cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanistic linkage between DNA adducts, mutations in oncogenes and tumorigenesis of carcinogenic environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in strain A/J mice

Five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), benzo[b]fluoranthene (B[b]F), dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DBA), 5-methylchyrsene (5MC), and cyclopenta[cd]pyrene (CPP) were examined for their lung tumorigenic activities in strain A/J mice, their ability to form PAH-DNA adducts in lung tissues, and their ability to mutate the Ki-ras oncogene in PAH-induced tumors. PAHs dissolved in tricapyrlin were administered by single intraperitoneal injection to male strain A/J mice (20 mice/dose) at doses up to 200 mg/kg depending on the PAH. Animals were sacrificed 8 months later and the lungs removed, fixed, and surface adenomas enumerated. DBA produced maximal tumor multiplicity at the highest dose, 10 mg/kg, giving 32.2 lung adenomas per mouse. At 100 mg/kg, B[a]P, B[b]F, 5MC, and CPP gave 12.8, 5.3, 93.1, and 32.2 lung adenomas per mouse, respectively. The dose response data for each PAH was fit to y = 0.6 + bx1.6, where y is the observed mean lung adenomas per mouse at dose x (in mg/kg), 0.6 is the observed background of lung adenomas per mouse, and b is the fitted constant representing the potency of each PAH. Statistical analysis indicated that the fit of the data to the equation was extremely high with adjusted R2 values > 0.985 and small fit standard errors. Based on this equation, the relative potencies of B[b]F, DBA, 5MC, and CPP compared to B[a]P were PAH (relative activity): DBA (118); 5MC (8.8); CPP (2.9); B[a]P (1.0); B[b]F (0.43). DNA adducts were measured by 32P-postlabeling techniques on DNA from lungs of mice treated with these PAHs. Adducts identified by cochromatography with standards were: from B[a]P, 7R,8S,9S-trihydroxy-10R-(N2-2'-deoxyguanosyl)-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro- B[a]P, and two adducts resulting from the metabolic activation of 9-hydroxy-B[a]P and trans-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydro-B[a]P; from B[b]F, 5-hydroxy-B[b]F-9,10-diol-11,12-oxide-2'-deoxyguanosine; from DBA, three adducts from the metabolic activation of trans,trans-3,4,10,11-tetrahydroxy-3,4,10,11-tetrahydro-DBA and two anti-DBA-3,4-diol-1,2-oxide-N2-[2'-deoxyguanosine] adducts; from 5MC, 1R,2S,3S-trihydroxy-4-(N2-2'-deoxyguanosyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro- 5MC; from CPP, four CPP-3,4-oxide-2'-deoxyguanosine adducts. Ki-ras codon 12 mutation analysis of PAH-induced tumors was performed using PCR and dideoxy sequencing methods. Mutations from lung tumors from tricaprylin-treated mice were GGT-->GAT, GGT-->CGT, and GGT-->GTT. DBA produced no mutations in Ki-ras codon 12 above spontaneous levels. High proportions (> or = 50%) of GGT-->TGT mutations from B[a]P, B[b]F and 5MC induced tumors and GGT-->CGT mutations from CPP tumors were observed and were statistically significant compared to mutations in tricaprylin control tumors. We conclude from the DNA adduct and Ki-ras mutation studies that bay region diol-epoxide-2'-deoxyguanosine PAH-DNA adducts are associated with the GGT-->TGT mutations, and cyclopenta-ring oxide-2'-deoxyguanosine adducts associated with the GGT-->CGT mutations.
Inhibition of human NK cell and LAK cell cytotoxicity and differentiation by PGE2.

Abstract Activation of natural killer (NK) activity against K562 target cells from nonadherent (NA) lymphocytes by interleukin 2 (IL-2) was inhibited marginally by PGE2 (30–3000 nM). PGE2 did not effectively suppress the NK activity of IL-2-activated cells. The NK activation and acquisition of resistance to PGE2-mediated suppression of NK activity were dependent on protein synthesis. When NA cells were incubated with IL-2 for 3 or more days to generate lymphokineactivated killer (LAK) activity against Raji target cells, PGE2 only partially inhibited the activation of NK/LAK activity by an optimal dose of IL-2 (10 U/ml). The activation of NK/LAK activity by a suboptimal dose of IL-2 (0.1 U/ml) was inhibited by PGE2. When the NK/LAK activity of IL-2-activated cells was assessed in the presence or absence of PGE2, the LAK activity was more sensitive than the NK activity to PGE2-mediated suppression.
Introduction: Rethinking philosophical presumptions in light of cognitive disability

: This Introduction to the collection of essays surveys the philosophical literature to date with respect to five central questions: justice, care, agency, metaphilosophical issues regarding the language and representation of cognitive disability, and personhood. These themes are discussed in relation to three specific conditions: intellectual and developmental disabilities, Alzheimer's disease, and autism, though the issues raised are relevant to a broad range of cognitive disabilities. The Introduction offers a brief historical overview of the treatment cognitive disability has received from philosophers, and explains the specific challenges that cognitive disability poses to philosophy. In briefly summarizing the essays in the collection, it highlights the distinctive contributions the collection makes to ethics, political philosophy, bioethics, and the philosophy of disability. We hope that the richness of the topics explored by these essays will be a spur to further investigation.
Effect of the degree of effort on the sensitivity of the exercise thallium-201 stress test in symptomatic coronary artery disease.

Abstract The sensitivity of ST-segment depression on the electrocardiogram during exercise is influenced by the level of effort. Whether such is the case with thallium-201 imaging (initial defect or redistribution) has not been established. Accordingly, the prevalence of these parameters was evaluated in 288 patients (age 59 ± 10 years, 88% men) with coronary artery disease who underwent both exercise thallium-201 imaging and coronary anglography within 3 months of each other: 159 had a prior myocardial infarction, 72 had 1-vessel, and 216 had multivessel disease. The degree of effort was evaluated by 3 criteria: (1) percentage of maximal predicted heart rate (≤ 65, > 65 to 85, > 85%); (2) workload during exercise (≤ 4, > 4 to 8, > 8 METs); and (3) duration of exercise (≤ 3, > 3 to 6, > 6 minutes). The prevalence of defects on initial images was higher than both redistribution on delayed images and ST-segment depression on the electrocardiogram (p
An experiment control computer system time shared by several laboratories

An experiment control computer system, operational for more than 2 years, is discussed. The system is multiprogammed, using a vendor supplied real-time operating system. Individual experiments employ multitasking—fast response functions are implemented in core resident tasks while interactive and other slow response functions are implemented in tasks that operate under time sharing. The areas of psychological research currently supported are concept formation studies, EEG evoked response studies, monitoring the autonomic nervous system, perception studies, and family interaction studies.
Divergent Modulation of Adipose-Derived Stromal Cell Differentiation by TGF-β1 Based on Species of Derivation

BACKGROUND: Adipose-derived stromal cells hold promise for skeletal tissue engineering. However, various studies have observed that adipose-derived stromal cells differ significantly in their biology depending on species of derivation. In the following study, the authors sought to determine the species-specific response of adipose-derived stromal cells to recombinant TGF-beta1 (rTGF-beta1). METHODS: Adipose-derived stromal cells were derived from mouse and human sources. Recombinant TGF-beta1 was added to culture medium (2.5 to 10 ng/ml); proliferation and osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation were assessed by standardized parameters, including cell counting, alkaline phosphatase, alizarin red, oil red O staining, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Recombinant TGF-beta1 was found to significantly repress cellular proliferation in both mouse and human adipose-derived stromal cells (p < 0.01). Recombinant TGF-beta1 was found to significantly repress osteogenic differentiation in mouse adipose-derived stromal cells. In contrast, osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stromal cells proceeded unimpeded in either the presence or the absence of rTGF-beta1. Interestingly, rTGF-beta1 induced expression of a number of osteogenic genes in human adipose-derived stromal cells, including BMP2 and BMP4. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' results further detail an important facet in which mouse and human adipose-derived stromal cells differ. Mouse adipose-derived stromal cell osteogenesis is completely inhibited by rTGF-beta1, whereas human adipose-derived stromal cell osteogenesis progresses in the presence of rTGF-beta1. These data highlight the importance of species of derivation in basic adipose-derived stromal cell biology. Future studies will examine in more detail the species-specific differences among adipose-derived stromal cell populations.
Nerve Growth Factor Modification of the Ethylnitrosourea Model for Multiple Schwannomas

The administration of ethylnitrosourea (ENU) to pregnant rats late in gestation or to neonatal rats results in the induction of Schwann cell tumors in a high percentage of perinatally exposed animals. Exogenous administration of nerve growth factor (NGF) significantly reduces the number of Schwann cell tumors and other neurogenic tumors developing in ENU-treated rats. Administration of antibodies directed against NGF prior to neonatal ENU exposure results in a substantial increase in the incidence of Schwann cell tumors, particularly in the trigeminal nerves of both rats and mice. Transplacental ENU treatment causes early neoplastic proliferation (ENP) at 90 days of age in the Schwann cell population of trigeminal nerves in nearly all exposed rats. A variety of NGF treatment protocols (single or multiple inoculations or microinfusion prior to or following ENU exposure) resulted in a significant reduction in ENU-induced ENP in trigeminal nerves. These results indicate that NGF may convey protection either directly or indirectly, by an unknown mechanism, to Schwann cells and other supportive neural cells by reducing their sensitivity to ENU-induced neoplastic transformation.
The Cholinergic System and Parkinson Disease

Although Parkinson disease (PD) is viewed traditionally as a motor syndrome secondary to nigrostriatal dopaminergic denervation, recent studies emphasize non-motor features. Non-motor comorbidities, such as cognitive impairment, are likely the result of an intricate interplay of multi-system degenerations and neurotransmitter deficiencies extending beyond the loss of dopaminergic nigral neurons. The pathological hallmark of parkinsonian dementia is the presence of extra-nigral Lewy bodies that can be accompanied by other pathologies, such as senile plaques. Lewy first identified the eponymous Lewy body in neurons of the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM), the source of cholinergic innervation of the cerebral cortex. Although cholinergic denervation is recognized as a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer disease (AD), in vivo neuroimaging studies reveal loss of cerebral cholinergic markers in parkinsonian dementia similar to or more severe than in prototypical AD. Imaging studies agree with post-mortem evidence suggesting that basal forebrain cholinergic system degeneration appears early in PD and worsens coincident with the appearance of dementia. Early cholinergic denervation in PD without dementia appears to be heterogeneous and may make specific contributions to the PD clinical phenotype. Apart from well-known cognitive and behavioral deficits, central, in particular limbic, cholinergic denervation may be associated with progressive deficits of odor identification in PD. Recent evidence indicates also that subcortical cholinergic denervation, probably due to degeneration of brainstem pedunculopontine nucleus neurons, may relate to the presence of dopamine non-responsive gait and balance impairments, including falls, in PD.
Modeling of current crowding accompanying optical filament formation in semiconductor lasers and amplifiers

An approach is developed for analysis of the current crowding induced by the optical filamentation. The criterion is proposed to estimate the suppression of the spatial hole- burning due to the current self-distribution. Numerical calculations are performed that confirm the model.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
894 IMPAIRED CHEMOTACTIC FACOTR (CF)-INDUCED REDISTRIBUTION OF ADHESION SITES IN NEONATAL (N) PMNs

CF sensory and effector PMN functions were studied in 75 healthy N & adult controls (C). N PMNs demonstrated saturable high affinity binding for f-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP)=C. One-half maximal binding by N & C PMNs occurred with 12 nM fMLP @ 37°C;# binding sites/PMN=4050±900(N), 3650±750(C). Maximal CF stimuli (5X10−9M fMLP) induced uropod formation in only 38±8% of N PMNs compared to 73±11%, of C PMNs (p<.01). Several abnormalities of N PMN adherence (Ad) were identified; diminished Ad increments above baseline were noted in response to single CF stimuli (fMLP; 42±78(N), 70±11%(C), C5a; 41±6%(N), 68±6%(C); p<.01. On sequential CF exposure, N PMNs failed to demonstrate decreased Ad values: fMLP (10−10M, 10−8M); 51±9%(N), 30±9%(C), C5a (8 μg/ml, 32 μg/ml); 48±14%(N), 34±10%(C); p<.001. As shown by latex bead binding, N PMNs also failed to redistribute adhesion sites to cell uropods with sequential CF stimuli; restricted uropod binding occurred in 33±8% (fMLP) or 37±7% (C5a) of N PMNs in contrast to 70±6% (fMLP) or 71±8% (C5a) for C; p<.001. Similar findings were shown with colchicine (25 μg/ml) incubation; diminished Ad (relative to baseline) was shown with C (−17±6%) but not N PMNs (−4±6%) (p<.001), and uropod binding by N PMNs (31±11%) was significantly (p<.001) less than C (72+14%). Conclusion: CF sensory mechanisms of N PMNs are normal. Diminished stimulated locomotion of N PMNs is functionally related to impaired redistribution of their adhesion sites by CFs.
Empirical model of slow pyrolysis of hardwood chips

The thermal decomposition of mixed hardwood chips was investigated by pyrolyzing 1-kg samples at atmospheric pressure in an electrically-heated batch reactor. The maximum temperature was varied from 464 to 871 °C. Yields of charcoal, light oil, heavy oil, water, and gas were determined. The heating value and moisture content were determined for the feed, charcoal, light oil, and heavy oil. Gas chromatography was used to determine the composition of the gas product. Using these data, an empirical model was developed to predict the yields of charcoal, dry light oil, dry heavy oil, water of pyrolysis, C2–C5 hydrocarbons, light organics, and permanent gases—carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and methane—in terms of the maximum temperature to which the charcoal was heated.
Undersampled radial MR acquisition and highly constrained back projection (HYPR) reconstruction: potential medical imaging applications in the post-Nyquist era.

During the past several years there has been extensive study of alternative MR acquisition strategies such as spiral and radial. Vastly undersampled imaging with projections (VIPR) is a three-dimensional (3D) radial acquisition that provides acceptable images while violating the Nyquist theorem by factors of up to several hundred. For applications like magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), VIPR provides sparse data sets with incoherent artifacts that satisfy the requirements of emerging reconstruction approaches like iterative image norm minimization (compressed sensing) and highly constrained back projection (HYPR). All of these tools can be used in combination with parallel imaging to provide extremely high acceleration factors in MRI. In this review we do not attempt to do justice to the many exciting developments in the general field of constrained reconstruction but focus on preliminary results using VIPR and HYPR for non-Cartesian, Nyquist-violating MRI and the extension of HYPR processing to a broad range of medical imaging applications in which the acquisitions satisfy the Nyquist theorem but lack sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), leading to the possibility of radiation reduction, increased ultrasound resolution and field-of-view, and improved dynamic display of radiotracers. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;29:501–516. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Soy formula and isoflavones and the developing intestine

Soy protein-based infant formulas (SF) are commonly used to feed infants during their first year of life. SF contains isoflavones, which influence cell proliferation, but their actions in the developing intestine have received little attention. Herein, the impact of soy isoflavones and SF on intestinal development and rotavirus (RV) infectivity is described. The isoflavone genistein has been found to reduce intestinal cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo in piglets without affecting intestinal enzyme activity or nutrient transport. However, isoflavones possess antiviral activity. The mix of isoflavones at the concentrations in SF, or genistin alone, inhibited RV infectivity by 40-60%. Thus, soy isoflavones are bioactive within the neonatal intestine and may reduce the severity of RV infections.
Flocculation Effects on Bound Water in Sludges as Measured by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation times (T1 and T2) were measured for flocculated and unflocculated samples of activated sludge. The weight of water and solids in the sludge samples was found and related to T1 to find the relative percentage of bound water. The results suggest that the amount of bound water increases as the samples become more unflocculated. The values of T1 and T2 also indicate that unflocculated individual particles are characterized by loose packing of shorter molecules and that the addition of larger molecules may induce flocculation.
Reheating Metastable O'Raifeartaigh Models

In theories with multiple vacua, reheating to a temperature greater than the height of a barrier can stimulate transitions from a desirable metastable vacuum to a lower energy state. We discuss the constraints this places on various theories and demonstrate that in a class of supersymmetric models this transition does not occur even for arbitrarily high reheating temperature.
A Biochemical Mechanism for Nonrandom Mutations and Evolution

As this minireview is concerned with the importance of the environment in directing evolution, it is appropriate to remember that Lamarck was the first to clearly articulate a consistent theory of gradual evolution from the simplest of species to the most complex, culminating in the origin of
Differential regulation of mesodermal gene expression by Drosophila cell type-specific Forkhead transcription factors

A common theme in developmental biology is the repeated use of the same gene in diverse spatial and temporal domains, a process that generally involves transcriptional regulation mediated by multiple separate enhancers, each with its own arrangement of transcription factor (TF)-binding sites and associated activities. Here, by contrast, we show that the expression of the Drosophila Nidogen (Ndg) gene at different embryonic stages and in four mesodermal cell types is governed by the binding of multiple cell-specific Forkhead (Fkh) TFs – including Biniou (Bin), Checkpoint suppressor homologue (CHES-1-like) and Jumeau (Jumu) – to three functionally distinguishable Fkh-binding sites in the same enhancer. Whereas Bin activates the Ndg enhancer in the late visceral musculature, CHES-1-like cooperates with Jumu to repress this enhancer in the heart. CHES-1-like also represses the Ndg enhancer in a subset of somatic myoblasts prior to their fusion to form multinucleated myotubes. Moreover, different combinations of Fkh sites, corresponding to two different sequence specificities, mediate the particular functions of each TF. A genome-wide scan for the occurrence of both classes of Fkh domain recognition sites in association with binding sites for known cardiac TFs showed an enrichment of combinations containing the two Fkh motifs in putative enhancers found within the noncoding regions of genes having heart expression. Collectively, our results establish that different cell-specific members of a TF family regulate the activity of a single enhancer in distinct spatiotemporal domains, and demonstrate how individual binding motifs for a TF class can differentially influence gene expression.
Filial Reconstruction: A Theory of Development through Adversity

The grounded theory investigation reported in this article was directed toward explicating the grieving process in the parents of gay men dying from AIDS. The participants, 64 biological parents, described the phenomena. Six of their gay sons were also interviewed. Participant observation of parents and sons in support groups, in social interactions, and in the course of volunteer hospice contacts occurred over a 4-and-one-half-year period. In the closure process, those parents who closed unconditionally with their sons proceeded through a process of transcendence to filial reconstruction. This state or condition provided psychological and spiritual or moral freedom for the dying person and prepared his parents to enter an uncomplicated grieving process after his death. Only families in the sample closed the chapter in an unconditional manner.
Understanding health information needs and gaps in the health care system in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Health information and the channels that facilitate the flow and exchange of this information to and among health care providers are key elements of a strong health system that offers high-quality services,yet few studies have examined how health care workers define, obtain, and apply information in the course of their daily work. To better understand health information needs and barriers across all of levels of the health care system, the authors conducted a needs assessment in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Data collection consisted of 46 key informant interviews and 9 focus group discussions. Results of the needs assessment pointed to the following themes: (a) perceptions or definitions of health information related to daily tasks performed at different levels of the health system; (b) information flow in the public health structure; (c) need for practical information; and (d) criteria for usability of information. This needs assessment found that health information needs vary across the health system ...
Optimizing Energy-Latency Trade-Off in Sensor Networks with Controlled Mobility

We consider the problem of planning path and speed of a "data mule" in a sensor network. This problem is encountered in various situations, such as modeling the motion of a data-collecting UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) in a field of sensors for structural health monitoring. Our specific context here is use of a data mule as an alternative or supplement to multihop forwarding in a sensor network. While a data mule can reduce the energy consumption at each sensor node, it increases the latency from the time the data is generated at a node to the time the base station receives it. In this paper, we introduce the "data mule scheduling" or DMS framework that enables data mule motion planning to minimize the data delivery latency. The DMS framework is general; it can express many previously proposed problem formulations and problem settings related to data mules. We design algorithms for DMS and extend to the more general case of combined data mule and multihop forwarding to enable a flexible trade-off between energy consumption and data delivery latency. Using DMS, we can calculate the optimal way for node-to-node forwarding and data mule motion plan. Our implementation and simulation results using ns2 show nearly monotonic decrease of data delivery latency when each node can use more energy, thus vastly increasing the flexibility in the energy-latency trade-off for sensor network communications.
Dermoscopic Findings in Cutaneous Metastases

Importance Cutaneous metastases rarely develop in patients with cancer but have important implications for prognosis and treatment. While dermoscopy is useful for many skin lesions, few data exist regarding dermoscopic findings in cutaneous metastases. Observations We reviewed high-quality dermoscopic images of 20 outpatients with biopsy-proven cutaneous metastases and known diagnosis of underlying visceral malignancy and correlated these findings with clinical and histologic data. Most lesions were pink or flesh-colored, but 3 of 20 were pigmented. All 17 nonpigmented lesions demonstrated a vascular pattern on dermoscopy, with 15 of 17 (88%) having discrete vessels and 2 of 17 (12%) showing pink homogeneous structureless areas. Serpentine, or linear irregular, vessels were most common. In the 3 pigmented lesions (all metastatic breast carcinoma), various melanocytic patterns were observed. Conclusions and Relevance Dermoscopically visible vascular structures within a cutaneous nodule in patients with a known cancer diagnosis should raise suspicion for cutaneous metastasis. Pigmentation in such lesions, in the absence of a history of melanoma, suggests a primary breast carcinoma. The high prevalence of vascular structures among cutaneous metastases may suggest a role for angiogenesis in their pathogenesis. These findings support the use of dermoscopy in the evaluation of suspected skin metastases or in the assessment of lesions of unknown origin in patients with cancer.
Bridging the Gap Between Adaptive Training Research and Army Practice

This article assesses the overlap between academic research on adaptive training and how training is adapted in the Army. The literature review encompassed modes of adapting ranging from classroom ...
Cellular Compartmentalization in Insulin Action: Altered Signaling by a Lipid-Modified IRS-1

Many growth factors regulate cellular processes through activation of tyrosine kinases (11, 55, 58). Ligand binding to the extracellular region of the receptor results in activation of the intracellular tyrosine kinase domain of the receptor and receptor autophosphorylation (35). In most cases, tyrosyl autophosphorylation of the intracellular portion of the receptor directly recruits binding of downstream signaling partners through specialized phosphotyrosine-binding domains, e.g., SH2 domains in signaling proteins (26). The receptor thus nucleates a signaling complex containing numerous SH2 domain-containing signaling proteins (SH2 proteins) on the plasma membrane. The insulin receptor, like most growth factor receptors, contains intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity and undergoes tyrosine autophosphorylation during ligand stimulation (35). However, unlike most other growth factor receptors, the insulin receptor does not directly recruit SH2 proteins. Instead, the insulin receptor phosphorylates intracellular substrate proteins (such as the IRS proteins, IRS-1, IRS-2, IRS-3, and IRS-4) on multiple tyrosine residues, and these IRS proteins in turn recruit SH2 proteins such as phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase (PI3′-kinase), GRB-2/mSos, and SHP-2 into a signaling complex (35). Previous studies have shown that the IRS proteins are important mediators of the numerous downstream effects of insulin, including the activation of Akt and p70S6 kinase and the stimulation of glucose uptake. Although IRS proteins are critical mediators of insulin-dependent signals, they are not integral membrane proteins like the growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases; rather, they are present in the cytoplasm and are associated with intracellular membranes (20, 50, 51). Thus, IRS-protein signaling complexes probably equilibrate between intracellular membrane-bound and cytoplasmic states, in contrast to the plasma membrane-bound signaling complexes generated by most growth factor receptors. To determine the effect and importance of IRS protein localization in insulin signaling, we have studied the effect of membrane association on signaling by IRS-1. To do this, we have fused the prenylation motif of p21ras to the COOH terminus of IRS-1 to generate a membrane-associated form of the IRS-1 molecule (IRS-CAAX). While insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-CAAX was slightly decreased compared to that of wild-type IRS-1, recruitment and activation of PI3′-kinase and proliferative signaling were dramatically impaired. By contrast, IRS-CAAX mediated the insulin-stimulated activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP), p70S6, and Akt kinases more strongly than did wild-type IRS-1. Thus, the state of membrane association of IRS-1 is critical for the proper balance in insulin signal transduction.
Basal cell carcinoma with ossification.

Abstract Background: Osteoma cutis, the presence of lamellar bone in the skin, is relatively common. This process is divided into two categories: primary osteoma cutis and secondary osteoma cutis. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical and histopathologic features of patients in whom lamellar bone developed in cutaneous basal cell carcinoma. Methods: We evaluated the features of five cases of osteoma cutis associated with basal cell carcinoma and obtained detailed clinical information from those patients. Results: All five patients had significant underlying medical conditions, including two patients who were receiving interferon alfa-2b therapy. Three patients had been previously treated with electrodesiccation and curettage. The amount of sun exposure experienced by these patients varied. Histologically, the basal cell carcinomas were of the nodular or micronodular variety. Bone was found both in the stroma and intratumorally. Conclusion: The presence of bone within basal cell carcinomas is not uncommon and may be more prevalent in patients with an underlying medical disorder. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1998;38:906-10.)
Chaos in a Nonlinear Analog Computer

We explore the chaotic behavior of a nonlinear electrical circuit constructed with simple components such as diodes and linear operational amplifiers. The circuit may be regarded as a nonlinear analog computer that gives a nearly exact solution of a particular chaotic model. Detailed comparisons between theoretical and experimental bifurcation points and power spectra yield differences of less than 1%.
Clustering to improve matched filter detection of weak gas plumes in hyperspectral thermal imagery

The use of matched filters on hyperspectral data has made it possible to detect faint signatures. This study uses a modified k-means clustering to improve matched filter performance. Several simple bivariate cases are examined in detail, and the interaction of filtering and partitioning is discussed. The authors show that clustering can reduce within-class variance and group pixels with similar correlation structures. Both of these features improve filter performance. The traditional k-means algorithm is modified to work with a sample of the image at each iteration and is tested against two hyperspectral datasets. A new "extreme" centroid initialization technique is introduced and shown to speed convergence. Several matched filtering formulations (the simple matched filter, the clutter matched filter, and the saturated matched filter) are compared for a variety of number of classes and synthetic hyperspectral images. The performance of the various clutter matched filter formulations is similar, all are about an order of magnitude better than the simple matched filter. Clustering is found to improve the performance of all matched filter formulations by a factor of two to five. Clustering in conjunction with clutter matched filtering can improve fifty-fold over the simple case, enabling very weak signals to be detected in hyperspectral images.
Should Instrumental Variables be Used as Matching Variables

Abstract I show that for a linear model and estimating a coefficient on an endogenous explanatory variable, adding covariates that satisfy instrumental variables assumptions increases the amount of inconsistency. A special case is an endogenous binary treatment and estimating a constant treatment effect when matching on covariates that satisfy instrumental variables, rather than ignoribility, assumptions. I also establish a general result that implies that regression adjustment using the propensity score based on instrumental variables actually maximizes the inconsistency among regression-type estimators.
Assessing the Impact of Federal Funding on Faith‐Based and Community Organization Program Spending

This study examines the impact of federal funding levels on the program spending of faith-based and community organizations in Kentucky. Prior research indicates that organizations could increase spending on overall program expenses or decrease program spending relative to administrative costs as a result of greater reporting demands from federal funders. Three models of program spending are proposed: increased program spending relative to administrative costs (program enhancement effect), decreased program spending relative to administrative costs (administrative enhancement effect), and no net effect (neutral program-spending effect). The analysis supports the program enhancement effect and estimates that federal funding has a positive relationship with increased program spending relative to other expenses in faith-based and community organizations.
Autonomic Web-Based Simulation

Many scientific simulations are large programs which despite careful debugging and testing will probably contain errors when deployed to the Web for use. Based on the assumption that such scientific simulations do contain errors and the underlying computing systems do fail due to hardware or software errors, the authors investigate and explore robust methods for developing and deploying autonomic web-based simulations(AWS) based on the Vision of Autonomic Computing.
Increased Adolescent HIV Infection during Pregnancy Leads to Increase in Perinatal Transmission at Urban Referral Center

Background:Undiagnosed HIV during pregnancy leads to increased perinatal infection. Four cases of adolescents/young adults with HIV contracted during pregnancy, after initial negative HIV testing, led to 4 cases of perinatal HIV, which were diagnosed only after AIDS-defining illness occurred in infants. These cases were missed despite HIV testing during pregnancy. This identifies a change in pattern for perinatal infection: increased adolescent/young adult HIV leading to increased perinatal risk.Methods:A 10-year retrospective chart review on HIV-positive infants in an urban referral center. Charts were reviewed for timing of maternal HIV testing and reason for infant HIV diagnosis.Results:Twenty infected infants were referred over a 10-year period. Four HIV-infected infants were identified within a 2-year time frame at the end of the 10-year period. The 4 mothers were HIV negative, based on early peripartum testing (3 in first trimester and 1 in second trimester) and became infected or seroconverted duri...
TRPC6 is the endothelial calcium channel that regulates leukocyte transendothelial migration during the inflammatory response

Leukocyte transendothelial migration (TEM) is a tightly regulated, multistep process that is critical to the inflammatory response. A transient increase in endothelial cytosolic free calcium ion concentration (↑[Ca2+]i) is required for TEM. However, the mechanism by which endothelial ↑[Ca2+]i regulates TEM and the channels mediating this ↑[Ca2+]i are unknown. Buffering ↑[Ca2+]i in endothelial cells does not affect leukocyte adhesion or locomotion but selectively blocks TEM, suggesting a role for ↑[Ca2+]i specifically for this step. Transient receptor potential canonical 6 (TRPC6), a Ca2+ channel expressed in endothelial cells, colocalizes with platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM) to surround leukocytes during TEM and clusters when endothelial PECAM is engaged. Expression of dominant-negative TRPC6 or shRNA knockdown in endothelial cells arrests neutrophils apically over the junction, similar to when PECAM is blocked. Selectively activating endothelial TRPC6 rescues TEM during an ongoing PECAM blockade, indicating that TRPC6 functions downstream of PECAM. Furthermore, endothelial TRPC6 is required for trafficking of lateral border recycling compartment membrane, which facilitates TEM. Finally, mice lacking TRPC6 in the nonmyeloid compartment (i.e., endothelium) exhibit a profound defect in neutrophil TEM with no effect on leukocyte trafficking. Our findings identify endothelial TRPC6 as the calcium channel mediating the ↑[Ca2+]i required for TEM at a step downstream of PECAM homophilic interactions.
Language and Power

Of the over 300 pre-contact tribal languages, slightly more than 200 remain, and only 11 percent (20) of those are still being learned by children the old way, from parents and others.
Quality of life, depression and anxiety in chronic lymphocytic leukemia during phases of "watchful waiting" and active treatment

6603 Background: Although chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) accounts for 25–30% of leukemia cases in the USA, little is known about its quality of life (QOL) and psychosocial burden. The purpose o...
Estimating Income/Expenditure Differences Across Populations: New Fun with Old Engel's Law

How much larger are the consumption possibilities of an urban US household with per capita expenditures of 1,000 US dollars per month than a rural Indonesian household with per capita expenditures of 1,000,000 Indonesian Rupiah per month? Consumers in different markets face widely different consumption possibilities and prices and hence the conversion of incomes or expenditures to truly comparable units of purchasing power is extremely difficult. We propose a simple supplement to existing purchasing power adjusted currency conversions. The Pritchett-Spivack Ratio (PSR) estimates the differences in household per capita expenditure using a simple inversion of the Engel’s law relationship between the share of food in consumption and total income/expenditures. Intuitively, we ask: "How much higher (as a ratio) would the expenditures of a household at 1,000,000 Indonesian Rupiah need to be along a given Engel relationship before they were predicted to have the same food share as a US household with consumption of 1,000 US dollars?" The striking empirical stability of Working-Lesser Engel coefficient estimates across time and space and widely available estimates of consumptions expenditures and hence food shares allow us to make two robust points using the PSR. First, the consumption of the typical (median) household in a developing country would have to rise 5 to10 fold to reach that of a household at the poverty line in an OECD country. Second, even the "rich of the poor" — the 90th or 95th percentile in developing countries — have food shares substantially higher than the "poor of the rich."
CAPACITY CONSTRAINED EXPORTERS: IDENTIFYING INCREASING MARGINAL COST

This study revisits a central assumption of standard trade models: constant marginal cost technology. The presence of increasing marginal costs for exporters introduces significant market interdependence across borders missing from traditional models of international trade that rely on constant marginal cost technology. Such market interdependence represents an additional channel through which local shocks are transmitted globally. To identify increasing marginal cost at the level of the firm, we build in flexible production assumptions that nest increasing, decreasing, and constant marginal cost technology to an otherwise standard international trade model. We derive an estimating equation that can be taken directly to the data. Our structural equation explicitly guides our inference on the shape of the marginal cost curve from estimated coefficients. The results suggest that increasing marginal cost is predominant at the firm level. Moreover, utilizing plant-level information on physical and financial capacity constraints, we find that the degree of increasing marginal cost is significantly exacerbated by both types of constraints. The evidence suggests that access to larger markets through greater international integration may not have the expected welfare gains typically predicted in standard models. (JEL F12, F14)
Stroke as Sequel to Varicella Vaccination

Two children, ages 18 months and 14 months, who presented with acute hemiparesis 5 days and 3 weeks following varicella vaccination are reported from Alberta Children’s Hospital, and the University of Calgary, Ontario, Canada.
Light-Harvesting Cross-Linked Polymers for Efficient Heterogeneous Photocatalysis

Nonporous, phosphorescent cross-linked polymers (Ru-CP and Ir-CP) were synthesized via Pd-catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions between tetra(p-ethynylphenyl)methane and dibrominated Ru(bpy)32+ or Ir(ppy)2(bpy)+, respectively. The resultant particulate cross-linked polymer (CP) materials have very high catalyst loadings (76.3 wt % for Ru-CP and 71.6 wt % for Ir-CP), and are nonporous with negligibly small surface areas (2.9 m2/g for Ru-CP and 2.7 m2/g for Ir-CP). Despite their nonporous nature, the insoluble CP materials serve as highly active and recyclable heterogeneous photocatalysts for a range of organic transformations such as aza-Henry reaction, aerobic amine coupling, and dehalogenation of benzyl bromoacetate. An efficient light-harvesting mechanism, which involves collection of photons by exciting the 3MLCT states of the phosphors and migration of the excited states to the particle surface, is proposed to account for the very high catalytic activities of these nonporous CPs. Steady-state...
Strengthening Instrumental Variables Through Weighting

Instrumental variable (IV) methods are widely used to deal with the issue of unmeasured confounding and are becoming popular in health and medical research. IV models are able to obtain consistent estimates in the presence of unmeasured confounding, but rely on assumptions that are hard to verify and often criticized. An instrument is a variable that influences or encourages individuals toward a particular treatment without directly affecting the outcome. Estimates obtained using instruments with a weak influence over the treatment are known to have larger small-sample bias and to be less robust to the critical IV assumption that the instrument is randomly assigned. In this work, we propose a weighting procedure for strengthening the instrument while matching. Through simulations, weighting is shown to strengthen the instrument and improve robustness of resulting estimates. Unlike existing methods, weighting is shown to increase instrument strength without compromising match quality. We illustrate the method in a study comparing mortality between kidney dialysis patients receiving hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis as treatment for end-stage renal disease.
Effect of Polar Protic and Polar Aprotic Solvents on Negative-Ion Electrospray Ionization and Chromatographic Separation of Small Acidic Molecules

A comprehensive study investigated the effect of polar protic (methanol and water) and polar aprotic (acetonitrile and acetone) solvents on the chromatographic separation and negative-ion electrospray (ESI) response of 49 diverse small, acidic molecules. Flow injection experiments on a triple quadrupole were used to measure the response in neat solvents after optimization of source conditions and implementation of a rigorous quality control program (the later ensured that changes in analyte response were due to the analyte/solvent measured and not changes in instrument performance over time). In all solvents, compounds with electron-withdrawing groups and extended conjugation ionized best due to resonance and inductive effects. Ionization was greatest in methanol or water for all compounds that elicited a response, thus revealing that enhanced sensitivity and lower limits of detection are achieved with polar protic solvents. Response in acetone was equal to or slightly lower than response in acetonitrile ...
Statistical significance and hypothesis for friction factor correlations of non-Newtonian crude oils in pipelines

In pipelines, non-Newtonian fluids are generally pumped under turbulent flow conditions where frictional pressure losses are required for hydraulic design. The friction factor is a crucial parameter in calculating frictional pressure losses. However, determination of the friction factor is a decisive challenge, especially for turbulent flow of non-Newtonian fluids. This is mainly due to the large number of friction factor equations and the precision of each.The main objective of the present paper is to evaluate the published friction factor correlations for non-Newtonian fluids over a wide range of friction factor data to select the most accurate one. An analytical comparative study adopting the recently introduced Akaike information criterion (AIC) and the traditional coefficient of determination (R2) is conducted. Data reported by several researchers are used individually and collectively.The results show that each model exhibits accuracy when examined with a specific data set while El-Emam et al. model proves its superiority to other models when examining the data mutually. In addition to its simple and explicit form, it covers a wide range of flow behavior indices and generalized Reynolds numbers.It is also shown that the traditional belief that a higher R2 corresponds to better models may be misleading. AIC overcomes the shortcomings of R2 as it employs the parsimonious principle to trade between the complexity of the model and its accuracy not only to find the best approximating model but also to develop statistical inference based on the data. Although it has not yet been used in oil and gas industry, the authors present the AIC to initiate an innovative strategy that has been demonstrated in other disciplines to help alleviate several challenges faced by professionals in the oil and gas industry. Finally, a detailed discussion and models’ ranking according to AIC and R2 is presented showing the numerous advantages of AIC.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Creative lives, creative tensions

Abstract There has been a shift in recent studies of creativity from a person‐centered approach to one emphasizing social processes. This occurrence is linked to broader shifts of investigative interest in the role of collaboration and thought communities as having a central role in scientific research. In this article these changes in theoretical and research orientations are analyzed from a Vygotskian point of view.
Double Vector Controller Design of DSTATCOM to Mitigate Voltage Sags

The characteristics of shunt connected voltage source converter to mitigate voltage sags are theoretically analyzed by means of the superposition principle and equivalent circuit model.The state space models of shunt compensator with LC output filter are established in dq synchronous reference frame.Then the double vector control algorithm with inner loop current controller and outer loop voltage controller is proposed.A realistic simulation model using PSCAD/EMTDC to test the digital dual vector controller is built.Problems of closed-loop control method based on positive SRF are analyzed.A novel closed-loop control method based on double synchronous reference frames is proposed,which uses two groups of double vector controllers,one group in the positive SRF to control the positive-sequence components,and the other one in the negative SRF to control the negative components.The proposed control method can completely compensate both balanced and unbalanced voltage sags without static error.