cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mass Appeals for the Rights of Others

Human rights campaigns assert controversial arguments about the importance of human dignity in the face of the arbitrary exercise of power. The history of human rights is indeed a history of confrontation between forces seeking to preserve the status quo and those acting in defense of marginalized underdogs. Yet, a new tradition was created when human rights advocates designed platforms that are in tension with—or even antithetical to—the radical history of human rights. The critical theory of the Frankfurt School warns of the political risks for movements that rely on commercial transactions and marketized relationships. Today, elements of consumerism and popular culture are integral to human rights movement-building efforts, but this new direction poses risks for the long-term viability of the movement.
The Use of Retinoids to Explore the Cellular and Molecular Basis of Positional Memory in Regenerating Amphibian Limbs

Epimorphic limb regeneration in amphibians, by definition, must include replacement of those parts that are amputated from the whole. But to make a functional regenerate, a stringent constraint is that the regeneration blastema not duplicate any structure proximal to its level of origin. Redifferentiation of only those structures distal to the amputation plane by the blastema is known as the “rule of distal transformation” (Rose, 1970). The mechanism underlying the rule of distal transformation has been investigated since the end of the 19th century. At a first level, we can ask whether the mechanism is intrinsic or extrinsic to the blastema. If the former, the blastema is an independently differentiating tissue; if the latter, it is a nullipotent or pluripotent tissue requiring an inductive signal from the adjacent differentiated limb tissues to specify its pattern of redifferentiation.
The Nonprofit Sector at a Crossroads: The Case of America

Despite some encouraging trends, America's nonprofit sector stands at a crossroads because of an interrelated series of challenges. Government budget cuts beginning in the early 1980s have eliminated a significant source of nonprofit revenues and created a serious fiscal squeeze for many organizations. Although the sector as a whole managed to replace this lost revenue, it has done so largely through fees and charges that have attracted for-profit businesses into traditional fields of nonprofit action, creating a serious economic challenge to the sector. Simultaneously, important questions have been raised about the effectiveness and accountability of nonprofit organizations, and about what some see as the overprofessionalization and bureaucratization of the sector. All of this has undermined public confidence in the sector and prompted questions about the basic legitimacy of the special tax and legal benefits it enjoys. To cope with these challenges, American nonprofits could usefully undergo a process of renewal that revives the sector's basic values, reconnects it to its citizen base, and creates a better public understanding of its functions and role.
Time-Interleaved ADCs

In this chapter, a model for time-interleaved ADCs is presented. Frequency domain analysis is used to illustrate how time-varying errors, such as gain, offset, and timing skew, affect the resulting time-interleaved ADC output. Expressions relating the different errors to ADC performance and bounds on the magnitude of these errors are also derived for wide-sense stationary (WSS) signals, and simulations are used to demonstrate the accuracy of these expressions. Thus, for the given set of ADC specifications required by serial links, these expressions can be used to calculate the acceptable timing skew, such that it does not limit the performance of the time-interleaved ADC.
Hospital Ownership and Community Benefit

Objective: Not-for-profit (NFP) hospitals have come under increased public scrutiny for management practices that are inconsistent with their charitable focus. Of particular concern is the amount o...
Chaperone-mediated autophagy upregulation rescues megalin expression and localization in cystinotic proximal tubule cells

Cystinosis is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by defects in CTNS, the gene that encodes the lysosomal cystine transporter cystinosin. Patients with nephropathic cystinosis are characterized by endocrine defects, defective proximal tubule cell (PTC) function, the development of Fanconi syndrome and, eventually, end-stage renal disease. Kidney disease is developed despite the use of cysteamine, a drug that decreases lysosomal cystine overload but fails to correct overload-independent defects. Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a selective form of autophagy, is defective in cystinotic mouse fibroblasts, and treatment with cysteamine is unable to correct CMA defects in vivo, but whether the vesicular trafficking mechanisms that lead to defective CMA in cystinosis are manifested in human PTCs is not currently known and whether PTC-specific mechanisms are corrected upon CMA upregulation remains to be elucidated. Here, using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, we develop a new human PTC line with defective cystinosin expression (CTNS-KO PTCs). We show that the expression and localization of the CMA receptor, LAMP2A, is defective in CTNS-KO PTCs. The expression of the lipidated form of LC3B, a marker for another form of autophagy (macroautophagy), is decreased in CTNS-KO PTCs indicating decreased autophagosome numbers under basal conditions. However, the autophagic flux is functional, as measured by induction by starvation or by blockage using the v-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin A, and by degradation of the macroautophagy substrate SQSTM1 under starvation and proteasome-inhibited conditions. Previous studies showed that LAMP2A accumulates in Rab11-positive vesicles in cystinotic cells. Here, we show defective Rab11 expression, localization and trafficking in CTNS-KO PTCs as determined by confocal microscopy, immunoblotting and TIRFM. We also show that both Rab11 expression and trafficking in cystinotic PTCs are rescued by the upregulation of CMA using small-molecule CMA activators. Cystinotic PTCs are characterized by PTC de-differentiation accompanied by loss of the endocytic receptor megalin, and megalin recycling is regulated by Rab11. Here we show that megalin plasma membrane localization is defective in CTNS-KO PTCs and its expression is rescued by treatment with CMA activators. Altogether, our data support that CMA upregulation has the potential to improve PTC function in cystinosis.
An Update of Current Cannabis-Based Pharmaceuticals in Pain Medicine

Cannabis users have long reported therapeutic properties of the plant for a variety of conditions, some of which include nausea, emesis, seizures, cancer, neurogenic diseases and pain control. Research has elucidated many cannabinoid pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties, expanding the potential use of cannabinoids as a medical therapy. Due to the inconsistent delivery and control of the active components involved with smoking, pharmaceutical companies are investigating and prioritizing routes other than smoke inhalation for therapeutic use of cannabinoids. In this relatively new field of pharmaceutical development, ongoing drug development promises great benefit from targeted endocannabinoid receptor agonism. Available in Canada and Europe, nabiximols, a specific extract from the Cannabis plant, has demonstrated great benefit in the treatment of pain related to spasticity in multiple sclerosis, cancer and otherwise chronic pain conditions. The cannabidiol oral solution Epidiolex®, which is available in the USA, is indicated for management of refractory epilepsy but may offer therapeutic relief to chronic pain conditions as well. Current investigative drugs, such as those developed by Cara Therapeutics and Zynerba Pharmaceuticals, are synthetic cannabinoids which show promise to specifically target neuropsychiatric conditions and chronic pain symptoms such as neuropathy and allodynia. The objective of this review is to provide clinicians with an update of currently available and promising developmental cannabis pharmaceutical derivatives which may stand to greatly benefit patients with otherwise difficult-to-treat chronic conditions.
Behaviorally associated changes in neuroconnectivity following autologous umbilical cord blood infusion in young children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a behaviorally defined neurodevelopmental disorder that now affects almost 2% of children in the United States (US). Although ASD is a very heterogeneous disorder with many associated psychiatric and medical co-morbidities (1), specific core symptoms define its diagnosis.
Epidemiology and Incidence of Pediatric Concussions in General Aspects of Life.

Background: Concussions are one of the most common head injuries acquired within the pediatric population. While sport-related concussions are well documented, concussions within other aspects of a child’s life are not as well researched. The purpose of this study is to examine the incidence of a large pediatric concussion population in a broad range of daily activities. Methods: Patients’ gender and nature of injury were extracted from 1408 medical records of patients who were diagnosed with a concussion at Saint Peter’s Sports Medicine Institute. Statistical analyses were conducted for activities and environmental settings using chi-squared tests. Results: Concussions were most prevalent in organized sports (53.3%), followed by injuries within the following settings: school (16.5%), recreational (6.7%), motor vehicle collisions (6.6%), home (5.5%), and other (11.3%). Specifically, soccer (12.9%), school physical education (PE) class (10.6%), and football (9.8%) subcategories recorded the most incidences of concussion. For the PE class cohort (n = 149), significantly more females were diagnosed with a concussion compared to males (p < 0.001). Conclusions: PE-related concussions had the second highest incidence rate after organized sports. A significant gender difference was observed in PE class. Awareness about concussions and methods to reduce the risk of concussion is suggested for PE classes.
Book Reviews: Legal History and the Politics of Inclusion

It was long acceptable to write legal history, even excellent legal history, without including women or gender. Legal historians rationalized that because women did not participate in the ostensibly most significant events of legal history — the drafting of the Constitution, canonical Supreme Court decisions, the passage of the Reconstruction Amendments, and the jurisprudence that created modern legal thought — they were irrelevant when writing “serious” legal history. While women might play a role in a social history of the law or in discussions of domestic relations law, on the whole, women and gender stood at the periphery of legal history. There is a temporal lag, moreover, between the fields of women’s history and legal history. What appears new in legal history, for example examining the intertwined nature of race, class, and gender, is already well accepted in gender and women’s history. Much of this is changing, however, as legal historians make conscious efforts to rethink what constitutes legal history and its actors. This review considers four very different books that explore how gender and race have structured law and the legal profession. Each interrogates the legitimacy of law by demonstrating how it has produced multiple injustices, thereby challenging the myth that law is about equity or fairness, and that the Constitution and the Bill of Rights produced a set of inalienable rights and liberties that applied to all.
Endoscopy-assisted wide-vertex craniectomy, "barrel-stave" osteotomies, and postoperative helmet molding therapy in the early management of sagittal suture craniosynostosis.

OBJECT The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy, safety, associated complications, and outcome in patients with sagittal suture craniosynostosis in whom endoscopy-assisted wide-vertex craniotomy and "barrel-stave" osteotomy were performed. METHODS During a 4-year period, 59 patients with sagittal suture synostosis underwent endoscopy-assisted wide-vertex craniectomies, barrel stave-like osteotomies, and postoperatively were fitted with custom-made molding helmets. Data on operative time, blood loss, transfusion rates, hospital length of stay, complications, and hospital charges were collected prospectively. The mean patient age at the time of surgery was 3.7 months. The average blood loss was 31.8 ml; and only one patient required an intraoperative blood transfusion. Nine patients received transfusions of donor blood postoperatively. The mean operative time was 50 minutes, and all but three patients were discharged from the hospital the morning following surgery. There were no intraoperative complications. Normocephaly as well as normal cephalic indices were observed at latest follow up. CONCLUSIONS The authors conclude that early treatment of infants with sagittal suture craniosynostosis by using minimally invasive, endoscopy-assisted wide-vertex craniectomies provides excellent results and a significantly lower morbidity rate than traditional calvarial vault reconstructive procedures.
Grouping news events using semantic representations of hierarchical elements of articles and named entities

Enormous amount of news articles are being generated through different news agencies. The variation in journalistic content and online availability of news content, makes it difficult to monitor and interpret in real time. Organizing news articles would play a crucial role in its consumption and interpretation. Our work assists end user by grouping news articles based on the story. We present here a novel approach of grouping news articles based on a multi-level embedding representation of articles, coupled with a standard TF-IDF score based on named entities. Our results shows that combining the syntactic(TF-IDF) as well as the semantic (Bert) representations can boost the performance of the news grouping task. We also experiment with transfer learning and fine tuning of state-of-the-art BERT models for the task of document similarity and use the output embeddings as document representations.
Improving Interpretability in Machine Diagnosis: Detection of Geographic Atrophy in OCT Scans

Purpose Manually identifying geographic atrophy (GA) presence and location on OCT volume scans can be challenging and time consuming. This study developed a deep learning model simultaneously (1) to perform automated detection of GA presence or absence from OCT volume scans and (2) to provide interpretability by demonstrating which regions of which B-scans show GA. Design Med-XAI-Net, an interpretable deep learning model was developed to detect GA presence or absence from OCT volume scans using only volume scan labels, as well as to interpret the most relevant B-scans and B-scan regions. Participants One thousand two hundred eighty-four OCT volume scans (each containing 100 B-scans) from 311 participants, including 321 volumes with GA and 963 volumes without GA. Methods Med-XAI-Net simulates the human diagnostic process by using a region-attention module to locate the most relevant region in each B-scan, followed by an image-attention module to select the most relevant B-scans for classifying GA presence or absence in each OCT volume scan. Med-XAI-Net was trained and tested (80% and 20% participants, respectively) using gold standard volume scan labels from human expert graders. Main Outcome Measures Accuracy, area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, F1 score, sensitivity, and specificity. Results In the detection of GA presence or absence, Med-XAI-Net obtained superior performance (91.5%, 93.5%, 82.3%, 82.8%, and 94.6% on accuracy, area under the ROC curve, F1 score, sensitivity, and specificity, respectively) to that of 2 other state-of-the-art deep learning methods. The performance of ophthalmologists grading only the 5 B-scans selected by Med-XAI-Net as most relevant (95.7%, 95.4%, 91.2%, and 100%, respectively) was almost identical to that of ophthalmologists grading all volume scans (96.0%, 95.7%, 91.8%, and 100%, respectively). Even grading only 1 region in 1 B-scan, the ophthalmologists demonstrated moderately high performance (89.0%, 87.4%, 77.6%, and 100%, respectively). Conclusions Despite using ground truth labels during training at the volume scan level only, Med-XAI-Net was effective in locating GA in B-scans and selecting relevant B-scans within each volume scan for GA diagnosis. These results illustrate the strengths of Med-XAI-Net in interpreting which regions and B-scans contribute to GA detection in the volume scan.
Shock and awe: Loudness and unpredictability in Twitter messages and crowdfunding campaign success

Abstract Although recent evidence has found support for the importance of social media in communicating specific messages between venture founders and their target audience, there remains a relative paucity of research regarding how specific temporal elements of social media activity are related to key venture development outcomes. In this context, the current study draws on the conceptual framework of shock advertising to understand how louder (i.e., an increasing number of tweets) and unpredictable (i.e., tweets at non-standard times) Twitter activity can improve the odds of crowdfunding success. Using a sample of Kickstarter projects between 2009 and 2018 and cross-sectional regressions (ordinary least squares and the logit model), we find that the odds of meeting goals increase 1.24 times with each percentage increase in tweets, relative to tweets in the project-category-year. The odds of success increase further with an increase in the unpredictability and number of project-category-year adjusted tweets. In an era when standing out in the social media is increasingly challenging, our findings have implications for managing social media messages during crowdfunding campaigns.
Cognitive functioning and social media: Has technology changed us?

Abstract Social media use and its effects on mood have been well researched. However, social media use and its effects on cognition are not as well known. Based on the research studies available, this study hypothesized that those categorized as participating in high social media use would have lower ability to effectively inhibit irrelevant information and higher ability for working memory. The 70 participants in this study were given a questionnaire to assess their level of social media use (low, average, high) and the Stroop and Corsi tests were used as measures of inhibition and working memory, respectively. One-way ANCOVAs were used to analyze the data and control for age, gender, race, and education, as these are common demographics that cognitive tests use to standardize and compare scores. The researchers were unable to find a significant relationship between social media use, working memory functioning, and ability to inhibit information. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
Investigations of short warning time response options for hazardous near-Earth objects

This paper describes an assessment of capabilities for two planetary defense techniques: Kinetic Energy Impactors (KEIs) and Nuclear Explosive Devices (NEDs), including both Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) deflection and disruption. These studies will help us understand how energetic systems affect asteroidal (or cometary) bodies, and how to deliver energetic payloads to target objects under short warning time conditions, accounting for real-life constraints including payload integration and spacecraft lifecycle. Techniques for spacecraft trajectory optimization and mission design, scientific knowledge of asteroid and comet characteristics and chemistry, and energetic systems modeling will be combined to produce designs and strategies that will inform effective, reliable responses to short warning time NEA impact scenarios.
Identification of the amino acid in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase involved in the pyrophosphate binding of antiviral nucleoside triphosphate analogs and phosphonoformate: Implications for multiple drug resistance

Abstract A recombinant clone of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase (HIV- 1 RT) with reduced sensitivity to 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine 5′-triphosphate (AZTTP) and phosphonoformate (PFA), a pyrophosphate analog, has been obtained from the RNA of HTLV-IIIB infected cells using the polymerase chain reaction. The mutant HIV-1 RT retained polymerase activity and was cross-resistant to triphosphate forms of other nucleoside analogs including 2′, 3′-dideoxycytidine 5′-triphosphate, 2′,3′-dideoxyadenosine 5′-triphosphate, and 3′-deoxy-2′,3′-didehydrothymidine 5′-triphosphate (D4TTP), but remained sensitive to the non-nucleoside HIV-1 RT inhibitors, such as nevirapine and TIBO R82150. Sequence analysis of the mutant HIV-1 RT revealed a single amino acid substitution (Val → Ala) at amino acid 90. The substitution of amino acid 90 by the closely related amino acids, such as Thr and Gly, also showed decreased sensitivity to AZTTP, D4TTP, and PFA. All these mutations at amino acid 90 also caused an alteration of K m for thymidine triphosphate. These results suggest that Val at this site plays a role in determining the interaction of the HIV-1 RT enzyme with the pyrophosphate group of deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) and that the hydrophobicity of the amino acid at this position was the most important determinant in the binding of HIV-1 RT to dNTP.
Hydromythology and the Ancient Greek World: An Earth Science Perspective Emphasizing Karst Hydrology

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Cindy Clendenon Year: 2009 Pages: 520 Publisher: Fineline Science Press ISBN: 978-0-9818421-0-3 (soft cover). Prices: $32.95 USD(soft cover).
Managing technical risk

The current accepted process for managing technical risk addresses only a tiny fraction of the relevant risks, looks for consequences in the wrong places, and assesses risk and consequence in a way that offends mathematical rigor and confounds very serious problems with trivial ones. This paper lays out a more solid probabilistic approach that goes a long way toward explaining the cost and schedule overruns that afflict large system developments. It shows that technical risk exists in almost every system design throughout a large system development program. Rather than managing ten or twenty risks, a program faces thousands of risks, and they are interrelated. A general stochastic solution is presented, grounded in subjective expected utility theory. However, a stochastic solution may not be sufficient for a problem that is fundamentally social and organizational. The future of risk management may be in applied game theory, which might swing the pendulum back toward today's methods, focusing more on management attention and the perception of problems rather than carefully balanced solutions.
Age-Related Slowing in Movement Parameterization Studies: Not what you Might Think

Abstract In this chapter, the nature of age-related slowing in speeded motor performance is explored. In particular, experiments assessing movement parameterization are reviewed. In these studies, specific movement parameters (e.g., arm, direction, extent) comprising a motor program are assessed concerning their preparation, maintenance, restructuring and execution within a movement plan. An advantage of movement parameterization studies is that they assess cognitive processing latency to assess a movement response (reaction time, RT) distinct from the latency to complete the movement response (movement time, MT). In general, most speeded tasks assess both of these latencies in aggregate (and refer to this aggregate latency as simply “RT”). As such, parameterization studies allow a test of prevailing response slowing theories of aging using components of task performance. Separate “Brinley plot” regressions of RT and Total Time (TT, TT = RT + MT) from these studies reveals additive slowing, but nominal (if any) multiplicative slowing. Moreover, the intercept difference between the best-fitting RT and TT lines validates the additive impact of MT in these studies. Even at a global level, these studies are inconsistent with claims of negligible additive slowing (i.e., small positive or negative intercept), but substantial multiplicative slowing (slope approximating 2.0) for “nonlexical” tasks espoused by General Slowing theorists (e.g., Lima, Myerson, & Hale, 1991). In addition, review of the individual studies indicates what the Brinley plot approach misses: Age Group × Condition interactions from some of these studies actually indicate speed increases in elderly relative to young subjects, due to apparent differences in parameter preparation maintenance and restructuring processes for the two age groups.
Multiple lupus-associated ITGAM variants alter Mac-1 functions on neutrophils

Objective Multiple studies have demonstrated that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ITGAM locus (including the nonsynonymous SNPs rs1143679, rs1143678, and rs1143683) are associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). ITGAM encodes the protein CD11b, a subunit of the β2 integrin Mac-1. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of ITGAM genetic variation on the biologic functions of neutrophil Mac-1. Methods Neutrophils from ITGAM-genotyped and -sequenced healthy donors were isolated for functional studies. The phagocytic capacity of neutrophil ITGAM variants was probed with complement-coated erythrocytes, serum-treated zymosan, heat-treated zymosan, and IgG-coated erythrocytes. The adhesion capacity of ITGAM variants, in adhering to either purified intercellular adhesion molecule 1 or tumor necrosis factor α–stimulated endothelial cells, was assessed in a flow chamber. Expression levels of total CD11b and activation of CD11b were assessed by flow cytometry. Results Mac-1–mediated neutrophil phagocytosis, determined in cultures with 2 different complement-coated particles, was significantly reduced in individuals with nonsynonymous variant alleles of ITGAM. This reduction in phagocytosis was related to variation at either rs1143679 (in the β-propeller region) or rs1143678/rs1143683 (highly linked SNPs in the cytoplasmic/calf-1 regions). Phagocytosis mediated by Fcγ receptors was also significantly reduced in donors with variant ITGAM alleles. Similarly, firm adhesion of neutrophils was significantly reduced in individuals with variant ITGAM alleles. These functional alterations were not attributable to differences in total receptor expression or activation. Conclusion The nonsynonymous ITGAM variants rs1143679 and rs1143678/rs113683 contribute to altered Mac-1 function on neutrophils. These results underscore the need to consider multiple nonsynonymous SNPs when assessing the functional consequences of ITGAM variation on immune cell processes and the risk of SLE.
The roles of nucleolar structure and function in the subcellular location of the HIV-1 Rev protein

The human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) Rev transactivator protein plays a critical role in the regulation of expression of structural proteins by controlling the pathway of mRNA transport. The Rev protein is located predominantly in the nucleoli of HIV-1 infected or Rev-expressing cells. Previous studies demonstrated that the Rev protein forms a specific complex in vitro with protein B23 which is suggested to be a nucleolar receptor and/or carrier for the Rev protein. To study the role of the nucleolus and nucleolar proteins in Rev function, transfected COS-7 or transformed CMT3 cells expressing the Rev protein were examined for subcellular locations of Rev and other proteins using indirect immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy. One day after transfection the Rev protein was found in most cells only in the nucleolar dense fibrillar and granular components where it colocalized with protein B23. These were designated class 1 cells. In a second class of cells Rev and B23 accumulated in the nucleoplasm as well as in nucleoli. Treatment of class 1 cells with actinomycin D (AMD) under conditions that blocked only RNA polymerase I transcription caused Rev to completely redistribute from nucleoli to the cytoplasm. Simultaneously, protein B23 was partially released from nucleoli, mostly into the nucleoplasm, with detectable amounts in the cytoplasm. In cells recovering from AMD treatment in the presence of cycloheximide Rev and B23 showed coincident relocation to nucleoli. Class 2 cells were resistant to AMD-induced Rev redistribution. Selective inhibition of RNA polymerase II transcription by alpha-amanitin or by DRB did not cause Rev to be released into the cytoplasm suggesting that active preribosomal RNA transcription is required for the nucleolar location of Rev. However, treatment with either of the latter two drugs at higher doses and for longer times caused partial disruption of nucleoli accompanied by translocation of the Rev protein to the cytoplasm. These results suggest that the nucleolar location of Rev depends on continuous preribosomal RNA transcription and a substantially intact nucleolar structure.
Optimization of digital signal processors using array processor and CCD technology

A general problem is addressed in which a real, continuous signal is to be sampled and its spectrum analyzed. It is shown that real sampling followed by an innovative complex first decimation filter stage minimizes the sample rate and produces minimum digital arithmetic or CCD hardware requirements. Only small differences distinguish broadband and narrow-band processing algorithms.
Measurement of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and metabolites in mouse plasma after exposure to a commercial pentabromodiphenyl ether mixture.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants that are found in both abiotic and biotic environmental samples (Hites 2004; Streets et al. 2006). PBDEs are used as flame retardants; the three main commercial types of PBDE are penta-BDE, octa-BDE, and deca-BDE. DE-71, a widely used commercial penta-BDE product, is generally composed of 50–60% penta-BDE congeners, 24–38% tetra-BDE congeners, and 4–8% hexa-BDE congeners (Birnbaum and Staskal 2003). Since the 1970s, penta-BDE has been used as a flame retardant in polyurethane foam–containing consumer goods such as carpet padding, sofas, and mattresses; this flame retardant can account for up to 30% by weight of the foam (Hale et al. 2002). DE-71 also has minor uses in phenolic resins, polyesters, and epoxy. Despite its relatively small global production and usage compared with deca-BDE, the congeners in penta-BDE, such as 2,2′,4,4′-tetra-bromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), 2,2′,4,4′,5-pentabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-99), and 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-153), are the most common PBDE congeners found in environmental samples, especially in biotic samples (Hites 2004), suggesting that these congeners are persistent and bioaccumulative. Although the toxicity of PBDEs is not well understood, these compounds may be neurotoxic, thyrotoxic, estrogenic, and carcinogenic (Siddiqi et al. 2003). Their toxicity might be due to hydroxylated PBDE metabolites (HO-PBDEs) formed in animals. Although HO-PBDEs are less persistent than PBDEs, they may have more severe biological effects. For example, HO-PBDEs have thyroxine-like and estrogen-like chemical structures (Meerts et al. 2001), and thyroid hormone–like HO-PBDE congeners have been shown to bind competitively with human transthyretin (TTR), a transport protein for the thyroid hormones, thyroxine and thyronine (Meerts et al. 2000). The competitive binding of HO-PBDE to TTR provides a mechanism that can potentially result in disrupted thyroxine homeostasis. Putative PBDE metabolites are able to activate an estrogen-responsive luciferase reporter gene construct (Meerts et al. 2001). Our research has shown that DE-71 acts as a weak estrogen in cultured human breast cancer cells and in ovariectomized mice (Mercado-Feliciano M, Bigsby RM, unpublished data). Cell proliferation was increased when MCF-7 cells were cultured in the presence of DE-71 for 10 days. When DE-71 was administered to mice for 34 days, the uterine weight, uterine epithelial height, and vaginal epithelial thickness increased slightly. However, short-term treatment of cultured cells or mice showed very little estrogenic effect. These observations suggest that accumulation of DE-71 metabolites may be involved in these estrogenic effects. Therefore, we conducted the present study to identify and quantify metabolites of DE-71 formed during in vivo treatment of mice. Based on these results, three metabolic pathways are proposed.
Recognition and Cross-Cultural Communications as Motivators for Charitable Giving A Field Experiment

Most models of charitable giving and volunteerism assume that individuals give to receive some type of benefit, which can range from the receipt of a small extrinsic reward (such as a material rewa...
Flexibility in crystalline insulins

Comparisons of atomic models for chemically identical protein molecules solved in differing crystal environments provide information on flexibility in the protein structure. The structures of five T4 lysozyme proteins in differing crystal environments showed large relative displacements of the two domains with conserved backbone conformations that are connected by a flexible hinge (H. R. Faber and B. W. Matthews. 1990. Nature (Lond.). 348:263–266). In contrast, my comparison of the positions of all the atoms in two crystal forms of insulin shows that the structural changes caused by the differing crystal contacts are contained within nearby amino acids and are not propagated through the core of the insulin molecule. Groups of atoms that are most significantly displaced are not shifted in large rigid units but are repacked into new and distinct conformations. The transmission of displacements through the single domain insulin molecule is, like the movements due to thermal vibrations (D. L. D. Caspar, J. Clarage, D. M. Salunke, M. S. Clarage. 1988. Nature (Lond.). 332:659–662), characterized by short-range interactions between small atomic groups.
Reduced accuracy of 14c-d-xylose breath test for detecting bacterial overgrowth in gastrointestinal motility disorders

The accuracy of the 14C-D-xylose breath test in the diagnosis of small-bowel bacterial overgrowth was prospectively evaluated in 10 patients with motility disorders: 6 myopathic, 3 neuropathic, and 1 mechanical obstruction. Six of the 10 patients had small-bowel bacterial overgrowth (> or = 10(5) colony-forming units/ml) on culture of small-bowel aspirate. Increased breath 14CO2 levels were documented in three of six patients with positive cultures and in two of four with negative cultures. Two patients with positive results by both methods and one of two patients with positive breath 14CO2 but negative cultures had previously undergone gastric surgery. Three patients with myopathic dysmotility had positive cultures but negative breath tests. Cultures of duodenal aspirates and the D-xylose test had sensitivities of 80% and 40%, respectively, for the finding of hypoalbuminemia. Compared with cultures, the sensitivity and specificity of the breath test were 60% and 40%, respectively. Impaired delivery of 14C-D-xylose for bacterial metabolism may result from postprandial antral hypomotility (n = 4) or low-amplitude (n = 6) small-bowel motility, contributing to the false-negative breath tests. Thus, culture is the optimal method to detect small-bowel bacterial overgrowth in patients with motility disorders.
Evidence for haploid expression of mouse testicular genes

Hybridization of RNA blots of total testicular RNA from prepuberal and sexually mature CD1 mice with several mouse testicular cDNA probes reveals that the mRNA encoding the two mouse protamines, an actin sequence of 1.5 kb, and a post-meiotically expressed 620 nucleotide mRNA are first detected in the testes of mice 22 days of age. These experiments and other studies analysing RNA preparations from isolated populations of testicular cell types with cDNA probes [1, 2] demonstrate that haploid gene expression occurs in the mammalian testis.
Efficacy of cultured epithelial autografts in pediatric burns and reconstructive surgery

Abstract Background . Cultured epithelial autografts are regularly used in burn patients, but they have not been tested in patients undergoing reconstructive surgery. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the efficacy of cultured grafts in both burn and reconstructive surgery patients. Methods . In six children with severe and massive burns, full-thickness areas were grafted with cultured grafts. In another six children with hypertrophic or hyperpigmented scars, or both, cultured grafts were used to cover defects resulting from scar excision or deep dermabrasion. Results . In burn surgery the final cover rate averaged 60% (range, 0% to 100%). The functional and cosmetic results were good and at least equivalent to results after conventional grafting. Fragility, infection, and, in particular, mechanical instability of cultured grafts during the first weeks after transplantation were, the main problems encountered. In reconstructive surgery the final cover rate was 100% in all patients. The functional and cosmetic results were very good and considered better than those obtained by using conventional grafting techniques. No major management problems were encountered. Conclusions . In massively burned children, cultured epithelial autografts represent an effective additional and potentially lifesaving method to conventional grafting. Questions remain regarding the use of this technique to treat less severe burns. For resurfacing-type scar revisions, cultured epithelial autografts yield excellent results that appear to be superior to those of conventional techniques.
Fast calibration of large Si(Li) electron detectors from 511.0 to 4564.0 keV using double-escape peaks and compton edges from 66Ga

Abstract Double-escape peaks and Compton edges from the γ-rays of 9.5-h 66 Ga have been used to allow fast, precise calibration of Si(Li) electron detectors. They allow a direct calibration up to 4564.0 keV, and the calibration curve is linear enough that it can probably be extrapolated safely to even higher energies.
Single-pulse phase-control interferometric coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscopy

In coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy experiments, usually the amplitude of the signal is measured and the phase information is lost. With a polarization- and phase-controlled pulse shaping technique, the relative phase between the resonant and nonresonant CARS signals is controlled, and spectral interferometry is performed without an interferometer. Both the real and imaginary parts of the background-free resonant CARS spectrum are measured via spectral interferometry between the resonant and nonresonant signals from the same sample. The resonant signal is amplified significantly by homodyne mixing with the nonresonant signal as a local oscillator, greatly improving the detection limit.
A Novel Class of Small Molecule Inhibitors of HDAC6

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a family of enzymes that play significant roles in numerous biological processes and diseases. HDACs are best known for their repressive influence on gene transcription through histone deacetylation. Mapping of non-histone acetylated proteins and acetylation-modifying enzymes involved in various cellular pathways has shown protein acetylation/deacetylation also plays key roles in a variety of cellular processes including RNA splicing, nuclear transport, and cytoskeletal-remodeling. Studies of HDACs have accelerated due to the availability of small molecule HDAC inhibitors, most of which contain a canonical hydroxamic acid or benzamide that chelates the metal catalytic site. To increase the pool of unique and novel HDAC inhibitor pharmacophores, a pharmacological active compound screen was performed. Several unique HDAC inhibitor pharmacophores were identified in vitro. One class of novel HDAC inhibitors, with a central naphthoquinone structure, displayed a selective inhibition profile against HDAC6. Here we present the results of a unique class of HDAC6 inhibitors identified using this compound library screen. In addition, we demonstrated treatment of human acute myeloid leukemia cell line MV4-11 with the selective HDAC6 inhibitors decreases levels of mutant FLT-3 and constitutively active STAT5, and attenuates Erk phosphorylation, all of which are associated with the inhibitor’s selective toxicity against leukemia.
International Movements of Public Long-Term Capital and Grants, 1951-52

T HIS PAPER PRESENTS DATA on international movements of public long-term capital and grants for the years 1951 and 1952, comparable to those covering the five postwar years 1946-50, published earlier.1 As before, public capital movements are defined as loans and repayments actually disbursed, to which at least one party is a government or which affect the long-term foreign asset and liability position of a government; and long-term capital movements are defined as loans with maturities of more than one year.2 Short-term capital movements and private long-term capital transfers to which both parties are private have not been included. Grants include all public unilateral transfers other than grants for military assistance. Transfers of public funds include public long-term capital and public unilateral transfers. Since reasonably precise information about capital movements to which both parties are private is still not available, the net movements shown cannot be taken to represent fully the extent to which particular countries or areas benefited from or contributed to international transfers of resources.
Highly ordered tailored three-dimensional hierarchical nano/microporous gold–carbon architectures

The preparation and characterization of three-dimensional hierarchical architectures, consisting of monolithic nanoporous gold or silver films formed on highly ordered 3D microporous carbon supports, are described. The formation of these nano/microporous structures involves the electrodeposition or sputtering of metal alloys onto the lithographically patterned multi-layered microporous carbon, followed by preferential chemical dealloying of the less noble component. The resulting hierarchical structure displays a highly developed 3D interconnected network of micropores with a nanoporous metal coating. Tailoring the nanoporosity of the metal films and the diameter of the large micropores has been accomplished by systematically changing the alloy compositions via control of the deposition potential, plating solution and coarsening time. SEM imaging illustrates the formation of unique biomimetic nanocoral- or nanocauliflower-like self-supporting structures, depending on the specific preparation conditions. The new 3D hierarchical nano/microporous architectures allow for enhanced mass transport and catalytic activity compared to common nanoporous films prepared on planar substrates. The functionality of this new carbon–gold hierarchical structure is illustrated for the greatly enhanced performance of enzymatic biofuel cells where a substantially higher power output is observed compared to the bare microporous carbon substrate.
Long‐Term Chemical Carcinogenesis Bioassays Predict Human Cancer Hazards: Issues, Controversies, and Uncertainties

Long-term carcinogenesis bioassays are the most valued and predictive means for identifying potential carcinogenic hazards of various agents to humans. Agents may be chemicals, chemical mixtures, multiple chemicals, combinations of chemicals, residues and contaminants, commercial products and formulations, and various exposure circumstances. Life-styles, dietary factors, and occupational exposure circumstances are very difficult, but not totally impossible, to evaluate experimentally. Historically, the first chemical bioassay took place in the early part of this century: Yamagiwa and Ichikawa in 1915, showed that coal tar applied experimentally to rabbit ears caused skin carcinomas. Since then, nearly 1500-2000 bioassays of one sort or another have been carried out. Importantly, however, some of these bioassays must be considered inadequate for judging the absence of carcinogenicity, since there were various limitations on the way they were performed: too few animals, too short a duration, too low exposure concentrations, too limited pathology, as examples. Thus, each bioassay must be critically evaluated, especially those reported to be negative, because "false negatives" are certainly more hazardous to human health than are "false positives". Likewise, one must be careful not to discount bioassay results simply because a target organ in rodents may not have a direct counterpart in humans (e.g., Zymbal glands), or because an organ site in rodents may not be a major site of cancers in humans (e.g., mouse liver). The design and conduct of a bioassay is not simple, however, and one must be fully aware of possible pitfalls as well as viable and often necessary alternatives. Similarly, evaluating results and interpreting findings must be approached with the utmost objectivity and consistency. These and other select issues, controversies, and uncertainties possibly encountered in long-term bioassays are covered in this paper. One fact remains abundantly clear: for every known human carcinogen that has been tested adequately in laboratory animals, the findings of carcinogenicity are concordant.
Live Performance and Technology: The Example of Jet Lag

Jet Lag, a collaboration between The Builders Association and Diller+Scofidio; directed by Marianne Weems, written by Jessica Chalmers, with video by Christopher Kondeck, lighting by Jennifer Tipton, sound design by Dan Dobson, and computer animation by James Gibbs/dbox. First presented in September 1998 at the Kulturhus in Aarhus, Denmark, and then throughout 2000, including performances at The Barbican Theatre, London; The Kitchen, New York; Lantaren/ Venster, Rotterdam; Kaaitheatre, Brussels; Maison des Arts/Creteil, Paris; EXIT Festival, Maubeuge; Fin-de-Siecle Nantes, Trafo House, Budapest; Sommerscene 99 Copenhagen; Le Maillon, Strasbourg; Spiel-Art Festival at the Marstall Theatre, Munich; Mass MoCA, North Adams, Massachusetts; and On The Boards, Seattle.
Benthic-pelagic coupling in sewage-affected marine ecosystems

Coupling between degraded benthic habitats and populations of epibenthic and pelagic organisms is evident around major sewage outfalls in the Southern California Bight. The distribution of bottom-feeding fishes appears to be affected, but sampling has not been intensive enough to rigorously define patterns for more than a few species. Some evidence suggests that changes in fish abundance may be related to changes in the distribution and abundance of benthic prey; those species (e.g. Dover sole) that can adapt their diets to take advantage of dense populations of opportunistic polychaetes may be found in large numbers around outfalls. Some benthic crustacean feeders are at a disadvantage. Sewage effluent is an allochthnous source of organic matter to the food web and Dover sole and ridgeback shrimp both show shifts in stable isotope ratios consistent with the thesis that sewage-derived organic matter in sediments is trophically transferred to epibenthic organisms. Constructing a carbon budget based on the δ13C shifts in these species from area of a major outfall relative to a distant control station suggests that there is an in situ source of isotopically very light carbon in outfall sediments, perhaps from CO2 fixation by chemoautotrophs and biological methane oxidation. Benthic-pelagic coupling is also evident in the accumulation of chlorinated hydrocarbons by fish and other organisms. At the two major Los Angeles area outfalls log-transformed liver-to-sediment concentration ratios of chlorinated benzenes, which are accumulated to moderate levels in fish, show a linear relationship to the log of Kow (the octanol-to-water partioning coefficient) of these compounds. Chlorinated hydrocarbons with greater lipid solubility, e.g. PCBs and p,p-DDE, are concentrated to very high levels. Studies of food webs using Cs/K as a measure of trophic level suggest that trophic-step magnification is concentrating these compounds in higher trophic levels.