cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aberrant extracellular signaling induced by ionizing radiation and its role in carcinogenesis

Abstract Multicellular organisms orchestrate the behavior of individual cells via extracellular signaling through the microenvironment. The lines of communication are diverse, ranging from the insoluble scaffold of the extracellular matrix, permeated with small, diffusible molecules of cytokines to the cell surface that is structured by adhesion receptors and gap junctions forming communication channels between cells. Ionizing radiation elicits rapid and persistent changes in extracellular signaling, as exemplified in our studies of the irradiated mammary gland by the rapid and persistent activation of transforming growth factor-β1. We have shown that such events can contribute to radiation's carcinogenic action in experiments in which nonirradiated, preneoplastic mammary epithelial cells are transplanted to an irradiated stroma, in which significantly larger tumors arose more frequently. In recent studies, we analyzed the effect of radiation on extracellular signaling in human mammary cells using a three-dimensional culture model. Preliminary data indicate that the progeny of irradiated cells, i.e., survivors, display aberrant morphogenesis and cell–cell interactions, resulting in behaviors characteristic of malignancy in this model. We hypothesized that under certain conditions, radiation exposure prevents normal cell interactions, which in turn could predispose susceptible cells to genomic instability.
Genetic Interaction between Tmprss2-ERG Gene Fusion and Nkx3.1-Loss Does Not Enhance Prostate Tumorigenesis in Mouse Models

Gene fusions involving ETS family transcription factors (mainly TMPRSS2-ERG and TMPRSS2-ETV1 fusions) have been found in ~50% of human prostate cancer cases. Although expression of TMPRSS2-ERG or TMPRSS2-ETV1 fusion alone is insufficient to initiate prostate tumorigenesis, they appear to sensitize prostate epithelial cells for cooperation with additional oncogenic mutations to drive frank prostate adenocarcinoma. To search for such ETS-cooperating oncogenic events, we focused on a well-studied prostate tumor suppressor NKX3.1, as loss of NKX3.1 is another common genetic alteration in human prostate cancer. Previous studies have shown that deletions at 8p21 (harboring NKX3.1) and 21q22 (resulting in TMPRSS2-ERG fusion) were both present in a subtype of prostate cancer cases, and that ERG can lead to epigenetic silencing of NKX3.1 in prostate cancer cells, whereas NKX3.1 can in turn negatively regulate TMPRSS2-ERG fusion expression via suppression of the TMPRSS2 promoter activity. We recently generated knockin mouse models for TMPRSS2-ERG and TMPRSS2-ETV1 fusions, utilizing the endogenous Tmprss2 promoter. We crossed these knockin models to an Nkx3.1 knockout mouse model. In Tmprss2-ERG;Nkx3.1+/- (or -/-) male mice, although we observed a slight but significant upregulation of Tmprss2-ERG fusion expression upon Nkx3.1 loss, we did not detect any significant cooperation between these two genetic events to enhance prostate tumorigenesis in vivo. Furthermore, retrospective analysis of a previously published human prostate cancer dataset revealed that within ERG-overexpressing prostate cancer cases, NKX3.1 loss or deletion did not predict biochemical relapse after radical prostatectomy. Collectively, these data suggest that although TMPRSS2-ERG fusion and loss of NKX3.1 are among the most common mutational events found in prostate cancer, and although each of them can sensitize prostate epithelial cells for cooperating with other oncogenic events, these two events themselves do not appear to cooperate at a significant level in vivo to enhance prostate tumorigenesis.
Development of Middle Continental Shelf Sand Ridges: New Jersey

Mid-shelf ridges on the New Jersey mid-continental shelf, in water depths of 20 to 40 m (65 to 130 ft), were recently reinterpreted as degraded barriers. These barriers are believed to have developed at various intervals between 8,000 and 14,000 years B.P. The 30 km (16.2 nmi) width of this barrier complex suggests: (1) two or more prograding barriers with the younger barrier being landward of the older barrier; or (2) successive small barriers forming landward of preexisting, partly preserved barriers. During periods when sand supply was in excess of the amount needed for maintenance, the barriers prograded. During this time the sea level rose, causing the barriers to both aggrade and prograde. As the barrier grew, an increasing amount of sand was needed to maintain the arrier. When the sea level rise exceeded the amount of available sediment, the barriers became submerged. Our model proposes that, during initial submergence, the dunes and upper shoreface of the barrier were removed by erosion, leaving only the lower portions of the shoreface. After isolation on the mid-shelf, the degraded barriers, which now constitute the mid-shelf ridges, continued to be modified by shelf currents. During winter northeasterlies, bottom currents deepened the preexisting topographic lows and carried the sediment upflank for deposition on the crest. During summer, mild storms and internal waves tended to degrade the upper portion of the ridges. The net result was slow aggradation of the ridges since isolation on the mid-shelf.
Sequential thiol‐ene/thiol‐ene and thiol‐ene/thiol‐yne reactions as a route to well‐defined mono and bis end‐functionalized poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)

Sequential thiol-ene/thiol-ene and thiol-ene/thiol-yne reactions have been used as a facile and quantitative method for modifying end-groups on an N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) homopolymer. A well-defined precursor of polyNIPAm (PNIPAm) was prepared via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in DMF at 70 °C using the 1-cyano-1-methylethyl dithiobenzoate/2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) chain transfer agent/initiator combination yielding a homopolymer with an absolute molecular weight of 5880 and polydispersity index of 1.18. The dithiobenzoate end-groups were modified in a one-pot process via primary amine cleavage followed by phosphine-mediated nucleophilic thiol-ene click reactions with either allyl methacrylate or propargyl acrylate yielding ene and yne terminal PNIPAm homopolymers quantitatively. The ene and yne groups were then modified, quantitatively as determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy, via radical thiol-ene and radical thiol-yne reactions with three representative commercially available thiols yielding the mono and bis end functional NIPAm homopolymers. This is the first time such sequential thiol-ene/thiol-ene and thiol-ene/thiol-yne reactions have been used in polymer synthesis/end-group modification. The lower critical solution temperatures (LCST) were then determined for all PNIPAm homopolymers using a combination of optical measurements and dynamic light scattering. It is shown that the LCST varies depending on the chemical nature of the end-groups with measured values lying in the range 26–35 °C. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3544–3557, 2009
Performance of Optimum and Suboptimum Synchronizers

The optimum (maximum-likelihood) synchronizer for extracting bit synchronization directly from a binary data stream is presented along with some simple suboptimum synchronizers that perform almost as well. The manner in which the performances of these systems depend on the pertinent system parameters as determined by a combined program of analysis, simulation, and laboratory experimentation are reported. Both synchronizer jitter and the degradation in error rate due to jitter are considered.
Intelligent tools for the state space analysis of nonlinear controllers

The author describes research on automating the state space analysis of nonlinear dynamical systems by combining artificial intelligence with numerical software. The resulting programs can assist control theorists in the stability and robustness analysis of continuous and discrete nonlinear systems. A program POINCARE, that analyzes one-parameter systems with two state variables is described. It computes the stable states as a function of the parameter value and describes the basins of attraction qualitatively. It computes basins numerically for fixed parameter values. The algorithm extends to systems where two parameters vary independently. It extends partially to systems with three or more state variables; tracking attractors is feasible, but estimating basins requires more research. >
A rigorous treatment of self-shielding and covers in neutron spectra determinations

Most neutron spectrum determination methodologies ignore self-shielding effects in dosimetry foils and treat covers with an exponential attenuation model. This work provides a quantitative analysis of the approximations in this approach. It also provides a methodology for improving the fidelity of the treatment of the dosimetry sensor response to a level consistent with the user's spectrum characterization approach. A library of correction functions for the energy-dependent sensor response has been compiled that addresses dosimetry foils/configurations in use at the Sandia National Laboratories Radiation Metrology Laboratory.
Proteomics and Biomarkers in Neonatology

Proteomic technologies and disease-specific biomarkers are being increasingly explored across diverse fields of medicine. The care of the neonate is defined by both a unique patient population and acquired postnatal morbidities that are largely a function of failed adaptation to postnatal life. However, most current diagnostic clinical tests for the neonate suffer from poor sensitivity and specificity or simply rely on a morphologic description of end-organ damage. In this review, we discuss proteomic technologies for the discovery and translation of biomarkers to clinical use, emphasizing unique potential neonatal disease applications.
Evaluating the Impact of Treatment Effectiveness and Side Effects in Prescribing Choices

Drugs can be effective in curing an illness or relieving a symptom but can have harmful side effects. The value of a drug, among others, depends on the trade-off between treatment effectiveness and side effects. There has been a long history that treatment effectiveness and safety are used as two of the most important attributes to determine the value of a drug. This chapter provides an overview of research on evaluating effectiveness and side effects of prescription drugs. We first briefly review the standard industry practice of using clinical trials data to measure the effectiveness and side effects of a drug. We then discuss how researchers may utilize clinical trials to gauge participants’ preferences. After that, we provide a literature review on studying treatment effectiveness and side effects using post-marketing prescription choice data. Lastly, we close the chapter with suggestions on future research questions, for both practitioners and academic researchers.
GM3 as a Novel Growth Regulator for Human Gliomas

The simple ganglioside GM3 inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in proliferating immature rodent CNS cells. To determine whether GM3 influenced the expansion of human neural tumors the effects of GM3 treatment on primary human brain tumors were assayed. Here we demonstrate that GM3 treatment dramatically reduces cell numbers in primary cultures of high-grade human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) tumors and the rat 9L cell gliosarcoma cell line. By contrast, GM3 treatment had little effect on cell number in cultures of normal human brain. A single injection of GM3 3 days after intracranial implantation of 9L tumor cells in a murine xenograft model system resulted in a significant increase in the symptom-free survival period of host animals. The effects of GM3 were not restricted to GBMs and 9L cells. Cultures of high-grade ependymomas, mixed gliomas, astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, and gangliogliomas were all susceptible to GM3 treatment. These results suggest that GM3 may have considerable value as a selectively toxic chemotherapeutic agent for human high-grade gliomas.
Genetic evidence for an activator required for induction of pectin lyase in Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora by DNA-damaging agents.

In Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora 71, the induction of pectin lyase (Pnl), the bacteriocin carotovoricin (Ctv), and cellular lysis (Lss) requires a RecA function. We obtained mutants wherein a pleiotropic defect, i.e., the lack of induction with mitomycin C, is not restored by the recA+ DNA. From a genomic library of strain 71, a cosmid (pAKC280) that restored induction of Pnl, Ctv, and Lss by mitomycin C was isolated. The activator function, designated Rdg for regulator of damage-inducible genes, was localized by subcloning and insertional mutagenesis to a 2.6-kb region within a 6.7-kb EcoRI fragment. An rdg-lacZ operon fusion was inducible by mitomycin C in RecA+ but not RecA- derivatives of E. carotovora subsp. carotovora 71 and Escherichia coli. A RecA+ E. coli strain carrying only a PnlA+ plasmid was not inducible for Pnl production; however, when both a PnlA+ plasmid and a Rdg+ plasmid were present, the transcription of pnlA and the production of the enzyme were activated by mitomycin C. The size of the pnlA transcript produced in E. coli was identical to that of the transcript produced by E. carotovora subsp. carotovora 71, suggesting that the same promoter and termination sequences were being utilized in these bacteria.
The cypridinid copulatory limb and a new genus Kornickeria (Ostracoda: Myodocopida) with four new species of bioluminescent ostracods from the Caribbean

Kornickeria, a new genus of myodocopid ostracod (Cypridinidae) in the Caribbean Sea, is described in terms of morphology and species-specific bioluminescent display patterns. Four new species are described: Kornickeria louisi , the type species for the genus, K. coufali, K. marleyi and K. hastingsi, which includes two subspecies: K. hastingsi hastingsi and K. hastingsi carriebowae. Vargula bullae is reassigned to Kornickeria with a supplementary description. Of the new species, the first three are known only from Jamaica and the last from Jamaica, Belize and Roatan. All are found primarily among shallow coral reef habitats where the males produce vertical trains of luminescent secretions as species-specific courtship patterns. Kornickeria is defined by several derived morphological characters, but species differ more in luminescent displays than morphology. Displays are restricted to upward and downward variations of vertical displays and consist of a shortening phase of a few bright pulses and a longer trill phase of dimmer, fairly closely and evenly spaced pulses. Train lengths are relatively short compared to those of many other Caribbean signalling species. Both the described (5) and undescribed (c. 12) species of Kornickeria known thus far are confined to the Caribbean Sea, but the genus is distributed more widely within the Caribbean than the other signalling cypridinid clades. Kornickeria species have been found in all Caribbean sampling localities except Panama where they are apparently replaced by their sister clade, the Z-Group. The slight non-clinal geographic variation (as well as the behavioural variation of one population) exhibited in the most shallow-dwelling species, K. hastingsi , may reflect (1) the presence of morphologically and behaviourally cryptic species, (2) unexpected and unexplained dispersal abilities and/or (3) current but incomplete speciation processes. The paired male copulatory organs are an eighth pair of ostracod limbs, which bear many useful systematic characters. A general plan, which we here produce as a model, applies to the limb throughout the family Cypridinidae. Homologies within the Cypridinidae were found for many copulatory characters, particularly the setae, ornamentation, lobe shapes and internal sclerites. Articulation of internal sclerites marks separation of the limb into two articles. Three lobes extend from the limb: two (inner and central) from the basal article and one (outer) from the distal article.
Kinetics and characteristics of absorption from an equimolar mixture of 12 glycyl-dipeptides in human jejunum.

We have investigated rates of dipeptide disappearance during jejunal perfusion with an equimolar mixture of 12 glycyl-dipeptides and compared amino acid absorption rates from this mixture with those from the corresponding free amino acid mixture in healthy volunteers. All dipeptides contained glycine in the N-terminal position, which was designed to favor peptide absorption rather than hydrolysis. At 2 mM concentration there was little difference in disappearance among dipeptides, but at 6 mM there was some selectivity: Gly-Phe and Gly-Met exhibited the fastest, and Gly-Arg and GlyHis the slowest rates of disappearance. However, between these ends of the spectrum there were only modest differences in disappearance among dipeptides (Gly-Ala, Gly-Thr, Gly-Leu, Gly-Ile, Gly-Val, Gly-Lys, Gly-Pro, Gly-Trp). The amino acid absorption rates were generally smaller but more selective from the free amino acid than from the dipeptide mixture. We conclude that (a) the C-terminal amino acid residue influences intestinal assimilation of glycyl-dipeptides and (b) the considerably greater absorption rate of amino acids from the dipeptide than from the amino acid mixture appears to be the result of uptake by a system that has a greater transport capacity than amino acid carrier systems, thus minimizing competition among its substrates.
To be long or not to be long—that is the question: The contradiction of time-horizon in offensive realism

(2002). To be long or not to be long—that is the question: The contradiction of time-horizon in offensive realism. Security Studies: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 196-217.
Conjugational Genetic Exchange in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius: Intragenic Recombination with Minimal Dependence on Marker Separation

In Sulfolobus acidocaldarius conjugation assays, recombinant frequency was relatively constant for marker separations from 1,154 bp down to about 50 bp and readily detectable at 10 bp. Three-factor crosses revealed little, if any, genetic linkage over distances of 500 to 600 bp, and large deletion mutants were good donors but poor recipients in matings. The results indicate that most intragenic recombination events occur at one of the mutations, not in the interval between them.
Exploiting communication complexity for multilevel logic synthesis

A multilevel logic synthesis technique based on minimizing communication complexity is presented. This approach is believed to be viable because, for many types of circuits, the area needed is dominated by interconnections. By minimizing communication complexity and interconnect, area is reduced. This approach performs especially well for functions that are hierarchically decomposable (e.g., adders, parity generators, comparators, etc.). Unlike many other multilevel logic synthesis techniques, a lower bound can be computed to determine how well the synthesis was performed. A new multilevel logic synthesis program based on the techniques described for reducing communication complexity is presented. >
IMMUNOPRECIPITATION AND OPSONIC CROSS-REACTION BETWEEN TYPE-14 PNEUMOCOCCUS AND GROUP-B STREPTOCOCCUS TYPE m

Antisera directed against type-14 pneumococcus was opsonic for several strains of type-III group-B streptococcus. Furthermore, the polysaccharide antigen in the polyvalent pneumococcal vaccine reacted to form precipitation lines with antisera directed against type-14 pneumococcus and group-B streptococcus type III Immunisation with currently available pneumococcal vaccine may provide opsonic antibody against group-B streptococci and provide a method of preventing neonatal group-B streptococcal infections.
Crustal structure of the Kaapvaal craton and its significance for early crustal evolution

High-quality seismic data obtained from a dense broadband array near Kimberley, South Africa, exhibit crustal reverberations of remarkable clarity that provide well-resolved constraints on the structure of the lowermost crust and Moho. Receiver function analysis of Moho conversions and crustal multiples beneath the Kimberley array shows that the crust is 35 km thick with an average Poisson’s ratio of 0.25. The density contrast across the Moho is f15%, indicating a crustal density about 2.86 gm/cc just above the Moho, appropriate for felsic to intermediate rock compositions. Analysis of waveform broadening of the crustal reverberation phases suggests that the Moho transition can be no more than 0.5 km thick and the total variation in crustal thickness over the 2400 km 2 footprint of the array no more than 1 km. Waveform and travel time analysis of a large earthquake triggered by deep gold mining operations (the Welkom mine event) some 200 km away from the array yield an average crustal thickness of 35 km along the propagation path between the Kimberley array and the event. P- and S-wave velocities for the lowermost crust are modeled to be 6.75 and 3.90 km/s, respectively, with uppermost mantle velocities of 8.2 and 4.79 km/s, respectively. Seismograms from the Welkom event exhibit theoretically predicted but rarely observed crustal reverberation phases that involve reflection or conversion at the Moho. Correlation between observed and synthetic waveforms and phase amplitudes of the Moho reverberations suggests that the crust along the propagation path between source and receiver is highly uniform in both thickness and average seismic velocity and that the Moho transition zone is everywhere less than about 2 km thick. While the extremely flat Moho, sharp transition zone and low crustal densities beneath the region of study may date from the time of crustal formation, a more geologically plausible interpretation involves extensive crustal melting and ductile flow during the major craton-wide Ventersdorp tectonomagmatic event near the end of Archean time. D 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Reading comprehension and working memory in learning-disabled readers : Is the phonological loop more important than the executive system?

This investigation explores the contribution of two working memory systems (the articulatory loop and the central executive) to the performance differences between learning-disabled (LD) and skilled readers. Performances of LD, chronological age (CA) matched, and reading level-matched children were compared on measures of phonological processing accuracy and speed (articulatory system), long-term memory (LTM) accuracy and speed, and executive processing. The results indicated that (a) LD readers were inferior on measures of articulatory, LTM, and executive processing; (b) LD readers were superior to RL readers on measures of executive processing, but were comparable to RL readers on measures of the articulatory and LTM system; (c) executive processing differences remained significant between LD and CA-matched children when measures of reading comprehension, articulatory processes, and LTM processes were partialed from the analysis; and (d) executive processing contributed significant variance to reading comprehension when measures of the articulatory and LTM systems were entered into a hierarchical regression model. In summary, LD readers experience constraints in the articulatory and LTM system, but constraints mediate only some of the influence of executive processing on reading comprehension. Further, LD readers suffer executive processing problems nonspecific to their reading comprehension problems.
RPB-MD: A Novel Robust Message Dissemination Method for VANETs

Robust multi-hop message dissemination in Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) is challenging due to the high mobility and frequent partitioning. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme referred as the relative position based message dissemination (RPB-MD), to robustly disseminate messages in VANETs. The relative position based (RPB) addressing model is proposed to define the intended receivers without requiring exterior location service. To achieve robust message dissemination with vehicular traffic independency, RPB-MD adopts the directional greedy broadcast routing approach to forward messages based on position and direction information. The performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated through simulations. Simulation results show that RPB-MD achieves high delivery ratio, limited overhead and reasonable delay.
RAMP Studies and Related UNESCO Publications: An International Source for Archival Administration

UNESCO's Paris-based Records and Archives Management Program (RAMP), has sponsored and published many studies of archival institutions, functions, and education that provide a valuable picture of archival practice worldwide. The author reviews selected RAMP publications that have general value for North American archivists in the areas of archival education, appraisal, arrangement and description, reference and access, preservation, government archives, the relevance of other disciplines for archival work, and international archival protocol and standards.
Introduction: The merging of two departments

This issue of JINS sees the merging of two of its departments: “Critical Reviews/Updates” and “Dialogues” have been combined to form “Critical Reviews & Dialogues.”
Exploring Syntactic Representations for Native Language Identification

Tree Substitution Grammar rules form a large and expressive class of features capable of representing syntactic and lexical patterns that provide evidence of an author’s native language. However, this class of features can be applied to any general constituent based model of grammar and previous work has done little to explore these options, relying primarily on the common Penn Treebank annotation standard. In this work we contrast the performance of syntactic features for Native Language Indentification using five different formalisms. The use of different formalisms captures complementary information from second language data, and can be used in combination to yield classification performance superior to any formalism taken on its own.
SPIN-LATTICE RELAXATION OF RARE-EARTH IONS IN LaF$sub 3$

The spin-bath relaxation rate ${{T}_{b}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ has been measured in the temperature range $1.3lTl5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$K for each of the trivalent Kramers ions: ${\mathrm{Ce}}^{3+}$, ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$, ${\mathrm{Sm}}^{3+}$, ${\mathrm{Gd}}^{3+}$, ${\mathrm{Dy}}^{3+}$, ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$, and ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}$, magnetically diluted in La${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$. In three cases, ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$, ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$, and ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}$, the temperature range was extended to $0.2lTl5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$K. All measurements were made by observing the transient recovery of the microwave paramagnetic resonance at the frequency $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\approx}9.3$ Gc/sec. The temperature dependence of the Orbach process ${{T}_{10}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\ensuremath{\propto}\mathrm{exp} (\ensuremath{-}\frac{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{T})$ is displayed for Nd, Sm, and Er; and the Raman process ${{T}_{1R}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\ensuremath{\propto}{T}^{9}$ is displayed for Nd, Er, and Yb. These do not depend on crystal orientation nor on the concentration of paramagnetic ions. The values $\ensuremath{\Delta}(\mathrm{Nd})=57\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$K and $\ensuremath{\Delta}(\mathrm{Er})=72\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$K are found to agree reasonably with the energy of the first crystal-field state, previously determined optically; we find $\ensuremath{\Delta}(\mathrm{Sm})=50\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$K. The direct process, ${{T}_{1d}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\ensuremath{\propto}T$, is observed only for the lowest concentrations of paramagnetic ions: 0.1% Nd and 0.05% Er. For other ions and at higher concentrations the direct process was usually obscured by cross relaxation, probably to excited states of exchange coupled pairs or larger clusters of magnetic ions as evidenced by a temperature dependence ${{T}_{b}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\ensuremath{\propto}csch(\frac{{\ensuremath{\Delta}}^{\ensuremath{'}}}{\mathrm{kT}})$, where ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ is of order of the exchange energy. No clear-cut example of a phonon bottleneck, ${{T}_{b}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\ensuremath{\propto}{T}^{2}$, is found. From optical data for Nd and Er, wave functions and crystal-field parameters are obtained, from which simple theoretical estimates of the relaxation rates are found to be in moderate agreement with the data.
The Diasporic Crane: Discursive Migration across the Armenian-Turkish Divide

Despite the fact that rubrics for reading national and "world" litera- tures through comparative optics have grown increasingly sophisti- cated over the last decade, the problem of how to theorize cross-cultural and literary interaction still plays a critical role in debates on global connectivity. This article suggests an approach for reading cross- cultural interaction across literary systems and musical cultures by tracing the migration of discourses beyond their supposedly native origins. It therefore examines how a popular discourse about a well- traveled bird, the crane, itself migrated across Arabic, Punjabi, and Turkish literary cultures, a process that in part enabled Armenian in- tellectuals to configure the wandering crane into the predominant symbol of the Armenian diaspora during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Consequently, in mapping the non-linear flight of "cranes" as a symbol of dispersion between Armenian and Turkish lit- erary and musical cultures in particular, this article argues the need to complicate simple uni- and bidirectional models for understanding cross-cultural exchange. Instead, it suggests that we ought to give more attention to specifying multiple forms of transmission—such as the interplay between manuscript, oral, and print cultures—in the study of semiotic ties between different peoples, even across far-flung geographic regions.
Antibacterial Peptides - A Bright Future or a False Hope

The increasing number of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains presents an emerging world health problem that demands continued effort to develop new antibacterial compounds. Endogenous antibacterial peptides (ABPs) that are constitutively and/or inducibly produced in tissues exposed to external surroundings represent new candidates for devel- opment of such compounds. Most ABPs target bacterial membranes initially by electrostatic interactions between posi- tively charged amino acids and negatively charged molecules present on bacterial walls, followed by compromise of the permeability barrier of bacterial membranes through the formation of pores, leading to rapid cell death and efficient bacte- rial elimination. Other mechanisms, such as the inhibition of bacterial protein and DNA synthesis or receptor-mediated stimulation of host defense mechanisms are also ascribed to these molecules. The activities of ABPs correlate positively with a gradient of hydrophobicity along the peptide backbone, net positive charge at neutral pH, and secondary structure. More than 850 sequences with antibacterial activity have been described, and this number continues to grow with the ad- dition of newly discovered, as well as synthetic, peptides. Many strategies, including increasing net positive charge, in- creasing net hydrophobicity, conjugation of peptides with lipophilic acids, incorporation of carbonate bonds, and synthesis of their hybrids and truncated sequences that omit hemolytic regions, have been proposed to increase efficiency of syn- thetic ABPs. Additionally peptide-mimicking molecules such as cationic steroid antibiotics (CSAs) may be useful alterna- tives to natural ABPs. Current challenges for practical application of ABPs are the high cost of synthesis/isolation, inacti- vation by blood plasma, confinement by anionic polyelectrolytes, and possible unknown toxicity.
Thermal hydraulic simulations, error estimation and parameter sensitivity studies in Drekar::CFD

This report describes work directed towards completion of the Thermal Hydraulics Methods (THM) CFD Level 3 Milestone THM.CFD.P7.05 for the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) Nuclear Hub effort. The focus of this milestone was to demonstrate the thermal hydraulics and adjoint based error estimation and parameter sensitivity capabilities in the CFD code called Drekar::CFD. This milestone builds upon the capabilities demonstrated in three earlier milestones; THM.CFD.P4.02 [12], completed March, 31, 2012, THM.CFD.P5.01 [15] completed June 30, 2012 and THM.CFD.P5.01 [11] completed on October 31, 2012.
Self-Aligned Epitaxial Cosi2 Formation From Multilayer Co/Ti-Si(100) by a Two-Step Rta Process

We have extended our recent work on nano-scale CoSi2 formation from Co/Ti(O)multilayers on Si(100) to a self-aligned epitaxial CoSi2 structure produced by a two-step RTA annealing process. Parallel oxide stripes/Si windows were produced on a 4-inch Si(100) wafer by thermal oxidation and patterning. Six layers of 20nm Co and 10nm Ti were deposited sequentially on the patterned wafers with Ti as the first layer. The wafers were then annealed at 550°C to 700°C in N2 using a lamp RTA system. XTEM and RBS showed that a 25nm CoSi layer formed at the interface after a 650°C, 60sec annealing. The unreacted layers above it and oxide were selectively removed leaving a residual amorphous layer and CoSi intact on the patterned Si substrates. A second annealing at 900°C for 10sec produced 20nm of epitaxial C0Si2 covered with an ~10nm CoxTiy(O)Siz surface layer. The epitaxial CoSi2 layer was thermally stable up to 1000°C, had a resistivity of ~20μΩ-cm, and consumed ~300A of Si, thereby satisfying the most stringent deep submicron device contact scaling requirements.
Changes in pharmacy, nursing, and total personnel staffing in U.S. hospitals, 1989-1998.

Pharmacy, nursing, and total hospital personnel inpatient staffing in U.S. medical-surgical hospitals for 1989, 1992, 1995, and 1998 was studied. Nursing and total personnel staffing data were obtained from the American Hospital Association, and pharmacy personnel data were obtained from the National Clinical Pharmacy Services database. Between 1989 and 1998, mean +/- S.D. registered-nurse staffing per 100 occupied beds increased from 124.46 +/- 92.24 to 196.57 +/- 131.92, or 57.94%. Pharmacist staffing per 100 occupied beds increased from 6.47 +/- 3.01 to 7.95 +/- 4.88, or 22.87%. The total number of registered nurses increased by 126,960 (15.78%), and the total number of pharmacists declined by 320 (0.72%). The increase in pharmacist staffing per 100 occupied beds was due almost entirely to decreases in hospital census between 1989 and 1998. Total hospital personnel staffing per 100 occupied beds and the absolute number of hospital employees increased at much higher rates (55.2% and 12.95%, respectively) than pharmacist staffing. Pharmacy technician staffing per 100 occupied beds increased by 42.96%, and pharmacy clerk staffing increased by 25.37%. Between 1989 and 1998, pharmacist staffing in U.S. medical-surgical hospitals increased at less than half the rates for registered nurses and total hospital personnel.
Magnetic Recovery of Ferrous Labels in a Capture-Recapture System for Yellowjackets

The ferrous label capture-recapture system of Dr. N. Gary (University of California, Davis) was modified for use with ground-nesting yellowjackets. A specially constructed box with landing platform placed over the nest forced the workers to walk through an entrance with over-hanging magnets. Limited data showed most workers of Vespula pensylvanica (Saussure) foraged within 2000 feet, of the nest and indicated the usefulness of this method to study foraging behavior of yellowjackets.
On the Application of the Biological DNA Technology in Forensic Science and the Question Need to be Urgently Solved

DNA technology has been got the successful application in judicial identification,but this is only starting for recognition of life science to us.The new problem that we are faced with is waited to solve in forensic study and practice.Especially in developing about the operation of transplanted organs,whether they have two kinds of DNA,whether son and daughter of them take DNA of polyploidy and do identification of relationship about father and son(or daughter),if twin brother marry with twin sister,how son or daughter of them is distinguished,etc.These problems on forensic identification are needed to be solved.
Network traffic measurement and analysis

Today one cannot think of life without the Internet. The Internet has grown at a very fast pace, which has resulted in heavy Internet traffic. Most of today's internet traffic is due to video streaming services such as YouTube and Netflix. The Average traffic load has risen, and data traffic patterns have also become unpredictable. Therefore, network traffic monitoring and analysis have become essential in order to troubleshoot and resolve problems effectively when they occur, so that network services do not stand still for long durations of time. Traffic monitoring is a technique which constantly monitors the network traffic and notifies the administrator whenever there is an outage. There are many network monitoring tools available for network administrators, which use different monitoring techniques in order to monitor and analyze network traffic. In this paper, we present different network monitoring approaches and different tools that monitor and analyze network traffic. In addition to this, we also present results by comparing different network monitoring tools.
Medications for Pediatric Endocrinology

The following is a list of the most commonly used mediations for pediatric endocrinology. It is incumbent upon the prescriber to check for allergies, contraindications, side effects, and safety in pregnancy. Also note that many of the medications are used in clinical studies and presented in publications dealing with children without FDA approval: they are presented here for information but the prescriber must take the age of the patient into consideration and understand that many medications below are used “off-label” and precautions and consent of parents are incumbent on the treating physician.
Abstract 247: Pilot Study Examining Heart Failure Patient Internet Use and Adherence to a Web Based Portal Designed to Support Self-Care.

Background: Experts agree that HF patients should practice appropriate self-care behaviors to minimize the risk of adverse clinical events, including early unplanned readmissions. We sought to understand patient perceptions and adherence to a web-based system designed to support self-care of HF patients. Methods: 100 HF patients were surveyed regarding their computer use and attitudes toward using an internet based web-portal (WP) to support self-care, provide patient education, and communicate with healthcare providers (HCP’s). We then consented 42 patients to participate in a 12 week trial of using the WP to track clinical parameters (daily weights, blood pressure, sodium/fluid intake, exercise), provide links for HF self-education, and update HCP’s on their progress. Patients received a face to face teaching session on accessing and using the WP. Results: The computer use survey (N=100) demonstrated that 72% of patients reported having a computer at home, 67% used email and 71% used the internet. In the WP intervention group (N=41) only 24 (58.5%) were able to successfully access the WP and enter data during the pilot (see table 1). Conclusions: Pilot data showed a significant positive correlation (see table 1) between patients indicating use of internet to access heaIth care information (HCI) and adherence with the WP. Despite strong interest to use a home based WP for self-care and communication with providers, we found that many hurdles prevented patients from using the WP. Internet based educational tools for HF patients may be desirable, but limitations in patients’ ability to access internet based programs may ultimately render the tools ineffective. ![Graphic][1] [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Simple, exact inference for 2 × 2 tables

ABSTRACTExact inference for odds-ratio tests and confidence intervals relies on sophisticated algorithms, typically found only in the specialize software. This tends to discourage the use of exact methods in the analyses of 2 × 2 tables. We show that by first devolving each corresponding hypergeometric random variable into independent Bernoulli variates, simple and efficient algorithms emerge that are easily programmed in the commonly available software.
Changes in Gene Expression and Metabolism in the Testes of the Rat following Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in devastating changes to almost all aspects of a patient's life. In addition to a permanent loss of sensory and motor function, males also will frequently exhibit a profound loss of fertility through poorly understood mechanisms. We demonstrate that SCI causes measureable pathology in the testis both acutely (24 h) and chronically up to 1.5 years post-injury, leading to loss in sperm motility and viability. SCI has been shown in humans and rats to induce leukocytospermia, with the presence of inflammatory cytokines, anti-sperm antibodies, and reactive oxygen species found within the ejaculate. Using messenger RNA and metabolomic assessments, we describe molecular and cellular changes that occur within the testis of adult rats over an acute to chronic time period. From 24 h, 72 h, 28 days, and 90 days post-SCI, the testis reveal a distinct time course of pathological events. The testis show an acute drop in normal sexual organ processes, including testosterone pro...
Seabird longline bycatch reduction devices increase target catch while reducing bycatch: A meta-analysis

Abstract Mortality during commercial fishing activities is a significant threat to many imperiled seabird species, and myriad technologies have been developed to reduce mortality during longline fishing operations. However, individual studies have never been combined in a quantitative manner to determine if seabird bycatch reduction devices (BRD) have a detrimental effect upon target species catch. We performed a meta-analysis of the longline fishery BRD literature to determine the general impact of BRD technology upon commercial fishing operations. There were relatively few papers with data suitable for a meta-analysis (15), therefore we pooled studies in the analysis with BRD and fishery related metrics included as covariates. Overall, we found no reduction in target fish catch. In fact, we found an increase in target catch of 9% (95% CI [1,17]) with BRD use. We show that this increase occurs while BRDs reduce seabird bycatch by 89% (95% CI [82,93]). These patterns do not change with respect to geographic location or BRD type, indicating that efforts to reduce seabird bycatch are generally effective under different conditions. Our review identifies research needed to ensure the generality of our findings and to better understand the impacts of BRD implementation upon seabird conservation and commercial fisheries.
Production variability in manufacturing systems: Performance bounds and monotonicity properties

Abstract Production variability in serial manufacturing lines with unreliable machines and finite buffers is addressed. Bernoulli statistics of machines breakdowns are assumed. Two problems are considered: the problem of production variance and the problem of constant demand satisfaction. For both problems, bounds on the respective variability measures are derived. Counter-intuitively, these bounds show that the production variability of a line with many machines is smaller than that of a single machine having the production volume and reliability characteristics similar to those of the longer line. Since all the variability measures for a single machine can be calculated relatively easily, these bounds provide analytical tools for analysis and design of serial production lines from the point of view of the customer demand satisfaction. In addition, monotonicity properties of the variability measures with respect to machines and buffers parameters are investigated and, again counter-intuitively, it is shown that improving machines and/or increasing buffers may not lead improved production variability. A sufficient condition under which this improvement does, in fact, take place is derived.
Heterogeneity in Alzheimer’s Disease: Implications for Epidemiology

It is well established that Alzheimer’s is a heterogeneous disease. The heterogeneity in the disease is expressed in several domains, such as the types and patterns of clinical symptoms, the genetic underpinnings, neuropathological indices, and responses to pharmacological treatments and interventions. Much of the information published on Alzheimer’s disease has been developed from highly selected patient groups. In the U.S., these patient groups are often Caucasian, middle class research volunteers. These patient groups do not represent the population of the country or the universe of people with Alzheimer’s disease, and therefore there are important potential limits to the generalizability of the findings obtained. The demographic changes that are already underway, and will accelerate in the next decades in many countries in the world, will add new dimensions to the heterogeneity of the disease. Ultimately, to understand and to defeat the disease, we must understand the new cohorts of people with the disease, their genetic, environmental and social characteristics and the interactions of those characteristics. Furthermore, if we are to enlist participants in research and develop educational programs and useful and used services, then it is necessary to address a long list of social and behavioral research questions. These questions will have to be investigated against the backdrop of the anticipated changes in the demographic and cultural profiles of the people with the disease. One drug treatment, one behavioral approach, or one model for service programs will not be adequate to address the needs of all people with Alzheimer’s disease. It is clear that a single size will not fit all.
Different responses of the human gastroepiploic and internal mammary arteries to vasoactive peptides

Peptidergic influences have been implicated in the control of tone in human arteries. We have examined the response of human gastroepiploic arteries (GEA) and internal mammary arteries (IMA) to thr...
Complications of conscious sedation.

Various types of complications related to conscious sedation are discussed in this article, including intravenous access, medication-related complications, topical oropharyngeal medications, paradoxical reactions, and cardiopulmonary complications. Preventative measures aimed at the facility, the physician, the procedure, and postprocedure are discussed briefly.
Behavioral and pharmacologic approaches to smoking cessation

Cigarette smoking continues to be the single, most preventable cause of death and disability in the United States. For individuals who have cancer, continuing to smoke negatively impacts their treatment, survival, and risk for second primary tumors. This review of behavioral and pharmacological approaches to smoking cessation focuses on the recent comprehensive review of cessation interventions by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), as well as on new developments in the field. An intervention model is outlined that provides oncologists with a brief and easily implemented method of systematically treating patients who smoke. By assessing patient smoking status, advising smoking patients to quit, and proactively assisting their patients in quitting, oncologists can significantly influence patient health and fulfill their professional and ethical responsibility to address this life-threatening behavior.