cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases: Critical Regulators of Signaling in Cancer

The protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are now recognized as critical regulators of signal transduction under normal and pathophysiological conditions. These enzymes belong to a family of cysteine-dependent phosphatases, which are characterized by a conserved ‘C[X]5R’ motif and hydrolyze phosphoester bonds in proteins and non-protein substrates. Overall, the objective of the lab is to examine PTP regulation and function in cell and animal models, and to define the role of PTPs in critical tyrosine phosphorylation-dependent signaling events in human disease. Currently, there are four broad areas of research in the lab covering (i) functional analysis of members of the PTP family, (ii) redox regulation of PTP function, (iii) development of novel approaches to therapeutic intervention in PTP function, and (iv) characterization of a knockout mouse model to define the function of JSP1, a member of the PTP family that is a novel regulator of MAP kinase signaling. I will discuss how these studies are leading to identification of novel therapeutic targets from among the PTP family. There is a perception in industry that the members of the PTP family are “undruggable”; however, I will illustrate how a detailed understanding of the structure and function of PTPs has suggested new approaches to the development of small molecule drug candidates that target these enzymes.
Marihuana: Human Effects

A person ingesting or smoking cannabis experiences a fairly predictable sequence of physiologic and psychologic changes that last a few hours and then gradually disappear. Although dose administered and individual differences in personality, expectations, setting, and past drug experience all contribute to varied consequences from a given dose of cannabis, the variability in acute effects from cannabis seems no greater than with any other psychoactive drug. Recently, a number of reviews and collections of papers have appeared that attempt to cover the vast amount of information accumulating about the acute and chronic effects of cannabis (Bech et al., 1974; Brecher, 1975; Committee on Drugs, 1975; Edwards, 1974; Hollister, 1974a; Kalant and Kalant, 1974; Kaymakcalan, 1975; Lemberger and Rubin, 1975; McGlothlin, 1975; Mechoulam et al., 1976; Miller, 1974; Nahas, 1975a, b). Some authors have attempted to consider the research findings in the context of political-social decisions (Edwards, 1974; Pillard, 1974) and point out the lacunae in the data as well as the well-established facts (Edwards, 1974). Other reviews tend to emphasize possible adverse effects (Nahas, 1975a, b; Kaymakcalan, 1975), legal versus health issues (Brecher, 1975), or the chemistry of cannabis (Lemberger and Rubin, 1975; Mechoulam et al., 1976). The continuing research efforts this past year have attempted to fill some of the gaps. Research papers on cannabis are appearing at an average rate of more than one per day and about a third of them deal with effects in humans. Thus, a single detailed review of the literature is becoming an almost impossible task.
Fundamentals of Cancer Treatment

Cytotoxic chemotherapy evolved from the concepts of Lissauer and Ehrlich over the last century. The initial chemotherapy protocols they devised were characterized by a lack of specificity, and walking a fine line balancing the toxicities experienced by the host and the tumor. This has been subsequently improved owing to a better understanding of tumor biology and the biochemical basis of action of the chemotherapy regimens. Radiation therapy started after the discovery of X-rays by Roentgen in 1895. Refinement of these modalities has resulted in therapeutic options for patients with several types of malignancies. Innovative modern techniques in the 1990s have provided insight into the intracellular pathways that result in sensitivity and resistance of the neoplastic cells to drug treatment.
Positive Social Interaction and Hearing Loss in Older Adults Living in Rural and Urban Communities.

Purpose This study explored the extent to which hearing loss affected positive social interactions in older adults living in rural and urban communities. Method Pure-tone behavioral hearing assessm...
Material-handling-system-based input control policy for wafer fabrication

In this paper, a new input control strategy is proposed for wafer fabrication facilities. This strategy is an adaptation of workload regulating and CONWIP, and comprises of two sequential steps: 1) determination of operational lot sizes; 2) release of lots based on a material handling system-based CONLOAD approach. We show the superiority of our strategy over a CONWIP-based policy via simulation of a real-life wafer fab. An approach for determining target workload levels for the proposed strategy is also presented.
Insights from transcriptome profiling on the non-photosynthetic and stomatal signaling response of maize carbonic anhydrase mutants to low CO2.

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) catalyzes the hydration of CO2 in the first biochemical step of C4 photosynthesis, and has been considered a potentially rate-limiting step when CO2 availability within a leaf is low. Previous work in Zea mays (maize) with a double knockout of the two highest-expressed β-CA genes, CA1 and CA2, reduced total leaf CA activity to less than 3% of wild-type. Surprisingly, this did not limit photosynthesis in maize at ambient or higher CO2concentrations. However, the ca1ca2 mutants exhibited reduced rates of photosynthesis at sub-ambient CO2, and accumulated less biomass when grown under sub-ambient CO2 (9.2 Pa). To further clarify the importance of CA for C4 photosynthesis, we assessed gene expression changes in wild-type, ca1 and ca1ca2 mutants in response to changes in pCO2 from 920 to 9.2 Pa. Leaf samples from each genotype were collected for RNA-seq analysis at high CO2 and at two time points after the low CO2 transition, in order to identify early and longer-term responses to CO2 deprivation. Despite the existence of multiple isoforms of CA, no other CA genes were upregulated in CA mutants. Although photosynthetic genes were downregulated in response to low CO2, differential expression was not observed between genotypes. However, multiple indicators of carbon starvation were present in the mutants, including amino acid synthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, and sugar signaling. In particular, multiple genes previously implicated in low carbon stress such as asparagine synthetase, amino acid transporters, trehalose-6-phosphate synthase, as well as many transcription factors, were strongly upregulated. Furthermore, genes in the CO2 stomatal signaling pathway were differentially expressed in the CA mutants under low CO2. Using a transcriptomic approach, we showed that carbonic anhydrase mutants do not compensate for the lack of CA activity by upregulating other CA or photosynthetic genes, but rather experienced extreme carbon stress when grown under low CO2. Our results also support a role for CA in the CO2 stomatal signaling pathway. This study provides insight into the importance of CA for C4 photosynthesis and its role in stomatal signaling.
Toward Trinitarian Thinking in the Hebrew Scriptures

1979), 82–99; Allan Coppedge, The God Who Is Triune: Revisiting the Christian Doctrine of God (Downers Grove, IL.: IVP Academic, InterVarsity Press, 2007); Robert Duncan Culver, Systematic Theology: Biblical and Historical (Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor, 2005),104–121; Millard J. Erickson, Making Sense of the Trinity: Three Crucial Questions (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000); Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994), 226–261. Woodrow Whidden, Jerry Moon, and John W. Reeve, The Trinity: Understanding 2
Testing Visual Motor Integration (VMI): A Closer Look

Date Presented 04/06/19 This study analyzed the VMI tasks according to theories of neuropsychology, from which we created a new scoring system. The models of cognitive development together with psychological constructs of figurative (direct perception) and operative (analysis and action) schemes provided the format for evaluating a child’s productions. VMI records of 39 children were scored using the new detailed system. Regression analysis found that the new scoring, and not the VMI, significantly predicted age. Primary Author and Speaker: Carol Cote Additional Authors and Speakers: Carol Reinson
Phase Equilibria and Ordering in the System ZrO2-CaO

The phase diagram of the system ZrO2-CaO for the region ZrO2-CaZrO3 was redetermined. The extent of the cubic solid solution field was ascertained by using a high-temperature X-ray furnace, precise lattice parameter measurements, and a hydrothermal technique. At 850 ± 150°C, the cubic solid solutions decompose by a eutectoid reaction. A reasonable agreement for the position of the eutectoid in this system was obtained by comparing the extrapolated data from high temperatures with the data obtained by the hydrothermal technique. Only one ordered compound, CaZr4O9, with monoclinic symmetry, was found; this compound is unstable above 1310 ± 40°C.
Database development and exploration of process–microstructure relationships using variational autoencoders

Abstract The paper demonstrates graphical representation of a large database containing process–microstructure relationships using an unsupervised machine learning algorithm. Correlating microstructural features to processing is an essential first step to answer the difficult problem of process sequence design. In this paper, a large database of 346,200 orientation distribution functions resulting from a variety of process sequences is constructed, where each sequence comprises up to four stages of tension, compression and rolling along different directions in various permutations. This open-source database is constructed for collaborative development of process design algorithms. The paper demonstrates a novel application of the large database: graphical representation of texture–process relationships. A variational autoencoder is used to reduce the entire database to a two dimensional latent space where variations in processes and properties can be visualized. Using proximity analysis in this latent space, we can quickly unearth multiple process solutions to the problem of texture or property design.
Rational order from ‘irrational’ actions

Rational outcomes of a social system do not necessarily require its individual participants to be rational. In macro systems, aggregate properties distinct from the behavior of their micro level components can emerge through complex interactions. Caution in building social sciences on assumption of methodological individualism seems appropriate.
Does dispositional mindfulness buffer the links of stressful life experiences with adolescent adjustment and sleep

According to the mindfulness stress buffering hypothesis, mindfulness protects individuals from negative effects of stress. Prior investigations focused on the potential of mindfulness for reducing internalizing symptoms for adults in the context of general stress. We provided the first test of the mindfulness stress buffering hypothesis in the context of both adolescent general stress and interparental conflict in relation to internalizing and externalizing, as well as sleep. Participants were 150 adolescents who reported dispositional mindfulness, perceived stress, interparental conflict, internalizing, and externalizing. Participants wore an actigraph which objectively measured sleep for a week. Results suggested a stress buffering effect of mindfulness for the effects of general stress on internalizing symptoms at trend levels. Mindfulness stress buffering was not evident in relation to externalizing or sleep, or for the effect of interparental conflict appraisals on adjustment or sleep. Greater interparental conflict appraisals were associated with greater sleep onset latency, but mindfulness was not associated with objective measures of sleep quality or quantity. This study indicates that mindfulness may protect adolescents from the internalizing problems that often result from general stress, but that these stress buffering effects of mindfulness may not generalize to all types of stressors or adjustment/health outcomes.
Toward Waveform Heliotomography: Observing Interactions of Helioseismic Waves with a Sunspot

We investigate how helioseismic waves that originate from effective point sources interact with a sunspot. These waves are reconstructed from observed stochastic wavefields on the Sun by cross-correlating photospheric Doppler-velocity signals. We select the wave sources at different locations relative to the sunspot, and investigate the p- and f-mode waves separately. The results reveal a complicated picture of waveform perturbations caused by the wave interaction with the sunspot. In particular, it is found that for waves originating from outside of the sunspot, p-mode waves travel across the sunspot with a small amplitude reduction and slightly higher speed, and wave amplitude and phase get mostly restored to the quiet-Sun values after passing the sunspot. The f-mode wave experiences some amplitude reduction passing through the sunspot, and the reduced amplitude is not recovered after that. The wave-propagation speed does not change before encountering the sunspot and inside the sunspot, but the wavefront becomes faster than the reference wave after passing through the sunspot. For waves originating from inside the sunspot umbra, both f- and p-mode waves show significant amplitude reductions and faster speed for all propagation paths. A comparison of positive and negative time lags of cross-correlation functions shows an apparent asymmetry in the waveform changes for both the f- and p-mode waves. We suggest that the waveform variations of the helioseismic waves interacting with a sunspot found in this article can be used for developing a method of waveform heliotomography, similar to the waveform tomography of the Earth.
0098 Community engagement and the development of a rural road safety campaign

Statement of purpose Evaluation of community engagement in the development and dissemination of a rural roadway safety campaign. Methods/Approach We implemented ‘We’re On This Road Together,’ a health communication campaign that targeted rural drivers’ interactions with farm vehicles and had three main messages: Slow Down, Leave More Space, and Avoid Passing. Campaign development and implementation was guided by a community advisory board (CAB) who gave input and direction on campaign message design and dissemination at monthly meetings. They also led campaign activities (hanging banners, distributing swag--totes, car air fresheners, etc.). To guide our future collaborations with CABs, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured telephone interviews with CAB members (n=8) in the summer of 2020. Interviews were recorded and audio files were transcribed by a third-party service. After transcription, a research team member coded the interview transcripts. Codes were then organized by common themes: 1) overall experience, 2) responsibilities & commitment, 3) perceived campaign success, 4) resources needed for project implementation, and 5) recommendations for improvement. Results Interview length averaged 25 minutes (range: 16–41). CAB members reported overwhelmingly positive experiences, reasonable time commitment, and successful format and frequency of communication. They viewed the overall project a success and valued our team’s community engagement efforts. However, the CAB had recommendations for improving campaign impact and reach, including adding online/social media campaign elements, expanding diversity of CAB membership (age, occupation/industry), and team-building activities to increase group bonding. Conclusions Formation of a community advisory board was successful and critical in message development, implementation, and overall impact of our rural road safety campaign. Significance This project demonstrates how to engage community advisors in development and delivery of a road safety campaign, which can be applied to other injury and violence prevention campaign activities.
Economic Impact Payment, Human Mobility and the COVID-19 Mitigation in the United States

This paper studies the relationship between the individuals income and COVID-19 mitigation effort contribution. The paper suggests that in addition to the government mandatory policies, the income compensation policy is an alternative government instrument that helps increase the individual and social aggregate COVID-19 mitigation effort. I empirically test the effect of the income compensation policy by utilizing the United States economic impact payment (EIP) in April 2020 as a quasi-natural experiment, and use the cellphone GPS measured human mobility data as the outcome indicator of the COVID-19 mitigation effort. I find that by receiving EIP, individuals on average significantly increase median home dwell time by 3% - 5% (about 26-45 minutes). This paper highlights an unintended effect of EIP: in addition to providing economic assistance, EIP also helps mitigate the COVID-19 virus transmission. JEL codesD11 D12 H41 I12 I14 I18
Sexual Communication and Sexual Consent Self-Efficacy Among College Students: Implications for Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention.

Abstract Purpose Obtaining affirmative consent, a hallmark of sexual violence prevention education on college campuses, may influence sexual communication and behaviors such as condom use. This study examined the relationship between self-efficacy to obtain sexual consent with sexual health communication and behaviors among a sample of U.S. college students. Methods Data were from 2,291 students enrolled in a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted on 28 college campuses from 2015 to 2017. Students reported their self-efficacy to obtain sexual consent, communication about sexual health, and sexual health behaviors. Multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for school clustering, history of violence victimization, and sexually transmitted infection history, estimated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for sexual consent self-efficacy and sexual health communication. Results Females (n = 1,150) reported higher self-efficacy to obtain consent than males (b1 = .32, 95% CI = .23, .41), but lower odds of communication about condom use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = .75, 95% CI = .60, .96) and HIV prevention (AOR = .63, 95% CI = .48, .81). Black and other race students reported higher odds of HIV/sexually transmitted infection prevention communication than white students. Odds of consistent condom use were highest among students reporting condom use communication and high self-efficacy to obtain sexual consent (AOR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.58, 2.51). Conclusions Campus sexual assault prevention education that focuses narrowly on obtaining sexual consent may be missing an opportunity to enhance sexual health communication broadly, including condom and contraceptive use discussion to promote overall sexual health.
Kinetic characterization of hydrolysis of nitrocefin, cefoxitin, and meropenem by β-lactamase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The constitutively expressed, chromosomally encoded β-lactamase (BlaC) is the enzyme responsible for the intrinsic resistance to β-lactam antibiotics in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that the enzyme exhibits an extended-spectrum phenotype, with very high levels of penicillinase and cephalosporinase activity, as well as weak carbapenemase activity [Tremblay, L. W., et al. (2008) Biochemistry 47, 5312–5316]. In this report, we have determined the pH dependence of the kinetic parameters, revealing that the maximal velocity depends on the ionization state of two groups: a general base exhibiting a pK value of 4.5 and a general acid exhibiting a pK value of 7.8. Having defined a region where the kinetic parameters are pH-independent (pH 6.5), we determined solvent kinetic isotope effects (SKIEs) for three substrates whose kcat values differ by 5.5 orders of magnitude. Nitrocefin is a highly activated, chromogenic cephalosporin derivative that exhibits steady-state...
Preventing Complications in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery

Laparoscopic gynecologic surgery is associated with several potential complications. Over 50 % of complications occur during the initial entry into the abdomen. No consensus has been reached on the optimal entry technique. When difficulty is expected, Palmer’s point may be used as the entry point, and blunt conical trocars are recommended. One of the most feared intraoperative complications of laparoscopic gynecologic surgery is damage to the lower urinary tract. Lateral thermal spread from energy sources has been postulated to be one possible mechanism. After surgery, for port sites over 10 mm, closure of the fascia is recommended under direct visualization or using a device. Surgical site infection can also occur, although less commonly than with laparotomy. Risk factors for infection include long operating times, and loss of a large volume of blood. Proper surgical technique and attention to potential trouble spots will minimize postoperative morbidity in women undergoing laparoscopic gynecologic surgery.
Damage and repair in mammalian cells after exposure to non-ionizing radiations: I. Ultraviolet and visible light irradiation of cells of the rat kangaroo (Potorous tridactylus) and determination of photorepairable damage in vitro

Abstract Cornea cells of the rat kangaroo or “potoroo” (Potorous tridactylus) were exposed to far-UV (254 or 302 nm) radiation, with or without subsequent illumination by near-UV or visible light. The DNA of these cells was extracted and tested for the presence of photoproducts binding yeast photoreactivating enzyme (PRE). The criterion for the latter was competitive inhibition of an in vitro photorepair system, consisting of UV-irradiated transforming DNA of Haemophilus influenzae and an extract containing yeast PRE. The effects on repair kinetics of the transforming DNA indicate that in UV-irradiated potoroo cornea cells up to approximately 90% of photorepairable DNA damage can be photorepaired within 15 min. However, the extent of cellular photorepair, assessed by the reduction in competitive inhibition of the in vitro repair system depends appreciably on experimental parameters during photoreactivating treatment. Control experiments with non-UV-irradiated cells indicated that, depending on specific conditions, the photoreactivating treatment itself produces a varying amount of DNA damage, which reacts with the PRE in vitro. To avoid most of this kind of damage, cells are nitrogen-gassed and kept at 5°C during illumination, and the photoreactivating light must not contain wavelengths shorter than 380–400 nm. Our results show that wavelengths >470 nm are still very effective, whereas wavelengths >555 nm are ineffective in photorepairing potoroo DNA. For unknown reasons, one particular strain of potoroo cornea cells lost its potential for photorepair. Treatment of unirradiated potoroo cells, or their extracted DNA, with hydrogen peroxide also results in competitive inhibition of photorepair in vitro, resembling that observed after near-UV illumination. Because of the occurrence of synergistic effects it is not clear whether the damage only interacts with PRE or can actually be photorepaired under appropriate conditions. The results presented in this paper suggest that the expression of photorepair in mammalian cells, unlike that in prokaryotes, greatly depends on a number of experimental parameters, including the spectral composition of photoreactivating light. Apparently superposition of damage by the photoreactivating treatment itself is the critical factor. This may explain experimental discrepancies existing in different laboratories studying photorepair in UV-irradiated cells of placental mammals.
History, Narrative, and Meaning

Recent developments in the natural sciences make a renewed dialogue with the humanities possible. Previously, humanists resisted transferring scientific paradigms into fields like history, fearing materialism and determinism would deprive experience of its meaning and people of their freedom. At the same time, scientists were realizing that deterministic materialism made understanding phenomena like life virtually impossible. Scientists escaped the irony of describing a nature to which they did not belong by also discovering that their knowledge can never be complete and that descriptions of nature at the subatomic level were essentially random. These developments, as Monod said, weakened the “Modern” paradigm sufficiently to make life scientifically possible. To understand how life might actually exist, however, scientists had to move beyond laments about observations losing information and concentrate on how nature creates information. Nature creates information in the process of reducing thermodynamic gradients and stores created information in self-organized systems. Nature thus becomes historical, for it is defined by qualitative changes accumulating over time because of unpredictable contingencies. This paper will explore the possibility that the patterned processes by which nature changes apply in the human realm, where interactions can change people and created information can be stored in self-organized societies. Values, Ethics and Morals (VEMs) are the qualitatively new information stored in social systems. VEMs script the actions structuring societies, demonstrating there is meaning in history and solving the problem of how sequences of events –“chronicles”–become narratives. Moreover, when societies compete, their system-structuring information is tested in the same way natural selection tests DNA. Thus, the succession of social systems suggests there is a meaning of history. The meaning of history need be no more transcendental or intended than Darwinian evolution. But if organs and traits can have biological value without implying design, socially constructed attributes like morality, consciousness, and freedom can be valued without supposing history has an ultimate or eternal purpose. Aspiring to show how the cacophony of historical events becomes a cosmos, a “well-ordered” context in which changes become meaningful, this sketch suggests a new understanding of nature may provide a basis for ethics.
Long-term water chemistry database, Little River Experimental Watershed, southeast Coastal Plain, United States

[1] A water quality sampling program was initiated in 1974 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service on the 334 km2 Little River Experimental Watershed (LREW) near Tifton in south Georgia to monitor the effects of changing land use and agricultural practices over time and to support development of simulation models capable of predicting future impacts of agricultural land use and management changes. Stream samples were taken on a weekly or more frequent basis and were analyzed for chloride, ammonium nitrogen, nitrate plus nitrite nitrogen, total kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, and dissolved molybdate reactive phosphorus. Monitoring began in 1974 on the entire watershed and four nested subwatersheds, ranging in size from 16.7 to 114.9 km2, and continues until present. Partial records of 7, 10, and 19 years exist for three additional subwatersheds. Suspended solids data are available for all eight subwatersheds for 1974–1978 and 1979–1981, three subwatersheds for 1982–1986, and all eight subwatersheds again beginning in the year 2000. The concentration and associated load data are being published on the LREW database anonymous ftp site (ftp://www.tiftonars.org/).
On the shape of the moduli of spherical minimal immersions

The DoCarmo-Wallach moduli space parametrizing spherical minimal immersions of a Riemannian manifold M is a compact convex body in a linear space of tracefree symmetric endomorphisms of an eigenspace of M. In this paper we define and study a sequence of metric invariants σ m , m > 1, associated to a compact convex body L with base point O in the interior of L. The invariant σ m measures how lopsided L. is in dimension m with respect to 0. The results are then appplied to the DoCarmo-Wallach moduli space. We also give an efficient algorithm to calculate σ m for convex polytopes.
Between the Procedural and the Substantial: Democratic Deliberation and the Interaction Order in “Occupy Middletown General Assembly”

This article analyzes interaction from an intentional, self-reflexive democratic meeting of ordinary citizens—a “General Assembly” from the 2011 Occupy Movement—to explore two competing theories of democracy: Habermas's democratic deliberation and Mouffe's agonistic pluralism. The group's rational ideals and procedures for democratic deliberation approximate those of Habermas's “ideal speech situation,” but appear limited in their capacity to ensure Habermasian understanding or consensus. Intertwined with these rational procedures are practices best explained in terms of what Goffman called “face-work”—the ways in which participants maintain a working consensus of mutual acceptance and respect in conversation. These face-work procedures—rather than sincere, rational intentions—help constitute the civility necessary for rational deliberation and participation. Such symbolic valuing of self and other provide interactional grounds for the liberty and equality of agonistic democratic conversation as conceived by Mouffe.
Serotonergic medications for sexual obsessions, sexual addictions, and paraphilias.

BACKGROUND Paraphilias and related disorders have recently been thought of as sexual addictions. However, it has also been argued that these disorders are sexual compulsions. The question arises as to whether these disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder respond in the same way to pharmacotherapy. METHOD We retrospectively reviewed outcome in 13 patients who presented with sexual symptoms and were treated with serotonin reuptake blockers. Symptoms were divided into paraphilias, nonparaphilic sexual addictions, and sexual obsessions. RESULTS Paraphilias had the least improvement, while sexual obsessions had the best response to medication. CONCLUSION Paraphilias and related disorders may be less responsive than sexual obsessions or compulsions to serotonin reuptake blockers. Perhaps paraphilias and related disorders are on the impulsive rather than the compulsive end of the spectrum of obsessive compulsive disorders. Controlled trials are, however, necessary to replicate these preliminary findings.
ERβ in Breast Cancer – Onlooker, Passive Player, or Active Protector?

The role of estrogen exposure in breast cancer risk is well-documented, and both estrogen synthesis and actions through the estrogen receptor (ER) have been targeted by therapies to control hormone-dependent breast cancer. The discovery of a second ER form and its therapeutic implications sparked great interest. Both the original ERα and the more recently identified ERβ subtypes bind and respond similarly to many physiological and pharmacological ligands. However, differences in phytoestrogen binding have been noted, and subtype-specific ligands have been developed. Cell-based assays show that ERβ and its variants are generally less active on gene transcription than ERα, and may influence ERα activity; however, both gene- and cell-specific responses occur, and nongenomic activities are less well explored. Specific ligands, and methods to disrupt or eliminate receptor subtype expression in animal and cell models, demonstrate that the ERs have both overlapping and distinct biological functions. Overall, in cell-based studies, ERα appears to play a predominant role in cell proliferation, and ERβ is suggested to be antiproliferative. The potential for distinct populations of breast tumors to be identified based on ER subtype expression, and to exhibit distinct clinical behaviors, is of greatest interest. Several studies suggest that the majority of ER-positive tumors contain both subtypes, but that some tumors contain only ERβ and may have distinct clinical behaviors and responses. Expression of ERβ together with ERα favors positive responses to endocrine therapy in most studies, and additional studies to determine if the addition of ERβ to ERα as a tumor marker is of clinical benefit are warranted. In contrast, the positive association between ERβ and HER2 expression in high-grade ERα-negative breast cancer does not favor positive responses to endocrine therapy. Expression of ERβ in specific clinical subpopulations, and the potential for therapies targeting ERβ specifically, is discussed.
On‐line robust parameter identification for parabolic systems

In this paper a robust scheme for the adaptive parameter identification of parabolic distributed parameter systems is developed. Results from the finite-dimensional treatment of the parameter projection method and σ (sigma) modifications to the standard adaptation rules are extended to infinite-dimensional systems. For the class of systems under study, modifications to these standard parameter adaptation rules were deemed necessary in order to account for the additional mathematical subtleties that arise when dealing with infinite-dimensional systems. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Selecting and Using Technology for Student Training

Traditional training may not fit today's student workers. This article looks at one solution for supplementing face-to-face student training in a departmental library. It investigates delivery methods for training resources and describes the value of courseware as an information portal. The article also offers practical solutions for creating training materials and documentation.
Large Eddy Simulations of a Three-Row Leading Edge Film Cooling Geometry

A three-row leading edge film cooling geometry is investigated using Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) at a freestream Reynolds number of 32,000 and blowing ratio of 0.5 with lateral injection of 45° to the surface and 90° compound injection. The stagnation jet interacts with the mainstream through the generation of ring vortices which quickly breakdown and convect along the cylinder surface. The coolant penetrates the mainstream both laterally and normal to the surface resulting in increased mixing and turbulence generation. As the coolant loses transverse and lateral momentum it is pushed back to the surface in the stagnation region after which it convects downstream along the blade surface. Surface coverage is uniform but weak with spanwise-averaged effectiveness ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 in the stagnation region. The primary off-stagnation coolant and mainstream interaction is through the generation of a counter-rotating vortex pair in the immediate wake, but which quickly degenerates to a single vortex which entrains free-stream fluid near the surface at the aft-end of the jet. In contrast to the stagnation row, the coolant stays in close proximity to the surface and does not undergo a large lateral displacement along the spanwise pitch. As a consequence it provides good local coverage along its trajectory but barely covers half the lateral pitch. Hence, spanwise-averaged effectiveness is of the same order as at stagnation starting at 0.3 downstream of injection to 0.1 about 6d downstream.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
A bidirectional relationship of oral-systemic responses: observations of systemic host responses in patients after full-mouth extractions.

Objective This investigation tested the hypothesis that systemic inflammatory responses would be attenuated by minimizing the oral microbial burden in patients with moderate to severe periodontitis. Study Design Patients (n = 73) scheduled for full-mouth extractions were categorized as case type I/II (gingivitis/mild periodontitis) or case type III/IV (moderate/severe periodontitis). Serum levels of acute phase proteins (APPs) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody were assessed at baseline and through 1 year after extraction. Results At baseline, the levels of multiple APPs (e.g., fibrinogen, C-reactive protein) and antibodies to periodontal pathogens were significantly higher with case type III/IV vs I/II. These differences were sustained 12 months after extractions for most APPs. Conclusions The results demonstrated that removal of disease by full-mouth extraction of teeth altered the overall burden of challenge to the host. Continued elevation in various APPs in the III/IV group suggested a potential underlying constitutive difference in systemic response characteristics of this population.
Phylogenetic differences among the Gm factors of non-human primates.

THE Gm factors are a group of genetically determined antigens located on the heavy chains of γG globulin1. Their presence in non-human primates1–7 has permitted a comparative immunological study giving information about the antiquity of the various Gm characters.
Oxygen adsorption and the surface electronic structure of GaAs (110)

Abstract The surface electronic structure of cleaved GaAs (110) is found to be very sensitive to small amounts of adsorbed oxygen. For example, adsorbing oxygen on only a few percent of the surface Ga or As atomic sites can produce changes of a factor of two in the surface electronic structure. Thus, long range effects must be involved, and these are associated with rearrangement of the surface atoms.
One-Dimensional Modeling of Dam-Break Flow over Movable Beds

A one-dimensional model has been established to simulate the fluvial processes under dam-break flow over movable beds. The hydrodynamic model adopts the generalized shallow water equations, which consider the effects of sediment transport and bed change on the flow. The sediment model computes the nonequilibrium transport of bed load and suspended load. The effects of sediment concentration on sediment settling and entrainment are considered in determining the sediment settling velocity and transport capacity. In particular, a correction factor is proposed to modify the Van Rijn formulas of equilibrium bed-load transport rate and near-bed suspended-load concentration for the simulation of sediment transport under high-shear flow conditions. The governing equations are solved by an explicit finite-volume method with the first-order upwind scheme for intercell fluxes. The model has been tested in two experimental cases, with fairly good agreement between simulations and measurements. The sensitivities of the model results to parameters such as the sediment nonequilibrium adaptation length, Manning's roughness coefficient and the proposed correction factor have been verified. The proposed model has also been compared to an existing model and the results indicate the new model is more reliable.
Drazin inverses and canonical forms in Mn(Zh)

Abstract The existence and construction of the Drazin inverse of a square matrix over the ring Z h is considered. The canonical forms of matrices over this ring are used to facilitate the computation of this type of generalized inverse.
Growth Hormone-Activated STAT5 May Indirectly Stimulate IGF-I Gene Transcription through HNF-3γ

IGF-I is abundantly expressed in the liver under the stimulation of GH. We showed previously that expression of hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-3gamma, a liver-enriched transcription factor, was strongly stimulated by GH in bovine liver. In this study, we determined whether GH-increased HNF-3gamma might contribute to GH stimulation of IGF-I gene expression in bovine liver and the underlying mechanism. A sequence analysis of the bovine IGF-I promoter revealed three putative HNF-3 binding sites, which all appear to be conserved in mammals. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that GH injection increased binding of HNF-3gamma to the IGF-I promoter in bovine liver. Gel-shift assays indicated that one of the three putative HNF-3 binding sites, HNF-3 binding site 1, bound to the HNF-3gamma protein from bovine liver with high affinity. Cotransfection analyses demonstrated that this HNF-3 binding site was essential for the transcriptional response of the IGF-I promoter to HNF-3gamma in CHO cells and to GH in primary mouse hepatocytes. Using similar approaches, we found that GH increased binding of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) to the HNF-3gamma promoter in bovine liver, that this binding occurred at a conserved STAT5 binding site, and that this STAT5 binding site was necessary for the HNF-3gamma promoter to respond to GH. Taken together, these results suggest that in addition to direct action, GH-activated STAT5 may also indirectly stimulate IGF-I gene transcription in the liver by directly enhancing the expression of the HNF-3gamma gene.
The US Department of Energy's program on the fundamental material science of internal interfaces

As part of a broad program on fundamental material science, the Department of Energy (DoE)/Basic Energy Sciences (BES)/Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering supports theoretical and experimental research on the structure and properties of interfaces. Interfaces, whether solid/solid, solid/liquid or solid/vapor, play critical roles in the properties of many materials and influence many processes. Hence, fundamental research on interfaces is relevant to meeting the long-term energy needs of the United States. The Division supports research on interfaces through its research grants, research programs at the DoE national laboratories, and the operation of major national user facilities. In keeping with the focus of the 1999 Seville Interfaces Workshop on Ceramic and Bimaterial Interfaces, this paper focuses on that portion of the Division's program devoted to interfaces in ceramic/ceramic, ceramic/metal and metal/metal systems.
A nonlinear optoelectronic filter for electronic signal processing

The conversion of electrical signals into modulated optical waves and back into electrical signals provides the capacity for low-loss radio-frequency (RF) signal transfer over optical fiber. Here, we show that the unique properties of this microwave-photonic link also enable the manipulation of RF signals beyond what is possible in conventional systems. We achieve these capabilities by realizing a novel nonlinear filter, which acts to suppress a stronger RF signal in the presence of a weaker signal independent of their separation in frequency. Using this filter, we demonstrate a relative suppression of 56 dB for a stronger signal having a 1-GHz center frequency, uncovering the presence of otherwise undetectable weaker signals located as close as 3.5 Hz away. The capabilities of the optoelectronic filter break the conventional limits of signal detection, opening up new possibilities for radar and communication systems, and for the field of precision frequency metrology.
Hadamard transform ion mobility spectrometry.

A detection scheme that makes use of the Hadamard transform has been employed with an atmospheric-pressure ion mobility spectrometer fitted with an electrospray ionization source. The Hadamard transform was implemented through the use of a linear-feedback shift register to produce a pseudorandom sequence of 1023 points. This pseudorandom sequence was applied to the ion gate of the spectrometer, and deconvolution of the ion signal was accomplished by the Hadamard transform to reconstruct the mobility spectrum. Ion mobility spectra were collected in both a conventional and Hadamard mode, with comparisons made between the two approaches. Initial results exhibited low spectral definition, so an oversampling technique was applied to increase the number of data points across each analyte spectral peak. The use of the Hadamard transform increases the duty cycle of the instrument to 50% and results in a roughly 5-fold enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio with a negligible loss of instrument resolution. It is ...
Scurvy: Bilateral lower extremity ecchymoses and paraparesis

A 46-year-old man presented with two weeks of progressive paraparesis and large confluent ecchymoses of both thighs. There was a history of poor dietary intake and daily alcohol use. He had had similar problems each of the past two winters. In 1979 he required hospitalization for "sciatica." In 1980 he was bedridden for two months because of lower extremity weakness. Examination revealed poorly fitting dentures, large confluent ecchymoses of both thighs, perifollicular hemorrhages, and a low serum ascorbic acid concentration. Oral ascorbic acid was begun in the hospital and all clinical symptomatic consequences of scurvy rapidly resolved. We present this case to reiterate the clinical presentation of scurvy and to emphasize the importance of recognizing early signs of nutritional deficiencies that may be confused with more common, but often less treatable, diseases.
Finding and exploring memes in social media

Online critical literacy challenges readers to recognize and question how online textual information has been shaped by its greater context. While comparing information from multiple sources provides a foundation for such awareness, keeping pace with everything being written is a daunting proposition, especially for the casual reader. We propose a new form of technological assistance for critical literacy which automatically discovers and displays underlying memes: ideas represented by similar phrases which occur across diýerent information sources. By surfacing these memes to users, we create a rich hypertext representation in which underlying memes can be explored in context. Given the vast scale of social media, we describe a highly-scalable system architecture designed for MapReduce distributed computing. To validate our approach, we report on use of our system to discover and browse memes in a 1.5 TB collection of crawled social media. Our primary contributions include: 1) a novel technological approach and hypertext browsing design for supporting critical literacy; and 2) a highly-scalable system architecture for meme discovery, providing a solid foundation for further system extensions and refinements.
Factors affecting transport sector CO2 emissions growth in Latin American and Caribbean countries: An LMDI decomposition analysis

This study determines the factors responsible for the growth of transport sector CO2 emissions in 20 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries during the 1980–2005 period by decomposing the emissions growth into components associated with changes in fuel mix (FM), modal shift and economic growth, as well as changes in emission coefficients (EC) and transportation energy intensity (EI). The key finding of the study is that economic growth and the changes in transportation EI are the principal factors driving transport sector CO2 emission growth in the countries considered. While economic growth is responsible for the increasing trend of transport sector CO2 emissions in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Peru and Uruguay, the transportation EI effect is driving CO2 emissions in Bolivia, the Caribbean, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Other Latin America, Panama and Paraguay. Both economic activity (EA) and EI effects are found responsible for transport sector CO2 emissions growth in the rest of the Latin American countries. In order to limit CO2 emissions from the transportation sector in LAC countries, decoupling of the growth of CO2 emissions from economic growth is necessary; this can be done through policy instruments to promote fuel switching, modal shifting and reductions in transport sector EI. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.