cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Family in the Institutionalization of the Elderly

Family caregiving to elderly impaired members is so ubiquitous that there are more homebound than institutionalized elderly. The burden on families who provide care to impaired elderly family members can be enormous but it can be reduced through extrafamilial assistance. Institutional care is often sought when the burden becomes overwhelming; and if institutionalized, the older person cannot avoid feelings of abandonment, and the family, feelings of guilt. Family involvement persists after the elderly person enters and lives in the institution. Although it can be expected that families will continue to be committed, willingness to provide home care may diminish because of changes in family caregivers: more daughters are likely to be working and more children likely to be elderly themselves and to be members of non-intact families who may perceive familial obligations differently. It is unlikely that community based services can reduce the need for institutional care among those residual elderly who will not have family to care for them at home and who will have virtually no potential for restoration to the activities of everyday life.
Interaction between vacuolar H(+)-ATPase and microfilaments during osteoclast activation.

Abstract Vacuolar H+-ATPases (V-ATPases) are multisubunit enzymes that acidify compartments of the vacuolar system of all eukaryotic cells. In osteoclasts, the cells that degrade bone, V-ATPases, are recruited from intracellular membrane compartments to the ruffled membrane, a specialized domain of the plasma membrane, where they are maintained at high densities, serving to acidify the resorption bay at the osteoclast attachment site on bone (Blair, H. C., Teitelbaum, S. L., Ghiselli, R., and Gluck, S. L. (1989) Science 249, 855–857). Here, we describe a new mechanism involved in controlling the activity of the bone-resorptive cell. V-ATPase in osteoclasts cultured in vitro was found to form a detergent-insoluble complex with actin and myosin II through direct binding of V-ATPase to actin filaments. Plating bone marrow cells onto dentine slices, a physiologic stimulus that activates osteoclast resorption, produced a profound change in the association of the V-ATPase with actin, assayed by coimmunoprecipitation and immunocytochemical colocalization of actin filaments and V-ATPase in osteoclasts. Mouse marrow and bovine kidney V-ATPase bound rabbit muscle F-actin directly with a maximum stoichiometry of 1 mol of V-ATPase per 8 mol of F-actin and an apparent affinity of 0.05 μm. Electron microscopy of negatively stained samples confirmed the binding interaction. These findings link transport of V-ATPase to reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton during osteoclast activation.
De novo determination of internuclear vector orientations from residual dipolar couplings measured in three independent alignment media

The straightforward interpretation of solution state residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) in terms of internuclear vector orientations generally requires prior knowledge of the alignment tensor, which in turn is normally estimated using a structural model. We have developed a protocol which allows the requirement for prior structural knowledge to be dispensed with as long as RDC measurements can be made in three independent alignment media. This approach, called Rigid Structure from Dipolar Couplings (RSDC), allows vector orientations and alignment tensors to be determined de novo from just three independent sets of RDCs. It is shown that complications arising from the existence of multiple solutions can be overcome by careful consideration of alignment tensor magnitudes in addition to the agreement between measured and calculated RDCs. Extensive simulations as well applications to the proteins ubiquitin and Staphylococcal protein GB1 demonstrate that this method can provide robust determinations of alignment tensors and amide N–H bond orientations often with better than 10° accuracy, even in the presence of modest levels of internal dynamics.
Relationship between Structural Properties and CO2 Capture Performance of CaO-Based Sorbents Obtained from Different Organometallic Precursors

A series of CaO-based sorbents were synthesized from various organometallic precursors, namely, calcium propionate, calcium acetate, calcium acetylacetonate, calcium oxalate, and calcium 2-ethylhexanoate, by a simple calcination technique. In general, the five organometallic precursors (OMPs) exhibit a three-step weight loss regime in their respective thermogravimetic (TG) profiles. The first weight loss occurs because of dehydration in the temperature range of 50−200 °C. The second one results from decomposition leading to the formation of calcium carbonate in the temperature range of 450−550 °C. The calcium carbonate so formed then undergoes decarboxylation at higher temperatures of 710−750 °C and results in the formation of calcium oxide. Among the various precursors evaluated, CaO-sorbents obtained from calcium propionate and calcium acetate precursors were found to exhibit the highest CO2 capture capacity. The observed results were correlated with the intrinsic properties of the precursors by means o...
Approximation error in finite element calculation of viscoelastic fluid flows

Abstract Numerical calculations of complex, two-dimensional flows of viscoelastic fluids fail when the elastic contribution to the stresses, measured by a Deborah number, becomes comparable to the viscous contribution. Reasons for the limit on Deborah number are explored by a sequence of finite element calculations with contravariant convected Maxwell and second-order fluid models. The possibilities of bifurcation or loss of a steady, two-dimensional flow field are ruled out by employing continuation methods for flow through a planar contraction and by existence and uniqueness proofs for a second-order fluid in a driven cavity. Error in the finite element approximation to steep gradients of stress causes the breakdown of all calculations. This is most clearly seen in the calculations for a second-order fluid, because the exact flow field for any Deborah number is known.
Genetic effects of photoadducts and photocross-links in the DNA of phage λ exposed to 360 nm light and tri-methylpsoralen or khellin

Abstract The furocoumarin, 4,5′,8-trimethylpsoralen, sensitizes cells and viruses to 360 nm light, producing cross-links and monoadducts in their DNA. The furanochromone khellin is a less effective sensitizing agent than psoralen, but has been found to induce cross-links and adducts in DNA also. The number of cross-links increases as the square of the time of exposure to light. We found that greater fluences were required for khellin than for psoralen, possibly because of the less favorable angle of the distal unsaturated bonds for cross-linking pyrimidines in adjacent base pairs. By adjusting the time of exposure to 360 nm light, λ phages were damaged with [ 3 H]psoralen and [ 3 H]khellin so as to produce equal numbers of cross-links. These exposures were found to produce 8-times more [ 3 H]khellin than [ 3 H]psoralen adducts in the DNA of the phages. Similar exposures were made with nonradioactive photosensitizers to determine the effectiveness of λ phages carrying cross-links and monoadducts in producing genetic recombinants. λ phage-prophage genetic crosses were performed with psoralen and khellin-damaged phages under repressed conditions in which replication of the damaged DNA was blocked. It was estimated from the results that cross-links were about 20-times more effective than monoadducts for inducing recombination under repressed conditions. In tests on the survival of plaque forming ability on wild type bacteria, it was estimated that cross-links were about 15-times more effective than the adducts. The results support the conclusion that, in homoimmune crosses with psoralen-damaged λ phages infecting wild type lysogens, more than three-quarters of the induced recombination can be attributed to cross-links rather than to monoadducts.
The impact of steroids, methotrexate, and biologics on clinical and radiographic outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing fusions at the craniovertebral junction

Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease that affects the craniovertebral junction (CVJ). Patients may suffer from atlantoaxial instability (AAI) and basilar invagination (BI) with variable presentations ranging from pain to quadriparesis. Managing these patients is often challenging due to their chronic use of steroids, methotrexate, and biologics; which impedes bone and wound healing. We report our experience with the surgical management of these patients undergoing fusions at the CVJ. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective study identifying all patients with the diagnosis of RA who underwent spinal fusions at our institution over the past 11 years. A total of 205 patients were identified amongst which 18 patients (8.8%) who underwent 20 fusions involving the CVJ. Demographic, clinical, and radiographic data were analyzed. Results: Five patients had AAI and 13 patients had BI. Two patients with C1-2 fusions underwent reoperation: One for pseudoarthrosis and one for BI. The average preoperative Nurick was 1.4 and improved to 0.5 postoperatively (P < 0.001). After conducting analyses stratified by dichotomous preoperative variables, the presence of steroids, methotrexate, biologics, and prednisone dosage less than 7.5 mg did not affect outcomes. Prednisone dosages ≥7.5 mg had significantly smaller improvements in Nurick score compared to patients not on steroids or on prednisone dosages <7.5 mg (0.40 vs 1.36, P = 0.042). Similarly, patients on biologics had significantly smaller improvements in Nurick score compared to patients not on biologics (0.27 vs 1.16, P = 0.038). Conclusion: Fusions at the CVJ in patients with RA on daily prednisone dosages of less than 7.5 mg and/or methotrexate can be performed safely with good outcomes, fusion rates, and acceptable complication profiles. Daily prednisone dosages of more than 7.5 mg or biologics may impact clinical outcomes.
Thermal Control in Solids With Rapid Relaxation

Feedback control of temperature in solids with a finite speed of heat propagation is investigated in this work. The emphases are placed on the effect of rapid thermal relaxation in high-rate heating and the possible delayduring the short-time operations. Fundamental characteristics and dominating parameters are identified for effective feedback control in proportional heating. Transient instability, including the intrinsic transition from the desirable stability, neutral stability, to the ultimate unstable response are investigated in a wide spectrum of heating rates. Delayed heating is found to have a destabilizing effect during the short-time transient.
Progress in the prevention of breast cancer: Concept to reality

In 1936, Professor Antoine Lacassagne suggested that breast cancer could be prevented by developing drugs to block estrogen action in the breast. Jensen discovered the physiologic target, the estrogen receptor, that regulates estrogen action in its target tissues and Lerner discovered the first nonsteroidal antiestrogen MER25. However, the success of tamoxifen as a treatment of breast cancer opened the door for the testing of the worth of tamoxifen to reduce breast cancer incidence in high-risk women. In 1998, Fisher showed that tamoxifen could reduce breast cancer incidence by 50%. Nevertheless, only half the women who develop breast cancer have risk factors other than age, so what can be done for women without risk factors? The recognition that nonsteroidal antiestrogens have the ability to modulate estrogen action selectively has advanced the design and development of new drug for multiple diseases. Tamoxifen and raloxifene maintain bone density and raloxifene is now used to prevent osteoporosis and is being tested as a preventive for coronary heart disease and breast cancer. The drug group is now known as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and the challenge is to design new agents for multiple applications. If the 20th century was the era of chemotherapy, the 21st century will be the era of chemoprevention.
Toxicity of paraquat in nestling birds effects on plasma and tissue biochemistry in american kestrels

Beginning the day after hatching, American kestrel (Falco sparverius) nestlings were orally dosed daily for 10 days with 5 μL/g of distilled water (controls), 10 mg/kg, 25 mg/kg, or 60 mg/kg of paraquat dichloride (1,1′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride) in distilled water. Forty-four percent of the nestlings receiving 60 mg/kg died after 4 days. Plasma LDH activity and total protein concentration were elevated, and plasma alkaline phosphatase activity was lower in survivors of the 60 mg/kg group at 10 days. Lung total sulfhydryl (TSH) and protein-bound sulfhydryl (PBSH) concentrations were significantly higher in the 10 mg/kg, 25 mg/kg, or 60 mg/kg groups. Lung DNA, RNA, protein, and hydroxyproline (collagen) concentrations were not significantly affected by treatment. Liver NPSH was lower in the 60 mg/kg group while liver glycogen concentration was not affected by treatment. Kidney DNA, RNA, and RNA to protein concentration ratio were higher in the 25 mg/kg or 60 mg/kg groups. These findings in combination with recently reported effects on growth and histopathology suggest that altricial nestling kestrels are more sensitive to paraquat exposure than young or adult birds of precocial species. From a comparative viewpoint, lungs of nestling kestrels are less sensitive to paraquat than mammalian lungs.
Trace metal composition of colloidal organic material in marine environments

Abstract Marine colloidal material (1 kDa–0.2 μm) was isolated by cross-flow ultrafiltration followed by diafiltration and freeze-drying from surface waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB), as well as from estuarine waters of Galveston Bay. Elemental characterization of isolated colloidal material included organic carbon (OC) and selected trace metal (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Co, Ni, Cr, Be, Fe, Al, Mn, V, Ba, and Ti) determinations. It was found that levels of these metals in marine colloids ranged from 120 μg/g. Most metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Al, Mn, V, and Ti) had an average concentration >1 μg/g while concentrations of Cd, Co and Be were usually Ni, Cr, Zn>Mn>Co>Pb, Cd, which is similar to the Irving–Williams order except for Mn, suggesting that the interaction of metals with marine colloids is determined by the affinity of metals for specific organic ligands.
Determination of the Reliability of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs through Trap Detection Using Optical Pumping

When illuminated with below band-gap light, the response of the drain current of AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) was measured. The energy of the wavelength of light corresponds to the trapping and de-trapping of carriers within the band-gap, providing an indicator of trap densities. These changes were compared on HEMTs with gate lengths of 0.14 & 0.17 µm, before and after electrically stressing under on-state (VG = 0 V), off-state (VG =-5 V), and typical operating conditions (VG = -2V) indicating a change in trap density as a result of electrical stressing, since the energy from a specific wavelength of light pumps traps whose activation energies are less than or equal to that of the light source. Changes in trap densities were minimal after both off-state and on-state stressing but significant trap creation in the range EC¬-0.4-0.6 eV were observed in HEMTs exhibiting gradual degradation during stressing. Energy levels corresponding to these values in the literature have been suggested to correlate GaN and NGa substitutional defects, as well as GaI interstitials.
Automatic generation of application-specific accelerators for FPGAs from python loop nests

We present Three Fingered Jack, a highly productive approach to mapping vectorizable applications to the FPGA. Our system applies traditional dependence analysis and reordering transformations to a restricted set of Python loop nests. It does this to uncover parallelism and divide computation between multiple parallel processing elements (PEs) that are automatically generated through high-level synthesis of the optimized loop body. Design space exploration on the FPGA proceeds by varying the number of PEs in the system. Over four benchmark kernels, our system achieves 3× to 6× relative to soft-core C performance.
Linking Love and Lies: A Formal Test of the Mccornack and Parks Model of Deception Detection

This paper reports a replication and extension of the McCornack & Parks model of relational deception detection which argued that the association between relational involvement and accuracy in detecting deception is mediated by judgmental confidence and truth-bias; and that relational involvement, confidence, truth-bias and accuracy form a causal chain. Recent research testing some of these links has yielded results which cast doubt upon the validity of the model. Moreover, research examining suspicion has raised questions concerning the generalizability of the model across various levels of aroused suspicion. The present study represents the first rigorous path-analytic test of the model, as well as a test of the model's generalizability. Testing the model in a sample of ninety romantically involved couples, this study found unqualified support for the model as it was originally specified. In addition, the model seems to be generalizable across levels of aroused suspicion. The implications of the model f...
The Trend toward Online Project-Oriented Capstone Courses.

At Pace University we have been using real-world student projects in capstone computing courses for about ten years. While the courses were conducted in a classroom environment during the early years, the current course has been essentially online for the last five years in order to reach a greater number of geographically scattered students. Findings indicate that appropriate team management changes can smooth the transition from co- located to distributed teams, and that peer evaluations and other remote assessment techniques make it possible to assess the work of students on distributed teams.
Free energy landscape of a biomolecule in dihedral principal component space: sampling convergence and correspondence between structures and minima.

Dihedral principal component analysis (dPCA) has recently been developed and shown to display complex features of the free energy landscape of a biomolecule that may be absent in the free energy landscape plotted in principal component space due to mixing of internal and overall rotational motion that can occur in principal component analysis (PCA) [Mu et al., Proteins: Struct Funct Bioinfo 2005;58:45–52]. Another difficulty in the implementation of PCA is sampling convergence, which we address here for both dPCA and PCA using a tetrapeptide as an example. We find that for both methods the sampling convergence can be reached over a similar time. Minima in the free energy landscape in the space of the two largest dihedral principal components often correspond to unique structures, though we also find some distinct minima to correspond to the same structure. Proteins 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Easy Credit or Credit Shift: Evidence from Banks’ Balance Sheet from 1975 to 2010

sing the weekly U.S. banks' balance sheet from 1975:Q1 to 2010:Q2, this paper shows that the cause to housing bubble is the credit shift from defensive liquidity assets to mortgages, rather than the non-existing 'easy credit'. The finding inspires a new systematic explanation to the recent bank panic, different from the conventional wisdoms in several ways. First, we found that money supply and aggregate deposits were stable in 2000s. When under such capital supply restriction, banks had to cut off other assets to finance real estate loans, making them more cautious with mortgage issuance. Secondly, the shadow banking system is not only a channel between investors and borrowers, but also a platform for banks to share and eliminate idiosyncratic liquidity risks. The continuous expanding of the shadow banking system encouraged banks keep reducing the defensive liquid asset. Last, the blindly expanding of the shadow banking system combined market risk, liquidity risk and credit risk. As current risk management treats the risks separately, such combination crashed both the shadow banking system and the global economy.
An effective defense against first party attacks in public-key algorithms

This paper describes a method for assuring that user generated public and private key pairs are cryptographically strong. This assurance is achieved by limiting the number of attempts a user can make while generating the keys. Since it takes many billions of attempts to generate so-called "weak" keys, with any significant probability of success, our method precludes users from cheating. The described method has a potential positive impact on several evolving cryptographic standards, where the strength of the keys used with public key cryptography are a matter of major concern. It has no negative impact on key generation performance. The method is simple and straightforward, and it can be easily performed with just a few computational steps.
Bioavailability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from buried shoreline oil residues thirteen years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: A multispecies assessment

Seven taxa of intertidal plants and animals were sampled at 17 shoreline sites in Prince William Sound ([PWS]; AK, USA), that were heavily oiled in 1989 by the Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) to determine if polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from buried oil in intertidal sediments are sufficiently bioavailable to intertidal prey organisms that they might pose a health risk to populations of birds and wildlife that forage on the shore. Buried residues of EVOS oil are present in upper and middle intertidal sediments at 16 sites. Lower intertidal (0 m) sediments contain little oil. Much of the PAH in lower intertidal sediments are from combustion sources. Mean tissue total PAH (TPAH) concentrations in intertidal clams, mussels, and worms from oiled sites range from 24 to 36 ng/g (parts per billion) dry weight; sea lettuce, whelks, hermit crabs, and intertidal fish contain lower concentrations. Concentrations of TPAH are similar or slightly lower in biota from unoiled reference sites. The low EVOS PAH concentrations detected in intertidal biota at oiled shoreline sites indicate that the PAH from EVOS oil buried in intertidal sediments at these sites have a low bioavailability to intertidal plants and animals. Individual sea otters or shorebirds that consumed a diet of intertidal clams and mussels exclusively from the 17 oiled shores in 2002 were at low risk of significant health problems. The low concentrations of EVOS PAH found in some intertidal organisms at some oiled shoreline sites in PWS do not represent a health risk to populations of marine birds and mammals that forage in the intertidal zone.
Structural Geology Short Course: ABSTRACT

This 6-hour course presents a review of the basic structural principles which should guide any structural interpretation. Special attention is given to those principles which apply to the southern Oklahoma and west Texas areas. These principles include those related to thrust belt interpretation, reverse faulting and associated structures, wrench-fault tectonics, and extensional faulting. In keeping with the theme of this convention, several "new tricks"--or rather old and often unused techniques of structural analysis--are presented. These techniques include proper structural projection, down-plunge viewing, depth-to-detachment, and the concept of structural balancing. End_of_Article - Last_Page 242------------
DiAs user interface: a patient-centric interface for mobile artificial pancreas systems.

Background: Recent in-hospital studies of artificial pancreas (AP) systems have shown promising results in improving glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. The next logical step in AP development is to conduct transitional outpatient clinical trials with a mobile system that is controlled by the patient. In this article, we present the user interface (UI) of the Diabetes Assistant (DiAs), an experimental smartphone-based mobile AP system, and describe the reactions of a round of focus groups to the UI. This work is an initial inquiry involving a relatively small number of potential users, many of whom had never seen an AP system before, and the results should be understood in that light. Methods: We began by considering how the UI of an AP system could be designed to make use of the familiar touchbased graphical UI of a consumer smartphone. After developing a working prototype UI, we enlisted a human factors specialist to perform a heuristic expert analysis. Next we conducted a formative evaluation of the UI through a series of three focus groups with N = 13 potential end users as participants. The UI was modified based upon the results of these studies, and the resulting DiAs system was used in transitional outpatient AP studies of adults in the United States and Europe. Results: The DiAs UI was modified based on focus group feedback from potential users. The DiAs was subsequently used in JDRF- and AP@Home-sponsored transitional outpatient AP studies in the United States and Europe by 40 subjects for 2400 h with no adverse events. Conclusions: Adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus are able to control an AP system successfully using a patient-centric UI on a commercial smartphone in a transitional outpatient environment.
Activity of P-Glycoprotein, a β-Amyloid Transporter at the Blood–Brain Barrier, Is Compromised in Patients with Mild Alzheimer Disease

Studies in animals and postmortem human brain tissue support a role for P-glycoprotein in clearance of cerebral β-amyloid across the blood–brain barrier (BBB). We tested the hypothesis that BBB P-glycoprotein activity is diminished in Alzheimer disease (AD) by accounting for an AD-related reduction in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Methods: We compared P-glycoprotein activity in mild-AD patients (n 5 9) and cognitively normal, age-matched controls (n 5 9) using PET with a labeled P-glycoprotein substrate, 11 C-verapamil, and 15 O-water to measure rCBF. BBB P-glycoprotein activity was expressed as the 11 C-verapamil radioactivity extraction ratio ( 11 C-verapamil brain distributional clearance, K1/rCBF). Results: Compared with controls, BBB P-glycoprotein activity was significantly lower in the parietotemporal, frontal, and posterior cingulate cortices and hippocampus of mild AD subjects. Conclusion: BBB P-glycoprotein activity in brain regions affected by AD is reduced and is independent of rCBF. This study improves on prior work by eliminating the confounding effect that reduced rCBF has on assessment of BBB P-glycoprotein activity and suggests that impaired P-glycoprotein activity may contribute to cerebral β-amyloid accumulation in AD. P-glycoprotein induction or activation to increase cerebral β-amyloid clearance could constitute a novel preventive or therapeutic strategy for AD.
Stillbirth (Co)Variance Components for a Sire-Maternal Grandsire Threshold Model and Development of a Calving Ability Index for Sire Selection

(Co)variance components for stillbirth in US Holsteins were estimated under a sire-maternal grandsire threshold model using subsets of data from the national calving ease database, which includes over 6 million calving records with associated stillbirth scores. Stillbirth was coded as a binomial trait indicating whether the calf was alive 48 h postpartum. Records were selected for calves whose sire and maternal grandsire (MGS) were among the 2,600 most frequently appearing bulls (2,578 sires and 2,586 MGS). Herd-years were required to contain at least 20 records and only single births were used. After editing, the data set included 2,083,979 calving records from 5,765 herds and 33,304 herd-years. Six sample datasets of approximately 250,000 records each were created by randomly selecting herd codes. Quasi-REML and Bayesian approaches were used to estimate (co)variance components from each sample. The model included fixed year-season, parity-sex, birth year group of sire, and birth year group of MGS effects and random herd-year, sire, MGS, and residual effects. Quasi-REML and Bayesian analyses produced similar results, although the Bayesian estimates were slightly larger. Marginal posterior means (and standard deviations) from the Bayesian analysis averaged 0.0085 (0.0015), 0.0181 (0.0020), 0.0872 (0.0538), and 0.00410 (0.0001) for sire, MGS, and herd-year variances and the sire-MGS covariance, respectively. Mean direct and maternal heritabilities were 0.030 (0.003) and 0.058 (0.005), respectively, and the mean genetic correlation between the 2 effects was -0.02 (0.16). A calving ability index combining stillbirth (SB) and calving ease (CE) was developed for inclusion in the Lifetime Net Merit index. The index was calculated as -4(sire CE)-3(daughter CE)-4(sire SB) -8(daughter SB).
Wall effects on a rotating sphere

The flow induced by a spherical particle spinning in the presence of no-slip planar boundaries is studied by numerical means. In addition to the reference case of an infinite fluid, the situations considered include a sphere rotating near one or two infinite plane walls parallel or perpendicular to the axis of rotation and a sphere centred within a cube. The hydrodynamic force and couple acting on the sphere exhibit a complex behaviour under the sometimes competing, sometimes cooperating action of viscous, inertial and centrifugal effects.
Advances in Neoproterozoic biostratigraphy spark new correlations and insight in evolution of life

Our understanding of the evolution of life is fundamentally based upon the geologic time scale and the law of Faunal Succession ([Smith, 1917][1]), developed through countless observations of the fossil record for times when visible evidence of life is abundant. Indeed, the Phanerozoic Eon (younger
The multiethnic cohort study: exploring genes, lifestyle and cancer risk

The search for the causes of cancer and means of cancer prevention has entered a new era as recent developments allow correlation of environmental and behavioural exposures, genetic variation and patient outcomes. The Multiethnic Cohort Study was designed to take advantage of these advances to prospectively explore the roles of lifestyle and genetic susceptibility in the occurrence of cancer. The ethnic diversity of the cohort in this study provides a wide range of dietary exposures and genetic variation, thereby providing a unique dimension to this research.
Volumetric Medical Imaging

In this chapter, the basics of volumetric medical imaging are introduced. The medical imaging modalities, or methodologies of visualization, included in this discussion are computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), molecular/nuclear medicine imaging (SPECT/CT, PET/CT, and PET/MRI), and ultrasound. The physical and clinical practice principles of these techniques for anatomic and pathologic visualization are presented, along with illustrative clinical medical examples. Keywords: modern medicine; medical imaging; CT and MRI; ultrasound; SPECT/PET
Expression: a dyadic conversation aid using Google Glass for people with visual impairments

Limited access to non-verbal cues hinders the dyadic conversation or social interaction of people who are blind or visually impaired. This paper presents Expression --- an integrated assistive solution using Google Glass. The key function of the system is to enable the user to perceive social signals during a natural face-to-face conversation. Empirical evaluation of the system is presented with qualitative (Likert score: 4.383/5) and quantitative results (overall F-measure of the nonverbal expression recognition: 0.768).
Wireless power transmission to an electromechanical receiver using low-frequency magnetic fields

A near-field, electrodynamically coupled wireless power transmission system is presented that delivers electrical power from a transmitter coil to a compact electromechanical receiver. The system integrates electromechanical energy conversion and mechanical resonance to deliver power over a range of distances using low-amplitude, low-frequency magnetic fields. Two different receiver orientations are investigated that rely on either the force or the torque induced on the receiver magnet at separation distances ranging from 2.2 to 10.2?cm. Theoretical models for each mode compare the predicted performance with the experimental results. For a 7.1?mApk sinusoidal current supplied to a transmitter coil with a 100?cm diameter, the torque mode receiver orientation has a maximum power transfer of 150??W (efficiency of 12%) at 2.2 cm at its resonance frequency of 38.4?Hz. For the same input current to the transmitter, the force mode receiver orientation has a maximum power transfer of 37??W (efficiency of 4.1%) at 3.1?cm at its resonance frequency of 38.9?Hz.
Uniplanar MIC power dividers using coupled CPW and asymmetrical CPS

Two uniplanar power dividers using coupled CPW and asymmetrical CPS have been developed for MICs and MMICs. These circuits provide substantially improved performance over a wide bandwidth compared to conventional microstrip power dividers. Measured results show that both power dividers have greater than 20 dB isolation, less than 0.4 dB insertion loss over a bandwidth of more than 30% centered at 3 GHz. Experimental results agree well with calculated ones.
ADMINISTRATION TO MAN OF UK-37,248-01, A SELECTIVE INHIBITOR OF THROMBOXANE SYNTHETASE

Pairs of healthy male volunteers received single oral doses (5-200 mg) of UK-37,248-01, a selective thromboxane synthetase inhibitor. Measurement of total thromboxane B2 (TXB2) concentrations in serum from venous blood showed that production of TXB2 was inhibited in a dose-related manner, with peak inhibition 1 h after doses of 50 mg and above. After 100 mg and 200 mg doses TXB2 production was inhibited by more than 90% at 1 h and about 50% at 6 h. Plasma drug assays confirmed oral absorption. About one-third of the dose was excreted unchanged in the urine, most within the first 4 h. Small and transient increases in bleeding time (within the normal range, except in one subject) were seen after the 50, 100, and 200 mg doses and corresponded to low levels of TXB2 production; whole blood clotting time was unchanged. There were no clinically relevant changes in heart rate or blood-pressure, other than a transient reduction in standing systolic blood-pressure and heart rate in one subject who received 200 mg. There were no side-effects and routine laboratory tests revealed no important abnormalities.
Image Compression with a Vector Speck Algorithm

SPIHT is an efficient image compression algorithm based on zerotrees. The significant wavelet coefficients are located by a series of set partitioning operations and then scalar quantized. Block-based algorithms inspired by SPIHT such as AGP and SWEET have good performance, but they are not embedded. Pearlman et al. proposed a block-based SPECK algorithm using set partitioning of embedded blocks to exploit the energy clustering characteristics of the coefficients while the bit stream remains embedded. We here propose a variation on SPECK using vector quantization to code the significant coefficients. Different VQ techniques including TSVQ and ECVQ are also considered. Vector SPECK shows a performance improvement over JPEG 2000 at the cost of added complexity
Relationships between immunoglobulins and the intestinal epithelium.

The intestinal epithelium is intimately associated with immunoglobulins. This association may begin in neonatal life with the ingestion of large quantities of immunoglobulins in breast fluids. These ingested immunoglobulins probably have a local protective action in the intestinal lumen. In some mammalian species a large portion of the maternal immunoglobulins is translocated intact across the intestinal epithelium into the circulation, providing additional immunological protection. In rodents, the transepithelial translocation of IgG from breast fluids is initiated and critically dependent upon receptors on enterocyte surface membranes for the Fc region of IgG. Close epithelial-immunoglobulin relationships continue throughout life with the transfer of various classes of immunoglobulins across the epithelium into the intestinal fluids. In man and other mammalian species, IgA and IgM are selectively transported through enterocytes, principally in the crypts of intestinal glands. This transfer may involve binding of polymeric forms of these immunoglobulins to receptors on the abluminal surfaces of the enterocytes. The secretory component, a glycoprotein synthesized by enterocytes, may be such a receptor. IgE and IgG enter the gut lumen by mechanisms that are not defined but seem to be distinct from those involved in the translocation of IgA and IgM. Secreted antibodies in intestinal fluids and mucus bathe the luminal surfaces of intestinal epithelial cells but appear not to be firmly bound to their apical plasma membranes or glycocalyces. The intimate association of immunoglobulins with intestinal epithelial cells illustrates the close relationships that exist between the gut and lymphoid cells and their products. These relationships suggest the possibility that the gut epithelium is affected by a large variety of immunological reactions in health and disease; these possibilities, which have ben explored only minimally, warrant much attention in the future. Studies on the binding, uptake, and intracellular transport of immunoglobulins by enterocytes could contribute much to the understanding of receptors for immunoglobulins on many other types of cells, such as lymphocytes, macrophages, mast cells, and the lining cells of placental or yolk sac membranes.
Speeding through cell cycle roadblocks: Nuclear cyclin D1-dependent kinase and neoplastic transformation.

Mitogenic induction of cyclin D1, the allosteric regulator of CDK4/6, is a key regulatory event contributing to G1 phase progression. Following the G1/S transition, cyclin D1 activation is antagonized by GSK3β-dependent threonine-286 (Thr-286) phosphorylation, triggering nuclear export and subsequent cytoplasmic degradation mediated by the SCFFbx4-αBcrystallin E3 ubiquitin ligase. Although cyclin D1 overexpression occurs in numerous malignancies, overexpression of cyclin D1 alone is insufficient to drive transformation. In contrast, cyclin D1 mutants refractory to phosphorylation-dependent nuclear export and degradation are acutely transforming. This raises the question of whether overexpression of cyclin D1 is a significant contributor to tumorigenesis or an effect of neoplastic transformation. Significantly, recent work strongly supports a model wherein nuclear accumulation of cyclin D1-dependent kinase during S-phase is a critical event with regard to transformation. The identification of mutations within SCFFbx4-αBcrystallin ligase in primary tumors provides mechanistic insight into cyclin D1 accumulation in human cancer. Furthermore, analysis of mouse models expressing cyclin D1 mutants refractory to degradation indicate that nuclear cyclin D1/CDK4 kinase triggers DNA re-replication and genomic instability. Collectively, these new findings provide a mechanism whereby aberrations in post-translational regulation of cyclin D1 establish a cellular environment conducive to mutations that favor neoplastic growth.
Influence of Plant Growth Stage on Grape Phylloxera (Homoptera: Phylloxeridae) Populations

To understand the effects of plant growth stage on the performance of grape phylloxera, Daktulosphaira vitifoliae (Fitch), demographic analyses were done using attached roots in a Vitis vinifera L. ‘Chardonnay’ vineyard during the vegetative, mid-ripening, and postharvest periods of grapevines. Survival of first instars was <30%. First instars coincide with the time of gall formation, and their survival was higher during postharvest than during the vegetative and mid-ripening periods. Survival after the second instar did not decrease with development but was stable, generally above 90% for the postharvest period and below 75% for the other experimental periods. Sucrose levels in root phloem parenchyma tissues were highest during postharvest compared with vegetative and mid-ripening periods and reflect a more rapid development during this period but only by a few days. The limiting step of grape phylloxera population growth appears to occur simultaneously with gall formation and is associated with survival. Survival and developmental rate of a virulent grape phylloxera strain were limiting with greenhouse vines of the resistant rootstocks 5C and SO4. Survival and developmental rates were more limiting for attached than detached roots.
Salivary epidermal growth factor and intestinal adaptation in male and female mice

Salivary epidermal growth factor (sEGF) levels are increased in male mice after small bowel resection (SBR) and may be important during intestinal adaptation. Since males have greater sEGF than females, the influence of sex on postresection adaptation was tested. Females had lower sEGF; however, sEGF substantially increased in both sexes after a massive (50%) SBR. Adaptive increases in DNA and protein content, villus height, and crypt depth, as well as crypt cell proliferation rates in the remnant ileum, were not different between males and females. Although significant postresection increases in sEGF were identified, EGF mRNA and protein did not change within the submandibular gland. Glandular kallikrein-13 and ileal EGF receptor expression were greater after SBR in female mice. Intestinal adaptation is equivalent in female and male mice after SBR. Despite lower sEGF, females demonstrated increased expression of a kallikrein responsible for sEGF precursor cleavage as well as amplified ileal EGF receptor expression. These results endorse an important differential response between sexes regarding sEGF mobilization and intestinal receptor availability during adaptation.
Brief Amici Curiae of Experts in the History of Executive Surveillance: James Bamford, Loch Johnson, and Peter Fenn in First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles v. National Security Agency

This case presents pressing questions regarding the executive's power to collect, store, and use Americans' telephony and other personal data for the purposes of conducting surveillance operations. In the wake of recent disclosures revealing National Security Agency data collection programs, the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles and 21 other membership and political advocacy organizations filed this lawsuit to challenge the NSA's collection of telephony data as an infringement of their members' First and Fourth Amendment rights.In this amicus brief, experts in the history of American surveillance -- James Bamford, author of The Puzzle Palace; Peter Fenn, who served as Washington Chief of Staff for Senator Frank Church and as a staff member to the Senate Intelligence Committee; and Dr. Loch Johnson, who served as special assistant to the Church Committee chair and as staff director of the House Subcommittee on Intelligence Oversight -- explain the historical parallels between the executive surveillance programs that are presently coming to light and the development of abusive surveillance practices from the 1940s to the 1970s. All amici were directly involved in the comprehensive review of twentieth-century American intelligence operations completed by the Church Committee in the 1970s, giving them a uniquely thorough understanding of these parallels.Drawing from the experts’ extensive knowledge, the brief explains the clear parallels between the development and growth of the abusive practices of the mid-twentieth century -- when American intelligence agencies helped conduct politically motivated surveillance of Americans ranging from ordinary teachers, journalists and peace activists to civil rights leaders, members of Congress, and a Supreme Court justice -- and today’s vast surveillance programs. History shows that abusive surveillance does not require bad actors to grow and flourish: instead, it is the natural outgrowth of too much secrecy and too little oversight by other branches of government. In light of this clear historical pattern, the brief argues that the court should carefully apply existing legal limits on the government’s surveillance powers to address the risks posed by the executive branch and the intelligence agencies’ claims to expansive power to determine the limits of their own activities.
Tsunami-Induced Forces on Skewed Bridges

AbstractResearch on the influence of tsunamis on bridges has been based almost exclusively on the results of field surveys and of two-dimensional analysis. Although these analyses can provide estimates of forces and moments on the structure, they do not account for three-dimensional (3D) phenomena, such as channelization, or geometric effects, such as bridge skew. Using a 3D computational fluid dynamics approach, this work analyzes the temporal and spatial dynamics of a bore-type tsunami loading on a model bridge and shows how the skew angle of the bridge relative to the incoming wave can affect the loading history. The analyses found that, unlike a bridge without skew, (1) the bore impact forces on the skewed deck do not all occur at the same time; (2) the skewed bridge is subjected to a force perpendicular to its abutments, which could lead to unseating; and (3) the skewed bridge is subjected to pitching and spinning moments. These effects combine to lead to increased horizontal reactions in the substru...