cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kinase inhibitors in chronic myelogenous leukemia

The Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate launched the era of molecular targeted therapy and constitutes a milestone in oncology history. However, despite impressive cytogenetic response rates achieved with this agent in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in chronic phase, those with advanced-stage CML frequently obtain more modest responses that are in many instances of short duration. Several mechanisms of resistance to imatinib have been described among patients that develop clinical resistance to imatinib. Point mutations in the Bcr-Abl kinase domain that impair the ability of imatinib to inhibit the kinase activity represent the leading cause of resistance. Several approaches are being pursued to overcome these mutations. In addition, many other protein kinases implicated in signaling transduction downstream Bcr-Abl play critical roles in the pathogenesis of CML, thus representing potential therapeutic targets. Multiple compounds are being screened to identify inhibitors of these kinases. This article focuses on the current state of development of new kinase inhibitors for the therapy of CML.
The mucosal inflammatory response. Cytokines and chemokines

Cytokines and chemokines play an important role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis, as demonstrated by the efficacy of cytokine-targeted immunomodulatory therapy in treating IBD. The precise etiology of IBD is unknown, but disease pathogenesis clearly involves genetic, immunologic, and environmental factors. The current hypothesis for IBD etiology suggests that the disease is initiated and perpetuated by a dysregulated immune response to an unknown environmental antigen in a genetically susceptible host. A working hypothesis for the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease, the most debilitating form of IBD, is depicted in Fig. 1. In order to maintain gut homeostasis, the normal mucosal immune system must maintain a delicate balance between a network of proinflammatory and/ or inductive cytokines and anti-inflammatory and/or regulatory cytokines. During bacterial invasion the proinflammatory and inductive type I T-helper cell (Thl)-polarizing cytokines exert pleiotropic effects upon release from antigen-presenting cells (macrophages, dendritic ceUs, etc.) in the intestinal mucosa. Proinflammatory cytokines (i.e. interleukin [IL]-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]) activate immune cells in the lamina propria and stimulate intestinal epithelial cells (lEC) and macrophages to produce chemokines which, when secreted, estabUsh a chemotactic gradient across the intestinal mucosa, promoting leukocyte recruitment and extravasation across the intestinal endothelium. Meanwhile, Thlpolarizing cytokines (i.e. IL-12, IL-18, TNF) released from antigen-presenting cells (primarily macrophages) induce activation of naive intraepithelial and lamina propria T lymphocytes and Thl differentiation. These activated Thl cells release Thl cytokines (i.e. IL-2, interferon gamma [IFN-y], and lymphotoxin [LT]), which further perpetuate inflammatory and delayed hypersensitivity immune responses in the gut. In the normal gut mucosa this proinflammatory/ inductive immune response is kept in balance by a network of anti-inflammatory and regulatory cytokines. Regulatory cytokines (i.e. IL-10, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and transforming growth factor beta [TGFp]) are derived from many cellular sources within the intestine, including macrophages as well as type IIThelper (Th2) cells and type I T regulatory (Trl) cells. Along with anti-inflammatory cytokines (i.e. IL-1 receptor antagonist [IL-lra] and IL-11) derived primarily from lEC and macrophages, these Th2 cytokines serve to counterbalance the proinflammatory effects of Thl-mediated immune responses. For unknown reasons, patients with IBD cannot maintain normal gut homeostasis. An understanding of the cytokine network and its role in promoting IBD pathogenesis is a crucial step toward finding a cure for this devastating disease. This chapter provides an overview of the cytokines and chemokines that have been implicated in IBD, with specific focus on what is known about each cytokine in relation to IBD pathogenesis and treatment.
Chromium Activated Crystals as Tunable Laser Media — What Makes Them Special?

The trivalent chromium ion has been successfully used as the optical activator in a large number of tunable crystalline laser materials. Some of the unique properties of its 3d3 electron configuration which have led to this widespread success are reviewed. It is found that a combination of positive attributes has led to a higher probability of success with the use of the Cr3+ ion than with other transition metal ions. Some negative factors associated with the use of other transition metal ions are identified as areas in need of attention if they are to be used. Optimization of the performance of chromium doped laser materials under flashlamp pumping is also discussed.
A readily available improvement over method of moments for intra-cluster correlation estimation in the context of cluster randomized trials and fitting a GEE-type marginal model for binary outcomes.

Background/aimsCluster randomized trials are popular in health-related research due to the need or desire to randomize clusters of subjects to different trial arms as opposed to randomizing each su...
The Effect of Respiration-Driven Flow Waveforms on Hemodynamic Metrics Used in Fontan Surgical Planning

Abstract Objective Poor total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) hemodynamics have been hypothesized to be associated with long-term complications in Fontan patients. Image-based Fontan surgical planning has shown great potential as a clinical tool because it can pre-operatively evaluate patient-specific hemodynamics. Current surgical planning paradigms commonly utilize cardiac-gated phase contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to acquire vessel flows. These acquisitions are often taken under breath-held (BH) conditions and ignore the effect of respiration on blood flow waveforms. This study investigates the effect of respiration-driven flow waveforms on patient-specific hemodynamics using real-time MR acquisitions. Methods Patient-specific TCPCs were reconstructed from cardiovascular MR images. Real-time phase contrast MR images were acquired under both free-breathing (FB) and breath-held conditions for 9 patients. Numerical simulations were employed to assess flow structures and hemodynamics used in Fontan surgical planning including hepatic flow distribution (HFD) and indexed power loss (iPL), which were then compared between FB and BH conditions. Results Differences in TCPC flow structures between FB and BH conditions were observed throughout the respiratory cycle. However, the average differences (BH – FB values for each patient, which are then averaged) in iPL and HFD between these conditions were 0.002 ± 0.011 (p = 0.40) and 1 ± 3% (p = 0.28), respectively, indicating no significant difference in clinically important hemodynamic metrics. Conclusions Respiration affects blood flow waveforms and flow structures, but might not significantly influence the values of iPL or HFD. Therefore, breath-held MR acquisition can be adequate for Fontan surgical planning when focusing on iPL and HFD.
Internal Intangible Asset Effect on Firm Valuation

The concept that accounting represents the economics of the firm is a premise for the allocation of scarce resources. In recent years, firm intangible assets seem to have become an increasingly important driver of firm economic value, and yet they are difficult to measure. This study conducts an exploratory data analysis into currently unrecorded firm internal intangible value and then employs the insight to create system equations. Initially, a structural equation model (SEM) is utilized that employs a latent variable for the internally generated intangible value. The SEM analysis starts with a clean surplus model as a basis for the conceptual framework. The current study finds that a measure of internally generated intangible assets affects firm value. Then, this information is incorporated in a two equation simultaneous regression of firm value and net income. Both equations have explanatory power and the internally generated asset factors are significant. In the process, this study opens a new research frontier for SEM financial accounting research and internally-generated intangible asset valuation analyses.
A Study of Correlation between Anthropometric Measurements of Fetal Limbs and Gestational Age of the Fetus

Introduction and Aims Determination of fetal age is of importance in the field of embryology and forensic sciences. Various methods and parameters have been used to calculate the same. The aim of the present study was to derive regression equations between anthropometric measurements of limbs of aborted fetuses and the gestational age of the fetuses. Methods The study has been performed on 30 fetuses of gestational age varying from 13 to 32 weeks. The crown–rump length, length of the arm, forearm, hand, thigh, leg, and sole were measured with the help of manual sliding vernier caliper. Regression equations were derived using statistical methods. Results The anthropometric measurements of the limbs showed a strong correlation with the crown–rump length and the gestational age. Conclusions With the correlation demonstrated between anthropometric data and fetal age, and the regression equations derived using these data, would be helpful in determining the age of the fetus without availability of crown–rump length or using only fragments of mortal remains of the fetus.
Impact of hospital safety-net status on failure to rescue after major cardiac surgery

Abstract Background Hospitals with safety-net status have been associated with inferior surgical outcomes and higher costs. The mechanism of this discrepancy, however, is not well understood. We hypothesized that discrepant rates of failure to rescue after complications of routine cardiac surgery would explain the observed inferior outcomes at safety-net hospitals. Methods The National Inpatient Sample was used to identify adult patients who underwent elective coronary artery bypass grafting and isolated or concomitant valve operations between January 2005 and December 2016. Hospitals were stratified into low-, medium-, or high-burden categories based on the proportion of uninsured or Medicaid patients to emulate safety-net status as defined by the Institute of Medicine. Failure to rescue was defined as mortality after occurrence of neurologic, cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, or infectious complications (major and minor complications). Multivariable regression was used to perform risk-adjusted comparisons of the rate of complications, failures to rescue, and resource use for high-burden hospitals versus low-burden and medium-burden hospitals. Results Of an estimated 2,012,104 patients undergoing elective major cardiac operations, 2% died, whereas 36% suffered major and minor complications. Safety-net hospitals had higher odds of failure to rescue after major comorbidity (adjusted odds ratio 1.12, 95% confidence interval 1.01–1.23). Occurrence of major and minor complications at safety-net hospitals was associated with increased costs ($2,480 [95% confidence interval $1,178–$3,935]) compared with low-burden hospitals. Conclusion Safety-net hospitals were associated with higher rates of failure to rescue after occurrence of tamponade, septicemia, and respiratory complications. Implementation of care bundles to tackle cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal complications may affect the discrepancy in incidence of and rescue from complications at safety-net institutions.
Ethics Education During Palliative Medicine Fellowship.

Background:Palliative care clinicians frequently encounter situations in which there are ethical dilemmas about the right thing to do. Palliative medicine fellowships are required to include educat...
Discrete Dynamic Models for Elasto-Inelastic Beams

Three discrete physical models, obtained by lumping the flexibility and the mass of the continuous system, or both, are used to compute the dynamic response of beams. The beams may have general elasto-inelastic bending moment curvature relations such as the linearly elastic, elasto (perfectly) plastic, and strainhardening relations. The method of solution, based on simple physical concepts, follows from considerations of geometry of deformation, material properties, kinetics, and a numerical integration procedure in the time dimension. The relative merits of the models are discussed from the standpoint of accuracy, arranging equations, programming, and computer time. Rather extensive results were obtained for the response of a simply supported beam. The data shows that all models yield the same apparent "limit" deflection. Presented also are several other numerical examples to compare with certain numerical results available in the literature; comparisons generally indicate good agreement.
Dawn at Ceres: The first exploration of the first dwarf planet discovered

Abstract Dawn conducted an extensive exploration of dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object between the Sun and Pluto that had not previously been visited by a spacecraft. Following its arrival at Ceres in March 2015, Dawn acquired all the planned data from four circular polar orbits ranging in altitude from 13,600 km to 385 km. After the successful conclusion of the prime mission in June 2016, Dawn's mission was extended, and new investigations, not previously considered, were conducted from four new orbits ranging as low as 35 km. In 2017 the project was approved for a second and final extended mission at Ceres. Starting in April 2018, Dawn used its ion propulsion system to maneuver to two new orbits. These highly elliptical orbits enabled the acquisition of valuable new data, including significant improvements in the spatial resolution. Mission operations concluded in October 2018 upon depletion of hydrazine for attitude control. The mission provided a uniquely detailed view of the first dwarf planet discovered. This paper describes Ceres operations as well as some of the major findings there.
Detection of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the peripheral blood by analysis of antigen receptor gene rearrangements: results of a prospective study.

Analysis of immunoglobulin (Ig) and T-cell receptor gene rearrangements, using Southern blot hybridization, has been applied to peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in 335 samples from patients with non-Hodgkin9s lymphoma. The incidence of circulating lymphoma cells detected by gene rearrangement analyses is related to the histologic subtype, clinical stage of disease, and clinical status. Among 104 patients studied at diagnosis, the incidence of positive analyses was 34% in low-grade lymphoma and only 8% in intermediate-grade lymphoma. Clonal Ig gene rearrangements were detected nearly universally in the small lymphocytic histologic subtype. PBL studies were related to the initial stage of disease: positive studies were seen in 35% of patients with stage IV disease, 29% of patients with stage III disease, and 12% of patients with stages I-II disease. The incidence of PBL rearrangements at the time of disease recurrence in 32 patients requiring cytoreductive therapy was 48%, somewhat greater than at initial diagnosis. A group of patients with low-grade lymphoma, who had treatment deferred after diagnosis or recurrence, was also studied; the incidence of PBL rearrangements was 38% in this population. Among 157 patients clinically free of disease, DNA analyses of the PBL were positive in only 10%. Subsequent relapse of disease in 26 patients was antedated by PBL rearrangement in only one patient. Clonal rearrangements detected in 15 patients have been followed by recurrence of clinical disease in only one patient over a median of 24 months from the time of analysis. The lack of detectable rearrangements in the peripheral blood in the majority of patients may be due to methodology or the biology of the disease. These issues may be further addressed with alternative methods for assessment of minimal disease. However, rigorous testing of any new molecular tool requires an adequate patient population in which disease status is closely monitored over a sufficient period of time.
“I Don’t Like Going To Gay Pride”: Experiences of Negotiating LGBTQIA Mormon Identity in Utah

This article explores experiences of existing at the intersection of gender/sexuality and religion/religiosity and examines the ways in which people negotiate their identities in order to fit in, to belong in communities, and lead authentic lives. Based on eighteen semi-structured interviews and deploying frameworks of feminist interviewing and phenomenology, this study seeks to explain experiences of belonging in multiple, crucial communities including religious families and being marginalized as well as supported by those communities. We argue that LGBTQIA Mormon persons often create their own spiritual script of identity negotiation even as they follow their religion’s heteronormative sexual script. Believers acknowledge the profound impact their religion has on their lives even as they are struggling to understand their own selves and their religious community’s reactions to LGBTQIA identities and associated rights. Coming to terms with a Mormon LGBTQIA identity involves renegotiating relationships with the religion and within the religious community, as well as crafting a spiritual script in the process of that renegotiation that facilitates belonging and visibility.
Ignition of stoichiometric hydrogen-oxygen by water hammer

Abstract The potential of water hammer events for igniting hydrogen-oxygen mixtures was examined in an experimental study. Compression waves simulating water-hammer events were created by projectile impact on a piston in a water-filled pipe terminated by a test section filled with gas. Triangular wave forms with peak pressures up to 50 MPa propagated through the piping system and compressed the gas in the test section. Experiments were carried out with both air and hydrogen-oxygen gas mixtures using high-speed video of the transparent test section, dynamic pressure and spectroscopic measurements to examine the motion of the water-gas interface and determine ignition thresholds. The impulsive acceleration of the water-gas interface and deceleration created by the compression of the gas resulted in Richtmyer-Meshkov and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities that grew to create large distortions of the initially planar and horizontal water-gas interface. The gas layer was compressed in volume by up to a factor of 50 and the gas pressures increased to as high as 20 MPa within 2 to 4 ms. The distortion of the water surface during compression resulted in a significant increase in interfacial area and ultimately, creation of a two-phase mixture of water and compressed gas. Some ignition events were observed, but the dispersion and mixing of water with the gas almost completely suppressed the pressure rise during the ignition transient. Only by eliminating the instability of the water interface with a solid disk between the water and gas were we able to observe consistent ignition with significant pressure rises associated with the combustion.
Details matter: predicting when nudging clinicians will succeed or fail.

Subtle implementation details can greatly influence the effectiveness of behavioural nudges because of their inherent subjective and social nature, argue Craig Fox and colleagues
Epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 in pregnancy: risk factors and associations with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 may be associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnancy, but there are few controlled data to quantify the magnitude of these risks or to characterize the epidemiology and risk factors. Objective This study aimed to quantify the associations of coronavirus disease 2019 with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnancy and to characterize the epidemiology and risk factors. Study Design We performed a matched case-control study of pregnant patients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 cases who delivered between 16 and 41 weeks’ gestation from March 11 to June 11, 2020. Uninfected pregnant women (controls) were matched to coronavirus disease 2019 cases on a 2:1 ratio based on delivery date. Maternal demographic characteristics, coronavirus disease 2019 symptoms, laboratory evaluations, obstetrical and neonatal outcomes, and clinical management were chart abstracted. The primary outcomes included (1) a composite of adverse maternal outcome, defined as preeclampsia, venous thromboembolism, antepartum admission, maternal intensive care unit admission, need for mechanical ventilation, supplemental oxygen, or maternal death, and (2) a composite of adverse neonatal outcome, defined as respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, 5-minute Apgar score of Results A total of 61 confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 cases were enrolled during the study period (mild disease, n=54 [88.5%]; severe disease, n=6 [9.8%]; critical disease, n=1 [1.6%]). The odds of adverse composite maternal outcome were 3.4 times higher among cases than controls (18.0% vs 8.2%; adjusted odds ratio, 3.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–13.4). The odds of adverse composite neonatal outcome were 1.7 times higher in the case group than to the control group (18.0% vs 13.9%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.8–4.8). Stratified analyses by disease severity indicated that the morbidity associated with coronavirus disease 2019 in pregnancy was largely driven by the severe or critical disease phenotype. Major risk factors for associated morbidity were black and Hispanic race, advanced maternal age, medical comorbidities, and antepartum admissions related to coronavirus disease 2019. Conclusion Coronavirus disease 2019 during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, an association that is primarily driven by morbidity associated with severe or critical coronavirus disease 2019. Black and Hispanic race, obesity, advanced maternal age, medical comorbidities, and antepartum admissions related to coronavirus disease 2019 are risk factors for associated morbidity.
Taking possession: the politics of memory in a St. Louis town house: by Heidi Aronson Kolk, Amherst, University of Massachusetts Press, 2019, 248 pp., $28.00 (Paperback), 9781625344151

Historic preservation has a well-worn origin story: emerging as a response to urban renewal’s wrecking ball, it catalyzed recognition of the value of “high” architecture and “vernacular” treasures,...
Video signal processing

VLSI and especially high speed VLSI technology, is beginning to have an impact on television and video signal processing. Transmission of television signals will remain analog for the indefinite future, but signal processing is already largely digital in parts of television studios and post production suites, and will soon be implemented in studio recorders, and in the future, signal processing of functions will become a factor, too . . . The panel will discuss the commercial and consumer aspects of the television systems and project the timing of the introduction of various digital video processing functions.
Trust and Anthropomorphism in Tandem: The Interrelated Nature of Automated Agent Appearance and Reliability in Trustworthiness Perceptions

Anthropomorphism in the design of interface agents is implicitly linked to increasing user trust and acceptance. However, the role of perceived anthropomorphism and perceived trustworthiness in trust appropriateness given a system’s capabilities and limitations is unclear. We designed a 2 (reliability: low, high) x 3 (agent appearance: computer, avatar, human) between-subject study to observe how agent appearance influenced user perceptions of and reliance on an automated teammate in a collaborative image classification task. Trust appropriateness was characterized as the degree to which reliance matched an optimal level given the system’s reliability. Although agent appearance did not significantly influence trust appropriateness, it did affect perceptions of trustworthiness, particularly for low reliability agents. Our results suggest that trust and anthropomorphism involve highly related, dynamic perceptions aimed at anticipating system behavior. Based on our findings, recommendations for future research on trust and anthropomorphism are discussed along with some design implications.
Suppression of Organ-Specific Autoimmune Diseases by Oral Administration of Autoantigens

One of the primary goals in developing effective therapy for autoimmune diseases is to specifically suppress autoreactive immune processes without affecting the remainder of the immune system. Autoimmune diseases involve the presence of autoreactive clones that have not been deleted in the thymus and thus these cells must be inactivated in the periphery. We have been investigating antigen-driven peripheral immune tolerance as a means to suppress autoimmune processes using the oral route of antigen-exposure to the immune system because of its inherent clinical applicability. An effective andlong-recognized method of inducing immunologic tolerance is the oral administration of antigen, which was first demonstrated by Wells for hen’s egg protein.[l] The mechanism by which orally administered antigen induces tolerance most probably relates to the interaction of protein antigens with gut-associatedlymphoid tissue (GALT) and the subsequent generationo? regulatory or suppressor T cells. [2] The two primary points of contact of orally administered antigen are Peyer’s patches and gut epithelial cells, thelatter of which overlie intraepitheliallymphocytes. Investigators have reported that specific suppressor cells can be found in the Peyer’s patches following oral administration of antigen and that such cells then migrate systemically.[2] Intestinal epithelial cells express class II antigens on their surface and thus have the capacity to function as antigen-presenting cells.[3] Furthermore, it has been shown that human gut epithelial cells preferentially stimulate CD8+ cells in vitro which can function to suppress in vitro immune responses. [4] Although most investigators have reported that the generation of antigen-specific suppressor T cells is the primary mechanism responsible for mediating oral tolerance, other reported mechanisms include anti-idiotypic antibodies, immune complexes and biologically filtered antigen (reviewed in REF. 5).
Condition Numbers for the Sinc Matrices Associated with Discretizing the Second-Order Differential Operator

The Sinc-Galerkin discretizations of the model equations $$ \begin{gathered} \mathcal{L}u(x)\bar = - u(x) = f(x),0 < x < 1 \hfill \\ u(0) = u(1) = 0 \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ (1.1) and $$ \begin{gathered} \mathcal{L}u(x,y)\bar = - (\frac{{\partial ^2 }} {{\partial x^2 }} + \frac{{\partial ^2 }} {{\partial y^2 }})u(x,y) = f(x,y),(x,y) \in (0,1)^2 \hfill \\ u|\partial (0,2)^2 = 0 \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$ (1.2) are briefly outlined below in Sections 2 and 3, respectively. Detailed discussions of the discretization of more general, linear, second-order spatial operators are found in [9, 10, 5, 8]. The emphasis here is presenting results regarding condition numbers for the linear systems affiliated with (1.1) and (1.2). These condition numbers vary widely depending on how the linear systems are posed. Adroit changes of variables can lead to well-conditioned linear systems while poor choices can magnify existing problems. The importance of these choices is especially evident when developing a Sinc-Galerkin ADI scheme [7]. It should be pointed out that conditioning problems are not unique to this spectral scheme. Canuto [2] and Deville and Mund [3] have implemented finite element preconditioners for their spectral methods applied to (1.2). The changes of variables represented below may be thought of as preconditioners.
Control-oriented modeling of Stirling engine regenerators

This paper considers the problem of developing a low order, control-oriented model of typical regenerator components in Stirling engines. We begin with a first principles model which is in the form of a 1-dimensional nonlinear partial differential equation incorporating advection, diffusion and heat transfer between the regenerator metal matrix and the working gas. Perturbation analysis is proposed as a possible method of model reduction in order to obtain models useful for engine optimization and control. Several small parameters are identified which determine which terms in the governing equations can be neglected. The resulting relations are then used in the simulation of a Stirling engine and the results are compared to those wherein the original PDE is modeled using a nonlinear finite difference scheme. A comparison of the two responses shows that they produce qualitatively similar behavior.
Aborted TAVR following aortic balloon valvuloplasty.

An 80-year-old man with symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis was referred for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) after balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV). The TAVR procedure was aborted because of identification of a mobile mass attached to the leading edge of the right cusp of the aortic valve on a transesophageal echocardiography. Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) was performed and this mass was found to be an aortic cusp fenestration rupture that was caused by the BAV. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12451 (J Card Surg 2015;30:251–252)
Nucleic Acid Reactivity and Conformation II. REACTION OF CYTOSINE AND URACIL WITH SODIUM BISULFITE

Treatment of calf thymus DNA with sodium bisulfite gave no deamination of cytosine to uracil, under conditions where 68% of the cytosines of heat-denatured DNA were converted to uracil. This implies that the mutagenic properties of bisulfite are due to reaction with single-stranded DNA. Similarly, poly(I)·poly(C) was unreactive to bisulfite under conditions where poly(C) reacted readily. It was established by ultraviolet and circular dichroism studies that the initial step of the deamination sequence, the addition of bisulfite to the 5-6 double bond of cytosine, was inhibited in double-helical polynucleotides. In accord with this, it was found that, at 25°, bisulfite did not react with the uracils of poly(A)·poly(U) and poly(A)·2 poly(U), under conditions where it added to the 5-6 double bond of the uracils of free poly(U). At higher temperatures below the melting temperature, a slow reaction of poly(A)·2 poly(U) was observed. A number of factors may contribute to the resistance of multiple-helical polynucleotides to reaction with bisulfite. These include the inability of the modified base to take part in Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding and steric hindrance to the approach of the reagent in a multiple helix.
A study to ascertain the viability of ultrasonic nondestructive testing to determine the mechanical characteristics of wood/agricultural hardboards with soybean based adhesives

There have been numerous studies with ultrasonic nondestructive testing and wood fiber composites. The problem of the study was to ascertain whether ultrasonic nondestructive testing can be used in place of destructive testing to obtain the modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the wood/agricultural material with comparable results. The uniqueness of this research is that it addressed the type of content (constalks and switchgrass) being used with the wood fibers and the type of adhesives (soybean-based) associated wdth the production of these composite materials. Two research questions were addressed in the study. The major objective was to determine if one can predict the destructive test MOE value based on the nondestructive test MOE value. The population of the study was wood/agricultural fiberboards made from wood fibers, cornstalks, and switchgrass bonded together with soybean-based, urea-formaldehyde, and phenol-formaldehyde adhesives. Correlational analysis was used to determine if there was a relationship between the two tests. Regression analysis was performed to determine a prediction equation for the destructive test MOE value. Data were collected on both procedures using ultrasonic nondestructing testing and 3-point destructive testing. The results produced a simple linear regression model for this study which was adequate in the prediction of destructive MOE values if the nondestructive MOE value is known. An approximation very close to the entire error in the model equation was explained from the destructive test MOE values for the composites. The nondestructive MOE values
Transcriptional Regulation of Epidermal Barrier Formation

The mammalian epidermis is a self-renewing stratified squamous epithelium. Its basal cell layer contains proliferating keratinocytes that exit the cell cycle when they move into the suprabasal compartment. These cells activate a gene differentiation program aimed at building a protective epidermal barrier as they move toward the surface, successively going through the spinous and granular layers. At the completion of this process, the keratinocytes become enucleated and form the cornified layer, the surface layer of the skin. The highly cross-linked protein-lipid envelope and extracellular lipids in the cornified layer along with cell-cell adhesions in the granular layer are required for an effective epidermal barrier. Transcriptional mechanisms are critical for the formation of the epidermal barrier, and in this chapter, we describe methods to evaluate the role of a transcription factor (TF) in epidermal differentiation. To identify direct target genes of a TF, we propose a combination of bioinformatics and experimental approaches. The ultimate goal of these approaches is to understand the mechanisms whereby a TF regulates epidermal barrier formation.
A new Centrolenella from the Amazonian lowlands of Colombia

Centrolenella ametarsia is described from the Amazonian lowlands of Colombia. It is dis- tinguished by small size, presence of vomerine teeth, a color pattern in preservative of lavender with dark spots, a rounded snout in dorsal view and profile, a concealed prepollical spine, and a small circular patch of glands on the dorsal surface of the thumb in the male. The species is known only from a single adult male specimen. The relationships of C. ametarsia are unclear. A survey of distributional patterns of currently-recognized species of centrolenid frogs reveals that the family is most diverse at higher elevations (over two-thirds of the species have montane distributions), and an unusually high proportion of lowland endemics (50%) are among the smallest centrolenid species known (adult SVL <20 mm). Centrolenid frogs are strikingly most di- verse in montane regions. A survey of the most recent comprehensive listing of the species of Centrolenidae (Frost, 1985) re- veals that of the 64 species, less than one- third (20) occur in the lowlands (?600 m). Of these 20 species, five also range above 1000 m, and two (C. geijkesi, C. taylori), al- though occurring at 200 m and below, are considered endemic to the "mountainous regions" (Goin, 1966) or "highlands" (Goin, 1968) of generally low areas. This leaves 13 species that are sensu stricto endemic to lowland areas. Clearly, endemic low- land centrolenids are relatively uncom- mon.
A Jagged Road to Lymphoma Aggressiveness

In this issue of Cancer Cell, Cao and colleagues identify an FGF4/Jagged1-driven crosstalk between tumor cells and their vascular niche that activates Notch signaling, sustaining the aggressiveness of certain mouse and human B cell lymphomas. These findings identify new therapeutic opportunities to target pathogenic angiocrine functions in cancer.
An 1 V 6.25 GHz PLL with 0.5 ps rms Jitter in 0.13 /spl mu/m CMOS

A 6.25 GHz PLL with an integrated LC-tank VCO designed and fabricated in 0.13 mum CMOS technology is described. For a deep submicron CMOS technology, leakage currents and limited voltage headroom degrade PLL performance. This paper introduces a new charge pump design with rail-to-rail operation and leakage cancellation techniques to overcome these constraints. Operated at 1 V supply voltage with an input reference clock frequency of 62.5 MHz, the PLL has 0.5 ps rms jitter at output frequency of 6.25 GHz
A Hybrid Algorithm for the Baer-Nunziato Model Using the Riemann Invariants

The paper considers the Baer-Nunziato model for two-phase flow in porous media, with discontinuous porosity. Computing solutions of the Riemann problem rests on capturing the jump in the solution across the porosity jump. A recent study (Lowe in J. Comput. Phys. 204:598---632, 2005) showed that numerical discretizations may fail to correctly capture the jump conditions across the so-called compaction wave, and yield incorrect solutions. We have formulated the Baer-Nunziato system using the Riemann invariants across the porosity jump, and propose a hybrid algorithm that uses the Riemann invariants formulation across the compaction wave, and the conservative formulation away from the compaction wave. The paper motivates and describes the hybrid scheme and present numerical results.
Superconvergence of the local discontinuous Galerkin method for the linearized Korteweg-de Vries equation

We study the superconvergence property of the local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) method for solving the linearized Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation. We prove that, if the piecewise P k polynomials with k ? 1 are used, the LDG solution converges to a particular projection of the exact solution with the order k + 3 / 2 , when the upwind flux is used for the convection term and the alternating flux is used for the dispersive term. Numerical examples are provided at the end to support the theoretical results.
The role of information in multiagent coordination

The goal in networked control of multiagent systems is to derive desirable collective behavior through the design of local control algorithms. The information available to the individual agents, either attained through communication or sensing, invariably defines the space of admissible control laws. Hence, informational restrictions impose constraints on achievable performance guarantees. This paper provides one such constraint with regard to the efficiency of the resulting stable solutions for a class of networked resource allocation problems with submodular objective functions. When the agents have full information regarding the mission space, the efficiency of the resulting stable solutions is guaranteed to be within 50% of optimal. However, when the agents have only localized information about the mission space, which is a common feature of many well-studied control designs, the efficiency of the resulting stable solutions can be 1=n of optimal, where n is the number of agents. Consequently, in general such schemes cannot guarantee that systems comprised of n agents can perform any better than a system comprised of a single agent for identical environmental conditions. The last part of this paper highlights an algorithm that overcomes this limitation by allowing the agents to communicate minimally with neighboring agents.
A conceptual analysis of the transportation impacts of B2C e-commerce

This paper discusses, at a conceptual level, a number of issues related to the evaluation of the transportation and spatial impacts of e-shopping. We review the comparative advantages of store shopping and e-shopping, and conclude that neither type uniformly dominates the other. We identify the building blocks of the shopping process, and note that information and communications technologies are making possible the spatial and temporal fragmentation and recombination of those elements. We analyze future shopping-related changes in transportation as the net outcome of four different fundamental causes, that can be viewed hierarchically: (1) changes in shopping mode share (i.e. shifts in the proportion of shopping activities conducted through store shopping, e-shopping and other modes), keeping the volume of goods purchased and per capita consumption spending constant; (2) changes in the volume of goods purchased, keeping per capita consumption spending constant; (3) changes in per capita consumption spending, independent of demographic changes; and (4) demographic changes. Some factors result in reduced travel while others lead to increased travel. The combined outcome of all factors does not appear to support any hope that e-shopping will reduce travel on net; to the contrary there may be negative impacts due to increased travel, even if those impacts are likely to be localized and/or small in magnitude for the most part. Thus, on the whole, we are likely (with some exceptions) to see continued adoption of both store shopping and e-shopping. Consumers will blend both forms as they conduct a sequence of shopping activities, and retailers will blend both in marketing to and serving customers. Assessing the transportation impacts of e-shopping – even in the short term, let alone the long term – presents some formidable measurement challenges. Nevertheless, those challenges are worthy of our most creative efforts at solution.
Determining the critical micelle concentration of surfactants using a binary mixing system

A simple method is described for measuring the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of surfactants using a computer-driven mixing system and a variable wavelength spectrophotometer. Analyses using this method were typically done in 15 min. Detergents that were analyzed included sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium cholate, Lubrol-PX and Triton X-100. Lubrol PX showed two phase transitions; other detergents appeared to have only one near their CMC. For sodium cholate, the CMC was more difficult to analyze than the others. This may have been due to its low aggregation number (≤ 4). Since this method successfully identified the CMC of these four detergents, it is likely that most, if not all, surfactants can be analyzed in the same manner.
Conceptual Design Considerations for Microwave- and Solar-Powered Fuel-Less Aircraft

Unmanned aerial vehicles typically have limited flight duration, particularly at smaller scales. A microwave-/ solar-powered flight vehicle, on the other hand, can remain in theater continuously by harvesting electromagnetic radiation using onboard antennas and solar panels. Moreover, these seemingly disparate power sources are complementary in that they are both heavily dependent on the wing area. Rectifying antennas are used to harvest power and convert it into electrical energy usable by the onboard motors and other electronics. To supplement this energy source, photovoltaic cells are used to harness incoming solar radiation. Discussed herein are design features of fuel-less air vehicles and their sensitivity to several key performance metrics for this class of aircraft. In this study, aircraft with wingspans in the range 3-5 m and cruise Re = 5 × 10 5 -5 × 10 6 are considered. New metrics are presented that are unique to a microwave-powered aircraft and are useful in the development of its missions. These metrics relate the design of the aircraft and the energy transmitter to the duration and range of the vehicle's missions. The addition of solar power harvesting to a microwave-powered aircraft is examined. Furthermore, an examination of the strong coupling among the aircraft's flight performance, power harvesting abilities, and its mission capabilities is given. Traditional and nontraditional wing shapes are presented to motivate a discussion of this coupling. In particular, tradeoffs between flight performance and power harvesting performance are discussed.
Silence in the crowd: The spiral of silence contributing to the positive bias of opinions in an online review system

A positive bias of opinions has frequently been identified across online review websites, suggesting that the public is making decisions based on a limited range of opinions. While scholars often attribute this bias to social loafing or self-selection, this study investigates the positive bias from the perspective of opinion expression. Drawing from the spiral of silence theory, a qualitative analysis of discussion forums reveals that fear of isolation reduces the willingness of members to voice neutral and negative reviews. Additionally, communicative affordances of the interface were found to further suppress neutral and negative opinions. These results extend the spiral of silence theory into the context of non-anonymous multichannel communication platforms and indicate the need to consider the role of communicative affordances in online opinion expression.
Activation of the metabotropic glutamate receptor attenuates N-methyl-D-aspartate neurotoxicity in cortical cultures.

Abstract Excitatory amino acid receptor-mediated neurotoxicity (excitotoxicity) has been proposed to contribute to neuronal loss in a wide variety of neurodegenerative conditions. Although considerable evidence has accumulated implicating N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), kainate, and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptors in the processes of excitotoxicity, relatively little research has focused on the ability of other neurotransmitter systems to influence excitotoxic neuronal injury. In the present study, we examined the effects of trans-1-aminocyclopentyl-1,3-dicarboylic acid (ACPD), a selective agonist for the metabotropic glutamate, or ACPD, receptor, and carbachol, an agonist at the acetylcholine receptor, on neuronal degeneration produced by brief exposure to NMDA in murine cortical cultures. Since excitotoxic neuronal injury is probably caused by increases in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations, the two transmitter agonists were of particular interest as both have been shown to mobilize intracellular calcium stores. Contrary to what might be expected, ACPD and, to a lesser degree, carbachol attenuated NMDA neurotoxicity. The neuroprotective effect of ACPD, but not of carbachol, was dependent upon the developmental state of cultures; in older cultures (greater than or equal to 18 days in vitro), the protective effect decreased. The neuroprotection by ACPD may be, in part, mediated by protein kinases, since protection is partially reversed by the protein kinase antagonists H-7 and HA-1004. These data suggest that concomitant activation of the ACPD receptor may serve as a protective mechanism against neurotoxicity that could be produced by brief intense NMDA receptor activation during normal or abnormal brain function.
Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Women

Sexually transmitted infections remain a major public health concern in the United States. An estimated 19 million infections occur each year. The economic burden imposed by sexually transmitted infections is impressive: direct medical costs are estimated to be as high as $15.5 billion annually. Women and infants disproportionately bear the long-term consequences of sexually transmitted diseases. This article briefly introduces various infections, reviews new diagnostic information, and presents the latest guidelines for therapy. All recommended and alternative regimens are drawn from the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention treatment guidelines and recent updates.
Statistical analysis of semiconductor devices

A technique for the analysis of random dopant-induced effects in semiconductor devices is presented. It is based on the “small signal analysis” (perturbation) technique. It is computationally much more efficient than the existing purely “statistical” techniques, and it yields the information that can be directly used for the design of dopant fluctuation-resistant structures of semiconductor devices. This technique requires only the knowledge of variances of fluctuating doping concentrations and in this sense, it is a “second-moment characterization” technique. This technique can be naturally extended to take into account random fluctuations of oxide thickness and oxide charges in metal–oxide–semiconductor filed-effect transistor. The numerical implementation of this technique is discussed and numerous computational results are presented and compared with those previously published in the literature.