cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Emerging Role of Inflammasomes as Central Mediators in Inflammatory Bladder Pathology.

Irritative voiding symptoms (e.g. increased frequency and urgency) occur in many common pathologic conditions such as urinary tract infections and bladder outlet obstruction, and these conditions are well-established to have underlying inflammation that directly triggers these symptoms. However, it remains unclear as to how such diverse stimuli individually generate a common inflammatory process. Jurg Tschopp provided substantial insight into this conundrum when, working with extracts from THP-1 cells, he reported the existence of the inflammasome. He described it as a structure that senses multiple diverse signals from intracellular/extracellular sources and pathogens and triggers inflammation by the maturation and release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β and interleukin-18. Recently, many of these sensors were found in the bladder and the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3, has been shown to be a central mediator of inflammation in several urological diseases. In this review, we introduce the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domaincontaining-3 inflammasome, highlight its emerging role in several common urologic conditions, and speculate on the potential involvement of other inflammasomes in bladder pathology.
Your trip to China is canceled: a remembrance

In May of 1973, the Committee of Concerned Asian Scholars (CCAS) informed thirty-three applicants that they had been chosen to travel to the People’s Republic of China, known to many Americans at t...
Experiments with non-uniformly correlated laser beams propagating underwater

Generation and underwater propagation of recently developed non-uniformly correlated laser beams is presented. The experimental set-up and initial observations of the beam intensity after a short underwater path are given.
Broken Symmetry and the Accelerated Observer

Spontaneous symmetry breaking affords an interesting probe of the phenomenon of “acceleration radiation” in general relativistic quantum field theory and raises a peculiar paradox. Accelerated observers infer the presence of particles in the vacuum in a thermal distribution with a temperature proportional to the proper acceleration. Nonetheless, by ever increasing the temperature (acceleration) a broken symmetry cannot be restored without violating general covariance. How does the accelerated observer interpret this outcome dynamically?
Sealing the Breach in Cell Membranes with Hydrophilic Polymers

I have discussed the concept of occult damage to neurons and axons — damage that is initially below the level of anatomical detection. This damage may be in response to stretch injury, mild mechanical insult, or the first stages of membrane disintegration precipitated by hypoxia, anoxia, glucose deprivation (i.e., ischemia) or a reperfusion injury. Here, I will focus on the problem posed by a larger breach in the membrane that can be detected with anatomical methods, and one that is not likely to be sealed by natural repair mechanisms of axons. Secondary axotomy is the likely result of the failure of natural sealing mechanisms.
Chromatic stimulus for accommodation to stationary and moving targets

Experiments using moving targets (sinusoidal and sum-of-sine motion) suggest that the longitudinal chromatic aberration (LCA) of the eye provides directional information at edges that specifies ocular focus and drives reflex accommodation (Kruger, Mathews, Aggarwala, Sanchez, 1993). Recently two studies used stationary targets to stimulate accommodation and both concluded that chromatic aberration has no effect on accommodation when the target is stationary (Bobier, Campbell and Hindi, 1992; Kotulak, Morse and Billock, 1995). The issue was addressed in three experiments: First, subjects (8) viewed a stationary target (3.5 cycles per degree square-wave grating) through a 3 mm artificial pupil at three dioptric stimulus levels (0 D, 2.5 D, 5 D) in a Badal stimulus system. There were 3 experimental conditions including Normal LCA, Reversed LCA and Monochromatic (550 nm; 10 nm bandwidth) and the resting position of accommodation was monitored while subjects viewed the grating target through a pinhole pupil. The target remained stationary during randomized 40-second trials, and accommodation was monitored continuously. Most subjects accommodated accurately in the normal condition at all three stimulus distances, a few subjects (3 of 8) had difficulty maintaining focus in monochromatic light at the near (5 D) or far (0) stimulus distances, and most subjects (7 of 8) could not maintain focus at both the near and far distances with LCA reversed. When the target is stationary it must be considerably closer or further away than the (tonic) resting level to demonstrate the effect of LCA.
Targeting Brain Cancer Stem Cells in the Clinic

Malignant gliomas (MG) include glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most frequent and aggressive of primary brain tumors (Holland, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:6242–6244, 2000). The standard of care for GBM, including surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide, is associated with a median overall survival of 14.6 months following diagnosis (Reardon et al., J Clin Oncol 24:1253–1265, 2006). The identification of brain cancer stem cells has led to a great opportunity to exploit stem cell mechanisms to inhibit brain tumor initiation, progression, and invasion. Brain cancer stem cells – also called tumor initiating cells or tumor propagating cells - share features with normal neural stem cells but do not necessarily originate from stem cells. Although most cancers have only a small fraction of cancer stem cells, these tumor cells have been shown in laboratory studies to contribute to therapeutic resistance, formation of new blood vessels to supply the tumor and tumor invasion. The presence of this population of cells can explain the recurrence of some brain tumors after chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other current treatments. In fact, a few of these cells is enough to give rise to a new recurrent tumor. Viewing cancer through the prism of the cancer stem cell hypothesis may fundamentally transform brain cancer therapeutics and translate into improved prognosis of brain tumor patients through a novel means for testing of new strategies for treating brain tumors that focus on the eradication of the cancer stem cells. In animal models, dendritic cell immunotherapy and novel drugs that target stem cell pathways active in brain tumors have been efficacious against cancer stem cells suggesting that anti-cancer stem cell therapies may improve brain tumor therapy. In this chapter, we will discuss the approaches to isolate cancer stem cells and test the therapeutic resistance of cancer stem cells. We will then focus on the implications of cancer stem cells in the clinic, such as the effect of cancer stem cells in prognosis. Finally, we will explore several new strategies to target cancer stem cells.
EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX | Surface Proteoglycans

Cell surface proteoglycans, such as syndecans, glypicans, and CD44, regulate a wide variety of molecular interactions that mediate cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Through these activities, surface proteoglycans modulate many pathophysiological processes, including development, inflammation, tissue repair, cancer metastasis, and infection. Proteoglycans are composites of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) attached covalently to core proteins. The majority of the ligand-binding activities of proteoglycans are mediated through GAGs. Recent studies have revealed that surface proteoglycans play key roles in lung biology. In humans, expression of several surface proteoglycans is reduced in lung cancers, suggesting that these proteoglycans are potential prognostic markers. Mice lacking certain GAG biosynthetic enzymes die soon after birth from conditions resembling acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), indicating that proteoglycans are essential for lung development and function. Furthermore, inflammatory responses in mice made null for syndecan-1 and CD44 are drastically altered in various models of lung inflammation. These data highlight the physiological significance of surface proteoglycans in lung development and in the pathogenesis of respiratory diseases.
Corrosion protection of magnesium (Mg) alloys using conversion and electrophoretic coatings

Abstract: Magnesium and its alloys have excellent physical and mechanical properties for a number of applications. In particular magnesium’s high strength/weight ratio makes it an ideal metal for automotive and aerospace applications, where weight reduction is of significant concern. Unfortunately, magnesium and its alloys are highly susceptible to corrosion, which has limited their use in the automotive and aerospace industries, where exposure to harsh service conditions is unavoidable. The simplest way to mitigate corrosion is to coat the magnesium-based substrate to prevent its direct contact with the environment. This chapter discusses the state-of-the-art of two important coating processes for magnesium protection that are usually applied consecutively for vehicular bodies in the automotive industry: conversion coating and electrophoretic coating (E-coating).
Metabolomic Assays of Postmortem Brain Extracts: Pitfalls in Extrapolation of Concentrations of Glucose and Amino Acids to Metabolic Dysregulation In Vivo in Neurological Diseases

Glucose utilization is reduced in vulnerable brain regions affected by neurological disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the basis for abnormal glucose homeostasis is unknown. Studies of brain-bank human tissue have made major contributions to understanding complex aspects of neurological, psychiatric, and neurodegenerative diseases, but they are not appropriate for metabolomic analysis of labile metabolites because postmortem intervals between death and tissue freezing are much too long. Recent reports of postmortem brain glucose levels led to suggestions that AD patients may be hyperglycemic and that elevated brain glucose levels along with reduced glycolytic activity reveal abnormal glucose homeostasis before clinical symptoms become manifest. These conclusions are, however, questioned because virtually all brain glucose is consumed within minutes after death, followed by progressive increases in glucose and amino acid levels, presumably due to autolytic changes. To illustrate pitfalls in use of autopsy material for metabolomic assays of labile metabolites, data from living human brain are compared with those from autopsy samples, and metabolism at the onset of postmortem ischemia is compared with calculated glycolytic enzyme activities. Postmortem glucose levels range from extremely low to unrealistically high, precluding their extrapolation to living brain. Indirect evaluation of glycolytic enzyme activities in postmortem AD brain is not valid because the glucose and amino acid concentrations used in the calculations are not stable after death, and reported values are unrealistically high. Specific recommendations are provided for non-invasive longitudinal monitoring of brain metabolism and metabolite levels in patients with neurological diseases.
What pushes back from considering materiality in IT

There are significant negative impacts from extracting, processing, maintaining, and ultimately disposing of the materials used to support information technology, as well as of producing the energy it uses, yet these negative impacts receive substantially less attention than discussion of the benefits or technical aspects of IT. This essay presents some ideas on the forces that either de-emphasize or even actively push against considering these impacts. They are grouped into three overarching categories: metaphor and utopian visions, economics, and disciplinary norms and practices of computer science. The essay concludes with some ideas for what might be done to counter these forces and increase the visibility of these impacts when appropriate, suggestions for further investigations, and a framing of these issues as a particular aspect of larger systemic and interlocking environmental, economic, and political problems.
Abstract 334: Temporal Regulation of Retinoic Acid Delineates First Heart Field Ventricular and Atrial Cardiac Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Retinoic acid plays a pivotal role during the heart development. The mammalian heart is formed from cardiac progenitors in the first and second heart fields (FHF and SHF). FHF progenitors populate ...
Взаимосвязь психологических характеристик и самостигматизации больных с эндогенными психическими расстройствами (результаты оригинального исследования)

The investigation studies the relationship between narcissistic self-regulation with the features and expression of self-stigmatization in patients with endogenous mental disorders. The study involved 131 people, including patients with schizophrenia — 66.8% and individuals with affective disorders — 33.2%. The survey was conducted by using the following methods: «Index of Self-system functioning» and questionnaire of self-stigmatization by Mikhailova-Yastrebov. Data on correlation of strength personality reducing with selfstigmatization, the specifics of Self-regulation structure in various inner stigma forms, and the absence of IFSS significant differences in patient’s groups with different nosological forms of mental disorders, disease’s duration and number of hospitalizations — were obtained. The specific personal characteristics underlying premorbid changes in the Self-regulation system that determine the vulnerability of patients to the formation of stigma are discussed.
Fever-range whole body hyperthermia increases the efficacy of radiation therapy by selectively increasing the percentage of perfused tumor blood vessels

5767 Cancer researchers have long recognized that the sensitivity of cancer cells to ionizing radiation is dependent upon their oxygenation status; therefore, in hypoxic tumors the full therapeutic potential of radiation may be blunted even with very high doses of ionizing radiation. Using localized heat to bring tumors to a relatively high temperature (41-43oC) is re-gaining support as a radiation sensitizer because of the improved survival seen in patients who receive combination hyperthermia and radiation over that seen in patients given radiation alone. This enhanced efficacy is thought to be due to the increase blood flow in the heated tumor which may bring more oxygen into the tumor microenvironment. We predict that this approach may not take full advantage of the radiosensitizing properties of hyperthermia. Instead, we hypothesize that that mild (between 38-39oC) hyperthermia treatment to the normal organs and tissues surrounding the tumor, or indeed, throughout wide regions of the body may provide superior radiosensitization to the tumor. Because tumor vessels are defective and unable to respond normally to homeostatic control mechanisms (including thermoregulation), they may be highly sensitive to increased blood flow coming from other regions of the body which do react strongly to modest increases in temperature. Further, tumor vessels may remain in a state of heightened perfusion for a longer period of time following mild thermal stress because they lack normal smooth muscle and neuronal connections that would help them respond to autonomic signals. To test these ideas, tumor-bearing mice were subjected to fever-range whole body hyperthermia (FR-WBH) for 6 hours at 39.5°C. Then, they were either injected intravenously with a fluorescent dye (DiOC7) to monitor vessel perfusion or they underwent local X-ray irradiation (20Gy fractioned over 5 days at 4Gy/day). Tumors from mice treated with fever-range whole body hyperthermia had significantly more functional vessels (i.e. vessels perfused with DiOC7+) than mice kept at room temperature. This change in number of functional vessels was not associated with an increase in the total number of CD31+ vessels and it lasted for more than 48 hours. Further, there was no increase in normal organ vascular perfusion seen at any time after heating. Mice that received localized radiation therapy after FR-WBH exhibited significant improvement in tumor growth control over that seen in mice receiving radiation alone, even though radiation was given 24 hours after the completion of the FR-WBH treatment. These finding suggest that mild whole body hyperthermia significantly and selectively increases tumor vessel perfusion and results in superior radiosensitization to the tumor. These data may lead to more feasible hyperthermia protocols for maximal radiosensitization of tumors.
Use of pelvic corrective force with visual feedback improves paretic leg muscle activities and gait performance after stroke.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of combined pelvic corrective force and visual feedback during treadmill walking on paretic leg muscle activity and gait characteristics in individuals with post-stroke hemiparesis. Fifteen chronic stroke participants completed visual feedback only and combined pelvic corrective force and visual feedback conditions during treadmill walking. Each condition included: 1-minute baseline, 7-minute training with visual feedback only or additional pelvic corrective force, 1-minute post training, 1-minute standing break, and another 5-minute training. EMGs from the paretic leg muscles and step length were measured. Overground walking was evaluated before treadmill walking, immediately and 10 minutes after treadmill walking. Greater increases in integrated EMG of all muscles, except vastus medialis and tibialis anterior, were observed with the application of additional pelvic corrective force compared to visual feedback only during treadmill walking. Overground walking speed significantly increased after treadmill training with combined pelvic correction force and visual feedback, but was not significant for the visual feedback only condition. Voluntary weight shifting with additional pelvic corrective force enhanced paretic leg muscle activities and improved gait characteristics during walking. Individuals with post-stroke hemiparesis could adapt feedforward control and generalize the adaptation to overground walking.
Endoscopic Stapes Surgery

Stapes surgery is challenging yet rewarding hearing restoration procedure. Endoscopic ear surgery is a relatively new technique for managing otologic pathology. Stapes surgery presents a unique challenge when performed via a transcanal endoscopic approach because the surgeon is confined to using one hand for management of the footplate and placing the prosthesis. Outcomes have been published for endoscopic stapes surgery, with several studies comparing endoscopic with the traditional microscopic approach. Several authors noted the need for less bone removal and less pain after endoscopic stapes surgery. Complication rates following stapes surgery did not seem to differ whether the endoscope or the microscope was used. Nonetheless, the overall audiometric results appear to be equivalent. Endoscopic stapes surgery has several potential benefits including visualizing unique anatomic variants, improved visualization of the anterior crus, the need for less bone removal in the setting of malleus fixation, and to date equivalent hearing outcomes.
An equity analysis of clean vehicle rebate programs in California

Rebates incentivize clean vehicle adoption but may raise equity concerns because upfront capital is required for vehicle acquisition, limiting access for low-income households. Since poorer communities typically experience worse air quality than their wealthier counterparts, rebates also may not incentivize clean vehicle acquisitions in more polluted areas where air quality benefits would be greater. We analyzed whether equity-promoting policy design elements changed the associations between rebate allocation rates and census tract characteristics including community disadvantage, household income, education, race and ethnicity, and ambient air pollution in two California rebate programs. We found that the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project issued more rebates per household to advantaged, higher-income, better-educated communities with more White residents and intermediate levels of ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2). An income cap and income-tiered rebate amount introduced part way through the program improved distributional equity, but fewer rebates were still issued to lower income, less-educated census tracts with higher percentages of Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black residents. Furthermore, these policy design elements reduced the overall number of rebates that were distributed. In the Enhanced Fleet Modernization Program, which incorporates additional equity-related design elements, rebate allocation rates were positively associated with community disadvantage, lower income and education, and a higher proportion of Hispanics, and were the highest in areas with slightly higher NO2 levels. These findings indicate that design elements such as an income cap, income-tiered rebate amounts, expanded vehicle eligibility, and increased benefit eligibility in disadvantaged communities, can facilitate distribution of rebates to more socioeconomically diverse populations with higher air pollution burdens.
Be-Be Bond in Action: Lessons from the Beryllium-Ammonia Complexes [Be(NH3)0-4]20,2.

High-level electronic structure calculations are performed to elucidate the Be–Be chemical bond in the (NH3)nBe–Be(NH3)n species for n = 0–4. We show that the Be2 bond is explained as a resonance b...
Inelastic effects in the study of 23 Na and 23 Mg

14 states of $^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ with excitation energies 5.6 MeV and their mirror states in $^{23}\mathrm{Mg}$ have been studied with the $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}(d,^{3}\mathrm{He})^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ and $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}(d,t)^{23}\mathrm{Mg}$ reactions with a bombarding energy of 21.1 MeV. Differential cross-section measurements indicated significant differences between established $l=2$ transitions and large cross sections for "$j$-forbidden" ${\frac{7}{2}}^{+}$ and ${\frac{9}{2}}^{+}$ states. Failure of a distorted-wave analysis to predict these anomalies suggested that inelastic effects should not be neglected. Calculations with the coupled-channel Born approximation (CCBA) have produced agreement with experiment and have shown that multiple-step processes not only dominate the transitions to the "$j$-forbidden" states, but have large effects upon allowed transitions as well. From the CCBA predictions it was possible to identify mirror states of the nuclei and to establish ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}$ assignments of ${\frac{9}{2}}^{+}$, ${\frac{3}{2}}^{+}$, (${\frac{5}{2}}^{+}$), (${\frac{5}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$), (${\frac{7}{2}}^{+}$), (${\frac{5}{2}}^{+}$), and (${\frac{11}{2}}^{+}$) for the states in $^{23}\mathrm{Mg}$ at 2.71, 2.90, 3.86, 3.97, 4.68, 5.29, and 5.45 MeV, respectively.
Analysis of Synthetic Unit-Graph Methods

Synthetic methods for developing typical unit hydrographs in order to use unit-graph theory for determining rainfall-runoff relationships from drainage basin; study to determine relative accuracy w...
Optimizing Implementation in Cancer Control (OPTICC): protocol for an implementation science center

Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) could reduce cervical cancer deaths by 90%, colorectal cancer deaths by 70%, and lung cancer deaths by 95% if widely and effectively implemented in the USA. Yet, EBI implementation, when it occurs, is often suboptimal. This manuscript outlines the protocol for Optimizing Implementation in Cancer Control (OPTICC), a new implementation science center funded as part of the National Cancer Institute Implementation Science Consortium. OPTICC is designed to address three aims. Aim 1 is to develop a research program that supports developing, testing, and refining of innovative, efficient methods for optimizing EBI implementation in cancer control. Aim 2 is to support a diverse implementation laboratory of clinical and community partners to conduct rapid, implementation studies anywhere along the cancer care continuum for a wide range of cancers. Aim 3 is to build implementation science capacity in cancer control by training new investigators, engaging established investigators in cancer-focused implementation science, and contributing to the Implementation Science Consortium in Cancer. Three cores serve as OPTICC’s foundation. The Administrative Core plans coordinates and evaluates the Center’s activities and leads its capacity-building efforts. The Implementation Laboratory Core (I-Lab) coordinates a network of diverse clinical and community sites, wherein studies are conducted to optimize EBI implementation, implement cancer control EBIs, and shape the Center’s agenda. The Research Program Core conducts innovative implementation studies, measurement and methods studies, and pilot studies that advance the Center’s theme. A three-stage approach to optimizing EBI implementation is taken—(I) identify and prioritize determinants, (II) match strategies, and (III) optimize strategies—that is informed by a transdisciplinary team of experts leveraging multiphase optimization strategies and criteria, user-centered design, and agile science. OPTICC will develop, test, and refine efficient and economical methods for optimizing EBI implementation by building implementation science capacity in cancer researchers through applications with our I-Lab partners. Once refined, OPTICC will disseminate its methods as toolkits accompanied by massive open online courses, and an interactive website, the latter of which seeks to simultaneously accumulate knowledge across OPTICC studies.
Race/ethnicity, place, and art and culture entrepreneurship in underserved communities

Abstract Few studies of entrepreneurship and creative industries have investigated the role of race/ethnicity, gender, and poverty. This study investigates the impacts of art and culture entrepreneurship in a traditionally underserved community. The findings demonstrate that, using their business ventures as both economic and social enterprises, art and culture entrepreneurs engage in a continuous process of adaptation, learning, and innovation and seek opportunities to serve their business goals. Through artistic placemaking, race/ethnicity and entrepreneurship in creative industries interact with each other as agents of change in the local community and in social entrepreneurship. Our findings call for a social impact approach that emphasizes the importance of locally formed cultural production and a socially inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem.
BAP1-inactivated melanocytic tumors demonstrate prominent centrosome amplification and associated loss of primary cilia

Background BRCA1-associated protein (BAP1) is a tumor suppressor whose loss is associated with various malignancies. The primary cilium is an organelle involved in signal transduction and cell cycle progression. Primary cilia have been shown to be absent in melanoma but retained to some extent in melanocytic nevi, and the severity of dysplasia influences the degree of cilia loss. Additionally, studies have revealed roles for BAP1 in centrosome and mitotic spindle formation. Because the primary cilium is nucleated on the mother centriole, we examined the connection between the presence of primary cilia and the formation of centrosomes in BAP1-inactivated melanocytic tumors (BIMTs). Methods We evaluated the cilia and centrosomes in eleven BIMTs and five conventional melanocytic nevi using immunofluorescence staining of acetylated alpha-tubulin and gamma tubulin. Results We found that, compared to nevi, BIMTs demonstrate loss of primary cilia and amplification of centrosomes. Occasional nevi also showed increased centrioles; however, these foci of amplification were more likely to be ciliated than those in BIMTs. Conclusions Although centrosome amplification does not absolutely correlate with loss of primary cilia in melanocytic neoplasms, absence of BAP1 exacerbates the phenotype. Moreover, aberrant centrosome and cilia formation are likely critical in the pathogenesis of other BAP1-inactivated tumors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Shape Change Propagation Through Soft Curved Materials for Dynamically-Tuned Paddling Robots

This paper introduces a method of transmitting actuation forces through soft, curved materials for use in swimming applications. This concept leverages the mechanics of materials to generate highly nonlinear stiffness and buckling behavior that induces an asymmetric paddling gait in the end-effector, a locomotion strategy seen throughout biology. This approach can be used to simplify actuation signals in soft robotic systems. A soft tubular swimming device has thus been developed which utilizes the proposed shape propagation concept; it is actuated by a soft pneumatic actuator which has been adapted to be co-printed within the tubular geometry and change the tube’s curvature when inflated. This work is validated experimentally as well as through the use of FEA and dynamic models, which tell us how altering various design geometry and dynamic parameters can play a role in generating non-zero forward thrust and positive work on the environment. The final, 40 mm long prototype reaches 53 mm/s, 1.33 body lengths per second, when swimming underwater.
Die formelle Organisation in Unternehmung und Betrieb

Der Begriff der Organisation erweckt mannigfaltige Vorstellungen. Einigen erscheint die Organisation als eine Art soziales Gebilde — wie etwa eine Gewerkschaft, eine Loge oder eine Kirche; andere verstehen darunter die Gesamtheit der Amter innerhalb einer Vereinigung oder einer Gesellschaft. Wieder andere denken dabei an ein Mittel, um System und Ordnung einzufuhren.
The Current Status of Graduate Training in Suicide Risk Assessment

Directors and coordinators (n = 75) of graduate programs in school psychology approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) were surveyed regarding their training practices in suicide risk assessment. Respondents viewed the assessment of suicide risk as an important part of graduate instruction, and most believed that students completing training at their institutions would be adequately prepared to perform this task. Almost all directors indicated that a portion of class lectures was dedicated to addressing child/adolescent suicide risk assessment, and students were reportedly exposed to this topic in multiple courses, particularly those associated with practicum and internship. Students in doctoral and nondoctoral programs received comparable training and were judged to be equally prepared to perform suicide-related professional activities in the schools. Gaps in training were revealed involving instruction in the use of quantitative measures of risk, large-scale suicide prevention efforts, interventions with suicidal youth, and postvention activities.
Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in Patients With Myocardial Infarction: Current and Emerging Applications

In patients with known or suspected myocardial infarction (MI), cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) provides a comprehensive, multifaceted view of the heart. The data, including that from a recent multicenter clinical trial, indicate that delayed-enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (DE-CMR) is a well-validated, robust technique that can be easily implemented on scanners that are commonly available worldwide, with an effectiveness that clearly rivals the best available imaging techniques for the detection and assessment of acute and chronic MI. When patients present outside the diagnostic window of cardiac troponins, DE-CMR may be especially useful. Moreover, because DE-CMR can uniquely differentiate between ischemic and various nonischemic forms of myocardial injury, it may be helpful in cases of diagnostic uncertainty, such as in patients with classical features of MI in whom coronary angiography does not show a culprit lesion. Even after the diagnosis of MI has been made, CMR provides clinically relevant information by identifying residual viability, microvascular damage, stunning, and right ventricular infarction. In addition, post-MI sequelae, including left ventricular thrombus and pericarditis, are easily identified. Given that quantification of infarct size by DE-CMR is highly reproducible, this technique may provide a useful surrogate end point for clinical trials with appreciable reductions in sample size compared with alternative methods.
In vivo analysis of chromatin structure.

Publisher Summary Chromatin structure in vivo covers a wide range of cell biological and biochemical perspectives on the physical state of genes in the nucleus. The chapter describes several techniques used to identify chromatin structure changes in vivo or in situ . An in vivo analysis of chromatin structure can provide information regarding gene function. The chapter discusses chromatin that is found within intact cells, permeabilized cells, and isolated nuclei. Three parameters govern the ability to obtain useful information from a chromatin experiment: the quality of a chromatin substrate, the structural specificity of a chromatin probe, and the sensitivity of an assay. Each of these parameters is discussed separately in terms of the benefits and hazards of relevant techniques. A few references are given for each method; these either provide a clear and generally accepted description of experimental details or illustrate the novel ways in which techniques can be used.
A model-based framework for building extensible, high performance stream processing middleware and programming language for IBM InfoSphere Streams

This work presents an extensive case study on the model-based design of a commercial-grade stream processing middleware (IBM's InfoSphere Streams) its runtime and language ( SPL ) compiler. The model-based underpinnings are pervasive throughout the whole environment, from describing inter-process communication interfaces and objects to the design of the extensibility mechanism in the runtime and language. In addition to many software engineering advantages such as consistent, uniform, and self-documented integration among the different parts of the system, we show intrinsic performance benefits to the platform derived from this design approach. First, we demonstrate how an incremental compilation strategy employed by the SPL compiler and rooted on the model description of the application, extracted by the compiler as part of the application building process, leads to better compile-time performance. Second, we discuss how the model-based code generation strategy employed by the SPL compiler also leads to increased runtime performance, by specializing the generated code to particular characteristics of the runtime environment. Finally, we show how the extensibility strategy used in the SPL language leads to automatic syntactic and semantic checks at compile time, while enabling behavioral reasoning and specific optimizations at runtime. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quality of Institutions and Outsourcing

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the effects of international trade and contracting on intermediate and final-goods producers’ decisions regarding outsourcing of production in an environment of imperfect contract enforcement, measured by the quality of the respective legal system in each country. The efficiency versus profitability trade-off has a crucial impact on the location decisions of intermediate producers. Improving the quality of the legal system will increase the volume of outsourcing in the country with imperfect contract enforcement.
Mass Media Variables Related to Urbanization and Modernization in Developing Areas

In this conceptual article the author, who has studied mass communication factors in urban slums, advances four propositions concerning media roles as intervening variables.
Natural history of small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis: a case series with review of the literature.

Background and aims Information about the natural history of small duct primary sclerosing cholangitis (SDPSC) remains scant despite literature suggesting that it constitutes 6–16% of all cases of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). We combined clinical data on SDPSC cases from two tertiary care institutions with liver transplantation programs with the aim of studying the natural history of SDPSC.
Optimization of deep-submicrometer temperature scalable MOSFET's based on two-dimensional numerical simulation

Lowering temperature effects on the performance of submicron and deep-submicron MOSFET's are studied systematically based on two dimensional numerical simulation. The simulation approach features the energy transport model for both electrons and holes in conjunction with an appropriate model for incomplete ionization for impurities at low temperature. A novel design methodology has been developed for optimization of high speed temperature scalable MOS devices operating at low voltage based on the numerical simulation results. Using this new design guideline, together with the conventional constant electric field scaling down theory for MOS devices, high speed deep-submicron CMOS digital circuits can be achieved at low supply voltages.
Partial phase diagram of the two-dimensional Ni(111)-S system from LEED and Auger electron spectroscopy

Abstract Using low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) the ordered phases in the two-dimensional Ni(111)-S system have been examined. The results are presented in terms of a “temperature versus coverage” phase diagram. At relatively low coverages a well-ordered Ni(111) p(2 × 2)S structure was observed. This undergoes a reversible transformation as temperature is cycled. In an intermediate narrow coverage range, a two-phase structure was observed for the first time in this system. This structure consists of Ni(111) p(2 × 2)S and a complex structure similar to the one reported by other investigators. The temperatures of these reversible structural transformations were determined. At high coverages only a complex LEED pattern was observed. The structure producing this pattern undergoes a reversible transformation at high temperatures (i.e. ≳ 570 K).
Theory of voltage-driven current and torque in magnetic tunnel junctions

Abstract We apply known relations for voltage-driven current and torque to magnetic tunneling junctions (MTJs) symmetric in composition. Postulated are effects of possibly asymmetric microstructures of the two interfaces separating the two electrodes from a barrier composed of (0 0 1)MgO. Our model takes into account effects of (i) dependence of state density on energy, (ii) possible asymmetry of the elastic transfer Hamiltonian, and tunneling enabled by inelastic mechanisms (iii) within the barrier or (iv) within the electrodes. It leads to distinct observable signatures for these effects in the voltage dependences of current and torque. A parameter-free relation connecting torque with conductance makes possible direct experimental tests of the model. Additionally, a derived formula illustrates how coulomb-correlation may contribute to these effects at high voltage.
A majorization-minimization approach to the sparse generalized eigenvalue problem

Generalized eigenvalue (GEV) problems have applications in many areas of science and engineering. For example, principal component analysis (PCA), canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) are specific instances of GEV problems, that are widely used in statistical data analysis. The main contribution of this work is to formulate a general, efficient algorithm to obtain sparse solutions to a GEV problem. Specific instances of sparse GEV problems can then be solved by specific instances of this algorithm. We achieve this by solving the GEV problem while constraining the cardinality of the solution. Instead of relaxing the cardinality constraint using a l1-norm approximation, we consider a tighter approximation that is related to the negative log-likelihood of a Student's t-distribution. The problem is then framed as a d.c. (difference of convex functions) program and is solved as a sequence of convex programs by invoking the majorization-minimization method. The resulting algorithm is proved to exhibit global convergence behavior, i.e., for any random initialization, the sequence (subsequence) of iterates generated by the algorithm converges to a stationary point of the d.c. program. Finally, we illustrate the merits of this general sparse GEV algorithm with three specific examples of sparse GEV problems: sparse PCA, sparse CCA and sparse FDA. Empirical evidence for these examples suggests that the proposed sparse GEV algorithm, which offers a general framework to solve any sparse GEV problem, will give rise to competitive algorithms for a variety of applications where specific instances of GEV problems arise.
Anthracylmethyl crown ethers as fluorescence sensors of saxitoxin

Anthracylmethyl crowns 1 and 2 show up to 30-fold increase in fluorescence emission intensity in the presence of saxitoxin in ethanol, and sixfold enhancement in 80% ethanol. The binding constant between saxitoxin and 1 is 3880 M−1 in ethanol and 1100 M−1 in 80% ethanol.
TZDs and Bone: A Review of the Recent Clinical Evidence.

Over the past two years, evidence has emerged that the currently available thiazolidinediones (TZDs), rosiglitazone, and pioglitazone have negative skeletal consequences, at least in women, which are clinically important. Increased fracture risk in women, but not men, was reported for both TZDs, based on analyses of adverse event reports from clinical trials. In short-term clinical trials in women, both TZDs caused more rapid bone loss. In these trials, changes in bone turnover markers suggest a pattern of reduced bone formation without a change in resorption. Although limited, these results support the hypothesis based on rodent and in vitro models that reduced bone formation resulting from activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- 𝛾 (PPAR 𝛾 ) is a central mechanism for TZDs_ effect on bone. Research is needed to better understand the mechanisms of bone loss with TZDs, to identify factors that influence susceptibility to TZD-induced osteoporosis, and to test treatments for its prevention.
On constrained infinite-time nonlinear optimal control

Abstract In this work, we consider the infinite-time optimal control of input affine nonlinear systems subject to point-wise in time inequality constraints on both the process inputs and outputs. Fundamental to solving this constrained infinite-time nonlinear optimal control (CITNOC) problem is the ability to calculate the value function of it's unconstrained counterpart, the infinite-time nonlinear optimal control (ITNOC) problem. Unfortunately, the traditional ITNOC solution procedure of specifying an objective function and then solving for the optimal control policy and corresponding value function is computationally intractable in all but the simplest of examples. However, in many cases one can easily identify a stabilizing feedback for near operating point regulation. Building from this local policy, the proposed method is to construct a meaningful optimal control objective function as well as its corresponding value function. These functions are then used to analyze the closed-loop stability of the proposed policy. Upon return to the constrained case the constructed objective and value functions are again used to develop a self-consistent constrained finite-time scheme that will, for the first time, provide an exact solution to the CITNOC problem. The mechanics of the proposed method are then illustrated by an example from chemical reactor control.
[d-Arg1,d-Trp5,7,9,Leu11]Substance P Inhibits Bombesin-induced Mitogenic Signal Transduction Mediated by Both Gq and G12 in Swiss 3T3 Cells

Abstract Substance P (SP) analogues including [d-Arg1,d-Trp5,7,9,Leu11]SP are broad spectrum neuropeptide antagonists and potential anticancer agents, but their mechanism of action is not fully understood. Here, we examined the mechanism of action of [d-Arg1,d-Trp5,7,9,Leu11]SP as an inhibitor of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-mediated signal transduction and cellular DNA synthesis in Swiss 3T3 cells. Addition of [d-Arg1,d-Trp5,7,9,Leu11]SP, at 10 μm, caused a striking rightward shift in the dose-response curves of DNA synthesis induced by bombesin, bradykinin, or vasopressin and markedly inhibited the activation of p42mapk (ERK-2) and p44mapk (ERK-1) induced by these GPCR agonists. In addition, this SP analogue also prevented the protein kinase C-dependent activation of protein kinase D induced by these agonists. [d-Arg1,d-Trp5,7,9,Leu11]SP, at a concentration (10 μm) that inhibited these Gq-mediated events, also prevented GPCR agonist-induced responses mediated through the G proteins of the G12subfamily. These include bombesin-induced assembly of focal adhesions, formation of parallel arrays of actin stress fibers, increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), p130Cas, and paxillin, and formation of a complex between FAK and Src. We conclude that [d-Arg1,d-Trp5,7,9,Leu11]SP acts as a mitogenic antagonist of neuropeptide GPCRs blocking signal transduction via both Gq and G12.
An immunofluorescent and histopathological study of respiratory syncytial (RS) virus encephalitis in suckling mice.

SummaryThe susceptibility of suckling mice of different ages to the neuropathic strain of respiratory syncytial (RS) virus was examined periodically during serial intra-cerebral passage (s) of the virus in newborn mice. By passing the virus serially in mouse brain, beginning with the one-day-old mouse and gradually increasing the age, it became possible to grow the RS virus in 7- and 9-day-old mice. The pathogenesis of the encephalitis produced by neuropathic strain of the RS virus, in intracerebrally inoculated suckling mice, was studied by means of immunofluores-cent and histopathologic techniques. The histological changes were correlated with im-munofluorescen.ee and infectivity titrations. The clinical evidence of encephalitis in the infected mice was found to be associated with extensive necrosis and liquefaction of the brain. This mouse brain adapted strain of RS virus was found to be strictly neuropathic, in that it produced lesions only in the nervous system of the intracerebrally inoculated suckl...
The Method of Virtual Components in the Multivariate Setting

We describe the so-called method of virtual components for tight wavelet framelets to increase their approximation order and vanishing moments in the multivariate setting. Two examples of the virtual components for tight wavelet frames based on bivariate box splines on three or four direction mesh are given. As a byproduct, a new construction of tight wavelet frames based on box splines under the quincunx dilation matrix is presented.
Simulation of Backward Film Cooling at Gas Turbine Operating Conditions With and Without Mist Injection

The cooling of gas turbines is critical for engines’ efficiency as well as safety and lifetime. Film cooling has been used to cool the turbine blades for many years. The main issues related to film cooling are its poor coverage, aerodynamic loss, and increase of heat transfer coefficient due to strong flow mixing. To overcome these problems, film cooling with backward injection has been found to produce a more uniform cooling coverage under low pressure and temperature conditions and with simple cylindrical holes. The performance of film cooling with backward injection at gas turbine operating conditions is studied with numerical simulation in this paper. Effects of the blowing ratios and angles are examined. It is seen that the cooling coverage is generally much more uniform by using backward injection at gas turbine operating conditions, and in some cases the film cooling effectiveness can be almost doubled when compared to forward injection. The backward injection also shows its advantage when the blowing angle and blowing ratio change. However, mist (droplets) injection does not affect the cooling performance of the backward jet at the conditions under study. The best case of film cooling in this study is the fan-shaped hole with backward injection.Copyright © 2011 by ASME