATS WITH STUNTED GROWTH FOLLOWING NEONATAL X-IRRADIATION LIMITED TO THE HEAD

Stunted growth after irradiation of the head only of the neonatal rat is unexplained. Prior studies show no relationship to food intake and no response to growth hormone and/or thyroxine. Male and female rats were X-irradiated with 600 rads limited to the head at 2 days of age. Controls were non-irradiated littermates. Irradiation resulted in retarded growth of body weight and tail length beginning prior to weaning; catch-up growth did not occur. Costal cartilage at ages 21 days (d), 40 d and 70 d was incubated 20 h at 37C in serum-free medium (M) consisting of phosphosaline buffer, pH 7.4, amino acids, glucose and antibiotics or in medium with 10 percent pooled normal rat serum (MS). 35S-sulfate (S), 3H-thymidine (T), 14C-leucine (L) or 3H-proline (P) were added to media. In M irradiated rats had significantly increased incorporation of P at 21 d and 40 d and L at 40 d; there was no change in S. In MS irradiated rats had significantly increased incorporation of S and L at 21 d and 40 d. T incorporation was not increased over controls at any age in M or MS. We conclude that in stunted head-irradiated rats synthesis in cartilage of sulfated proteoglycans and collagen is increased and/or hyperresponsive to normal serum. That T incorporation is not increased is compatible with the possibility that failure in catch-up growth of bones after head irradiation results from inhibition of mitosis of chondrocytes.
Exchange interaction between nuclear spins

We describe the developments in the determination of exchange interaction between nuclear moments in a metal. We discuss two techniques, the isotopic interference and higher harmonics of Larmor precession, both techniques determine the sign as well as the magnitude of the exchange constant. In addition, we briefly discuss the possibility of experiments at negative temperatures providing additional information about the space dependence of the exchange interaction.
A quantitation of the influence of the chick embryo genotype on tumor production by Rous sarcoma virus on the chorioallantoic membrane.

Abstract Tumors produced by Rous sarcoma virus inoculated by standard procedures onto the chorioallantoic membranes from 532 F5 generation embryos from a cross between the Giant Jungle Fowl and White Cornish strains of chickens were counted. These embryos were from 13 sires and 59 dams. An analysis of variance of the tumor counts was made relative to the variation in tumor counts on chorioallantoic membranes between embryos from the same dam mated to the same sire. This analysis revealed a significant difference between dam progenies within sires within dilutions (P > 0.01) and a significant difference (P > 0.01) between sires within dilutions. Estimates of heritability of the number of tumors per membrane were 0.28 and 0.78, using the sire and dam components of variance, respectively. These results imply that about 28% of the total variation in numbers of tumors is due to additive gene action. Moreover, there are important extrachromosomal influences transmitted by the dams. This is evident from the much larger estimate of heritability obtained from the variance component for dams.
Profiling thiol metabolites and quantification of cellular glutathione using FT-ICR-MS spectrometry

We describe preparation and use of the quaternary ammonium-based α-iodoacetamide QDE and its isotopologue *QDE as reagents for chemoselective derivatization of cellular thiols. Direct addition of the reagents to live cells followed by adduct extraction into n-butanol and analysis by FT-ICR-MS provided a registry of matched isotope peaks from which molecular formulae of thiol metabolites were derived. Acidification to pH 4 during cell lysis and adduct formation further improves the chemoselectivity for thiol derivatization. Examination of A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells using this approach revealed cysteine, cysteinylglycine, glutathione, and homocysteine as principal thiol metabolites as well as the sulfinic acid hypotaurine. The method is also readily applied to quantify the thiol metabolites, as demonstrated here by the quantification of both glutathione and glutathione disulfide in A549 cells at concentrations of 34.4 ± 11.5 and 10.1 ± 4.0 nmol/mg protein, respectively.
Investigation of the lifetimes of some pyrrole species by rapid scan cyclic voltammetry and double potential step techniques

The electrochemical oxidation of 1-(phenylsulfonyl)pyrrole (1), 3-t-butyl-1-(phenylsulfonyl)pyrrole (2), 3-t-butylpyrrole (3), and 1-(tris-(isopropyl)silyl)pyrrole (4) was investigated by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry and double potential step chronoamperometry. The electron transfer rate constants were obtained and the lifetimes of the radical-cations resulting from oxidation of (1–4) were estimated using the results of the double potential step experiments in conjunction with simulation techniques. All of the radical-cations have lifetimes less than 1 ms.
Seronegative myasthenia gravis: comparison of neurophysiological picture in MuSK+ and MuSK- patients.

The aim of this study was to compare the neurophysiological and clinical pictures of a large sample of seronegative myasthenia gravis (SNMG) patients with and without anti-MuSK antibodies. Fifty-two consecutive SNMG patients were retrospectively evaluated. They had undergone an extended neurophysiological evaluation: repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS), single fiber EMG (SFEMG), and electromyography (EMG) with nerve conduction study. A muscle biopsy was performed in 11 of 52 patients, the edrophonium test in 44 of 52 patients and anti-AChR antibodies and anti-MuSK antibodies were tested in all patients. Anti-MuSK antibodies were detected in 25 SNMG patients (48.1%). The number of women in the MUSK+ group was significantly higher (P = 0.01) than in the MuSK- group. Seronegative MUSK+ patients are more severely affected and the deficit often involves the bulbar and the respiratory muscles. No statistically significant differences were observed in the edrophonium test between MuSK + and MuSK- groups. The RNS test was abnormal in a significantly higher number of MUSK- patients than MUSK + patients (P < 0.00001). With regard to SFEMG data, MuSK- patients were characterized to have more severe neurophysiological pattern. Our observations showed several differences between the clinical and neurophysiological pictures of MUSK + and MUSK- patients.
Appearances, Stigma, and Prevention

In this article, the practical aspects of clothing are compared to effective practices in special education. Actual competence is more important than the appearance, or cloak, of competence. Speaking openly about disability will do more to reduce its stigma than will euphemisms. Cloaking disability not only increases stigma but also precludes prevention.
Plasma source ion implantation: applications in metal forming

AbstractThe use of ion implantation to modify surface properties has always been considered too expensive in the metals industry. However, with the advent of plasma source ion implantation (PSII) the economics can be improved, especially when coupled with the highly desirable properties associated with diamondlike carbon (DLC) and many carbide and nitride coatings. The use of PSII to grow DLC films on aluminium alloys, to form hard coatings such as vanadium carbide on forming tools and die casting tools, and to nitrogen implant steel forming tools and chromium plate is reported in this paper. The commercialisation of PSII is the goal of the Advanced Technology Program with over 17 participating members, including national laboratories, corporate research centres, end users, equipment manufacturers, system component suppliers and integrators, and process providers. This multidiscipline cooperation has resulted in more effective research and development of coatings and commercial products, along with easier...