cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estrogen‐induced thyroid follicular cell adenomas in C57BL/6 mice

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was fed chronically to C57BL/6 mice at concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, 160, 320, or 640 ppb in order to define the dose‐response curve for neoplastic responses. The incidence of thyroid follicular cell adenomas was higher in control females than in males and was increased at mid‐level doses of DES, especially in males. None were found in mice fed 640 ppb DES, probably because these mice died from other causes before follicular cell adenomas had developed. In both sexes, DES fed at 160 or 320 ppb significantly shortened time‐to‐onset of these tumors, and 40 ppb increased their probability late in life. It is concluded that DES has a causal relationship to thyroid neoplasia in C57BL/6 mice, and similarities between this and the human disease suggest that C57BL/6 mice may be an appropriate model for human thyroid neoplasia.
Evidence for the electrogenic nature of the ATP-ADP exchange system in rat liver mitochondria.

Abstract A transient decrease in the fluorescent intensity of the dye, 3,3′-dipropylthiodicarbocyanine iodide was seen upon the addition of ATP to rat liver mitochondria which had been pre-treated with 2 · 10 −6 M rotenone and 3.3 μg oligomycin/ml. This decrease which is indicative of a hyperpolarization (internal more negative) was half maximal at 2 · 10 −5 M ATP and was not seen with either ADP or AMP. Atractyloside, bongkrekic acid, ADP and to a lesser extent AMP inhibited the decrease observed with ATP. The characteristics of inhibition by these compounds were similar to those observed in experiments where either transport or binding of adenine nucleotides was measured. The addition of ADP after ATP led to a transient increase in fluorescent intensity indicative of depolarization. This increase was also blocked by atractyloside and bongkrekic acid. The evidence presented supports the hypothesis that the exchange of ADP and ATP via an adenine nucleotide exchange mechanism is electrogenic.
Multichannel diffuse optical Raman tomography for bone characterization in vivo: a phantom study.

Raman spectroscopy is used to gather information on the mineral and organic components of bone tissue to analyze their composition. By measuring the Raman signal of bone through spatially offset Raman spectroscopy the health of the bone can be determined. We’ve customized a system with 8 collection channels that consist of individual fibers, which are coupled to separate spectrometers and cooled CCDs. This parallel detection system was used to scan gelatin phantoms with Teflon inclusions of two sizes. Raman signals were decoupled from the autofluorescence background using channel specific polynomial fitting. Images with high contrast to background ratios of Raman yield and accurate spatial resolution were recovered using a model-based diffuse tomography approach.
Synergistic effect of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in promoting an activity of phosphorylase kinase that is insensitive to ethylene glycol bis(β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N′-tetraacetic acid☆

Abstract The activity of nonactivated phosphorylase kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle is widely reported to be nearly totally inhibited when free Ca2+ ions are chelated by ethylene glycol bis(β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N′-tetraacetic acid (EGTA). In this report, however, it is shown that prior incubation of nonactivated phosphorylase kinase for a short time with Ca2+ and Mg2+ allows substantial catalytic activity to be expressed in the presence of high concentrations of EGTA in subsequent assays. The divalent metals acted synergistically to promote this EGTA-insensitive activity: incubation with either Ca2+ or Mg2+ alone had only a slight effect. The apparent Ka for Mg2+ was 4 m m , whereas that for Ca2+ was 5 μ m . Induction of the EGTA-insensitive activity by Ca2+ plus Mg2+ was time-dependent and did not plateau after 10 min at either pH 6.8 or 8.2. The formation of this activity was reversed by addition of EGTA and EDTA in excess of both metal ions. A typical specific activity for the EGTA-insensitive activity was on the order of 0.4 μmol phosphate transferred/min/mg at pH 6.8 with phosphorylase as substrate. This specific activity is approximately the same as the Ca2+-dependent activity at pH 6.8 in our buffer system. The EGTA-insensitive activity showed a ratio of activity at pH 6.8 to 8.2 of nearly unity, and the formation of product with time was linear at both pH values. The EGTA-insensitive activity was observable with either glycogen phosphorylase or troponin I as substrates, as well as with autophosphorylation of the phosphorylase kinase.
Creation of a unit block library of architectures for use in assembled scaffold engineering

Guided tissue regeneration is gaining importance in the field of orthopaedic tissue engineering as need and technology permits the development of site-specific engineering approaches. Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) hybridized with manufacturing techniques such as Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF), is hypothesized to allow for virtual design, characterization, and production of scaffolds optimized for tissue replacement. However, a design scope this broad is not often realized due to limitations in preparing scaffolds both for biological functionality and mechanical longevity. To aid scientists in fabrication of a successful scaffold, we propose characterization and documentation of a library of micro-architectures, capable of being seamlessly merged according to the mechanical properties (stiffness, strength), flow perfusion characteristics, and porosity, determined by the scientist based on application and anatomic location. The methodology is discussed in the sphere of bone regeneration, and examples of catalogued shapes are presented. Similar principles may apply for other organs as well.
Marketing Faculty Promotion and Tenure Policies and Practices

The promotion and tenure policies and practices of marketing departments in particular are explored. The balance among the evaluative areas of performance (teaching, research, and service) are assessed, together with the perceived importance of the various components of each area. The results are discussed in terms of trends in today's educational system.
A multiaperture ion source with adjustable optics to provide well-collimated, high-current-density, low- to medium-energy ion beams

The design, operation, and characterization of a new, adjustable‐grid, multiaperture ion source are described. The capability for in situ relative lateral motion of the grids allows beam steering and alignment during source operation. The maximum beam deflection angle is ∼10° at a beam acceleration voltage Vb=1000 V. The grid separation distance dg is also adjustable in situ, allowing independent control over beam current and voltage while maintaining a minimum beam divergence. Decreases in beam divergence angle α, by as much as a factor of 3 over a comparable fixed‐grid source, were obtained. Beam accelerating voltages Vb ranging from 200 to 1000 V were investigated for dg values between 1 and 4 mm with a grid hole diameter of 2 mm. Minimum α values ranged from 4° to 7°. The total current density at minimum α for dg=1 mm and Vb=1000 V was 2.2 mA cm−2. The dependence of the measured beam divergence on source operating conditions and grid geometry is explained using a simple ion‐optics model.
The effect of class imbalance, complexity, size, and learning distribution on classifier performance

Classes of real world datasets have various properties (such as imbalance, size, complexity, and class distribution) that make the classification task more difficult. We investigate the robustness of six classification techniques over data having various combinations of the above mentioned properties. One artificial domain and six real world datasets are used in these experiments. Results of our analysis point to the frequency-based classifiers (such as the fuzzy and the Bayes classifiers) as being more robust over various imbalance, size, complexity, and training distribution.
The effect of thyroid function on sutural osteogenesis in the rat.

Abstract A method for artificially expanding the premaxillary suture of the rat was applied to investigation of the effects of thyroid dysfunction on osteogenesis. Three groups, hypothyroid, hyperthyroid and control, were compared as to sutural activity. Variation was evident in the degree of separation at the premaxillary suture. However, no consistent differences among groups were found. No differences were noted in the orientation of the collagen fibres or the vascularity of the connective tissue between experimental and control groups. Propylthiouracil-treated animals showed a more profound tissue reaction at the site of suture separation than either control or hyperthyroid animals. The increased sutural activity associated with the hypothyroid groups was characterized by a greater thickness of osteoid along the inner suture faces, more prominent osteophyte formation, greater osteoblastic activity and an increased cellularity in the connective tissue between the two plates of bone.
Recombination between a Crown Rust Resistance Locus and an Interchange Breakpoint in Hexaploid Oat

The oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivars, Steele and Dumont, differ by a chromosome interchange. Two tightly linked or allelic crown rust resistance genes (Pc-63 and Pc-38) are located on one of the segments involved in the interchange. Recombinant chromosomes can result from crossing-over in the region between the crown rust resistance locus and the interchange breakpoint. Our objectives were to use a diallelic duplicate locus to (i) identify recombinant BC 1 F 1 genotypes with Pc-63 in the interchanged position, (ii) estimate the linkage relationship between the crown rust resistance locus and the interchange breakpoint, and (iii) recover duplication genotypes that possess four copies of Pc-63. Segregation of BC 1 F 2 families was used to detect recombination within an interchanged chromosome segment in F, interchange heterozygotes. Only 3/7 of the single crossover recombinant gametes could be recognized by duplicate dominant segregation in BC 1 F 2 families. After inoculation of 145 BC 1 F 2 families with a crown rust (Puccinia coronata Corda var. avenae W.P. Fraser & Ledingham) isolate avirulent on Pc-63 and virulent on Pc-38, we identified 11 recombinant families segregating 15R:1S. A 15:1 segregation ratio indicated Pc-63 recombined to an interchanged position as a result of crossing-over between the crown rust resistance locus and the interchange breakpoint. Our data indicated Pc-63 was linked in repulsion and distal to the interchange breakpoint with 17.7% recombination observed between the crown rust resistance locus and the breakpoint. Testeross segregation ratios confirmed that recombination occurred and allowed identification of a true breeding duplication genotype that possessed four copies of Pc-63. Increasing the dosage of Pc-63 did not alter the expected infection type conferred by a one or two copies of Pc-63.
Possible resolution of the Brookhaven and Washington Eötvös experiments.

Seemingly contradictory results from E\"otv\"os-type experiments have been reported by Thieberger and by Adelberger and collaborators. Attempts to reconcile the discrepancy have mainly focused on a single moderate-ranged (of order hundreds of meters) force, coupled to various charges. However, because the local geologies are significantly different in these two experiments, they may be compatible with an alternative scenario: new spin-1 graviphoton and spin-0 graviscalar partners of the graviton, both with longer ranges (tens to hundreds of kilometers). We discuss this and other new data in terms of these two concepts.
Partnership with an African American Sorority to Enhance Participation in Cancer Genetics Research

Background/Aims: Reduced minority participation in clinical research challenges researchers to consider novel recruitment modalities. This study describes a formal partnership betwe
Comparative Abundance, Survival, and Growth of One Wild and Two Domestic Brown Trout Strains Stocked in Michigan Rivers

Abstract Stocking is commonly practiced to create, sustain, or enhance fisheries, but comprehensive evaluations of stocking success are rare. I assessed the relative abundance, survival, and growth of three strains of brown trout Salmo trutta that were stocked as sympatric populations into six rivers to evaluate relative stocking performance from 1997 to 2000. Stocked brown trout from wild broodstock were initially smaller but were more abundant and had higher survival and growth rates than fish from two domestic strains. However, on average, the densities and biomass of all stocked brown trout were lower than the densities and biomass of unclipped resident brown trout. Fisheries managers must consider the performance of individual stocked brown trout strains, as well as the performance of stocked brown trout in general, when implementing or reviewing brown trout stocking programs.
An evaluation of digitalis tolerance with acetyl strophanthidin.

SUMMARY 1.Experiences in ten digitalized patients utilizing acetyl strophanthidin as a digitalis tolerance test are related. 2.In eight of the ten cases, toxicity could not be elicited with full digitalizing doses of acetyl strophanthidin in previously adequately digitalized patients. This was true whether whole-leaf digitalis or digoxin was employed. 3.The acetyl strophanthidin test will indicate whether additional digitalis may be safely administered. It does not indicate the state or adequacy of prior digitalization. One cannot determine by this method, therefore, whether the patient has received any digitalis or is partially or completely digitalized.
Effects of Superposed Hydrostatic Stress on the Elastoplastic Behavior of Two-Phase Composites:

This paper presents the results of an analytical-experimental investigation of the effects of superposed hydrostatic stress on the mechanical properties of particulate reinforced metal-matrix composites. Tension experiments have been conducted with dif ferent levels of superposed pressure on aluminum alloys reinforced with Al2 O3 particu lates. Stress-strain curves have been experimentally generated as functions of pressure, while the behavior has been modeled analytically using the approximate mean-field theory developed by Weng and co-workers for plasticity of two-phase composites (Tandon and Weng, 1988; Zhao and Weng, 1990; Qiu and Weng, 1991). Using Berveiller-Zaoui's ap proximation (1979), the constraint due to the matrix phase is characterized by the secant moduli of the matrix, while the interaction of the inclusions is accounted for by the Mori- Tanaka mean-field theory. The stress-strain curves predicted by the analytical model show good agreement with those generated in the experimental program.
Reactive uptake and photo-Fenton oxidation of glycolaldehyde in aerosol liquid water.

The reactive uptake and aqueous oxidation of glycolaldehyde were examined in a photochemical flow reactor using hydrated ammonium sulfate (AS) seed aerosols at RH = 80%. The glycolaldehyde that partitioned into the aerosol liquid water was oxidized via two mechanisms that may produce aqueous OH: hydrogen peroxide photolysis (H2O2 + hν) and the photo-Fenton reaction (Fe (II) + H2O2 + hν). The uptake of 80 (±10) ppb glycolaldehyde produced 2–4 wt % organic aerosol mass in the dark (kH* = (2.09–4.17) × 106 M atm–1), and the presence of an OH source increased the aqueous uptake by a factor of 4. Although the uptake was similar in both OH-aging mechanisms, photo-Fenton significantly increased the degree of oxidation (O/C = 0.9) of the aerosols compared to H2O2 photolysis (O/C = 0.5). Aerosol organics oxidized by photo-Fenton and H2O2 photolysis resemble ambient “aged” and “fresh” OA, respectively, after the equivalent of 2 h atmospheric aging. No uptake or changes in particle composition occurred on dry seed a...
Identification of Okadaic-Acid-Induced Genes by mRNA Differential Display in Glioma Cells

To identify novel genes associated with apoptosis in glioma cells, we treated T98G glioma cells with okadaic acid (OA). Differential display using 15 random primers was performed on RNA extracted from these cells. Upregulated bands were excised from polyacrylamide gels and cloned. Northern blots were used to confirm RNA expression in T98G cells. 18 RNA fragments corresponding to the untranslated region of genes were identified and sequenced. Three unknown gene fragments were used to screen a fetal brain cDNA library resulting in three complete cDNA sequences. The three sequences corresponded to a human gene homologous to the yeast translation initiation factor Sui-1, a cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, ARPP-16/19, and a novel gene designated O48. Transcription of Sui-1 increased in response to all stress factors tested, whereas ARPP only responded to OA. 2-kb and 4-kb O48 RNA species were identified. OA and stress factors increased 2-kb expression while K252a (protein kinase inhibitor) increased 4-kb expression. Differential display is effective for identifying genes associated with apoptosis. Novel genes may be identified by further analysis of the gene fragments identified in this study. The function of O48 is unknown.
Nasa's dual challenge: Serving yet striving

With 25 years of leadership in space behind it, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is at a crossroads as it faces the next quarter century. Organizations such as NASA are means to accomplish the ends of those who create and sustain them. Fundamentally, it is impossible to discern NASA's future evolution without knowing what path in space the United States will choose from among the many options available; the outlook for NASA depends on the goals selected by the Government for the next quarter century's space efforts.
The utility of variable temperature techniques in the determination of kinetic parameters

Thermogravimetry is a useful, convenient method for the study of polymer degradation. Several approaches have been developed for the extraction of kinetic parameters from thermogravimetric data. Various variable temperature techniques permit a rapid, almost effortless, estimation of the activation energy of any well-defined process. However, the values generated are subject to greater uncertainty than those obtained using an isothermal method in which rate constants at several temperatures are determined and used to construct a temperature dependence plot from which the activation energy may be extracted. Although the isothermal method is the more time-consuming it provides more reliable results than can be obtained using dynamic methods.
Preparation, characterization and ionic conductivity of (LiCl)2-B2O3-SiO2 xerogels

Abstract (LiCl)2-B2O3-SiO2 xerogels were prepared by a sol-gel technique. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicate the incorporation of boron into the silica network to form Si-O-B links. 11B, 7Li and 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies were used to probe the structure of the xerogels. For a fixed lithium content (10 mol% (LiCl)2), the ionic conductivity of xerogels with B2O3/SiO2 ratios of 1/7 to 1/5 is similar to that of lithium chloride, while the conductivity behavior of xerogels with B2O3/SiO2 ratios of 1/10 to 1/8 is similar to those of ionically conducting glasses. For samples with the same lithium content, the conductivity increases with decreasing B2O3/SiO2 ratio and increasing fraction of BO4 units (N4 values). This is attributed to the increasing concentration of lithium ions associated with tetrahedral BO4 and non-bridging oxygens in the xerogel.
Rapid tidewater glacier retreat: a comparison between Columbia Glacier, Alaska and Patagonian calving glaciers

Abstract Time-changes in the terminus positions of Patagonian grounded calving glaciers are studied. The framework for the study is a model of terminus retreat based on observations of Columbia Glacier, Alaska. The interpretation favored in this work is that rapid retreat is caused by the terminus thinning to near flotation and weakening of the ice by bottom crevasses. Both thinning and bottom crevasse formation are caused by the increase in near-terminus stretching during rapid retreat. The model is consistent with the behavior of calving Patagonian glaciers regardless of the salinity of the water body calved into. Continuity calculations on Glaciar San Rafael, Chile indicate internal voids, possibly in the form of bottom crevasses, as on Columbia Glacier.
Binge eating and outcome of behavioral treatment of obesity: a preliminary report

Abstract A survey was carried out of binge-eating behavior in a group of 44 patients who had completed group behavioral treatment for obesity. Obese binge eaters, defined by DSM-III criteria for bulimia, lost significantly less weight immediatedly posttreatment and at 6-month follow-up than non-binge eaters.
A dynamically bi-orthogonal method for time-dependent stochastic partial differential equations II: Adaptivity and generalizations

This is part II of our paper in which we propose and develop a dynamically bi-orthogonal method (DyBO) to study a class of time-dependent stochastic partial differential equations (SPDEs) whose solutions enjoy a low-dimensional structure. In part I of our paper [9], we derived the DyBO formulation and proposed numerical algorithms based on this formulation. Some important theoretical results regarding consistency and bi-orthogonality preservation were also established in the first part along with a range of numerical examples to illustrate the effectiveness of the DyBO method. In this paper, we focus on the computational complexity analysis and develop an effective adaptivity strategy to add or remove modes dynamically. Our complexity analysis shows that the ratio of computational complexities between the DyBO method and a generalized polynomial chaos method (gPC) is roughly of order O((m/N"p)^3) for a quadratic nonlinear SPDE, where m is the number of mode pairs used in the DyBO method and N"p is the number of elements in the polynomial basis in gPC. The effective dimensions of the stochastic solutions have been found to be small in many applications, so we can expect m is much smaller than N"p and computational savings of our DyBO method against gPC are dramatic. The adaptive strategy plays an essential role for the DyBO method to be effective in solving some challenging problems. Another important contribution of this paper is the generalization of the DyBO formulation for a system of time-dependent SPDEs. Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, including the Navier-Stokes equations and the Boussinesq approximation with Brownian forcing.
Power Corrupts — Does Corruption Empower?

Review of three books: Juliana Flinn's 1992 Diplomas and Thatch Houses: Asserting Tradition in a Changing Micronesia. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Lin Foyer's 1993 The Ngatik Massacre: History and Identity on a Micronesian Atoll. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, and Endo Hisashi's (ed) 1993 Society and Life in Palau (collected works of Hijikata Hisikatsu). Tokyo: Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
Transfer impression for accurate adjustment of a metal coping insert for the submerged implant

A technique allowing accurate alignment and interocclusal spacing of the coping insert for submerged implants has been described. Transferring the coping from the mouth to the master cast will provide predictable treatment results and is particularly useful when intraoral visualization is difficult.
West Antarctic Ice Sheet elevations in the Ohio Range: Geologic constraints and ice sheet modeling prior to the last highstand

Abstract Knowledge of the timing and extent of past West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) elevation changes provides insight to the WAIS response to sea level and climate forcing, as well as constraints for ice sheet models. Trimlines and erratics indicate that maximum ice elevation at the Ohio Range, located near the WAIS divide, was 125 m above the present ice surface and was reached at ~ 10 ka. However, 3 He and 10 Be exposure ages of most granitic erratics and supra-glacial boulders in adjacent blue ice areas are older than the last highstand and provide constraints on earlier interior WAIS elevation changes. Although diffusive loss of 3 He occurs in quartz, an excellent correlation between 3 He and 10 Be concentrations in samples up to 400 ka is observed in the Ohio Range, demonstrating the utility of 3 He measurements in Antarctic quartz. The correlation is used to calculate “equivalent 10 Be exposure ages” from the larger 3 He data set. The exposure ages occur in distinct clusters 10–20 ka, 70–80 ka, 130–140 ka and 180–190 ka that we relate to pulses in the emergence of englacial debris in localized blue ice ablation areas. A combined ice sheet/ice shelf model predicts that WAIS elevations near the Ohio Range have varied only ~ 125 m over the last 200 kyr with highstands at ~ 10 ka and ~ 130 ka, in good agreement with observations of trimlines and peaks in the exposure age distribution at the Ohio Range. In the model, interior WAIS elevations are controlled by the interaction of accumulation rates and ice dynamics related to ice sheet/ocean interactions at the grounding line. WAIS highstands occur early in interglacial periods during intervals of warmer temperatures and high accumulation rates, prior to the arrival of a wave of thinning. We hypothesize that the correspondence of rising regional WAIS elevation with debris pulses relates to increased ice (debris) flux and ablation in the local blue ice areas resulting from the warmer temperatures. The occurrence of clasts with exposure ages up to 200 ka on the WAIS surface indicates elevation changes near the Ohio Range were limited in extent during stage 5e. The geologic observations, combined with model results, place constraints on WAIS geometry during stage 5e and limit the WAIS contribution to the higher sea levels observed during the last interglacial to ~ 3 m.
Thrombosis of the Portal Vein in Eleven Dogs

Case records from the small animal necropsy service of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) from January 1981 through August 1990 were searched for reports of animals with grossly visible portal vein thrombi. Eleven dogs identified from their case materials as having portal vein thrombosis were used for this study. The age of the dogs ranged from 2 to 13 years, and there were five spayed females and six males--four intact and two castrated. Seven breeds were represented (Lhasa Apso, German Wire haired Pointer, Shetland Sheepdog, Dalmatian, Irish Wolfhound, Old English Sheepdog, and Siberian Husky), and the remaining four cases were identified as mixed breeds. The weight of the dogs ranged from 7.7 to 50 kg, and most of them were considered overweight. Dogs with microthrombi and tumor emboli in the portal vein were excluded. No age, sex, or breed predisposition was found. Thrombi were also detected in the pulmonary arteries in five of the dogs and both the pulmonary arteries and aorta in one dog. The portal thrombi extended into the mesenteric veins in three dogs, resulting in infarction of the jejunum. One of these dogs and two other dogs had chronic occlusion of the portal vein, with the formation of secondary portosystemic shunts. Conditions also present in dogs with portal vein thrombi included pancreatic necrosis (four dogs), peritonitis (two dogs), distant neoplasia (three dogs), and therapy with steroids (ten dogs).
International Relations: Do you Know what your Neighbours are Doing? A Study of Scientific Communication in Europe

After this year's research on scientific communication in Europe, where almost 100 interviews were conducted in 8 European countries, one finding is clear: there is better communication between Europe and America than among European countries. Since space is limited, the analysis of this finding will be made in terms of the communication behavior of the members of the cross-national organization, the European Association of Experimental Social Psychologists. Their behavior indicates communication within a specialty, and in part, a representative case for the overall findings of the research. The Association is a limited membership organization with members in 14 countries. Since its initiation in 1963, the group has increased not only in size but in its cross-national representation. The questionnaire-interview data obtained at the Association's most recent meeting, supplemented by the findings from the general interview sample, provides the basis for the following discussion.
Change scores, composites and reliability issues in cross-national development research

While a number of researchers of world development examine social change using composite measures as indicators, there is a relative paucity of research on the reliability of these change score composites over time. We construct two development composites based simply on factor analysis, one economic and one social, and then perform reliability analysis on these two development composites at two discrete points in time (i.e. 1970 and 1985) and their change over the 15-year period defined by their beginning and ending points. Despite evidence of reliable beginning and ending points, change in composites over time yield markedly different patterns of reliability. We conclude that if composite indicators of development are used in cross-national research to assess change, the reliabilities of their change should be addressed directly in addition to the reliabilities of their beginning and ending points. The risk of not doing so is faulty inferences with respect to theory.
Identifying the key genes and pathways in the progression of hepatitis C virus induced hepatocellular carcinoma using a systems biology approach

Materials and methods We developed a systematic approach to identify deregulated biological networks in HCC by integrating gene expression profiles [1] with high-throughput proteinprotein interaction data [2]. Samples were grouped into five disease stages including normal, cirrhotic, dysplastic, early and advanced HCC. For each pair of consecutive stages, we compared gene expressions and then mapped these measures to the protein interaction network. Responsive subnetworks were then identified from these node weighted networks. The searching algorithm is adapted from a previous study [3], which expands the seed graphs under constrains of several parameters.
New insights into the complex regulation of the glycolytic pathway in Lactococcus lactis. II. Inference of the precisely timed control system regulating glycolysis

The dairy bacterium Lactococcus lactis has to master a complicated task. It must control its essentially linear glycolytic pathway in such a fashion that, when the substrate, glucose, runs out, it retains enough phosphoenolpyruvate and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate to be able to restart glycolysis as soon as new glucose becomes available. Although glycolysis is arguably the best-studied metabolic pathway, its details in L. lactis are still unclear, and it is, in particular, not understood how the bacterium manages the stop-and-start task. The primary purpose of this paper and its companion is a clarification of some of the details of the governing regulatory strategies with which L. lactis manages to retain the necessary metabolites for the restart of glycolysis after periods of starvation. The paper furthermore discusses how the bacterium changes these strategies when it is subjected to aerobic rather than anaerobic conditions.
Narrating knowledge: presupposition and background in Flannery O'Connor's fiction:

Clausal presupposition in Flannery O'Connor's fiction is examined and shown to contribute stylistically to O'Connor's explorations of the fallibility of human knowledge. Marked presuppositional con...
Recruiting knowledge, not just nurses.

Abstract The importance of the definition of nurse as a “knowledge worker” and the utility of knowledge as a recruitment policy for building a strong nursing workforce are discussed. The method used is the implementation of a statewide merit-based scholarship program targeting academically excellent students. At the University of Vermont, which educates roughly half of the state’s nursing students, applications to the College of Nursing are up 83 percent, and entering class size is up 92 percent. Most significantly, Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores have improved 4 percent, reversing an 8-year trend. In conclusion, merit scholarships are an effective means of building intellectual capacity and attracting academically stronger candidates to the nursing profession.
The Combined Effect of Frontal Plane Tibiofemoral Knee Angle and Meniscectomy on the Cartilage Contact Stresses and Strains

Abnormal tibiofemoral alignment can create loading conditions at the knee that may lead to the initiation and progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The degenerative changes of the articular cartilage may occur earlier and with greater severity in individuals with abnormal frontal plane tibiofemoral alignment who undergo a partial or total meniscectomy. In this investigation, subject specific 3D finite element knee models were created from magnetic resonance images of two female subjects to study the combined effect of frontal plane tibiofemoral alignment and total and partial meniscectomy on the stress and strain at the knee cartilage. Different amounts of medial and lateral meniscectomies were modeled and subject specific loading conditions were determined from motion analysis and force platform data during single-leg support. The results showed that the maximum stresses and strains occurred on the medial tibial cartilage after medial meniscectomy but a greater percentage change in the contact stresses and strains occurred in the lateral cartilage after lateral meniscectomy for both subjects due to the resultant greater load bearing role of the lateral meniscus. The results indicate that individual’s frontal plane knee alignment and their unique local force distribution between the cartilage and meniscus play an important role in the biomechanical effects of total and partial meniscectomy.
SmoothSketch: 3D free-form shapes from complex sketches

We introduce SmoothSketch---a system for inferring plausible 3D free-form shapes from visible-contour sketches. In our system, a user's sketch need not be a simple closed curve as in Igarashi's Teddy [1999], but may have cusps and T-junctions, i.e., endpoints of hidden parts of the contour. We follow a process suggested by Williams [1994] for inferring a smooth solid shape from its visible contours: completion of hidden contours, topological shape reconstruction, and smoothly embedding the shape via relaxation. Our main contribution is a practical method to go from a contour drawing to a fairly smooth surface with that drawing as its visible contour. In doing so, we make several technical contributions: • extending Williams' and Mumford's work [Mumford 1994] on figural completion of hidden contours containing T-junctions to contours containing cusps as well, • characterizing a class of visible-contour drawings for which inflation can be proved possible, • finding a topological embedding of the combinatorial surface that Williams creates from the figural completion, and • creating a fairly smooth solid shape by smoothing the topological embedding using a mass-spring system.We handle many kinds of drawings (including objects with holes), and the generated shapes are plausible interpretations of the sketches. The method can be incorporated into any sketch-based free-form modeling interface like Teddy.
Real-time PCR detection of Vibrio vulnificus in oysters: comparison of oligonucleotide primers and probes targeting vvhA.

We compared three sets of oligonucleotide primers and two probes designed for Vibrio vulnificus hemolysin A gene (vvhA) for TaqMan-based real-time PCR method enabling specific detection of Vibrio vulnificus in oysters. Two of three sets of primers with a probe were specific for the detection of all 81 V. vulnificus isolates by TaqMan PCR. The 25 nonvibrio and 12 other vibrio isolates tested were negative. However, the third set of primers, F-vvh1059 and R-vvh1159, with the P-vvh1109 probe, although positive for all V. vulnificus isolates, also exhibited positive cycle threshold (CT) values for other Vibrio spp. Optimization of the TaqMan PCR assay using F-vvh785/R-vvh990 or F-vvh731/R-vvh1113 primers and the P-vvh874 probe detected 1 pg of purified DNA and 103 V. vulnificus CFU/ml in pure cultures. The enriched oyster tissue homogenate did not exhibit detectable inhibition to the TaqMan PCR amplification of vvhA. Detection of 3 × 103 CFU V. vulnificus, resulting from a 5-h enrichment of an initial inoculum of 1 CFU/g of oyster tissue homogenate, was achieved with F-vvh785/R-vvh990 or F-vvh731/R-vvh1113 primers and P-vvh875 probe. The application of the TaqMan PCR using these primers and probe, exhibited detection of V. vulnificus on 5-h-enriched natural oysters harvested from the Gulf of Mexico. Selection of appropriate primers and a probe on vvhA for TaqMan-PCR-based detection of V. vulnificus in post-harvest-treated oysters would help avoid false-positive results, thus ensuring a steady supply of safe oysters to consumers and reducing V. vulnificus-related illnesses and deaths.
Cascaded Energy Transfer for Efficient Broad‐Band Pumping of High‐Quality, Micro‐Lasers

Micro-ring lasers that exhibit a quality factor (Q) larger than 5.2 × 10{sup 6} with a direct-illumination, non-resonant pump are demonstrated. The micro-rings are coated with three organic dyes forming a cascaded energy-transfer, which reduces material-losses by a factor larger than 10{sup 4}, transforming incoherent light to coherent light with high quantum-efficiency. The operating principle is general and can enable fully integrated on-chip, high-Q micro-lasers.
Linkage and association

Methods of both linkage analysis and association analysis may be model-based or model-free. The former are useful for initial exploratory analysis, the latter for more detailed multivariate genometric analysis. Linkage leads to an association, but that association may be solely intrafamilial. Allelic association may be due to pleiotropy, linkage disequilibrium, meiotic drive, selection, or population stratification. Using non-transmitted parental alleles as controls for alleles transmitted to cases, in conjunction with a McNemar-type test, does not detect association in the absence of linkage. Model-based analyses should use models that approximate the complexity of the disease being studied in order to be both robust and powerful.
Akt Promotes Cell Survival by Phosphorylating and Inhibiting a Forkhead Transcription Factor

Survival factors can suppress apoptosis in a transcription-independent manner by activating the serine/ threonine kinase Akt, which then phosphorylates and inactivates components of the apoptotic machinery, including BAD and Caspase 9. In this study, we demonstrate that Akt also regulates the activity of FKHRL1, a member of the Forkhead family of transcription factors. In the presence of survival factors, Akt phosphorylates FKHRL1, leading to FKHRL1's association with 14-3-3 proteins and FKHRL1's retention in the cytoplasm. Survival factor withdrawal leads to FKHRL1 dephosphorylation, nuclear translocation, and target gene activation. Within the nucleus, FKHRL1 triggers apoptosis most likely by inducing the expression of genes that are critical for cell death, such as the Fas ligand gene.
Overnutrition and maternal obesity in sheep pregnancy alter the JNK-IRS-1 signaling cascades and cardiac function in the fetal heart

Maternal obesity in pregnancy predisposes offspring to insulin resistance and associated cardiovascular disease. Here, we used a well-established sheep model to investigate the effects of maternal obesity on cardiac functions. Multiparous ewes were assigned to a control (CON) diet [100% of National Research Council (NRC) recommendations] or an obesogenic (OB) diet (150% of NRC recommendations) from 60 d before conception to necropsy on d 135 of pregnancy. Fetal blood glucose and insulin were increased (P<0.01, n=8) in OB (35.09±2.03 mg/dl and 3.40±1.43 μU/ml, respectively) vs. CON ewes (23.80±1.38 mg/dl and 0.769±0.256 μU/ml). Phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a cardioprotective signaling pathway, was reduced (P<0.05), while the stress signaling pathway, p38 MAPK, was up-regulated (P<0.05) in OB maternal and fetal hearts. Phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) at Ser-307 were increased (P<0.05) in OB fetal heart associated with lower downstream PI3K-Akt activity (P<0.05), indicating impaired cardiac insulin signaling. Although OB fetal hearts exhibited a normal contractile function vs. CON fetal hearts during basal perfusion, they developed an impaired heart-rate-left-ventricular-developed pressure product in response to high workload stress. Taken together, fetuses of OB mothers demonstrate alterations in cardiac PI3K-Akt, AMPK, and JNK-IRS-1 signaling pathways that would predispose them to insulin resistance and cardiac dysfunction.—Wang, J., Ma, H., Tong, C., Zhang, H., Lawlis, G. B., Li, Y., Zang, M., Ren, J., Nijland, M. J., Ford, S. P., Nathanielsz, P. W., Li, J. Overnutrition and maternal obesity in sheep pregnancy alter the JNK-IRS-1 signaling cascades and cardiac function in the fetal heart.
Stimulus discriminability and conditioning-history effects on response summation

Two groups of rats were extinguished for responding when neither light nor tone was on. During the first part of the experiment, the subjects in Group 1 were reinforced for responding during a compound light-tone stimulus, and the subjects in Group 2 were reinforced for responding when either light or tone was on. During the second part of the experiment, the subjects were reinforced in the presence of a light-tone compound, light alone, or tone alone. They responded at higher rates during the light-tone compound than during either of the other stimuli. This constituted response summation, and because there was no difference between the groups, it was concluded that response summation did not depend on a history of reinforced responding to the component stimuli.
Grid information services for distributed resource sharing

Grid technologies enable large-scale sharing of resources within formal or informal consortia of individuals and/or institutions: what are sometimes called virtual organizations. In these settings, the discovery, characterization, and monitoring of resources, services, and computations are challenging problems due to the considerable diversity; large numbers, dynamic behavior, and geographical distribution of the entities in which a user might be interested. Consequently, information services are a vital part of any Grid software infrastructure, providing fundamental mechanisms for discovery and monitoring, and hence for planning and adapting application behavior. We present an information services architecture that addresses performance, security, scalability, and robustness requirements. Our architecture defines simple low-level enquiry and registration protocols that make it easy to incorporate individual entities into various information structures, such as aggregate directories that support a variety of different query languages and discovery strategies. These protocols can also be combined with other Grid protocols to construct additional higher-level services and capabilities such as brokering, monitoring, fault detection, and troubleshooting. Our architecture has been implemented as MDS-2, which forms part of the Globus Grid toolkit and has been widely deployed and applied.
Difference in Folate Content of Green and Red Sweet Peppers ( Capsicum annuum) Determined by Liquid Chromatography -Mass Spectrometry

Folic acid (pteroylmonoglutamic acid) is used in enriched foods; however, very little folic acid occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables. For the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program, a number of fruits and vegetables have been assayed for endogenous folates, by a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method, to evaluate the accuracy of existing data for total folate determined by standard microbiological analysis. Folate in red and green sweet peppers (Capsicum annuum) differed notably (70.2 and 20.7 Ig/100 g, respectively) and exceeded existing values determined by microbiological assay (18 and 11 Ig/100 g, respectively). 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate was the predominant vitamer, but a significant amount of 5-formyltetrahydrolfolate and some 10-formylfolate were present. These findings may assist in making dietary recommendations or developing research diets related to folate. The data from this study have been used to update the folate values in release 19 of the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.
A Low Complexity Heuristic for Design of Custom Network-on-Chip Architectures

Network-on-Chip (NoC) has been proposed to replace traditional bus based architectures to address the global communication challenges in nanoscale technologies. In future SoC architectures, minimizing power consumption will continue to be an important design goal. In this paper, we present a novel heuristic technique consisting of system-level physical design, and interconnection network generation that generates custom low power NoC architectures for application specific SoC. We demonstrate the quality of the solutions produced by our technique by experimentation with many benchmarks. Our technique has a low computational complexity, and consumes only 1.25 times the power consumption, and 0.85 times the number of router resources compared to an optimal MILP based technique [ 1] whose computational complexity is not bounded.
Artificial neural networks for feature extraction and multivariate data projection

Classical feature extraction and data projection methods have been well studied in the pattern recognition and exploratory data analysis literature. We propose a number of networks and learning algorithms which provide new or alternative tools for feature extraction and data projection. These networks include a network (SAMANN) for J.W. Sammon's (1969) nonlinear projection, a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) network, a nonlinear discriminant analysis (NDA) network, and a network for nonlinear projection (NP-SOM) based on Kohonen's self-organizing map. A common attribute of these networks is that they all employ adaptive learning algorithms which makes them suitable in some environments where the distribution of patterns in feature space changes with respect to time. The availability of these networks also facilitates hardware implementation of well-known classical feature extraction and projection approaches. Moreover, the SAMANN network offers the generalization ability of projecting new data, which is not present in the original Sammon's projection algorithm; the NDA method and NP-SOM network provide new powerful approaches for visualizing high dimensional data. We evaluate five representative neural networks for feature extraction and data projection based on a visual judgement of the two-dimensional projection maps and three quantitative criteria on eight data sets with various properties. >
Dynamical supersymmetry SU(6/4) in nuclei

A supersymmetric scheme for classifying the levels of certain odd and even nuclei in a single multiplet of SU(6/4) is presented. Sum rules relating the ground state energies of odd and even nuclei are obtained and shown to be experimentally confirmed by the available data. The scheme makes predictions that can be checked by future experiments. Thus, it appears that broken supersymmetry is relevant to Nature, at least in the nonrelativistic nuclear domain. Comments are included on possible relations to symmetries in particle physics.