cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental verification of theoretical cross sections for FIB-PIXE

Abstract X-ray production cross sections were found for films of Cr, Cu, Ge, Ag, W and Au, using incident H+ and Be+ ions at energies from 300 keV to 3.5 MeV. These experimental cross section results were compared with the cross section results obtained using software which calculates inner shell ionization and X-ray production cross sections. The software uses the ECPSSR-UA approach to finding X-ray production cross sections. This program was found to be useful for predicting cross sections for H+ and Be+ ions at the energies in this study. The software was then used to predict results for Li+, Be+ and B+ ions at 280 keV, energies available in the Arizona State University focused ion beam laboratory.
Plasticity of vertical distribution of crustacean zooplankton in lakes with varying levels of water colour

Zooplankton that are vulnerable to predation by planktivorous fish typically remain in deeper, darker water during the day. Vertical position may be affected by profiles of temperature and oxygen concentration, but light levels are thought to be critically important. Water transparency in temperate lakes is strongly dependent on the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Therefore, different patterns of zooplankton vertical position might be expected in lakes that vary in their level of DOC. The importance of three factors (light, temperature and oxygen) that might affect vertical position of major zooplankton groups was evaluated in 10 small lakes located in central Ontario. The lakes, encompassing a wide range of water colour, were sampled in May, June and August of 2000. Small cladocerans were found to be always higher in the water column than large cladocerans, while copepods were deeper. Small cladocerans had a weak response to the predictive factors, but copepods and large cladocerans were strongly affected. The vertical position of copepods was consistently dependent solely on Secchi depth. Surprisingly, for large cladocerans, temperature gradient was decisive in May and June, and only in August was water transparency the most important variable. Overall, water transparency, as determined by level of water colour, was the most important variable but, depending on taxonomic group and time of year, temperature and oxygen were also major determinants of vertical position.
Oil producing countries' discount rates

National Science Foundation, SES-8412971 and Center for Energy Policy Research of the M.I.T. Energy Laboratory
Instrumentation and physical factors related to visualization of stenotic and regurgitant jets by Doppler color flow mapping

Major clinical uses of the new Doppler color flow mapping technologies involve the imaging of disturbed flow through cardiac defects or valves. Nevertheless, there is little general understanding of the determinants of flow and of how flow is imaged by these new systems. This review will attempt to relate the hydrodynamics through a simplified stenotic or regurgitant orifice with the physics and sampling theories relevant to the functioning of Doppler color flow mapping systems. The goal will be to characterize the velocity resolution, spatial resolution, sensitivity and performance of these systems so that clinicians can understand why flow looks the way it does on Doppler color studies and which aspects of flow mapping can be expected to become more quantifiable than they are at present.
Microsatellite Testing in Colon Cancer

Significant progress has been made in understanding the molecular genetic basis of colorectal cancer (CRC). That information is paving the way to understanding the genetic basis of other tumors, as well. Oncology nurses should anticipate the routine integration of this information and testing of CRC tumors to understand the molecular basis of the disease in clinical practice. Molecular testing can lead to the identification of families at risk for hereditary cancer syndromes, particularly Lynch syndrome, which sometimes is referred to as hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer. Knowledge of the genetic basis of CRC also contributes valuable information aimed at selecting appropriate and effective targeted therapy.
Territorial revision and state repression

Does involvement in territorial conflict affect domestic repression? I argue that seeking to revise territory abroad will affect domestic repression, but conditionally on regime type and conflict severity. For democracies, there may be public pressure to deliver the good of territory. Because of this, territorial revision can lead to in-group/out-group dynamics at home, making it politically beneficial to increase repression domestically against groups seen as being opposed to the conflict. Autocracies may place a different value on contested territory, as they rely on the distribution of private goods to maintain support. While in-group/out-group dynamics may also be in play for autocracies, such states also face different types of constraints than democracies. Autocracies are more likely to use their military for domestic repression, and thus are more likely to simply maintain or reduce repression because the military is now being used abroad. These propositions are tested cross-nationally by examining ...
Extending the recognition site of designed minor groove binding molecules

A linked, imazole/pyrrole minor-groove ligand has been shown to bind sequence specificially to a 13 base-pair target sequence in a mixed 1:1/2:1 mode.
Differential associations between childhood trauma subtypes and adolescent HPA-axis functioning

Summary Studies examining the association between childhood trauma exposure and neuroendocrine functioning have returned inconsistent findings. To date, few studies have accounted for the role exposure to different types of childhood trauma may have on different neuroendocrine adaptations, and no study has examined this association using multiple indices of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA-axis) functioning. The purpose of this study was to characterize the unique associations between exposure to physical abuse, emotional abuse, and non-intentional trauma, and multiple indices of HPA-axis functioning. Methods A community sample of 138 youth (aged 9–16) completed the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Task (SE-CPT) while their parents completed the Early Trauma Inventory (ETI). All youth then collected 4 diurnal salivary cortisol samples at home across 2 consecutive weekdays. Results High reported exposure to non-intentional trauma was associated with intact diurnal regulation but elevated cortisol at bedtime, physical abuse was associated with faster reactivity to acute stress, and emotional abuse was associated with delayed recovery of cortisol following acute stress. Taken together, there was a heterogeneous relationship among different indices of HPA-axis functioning and trauma subtype. Discussion Different types of childhood trauma exposure are related to distinct anomalies in HPA-axis functioning. This study underscores the importance of research incorporating multiple indices of HPA-axis functioning to inform our understanding of the underlying neuroendocrine dysregulation that may later lead to stress-related psychopathology.
Influence of graded levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits

Abstract Dietary CLA inhibits experimental atherosclerosis when fed at a level of 0.1%. In this study rabbits were fed 0.2% cholesterol as part of a semi-purified diet which contained 0, 0.05, 0.075, 0.10 or 0.5% CLA. At levels as low as 0.05% of the diet CLA reduced severity of atherosclerosis in the aortic arch by 20% and in the thoracic aorta by 8%. As dietary concentrations of CLA rose severity of atherosclerosis fell. When the diet contained 0.10% CLA severity of atherosclerosis in the aortic arch and thoracic aorta fell by 40 (p
Nuclei-mode particulate emissions and their response to fuel sulfur content and primary dilution during transient operations of old and modern diesel engines.

The effects of fuel sulfur content and primary dilution on PM number emissions were investigated during transient operations of an old and a modern diesel engine. Emissions were also studied during steady-state operations in order to confirm consistency with previous findings. Testing methods were concurrent with those implemented by the EPA to regulate PM mass emissions, including the use of the Federal Transient Testing Procedure-Heavy Duty cycle to simulate transient conditions and the use of a Critical Flow Venturi-Constant Volume System to provide primary dilution. Steady-state results were found to be consistent with previous studies in that nuclei-mode particulate emissions were largely reduced when lower-sulfur content fuel was used in the newer engine, while the nuclei-mode PM emissions from the older engine were much less affected by fuel sulfur content. The transient results, however, show that the total number of nuclei-mode PM emissions from both engines increases with fuel sulfur content, al...
Biochemical Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy for Prevalent Versus Incident Cases of Prostate Cancer : Implications for Management

BACKGROUND. Among screened populations, it is unknown whether men with prostate cancer (PC) diagnosed at the initial screening (prevalent cases) have a different outcome than men who are diagnosed at subsequent screenings (incident cases) after adjusting for known prognostic factors. METHODS. The current study cohort was comprised of 1923 men from a prospective PC screening study who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) between September 19, 1989 and May 22, 2002. Cox regression multivariate analysis was used to determine whether having prevalent PC versus incident PC was associated with the time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure after RP after adjusting for PSA level, Gleason score, clinical tumor (T) classification, and year of RP. RESULTS. Men with prevalent PC had higher PSA levels (P < .001) and more advanced clinical T classification (P < .001) than men with incident PC. After a median follow-up of 6.1 years, factors that were associated with a significantly shorter time to PSA failure after RP were prevalent PC (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 1.8; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.3-2.6; P = .0005), baseline PSA (AHR, 1.07; 95%CI, 1.04-1.09; P < .001), Gleason 7 disease (AHR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.9-3.3; P < .001), Gleason 8 to 10 disease (AHR, 2.3; 95%CI, 1.5-3.5; P < .001), and the year of RP (AHR, 0.92; 95%CI, 0.86-0.97; P = .003). Men with prevalent PC also had worse outcomes after adjusting for their more advanced pathologic features. CONCLUSIONS. After adjusting for known prognostic factors, men with prevalent PC had a poorer outcome after RP than men with incident PC. The authors believe that this finding should be taken into consideration when weighing the risk of recurrence and treatment options for men who are diagnosed with PC on their initial screening. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
A Review of Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling

Book reviewed in this article: Cynthia K. Chandler (2005). Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling.
NORMAL I131 L-THYROXINE METABOLISM IN THE PRESENCE OF POTASSIUM PERCHLORATE AND INTERRUPTED BY PROPYLTHIOURACIL

The urinary and fecal excretions of I131 were studied during chronic administration of I131 L-thyroxine to rats fed a low iodine, low residue diet. Control rats and those fed KC1O4 were in iodine balance when they excreted 70% of the dairy I131 dose in the urine. Rats fed propylthiouracil (PTU) accumulated radiothyroxine in their bodies and at equilibrium they excreted only 30% of the daily I131 dose in the urine and 70% in the feces. Paper chromatograms showed the fecal I131 was predominately thyroxine but an unknown I131-labeled material was also present in the feces. Fifty micrograms of PTU per rat per day was enough to cause the PTU effect on thyroxine metabolism. The distribution of urinary and fecal I131 was independent of thyroxine dose in these experiments.
Cross-Cultural Communication: Implications for Effective Information Services In Academic Libraries

International students and scholars on campuses in the United States constitute a complex, diverse, and rapidly growing population that must be served effectively by academic libraries. This article examines cultural differences with a focus on communication processes and styles, and recommends ways to accommodate cross-cultural differences in information services. The article includes a survey of relevant literature and draws on the results of a series of focus groups conducted at Harvard University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Portland State University, and one of the annual conferences of the American Library Association.
m-Alkyl, α,α,α-trifluoroacetophenones: A new class of potent transition state analog inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase

Abstract A series of m-alkyl α,α,α-trifluoroacetophenones (1–5) was synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase from Torpedo california. All ketones (1–5) were found to be potent inhibitors of the enzyme; m-t-butyl α,α,α-trifluoroacetophenone (4) was the most potent inhibitor with a Ki value of 3.7 pM.
Tick infestations of white-tailed deer in Alabama.

Four species of ticks were collected from 537 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), examined during the hunting seasons (November to January) of 1988–89 and 1989–90 at selected locations in Alabama (USA). Ixodes scapularis was the most common tick recovered (2,060 specimens) and infested 54% of the deer. Dermacentor albipictus was the second most frequent tick (1,253 specimens) and infested 15% of the deer. Amblyomma americanum was the third most frequent tick (315 specimens) and infested 24% of the deer; this was the only species of tick collected from deer at all sampling locations. Amblyomma maculatum was an infrequent parasite (five specimens) and infested only 1% of the deer; this tick species was only recorded during the 1989–90 season. Year-to-year and geographical differences in tick infestation parameters were noted. The data are compared with those reported for previous surveys of ticks infesting white-tailed deer in Alabama and adjacent states.
Current Practice: Research Advances in Prenatal Craniofacial Development: Report of a Conference and Review of Topics

Cell biology techniques are now being applied to classical embryology. Although many of us are afforded the opportunity to see developmental maladies in our practice, the fetal stage at which we examine these patients is often well past the time at which we could have applied the same tools to gain an understanding of the pathogenesis. We can, however, provide the end-stage correlations to naturally or artificially perturbed morphogenesis by directing our examinations to anatomic areas that correlate with those seen in experimental models or which are derived from similar, not necessarily regional, precursors or by similar developmental steps. More importantly, these experimental studies provide us a route (perhaps an escape route) from the blind-ending alleys of the current taxonomy of human malformations and place us squarely on the superhighway to understanding their pathogenesis. We are more likely to develop a greater understanding for the end-stage structure if we have had a glimpse of the blueprints for its design. I recommend the conference proceedings for an in-depth, illustrated treatise on craniofacial development.
Rurality and ethnicity in adolescent physical illness: are children of the growing rural Latino population at excess health risk?

CONTEXT AND PURPOSE: This study's objectives are to: investigate potential additive and multiplicative influences of rurality and race/ethnicity on chronic physical illness in a nationally representative sample of youth; and examine intra-Latino processes using a Latino sub-sample. Specifically, we examine how rurality and individual psychosocial processes reflected by acculturation proxies (generational status and use of the English language at home) link to chronic physical illness of Latino youth. Finally, we examine whether these associations and the levels of chronic illness differ across Latino subgroups. METHODS: Logistic-normal (binomial) modeling analyses examine multilevel influences on physical health using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample (N = 13,905) of white, African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 participating in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. FINDINGS: Prevalence rates of certain chronic illnesses (obesity, asthma, and high cholesterol) among Latino adolescents exceed rates for the same illnesses among white adolescents. Comparisons between rural and non-rural youth reveal a rurality disadvantage in terms of any chronic illness likelihood among Latino, Asian, and Native American youth not evident among whites or African Americans. Among Latino youth (N = 2,505), Mexican Americans show lower health risk for any chronic illness compared to other Latino groups. However, third generation Latinos and those who primarily speak English at home experience higher risk for any chronic illness than do those of first or second generation status, with amplification of the risk linked to English use at home among Latino youth living in rural areas.
The Beginning of Individual Human Personhood

Even for persons who hold to the ethical acceptance of abortion practices in general, questions of detail often arise. If you assume the distinction between the physical human organism alone and the person that is associated with that organism, then you must face the question of whether it is permissible to abort a fetus if the corresponding person has come into being. We take the position that the abortion of a fetus that has achieved this level of development should be declared unethical except in special circumstances. Our purpose here is to identify the point in the development of the fetus that serves as the marker for this level.
The biology of Giardia spp.

Gardia spp. are flagellated protozoans that parasitize the small intestines of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The infectious cysts begin excysting in the acidic environment of the stomach and become trophozoites (the vegetative form). The trophozoites attach to the intestinal mucosa through the suction generated by a ventral disk and cause diarrhea and malabsorption by mechanisms that are not well understood. Giardia spp. have a number of unique features, including a predominantly anaerobic metabolism, complete dependence on salvage of exogenous nucleotides, a limited ability to synthesize and degrade carbohydrates and lipids, and two nuclei that are equal by all criteria that have been tested. The small size and unique sequence of G. lamblia rRNA molecules have led to the proposal that Giardia is the most primitive eukaryotic organism. Three Giardia spp. have been identified by light lamblia, G. muris, and G. agilis, but electron microscopy has allowed further species to be described within the G. lamblia group, some of which have been substantiated by differences in the rDNA. Animal models and human infections have led to the conclusion that intestinal infection is controlled primarily through the humoral immune system (T-cell dependent in the mouse model). A major immunogenic cysteine-rich surface antigen is able to vary in vitro and in vivo in the course of an infection and may provide a means of evading the host immune response or perhaps a means of adapting to different intestinal environments. Images
Multi-level Lasso for Sparse Multi-task Regression

We present a flexible formulation for variable selection in multi-task regression to allow for discrepancies in the estimated sparsity patterns accross the multiple tasks, while leveraging the common structure among them. Our approach is based on an intuitive decomposition of the regression coe_cients into a product between a component that is common to all tasks and another component that captures task-specificity. This decomposition yields the Multi-level Lasso objective that can be solved efficiently via alternating optimization. The analysis of the "orthonormal design" case reveals some interesting insights on the nature of the shrinkage performed by our method, compared to that of related work. Theoretical guarantees are provided on the consistency of Multi-level Lasso. Simulations and empirical study of micro-array data further demonstrate the value of our framework.
Regenerative medicine in 2012: The coming of age of musculoskeletal tissue engineering

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have advanced rapidly towards the development of therapeutic solutions for musculoskeletal disorders. In 2012, breakthroughs have been made in the guidance of adult stem cell homing, the tissue regenerative activity of stem-cell-derived extracellular matrix has been tested, and novel, mechanically superior biomaterials have been fabricated.
Paganism and Christianity in Procopius

The great historian of the reign of Justinian (A. D. 527–565) was Procopius of Caesarea in Palestine. He wrote a history of the wars of Justinian, an account of the Emperor's building activities, and a slanderous Secret History, designed to be published after his own death, in which he made a vicious attack on Justinian and Theodora.
Identification of microRNAs associated with ileal and colonic Crohn's disease

Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two major types of chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While both are thought to arise as a consequence of an aberrant host immune response to gut flora in genetically predisposed individuals, CD and UC differ with respect to clinical presentation, genetic associations, and gene expression patterns.1 UC affects only the colon, while CD can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, with the terminal ileum most commonly involved. Since 2005, genome-wide association studies have identified multiple shared as well as distinct genetic risk factors for CD and UC.2 Furthermore, genome-wide mRNA expression studies have demonstrated that CD and UC differ regarding respective mRNA expression profiles.3–5 These differences in gene expression patterns have also been corroborated by proteomics studies comparing CD and UC.6–8 While the regulation of inflammatory gene expression is not fully understood, microRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly recognized as important posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression.9 Mature miRNAs are short (19–24 nucleotides) noncoding RNAs that are processed from longer pri-miRNAs transcripts. In the cytoplasm, mature miRNA is incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) where it recognizes and binds to complementary sequences in the 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) of the target mRNAs, resulting in suppression of translation and/or degradation of mRNA.10,11 Since the first human miRNA, Let-7, was discovered in 2000,12 ≈700 human miRNAs have been identified. Each miRNA may regulate hundreds of different protein-coding messenger RNA (mRNA), and conversely, a given mRNA sequence may be targeted by several miRNAs.13 Overall, miRNAs are thought to contribute to the regulation of at least one-third of all protein-encoding mRNAs in humans.14 miRNAs have been implicated in many biological processes, including development, determination of cell fate, metabolism, and hematopoiesis.15 While alterations in miRNA expression have been most widely studied in cancer, growing evidence indicates a significant role of miR-NAs in immune function.16 For example, miRNAs have been shown to influence the expression of cytokines,17 proteins involved in Toll-like receptor and cytokine receptor activation,18,19 and T-cell function.20 Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that miRNAs are altered in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.21 We recently demonstrated that certain miRNAs are differentially expressed in the tissues of patients with active UC, finding that eight miRNAs were significantly increased and three miRNAs were decreased in sigmoid colon tissues with active UC.22 However, altered expression of miRNAs in CD has not been fully investigated. In this study we examined whether there is intestinal region-specific miRNA expression and whether this expression is altered in ileal CD (Crohn’s ileitis) and colonic CD (Crohn’s colitis).
Incidence, predictors, and consequences of coronary dissection following high-speed rotational atherectomy.

Abstract These results suggest than dissection is a complication of HSRA that can be predicted by a set of 3 readily available clinical and angiographic variables. Dissection has an impact on major procedural complications, mostly the need for coronary bypass, but does not appear to predispose to abrupt vessel closure.
A genetic approach to test application time reduction for full scan and partial scan circuits

Full scan and partial scan are effective design-for-testability techniques for achieving high fault coverage. However, test application time can be high if long scan chains are used. Reductions in test application time can be made if flip-flop values are not scanned in and out before and after every test vector is applied. Previous research has used deterministic fault-oriented combinational and sequential circuit test generators in generating test vectors and sequences and in deciding when to scan the flip-flops. In this work we use genetic algorithms to generate compact test sets which limit the scan operations. Results for the ISCAS89 sequential benchmark circuits show that significant reductions in test application time can be achieved, especially for partial scan circuits.
Maturation disparity between hand-wrist bones in Hong Kong Chinese children.

The hand-wrist radiographs of 571 Chinese boys and girls from Hong Kong, 2 months to 17 years old, were assessed center-by-center according to the Greulich-Pyle Atlas. For each child the mean skeletal ages (SA) of six bone groups with each group consisting of bones from the same rows, were recorded. The overall SA was also obtained as the arithmetic mean of all centers. Maturation disparity between the various bone groups was demonstrated with the two proximal rows (distal radio-ulna, carpals) more retarded, the two distal rows (middle and distal phalanges) less retarded, and the two middle rows (metacarpals, proximal phalanges) intermediate in maturity. This disparity was especially pronounced during the childhood period and was more marked in boys. Recording SA of separate bone groups in addition to the overall SA was recommended in the presence of significant maturation disparity. The comparison of the present results with the ossification ages of the various hand-wrist centers in the same group of children determined in a previous study (Lee et al., '68) revealed that the less retarded hand epiphyses of the distal rows had precocious ossification timing, while the more retarded centers of the proximal rows around the wrist had delayed ossification timing relative to the American white children.
Impact of Double-Crested Cormorant Depredations on Channel Catfish Farms

Resurgent wintering populations of double-crested cormorants in the past 10 years have caused serious depredation problems for commercial channel catfish (Ictalurus punctarus) growers in Mississippi. Catch rates of catfish by cormorants were found to average 5 catfish per cormorant-hour. Catfish taken averaged 12 cm in length. However, cormorants took fingerling catfish at rates as high as 28 per cormorant-hour. The average number of cormorants found feeding on a single pond in this study was 30.5. If this number (but not necessarily the same individuals) fed all day in an 8 ha pond stocked at 51,000 fishlha, the fish population would be halved in 30 days. Further, using this example, the cost of harassment patrols on a 200 ha catfish farm complex over a 5 month period would be exceeded in 22 days by the losses in this one pond. Wild gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) occurred in some ponds, and seem to be preferred by cormorants over caffish.
Halting the progression of heart failure: Finding the optimal combination therapy

Finding the optimal combination of drugs in the correct dosages, which requires careful monitoring over time, is key to slowing the disease process and prolonging life. For most patients, treating heart failure involves correcting underlying left ventricular dysfunction, thereby slowing the remodeling process.
On topology creation for an indoor wireless grid

Most space constrained indoor wireless testbeds have majority of the nodes under a single collision domain. Emulation of multi-hop topologies on such testbeds is usually achieved either through the use of additional hardware like external noise injection or software techniques such as MAC frame filtering. We show that while these two techniques are able to create simple scenarios, creating large-scale, realistic topologies remains a challenge. In this paper, we propose and implement a Bursty PER filtering mechanism, which can filter packets on a link according to preset PER in the software domain. We first show that this new method can provide a better support for fine-grained link PER and localized link control. Further, we show that it is possible to create large scale topologies (of the order of 100nodes). We substantiate our claims by empirical evaluation on the ORBIT indoor wireless testbed.
Stability of Magnetic States in Patterned Materials

Abstract : The stability of the individual elements of a two-dimensional (2D) regular array of single domain particles is investigated. The variance in the statistical distribution of up- and down switching fields of the elements leads to premature switching for the low coercivity particles, and incomplete overwriting for the high end of the distribution. The distribution of the interaction fields from surrounding elements on a 2D array depends the saturation magnetization of the elements, their packing density, and the recorded information. The non-ellipsoidal shape of the elements leads to reduced switching fields as a result of non-collinear magnetization around the corners and edges. The thermal stability of 2D arrays, switching by (incoherent) rotation of the magnetization, is enhanced compared to bulk/contiguous media, due to the lack of low energy barrier domain wall motion processes. However due to the fast decrease of the anisotropy, stability at elevated temperatures is still a problem. Experimental data for a model 2D square array of single crystalline, strongly uniaxial, single domain garnet particles illustrate the effects on stability of statistics, shape, and thermal excitation.
STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS FOR INHIBITION OF 4-(METHYLNITROSAMINO)-1-(3-PYRIDYL)-1-BUTANONE LUNG TUMORIGENESIS BY ARYLALKYL ISOTHIOCYANATES IN A /J MICE

Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), 3-phenylpropyl isothiocyanate (PPITC), 4-phenylbutyl isothiocyanate (PBITC), and the newly synthesized 5-phenylpentyl isothiocyanate (PPeITC), 6-phenylhexyl isothiocyanate (PHITC), and 4-(3-pyridyl)butyl isothiocyanate (PyBITC) were tested for their abilities to inhibit tumorigenicity and DNA methylation induced by the tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) in the lungs of A/J mice. Mice were administered isothiocyanates by gavage for 4 consecutive days at doses of 5, 1, or 0.2 µmol/day prior to administration of 10 µmol of NNK by i.p. injection. Mice were sacrificed 16 weeks after NNK administration and pulmonary adenomas were quantitated. PEITC effectively inhibited NNK-induced lung tumors at a dose of 5 µmol/day but was not inhibitory at doses of 1 or 0.2 µmol/day. PPITC, PBITC, PPeITC, and PHITC were all considerably more potent inhibitors of NNK lung tumorigenesis than PEITC. While virtually no differences in inhibitory activity could be ascertained for PPITC, PBITC, and PPeITC, PHITC appeared to be the most potent tumor inhibitor of all of the compounds. At a dose of 0.2 µmol/day, PHITC pretreatment reduced tumor multiplicity by 85%. PyBITC, an analogue of both NNK and PBITC, was ineffective as an inhibitor. Using the same protocol, the compounds were found to have qualitatively similar inhibitory effects on NNK-induced DNA methylation when administered at 1 µmol/day. These results extend our previous findings that increased alkyl chain length enhances the inhibitory activity of an arylalkyl isothiocyanate toward NNK lung tumorigenesis and demonstrate the exceptional chemopreventive potentials of two new isothiocyanates, PPeITC and PHITC.
Desdemona's Lament

How can Argentine women, after imprisonment and torture, reconstruct what happened to them, represent their experiences, and understand how doing theatre in prison helped them? Men exprisoners acknowledge that women have advanced further in developing strategies that move beyond the hierarchical and authoritarian activism of the Leftist resistance.
Qualitative approach to electromechanical energy conversion: Reinventing the art of design in adjustable speed drives

In recent years, considerable research efforts have been devoted to the development of power electronics for enhanced control of electric drives. Traditional analysis and control of a drive is often based on a generalized system model, wherein a relationship between the average torque and phase current is established analytically. However effects of the applied control scheme on the resultant radial force components and geometrical distribution of forces are not provided by these models. This paper presents a novel field reconstruction approach towards the accurate modeling of the drive which includes an analytical expression describing the electromagnetic behavior of the machine. This is an ideal technique for the numerical analysis and performance evaluation of an electric drive from an electromagnetic perspective. Since finite element analysis (FEA) only needs to be performed once, the cost and time involved in generating the desired results are dramatically reduced This paper uses a 3-phase PMSM to illustrate the proof of principle. However the concept can be extended to any machine type with a known geometry.
Poverty and obesity: the role of energy density and energy costs

Many health disparities in the United States are linked to inequalities in education and income. This review focuses on the relation between obesity and diet quality, dietary energy density, and energy costs. Evidence is provided to support the following points. First, the highest rates of obesity occur among population groups with the highest poverty rates and the least education. Second, there is an inverse relation between energy density (MJ/kg) and energy cost (US dollars/MJ), such that energy-dense foods composed of refined grains, added sugars, or fats may represent the lowest-cost option to the consumer. Third, the high energy density and palatability of sweets and fats are associated with higher energy intakes, at least in clinical and laboratory studies. Fourth, poverty and food insecurity are associated with lower food expenditures, low fruit and vegetable consumption, and lower-quality diets. A reduction in diet costs in linear programming models leads to high-fat, energy-dense diets that are similar in composition to those consumed by low-income groups. Such diets are more affordable than are prudent diets based on lean meats, fish, fresh vegetables, and fruit. The association between poverty and obesity may be mediated, in part, by the low cost of energy-dense foods and may be reinforced by the high palatability of sugar and fat. This economic framework provides an explanation for the observed links between socioeconomic variables and obesity when taste, dietary energy density, and diet costs are used as intervening variables. More and more Americans are becoming overweight and obese while consuming more added sugars and fats and spending a lower percentage of their disposable income on food.
Commentary: Pediatric Epilepsy: A Good Fit for Pediatric Psychologists

While there are an abundance of pediatric neuropsychologists working with youth with epilepsy (YWE), other subspecialty psychologists have played minimal roles in clinical and research endeavors in pediatric epilepsy. Thus, the purpose of this commentary was to describe (a) the needs of YWE due to the intermittent nature of seizures and difficulties with disease management, (b) increased risk for psychosocial comorbidities, (c) limited access to care, and (d) provide recommendations for how pediatric psychologists can become involved in the clinical care and research activities for YWE.
Auger electrons associated with stopped π interactions in nuclear emulsions

This study was undertaken in order to determine with more precision, by means of increased statistics, the frequency of Auger electrons from π--mesons interactions in nuclear emulsion. The energy distribution of Auger electrons from the light and heavy elements of the nuclear emulsion was obtained. A stack of 36 (2 × 4) in. 600 Μm G-5 nuclear emulsion was exposed to the π- beam of the cyclotron at the University of Chicago. The pion flux was 4.104π‘s per cm per minute and after traveling 1.5 cm of emulsion 95% of the π--mesons stopped within a strip 2 cm long. There were observed 5 498 π--meson interactions, out of which 950 had 1 092 Auger electrons associated with them. Of the 950 Auger bearing events, 863 were due to π--meson interactions with the heavy elements of the nuclear emulsion, and the remaining 87 were due to the absorption of the π--meson by the light elements of the nuclear emulsion. The frequency of events having one or more Auger electrons was observed to be 0.173 or 950/5 498. The observed energy spectrum of the Auger electrons from the heavy and light elements of the nuclear emulsion was found to agree, within the experimental errors, with the energy spectrum calculated by Eisenberg. It is also observed that 92% of all Auger electrons originate from heavy nuclei and 8% from light nuclei.
Promoting inquiry-oriented teacher preparation in social studies through the use of local history

Abstract The educational reform movement in social studies has focused on constructivist and inquiry-oriented approaches to the teaching of history. Since many social studies teacher education students have had little experience with such approaches in their own schooling, special attention needs to be given to these topics within teacher preparation programs if they are to be implemented in schools. One pathway for accomplishing this is through investigations of local history. This article presents an exploratory qualitative research study investigating pre-service teachers׳ understanding of inquiry and the impact of a set of lessons in a methods class using local history in the service of inquiry-oriented learning. The results suggest that local history can be an effective tool for stimulating interest in and a deeper understanding of inquiry-oriented teaching.
Interhemispheric bias in earth's climate response to orbital forcing

Abstract. The climate response to orbital forcing shows a distinct hemispheric asymmetry due to the unequal distribution of land in the Northern vs. Southern hemispheres. This asymmetry is examined using a Global Climate Model (GCM) and a Land Hemispheric Bias (LHB) is quantified for each hemisphere. The results show how changes in obliquity and precession translate into variations in the calculated LHB. We find that the global climate response to specific past orbits is likely unique and modified by complex climate-ocean-cryosphere interactions that remain poorly known and difficult to model. Nonetheless, these results provide a baseline for interpreting contemporaneous proxy climate data spanning a broad range of latitudes, which maybe especially useful in paleoclimate data-model comparisons, and individual time-continuous records exhibiting orbital cyclicity.
Abstract PR05: Using genome-scale CRISPR-mediated loss-of-function and gain-of-function screens to analyze gene-drug interactions in cancer

Drug resistance remains a pressing problem in cancer therapy. One major mode of resistance involves altered gene expression in the cancer cell. Knowing which genes can promote resistance or sensitivity to a specific cancer drug could pave the way for the development of new treatment strategies that minimize cancer drug resistance. Genome-scale loss-of-function and gain-of-function screens can be used to discover novel gene-drug interactions in cancer. RNAi and cDNA/ORF overexpression libraries have previously been used to conduct such screens, but both have drawbacks. RNAi has off-target effects, which can lead to false-positive results. cDNAs/ORFs are usually kilobases long and can be challenging to clone, verify and maintain in an overexpression library. Our recently developed CRISPR-based screening methods address these shortcomings. The technology combines different catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) fusion proteins and uniquely designed short guide RNAs (sgRNA) allowing us to repress (CRISPRi) or activate (CRISPRa) the transcription of specific genes. CRISPRi uses KRAB, a repressive chromatin modifier domain, fused to dCas9. CRISPRa uses the sunCas9 system where a peptide epitope chain is fused to dCas9 and recruits multiple copies of VP64, a transcriptional activator, attached to an intracellular single-chain antibody directed against the epitope. The gene-specific region of sgRNAs is at most 25 bases, so with the help of massively parallel oligonucleotide synthesis and next-generation sequencing, we cloned and verified genome-scaled sgRNA libraries targeting 15,977 human protein-coding genes. When used for screening, we showed that CRISPRi has minimal off-target effects, one reason being that repression is highly sensitive to mismatches between sequences of the target DNA and the sgRNA. Citation Format: Luke A. Gilbert, Marvin E. Tanenbaum, Max A. Horlbeck, Britt Adamson, Jacqueline E. Villalta, Ronald D. Vale, Martin Kampmann, Jonathan S. Weissman. Using genome-scale CRISPR-mediated loss-of-function and gain-of-function screens to analyze gene-drug interactions in cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translation of the Cancer Genome; Feb 7-9, 2015; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(22 Suppl 1):Abstract nr PR05.
Data-centric combinatorial optimization of parallel code

Memory performance is one essential factor for tapping into the full potential of the massive parallelism of GPU. It has motivated some recent efforts in GPU cache modeling. This paper presents a new data-centric way to model the performance of a system with heterogeneous memory resources. The new model is composable, meaning it can predict the performance difference due to placing data differently by profiling the execution just once.
Light-induced enhancement of superconductivity via melting of competing bond-density wave order in underdoped cuprates

We develop a theory for light-induced superconductivity in underdoped cuprates in which the competing bond-density wave order is suppressed by driving phonons with light. Close to a bond-density wave instability in a system with a small Fermi surface, such as a fractionalized Fermi liquid, we show that the coupling of electrons to phonons is strongly enhanced at the bond-density wave ordering wave vectors, leading to a strong softening of phonons at these wave vectors. For a model of classical phonons with anharmonic couplings, we show that the combination of strong softening and driving can lead to large phonon oscillations. When coupled to a phenomenological model describing the competition between bond-density wave order and superconductivity, these phonon oscillations melt bond-density wave order, thereby enhancing pairing correlations.
The Recruitment and Retention of Hispanic Undergraduate Students in Public Universities in the United States, 2000-2006

In many public U.S. universities, Hispanic undergraduates are underrepresented in terms of enrollment and graduation. This mixed-method geographical study investigated whether some public universit...
Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic interpretation of the Alaska Highway Corridor

We present a study of a large airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey acquired over the Alaska Highway Corridor. Several aspects of the conductivity structure are of interest in this area: very near surface conductivity to characterize active layer thickness, mid-depth conductivity for permafrost and geohazard applications, and deeper structures for regional mapping and potential mineral identification. Because of the wide variety of scales and targets, we present an integrated inversion approach, using disparate but complimentary techniques. In addition, we introduce a novel method of incorporation of magnetic susceptibility information into the conductivity inversions.
Life History Variability in the Water Boatman, Trichocorixa reticulata (Hemiptera: Corixidae), in San Francisco Bay Salt Marsh Ponds

Age structure, ovarian development, and oviposition rates of Trichocorixa reticulata Guerin-Meneville in Petaluma Marsh, San Francisco Bay, Calif., were examined over 2 years in six saline ponds that ranged in hydrological stability from temporary to permanent. In permanent and semi-permanent ponds, the population completes a spring and summer generation. After a late summer ovarian arrest, about half the summer generation adults reproduce and give rise to an autumn generation, while the remaining half overwinter as reproductively immature adults. Synchronous oviposition by these two cohorts during the spring produces a generation with a single well-defined peak, whereas asynchronous oviposition produces a generation with two staggered peaks. Because temporary ponds completely dry up many times during the dry season, neither a spring nor a summer generation can be completed. Variable recruitment of nymphs on inundating tides and of adults by flight into the temporary ponds produced erratic age structure patterns. Although the age structure patterns for T. reticulata in Petaluma Marsh vary among ponds, they appear in general to share characteristics of those reported for tropical corixids (i.e., year-round reproduction) and those reported for temperate corixids (i.e., overwintering spent only in the adult stage).
Enabling Continuous Optimization for Sizing Morphing Aircraft Concepts

Recent advances in adaptive structures and advanced, compact actuators have renewed interes t in variable geometry aircraft that can change shape in flight to obtain better performance during dissimilar flight conditions. These new morphing aircraft concepts may allow for shape changes far beyond the well known variable sweep and variable camber designs, like the F -111 or F -14 aircraft. Because of the potential for a wider range of shape changes, significant effort has been put forth to develop strategies for the conceptual sizing of such vehicles. However, a morphing aircraft may significantly change shape in flight in ways that cannot be addressed by traditional sizing approaches. This paper presents a recent improvement on the “morphing as an independent variable” sizing approach that allows the use of continuous optimization techniques to s ize the morphing aircraft. Results for several different missions, each with dissimilar segments, are presented and examined. Based on the methods proposed in this study, future work can be focused on morphing mechanism weight, implementation and design.