cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dendritic cells in the treatment of cancer

A rapidly accumulating body of evidence in preclinical studies has demonstrated the critical importance of antigen presentation to effector elements (T cells and B cells) in the control of the immune response. The professional antigen-presenting cell is the dendritic cell. Autologous dendritic cells obtained from monocytes by culturing can be loaded with tumor-associated or specific peptides or other antigens. These antigen-loaded dendritic cells, when reinjected into experimental animals, resulted in the generation of activated T cells that selectively destroyed malignant cells in vivo, resulting in cures. Human dendritic cells may enable the development of a powerful means of inducing an immune response against cancer. Dendritic cells derived from CD34 + hematopoietic progenitor cells may be more effective than dendritic cells from monocytes. We are now able to generate large numbers of dendritic cells in vivo and ex vivo, thus enabling the design and implementation of clinical trials in the treatment of cancer using these cells. As the biology of dendritic cells continues to unfold, it is clear that specific dendritic cell subtypes are more effective than others in the generation of cytotoxic T cells against a neoplastic cell. Other dendritic cell subtypes are responsible, in part, for the induction of immune tolerance. Work at the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research has resulted in a new treatment for melanoma using dendritic cell vaccinations. Similar treatment strategies are planned for breast cancer, prostate cancer, and hematologic malignancies.
Vibration-Based Estimation of Tension Stress in Steel Eyebars

AbstractTo support the repair and maintenance of steel eyebars in bridges, tension stresses are sometimes estimated from the observed member natural frequencies. Although the ends of such eyebars are often essentially fixed, a pin-ended model has typically been used to predict tensions because closed-form solutions do not exist for any other end conditions. An approximation that reflects vibrating stretched wires with fixed ends has also been used, but this still incurs considerable error at lower member slenderness and stress levels. To provide for better estimates of eyebar tensions from observed vibrations, this paper presents exact tabular solutions for determining the direct tension stress in undamped steel bars, generalized for any length or thickness, where both ends of the member are fixed or where one end is fixed and the other pinned. Approximation equations derived from these exact solutions are also developed. Examples demonstrate the application of these new tools and the potential increase i...
External and internal environments of community policing

There is a growing realization that police are, perhaps, more effective in reducing fear of crime than having an unequivocal effect on actual crime figures, and a greater understanding that perceptions of police — and, in turn, perception of citizens — are a crucial component in the coproduction of public safety. There is also the recognition among public safety officials, individual citizens and civic organizations that crime fighting strategies and tactics have, paradoxically, limitations as well as potential. Yet it is still possible — or even necessary — to improve society’s capability to fight crime.
Talking, Teaching, and Learning in Network Groups: Lessons from Research

Using empirical research findings, this chapter describes what we know about electronic groups and how electronic groups may change education. Electronic groups are not just long-distance traditional groups. Electronic groups can transform computer and people resources, both for informal and formal learning. Among these changes are qualitative changes in social contacts and group dynamics. A major structural change would be a shift from traditional classroom organization to more group or team centered collaborative learning in education and training. This transformation may benefit many students and educators but also will create new complications, such as the possibility of further centralization of school institutions, of new ‘free’ markets for education, and of changing roles of teachers and students.
Approximately Opaque Multi-version Permissive Transactional Memory

In multi-version transactional memory read-onlytransactions do not have to abort, while update transactionsmay abort. There are situations where system delays donot allow to have precise consistency, such as in large scalenetwork and database applications, due to network delays orother factors. In order to cope with such systems, we introducehere the notion of approximate consistency in transactionalmemory. We define K-opacity as a relaxed consistencyproperty where read instructions in a read-only transactionmay read one of K most recent written values, while readinstructions in an update transaction read always the latestvalue. The relaxed consistency for read-only transactionshas two benefits: (i) it reduces space requirements, since anew object version is saved once every K object updates, which reduces the total number of saved object versionsby a factor of K, and (ii) it reduces the number of aborts, since there is smaller chance for read-only transactions toabort update transactions. This framework allows to haveworst-case consistency guarantees and simultaneously goodperformance characteristics. In addition to correctness proofs, we demonstrate the performance benefits of our approachwith experimental analysis. We tested our algorithm fordifferent values of K using different benchmarks and weobserved that when we increase K the number of abortsdecreases and at the same time the throughput increases.
ProtLID, a Residue-Based Pharmacophore Approach to Identify Cognate Protein Ligands in the Immunoglobulin Superfamily.

Members of the extracellular immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) play a key role in immune regulation through the control of the co-stimulatory pathway, and have emerged as potent drug targets in cancers, infectious diseases, and autoimmunity. Despite the difficult experimental access to this class of proteins, single structures of ectodomains of IgSF proteins are solved with regularity. However, the most biologically critical challenge for this class of proteins is the identification of their cognate ligands that communicate intercellular signals. We describe a conceptually novel method, protein-ligand interface design (ProtLID), to identify cognate ligands from a subproteome for a given target receptor protein. ProtLID designs an optimal protein interface for a given receptor by running extensive molecular dynamics simulations of single-residue probes. The type and location of residue preferences establish a residue-based pharmacophore, which is subsequently used to find potential matches among candidate ligands within a subproteome.
Acute promyelocytic leukemia: preventing early complications and late toxicities

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a unique subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which presents with a distinct coagulopathy. Therapeutic advances have made APL one of the true success stories in oncology, transforming this once lethal disease into the most curable form of AML. For many patients, cure will now be achieved without the use of chemotherapy. It is hoped that limiting chemotherapy will reduce mortality even further, particularly among more vulnerable older adults whose survival lagged behind that of younger patients. It should be noted that early death persists in patients with APL and continues to negatively affect survival. Further, among survivors treated with chemotherapy or even arsenic trioxide (ATO), there remains the potential for long-term toxicities that must be monitored. Understanding the management of these issues is an important complement to ensure maximal survival for patients with APL.
SHH Protein Variance in the Limb Bud Is Constrained by Feedback Regulation and Correlates with Altered Digit Patterning.

mRNA variance has been proposed to play key roles in normal development, population fitness, adaptability, and disease. While variance in gene expression levels may be beneficial for certain cellular processes, for example in a cell’s ability to respond to external stimuli, variance may be detrimental for the development of some organs. In the bilaterally symmetric vertebrate limb buds, the amount of Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) protein present at specific stages of development is essential to ensure proper patterning of this structure. To our surprise, we found that SHH protein variance is present during the first 10 hr of limb development. The variance is virtually eliminated after the first 10 hr of limb development. By examining mutant animals, we determined that the ability of the limb bud apical ectodermal ridge (AER) to respond to SHH protein was required for reducing SHH variance during limb formation. One consequence of the failure to eliminate variance in SHH protein was the presence of polydactyly and an increase in digit length. These data suggest a potential novel mechanism in which alterations in SHH variance during evolution may have driven changes in limb patterning and digit length.
Risk of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction in Older Women After Contemporary Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer.

Background:Cardiomyocytes are resistant to radiation. However, cardiac radiation exposure causes coronary microvascular endothelial inflammation, a perturbation implicated in the pathogenesis of he...
Sex Discrimination, Personal Denial, and Collateral Damage

Many social scientists, especially those interested in social justice, have bemoaned the election of Donald Trump as president of the USA and have decried similar right-wing victories around the globe. We wish our research would have more of an impact. I argue that if we want our conclusions to have more application outside academia, we must first put our own house in order. As illustrated by a personal narrative, we are guilty of the sexism that we decry in others, although we can see that with clarity only in hindsight. Connected to our sexism are some epistemological shortcomings: our false insistence on the primacy of basic research and our false claim to conduct “value-free” research.
Left atrial late gadolinium enhancement and mitral regurgitation in subjects with atrial fibrillation

Background Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is used to evaluate fibrosis of the left atrium (LA) in subjects with atrial fibrillation (AF). LA fibrosis by LGE has been shown to correlate with LA volumes. However, within AF subjects, the association of mitral regurgitation (MR) with LA LGE is not well described. Pathological studies have demonstrated atrial fibrosis and tissue disorganization in cardiac diseases, including valvular disease. The current study evaluates the relationship between LA LGE, LA volumes, and MR in subjects with AF.
Chapter 6 – Naming Disorders in Children

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the naming disorders in children. The children studied in the chapter are those who have been given various labels, including minimally brain damaged. They are children who rarely have had brain imaging techniques used with them, although they have frequently had neuropsychological examinations. Therefore, in most studies there are no data on the site and size of hypothesized brain damage but a great deal of data on their measured intelligence, cognitive, and linguistic abilities. Their presenting symptoms are, initially, a delay in linguistic development but no marked delay in cognitive development, although their measured IQ may frequently be at the low end of the normal range. The chapter discusses factors that are said to play a role in the lexical acquisition of normally developing children. Theories of lexical acquisition and early patterns of development are described. This provides a background for the discussions on children's lexical acquisition and naming disorders. Then studies of the lexical problems and naming behaviors of children with known lesion are reviewed. The chapter also examines the naming problems of children with suspected lesion or specifically language-impaired (SLI) children.
Education and Training in Entrepreneurship

The fact is that training and education in entrepreneurship represents one of the earliest and most significant successes of the modern postsecondary educational system. The impact is evident today in terms of the numbers of people taking entrepreneurship education or training. In the United States alone, nearly 125,000 individuals annually take entrepreneurship classes in colleges or universities. Another 125,000 each year take collegiate courses in the related area of small business. In terms of training, in fiscal year 2003, 687,000 people were trained or given one-on-one counseling by the Small Business Development Centers,1 while 473,000 more received help from the Service Corps of Retired Executives.2
Manufacturing the Industrial Citizen

Over the last half-century, we have seen a widely documented shift toward neoliberal, (new) managerial, and industrial institutions of higher learning. In this chapter, we briefly outline this trend and provide an analysis of how it shapes the persons and communities that make up higher education. Specifically, we discuss how the changes in curriculum (from liberal to technical and vocational), organizational structure (from relational to managerial), and funding (decreased state and increased private funding) constitute a new framework for the industrialized student and teacher. This framework follows a fairly typical neoliberal script: Within higher education, we see the imposition of surveillance (assessment) to enforce conformism (standardization), and we likewise see the weakening of the capacity for any resistance, accomplished both through the engineering of precarity (defunding) and through an artificially narrowed public vision (vocationalized curriculum). We argue here that shifts of these kinds socialize scholars, whether student or faculty, into a system-aligned worldview—that is, into a narrow, conformist, bureaucratic consciousness and a politically neutral, largely consumerist conception of public life. Higher education is thus being maneuvered (not without resistance) away from the education of a publicly engaged, creative, alert citizenry and toward the socialization of the industrialized citizen—a more-or-less interchangeable, easily manageable component in a mass “economy.”
Challenges of Endocrine Disruption and Cardiac Development

The endocrine system plays a crucial role in the survival of animals. It regulates many signaling processes that control the cardiovascular, immune, reproductive, and central nervous systems. In addition to its role in maintaining the functions of major organ systems, signaling by the endocrine system is critical for normal development. For example, estrogen signaling has been shown to regulate cellular physiology by influencing its proliferation rate. With the diverse array of pathways that the endocrine system regulates, disruption by exogenous agents can impair vital functions, not just at the cellular and organismal levels but also at the population level. The integrated role of various biological systems and the interaction between organs can make it difficult to assess the effects of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). Adding to the challenges of studying the effects of EDCs is the complex series of signaling events that occur in a precise spatiotemporal manner during embryogenesis. However, using model organisms with a well-characterized developmental pattern such as zebrafish can facilitate the study of EDCs on physiological endpoints with apical relevance, such as cardiovascular development. Consequently, this review will focus on the developmental challenge of EDC exposure on cardiac development in aquatic organisms.
Minding the Protection Gap: Resolving Unintended, Pervasive, Profound Homeowner Underinsurance

A significant majority of homeowners in the United States unwittingly have less insurance than necessary to rebuild their home in the event of a complete loss. This persistent, multibillion-dollar protection gap first emerged in the 1990s and has never resolved despite a desire by most homeowners to contract for full replacement coverage. While a great deal of academic and industry literature has addressed the issue of underinsurance, the work has been done without reference to two sources that unlock the conundrum. The first is the 1550 page administrative rulemaking file of the California Department of Insurance collected in the wake of wildfires in 2007. The second is a deep understanding of the software insurers use to determine the adequacy of coverage limits when a homeowner purchases full replacement coverage. In addition to these two sources, this Article documents the problem of underinsurance and its causes by synthesizing both prior scholarship and primary source documents, including SEC filings, patents, industry websites, and interviews with trade organization representatives. After establishing the existence of widespread underinsurance, this Article demonstrates how the law’s treatment of risk allocation in the wake of inadequate insurance coverage encourages inaccurate coverage limits by uncoupling the risk created by inaccurately calculated coverage limits from the responsibility for the consequences of error. This Article concludes with a proposed regulation that would recouple risk and responsibility while still providing the insurance industry and consumers with the freedom to contract for alternative coverage limits.
Supporting the Writing Process with Technology for Students with Disabilities

Many students with learning disabilities (LD) and emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) struggle with the writing process. Technology has shown to be effective in supporting prewriting, drafting, re...
Synthesis of two novel ring systems via photocyclization: Thieno[2′,3′:4,5]thieno[2,3-c][1,10]phenanthroline and thieno[3′,2′:4,5]thieno[2,3-c][1,10]phenanthroline

The synthesis of thieno[2′,3′:4,5]thieno[2,3-c][1,10]phenanthroline (5) and thieno[3′,2′:4,5]thieno-[2,3-c][1,10]phenanthroline (10) are described. Each compound was obtained in four steps from known starting materials. The basic skeleton of the molecule and of the phenanthroline ring were formed via photocyclization. The total assignment of 1H-nmr spectra was accomplished with the aid of two-dimensional nmr methods.
Rational design of a SHP-2 targeted, fluorogenic peptide substrate

Abstract Protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) targeted, peptide based chemical probes are valuable tools for studying this important family of enzymes, despite the inherent difficulty of developing peptides targeted towards an individual PTP. Here, we have taken a rational approach to designing a SHP-2 targeted, fluorogenic peptide substrate based on information about the potential biological substrates of SHP-2. The fluorogenic, phosphotyrosine mimetic phosphocoumaryl aminopropionic acid (pCAP) provides a facile readout for monitoring PTP activity. By optimizing the amino acids surrounding the pCAP residue, we obtained a substrate with the sequence Ac-DDPI-pCAP-DVLD-NH2 and optimized kinetic parameters (kcat = 0.059 ± 0.008 s−1, Km = 220 ± 50 µM, kcat/Km of 270 M−1s−1). In comparison, the phosphorylated coumarin moiety alone is an exceedingly poor substrate for SHP-2, with a kcat value of 0.0038 ± 0.0003 s−1, a Km value of 1100 ± 100 µM and a kcat/Km of 3 M−1s−1. Furthermore, this optimized peptide has selectivity for SHP-2 over HePTP, MEG1 and PTPµ. The data presented here demonstrate that PTP-targeted peptide substrates can be obtained by optimizing the sequence of a pCAP containing peptide.
Why Did God Make Me this Way? Anger at God in the Context of Personal Transgressions:

The present study focused on evaluating how anger at God may be related to the experience of personal moral transgression. People might view God as partly responsible for their transgressions if th...
A Plant Metabolon Efficiently Mass-produces Phytochemical Defenses

When plants are under attack, they activate defense programs including the biosynthesis of chemical defense compounds. The biosynthesis of these phytochemicals has to occur rapidly and represents a major sink of nutrients and amino acids. How plants optimize the mass production of chemical weapons
Narcissism Post-Nazism

This paper places the reception of Heinz Kohut and his ideas about narcissism in the German-speaking lands in the 1970s–1980s in multiple contexts. First, there was the difficulty of returning psyc...
Characteristics of Radio-Signal Detection for the Nonlinear Decision Function of a Threshold Device

We consider the characteristics of radio-signal detection using the nonlinear decision function of a threshold device. This work is aimed at estimating the influence of the difference between the nonlinear decision function of the receiver threshold device and the step function on the characteristics of detecting radio signals with a random initial phase and random initial phase and amplitude. New analytical expressions for the probabilities of correct detection of radio signals and false alarm are obtained.
Vaccine Hesitancy and Attributions for Autism among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Groups of Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

Little is known about how racial/ethnic differences may influence attributions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and subsequent vaccine hesitancy, the latter of which refers to a continuum of concerns about vaccine safety that may lead to vaccine delays and/or refusals. Two hundred and twenty-five parents of children with ASD who were enrolled in the SPARK cohort (Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge) completed the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines survey and the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire. 28.9% of respondents (n = 65) were vaccine hesitant (PACV score ≥ 50). Significant differences were observed between proportions of vaccine-hesitant parents (VHP) in the White sample and combined samples of color (Asian, Black, Latinx, Multiracial, and Other): 22.8% of the White sample (n = 39) versus 48.1% of the samples of color (n = 26). White, non-hesitant parents more often agreed with the child's brain structure as a cause of their child's ASD, while White, VHP more often agreed with the deterioration of the child's immunity as a cause. All VHP (regardless of race) agreed more often with diet, their own decisions, and vaccines as causes. VHP of color more often agreed with accident or injury, environmental pollution, their own general stress, and their own emotional state as causes. Future work should examine this phenomenon in larger, diverse samples to further understand differences across specific racial/ethnic groups. LAY SUMMARY: Some parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are vaccine hesitant, meaning they have concerns about vaccine safety and may delay/refuse vaccines. We examined possible racial/ethnic differences related to how common vaccine hesitancy is and which causes of ASD were typically endorsed among a sample of caregivers in the SPARK cohort (Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge). Higher proportions of parents of color were vaccine hesitant, and all vaccine-hesitant parents agreed that "toxins in vaccines" were a cause of their child's ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1790-1796. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Workplace Positivity: Creating, Taking in, and Maintaining the Good

This panel symposium focuses on discussing theoretical and empirical questions that will help broaden our sight of, and deepen our insights into, constructs, phenomena, and processes involved in wo...
Responding to COVID19 in Italy

While it is hard to predict what will have happened by the time of the conference, this round table will be tightly templated and coordinated Each speaker will briefly address the challenges experienced by that country and the actions taken, and focus on explaining why those actions happened in order to draw comparative lessons about public health politics and governance
Gut Fungi Possess a Conserved Toxin Immunity Gene of Bacterial Origin

Abstract Prokaryotes and some unicellular eukaryotes routinely overcome evolutionary pressures with the help of horizontally acquired genes. In contrast, it is unusual for multicellular eukaryotes to adapt through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Recent studies identified several cases of adaptive acquisition in the gut-dwelling multicellular fungal phylum Neocallimastigomycota. Here, we add to these cases the acquisition of a putative bacterial toxin immunity gene, PoNi, by an ancient common ancestor of four extant Neocallimastigomycota genera through HGT from an extracellular Ruminococcus bacterium. The PoNi homologs in these fungal genera share extraordinarily high (>70%) amino acid sequence identity with their bacterial donor xenolog, providing definitive evidence of HGT as opposed to lineage-specific gene retention. Furthermore, PoNi genes are nested on native sections of chromosomal DNA in multiple fungal genomes and are also found in polyadenylated fungal transcriptomes, confirming that these genes are authentic fungal genomic regions rather than sequencing artifacts from bacterial contamination. The HGT event, which is estimated to have occurred at least 66 (±10) million years ago in the gut of a Cretaceous mammal, gave the fungi a putative toxin immunity protein (PoNi) which likely helps them survive toxin-mediated attacks by bacterial competitors in the mammalian gut microbiome. Significance Adaptation via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is uncommon in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we report another bona fide case of adaptive evolution involving the horizontal transfer of a bacterial toxin immunity gene from extracellular Ruminococcus bacteria to gut-dwelling multicellular fungi. The acquired gene may help the fungi compete against bacterial neighbors in the gut.
Swift role negotiations: Communicative strategies for enabling rapid role shifts in cross-functional teaming

This field study of a hospital emergency department (ED) examined role negotiations among ED care providers in teaming (i.e., the process of bringing individuals in distinct roles to collaborate as...
Online Appendix for Black, Desai, Litvak, Yoo, and Yu, Specification Choice in Randomized and Natural Experiments: Lessons from the Regulation SHO Experiment

This Online Appendix contains additional results and discussion for Black, Desai, Litvak, Yoo, and Yu, Specification Search in Randomized and Natural Experiments: Lessons from the Regulation SHO Experiment (2020). In particular, it contains further analysis of the various specifications and datasets publicly posted by FHK in response to an earlier draft of the paper, details on sample and other differences between our specification and the best-match specification, and step-by-step results from moving from our specification to the best-match specification for each paper. The underling paper is available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=3657196. Our pre-specified analysis plan is available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=3415529.
Cancer Stem Cells in Pediatric Brain Tumors

ABSTRACT Cancer stem cells are a subpopulation of tumor cells that have the ability to self-renew, initiate tumors in model systems, and differentiate into non-cancer stem cells. They are also resistant to current standard of care treatments, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Due to these properties, cancer stem cells contribute to tumor progression and recurrence and need to be inclusively targeted with therapeutic paradigms used in the clinical setting. This chapter covers the most up-to-date published information on cancer stem cells in the context of pediatric brain tumors. The characteristics of pediatric brain tumor cancer stem cells, including resistance mechanisms and differential genetic regulation that allow for the stem like phenotype, are presented. The current research on cancer stem cells in medulloblastoma, ependymoma, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, and pediatric gliomas as well as potential approaches that are being developed to target cancer stem cells are highlighted. Challenges in targeting cancer stem cells in the pediatric patient population are also discussed.
Complex Cytochrome P450 kinetics due to multisubstrate binding and sequential metabolism. Part 1. Theoretical considerations.

Complexities in P450-mediated metabolism kinetics include multisubstrate binding, multiple-product formation, and sequential metabolism. Saturation curves and intrinsic clearances were simulated for single-substrate and multisubstrate models using derived velocity equations and numerical solutions of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Multisubstrate models focused on sigmoidal kinetics because of their dramatic impact on clearance predictions. These models were combined with multiple-product formation and sequential metabolism, and simulations were performed with random error. Use of single-substrate models to characterize multisubstrate data can result in inaccurate kinetic parameters and poor clearance predictions. Comparing results for use of standard velocity equations with ODEs clearly shows that ODEs are more versatile and provide better parameter estimates. It would be difficult to derive concentration-velocity relationships for complex models, but these relationships can be easily modeled using numerical methods and ODEs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The impact of multisubstrate binding, multiple-product formation, and sequential metabolism on the P450 kinetics was investigated. Numerical methods are capable of characterizing complicated P450 kinetics.
Waveguides with Exceptional Points of Degeneracy of Order 2, 3, 4 and 6 without Loss and Gain

We show various examples of fully-planar two-way and three-way microstrip coupled waveguides that exhibit second, third, fourth and sixth order exceptional points of degeneracy (EPD). EPDs are shown in reciprocal waveguides that do not have gain or loss. The occurrence of EPDs is observed using three methods: (i) the mathematical description of modes and the similarity of the system matrix to a Jordan block; (ii) the dispersion diagram with prescribed flatness; (iii) the coalescence of eigenvectors that is observed analytically or experimentally. We have defined a coalescence parameter that is used in conjunction with experimental results to measure the separation of the coalescing eigenvectors (polarization states). The presented structures can serve various applications like leaky-wave antennas, distributed amplifiers, oscillators, delay lines, pulse generators, and sensors.
Targeting prostate cancer with Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin functionalized nanoparticles co-encapsulating imaging cargo enhances magnetic resonance imaging specificity.

Abstract Magnetic resonance is a key imaging tool for the detection of prostate cancer; however, better tools focusing on cancer specificity are required to distinguish benign from cancerous regions. We found higher expression of claudin-3 (CLDN-3) and − 4 (CLDN-4) in higher grade than lower-grade human prostate cancer biopsies (n = 174), leading to the design of functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) with a non-toxic truncated version of the natural ligand clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (C-CPE) that has a strong binding affinity to Cldn-3 and Cldn-4 receptors. We developed a first-of-its-type, C-CPE-NP-based MRI detection tool in a prostate tumor-bearing mouse model. NPs with an average diameter of 152.9 ± 15.7 nm (RS1) had a 2-fold enhancement of tumor specificity compared to larger (421.2 ± 33.8 nm) NPs (RS4). There was a 1.8-fold (p
Changing the Culture: Mathematics Education in the Research Community

Reflections on responses of the mathematics culture to educational challenges The roles of action and of thought in mathematics education-One mathematician's passage by L. Henkin Three mathematical cultures by J. T. Baldwin When is the best proof not the best proof? by H. Rossi Can university math people contribute significantly to precollege mathematics education (beyond giving future teachers a few preservice math courses)? by H. Clemens The goldfish route to mathematics education by P. A. Ferguson The size of a mathematics department by R. G. Douglas The future of the past by K. C. Millett Everybody counts/Everybody else by T. R. Berger and H. B. Keynes Educational journeys within the mathematics culture Project EXCEL at Rutgers-New Brunswick: Instigation and institutionalization by A. Cohen Routes to mathematics for African-American, Latino and Native American students in the 1990s: The educational trajectories of summer mathematics institute participants by R. Asera and U. Treisman Programs for mathematically talented students--Do we really need them? by H. B. Keynes The road to reform by R. Cannon Educational change in a research university by W. J. Lewis Changing institutions by J. Sunley.
Amidation and cross-linking of the enzymatically synthesized peptidoglycan of Bacillus stearothermophilus.

Abstract A particulate enzyme system from Bacillus stearothermophilus which catalyzes the synthesis of peptidoglycan from uridine nucleotide precursors has been investigated. The preparation catalyzed extensive cross-linking of the enzymatically synthesized peptidoglycan. In addition in the presence of ATP and ammonia or l-glutamine amidation of the peptidoglycan also occurred. The nature of the amidated products obtained on lysozyme digestion of the enzymatically synthesized peptidoglycan was elucidated by a comparison with similar materials obtained after lysozyme digestion of isolated vegetative cell walls of this organism.
Regeneration in Crustaceans and Insects

Regeneration of limbs occurs widely in the phylum Arthropoda. Limb nerves, hormones, and local cells/tissues exert control over the rate or nature of limb regeneration in the arthropods. Keywords: arthropods; crustaceans; insects; regeneration; moulting; autotomy
α-Crystallin prevents irreversible protein denaturation and acts cooperatively with other heat-shock proteins to renature the stabilized partially denatured protein in an ATP-dependent manner

alpha-Crystallin, a major lens protein of approximately 800 kDa with subunits of approximately 20 kDa has previously been shown to act as a chaperone protecting other proteins from stress-induced aggregation. Here it is demonstrated that alpha-crystallin can bind to partially denatured enzymes at 42-43 degrees C and prevent their irreversible aggregation, but cannot prevent loss of enzyme activity. However, the alpha-crystallin-bound enzymes regain activity on interaction with other chaperones. The data indicate that the re-activated enzymes are no longer associated with the alpha-crystallin, and ATP is required for re-activation. When inactive luciferase bound to alpha-crystallin was treated with reticulocyte lysate, a rich source of chaperones, up to 60% of the original luciferase activity could be recovered. Somewhat less re-activation was observed when the alpha-crystallin-bound enzyme was treated with heat-shock protein (HSP)70, HSP40, HSP60 and an ATP-generating system. Similar results were also obtained with citrate synthase. The overall results suggest that alpha-crystallin acts to stabilize denaturing proteins so that they can later be re-activated by other chaperones.
Predicting World Bank project outcome ratings

A number of recent studies have empirically documented links between characteristics of World Bank projects and their ultimate outcomes as evaluated by the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group. This paper explores the in-sample and out-of-sample predictive performance of empirical models relating project outcomes to project characteristics observed early in the life of a project. Such models perform better than self-assessments of project performance provided by World Bank staff during the implementation of the project. These findings are applied to the problem of predicting eventual Independent Evaluation Group ratings for currently active projects in the World Bank's portfolio.
A Powerful Approach to Test an Optimally Weighted Combination of Rare Variants in Admixed Populations

Population stratification has long been recognized as an issue in genetic association studies because unrecognized population stratification can lead to both false-positive and false-negative findings and can obscure true association signals if not appropriately corrected. This issue can be even worse in rare variant association analyses because rare variants often demonstrate stronger and potentially different patterns of stratification than common variants. To correct for population stratification in genetic association studies, we proposed a novel method to Test the effect of an Optimally Weighted combination of variants in Admixed populations (TOWA) in which the analytically derived optimal weights can be calculated from existing phenotype and genotype data. TOWA up weights rare variants and those variants that have strong associations with the phenotype. Additionally, it can adjust for the direction of the association, and allows for local ancestry difference among study subjects. Extensive simulations show that the type I error rate of TOWA is under control in the presence of population stratification and it is more powerful than existing methods. We have also applied TOWA to a real sequencing data. Our simulation studies as well as real data analysis results indicate that TOWA is a useful tool for rare variant association analyses in admixed populations.
Pathogenesis of Lesions Induced in Rat Lung by Chronic Tobacco Smoke Inhalation

Lesions were induced in the lungs of specific-pathogen-free F344 rats by chronic tobacco smoke exposure. Animals exposed to 7 cigarettes/day were killed after 1, 1.5 or 2 years of exposure. Parallel lifetime exposures induced pulmonary tumors in 9% of the animals. In serially killed animals, four types of lesions were found: (1) perivascular or peribronchiolar accumulation of lymphoreticular cells; (2) fibrotic and cellular enlargement of peribronchiolar septa; (3) type II cell hyperplasia with septal fibrosis; and (4) air-space enlargement (emphysema). However, emphysema occurred only in animals exposed to a higher (10 cigarettes) dose of tobacco smoke. Ultrastructural studies showed all of the focal lesions to be infiltrated by cells typical of the inflammatory response. The type II hyperplastic and peribronchiolar alveolar lesions involved larger portions of the parenchyma in fibrotic changes but differed in structure, location, and frequency. The incidence of the peribronchiolar alveolar lesions was temporally related to tumor incidence.
Taurine Balance is Different in Cats Fed Purified and Commercial Diets

Ileal fluxes, urinary losses and taurine balance were determined in six taurine-replete and four taurine-depleted cats. Digesta samples collected at the terminal ileum were used to assess ileal flux of taurine. Four diets were tested: a commercial diet in two forms (heat-processed and frozen) and two purified diets containing either 1225 or 0 mg taurine/kg diet. Five-day balance trials were performed on d 3-7 with measurement of food intake and taurine in urine and ileal digesta. Substantially greater quantities of total taurine (free + bound) were found in ileal digesta from cats fed the heat-processed rather than the frozen preserved diet (205 vs. 101% of the average daily taurine intake, respectively), with calculated taurine balances of -609 vs. -212 mumol/d, respectively. The quantity of taurine in ileal digesta from taurine-replete cats fed the 1225 or 0 mg taurine/kg purified diets was not significantly different, indicating that taurine found at the terminal ileum is mostly of endogenous origin. Taurine-depleted cats had significantly lower amounts of taurine in ileal digesta, with a taurine balance of -77 mumol/d. These results demonstrate that a heat-processed diet causes substantially greater losses of taurine from the intestine than does a frozen diet. This phenomenon may explain the inability of some heat-processed diets to maintain normal plasma taurine concentrations in cats.
Researching Art(ists) on the Internet

ABSTRACT This article addresses some of the important Internet reference sources currently available for researching art and artists. The most common art reference question is usually biographical in nature, but art-and artist-related questions don't stop there. Reference questions can be about specific works of art, looking for images, and so on. Fortunately, the Internet has become an excellent place to track down the answers to these and many other art reference questions.
Time measurement and the light period in flowering

Time measurement during the light period in the photoperiodic induction of flowering in Xanthium pennsylvanicum has been studied, primarily by one type of experiment: a subcritical dark period (7.5 hours) is terminated by a brief but saturating interruption of light; and varlous conditions (light periods) are then given to discover treatments which will result in optimum flowering in response to a second inductive dark period (typically 12 hours).
Teaching administration and management within psychiatric residency training.

The author describes the need for psychiatric residency programs to teach administration and management. Under existing conditions, many graduated residents will go on to occupy management and leadership positions in psychiatry without the benefit of formal training. The author outlines a new core curriculum exposing PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents to the principles of administration, leadership, politics, and health care finance with clinical case vignettes. This core curriculum was implemented in a New York City community hospital residency training program in 2001. The results of the residents’ response to this new curriculum in a survey are also discussed.
Sentinel lymph node dissection and the current status of American trials on breast lymphatic mapping

The current national sentinel lymph node (SLN) clinical trials for breast carcinoma address the prognostic and therapeutic utility of SLN dissection (SLND) in women with early-stage, clinically node-negative breast cancer. Following completion of these studies, overall survival, disease-free survival, morbidity, and quality of life of patients will be compared. Surgeon participation is crucial to the ongoing success of clinical trials in the field of breast cancer surgery.
How Important Are Items on a Student Evaluation? A Study of Item Salience.

Although student evaluations of teaching (SETs) have been the subject of numerous research studies, the salience of SET items to students has not been examined. In the present study, the authors surveyed 484 students from a large public university. The authors suggest that not all items are viewed equally and that measures of item salience can differ on the basis of student characteristics such as gender, class year, and major. The authors provide a discussion of these findings and recommendations.
Methods for estimating the similarity parameter of clouds from internal measurements of the scattered radiation field

Abstract The similarity parameter is a combination of the single scattering albedo and the scattering asymmetry factor and can be used in conjunction with particle-size information to estimate the fractional absorption of a cloud layer. Methods are presented for estimating the parameter without estimating the optical thickness of the cloud or the ground albedo, but radiance measurements must be made at two elevations deep within the cloud layer. If the radiance data is for a sufficient number of directions, then one method can be used to give the parameter without using any correlation of the parameter with properties of the cloud. With the appropriate correlations, the parameter can be obtained using either the mean radiance and net flux or the radiance in only the zenith and nadir directions. The methods are based on an asymptotic transport theory and are shown to be a special case of more general transport results.
Acute and chronic effects of melatonin as an anticonvulsant in male gerbils

Melatonin, a hormone produced in the pineal gland and released into the general circulation on a diurnal basis, has been implicated in many behavioral processes, where it has been shown to have anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant effects. Male gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) injected daily with melatonin (25 micrograms, s.c.) exhibited a reduced seizure response to pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 60 mg/kg, s.c.). The present studies determined 1) whether melatonin's effect was related to the time of day that it was administered and 2) whether a single acute injection of melatonin at various doses could produce anticonvulsant activity. Gerbils provided with 13 weeks of daily melatonin injections (25 micrograms, s.c.) exhibited fewer convulsions after PTZ treatment irrespective of the time of day melatonin was injected. In addition, the melatonin-treated gerbils had lower mortality rates (1/12) than the untreated or vehicle-injected gerbils (5/12). On the other hand, single acute injections of melatonin (0.1-10 mg/kg, i.p.) produced no anticonvulsant activity. It appears that the anticonvulsant effects of melatonin occur only after the animals are chronically exposed to the indole. In addition, melatonin's anticonvulsant ability may utilize a different mechanism than those involved in its endocrine effects, since no diurnal difference in melatonin's anticonvulsant activity was observed.
Anglo-American Politics, 1900–1930, in Anglo-American Perspective: A Case Study in Comparative History

At the turn of the twentieth century, a new reform movement rose to challenge the nation's economic oligarchy. It drew its support from an expanding urban middle class and from influential intellectuals and publicists. The party that gave political voice to these interests was led by a popular leader no ted for his vague but alluring rhetoric. He made skillful use of the press and of his party machinery. He and his followers sought to control large economic interests (an important railroad regulation law was passed in 1907) and to democratize the machinery of government (a major electoral reform law was passed in 1912).
Spatiotemporal characteristics and pharmacological modulation of multiple gamma oscillations in the CA1 region of the hippocampus.

Multiple components of “γ-oscillations” between 30-170 Hz in the CA1 region of the hippocampus have been described, based on their coherence with oscillations in other brain regions and on their cross-frequency coupling with local θ-oscillations. However, it remains unclear whether the different sub-bands are generated by a single broadband oscillator coupled to multiple external inputs, or by separate oscillators that incorporate distinct circuit elements. To distinguish between these possibilities, we used high-density linear array recording electrodes in awake behaving mice to examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of γ-oscillations and their responses to midazolam and atropine. We characterized oscillations using current source density (CSD) analysis, and measured θ-γ phase-amplitude coupling by cross frequency coupling (CFC) analysis. Prominent peaks were present in the CSD signal in the mid- and distal apical dendritic layers at all frequencies, and at stratum pyramidale for γslow (30-45 Hz) and γmid (50-90 Hz), but not γfast (90-170 Hz) oscillations. Differences in the strength and timing of θ-γslow and θ-γmid cross frequency coupling, and a lack of coupling at the soma and mid-apical region for γfast oscillations, indicated that separate circuit components generate the three sub-bands. Midazolam altered CSD amplitudes and cross-frequency coupling in a lamina- and frequency specific manner, providing further evidence for separate generator circuits. Atropine altered CSD amplitudes and θ-γ CFC uniformly at all locations. Simulations using a detailed compartmental model were consistent with γslow and γmid oscillations driven primarily by inputs at the mid-apical dendrites, and γfast at the distal apical dendrite. Our results indicate that multiple distinct local circuits generate γ-oscillations in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, and provide detailed information about their spatiotemporal characteristics.