cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Geometry of Peace: Reflections on Violence and Social Change

The “sociological imagination” (Mills, 1959) is often understood as the capacity to recognize the influence of historical, social, cultural, and organizational forces on our individual lives; that is, the capacity to recognize the impact of macro-level forces on micro-level events, experiences, relationships, etc. (e.g., Scimecca, 1978). C. Wright Mills recognized that troubles in the intra- and interpersonal spheres were intimately related to the public sphere; a sphere characterized by pervasive crises and issues stemming, to a large degree, from institutional arrangements and characteristic practices (ibid; Mills, 1962; Horowitz, 1964). The prevailing “crisis of institutional arrangements” (Mills, 1959: 9), for example, has given rise to inequalities of class, race, and gender, corruption on the level of government, poverty, war, crime, mental illness, and a host of other social problems that have a profound impact on individual lives. There is, in other words, a perpetually active dynamic by which macrological structures and processes exert a formative and preservative influence on the micrological, and by which micrological events, experiences, and relationships simultaneously perpetuate, reinforce, and legitimize the macrological.
In vivo identification of Bmp2-correlation networks during fracture healing by means of a limb-specific conditional inactivation of Bmp2.

Abstract Bmp2 is known to play an essential role in the initiation of fracture healing via periosteal activation. Specifically, activation and subsequent differentiation of periosteal progenitor cells requires Bmp2 signaling for activation of the osteo-chondrogenic pathway. Here, we explored the interactive transcriptional gene-gene interplays between Bmp2 and 150 known candidate genes during fracture repair. We constructed the interactive Bmp2 signaling pathways in vivo, by comparing gene expression levels prior and 24 h post femur fracture, in presence (wild type) and in absence of Bmp2 (Bmp2c/c;Prx1::cre limb-specific conditional knockout). Twenty-six differentially expressed genes (pre- vs. post-fracture), which demonstrated high correlations within each experimental condition, were used to construct the co-expression networks. Topological dynamic shifts across different co-expression networks characterized the 26 differentially expressed genes as non-redundant focal linking hubs, redundant connecting hubs, periphery genes, or non-existent. Top-ranked up- or down-regulated genes were identified and discussed. Protein-protein interactions in public databases support our findings. Thus, the co-expression networks from this study can be used for future experimental hypotheses.
Standards for residual stress measurement

It has been long appreciated that residual stresses can exert significant influences on fatigue and fracture behavior, but only recently have analytical models been developed which enable the influences to be quantified. These new capabilities have fostered increased demands for residual stress measurements and these, in turn, have revealed that the reliability and the reproducibility of such measurements are often less than adequate. The need for standards for residual stress measurements is now recognized as being urgent. Few standards presently exist, and they do not provide the required levels of measurement reproducibility. Several organizations are attempting to respond to this critical need. This paper is a status report on the growing national effort to develop voluntary consensus standards to enhance the reproducibility of residual stress measurements. This effort has achieved noteworthy progress in only a few years, but it has also become evident that further progress will be increasingly more difficult because our understanding of some residual stress phenomena is limited. There is need for a national research effort to parallel and to support the standardization effort.
Trends and Predictors of Adjuvant Therapy for Adverse Features Following Radical Prostatectomy: An Analysis From Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor.

Abstract OBJECTIVE To determine trends and predictors of adjuvant therapy in patients with adverse features at radical prostatectomy (RP), and to investigate the associations of adjuvant therapy and adverse feature type with survival. METHODS From the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor registry (1990-2017), 2209 men with adverse features (pT3N0M0 disease and/or positive surgical margins), and 108 men with positive lymph nodes (pN1) at RP were identified. Temporal trends were evaluated, and predictors of adjuvant therapy were assessed with multivariate logistic regression. Kaplan-Meier analysis and competing risks regression were used to test cumulative incidence and risk of all-cause and prostate cancer-specific mortality. RESULTS Of 2209 men with adverse features and pN0 disease, 89 (4.0%), 82 (3.7%), and 30 (1.4%) received adjuvant external beam radiation therapy (ERBT) alone, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) alone, or combined EBRT and ADT, respectively. Of 108 men with pN1 disease, 54 (50%) received ADT with or without EBRT. Adjuvant treatment for patients with adverse features decreased from 13.3% (1990-1994) to 6% or less (2005-2017, Ptrend CONCLUSION Adjuvant therapy declined for men with adverse features at RP. Providers do not treat all adverse feature types the same way, despite broad treatment recommendations in guidelines.
Streptonigrin and related compounds. 6. Synthesis and activity of some quinoxaline analogues

Streptonigrin is an antitumor antibiotic with significant in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity spectrum. Besides the total syntheses, numerous syntheses of the partial structures have been carried out in order to assess the structural requirements for the activity. The present publication deals with the synthesis of selected quinoxalinequinones to study the effect of changes in the B-ring of streptonigrin. A convenient 3-step synthesis of the required quinoxaline starting material that provides the necessary control of the desired substituent pattern is described. A series of 7-amino-6-methoxy-quinoxalinequinones were prepared in which substitution at 3- was varied (from H to Cl, OCH3, CN, COOCH3 and OH). A few selected 6-aminoquinones (with 6-NH2 and 6-piperidinyl) were also prepared for comparison. The quinones (18) were tested in three different in vitro test systems: cytotoxicity to mouse leukemia (L-1210) cells, antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis and inhibition of root growth. Several of the aminoquinones showed significant activity in comparison to that shown by streptonigrin.
Comprehensive School Counseling Programs

Though there is evidence validating the impact of comprehensive school counseling programs on student success, the voices of professional school counselors have yet to be acknowledged. This phenome...
Assessing the accuracy and efficiency of longwave radiative transfer models involving scattering effect with cloud optical property parameterizations

Abstract A radiative transfer model (RTM) that accurately and explicitly accounts for both absorbing and scattering effects requires a substantial amount of computational effort. In the longwave (LW) spectral regime, the atmosphere is optically opaque and absorbs a large portion of terrestrial thermal radiation. To alleviate the computational burden, clouds are assumed to be only absorptive in most general circulation models (GCMs) and their scattering effects are neglected. Using parameterizations of cloud bulk single-scattering properties derived from the latest cloud optical property models for satellite remote sensing, this study analyzes the numerical accuracy and efficiency of a variety of LW RTMs . The approaches considered in this study include the absorption approximation (AA), the absorption approximation with scattering parameterization (ASA), the two-stream approximation (2S), a hybrid two- and four-stream approximation (2/4S), and the discrete ordinate radiative transfer (DISORT) with multiple streams. These approximations are benchmarked against 128-stream DISORT calculation. After evaluating the full ranges of ice and water cloud optical and microphysical properties using these RTMs, we find that neglecting LW scattering effect causes simulation errors as large as ±15% by using the AA method. Among these RTMs, the 2/4S method provides an optimal balance between computational efficiency and accuracy, leading to the maximum cloud emissivity errors within ±5%, 25th to 75th percentile errors about ±1%, and almost zero net bias. Therefore, the 2/4S approximation is computationally accurate and yet affordable option for incorporating cloud longwave scattering effect into the radiation schemes used in weather and climate models.
Capitolunate Arthrodesis: A Systematic Review.

Purpose To compile and review the indications, outcomes, and complications of capitolunate arthrodesis (CLA). Methods We performed a literature search identifying 33 articles, 6 of which met inclusion criteria, including 80 patients. Included publications contained the results of CLA with minimum 12-month follow-up between 2000 and 2018. Data were pooled and analyzed focusing on the primary outcomes of union and complications. Results Average age of patients was 48 years (range, 22–86 years), median follow-up was 34 months (range, 12–198 months), and most common indication was scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse (59%). Nearly half underwent a concomitant triquetrum excision (49%). Most patients were pain-free (78%) and returned to work (92%). Grip strength and visual analog pain scale both improved after CLA. Whereas 96% fused within a reported 42 to 210 days (median, 70 days), 11% of patients had complications including nonunion (3.8%) and loose hardware (6.3%). The reoperation rate was 14%, including wrist arthrodeses and wrist arthroplasty. Conclusions Capitolunate arthrodesis is a feasible option for scapholunate advanced collapse and scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse wrists with complications similar to those encountered in 4-corner arthrodesis. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
Intensity-enhanced deep network wavefront reconstruction in Shack-Hartmann sensors.

The Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor (SH-WFS) is known to produce incorrect measurements of the wavefront gradient in the presence of non-uniform illumination. Moreover, the most common least-squares phase reconstructors cannot accurately reconstruct the wavefront in the presence of branch points. We therefore developed the intensity/slopes network (ISNet), a deep convolutional-neural-network-based reconstructor that uses both the wavefront gradient information and the intensity of the SH-WFS’s subapertures to provide better wavefront reconstruction. We trained the network on simulated data with multiple levels of turbulence and compared the performance of our reconstructor to several other reconstruction techniques. ISNet produced the lowest wavefront error of the reconstructors we evaluated and operated at a speed suitable for real-time applications, enabling the use of the SH-WFS in stronger turbulence than was previously possible.
Teacher's Role in Fostering Preschoolers' Computational Thinking: An Exploratory Case Study.

Research Findings: Computational thinking (CT), which is defined as the systematic analysis, exploration, and testing of solutions to open-ended and often complex problems, is an important skill to...
Keyword Search on Probabilistic XML Data Based on ELM

This paper describe a keyword search measure on probabilistic XML data based on ELM (Extreme Learning Machine). We use this method to carry out keyword search on probabilistic XML data. A probabilistic XML document differs from a traditional XML document to realize keyword search in the consideration of possible world semantics. A probabilistic XML data can be seen as a set of nodes consisting of ordinary nodes and distributional nodes. ELM has good performance in text classification applications. As the typical semi-structured data, the label of XML data possesses the function of definition self. Label and keyword which has been contained in the node can be seen as the text data of the node. ELM offers significant advantages such as fast learning speed, ease of implementation and classification nodes effectively. Keyword search on the set after it classified by using ELM can pick up the speed of query. This paper uses ELM to classify nodes and carry keyword search on the set which has been classified. The experiments can show that the speed of query can receive significant improvement.
Central Airway Collapse, an Underappreciated Cause of Respiratory Morbidity

Dyspnea, cough, sputum production, and recurrent respiratory infections are frequently encountered clinical concerns leading patients to seek medical care. It is not unusual for a well-defined etiology to remain elusive or for the therapeutics of a presumed etiology to be incompletely effective. Either scenario should prompt consideration of central airway pathology as a contributor to clinical manifestations. Over the past decade, recognition of dynamic central airway collapse during respiration associated with multiple respiratory symptoms has become more commonly appreciated. Expiratory central airway collapse may represent the answer to this diagnostic void. Expiratory central airway collapse is an underdiagnosed disorder that can coexist with and mimic asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and bronchiectasis. Awareness of expiratory central airway collapse and its spectrum of symptoms is paramount to its recognition. This review includes clear definitions, diagnostics, and therapeutics for this challenging condition. We performed a narrative review through the PubMed (MEDLINE) database using the following MeSH terms: airway collapse, tracheobronchomalacia, tracheomalacia, and bronchomalacia. We include reports from systematic reviews, narrative reviews, clinical trials, and observational studies from 2005 to 2020. Two reviewers evaluated potential references. No systematic reviews were found. A total of 28 references were included into our review. Included studies report experience in the diagnosis and/or treatment of dynamic central airway collapse; case reports and non-English or non-Spanish studies were excluded. We describe the current diagnostic dilemma, highlighting the role of dynamic bronchoscopy and tracheobronchial stent trial; outline the complex therapeutic options (eg, tracheobronchoplasty); and present future directions and challenges.
Estimating Chinese Bilateral Aid for Health: An Analysis of AidData’s Global Chinese Official Finance Dataset

China’s annual global health aid has increased substantially since the 2000s. Unlike many donors, China has no oﬃcial aid reporting obligations, nor does it voluntarily disclose detailed aid information. Because of this, several third parties have attempted to estimate China’s health aid footprint. Unfortunately, current estimates use varied deﬁnitions of health aid, geographic regions, and time spans. These distinct and diﬀering methodological approaches make it diﬃcult to compare Chinese aid to aid from other donors. Our study builds on previous tracking eﬀorts and takes them further by creating a standardized estimate using commonly accepted deﬁnitions of aid and frameworks for categorizing health projects. These ﬁndings enable a better understanding of Chinese health aid in the absence of transparent aid reporting. We believe such an understanding could lead to better coordination, collaboration, and resource allocation for both donors and recipient countries.
What Did Not Work: The Drug or the Trial?

In this issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology, the paper by Isenberg et al, entitled Efficacy, Safety, and Pharmacodynamic Effects of the Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, Fenebrutinib (GDC-0853), in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus reports results of a Phase 2 trial of fenebrutinib, an inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK). This treatment met expected pharmacodynamic targets, decreasing phosphorylated BTK, dampening plasmablast signals, and lowering anti-dsDNA and IgG. No concerning safety signal was observed.
The Entrepreneur's Field Guide: The 3 Day Startup Method

This book introduces the skills and mindset that are introduced during 3 Day Startup educational programs. It covers a wide range of topics encountered by early-stage entrepreneurs, including customer validation, iterative product development, developing preliminary business frameworks, start-up communications and networking, and balancing starting a business with other commitments. The content is actionable, concise, and easy to understand, focusing on pragmatic, applicable skills over dense academic theory and case studies. The information in this volume is easily accessible by entrepreneurs from all walks of life.
Warming Rates Alter Sequence of Disassembly in Experimental Communities.

AbstractThe frequency, intensity, and duration of periods of extreme environmental warming are expected to rise over the next hundred years and play an increasing role in species loss resulting fro...
Fabrication of 32 × 32 2D Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (CMUT) Arrays on a Borosilicate Glass Substrate With Silicon-Through-Wafer Interconnects Using Sacrificial Release Process

Close integration of transducer arrays with supporting electronic circuits is essential in achieving efficient and compact ultrasound systems. An integral part of hybrid integration of 2D CMUT array to CMOS electronics is the introduction of through-glass-via (TGV) interconnects in glass substrates as an integral part of the 2D CMUT array fabrication. Micro-cracks around via locations, via discontinuity, and poor coplanarity between the vias and glass substrate are some of the challenges with laser-drilled, paste-filled copper-through-glass-via (Cu-TGV) interconnects. This study provides a detailed fabrication process for making $32\times 32$ -element 2D CMUT arrays on a composite glass substrate incorporating silicon-through-glass vias (Si-TGV) as interconnects using sacrificial release approach. On one column of a fabricated 2D CMUT array, we measured a mean resonant frequency of 5.6 MHz in air and an average device capacitance of 1.5 pF. With the introduction of a buried top electrode in the device structure, we achieved a collapse voltage of 93 V, which is considerably lower than the collapse voltage measured in our previously demonstrated 2D CMUT arrays with top electrode on top of the nitride plate. The fabricated array is flip-chip bonded on a custom-designed driving integrated circuit to demonstrate the complete system operation. We measured a peak-to-peak pressure of 1.82 MPa at 3.4 MHz, and 5 mm from the array surface in a 0.33 mm focal spot size. [2021-0101]
A History of the Tuna-Dolphin Problem: Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned

Multispecies aggregations of tuna, dolphins, and seabirds are prevalent and conspicuous in the vast waters of the eastern tropical Pacific and form the basis of a commercial fishery for yellowfin tuna through setting on schools of dolphins, which is among the largest tuna fisheries in the world. Incidental dolphin mortality associated with the development and early years of the fishery was high; by 1993 it was estimated that eastern spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris orientalis) had been reduced to 44% and northeastern offshore spotted dolphins (S. attenuata attenuata) to 19% of pre-fishery levels. Efforts to reduce this mortality began at the inception of the fishery and comprised a diverse array of approaches: modifications to fishing methods and fishing gear (backdown, Medina panel, high-intensity floodlights, swimmers to disentangle and release dolphins); U.S. legislation (through the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, MMPA, and subsequent amendments); international agreements (including the International Dolphin Conservation Program that established dolphin mortality limits, and the legally-binding multilateral Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program); and economic incentives (notably through establishment of the U.S. dolphin-safe label and positive certification by the Marine Stewardship Council). Together, these bycatch mitigation efforts have been remarkably successful; dolphin mortality due to entanglement as recorded by fisheries observers (hereafter, entanglement mortality) has been reduced by >99%. Despite this, the degree to which dolphin populations have recovered remains unclear. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that individual dolphins experience multiple sets in their lifetimes and although causality has not been established, research suggests that chase and encirclement might have impacts on dolphins in addition to entanglement mortality. These impacts potentially include increased fetal and/or calf mortality, separation of nursing females and their calves, decreased fecundity, increased predation, disruption of mating and other social systems, and ecological disruption. The strong management emphasis on monitoring entanglement mortality, and the infrastructure necessary to support this monitoring (in particular, 100% observer coverage on large purse-seiners) require funding to the extent that other activities, particularly continued surveys to monitor stock status and clarify the potential influence of other effects of the fishery on dolphin populations, are currently inadequately funded.
The Impact of Emergent Web 2.0 on Virtual Teams

Project management as it is known today is relatively new. The concepts and theories of managing projects and teams have developed over the past several decades. A large influence on project management has been in the utilization of information technologies to manage projects and teams. Emergence of Web 2.0 tools has made it easier for companies to conduct projects using virtual teams. This paper reviews the concept of virtual teams and tools available to enhance the virtual team’s ability to communicate, collaborate, and contribute. A review of virtual team development will provide foundation for how risks and trust play an impact on team performance. For these virtual teams trust is a major factor in their success or failure. Another factor impacting team performance is employee satisfaction, their need for networking and how they perceive bonds within their networks.
The Secured Transactions Article of the Commercial Code and Section 60 of the Bankruptcy Act

The secured creditor enjoys several advantages over his unsecured brethren. If the debtor defaults on his obligation, the secured creditor is sometimes empowered to take matters in his own hands, sell the property covered by his security, and reimburse himself out of the proceeds without the time and expense of the lawsuit to which the unsecured creditor must resort. If the debtor disposes of all of his property, the secured creditor's claim, if properly perfected, follows the property into the hands of the transferee and may be satisfied therefrom without the necessity of litigation to establish that the transfer was a fraudulent conveyance. If unsecured creditors go after property of the debtor to satisfy their claims, the secured creditor's interest in the property covered by his security, if properly perfected, is immune from their levies. And if the debtor goes into bankruptcy, the secured creditor has first claim on the proceeds of the property covered by his security, after which he shares pro rata on any unpaid balance with the full claims of unsecured creditors in the remainder of the debtor's assets. But, while the secured creditor realizes one of his greatest advantages in bankruptcy proceedings, he also faces greater hazards in bankruptcy. The bankruptcy trustee is empowered not only to set aside security transactions which other creditors could have avoided under the doctrine of fraudulent conveyance or otherwise at state law,' but also to avoid certain security transactions under Section 60 of the Bankruptcy Act as "preferences"-a risk to which the secured transaction is not subject outside of bankruptcy save under statutes of a few states. This risk created by Section 60 is the Bankruptcy Act's chief hazard to secured creditors and, for the past five years, has been the subject of their excruciating concern. That concern has manifested itself in an energetic campaign which culminated early this year in an amendment adding seven new paragraphs to Section 60. Although critics of earlier and simpler versions of this amendment labeled them unintelligible monstrosities which "would at once have astonished and delighted Gilbert and Sullivan,"2 one of the amendment's leading proponents replies that "to anyone who reads the congressional committee reports and the minutes of the hearings, its purposes will be
Retention of Episomes During Protoplasting and During Propagation in the L State

Kawakami, Masaya (Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.), and Otto E. Landman. Retention of episomes during protoplasting and during propagation in the L state. J. Bacteriol. 92: 398–404. 1966.—In earlier work, it was observed that the mesosomes of Bacillus magaterium and B. subtilis are expelled from the cell interior during protoplasting and that mesosome fragments are released into the supernatant fluid as the cell wall disintegrates. Since the resultant protoplasts remain intact and capable of reproduction, the expelled contents of the mesosome “bag” are presumably external to the protoplast membrane and nonessential to survival. Accordingly, if episomes (plasmids) were localized in the extramembrane mesosome “bag,” it would be predicted that protoplasting would cure cells of their episomes. This prediction was tested in three different systems: B. subtilis W23 carrying phage SP-10, B. megaterium 216 carrying megacinogenic factors A and C, and B. megaterium C4M − carrying megacinogenic factor C. No curing due to protoplasting was observed. Even during propagation in the L form, when septation is not functioning and the distribution of deoxyribonucleic acid to daughter cells is severely disrupted, curing was not observed in any of the above systems nor in Salmonella L forms carrying F 0 lac . It is concluded that episomes are located at a position on the interior side of the cell membrane and that their distribution to daughter cells is coordinated with that of the chromosome.
Effects of reward bundling on male rats' preference for larger-later food rewards.

Impulsive choice is defined as selecting a smaller-sooner (SS) over a larger-later (LL) reward, and self-control choice as the opposite (e.g., Ainslie, 1974). An impulsive choice reveals that the subjective value of the LL reward is less than that of the SS; a devaluation process referred to as delayed-reward discounting (for overview see Madden & Johnson, 2010). When the discounted value of a reward is assessed across a wide range of delays, the nonlinear function that describes the discounted values of the LL rewards most often takes a hyperbolic shape as shown in the top panel of Figure 1, and as quantified by Mazur (1987):
Biphasic Growth of Acetobacter suboxydans on a Glycerol-Limiting Medium

Abstract Dihydroxyacetone was quantitatively produced from glycerol during the primary exponential growth phase and depleted during the secondary exponential phase. Although no growth was detected on the basal medium, growth occurred upon addition of dihydroxyacetone.
Measuring the imprint of orographic rainfall gradients on the morphology of steady-state numerical fluvial landscapes

We explore the imprint of spatial rainfall patterns on steady-state landscapes with uniform rock uplift rate. A two-dimensional (2D) orographic precipitation module is incorporated into the CHILD numerical landscape evolution model to provide a quantitative tool for exploring the co-evolution of rainfall patterns and fluvial topography. Our results suggest that network organization and planform morphology are strongly impacted by rainfall patterns. Rainfall gradients that are perpendicular to a mountain range front produce narrower watersheds because channels show a tendency to flow along the rainfall gradient, rather than across it. The change in watershed shape is evidenced by smaller values of the exponent on distance in Hack's law and a less peaked width function. Narrower watersheds also lead to an increase in the valley spacing ratio and constrain trunk channels to follow a more direct path to the mountain front. Rainfall gradients also influence the distribution of topography across a watershed. Channel profiles record rainfall patterns in both the channel concavity and the channel steepness index (ksn). Across short tributaries along which rainfall rate changes little, ksn decreases systematically with tributary-averaged rainfall rate. The hypsometric integral (HI), which increases with the amount of topography that is at relatively high elevations within a watershed, is negatively correlated with the profile concavity of the trunk channel. High rainfall rates at the ridge top lead to mainstem channels that have relatively low concavity, and watersheds with relatively higher HI in comparison with landscapes that have uniform rainfall. Finally, we contrast the impacts of rainfall patterns on landscape morphology with those resulting from a linear rock uplift gradient and uniform rainfall. Uplift patterns may have a similar impact on landscape morphology as rainfall gradients, making it challenging to decipher the relative roles of climate and tectonics on landscape evolution without a quantitative assessment of morphologic parameters. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Taxol Directly Induces Endoplasmic Reticulum‐Associated Calcium Changes That Promote Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells

Calcium, a key regulator of cell survival, is also important in regulating apoptosis. Although the chemotherapeutic agent Taxol employs apoptosis to induce cell death, the exact mechanism of how it induces apoptosis and the role of calcium in this process remains unclear. The main intracellular calcium storehouse, the endoplasmic reticulum, was identified as a new important gateway in apoptosis, possibly providing a target for Taxol. The goal of this study was to investigate whether calcium changes associated with the endoplasmic reticulum, were directly or indirectly generated by Taxol at clinically relevant doses, and related to Taxol-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Time-lapsed imaging techniques followed by an endoplasmic reticulum-targeted construct, cameleon D1ER, were used to monitor cytosol--endoplasmic reticulum calcium dynamics in MDA-MB-468 (Bcl-2 negative) and MCF 7 (Bcl-2 positive) breast carcinoma cells. Apoptosis levels were measured with Annexin V and Propidium Iodide (PI) using flow cytometry. In both cell lines, Taxol at 2.5μM (∼10(-6) M) was observed to induce significant internal calcium changes, first a rapid endoplasmic reticulum calcium release and a transient cytosolic calcium increase upon Taxol addition. After several hours of Taxol treatment, the endoplasmic reticulum calcium store was gradually depleted, and a sustained cytosolic calcium elevation was observed before significant induction of apoptosis. Inhibition of these calcium changes decreased Taxol-induced apoptosis levels. In contrast, 0.2μM Taxol (∼10(-7)M) induced only a slight cellular calcium change, not enough to regulate apoptosis. Our findings demonstrate that endoplasmic reticulum calcium stores provide a direct target for Taxol action and are important for induction of apoptosis, independent of Bcl-2 status. Furthermore, our results show for the first time, that the role of calcium in Taxol-induced endoplasmic reticulum-mediated apoptosis is dependent on Taxol dosage.
On the spectral character of Toeplitz operators on planar regions

Self-adjoint Toeplitz operators on multiply connected planar regions are investigated using theta functions on the double. An explicit resolvent form for self-adjoint Toeplitz operators on a Hardy space associated with any representing measure on a g-holed planar region is given via reproducing kernels in terms of theta functions on Cg. This resolvent formula is a generalization of an analogous formula obtained by K. F. Clancey (1991) for the case of harmonic measure. Applications of this resolvent form to the spectral type of the self-adjoint Toeplitz operators are described.
Estrogens induce visfatin expression in 3T3-L1 cells

Visfatin is a 56 kDa protein that is overexpressed in pregnant women. Like insulin, 2 nM visfatin induced GLUT 4 translocation from the cytosolic fraction to the membrane in 3T3-L1 cells. We have previously reported that visfatin induces glucose uptake into 3T3-L1 cells. These two actions define visfatin as an insulinomimetic. Three estrogens are elevated in pregnancy. Estradiol, the predominant estrogen, estriol, produced by the fetal liver and the pro-estrogen progesterone are all higher during pregnancy than in nonparous women. 3T3-L1 cells were treated with 150 ng/ml estriol, 16 ng/ml estradiol or 190 ng/ml progesterone to reflect the circulating concentrations of these steroids during pregnancy. Estriol treatment produced a 2.5-fold increase in visfatin gene expression. Estradiol and progesterone had small but insignificant effects on visfatin gene expression. In a second experiment, cells were treated with a combination of all three steroids together at the same concentrations listed above. The combination treatment produced a 13-fold increase in visfatin gene expression. These data suggest that the estriol, estradiol and progesterone exert a synergistic effect on visfatin gene expression. Taken together these data suggest that visfatin may play a physiological role during pregnancy. Since visfatin potently and efficaciously induced GLUT 4 translocation in a cell culture model, any hypothetical role for visfatin in pregnancy should include the possibility that it may play a role in maternal/fetal glucose metabolism or distribution. Two possibilities present: either maternal visfatin is overexpressed as a protective response in the pregnant female to compensate for the insulin resistance that often accompanies pregnancy or the excess visfatin is a compensatory response to ensure adequate glucose delivery to the growing fetus.
The Role of Perceived Intent in Consumer Penalty Evaluation

Abstract This study examines the role of perceived intent in the context of penalty evaluation. Based on prior attribution research, the study proposes that customers' responses to penalties are different depending on their perceptions of the organization's intent of using penalties. Using the data collected across the service industry, the study shows that when customers perceive the organization's intent as defensive rather than offensive, their evaluations of the penalty and the organization (e.g., perceived justice, satisfaction, behavioral intentions) are more positive than when they do not. Managerial implications are offered.
Health behaviors of smokers, ex-smokers, and never smokers in an HMO.

Abstract Background. The preponderance of evidence suggests that smokers do not engage in health-promoting lifestyles compared to nonsmokers. Few studies, however, have considered possible differences in health behaviors among smokers at different stages of intention to change. In this paper we examined the relationship of smoking stage of change to health behaviors in an HMO population. Methods. Data were obtained from a baseline health status and preventive service evaluation survey mailed to 8000 HMO members over the age of 40. The sample was stratified based on the presence of one or more chronic diseases. Regression analyses were performed adjusting for covariates and weighting based on the stratification. Results. Smokers appear to vary by stage of change in their practice of health-promoting behaviors. After controlling for age, gender, professional advice, chronic disease, and education, smokers classified in early stages of change demonstrated significantly fewer positive health practices compared to never smokers. A consistent pattern emerged across health behaviors. Conclusions. Smokers in the earliest stages of change appear to have the most room for improvement compared to ex-smokers and never smokers. Behavior change other than smoking could be an opportunity to engage early stage smokers.
Characterization of pediatric Wilms' tumor using Raman and fluorescence spectroscopies.

Purpose: Raman spectroscopy has been successfully demonstrated as an effective tool for tissue characterization and diagnosis, but nearly all studies have interrogated adult tissues and diseases. In this study, we demonstrate the application of Raman spectroscopy and its background autofluorescence for pediatric Wilms' tumor diagnosis. Methods: Eight tumors were measured in this study, along with matched normal kidney tissue in 6 cases. Spectral comparisons were drawn, and diagnostic use was assessed using both the Raman spectral features as well as the inherent tissue fluorescence. Results: The fluorescent background spectra were able to discriminate normal kidney from Wilms' tumor with 81% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The Raman spectra obtained 93% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Conclusions: This pilot study shows that both autofluorescence and Raman spectra provide diagnostic use in discriminating Wilms' tumor from normal kidney. These techniques may be used individually or in tandem to develop a real-time intraoperative screening and diagnostic device.
Disorganization and reestablishment of cardiac muscle cell ultrastructure in cultured adult rat ventricular muscle cells.

Adult rat ventricular cardiac muscle cells were isolated enzymatically and cultured for 1 to 9 days. At various times after being placed in culture, the cells were fixed and processed by standard methods for transmission electron microscopic (TEM) examination. Cardiac muscle cells were well organized immediately after isolation. Most cells, however, became disorganized with respect to sarcomeric arrangement after 24 hr in culture. Moreover, most of the cells showed evidence of dissociation-related damage, such as large surface blebs and bloated mitochondria. Although sarcomere organization was profoundly disturbed, some minimal signs of prior filament interrelations persisted. By 3 days in culture, the cells were still disorganized. They were, however, attached to the surface of the culture flask. From 5 to 9 days in culture, the myocytes reconstructed typical cardiac muscle ultrastructural features. Ultrastructural evidence for protein synthesis was abundant, and the cells appeared to reorganize their contractile apparatus using a mechanism similar to that which occurs during normal mammalian cardiac muscle cell differentiation. Other myocyte features which reappeared as the myofilaments reorganized included intercalated discs, sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), and the transverse tubular (T) system. Some patent elements of the T system persisted throughout the process of reorganization. Our studies also indicated that most of the lipofusein granules present in the cultured cells were of de novo origin.
Price Awareness and Consumers’ Use of Deals in Brand Choice

Abstract There is evidence that consumer knowledge of prices is limited, implying that, on occasions, consumers may not be fully informed of prices when making a brand purchase. On such occasions, how do consumers make their brand choice decision? One possibility is that consumers use their expectation of prices. This raises an interesting question. To what extent is brand purchase either a function of preferences and posted prices or, of preferences and expectation of brand prices? Another important issue relates to the role of displays and features in simplifying consumer brand choice. First, do promotions cause consumers to restrict their attention to only promoted brands? Second, do promotions affect the price aware consumers more than the price unaware consumers? Our study uses scanner data on ketchup and peanut butter categories to answer the foregoing questions. We find that between 40 and 50% of the purchases are made by consumers using expectations of prices rather than posted prices. Consumers using price expectations may be thought of as being “unaware” of prices. We also find that promotions cause some consumers to focus exclusively on promoted brands, and this effect is greater on the price aware consumers than on the price unaware consumers. Our findings have an important bearing on the rationality of consumer expectation of prices, especially of the promoted brands. Price aware consumers act as a check against firms promoting without accompanying price cuts.
The Case for Refined Grains in a Balanced Diet

Although consumption of whole grains is the ideal, the reality is that most people prefer foods made with refined grains. The push to eat more whole grains is good, but whole grain consumption should not be marketed at the expense of health-promoting food products made from enriched refined cereal grains. With the exception of fiber, enriched or fortified refined grain products have nutrition profiles similar to their whole grain counterparts, contributing protein, B vitamins, iron, calcium, and many other nutrients to our diets. In addition, the vitamins and minerals added as enrichment are readily absorbed by the body—some are even more available than in the forms found naturally in the food. Finally, in a recent review of relevant articles, no association between consumption of food products made with refined grains and cardiovascular disease, weight gain, diabetes, or overall mortality was identified.
Billiard Balls or Snowflakes? Major Power Prestige and the International Diffusion of Institutions and Practices

Do the institutions and practices of the major powers influence those of other states? Many international relations theorists have argued that these powerful states' prestige allows them to define what is normatively acceptable. This paper tests the influence of the internal characteristics of major powers on democratization, the extension of formal political equality to women, and the practice of jailing or killing the state's domestic political opponents. We find support for the major power prestige hypothesis in the latter two cases. In understanding some important international outcomes, it makes sense to treat major powers less like impenetrable “billiard balls,” distinguished only by their relative power, and more like “snowflakes” with many relevant internal characteristics.
Electrochemical control of the interactions of polymers and redox-active surfactants.

We report the characterization of aqueous solutions (0.1 M Li2SO4) of dilute ethyl(hydroxyethyl) cellulose (EHEC) mixed with the redox-active surfactant (11-ferrocenylundecyl)trimethylammonium bromide (FTMA) by measurements of clouding temperatures and dynamic light scattering. The investigation sought to test the hypothesis that FTMA, which forms micelles in aqueous solution in its reduced state but not in its oxidized state, would permit reversible control over the formation of polymer−surfactant complexes in solution. Our measurements revealed that low concentrations of reduced FTMA enhance aggregation, whereas high concentrations of reduced FTMA disperse polymer−surfactant aggregates. This behavior is qualitatively similar to both dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide and sodium dodecyl sulfate and reflects cooperative interactions between FTMA and EHEC. In contrast, oxidized FTMA was found not to promote EHEC aggregation at low concentrations of oxidized FTMA nor disperse EHEC aggregates at high concentra...
Effects of Estrogen Therapy on Hormonal Functions and Serum Lipids in Men with Coronary Atherosclerosis

Middle-aged men with coronary atherosclerosis were studied before and at intervals after initiation of estrogen therapy over a 12-month period. Serum lipid studies during treatment revealed consistent increases in phospholipid and α-lipoprotein cholesterol and decreased β-/α-lipoprotein cholesterol ratios. Concomitant endocrine studies demonstrated the expected testicular depression without apparent detriment to thyroid or adrenal function.
An adaptive algorithm for estimating the acceleration of highly maneuvering targets

A "current model" concept and modified Rayleigh distribution are proposed to describe the "current" probability distribution of target maneuvering accelaration. By noticing the relation between the state (accelaration) estimate and the mean-value of the state noise, a maneuvering acceleration mean-value and variance adaptive Kalman filtering algorithm is suggested. In three dimensional case, a nonlinear state model and a direct method of estimating tangential and normal accelerations of maneuvering targets are developed. Some computational results are presented.
Inertial plasma confinement in a miniature magnetic bottle induced by circularly polarized laser light

Abstract A megagauss magnetic field generated by circularity polarized laser light is used to get confinement of a plasma contained in a good conductor vessel. In this scheme the inertial confinement is supported by the magnetic forces and the Lawson criterion for a DT plasma might be achieved.
Acoustic Emission During Pitting and Transgranular Crack Initiation in Type 304 Stainless Steel

Abstract The acoustic emission (AE) response of a low-carbon type 304 stainless steel (SS) (UNS S30400) during pitting and transgranular stress corrosion cracking (TGSCC) has been measured. Tests w...
Pump-probe low-energy electron diffraction

We present a time-resolved pump-probe low energy electron diffraction experiment to study the dynamics of surface phase transitions. An ultrashort laser pulse heats a surface on a picosecond time scale, and a time-delayed, photogenerated electron pulse probes the resultant surface dynamics by diffraction. The diffracted electrons are detected with a position-sensitive microchannel plate detector. We discuss the limits of the achievable time resolution as given by the time-dependent surface temperature jump and the temporal broadening of the electron pulse due to the kinetic energy distribution of the electrons, the focusing of the electron beam, and other effects. The instrument function of the experiment, obtained by monitoring integer- order diffraction spot intensities as a function of surface temperature (the Debye-Waller effect), may yield the electron pulse duration. A model for the surface temperature profile based on a solution to the heat conduction equation, and a simulation of the electron trajectories in the electron gun, show that the instrument function is on a picosecond time scale. Initial experiments focus on the dynamics of reconstruction on the clean, single-crystal W(001) surface.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Enhanced Ionization of Phosphorylated Peptides during MALDI TOF Mass Spectrometry

Although alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid functions as an excellent matrix for the analysis of most peptides using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI TOF) mass spectrometry, the ionization of phosphorylated peptides is usually suppressed by nonphosphorylated peptides. As an alternative matrix, 2',4',6'-trihydroxyacetophenone (THAP) with diammonium citrate was found to overcome this problem for the MALDI TOF mass spectrometric analysis of proteolytic digests of phosphorylated proteins. Specifically, the abundances of phosphorylated peptides in tryptic digests of bovine beta-casein and protein kinase C (PKC)-treated mouse cardiac troponin I were enhanced more than 10-fold using THAP during positive ion MALDI TOF mass spectrometry. The protonated molecules of phosphorylated peptides were sufficiently abundant that postsource decay TOF mass spectrometry was used to confirm the number of phosphate groups in each peptide. Finally, tryptic digestion followed by analysis using MALDI TOF mass spectrometry with THAP as the matrix facilitated the identification of a unique phosphorylation site in PKC-treated troponin I.