cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydraulics of Asteroxylon mackei, an early Devonian vascular plant, and the early evolution of water transport tissue in terrestrial plants

The core of plant physiology is a set of functional solutions to a tradeoff between CO_2 acquisition and water loss. To provide an important evolutionary perspective on how the earliest land plants met this tradeoff, we constructed a mathematical model (constrained geometrically with measurements of fossils) of the hydraulic resistance of Asteroxylon, an Early Devonian plant. The model results illuminate the water transport physiology of one of the earliest vascular plants. Results show that Asteroxylon’s vascular system contains cells with low hydraulic resistances; these resistances are low because cells were covered by scalariform pits, elliptical structures that permit individual cells to have large areas for water to pass fromone cell to another. Asteroxylon could move a large amount of water quickly given its large pit areas; however, this would have left these plants particularly vulnerable to damage from excessive evapotranspiration. These results highlight a repeated pattern in plant evolution, wherein the evolution of highly conductive vascular tissue precedes the appearance of adaptations to increase water transport safety. Quantitative insight into the vascular transport of Asteroxylon also allows us to reflect on the quality of CO_2 proxy estimates based on early land plant fossils. Because Asteroxylon’s vascular tissue lacked any safety features to prevent permanent damage, it probably used stomatal abundance and behavior to prevent desiccation. If correct, low stomatal frequencies in Asteroxylon reflect the need to limit evapotranspiration, rather than adaptation to high CO_2 concentrations in the atmosphere. More broadly, methods to reveal and understand water transport in extinct plants have a clear use in testing and bolstering fossil plant-based paleoclimate proxies.
Toward a multi-agent information management infrastructure for product family planning and mass customisation

Development of complex new products requires numerous decisions by many individuals and groups, which are often geographically and temporally distributed. There is a need to share and coordinate distributed resources and synchronise decisions. Recent advances in Information Technology (IT) pose an untapped potential in assisting the capture, storage, retrieval, and facilitated use of product development information. By sharing assets such as components, processes, and knowledge across a family of products, companies can efficiently develop differentiated products and increase the flexibility and responsiveness of their product realisation process. This paper describes a recent effort in realising an information management infrastructure for product family planning and platform customisation. Particular focus is on current research thrusts:
Toward monophyletic generic concepts in Magnaporthales: species with Harpophora asexual states

We investigated the phylogenetic relationships among Magnaporthales fungi with harpophora-like asexual states based on DNA sequences of ITS, MCM7, RPB1 and TEF1 genes. The results indicated that these species are polyphyletic. Based on the four-gene phylogeny, the type species of Harpophora, H. radicicola, belongs to Gaeumannomyces and thus Harpophora is treated as a synonym of Gaeumannomyces. In addition, a monotypic new genus, Falciphora, is established based on F. oryzae, previous referred as Harpophora oryzae.
A Critical Analysis of the Psychometric Properties of the K-ABC

The K-ABC is reviewed with respect to (a) the manuals, (b) the test construction and norming procedures, (c) reliability evidence, (d) validity evidence, (e) administration and scoring procedures, (f) types of scores and interpretative guidelines, and (g) the bias issue.The psychometric properties of the test are in line with what we would hope for in a newly constructed instrument. Particularly praiseworthy features are the theoretical bases for the instrument, the completeness of the manuals, the treatment and discussion of the difference scores and profile score comparisons, and the number of validity studies that were conducted.Some of the limitations are the lack of long-term stability, reliability, and validity studies, some lack of clarity about how to use the sociocultural norms, and a lack of a definition of bias.
“Laughing Matters”: The Comedian as Social Observer, Teacher, and Conduit of the Sociological Perspective*

Much of the sociological curriculum often represents society as tragedy. This article explores the incorporation of a society as comedy component in introductory courses at two institutions using the sociological insight and social critique of comedians. A general discussion of parallels between the comedic eye and the sociological imagination is followed by specific steps for locating, selecting and incorporating comedic clips into various courses. Through comparisons between experimental and control groups, as well as student questionnaires, we found that the use of comedians to model sociological perspectives increased student ability to apply course concepts, decreased student anxiety when tackling new concepts, and engaged a broader number of students during class discussion. We conclude with discussion of challenges specific to these methods—language use and controversial comedians—as well as the broader need to learn from figures who have been historically successful at engaging the public on issue...
Circadian temperature rhythms in relation to menstrual cycle phase.

The basal body temperature (BBT) method of ovulation detection is based on progesterones thermogenic effect. Early morning temperatures are theoretically higher during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle; however BBT charts are often difficult to interpret possibly because of individual differences in circadian temperature peaks and nadirs related to sleep and wakefulness. In this study circadian temperature rhythms during high and low-progesterone phases of the menstrual cycle were measured in 17 women 25-35 years of age with a history of regular cycling. Rectal temperature and salivary progesterone levels were measured and subjects maintained logs of sleep-wake behaviors for 7-day periods. Study findings indicated significant menstrual cycle phase differences in mesors with a lower average mesor (36.93 C) in the follicular phase and a higher average mesor (37.26 C) in the luteal phase. The average acrophase occurred at 1528 hours during the follicular phase and at 1533 hours during the luteal phase. Also recorded was a significant decrease in the amplitude of the basal body temperature rhythm for 0.95 + or - 0.11 C in the follicular phase to 0.76 + or - 0.10 C in the luteal phase. It is postulated that discrepant research findings regarding male and female mesors amplitudes and acrophases may reflect a lack of consideration to menstrual cycle phase or ovulatory cycles as an independent variable.
Proteomic Analysis of Exosomes from Mutant KRAS Colon Cancer Cells Identifies Intercellular Transfer of Mutant KRAS

Activating mutations in KRAS occur in 30% to 40% of colorectal cancers. How mutant KRAS alters cancer cell behavior has been studied intensively, but non-cell autonomous effects of mutant KRAS are less understood. We recently reported that exosomes isolated from mutant KRAS-expressing colon cancer cells enhanced the invasiveness of recipient cells relative to exosomes purified from wild-type KRAS-expressing cells, leading us to hypothesize mutant KRAS might affect neighboring and distant cells by regulating exosome composition and behavior. Herein, we show the results of a comprehensive proteomic analysis of exosomes from parental DLD-1 cells that contain both wild-type and G13D mutant KRAS alleles and isogenically matched derivative cell lines, DKO-1 (mutant KRAS allele only) and DKs-8 (wild-type KRAS allele only). Mutant KRAS status dramatically affects the composition of the exosome proteome. Exosomes from mutant KRAS cells contain many tumor-promoting proteins, including KRAS, EGFR, SRC family kinases, and integrins. DKs-8 cells internalize DKO-1 exosomes, and, notably, DKO-1 exosomes transfer mutant KRAS to DKs-8 cells, leading to enhanced three-dimensional growth of these wild-type KRAS-expressing non-transformed cells. These results have important implications for non-cell autonomous effects of mutant KRAS, such as field effect and tumor progression.
Alignment defect of reaggregating cells in cultures of developing brains of reeler mutant mice

Abstract The mechanism of cell alignment and orientation in developing mouse cerebral isocortex and cerebellar cortex was analyzed in reaggregating cell cultures from normal and reeler mutant mice. Isocortical cells dissociated from normal fetuses at 17.5 to 18.5 days of gestation reaggregated over a period of several days in vitro and formed a radially symmetrical pattern in which the young neurons reformed a cortical plate bounded externally by a molecular layer and internally by a cell-poor nerve fiber zone. Cells from reeler littermates formed similar spherical aggregates at about the same rate, but the innermost zone was not recognized and cells within the cortical plate appeared randomly oriented. Cells from younger or older mice did not align into a cortical pattern, and no differences between normal and reeler specimens were discerned. Likewise cerebellar cells dissociated from normal mice at around 4 days after birth reaggregated to form a broad homogeneous internal zone of small cells segregated from a limited number of large, pale-staining neurons; comparable cells from reeler mice 3–4 days old failed to attain any pattern of histological organization. It is shown that the ability to aggregate is a separate process from that of histogenetic self-organization of cells within an aggregate, and that the latter process is affected by a specific genetic mutation known to alter cortical organization. The similarity of patterns of cell alignment in the aggregates to those in vivo probably indicates that cells in the aggregates reproduce the in vivo histogenetic processes. The results argue that specific cell alignment in vivo is not dependent on a preexisting tissue matrix or on the patterned sequential entry of cells into the developing cortical plate. A distinction is made between primary migration and final cell alignment. The reeler genetic locus appears to act directly on cortical cells, rather than at a distance, and probably affects a majority of the cells rather than only the ones initially reaching the cortical plate. The possible genetically dictated properties of cells which could account for the specific alignment in aggregates are discussed.
Thunderstorm frequency and amount of precipitation in the tropics, especially in the African and Indian monsoon regions

An increase of rainfall at tropical stations is associated with an increase of thunderstorms only up to a certain amount of rain beyond which the thunderstorm frequency decreases. This is shown for monthly and annual means and is possibly true also for much shorter periods.
Pancreatic cancer cell lines deficient in argininosuccinate synthetase are sensitive to arginine deprivation by arginine deiminase

Eukaryotic cells can synthesize the non-essential amino acid arginine from aspartate and citrulline using the enzyme argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS). It has been observed that ASS is underexpressed in various types of cancers ASS, for which arginine become auxotrophic. Arginine deiminase (ADI) is a prokaryotic enzyme that metabolizes arginine to citrulline and has been found to inhibit melanoma and hepatoma cancer cells deficient of ASS. We tested the hypothesis that pancreatic cancers have low ASS expression and therefore arginine deprivation by ADI will inhibit cell growth. ASS expression was examined in 47 malignant and 20 non-neoplastic pancreatic tissues as well as a panel of human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Arginine deprivation was achieved by treatment with a recombinant form of ADI formulated with polyethylene glycol (PEG-ADI). Effects on caspase activation, cell growth and cell death were examined. Furthermore, the effect of PEG-ADI on the in vivo growth of pancreatic xenografts was examined. Eighty-seven percent of the tumors lacked ASS expression; 5 of 7 cell lines similarly lacked ASS expression. PEG-ADI specifically inhibited growth of those cell lines lacking ASS. PEG-ADI treatment induced caspase activation and induction of apoptosis. PEG-ADI was well tolerated in mice despite complete elimination of plasma arginine; tumor growth was inhibited by approximately 50%. Reduced expression of ASS occurs in pancreatic cancer and predicts sensitivity to arginine deprivation achieved by PEG-ADI treatment. Therefore, these findings suggest that arginine deprivation by ADI could provide a beneficial strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, a malignancy in which new therapy is desperately needed.
The association of scapular kinematics and glenohumeral joint pathologies

Synopsis There is a growing body of literature associating abnormal scapular positions and motions, and, to a lesser degree, clavicular kinematics with a variety of shoulder pathologies. The purpose of this manuscript is to (1) review the normal kinematics of the scapula and clavicle during arm elevation, (2) review the evidence for abnormal scapular and clavicular kinematics in glenohumeral joint pathologies, (3) review potential biomechanical implications and mechanisms of these kinematic alterations, and (4) relate these biomechanical factors to considerations in the patient management process for these disorders. There is evidence of scapular kinematic alterations associated with shoulder impingement, rotator cuff tendinopathy, rotator cuff tears, glenohumeral instability, adhesive capsulitis, and stiff shoulders. There is also evidence for altered muscle activation in these patient populations, particularly, reduced serratus anterior and increased upper trapezius activation. Scapular kinematic altera...
Fear of falling and restriction of mobility in elderly fallers

Objectives To identify the characteristics of elderly persons who develop a fear of falling after experiencing a fall and to investigate the association of this fear with changes in health status over time. Design A prospective study of falls over a 2-year period (1991-92). Falls were ascertained using bimonthly postcards plus telephone interview with a standardized (World Health Organisation) questionnaire for circumstances, fear of falling and consequences of each reported fall. Each participant underwent a physical exam and subjective health assessment each year form 1990 to 1993. Setting New-Mexico Aging Process Study, USA. Subjects 487 elderly subjects (> 60 years) living independently in the community. Main outcome measures Fear of falling after experiencing a fall. Results 70 (32%) of 219 subjects who experienced a fall during the 2 year study period reported a fear of falling. Women were more likely than men to report fear of falling (74% vs 26%). Fallers who were afraid of falling again had significantly ore balance (31.9% vs 12.8%) and gait disorders (31.9% vs 7.4%) at entry in the study in 1990. Among sex, age, mental status, balance and gait abnormalities, economic resource and physical health, logistic regression analysis show gait abnormalities and poor self-perception of physical health, cognitive status and economic resources to be significantly associated with fear of falling. Subjects who reported a fear of falling experienced a greater increase in balance (P = 0.08), gait (P Conclusion The study indicated that about one-third of elderly people develop a fear of falling after an incident fall and this issue should be specifically addressed in any rehabilitation programme.
Robot collision avoidance control using distance computation

Control of robot collision avoidance is studied. A repulsive force is artificially created using the distances between the robot links and obstacles which are generated by a distance computation algorithm. Control gains are selected w.r.t. the ranges of the angular velocity and angular acceleration of a PUMA 562 manipulator. In this paper, the computational time of the distance computation algorithm has been proved to be acceptable for robot collision avoidance applications. Two two-link robots are assumed in simulation. The control scheme is able to drive these robots to their destinations without collision.
These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things: Reference Works for Genealogists

Each year, more than eighteen thousand visitors make their way into the United States History, Local History, and Genealogy Division of the New York Public Library, which contains reference works from every part of the world. Actively collecting since 1847, the division has acquired a reputation as one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind in the nation.
Theory of wakefield effects of relativistic electron beams

A brief theoretical description of the wakefield effects is presented. In terms of the plasma density and beam parameters, this basic theory determines several critical wakefield quantities, including the oscillation frequency, the wavelength, the radial profile of the induced axial electric field, and its strength. The phase velocity of the wakefield waves is shown to be the same as the beam velocity. Thus, the perturbation created by the wakefield is a standing wave in the frame of reference moving with the electron beam. The axial electric field at the beam is also a standing wave in the beam frame, thereby removing energy from the beam in one half of the wavelength and adding energy to the beam in the other half. This mechanism modulates beam energy along the beam pulse, which is easily measurable. After a long range propagation, the portion of the beam which loses energy eventually loses its equilibrium condition and beam electrons in this portion are lost. This effect will break the beam into a train of small beam segments with length pi beta c/ omega . >
A design for test technique for parametric analysis of SRAM: on-die low yield analysis

Parametric analysis of microprocessor SRAM through special design for test features (DFT) is used extensively by fault isolation and failure analysis engineers to find and characterize defects. Unfortunately, a growing amount of leakage on each new process is distorting these low yield analysis (LYA) testmode l-V curves, making it increasingly difficult to find and differentiate defects. The goal of This work is to discuss the simulation and silicon results of a concept on-die LYA (ODLYA) circuit implemented in a 65 nm CMOS process technology. ODLYA is used to curve-trace individual transistors within an SRAM cell and read out results in an automated fashion. Taking measurements on-die eliminates interconnect-dominated IR drop and leakage distortion from several levels of multiplexing. The proposed implementation enables non-destructive high-speed parametric analysis with less dependency on growing cache sizes, number of cores, and scaling process technologies.
WSN12-5: Integrated Scheduling of Application- and Network-Layer Tasks in Delay-Tolerant MANETs

Natural or man-made disasters can partition networks while threatening human lives. Because conventional mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) cannot route messages across partitions, they may not adequately support relief efforts. To forward messages across partitions, delay-tolerant networks (DTNs) exploit in-network storage and mobility. Many previous DTN routing protocols either opportunistically use, but do not modify, nodes' mobility, or require dedicated mobile gateways. This paper contributes a cross-layer DTN routing approach based on the observation that application-layer orders from a MANET's leader also control workers' mobility and ability to forward messages. Our approach attempts to minimize deadline misses and energy consumption by scheduling worker tasks considering both application- and network-layer needs. Simulations demonstrate performance benefits of our approach in a variety of scenarios.
FDR, Huey Long, and the politics of radio regulation

(1977). FDR, Huey Long, and the politics of radio regulation. Journal of Broadcasting: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 85-95.
Arteriovenous fistula formation after a closed proximal tibial fracture in a child

Arteriovenous fistula formation after a closed extremity fracture is rare. We present the case of an 11-year-old boy who developed an arteriovenous fistula between the anterior tibial artery and popliteal vein after closed fractures of the proximal tibia and fibula. The fractures were treated by closed reduction and casting. A fistula was diagnosed 12 weeks after the injury. It was treated by embolisation with coils. Subsequent angiography and ultrasonography confirmed patency of the popliteal vein and anterior and posterior tibial and peroneal arteries, with no residual shunting through the fistula. The fractures healed uneventfully and he returned to full unrestricted activities 21 weeks after his injury.
A partial-range-aware localization algorithm for ad-hoc wireless sensor networks

Current wireless sensor network localization algorithms are categorized either as range-free or range-aware algorithms based on whether they use the range (i.e., distance) information. Although wireless sensor systems usually have available received signal strength (RSS) readings, this useful information has not been effectively used in the existing localization algorithms. The existing range-free algorithms do not use this information, and the range-aware algorithms require sophisticated range techniques to estimate ranges. In this paper, we introduce and develop a partial-range-aware localization scheme utilizing RSS readings. The scheme can be implemented in a distributed way and can be used in any hop-based range-free algorithms to improve their localization accuracy. Through extensive simulation, the results show that the partial-range-aware algorithm can improve the localization accuracy by reducing position errors up to 50% of the previous range-free localization results.
Evidence for multiple introductions of Centaurea stoebe micranthos (spotted knapweed, Asteraceae) to North America

Invasive species’ success may depend strongly on the genetic resources they maintain through the invasion process. We ask how many introductions have occurred in the North American weed Centaurea stoebe micranthos (Asteraceae), and explore whether genetic diversity and population structure have changed as a result of introduction. We surveyed individuals from 15 European native range sites and 11 North American introduced range sites at six polymorphic microsatellite loci. No significant difference existed in the total number of alleles or in the number of private alleles found in each range. Shannon–Weaver diversity of phenotype frequencies was also not significantly different between the ranges, while expected heterozygosity was significantly higher in the invasive range. Population structure was similar between the native range and the invasive range, and isolation by distance was not significant in either range. Traditional assignment methods did not allocate any North American individuals to the sampled European populations, while Bayesian assignment methods grouped individuals into nine genetic clusters, with three of them shared between North America and Europe. Invasive individuals tended to have genetically admixed profiles, while natives tended to assign more strongly to a single cluster. Many North American individuals share assignment with Romania and Bulgaria, suggesting two separate invasions that have undergone gene flow in North America. Samples from three other invasive range sites were genetically distinct, possibly representing three other unique introductions. Multiple introductions and the maintenance of high genetic diversity through the introduction process may be partially responsible for the invasive success of C. stoebe micranthos.
A New Approach to Fourier Synthesis With Application to Neural Encoding and Speech Classification

We describe a novel means of representing signals by a Fourier decomposition consisting of complex sinusoids with unit amplitudes and zero phases. The only information necessary to reconstruct the signal from its Fourier components consists of the “place” information, which specifies the sinusoidal frequencies to include in the synthesis. This set of frequencies results in a nonuniform distribution of sinusoidal frequency components. As such, the approach provides a means of representing a signal by a set of zeros and ones, indicating an off-on condition for each frequency component. It is conjectured that this might help explain the mechanism of auditory and visual neural encoding of acoustic and visual stimuli, respectively. As an immediate application of the theory, a classification experiment is conducted which indicates that the proposed neural encoding is more robust to noise than traditional approaches.
A model for impulsive EMI effects caused by low voltage ESD

A model for impulsive electromagnetic interference (EMI) effects caused by relatively low-voltage electrostatic discharge (ESD) on digital electronic systems is proposed. The power of impulsive EMI is governed by the product of the following three parameters: charged voltage, rise time of the discharge current, and susceptibility of the system. >
Integrative genomic analysis reveals functional diversification of APOBEC gene family in breast cancer

The human APOBEC protein family plays critical but distinct roles in host defense. Recent studies revealed that APOBECs mediate C-to-T mutagenesis in multiple cancers, including breast cancer. It is still unclear whether APOBEC gene family shows functional diversification involved in cancer mutagenesis. We performed an integrated analysis to characterize the functional diversification of APOBEC gene family associated with breast cancer mutagenesis relative to estrogen receptor (ER) status. Among the APOBEC family, we found that both APOBEC3B and APOBEC3C mRNA levels were significantly higher in estrogen receptor negative (ER−) subtype compared with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) subtype (P < 2.2 × 10−16 and P < 3.1 × 10−5, respectively). Epigenomic data further reflected the distinct chromatin states of APOBEC3B and APOBEC3C relative to ER status. Notably, we observed the significantly positive correlation between the APOBEC3B-mediated mutagenesis and APOBEC3B expression levels in ER+ cancers but not in ER− cancers. In contrast, we discovered the negative correlation of APOBEC3C mRNA levels with base-substitution mutations in ER− tumors. Meanwhile, we observed that breast cancers in carriers of germline deletion of APOBEC3B gene harbor similar mutation patterns, but higher mutation rates in the TCW motif (W corresponds to A or T) than cancers in non-carriers, indicating additional factors may also induce carcinogenic mutagenesis. These results suggest that functional potential of APOBEC3B and APOBEC3C involved in cancer mutagenesis is associated with ER status.
Thucydides on Athens’ Democratic Advantage in the Archidamian War

In book 1 Thucydides’ Corinthians attribute Athenian military success in the Archidamian war to an inherent national character. They emphasize the characteristics of agility, speed, and common-good seeking. Thucydides’ readers come to realize that the Athenian “democratic advantage” stemmed from a superior capacity to organize useful knowledge. Knowledge management in military affairs can be learned; the Athenians fared poorly in the later stages of the war in part because they failed to countenance the possibility that their own techniques could be adapted by their rivals.
The EEG in Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy

ABSTRACT.The EEG is sensitive to changes in cerebral blood flow and oxygenation and a useful test in the neurological evaluation of patients after hypoxic-ischemic insults. This paper describes the spectrum of EEG changes that typically occur in patients following cardiac arrest.
The history of forecasting models in revenue management

Forecasting has been used in revenue management (RM) for nearly the last 60 years. This brief, historical article surveys over 80 articles from the recent period and traces the evolution of RM forecasting models. The natural breakdown of forecasting sub-categories that are covered within the airline industry include: origin–destination forecasting and whether to aggregate or disaggregate the data, user adjustment, hybrid forecasting in less-restricted fare environments, seasonality, forecast accuracy and choice-based forecasting. We also review RM forecasting in the hotel and other industries.
1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D and not calcium is the major regulator of calbindin-D 9-kDa mRNA levels in vivo.

AbstractA possible role of calcium in vivo on intestinal calbindin-D 9-kDa mRNA levels has been studied in rats. In vitamin D-deficient rats, a marked increase in dietary calcium has a small but significant effect on calbindin-D 9-kDa mRNA levels, despite a dramatic increase in serum calcium concentration that clearly resulted from increased intestinal absorption of calcium. On the other hand, vitamin D under all circumstances increased calbindin-D 9-kDa mRNA levels, with the greatest levels found in animals on a low calcium diet where little or no calcium is available for absorption. These results strongly support the idea that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D is directly responsible for the induction of calbindin-D 9-kDa. [P.S.E.B.M. 1992, Vol 199]
Active site architecture of a sugar N-oxygenase.

KijD3 is a flavin-dependent N-oxygenase implicated in the formation of the nitro-containing sugar d-kijanose, found attached to the antibiotic kijanimicin. For this investigation, the structure of KijD3 in complex with FMN and its dTDP-sugar substrate was solved to 2.1 A resolution. In contrast to the apoenzyme structure, the C-terminus of the protein becomes ordered and projects into the active site cleft [Bruender, N. A., Thoden, J. B., and Holden, H. M. (2010) Biochemistry 49, 3517-3524]. The amino group of the dTDP-aminosugar that is oxidized is located 4.9 A from C4a of the flavin ring. The model provides a molecular basis for understanding the manner in which KijD3 catalyzes its unusual chemical transformation.
Regulative effects and mechanism of lycopene on immune function

[Objective] To investigate the influences and mechanism for lycopene on immune function. [Methods] Mice were fed lycopene at dose of 1.67mg,3.33mg,10mg/kg for 30 days,then their antioxidant activity and immune function were studied. [Results] Lycopene could stimulate the response of delayed hypersensitivity.The proliferation of ConA-induced mitogenic response for spleen lymphocyte was also increased.Lycopene could increase the amount of hemolytic antibody in serum and promote the percentage and index of phagocytosis of celiac macrophage significantly as compared with the control group.10mg/kg lycopene could elevate the activity of serum superoxide dismutase(SOD) to 133.8U/ml,glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) to 158.9U/ml,decrease content of malondiadehyde(MDA) to 4.1nmol/mg. [Conclusion] Research reveals that lycopene can improve cell-mediated and humoral immune function and mononuclear phagocyte activity significantly.It might be associated with its anti-oxidative activity.
Abstract B17: Genetic deletion of sphingosine kinase 1 suppresses mouse breast tumor development in MMTV-neu transgenic model

Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) phosphorylates pro-apoptotic sphingosine to form pro-survival sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), leading to cancer progression. In breast cancer, high levels of SphK1 mRNA are found in 80% of the patients, with average increase of 2-fold in breast tumors compared with normal tissue from the same patient. Recent studies suggest that SphK1 expression is associated with disease-free survival in ER-negative and HER2-positive breast tumors. In addition, inhibition of SphK1 in HER2-positive breast cancer cell line reduced S1P-induced HER2 and ERK1/2 activation. While these evidences suggest that SphK1 may play an important role in HER2-positive breast cancer, the exact role of SphK1 in breast tumorigenesis remains unclear. The aim of this project is to define the role of SphK1 in HER2-positive breast tumorigenesis and to investigate whether the pathway components are potential target for breast cancer prevention and therapies. Here, we report that SphK1 is required for HER2/neu-induced breast tumorigenesis and SphK1 regulates claudin-2 (CLDN2) to promote tumor development perhaps by mediating HER2. In MMTV-neu transgenic mouse model, genetic deletion of SphK1, which was accompanied by reduced S1P and increased C16-ceramide levels, significantly inhibited breast tumor development, with reduced incidence (SphK1-/-, 19%; SphK1+/-, 26%; and SphK1+/+, 57%; p Citation Format: Yoshiko Shimizu, Hideki Furuya, Paulette M. Tamashiro, Steve Goodison, Owen Chan, Ian Pagano, Kayoko Iino, Rafael Peres, Kanani Hokutan, Lenora W.M. Loo, Brenda Hernandez, Aung Naing, Charles J. Rosser, Toshihiko Kawamori. Genetic deletion of sphingosine kinase 1 suppresses mouse breast tumor development in MMTV-neu transgenic model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Breast Cancer Research; Oct 17-20, 2015; Bellevue, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(2_Suppl):Abstract nr B17.
Role for tyrosine kinases in carbachol-regulated Ca entry into colonic epithelial cells

We studied a possible role of tyrosine kinases in the regulation of Ca entry into colonic epithelial cells HT-29/B6 using digital image processing of fura 2 fluorescence. Both carbachol and thapsigargin increased Ca entry to a similar extent and Ca influx was reduced by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein (50 microM). Further experiments were performed in solutions containing 95 mM K to depolarize the membrane potential, and the effects of different inhibitors on influx of Ca, Mn, and Ba were compared. Genistein, but not the inactive analogue daidzein nor the protein kinase C inhibitor 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2- methylpiperazine, decreased entry of all three divalent cations by 47-59%. In high-K solutions, carbachol or thapsigargin both caused intracellular Ca to increase to a plateau of 223 +/- 19 nM. This plateau was reduced by the tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein (to 95 +/- 8 nM), lavendustin A (to 155 +/- 17 nM), and methyl-2,5-dihydroxycinnamate (to 39 +/- 3 nM). Orthovanadate, a protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, prevented the inhibitory effect of genistein. Ca pumping was unaffected by genistein. Carbachol increased tyrosine phosphorylation (immunoblots with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies) of 110-, 75-, and 70-kDa proteins, and this phosphorylation was inhibited by genistein. We conclude that carbachol and thapsigargin increase Ca entry, and tyrosine phosphorylation of some key proteins may be important for regulating this pathway.
Abstract 2909: LC3 protein expression associates with UV exposure in melanoma histopathology

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA The 5-year survival rate for stage IV melanoma is estimated to remain unchanged at only 15%, even with new therapies. One emerging hallmark of cancer is the reprogramming of energy metabolism including the role of autophagy. In cancer, autophagy appears to be an important energy source for nutrient-depleted tumors. Ultraviolet-radiation (UVR) exposure is an established risk factor for melanoma and increases autophagic flux. We hypothesize that UV exposure is independently associated with both levels of autophagy and melanoma survival. To address this hypothesis, we are investigating the association between UVR exposure, autophagy, and development of melanoma. Basal levels of autophagy appear to vary by tumor stage, and higher levels of autophagy are associated with poor clinical prognosis. Melanoma cells contain high levels of autophagosomes, a cellular structure associated with autophagy, as measured by the proxy marker LC3. Also, the expression of the autophagy marker Beclin 1 has been associated with increased risk of early death from melanoma. These findings suggest that autophagy provides metabolic support for tumors as it localizes to hypoxic tumor areas, supports tumor cell survival, and is activated in response to stress. Autophagy can act as a cytoprotective mechanism against UV-induced apoptosis. We have shown that rates of autophagy vary by oncogene status. Autophagy was evaluated in formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded melanoma and normal tissue sections, by staining for LC3 and Beclin 1 using IHC. These markers of autophagy, along with clinical tumor characteristics, were correlated with extensive questionnaire data on UV exposure from the same patients to evaluate the impact of estimated lifetime sun exposure and sunburns on survival. A trend in the expression of Beclin1 was not observed; however, LC3 expression was increased in melanoma sections compared to normal. Our results provide enticing support that lifetime UVR exposure is associated with autophagy protein expression in melanoma. Citation Format: Kirsten A. M. White, Salina Torres, Todd A. Thompson, Chien-An A. Hu, Orrin Myers, Marianne Berwick. LC3 protein expression associates with UV exposure in melanoma histopathology. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2909. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2909
Quantifying episode-based costs of care under the oncology care model: Analysis of Medicare beneficiaries in the UAB cancer community network.

19Background: The Oncology Care Model (OCM) is a specialty care model developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Innovation Center aimed at providing higher quality, more highly coordinated cancer care and reducing costs for patients undergoing chemotherapy. The OCM calculates costs of care in a novel way by anchoring costs within episodes of care, defined as six-month intervals triggered by initial anti-cancer treatment, as opposed to diagnosis date. The purpose of this study is to assess costs within the OCM episodes of care. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of Medicare administrative claims data for beneficiaries 65 and older with cancer who received anti-cancer drug treatment (chemotherapy, hormone therapy) between 2012-2015 at an institution in the UAB Cancer Community Network (CCN). Total and service-specific costs (Medicare reimbursement to providers) per patient-episode were summed from inpatient, outpatient, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, testing/pathology, evaluation and mana...
On-Chip Demonstration of Interaction-free Quantum Switching

Quantum Zeno blockade allows all-optical switching in a counterintuitive “interaction-free” manner. Using a lithium-niobate microdisk cavity nanofabricated on chip, we have observed phase matched sum-frequency generation and interaction-free switching between optical pulses in two tightly confined whispering-gallery modes. We have also verified that our device is suitable for nonlinear operations in a single-photon regime. Our results point to a scalable, chip-integrated platform for nonlinear optics extendable to the quantum regime.
A Numerical Method for Singular Perturbation Problems with Turning Points

Until recently, the development of general numerical methods for singular perturbation problems whose solutions exhibit internal layer type behavior has been largely neglected. Indeed, even the analytic study of general systems of first order ODEs with this type of behavior appears to be quite limited; perhaps this is one of the reasons for the lack of progress in this area. In this paper, we report on results obtained with H. O. Kreiss and N. Nichols [7], which address this problem. We will give a presentation which is somewhat different than that in [7], with the hope of emphasizing the similarity of our approach to the ideas that underlie the analytic technique of matched asymptotic expansions. We also present some recent results for nonlinear problems with internal layer behavior which have been obtained together with W. L. Kath and H. O. Kreiss. All of our results are for the two-point boundary value problem for systems of first-order ordinary differential equations. Since the solutions of singular perturbation problems of this type typically vary on two or more scales, these problems are often called “stiff” boundary value problems as well.
A Brief History of the Electric Utility Industry

Technological advances in electricity and energy led to the rapid growth of the electric utility industry. This chapter explains the history of the industry. The chapter begins by explaining the structure of the market in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with private companies servicing the cities and government-owned companies servicing non-urban areas. The chapter continues by examining how technological advances and government policies drastically reduced the number of electric companies by encouraging consolidation. This consolidation led to the rise of holding companies in the 1920s. Federal laws and regulations like PUHCA arose to blunt the dangerous economic practices of holding companies. The structure of the industry, however, was not greatly affected after the dissolution of holding companies, as private power companies continued to dominate. Next, the chapter discusses national energy legislation in the late 1970s and early 1990s, and the effects of these laws on the industry. Finally, the chapter concludes by discussing the push for deregulation at the state and federal level, and pending legislation.
Emotion, Evaluation, Desire, Behavior and Goals: a Eudaimonistic View

In this essay I examine the conceptual relation between emotions and their corresponding evaluations, desires, behavior and goals. Such conceptual relation is of the utmost importance in order to account for the unity or oneness of emotion, for if the different aspects of emotion are linked conceptually, then to have one such aspect would imply having all the others. After I discuss how emotions are related to their corresponding evaluations, desires and behavior, I show how each aspect of emotion is related to the others. Next, I argue that indeed there is such conceptual or quasi-conceptual relation between emotions, evaluations and conative or desiderative states (i.e. desires or wishes). However, while intentional behavior in terms of actions is conceptually related to some emotions, other times the emotion-specific desires are either non-forward-looking, and thus do not give rise to intentional actions, or they may be overridden, and the resultant behavioral manifestations are not conceptually related to emotion. Next, I argue that emotions are eudaimonistic, in the sense that they are essentially concerned with important goals, concerns and attachments that comprise our conception of the good life and well-being. Finally, I examine the conceptual relation between emotions and their respective goals, and argue that while emotions logically presuppose such goals, the reverse is not the case.
Frequent fires eliminate fleshy fruit production

Abstract Frequent fire-return intervals ( Pinus palustris ) ecosystem – an ecosystem where frequent fire intervals commonly are recommended. Compared to the 3-yr fire-return interval, cumulative understory fruit production was 99% less following a 1-yr or 2-yr fire-return interval. In fact, all of the fruit detected in 1-yr and 2-yr treatments were detected in patches of vegetation unburned by the previous fire. Additionally, no fruits were detected on any transect in the midstory and overstory strata. These results suggest that applying fire on
FOXO1 has a Dual Function to Promote Normal but Inhibit Diabetic Wound Healing

FOXO1 is a transcription factor that regulates cellular events, several of which are important to wound healing. When FOXO1 is specifically deleted in keratinocytes of normal wounds, the closure of the wound is impaired. In normal wounds, FOXO1 drives expression of TGFβ1 and antioxidants to facilitate keratinocyte migration. Furthermore, TGFβ1 induced by FOXO1 in keratinocytes plays an important role in promoting connective tissue wound healing. Surprisingly, when FOXO1 is deleted in diabetic wounds, the opposite occurs, and healing is accelerated. In diabetic wounds, FOXO1 is unable to induce TGFβ1 expression and instead enhances production of CCL-10, SerpinB2, and IFN36γ. Expression of the latter factors impedes keratinocyte migration at high levels. Thus, FOXO1 plays a critical role in regulating wound healing behavior of keratinocytes and has opposite functions in normal and diabetic wounds. This is due to the fact that the genes induced by FOXO1 under normal conditions differ than those induced under diabetic conditions.
Nonsurgical treatment of cervical degenerative disease.

A regular exercise program, even something as simple as a daily walk, can help to keep the ongoing degenerative process at bay. Such efforts at prevention can help with the patient's general health and should be encouraged by the spine physician. The vast majority of patients with degenerative cervical disease that is manifesting itself as neck and arm pain will respond to nonsurgical treatment. However, a very small percentage of patients who have cervical radiculopathy will require surgical treatment. Each practitioner must develop his or her own protocol based on personal experience, using a combination of the methods we have just discussed. An accurate diagnosis is necessary to avoid treating the wrong problem (i.e., lung cancer, shoulder impingement, etc). Patients should be knowledgeable about their disease. They should be empowered to participate in their care and encouraged to work with the physician and/or therapist to accomplish the goal of returning to a reasonable lifestyle at work as well as at home. An ongoing exercise program and an ergonomic evaluation at home and work can be helpful in reducing recurrences.
Comparative Evolution of Sand Fly Salivary Protein Families and Implications for Biomarkers of Vector Exposure and Salivary Vaccine Candidates

Sand fly salivary proteins that produce a specific antibody response in humans and animal reservoirs have been shown to be promising biomarkers of sand fly exposure. Furthermore, immunity to sand fly salivary proteins were shown to protect rodents and non-human primates against Leishmania infection. We are missing critical information regarding the divergence amongst sand fly salivary proteins from different sand fly vectors, a knowledge that will support the search of broad or specific salivary biomarkers of vector exposure and those for vaccines components against leishmaniasis. Here, we compare the molecular evolution of the salivary protein families in New World and Old World sand flies from 14 different sand fly vectors. We found that the protein families unique to OW sand flies are more conserved than those unique to NW sand flies regarding both sequence polymorphisms and copy number variation. In addition, the protein families unique to OW sand flies do not display as many conserved cysteine residues as the one unique to the NW group (28.5% in OW vs. 62.5% in NW). Moreover, the expression of specific protein families is restricted to the salivary glands of unique sand fly taxon. For instance, the ParSP15 family is unique to the Larroussius subgenus whereas phospholipase A2 is only expressed in member of Larroussius and Adlerius subgenera. The SP2.5-like family is only expressed in members of the Phlebotomus and Paraphlebotomus subgenera. The sequences shared between OW and NW sand flies have diverged at similar rates (38.7 and 45.3% amino acid divergence, respectively), yet differences in gene copy number were evident across protein families and sand fly species. Overall, this comparative analysis sheds light on the different modes of sand fly salivary protein family divergence. Also, it informs which protein families are unique and conserved within taxon for the choice of taxon-specific biomarkers of vector exposure, as well as those families more conserved across taxa to be used as pan-specific vaccines for leishmaniasis.