cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crizotinib: a novel and first-in-class multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the treatment of anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearranged non-small cell lung cancer and beyond

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine inhibitors were first approved for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in 2003 in the US. Activating EGFR mutations were subsequently discovered in 2004, and heralded the era of molecular targeted therapy in NSCLC. The discovery of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement in NSCLC in 2007 by two independent groups not only represents the first time ALK rearrangement has been discovered in common solid tumors but also represents another important milestone in the era of molecular targeted therapy in NSCLC. Crizotinib, a mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET)/ALK multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor went into early Phase I clinical development in 2007. Using the knowledge that NSCLC patients with activating EGFR mutations benefited from EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, crizotinib was rapidly and successfully developed as an inhibitor in ALK-rearranged NSCLC, based on a break apart fluorescence in situ hybridization assay, developed by two of the crizotinib Phase I sites. It cumulated in the conditional approval of crizotinib by the US Food and Drug Administration on August 26, 2011 for the treatment of ALK-rearranged NSCLC. The conditional approval was based on response rates of 50% and 61% from 255 ALK-rearranged NSCLC patients enrolled in two single-arm trials. Common adverse events of crizotinib include mild transient visual disorders, mild gastrointestinal toxicities, fatigue, rare alanine transaminase elevations, and even rarer pneumonitis (1.6%). Confirmatory trials comparing crizotinib with standard chemotherapy are ongoing. It took an unprecedented four years from the discovery of ALK rearrangement in NSCLC to the approval of crizotinib, the first ever ALK inhibitor, for the treatment of ALK-rearranged NSCLC.
Stem imaging and analysis of surfaces

Abstract Scanning reflection electron microscopy (SREM) can provide various types of image contrast depending on the smoothness and crystallinity of the surface. For flat single surfaces SREM gives the same range of phase contrast and diffraction contrast effects as in REM but suffer to some extent from limited depth of focus and noisy images. As with STEM, the main advantage of SREM arises from the possibility of obtaining microdiffraction patterns and some microanalysis from any small region of the image. Applications to the study of surface reactions include the investigation of the reaction of thin evaporated gold layers with magnesium oxide smoke crystals. The gold is initially in the form of very small crystals but reacts with the MgO when heated in vacuum at more than 500°C forming a series of compounds in thin films or small crystallites on the MgO surface. Microdiffraction patterns from curface layers of crystals may be affected by surface refraction effects or by surface channeling phenomena but in the current case are attributed to the presence of one or two atomic layers of a reaction product.
Synthesis of a C14',15' dihydro derivative of the south hexacyclic steroid unit of cephalostatin 1. Part II: Spiroketal synthesis and stereochemical assignment by nmr spectroscopy

Abstract Transformation of aldehyde 3 into 2 , a C 14',15' dihydro analog of the “South” hexacyclic spiroketal of cephalostatin 1 1 is described. The stereochemistry of 2 was elucidated by NMR spectroscopy.
The Onset of Molecular Hydrogen Emission from Proto-planetary Nebulae

This paper presents results obtained from high-resolution spectroscopy of the 2.1218 μm emission line of molecular hydrogen toward five bipolar pre-planetary nebulae. Our detections of IRAS 17441-2411 and AFGL 6815S bring to four, including AFGL 618 and AFGL 2688, the number of bipolar preplanetaries that have been detected as sources of H2 emission at 2.1218 μm. The spatially resolved H2 line profile of AFGL 6815S suggests that the bulk of the detected emission arises in an expanding molecular torus surrounding the central star. All of the H2-emitting pre-planetary nebulae are found at low galactic latitudes, consistent with previous results for planetary nebulae, and have central stars with intermediate or early spectral types. We were unable to detect H2 emission from the bipolar, post-main-sequence sources OH 231.8+4.2, IRAS 07131-0147, and IRAS 09371+1212, all of which have M-type central stars. These results suggest that the event that triggers the production of emission from shocked H2 occurs at an intermediate evolutionary epoch in the postasymptotic giant branch evolution of transition objects, after the generation of bipolar structure and before the nebular envelopes are ionized. From constraints imposed by the galactic distribution of H2-emitting planetaries, we estimate distances to the four pre-planetary nebulae that display H2 emission.
Gender Schema and Gender Role Discrepancy as Correlates of Body Image

Past studies of gender role and body image have focused on women's self-reported levels of femininity and masculinity as correlates of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. This study explored how college-aged women's and men's self-reported discrepancies in actual and ideal femininity and masculinity are linked to three measures of body image. For this group of women, physical size, but not gender role discrepancy, was predictive of body image. For the men, in addition to physical size, falling short of their masculine ideal was predictive of more negative body image. Results are discussed in relation to gender schema theory and cultural ideals of female thinness and male muscularity.
Use of modified snares to estimate bobcat abundance

Although genetic and analytical methods for estimating wildlife abundance have improved rapidly over the last decade, effective methods for collecting hair samples from terrestrial carnivores in a mark–recapture framework have lagged. Hair samples are generally collected using methods that permit sampling of multiple individuals during a single sampling period that can cause genotyping errors due to cross-contamination. We evaluated a modified body snare as a single-sample method to obtain bobcat hair samples suitable for individual identification using DNA analyses to estimate population size. We used a systematic grid (2.5 × 2.5 km) overlaid on a 278.5 km2 study area in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to distribute sampling effort. In each of 44 grid cells, we placed 2–6 snares at established sampling stations and collected hair samples weekly for 8 weeks during January–March 2010. We collected 230 hair samples overall, with 91% of sampling stations obtaining at least 1 hair sample. Fifty-seven percent of samples had sufficient DNA for species identification, which included bobcat (Lynx rufus, n = 17); raccoon (Procyon lotor, n = 62); coyote, dog, or wolf (Canis spp., n = 29); fox (Vulpes vulpes or Urocyon cinereoargenteus, n = 4); and fisher (Martes pennanti, n = 1). We identified 8 individual bobcats and using Huggins closed capture population models with a one-half mean maximum distance moved buffer, estimated 10 individuals within the trapping area (95% confidence interval = 8–28) with a density of 3.0 bobcats/100 km2. Our method provides an effective, single-sample technique for detecting bobcats and estimating abundance. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Endothermy in fishes: a phylogenetic analysis of constraints, predispositions, and selection pressures

Endothermy, the ability to raise body temperature by internal heat production, is unusual in teleost fishes and has only been documented within one suborder, the Scombroidei. Two separate modes of endothermy have evolved in the scombroidei; tunas warm their muscles, brain and viscera using heat exchangers in the circulation to these metabolically active tissues while billfishes and one primitive mackerel have a thermogenic organ situated beneath the brain. Both modes of endothermy emphasize common themes. Large body size coupled with heat exchangers are necessary to reduce convective and conductive heat exchange. A tissue with a high oxidative capacity is required for heat generation. Studies based upon morphology and mitochondrial DNA analyses indicate that endothermy has evolved independently at least three times within the scombroid lineage. Mapping of-morphological and physiological traits on a molecular phylogeny for scombroids provides evidence of selective pressures favoring evolution of diverse endothermic styles. The new results suggest anatomical constraints prevent most fish from using the tuna form of endothermy and indicate a possible linkage between endothermy and locomotory style (thunniform or sub-carangiform).
Relationship between impulsivity and decision making in cocaine dependence

Impulsivity and decision making are associated on a theoretical level in that impaired planning is a component of both. However, few studies have examined the relationship between measures of decision making and impulsivity in clinical populations. The purpose of this study was to compare cocaine-dependent subjects to controls on a measure of decision making (the Iowa Gambling Task or IGT), a questionnaire measure of impulsivity (the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale or BIS-11) and a measure of behavioural inhibition (the immediate memory task or IMT), and to examine the interrelationship among these measures. Results of the study showed that cocaine-dependent subjects made more disadvantageous choices on the IGT, had higher scores on the BIS and more commission errors on the IMT. Cognitive model analysis showed that choice consistency factors on the IGT differed between cocaine-dependent subjects and controls. However, there was no significant correlation between IGT performance and the BIS total score or subscales or IMT commission errors. These results suggest that in cocaine-dependent subjects there is little overlap between decision making as measured by the IGT and impulsivity/behavioural inhibition as measured by the BIS and IMT.
Linking boundary-layer circulations and surface processes during FIFE89. Part 1: Observational analysis

Surface, aircraft, and satellite observations are analyzed for the 21-day 1989 intensive field campaign of the First ISLSCP Field Experiment (FIFE) to determine the effect of precipitation, vegetation, and soil moisture distributions on the thermal properties of the surface including the heat and moisture fluxes, and the corresponding response in the boundary-layer circulation. Mean and variance properties of the surface variables are first documented at various time and space scales. These calculations are designed to set the stage for Part 2, a modeling study that will focus on how time-space dependent rainfall distribution influences the intensity of the feedback between a vegetated surface and the atmospheric boundary layer. Further analysis shows strongly demarked vegetation and soil moisture gradients extending across the FIFE experimental site that were developed and maintained by the antecedent and ongoing spatial distribution of rainfall over the region. These gradients are shown to have a pronounced influence on the thermodynamic properties of the surface. Furthermore, perturbation surface wind analysis suggests for both short-term steady-state conditions and long-term averaged conditions that the gradient pattern maintained a diurnally oscillating local direct circulation with perturbation vertical velocities of the same order as developing cumulus clouds. Dynamical and scaling considerations suggest that the embedded perturbation circulation is driven by surface heating/cooling gradients and terrain ef fects rather than the manifestation of an inertial oscillation. The implication is that at even relatively small scales (less than 30 km), the differential evolution in vegetation density and soil moisture distribution over a relatively homogenous ecotone can give rise to preferential boundary-layer circulations capable of modifying local-scale horizontal and vertical motions.
New perspectives on deep-water sandstones: Implications

Abstract The emerging new concepts of sandy mass-transport deposits (SMTD) and bottom-current reworked sands (BCRS) have made a big impact on conventional turbidite concepts. Sediment failures near the shelf edge are the common cause of gravity-driven downslope processes. Mass-transport processes, which include slide, slump, and debris flow, exhibit elastic and plastic behaviors due to high sediment concentration (25-100% by volume). Turbidity currents which represent viscous fluid behavior with low sediment concentration (1-23% by volume) are not mass-transport processes. Four common bottom currents are thermohaline, wind-driven, deep tidal, and baroclinic types. A distinctive attribute of BCRS is their traction structures. However, depositional aspects of baroclinic currents associated with internal waves and tides are poorly understood. Seismic facies and geometries are unreliable for distinguishing types of SMTDs and BCRS in the ancient record. The only reliable method of distinguishing a specific depositional facies is by detailed bed-by-bed examination of sedimentological features in core and outcrop. Short-term events that represent only a matter of hours or days (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones, etc.) are more important in triggering sediment failures than periods of sea-level lowstands that represent thousands of years.
School Choice and Stratification in a Regional Context: Examining the Role of Inter-District Choice

Despite the growing popularity of interdistrict choice plans over the past decade, the policy assumptions underlying their adoption have been subjected to very little empirical research. This study situates school choice within one metropolitan region, Denver, and examines the ways in which choice patterns relate to existing patterns of stratification between school districts. This regional focus offers insight into the patterns of interdistrict choice and the influence these patterns have on equity within a metropolitan region. Findings from this study indicate that relatively higher income students were more likely to take advantage of interdistrict choice, and that choice was more often used by students to exit from a less advantaged context (as measured by socioeconomic status) to a relatively more advantaged one. The article concludes with recommendations for policymakers in designing more equity-minded choice policies.
Acoustically-Active Microbubbles Conjugated to Liposomes: Characterization of a Proposed Drug Delivery Vehicle

A new acoustically-active delivery vehicle was developed by conjugating liposomes and microbubbles, using the high affinity interaction between avidin and biotin. Binding between microbubbles and liposomes each containing 5% DSPE-PEG2kBiotin was highly dependent on avidin concentration and observed above an avidin concentration of 10 nM. With an optimized avidin and liposome concentration, we measured and calculated as high as 1000 to 10,000 liposomes with average diameters of 200 and 100 nm, respectively, attached to each microbubble. Replacing avidin with neutravidin resulted in 3-fold higher binding, approaching the calculated saturation level. High-speed photography of this new drug delivery vehicle demonstrated that the liposome-bearing microbubbles oscillate in response to an acoustic pulse similar to microbubble contrast agents. Additionally, microbubbles carrying liposomes could be spatially concentrated on a monolayer of PC-3 cells at the focal point of ultrasound beam. As a result of cell-vehicle contact, the liposomes fused with the cells and internalization of NBD-cholesterol occurred shortly after incubation at 37°C, with internalization of NBD-cholesterol substantially enhanced in the acoustic focus.
Anti-parallel coiled coils structure prediction by support vector machine classification

Coiled coils is an important 3-D protein structure with two or more stranded alpha-helical motif wounded around to form a “knobs-into-holes” structure. In this paper we propose an SVM classification approach to predict the anti-parallel coiled coils structure based on the primary amino acid sequence. The training dataset for the machine learning are collected from SOCKET database which is a SOCKET algorithm predicted coiled coils database. Total 41 sequences of at least two heptad repeats of the anti-parallel coiled coils motif are extracted from 12 proteins as the positive datasets. Total 37 of non coiled coils sequences and parallel coiled coils motif are extracted from 5 proteins as negative datasets. The normalized positional weight matrix on each heptad register a, b, c, d, e, f and g is from SOCKET database and is used to generate the positional weight on each entry. We performed SVM classification using the cross-validated datasets as training and testing groups. Our result shows 73% accuracy on the prediction of anti-parallel coiled coils based on the cross-validated data. The result suggests a useful approach of using SVM to classify the anti-parallel coiled coils based on the primary amino acid sequence.
Designs of high quality streaming proxy systems

Researchers often use segment-based proxy caching strategies to deliver streaming media by partially caching media objects. The existing strategies mainly consider increasing the byte hit ratio and/or reducing the client perceived startup latency (denoted by the metric delayed startup ratio). However, these efforts do not guarantee continuous media delivery because the to-be-viewed object segments may not be cached in the proxy when they are demanded. The potential consequence is playback jitter at the client side due to proxy delay in fetching the uncached segments, which we call proxy jitter. Thus, for the best interests of clients, a correct model for streaming proxy system design should aim to minimize proxy jitter subject to reducing the delayed startup ratio and increasing the byte hit ratio. However, we have observed two major pairs of conflicting interests inherent in this model: (1) one between improving the byte hit ratio and reducing proxy jitter, and (2) the other between improving the byte hit ratio and reducing the delayed startup ratio. In this study, we first propose an active prefetching method for in-time prefetching of uncached segments, which provides insights into the first pair of conflicting interests. Second, we further improve our lazy-segmentation scheme which effectively addresses the second pair of the conflicting interests. Finally, considering our main objective of minimizing proxy jitter and optimizing the two trade-offs, we propose a new streaming proxy system called Hyper Proxy by effectively coordinating both prefetching and segmentation techniques. Synthetic and real workloads are used to systematically evaluate our system. The performance results show that the hyper proxy system generates minimum proxy jitter with a low delayed startup ratio and a small decrease of byte hit ratio compared with existing schemes
Extreme solutions of the two machine flow‐shop problem

The paper provides a new theoretical framework to identify extreme solutions of the two machine flow-shop problem. Some remarkable properties of these solutions have been developed. As a result the problem of generating minimal solutions can be decomposed into a number of smaller subproblems.
Yeast actin cytoskeleton mutants accumulate a new class of Golgi-derived secretary vesicle.

Abstract Many yeast actin cytoskeleton mutants accumulate large secretory vesicles and exhibit phenotypes consistent with defects in polarized growth. This, together with actin's polarized organization, has suggested a role for the actin cytoskeleton in the vectorial transport of late secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane. By using ultrastructural and biochemical analysis, we have characterized defects manifested by mutations in the SLA2 gene (also known as the END4 gene), previously found to affect both the organization of the actin cytoskeleton and endocytosis in yeast. Defects in cell wall morphology, accumulated vesicles, and protein secretion kinetics were found in sla2 mutants similar to defects found in act1 mutants. Vesicles that accumulate in the sla2 and act1 mutants are immunoreactive with antibodies directed against the small GTPase Ypt1p but not with antibodies directed against the homologous Sec4p found on classical "late" secretory vesicles. In contrast, the late-acting secretory mutants sec1-1 and sec6-4 are shown to accumulate anti-Sec4p-positive secretory vesicles as well as vesicles that are immunoreactive with antibodies directed against Ypt1p. The late sec mutant sec4-8 is also shown to accumulate Ypt1p-containing vesicles and to exhibit defects in actin cytoskeleton organization. These results indicate the existence of at least two classes of morphologically similar, late secretory vesicles (associated with Ypt1p+ and Sec4p+, respectively), one of which appears to accumulate when the actin cytoskeleton is disorganized.
X-ray effects on cultured human amnion cells.

The early effects of 100 kv x rays on monolayers of continuously grown human amnion cells of strain FL include loss of continuity of the cell sheet, reduction in number of cells, gradual increase in cell size, and decrease in occurrence of mitotic figures. For doses examined in the range 300 to 3000 r, the increase in cell size was accompanied by a greater range of volumes. Cell enlargement, interpreted as continued cellular growth under the condition of inhibited cell division, was reflected in the nucleus as well as in the cytoplasm. The largest giant cells were present 4 days after irradiation. Mitotic figures did not occur in giant cells. Cytoplasmic changes in the irradiated cells included enlargement, vacuolization, and formation of empty-looking, rather structureless areas, mainly perinuclear, that may figure in the separation of cytoplasm and nuclei. Prominent ergastoplasm and well-preserved mitochondria and Golgi complexes were seen within the irradiated cells, but a bubbling at the cell surface with suggested blebs containing well-preserved endoplasmic reticulum suggested a sudden dissolution of the cell. Nuclear anomalies included increased number of nuclei as well as marked changes in size and shape. Budding and break- off of nuclear material, wrinkling, and irregularities ofmore » nuclear membrane lobulation, and vacuolization were frequently observed. The multinucleate cells occurred frequently and, apparently as a late stage, the nuclei seemed to explode into numerous spheroidal masses. The nuclear RNA was seen to take all sizes and, especially at the earlier stages of change, was characteristically in the form of irregular enlarged nucleoli. A central zone of relatively structureless material was often observed within the nucleoli and some evidence of their unraveling was seen. In multinucleate cells, small nucleoli were seen within some micronuclei. Surviving cells from cultures exposed once or twice to 1000 r showed no striking difference in growth behavior of x-ray resistance from the parent culture. The chromosomes of FL cells displayed responses to radiation that ranged from simple breakage to marked fragmentation, with increased dose of radiation, and included complicated structural rearrangements.« less
Integrated Equilibrium Travel Demand Model with Nested Logit Structure: Fixed-Point Formulation and Stochastic Analysis

This paper presents an integrated travel demand modeling problem that accommodates the traditional travel demand modeling process in a nested logit structure for hierarchical travel choices, including travel, destination, mode, and route choices. The problem is characterized by a closed-form fixed-point model, which properly describes the asymmetric flow-cost effects of different transportation modes in an interactive traffic environment. The method of successive averages is adopted for problem solutions. The proposed model and solution method is further implemented to study travel demand distribution variations caused by model and data uncertainties. Specifically, the Monte Carlo simulation technique is adopted here to simulate and derive solution variations. Through a numerical example, the uncertainty analysis exhibits diverse demand variation patterns and degrees across different demand aggregation levels under different uncertainty sources.
Which motion segments are required to sufficiently characterize the kinematic behavior of the trunk

Abstract Various kinematic definitions of the thoracic spine have been employed in past work. However, the segments necessary to sufficiently characterize the thoracic spine during trunk movements in all three planes of motion have not yet been identified. This study aimed to determine the minimum number of segments necessary to adequately characterize the kinematics of the thoracic spine. Thirty individuals, asymptomatic for back pain, performed ten trials of maximum trunk flexion, lateral bend, and axial twist; thoracic flexion, lateral bend, and axial twist; and slumped standing. Marker clusters were applied over the C 7 , T 3 , T 6 , T 9 , T 12 , and L 5 vertebrae. Three-dimensional angles of each cluster were calculated, and cross-correlation ( R xy(time) ) and correlation ( R xy(max) ) analyses were employed to assess the relationships in the motion patterns and maximum angles of adjacent clusters, respectively. The motion patterns and maximum angles of adjacent clusters were very strongly ( R xy(time) >0.90 for 26 of 35 pairings) and strongly ( R xy(max) >0.80 for 25 of 35 pairings) correlated, respectively. A four-cluster set (C 7 , T 6 , T 12 , and L 5 ) represented thoracic movement for six of the seven movement tasks tested. These results provide insight into thoracic movement coordination, with implications for predictive spinal modeling and clinical assessment practices.
Deception Detection Accuracy is a Predictable Linear Function of Message Veracity Base-Rate: A Formal Test of Park and Levine's Probability Model

This study provided the first empirical test of point predictions made by the Park-Levine probability model of deception detection accuracy. Participants viewed a series of interviews containing truthful answers, unsanctioned, high-stakes lies, or some combination of both. One randomly selected set of participants (n=50) made judgments where the probability that each message was honest was P(H)=.50. Accuracy judgments in this condition were used to generate point predictions generated from the model and tested against the results from a second set of data (n=413). Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight base-rate conditions where the probability that a message was honest systematically varied from 0.00 to 1.00. Consistent with the veracity effect, participants in P(H)=.50 condition were significantly more likely to judge messages as truths than as lies, and consequently truths (67%) were identified with greater accuracy than lies (34%). As predicted by the model, overall accuracy was a linear ...
Schlieren visualization of fluid dynamics effects in direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry

Rationale The success of ambient analysis using plasma-based ion sources depends heavily on fluid dynamics and mass transport efficiency in the sample region. To help characterize the influence of these determining factors, visualization of the gas flow profile for a Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) ion source at the mass spectrometer atmospheric pressure (AP) interface was performed using the Schlieren technique. Methods The DART helium flow pattern was imaged in model systems incorporating different interface designs, i.e. skimmer or capillary inlet, and for sampling strategies using several types of traditional DART sample probes including a glass capillary, swab, and drug tablet. Notably, Schlieren experiments were conducted on instruments equipped with the gas-ion separator tube (GIST) adapter and Vapur® pump, and on setups featuring the transmission mode (TM) DART module used in standard practice. Results DART sources were seen to expel a collimated, highly laminar helium stream across interface distances up to ~8 cm. The helium stream was robust to the influence of gas temperature (50–500 °C) and flow rate (≤3.5 L min–1), but considerable DART gas deflection or full disruption was observed in each sampling scenario. The severity of the flow disturbance depended on probe size and placement, the GIST/Vapur® settings, or counter-current gas movements present at the interface. Conclusions The real-time Schlieren visualizations introduced in this work provide new insight on the fluid dynamics within the DART-MS sample gap while also helping to identify those experimental parameters requiring optimization for improved transmission. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Adults

Antimicrobial prophylaxis is commonly used by clinicians for the prevention of numerous infectious diseases, including herpes simplex infection, rheumatic fever, recurrent cellulitis, meningococcal disease, recurrent uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with cirrhosis, influenza, infective endocarditis, pertussis, and acute necrotizing pancreatitis, as well as infections associated with open fractures, recent prosthetic joint placement, and bite wounds. Perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis is recommended for various surgical procedures to prevent surgical site infections. Optimal antimicrobial agents for prophylaxis should be bactericidal, nontoxic, inexpensive, and active against the typical pathogens that can cause surgical site infection postoperatively. To maximize its effectiveness, intravenous perioperative prophylaxis should be administered within 30 to 60 minutes before the surgical incision. Antimicrobial prophylaxis should be of short duration to decrease toxicity and antimicrobial resistance and to reduce cost.
Organic anion transporter 3 (Slc22a8) is a dicarboxylate exchanger indirectly coupled to the Na+ gradient.

Basolateral uptake of organic anions in renal proximal tubule cells is indirectly coupled to the Na+ gradient through Na+-dicarboxylate cotransport and organic anion/dicarboxylate exchange. One mem...
American journalism and the politics of diversity

Ethnic-identity professional organizations, such as Unity: Journalists of Color, Inc., have become among the most prominent journalistic voices in contemporary US newsrooms. Supported by major foundations and media companies, this diversity journalism movement has focused on two primary goals: increased employment of non-white journalists and more news attention to ‘communities of color’. While these goals have been partially achieved, the movement has paradoxically also contributed - by providing ‘progressive’ political cover to marketing-driven transformations of the media industry - to actually reducing the diversity of ideological perspectives in the news. Drawing on research on US news coverage of immigration between the 1970s and 1990s, linkages are made between the increased journalistic valorization of ethnic/racial identities, the rise of multi-cultural marketing, and a sharp decline in media attention to economic inequalities and labor perspectives.
Structural Development in the Santa Catharina Meteorite

A metallographic study was undertaken to seek support for the idea that Santa Catharina is really massive cloudy taenite. Available metal-rich nuggets of Santa Catharina appear to have been single crystals of taenite in the few centimeter size range, separated from each other by grain boundaries occupied by troilite and schreibersite. Metallographic and electron microprobe data allow one to postulate the following cooling and structural development history: (1) single crystal taenite formed at high temperature; (2) phosphate formed within the taenite and grain boundary schreibersite formed at interfaces with troilite or with other taenite crystals; (3) schreibersite began to precipitate within taenite at about 650 C; (4) at about 450 C the meteorite entered the three phase field at which point kamacite precipitated and started growing; and (5) kamacite/schreibersite interface measurements indicate that cooling continued down to about 350 C, with large Ni diffusion gradients developing within schreibersites.
Chromatin 'programming' by sequence - is there more to the nucleosome code than %GC?

The role of genomic sequence in directing the packaging of eukaryotic genomes into chromatin has been the subject of considerable recent debate. A new paper from Tillo and Hughes shows that the intrinsic thermodynamic preference of a given sequence in the yeast genome for the histone octamer can largely be captured with a simple model, and in fact is mostly explained by %GC. Thus, the rules for predicting nucleosome occupancy from genomic sequence are much less complicated than has been claimed. See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/10/442.
One health, food security, and veterinary medicine

Views: Commentary 739 A the Group of Eight (G8) Summit in L’Aquila, Italy, in July 2009, the leaders of the world’s largest economies committed to “act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global food security.” The statement was precipitated by spikes in food prices, a rising incidence of hunger in 2008, a realization that price spikes are likely to recur, and an understanding that global food security is among the most formidable challenges facing all of humankind in the 21st century. This urgent global challenge will require a dramatic and coordinated effort by multiple stakeholders, including a crucial role for the veterinary profession in the United States and the developing world. The world’s livestock sector is growing at an unprecedented rate, driven principally by urbanization and rising incomes. Because of this, annual meat production is projected to increase from 218 million tonnes from 1997 through 1999 to 376 million tonnes by 2030, an increase of more than 70% in 30 years. To meet the demand, global livestock and poultry production must increase in efficiency. Animal-source foods are important for nutrition of young children and pregnant and lactating women because of the high-quality protein and bioavailable micronutrients they contain. Even small quantities of meat, milk, or eggs can make substantial differences to the food security and health of people living in poor communities. The livestock sector can also be an important way of lifting small farmers out of poverty. These factors present the veterinary profession with an opportunity to become a pivotal force in overcoming many aspects of food insecurity by improving the health and economic prospects of millions of small livestock farmers, especially in the developing world, where private and public veterinary services for livestock and poultry production, disease control, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability need to be strengthened. Such long-term, complex challenges require veterinary expertise at multiple levels, especially at the level of formulating and implementing policy. Presently, however, there is an exteme paucity of veterinarians involved in strategic planning in US agencies for international development. We are aware of only a One health, food security, and veterinary medicine
Using multimarket data to predict brand performance in markets for which no or poor data exist

Abstract The authors show how multimarket data can be used to make predictions about brand performance in markets for which no or poor data exist. To obtain these predictions, the authors propose a model for market similarity that incorporates the structure of the U.S. retailing industry and the geographic location of markets. The model makes use of the idea that if two markets have the same retailers or are located close to each other, then branded goods in these markets should have similar sales performance (other factors being held constant). In holdout samples, the proposed spatial prediction method improves greatly on naive predictors such as global-market averages, nearest neighbor predictors, or local averages. In addition, the authors show that the spatial model gives more plausible estimates of price elasticities. It does so for two reasons. First, the spatial model helps solve an omitted variables problem by allowing for unobserved factors with a cross-market structure. An example of such unobse...
Comparative characterization of volcanic ash soils exposed to decade-long elevated carbon dioxide concentrations at Mammoth Mountain, California

Elevated concentrations of soil CO_2, ranging from 20% to 90%, from a magmatic source have been killing coniferous trees in the last decade in several distinct areas on the flanks of Mammoth Mountain, California. These areas of elevated soil CO_2 provide a natural laboratory to examine how chemical weathering in soils responds to extremely high-CO_2 concentrations in conjunction with possible changes in organic acids resulting from vegetation mortality. These volcanic ash soils have a particularly low resistance to chemical weathering due to the predominance of volcanic glass and other noncrystalline phases. Thus, decade-long exposure to anomalous conditions may result in differences in soil characteristics. Soil samples from within the high-CO_2 region have been analyzed and compared to samples from outside the anomalous area in the adjacent healthy forest areas where background CO_2 concentrations are less than 1%. Compared to the control soil, the high-CO_2 soil has lower pH values (5.0 compared to 5.6), higher soil moisture content, and higher surface area. Dithionite-citrate and acid-oxalate extractants were less effective in leaching Al and Si from the high CO_2 than from the control soil, indicating a distinct difference in the mineralogy of these soils. The observed differences between the high-CO_2 and control soils are consistent with an enhancement of weathering intensity in the soil exposed to elevated CO_2 concentrations.
Multimodality Quantitative Imaging of Aortic Root for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: More Complex Than It Appears

The anatomy of the aortic valve and that of the aortic root recently have become very relevant to the interventional cardiology community due to rapid development of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The aortic root, the direct continuation of the left ventricular outflow tract,
Economic factors and Water Resources Planning in America

In the United States the year 1776 marked the beginning of a government dedicated to develop abundant unclaimed resources for the benefit of common people. It also marked the publication of Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith as the beginning of modern economics. Since then, proponents and opponents of project development schemes for navigation, irrigation, flood control, hydroelectric power, and water quality have desired economic arguments to support their positions. While economic comparisons have gained widespread application in project design, they have seldom decided project selection. In order to get away from using economics at the project selection level largely to defend decisions already made, economic analysis needs to be restructured by more effective use of the information storage and retrieval capabilities of modern computers so that relevant information from any viewpoint can be quickly provided to people or communities making water management decisions. The goal is to get crusaders to listen to facts before committing themselves and society.
Phenylimido Functionalization of α-[PW12O40]3-

A synthetic route of potentially wide scope is reported herein for the organoimido functionalization of polyoxotungstates. This report focuses on the reaction between the monovacant lacunary polyox...
Hülle Cell Development in Emericella Nidulans

Hulle cell development in Emericella nidulans has been investigated using phase contrast and transmission electron microscopy. Hulle cells are intitated as swellings of the tips of certain hyphae t...
CAPITAL PROBLEMS AMONG SMALL BUSINESSES IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY: A CASE STUDY OF MALAYSIA

ABSTRACT While finance has always been described as a major problem among small business, especially in developing countries, this study takes the question of finance much further. The study attempts to determine the extent to which those who commence business without sufficient capital will continue to face financial difficulties. A second question addressed by this paper is the determination of any relationship between business characteristics and financial problems. The findings proved that most small businesses in Malaysia started their business without sufficient capital, hoping that the problem could be solved in due course from internally generated funds or from the assistance of financial institutions. Generally, there seemed to be little understanding about capital management.
A comparison of quantum limited dose and noise equivalent dose

Quantum-limited-dose (QLD) and noise-equivalent-dose (NED) are performance metrics often used interchangeably. Although the metrics are related, they are not equivalent unless the treatment of electronic noise is carefully considered. These metrics are increasingly important to properly characterize the low-dose performance of flat panel detectors (FPDs). A system can be said to be quantum-limited when the Signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) is proportional to the square-root of x-ray exposure. Recent experiments utilizing three methods to determine the quantum-limited dose range yielded inconsistent results. To investigate the deviation in results, generalized analytical equations are developed to model the image processing and analysis of each method. We test the generalized expression for both radiographic and fluoroscopic detectors. The resulting analysis shows that total noise content of the images processed by each method are inherently different based on their readout scheme. Finally, it will be shown that the NED is equivalent to the instrumentation-noise-equivalent-exposure (INEE) and furthermore that the NED is derived from the quantum-noise-only method of determining QLD. Future investigations will measure quantum-limited performance of radiographic panels with a modified readout scheme to allow for noise improvements similar to measurements performed with fluoroscopic detectors.
Retiming and dual-supply voltage based energy optimization for DSP applications

Low energy, as one of the most important metrics in modern design, has also been considered as an important criterion to many DSP applications. To address the low energy issue of DSP applications, in this work, we have proposed a new energy minimization approach which optimally combines the dual-supply voltage (dual-Vdd) with the retiming technique. We have specifically focused on various hardware-implemented transforms and filters such as the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and the discrete cosine transform (DCT) which are widely used in DSP applications. Our key idea is to use a maximum-flow/min-cut strategy to reduce the required number of flip-flop logic and while maintaining the delay of the circuit in such a way that to enable efficient Vdd allocation in the subsequent stage. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated on both FFT and DCT applications using an industrial cell library. Given a target delay, a significant energy saving using our approach is observed.
Evaluation of die trim morphology made by CAD-CAM technology.

Abstract Statement of problem The die contour can affect the emergence profile of prosthetic restorations. However, little information is available regarding the congruency between a stereolithographic (SLA) die and its corresponding natural tooth. Purpose The purpose of this vitro study was to evaluate the shapes of SLA die in comparison with the subgingival contour of a prepared tooth to be restored with a ceramic crown. Material and methods Twenty extracted human teeth, 10 incisors, and 10 molars, were disinfected and mounted in a typodont model. The teeth were prepared for a ceramic restoration. Definitive impressions were made using an intraoral scanner from which 20 SLA casts with removable dies were fabricated. The removable dies and corresponding human teeth were digitized using a 3-dimensional desktop scanner and evaluated with computer-aided design software. The subgingival morphology with regard to angle, length, and volume at the buccolingual and mesiodistal surfaces and at zones A, B, C, and D were compared. Data were first analyzed with repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), using locations (buccolingual and mesiodistal), zones (A, B, C, and D), and model type (SLA and Natural) as within-subject factors and tooth type (molar and incisor) as the between-subject factor. Post hoc analyses were performed to investigate the difference between natural teeth and corresponding SLA models, depending upon the interaction effect from the repeated measures ANOVA (α=.05). Results For angle analysis, the incisor group demonstrated a significant difference between the natural tooth and SLA die on the buccolingual surfaces ( P P P P P P Conclusions For the comparison of angles, SLA dies did not replicate the subgingival contour of natural teeth on the buccolingual surfaces of the incisal groups. For the comparison of length and volume, SLA dies were more concave and did not replicate the subgingival contour of natural teeth in the incisal and molar groups.
Transrectal Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis and Staging of Carcinoma of the Prostate

AbstractTransrectal prostatic ultrasonography is a potentially valuable means to evaluate the prostate of men with suspected carcinoma. We studied 118 patients with this modality before histological evaluation of the prostate (20 underwent radical prostatectomy, 75 core needle biopsy and aspiration cytology, and 23 transurethral resection of the prostate). Transrectal ultrasonography was more efficient than digital rectal examination in the staging of carcinoma of the prostate before radical prostatectomy. The value of transrectal ultrasonography in the diagnosis of prostatic cancer in men with an abnormal-feeling prostate on digital rectal examination is less certain, since 10 of 75 patients (13 per cent) in this group had a falsely positive scan. The predictive value of a scan positive for malignancy was 37 per cent. Further refinements in the technique of transrectal prostatic ultrasonography are needed to realize fully the diagnostic potential of this imaging modality. (J. Urol., 140: 758-760, 1988)