cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phosphorylation of Cyclic Adenosine 3',5'-Monophosphate (CAMP) Response Element-Binding Protein Isoforms by the CAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase

The cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) mediates transcriptional activation of genes in response to the cAMP signal transduction pathway. There are two different isoforms of CREB, which are generated by alternative RNA splicing. There is evidence that the two isoforms may have different biological activities. As the longer isoform (CREB341) contains a potential phosphorylation site that is not present in the shorter isoform (CREB327), we examined the possible differential phosphorylation of the two CREB isoforms. Recombinant CREB was prepared and used as substrate for phosphorylation by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro. Phosphopeptide mapping and mutagenesis studies demonstrated that CREB341 contains two sites, serine 133 and serine 98, that can be phosphorylated in vitro by the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. In contrast, CREB327 contains only a single phosphorylation site at serine 119 (equivalent position to serine 133 in CREB341). A kinase titration experiment demonstrated that serine 98 of CREB341 was phosphorylated only at relatively high concentrations of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Transient transfection studies were used to test for any possible function of the phosphorylation of serine 98 of CREB341. These studies used GAL4-CREB fusion proteins. We found that mutation of serine 98 to alanine (which would block phosphorylation) has little or no effect on the ability of the CREB fusion protein to activate transcription. These findings suggest that differences in the biological activity of the two CREB isoforms are probably not mediated by differential phosphorylation by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase.
What Are They Thinking? Exploring Layperson Conceptualizations of Wildlife Health and Disease

Communication is an important part of wildlife management. Communication strategies based in knowledge of stakeholder understandings of key issues tend to be particularly effective. We conducted focus groups in five states across the United States to evaluate how laypersons conceptualize wildlife health and wildlife disease management. Based on insights from the focus groups, we identified building blocks of layperson mental models for wildlife health. From the layperson perspective, wildlife health was associated with absence of disease; balanced, sustainable populations; healthy animals; habitat quality; and ecosystem health. Wildlife disease was commonly viewed as a natural phenomenon. Factors influencing support for wildlife disease management included the specific methods used, cost, predicted consequences of management, level of uncertainty, and severity of the disease threat. Knowledge attained from these focus groups provides empirical evidence of beliefs and perceptions that influence public unde...
Interventions Promoting Testicular Self-Examination (TSE) Performance: A Systematic Review

Testicular cancer is one of the greatest threats to health and wellness among 15- to 40-year old males. A concerted effort in the literature promoting awareness, risk factors, and preventative measures is warranted. There is limited discussion on the validity of interventions aimed at promoting testicular self-examination (TSE) performance; the existing body of evidence offers little discussion on what specific factors motivate performance. To assist in making Healthy People 2020 an all-inclusive success, a comprehensive assessment of existing evidence is necessary to assist in closing this research gap. A systematic review of interventions promoting TSE performance discovered moderate levels of effectiveness among 10 studies promoting the behavior. Concerning methodological quality, nine were of average quality and one was of high quality. In terms of significant TSE reporting between intervention and control/comparison groups, 3 out of 10 did not achieve the statistical causal threshold. Based on our assessment of TSE intervention quality and outcomes pertaining to behavior adoption, a best-practices guideline is presented for researchers in the field to consult as they design their interventions. This guideline aims to improve on internal and external validity of TSE promotion research in order to make them more effective.
Convective heat transfer to laminar droplet flow in tube bundles

Abstract Convective heat transfer of longitudinal laminar droplet flow in the thermal entrance region of tube bundles is analyzed for constant wall temperature and constant heat flux conditions, respectively. The tube bundle geometry is taken into consideration based on the free-surface model. The saturated droplets in the superheated vapor stream are considered as distributed heat sinks. Calculations are performed for the variations of droplet size, vapor velocity, droplet number density and the local Nusselt number in the streamwise direction until the single-phase fully-developed condition is reached. The effects of different governing parameters on the heat transfer results are studied.
Correlation Between Nanostructure and Crystalline Morphology and Mechanical Response in Nylon 6 Nanocomposites

Several nylon nanocomposites was prepared using pristine and organically modified silicates. DSC and XRD reveal that the metastable γ phase is stabilized in the nanocomposites and the amount of γ phase scales with the silicate loading. Both storage and loss moduli of the nanocomposites increase with increasing silicate content. The overall characteristics of these systems become more solid-like before the onset of the glass transition. The increases in moduli are most pronounced in the rubbery regime. Pristine silicates have marginal effect on the mechanical response due to poor dispersion and/or lack of interactions with the polymer matrix.
Total Parenteral Nutrition in the Mouse: Body Composition and Plasma Chemistries

Mice that were maintained in energy and nitrogen (N) balance by total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for 12 days were analyzed for changes in organ weight, carcass and liver N and fat, and plasma glucose, urea N, and total protein. The results are compared with two other groups: (1) PO, which consisted of mice that were given the TPN solution per os in amounts equivalent to the TPN group, and (2) AL, which consisted of mice allowed to consume a stock diet ad libitum. In comparison with group AL, the TPN-fed mice had normal liver, kidney, and lung weights but heavier spleens and hearts. Group PO had an increase in liver weight only. Hepatic lipid content declined in group TPN but increased markedly in PO-fed mice. The latter group also demonstrated a 35% increase in carcass fat whereas it was unchanged in the TPN group. No differences were found in plasma urea N and total protein among the groups but plasma glucose increased 2-fold in group PO. It appears that our technique of parenteral feeding in mice maintains fairly normal body composition and plasma chemistries. However, mice drinking the TPN solution (group PO) exhibited the greatest number of alterations. These results are discussed in relation to differences in route of feeding, diet composition, feeding pattern, and the possible influence of circadian rhythms. The dilemma of choosing appropriate control groups in TPN studies is also discussed.
Mutational Analysis of HIV-1 Nef: Identification of Two Mutants That Are Temperature-Sensitive for CD4 Downregulation

Abstract The Nef protein of HIV-1 is capable of performing at least two functions: reduction of cell-surface expression of CD4, the viral receptor, and enhancement of HIV-1 infectivity. Here we report the results of assays of CD4 downregulation bynefpoint mutants. Areas of high charge density and highly conserved sequence motifs were targeted. In general, mutations in the carboxyl-terminal half of the protein had more deleterious effects than did those in the amino-terminal half. A single mutantnefallele was identified which encoded a stable protein but was completely inactive. Two mutant Nef proteins exhibited temperature-sensitive phenotypes in assays of CD4 downregulation.
Performance specification methodology : introduction and application to displays

Acquisition reform is based on the notion that DoD must rely on the commercial marketplace insofar as possible rather than solely looking inward to a military marketplace to meet its needs. This reform forces a fundamental change in the way DoD conducts business, including a heavy reliance on private sector models of change. The key to more reliance on the commercial marketplace is the performance specifications (PS). This paper introduces some PS concepts and a PS classification principal to help bring some structure to the analysis of risk (cost, schedule, capability) in weapons system development and the management of opportunities for affordable ownership (maintain/increase capability via technology insertion, reduce cost) in this new paradigm. The DoD shift toward commercial components is nowhere better exemplified than in displays. Displays are the quintessential dual-use technology and are used herein to exemplify these PS concepts and principal. The advent of flat panel displays as a successful technology is setting off an epochal shift in cockpits and other military applications. Displays are installed in every DoD weapon system, and are, thus, representative of a range of technologies where issues and concerns throughout industry and government have been raised regarding the increased DoD reliance on the commercial marketplace. Performance specifications require metrics: the overall metrics of 'information-thrust' with units of Mb/s and 'specific info- thrust' with units of Mb/s/kg are introduced to analyze value of a display to the warfighter and affordability to the taxpayer.
A RAPID COMBUSTION METHOD FOR THE ACCURATE DETERMINATION OF LOW LEVELS OF TRITIUM IN BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES

The authors have developed a simple, accurate method to combust low-level, tritium-containing tissue samples by modifying a tube furnace with two combustion zones. The sample is pyrolyzed upstream under a slow stream of argon, after which oxygen is added to the gas stream,and pyrolysis gases arecombusted over a platinum catalyst. The charred sample is combusted by changing the gas from argon to pure oxygen. A small volume of steam is then passed through the tube furnace to purge adsorbed tritiated water from the walls of the apparatus. The original design was changed in two ways. (1) Gas inlets were arranged so that baffles or porous plugs are not needed to maintain stable combustion. This change greatly reduces the residual radioactivity carried over from one sample to the next (typically 0.3 0.2 %). (2) Combustion gases are completely condensed in a cold trap with liquid nitrogen so that 100% of the tritium in the sample is trapped. The colorless, trapped water is directly dissolved in scintillation flu...
Tonic GABAergic Inhibition of Taste-responsive Neurons in the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract

The effects of y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline methiodide (BICM) on the activity of taste-responsive neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) were examined electrophysiologically in urethane- anesthetized hamsters. Single neurons in the NST were recorded extracellularly and drugs (21 nl) were microinjected into the vicinity of the cell via a multibarrel pipette. The response of each cell was recorded to lingual stimulation with 0.032 M NaCI, 0.032 M sucrose, 0.0032 M citric acid and 0.032 M quinine hydrochloride (QHCI). Forty-six neurons were tested for the effects of GABA; the activity of 29 cells (63%) was inhibited by 5 mM GABA. Whether activity was elicited in these cells by repetitive anodal current stimulation (25 |aA, 0.5 s, 0.1 Hz) of the tongue (n = 13 cells) or the cells were spontaneously active (n = 13 cells), GABA produced a dose-dependent (1, 2 and 5 mM) decrement in activity. Forty-seven NST neurons were tested for the effects of BICM on their responses to chemical stimulation of the tongue; the responses of 28 cells (60%) were enhanced by 10 mM BICM. The gustatory responses of 26 of these cells were tested with three concentrations (0.2, 2 and 10 mM) of BICM, which produced a dose-dependent increase in both spontaneous activity and taste-evoked responses. Nine of these neurons were sucrose-best, seven were NaCI-best, eight were acid-best and two responded best to QHCI. The responses to all four tastants were enhanced, with no difference among neuron types. For 18 cells that were tested with two or more gustatory stimuli, BICM increased their breadth of responsiveness to their two most effective stimuli. These data show that —60% of the taste-responsive neurons in the rostral NST are inhibited by GABA and/or subject to a tonic inhibitory influence, which is mediated by GABAA receptors. The modulation of these cells by GABA provides a mechanism by which the breadth of tuning of the cell can be sharpened. Modulation of gustatory activity following a number of physiological changes could be mediated by such a GABAergic circuit.
On the Schwartz-Bruhat space and the Paley-Wiener theorem for locally compact abelian groups

Abstract Let G be a locally compact abelian group. The Schwartz-Bruhat space of functions on G is then defined in terms of Lie subquotient groups. We give an alternative characterization which involves asymptotic behavior of the function and its Fourier transform, and which makes no reference to Lie theory. We then prove the Paley-Wiener theorem for the Fourier transform of CC∞(G). The asymptotic estimates which arise are closely related to those used to characterize the Schwartz-Bruhat space.
Can the common brain parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, influence human culture?

The latent prevalence of a long-lived and common brain parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, explains a statistically significant portion of the variance in aggregate neuroticism among populations, as well as in the ‘neurotic’ cultural dimensions of sex roles and uncertainty avoidance. Spurious or non-causal correlations between aggregate personality and aspects of climate and culture that influence T. gondii transmission could also drive these patterns. A link between culture and T. gondii hypothetically results from a behavioural manipulation that the parasite uses to increase its transmission to the next host in the life cycle: a cat. While latent toxoplasmosis is usually benign, the parasite’s subtle effect on individual personality appears to alter the aggregate personality at the population level. Drivers of the geographical variation in the prevalence of this parasite include the effects of climate on the persistence of infectious stages in soil, the cultural practices offood preparation and cats as pets. Some variation in culture, therefore, may ultimately be related to how climate affects the distribution of T. gondii, though the results only explain a fraction of the variation in two of the four cultural dimensions, suggesting that if T. gondii does influence human culture, it is only one among many factors.
Solid-Liquid Reaction in the Si3N4-AlN-Y2O3 System under 1 MPa of Nitrogen

The melting behaviors of selected compositions in the Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-AlN-Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} system were determined under 1 MPa of nitrogen. The phase diagrams of the ternary and their binary systems are presented. The lowest melting composition of the ternary system contains 15 mol% Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}, 25 mol% AlN, and 60 mol% Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and has a melting temperature of 1,650 C. The binary eutectic compositions and temperatures are 15 mol% Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} and 85 mol% Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} at 1,720 C, and 20 mol% AlN and 80 mol% Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} at 1,730 C.
Regulation of pyruvate metabolism via pyruvate carboxylase in rat brain mitochondria.

1. The fixation of CO 2 by pyruvate carboxylase in isolated rat brain mitochondria was investigated. 2. In the presence of pyruvate, ATP, inorganic phosphate and magnesium, rat brain mitochondria fixed H 14 CO 3 - into tricarboxylic acid-cycle intermediates at a rate of about 250nmol/30min per mg of protein. 3. Citrate and malate were the main radioactive products with citrate containing most of the radioactivity fixed. The observed rates of H 14 CO 3 - fixation and citrate formation correlated with the measured activities of pyruvate carboxylase and citrate synthase in the mitochondria. 4. The carboxylation of pyruvate by the mitochondria had an apparent K m for pyruvate of about 0.5mm. 5. Pyruvate carboxylation was inhibited by ADP and dinitrophenol. 6. Malate, succinate, fumarate and oxaloacetate inhibited the carboxylation of pyruvate whereas glutamate stimulated it. 7. The results suggest that the metabolism of pyruvate via pyruvate carboxylase in brain mitochondria is regulated, in part, by the intramitochondrial concentrations of pyruvate, oxaloacetate and the ATP:ADP ratio.
Circannual and latitudinal variation in the incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Numerous epidemiological studies have shown a preponderance of cerebrovascular accidents occurring during the winter or colder months in both hemispheres. However, many of these studies used no or inappropriate statistical tests to demonstrate cyclic trends or relied on a small number of poorly documented cerebrovascular accident cases. Data were obtained for this study from the International Cooperative Aneurysm Study that evaluated 3,521 clinical records from 68 neurosurgical centers in 14 countries. We used the Edwards cyclic trends method to examine the monthly occurrence of subarachnoid hemorrhage between March 1981 and February 1983. Significant (p < 0.05) seasonal variation was noted with more subarachnoid hemorrhage cases occurring during the winter relative to the summer in the northern hemisphere, whereas the reverse of this was noted in the southern hemisphere. Significant (p < 0.025) seasonal periodicity was noted above the latitude of 43.2° N, but not below it. This report, and others, suggest that subarachnoid hemorrhage may be a seasonal and geographic risk disease. An overview of the literature examining seasonality and cerebrovascular accidents is also presented.
Testing surgical skills of obstetric and gynecologic residents in a bench laboratory setting: Validity and reliability

Abstract Objective: Resident surgical skills are acquired mainly through observing and later performing procedures in the operating room. Evaluation of surgical skills has traditionally been done through subjective faculty evaluation, a technique that has poor reliability and unknown validity. Our goal was to develop specific surgical tasks, both laparoscopic and open abdominal, that could be objectively and reliably evaluated in a bench laboratory setting. Study Design: The prospective development of a reliable and valid resident surgical skills test in a bench laboratory setting was our goal. A written test of surgical knowledge and 12 skills tests were administered to 36 residents. Laparoscopic bench tasks were simulated with the use of a box and camera with a video display. Six laparoscopic tasks were assessed, including placing pegs on a board, running the bowel simulation, and other tasks that involve hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity. Open abdominal skills simulated incision closure, suturing a vaginal cuff, knot tying, and using a tie on a passer. Residents were timed at each given station and were given a rating score by 2 examiners. Results: Knowledge scores showed a significant improvement by residency level. Assessment of construct validity (the ability to discriminate among residency levels) demonstrated significant differences on the rating of overall performance and individual tasks by level (determined by 1-way analysis of variance). Interrater reliability (agreement between 2 raters) with the use of intraclass correlation was 0.79 for the total score. The cost to administer the bench laboratory test was less than $50 and required 30 hours of faculty time. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that surgical bench laboratory tasks can assess residents' surgical skills with good reliability and validity on most tasks. Our previous study, which used an animal laboratory, was expensive, and the bench laboratory model may provide an alternative means to assess surgical skills. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;184:1462-70.)
Note on the relationships among job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior.

Previous research which has established a relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and job satisfaction has involved primarily white collar workers. This study extends the prior res...
The disparity of the Burgess Shale arthropod fauna and the limits of cladistic analysis: why we must strive to quantify morphospace

Three major arguments have been raised against the crucial claim, documented by Whit- tington and colleagues for the Burgess Shale fauna, and so contrary to traditional views, that disparity of anatomical design reached an early maximum in the history of multicellular life: (1) the presence of many early taxa with low membership and high rank is an artifact of naming; (2) cladistic analysis of Burgess arthropods negates the claim for greater early disparity; and (3) Whittington's argument is a retrospective fallacy based on assigning high rank to differentia only by virtue of their later capacity to define major branches. I show that all these arguments are either false or illogical, and that the claim for increased early disparity is justified: (1) Taxonomic rank is an artifact, but no one has ever based a claim for greater disparity on this false criterion. (2) Cladistics can only deal with branching order, whereas disparity is a phenetic issue. These two legitimate aspects of evolutionary "relationship" are logically distinct. The rooting of a cladogram only illustrates monophyletic ancestry (which no one doubts, as we are not creationists), and cannot measure disparity. (3) The active stabilization of the differentia of Baupldne (for genetic and developmental reasons only dimly understood) provides a powerful rationale for weighting these characters in considerations of disparity; nothing had so stabilized in the Burgess fauna. If these differentia were steadily changing contingencies, rather than actively stabilized features with "deep" architectural status, then the retrospective argument would be justified. Although the three arguments are wrong, the claim for greater early disparity cannot be confidently established until we develop quantitative techniques for the characterization of morphospace and its differential filling through time. This is a dauntingly difficult problem, much harder than cladistic ordering, but not intractable.
Adaptive BER-assured routing in translucent optical networks

We investigate the dimensioning problems for the placement of regenerators in an optical transport network to provide signal-quality guaranteed connections. When an optical signal traverses through a network it undergoes signal degradation due to accumulated noise, dispersion and crosstalk. By optimally placing the regenerators in the optical network and defining domains of transparency, we can provide for signal-quality guaranteed connections. We develop intelligent dynamic routing algorithms to route the signals, considering the above mentioned aspect by taking bit error rate (BER). This is used as the signal quality constraint which is checked when routing a particular connection. By studying the performance of the network and signal quality, we develop intelligent algorithms to use the regenerators in an efficient manner and hence reduce the number of calls being blocked due to high BER, effectively reducing the net blocking probability.
Low energy supersymmetry with a neutralino LSP and the CDF ee{gamma}{gamma}+E/{sub T} event

We present a refined and expanded analysis of the CDF ee{gamma}{gamma}+E/{sub T} event as superpartner production, assuming the lightest neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. A general low energy Lagrangian is constrained by a minimum cross section times branching ratio into two electrons and two photons, kinematics consistent with the event, and LEP 1{endash}LEP 130 data. We examine how the supersymmetric parameters depend on the kinematics, branching ratios, and experimental predictions with a selectron interpretation of the event, and discuss to what extent these are modified by other interpretations. Predictions for imminent CERN LEP upgrades and the present and future Fermilab Tevatron are presented. Finally, we briefly discuss the possible connection to other phenomena including a light top squark, the neutralino relic density, the shift in R{sub b}, and the associated shift in {alpha}{sub s}, and implications for the form of the theory. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Urinary NGAL Levels Correlate with Differential Renal Function in Patients with Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction Undergoing Pyeloplasty

Purpose: Recent investigations described the use of NGAL, a sensitive biomarker for kidney injury, in the setting of ureteropelvic junction obstruction. We prospectively evaluated urinary NGAL levels in the affected renal pelvis and bladder of children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction undergoing unilateral dismembered pyeloplasty. Our hypothesis was that higher NGAL in the kidney and bladder would correlate with decreased ipsilateral differential function.Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study in patients treated with unilateral dismembered pyeloplasty from 2010 to 2012. Urine was obtained intraoperatively from the bladder and obstructed renal pelvis. A control population of unaffected children was recruited to provide a voided bladder specimen. Bladder NGAL levels were compared between the study and control populations. We tested our study hypothesis by correlating bladder and renal pelvic NGAL levels with the differential renal function of the affected kidney.Results: A to...
Strategic Planning and Organizational Performance: A Critical Appraisal

The literature addressing the empirical relationships between strategic planning and hard measures of organizational performance is examined. Distinctions are drawn among formal strategic planning; strategic planning content; and research linking strategic planning, environment, and organizational performance. Implications of the extant research and recommendations for future research are offered for theorists and practitioners alike.
Fascism in America

Attention has been drawn recently to the possibility of a Fascist revolution in the United States—by the Dickstein Committee, by journalistic and cinematic exposes of Fascist tendencies, by the revival of the 1918–20 “Red-baiting” spirit and technique, and by the fervent and constant agitation of the League Against War and Fascism and related organizations. Little is said seriously in responsible circles of the possibility of a Communist revolution, that being so overworked a thesis that all are aware of whatever drift in that direction there may be. Hence the present discussion of Fascist tendencies must not be taken to imply the impossibility of a swing to the left, but rather simply to denote an interest in a more novel movement to the right.
Identification of SLF1 as a new copper homeostasis gene involved in copper sulfide mineralization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, at least 12 genes are important for cells to propagate in medium containing elevated concentrations of copper salts (J. Welch, S. Fogel, C. Buchman, and M. Karin, EMBO J. 8:255-260, 1989). Complementation studies were carried out on a copper-sensitive mutation (cup14) from this group. A new yeast gene, designated SLF1, was identified as a multicopy suppressor of the cup14 mutation. Slf1 is important for the physiological process of copper sulfide (CuS) mineralization on the surface of cells cultured in medium containing copper salts. CuS mineralization causes the cells to turn brown. Disruption of SLF1, which is located close to the telomere region of chromosome IV, leads to limited copper sensitivity, and the resulting cells lack the normal brownish coloration when grown in CuSO4-containing medium. Overproduction of Slf1 in wild-type cells confers superresistance to CuSO4 and enhances the coloration of cells cultured in the presence of CuSO4. Upon addition of KCN to Cu-grown cells, the brownish coloration was bleached instantly, and copper ions were solubilized. These data are consistent with Slf1-dependent accumulation of CuS complexes on the cell surface. Disruption of SFL1 also results in loss of the ability of yeast cells to deplete Cu but not Cd ions from the growth medium, whereas overexpression enhances Ca depletion ability and the resulting deposition of CuS particles. It is proposed that Slfl participates in a copper homeostasis pathway, distinct from the Cup1 detoxification system, that leads to sulfide generation and CuS biomineralization on the cell surface. This process may coordinate with the Cup1 pathway at different copper concentrations to prevent copper-induced toxicity.
1,1-Bis(3′-indolyl)-1-(p-substituted phenyl)methanes inhibit colon cancer cell and tumor growth through PPARγ-dependent and PPARγ-independent pathways

1,1-Bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-substituted phenyl)methanes containing p-trifluoromethyl, t-butyl, and phenyl [1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-phenyl)methane (DIM-C-pPhC(6)H(5))] substituents induce peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma)-mediated transactivation in SW480 colon cancer cells. These PPARgamma-active compounds also inhibit cell proliferation and modulate some cell cycle proteins. At concentrations from 2.5 to 7.5 micromol/L, the PPARgamma agonists induce caveolin-1 and phosphorylation of Akt and cotreatment with the PPARgamma antagonist GW9662 inhibited the induction response. In contrast, higher concentrations (10 micromol/L) of 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-substituted phenyl)methanes containing 1,1-bis(3'-indolyl)-1-(p-trifluoromethyl)methane and DIM-C-pPhC(6)H(5) induce apoptosis, which is PPARgamma independent. This was accompanied by loss of caveolin-1 induction but induction of proapoptotic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug activated gene-1. In athymic nude mice bearing SW480 cell xenografts, DIM-C-pPhC(6)H(5) inhibits tumor growth at doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg/d and immunohistochemical staining of the tumors showed induction of apoptosis and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug activated gene-1 expression. Thus, the indole-derived PPARgamma-active compounds induce both receptor-dependent and receptor-independent responses in SW480 cells, which are separable over a narrow range of concentrations. This dual mechanism of action enhances their antiproliferative and anticancer activities.
Testing the indirect effect of trait mindfulness on adolescent cigarette smoking through negative affect and perceived stress mediators

Mindfulness refers to an enhanced attention to and awareness of present moment experience. This study examined how trait mindfulness, as measured with six items from Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, might influence adolescent cigarette smoking frequency through its impact on depressive affect, anger affect and perceived stress mediators. Self-reported data from Chinese adolescents (N = 5287, mean age = 16.2 years, SD = 0.7; 48.8% females) were collected within 24 schools. The product of coefficients test was used to determine significant mediation paths. Results from baseline cross-sectional data indicated that trait mindfulness had a significant indirect effect on past 30-day smoking frequency through depressive affect, anger affect and perceived stress mediators. Results from 13-month longitudinal data indicated that these indirect effects remained significant for depressive affect and perceived stress but not for anger affect. Findings from this study may suggest that heightening mindfulness among adolescents may indirectly reduce cigarette smoking perhaps by improving affect regulation competencies.
Parameter estimation in conservation laws

The author considers the numerical approximations for estimating parameters in conservation laws from observed data. In particular, he discusses monotone and essentially nonoscillatory schemes for solving the conservation law, together with regularized least squares minimization to fit the model to data. >
Application of Analytical Electron Microscopy to Ion Implantation and Near Surface Microstructures

Surface modification using ion beam techniques is recognized as an important method for improving surface controlled properties of metallic, ceramic, and semiconductor materials. Determination of the microstructure and composition in regions located within a few hundred nanometers of the surface is essential to gaining an understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the improved properties. Analytical electron microscopy (AEM), high resolution microscopy, and microdiffraction are ideally suited for this purpose. These techniques are powerful tools for characterizing microstructure in terms of solute concentration profiles, second phase formation, lattice damage, crystallinity of the implanted layer and annealing behavior. Such analyses allow correlations with theoretical models, property measurements and results of complementary techniques. The proximity of the regions of interest to the surface also places stringent requirements on specimen preparation techniques. The power of AEM in examining the effects of ion implantation will be illustrated by reviewing the results of several investigations. A brief discussion of some important aspects of specimen preparation will also be included.
Ion Beam Sputter Deposition Of Optical Coatings

A beam of 500 to 1200 eV argon and oxygen ions, neutralized with an equal number of electrons, strikes a target, and the sputtered particles form a deposited layer of SiO2, Ta205, or TiO2. A second beam at lower energy is aimed at the substrate and used for stress modification and predeposition sputter cleaning. Deposited films are mechanically stable and extremely adherent; internal stress is compressive. The primary contaminant is carbon, which is less than one percent. Refractive indices near 1 µm are 1.47 for SiO2, 2.03 for Ta205, and 2.27 for Ti02. Optical absorptance of half-wavelength films at 1.06 Am is near 10-4 for SiO2 and Ta205 and near 4 X 10-4 for TiO2. Damage tests with a 114 um radius, 5 ns pulse length, 1.06 um wavelength laser show an onset energy flux for visible damage in the 12 to 30 J/cm2 range for single-layer films, and slightly less for a three-layer structure.
Value engineering applications for managing sustainable intermodal transportation infrastructure assets

Received: 15 December 2012 Abstract Accepted: 5 February 2013 Frequent gridlocks and traffic jams during the periods of rush hours can result in long user delays and more vehicle emissions causing continuous degradation of air quality. The builtinfrastructure of densely populated cities and intercity travel by passenger and freight traffic lead to significant adverse impacts of traffic congestion on air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming. Transportation contributes 28% of energy related greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. This paper shows that traffic related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are higher per capita for several rural and smaller cities compared to large urban areas in the United States. Inadequate use of mass transit, urban sprawl, construction of more roads and traditional stop-controlled intersections, and addition of more lanes to increase traffic capacity and ease congestion, are primary causes of significant vehicle emission inventory of CO2 and air quality degradation. It is shown that sustainable traffic management policies, such as reduction of work-related travel by cars and more use of mass transit modes, can decrease CO2 emissions. Case studies of value engineering applications are presented to select cost-effective less polluting mass transport strategies based on economic evaluation of life cycle costs and benefits.
All-optical interconnection networks

In this paper wepresenttwoarchitectures ofhigh speedalloptical multistage interconnection networks anddiscuss how emerging opticaltechnology canprovide solution to switchingproblems which arise in telecommunication and supercomputersystems. The architectures support circuitswitched and packetswitching and are based on alloptical bistable device which constitutes an essential component of switching units. Various design issues related to optical clock generation its distribution data synchronization intensity restoration and power requirement are also discussed.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Case Study: Potential Drug Usage In The Workplace

This HRM case focuses on potential drug usage in the workplace and the appropriate steps to address this issue. This case is based upon an actual event that occurred in production plant of a Fortune 500 company. The case study can be used for any undergraduate or graduate level human resource management class.
Assessment of dietary intakes, nutritional risk and whole grain behaviors of community-residing adults age 60+ years

xi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1 Background 1 Goals and Objectives 2 Thesis Organization 3 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5 Introduction 5 Demographics 5 National 5 Iowa 6 New Hampshire 6 Rhode Island 7 Socioeconomic Barriers 7 Poverty... 7 Food Insecurity 8 Health Care 9 Chronic Disease 10 Disability 11 Malnutrition 12 Dietary Intake Frequencies 13 National 14 State-Specific 15 Whole Grains 17 Current Intakes and Recommendations 17 Health Benefits 18 Weight Management and Metabolic Syndrome 18 Cancer and Chronic Disease 19
Navigating Law and Politics: The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and the U.S. Independent Counsel

U.S. officials who explain the current administration's distrust of the International Criminal Court (ICC) routinely describe the Court's "unaccountable" prosecutor as one of the Court's principal defects. They frequently assert that the ICC prosecutor bears more than a passing resemblance to a largely discredited institution from recent U.S. political history: the independent counsel. This Article probes the validity of the assumption that the ICC reproduces the weakness of the independent counsel regime on a global scale. I argue that the comparison between these two institutions is overstated and the fears unwarranted. The treaty creating the ICC places far more checks and restraints on its prosecutor than the Ethics in Government Act imposed on the independent counsel. In addition, unlike the ad hoc nature of the independent counsel, the permanence of the ICC promises the development of an institutional culture. This wide-angle lens stands in stark contrast to the relentlessly myopic focus that characterized the U.S. model. Furthermore, the broad scope of the ICC's jurisdiction and the concomitant restraint imposed by limited financial and other prosecutorial resources will provide a potent brake on an overzealous prosecutor. Nevertheless, the U.S. experience with the independent counsel scheme provides a useful cautionary tale for the ICC. It reveals the difficulty of investigating criminal allegations against powerful political leaders. It also illustrates the importance of prosecutorial independence, as well as the fragility of prosecutorial legitimacy. The appropriate lesson to be drawn from the demise of the independent counsel regime is not to abandon all hope of independent mechanisms for the enforcement of international criminal law. Rather, that experience underscores the need for adequate enforcement of laws against the politically powerful, with sufficient limits on the prosecutor's power to prevent these prosecutions from running amok.
On Theorizing in Dark Times

Like many catastrophes, the events of September 11, 2001, brought Americans face to face with profound questions that in ordinary times people seldom consider. Few of those who watched the events unfold or read accounts of them could have helped but feel the pity and terror tragic spectacles evoke. The collapse of the twin towers, the destruction of a part of the Pentagon, the actions of individuals who, faced with certain death, chose to spend their last moments preventing an airliner from finding its target?such events seem at once to defy and to require understanding. Subsequent efforts by governments to shore up home land security and root out terrorism are overshadowed by memories of direct confrontation with life and fate. As never before in our history, Americans feel themselves to be living in dark times. Similar claims have been made about other historical moments?for example, we call the European centuries following the fall of Rome "the dark ages." Certainly the twentieth century, with its two world wars, its atomic bombs, and its multiple genocides, seemed dark times to many. Hannah Arendt, however, who fled for her life from the im pending Holocaust, yet looked beyond "the disorder and the hunger,
Mechanisms of long-term regulation of peripheral kappa opioid receptor function by the antagonist, norBNI (659.4)

KOR is known to regulate cellular signaling cascades including c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK). We have found that norBNI, a prototypical KOR “antagonist”, has “agonist” activity towards JNK, leading...
Designing a Tangible Learning Environment with a Teachable Agent

To date, the majority of learning technologies only afford virtual interactions on desktops or tablets, despite evidence that students learn through physical manipulation of their environment. We implemented a tangible system that allows students to solve coordinate geometry problems by interacting in a physical space with digitally augmented devices, using a teachable agent framing. We describe our system and the results from a pilot involving students using our system to teach a virtual agent. Students used a variety of strategies to solve problems that included embodied behaviors, and the majority did feel they were teaching their agent. We discuss the implications of our findings with respect to the design of adaptive tangible teachable systems.
Subjective Well-Being in China: Associations with Absolute, Relative, and Perceived Economic Circumstances

Numerous studies examining the impact of income on subjective well-being (SWB) have found significant positive relationships exhibiting decreasing marginal returns. However, the impact of economic circumstances on SWB is better captured through a combination of income, wealth (per capita net worth), and perceived and relative economic conditions. Using data from the Chinese Household Income Project, I find that within rural and urban China, wealth significantly predicts SWB, exhibiting decreasing marginal returns independent of more common measures of economic circumstances such as income and occupational status. Within urban China, these associations decrease in magnitude and significance with the addition of objective relative measures of wealth and income. Finally, I find that subjective perceptions of relative standard of living are strongly associated with SWB independent of other measures. These results highlight the importance of using multiple objective and subjective measures of economic circumstances, demonstrating potential limitations of studies that have focused exclusively on income as a predictor of well-being. Results are interpreted within the context of China’s changing social and economic structure.
Howard H. Erickson: contributions to equine exercise physiology and veterinary medicine

For over four and a half decades Howard Erickson has been at the forefront of scientific discovery. As a veterinary cardiovascular specialist with the United States Air Force he made fundamental progress to developing a working artificial heart. Subsequently as a retired US Air Force Colonel and Professor at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Erickson detected the immensely high pulmonary vascular pressures in the horse during exercise. These observations were essential to resolving the mechanistic bases for exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia and pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) that afflict all racehorses. Subsequently, Erickson pioneered the scientific proof-of-concept of the equine Nasal Strip™ which reduces lung damage and epistaxis, and constitutes the only effective non-pharmaceutical treatment for EIPH available today. We owe much of our understanding of equine cardiorespiratory physiology to this remarkable scientist.
The Misuse of Repeated Measures Analysis in Marketing Research

The use of repeated measures or within-subjects designs has become common in marketing research. A review of articles employing such designs suggests that researchers may not fully appreciate the n...
Fletcher Factor Deficiency and Myocardial Infarction

The case of a patient who, while being treated for an acute myocardial infarction, was found to have Fletcher factor deficiency with a Fletcher factor concentration of less than 1% of normal is described. Fletcher factor deficiency is associated with defects in several interrelated systems, including clotting, fibrinolysis and kinin generation, all of which play a role in the pathogenesis and evolution of infarction. The development of myocardial infarction in a patient who had severe Fletcher factor deficiency emphasizes the importance of alternate pathways for activation of these systems.
A New Fatigue Analysis Procedure for Composite Wind Turbine Blades

A fatigue analysis procedure including random wind field simulation, aerodynamic analysis, stress analysis by finite element analysis, and fatigue damage evaluation based on tested fatigue data has been developed for large horizontal axis wind turbine blades. In order to simulate realistic wind loads applied on the blade while maintaining affordable computation time, the sectional surface pressure fields obtained from XFOIL are modified to match the lift, drag, and moment coefficients obtained using NREL’s AeroDyn. Thus the modified pressure distribution includes the effect of the dynamic stall and the wake on the turbine rotor aerodynamics. A high-fidelity finite element blade model, which could easily tailor the design of composite materials in the blade, has been parameterized for the detailed stress analyses. Constant life diagrams based on the tested fatigue data have been constructed for fatigue damage evaluation under multi-axial complex stress states of variable amplitude. Starting from the random wind field simulation, the evaluated fatigue damage is determined by two random variables, 10-minute mean wind speed and 10-minute turbulence intensity factor. Consequently, the effect of mean wind speed and atmospheric turbulence toward blade fatigue can be investigated. The proposed fatigue analysis procedure can facilitate the reliability analysis and reliability-based design optimization of composite wind turbine blades considering wind load uncertainty.
Endocarditis caused by Bacillus subtilis.

Bacillus subtilis , like other Bacillus species found in soil, is a common laboratory contaminant and is usually dismissed as such when isolated from blood cultures. The occurrence of B. subtilis endocarditis in a drug abuser shows the importance of correlating the history and clinical findings with laboratory results. Members of the genus Bacillus can cause illness and should not be ignored when isolated from multiple blood cultures.