cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Premalignant and malignant lesions of the vagina

Abstract This paper will review vaginal lesions including common premalignant conditions as well as primary malignant epithelial and mesenchymal neoplasms. Discussion of the precursor vaginal squamous intraepithelial lesion (VaSIL) will precede a section focused on vaginal squamous cell carcinoma (VaSCC). The topics of adenosis and atypical endometriosis will precede discussion of vaginal clear cell carcinoma and endometrioid carcinoma. Vaginal sarcomas and adenosarcomas will be briefly addressed. Metastatic tumours which comprise the majority of vaginal malignancies will also be discussed. The review will conclude with a brief discussion of the neovagina and the rare occurrence of malignancy in this site.
Nab2, a Three-Cornered Hat to Bind a Poly(A) Tail

In this issue of Structure, Brockman and co-workers reveal the structure and interactions of Nab2 with polyadenosine RNA, which marks the completion of 3′ end processing and initiates the assembly of mRNA and carrier proteins for export through the nuclear pore complex.
Retrograde cerebral perfusion during profound hypothermia and circulatory arrest in pigs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of retrograde cerebral perfusion via the superior vena cava during profound hypothermia and circulatory arrest (CA) in pigs. In three groups of 5 pigs each, group A (control) underwent cardiopulmonary bypass and normothermic CA for 1 hour, group B underwent cardiopulmonary bypass, profound hypothermia, and CA (15°C nasopharyngeal) for 1 hour, and group C underwent the same procedure as group B plus retrograde cerebral perfusion. In group A none awoke. In group B, 2 of 5 did not awake and 3 of 5 awoke unable to stand, 2 with perceptive hind limb movement and 1 moving all extremities. In group C all awoke, 4 of 5 able to stand and 1 of 5 unable to stand but moving all limbs. In neurologic evaluation group B had significantly lower Tarlov scores than group C ( p = 0.0090). Group B mean wake-up time, plus or minus standard error of the mean, was 124.6 ± 4.6 minutes versus 29.2 ± 5.1 in group C ( p = 0.0090). In group B late phase CA cerebral blood flow dropped 30.9% ± 4.8%, but in group C it rose 24.7% ± 9.3% ( p = 0.0007, pooled variance t test, two-tailed). In group B late phase CA brain oxygenation decreased 46.0% ± 13.9% but it increased 26.1% ± 5.4% in group C ( p = 0.0013). This difference was reduced somewhat during rewarming (B, −21.2% ± 14.9%; C, 16.4% ± 4.7%; p = 0.043). Group B rewarming jugular venous O 2 saturation was 30.8% ± 2.5% versus 56.0% ± 4.4% in group C ( p = 0.0011). We conclude that in pigs retrograde cerebral perfusion combined with profound hypothermia during CA significantly reduces neurologic dysfunction, providing superior brain protection.
Adaptive control of pre-fetching

Abstract Redundant arrays of independent disks (RAID) remain the mass storage medium of choice for real-time processing and information storage and retrieval. This paper proposes new adaptive pre-fetching algorithms for RAID systems using “life-time function analysis of programs”. The life-time function approach allows us to derive an inequality which allows us to determine when pre-fetching can be effective. This inequality relates the changes in disk transfer times to the changes in inter-page fault times with the ratio of disk transfer time to page fault time. We then use this inequality to design and adaptive pre-fetching strategies, and to propose a practical implementation. Simulation experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach are carried out. The analytical approach based on a single process execution model is extended to a multiprogramming environment using a queuing network model, as well as to a simpler approach using a “parallel processing” approximation.
Triploid Grass Carp: Triploid Induction, Sterility, Reversion, and Certification

Abstract Nonnative grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella have been used in the United States to control aquatic plants for approximately 42 years and are widely dispersed across 45 states, with reproduction occurring in 7 Mississippi River basin states. To prevent grass carp establishment and spread, a functionally sterile version—triploid grass carp—was produced in the early 1980s. However, there is uncertainty today regarding sterility and the efforts associated with triploid grass carp production and distribution. We reviewed relevant literature to summarize biological issues of interest to fishery managers: cell division for sexual reproduction, the induction of triploidy, sterility, reversion from the triploidy to diploidy, and pertinent aspects of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's triploid grass carp certification program. Received December 13, 2010; accepted May 18, 2011
Media, technology, and intercultural education

This Special Issue of Intercultural Education was driven by my professional and personal interests in both the multimodal nature of communication and intercultural teaching and learning. Like many ...
Intelligent Adversary Risk Analysis: A Bioterrorism Risk Management Model

The tragic events of 9/11 and the concerns about the potential for a terrorist or hostile state attack with weapons of mass destruction have led to an increased emphasis on risk analysis for homeland security. Uncertain hazards (natural and engineering) have been successfully analyzed using probabilistic risk analysis (PRA). Unlike uncertain hazards, terrorists and hostile states are intelligent adversaries who can observe our vulnerabilities and dynamically adapt their plans and actions to achieve their objectives. This article compares uncertain hazard risk analysis with intelligent adversary risk analysis, describes the intelligent adversary risk analysis challenges, and presents a probabilistic defender-attacker-defender model to evaluate the baseline risk and the potential risk reduction provided by defender investments. The model includes defender decisions prior to an attack; attacker decisions during the attack; defender actions after an attack; and the uncertainties of attack implementation, detection, and consequences. The risk management model is demonstrated with an illustrative bioterrorism problem with notional data.
Unitarity of conformal supergravity

The possibility of unitarizing the conformal supergravity of Kaku, Townsend, and van Nieuwenhuizen is investigated by examining the representation content of its linearized equations. Conformal (Weyl) gravitons are seen to correspond to a pair of helicity-conjugate, irreducible, and nonunitary representations of so(4,2). The solutions of the linearized gravitino field equation are seen to carry both unitary and nonunitary representations of so(4,2). The linearized constraint equation of Kaku et al., however, removes the unitary content from the gravitino field equation. The solution space of the linearized constraint and field equations of conformal supergravity is seen to carry a direct sum of two nonunitary and irreducible representations of the superalgebra su(2,2/1). These results imply that current models of conformal supergravity cannot be unitarized without breaking both su(2,2/1) and so(4,2) symmetries. A suggestion as to how one might construct a unitary model of conformal supergravity is made.
Population-Based Genomewide Genetic Analysis of Common Clinical Chemistry Analytes

Background: Recent technologies enable genetic association studies of common clinical analytes on a genomewide basis in populations numbering thousands of individuals. The first publications using these technologies are already revealing novel biological functions for both genic and nongenic loci, and are promising to transform knowledge about the biological networks underlying disease pathophysiology. These early studies have also led to development of a set of principles for conducting a successful genomewide association study (GWAS). Content: This review focuses on these principles with emphasis on the use of GWAS for plasma-based analytes to better understand human disease, with examples from cardiovascular biology. Conclusions: The correlation of common genetic variation on a genomewide basis with clinical analytes, or any other outcome of interest, promises to reveal how parts of the genome work together in human physiology. Nonetheless, performing a genomewide association study demands an awareness of very specific epidemiologic and analytic principles.
Complete Set of Eigenfunctions of the Quantum Toda Chain

The integral representation of the eigenfunctions of quantum periodic Toda chain constructed by Kharchev and Lebedev is revisited. We prove that Pasquier and Gaudin’s solutions of the Baxter equation provides a complete set of eigenfunctions under this integral representation. This will, in addition, show that the joint spectrum of commuting Hamiltonians of the quantum periodic Toda chain is simple.
STRUCTURE AND CREATIVITY: THE USE OF TRANSFORMATIONAL‐GENERATIVE MODELS IN ACTION THEORY*

In recent years concepts drawn from linguistics have been used increasingly in social and political theory. Such concepts as deep structure, surface structure, transformation rules, etc., are borrowed from Chomsky's theory of transformational-generative grammar. This paper examines two instances of this “linguistic drift” in action theory-the work of Marshall Edelson on personality and Terrence Turner on kinship and socialization. Analysis shows that in these instances the analogies with the linguistic concepts are not very rigorous. The author makes some tentative statements about the current status and prospects of such research programs.
Advancing Survivors’ Knowledge (ASK) about skin cancer study: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Advances in treatment have increased childhood cancer 5-year survival rates to greater than 80%. However, children previously treated with radiation are at significantly increased risk of developing subsequent neoplasms, the most common of which are skin cancers. The National Cancer Institute and Children’s Oncology Group have issued recommendations for survivors treated with radiation to perform monthly skin self-examinations and receive a physician skin examination at least annually, as early detection has demonstrated markedly improved outcomes in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers. The goal of the present study is to increase rates of skin self-examinations and clinical skin examinations among adult survivors of childhood cancer treated with radiation. This randomized controlled trial uses a 3-group comparative effectiveness design comparing: (1) Patient Activation and Education (PAE) including text messaging, print and web-based tutorials over 12 months; (2) PAE plus physician activation (PAE + MD) adding physician activation/educational materials about survivors’ increased skin cancer risk and conducting full-body skin exams; and (3) PAE plus physician activation, plus teledermoscopy (PAE + MD + TD) adding participant receipt of a dermatoscope intended to empower them to photograph suspect moles or lesions for review by the study dermatologist. The current study addresses barriers to screening in this population by providing educational and motivational information for both survivors and physicians regarding the value of periodic skin examinations. It also utilizes innovative mobile health technology to encourage and motivate (that is activate) survivors to conduct skin self-examinations, request physician exams, and obtain treatment when worrisome lesions are found. Finally, as a comparative effectiveness trial, this study isolates the effects of adding specific components to the patient activation intervention to test the most effective intervention for enhancing skin examination vigilance among this high-risk group. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02046811 ; Registration date: 22 January 2014.
Abstinence and abstinence-only education: a review of U.S. policies and programs.

Abstinence from sexual intercourse is an important behavioral strategy for preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and pregnancy among adolescents. Many adolescents, including most younger adolescents, have not initiated sexual intercourse and many sexually experienced adolescents and young adults are abstinent for varying periods of time. There is broad support for abstinence as a necessary and appropriate part of sexuality education. Controversy arises when abstinence is provided to adolescents as a sole choice and where health information on other choices is restricted or misrepresented. Although abstinence is theoretically fully effective, in actual practice abstinence often fails to protect against pregnancy and STIs. Few Americans remain abstinent until marriage; many do not or cannot marry, and most initiate sexual intercourse and other sexual behaviors as adolescents. Although abstinence is a healthy behavioral option for teens, abstinence as a sole option for adolescents is scientifically and ethically problematic. A recent emphasis on abstinence-only programs and policies appears to be undermining more comprehensive sexuality education and other government-sponsored programs. We believe that abstinence-only education programs, as defined by federal funding requirements, are morally problematic, by withholding information and promoting questionable and inaccurate opinions. Abstinence-only programs threaten fundamental human rights to health, information, and life. © 2006 Society for Adolescent Medicine. All rights reserved.
Klotho gene variation and expression in 20 inbred mouse strains

A defect in klotho gene expression in the mouse results in a syndrome that resembles human aging, with greatly shortened lifespan, arteriosclerosis, and defective hearing. In an effort to find functional murine variants of klotho, we sequenced the gene and examined renal expression of the secreted and membrane-bound Klotho isoforms from 16 laboratory-derived and 4 wild-derived inbred strains. Among the laboratory-derived strains, no sequence variation was found in any of the exons or intron-exon boundaries. Among the wild-derived strains, we found 45 sequence variants with six resulting in amino acid substitutions. One wild-derived strain, SPRET/Ei, had four amino acid substitutions and higher levels of the membrane form and total klotho mRNA. In addition, the membrane to secreted klotho expression ratio was elevated in three wild-derived strains with amino acid substitutions. Interestingly, SPRET/Ei mice have longer lifespans, decreased atherosclerosis risk factors, and better hearing than almost all other mouse strains.
Changes in Performance of Entries in Random Sample Tests

Abstract THE magnitude of the differences in performance among the stocks from which random sample test entries are drawn alters the probability that the best stock’s entry will rank first. When the difference between the best and the next best stock is large, the probability of ranking the best stock first is greater than when the difference is small (Becker, 1961, 1962). This general conclusion applies to both quantitative and all-or-none traits. For any one specific random sample test, it seems reasonable to assume that the stocks would improve in performance over a period of time because of the artificial selection practiced by the primary breeders. Also, it might be expected that entries from the stocks that consistently were poor would be replaced by entries from better stocks. This last action might be designated as the “economic selection” of stocks. Economic selection may occur because breeders are forced out of business,…
The effect of deep muscle temperature on the cardiovascular responses of man to static effort

Eight healthy male subjects (age range 24-38 year) were asked to exert a fatiguing isometric endurance contraction with their handgrip muscles at 40% of their maximum strength after immersion of their forearms in water at various temperatures ranging from 3-40 degrees C. For each subject, isometric endurance was longest after immersion of his forearm in water at a particular characteristic bath temperature; endurance decreased markedly above or below this temperature. The increase in heart rate from the beginning to the end of the fatiguing contractions was the same irrespective of the bath temperature. In contrast, the increase in blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) throughout the contractions was almost constant for contractions exerted after immersion of the forearm in water at 20-40 degrees C, but was reduced progressively for contractions exerted in water below 20 degrees C.
Does acid rain directly influence plant growth? Some comments and observations

Abstract Acid rain has been implicated as being directly phytotoxic. A review of the experimental evidence was conducted. Although there are several mechanisms by which acid rain could influence plant growth, the evidence suggests that plants are probably not being directly affected by ambient acid rain. Rain acidity may affect soils with poor buffering capabilities and thus indirectly influence plant growth in some regions. Factors other than rain acidity may be responsible for the reported reductions in forest growth in North America and Europe.
An ethnographic study of pregnancy counseling

In-depth interviewing and participant observation were used to study how social workers influence birth mothers in the pregnancy counseling process. According to the workers (1) they have little or no influence over a birth mother's decision to keep or relinquish her baby and (2) the decision to keep or relinquish is largely dependent on the birth mother's emotional capacity to tolerate the loss of the child.
Observations of Ion-Acoustic Cylindrical Solitons

Experimental observations of cylindrical solitons in a collisionless plasma are presented. The data obtained show that cylindrical solitonlike objects exist and that their properties are consistent with those of one- and three-dimensional solitons. It is found that compressive density perturbations evolve into solitons. The number of the solitons is determined by the width and amplitude of the applied pulse.
Cardiac Regeneration: Self-Service at the Pump

See related article, pages 911–921 Despite current pharmacological and whole organ transplantation strategies, advanced heart failure remains a common and deadly disease.1 Limited availability of donor organs for use in orthotopic heart transplantation has prompted examination of alternative therapeutic strategies directed toward patients with advanced heart failure. Intense interest has recently focused on cell transfer strategies or the mobilization of resident stem cells as strategies that may enhance the repair or regenerative capacity of the myopathic heart. Cell transfer therapies have been used successfully to treat chronic and life-threatening diseases. An effective cell transfer therapy is bone marrow transplantation (BMT); allogeneic and autologous stem cell sources have been used successfully for BMT for >35 years.2 An enhanced understanding of immunosuppression therapy, immunological barriers, and stem cell biology have collectively resulted in >17 000 BMT procedures performed last year by ≈200 US centers for the successful treatment of otherwise lethal diseases. The proven efficacy of this therapy using somatic stem cells underscores the potential of adult stem cells and provides further rationale for the applications of cell transfer strategies in disease treatment.2 Unlike BMT, use of cell transfer strategies for treatment of other debilitating and terminal diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, and advanced heart failure, has had limited or no success.3–5 This lack of success may be multifactorial and may be attributable to patient selection, cell source, timing of delivery (with regard to the onset of disease), decreased viability of cells after delivery (>90% cell death during the 72-hour period after delivery), milieu of the diseased tissue, or inability of the transplanted cells to form a functional syncytium with the host tissue.4–6 Although initial studies suggested that cell transfer therapies for regeneration of myocardial tissue might be effective,7 considerable controversy exists regarding …
Ph1-positive acute leukemia

Twenty-five cases of Ph1-positive acute leukemia (AL) are described, 13 presenting an acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and 12 an acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). In 12 cases coarse, pink, peroxidase-negative cytoplasmic granules were found in the leukemic cells. These granules have not been described in Ph1-negative AL and their presence appears to be pathognomonic of Ph1-positive acute leukemia. The leukemias of three patients consisted of both lymphoid and myeloid clones while the cells of two patients had lymphoid and myeloid markers simultaneously present in the same cells. Cytogenetic studies were useful for monitoring response and some patients clearly acquired a Ph1-negative status during clinical remission. The disease appears to be more resistant to chemotherapy than Ph1-negative acute leukemia. While similar to chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) in the Ph1 translocation, Ph1 AL differed from it both in age at presentation and response to therapy.
A GELFAND-NAIMARK THEOREM FOR C*-ALGEBRAS

Since the memorial work by I.M. Gelfand and M.A. Naimark [22], there have been various attempts to generalize the beautiful representation theorem for non-commutative C*-algebras (see e.g. [12] and its bibliography). Among them, one notable direction was the approach from the convexity theory, initiated by R.V. Kadison finding a functional representation of a C*-algebra on the w*- closure of the pure states as an order isomorphism in the context of Kadison’s function representation theorem (cf. [23]). This motivated the abstract Dirichlet problem for the extreme boundary of compact convex sets (cf. [2, 3]), and the duality arguments on the pure states for C*-algebras by F.W. Shultz [28] in the context of Alfsen-Shultz theory, which was further developed in C.A. Akemann and F.W. Shultz [1] based on Takesaki’s duality theorem (cf. [8], [30]). Another important approach was initiated by J.M.G. Fell [14] using the fiber bundle theory, and culminated in the Dauns-Hofmann theorem [11] (cf. also [13]), where they showed that every C*-algebra is *-isomorphic to the C*-algebra of all continuous sections of a C*-bundle over the spectrum of the center of its multiplier algebra.
Reframing Crisis Management

The impact of organizational crises has never been stronger. Yet previous research on crisis management lacks adequate integration. In this article we attempt to integrate and build upon current knowledge to create a multidisciplinary approach to crisis management research, using psychological, social-political, and technological-structural research perspectives. We offer definitions of organizational crisis and crisis management, as well as a framework that depicts the crisis management process and researchable propositions for the integration of these perspectives. We also suggest implications for research and practice.
Hampton, Nutting, and Rival Gospels at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Training School for Nurses, 1889–1906

Purpose: To examine the attempts by Isabel Hampton Robb and Mary Adelaide Nutting to reshape nurse training into an academic system of nursing education. As health care delivery undergoes transformation in the 1990s, it is useful to consider the strategies used as well as the successes and failures, of past nurse leaders. Design: Historical research. Methods: Archival data were analyzed in 1996 pertaining to the creation in 1889 and administration of the nursing school and hospital founded by Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Events were studied using published and unpublished writings by Hampton and Nutting, as well as relevant secondary sources. Findings: Separated by class from those with power, and limited by 19th century notions of women's place, Isabel Hampton Robb and Adelaide Nutting helped inaugurate nursing's quest for professionalization. Undaunted by adversity, they achieved novel accomplishments for women and nurses. Hampton and Nutting possessed vision, intelligence, the capacity to motivate, political skills, good judgement, and managerial competence. Conclusions: Hampton's and Nutting's inability to strengthen the link between the school of nursing and the Johns Hopkins University and the lack of unity within nursing limited their success. This research illuminates some of the controversies pertaining to nursing during an earlier period of sweeping health care change.
Sperm Lysozyme-Like Protein 1 (SLLP1), an intra-acrosomal oolemmal-binding sperm protein, reveals filamentous organization in protein crystal form

Sperm lysozyme-like protein 1 (SLLP1) is one of the lysozyme-like proteins predominantly expressed in mammalian testes that lacks bacteriolytic activity, localizes in the sperm acrosome, and exhibits high affinity for an oolemmal receptor, SAS1B. The crystal structure of mouse SLLP1 (mSLLP1) was determined at 2.15 A resolution. mSLLP1 monomer adopts a structural fold similar to that of chicken/mouse lysozymes retaining all four canonical disulfide bonds. mSLLP1 is distinct from c-lysozyme by substituting two essential catalytic residues (E35T/D52N), exhibiting different surface charge distribution, and by forming helical filaments approximately 75 A in diameter with a 25 A central pore comprised of six monomers per helix turn repeating every 33 A. Cross-species alignment of all reported SLLP1 sequences revealed a set of invariant surface regions comprising a characteristic fingerprint uniquely identifying SLLP1 from other c-lysozyme family members. The fingerprint surface regions reside around the lips of the putative glycan-binding groove including three polar residues (Y33/E46/H113). A flexible salt bridge (E46-R61) was observed covering the glycan-binding groove. The conservation of these regions may be linked to their involvement in oolemmal protein binding. Interaction between SLLP1 monomer and its oolemmal receptor SAS1B was modeled using protein-protein docking algorithms, utilizing the SLLP1 fingerprint regions along with the SAS1B conserved surface regions. This computational model revealed complementarity between the conserved SLLP1/SAS1B interacting surfaces supporting the experimentally observed SLLP1/SAS1B interaction involved in fertilization.
Fine structural analysis of membrane changes during reaggregation culture of chick optic tectum

Thin section and freeze-fracture electron microscopy have been used to characterize the changes in membrane morphology of reaggregating cultures of chick optic tectum. The cells are rounded and freely dispersed at 0 hr after dissociation. Between 2 and 6 hr the cells become closely apposed on all sides by other cells and form small aggregates. At this time punta adhaerentia junctions and focal densities are seen along the membranes of neighboring cells. Between 1 and 5 days in vitro (DIV) neurites containing growth cone regions are present. At 5 DIV the first synaptic contacts are observed. Between 7 and 14 DIV, the number of synaptic contacts increase and fewer growth cone regions are observed. As early as 7 DIV profiles are observed which strongly resemble both astrocytic and oligodendroglial cell somata and processes. Freeze-fracture analysis of aggregates at 0--4 hr reveals a sparse particle distribution on the P and E faces of apposed cells. By 1 DIV small clusters of loosely packed, large sized particles are seen on the P face of apposed cell membranes which may represent junctional contacts. Apparent coated vesicle fusion sites are common on the P face at 1--2 DIV. By 7 DIV. By 7 DIV, E face particle arrays are seen on cell bodies and neurites which correspond to specializations characteristic of excitatory synaptic junctions. By 8--10 DIV particle arrays are seen on the P face of post-synaptic membrane which may represent inhibitory synaptic contacts. Other types of particle specializations seen in freeze-fracture replicas include: specializations characteristic of gap junctions between cells and orthogonal assemblies of particles thought to be characteristic of astrocytes.
Transition to Adulthood, Parental Support, and Early Adult Well-being: Recent Findings from the Youth Development Study

This chapter addresses the diversity of the transition to adulthood and the significance of this variation for early adult well-being; the circumstances and consequences of parental support during this period; psychological vulnerability during the transition to adulthood; and finally, institutional changes to facilitate youth’s transition from school to work. Recent findings are reported from the Youth Development Study, a longitudinal prospective study of a community sample of 9th graders, followed through their mid-thirties. These findings suggest that pathways of transition to adulthood that reflect the timing and sequencing of role configurations marking adult status influence both health and socioeconomic attainment; that parental financial and residential support provides critical scaffolds and safety nets as youth navigate the increasingly prolonged transition to adulthood; and that unemployment, and the ensuing financial dependence it brings, can threaten youth’s self-efficacy. The considerable work-related difficulties faced by young people who start, but do not finish, college indicates the need for both greater support to help students complete 4-year college degrees and the upgrading of community college and vocational certification programs to encourage more youth to enter these institutions and obtain these alternative credentials.
Estrogenicity of the Isoflavone Metabolite Equol on Reproductive and Non-Reproductive Organs in Mice

Equol, a metabolite of the phytoestrogen daidzein, is present at significant levels in some humans who consume soy and in rodents fed soy-based diets. Equol is estrogenic in vitro, but there have been limited studies of its activity in vivo. We evaluated equol effects on reproductive and non-reproductive endpoints in mice. Ovariectomized age-matched (30-day-old) female C57BL/6 mice were fed phytoestrogen-free diets and given a racemic mixture of equol by daily injections (0, 4, 8, 12, or 20 mg [kg body weight](-1) day(-1)) or in the diet (0, 500, or 1,000 ppm) for 12 days. Mice were killed, and serum concentrations of total and aglycone equol were measured. Total serum equol concentrations ranged from 1.4 to 7.5 microM with increasing doses of injected equol, but uterine weight increased significantly only at 12 and 20 mg (kg body weight)(-1) day(-1). Dietary equol at 500 or 1,000 ppm produced total serum equol concentrations of 5.9 and 8.1 microM, respectively, comparable with those in rodents consuming certain high-soy chows; the proportion of equol present as the free aglycone was much lower with dietary administration than injections, which may be a factor in the greater biological effects induced by injections. Dietary equol did not significantly increase uterine weight. Increasing dietary and injected equol doses caused a dose-dependent increase in vaginal epithelial thickness. Uterine epithelial proliferation was increased by equol injections at 8-20 mg (kg body weight)(-1) day(-1) and 1,000 ppm dietary equol. Neither dietary nor injected equol decreased thymic or adipose weights. In conclusion, equol is a weak estrogen with modest effects on endpoints regulated by estrogen receptor alpha when present at serum levels seen in rodents fed soy-based diets, but quantities present in humans may not be sufficient to induce estrogenic effects, although additive effects of equol with other phytoestrogens may occur.
Experiments to determine whether retinogeniculate axons can form translaminar collateral sprouts in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat

An earlier study has shown that in young kittens, but not in adult cats, section of one optic nerve produces a curious pattern of cell survival in the denervated geniculate laminae. Most of the cells in these laminae are shrunken, but a few large cells remain close to the borders of the adjacent, normally innervated laminae, giving the impression that these cells are sustained by collaterals arising from the normal retinogeniculate axons. Adult cats and kittens aged 7, 9 and 20 days have been used to determine the extent to which normal retinogeniculate axons can invade a denervated geniculate lamina. One eye was removed and the animals were kept for periods varying from four months to four years. The fiber degeneration produced by removal of the second eye was then studied. There is no evidence for any collateral sprouting in the adults. If the first operation is done at seven or nine days a limited number of axons grow across laminar borders and invade a small border zone of the denervated laminae. These axons do not appear in all of the regions that show surviving large border cells. It is concluded that new sprouts are probably not formed, but that growing axons can invade an inappropriate lamina if this is denervated during the normal period of axonal growth.
Oral bioavailability and toxicokinetics of 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl in northern leopard frogs, Rana pipiens

14C-PCB 126 (39,49,59-phenyl-ring-14C) by force feeding it a cricket injected with the PCB. We found no statistical difference (t 5 0.917, df 5 5, p 5 0.401) in the average 48-h oral bioavailabilities of 0.35- and 5.0-mg/kg dosage groups, which were 84.6 6 5.8% (mean 6 SE, n 5 4) and 90.9 6 1.5% (n 5 3), respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that time was the only independent variable affecting the retention of whole-body 14C content. Kinetics were apparently first order because elimination rate was independent of dose. Assuming a single pool and one elimination rate, the t1/2 value for whole-body elimination of PCB-derived 14C was 763 d. Liver, fat bodies (corpora adiposa), carcass (head, bone, cartilage materials, and residues of other tissues), skin, and muscle were the major organs for PCB 126 retention in both dosage groups. The concentrations of 14C residue in fat bodies were relatively constant throughout the experiment. However, total residues in fat bodies declined throughout the experiment in both dosage groups in correlation with declining masses of fat bodies. Gonad, kidney, stomach, intestine, and a tissue pool including esophagus, lung, spleen, heart, and cloacal materials each accumulated ,1% of the initial total 14C residue. The egg follicles in 19 females contained 1 to 23% of the initial total 14C residue, with an average of 10.0 6 9.2% (mean 6 SE, n 5 19).
Imaging gene delivery with fluorescence microscopy.

Gene delivery offers the promise of treatment for a range of human diseases. Although carried out initially with modified viruses, the use of synthetic molecules, including polymers, lipids and peptides, has extended the possibilities greatly for rationally designed vectors tailored to individual gene-delivery applications. Underlying the rational design of gene-delivery vectors is the need to understand the individual steps of the gene-delivery pathway. Using new methods in fluorescence microscopy, it is now possible to isolate individual steps along the gene-delivery pathway to characterize the mechanisms of cellular binding, cellular internalization and nuclear entry. This review describes the advances made in the gene-delivery field with the assistance of fluorescence microscopy. The focus of this review is the use of synthetic gene-delivery vectors, especially polyethylenimine, and the live-cell imaging and single-particle tracking techniques that reveal the intracellular dynamics of the gene-deliver...
Durkheim’s theory of modernity: Self-regulating practices as constitutive orders of social and moral facts:

An important and innovative conception of constitutive practices plays a key role in Durkheim’s theory of modernity as outlined in De la Division du Travail Sociale (1893), his first book. The idea of self-organizing constitutive practices presents a vision of a modern differentiated society that can be flexible, strong, and egalitarian; supporting individual freedom and equality between individuals; while at the same time facilitating coherence and social solidarity without exerting authority or constraint. In 1902 Durkheim added a second preface to underscore and clarify the essential role played by constitutive practices in differentiated modern contexts of work and occupations. In spite of the importance he placed on constitutive practices, however, and the foundational role he argued they would play in modernity, the point has been largely overlooked. Instead, Durkheim has been interpreted as a conservative thinker, lacking an adequate approach to modernity. The oversight has left sociology without a...
Type II protein secretion is a subset of the pilD-dependent processes that facilitate intracellular infection by Legionella pneumophila

Previously, we had demonstrated that a Legionella pneumophila prepilin peptidase (pilD) mutant does not produce type IV pili and shows reduced secretion of enzymatic activities. Moreover, it displays a distinct colony morphology and a dramatic reduction in intracellular growth within amoebae and macrophages, two phenotypes that are not exhibited by a pilin (pilEL) mutant. To determine whether these pilD-dependent defects were linked to type II secretion, we have constructed two new mutants of L. pneumophila strain 130b. Mutations were introduced into either lspDE, which encodes the type II outer membrane secretin and ATPase, or lspFGHIJK, which encodes the pseudopilins. Unlike the wild-type and pilEL strains, both lspDE and lspG mutants showed reduced secretion of six pilD-dependent enzymatic activities; i.e., protease, acid phosphatase, p-nitrophenol phosphorylcholine hydrolase, lipase, phospholipase A, and lysophospholipase A. However, they exhibited a colony morphology different from that of the pilD mutant, suggesting that their surfaces are distinct. The pilD, lspDE, and lspG mutants were similarly and greatly impaired for growth within Hartmannella vermiformis, indicating that the intracellular defect of the peptidase mutant in amoebae is explained by the loss of type II secretion. When assessed for infection of U937 macrophages, both lsp mutants exhibited a 10-fold reduction in intracellular multiplication and a diminished cytopathic effect. Interestingly, the pilD mutant was clearly 100-fold more defective than the type II secretion mutants in U937 cells. These results suggest the existence of a novel pilD-dependent mechanism for promoting L. pneumophila intracellular infection of human cells.
p300/CBP-mediated p53 acetylation is commonly induced by p53-activating agents and inhibited by MDM2

The tumor suppressor p53 is activated in response to many types of cellular and environmental insults via mechanisms involving post‐translational modification. Here we demonstrate that, unlike phosphorylation, p53 invariably undergoes acetylation in cells exposed to a variety of stress‐inducing agents including hypoxia, anti‐metabolites, nuclear export inhibitor and actinomycin D treatment. In vivo , p53 acetylation is mediated by the p300 and CBP acetyltransferases. Overexpression of either p300 or CBP, but not an acetyltransferase‐deficient mutant, efficiently induces specific p53 acetylation. In contrast, MDM2, a negative regulator of p53, actively suppresses p300/CBP‐mediated p53 acetylation in vivo and in vitro . This inhibitory activity of MDM2 on p53 acetylation is in turn abrogated by tumor suppressor p19 ARF , indicating that regulation of acetylation is a central target of the p53–MDM2–p19 ARF feedback loop. Functionally, inhibition of deacetylation promotes p53 stability, suggesting that acetylation plays a positive role in the accumulation of p53 protein in stress response. Our results provide evidence that p300/CBP‐mediated acetylation may be a universal and critical modifi cation for p53 function.
Opposing Effects of PKCθ and WASp on Symmetry Breaking and Relocation of the Immunological Synapse

The immunological synapse (IS) is a junction between the T cell and antigen-presenting cell and is composed of supramolecular activation clusters (SMACs). No studies have been published on naive T cell IS dynamics. Here, we find that IS formation during antigen recognition comprises cycles of stable IS formation and autonomous naive T cell migration. The migration phase is driven by PKCtheta, which is localized to the F-actin-dependent peripheral (p)SMAC. PKCtheta(-/-) T cells formed hyperstable IS in vitro and in vivo and, like WT cells, displayed fast oscillations in the distal SMAC, but they showed reduced slow oscillations in pSMAC integrity. IS reformation is driven by the Wiscott Aldrich Syndrome protein (WASp). WASp(-/-) T cells displayed normal IS formation but were unable to reform IS after migration unless PKCtheta was inhibited. Thus, opposing effects of PKCtheta and WASp control IS stability through pSMAC symmetry breaking and reformation.
Systematically Defining Coarse-Grained Representations of Large Biomolecular Complexes

Various biomolecular complexes are involved in many important biological processes. For example, the ribosome is a very large RNA-protein assembly that plays a central role in protein biosynthesis. Microtubules serve as a structural component of the cytoskeleton. It would be difficult to use large-scale atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the functional motions of these systems because of computational expense, and furthermore, high resolution atomic structures for such complexes may not even be available. Therefore various coarse-grained (CG) approaches have attracted rapidly growing interest, which enable simulations of large biomolecular complexes over longer effective timescales than MD simulations. We have developed a novel and systematic method for constructing CG representations of arbitrarily complex biomolecules, in order to preserve the large-scale and functionally relevant essential dynamics (ED) at the CG level. In the ED-CG scheme, the essential dynamics can be captured from principal component analysis (PCA) of a MD trajectory, elastic network model (ENM) of a single atomic structure, or a low-resolution cryo-electron microscopy density map. The method has been applied to the E. coli. ribosome and a microtubule to characterize CG models with different resolutions. The results illustrate that functionally important essential dynamics can still be captured even with aggressive coarse-graining.
Design method for aperture-coupled microstrip patch antennas on textured dielectric substrates

Textured dielectric substrates made with multiple ceramics are now being introduced in antenna design. This paper presents a design technique for fabricating aperture-fed patch antennas with textured dielectrics. An example microstrip antenna is fabricated using this technique and measurements are compared to simulations. We show that by combining two ceramic materials a new composition is formed that has different properties from the original ceramics. These properties are measured and used in the fabrication of the antenna.
Port Access and Arms Sales The Unspoken Quid Pro Quo

This article examines the strategic use of arms sales by the Soviet Union. It is concerned with how the USSR, through its arms sales, rewards clients who give it what it wants and punishes clients who do not. This study identified grants of port access and, to a lesser degree, ability to pay in hard cash as the virtually exclusive determinants of variation in the contract terms of Soviet arms sales.
Complementarities between Outsourcing and Foreign Sourcing

Outsourcing has been growing both domestically and internationally. So has foreign direct investment (FDI). New models of international trade address these phenomena using recent advances in the economic theory of organizations. The models help us to identify circumstances under which firms choose to make their inputs themselves or buy them from third parties, and when they choose to produce their inputs locally or abroad (see Grossman and Helpman, 2002, 2004, 2005; Dalia Marin and Thierry Verdier, 2002, 2003; Diego Puga and Daniel Trefler, 2002; Pol Antras, 2003; Antras and Helpman, 2004). Some authors investigate the organizational choices of homogeneous firms in an industry with some particular characteristics while others examine the relative prevalence of different organizational structures in industries with heterogeneous firms. In this paper, we combine elements from Antras and Helpman (2004) and Grossman et al. (2004a) to study the relationship between outsourcing and foreign sourcing (or “offshoring”). Our analysis focuses on industries with heterogeneous firms that make intensive use of intermediate inputs. Contracting problems limit the types of contracts that can be written between final producers and input suppliers. Intermediate inputs can be produced domestically or in a low-wage country and can be produced inhouse or outsourced. By assumption, assembly of final goods takes place within the boundaries of the firm that has developed the product, but we sometimes allow this activity to be performed abroad. First, we assume that assembly takes place at home and that intermediate goods can be transported at no cost. We identify conditions under which cross-industry variation in the fixed cost of outsourcing generates a positive correlation between outsourcing and foreign sourcing. We then introduce transport costs for intermediate inputs and allow firms to choose where to assemble their final output. In this case, crossindustry variation in the fixed cost of doing business abroad produces a second complementarity between outsourcing and foreign sourcing. The latter finding is in keeping with conditions described in a recent article in the Financial Times about problems facing firms producing in China (see Peter Marsh, 2004). Companies that cannot find efficient local sources for components in China are burdened with the extra costs of shipping inputs from home. Apparently, FDI often goes hand-in-hand with the ability to find suitable Chinese suppliers. The trade-offs between in-house production and outsourcing and between shipping intermediate goods and producing them in proximity to assembly operations are the subject of our investigation below.