cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Digoxin Plus Trametinib Therapy Achieves Disease Control in BRAF Wild-Type Metastatic Melanoma Patients

Abstract This is the first prospective study of a combination therapy involving a cardenolide and a MEK inhibitor for metastatic melanoma. Whereas BRAF mutant melanomas can exhibit profound responses to treatment with BRAF and MEK inhibitors, there are fewer options for BRAF wild-type melanomas. In preclinical studies, we discovered that cardenolides synergize with MEK inhibitor to promote the regression of patient-derived xenografts irrespective of BRAF mutation status. We therefore conducted a phase 1B study of digoxin 0.25 mg and trametinib 2 mg given orally once daily in 20 patients with advanced, refractory, BRAF wild-type melanomas. The most common adverse events were rash, diarrhea, nausea, and fatigue. The response rate was 4/20 or 20% with response durations of 2, 4, 6, and 8 months. The disease control rate (including partial responses and stable disease) was 13/20 or 65% of patients, including 5/6 or 83% of patients with NRAS mutant melanomas and 8/14 or 57% of NRAS wild-type melanomas. Patients with stable disease had disease control for 2, 2, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, and 10 months. Xenografts from four patients recapitulated the treatment responses observed in patients. Based on these pilot results, an expansion arm of digoxin plus MEK inhibitor is warranted for NRAS mutant metastatic melanoma patients who are refractory or intolerant of immunotherapy. Key points Digoxin plus trametinib is well tolerated and achieves a high rate of disease control in BRAF wild-type metastatic melanoma patients.
Heuristic estimation of container stacking and reshuffling operations under the containership delay factor and mega-ship challenge

This paper addresses a highly researched area, the reshuffling problem in ports, using a new paradigm-modified containership service order in light of credit risk assessment. Container stacking and...
Merging micro-optics with micromechanics: micro-opto-electro-mechanical (MOEM) devices

Microoptical devices (including diffractive and refractive microlenses) fabricated using integrated circuit technology have recently received considerable attention. This scientific achievement offers new options for optical system design and has the potential to create a revolution in optical technology. Microoptic devices have been used for infrared focal plane array efficiency enhancement, beam splitters, and miniature optical scanners. What makes this technology attractive to industry is its potential low cost owing to its compatibility with VLSI batch processing and volume production, and low-cost replication techniques. In parallel with this development in optics, researchers have been pursuing micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) technology. MEM technology enables the development of many applications for sensors and actuators in automotive, machine tools, robotics, and medical instrumentation. This paper discusses the potential for merging microoptics with micromechanics to create a new class of micro-opto-electromechanical (MOEM) devices, a few examples of which are laser scanners, optical shutters and dynamic micromirrors. Both key MOEM device technologies (microoptics and MEM) employ similar batch processing methods, making low-cost, commercial applications highly feasible. Recent developments and achievements in microoptics and MEM are discussed. Then several very attractive MOEM devices that have recently been proposed and are being developed at different laboratories are introduced.
Preclinical Animal Models for the Development of Cancer Chemoprevention Drugs

Preclinical cell culture and animal efficacy testing models are currently used to identify, assess, and prioritize chemical agents and natural products with the aim of preventing human cancer. If little is known about a potential agent, the first step is a sequential series of short-term in vitro prescreens of mechanistic, biochemical assays. These assays provide quantitative data to help establish an early indication of chemopreventive efficacy and to assist in prioritizing agents for further evaluation in longer-term in vitro transformation bioassays and whole animal models. Promising chemical agents or combinations of agents that work through different inhibitory mechanisms are subsequently tested in well-established chemically induced or spontaneous animal tumor/cancer models, which typically include models of the colon, lung, bladder, mammary, prostate, and skin. These animal bioassays afford a strategic framework for evaluating agents according to defined criteria, and not only provide evidence of agent efficacy, but also serve to generate valuable dose-response, toxicity, and pharmacokinetic data required prior to Phase I clinical safety testing. Based on preclinical efficacy and toxicity screening studies, only the most successful agents considered to have potential as human chemopreventives will progress into clinical chemoprevention trials.
On the Generality of Multi-Terminal Flow Theory

We consider the problem of determining maximal flows between each pair of nodes in an undirected network. Gomory and Hu have studied this problem and have provided an efficient algorithm for its solution. We reexamine their procedure and generalize certain results of multi-terminal flow theory using well-known aspects of matroid theory. Additional implications afforded by this approach are also discussed.
PSL: Beyond Hardware Verification

In recent years, the language PSL (Property Specification Language, a.k.a. IEEE P1850) has been embraced and put to successful use by chip design/verification engineers across the electronics industry. While PSL is mainly used for hardware ver- ification, it can, in fact, be used to verify a wide variety of systems, including missile interception systems, railway interlocking protocols, system automation policies, and even business processes. We discuss and exemplify how PSL can be used as a general purpose language for the specification of models and properties, beyond hardware systems.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDS | Global Expansion 300000–8000 Years Ago, Americas

Exactly when humans first entered the American Continent, and from where, is still a matter of heated discussion by scientists today. Several migration routes have been proposed to reach the Americas, involving the use of the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia to Alaska or the use of watercraft along the Pacific or Atlantic Coasts; part of the current research involves trying to put times into the potential migration routes into the Americas. Also the role of the arrival of humans in the extinction of megafauna (mammoths, saber-toothed cats, camels, horses, etc.) is discussed against the effect of environmental changes at the end of Pleistocene (~ 10 000 years ago). Strong archeological evidence suggests that humans arrived in the Americas long before 12 000 RCYBP and that the Clovis people were not the first group to migrate into the New World. New information derived from linguistics, stone tools, craniometrics, and genetic evidence strongly suggests that the first Americans were very diverse from an ethnic point of view. However, the study of many more early human skeletons is required to construct a real picture.
Where You Cut Matters: A Dissection and Analysis Guide for the Spatial Orientation of the Mouse Retina from Ocular Landmarks

Accurately and reliably identifying spatial orientation of the isolated mouse retina is important for many studies in visual neuroscience, including the analysis of density and size gradients of retinal cell types, the direction tuning of direction-selective ganglion cells, and the examination of topographic degeneration patterns in some retinal diseases. However, there are many different ocular dissection methods reported in the literature that are used to identify and label retinal orientation in the mouse retina. While the method of orientation used in such studies is often overlooked, not reporting how retinal orientation is determined can cause discrepancies in the literature and confusion when attempting to compare data between studies. Superficial ocular landmarks such as corneal burns are commonly used but have recently been shown to be less reliable than deeper landmarks such as the rectus muscles, the choroid fissure, or the s-opsin gradient. Here, we provide a comprehensive guide for the use of deep ocular landmarks to accurately dissect and document the spatial orientation of an isolated mouse retina. We have also compared the effectiveness of two s-opsin antibodies and included a protocol for s-opsin immunohistochemistry. Because orientation of the retina according to the s-opsin gradient requires retinal reconstruction with Retistruct software and rotation with custom code, we have presented the important steps required to use both of these programs. Overall, the goal of this protocol is to deliver a reliable and repeatable set of methods for accurate retinal orientation that is adaptable to most experimental protocols. An overarching goal of this work is to standardize retinal orientation methods for future studies.
PCSK9 INHIBITORS FOR THE PREVENTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Recent studies provide evidence that PCSK9 inhibitors are effective lipid-lowering, but definitive evidence regarding clinical cardiovascular endpoints is still lacking. MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane library were searched through August 2018 to identify randomized clinical trials of PCSK9
Primary and Secondary Effects of Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Young Children:

This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Young Children (PTR-YC) using a single-case experimental design. PTR-YC is a manualized intervention designed to...
Representations of Cuntz algebras associated to quasi-stationary Markov measures

In this paper, we answer the question of equivalence, or singularity, of two given quasi-stationary Markov measures on one-sided infinite words, as well as the corresponding question of equivalence of associated Cuntz algebra ${\mathcal{O}}_{N}$ -representations. We do this by associating certain monic representations of ${\mathcal{O}}_{N}$ to quasi-stationary Markov measures and then proving that equivalence for a pair of measures is decided by unitary equivalence of the corresponding pair of representations.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pregnancy-Related Mortality in Illinois, 2002–2015

Background: Little is known about racial or ethnic differences in the potential preventability of pregnancy-related deaths, or the provider, systems, or patient factors associated with those deaths. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of pregnancy-related deaths among black, Hispanic, and white women between 2002 and 2015 in Illinois using Illinois Department of Public Health maternal mortality data. We compared the distribution of women's characteristics and calculated race- and ethnicity-specific pregnancy-related mortality ratios (PRMRs) per 100,000 live births. We describe the proportion of deaths that were determined to be potentially preventable by race and ethnicity and critical factors associated with pregnancy-related deaths by cause. Results: There were 130, 33, and 109 pregnancy-related deaths of black, Hispanic, and white women, respectively, in Illinois during the study period. Overall, black women's PRMR was nearly four times that of white women (32.6 vs. 8.9 per 100,000 live births). The PRMR for Hispanic women under 30 years was lower than for white women, but that advantage disappeared after age 30. Emboli and vascular accidents were the most common underlying cause of death overall. Over a third of deaths were potentially preventable. Provider factors, particularly delays in diagnosis and treatment and inappropriate treatment, were cited in 56.1%, 71.4%, and 50.0% of black, Hispanic, and white women's preventable deaths, respectively. Conclusion: Surprisingly, racial disparities in maternal mortality were not associated with statistically significant differences in the cause of death or class of contributing critical factors in this small, single-state analysis; further study in aggregate or pooled data with deeper qualitative assessment of individual cases is, therefore, required to understand how to narrow racial disparities in maternal outcome. If aggregate or pooled analysis showed systematic racial or ethnic differences in committee findings, it would be important to assess whether those differences were due to committee bias or other factors.
Rationale, design, and development of SleepWell24: A smartphone application to promote adherence to positive airway pressure therapy among patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Abstract Background Positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is the gold standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a chronic disorder that affects 6–13% of the adult population. However, adherence to PAP therapy is challenging, and current approaches to improve adherence have limited efficacy and scalability. Methods/design To promote PAP adherence, we developed SleepWell24, a multicomponent, evidence-based smartphone application that delivers objective biofeedback concerning PAP use and sleep/physical activity patterns via cloud-based PAP machine and wearable sensor data, and behavior change strategies and troubleshooting of PAP therapy interface use. This randomized controlled trial will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of SleepWell24 compared to a usual care control condition during the first 60 days of PAP therapy among patients newly diagnosed with OSA. Discussion SleepWell24 is an innovative, multi-component behavior change intervention, designed as a self-management approach to addressing the psychosocial determinants of adherence to PAP therapy among new users. The results will guide lengthier future trials that assess numerous patient-centered and clinical outcomes.
The Axial Age Debate as Political Discourse: Karl Jaspers and Eric Voegelin

In the 1949 study "On the Origin and Goal of History," German-Swiss philosopher Karl Jaspers characterized the years 800-200 BCE as an “axial age” or “axial period” (Achsenzeit) in human history. Parallel spiritual breakthroughs occurred simultaneously, yet independently, in Persia, China, India, Israel, and Greece, leading to the formation of world religions, Jaspers argued, as well as unprecedented philosophical clarity about the human condition. This axial age thesis sparked wide-ranging and ongoing debates in a variety of disciplines, including history and the philosophy of religion, but its greatest impact has been within historical and comparative sociology, where proponents of Jaspers' claim include S. N. Eisenstadt and Robert N. Bellah. Surprisingly, although Jurgen Habermas and Charles Taylor both make use of the axial age concept, it has attracted virtually no interest among political theorists, with the recent exception of Antony Black. In this paper, in dialogue with Black, Taylor, Bellah, and Hans Joas, I examine the origins of the axial age debate, focusing on the early and often neglected contribution of German-American sociologist and political scientist Eric Voegelin. Through a comparison of Jaspers and Voegelin, I argue that the axial age debate is, from its very beginning, a form of public discourse intended to illuminate and ameliorate contemporary political problems by reawakening a sense of wonder at the religious and philosophical insights of the first millennium BCE.
Copper carbene complexes. Synthesis and structural analysis of a chloro-bridged dicopper cation and the triosmium-copper carbene cluster complex HOs3(CO)11[µ-Cu(IPr)]

Abstract The chloro-bridged carbene-substituted dicopper salt [{(IPr)Cu}2(µ-Cl)][PF6], 1, IPr = [N,N′-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin-2- ylidene], was synthesized by the reaction of (IPr)CuCl with Tl[PF6]. Reaction of 1 with the anion, [HOs3(CO)11]− of the salt [PPN][HOs3(CO)11], 2 yielded the Cu - Os heterometallic cluster complex, HOs3(CO)11[µ-Cu(IPr)], 3, the first example of Cu - Os bimetallic cluster complex containing a N-heterocyclic carbene ligand. Compounds 1 and 3 were characterized by IR, 1H NMR and structurally by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compound 3 contains a triosmium carbonyl cluster with a bridging Cu(IPr) group on one edge of the cluster and a terminally-coordinated hydrido ligand on one of the Cu-bridged osmium atoms.
Outcomes of a child-based manual wheelchair skills peer training program: an exploratory case report.

The purpose of this exploratory case series was to describe the outcomes for both a child-learner and a child-peer after a single manual wheelchair (MWC) skills training session involving child-bas...
Spielberg and Terrorisms: Munich and War of the Worlds

In this chapter, “Spielberg and Terrorisms: Munich and War of the Worlds,” Frederick Wasser examines three of Steven Spielberg’s films and explores the notion that the director has taken on the role as the liberal conscience of Hollywood, Munich (2005) Minority Report (2002) and War of the Worlds (2005). In each movie terror threatens democratic values, and in each movie, Spielberg works with collaborators who force him out of his safe zone. In Minority Report the tension is between Spielberg and the paranoid determinism of the source, a short story written by Philip K. Dick; Munich written by Tony Kushner, a playwright with a greater willingness to provoke Israeli apologists than Spielberg and H. G. Wells who gave us allegorized imperialistic conquest as alien terrorism.
Parents’ psychological adjustment after gamete donation: a systematic review

The age factor plays a key role to the successful rates of ARTs protocols. The practical answer to this problem would be the acceptance of an egg, donated by a younger woman, who wants to undergo ovary stimulation, thus offering her cell to a female recipient. This review aims to investigate the psychological adjustment of parents who have used gamete donation, as well as its effect on the psychological adjustment of children in case of disclosing the children’s donor origin. The PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched for peer reviewed papers, focusing on parents’ psychological adjustment after gamete donation. Key search inclusion criteria included all papers published in English (between 2005 and 2019) relating to investigate the psychological adjustment of parents after gamete donation, as well as its effect on the psychological adjustment of children in case of disclosing the children’s donor origin. These families are possibly expected to be affected by the circumstances of the birth, especially in case of gamete donation or surrogacy, in terms of parents’ thoughts, feelings and behavior towards the child.
Receding Horizon Iterative Learning Control for Continuously Operated Systems

This paper presents an iterative learning control (ILC) scheme for continuously operated repetitive systems for which no initial condition reset exists. To accomplish this, we develop a lifted system representation that accounts for the effect of the initial conditions on dynamics and projects the dynamics over multiple future iterations. Additionally, we develop an economic cost function and update law that considers the performance over multiple iterations in the future, thus allowing for the prediction horizon to be larger than just the next iteration. Convergence of the iteration varying initial condition and applied input are proven and demonstrated using a simulated servo-positioning system test case.
Sentiment Flow Through Hyperlink Networks.

How does sentiment flow through hyperlink networks? Earlier work on hyperlink networks has focused on the structure of the network, often modeling posts as nodes in a directed graph in which edges represent hyperlinks. At the same time, sentiment analysis has largely focused on classifying texts in isolation. Here we analyze a large hyperlinked network of mass media and weblog posts to determine how sentiment features of a post affect the sentiment of connected posts and the structure of the network itself. We explore the phenomena of sentiment flow through experiments on a graph containing nearly 8 million nodes and 15 million edges. Our analysis indicates that (1) nodes are strongly influenced by their immediate neighbors, (2) deep cascades lead complex but predictable lives, (3) shallow cascades tend to be objective, and (4) sentiment becomes more polarized as depth increases.
MRI evaluation of injectable hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel therapy to limit ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction.

Injectable biomaterials are an attractive therapy to attenuate left ventricular (LV) remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). Although studies have shown that injectable hydrogels improve cardiac structure and function in vivo, temporal changes in infarct material properties after treatment have not been assessed. Emerging imaging and modeling techniques now allow for serial, non-invasive estimation of infarct material properties. Specifically, cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assesses global LV structure and function, late-gadolinium enhancement (LGE) MRI enables visualization of infarcted tissue to quantify infarct expansion, and spatial modulation of magnetization (SPAMM) tagging provides passive wall motion assessment as a measure of tissue strain, which can all be used to evaluate infarct properties when combined with finite element (FE) models. In this work, we investigated the temporal effects of degradable hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels on global LV remodeling, infarct thinning and expansion, and infarct stiffness in a porcine infarct model for 12 weeks post-MI using MRI and FE modeling. Hydrogel treatment led to decreased LV volumes, improved ejection fraction, and increased wall thickness when compared to controls. FE model simulations demonstrated that hydrogel therapy increased infarct stiffness for 12 weeks post-MI. Thus, evaluation of myocardial tissue properties through MRI and FE modeling provides insight into the influence of injectable hydrogel therapies on myocardial structure and function post-MI.
Abstract 16: Combination simvastatin and metformin induces G1-phase cell cycle arrest and Ripk1- and Ripk3-dependent necroptosis in C4-2B osseous metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer cells

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells acquire resistance to chemotherapy and apoptosis in part due to enhanced aerobic glycolysis and biomass production, known as Warburg effect. We previously demonstrated that combination simvastatin (SIM) and metformin (MET) ameliorates critical Warburg effect-related metabolic aberrations of C4-2B cells, synergistically and significantly decreases CRPC cell viability and metastatic properties, with minimal effect on normal prostate epithelial cells, and inhibits primary prostate tumor growth, metastasis, and biochemical failure in an orthotopic model of metastatic CRPC, more effectively than docetaxel chemotherapy. Several modes of cell death activated by individual treatment of SIM or MET have been reported; however, the cell death process induced by combination SIM and MET treatment in metastatic CRPC cells remains unknown. This must be determined prior to advancing combination SIM and MET to clinical trial for metastatic CRPC. Treatment of C4-2B cells with combination 4μM SIM and 2mM MET (SIM + MET) led to significant G1-phase cell cycle arrest and decrease in percentage of DNA-replicating cells in S-phase by 24h; arrest was sustained throughout 96h treatment. SIM + MET treatment led to enhanced autophagic flux in C4-2B cells by 72-96h, ascertained by increased LC3B-II (further enhanced with lysosomal inhibitor chloroquine) and reduced Sequestosome-1 protein expression, significantly increased percentage acidic vesicular organelle-positive cells, and increased autophagic structure accumulation assessed by transmission electron microscopy. Chloroquine, however, could not rescue CRPC cell viability, eliminating autophagy as a mechanism of cell death; rather, autophagy was upregulated by C4-2B cells in attempt to withstand chemotherapy. Instead, SIM + MET treatment led to Ripk1- and Ripk3-dependent necroptosis by 48-96h, determined by propidium iodide-Annexin V flow cytometry, increase in Ripk1 and Ripk3 protein expression, necrosome formation, HMGB-1 extracellular release, and necroptotic-induction and viability rescue with necrostatin-1 (Ripk1 activity inhibitor) and Ripk3-targeting siRNA. The necroptosis-inducing capacity of SIM + MET may reinvent these drugs as highly-effective treatment for apoptosis- and chemotherapy-resistant metastatic CRPC cells. Citation Format: Melissa A. Babcook, R. Michael Sramkoski, Hisashi Fujioka, Firouz Daneshgari, Alexandru Almasan, Sanjeev Shukla, Sanjay Gupta. Combination simvastatin and metformin induces G1-phase cell cycle arrest and Ripk1- and Ripk3-dependent necroptosis in C4-2B osseous metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 16. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-16
Mechanobiology in intervertebral disc degeneration and regeneration

Summary form only given. The invertebral disc is an avascular, pliant, composite structure that separates spinal vertebrae and, in health, serves to support compression and facilitate movement. Its morphological organization is directed by fluid pressure and consists of a central swelling gel (nucleus), surrounded peripherally by a constraining ligament (annulus fibrosus), and separated from adjacent vertebrae by semi-permeable membranes (endplate). These three tissues serve differing structural roles, are subjected to differing mechanical environments, and are composed of unique matrices and cells. Viewing disc cells as mechanosensors, we use in vivo models of disc loading to identify spatial and temporal relationships between stress/strain and cell function that define normal morphology and drive the architectural changes attributed to normal aging and degeneration. Intra-discal stress patterns consistent with disc health can then be elucidated based on these relationships, and in turn, help us develop spine-loading criteria that parameterize injury tolerance. This same perspective is critical for tissue engineering approaches for disc repair. Cells and matrices meant to guide healing need to withstand the demanding mechanical forces in the acute phases, and differentiate/remodel along the appropriate trajectory in the long-term. Because of their unique potential for adaptation, we are exploring the mechanoplasticity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their use in disc repair strategies. Our data demonstrate that these cells respond differentially to pressure and distortion, and can be delivered, retained, and survive in the disc's demanding mechanical/biochemical environment. Because of these features, MSCs are qualified as an intriguing autograft cell type for disc repair.
Reading the Reading Girl: From Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Editha to Hermione Granger and Her Fans

This article opens with Lady Macbeth, followed by a classic nineteenth-century story of a precocious and adorable reformer, followed by a mid-twentieth-century protagonist of prodigious intellectual potential. These formidable female heroes (or anti-heroes, as the case may be) offer precedent and foundation for the primary focus of Caroline McAlister’s article: Hermione Granger and the Reading Girl. Using all of these “reading girls” as lenses for her study, McAlister explores the intersections between the ostensibly passive activity of reading and the active worlds of creation and engagement, offering an unprecedented nuance to Barthes’ idea of writerly text. Editha, Matilda, and Hermione all approach their worlds primarily through the book, but none of them stays securely within that textual space. Each is called out of the text to make changes in the people and institutions of her world; just as each is called, of course, each calls to her readers to make active spaces for themselves in their own worlds. Of course, this engagement is most clearly evident in the character of Hermione, and the richly complex world of fan fiction and activism that Harry Potter readers of myriad ages, nations, and genders have constructed for and around themselves. Using classic female characters from generations of reading, McAlister brings her readers into the age of New Media in a way that gives writerly texts a whole new dimension.
Metabolism in vivo of deuterium-labelled linolenic and linoleic acids in humans.

Over 60 years ago, linoleic acid (18: 2, (6) was recognized as an essential fatty acid with important physiological functions. Many earlier studies failed to identify a physiological role for linolenic acid (18:3,w3) and it was 40 years later before 18: 3, w3 was accepted as an essential fatty acid. The observations by Sinclair [1] deserve credit for biochemists becoming aware of the importance of w3 fatty acids. However, the metabolism and biochcmistry of w3 fatty acids have
Identification of the sequence content of four polycistronic transcripts synthesized in Newcastle disease virus infected cells

During infection, the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) genome is transcribed to produce 5 to 7 species of polycistronic messenger RNA (Wilde and Morrison, J. Virol. 51, 71-76) in addition to the well characterized monocistronic messenger RNA. To identify the specific sequences present in each of the polycistronic RNA species, cDNA clones generated by reverse transcription of NDV mRNAs were characterized and used as probes on Northern blots of total NDV cytoplasmic RNA. By this method, it was shown that four of these large RNA species are polycistronic transcripts containing sequences from two genes: one species contains nucleocapsid protein (NP) and phosphoprotein (P) gene sequences; another, P and membrane protein (M) gene sequences; another, M and fusion protein (F0) gene sequences; and another, F0 and hemagglutinin-neuraminidase protein (HN) gene sequences. The existence of these transcripts yields a transcription map order of NP, P, M, F0, HN. The remaining RNA bands may be composed of at least three different polycistronic transcripts, each of which represents transcription through three adjacent genes.
The emission of corrosive vapours by wood. II. The analysis of the vapours emitted by certain freshly felled hardwoods and softwoods by gas chromato-graphy and spectrophotometry

Changes in composition of volatiles released by freshly-felled specimens of different softwood and hardwood species after incubation at sub-tropical temperatures and high humidity have been determined by gas chromatographic and spectrophotometric techniques. A method is described for the isolation, identification and quantitative assay of organic acids, alcohols and esters released to atmosphere from selected wood species under certain exposure conditions. Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), oak (Quercus robur), wych elm (Ulmus glabra) and Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) heart-wood and wych elm sapwood all released significant quantities of acetic acid (1600-550 p.p.m. of dried wood) and of formic acid (200-40 p.p.m. of wood as dried) when incubated for 6 months at 48° and 100% R.H., but Norway spruce (Picea abies) and beech (Fagus sylvatica) heartwood and sapwood and Douglas Fir sapwood on the other hand released only small quantities of acids. The main neutral volatiles identified after incubation were methanol, methyl acetate, ethanol, formaldehyde and an unidentified component. Sterilisation of wood shavings with propylene oxide prior to incubation significantly reduced the concentrations of formic acid, acetic acid and methanol, with accompanying increases in ester concentration. This may be due to inhibition of enzymic hydrolysis of simple esters in sap fluids and of polymeric esters in the wood cell-wall substance.
Hierarchical Relationships in the Bibliographic Universe

The hierarchical relationships among bibliographic entities include whole–part structures and the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) hierarchical relationships among works, expression, manifestations, and items. The traditional MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging) format falls short in representing these hierarchical relationships. Based on detailed analyses of these hierarchical relationships and an examination of Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) and Encoded Archival Description (EAD), which are well suited for hierarchical description, the author proposes some features of a new data structure standard named Resource Description Metadata Schema (RDMS). New cataloging practices based on RDMS will bring bibliographic description closer to archival description, and take one step further toward merged descriptive practices for bibliographic and archival materials.
A Policy Preference Function for Government Intervention in the U.S. Wheat Market

This paper estimates a policy preference function that explains the government's choices of target prices, government held wheat stocks, and public wheat research funding. The policy preference function depends on producers' surplus, consumers' surplus, and budget expenditures. An important innovation in this paper is the inclusion of interactions between public research expenditures and other public policy variables. Results indicate that the government places a premium of 25% to 45% on the welfare of wheat producers of relative to budget expenditures, while wheat consumers' welfare is discounted as much as 50% relative to budget expenditures. The purpose of this paper is to provide an explanation of government commodity programs, stock accumulations, and research expenditures in the U.S. wheat sector. The explanation is based on a policy preference function (PPF) that depends on producers' surplus, consumers' surplus, and budget expenditures. It is assumed that target prices, reductions in (or additions to) government stocks, and public research expenditures are chosen to maximize the policy preference function. The central contribution of the paper is the estimation of a function that is consistent with the observed government interventions in the U.S. wheat market. That is, the paper explains the observed target prices, government sales, and public research expenditures as rational behavior by a government which seeks to maximize the estimated policy preference function. The approach in this paper is based on the political interest group theories of Peltzman and Becker. Applications of these ideas to agriculture include Rausser and Freebairn's description of the beef industry, Gardner's (1985) analysis
Cavitation threshold measurements for microsecond length pulses of ultrasound.

The acoustic cavitation threshold of an aqueous solution has been measured at megahertz frequencies as a function of pulse width and pulse repetition frequency for various combinations of these quantities. The fluid tested was a 0.1M KOH–H3BO3 buffer solution with pH 10.9, which contained luminol, was saturated with argon, and filtered to 25 μ. The presence of cavitation was detected by a photomultiplier tube that required the emission of visible light that was both larger in magnitude and longer in duration than a preset criterion. It was observed that the cavitation threshold of water under pulse conditions decreases both when the pulse width is fixed and the pulse repetition frequency is increased, and when the pulse repetition frequency is fixed and the pulse width is increased. Acoustic cavitation thresholds measured in aqueous solutions are significantly less than those acoustic pressures associated with instruments that are currently in widespread use in medicine.
A preconcentrator coupled to a GC/FTMS: advantages of self-chemical ionization, mass measurement accuracy, and high mass resolving power for GC applications

Coupling of a cryogenic preconcentrator (PC) to a gas chromatograph/Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (GC/FT-ICR MS) is reported. To demonstrate the analytical capabilities of the PC/GC/FT-ICR MS, headspace samples containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from detached pine tree twigs were analyzed. Sub-ppm mass measurement accuracy (MMA) for highly resolved (m/m50% 150 k) terpene ions was achieved. Direct PC/GC/FT-ICR MS analyses revealed that detached twigs from pine trees emit acetone, camphor, and four detectable hydrocarbon isomers with C10H16 empirical formula. The unknown analytes were identified based on accurate mass measurement and their mass spectral appearances. Authentic samples were used to confirm initially unknown identifications. Self-chemical-ionization (SCI) reactions furnished an additional dimension for rapid isomer differentiation of GC eluents in real time. (J Am Soc Mass Spectrom 2004, 15, 1191–1200) © 2004 American Society for Mass Spectrometry
The Farm Credit System as a Government-Sponsored Enterprise

This article examines the impact of government-sponsored enterprise status for the Farm Credit System on allocative efficiency in agricultural credit markets. The Farm Credit System was established originally to overcome market failures in these markets and to provide long-term funding at rates lower than private credit sources. Using a supply and demand model and an options model,the impact of subsidized interest rates is discussed. My results show that the default risk premium in interest rates is transferred from agricultural borrowers to taxpayers. There is evidence of deadweight losses and market distortions due to government-sponsored enterprise status for the Farm Credit System.
Implementing COOL: Comparative welfare effects of different labeling schemes

Country-of-origin labeling (COOL) is being implemented in different forms and degrees in the United States and other countries across the world. The first implementation of mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) in the United States was for seafood in 2005. This is an example of partial MCOOL because it exempts the foodservice sector and excludes processed seafood from labeling. Using a conceptual framework, we analyze the welfare impacts of partial MCOOL when compared to no, voluntary, and total mandatory COOL, taking into account imperfect competition in the downstream markets, information asymmetry, and diversion of low-quality product to the unlabeled market. The model is general enough to apply to any incomplete regulation for which the perceived low-quality product is required to be labeled, such as the labeling of genetically modified food in the European Union. Our results show that when consumers have a strong enough preference for domestic relative to imported product, regulators can overestimate the gain in consumer welfare from partial mandatory labeling if they ignore the diversion of lower quality imports to the unlabeled sector. We show that if the preference for domestic product is large enough, total MCOOL benefits the home market the most overall, including domestic consumers and producers, but not the imperfectly competitive downstream agents. However, if total MCOOL is too costly to implement, partial MCOOL is the second-best solution, but only if consumers falsely believe the unlabeled product to be of higher quality than it truly is. Our results suggest more research is needed to determine the extent to which consumers value the information provided by MCOOL and to enable regulators to consider the welfare impact of diversion in evaluating incomplete mandatory labeling regulations.
Hydroxyl radicals mediate injury to endothelium-dependent relaxation in diabetic rat

The purpose of this study was to determine the radical species which mediates the toxic effects of exogenous oxygenderived free radicals on endothelial function of chronic diabetic rat aorta. Endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine was impaired in diabetic vessels. Exposure to the exogenous free radical generating system of xanthine plus xanthine oxidase selectively impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine in control and diabetic aorta with relaxations essentially abolished in diabetic aorta. The loss of relaxation to acetylcholine in diabetic aorta was prevented or attenuated by pretreatment with catalase, dimethylthiourea or desferrioxamine, but not by mannitol or superoxide dismutase. These results suggest that hydroxyl radicals play an important role in the endothelial injury produced by oxygen-derived free radicals in chronic diabetic rat aorta. Furthermore, the site of the injury is likely due to intracellular generation of hydroxyl radicals.
Development of Transparent Ceramic Spinel (MgAl 2 O 4 ) for Armor Applications

This paper will describe the Army’s efforts to develop polycrystalline transparent ceramic from magnesium aluminate spinel (MgAl2O4) for transparent armor applications, with particular emphasis on the development of cost effective ceramic powder synthesis and processing.
Processing characteristics of poly(ethylene terephthalate): hydrolytic and thermal degradation

The effects of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) resin moisture content and temperature exposure have been investigated in terms of material changes resulting from the injection moulding process. Two resins with initial carboxyl contents of 10 µeq/g PET and 20 µeq/g PET have been analysed. Preforms processed at different resin moisture contents and processing temperatures of 280, 290 and 300 °C were evaluated in terms of carboxyl end-group concentration using a titration method. Intrinsic viscosities of the performs were also measured by solution viscosity. Mathematical models describing the relationships of carboxyl end-group concentration and intrinsic viscosity to the processing conditions were generated from the experimental data. Carboxyl end-groups formed were compared for both resins and shown to be dependent on initial carboxyl content in the resin. Reducing the initial carboxyl content in the resin has been shown to increase its hydrolytic stability. The hydrolytic effect on the overall molecular weight drop was separated from the thermal/thermal-oxidative degradation and shown to be dependent on both the processing temperature and the resin moisture content. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry
Nested rivalries: Superpower competition, arms transfers, and regional conflict, 1950–1990

Interstate rivalries in the Third World cannot be fully understood apart from the global context in which they evolve and endure. This study examines the link between the superpowers’ Cold War competition and regional rivalry by focusing specifically on arms‐transfer relationships. Poisson regression analysis highlights the interrelationships between superpower competition, arms transfers, and regional rivalry in the Middle East, Persian Gulf, South Asia, and the Horn of Africa from 1950 to 1990. Many of the observed patterns are consistent with a realist explanation of interstate alignment and conflict, but a more holistic theory is required to detail the mechanisms by which Third World rivalries are nested in great power competition.
Pressure-Induced Retention Variations in Reversed-Phase Alternate-Pumping Recycle Chromatography

The progressions of peak width and peak separation in reversed-phase alternate-pumping (AP) recycle chromatography are found to be inconsistent with conventional chromatographic theory. These discrepancies are explained by subtle pressure-induced variations of solute retention that become amplified by AP recycling. The presence of these retention variations is demonstrated by multiply injecting a single solute into an AP system at offset times. As the serially injected peaks are recycled, the separation time between the peaks is shown to vary significantly, indicating that the retention of the solute is dependent upon the position of the peak. A new model of chromatographic retention that appropriately accounts for this variable retention is presented. When this retention model is applied to an AP system for the binary separation of phenylalanine and a pentadeuterated phenylalanine, the model accurately describes the experimentally observed progressions of peak width and peak separation. Furthermore, the retention model predicts that the improvement of resolution in AP recycling closely matches the expectations of conventional theory, so the effectiveness of AP recycling is not significantly compromised by the variations in retention.
Breast cancer--loss of PTEN predicts resistance to treatment.

A new study uncovers a mechanism by which trastuzumab (Herceptin) counters the progression of cancer. The findings point to a subgroup of patients who are likely to have a response to treatment.
Electronic devices for speech rehabilitation following laryngectomy

In spite of more than a century of research on voice rehabilitation for the laryngectomee, effective options remain limited. Although voice preservation is generally preferable to substitution and esophageal speech is functionally useful for a small percentage of patients, artificial devices are often necessary. The extracervical electrolarynx and the tracheoesophageal puncture have been useful, and the artificial larynx implant appears to hold considerable promise for selected patients in the future. Today, as in the past, no single approach suits all patients.
Wheel-Rail Dynamic Model and Stochastic Analysis of the Friction in the Contact Patch

The coefficient of friction (CoF) is one of the most important parameters for characterizing the contact between the wheel and the rail. The assumption of a constant CoF is still used in most theoretical studies, although experimental work indicates that the CoF depends on material and dynamic parameters. In the real world, accurate estimation of the CoF is not simple due to various uncertainties. In this paper we present a new 3D nonlinear dry CoF model at the wheel-rail contact. In addition, a stochastic analysis using the polynomial chaos theory is performed with the CoF model. The maximum amplitude of rail roughness and the lateral displacement of the wheel are considered as uncertain parameters in this study. One of the novelties in this study is that our CoF model captures the maximum CoF value (an initial peak) when the wheel starts to move. The stochastic analysis results show that the CoF probability density function (PDF) of a combination of two uncertain parameters has wider PDF ranges than the PDF obtained for only one uncertain parameter. The current work demonstrates that the CoF is strongly affected by the stochastic variation of dynamic parameters. In reality, the CoF is critical to rail tractive performance and efficiency. Thus, the PDF distribution of the CoF must be accounted for in the design of the wheel-rail system.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Ecpd accreditation of engineering curricula

The process of accreditation contributes to engineering education, thus to the profession as a whole, by insuring not only adequate curricula, but also the general improvement of all curricula. The history and operation of the ECPD Education and Accreditation Committee are described.
Simultaneous optimization of molecular geometry and the wave function in a basis of Singer's n-electron explicitly correlated Gaussians

Abstract Analytical gradients of the Born–Oppenheimer variational energy of a molecular system with respect to nuclear coordinates are derived and implemented to optimize the molecular geometry in a basis of Singer's explicitly correlated Gaussian functions. The 3N−6 geometry variables are optimized simultaneously with the linear and non-linear variational parameters of the wave function. The method can be used for global minimization, transition structure prediction, and following reaction paths in problems that require very accurate wave functions. Test results on hydrogen clusters with two and three atoms are presented as an illustration of the method.