cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes in CD38 Expression and ADP-Ribosyl Cyclase Activity in Rat Myometrium During Pregnancy: Influence of Sex Steroid Hormones

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), synthesized by CD38, regulates intracellular calcium in uterine smooth muscle. CD38 is a transmembrane protein that has both ADP-ribosyl cyclase and cADPR hydrolase enzyme activities involved in cADPR metabolism. CD38 expression and its enzyme activities in uterine smooth muscle are regulated by estrogen. In the present study, we examined CD38 expression, its enzyme activities, and cADPR levels in myometrium obtained from rats at 14-17 days of gestation (preterm) and at parturition (term). CD38 expression, ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity, and cADPR levels were higher in uterine tissues obtained from term rats compared with that of preterm rats, while activity of cADPR hydrolase did not significantly change. In an effort to address whether changes in estrogen: progesterone ratio that occur during pregnancy account for the observed effects on CD38 expression and function, we determined the effect of different doses of progesterone in the presence of estrogen on CD38 expression and its enzyme activities in uterine smooth muscle obtained from ovariectomized rats. In myometrium obtained from ovariectomized rats, estrogen administration caused increased CD38 protein expression and ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity. The estrogen-induced increases in CD38 expression and ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity were inhibited by simultaneous administration of 10 or 20 mg of progesterone. These results indicate that the estrogen:progesterone ratio determines CD38 expression and ADP-ribosyl cyclase activity. These changes in CD38/cADPR pathway may contribute to increased uterine motility and onset of labor.
Carbonaceous content and water‐soluble organic functionality of atmospheric aerosols at a semi‐rural New England location

[1] Ambient aerosol samples (n = 287) collected at a semi-rural location, Thompson Farm (TF) in Durham, New Hampshire, from August 2007 to 2008 exhibited seasonal variation, characterized by the largest total carbon (TC) concentrations during winter (3.74 ± 2.55 μg C m−3) and the smallest during summer (1.21 ± 1.22 μg C m−3). On average, 92% of TC was organic (OC), of which 69% on average was observed to be water-soluble (WSOC). This study focuses on characterizing the WSOC functional groups using Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy on a subset of the samples (n = 108). Three aliphatic groups (H-C, H-C-C=, and H-C-O) are estimated to account for 79% of the characterized WSOC carbon mass. Pure aliphatic (H-C), oxygenated aliphatic (H-C-O), and unsaturated aliphatic (H-C-C=) groups were the dominant functional groups contributing to an average of 31%, 25%, and 23% of the WSOC carbon mass, respectively. The arylic group contributed an average of 21% of the WSOC carbon mass but exhibited large seasonal variation compared to the other groups. Precipitation affected mainly the WSOC and the H-C-C= functional group, which showed consistent decreases following rainfall events. Strong correlation between elemental carbon and OC and the dominance of air masses from the continental Midwest during winter shows that primary emissions (from local heating or industrial emissions) were the main sources during winter. Air masses originating from the continental Midwest were associated with the high levels of EC, primary OC, and H-C-O at TF. In contrast to winter, enhanced secondary formation and processed aerosols were dominant during other seasons.
Role of High-End Computing in Meeting NASA's Science and Engineering Challenges

Abstract High-end computing (HEC) has always played a major role in meeting the modeling and simulation needs of various NASA missions. Two years ago, NASA was on the verge of dramatically enhancing its HEC capability and capacity by significantly increasing its computational and storage resources. With the 10,240-processor Columbia supercomputer in production since October 2004, HEC is having an even greater impact within the Agency and beyond. Advanced science and engineering simulations in space exploration, Shuttle operations, Earth sciences, and fundamental aeronautics research are occurring on Columbia, demonstrating its ability to accelerate NASA’s exploration vision. This paper describes how the integrated production environment fostered at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) facility at Ames Research Center is reducing design cycle times, accelerating scientific discovery, achieving rapid parametric analyses of multiple scenarios, and enhancing safety for several NASA missions. We focus on Columbia’s impact on two key engineering and science disciplines: aerospace, and climate/weather. We also discuss future mission challenges and plans for NASA’s next-generation HEC environment.
Classics in Psychiatry and the Law: Francis Wharton on Involuntary Confessions

Philadelphia attorney Francis Wharton was a key intellectual figure in linking the sciences of medicine and law. In 1860, he published a monograph on involuntary confessions, which represented the closing chapter of Wharton and Stille's Treatise on Medical Jurisprudence. He had already published A Monograph on Mental Unsoundness in 1855, the first book of the Treatise in its first edition. Wharton was convinced that many criminals had an inner compulsion to confess or to be caught, explained as divine jurisprudence. His remarks on confessions include a typology spanning psychodynamics to police tactics, using contemporaneous, historical, and literary examples. This remarkable document provides insight into the dynamics of unintended and involuntary confessions and is compatible, in part, with current scholarship. The author contrasts Wharton's schema with those of his English predecessor Jeremy Bentham, the psychoanalyst Theodore Reik, and others, and concludes that it represents an important transition toward a psychological approach to the criminology of confessions.
Small Internal Deletions in the Human Cytomegalovirus IE2 Gene Result in Nonviable Recombinant Viruses with Differential Defects in Viral Gene Expression

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) IE2 86-kDa protein is a key viral transactivator and an important regulator of HCMV infections. We used the HCMV genome cloned as a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) to construct four HCMV mutants with disruptions in regions of IE2 86 that are predicted to be important for its transactivation and autoregulatory functions. Three of these mutants have mutations that remove amino acids 356 to 359, 427 to 435, and 505 to 511, which disrupts a region of IE2 86 implicated in the activation of HCMV early promoters, a predicted zinc finger domain, and a putative helix-loop-helix motif, respectively, while the fourth carries three arginine-to-alanine substitution mutations in the region of amino acids 356 to 359. The resulting recombinant viruses are not viable, and by using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR and immunofluorescence we have determined the location of the block in their replicative cycles. The IE2 86Δ356-359 mutant is able to support early gene expression, as indicated by the presence of UL112-113 transcripts and UL112-113 and UL44 proteins in cells transfected with the mutant BAC. This mutant does not express late genes and behaves nearly indistinguishably from the IE2 86R356/7/9A substitution mutant. Both exhibit detectable upregulation of major immediate-early transcripts at early times. The IE2 86Δ427-435 and IE2 86Δ505-511 recombinant viruses do not activate the early genes examined and are defective in repression of the major immediate-early promoter. These two mutants also induce the expression of selected delayed early (UL89) and late genes at early times in the infection. We conclude that these three regions of IE2 86 are necessary for productive infections and for differential control of downstream viral gene expression.
Predicting motor outcome at preschool age for infants tested at 7, 30, 60, and 90 days after term age using the Test of Infant Motor Performance.

Background and Purpose . Accurate and diagnostic measures are central to early identification and intervention with infants who are at risk for developmental delays or disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine (1) the ability of infants' Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) scores at 7, 30, 60 and 90 days after term age to predict motor development at preschool age and (2) the contribution of the home environment and medical risk to the prediction. Subjects and Methods . Sixty-one children from an original cohort of 90 infants who were assessed weekly with the TIMP, between 34 weeks gestational age and 4 months after term age, participated in this follow-up study. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, 2nd edition (PDMS-2), were administered to the children at the mean age of 57 months (SD=4.8 months). The quality and quantity of the home environment also were assessed at this age using the Early Childhood Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (EC-HOME). Pearson product moment correlation coefficients, multiple regression, sensitivity and specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were used to assess the relationship among the TIMP, HOME, medical risk, and PDMS-2 scores. Results . The correlation coefficients between the TIMP and PDMS-2 scores were statistically significant for all ages except at 7 days. The highest correlation coefficient was at 90 days ( r =.69, P =.001). The TIMP scores at 30, 60, and 90 days after term; medical risk scores; and EC-HOME scores explained 24%, 23%, and 52% of the variance in the PDMS-2 scores, respectively. The TIMP score at 90 days after term was the most significant contributor to the prediction. The TIMP cutoff score of − 0.5 standard deviation below the mean correctly classified 80%, 79%, and 87% of the children using a cutoff score of −2 standard deviations on the PDMS-2 at 30, 60, and 90 days, respectively. Discussion and Conclusion . The results compare favorably with those of developmental tests administered to infants at 6 months of age or older. These findings underscore the need for age-specific test values and developmental surveillance of infants before making referrals.
Clinical spectrum of restrictive cardiomyopathy in children

We reviewed the clinical spectrum and possible prognostic factors in 14 children with restrictive cardiomyopathy. The patients were not homogeneous in clinical presentation or morphology. The mortality rate was high: 21.4% at 1 year and 50% at 2 years after presentation. Younger patients with respiratory symptoms, thromboembolism, increased cardiothoracic ratio on chest radiogram or patients with endocardial fibroelastosis appear to have a worse prognosis and orthotopic cardiac transplantation may be indicated.
Christianity and Socialism in America, 1900–1920

American Christian churches in the first three quarters of the nineteenth century were in general strongly conservative in social and economic outlook, and solidly supported the individualism of the time. But after the Civil War the swiftly and often painfully changing social scene stimulated widespread interest in economic and social matters and contributed to extensive rethinking of traditional views on the part of many Christians. Important reformist, progressive, and radical Christian social movements rose and agitated the churches. Hence, when socialism grew with startling rapidity in the first decade and a half of the twentieth century, the attention of Christians was powerfully drawn to the new development. In that period when awareness of the social problem throbbed in the atmosphere of the time, that period of muckraking and trustbusting, progressivism and the sociological novel, the Socialist Party found rich soil in which to grow. The socialist vote grew from slightly over 400,000 in 1904 to some 900,000 in 1912, while party membership increased from 25,000 to 120,000 in the same period. By the latter date there were over one thousand socialists in elective positions across the land, most of them in minor posts, but with fifty mayors and twenty legislators included in the total. This rapid growth raised in a new and urgent way the problem of the relationship that should exist between Christianity and socialism.
Networking Networkers: An Initial Exploration of the Patterns of Collaboration among the Members of a New Community in Political Science

number of indicators signal a growing interest in the study of political phenomena from a network perspective in the United States, such as the growing number of published articles with a network focus in the discipline's top-tier journals and the creation of a new Political Networks section of the APSA in 2008. Yet another notable indicator is the organization of a new annual conference financially supported by the National Science Foundationthe Political Networks conference. The meeting not only brings together scholars who study networks in political science, but also fosters collaboration across disciplines by encouraging participation of non-political scientists with the goal of achieving more comprehensive answers to questions that cannot be properly answered within the confines of individual disciplines. So far, the Political Networks conference has taken place three times: in June 2008 and June 2009 at Harvard University, and in May 2010 at Duke University.1 These annual meetings give scholars the opportunity to present research and gain methodological training through workshops geared toward graduate students and faculty. But perhaps more importantly, they provide a setting in which professional collaboration may unfold among the members of this new scholarly community. In this article, I examine how the conference is helping shape this new community by showing: (1) who attended the first two conferences, (2) how these individuals engaged in collaboration with other attendees, and (3) whether new collaborative links bridge the limits of particular disciplines and subfields in political science. This last issue is particularly important to explore, because political science has been characterized repeatedly as a discipline in which scholars tend to work in compartmentalized ways (Almond 1988) and frequently ignore the professional benefits that can be derived from collaborative exchanges across subfields (see, e.g., Garand and Giles 2003) or disciplines. The emergence at the networks conferences of collaborative links connecting subfields of political science or bridging the void between our discipline and others suggests the development of a rich scholarly network that should facilitate a more comprehensive study of politics; the end result should be an enhanced ability to understand how political processes work.2 The following section provides a short description of the process of data collection. A later section presents results in a twofold manner: first, I address the patterns of collaboration and their changes, and second, I use a homophily analysis to show the tendency of attending scholars to diversify their contacts in ways that allow for professional collaboration across disciplines and subfields in political science.
An 800-MeV Spin Precessor for Polarized H- Beams Using H- to Ho Stripping

A new method is described for precessing the proton polarization axis of the incident H-polarized beam at LAMPF. The method uses a thin stripper to convert H-to Ho with ~50% efficiency at 800 MeV, and uses relatively small magnets to precess the HO spin. The large magnetic moment of the Ho relative to the charged ion (either H+ or H-) allows small magnets to produce any required spin orientation (with zero deflection of the neutral beam in the precession apparatus). Either Ho or H+ beam is delivered; for Ho, the magnitude of the proton polarization oscillates in proper time at the hyperfine frequency. The theory and test results will be summarized. Areas of possible application will be mentioned, including use for experiments and spin axis control where neutral beams can be used for injection of accelerated H-beams into storage rings or synchrotrons.
MÖSSBAUER PROPERTIES OF SYNTHETIC ANALOGS OF ACTIVE SITES OF THE IRON-SULFUR PROTEINS

Mossbauer spectroscopy of the synthetic tetramers (Fe4S4(SR)4)2- (R = alkyl, aryl) and the corresponding trianions obtained by one-electron reduction, when compared with available data for 4-Fe and 8-Fe iron-sulfur proteins, shows that these tetramers are electronic analogs of the active sites of the proteins.
A mapping algorithm for defect-tolerance of reconfigurable nano-architectures

Self-assembled nano-fabrication processes yield regular and reconfigurable devices. However, defect densities in this emerging nanotechnology are higher than those in conventional lithography-based VLSI. In this paper, we present a defect-tolerant design flow to minimize customized post-fabrication design efforts to be performed per chip. We also present a greedy O(n log n) mapping algorithm which makes the connection between defect-unaware design steps and the final defect-aware step. Experiments show that the results obtained by this algorithm are very close to the exact solutions.
Mutant huntingtin expression in clonal striatal cells: dissociation of inclusion formation and neuronal survival by caspase inhibition.

Neuronal intranuclear inclusions are found in the brains of patients with Huntington’s disease and form from the polyglutamine-expanded N-terminal region of mutant huntingtin. To explore the properties of inclusions and their involvement in cell death, mouse clonal striatal cells were transiently transfected with truncated and full-length human wild-type and mutant huntingtin cDNAs. Both normal and mutant proteins localized in the cytoplasm, and infrequently, in dispersed and perinuclear vacuoles. Only mutant huntingtin formed nuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions, which increased with polyglutamine expansion and with time after transfection. Nuclear inclusions contained primarily cleaved N-terminal products, whereas cytoplasmic inclusions contained cleaved and larger intact proteins. Cells with wild-type or mutant protein had distinct apoptotic features (membrane blebbing, shrinkage, cellular fragmentation), but those with mutant huntingtin generated the most cell fragments (apoptotic bodies). The caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK significantly increased cell survival but did not diminish nuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions. In contrast, Z-DEVD-FMK significantly reduced nuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions but did not increase survival. A series of N-terminal products was formed from truncated normal and mutant proteins and from full-length mutant huntingtin but not from full-length wild-type huntingtin. One prominent N-terminal product was blocked by Z-VAD-FMK. In summary, the formation of inclusions in clonal striatal cells corresponds to that seen in the HD brain and is separable from events that regulate cell death. N-terminal cleavage may be linked to mutant huntingtin’s role in cell death.
Exploiting data-width locality to increase superscalar execution bandwidth

In a 64-bit processor, many of the data values actually used in computations require much narrower data-widths. In this study, we demonstrate that instruction data-widths exhibit very strong temporal locality and describe mechanisms to accurately predict data-widths. To exploit the predictability of data-widths, we propose a Multi-Bit-Width (MBW) microarchitecture which, when the opportunity arises, takes the wires normally used to route the operands and bypass the result of a 64-bit instruction, and instead uses them for multiple narrow-width instructions. This technique increases the effective issue width without adding many additional wires by reusing, already existing datapaths. Compared to a traditional four-wide superscalar processor our best MBW configuration with a peak issue rate of eight IPC achieves a 7.1% speedup on the simulated SPECint2000 benchmarks, which performs very well when compared to a 7.9% speedup attainable by a processor with a perfect data-width predictor.
Building Faculty Support for Remote Storage: A Survey of Collection Behaviors and Preferences

A seismic retrofitting project required the UCSB Library (University of California, Santa Barbara) to permanently reduce its on-site collections by 120,000 volumes. To accomplish this successfully, a strong collaboration with the faculty was essential. This article describes a planning process in which the library worked with a faculty committee to implement a campus-wide survey of faculty and graduate students regarding their behaviors and preferences in accessing and using the collections. The survey outcomes informed a common understanding of which physical materials should remain on-site and which could be moved to storage with the least impact on research and teaching.
AAV9 delivering a modified human Mullerian inhibiting substance as a gene therapy in patient-derived xenografts of ovarian cancer

To improve ovarian cancer patient survival, effective treatments addressing chemoresistant recurrences are particularly needed. Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS) has been shown to inhibit the growth of a stem-like population of ovarian cancer cells. We have recently engineered peptide modifications to human MIS [albumin leader Q425R MIS (LRMIS)] that increase production and potency in vitro and in vivo. To test this novel therapeutic peptide, serous malignant ascites from highly resistant recurrent ovarian cancer patients were isolated and amplified to create low-passage primary cell lines. Purified recombinant LRMIS protein successfully inhibited the growth of cancer spheroids in vitro in a panel of primary cell lines in four of six patients tested. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) -delivered gene therapy has undergone a clinical resurgence with a good safety profile and sustained gene expression. Therefore, AAV9 was used as a single i.p. injection to deliver LRMIS to test its efficacy in inhibiting growth of palpable tumors in patient-derived ovarian cancer xenografts from ascites (PDXa). AAV9-LRMIS monotherapy resulted in elevated and sustained blood concentrations of MIS, which significantly inhibited the growth of three of five lethal chemoresistant serous adenocarcinoma PDXa models without signs of measurable or overt toxicity. Finally, we tested the frequency of MIS type II receptor expression in a tissue microarray of serous ovarian tumors by immunohistochemistry and found that 88% of patients bear tumors that express the receptor. Taken together, these preclinical data suggest that AAV9-LRMIS provides a potentially well-tolerated and effective treatment strategy poised for testing in patients with chemoresistant serous ovarian cancer.
Massively parallel distributed feature extraction in textual data mining using HDDI/sup TM/

One of the primary tasks in mining distributed textual data is feature extraction. The widespread digitization of information has created a wealth of data that requires novel approaches to feature extraction in a distributed environment. We propose a massively parallel model for feature extraction that employs unused cycles on networks of PCs/workstations in a highly distributed environment. We have developed an analytical model of the time and communication complexity of the feature extraction process in this environment based on feature extraction algorithms developed in our textual data mining research with HDDI/sup TM/ (Hierarchical Distributed Dynamic Indexing). We show that speedups linear in the number of processors are achievable for applications involving reduction operations based on a novel, parallel pipelined model of execution. We are in the process of validating our analytical model with empirical observations based on the extraction of features from a large number of pages on the World Wide Web.
A 2-Mask NMOS Process Design Fabricate and Test Module for Use In Microelectronics Instruction and Process Development

We have developed a simplified 2-mask n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor process design and verification module for electrical engineering students enrolled in the Microelectronic Manufacturing Methods class/laboratory at San Jose State University. We have run this module for three years and have found that the simplified process allows the students to learn more because they have the time to design the process fabricate and test in one semester. Student learning is also enhanced because it allows students to make and correct mistakes in the processing the devices. We have also found that the simplified process saves time in process development of more complex processes, by reducing the number of photolithography steps required to fabricate a transistor.
Evidence of an inflammatory pathologic condition in "normal" appendices following emergency appendectomy.

Abstract Background.—Appendices removed from patients with suspected appendicitis often appear normal on histologic examination. Objective.—To study appendix specimens for the expression of inflammatory markers as an indicator of presence of an inflammatory response in this subgroup of patients. Methods.—Cyclooxygenase 1 and 2, prostaglandin E2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and major histocompatibility complex class II were investigated by immunofluorohistochemistry using confocal laser microscopy in 15 acutely inflamed appendix specimens, 39 histologically classified “normal” appendices, and 11 negative control specimens. Results.—Strong expressions of all the inflammatory mediators were found in the mucosa of inflamed appendices, in approximately 50% of histologically normal appendices from patients with a clinical diagnosis of appendicitis, and in none of the normal control specimens. Conclusion.—This study confirms the existence of a subgroup of appendicitis within the so-called histologically nor...
Mammalian-Transmissible Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza: Epidemiological Context

There are many uncertainties regarding the potential applicability of epidemiological data from ferrets infected with laboratory-created highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses to human public health. These concerns can be better understood and articulated when discussed in the context of observational and clinical data from infections of mammals and humans by unmodified “wild-type” H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1 HPAI) viruses, factors which have been largely overlooked or ignored in most of the ongoing public and scientific debate over this issue. Key factors most relevant to the debate include the following:
Galileo: perceiving physical object properties by integrating a physics engine with deep learning

Humans demonstrate remarkable abilities to predict physical events in dynamic scenes, and to infer the physical properties of objects from static images. We propose a generative model for solving these problems of physical scene understanding from real-world videos and images. At the core of our generative model is a 3D physics engine, operating on an object-based representation of physical properties, including mass, position, 3D shape, and friction. We can infer these latent properties using relatively brief runs of MCMC, which drive simulations in the physics engine to fit key features of visual observations. We further explore directly mapping visual inputs to physical properties, inverting a part of the generative process using deep learning. We name our model Galileo, and evaluate it on a video dataset with simple yet physically rich scenarios. Results show that Galileo is able to infer the physical properties of objects and predict the outcome of a variety of physical events, with an accuracy comparable to human subjects. Our study points towards an account of human vision with generative physical knowledge at its core, and various recognition models as helpers leading to efficient inference.
HCOOH decomposition on Pt(111): A DFT study

Abstract Formic acid (HCOOH) decomposition on transition metal surfaces is important for hydrogen production and for its electro-oxidation in direct HCOOH fuel cells. HCOOH can decompose through dehydrogenation leading to formation of CO2 and H2 or dehydration leading to CO and H2O; because CO can poison metal surfaces, dehydrogenation is typically the desirable decomposition path. Here we report a mechanistic analysis of HCOOH decomposition on Pt(111), obtained from a plane wave density functional theory (DFT-PW91) study. We analyzed the dehydrogenation mechanism by considering the two possible pathways involving the formate (HCOO) or the carboxyl (COOH) intermediate. We also considered several possible dehydration paths leading to CO formation. We studied HCOO and COOH decomposition both on the clean surface and in the presence of other relevant co-adsorbates. The results suggest that COOH formation is energetically more difficult than HCOO formation. In contrast, COOH dehydrogenation is easier than HCOO decomposition. We found that CO2 is the main product through both pathways and that CO is produced mainly through the dehydroxylation of the COOH intermediate.
Molybdenum oxide contacts for nanowire CdS-CdTe solar cells

Using a 10nm thick molybdenum oxide (MoO3−x) layer as a transparent and low barrier contact to p-CdTe, we demonstrate nanowire CdS-CdTe solar cells with a power conversion efficiency of 11% under front side illumination. Annealing the as-deposited MoO3 film in N2 resulted in a reduction of the cell's series resistance from 10 Ω/cm2 to 7.7 Ω/cm2, and efficiency improvement from 9.9% to 11%. Under illumination from the back, the MoO3−x /Au side, the nanowire solar cells yielded Jsc of 20.9mA/cm2 and efficiency of 8.7%. This work has implications toward enabling a novel superstrate structure nanowire CdS-CdTe solar cell on Al foil substrate by a low cost roll-to roll fabrication process.
Building the New Bosco-Zeta Pharma (B)

Having just announced Bosco Pharmaceutical’s acquisition of Zeta AG (Zeta), the Bosco chairman is unsure whether to follow his instinct to merge the two firms using only internal resources, or whether he should accept the help of Deloitte Consulting. The Deloitte consultant advocated a complete overhaul of Bosco’s organizational structure, in over 100 countries, to accommodate Zeta, a company one-fifth Bosco’s size. But the chairman is uncertain whether Zeta’s worldwide product structure should be adopted by Bosco, or whether Zeta should be required to conform to Bosco’s more geographic management and operating structure. This merger would be the biggest in Bosco’s 110-year history, and the integration issues are not trivial. It is imperative to extract benefits from this merger--primarily the meshing of corporate cultures while simultaneously achieving ambitious cost savings.
The Sample Design for a National Farm Survey by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics

plans for the collection of data by enumerative surveys in the Bureau of Agricultural Economics and pointed out that in Januray 1947, a nation-wide sample of about 16,000 farmers in 816 counties will be interviewed. The purpose of this paper is to give a concise non-technical description of how the sample was designed and a few statements on the magnitude of the sampling errors. The sample was designed primarily for sampling farms; however, it is expected that the part-time staff of interviewers will also be useful in the collection of data from sources other than farm operators, such as landlords of tenant operated farms, the rural population, elevators and warehouses, or the taking of field observations for estimating yield and quality of crops. Thus, a flexible field organization and sampling plan are important. The essential facts about the sample in summary are: (1) Every county in the United States, with very few exceptions, was included in the universe and given a chance of being in the sample. (2) Three different over-all sampling rates were used:1 0.6% in the Northeast (New England plus Middle Atlantic States) and in the Pacific states, Florida, Maryland, and Delaware
Absorption and Metabolism of Bayer 22408 by Dairy Cows and Residues in the Milk

P32-labeled Bayer 22408 ( O,O -diethyl O -naphthalimido phosphorothioate) was applied dermally as a 0.5% emulsion to two Holstein dairy cows. Detectable quantities of the intact insecticide were isolated from the milk the first 6 days after treatment. Bayer 22408 equivalents in the milk were about 10 times higher than the actual Bayer 22408. No oxygen analog of the parent compound was isolated from milk, but it was the predominant nonhydrolyzed product of the feces. The fecal metabolites were toxic to stable fly ( Stomoxys calcitrans (L.)) larvae, but not to house fly ( Musca domestica L) larvae.
Spatial Heterogeneity in Epidemiological Models

This chapter focuses on spatial heterogeneity of epidemic models. In the first part of this chapter, metapopulation epidemic modeling is discussed. Models with Lagrangian and Eulerian movement patterns are introduced and studied. In the second part of this chapter, spatial heterogeneity is modeled with diffusion. Single species model with diffusion is derived and combined with an SI epidemic model. Dirichlet, Neumann, and Mixed boundary conditions are reviewed. The SI epidemic model with diffusion is reduced to a single equation model with diffusion and studied. Equilibria and their stability are discussed. Traveling wave solutions are introduced and illustrated with the SI model. Turing instability is also introduced and illustrated on an SI model with distinct diffusion rates.
IV pentamidine for Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia prophylaxis in pediatric allogeneic stem cell transplant patients.

IV pentamidine for Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia prophylaxis in pediatric allogeneic stem cell transplant patients
Retrograde Transport from Early Endosomes to the trans-Golgi Network Enables Membrane Wrapping and Egress of Vaccinia Virus Virions.

ABSTRACT The anterograde pathway, from the endoplasmic reticulum through the trans -Golgi network to the cell surface, is utilized by trans -membrane and secretory proteins. The retrograde pathway, which directs traffic in the opposite direction, is used following endocytosis of exogenous molecules and recycling of membrane proteins. Microbes exploit both routes: viruses typically use the anterograde pathway for envelope formation prior to exiting the cell, whereas ricin and Shiga-like toxins and some nonenveloped viruses use the retrograde pathway for cell entry. Mining a human genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) screen revealed a need for multiple retrograde pathway components for cell-to-cell spread of vaccinia virus. We confirmed and extended these results while discovering that retrograde trafficking was required for virus egress rather than entry. Retro-2, a specific retrograde trafficking inhibitor of protein toxins, potently prevented spread of vaccinia virus as well as monkeypox virus, a human pathogen. Electron and confocal microscopy studies revealed that Retro-2 prevented wrapping of virions with an additional double-membrane envelope that enables microtubular transport, exocytosis, and actin polymerization. The viral B5 and F13 protein components of this membrane, which are required for wrapping, normally colocalize in the trans -Golgi network. However, only B5 traffics through the secretory pathway, suggesting that F13 uses another route to the trans -Golgi network. The retrograde route was demonstrated by finding that F13 was largely confined to early endosomes and failed to colocalize with B5 in the presence of Retro-2. Thus, vaccinia virus makes novel use of the retrograde transport system for formation of the viral wrapping membrane. IMPORTANCE Efficient cell-to-cell spread of vaccinia virus and other orthopoxviruses depends on the wrapping of infectious particles with a double membrane that enables microtubular transport, exocytosis, and actin polymerization. Interference with wrapping or subsequent steps results in severe attenuation of the virus. Some previous studies had suggested that the wrapping membrane arises from the trans -Golgi network, whereas others suggested an origin from early endosomes. Some nonenveloped viruses use retrograde trafficking for entry into the cell. In contrast, we provided evidence that retrograde transport from early endosomes to the trans -Golgi network is required for the membrane-wrapping step in morphogenesis of vaccinia virus and egress from the cell. The potent in vitro inhibition of this step by the drug Retro-2 suggests that derivatives with enhanced pharmacological properties might serve as useful antipoxviral agents.
The Rise of the Underdog: The Anti-Hero in Two Plays by Sadallah Wannous

Sadallah Wannous (1941-1997), the leading Syrian dramatist, reflected in his plays the condition of the downtrodden fellow-countrymen. He captured the essence of the average Syrian citizen, not as an innately timid soul, but as one cowed by political and economic oppression. This paper provides a case study of two anti-heroes; Hanzala in Hazala's Journey from Unawareness to awakening (1978) and Farouk in A Day of Our Time (1993), who go on two journeys of discovery of the roots of their problems. The journeys in both cases lead to awakening and protest. This study attempts at analyzing the significance of the underdog figure in the light of dramatic and textual analysis and Wannous's own views communicated in his non dramatic writings and the interviews he gave in his lifetime. As a result, the author of this paper concludes that Wannous' anti-heroes delineate the collective psyche of the oppressed civilians. The awakening process delineated in the said plays is an attempt to raise political awareness in the masses of Wannous’s audience.
Sigmoids and the Seventh-year Trifurcation, a Metaphor

Because the sigmoid is such an important function, it would be useful to put it in a more universal form, independent of parameters such as a, b and k, which are specific to the particular system under consideration, such as interest rate, amounts of reagents, half-lives, etc. We can scale the variables in equation (17-5) as follows. Instead of y we shall define a variable z which equals +1 when y = b, and which equals −1 when y = a; its aymptotic values would be z = − 1 and z = + 1. We write z = Ky + L and will determine K and L such that z has the desired asymptotes: $$\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} {\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} { - 1 = Ka + L} \hfill & {and} \hfill & { + 1 = Kb + L,} \hfill & {hence} \hfill & {K = 2/(b - a),} \hfill \\ \end{array} } \hfill \\ {\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} {L = (a + b)/(a - b),} & {and} \\ \end{array} } \hfill \\ {z = (2y - a - b)/(b - a),y = \frac{1}{2}[(b - a)z + a + b].} \hfill \\ \end{array}$$
Relations Between He I λ10830 Absorption Strength and Stellar Activity Amongst Dwarf Stars

Correlations are identified between the strength of the λ10830 He I triplet line and the following tracers of stellar activity amongst FGK dwarfs with colours of (B − V) > 0.47: coronal soft X-ray emission, emission in the λ1549 C IV and λ1335 C II lines originating from the transition region, and Ca II H and K emission from the chromosphere. No such correlations are present amongst dwarfs with spectral type earlier than F6. In addition, G and K dwarfs with strong triplet lines show evidence of excess flux in the GALEX FUV band compared to weak-triplet-line dwarfs. The X-ray spectra of late-F, G, and K dwarfs with He I triplets stronger than 160 mA have greater values of the ROSAT hardness ratio HR1 than are typical of weak-triplet dwarfs in the same range of spectral type. In other words, dwarfs later than F7V with strong He I triplet lines tend towards harder 0.1–2.0 keV X-ray spectra than weak-triplet dwarfs, although values of HR1 ~ −0.2 to +0.1 can still be encountered amongst a minority of weak-He-triplet stars. As regards, FGK main sequence stars the observational data on the λ10830 triplet line remains sparse. Progress could be made through spectroscopy of high resolution for samples of hundreds of stars, selected on the basis of having other measures of chromospheric and coronal activity available.
Adolescence, Trans Phenomena, and the Politics of Sexuality Education

As ‘transgender’ increasingly becomes a subject position that is culturally available to young people through its circulation in media and popular culture and its proliferation in the institutional discourses of medicine, psychology, and education, so do the stakes increase for understanding its radical social potential and its limits within hegemonic discourse. What does the increasing availability of ‘transgender’ as a subject position do to conceptions of sexuality education? How can trans phenomena and transgender theory provide a context for reimagining the role of the school in the production of sexual subjectivities? Central to these questions is the question of ‘adolescence’ itself as a discursive and performative category with specific social and cultural functions. This chapter theorizes both transgender and adolescence as a way to unravel fixed notions of developmental sequence, gender identity, sexuality, and selfhood, positing the radical potential of queer and trans phenomena to rethink the politics of sexuality education.
Abstract 1698: Immunoprevention of KRAS-driven lung adenocarcinoma by a multi-peptide KRAS vaccine

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Mutations in KRAS are detected in up to 30% of lung cancer cases, about 80% of which occur in codon 12, yet no effective therapies specifically targeting mutant KRAS have been developed. Boosting the host immune response to cancer cells by vaccinating against defined tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) as a means of treating established tumors or preventing the development of tumors in high risk individuals such as current or former smokers is an area of intense research. The present study evaluated both immunogenicity and anti-tumor efficacy of a newly formulated multipeptide (peptides 15-17 amino acids long) vaccine targeting multiple epitopes of the KRAS molecule in a mouse model of KRAS-driven lung tumor. Vaccination was performed in the prevention setting in a transgenic mouse model, where mutated mouse Kras (G12D) is conditionally over-expressed in the lungs of mice using a CCSP promoter. A multi-score prediction algorithm was used to identify likely immunogenic epitopes in the KRAS protein sequence. The identified peptides were synthesized and screened in naive mice for immunogenicity. The formulated vaccine contained the top four peptides, which elicited the strongest immunologic response and showed 100% sequence homology between human and mouse. The multipeptide KRAS vaccine was then tested in an inducible CCSP-TetO-KRASG12D mouse model, where the vaccines mixed with the Freund’s adjuvant or adjuvant alone were administered prior to activating the mutant KRAS protein. Our results show the KRAS peptide vaccine exhibited striking efficacy, reducing tumor number and tumor burden by >80% when compared with adjuvant alone. Splenocytes collected from vaccinated animals at the end of the study showed a robust immunologic response to the immunizing peptides. Furthermore, in vitro stimulation of these splenocytes by the vaccine peptides resulted in the secretion of cytokines indicative of Th1 (interferon gamma) and Th17 (IL17) responses but with minimal secretion of Th2 related cytokines e.g. IL3 and IL4. In the draining lymph nodes from vaccinated mice rejecting tumors, there was a substantial increase in CD4 cells but a limited increase in CD8 cells. In summary, the multipeptide KRAS vaccine was immunogenic and efficacious in the primary prevention of KRAS-induced lung cancer in mice, indicating that the approach can potentially be used for the prevention of KRAS-driven cancers either alone or in combination with other modalities. Citation Format: Jing Pan, Qi Zhang, Shizuko Sei, Robert H. Shoemaker, Ronald A. Lubet, Yian Wang, Ming You. Immunoprevention of KRAS-driven lung adenocarcinoma by a multi-peptide KRAS vaccine [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1698. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1698
Diagnosis and Management of Anemia in Patients With the Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is composed of a group of diseases that for decades have been challenging to diagnose and manage. MDS is a clonal disease of the bone marrow. The pathologic manifestation of morphologic abnormalities (dysplasia) include ringed sideroblasts, megaloblastic changes, pseudo-Pelger cells, and micromega and multinucleated megakaryocytes. The clinical spectrum ranges from a mild anemia to pancytopenia and acute leukemic evolution.
Post-harvest management of tobacco thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) overwintering in peanut fields

A combination of fallow tillage and a March application of carbofuran were assessed as tactics for decreasing survival and reproduction of tobacco thrips overwintering in six harvested peanut field...
Will use of patient portals help to educate and communicate with patients with diabetes

Abstract Objective Chronic disease management can require daily attention, and increased levels of patient activation and engagement. We examined whether patients with diabetes perceive a greater benefit to having electronic access to their doctors’ clinic notes compared to patients without diabetes. We hypothesized that easy electronic access to these notes may help patients with self-care by improving education and communication. Methods Survey of patients with and without diabetes in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania about perceptions of potential benefits and risks of reading their visit notes via an electronic patient information portal. Administrative data were used to identify patients with diabetes; we compared their perceptions to those of patients without diabetes. Results The majority of patients (both with and without diabetes) perceived a positive impact of using the portal. Patients with diabetes were significantly more likely to believe that having access to and reading their notes would help them take their medication better and take better care of themselves. Conclusions Patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes might receive an even greater benefit from access to their doctors’ notes than the general patient population. Practice implications Doctors should encourage their patients with diabetes (or other chronic diseases) to use patient portals.
Modeling of Stimulus-Response Secondary Tasks with Different Modalities while Driving in a Computational Cognitive Architecture

This paper introduces a computational human performance model based upon the queueing network cognitive architecture to predict driver’s eye glances and workload for four stimulus-response secondary tasks (i.e., auditorymanual, auditory-speech, visual-manual, and visual-speech types) while driving. The model was evaluated with the empirical data from 24 subjects, and the percentage of eyes-off-road time and driver workload generated by the model were similar to the human subject data. Future studies aim to extend the types of voice announcements/commands to enable Human-Machine-Interface (HMI) evaluations with a wider range of usability test for in-vehicle infotainment system developments.
A CHANGING OF THE GUARD: EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTOR TURNOVER FOLLOWING CORPORATE FINANCIAL RESTATEMENTS.

This study examines the impact of corporate earnings restatements on strategic leaders. We hypothesize that restatement firms will attempt to reestablish organizational legitimacy by removing the l...