cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evidence for a G-quadruplex in the promoter region of the hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α)

3863 HIF-1 is a heterodimeric transcription factor consisting of HIF-1α and aryl hydrocarbon nuclear translocator (ARNT or HIF-1β) and is critical for the regulation of over forty genes required for cellular adaptation to hypoxia. Elevated levels of HIF-1α have been linked to worsened mortality in breast, kidney, cervical, esophageal, ovarian, and several other cancers. Although the physiological regulation of HIF-1α is through von Hippel Lindau (VHL) mediated ubiquitinylation and proteosomal degradation, elevated levels of HIF-1α may occur in tumors due to the loss of VHL or several other mechanisms that result in tumor angiogenesis. The goal of this project was to determine whether a polypurine/polypyrimidine tract in the HIF-1α promoter could form a guanine quadruplex and could be targeted by quadruplex interactive compounds to inhibit HIF-1α expression. Oligonucleotides representing the HIF-1α promoter and containing the polypurine sequence from -85 to -65 produced a potassium dependent electrophoretic mobility shift and a dimethyl sulfate footprint consistent with G-quadruplex formation. A DNA polymerase arrest assay was used to map a potassium dependent arrest site just prior to the G-quadruplex that was enhanced by several G-quadruplex interactive compounds including the cationic porphyrin, TmPyP4, but not by a control compound, TmPyP2, a structural isomer of TmPyP4. The specificity of the compounds for quadruplex DNA was demonstrated by the absence of interaction with a template that lacked secondary structure. We transfected the VHL −/− kidney cancer cell line RCC4 with a HIF-1α promoter-luciferase reporter construct and treated the transfectants with quadruplex interactive compounds. A 60% reduction in luciferase activity was observed in cells treated with TmPyP4 compared to TmPyP2 under both hypoxic and normoxic conditions. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot showed a similar trend toward a decrease in HIF-1α mRNA and protein after treatment of RCC4 cells with TmPyP4 compared to TmPyP2. Taken together, these data provide the first evidence for the existence of a G-quadruplex in the HIF-1α promoter. The cationic porphyrins have been shown elsewhere to have anti-angiogenic acitivity in an in vivo model, and these data suggest that TmPyP4 and other quadruplex interactive compounds may exert an anti-angiogenic effect by suppressing HIF-1α expression.
Frankenstein and Feminism: Contemplating The Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein

Theodore Roszak's compelling parable, The Memoirs of Elizabeth Frankenstein, provides an (eco)-feminist view of the “Night of the Living Dead Model” and suggests that only the equal union of “masculine” and “feminine” energies will help us resolve the current eco-crisis. This article further explores the consequences of the highly masculinized post-Enlightenment rationalism as demonstrated in Roszak's novel. Although this article agrees that there is a dangerous imbalance between natural/spiritual and scientific/rational viewpoints, it also stresses that the extreme genderification of these energies is potentially problematic.
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less

Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions-both big and small-have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented. As Americans, we assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression. In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice-the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish-becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice-from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs-has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse. By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counter intuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on those that are important and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.
Near-Inertial Internal Gravity Waves in the Ocean

We review the physics of near-inertial waves (NIWs) in the ocean and the observations, theory, and models that have provided our present knowledge. NIWs appear nearly everywhere in the ocean as a spectral peak at and just above the local inertial period f, and the longest vertical wavelengths can propagate at least hundreds of kilometers toward the equator from their source regions; shorter vertical wavelengths do not travel as far and do not contain as much energy, but lead to turbulent mixing owing to their high shear. NIWs are generated by a variety of mechanisms, including the wind, nonlinear interactions with waves of other frequencies, lee waves over bottom topography, and geostrophic adjustment; the partition among these is not known, although the wind is likely the most important. NIWs likely interact strongly with mesoscale and submesoscale motions, in ways that are just beginning to be understood.
Molecular distinctions among ERBB2-overexpressing breast cancers

HER2 or c-ERBB2/neu is a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family and encodes a tyrosine kinase receptor. Overexpression of HER2 protein is generally attributable to gene amplification. HER2 is overexpressed in 20–30% of primary invasive breast carcinomas and in a greater proportion of in situ breast cancers. Invasive breast cancers that overexpress HER2 are generally higher stage, show lymph node positivity, and have higher S-phase. Moreover, they are often associated with poor prognosis, particularly in node-positive patients. Microarray studies have subdivided breast cancers into several subtypes. HER2-overexpressing ER-negative tumors are generally classified within a single subtype denoted ERBB2-overexpressing. However, ER-positive HER2-overexpressing tumors are usually intermixed with other ER-positive tumors that do not show HER2 overexpression. Our recent population-based study evaluating HER2 overexpression and hormone receptor status has unexpectedly found that the majority of HER2-overexpressing tumors are hormone receptor-positive and are more common than HER2-overexpressing ER-negative breast cancers. This implies that the ERBB2-overexpressing molecular subtype, which is associated with ER-negative status, only includes a minority of HER2-overexpressing tumors. We therefore studied gene expression patterns of HER2-overexpressing breast cancers and found several tumor subtypes with distinctive molecular signatures. These ERBB2-overexpressing subtypes spanned the range of hormone receptor status and highlighted different biological characteristics. Since the clinical course varies among patients with HER2-positive tumors, as does their response to targeted therapy, differences in global gene expression among HER2-overexpressing tumors could be important in distinguishing patients for the design and delivery of individualized targeted therapies.
Expert hierarchical adaptive controller for robotic systems

An expert hybrid control scheme which does not use explicit parameter estimation, is presented. It adjusts its structure in order to provide the 'best' control for a broad range of plant conditions. The coarsest control, provided by a multiple-model adaptive control procedure, provides the initial level of control by forcing the plant's response to exist within a predetermined allowable range of specifications. This controller is also used to determine the adaptation coefficients and the initial values of the adaptation gains for the high-level controller. The finest control is determined by a model reference adaptive controller that causes the plant to follow a desired reference model. The heuristics used to determine switching between the two controllers is orchestrated by an expert system that bases its decisions on plant responses and controller parameter values. >
Trends in fluorescent lamps

A slender green tube 18 inches in length, introduced to illuminating engineers in 1935, is the progenitor of today's vast fluorescent lamp industry. Since that time, the basic methods of operating the tube have changed little. Engineers have improved and elaborated on fundamental system elements, such as ballasts, starters, and cathodes; as a result of their work, a large variety of lamps is available to the public.
Species richness and composition of amphibians and reptiles in a fragmented forest landscape in northeastern Bolivia

Abstract We quantified patterns of species richness and species composition of frogs and reptiles (lizards and snakes) among three habitats (continuous forest, forest islands, and a seasonally flooded savannah) and between forest island size and isolation classes in a floristic transition zone in northeastern Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia. Species richness was similar across macrohabitats, as was faunal composition of forested habitats, although savannah harbored a distinct herpetofauna. On forest islands, richness and composition of forest frogs was largely related to isolation, whereas reptiles were affected by both isolation and habitat. The observation that isolation rather than area was the primary driver of distribution patterns on forest islands stands in contrast to many studies, and may be a function of (1) the greater range in forest island isolation values compared to area or (2) the long history of isolation in this landscape.
Impact of Caregiver-Receiver Relationship Quality on Burden and Satisfaction

The purpose of this study was to investigate, through an interview process, both the burden and satisfaction of the caregiving relationship between female primary caregivers and female care-receivers living in the same home. The ten cases were families involved in a caregiver/care-receiver shared-residence situation of at least one year's duration. The primary method of data collection was semi-structured interviews. The results of the qualitative approach called for a reversal of perspective. The intent was to examine how burden and satisfaction impacted the caregiver-receiver relationship quality. However, it was the quality of the relationship between the caregiver and care-receiver which distinguished low burden and high satisfaction.
Analytical solution for deep rectangular structures subjected to far-field shear stresses

Underground structures located in seismic areas have to support the static loads transferred from the surrounding ground under normal working conditions, as well as the loads imposed by any seismic event. Typically underground structures have cross section dimensions much smaller than the wave length of ground peak velocities, in which case inertial forces can be neglected and the structure can be designed using a pseudo-static analysis, where the seismic-induced loads or deformations can be approximated by a far-field shear stress or strain. Current close-form solutions for deep rectangular structures subjected to a far-field shear stress are approximations that do not consider all the relevant variables. An analytical solution is presented in this paper for deep rectangular structures with a far-field shear stress. Complex variable theory and conformal mapping have been used to develop the solution, which is applicable to deep rectangular structures in a homogeneous, isotropic, elastic medium. The solution shows that the deformations of the structure depend on the relative stiffness between the structure and the surrounding ground, and on the shape of the structure. The analytical solution has been verified by comparing its predictions with results from a finite element method and from previously published data.
Weed manipulation for insect pest management in corn

Populations of insect pests and associated predaceous arthropods were sampled by direct observation and other relative methods in simple and diversified corn habitats at two sites in north Florida during 1978 and 1979. Through various cultural manipulations, characteristic weed communities were established selectively in alternate rows within corn plots. Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J. E. Smith) incidence was consistently higher in the weed-free habitats than in the corn habitats containing natural weed complexes or selected weed associations. Corn earworm (Heliothis zea Boddie) damage was similar in all weed-free and weedy treatments, suggesting that this insect is not affected greatly by weed diversity. Only the diversification of corn with a strip of soybean significantly reduced corn earworm damage. In one site, distance between plots was reduced. Because predators moved freely between habitats, it was difficult to identify between-treatment differences in the composition of predator communities. In the other site, increased distances between plots minimized such migrations, resulting in greater population densities and diversity of common foliage insect predators in the weed-manipulated corn systems than in the weed-free plots. Trophic relationships in the weedy habitats were more complex than food webs in monocultures. Predator diversity (measured as mean number of species per area) and predator density was higher in com plots surrounded by mature, complex vegetation than at those surrounded by annual crops. This suggests that diverse adjacent areas to crops provide refuge for predators, thus acting as colonization sources.
Effect of oral antacid administration on the pharmacokinetics of oral fluconazole.

Abstract Absorption and elimination of fluconazole after oral administration of a 100-mg capsule were unaffected by concomitant administration of an antacid containing aluminum and magnesium hydroxides.
Clothing for Elderly and Non-Elderly Men: A Comparison of Preferences, Perceived Availability and Fitting Problems

Thepurpose of this study was to compare thepreferences, perceived availability andfittingproblems ofselected ready-to-wear garments for elderly and non-elderly men living in northern Colorado. The participants were 50 males, 65 years of age and older, and a contrast group of 50 males, 30-50 years of age. A Clothing Preference Interview Schedule was developed, adapted from a Clothing Needs of Elderly Women Questionnaire by Hogge and Baer, to obtain data from the participants. The data from the Interview Schedules were coded and computer analyzed using the Statistical Packagefor the Social Sciences. Inferential statistics were computed to investigate relationships or differences that existed between responses of the elderly and non-elderly men. More men from the elderly than non-elderly group were able to find garments in their preferred sizes and colors in the local stores. Men in both groups expressed various preferences for fiber content of selected clothing items. However, the older men had a greater ac...
Present status of hepatic function tests in the detection of carriers of viral hepatitis.

A progress report on the use of hepatic function tests in detecting the blood carrier of viral hepatitis by means of hepatic function tests is presented. In the case of 29 single donors suspected of being hepatitis carriers who gave blood and who were examined in this hospital, three-fourths had one or more abnormal tests and one-half had an abnormal thymol turbidity and/or thymol flocculation tests. This is virtually the same incidence of abnormality as in imprisoned narcotic addicts. In the case of 29 single donors giving blood in the local Red Cross center or in Red Cross or community centers at a distance from Philadelphia on whom hepatic function tests were also done in this hospital, abnormal tests were found in only one-quarter, and thymol turbidity and/or thymol flocculation tests were abnormal in only one-sixth of them. These rates of abnormality are similar to those of the general donor population. It is suggested that persons from the lower social and economic classes of the large metropolitan centers of the United States who donate blood for a fee are apt to be alcoholics and narcotic addicts and are, therefore, more likely to be chronic carriers of viral hepatitis than are more stable elements of the population. It is in this group that the use of the thymol turbidity and flocculation tests appears to be valuable in a screening regimen for the carrier state of viral hepatitis.
Prostate histotripsy for BPH: initial canine results

Histotripsy is an extracorporeal ablative technology that utilizes microsecond pulses of intense ultrasound (< 1% duty cycle) to produce nonthermal, mechanical fractionation of targeted tissue. We have previously demonstrated the feasibility of histotripsy prostate ablation. In this study we sought to assess the chronic tissue response, tolerability and safety of histotripsy in a chronic in vivo canine model. Five acute and thirteen chronic canine subjects were anesthetized and treated with histotripsy targeting the prostate. Pulses consisted of 3 cycle bursts of 750 kHz ultrasound at a repetition rate of 300 Hz delivered transabdominally from a highly focused 15 cm aperture array. Transrectal ultrasound imaging provided accurate targeting and real-time monitoring of histotripsy treatment. Prostates were harvested at 0, 7, 28, or 56 days after treatment. Consistent mechanical tissue fractionation and debulking of prostate tissue was seen acutely and at delayed time points without collateral injury. Urothelialization of the treatment cavity was apparent 28 days after treatment. Canine subjects tolerated histotripsy with minimal hematuria or discomfort. Only mild transient lab abnormalities were noted. Histotripsy is a promising non-invasive therapy for prostate tissue fractionation and debulking that appears safe and well tolerated without systemic side effects in the canine model.
ACTH1–39 but not naltrexone produces biphasic effects on locomotor activity☆

Abstract Two experiments were conducted in order to investigate the effects of chronic ACTH and naltrexone treatment on motor activity in an open-field. In the first experiment, Wistar rats received two daily injections of either ACTH 1–39 -saline, naltrexone-saline, ACTH 1–39 -naltrexone or saline-saline for 24 consecutive days. Immediately following injections, motor activity was measured every fourth day. The results indicated that ACTH and naltrexone each had depressive effects on motor activity that did not dissipate over 24 days. In the second experiment, the procedure was similar to the first except that motor activity was measured at five hours postinjection. The results revealed that naltrexone by itself or in combination with ACTH had no observable effect on motor activity. ACTH was observed to have a stimulatory effect on motor activity that decreased over days and was not naltrexone reversible. The results are discussed in terms of different mechanisms underlying the effects of ACTH and naltrexone.
The Copeland Intraocular Lens: Five To Ten Years Later

Abstract Fifty-seven eyes with extracapsular surgery and Copeland lenses and the same number of intracapsular cataract extractions without lenses are described. All properly chosen lens cases have 6/12 vision or better. Forty percent required capsulotomy because of 6/12 vision or less. Possible cystoid macular edema occurred in two cases. No endothelial changes were present that were not present preoperatively. Five lenses dislocated. Two glaucomas appeared. There was no retinal separation, endophthalmitis, or lens removal for lensinduced irritation.
Quickly detecting relevant program invariants

Explicitly stated program invariants can help programmers by characterizing certain aspects of program execution and identifying program properties that must be preserved when modifying code. Unfortunately, these invariants are usually absent from code. Previous work showed how to dynamically detect invariants from program traces by looking for patterns in and relationships among variable values. A prototype implementation, Daikon, accurately recovered invariants from formally-specified programs, and the invariants it detected in other programs assisted programmers in a software evolution task. However, Daikon suffered from reporting too many invariants, many of which were not useful, and also failed to report some desired invariants.This paper presents, and gives experimental evidence of the efficacy of, four approaches for increasing the relevance of invariants reported by a dynamic invariant detector. One of them — exploiting unused polymorphism — adds desired invariants to the output. The other three — suppressing implied invariants, limiting which variables are compared to one another, and ignoring unchanged values — eliminate undesired invariants from the output and also improve runtime by reducing the work done by the invariant detector.
Behaviorological Corrections: A New Concept of Prison From A Natural Science Discipline

A new correctional system, operated from a behaviorological perspective, is described; this system differs substantially from corrections informed by traditional behavior sciences. Relevant basic behaviorological principles are reviewed, followed by the behaviorological definition of corrections. Relations between economics and ethics are examined as facets of the behaviorological technology of criminal justice. A behavior technology of corrections is outlined, including an economic system around which the entire operation is conducted. The nature of the related governmental and educational subsystems is described. The sociology of inmate populations under behaviorological maintenance is examined and related to the culture at large. Special features of transition to life on the outside are discussed.
Gender Preferences for Providers of Health and Counseling Services

Abstract A study of gender preferences for providers of health, counseling, and academic services examined the relationship of gender preference to the gender of client or potential client and the nature of the service sought. Participants in the study represented 64% of a randomly selected sample of undergraduates at a private coeducational university. These participants, totaling 1,095, included 545 women and 550 men. Results of the study suggest that gender preferences do exist among women and men for providers of some health and counseling services. Preferences are typically for same-gender individuals. Women more often than men think it important to have a choice of a male or female provider and women more frequently than men tend to prefer a same-gender provider for a given service and for more of the services considered. The study suggests that gender preference is related to the nature of the service. Preference for a same-gender provider is stronger for all respondents in those services that seem...
Antecedents of Taiwan Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intentions Toward U.S.- and Japanese-Made Household Appliances

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to understand the factors influencing Taiwan's Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions toward U.S. and Japanese household appliances. The authors attempt to develop and test a comprehensive model linking such purchase intentions to several constructs including Taiwan Chinese consumers’ openness to foreign cultures, consumer nationalism, product familiarity, traditional cultural values orientation, and product-country image. The result of analysis using structural equation modeling shows that consumer nationalism has a strong indirect effect on purchase intention via the product-country image construct. Taiwan Chinese consumers’ traditional cultural values orientation and openness to foreign cultures have direct effects on consumer nationalism and, hence, are important antecedents in explaining the purchase intentions toward foreign-made goods by Taiwan Chinese consumers. With the growing importance of the Chinese domestic market, this study provides international mar...
Experimental Andes virus infection in deer mice: characteristics of infection and clearance in a heterologous rodent host.

New World hantaviruses can cause hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome with high mortality in humans. Distinct virus species are hosted by specific rodent reservoirs, which also serve as the vectors. Although regional spillover has been documented, it is unknown whether rodent reservoirs are competent for infection by hantaviruses that are geographically separated, and known to have related, but distinct rodent reservoir hosts. We show that Andes virus (ANDV) of South America, carried by the long tailed pygmy rice rat (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus), infects and replicates in vitro and in vivo in the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), the reservoir host of Sin Nombre virus (SNV), found in North America. In experimentally infected deer mice, viral RNA was detected in the blood, lung, heart and spleen, but virus was cleared by 56 days post inoculation (dpi). All of the inoculated deer mice mounted a humoral immune response by 14 dpi, and produced measurable amounts of neutralizing antibodies by 21 dpi. An up-regulation of Ccl3, Ccl4, Ccl5, and Tgfb, a strong CD4 + T-cell response, and down-regulation of Il17, Il21 and Il23 occurred during infection. Infection was transient with an absence of clinical signs or histopathological changes. This is the first evidence that ANDV asymptomatically infects, and is immunogenic in deer mice, a non-natural host species of ANDV. Comparing the immune response in this model to that of the immune response in the natural hosts upon infection with their co-adapted hantaviruses may help clarify the mechanisms governing persistent infection in the natural hosts of hantaviruses.
Preferential tritium labelling of binding site residues in alpha chymotrypsin by exposure of the 1,3-3H-diisopropylphosphoryl derivative to tritiated hydrogen sulfide

When alpha chymotrypsin, labelled with a heavily tritiated diisopropylphosphoryl (3HDIP) group on the serine residue at position 195, was exposed to tritiated hydrogen sulfide (3HSH) under dry conditions, an incorporation of 3H occurred that favored residues close to the binding site. The reaction mechanism remains unclear. A direct transfer of 3H from the ligand is ruled out, although 3H in this position as well as in 3HSH is essential for the labelling reaction. It is shown that the reaction does not involve self-radiolysis. It is suggested that the reaction may instead be related to an observed instability of 3H within the ligand, possibly through a free radical mechanism.
A Discourse on Academic Discourse

Abstract This is a study of the organization of talk and of some outstanding features of the teacher’s discourse in a recurring curricular event (literature study) in one atypical fifth/sixth-grade classroom. The investigation was propelled by our assumption that the teacher was inducting students into a Discourse, a mesh of value-laden ways of talking and acting associated with a certain community. Our analysis showed the talk to be aligned with both the culture of school and the culture of “literati,” to be episodic and two-part, and to display two clusters of discursive strategies: apprenticeship-style teaching strategies and solidarity strategies. Both structure and strategies reflected the teacher’s beliefs about curriculum, learning, and teaching and the academic work infused with those beliefs.
Proline in the cerebrospinal fluid of normal subjects and Alzheimer's-disease patients, as determined with a new double-labeling assay technique.

Abstract Past studies have implicated proline involvement in the function of memory and learning. A new micromethod has been developed that is suitable for measuring proline accurately in as little as 0.1 ml of CSF. In normal human CSF, the average proline level was found to be consistently about 1.3 μ m . In the CSF of patients with Alzheimer's disease and mixed dementias, the levels of proline showed no statistically significant difference from proline levels in the CSF of normal controls. Furthermore, the proline levels in the CSF of the Alzheimer's disease patients did not reflect, consistently, the cognitive deficits or the symptomatic severity of the disease. Proline levels in CSF showed no statistically significant change with the age of individuals tested.
On some optimality conditions and their equivalence in time-dependent inventory models

Abstract The paper considers a deterministic, time-and-review-continuous, finite horizon inventory model with general time-dependent demand, holding cost, shortage cost and replenishment rate functions. It gives conditions for the optimal ordering schedule, for a fixed number of replenishments, which reduce the effort for its finding to a simple one-dimensional search. The paper also proves equivalence relationships between the derived optimality conditions and the corresponding ones for special cases of the general model where some of its component functions tend to infinity. It concludes with a discussion concerning the uniqueness of the optimal number of replenishments, and the convergence of the optimal ordering schedule for an infinite time horizon.
A new species of Pseudoboodon (Reptilia : Serpentes) from the Central Highlands of Ethiopia; with notes on some other members of the genus : original article

A new highly distinctive species of ligPseudoboodonl/ig is described from a single locality in the central highlands of Ethiopia. It is distinguished from its three congeners by differences in colour pattern, head shape and lepidosis. Some additional notes on other species of ligPseudoboodonl/ig are provided.
TTP and pregnancy

In this issue of Blood , Jiang et al use the Oklahoma Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura-Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (TTP-HUS) Registry to demonstrate that in women with a previous history of TTP, associated with severe ADAMTS13 deficiency, the frequency of TTP recurrence is low and pregnancy
The changing landscape in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

The past few years have brought increasing advances in the therapeutic management of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with the approval of several agents, including vaccine therapy with sipuleucel-T, second-line chemotherapy with cabazitaxel, the bone-targeted pharmaceutical denosumab, and the novel antiandrogen therapy abiraterone acetate. There are ongoing developments with other agents in the pipeline such as MDV3100 and alpharadin that have shown promising results. This review describes the clinical trials that brought about the drug approvals of various agents and offers some insights regarding a rational approach to optimal treatment sequencing for these drugs since national guidelines are currently lacking.
Challenges of Interreligious and Intercultural Cooperation Today

(2012). Challenges of Interreligious and Intercultural Cooperation Today. Political Theology: Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 397-399.
Comparison of classical and autogenous systems of regulation in inducible operons

The mechanism of autogenous regulation, whereby a protein directly controls the expression of its own structural gene, is compared on the basis of function with the classical mechanism, in which the structural gene of the regulator is itself unregulated. The autogenous mechanism is superior to the classical one in inducible catabolic systems governed by a repressor; the opposite is true if the regulator is an activator.
Opinions among mandated reporters toward child maltreatment reporting policies.

Abstract Objective: This study investigates the opinions of social workers, pediatricians, and physician assistants in their support for the existing child maltreatment mandated reporting policy and an alternative reporting policy. Differences in professional training, age, gender, reporting behavior, attitudes towards reporting, and level of certainty needed to report were considered in determining which group of mandated reporters was most likely to support either the existing or an alternative policy. Method: A total of 382 social workers, pediatricians, and physician assistants in Connecticut and Massachusetts completed a self-report questionnaire. This sample represented an overall adjusted response rate of 76%. Results: There was slightly more support for the existing reporting policy compared to the alternative policy. After controlling for age, attitudinal variables, and reporting behavior, social workers were significantly more likely to favor an alternative child maltreatment reporting policy than pediatricians or physician assistants. Also, those mandated reporters who had not consistently reported all suspected cases of maltreatment were significantly more likely to favor the alternative policy than consistent reporters. Conclusions: Because the majority of mandated reporters do not consistently report all suspected cases of maltreatment and support for an alternative reporting policy varies among different groups, consideration of alternative strategies and policies that address the concerns of different types of professionals may be appropriate.
Asset identification using image descriptors

Managing Information Technology (IT) assets in data centers is a time consuming and error prone process. IT personnel typically identify misplaced assets manually by cross checking and visually inspecting assets. An automated way of keeping track of assets using portable devices reduces human error and improves productivity. The proposed asset management application on the tablet captures images of assets and searches an annotated database to identify the asset. Matching performance and response time of asset matching is evaluated using three different image feature descriptors. Methods to reduce feature extraction and matching complexity were developed. Performance and accuracy tradeoffs were studied, domain specific problems were identified, and optimizations for portable platforms were made. The results show that the proposed methods reduce complexity of asset matching by 67 % when compared to the matching process using standard image feature descriptors.
Lyon City Profile

Abstract Lyon is France’s second city, located in south-eastern France at the confluence of the Saone and Rhone rivers. Historically, it was a significant European trade and financial centre during the 15th and 16th centuries, and from the 16th century, also became the largest producer of textiles in France, particularly associated with silk weaving. By the 19th century Lyon had become an important industrial city with a diversified base and associated tertiary activities. The 20th century saw the city expand further, particularly into its hinterland beyond the administrative boundaries. As a result, in relation to governance, there is a range of complex and multi-layered structures that characterise the city and the surrounding agglomeration. This profile documents these governance arrangements, and sets out some of the key challenges that the city faces today, including economic competitiveness, social cohesion and issues related to environmental sustainability. It shows that despite the city being a player on the European stage, with a number of high-profile urban development projects, including La Confluence regeneration area, there are still high levels of social polarisation in the city, with significant socio-spatial disparities between neighbourhoods. The challenge for Lyon is to make connections between high-profile development projects and disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the city, in order to address some of the key structural challenges that urban areas in many countries of the global north face in the 21st century.
Work, culture, and the slave community: Slave occupations in the cotton belt in 1860

(1986). Work, culture, and the slave community: Slave occupations in the cotton belt in 1860. Labor History: Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 325-355.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Use during Pregnancy and Effects on the Fetus and Newborn: A Meta-Analysis

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently used to treat depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period. These drugs are capable of crossing the placenta and being transferred to the newborn during lactation. This report reviews the available information regarding the effects of SSRIs on the fetus and newborn; including long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Inhibition of heart beat development by chloramphenicol in intact and Cardia bifida explanted chick embryos.

Untersuchung uber die Wirkung von Chloramphenicol auf die Herzentwicklung von Huhnerembryonen ergibt normale Entwicklung bei kleinen Dosen, hingegen bleibten der Schrittmacher und die Reizleitung insuffizient.
Immortalization and Characterization of Bone Marrow Stromal Fibroblasts from a Patient with a Loss of Function Mutation in the Estrogen Receptor-α Gene

A male patient with abnormal postpubertal bone elongation was shown earlier to have a mutation in both alleles of the estrogen receptor, resulting in a nonfunctional gene. Marrow stromal fibroblasts (MSFs) derived from this patient were called HERKOs (human estrogen receptor knock outs), and in order to obtain continuous HERKO cell lines, they were immortalized using a recombinant adenovirus-origin-minus SV40 virus. MSFs are unique cells because they support hematopoesis and contain a mixed population of precursor cells for bone, cartilage, and fat. Three established cell lines (HERKO2, HERKO4, and HERKO7) were characterized and compared with the heterogeneous population of nonimmortalized HERKOs for their osteogenic potential. We performed Northern analysis of matrix genes implicated in bone development and metabolism and an in vivo bone formation assay by transplanting the cells subcutaneously into immunodeficient mice. All three HERKO lines expressed high amounts of collagen 1A1, osteopontin, osteonectin, fibronectin, decorin, biglycan, and alkaline phosphatase. Except for osteopontin, expression of these genes was slightly lower compared with nonimmortalized HERKOs. In the in vivo bone formation assay, the heterogeneous population of nonimmortalized HERKOs formed bone with high efficiency, while the HERKO lines induced a high-density, bone-like matrix. Finally, all HERKO cell types secreted high levels of insulin-like growth factor I and interleukin-6 into the culture medium relative to cells of normal human subjects. In summary, these lines of HERKO cells retain several of the phenotypic traits of MSFs after immortalization, including matrix and cytokine production, and provide a valuable source of a unique human material for future studies involving estrogen action in bone and bone marrow metabolism.
An application of learning to robotic planning

Conventional approaches to robotic planning have focused on the resolution theorem prover, using general-purpose search heuristics, with the desired goal expressed in terms of logical calculus. These approaches suffer from several drawbacks; one major problem encountered in these approaches is the speed of planning. In this paper we describe an approach of applying supervised learning to robotic planning. The learning system is an intermediate one between rote learning and generalization learning, and is based on the concept of analogy. Simulation examples of various robot tasks are presented to demonstrate the significant increase in the systems's planning speed and to compare it with some existing systems.
Facial numbness: a manifestation of sarcoidosis.

Facial numbness can pose a diagnostic dilemma for physicians. The trigeminal nerve can be affected by neoplasms in the nasopharynx, multiple sclerosis, dental and facial trauma, vertebrobasilar disease, carotid aneurysm, collagen vascular disease, infections including sinusitis and syphilis, and sarcoidosis. A careful history, physical examination, and prudent diagnostic studies are necessary to assess a patient with facial numbness. Sarcoidosis, an idiopathic disorder characterized by noncaseating granulomas, has an incidence of 11 cases per 100,000 population in the United States. l Sarcoidosis can affect one or many organs, including the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes, skin, heart, liver, and nervous system. According to most reports, the nervous system is affected in about 5 percent of patients with sarcoidosis.l-4 Sharma and Sharma,S however, report that 10 percent of patients with sarcoidosis have nervous system involvement, and the finding of subclinical neurosarcoidosis is even greater. The case described below illustrates the importance of recognizing that facial numbness might be a manifestation of sarcoidosis.
Abstract B05: Targeting nonapoptotic cell death in chemoresistant patient-derived breast cancer cells

The development of anti-cancer therapeutics that target non-apoptotic pathways has received increasing attention from the scientific community in recent years. The prevalence of chemoresistance and the characterization of defective apoptotic pathways in cancer has promoted interest in the expansion of current therapeutic regimens to include drugs that induce non-apoptotic cell death. From a phenotypic screen we have identified a small molecule named C6 that induces caspase-independent, non-apoptotic cell death in chemoresistant patient-derived breast cancer cells. Additionally, C6 is also selectively cytotoxic against cancer cells compared to normal mammary epithelial cells. In an effort to characterize this small molecule9s mechanism of action and identify relevant biological pathways that might be used as therapeutic drug targets, we have utilized a photoaffinity pull-down strategy to identify biological binding partners of C6. Our photoaffinity pull-down studies have revealed Mitsugumin 23 (MG23), an endoplasmic reticulum-bound transmembrane protein capable of ion channel formation, as a binding partner for C6. Additionally, we have identified a metabolic component of C6-induced cell death through the use of mitochondrial respiration measurements, metabolomic analyses, and mitochondrial transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging. Metabolic studies have identified mitochondrial respiration defects, excess lactic acid production, and gross changes in mitochondrial morphology as a result of C6 treatment. Collectively, our findings suggest a role for ionic imbalance and subsequent metabolic disruption in this form of caspase-independent cell death. Our ongoing work is focused on further mechanistic characterization of this non-apoptotic pathway as a potential target for breast cancer drug development. Citation Format: Rachel M. Vaden, Keith M. Gligorich, Dawne N. Shelton, Guoying Wang, Cindy B. Matsen, Ryan E. Looper, Matthew S. Sigman, Bryan E. Welm. Targeting nonapoptotic cell death in chemoresistant patient-derived breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Synthetic Lethal Approaches to Cancer Vulnerabilities; May 17-20, 2013; Bellevue, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(5 Suppl):Abstract nr B05.
Impaired bone mineral density as a predictor of graft subsidence following minimally invasive transpsoas lateral lumbar interbody fusion.

The LLIF procedure is a useful stand-alone and adjunct surgical approach for many spinal conditions. One complication of LLIF is subsidence of the interbody graft into the vertebral bodies, resulting in severe pain, impaired arthrodesis and potentially fracture of the body. Low bone density, as measured by T score on DEXA scanning, has also been postulated to increase the risk of subsidence. A retrospective review of prospectively collected data was performed on all patients who underwent LLIF at this institution consisting of 712 levels in 335 patients. Patients with subsidence following LLIF were recorded. We utilized the T score obtained from the femoral neck DEXA scans, which is used to determine overall fracture risk. The T score of patients with subsidence was compared to those without subsidence. 20 of 57 (35 %) patients without subsidence had a DEXA T score between −1.0 and −2.4 consistent osteopenia, one patient (1.8 %) exhibited a T score less than −2.5, consistent with osteoporosis. 13 patients of 23 (57 %) with subsidence exhibited a T score between −1.0 and −2.4, consistent with osteopenia, five (22 %) exhibited a T score of −2.5 or less, consistent with osteoporosis. The mean DEXA T score in patients with subsidence was −1.65 (SD 1.04) compared to −0.45 (SD 0.97) in patients without subsidence (p < 0.01). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for patients with a T score of −1.0 or less was 80.1 %. Patients with DEXA T scores less than −1.0 who undergo stand-alone LLIF are at a much higher risk of developing graft subsidence. Further, they are at an increased risk of requiring additional surgery. In patients with poor bone quality, consideration could be made to supplement the LLIF cage with posterior instrumentation.
A hypothetical model of the foreign antigen binding site of class II histocompatibility molecules.

Class II and class I histocompatibility molecules allow T cells to recognize 'processed' polypeptide antigens1–5. The two polypeptide chains of class II molecules, α and β, are each composed of two domains (for review see ref. 6); the N-terminal domains of each, α1 and β1, are highly polymorphic6–10 and appear responsible for binding peptides at what appears to be a single site11–13 and for being recognized by MHC-restricted antigen-specific T cells14,15. Recently, the three-dimensional structure of the foreign antigen binding site of a class I histocompatibility antigen has been described16,17. Because a crystal structure of a class II molecule is not available, we have sought evidence in class II molecules for the structural features observed in the class I binding site by comparing the patterns of conserved and polymorphic residues of twenty-six class I and fifty-four class II amino acid sequences. The hypothetical class II foreign-antigen binding site we present is consistent with mutation experiments18–28 and provides a structural framework for proposing peptide binding models to help understand recent peptide binding data11,29–33.
Immunological perspectives in prevention and treatment of nosocomial pneumonia.

The high mortality associated with current therapeutic approaches to nosocomial pneumonia has motivated consideration of newer immunologic approaches to prevention or therapy of this infection. Serotype specific vaccines, hyperimmune immunoglobulins, and monoclonal antibodies have been developed for certain problematic pathogens.Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been the major focus of this approach, and trials of hyperimmune anti-Ps. aeruginosa globulins for treatment of pneumonia are underway. Broad-spectrum, anti-lipopolysaccharide antibody preparations have also been employed for prophylaxis of nosocomial pneumonia, but to date these trials have not been successful. Finally, anticytokine antibody therapy to reduce infection-initiated inflammatory lung damage is under consideration.