cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cervical Cancer and HIV

Cervical cancer or cancer of the cervix uteri is an abnormal growth of squamous or glandular epithelial cells caused by persistent infection with the oncogenic or high-risk types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). While most HPV infections of the cervix are transient, persistent HPV infections of the cervix may cause cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and subsequently develop into invasive cervical cancer (ICC). HIV-infected women are more likely to have persistent HPV infections, and are also more likely to develop CIN and ICC compared with women without HIV. Cervical cancer in the HIV-infected woman is considered an AIDS-defining illness. The successful introduction of cervical cancer screening programs with cervical cytology, otherwise known as the Papanicolau (Pap) test (which may detect treatable premalignant CIN lesions) has been associated with a 70 % decline in cervical cancer incidence and mortality. Cervical cancer screening recommendations may now include HPV testing and are constantly evolving for HIV-infected and non-infected women. Primary prevention with prophylactic HPV vaccines should prevent cervical cancer in the future; trials assessing immunogenicity and efficacy in HIV-infected women are ongoing. Early stage ICC is treated surgically whereas advanced ICC is managed with chemoradiation.
Nonlinear active wave modulation approach for evaluating bond conditions between adhesively bonded FRP sheet/concrete substrate

Many recent studies have indicated that externally bonded Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) composite sheets can be used effectively to strengthen concrete structures. Composite action suggests that the individual parts of a composite work together as one. Stresses must be transferred from one constituent to the other through some interface. If there is little or no bond at the interface then there is little or no transfer of stress and therefore poor composite action. In this study, we intend to develop a NDE tool for evaluating such interfacial bond conditions. An innovative active modulation approach, Nonlinear Active Wave Modulation Spectroscopy (NAWMS), is adopted in our study. In this procedure, a probe wave will be passed through the system. Simultaneously, a second, modulating wave will be applied to the system. Using three-inch thick concrete slabs we have prepared several FRP laminated samples with artificial flaws (one-inch square) designed into the interface. The sender is on one side of the flaw and the receiver on the other. Maintaining the separation of this pair of transducers, we progressively move them away from the flaw location. The resulting frequency modulations will be analyzed, and will be correlated to the presence of the flaws.
Quality of life assessment in cancer clinical research: current status and a look to the future

Quality of life (QOL) is a term that has been used to denote outcomes as experienced by the patient. Although definitions of QOL vary, virtually all investigators agree that QOL in clinically-ill individuals encompasses multiple domains or areas of well-being (including, at a minimum, physical, psychological and social functioning, as well as symptoms) and that the perspective of the patient is critical in any measurement of QOL. While patient perspectives are important in any health condition, they become particularly so in diseases which are chronic or incurable and for which treatments have toxic orlong-lasting consequences. Cancer fits these criteria. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the USA, with one in every four deaths due to the disease. Approximately 38% of cancer patients die within 5 years of diagnosis. Cancer treatments are powerful and toxic. For example, surgery removes tumors and in many cases, adjacent body parts. Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by directing high energy ...
Measurement System Characterization in the Presence of Measurement Errors

In the calibration of a measurement system, data are collected in order to estimate a mathematical model between one or more factors of interest and a response. Ordinary least squares is a method employed to estimate the regression coefficients in the model. The method assumes that the factors are known without error; yet, it is implicitly known that the factors contain some uncertainty. In the literature, this uncertainty is known as measurement error. The measurement error affects both the estimates of the model coefficients and the prediction, or residual, errors. There are some methods, such as orthogonal least squares, that are employed in situations where measurement errors exist, but these methods do not directly incorporate the magnitude of the measurement errors. This research proposes a new method, known as modified least squares, that combines the principles of least squares with knowledge about the measurement errors. This knowledge is expressed in terms of the variance ratio - the ratio of response error variance to measurement error variance.
Blind equalization of dispersive fast fading Ricean channels via the EMV algorithm

A blind maximum likelihood equalization method is proposed for frequency selective fast fading Ricean channels. This method employs the expectation-maximization Viterbi algorithm (EMVA) developed in for blind channel estimation and signal detection. Since the Viterbi algorithm (VA) is used to execute the E-phase of an expectation-maximization (EM) iteration, it requires that the observed sequence can be modelled as a finite-state hidden Markov process. We develop a hidden Markov model for frequency selective fast fading Ricean channels, so that the observed process can be viewed as the noisy output of a finite state machine (FSM), to which the VA is applicable. The EMVA is then employed to obtain a blind maximum likelihood estimate of the specular part of the channel and, for one special case, of a noise parameter measuring the total power of the additive and multiplicative channel noise components. Simulation results are presented which show that the EMVA achieves an accurate estimate of the channel specular part and has an error rate performance close to that of the maximum likelihood detector based on true parameters for the given FSM model.
Overexpression of VpsS, a Hybrid Sensor Kinase, Enhances Biofilm Formation in Vibrio cholerae

Vibrio cholerae causes the disease cholera and inhabits aquatic environments. One key factor in the environmental survival of V. cholerae is its ability to form matrix-enclosed, surface-associated microbial communities known as biofilms. Mature biofilms rely on Vibrio polysaccharide to connect cells to each other and to a surface. We previously described a core regulatory network, which consists of two positive transcriptional regulators, VpsR and VpsT, and a negative transcriptional regulator HapR, that controls biofilm formation by regulating the expression of vps genes. In this study, we report the identification of a sensor histidine kinase, VpsS, which can control biofilm formation and activates the expression of vps genes. VpsS required the response regulator VpsR to activate vps expression. VpsS is a hybrid sensor histidine kinase that is predicted to contain both histidine kinase and response regulator domains, but it lacks a histidine phosphotransferase (HPT) domain. We determined that VpsS acts through the HPT protein LuxU, which is involved in a quorum-sensing signal transduction network in V. cholerae. In vitro analysis of phosphotransfer relationships revealed that LuxU can specifically reverse phosphotransfer to CqsS, LuxQ, and VpsS. Furthermore, mutational and phenotypic analyses revealed that VpsS requires the response regulator LuxO to activate vps expression, and LuxO positively regulates the transcription of vpsR and vpsT. The induction of vps expression via VpsS was also shown to occur independent of HapR. Thus, VpsS utilizes components of the quorum-sensing pathway to modulate biofilm formation in V. cholerae.
Scaling of global properties of turbulence and skin friction in pipe and channel flows

Experimental data on the Reynolds number dependence of the area-averaged turbulent kinetic energy K and dissipation rate ℰ are presented. It is shown that while in the interval ReD > 105 the total kinetic energy scales with friction velocity (K/u*2 = const), a new scaling law K/〈U〉2 ∝ K/(u*2ReDθ) = const (θ ≈ 1/4) has been discovered in the interval ReD < 105. It is argued that this transition is responsible for the well-known change in the scaling behaviour of the friction factor observed in pipe and channels flows at ReD ≈ 105.
On the naturalness of software

Natural languages like English are rich, complex, and powerful. The highly creative and graceful use of languages like English and Tamil, by masters like Shakespeare and Avvaiyar, can certainly delight and inspire. But in practice, given cognitive constraints and the exigencies of daily life, most human utterances are far simpler and much more repetitive and predictable. In fact, these utterances can be very usefully modeled using modern statistical methods. This fact has led to the phenomenal success of statistical approaches to speech recognition, natural language translation, question-answering, and text mining and comprehension. We begin with the conjecture that most software is also natural, in the sense that it is created by humans at work, with all the attendant constraints and limitations — and thus, like natural language, it is also likely to be repetitive and predictable. We then proceed to ask whether a) code can be usefully modeled by statistical language models and b) such models can be leveraged to support software engineers. Using the widely adopted n-gram model, we provide empirical evidence supportive of a positive answer to both these questions. We show that code is also very repetitive, and in fact even more so than natural languages. As an example use of the model, we have developed a simple code completion engine for Java that, despite its simplicity, already improves Eclipse's built-in completion capability. We conclude the paper by laying out a vision for future research in this area.
Virtual California earthquake simulations: simple models and their application to an observed sequence of earthquakes

SUMMARY Numerical simulations are routinely used for weather forecasting. It is clearly desirable to develop simulation models for regional seismicity. One model that has been developed for the purpose is the Virtual California (VC) simulation. In order to better understand the behaviour of seismicity simulations, we apply VC to three relatively simple problems involving a straight strike-slip fault. In problem I, we divide the fault into two segments with different mean earthquake interval times. In problem II, we add a central strong (asperity) segment and in problem III we change this to a weak central segment. In all cases we observe limit cycle behaviour with a wide range of periods. We also show that the historical sequence of 13 great earthquakes along the Nankai Trough, Japan, exhibits a limit-cycle behaviour very similar to our asperity model.
Intimate terrorism by women towards men: does it exist?

Research showing that women commit high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) against men has been controversial because IPV is typically framed as caused by the patriarchal construction of society and men's domination over women. Johnson's (1995) typology of common couple violence (CCV) and intimate terrorism (IT) attempted to resolve this controversy, but he maintained that IT was caused by patriarchy and committed almost exclusively by men. This study investigates Johnson's theory as it applies to a sample of 302 men who sustained IPV from their female partners and sought help, and a comparison sample of community men. Results showed that the male helpseekers sample was comprised of victims of IT and that violence by the male victims was part of a pattern of what Johnson labels violent resistance. Men in the community sample who were involved in IPV conformed to Johnson's description of CCV. Results are discussed in terms of research, policy, and practice implications of acknowledging women's use of severe IPV and controlling behaviour against their male partners.
hnRNP-K and Purα act together to repress the transcriptional activity of the CD43 gene promoter

CD43 is an abundant, heavily glycosylated molecule expressed specifically on the surface of leukocytes and platelets. When leukocytes are at rest, CD43 acts to prevent both homotypic and heterotypic interactions. However, during leukocyte activation CD43 expression is repressed, facilitating the intercellular contact required for chemotaxis, phagocytosis, aggregation, adhesion to endothelium, and transendothelial migration. Consequently, CD43 repression plays a vital role both in innate and acquired immunity. Here we report that a dramatic down-regulation of CD43 mRNA levels occurs during activation of the leukocytic cell line K562. This repression coincides with repression of the transcriptional activity of the CD43 gene promoter. We have determined that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP-K) and Pur(alpha) act together to mediate repression of the CD43 promoter during K562 activation. The hnRNP-K molecule and Pur(alpha) bind single-stranded DNA. Therefore, exposure of single-stranded structures within the CD43 promoter probably plays a major role in effecting CD43 repression.
Direct estimation of kinetic parameters from the sinogram with an unknown blood function

Kinetic parameter estimation using PET is an important tool for quantification of the acquired image. Often a known blood function is assumed and the parameters are estimated using reconstructed PET images. However, obtaining blood function using arterial sampling or estimating it from a region in the PET image has certain disadvantages. In this paper, we present a method to estimate the kinetic parameters directly from the sinogram without requiring the knowledge of the blood function. Using the sinogram instead of the reconstructed images is expected to yield statistically efficient estimates, because the physical model of the imaging system and the statistical noise are handled in a single framework. Computer simulations show that the proposed method can obtain accurate estimate of the kinetic parameters.
Lack of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Regulation Is Linked to the Increased Chronotropic Action of Angiotensin II in SHR Neurons

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor acts via its intrinsic thiol-protein oxidoreductase activity to negatively regulate the neuronal chronotropic actions of angiotensin II in normotensive rat neurons. Because the chronotropic action of angiotensin II is potentiated in spontaneously hypertensive rat neurons, we investigated whether this negative regulatory mechanism is absent in these rats. Angiotensin II (100 nM) elicited an approximately 89% increase in neuronal firing in Wistar-Kyoto rat hypothalamus and brain stem cultured neurons and an increase in intracellular macrophage migration inhibitory factor levels in the same cells. The chronotropic action of angiotensin II was significantly greater (approximately 212% increase) in spontaneously hypertensive rat neurons, but angiotensin II failed to alter macrophage migration inhibitory factor expression in these cells. Intracellular application of recombinant macrophage migration inhibitory factor (0.8 nM) or its specific neuronal overexpression via Ad5-SYN-MIF (1x10(7) infectious units) significantly attenuated the chronotropic action of angiotensin II in spontaneously hypertensive rat neurons, similar to results from Wistar-Kyoto rat neurons. In contrast, C60S-macrophage migration inhibitory factor (0.8 nM), which lacks thiol-protein oxidoreductase activity, failed to alter the chronotropic action of angiotensin II in neurons from either rat strain. Thus, whereas macrophage migration inhibitory factor has the potential to depress the chronotropic action of angiotensin II in spontaneously hypertensive rat neurons, it is unlikely that this regulatory mechanism occurs, because angiotensin II does not increase the expression of this protein. The lack of this regulatory mechanism may contribute to the increased chronotropic action of angiotensin II in spontaneously hypertensive rat neurons.
Low Vitamin D among HIV-Infected Adults: Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Low Vitamin D Levels in a Cohort of HIV-Infected Adults and Comparison to Prevalence among Adults in the US General Population

(See the editorial commentary by Yin and Stein, on pages 406–408.)Background. We explored serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and associated factors forinsufﬁciency or deﬁciency in an adult human immunodeﬁciency virus (HIV) cohort and compared 25(OH)Dlevels with those in the general US population.Methods. Usingbaseline datafrom theStudytoUnderstandtheNaturalHistory ofHIVandAIDSintheEraofEffective Therapy (SUN), a prospective, observational cohort study of HIV-infected adults enrolled at 7 HIVspecialtyclinicsin4UScitiesfromMarch2004toJune2006,weestimatedtheprevalenceofvitaminDinsufﬁciencyor deﬁciency (deﬁned as 25(OH)D levels ,30 ng/mL), standardized by age, race, and sex. Using multiple logisticregression, we examined risk factors for vitamin D insufﬁciency or deﬁciency.Results. Among672SUNparticipantswithbaselineserum25(OH)DdeterminationswhowerenotreceivingvitaminD supplements, 70.3% (95% conﬁdence interval [CI], 68.1%– 74.9%) were vitamin D insufﬁ cient or deﬁcient, comparedwith79.1%(95%CI,76.7–81.3)ofUSadults.Factorsassociat edwithvitaminDinsufﬁciencyordeﬁciencyincludedblackrace(adjustedoddsratio[aOR],4.51;95%CI,2.59–7.85),Hispanicethnicity(aOR,2.78;95%CI,1.31–5.90),higherbodymassindex(aOR,1.04;95%CI,1.00–1.09),hypertension(aOR,1.88;95%CI,1.10–3.22),lackofexercise(aOR,3.14;95%CI,1.80–5.47),exposuretoefavirenz(aOR,1.98;95%CI,1.18–3.34),higherexposuretoultravioletlight(aOR,.78;95%CI,.71–.86),renalinsufﬁciency(aOR,.55;95%CI,.36–.83),andexposuretoritonavir(aOR,.56;95%CI,.35–0.89).Conclusions. SimilartoﬁndingsinUSadultsgenerally,vitaminDinsufﬁciencyordeﬁciencyishighlyprevalentamongHIV-infectedadultsandisassociatedwithknownriskfactors.ObservedassociationsofvitaminDlevelswithrenal insufﬁciency and with use of ritonavir- and efavirenz-containing regimens are consistent with both HIV-relatedandtherapy-mediatedalterationsin vitaminDmetabolism. Cliniciansshouldconsiderscreening allpatientsfor vitamin D insufﬁciency or deﬁciency.Vitamin D is essential for calcium homeostasis and bonemetabolism [1]. Vitamin D deﬁciency is associated witha number of comorbidities, including hypertension,cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, diabetes, dysli-pidemia, impaired immune function, decreased neuro-cognitive function, and malignancies [2–6]. The primarydeterminant of vitamin D status is exposure to sunlight.With increasing urbanizationand sunscreen use, vitaminD deﬁciency has become highly prevalent among thegeneral population [7, 8].Currently, serum concentration of 25-hydrox-yvitamin D (25[OH]D) is considered the best indicatorof vitamin D status, because it represents cumulative
Effectiveness of Mosquito Traps in Measuring Species Abundance and Composition

Mosquito species abundance and composition estimates provided by trapping devices are commonly used to guide control efforts, but knowledge of trap biases is necessary for accurately interpreting results. We tested the hypothesis that commercially available traps (Mosquito Magnet-Pro, the Mosquito Magnet-X) would be significant improvements over the CDC Miniature Light Trap with respect to abundance, species diversity, and measures of recruitment in a wooded area of the Bronx Zoo in New York City, NY. The Mosquito Magnet-Pro collected significantly more mosquitoes (n = 1,117; mean per night, 124 +/- 28.3) than the CDC Miniature Light Trap (n = 167; mean per night, 19 +/- 5.5). The Simpson's diversity index was greatest for the Mosquito Magnet-Pro. A CDC light trap from a simultaneous surveillance project was located 15 m away and used as a control trap to test for significant differences in mosquito counts on nights with or without the experimental traps. There were no significant differences between nights, indicating the test traps did not recruit beyond 15 m. The traps differed significantly in abundance, but they had similarly limited sampling areas. Measured differences in abundance were independent of differences in diversity. This study highlights how differences between traps might affect species abundance and composition estimates.
Overexpression of MAP4 inhibits organelle motility and trafficking in vivo

We previously prepared cell lines that inducibly overexpress MAP4, a microtubule (MT)-associated protein widely expressed in non-neuronal cells. Overexpression of either the full-length MAP4 molecule or its MT-binding domain, MTB, stabilized MTs and retarded cell growth, suggesting that overexpressed MAP4 impacts on MT-dependent functions in vivo. To test this hypothesis, we examined MT-based vesicle movements in living cells, using high resolution DIC microscopy. Overexpression of either MAP4 or MTB yielded a dose-dependent reduction in the frequency of MT-dependent organelle movements, relative to control cells. At steady state, both MAP4- and MTB-overexpressing cells showed unusual distributions of transferrin, LDL, dextran, and Golgi elements, as compared to control cells. MAP4 preferentially inhibited receptor-dependent uptake and degradation of LDL, and repositioning of Golgi elements after disruption by the drug, brefeldin A. L-MOCK cells treated with Taxol to stabilize the MTs to an extent equivalent to MAP4 overexpression did not show similar inhibition of vesicle motility or organellar trafficking, suggesting that deficits in organelle movements in vivo represent a direct effect of the presence of MAP4 or MTB, rather than an indirect effect of the stabilization of MTs by overexpressed MAP constructs. Our results show that MAP4 has the capacity to affect transport along MTs in vivo; these findings suggest a potential mechanism by which MAP4 could contribute to polarization or morphogenesis of cells.
Computational Predictors in Online Social Deliberations

This research seeks to identify online participants’ disposition and skills. A prototype dashboard and annotation scheme were developed to support facilitators and several computational predictors were identified that show statistically significant correlations with dialogue skills as observed by human annotators.
Compendium of Immune Signatures Identifies Conserved and Species-Specific Biology in Response to Inflammation

Gene-expression profiling has become a mainstay in immunology, but subtle changes in gene networks related to biological processes are hard to discern when comparing various datasets. For instance, conservation of the transcriptional response to sepsis in mouse models and human disease remains controversial. To improve transcriptional analysis in immunology, we created ImmuneSigDB: a manually annotated compendium of ∼5,000 gene-sets from diverse cell states, experimental manipulations, and genetic perturbations in immunology. Analysis using ImmuneSigDB identified signatures induced in activated myeloid cells and differentiating lymphocytes that were highly conserved between humans and mice. Sepsis triggered conserved patterns of gene expression in humans and mouse models. However, we also identified species-specific biological processes in the sepsis transcriptional response: although both species upregulated phagocytosis-related genes, a mitosis signature was specific to humans. ImmuneSigDB enables granular analysis of transcriptomic data to improve biological understanding of immune processes of the human and mouse immune systems.
Influence of Exogenous Thiols on Inorganic Mercury-Induced Injury in Renal Proximal and Distal Tubular Cells from Normal and Uninephrectomized Rats

Inorganic mercury (Hg(2+)) induced time- and concentration-dependent cellular injury in freshly isolated proximal tubular (PT) and distal tubular (DT) cells from normal (control) rats or uninephrectomized (NPX) rats. PT cells from NPX rats were more susceptible than PT cells from control rats, and DT cells were slightly more susceptible than PT cells to cellular injury induced by Hg(2+) (not bound to a thiol). Preloading cells with glutathione increased Hg(2+)-induced cellular injury in PT cells from control rats. However, coincubation of PT or DT cells from control or NPX rats with Hg(2+) and glutathione (1:4) provided significant protection relative to incubations with Hg(2+) alone. No support was obtained for a role for gamma-glutamyltransferase in glutathione-dependent protection. However, the organic anion carrier does appear to play a role in accumulation and toxicity of mercuric conjugates of cysteine in PT cells from control, but not NPX, rats. Coincubation with Hg(2+) and cysteine (1:4) had little effect on, or slightly enhanced, Hg(2+)-induced cellular injury at low concentrations of Hg(2+) in all cells studied. Coincubation with Hg(2+) and albumin (1:4) markedly protected PT and DT cells from control and NPX rats at all concentrations except the highest concentration of Hg(2+) in DT cells from NPX rats. 2,3-Dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid protected cells both when preloaded or added simultaneously with Hg(2+). Thus, renal cells from NPX rats are more susceptible to Hg(2+)-induced injury, PT and DT cells respond differently to exposure to Hg(2+), and thiols can significantly modulate the toxic response to Hg(2+).
ReCAP: Pharmacists' Impact in Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation: Economic and Humanistic Outcomes.

QUESTION ASKED:What is the impact of clinical pharmacy services in the care of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation?SUMMARY ANSWER:Pharmacy services in this patient population result in additional revenue generation through pharmacy billing, provider time savings, and outpatient pharmacy prescription referrals. Additionally, both patients and providers have very positive perceptions of the value of pharmacists’ involvement in hematopoietic stem cell transplant care.METHODS:Pharmacy services were (1) translated to revenue generated through pharmacy billing and prescription revenue, (2) associated with time savings estimated by providers, and (3) evaluated for patient and provider perceptions via survey analysis.BIAS, CONFOUNDING FACTOR(S), DRAWBACKS:In our evaluation, the economic impact of pharmacy services is estimated by pharmacy billing, provider time savings, and prescription revenue. Although prescription revenue is estimated by actual revenue generated after reimbursements, bi...
Effects of Driving Displacement Piles in Lean Clay

Investigations were conducted to determine the characteristics of foundation soils for two large pumping plants of the Bureau of Reclamation's Weber Basin Project near Ogden, Utah. Normal investigations showed that saturated lean clays of low strength and high compressibility would be encountered for appreciable depth below plant grades. Because a pile foundation, with embedment in lower firmer layers, was indicated, it was necessary to determine if the upper soils would be remolded during pile driving to the extent that they would consolidate under their weight and add load to the piles. Several special laboratory and field tests were conducted to investigate this possibility. These were one-dimensional consolidation tests on undisturbed and remolded specimens, three-dimensional consolidation tests in which model piles were driven into undisturbed specimens, model pile load tests in undisturbed samples, and vane shear tests adjacent to test piles driven at the site. The tests showed the clay soils to be borderline with respect to sensitivity, but the driving of piles did not cause significant loss of strength or increased compressibility. The behavior of the soils during and after construction confirmed this conclusion.
Persona-ization: Searching on Behalf of Others

information retrieval tasks involve searching on behalf of others. Example scenarios include searching for a present to give a friend, trying to find "cool" clothes for a teenage child, looking for medical supplies for an elderly relative (1), or planning a group activity that many friends will enjoy. In this paper, we use demographically annotated web search logs to present a large-scale study of such "on behalf of" searches. We develop an exploratory technique for recognizing such searches, and present information to describe and understand the phenomenon, including the demographics of who is searching, who they are searching for and on what topics.
Effects of Demographic and Driver Factors on Single-Vehicle and Multivehicle Fatal Crashes: Investigation with Multinomial Logistic Regression

Human error is often considered the leading cause of motor vehicle crashes. Although some research has been conducted to assess the influence of human factors, full driver impacts on crashes are rarely analyzed, especially on a large scale in the United States. This study sought to identify the driver behavior and demographic factors that affected the likelihood of a multivehicle or single-vehicle fatal crash. A multinomial logistic regression framework, including odds ratios, was used to analyze the variables from several states. A tiered model approach was adopted to find the variable effects for combined, urban, rural, undivided urban, divided urban, undivided rural, and divided rural data sets. Each model produced different significant demographic or driver variables, many being unique or contradictory to the expected results of other research. Gender, often seen as a major contribution to crash outcome, was significant only for the full and urban models and likely not an important variable for determ...
Abstract C58: Small molecule inhibitors targeting the interaction of xeroderma pigmentosum group A protein with cisplatin-damaged DNA

Targeting DNA repair and the DNA damage response for cancer therapy has recently gained increasing attention with inhibitors of the PI3-K-like kinases in early stage clinical trials. The utility of DNA repair inhibitors can be expanded by their use in combination treatment with DNA damaging chemotherapeutics including cisplatin. We have focused on directly targeting the DNA repair pathway responsible for repairing platinum-induced DNA damage, nucleotide excision repair (NER). We have selected the molecular target XPA, whose role is in the identification and verification of the sites of DNA damage. Clinical validation of XPA has been obtained where high XPA expression in lung, ovarian and lung cancer results in decreased efficacy of platinum therapy. We report the continued development of the X80 class of XPA small molecule inhibitors. In a two-step, iterative process we have identified critical structure activity relationships that have resulted in a 100-fold increase in potency with in vitro IC50 values below 1μM. Analyses of the SARs define the chemical and structural features that impact the interaction with XPA, cellular permeability and contribute to selectivity. Data demonstrate that the X80 class of inhibitors do not interact with DNA but directly bind the XPA protein. Recent production of a sub-fragment of the XPA protein will allow the identification of the direct binding domain to enable continued structure-based design of more potent XPA inhibitors. Supported by NIH grants R01CA180710 and R41CA162648 to JJT. Citation Format: Pamela S. VanderVere-Carozza, Navnath Gavande, Akaash Mishra, John J. Turchi. Small molecule inhibitors targeting the interaction of xeroderma pigmentosum group A protein with cisplatin-damaged DNA. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2015 Nov 5-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(12 Suppl 2):Abstract nr C58.
Preparation of Partly Graphitized C/B_4C Composite Powder by Carbothermal Reduction Reaction

The partly graphitized C/B4C composite powder is prepared from carbon black and boric acid by carbothermal reduction reaction,the effects of heating temperature and addition amount of boric acid are investigated,the phase composition and microstructure of the C/B4C composite powder are analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope,respectively,and the oxidation behavior is studied by TG method.The results show that the graphitization degree of the synthesized composite powder rises,while B4C phase decreases with increasing of heating temperature.The B4C content and graphitization degree of synthesized composite powder increase with increasing addition amount of boric acid.The graphitization degree of the composite powder synthesized at 1900℃ is 23.26%,the percentage of B4C is about 20.63% as raw materials are 33.21% carbon black and 66.79% boric acid.Compared with the mixture of industrial B4C and carbon black,the synthesized C/B4C composite powder shows better oxidation resistance.
P2X purinoceptors in the feline pulmonary vascular bed: distribution and selective in vivo pharmacological probes.

The distribution and identification of selective pharmacological probes for P2X purinoceptors in the pulmonary vascular (PV) bed of the cat have been investigated with autoradiographic and pharmacological techniques. Autoradiographic localization of the selective P2X purinoceptor ligand alpha, beta-[3H]methylene ATP (alpha, beta-MeATP) binding sites in cat lung shows that P2X purinoceptors are present in all vessels in the bed; high densities were present in large (2-mm diam) and small (0.5-mm diam) pulmonary arteries, bronchial arterioles (0.1-mm diam), and large pulmonary veins, whereas low density is characteristic of parenchymal arterioles and alveolar walls. Most of the binding is displaced with the P2X-purinoceptor agonist beta, gamma-methylene ATP and the putative selective P2X-purinoceptor antagonist pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulfonic acid (PPADS) in all vessels; however, the binding is further displaced with the, P2Y-purinoceptor agonist 2-methylthio ATP (2-MeS-ATP), which suggests t...
Capacitative Ca2+ entry regulates Ca2+-sensitive adenylyl cyclases

A number of the currently described adenylyl cyclase species can be regulated by Ca2+ in the submicromolar concentration range in in vitro assays. The regulatory significance of these observations hinges on whether a physiological elevation in intracellular Ca2+ can regulate these cyclase activities in intact cells. However, achieving a physiological elevation in cytosolic Ca2+ is complicated by the fact that hormonal increases in cytosolic Ca2+ can be accompanied by additional effects, such as liberation of beta gamma-subunits of G-proteins and activation of protein kinase C, which can have disparate type-specific effects on cyclase activities. Therefore we have devised a strategy based on capacitative Ca2+ entry to show that, when types I and VI adenylyl cyclase are expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, they are stimulated and inhibited respectively by Ca2+ entry. Blockade of Ca2+ entry by La3+ ions blocks the effects of Ca2+ entry on cyclic AMP synthesis. These studies establish that adenylyl cyclases deemed to be sensitive to Ca2+ in in vitro assays can be regulated by physiological Ca2+ entry, and therefore, such cyclases are poised to respond to changes in intracellular Ca2+ in tissues in which they are expressed.
A sense of shame among the virtues

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to pose and preliminarily answer the question, ‘Can the sense of shame be a virtue?’ It offers a brief, empirically informed, affirmative answer to this question. After developing the context of this question, the article describes the emotion of shame and the shame system by situating them in their evolutionary and cultural contexts. This positions us to address Aristotelian reasons for a negative answer to our question having to do with whether shame is merely an emotion (no) and whether the sense of shame functions as a disposition to decide (yes). We summarize the evolutionary purpose of shame as a social-rank based emotion and identify benefits accruing to a population in which the sense of shame is working well.
5,7,12,14-Tetra­hydro-5,14:7,12-bis­([1,2]benzeno)­penta­cene-6,13-diol di­methyl­formamide disolvate

The crystal lattice of the title compound, C34H22O2·2C3H7NO, at 173 K has monoclinic (P21/n) symmetry. Mol­ecules are located on crystallographic centers of symmetry and have approximate non-crystallographic mmm symmetry, indicating that in solution the chemical and spectroscopic behavior would be that of a D2h mol­ecule. The compound has applications in gas-separation membranes fabricated from polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM). The compound is the product of reduction of the corresponding quinone by Na2S2O4 in DMF/NaHCO3.
The application of a clinical prediction rule for patients with neck pain likely to benefit from cervical traction: A case report

ABSTRACTPurpose: Cervical traction is a commonly utilized intervention in the treatment of patients with neck pain. In 2009, a clinical prediction rule (CPR) was developed as a way to assist clinicians in determining the patient population most likely to respond to cervical traction, though this CPR has yet to be validated. The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate the application of that CPR. Case Description: The patient was a 46-year-old female with a four-week history of right-sided neck and shoulder pain, with numbness and tingling of her thumb and index finger. Treatment consisted of five sessions provided over 3 weeks. The plan of care included home mechanical cervical traction, exercise, and manual therapy. Outcomes: The patient achieved pain-free cervical range of motion. Neck disability index scores decreased from 28% to 6%, and the Patient-Specific Functional Scale average score improved from 5.5 to 10 out of 10. Discussion: This case report demonstrates the application of a CPR to assi...
Disruption of cholesterol homeostasis in developmental neurotoxicity

Abstract Cholesterol (a major component of brain membranes as well as of membrane microdomains called lipid rafts that are involved in the transduction of morphogenic signaling pathways) plays a pivotal role in fetal development and, in particular, brain development. Cholesterol levels in the brain are regulated through its biosynthesis and through its trafficking and elimination. Genetic syndromes caused by mutations in enzymes in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathways leading to reduced levels of cholesterol cause severe neurodevelopmental abnormalities, underscoring the importance of cholesterol during brain development. Additional neurodevelopmental disorders have been recently associated with altered cholesterol homeostasis in the developing brain. Two developmental neurotoxicants, ethanol and retinoic acid, produce effects similar to the ones caused by genetic defects in cholesterol biosynthesis. These two teratogens affect cholesterol homeostasis by upregulating the levels of ATP-binding cassette cholesterol transporters and increasing cholesterol efflux and lipoprotein release in glial cells; lipoproteins in turn act as cholesterol acceptors and extract cholesterol from neurons, leading to reduced levels of cholesterol and increased cell death in neurons. Chemicals that affect cholesterol homeostasis should therefore be regarded as possible developmental neurotoxicants with the potential of producing devastating effects in the developing brain. Although in recent years intense research was devoted to investigate the effects of genetic disorders on brain cholesterol homeostasis, very few studies have investigated the effects of developmental neurotoxicants on brain cholesterol; therefore, this area is rich in opportunities for future studies.
Fine Motor Skills in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Developmental Coordination Disorder

The manual dexterity subtests of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, and handwriting and computerized graphomotor tasks were used to investigate motor skills of a group of 12 children (11 males, 1 female; mean age 9 years 7 months) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and 12 controls at University Medical Centre Groningen, the Netherlands.
A Software Tool for Registration Based Distortion Correction in Echo Planar Imaging

There exists a need for more accurate functional localization through the registration of functional to anatomical magnetic resonance brain images. This paper introduces a new software tool, named NPTK, that has been developed at the Signal and Image Processing Laboratory of the University of Texas at Dallas for improved functional localization in single- subject analysis. This software toolkit is developed based on recently introduced non-rigid registration and field map distortion correction techniques, which has been validated via in-vivo validation of retrospective distortion correction in Echo- Planar Imaging. The paper provides an overview of the entire functional localization pipeline, an algorithmic description of the developed software, and a discussion on the performance and applications of the software.
Distinguishing between contact lens warpage and ectasia: Usefulness of optical coherence tomography epithelial thickness mapping

Purpose To distinguish between corneal ectasia and contact lens–related warpage by characteristic patterns on corneal topography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) epithelial thickness maps. Setting Casey Eye Institute, Portland, Oregon, USA. Design Prospective and retrospective case series. Methods Axial and mean power maps were obtained on corneal topography systems. Epithelial thickness maps were generated using RTVue OCT. A sector divider was applied to all maps. The locations of the minimum epithelial thickness, maximum epithelial thickness, maximum axial power, and maximum mean power were determined based on sector averages. Agreement was defined as the extremums occurring in the same or adjacent sectors. Results Twenty-one eyes with keratoconus, 6 eyes with forme fruste keratoconus (better eye of asymmetric keratoconus), and 15 eyes with contact lens–related warpage were identified. The keratoconus and forme fruste keratoconus eyes had coincident topographic steepening with epithelial thinning. The locations of minimum epithelial thickness and maximum axial power agreed in 90% of the keratoconic eyes, while the minimum epithelial thickness and maximum mean power agreed in 95% of them. Conversely, the warpage eyes had coincident topographic steepening with epithelial thickening and normal pachymetry maps. The locations of maximum epithelial thickness and maximum axial power agreed in 93% of the warpage eyes, while the maximum epithelial thickness and maximum mean power agreed in all warpage eyes. Conclusion Results show that epithelial thickness maps and corneal topographic maps are powerful synergistic tools in evaluating eyes with abnormal topography and can help differentiate between keratoconus and nonectatic conditions.
Ground-State versus Excited-State Interchromophoric Interaction: Topology Dependent Excimer Contribution in Metal–Organic Framework Photophysics

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) define emerging materials with unique optoelectronic properties that stem from the highly organized chromophoric linkers within their frameworks. The extent of ground- and excited-state interchromophoric interaction among the π-conjugated macrocyclic linkers was studied within three tetraphenyl-pyrene (1,3,6,8-tetrakis(p-benzoic acid)pyrene; H4TBAPy)-based MOFs: ROD-7 (In2(OH)2TBAPy, frz), NU-901 (scu), and NU-1000 (csq) via steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques. These experimental data along with computational results indicate that the extent of the interchromophoric interaction, leading to a reduced optical band gap, varies across the series of MOFs and is a function of the relative orientation of the TBAPy linkers determined by their respective framework topology. The trend in the S1 → S0 emission lifetime is consistent with their relative optical bandgap. Analyses of the transient emission decay profiles and time-resolved emission spectroscopic data, r...
Dynamics of Intermittent Synchronization of Neural Activity

Neural activity of individual neurons and neuronal populations frequently exhibits synchronized dynamics. This synchronization has been related to a number of functions and dysfunctions of the brain. Synchronization of neural activity in the brain is rarely perfect. Rather, it exhibits intermittent dynamics, where episodes of synchrony are interspersed with episodes of non-synchronized activity. We review the recent developments in the studies of the intermittent neural synchrony with the focus on the analysis of the desynchronized dynamics. The application of the new analysis techniques to recordings of neural activity in different experiments suggests that different neural systems in the brain favor dynamics with short (although potentially numerous) desynchronization intervals. We further discuss the utility of this analysis in the study of neural systems and the potential functional significance of short desynchronization dynamics in the brain.
Laser-Induced Optical Breakdown in Solids

One of the unique features of femtosecond light pulses is the high peak power at moderate pulse energies, which enables many interesting applications in fundamental and applied science. When interacting with condensed matter, irreversible material changes occur if the pulse fluence exceeds a certain critical value. On one hand, such processes severely limit the performance of optical components such as coatings and windows (laser damage) and are undesired. On the other hand, permanent laser-induced material modifications have found interesting applications for laser microand nanostructuring as well as for the production of three-dimensional waveguides. Laser-induced breakdown has been studied since the invention of the laser using ever shorter pulses. The underlying physical processes are very complex as they involve matter far from thermal equilibrium under excitation conditions where perturbative approaches known from nonlinear optics fail. The primary energy deposition in dielectric materials with UV, VIS, and NIR pulses is through the electronic system, followed by energy transfer to the lattice and resulting in material ablation if a certain excitation fluence is exceeded. Although the actual damage mechanisms depend on the material under study and are still an area of active research (and controversy), much can be learned from the initial excitation of the electrons. As an illustration, Fig. 1 shows the fluence region of a 100 fs pulse for which damage in wide-gap materials occurs together with some important benchmarks of light–matter interaction. At low fluences, region A, the interaction leads to anharmonic oscillations of bound electrons, which can trigger processes like self-phase modulation. With increasing fluence, the binding potential is changed under the influence of the external electric field up to a point where the probability
Prices and Price Policy

Agricultural price policy and analysis have a quite different context and requirements when associated with rapid agricultural growth as compared to slow-growth agricultures. Technology-based agricultural growth increases incomes of both farmers and the rural poor. The thrust of this chapter is that government subsidies to cereals output and input prices have a prohibitively high opportunity cost in foregone investment in agricultural growth. The rural poor may be driven into extreme poverty with long-term loss of productive capacity owing to rising cereal prices. In that case, intervention to assist the poor is a good idea, especially, as is often the case, if it is paid for by foreign assistance donors.