cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vaginitis: Clinical and Laboratory Aspects for Diagnosis

Abstract Vaginitis is one of the most common diseases that affect women's health, with over 50% of women experiencing at least one episode of vaginal infection in their lifetime. Vaginal disease can be infectious, non-infectious, or chronic in nature. However, most cases of vaginitis are the result of infection that accounts for over 10 million physician office visits in the United States each year. Infectious vaginitis is most commonly grouped into three major categories of disease based upon microbial etiology: bacterial vaginosis, vaginal candidiasis, and vaginal trichomoniasis. Occasionally, the vulva is infected by these microorganisms, as well, and the disease is then called vulvovaginitis. Because these three infectious syndromes are caused by different groups of microorganisms, accurate and reliable diagnosis is necessary to institute appropriate treatment. The purpose of this article is to review the various types of vaginitis, discuss the pathogenesis and clinical presentation of each type of disease, and provide a brief summary of some of the various methods available for the laboratory diagnosis of infectious vaginitis.
Educational mismatch and the careers of scientists

Previous research confirms that many employees work in jobs not well matched to their skills and education, resulting in lower pay and job satisfaction. While this literature typically uses cross-sectional data, we examine the evolution of mismatch and its consequences over a career, by using a panel data set of scientists in the USA. The results show that both the incidence of mismatch and its negative consequences appear concentrated among those late in careers. This suggests that past studies of mismatch may exaggerate the degree of inefficiency in labor market matching.
AN INTERACTIVE TOOL FOR BAYESIAN INFERENCE

The Bayes Inference Engine (BIE) is a flexible software tool that allows one to interactively define models of radiographic measurement systems and geometric models of experimental objects so that the geometric properties of the objects being radiographed can be inferred from a limited amount of data. The BIE also allows a user to investigate confidence intervals on the estimated object geometry and compare the likelihoods of competing hypotheses.
High-throughput multi-rate LDPC decoder based on architecture-oriented parity check matrices

A high throughput pipelined LDPC decoder that supports multiple code rates and codeword sizes is proposed. In order to increase memory throughput, irregular block structured parity-check matrices are designed with the constraint of equally distributed odd and even nonzero block-columns in each horizontal layer for the pre-determined set of code rates. The designed decoder achieves a data throughput of more than 1 Gb/s without sacrificing the error-correcting performance of capacity-approaching irregular block codes. The architecture is prototyped on an FPGA and synthesized for an ASIC design flow.
HLA class I molecules partner with integrin β4 to stimulate endothelial cell proliferation and migration.

Among transplant recipients, those who produce antibodies against the donor’s human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are at higher risk for antibody-mediated rejection and transplant vasculopathy, which is a progressive, vasculo-occlusive disease that results in ischemic injury and deterioration of organ function. Antibodies against HLA class I (HLA-I) molecules are thought to contribute to transplant vasculopathy by triggering signals that elicit the activation and proliferation of endothelial cells. Here, we demonstrate a molecular association between HLA-I and the integrin β 4 subunit after the stimulation of endothelial cells with HLA-I–specific antibodies. Knockdown of integrin β 4 in these cells abrogated the ability of HLA-I to stimulate the phosphorylation of the kinases Akt, extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK), and Src, as well as cellular proliferation. Similarly, reducing the abundance of HLA-I suppressed integrin β 4 –mediated phosphorylation of ERK and the migration of endothelial cells on laminin-5, a component of the extracellular matrix. These results indicate a mutual dependency between HLA-I and the integrin β 4 subunit to stimulate the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells, which may be important in promoting transplant vasculopathy and tumor angiogenesis.
Ecoimmunology for psychoneuroimmunologists: Considering context in neuroendocrine–immune–behavior interactions

The study of immunity has become an important area of investigation for researchers in a wide range of areas outside the traditional discipline of immunology. For the last several decades, psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) has strived to identify key interactions among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems and behavior. More recently, the field of ecological immunology (ecoimmunology) has been established within the perspectives of ecology and evolutionary biology, sharing with PNI an appreciation of the environmental influences on immune function. The primary goal of ecoimmunology is to understand immune function within a broadly integrative, organismal context, typically from an ultimate, evolutionary perspective. To accomplish this ecoimmunology, like PNI, has become a broadly integrative field of investigation, combining diverse approaches from evolution and ecology to endocrinology and neurobiology. The disciplines of PNI and ecoimmunology, with their unique yet complementary perspectives and methodologies, have much to offer one another. Researchers in both fields, however, remain largely unaware of each other's findings despite attempts at integration. The goal of this review is to share with psychoneuroimmunologists and other mechanistically-oriented researchers some of the core concepts and principles, as well as relevant recent findings, within ecoimmunology with the hope that this information will prove relevant to their own research programs. More broadly, our goal is to attempt to integrate both the proximate and ultimate perspectives offered by PNI and ecoimmunology respectively into a common theoretical framework for understanding neuro-endocrine-immune interactions and behavior in a larger ecological, evolutionary context.
Notes on Political Thought in Medieval and Early Modern South India

This essays deals with a neglected and significant strand of Indian political thought by describing and analysing the corpus known as nīti in the context of medieval and early modern South India (in particular with reference to the Telugu-speaking region). Works of nīti are presented here within a larger context, as they evolve from the medieval Andhra of the Kakatiyas into the Vijayanagara period, the Nayakas, and beyond. They are also opposed and contrasted to other texts written within the broad category of dharmashāstra, which seem to deal with a far more conservative project for the management of society and politics within a caste-based framework. Authors and compilers dealt with include Baddena and Madiki Singana, but also the celebrated emperor-poet Krishnadevaraya (r. 1509–29). An argument is made for the continued relevance of these texts for the conduct of politics in South Asia, into and beyond the colonial period.
Electron beams in axially-symmetric crossed fields

M-type traveling-wave tubes use electron beams that drift in crossed electric and magnetic fields. One such tube, the axiotron described by Warnecke and Doehler in 1950, used a hollow beam drifting parallel to the tube axis in a radial electric field crossed by an azimuthal magnetic field. The addition of an axial magnetic field to the azimuthal one adds another degree of complication and flexibility to the beam equations, yet maintains their symmetry about the tube axis. It gives, in effect, a helical magnetic field crossed by a radial electric field. This report examines the behavior of hollow electron beams drifting in laminar flow through fields of the latter configuration. It defines a stability index for electron paths, and four fairly general types of beam. It determines the stability index and the distribution of space charge obtainable in each type as functions of the amplitudes and directions of the fields and drift velocities. In general, the density tends to be greatest at the inner beam radius, but it is possible to approach uniform density in stable beams. This report does not consider beam launching nor the "gun" problem; nor does it consider over-all beam instabilities such as scalloping.
A Finite Element Solution for Fully Intrinsic Plate Theory

The fully intrinsic equations for plates (and analogous ones for shells), although equally as elegant as the corresponding beam equations, have neither been used for general-purpose finite element nor multi-flexible-body analysis. The fully intrinsic equations for plates have the same advantages of fully intrinsic equations for beams. These equations are geometrically exact, the highest order of nonlinearities is only of second order, and they do not include rotation parameters. We present a finite element formulation for these equations, and then investigate different possible boundary conditions and loading situations on simplified linear version.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
The Effects of Twelve Weeks of Bed Rest on Bone Histology, Biochemical Markers of Bone Turnover, and Calcium Homeostasis in Eleven Normal Subjects

This study was undertaken to examine the effects of 12 weeks of skeletal unloading on parameters of calcium homeostasis, calcitropic hormones, bone histology, and biochemical markers of bone turnover in 11 normal subjects (9 men, 2 women; 34 +/- 11 years of age). Following an ambulatory control evaluation, all subjects underwent 12 weeks of bed rest. An additional metabolic evaluation was performed after 12 days of reambulation. Bone mineral density declined at the spine (-2.9%, p = 0.092) and at the hip (-3.8%, p = 0.002 for the trochanter). Bed rest prompted a rapid, sustained, significant increase in urinary calcium and phosphorus as well as a significant increase in serum calcium. Urinary calcium increased from a pre-bed rest value of 5.3 mmol/day to values as high as 73 mmol/day during bed rest. Immunoreactive parathyroid hormone and serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D declined significantly during bed rest, although the mean values remained within normal limits. Significant changes in bone histology included a suppression of osteoblastic surface for cancellous bone (3.1 +/- 1.3% to 1.9 +/- 1.5%, p = 0.0142) and increased bone resorption for both cancellous and cortical bone. Cortical eroded surface increased from 3.5 +/- 1.1% to 7.3 +/- 4.0% (p = 0.018) as did active osteoclastic surface (0.2 +/- 0.3% to 0.7 +/- 0.7%, p = 0.021). Cancellous eroded surface increased from 2.1 +/- 1.1% to 4.7 +/- 2.2% (p = 0.002), while mean active osteoclastic surface doubled (0.2 +/- 0.2% to 0.4 +/- 0.3%, p = 0.020). Serum biochemical markers of bone formation (osteocalcin, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, and type I procollagen extension peptide) did not change significantly during bed rest. Urinary biochemical markers of bone resorption (hydroxyproline, deoxypyridinoline, and N-telopeptide of type I collagen) as well as a serum marker of bone resorption (type I collagen carboxytelopeptide) all demonstrated significant increases during bed rest which declined toward normal during reambulation. Thus, under the conditions of this study, the human skeleton appears to respond to unloading by a rapid and sustained increase in bone resorption and a more subtle decrease in bone formation.
Hybrid lecture-online format increases student grades in an undergraduate exercise physiology course at a large urban university

Hybrid courses allow students additional exposure to course content that is not possible in a traditional classroom environment. This exposure may lead to an improvement in academic performance. In...
Individual differences in program comprehension strategies in unfamiliar programming systems

This study examines the effect of individual differences on the program comprehension strategies of users working with an unfamiliar programming system. Participants of varying programming expertise were given a battery of psychological tests, a brief introduction to a statistical programming environment, and a 20-minute debugging task. Our data show three distinct comprehension strategies that were related to programming experience, but individuals with stronger domain knowledge for specific bugs tended to succeed.
Mitigation of correlated non-linearities in digital phased arrays using channel-dependent phase shifts

In an active phased array, each Transmitter/Receiver Module (TRM) performs a set of approximately linear functions (e.g., amplification, mixing, etc.) with the resulting signals later combined via beamforming techniques. Since these nearly-linear functions are performed prior to beamforming, it is theoretically possible to improve upon the dynamic range (DR) of each TRM through post-module array integration gain. It has been demonstrated, however, that DR enhancement may be limited by correlated nonlinear distortion (i.e., correlated from module to module). A general technique that ensures nonlinearities do not add constructively from module to module has been proposed recently, and verified experimentally for a special case. Another special case of the general technique has been described analytically, but with no experimental verification. In this paper, we correct a flaw in this analysis, and extend it. Measurements on a thirteen channel digital phased array demonstrate that introducing random phase shifts into an array can substantially mitigate nonlinear distortion, thus improving DR over the array.
Waveguide Invariant Focusing for Broadband Adaptive Beamforming in a Shallow Water Channel

Focusing methods are effective broadband techniques that can reduce the observation time required for adaptive beamforming. However, often focusing methods designed for planewave signals do not prevent broadband covariance matrix rank inflation for shallow-water multipath wavefronts. The waveguide invariant is a robust channel parameter that describes the dispersive characteristics of an oceanic waveguide. Using the relationship between the waveguide invariant and horizontal wavenumber differences, this paper introduces a new broadband waveguide invariant focusing (WIF) method that can mitigate rank inflation for multipath signals. The new WIF method involves summing narrowband snapshots from array apertures which are judiciously shifted as a function of frequency. The shifted apertures may be obtained naturally as a result of towed horizontal array motion or via sub-aperture processing of a fixed long array. Simulation results for WIF against end-fire interference in a shallow-water waveguide are given to illustrate the performance improvement against conventional approaches.
Modeling customer relationships — A flexible, integrated architecture enables customer-centric marketing

This white paper draws upon the lessons learned by IBM NUMA-Q ® in implementing large-scale technology platforms to support customer relationship management (CRM) strategies within major organizations worldwide. Interested readers are likely to be concerned with how they might model customer relationships in a way which will support the transition from present product-focused views of marketing intelligence to more useful (and profitable) customer-focused views. This paper provides the data architect or modeler with a generic template for modeling customer data. This paper also highlights commonly faced problems that occur when modeling customer data.
Legislative Investigations as Security Power

This piece uses the relational conception of war authority to compare the Senate Munitions investigations of the early 20th century (the Nye Investigations) with the Iran-Contra investigations of the 100th Congress. The Nye Investigation generated more constitutional war authority for the legislative branch as a result, in part, of its development of a security ideology appropriately related to Congress’ institutional capacities in the constitutional order and its self-confident defense of the value of legislative authority over war.
Necroptosis in Niemann-Pick disease, type C1: a potential therapeutic target.

Niemann–Pick disease, type C1 (NPC1) is a neurodegenerative, lysosomal storage disorder due to mutation of the NPC1 gene. The NPC1 phenotype is characterized by progressive neuronal dysfunction, including cerebellar ataxia and dementia. There is histological evidence of neuroinflammation and progressive neuronal loss, with cerebellar Purkinje cells particularly vulnerable to loss of NPC1 function. Necroptosis was evaluated as a mechanism of neuronal loss. Receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIP1) and RIP3 are key components of the necrosomal complex that regulates necroptotic cell death. We report increased expression of RIP1 and RIP3 in NPC1 fibroblasts, NPC1 iPS cell-derived neuronal precursors, and in cerebellar tissue from both NPC1 mice and patients. Our data suggest a positive correlation between NPC1 neurological disease severity and assembly of the necrosome complex. Furthermore, we demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of RIP1 decreases cell death both in vitro and in vivo. Treatment of Npc1-mutant mice with necrostatin-1, an allosteric inhibitor of RIP1, significantly delayed cerebellar Purkinje cell loss, progression of neurological symptoms, and death. Collectively, our data identified necroptosis as a key component of the molecular network that contributes to neuronal loss in NPC1 and establish that inhibition of necroptosis is a potential therapeutic intervention.
Contested Bodies: SEX TRAFFICKING NGOs AND TRANSNATIONAL POLITICS

This article utilizes an organizational analysis to examine the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the sex trafficking debate, and argues that, much like other organizations, NGOs respond to a host of external and environmental factors that alter their behavior and influence their opportunity for success. In this case, organizational competition between NGOs, the emergence of faith-based organizations (FBOs) as additional competitors and the primacy of US government agencies in providing funding have influenced the forms of organizational strategy implemented by NGOs, driven deeper divisions between feminist NGOs combating trafficking and, ultimately, undermined the ability of NGOs to serve as advocates on the global stage.
Immodest Modesty: Antinuclear Discourse, Lifestyle Politics, and Intervention Strategies

If, as Foucault argued, local and partial interventions now succeed more frequently than do global and ideological approaches, there would be implications even for such general topics as the citizen politics which surrounds foreign policy. One particular localist approach, the commitment to intensely private, personal ("lifestyle") practices in the name of larger issues, partakes in the liberal tradition of extrapolating the self into politics, but also suggests that another basis for such practices might exist. The demise of the social elaborated by Baudrillard and the associated role of language evoked by Foucault detail that alternative base. The shifting, oscillating stance of the serious ironist would be one political stance implied by this position on language and society. In that view, the "lifestyle politics" which seem naive or limited may actually promise a serious intervention into foreign policy politics.
On the reciprocal relationship between basic and applied psychological theory

Good theory in organizational psychology is not only novel and interesting but also has the potential to extend existing theory. We suggest that organizational psychology can most effectively contribute to theory in the broader discipline of psychology when it leverages features that make organizations distinct from other social entities, such as families and communities. We identify several of these distinctive features and provide examples to illustrate how they can serve as a foundation for advancing theory.
Residential Preference and Choice of Movers in Light Rail Neighborhoods in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Light rail transit (LRT) has advocated for ridership growth, but not all residents move to LRT corridors because of transit. This study explores motivations of people moving to the Hiawatha LRT corridor in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, metropolitan area and how their preferences factor into location choice. Few differences in residential preferences, except for transit preferences, are found between people moving to the Hiawatha and urban control corridors. Transportation-disadvantaged people and people who prefer transit are more likely to live in a location that is mismatched with their preferences for transit characteristics. Good transit service and job accessibility are important for urban and suburban residents, but affordability and safety dominate location choice. These findings highlight the importance of neighborhood design in addition to rail transit investment.
Adrenergic receptor-mediated regulation of cultured rabbit airway smooth muscle cell proliferation.

To evaluate the potential role of adrenergic receptors in regulating airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell proliferation, the mitogenic effects and mechanisms of action of selective alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor activation were investigated in cultured rabbit ASM cells. The alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonists, phenylephrine and methoxamine, elicited significant dose-dependent (10(-10)-10(-4) M) stimulation of ASM cell mitogenesis, with mean +/- SE peak increases in ASM cell count amounting to 17.0 +/- 3.5 and 44.0 +/- 6.8% above unstimulated (control) levels, respectively. Similarly, the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine (10(-8)-10(-4)) also induced ASM cell proliferation, with a 41.1 +/- 5.5% peak increase in cell count above control. The promitogenic responses to alpha-adrenoceptor activation were blocked by pertussis toxin (PT; 100 ng/ml), which ADP-ribosylates G protein negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase activation. In additional studies, we found that 1) treatment with agents inducing intracellular adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation including the beta-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, the cAMP analogue, 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cAMP and forskolin, all produced significant dose-dependent inhibition of serum-stimulated ASM cell growth; 2) alpha-adrenoceptor activation inhibited isoproterenol-induced cAMP accumulation; and 3) the anti-proliferative effects of isoproterenol and PT were additive. Collectively, the above findings provide new evidence that adrenergic receptors exert an opposing duality of action in regulating ASM cell proliferation, wherein receptors which are negatively coupled (i.e., alpha-adrenergic) and those which are positively coupled (i.e., beta-adrenergic) to activation of the adenylate cyclase/cAMP signal-transduction pathway are promitogenic and growth inhibitory to ASM cells, respectively.
Multifunctional cellulose esters by olefin cross-metathesis and thiol-Michael addition

Olefin cross-metathesis (CM) has been shown to be a versatile, mild, modular, and efficient approach to polysaccharide modification. One issue with regard to this approach is the susceptibility of the initial α,β-unsaturated CM derivatives to H-atom abstraction in the γ-position, followed by radical recombination that leads to insoluble, crosslinked products. In our original approach, we resolved this problem through removing the offending unsaturation by hydrogenation. In the current study, we describe a method to exploit these reactive conjugated olefins, by post-CM thiol-Michael addition, thereby appending additional functionality. CM substrates and thiols bearing various functional groups were combined and reacted, employing amine catalysis. Up to 100% conversion was achieved under proper conditions (e.g. catalyst and reaction time), with minimal side reactions observed. The combination of the two modular reactions creates versatile access to cellulose derivatives equipped with a wide diversity of functional groups.
Changes of Photosynthetic Characteristics in Top Three Leaves of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Cultivars Released in Different Years in Jilin Province

In order to understand the changes of photosynthetic characteristics in top three leaves and its relationship with yield in the genetic improvement of rice, 33 typical japonica rice cultivars released from 1958 to 2005 were planted under field conditions. to determine net photosynthetic rate (Pn), photosynthetic capacity and leaf sources capacity (LSC) after heading stage. The result indicated that the Pn, photosynthetic capacity and LSC of flag-leaf at heading had the most contribution to plant photosynthetic capacity, which was account to 42.45%, followed by those of top 2nd leaf with 28.27% and those of top 3rd leaf with 15.69%. While, within 47 years genetic improvement of rice cultivars, the increase of Pn, photosynthetic capacity and LSC of the top 3rd leaf were the maximum, and those of flag-leaf was the minimum. The correlations of Pn, photosynthetic capacity and LSC of flag-leaf and top 2nd leaf with yield were not obvious enough to reach significant level after heading. The Pn of top 3rd leaf and the photosynthetic capacity of plant were significant positive correlation with yield at heading and 10 days after heading. The photosynthetic capacity and LSC of top 3rd leaf were highly significant positive correlation with yield after heading, and those of flag-leaf and top 2nd leaf were not. Our studies indicate that the significant increase of Pn, photosynthetic capacity and LSC in the top 3rd leaf is mainly resulted from the yield genetic improvement of rice cultivars for 47 years in Jilin province, but there has been no obvious change in photosynthetic capacity of flag-leaf.
TH-EF-BRA-02: A Novel Markerless 4D CBCT Projection Phase Sorting Technique Using Prior Knowledge and Patient Motion Modeling: A Feasibility Study

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of a novel marker-less motion-modeling based method for automatic 4D-CBCT projection phase sorting. Methods: Patient on-board image volume at any instant is considered as a deformation of one phase of the prior planning 4D-CT. The deformation field map(DFM) is represented as a linear combination of three major deformation patterns extracted from the planning 4D-CT using principle-component-analysis(PCA). The PCA coefficients are solved for each single projection based on data fidelity constraint, and are used as motion information for phase sorting. Projections at the valleys of the Z direction coefficient are sorted as phase 0/100% and projection phases in between are linearly interpolated. 4D-digital-extended-cardiac-torso(XCAT) phantoms and 3 patient cases were used for evaluation. XCAT phantoms simulated different patient respiratory and anatomical changes from prior 4D-CT to on-board image volume, including changes of tumor size, locations, motion amplitudes and motion directions. Three patient cases include 2 full-fan slow-rotation and one half-fan normal-rotation case. Manual phase sorting based on visual inspection was used as the gold standard. The average absolute phase difference, and the pass rate (percentage of projections sorted within 10% phase error) were used to evaluate sorting accuracy. Results: The amplitude of PCA coefficient motion curve correlated with the actual motion amplitude. The algorithm was robust against respiratory and anatomical changes from prior to on-board imaging. For all XCAT cases, the average phase errors were lower than 1.43%, and the pass rate was 100%. The patient data set showed average phase error of 2.47%, 1.90% for full fan slow rotation case and 2.78% for half fan normal rotation case, respectively. The corresponding pass rates were 99.4%, 98.5% and 99.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Preliminary results demonstrated the robustness and high accuracy of the marker-less PCA based phase sorting algorithm for different patient scenarios and 4D-CBCT scanning protocols.
Cellular response to high pulse repetition rate nanosecond pulses varies with fluorescent marker identity

Abstract Nanosecond electric pulses (nsEP's) are a well-studied phenomena in biophysics that cause substantial alterations to cellular membrane dynamics, internal biochemistry, and cytoskeletal structure, and induce apoptotic and necrotic cell death. While several studies have attempted to measure the effects of multiple nanosecond pulses, the effect of pulse repetition rate (PRR) has received little attention, especially at frequencies greater than 100 Hz. In this study, uptake of Propidium Iodide, FM 1–43, and YO-PRO-1 fluorescent dyes in CHO-K1 cells was monitored across a wide range of PRRs (5 Hz–500 KHz) using a laser-scanning confocal microscope in order to better understand how high frequency repetition rates impact induced biophysical changes. We show that frequency trends depend on the identity of the dye under study, which could implicate transmembrane protein channels in the uptake response due to their chemical selectivity. Finally, YO-PRO-1 fluorescence was monitored in the presence of Gadolinium (Gd3+), Ruthenium Red, and in calcium-free solution to elucidate a mechanism for its unique frequency trend.
Helicobacter pylori-induced cell death is counteracted by NF-κB-mediated transcription of DARPP-32.

Objective DARPP-32 is a frequently amplified and overexpressed gene that promotes several oncogenic functions in gastric cancer. Herein, we investigated the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection, proinflammatory NF-κB activation and regulation of DARPP-32. Design The study used in vivo and in vitro experiments. Luciferase reporter, quantitative real-time PCR, immunoblot, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), cell viability, H. pylori infection, tissue microarrays and immunohistochemical assays were used. Results Our results indicated that H. pylori infection increased the DARPP-32 mRNA and protein levels in gastric cancer cell lines and gastric mucosa of mice. H. pylori infection increased the activity of NF-κB reporter and p-NF-κB (S536) protein level in vitro and in vivo . To investigate the transcriptional regulation of DARPP-32, we cloned a 3019 bp of the DARPP-32 promoter into the luciferase reporter (pGL3-Luc). Both H. pylori infection and tumour necrosis factor-α treatment induced DARPP-32 reporter activity (p DARPP-32 promoter and ChIP assay, we demonstrated that the sequence −996 to −1008 bp containing putative NF-κB-binding sites is the most active region. The induction of DARPP-32 expression by H. pylori infection counteracted H. pylori -induced cell death through activation of serine/threonine-specific protein kinase (AKT), as determined by ATP-Glo and clonogenic survival assays. Immunohistochemistry analysis demonstrated a significant positive correlation between NF-κB and DARPP-32 expression levels in gastric cancer tissues (r 2 =0.43, p Conclusions Given the high frequency of DARPP-32 overexpression and its prosurvival oncogenic functions, the induction of DARPP-32 expression following H. pylori infection and activation of NF-κB provides a link between infection, inflammation and gastric tumourigenesis.
Explaining the Policy-Practice Gap in U.S. Federal Contracting: Institutional Isopraxism and Performance-Based Acquisition

Scholars and oversight bodies have noted the existence of a gap between policy and practice in government operations. This paper explores reasons why procurement policies sometimes do not produce their intended effects. Performance-based acquisition in the US Navy provides a venue for this investigation. Analysis of a sample of contracts confirms that the gap exists and suggests some causes. Institutional theory is used as a conceptual grounding for isopraxism, which aids in understanding the gap in terms of the responses of policy-making entities and implementing agencies to their external organizational influences. It also illuminates policy alternatives which can help narrow the policy-practice gap.
Identification of a Syndrome Class of Neuropsychiatric Adverse Reactions to Mefloquine from Latent Class Modeling of FDA Adverse Event Reporting System Data.

Although mefloquine use is known to be associated with a risk of severe neuropsychiatric adverse reactions that are often preceded by prodromal symptoms, specific combinations of neurologic or psychiatric reactions associated with mefloquine use are not well described in the literature. This study sought to identify a distinct neuropsychiatric syndrome class associated with mefloquine use in reports of adverse events. Latent class modeling of US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) data was performed using indicators defined by the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities neurologic and psychiatric high-level group terms, in a study dataset of FAERS reports (n = 5332) of reactions to common antimalarial drugs. A distinct neuropsychiatric syndrome class was identified that was strongly and significantly associated with reports of mefloquine use (odds ratio = 3.92, 95% confidence interval 2.91–5.28), defined by a very high probability of symptoms of deliria (82.7%) including confusion and disorientation, and a moderate probability of other severe psychiatric and neurologic symptoms including dementia and amnesia (18.6%) and seizures (18.1%). The syndrome class was also associated with symptoms that are considered prodromal including anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and abnormal dreams, and neurological symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, and paresthesias. This study confirms in FAERS reports the existence of a severe mefloquine neuropsychiatric syndrome class associated with common symptoms that may be considered prodromal. Clinical identification of the characteristic symptoms of this syndrome class may aid in improving case finding in pharmacovigilance studies of more serious adverse reactions to the drug.
Pain Management in Cancer Patients

Cancer is one of the most debilitating and deadly diseases that, broadly speaking, shows no preference for demographic, sex, age, or culture. It is the second leading cause of mortality of all Americans as a single disease [1], and the sheer potential for mortality from cancer can be a horrifying experience for anyone bearing this diagnosis. Pain is probably one of the most common of all cancer symptoms and can be very frightening for patients and their families. According to statistics published by the American Cancer Society in 2002 [2], 50–70% of patients with cancer experience pain, which usually only intensifies as the disease progresses. It was estimated that less than half of cancer patients get adequate relief of their pain, and 25% actually die in pain [3]. This is particularly disappointing because the pain endured by 90% of these patients could have been well managed with relatively simple interventions [4]. This chapter will discuss different options for treating cancer pain focusing on the pharmacological agents and surgical modalities currently available for pain management.
Concurrent Classical Conditioning

Concurrent classical conditioning, anticipated in the early writings of Pavlov, involves the simultaneous presentation of two previously established classical conditioning schedules. Pitting one set of delay conditioned responses against another results in a reciprocal or complementary inhibition between the stimulus orienting and consummatory responses separately elicited by each component. Concurrent classical conditioning also elicits complex response sequences which are qualitatively and quantitatively different from the unconditioned responses elicited by the appetitive reinforcers. The complementary inhibition and sequentially dependent elicitation of conditioned responses are similar to the response interdependencies obtained in concurrent operant schedules and concurrent classical-operant conditioning.
MicroRNAs in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecological cancers worldwide. Despite decades of researches, it remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women in the United States. However, progress has been made on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms for ovarian cancer. Frequent mutations in the p53/Rb tumor suppressor pathways and activation of oncogenic signaling pathways such as c-Myc, K-ras, and Akt greatly contribute to disease progression. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to be a novel class of regulators in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Functional studies revealed that miRNAs play an important role during tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and therapeutic response. Gene expression profiling studies found aberrant miRNA expressions in essentially all types of tumors studied. In this chapter, we will review recent researches on the role of miRNAs in ovarian cancer and discuss how these studies can improve our understanding of ovarian cancer pathogenesis. We also discuss the perspectives of miRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic tools in clinical practice, and as new avenues for therapeutic development.
El laberinto de la realidad: "Combate de ciegos" de Jerónimo López Mozo

Durante los muchos anos de su carrera como dramaturgo, Jeronimo Lopez Mozo ha demostrado su innovacion estilistica, manteniendo como constantes dos aspectos de su obra: su experimentacion formal y su compromiso sociopolitico tematico. Considerado uno de los autores mas destacados del Nuevo Teatro Espanol –agrupacion util pero no completamente convincente por su ambiguedad de criterios– Lopez Mozo ha perdurado como dramaturgo a pesar de las dificultades en representar sus obras. Ha recibido mas de 25 premios, incluyendo el Premio Nacional de Literatura Dramatica (1998), se ha publicado la gran mayoria de sus piezas (unas 49 hasta el momento), y se ha estrenado, dentro y fuera de Espana, mas de la mitad de estos dramas (Gabriele 265-77). Su pieza Combate de ciegos fue publicada en 2000, junto con otra obra teatral suya, Yo, maldita india... Aunque no se ha estrenado la obra entera, una pieza breve, Los ojos de Edipo, que luego llego a incorporarse a Combate de ciegos, se ha representado y se publico como pieza independiente en 1998. Se hizo una lectura dramatizada de Los ojos de Edipo en 1997 en Nueva York, y la obra se estreno el 26 de diciembre de 2000 en el Centro Cultural El Madrono de Madrid, bajo la direccion de Francisco Heras, esta vez en conjunto con su pieza Viernes 29 de julio de 1983, de madrugada, llevando para la representacion el titulo de Los ojos de Edipo en la madrugada. En las dos ocasiones, recibio una acogida positiva del publico, indicando tanto su interes en los temas tratados como su entusiasmo con el estilo del dramaturgo. Recientemente, Lopez Mozo ha experimentado con nuevas realidades, utilizando ambientes que a primera vista parecen realistas, pero que contienen aspectos oniricos, fragmentarios o ambiguos. Todo esto corresponde con lo que pasa en la dramaturgia postmoderna espanola y europea. Wilfried Floeck examina el teatro espanol contemporaneo dentro del contexto europeo, dando a entender que lo que antes era teatro comprometido ha dado
When a high status firm Announces Its misconduct: A status-based approach and signaling theory

In this paper, we examine a status-based approach and signaling theory in relation to corporate misconduct and problematic financial restatements that reflect such misconduct. Although high status ...
Self-control theory : an exploration of racial disparities in offending.

SELF-CONTROL THEORY: AN EXPLORATION OF RACIAL DISPARITIES IN OFFENDING EmmaLeigh E. Kirchner April 12, 2011 This study seeks to examine whether racial disparities in offending can be explained through self-control theory. The study utilized longitudinal responses of a nationally representative sample of 1700 adolescents. Parenting and selfcontrol measures are taken from the mothers supplemental survey and peer pressure and offending are taken from self-reports from the adolescents at a later time. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the racial differences in self-control theory. Both a measurement model and a structural model are presented. The results of the study find empirical support for the construct of selfcontrol theory, even within the face of racial disparities. However, support was not found for the link between race and parenting and therefore does not show support for self-control theory's assumption that parenting can account for differences in offending across races. Both theoretical and policy implications are discussed.
Monitoring of Anisotropic Material Elastic Properties Using Ultrasonic Receiving Arrays

A robust technique has been developed for determining the elastic constants of an anisotropic material and for on-line monitoring of changes in the the elastic properties. Use of an array of small piezoelectric elements as the receiver permits gathering information on the angle-of-arrival of the ultrasonic beam as well as the arrival time. Combining the array with a variable-angle transmitter, phase velocity measurements in an anisotropic material may be made over a range of propagation directions. The measuring and monitoring devices may be directly coupled to the material, immersion is not required.
Description of a new species of Osmia (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) from southwestern North America, with a redescription of the enigmatic species Osmia foxi Cameron

The Osmia of southwestern North America are not well known. A new species, Osmia (Acanthosmioides) palmula, and the enigmatic Osmia (Melanosmia) foxi Cameron, known only from the male holotype, are described and figured in both sexes, with additional comments on their distribution and biology. A checklist and key to the known Osmia species from Cochise County, Arizona, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, and adjacent counties in the United States are presented.
Purification of NADH-Ferricyanide and NADH-Duroquinone Reductases from Maize (Zea mays L.) Root Plasma Membranes

The plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells contains endogenous, integral electron transport activities. These activities include NAD(P)H: ferricyanide reductase (FCR) and NAD(P)H:duroquinone reductase (DQR). DQR and FCR exhibit unique properties with regard to specificity for pyridine nucleotides, degree of stimulation of activity by detergents, solubilization characteristics and degree of purification following affinity chromatography. Both activities have been effectively solubilized using Triton X-100 and partially resolved and purified using dye-ligand affmity chromatography on Cibacron blue 3G-A-agarose. Elution of Triton-solubilized activities bound to Cibacron blue 3G-A-agarose with 25 μM NADH resulted in a purified protein with FCR and DQR activities. Evidence suggests that DQR and FCR eluted from Cibacron blue 3G-A-agarose with 25μM NADH represent dual activities on the same protein, while a second enzyme with only FCR activity is eluted at higher concentrations of NADH.
State Rfras and the Intermediate Questions of Religious Exemptions: A Research Agenda with Test Suites

Should courts carve out religious exemptions from generally applicable rules? Does the Constitution command this? If it doesn't, should legislatures enact statutes that fill the gap? These might be called primary questions of religious freedom law, and they have been much debated. To some extent, they have recently been resolved by legislatures: Religious exemption statutes (commonly known as RFRAs) now bind the federal government and the governments of several states. But between these oft-discussed primary questions and the likewise heavily debated specific questions related to particular proposed exemptions - exemptions from antidiscrimination laws, weapons laws, drug laws, compelled testimony laws, and the like - lies a range of intermediate questions. How does RFRAs' across-the-board strict scrutiny of governmental burdens on religion apply to government employment, government property, or government-run schools? What exactly does "least restrictive means of furthering [a] compelling governmental interest" mean? How should courts deal with laws aimed at protecting nontraditional private rights, such as the right to be free from marital status discrimination in housing? Does it violate the Free Speech Clause to give more protection to religiously motivated speech than to nonreligiously motivated speech? These intermediate questions have been comparatively underdiscussed, even in the pre-Smith era; and, in any case, the answers to them might well be different under the state RFRA regime than under the constitutional exemption regime. In this article, I want to briefly identify - though definitely not resolve - some of these relatively blank spots on the religious freedom map and, perhaps, provide something of a plan for future research. For each of these areas, I will also suggest some concrete cases that I think pose particularly tough challenges - what computer programmers call a "test suite" that can be used to check whether a particular proposed doctrine makes sense.
Global Constraints on Reservoir Leakage

Publisher Summary One possible solution to the problem of greenhouse warming is to sequester the carbon from fossil fuel in geologic reservoirs, such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs, coal beds, and deep (1000m) saline aquifers. Geologic sequestration relies on proven and cost-effective technology, and suitable formations may have sufficient capacity. Environmental concerns about sequestration in geologic formations center on the possibility that some of these reservoirs may leak. Problems associated with leaking reservoirs could occur on two distinct spatial scales. At local scales, leaking CO2 could mobilize contaminants of drinking-water aquifers or, in a worst-case scenario, reach toxic concentrations in a basement. This chapter focuses on the global-scale problem and uses models of carbon storage reservoirs and natural carbon sinks to calculate constraints on reservoir leakage. It assumes fossil fuel consumption at a level that would that would lead to an atmospheric CO2 concentration of 750 ppm and then calculates the sequestration and leakage limits that would reduce the maximum concentration to 450 or 550 ppm. The surprising result is that leakage limits are much less severe than expected because of heterogeneity among reservoirs. In some cases, the reduction from 750 to 450 ppm would be possible even with a mean leakage rate of 1% per year or more. The results imply that economic considerations or local risks are likely to constrain allowable leakage rates more tightly than impacts of leakage on global atmospheric CO2.
Supply Streams

A supply stream is a continuous version of a supply chain. It is like a series inventory system, but stock can be held at any point along a continuum, not just at discrete stages. We assume stationary parameters and aim to minimize the long-run average total cost. We show that a stationary continuous-stage echelon base-stock policy is optimal. That is, at each geographic point along the supply stream, there is a target echelon inventory level, and the optimal policy at all times is to order and dispatch material so as to move the echelon inventory position as close as possible to this target. We establish this result by showing that the solutions to certain discrete-stage systems converge monotonically to a limit, as the distances between the stages become small, and this limit solves the continuous-stage system. With demand approximated by a Brownian motion, we show that, in the continuous-stage limit, the supply stream model is equivalent to one describing first-passage times. This linkage leads to some interesting and useful results. Specifically, we obtain a partial differential equation that characterizes the optimal cost function, and we find a closed-form expression for the optimal echelon base-stock levels in a certain special case, the first in the inventory literature. These expressions demonstrate that the well-known square-root law for safety stock does not apply in this context.