cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theory for the separation of very large DNA molecules by radial migration.

The separation of very large biological macromolecules is not presently possible with conventional techniques such as sedimentation and gel electrophoresis. For molecules larger than about 5 × 108 daltons, such as chromosomal DNA, it is necessary to develop new separation methods. Herein we describe the principle for a new device which shows promise for separating molecules in this size range, as a function of molecular weight. It is based on the deformability of random coil molecules, and the normal stresses which they generate in a certain class of rheological flows. In particular, when a solution of large DNA molecules (we have used the intact chromosome from phage T2) is contained between two concentric cones, one of which rotates relative to the other, there will be a “radial migration” of the DNA toward the center of the cones. The velocity with which the macromolecules migrate is highly dependent on the molecular weight, and therefore the potential exists for separating these large molecules.
The direct effect of reserpine in vitro on prolactin release from rat anterior pituitary glands

Summary Anterior pituitary glands from normal untreated rats synthesize and release the hormone prolactin (Prl) during incubation under in vitro conditions. Addition of dopamine (DA) greatly inhibits the release of Prl and to a lesser extent reduces Prl synthesis. When pituitary glands are incubated in the presence of reserpine, there is a similar significant dose-related inhibition of Prl release. This effect persists even in the presence of a DA antagonist (haloperidol) and after the depletion of hypothalamic amines by in vivo treatment with reserpine. Reserpine in vitro also inhibits release of newly synthesized growth hormone from the pituitary glands of male rats; however, this is not observed when female rats are studied. We conclude that the direct effect of reserpine to inhibit Prl release is apparently independent of any interaction with catecholamine systems and is mediated by other, presently undefined mechanisms.
Prevalence of autoimmune liver disease in Alaska natives

Abstract OBJECTIVE: There is limited information on the prevalence of autoimmune liver disease in nonwhite populations. We conducted a population-based study on the prevalence of autoimmune liver diseases in Alaska natives. METHODS: Clinical records from 1984 to July, 2000 were reviewed to identify Alaska natives with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), primary sclerosing cholangitis, autoimmune cholangitis, and overlap syndromes of two of the above. AIH was defined as definite or probable, based on criteria established by the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group. The diagnosis of PBC was based on a positive antimitochondrial antibody of ≥1:40, biochemical evidence of cholestasis, and compatible liver biopsy. Autoimmune cholangitis was defined as PBC but without a positive antimitochondrial antibody. Primary sclerosing cholangitis was diagnosed on the basis of cholangiogram. RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients with possible autoimmune liver disease were identified. Of these, 42 had definite and seven probable AIH. At presentation, 34.7% of patients with AIH presented with acute icteric hepatitis, and 65.3% were asymptomatic. Persons presenting with mild or no symptoms were more likely to have moderate to severe fibrosis on liver biopsy than those presenting with jaundice. Eighteen persons were diagnosed with PBC, five with autoimmune cholangitis, five with overlap syndrome, and none with primary sclerosing cholangitis. The combined point prevalence of AIH Alaska natives was 42.9/100,000 (95% CI = 31–57.7). The prevalence of PBC was 16/100,000 (95% CI = 12.9–25.4). CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study demonstrates that the prevalence rates of AIH and PBC in Alaska natives are comparable with reported rates in other populations.
Exact and heuristic algorithms for the weighted feedback arc set problem: a special case of the skew-symmetric quadratic assignment problem

This paper presents algorithms for finding exact and approximate solutions for the weighted feedback are set problem, determining a minimum-cardinality set of ares that breaks all cycles in a directed graph. This is also the problem of finding a group rank ordering given the rank orders for each member of a group. The algorithms have many other applications. Mathematically, the problem is that of finding a permutation matrix P that maximizes the sum of the elements above the principal diagonal of P1 WP where W is a skew-symmetric matrix of order n. This is a special case of the Koopmans-Beckmann quadratic assignment problem. Computational experience is reported for a sample of randomly generated problems, including comparisons with results obtained using algorithms three other authors have developed for solving the more general quadratic assignment problem. For our sample, using randomly generated problems, the computational time required for calculating all exact solutions for each problem is approximately T(n) = c2.232n, where c = 9.8764E - 6 and T(20) = 93 s for the Cray X-MP/48 supercomputer. For our sample, the computational time required for calculating one approximate solution is approximately T(n) = an4,1, where a = 3.0361E - 8 and T(250) = 206 s for the Cray.
Implications of Health Care Reform for Farm Businesses and Families

The Affordable Care Act has implications for the source of health insurance for farm households and potentially how much of their time they allocate to off-farm jobs and even the rate at which new operators enter farming. The Act will likely have impacts for the 1% of farms defined to be large employers, which are required to provide coverage for their workers or pay a penalty. While a very small share of all farms, they account for upward of 40% of the production for some commodities. How they adjust their use of farm labor in response to the Affordable Care Act has implications for farm structure.
Corporate Governance in Asia: A Comparative Study of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam

Corporate governance has received an increasing amount of attention in recent years. Corporate scandals have brought corporate governance weaknesses to the attention of the general public, especially in the United States. Weaknesses in the corporate structure of some Asian countries have been partly blamed for some recessions that have occurred there. This paper begins with an overview of some basic corporate governance principles as identified by the OECD, World Bank and IMF, then proceeds to examine how these principles are being applied in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Dynamical profile of a class of rank-one attractors

This paper contains results on the geometric and ergodic properties of a class of strange attractors introduced by Wang and Young [Towards a theory of rank one attractors. Ann. of Math. (2) 167 (2008), 349–480]. These attractors can live in phase spaces of any dimension, and have been shown to arise naturally in differential equations that model several commonly occurring phenomena. Dynamically, such systems are chaotic; they have controlled non-uniform hyperbolicity with exactly one unstable direction, hence the name rank-one. In this paper we prove theorems on their Lyapunov exponents, Sinai–Ruelle–Bowen (SRB) measures, basins of attraction, and statistics of time series, including central limit theorems, exponential correlation decay and large deviations. We also present results on their global geometric and combinatorial structures, symbolic coding and periodic points. In short, we build a dynamical profile for this class of dynamical systems, proving that these systems exhibit many of the characteristics normally associated with ‘strange attractors’.
Norplant® implants and cardiovascular disease

A 1995 publication on serious adverse events in users of Norplant implants submitted to the Food and Drug Administration's MedWatch Spontaneous Reporting System reported 14 hospitalizations for stroke in Norplant users. This number was higher than expected. This is a report on the association of current use of Norplant implants with stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) based on a pooled analysis of data from two population-based, case-control studies conducted in the US. All data collection for these two studies occurred after approval of Norplant implants for marketing in the US in December 1990. The methods of the individual studies are detailed in prior publications.
A new approach to some nonlinear geometric equations in dimension two

We give new arguments for several Liouville type results related to the equation −� u = Ke 2u . The new approach is based on the holomorphic function associated with any solution, which plays a similar role as the Hopf differential for harmonic maps from a surface.
Novel Sample Preparations for Microanalysis

Five sample-preparation techniques for failure analysis and process evaluation of integrated circuits by electron microscopy are described. These novel yet simple techniques, each with several applications, provide valuable device data for personnel in various aspects of semiconductor reliability. Methods described include effective deglassivation techniques, data-filled cross-sectional preparations, an accurate measurement system for critical dimension features, a simple backside etch procedure to prepare TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) and AES (Auger Electron Spectroscopy) samples, and an etchback technique for metal step coverage reliability.
Computing Weight Distributions of Convolutional Codes via Shift Register Synthesis

Weight distributions of convolutional codes are important because they permit computation of bounds on the error performance. In this paper, we present a novel approach to computing the complete weight distribution function (WDF) of a convolutional code. We compute the weight distribution series using the generalized Viterbi Algorithm (GVA) and then find the minimum linear recursion relation in this series using the shift register synthesis algorithm (SRSA). The WDF follows from the minimum recursion. In order to generalize the use of the SRSA over certain commutative rings, we prove the key result that the set of finite recursions forms a principal ideal.
Mechanisms of biofilm resistance to antimicrobial agents

Biofilms are communities of microorganisms attached to a surface. It has become clear that biofilm-grown cells express properties distinct from planktonic cells, one of which is an increased resistance to antimicrobial agents. Recent work has indicated that slow growth and/or induction of an rpoS-mediated stress response could contribute to biocide resistance. The physical and/or chemical structure of exopolysaccharides or other aspects of biofilm architecture could also confer resistance by exclusion of biocides from the bacterial community. Finally, biofilm-grown bacteria might develop a biofilm-specific biocide-resistant phenotype. Owing to the heterogeneous nature of the biofilm, it is likely that there are multiple resistance mechanisms at work within a single community. Recent research has begun to shed light on how and why surface-attached microbial communities develop resistance to antimicrobial agents.
mosaic eyes: a zebrafish gene required in pigmented epithelium for apical localization of retinal cell division and lamination

For proper function of the retina, the correct proportions of retinal cell types must be generated, they must be organized into cell-specific laminae, and appropriate synaptic connections must be made. To understand the genetic regulation of retinal development, we have analyzed mutations in the mosaic eyes gene that disrupt retinal lamination, the localization of retinal cell divisions to the retinal pigmented epithelial surface and retinal pigmented epithelial development. Although retinal organization is severely disrupted in mosaic eyes mutants, surprisingly, retinal cell differentiation occurs. The positions of dividing cells and neurons in the brain appear normal in mosaic eyes mutants, suggesting that wild-type mosaic eyes function is specifically required for normal retinal development. We demonstrate that mosaic eyes function is required within the retinal pigmented epithelium, rather than in dividing retinal cells. This analysis reveals an interaction between the retinal pigmented epithelium and the retina that is required for retinal patterning. We suggest that wild-type mosaic eyes function is required for the retinal pigmented epithelium to signal properly to the retina.
Fibrogranular bodies, annulate lamellae, and polyribosomes in the dragonfly oocyte

Discrete and multiple cytoplasmic regions become apparent during oogenesis in the dragonfly oocyte that are thought to arise from the nucleus (nucleolus) earlier in development, and on the basis of previous cytochemical tests, they are believed to contain ribonucleoprotein. These distinct cytoplasmic regions have been called fibrogranular bodies since they are composed of (1) a multitude of small granules ( ∼ 6-16 nm) and (2) interconnected fibrillar elements ( ∼ 2-4 nm wide). Since the fibrogranular bodies have not been isolated, they have not been biochemically characterized and their composition is unknown. However, it has been suggested that this material, in part based on other studies, may represent stored developmental information, perhaps including mRNA, rRNA, and protein. Prior to vitellogenesis, but continuing throughout the process, annulate lamellae progressively differentiate within the fibrogranular bodies. After annulate lamellae have differentiated inside the fibrogranular bodies, many of the lamellae extend into the surrounding cytoplasm as elements of rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum (rER). There appears to be a gradual dispersal of material as more and more annulate lamellae form within the fibrogranular bodies such that very late in oogenesis, it is difficult to observe the fibrogranular material. However, extensive numbers of polyribosomes and many parallel lamellae of rER are present. The variations noted with respect to the polyribosomes, fibrogranular bodies, and pores of the annulate lamellae suggest that pores of annulate lamellae are important in the processing or activation of "stored information" for subsequent development, perhaps including a role in polyribosomal assembly.
DATES AND RATES: Temporal Resolution in the Deep Time Stratigraphic Record*

The level of achievable stratigraphic resolution determines the nature of the many ecological, evolutionary, and geological questions for which a reasonable answer may be expected. Advances in correlation techniques and in high-resolution radiometric dating and their integration with the fossil record through quantitative biostratig- raphy and potentially orbital cyclicity now allows many questions about rates of geological, geochemical, and evolutionary processes to be extended into deep time.
Comparing biomarkers of traumatic shock: the utility of anion gap, base excess, and serum lactate in the ED ☆,☆☆

Abstract Background Biomarkers such as serum lactate, anion gap (AG), and base excess (BE) have been shown to be of use in determining shock in patients with seemingly normal vital signs. We seek to determine if these biomarkers can be used interchangeably in patients with trauma in the emergency setting based on their test characteristics and correlation to each other. Methods A prospective observational cohort study was undertaken at an urban level 1 trauma center. Baseline vital signs, point-of-care BE, AG, and serum lactate were recorded in all patients who presented for trauma. Correlation was determined by linear regression model. Overall test characteristics and relative risk were calculated. Results One hundred patients were enrolled. The median age was 30 years (interquartile range, 24-42 years), and 89% were male. Fifty-three percent of injuries were blunt trauma. Pearson correlation of serum lactate to BE was −0.81 ( r 2 = 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53-0.75; P r 2 = 0.5; 95% CI, −0.80 to −0.57; P r 2 = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.57-0.80; P Conclusions This study demonstrates that the biomarkers have similar test characteristics which may make them interchangeable as indicators for the presence of occult shock in patients with trauma. Lactate and BE correlate well with each other; however, AG was not as strongly correlated with either.
Brief report situational determinants of alcohol abuse among caucasian and african-american college students

The present study examined gender, race, and binge status differences in alcohol consumption among Caucasian and African-American college students as well as situational differences as qualified by the race of binge drinkers. A confidential questionnaire was voluntarily completed by Caucasians (n = 102) and African-Americans (n = 81) at a medium-sized regional university. The data analysis revealed a significant gender effect on alcohol consumption, with men consuming more alcohol than women. There was no significant main effect of race on alcohol consumption. In addition, Caucasian binge drinkers had significantly higher interpersonal problem behavior scores than did binge-drinking African-Americans, and binge-drinking African-Americans had higher intrapersonal problem behavior scores than did binge-drinking Caucasians.
Inoculation and colonization of coffee seedlings (Coffea arabica L.) with the fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana (Ascomycota: Hypocreales)

The fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana became established as an endophyte in coffee seedlings grown in vitro and inoculated with B. bassiana suspensions in the radicle. The fungus was recovered as an endophyte 30 and 60 days postinoculation, from stems, leaves, and roots, and at 60 days postinoculation one of the isolates was also recovered as an epiphyte. Fusarium sp., Rhodotorula sp., and four bacterial morpho-species were also detected, indicating these were present as endophytes in the seed.
Down-regulation of the Drosophila morphogen bicoid by the torso receptor-mediated signal transduction cascade

Abstract Anterior body pattern in Drosophila is specified by the graded distribution of the bicoid protein (bcd), which activates subordinate genes in distinct anterior domains. Subsequently, transcription of these target genes is repressed at the anterior pole owing to the activity of the receptor tyrosine kinase torso (tor). We show that both activation by bcd and repression by tor can be reproduced by a minimal promoter containing only bcd-binding sites upstream of a naive transcriptional start site. Repression requires the D-raf kinase and is associated with phosphorylation of bcd protein. Repression does not require either tailless or huckebein , which were previously thought to constitute the sole zygotic output of the tor signaling system. Finally, addition of a heterologous transcriptional activation domain to bcd renders the protein insensitive to tormediated repression. We propose that phosphorylation resulting from the activity of the tor signal transduction cascade down-regulates transcriptional activation by the bcd morphogen.
Dietary total fat intake and ischemic stroke risk: the Northern Manhattan Study.

Background: Dietary fat intake is associated with coronary heart disease risk, but the relationship between fat intake and ischemic stroke risk remains unclear. We hypothesized that total dietary fat as part of a Western diet is associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke. Methods: As part of the prospective Northern Manhattan Study, 3,183 stroke-free community residents over 40 years of age underwent evaluation of their medical history and had their diet assessed by a food-frequency survey. Cox proportional hazard models calculated risk of incident ischemic stroke. Results: The mean age of participants was 69 years, 63% were women, 21% were white, 24% black and 52% Hispanic. During a mean of 5.5 years of follow-up, 142 ischemic strokes occurred. After adjusting for potential confounders, risk of ischemic stroke was higher in the upper quintile of total fat intake compared to the lowest quintile (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0–2.7). Total fat intake >65 g was associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.3). Risk was attenuated after controlling for caloric intake. Conclusions: The results suggest that increased daily total fat intake, especially above 65 g, significantly increases risk of ischemic stroke.
Herpes Simplex Virus Infections: The Genital Tract and the Newborn

There are six recognized members of the human herpes group of viruses. These include type 1 and type 2 herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), varicellazoster virus (VZV), and human herpes virus type 6 (HHV-6). These ubiquitous double-stranded DNA viruses are relatively large and lipid-enveloped. The capacity to induce a state of latency in the infected host has been proved for all of the herpes viruses. That is, after primary infection, the viruses remain forever with the host with the possibility for subsequent reactivations. The mechanisms of these reactivations are not understood completely. Both primary infections and recurrences may be associated with clinical illness or may be asymptomatic. To a large extent, the status of the host immune system determines the severity of the infection and the likelihood of recurrences. In general, infections are more severe and recurrences are more frequent in the most compromised hosts. This review focuses on HSV-1 and HSV-2, with emphasis on neonatal infections and maternal genital infections as a source of infection in the newborn. The clinical illnesses caused by HSV-1 and HSV-2 are usually quite distinct. HSV-1 is the predominant cause of oral, ocular, and central nervous system infections occurring after the neonatal period, and HSV-2 is the predominant cause of genital and neonatal infections.
The pacific meridional mode as an ENSO precursor and predictor in the North American multimodel ensemble

AbstractAlthough modeling and observational studies have highlighted a robust relationship between the Pacific meridional mode (PMM) and El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)—namely, that the PMM is often a precursor to El Nino events—it remains unclear if this relationship has any real predictive use. Bridging the gap between theory and practical application is essential, because the potential use of the PMM precursor as a supplemental tool for ENSO prediction has been implied but not yet implemented into a realistic forecast setting. In this paper, a suite of sea surface temperature hindcasts is utilized from the North American Multimodel Ensemble (NMME) prediction experiment between 1982 and 2010. The goal is first to assess the NMME’s ability to forecast the PMM precursor and second to examine the relationship between PMM and ENSO within a forecast framework. In terms of model performance, results are optimistic in that not only is PMM variability captured well by the multimodel ensemble mean, but it al...
An Analysis of the Current Crises in the Discipline of Science Education.

Demographic information concerning the thirty-five largest graduate centers for science education was collected. The information verified the decrease in the average number of graduates, number of faculty members, external support for special projects in such centers for science education. Programs have remained static over the twenty-year period. Faculty members at the institutions are stable and possess similar backgrounds; research interests of the faculty members vary and do not represent major commitments for many. When perceptions of discipline problems are studied, lack of agreement concerning goals and objectives are most frequently cited. This is followed by perceived lack of vision and leadership in the profession. Other perceived problems include public and parental apathy toward science and science education, limited budgets and facilities, and limited dialogue among professionals and the public. Science educators have proposed solutions to discipline problems as further evidence of crisis. The most common solutions proposed include (1) development of a theory base for the discipline, (2) structuring of a rationale for the discipline, (3) greater financial and public support, and (4) improved programs, including inservice education. As a view of the future is provided, the central issue emerges regarding the absence of goals in science education that are relevant to contemporary priorities in science, society, and education. Suggestion is made that failure to correct this deficiency will result in further deterioration in all areas of the current crisis.
QTc interval prolongation by d-propoxyphene: what about other analgesics?

Introduction: d-Propoxyphene, which was previously available in many single-agent and combination products, was recently voluntarily withdrawn from the US market following an FDA recommendation based partly on the concern that the risk associated with QT prolongation exceeded the clinical benefit of the drug. The drug had previously been withdrawn from European markets. These recent actions prompt the question: what is known about QT prolongation and analgesic drugs? Areas covered: A systematic search was conducted of 50 opioid and non-opioid analgesic drugs using PubMed, the FDA website, and the Internet. Search terms for opioids, NSAIDs, acetaminophen and other analgesics were used (including both generic and brand names), along with QTc, QTc prolongation, QTc interval, hERG, torsades de pointes (TdP), ventricular arrhythmias, and other relevant terms. Expert opinion: There is a paucity of available information on the QT interval for most analgesics. Of those for which there is a lot of data, only metha...
Experimental manipulation of soil depth alters species richness and co-occurrence in restored tallgrass prairie

Summary 1. In relatively fertile ecosystems, such as the tallgrass prairie, local species diversity is largely controlled by the competitive effects of community dominants. Despite the relative importance of soil resources in shaping competitive outcomes, we have a limited understanding of the ways by which plants partition below-ground space and resources while competing, and thus, how these interactions feedback to affect local diversity. 2. We experimentally tested whether potential rooting depth affected plant species diversity and composition by seeding 36 tallgrass prairie species into replicated, bare-ground plots in which soil depth was manipulated to produce shallow- (20 cm), medium- (42 cm) and deep-soil treatments all within one soil type. Because root architecture and foraging strategies differ among species, we hypothesized that soil depth alone could affect plant richness, diversity and community composition. 3. After 3 years, richness (S) significantly increased with soil depth (P 0.1) or composition (multi-response permutation procedure, P > 0.2). The lack of a depth effect upon diversity resulted from the opposing effect of increasing soil depth enhancing S, but decreasing evenness. 4. Species presence among depth treatments was strongly nested, with species found in shallow soils reflecting a subset of the species found in the medium-depth treatment, and the species found within the medium-depth treatment reflecting a subset of those found in the deepest soils. 5. All depth treatments contained the same dominant grasses, thus differences in S resulted from the nested loss of forbs. Conversely, increasing soil depth added sets of new species, but the specific identity of the species present appeared interchangeable among replicates of a given depth. 6. Synthesis. Our results provide the first field-based experimental evidence that altering soil depth alters species occurrence and diversity in predictable ways in seeded tallgrass prairie. Our results have important theoretical implications for understanding the processes promoting plant co-occurrence in grasslands, and generate testable hypotheses concerning the conditions under which root-niche partitioning is probably important for maintaining local richness in grasslands. Future work is needed to elucidate the generality and mechanistic basis of our results.
Reassessment of Chadrolagus and Litolagus (Mammalia: Lagomorpha) and a New Genus of North American Eocene Lagomorph from Wyoming

ABSTRACT Lagomorphs from the late Eocene and Eocene-Oligocene transition of North America, apart from the abundant and fairly speciose Palaeolagus, are represented by some rare and enigmatic genera, including monospecific Chadrolagus and Litolagus, of uncertain infraordinal relationship. In this paper new specimens of lagomorphs from the Chadronian and Orellan of Montana and Wyoming are presented. They include Chadrolagus emryi from the early Chadronian of the Renova Formation, Beaverhead Basin (Montana), and the late Chadronian of the Dunbar Creek and Cook Ranch Formations (Montana), extending the stratigraphic range of this species to the entire Chadronian interval. Further, previously unreported material, originally collected by M.F. Skinner during his fieldwork in Wyoming (near the Chadronian-Orellan boundary in age), is described and figured. This includes an exquisitely preserved skull of Litolagus molidens, and Limitolagus roosevelti, gen. et sp. nov., represented by mandibular and dental material ...
Meaningful Differences: Comparison of Adult Women Who First Traded Sex as a Juvenile Versus as an Adult:

The authors analyzed experiences, characteristics, and risks of adult women who trade sex in Minneapolis, MN (n = 117), and found significant differences between women who first traded sex as a juvenile compared with those who first traded sex as an adult. Adult starters were 3.44 times more likely to use drugs prior to their first sex trade. They were also more likely to hav e children. Juvenile starters were more likely to trade sex prior to their first instance of drug use and they had worse outcomes in most other domains that were measured. The study findings showed that they can be useful in shaping prevention of prostitution and methods to be used for its intervention.
Finasteride Treatment of Hair Loss in Women

Objective:To review available evidence on the safety and efficacy of finasteride in the treatment of alopecia in women.Data Sources:A literature search was conducted through PubMed (1948–March 2010) and MEDLINE (1950–March 2010) using the search terms finasteride and alopecia. References cited in relevant publications were reviewed.Study Selection and Data Extraction:All data sources identified were reviewed for inclusion. Reports of finasteride treatment of female alopecia were included in the review. This included prospective and retrospective trials, case series, and case reports. Studies in men were not included.Data Synthesis:Few pharmacologic options exist for women with alopecia who do not achieve satisfactory responses to topical minoxidil solution. Treatment successes with finasteride in women with female pattern hair loss, although an off-label indication, have been primarily described in uncontrolled studies and anecdotal reports. In 2 controlled clinical studies, finasteride showed no benefit ...
Reovirus: A Targeted Therapeutic—Progress And Potential

Medical therapy of patients with malignancy requires a paradigm shift through development of new drugs with a good safety record and novel mechanisms of activity. While there is no dearth of such molecules, one particular agent, "reovirus" is promising by its ability to target cancer cells with aberrant signaling pathways. This double-stranded RNA virus has been therapeutically formulated and has rapidly progressed from preclinical validation of anticancer activity to a phase III registration study in platinum refractory metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. During this process, reovirus has shown safety both as a single agent when administered intratumorally and intravenously, as well as in combination therapy, with multiple chemotherapeutics such as gemcitabine, carboplatin/paclitaxel, and docetaxel; and similarly with radiation. The scientific rationale for its development as an anticancer agent stems from the fact that it preferentially replicates in and induces lyses of cells with an activated Kras pathway. As documented in many previous studies, the initial observation of greater tropism in Kras-compromised situation might certainly not be the sole and possibly not even the predominant reason for enhanced virulence. All the same, scientists have emphasized on Kras optimistically due to its high prevalence in various types of cancers. Incidence of Kras mutation has been found to be highest in pancreatic cancer (85%-90%) followed by colorectal (35-45%) and lung (25-30%). Reovirus, in fact has the potential not only as a therapy but also as a tool to unravel the aberrant cellular pathway leading to carcinogenicity.
Emotions as a lens to explore teacher identity and change: A commentary

Abstract Change is pervasive in our schools, yet little information exists about its impact on teacher perceptions and behavior. From a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives, emotional reactions to reform and change are explored as they relate to the participants’ professional and personal identity. When confronted with the ambiguity and uncertainty of change, these emotional reactions influenced their risk taking, learning and development, and identity formation. Overall, the authors demonstrate that emotions are a key component of teachers’ lives and underscore the need for acknowledging them when planning and implementing school reform.
The High Degree of Sequence Plasticity of the Arenavirus Noncoding Intergenic Region (IGR) Enables the Use of a Nonviral Universal Synthetic IGR To Attenuate Arenaviruses.

UNLABELLED Hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses (HFAs) pose important public health problems in regions where they are endemic. Concerns about human-pathogenic arenaviruses are exacerbated because of the lack of FDA-licensed arenavirus vaccines and because current antiarenaviral therapy is limited to an off-label use of ribavirin that is only partially effective. We have recently shown that the noncoding intergenic region (IGR) present in each arenavirus genome segment, the S and L segments (S-IGR and L-IGR, respectively), plays important roles in the control of virus protein expression and that this knowledge could be harnessed for the development of live-attenuated vaccine strains to combat HFAs. In this study, we further investigated the sequence plasticity of the arenavirus IGR. We demonstrate that recombinants of the prototypic arenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (rLCMVs), whose S-IGRs were replaced by the S-IGR of Lassa virus (LASV) or an entirely nonviral S-IGR-like sequence (Ssyn), are viable, indicating that the function of S-IGR tolerates a high degree of sequence plasticity. In addition, rLCMVs whose L-IGRs were replaced by Ssyn or S-IGRs of the very distantly related reptarenavirus Golden Gate virus (GGV) were viable and severely attenuated in vivo but able to elicit protective immunity against a lethal challenge with wild-type LCMV. Our findings indicate that replacement of L-IGR by a nonviral Ssyn could serve as a universal molecular determinant of arenavirus attenuation. IMPORTANCE Hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses (HFAs) cause high rates of morbidity and mortality and pose important public health problems in regions where they are endemic. Implementation of live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs) will represent a major step to combat HFAs. Here we document that the arenavirus noncoding intergenic region (IGR) has a high degree of plasticity compatible with virus viability. This observation led us to generate recombinant LCMVs containing nonviral synthetic IGRs. These rLCMVs were severely attenuated in vivo but able to elicit protective immunity against a lethal challenge with wild-type LCMV. These nonviral synthetic IGRs can be used as universal molecular determinants of arenavirus attenuation for the rapid development of safe and effective, as well as stable, LAVs to combat HFA.
Morse-Smale Flows and Whitney Stratifications

We have seen in Sect. 2.2 how to use a Morse function on a compact manifold M to reconstruct the manifold, up to a diffeomorphism via a sequence of elementary operations, namely, handle attachments.
Landscape of K-12 Computer Science Education in the U.S.: Perceptions, Access, and Barriers

Through surveys of 1,673 students, 1,685 parents, 1,013 teachers, 9,693 principals, and 1,865 superintendents across the United States, this study explores perceptions, access, and barriers to computer science education at the K-12 level. We found most respondents were unable to distinguish computer literacy activities from computer science, with female, Black, or Hispanic respondents even less likely to do so. Perceptions of who does computer science were narrow and stereotypical (White, male, smart), but there was high value and demand for computer science across all populations, particularly among parents. Results indicate discrepancies in access to technology and computer science. Over 75% of principals reported their school did not offer computer science with programming/coding, but Hispanic students reported lower exposure to computers at home and in school and Black students and lower income students reported less access to computer science learning in school. Hispanic students and female students were also less likely to have learned computer science or have confidence to learn computer science compared to their counterparts. Finally, we explored barriers to access and identified a harsh disconnect: parent and student demand for computer science education was high while administrators' perceptions of this demand was low. Additionally, the most common barriers to offering computer science cited by principals and superintendents were the need to dedicate time to other courses and testing requirements and the lack of qualified teachers, with technology less common of a barrier.
Tensile Behavior of Polypropylene Composite Insulator for Deepwater Pipelines

In this study, the tensile behavior of a glass-fiber reinforced polypropylene composite, used as part of the thermal insulation system of pipelines was investigated at room temperature. The insulator samples were obtained directly from an insulator coated deepwater pipe obtained from the field. Direct tensile tests on the composite polymer were performed at variable strain rates. The test strain rate (ߝ ሶ) varied from 0.2%/min to 34%/min, about 170 times increase in the loading rate. The effect of strain rate on the stress-strain relationship, yield strength and yield strain have been quantified. The strain rate dependency of the polymer composite stress strain relationship was quantified. Also the mechanical properties were compared to the published data in the literature on polypropylene composite used for subsea pipeline insulation. A new stressstrain relationship was developed to model the nonlinear behavior of the composite considering the strain rate dependency of the material behavior. The model parameters were also related to the strain rate.
The Leverage Approach for Sufficiency

Sufficiency principles generally state that it is especially important for justice that people have enough of certain goods, but it can be hard to give a convincing answer as to what level of goods counts as enough. This paper examines a recent sufficiency view by George Sher (2014), who argues that the threshold level of resources and opportunities that the state should provide for each citizen is whatever level gives one enough leverage to obtain further resources and opportunities without inordinate difficulty or sacrifice. The argument relies on the idea that, with regard to resources and opportunities, the sufficient ability to live one’s life effectively requires only that one have enough of them as leverage. While Sher’s general account regarding “what counts as enough?” is promising in countering certain challenges typically raised against sufficiency principles, the approach to determine the threshold of resources and opportunities in terms of leverage is problematic.
Broadly tuned spinal neurons for each form of fictive scratching in spinal turtles.

Behavioral choice can be mediated either by a small number of sharply tuned neurons or by large populations of broadly tuned neurons. This issue can be conveniently examined in the turtle spinal co...
Chronic disease prevention and control in communities of Huzhou: status quo and countermeasure

Objective To know the status quo of chronic disease prevention and control of community health services,and problems in the current situation,so as to guide their prevention and control.Methods Questionnaires were conducted on community health service centers(stations),to investigate its human resources and basic conditions of chronic disease prevention and control.Meanwhile,the quality of chronic disease prevention and control was investigated,focusing on hypertension,diabetes follow-up management of the pilot and non-pilot community health service centers(stations).Results In Huzhou city,80.42 percent of the medical staff in community health service stations were involved in chronic disease prevention and control.The rates of standardized management of hypertension and diabetes were 31.39% and 23.87% in pilot community health service stations,and the rates of the non-pilot were 11.59% and 0.Conclusion Chronic disease prevention and control has gradually become an important part of community health services. As long as administrative and operational guidance is strengthened,standardized management of community-based hypertension,diabetes and other chronic diseases will be effective.
A_{p} weights and strong convergence of operator-valued Fourier series for Stieltjes convolutions of Marcinkiewicz functions

Suppose that \(1<p<\infty \) and let w be a bilateral weight sequence satisfying the discrete Muckenhoupt \(A_{p}\) weight condition (in symbols, \(w\in A_{p}\left( \mathbb {Z}\right) \)). In this setting, the left bilateral shift \(\mathcal {L}\) acting on the sequence space \(\ell ^{p}\left( w\right) \) is known to be a trigonometrically well-bounded operator (that is, \(\mathcal {L}\) has a “unitary-like” spectral decomposition \(E:\mathbb {R}\rightarrow \mathfrak {B}\left( \ell ^{p}\left( w\right) \right) \) that consists of idempotent operators and has additional properties reminiscent of, but weaker than, those that would be inherited from a countably additive Borel spectral measure on \(\mathbb {R}\)). In this framework we show that for any Marcinkiewicz multiplier \(\psi :\mathbb {T} \rightarrow \mathbb {C}\), the operator-valued Fourier series of the Stieltjes convolution \(\psi \,\,\mathfrak {\circledast }\)dE (which can be regarded as an operator-theoretic analogue of the Fourier series of \(\psi \)) converges to \(\psi \,\,\mathfrak {\circledast }\)dE, relative to the strong operator topology of \(\mathfrak {B}\left( \ell ^{p}\left( w\right) \right) \), at each point of \(\mathbb {T}\). In particular, the partial sums of the Fourier series of \(\psi \) are uniformly bounded in the Banach algebra of Fourier multipliers for \(\ell ^{p}\left( w\right) \). This outcome is made possible by the mutually advantageous interplay between spectral theory and real variable methods in harmonic analysis—the fundamental links being the operator ergodic discrete Hilbert transform and exrapolation of weights. These results are transferred to the framework of invertible, disjoint, modulus mean-bounded operators acting on \(L^{p}\) spaces of sigma-finite measures. We note that in a still wider framework than that dealt with here—specifically the class of all super-reflexive Banach spaces—trigonometrically well-bounded operators and their spectral families of projections have recently been shown (Berkson, Studia Math 200:221–246, 2010) to constitute a disguised generalization of the dual conjugates of the operator ergodic discrete Hilbert transform generated by not necessarily power-bounded operators, in particular providing new transference vistas.
Quality testing of autoclaved rodent drinking water during short-term and long-term storage

All animals need clean water to drink. At the authors' animal facility, drinking water for immunocompromised rodents is filtered by reverse osmosis, acidified during bottling and sterilized in an autoclave. Autoclaved water bottles can be stored in unopened autoclave bags for 7 d or in opened bags for 2 d; if not used during that time, they are emptied, cleaned, refilled and sterilized again. The authors wished to determine whether the storage period of 2-7 d was adequate and necessary to ensure the quality of drinking water. They tested water bottles for pH levels and for the presence of adenosine triphosphate as a measure of organic contamination during short-term and long-term storage. The pH of autoclaved drinking water generally remained stable during storage. Furthermore, no instances of organic contamination were detected in autoclaved water bottles stored for up to 22 d in unopened bags and only one instance was detected in bottles stored for up to 119 d in opened bags in a room with individually ventilated cages. On the basis of these findings, the acceptable storage period for autoclaved water bottles in opened bags at the authors' facility was extended to 21 d.
Growth of an Aspergillus flavus Transformant Expressing Escherichia coli β-Glucuronidase in Maize Kernels Resistant to Aflatoxin Production

Kernels of a maize inbred that demonstrated resistance to aflatoxin production in previous studies were inoculated with an Aspergillus flavus strain containing the Escherichia coli beta-D-glucuronidase reporter gene linked to a beta-tubulin gene promoter and assessed for both fungal growth and aflatoxin accumulation. Prior to inoculation, kernels were pin-wounded through the pericarp to the endosperm, pin-wounded in the embryo region, or left unwounded. After 7 days incubation with the fungus, beta-glucuronidase activity (fungal growth) in the kernels was quantified using a fluorogenic assay and aflatoxin B content of the same kernels was analyzed. Kernels of a susceptible inbred, similarly treated, served as controls. Results indicate a positive relationship between aflatoxin levels and the amount of fungal growth. However, resistant kernels wounded through the pericarp to the endosperm before inoculation supported an increase in aflatoxin B over levels observed in nonwounded kernels, without an increase in fungal growth. Wounding kernels of the resistant inbred through the embryo resulted in both the greatest fungal growth and the highest levels of aflatoxin B1 for this genotype. Maintenance of resistance to aflatoxin B1 in endosperm-wounded kernels may be due to the action of a mechanism which limits fungal access to the kernel embryo.
Binary coordinate ascent

Feature subset selection (FSS) has been an active area of research in machine learning. A number of techniques have been developed for selecting an optimal or sub-optimal subset of features, because it is a major factor to determine the performance of a machine-learning technique. In this paper, we propose and develop a novel optimization technique, namely, a binary coordinate ascent (BCA) algorithm that is an iterative deterministic local optimization that can be coupled with wrapper or filter FSS. The algorithm searches throughout the space of binary coded input variables by iteratively optimizing the objective function in each dimension at a time. We investigated our BCA approach in wrapper-based FSS under area under the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) criterion for the best subset of features in classification. We evaluated our BCA-based FSS in optimization of features for support vector machine, multilayer perceptron, and Naive Bayes classifiers with 12 datasets. Our experimental datasets are distinct in terms of the number of attributes (ranging from 18 to 11,340), and the number of classes (binary or multi-class classification). The efficiency in terms of the number of subset evaluations was improved substantially (by factors of 5-37) compared with two popular FSS meta-heuristics, i.e., sequential forward selection (SFS) and sequential floating forward selection (SFFS), while the classification performance for unseen data was maintained.