cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Survival outcomes in pediatric recurrent high-grade glioma: results of a 20-year systematic review and meta-analysis.

Recurrent pediatric high-grade glioma is a leading cause of cancer-related death in children. We report results of a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating survival outcome in pediatric patients with recurrent high-grade glioma over the last 20 years. MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Review databases were searched for relevant studies reporting on survival outcomes for pediatric patients with recurrent high-grade glioma treated between 1996 and 2016. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated cumulatively over all studies, by therapy subgroup, and by decade of treatment. Random effects models were used to control for heterogeneity as measured by the I2 statistic. A total of 17 studies across 4 treatment strategies were included. Eleven investigated traditional chemotherapy, 1 investigated targeted therapy, 3 investigated immunotherapy, and 2 investigated radiotherapy. A total of 129 patients were included with a median age of 10.0 years. Cumulative PFS was 3.5 months (95% CI 2.1–5.0). Cumulative OS was 5.6 months (95% CI 3.9–7.3). OS was 4.0 months (95% CI 1.9–6.1) using traditional chemotherapy, 9.3 months using targeted therapies (95% CI 5.4–13), 6.9 months using immunotherapy (95% CI 2.1–12), and 14 months using reirradiation (95% CI 2.8–25). OS between 1996 and 2006 was 4.2 months (95% CI 2.1–6.2) compared to 8.5 months (95% CI 5.6–11) after 2006. Pediatric patients with recurrent high-grade glioma suffer from poor PFS and OS, regardless of therapy. There may be a trend towards improved OS in the last decade.
Preferred Flavors and Performance of Weanling Pigs

To characterize the flavor preferences of weanling pigs, a T-maze test was designed and validated. After having sampled feed from one side, containing flavor, and the other side, containing no flavor, pigs were allowed to select feed from either side of the T-maze five times. The frequency of selecting the flavored feed and the percentage of total feed eaten in 20 s/run were used to establish degree of preference for flavors. A total of 129 flavors or flavor combinations was tested in 248 trials, with some flavors tested at several concentrations. At least four flavors were tested in each of eight major flavor groups; the frequency distribution of preference did not differ among groups. Five specific flavors, highly preferred by the pigs in the T-maze tests, were selected for sustained preference tests for two 5-d periods. In the tests, a preference was shown for three of the five flavors. Two flavors were then tested for effects on performance using three groups of 10 pigs for 5 wk after weaning. The feed intakes and body weight gains were increased during the first week in both groups fed flavored feed compared with those of the control group. In a growth trial with 1,219 pigs, one of the two flavors increased feed intake and improved weight gain during the first week after weaning. Thus, although pigs did not appear to prefer flavors in any one of the groups tested, they did prefer specific flavors, which, when added to feed, improved feed intake and weight gain during the critical first week after weaning.
Effects of Substrate Materials and Surface Conditions on the Minimum Film-Boiling Temperature

Film boiling is an important phenomenon in the evaluation of an emergency core cooling system following a hypothetical loss of coolant accident in a nuclear reactor. This study investigates the eff...
Talking Tots and the Terrible Twos: Early Language and Disruptive Behavior in Toddlers.

ABSTRACT:Objective:The goal of this article is to investigate the association between the 2 most commonly reported parental concerns about young children—disruptive behavior (e.g., irritable, aggressive, and noncompliant behaviors) and language delay in toddlers. To test for salient subgroup differe
Prices and cross-border cigarette purchases in the EU: evidence from demand modelling

Background Previous studies of cross-border cigarette purchases in the European Union (EU) relied on survey-reported data. Results of those studies might be affected by under-reporting of tax avoidance in those surveys. This study aims to shed light on the effects of cigarette price differences between EU Member States on cross-border cigarette purchases using a method that is free from potential reporting bias. Data and methods 2004–2017 pooled time-series data and econometric modelling are used to examine cross-border shopping in the EU. Incentives for cross-border shopping are measured as a function of differences in cigarette prices between bordering countries, controlling for population density near borders. Separate incentive variables are calculated for EU internal versus EU external borders and for terrestrial versus maritime borders. Tax-paid cigarette sales are modelled as a function of cigarette price, per capita income, non-price measures and the incentive variables using fixed-effects models. Results The estimated price elasticity of cigarette demand varies, depending on the model, from −0.47 to −0.35. The estimated income elasticity varies from 0.66 to 0.70. Between-country price differences are not significantly associated with purchases across maritime borders and across borders with non-EU neighbours. In an average EU Member State, reducing incentives from cross-border shopping down to zero would increase sales by 1.5% in an importing country and reduce sales by about 6% in an exporting country, ceteris paribus. Conclusion An upward convergence of cigarette prices across EU Member States would reduce cross-border cigarette purchasing and improve public health by contributing to decreases in cigarette consumption.
Prescription Contraceptive Sales Following the Affordable Care Act

Objectives We examine trends in prescription contraceptive sales following the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) zero-copayment contraceptive coverage mandate in areas more likely to be affected by the provision relative to areas less likely to be affected. Methods Before the ACA, several states had their own contraceptive insurance coverage mandates. Using a national prescription claims database combined with wholesaler institutional sales activity from January 2008 through June 2014, we compare sales of the intrauterine device (IUD), implant, injectable, pill, ring, and patch in states that had a state-level insurance coverage mandate before the ACA to states that did not. Results Overall, our results imply the ACA increased sales of prescription contraceptives, with stronger effects for some methods than others. Specifically, we find the ACA increased sales of injectable contraceptives, but had no significant impact on sales of the IUD, implant, pill, or patch in states without a state-level mandate before the ACA relative to states that had a state-level mandate. We also find suggestive evidence of a reduction in sales of the ring. Conclusions for Practice Demand responses to changes in out-of-pocket expenses for contraception vary across methods. Eliminating copays could promote the use of contraceptives, but is not the only approach to increasing contraceptive utilization.
Keynote talk #1: Machine learning and cognitive communications for 5G and IoT

Summary form only given, as follows. The 5G system is about to be developed and the devices in IoT systems are expected to grow exponentially. There are many challenges that come with this development and growth – one of which is how to efficiently use the available bandwidth. With devices needing to continuously exchange information via shared channels, deciding if, when and how much to transmit in efficient ways becomes important, especially when data stream flows continuously. Since transmission causes a drain on battery power, another challenge is how to design sensing and communication protocols that are energy efficient. The key objective here is to integrate cognitive abilities to these devices and device-to-device interactions to enable coordinated decision making that enhances the efficiency of the overall system. By integrating cognition, we mean enabling the sensors to exploit and mine available (and possibly correlated) data. In this presentation, we review some of the capabilities needed in 5G and IoT and show application of machine learning to make significant energy savings.
Buttonhole Cannulation of Arteriovenous Fistulas: a Dialysis Nurse’s Perspective

Patients with ESKD who choose a hemodialysis modality are burdened with the reality that their life is now tied to a dialysis machine 3–6 days weekly. The effect on their medical, social, and psychologic well being is dramatic. One of the biggest fears patients have expressed to us (nurses) regarding hemodialysis is having to be “stuck with big needles” at each treatment. The average patient on in-center hemodialysis is stuck with large bore needles six times per week or 312 times per year, barring any “missed sticks” or infiltrations. The patient on home hemodialysis increases that number to about ten times per week, or >500 times annually. Understanding that the average person recoils from the thought of needles and that 25% of adults present with a real clinical diagnosis of trypanophobia, or “needle phobia” (1), it seems only fitting that we seek out options that would reduce this burden. Buttonhole cannulation, a technique that entails same-site (constant) cannulation of the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) with a blunt needle, …
Biochar impacts on nutrient dynamics in a subtropical grassland soil: 2. Greenhouse gas emissions.

Land application of biochar reportedly provides many benefits, including reduced risk of nutrient transport, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation, and increased soil C storage, but additional field validation is needed. We evaluated the effectiveness of biochar in controlling the lability of nutrients in agricultural land. This study was designed to evaluate the impacts of biochar co-applied with various N and P sources on GHG fluxes from a subtropical grassland. Nutrients (inorganic fertilizer and aerobically digested Class B biosolids) were surface applied at a rate of 160 kg plant available N ha-1 yr-1 with or without biochar (applied at 20 Mg ha-1 ). Greenhouse gas (CO2 , CH4 , and N2 O) fluxes were assessed using static chambers and varied significantly, both temporally and with treatments. Greenhouse gas fluxes ranged from 1,247 to 23,160, -0.7 to 42, and -1.4 to 376 mg m-2 d-1 for CO2 , N2 O, and CH4 , respectively. Results of the 3-yr field study demonstrated strong seasonal variability associated with GHG emissions. Nutrient source had no effect on soil CO2 and CH4 emissions, but annual and cumulative (3-yr) N2 O emissions increased with biosolids (8 kg N2 O ha-1 yr-1 ) compared with inorganic fertilizer (5 kg N2 O ha-1 yr-1 ) application. Data suggested that environmental conditions played a more important role on GHG fluxes than nutrient additions. Biochar reduced CO2 emissions modestly (<9%) but had no effects on N2 O and CH4 emissions.
The effect of mycorrhizal seed treatments on rice growth, yield, and tolerance to insect herbivores

Associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can increase or decrease plant resistance to herbivory in different crop systems, but the effects of AM fungi on plant tolerance to pests remain largely unknown. We investigated whether inoculation of rice (Oryza sativa) with AM fungi stimulates plant growth, yield, and/or tolerance to rice water weevil (Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus) injury. Rice plants were exposed to natural infestations of herbivores during early and mid-to-late season over four field experiments. The experiments followed a 2 × 2 factorial design consisting of two AM fungi seed treatments (inoculated or non-inoculated with AM fungi) and two insecticide seed treatments (treated or untreated). Inoculation with AM fungi increased root colonization in all four field experiments in rice. Inoculation with AM fungi increased densities of weevil larvae and whiteheads resulting from stemborer infestations, while insecticidal seed treatments significantly reduced densities of weevils and marginally reduced whiteheads. Inoculation with AM fungi increased rice biomass before and after flooding, and a clear but not always significant increase in yield was observed in plants inoculated with AM fungi. However, inoculation with AM fungi did not reduce percent yield losses after herbivory injury. Analyses of nutrient contents in roots and shoots revealed inconsistent effects of inoculation with AM fungi. This study highlights for the first time the potential for AM fungi seed treatments to increase rice tolerance to insect pests by influencing plant biomass and yields.
Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effects of "Mindful Moms": A Mindful Physical Activity Intervention for Pregnant Women with Depression.

Background Nonpharmacological and accessible therapies that engage individuals in self-management are needed to address depressive symptoms in pregnancy. The 12-week "Mindful Moms" intervention was designed to empower pregnant women with depressive symptomatology to create personal goals and engage in mindful physical activity using prenatal yoga. Objectives This longitudinal pilot study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the "Mindful Moms" intervention in pregnant women with depressive symptoms. Methods We evaluated enrollment and retention data (feasibility) and conducted semistructured interviews (acceptability). We evaluated the intervention's effects over time on participants' depressive symptoms, anxiety, perceived stress, self-efficacy, and maternal-child attachment, and we compared findings to an archival comparison group, also assessed longitudinally. Results Enrollment and retention rates and positive feedback from participants support the intervention's acceptability and feasibility. "Mindful Moms" participants experienced decreases in depressive symptoms, perceived stress, anxiety, ruminations, and maternal-child attachment and no change in physical activity self-efficacy from baseline to postintervention. Comparisons of the "Mindful Moms" intervention to the comparison groups over time indicated differences in depressive symptoms between all groups and a trend in differences in perceived stress. Discussion Results support the feasibility and acceptability of "Mindful Moms" for pregnant women with depressive symptoms and suggest that further research is warranted to evaluate this intervention for reducing depressive and related symptoms. Lack of a concurrent control group, with equivalent attention from study staff, and no randomization limit the generalizability of this study; yet, these preliminary findings support future large-scale randomized controlled trials to further evaluate this promising intervention.
Healing the Ripple Effect of Sexual Violence

Despite prevention efforts, young women, particularly college students, experience sexual victimization at alarming rates, and do not always receive trauma-responsive treatment to address the devas...
Nonstoichiometric Nanolayered Ni/NiO/Al2O3/CrAu Metal–Insulator–Metal Infrared Rectenna

Metal–insulator–metal (MIM) diodes with a high cutoff frequency are needed for efficient infrared rectification in optical rectenna systems. Such diodes require low resistance, low capacitance, and...
Physical activity is associated with lower pulsatile stress but not carotid stiffness in children.

The cardiovascular disease (CVD) process may begin early in life when accompanied by atherosclerotic risk factors. CVD risk factors in children are associated with stiffening of the large elastic arteries, a reflection of subclinical atherosclerosis. Physical activity is a preventative lifestyle strategy that may benefit arterial stiffness by attenuating the hemodynamic stress on the artery wall. This study examined the relations between physical activity, carotid pulsatile stress, and carotid stiffness in children. One hundred and forty children (9-11 yrs; 50.0% male, 57.9% African-American, 42.10% Caucasian, body mass index (BMI) 20.1 ± 4.7 kg/m2) participated in this study. Physical activity counts were measured using a wrist-worn accelerometer and averaged over 7 days. Carotid artery β-stiffness and pulse pressure (calibrated to brachial mean and diastolic pressure) were assessed as via ultrasound and tonometry, respectively. Pulsatile stress was calculated as the product of carotid pulse pressure and heart rate. Physical activity counts were correlated with pulsatile stress (r = -0.27), and BMI (r = -0.23), but were unrelated to carotid stiffness. In multivariate models, associations between physical activity counts and pulsatile stress remained (B = -1.3 [95%CI, -2.4, -0.2], β = -0.20, p < 0.05) after covariate adjustment for age, race, sex, pubertal stage, and BMI. Carotid pulsatile stress was related to regional carotid stiffness (r = 0.45, p < 0.05). These data suggest that higher levels of physical activity at young age are associated with lower hemodynamic stress in the carotid artery. Findings are discussed in the context of an inverse relationship between hemodynamic pulsatile stress and carotid stiffness in children.
Family Experiences and Parent Personality as Antecedents of Pubertal Timing in Girls and Boys

Pubertal timing may be influenced by typical variations in early family environmental events, but questions remain concerning the roles of specific parenting factors, developmental age of exposure to events, moderation by child temperament, and comparability of effects for girls and boys. This study focused on these questions utilizing longitudinal data from 733 same-sex twins (45% girls) in the U.S.; family context was measured at ages 1–3, 4–5, and 6–7 years and pubertal status was assessed annually via self-report at ages 9–15, enabling estimates of pubertal timing. Home environment at ages 4–5 years predicted pubertal timing better than home environment at other ages for both girls and boys, but parent personality was more predictive than home experiences (e.g., divorce, parental harshness, family conflict). Thus, effects of family environment must be considered within the context of parent characteristics, encouraging caution in implicating early environmental experiences as direct influences on early pubertal timing.
Associations between blood cadmium and endocrine features related to PCOS-phenotypes in healthy women of reproductive age: a prospective cohort study.

Cadmium is an endocrine disrupting chemical that affects the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. Though evidence suggests its potential role in altering androgen synthesis and metabolic pathways that are characteristic of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), its relation in healthy women of reproductive age is largely unknown. As women with mild sub-clinical features of PCOS who do not meet the diagnostic criteria of PCOS may still experience reduced fecundability, investigating associations between cadmium and PCOS-phenotypes among healthy women may provide unique insight into the reproductive implications for many on the PCOS spectrum. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate associations between cadmium and androgens, anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), and metabolic markers in women of reproductive age. This was a prospective cohort study of 251 healthy premenopausal women without self-reported PCOS (mean age 27.3 years and BMI 24.1 kg/m2). Cadmium was measured in blood collected at baseline. Reproductive hormones and metabolic markers were measured in fasting serum 8 times per menstrual cycle for 2 cycles. Linear mixed models and Poisson regression with a robust error variance were used to examine associations between cadmium and reproductive hormones and metabolic markers and anovulation, respectively. Median (interquartile range) blood cadmium concentrations at baseline were 0.30 (0.19–0.43) µg/L. Higher levels of testosterone (2.2 %, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.4, 4.1), sex hormone-binding globulin (2.9 %, 95 % CI 0.5, 5.5), and AMH (7.7 %, 95 % CI 1.1, 14.9) were observed per 0.1 µg/L increase in cadmium concentrations. An 18 % higher probability of a mild PCOS-phenotype (95 % CI 1.06, 1.31), defined by a menstrual cycle being in the highest quartile of cycle-averaged testosterone and AMH levels, was also found per 0.1 µg/L increase in cadmium levels. No associations were observed for insulin and glucose. These findings were consistent even after analyses were restricted to non-smokers or further adjusted for dietary factors to account for potential sources of exposure. Overall, among healthy reproductive-aged women, cadmium was associated with endocrine features central to PCOS, but not with metabolic markers. These suggest its potential role in the hormonal milieu associated with PCOS even at low levels of exposure.
Enteral Feeding for Children on Bilevel Positive Pressure Ventilation for Status Asthmaticus

A retrospective data analysis was conducted to evaluate enteral nutrition practices for children admitted with status asthmaticus in a single-center pediatric intensive care unit. Of 406 charts, 315 were analyzed (63% male); 135 on bilevel positive airway pressure ventilation (BIPAP) and 180 on simple mask. Overall median age and weight were 6.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 6.0) years and 24.8 (IQR: 20.8) kg, respectively. All children studied were on full feeds while still on BIPAP and simple mask; 99.3 and 100% were fed per oral, respectively. Median time to initiation of feeds and full feeds was longer in the BIPAP group, 11.0 (IQR: 20) and 23.0 hours (IQR: 26), versus simple mask group, 4.3 (IQR: 7) and 12.0 hours (IQR: 15), p = 0.001. The results remained similar after adjusting for gender, weight, clinical asthma score at admission, use of adjunct therapy, and duration of continuous albuterol. By 24 hours, 81.5% of patients on BIPAP and 96.6% on simple mask were started on feeds. Compared with simple mask, patients on BIPAP were sicker with median asthma score at admission of 4 (IQR: 2) versus 3 (IQR: 2) on simple mask, requiring more adjunct therapy (80.0 vs. 43.9%), and a longer median length of therapy of 41.0 (IQR: 41) versus 20.0 hours (IQR: 29), respectively, p = 0.001. There were no complications such as aspiration pneumonia, and none required invasive mechanical ventilation in either group. Enteral nutrition was effectively and safely initiated and continued for children admitted with status asthmaticus, including those on noninvasive bilevel ventilation therapy.
Chemical characterization of secondary organic aerosol constituents from isoprene ozonolysis in the presence of acidic aerosol

Abstract Isoprene is the most abundant non-methane hydrocarbon emitted into Earth's atmosphere and is predominantly derived from terrestrial vegetation. Prior studies have focused largely on the hydroxyl (OH) radical-initiated oxidation of isoprene and have demonstrated that highly oxidized compounds, such as isoprene-derived epoxides, enhance the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) through heterogeneous (multiphase) reactions on acidified sulfate aerosol. However, studies on the impact of acidified sulfate aerosol on SOA formation from isoprene ozonolysis are lacking and the current work systematically examines this reaction. SOA was generated in an indoor smog chamber from isoprene ozonolysis under dark conditions in the presence of non-acidified or acidified sulfate seed aerosol. The effect of OH radicals on SOA chemical composition was investigated using diethyl ether as an OH radical scavenger. Aerosols were collected and chemically characterized by ultra performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-HR-QTOFMS) and gas chromatography/electron impact ionization-mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS). Analysis revealed the formation of highly oxidized compounds, including organosulfates (OSs) and 2-methylterols, which were significantly enhanced in the presence of acidified sulfate seed aerosol. OSs identified in the chamber experiments were also observed and quantified in summertime fine aerosol collected from two rural locations in the southeastern United States during the 2013 Southern Oxidant and Aerosol Study (SOAS).
Hollow Waveguide Infrared Spectroscopy and Sensing

Infrared (IR) hollow waveguides (HWGs) were first utilized in gas sensing applications in the early 1990’s and have since been coupled to both FT-IR spectrometers and laser light sources. However, gas sensing with hollow waveguide modules has yet to achieve maturity for widespread use or device commercialization. We review this emerging field with emphasis on technology and application areas where we believe these devices are ideally suited, and discuss the advantages and limitations of using HWGs for chemical sensing, including their optical properties and waveguide losses. As new HWG technologies based on photonic bandgap materials are emerging, relevant applications of HWG based gas sensing such as in breath diagnostics or process monitoring have the required breakthrough potential to bring the advantages of HWG based sensing concepts to bear.
Other Functional Adaptations

The subject matter of this book is multi-dimensionally related in so many different ways that it is difficult to accommodate it logically in a one-dimensional text representation that proceeds linearly. The organization of the subject material into chapters and sections has therefore been somewhat arbitrary. Frequent cross-references help to restore some of the multi-dimensionality. There are nevertheless topics which do not fit easily into the linear text sequence and so some of these have been gathered in this chapter under the heading, Other Functional Adaptations. The chapter has thus become rather a collection of odds and ends. Functional adaptation is a very attractive topic for botanists who are interested in xylem evolution, but it tempts many to walk on thin ice. Arber (1920) wrote: “One of the unfortunate results, which followed the publication of The Origin of the Species, was the acutely teleological turn thus given to the thoughts of biologists. On the theory that every existing organ and structure either has, or has had in the past, a special adaptive purpose and “survival value”, it readily becomes a recognized habit to draw deductions as to function from structure, without checking such deductions experimentally.” Too many structural features have more than a single function, and too many functions depend on several factors. Correlations become therefore easily unreliable and one begins to speculate wildly. However, there is more to it: random mutations may produce structural features that are functionally rather unimportant. It is rather futile to try to interpret such features for their adaptive value (van Steenis 1969; Baas 1976). Nevertheless, we must learn a great deal more about wood function before we can begin to speculate about adaptation. I suppose we are all entitled to a certain amount of speculation, although I normally prefer to reduce questions to basic simplicity, thus making them accessible to experimental tests. This chapter is the place where I have most often disregarded my principle.
Improving health outcomes through education.

By the time you read this message, it will have been several months since its submission to the publisher; however, I feel that it is important to keep American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) members and colleagues abreast of several issues affecting the Academy's membership and the patients we treat. As many of you may know, the AAPM received a letter in May from Senator Max Baucus, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Finance, and Senator Charles Grassley who also serves on this committee. The letter requested information regarding the relationship between opioid manufacturers and nonprofit health care organizations. Similar letters were also sent to several other entities. AAPM made immediate contact with Senator Baucus' staff and gave assurance of AAPM's support of the committee's efforts, as well as underscoring our commitment to addressing the problem of prescription drug abuse and misuse as well …
Beryllium‐7 in soils and vegetation along an arid precipitation gradient in Owens Valley, California

[1] Beryllium-7 is a potentially powerful tracer of atmospheric deposition and recent sediment transport, but the quantity and distribution of 7Be on arid landscapes have not been described. We measured 7Be in soil, vegetation, and dust in Owens Valley, California, and describe its distribution in aridisols and mollisols to evaluate its potential as a sediment tracer in desert environments. Beryllium-7 in vegetation and the upper few cm of soil is low but detectable (>20 Becquerels [Bq] m−2). Surface inventories of 7Be at sites on the valley floor vary by a factor of five between the end of the rainy season (April) and the end of the dry season (November). In mollisols, live grasses hold ∼50 Bq 7Be m−2, which is on the order of half of the total springtime surface inventory. We find that within-site variability at the 5 m scale is 5 to 22% (1 relative standard error) and can be explained by localized rain shadowing and erosion, but between site variability at the km scale can be explained by differences in rainfall. Our alpine site has more than triple the inventory that is predicted from the rainfall-7Be flux relationship that we generate using our springtime soil measurements and previously reported deposition data. Dust deposition does not appear to contribute significantly to 7Be inventories, but anomalously high 7Be on the eastern flank of the Sierras may be explained by a higher altitude air mass source and better scavenging efficiency of snow.
Regulation of mouse mammary tumor virus env transcriptional activator initiated mammary tumor virus superantigen transcripts in lymphomas of SJL/J mice: role of Ikaros, demethylation, and chromatin structural change in the transcriptional activation of mammary tumor virus superantigen.

Mammary tumor virus ( Mtv29 )-encoded superantigen expressed by SJL/J mouse B cell lymphomas stimulates CD4 + Vβ16 + T cells and thereby acquires T cell help necessary for lymphoma growth. Mtv29 mouse mammary tumor virus env transcriptional activator (META) env -controlled Mtv29 superantigen (vSAg29) mRNA transcripts (1.8 kb) are not expressed in normal B or other somatic cells. Real-time PCR-based assays with DNA from normal SJL liver and vSAg29 − lymphoma (cNJ101), digested with methylation-sensitive enzymes, showed hypermethylation at Ava I, Fsp I, Hpa II, Tha I, and the distal Hga I sites of the META env , but vSAg29 + lymphoma cells showed significant demethylation at Ava I, Hpa II, and the distal Hga I sites. The distal Hga I site that is adjacent to an Ikaros binding site is significantly demethylated in the META env DNA from primary lymphomas. Gel shift assays showed binding of Ikaros to a sequence representing this region in the META env . SJL lymphomas expressed the Ikaros isoform Ik6 that was absent in normal B cells. vSAg29 + cells exhibited increased DNase I accessibility to chromatin at the vSAg29 initiation site. Treatment of cNJ101 cells with a demethylating agent, 5-azacytidine, and a histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A, caused hypomethylation at Ava I, Hpa II, and distal Hga I sites and led to chromatin structural change at the vSAg29 initiation site, accompanied by the expression of vSAg29 transcripts. This enabled cNJ101 cells to stimulate SJL lymphoma-responsive CD4 + Vβ16 + T hybridoma cells. Thus, demethylation at the distal Hga I site of the Mtv29 META env permits vSAg29 expression, which may have an impact on the development of germinal center-derived B cell lymphomas of SJL/J mice.
Classifying Objectionable Websites Based on Image Content

This paper describes IBCOW (Image-based Classification of Objectionable Websites), a system capable of classifying a website as objectionable or benign based on image content. The system uses WIPEℳ (Wavelet Image Pornography Elimination) and statistics to provide robust classification of on-line objectionable World Wide Web sites. Semantically-meaningful feature vector matching is carried out so that comparisons between a given on-line image and images marked as ”objectionable” and ”benign” in a training set can be performed efficiently and effectively in the WIPE module. If more than a certain number of images sampled from a site is found to be objectionable, then the site is considered to be objectionable. The statistical analysis for determining the size of the image sample and the threshold number of objectionable images is given in this paper. The system is practical for real-world applications, classifying a Web site at a speed of less than 2 minutes each, including the time to compute the feature vector for the images downloaded from the site, on a Pentium Pro PC. Besides its exceptional speed, it has demonstrated 97% sensitivity and 97% specificity in classifying a Web site based solely on images. Both the sensitivity and the specificity in real-world applications is expected to be higher because our performance evaluation is relatively conservative and surrounding text can be used to assist the classification process.
Rent, Real Estate, and Flood Mitigation in New Orleans East

This paper presents results from a study of environmental harm created in the collision of real estate speculation and the political process that governed extension of the urban frontier of New Orleans into its eastern wetlands. Near term concerns of rent-seeking real estate capital and the contested politics of urban infrastructure expansion challenged a fragmented state charged with regulatory oversight and protection of investments in land and citizens. The paper engages theoretically the relative inattention of urban political ecology theory to rent as a way to theorize how capital flows through land, and argues for increased attention to the problem of land rent and the multiple scales of political engagement that manage ecological crisis immanent in the metabolism of nature and society under capitalism.
From Weaving Threads to Untangling the Web: A View of Coordination from Linda's Perspective

A decade of work with the Linda coordination model in both academic and commercial settings has made clear that the need for coordination arises in a broad range of application domains, from parallel computing to information management. We review how the Linda model has evolved and is evolving to meet the particular demands of these different domains. We conclude by noting that despite this evolution, the underlying conceptual framework has remained unchanged, offering evidence for the existence of a unified approach to the challenges of coordination.
Turbulent gaseous combustion part I: Local species concentration measurements

Abstract Experimental measurements were made of fuel mixture fraction profiles and species concentration profiles (O 2 , N 2 , CH 4 , CO, CO 2 , H 2 O, and tracer Ar) in turbulent natural gas diffusion flames. Twenty-eight tests were performed in an axisymmetric combustor with coaxial feed of fuel and air. The test variables included type and arrangement of sample probe, combustor wall temperature, and air feed temperature. Gas samples were obtained with both water-quench and water-cooled probes. Direct water-quench probes were more effective in quenching reactions inside the sampling probe than water-cooled probes; however, some of the CO 2 in the gas samples was dissolved in the quench water. A 350 K change in the wall temperature had a negligible effect on gas mixing rates, but did alter the local gas species distributions somewhat. More complete combustion was achieved with elevated air feed temperatures, but more complete mixing was obtained at lower air temperatures. The results provide a data base for evaluating predictive computer models.
Fair service for mice in the presence of elephants

We show how randomized caches can be used in resource-poor partial-state routers to provide a fair share of bandwidth to short-lived flows that are known as mice when long-lived flows known as elephants are present.
The relationship of waist circumference and BMI to visceral, subcutaneous, and total body fat: sex and race differences.

The purpose of this study was to examine sex and race differences in the relationship between anthropometric measurements and adiposity in white and African-American (AA) adults. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) areas were measured with computed tomography (CT). Fat mass (FM) was measured with dual-energy-X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Correlation coefficients were used to assess the relationship of waist circumference (WC) and BMI to VAT, SAT, and FM within sex-by-race groups. General linear models were used to compare relationships between WC or BMI, and adiposity across sex and race, within age groups (18–39 and 40–64 years). The sample included 1,667 adults (men: 489 white; 120 AA; women: 666 white, 392 AA). WC and BMI correlations were highest for FM and SAT compared to VAT. Women had higher FM levels than men regardless of WC, but the sex difference in FM was attenuated in younger AA adults with a high BMI. For a given level of WC or BMI, women had higher levels of SAT than men; however, significant interactions indicated that the relationship was not consistent across all levels of BMI and WC. Sex and race differences in VAT varied significantly with WC and BMI. In general, white adults had higher levels of VAT than AA adults at higher levels of BMI and WC. Sex differences, and in some instances race differences, in the relationships between anthropometry and fat-specific depots demonstrate that these characteristics need to be considered when predicting adiposity from WC or BMI.
A Multiple-Input Boost Converter for Low-Power Energy Harvesting

In this paper, a component efficient multiple-input boost converter is proposed to extract power from multiple low-power energy harvesting sources. The time-multiplexed operation of the proposed converter enables sharing of the power stage between different input sources, leading to a reduced component count. Combined with a novel digital control method and a universal tracking algorithm, maximum power is automatically extracted for all the input sources. A dual-input prototype built with off-the-shelf components validates the overall strategy with commercially available energy transducers. A tracking efficiency of more than 97.5% is demonstrated.
Ubiquitination and Proteasomal Degradation of Endogenous and Exogenous Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptors in αT3-1 Anterior Pituitary Cells

In αT3-1 mouse anterior pituitary gonadotropes, chronic activation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors causes inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) receptor down-regulation (Willars, G. B., Royall, J. E., Nahorski, S. R., El-Gehani, F., Everest, H. and McArdle, C. A. (2001)J. Biol. Chem. 276, 3123–3129). In the current study, we sought to define the mechanism behind this adaptive response. We show that GnRH induces a rapid and dramatic increase in InsP3 receptor polyubiquitination and that proteasome inhibitors block InsP3 receptor down-regulation and cause the accumulation of polyubiquitinated receptors. Thus, the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway is active in αT3-1 cells, and GnRH regulates the levels of InsP3 receptors via this mechanism. Given these findings and further characterization of this system, we also examined the possibility that αT3-1 cells could be used to examine the ubiquitination of exogenous InsP3 receptors introduced by cDNA transfection. This was found to be the case, since exogenous wild-type InsP3 receptors, but not binding-defective mutant receptors, were polyubiquitinated in a GnRH-dependent manner, and agents that inhibited the polyubiquitination of endogenous receptors also inhibited the polyubiquitination of exogenous receptors. Further, we used this system to determine whether phosphorylation was involved in triggering InsP3 receptor polyubiquitination. This was not the case, since mutation of serine residues 1588 and 1755 (the predominant phosphorylation sites in the type I receptor) did not inhibit polyubiquitination. In total, these data show that the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway is active in anterior pituitary cells, that this pathway targets both endogenous and exogenous InsP3 receptors in GnRH-stimulated αT3-1 cells, and that, in contrast to the situation for many other substrates, phosphorylation does not trigger InsP3 receptor polyubiquitination.
From Taylor to Tyler to No Child Left Behind: Legitimating educational standards

In the early 20th century, proponents of the so-called “social efficiency movement” in the United States tried to apply methods and concepts for enhancing efficiency in industrial production to the organization of teaching and learning processes. This included the formulation of “educational standards” analogous to industrial standards. While the concept of educational standards now has advocates in many parts of the world, today’s rationales for standards-based reform differ strongly from those put forward then. In a series of “snapshots”, this article traces the changes in the ways educational standards and standards-based reform were legitimated over the course of the 20th century. It focuses on the United States, but as standards-based reform has become a truly global phenomenon, it also discusses educational standards as they have been implemented in Sweden.
Induced paramagnetism by low-field-cooled trapped flux in (Er0.2Ca0.8)Sr2(Tl0.5Pb0.5)Cu2Oy

Abstract Field-cooled magnetization measurements on the monophasic polycrystalline superconductor (Er0.2Ca0.8)Sr2(Tl0.5Pb0.5)Cu2Oy (Tc = 105 K) under various magnetic fields between 5.0 and 130 K are reported. For the cooling field Ha
Closing the window of vulnerability: Peacekeeper and point defense

Abstract The Reagan Administration proposes to deploy 100 Peacekeeper ICBMs in Minuteman silos in order to reduce the current Soviet advantage in ICBMs. After that decision was taken the President announced what has come to be called the “Strategic Defense Initiative.” This paper compares the effectiveness of the proposed Peacekeeper deployment to that of a simple, fairly “leaky” point defense of the current U.S. Minuteman force. In addition, the effect of combining Peacekeeper deployment with a leaky point defense is also assessed. Point defense of the Minuteman reduces Soviet post‐attack advantage better than the proposed Peacekeeper deployment. However, point defense of the Peacekeeper results in post‐attack capability ratios which are less favorable to the Soviets than the pre‐attack ratios. This produces negative incentives for such an attack in the first place.
Properties of a pyridine nucleotide-menadione oxidoreductase from mung bean seedlings

Abstract A soluble NAD(P)H 2 : 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone oxidoreductase (menadione reductase) has been partially purified from etiolated mung bean (Phaseolus aureus) seedlings. The enzyme is equally active with NADH 2 and NADPH 2 , and the K m for NADH 2 is 2·14 × 10 −4 M. It shows diaphorase activity and can be assayed conveniently with ferricyanide ( K m = 2·27 × 10 −4 M). A number of 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives were tested as electron acceptors, and of these menadione was the most effective; only the related amino-naphthol. Vitamin K 5 , was more active. The enzyme also reduces 1,4-benzoquinone, but not Vitamin K 1 or ubiquinone UQ 10 . The menadione reductase is completely inhibited by 10 −4 M dicumarol, but it is not affected by 10 −4 M DNP.
Exploring the Association between Aggression and Anxiety in Youth: A Look at Aggressive Subtypes, Gender, and Social Cognition

We examined the associations among dimensions of aggression and anxiety disorder symptoms in an ethnically diverse community sample of youth (N = 83; 46% female). Research supports the existence of four aggressive subtypes (i.e., reactive overt, reactive relational, proactive overt, and proactive relational), and past research has found associations between relational aggression and anxiety, as well as between reactive aggression and anxiety. However, past studies have not examined the associations among anxiety symptoms and the combined subtypes of aggression mentioned above. Results of our study provided support for an association between anxiety and reactive relational aggression. In addition, gender was found to moderate the association, in that males with high anxiety showed higher levels of reactive relational aggression than males with low anxiety and girls. Further, we found that socially based negative cognitive errors mediated the association between reactive relational aggression and anxiety. Results are discussed in terms of clarifying gender differences in aggression, treatment implications, and the need for longitudinal studies to delineate the temporal associations between aggression and anxiety.
Response of subtype-specific human breast cancer-derived cells to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and checkpoint kinase 1 inhibition

When DNA damage is detected, checkpoint signal networks are activated to stop the cell cycle, and DNA repair processes begin. Inhibitory compounds targeting components of DNA damage response pathways have been identified and are being used in clinical trials, in combination with chemotherapeutic agents, to enhance cancer therapy. Inhibitors of checkpoint kinases, Chk1 and Chk2, have been shown to sensitize tumor cells to DNA damaging agents, and treatment of BRCA1/2-deficient tumor cells, as well as triple negative breast cancers, with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors has shown promise. But systematic studies to determine which tumor subtypes are likely to respond to these specific inhibitors have not been reported. The current study was designed to test sensitivity of specific breast cancer subtype-derived cells to two classes of these new inhibitory drugs, PARP and Chk1 inhibitors. Luminal, HER2 overexpressing, and triple negative breast cancer-derived cells were tested for sensitivity to killing by PARP inhibitors, ABT-888 and BSI-201, and Chk1 inhibitor, PF-00477736, alone or in combination with gemcitabine or carboplatin. Each of the triple negative breast cancer cell lines showed strong sensitivity to the Chk1 inhibitor, but only the BRCA1-deficient breast cancer cell lines showed sensitivity to the PARP inhibitors, suggesting that in vitro testing of cancer cell lines of specific subtypes, with panels of the different PARP and Chk1 inhibitors, will contribute to stratification of patients for clinical trials using these classes of inhibitors. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 1882–1888)
Interaction of human lactoferrin with DNA: one-step purification by affinity chromatography on single-stranded DNA-agarose.

Interaction of Human Lactoferrin with DNA: One-Step Purification by Affinity Chromatography on Single-Stranded DNAAgarose
Is It Time To Createa New Theoryof the Firm? Discussion

In this comment on James Emshoff's (1993) paper,1 I will begin by briefly summarizing the paper. Then I will give my reaction to the issues raised in the paper from the perspective of an economist and professor of business strategy. As I discuss later, it is the work of Alfred Chandler, Jr., rather than work of economists, that is most relevant to the issues raised by Emshoff. In my view economists must understand the limitations of standard economic approaches to organizational issues in order to begin to make progress on issues raised by Chandler and Emshoff.