cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gossypol-induced apoptotic DNA fragmentation correlates with inhibited protein kinase C activity in spermatocytes.

Abstract After exposure of cultured rat spermatocytes to gossypol acetic acid for five hours, DNA fragmentation in a ladder pattern was found in the medium and supernatants of cell lysates. The concentrations of gossypol used for the induction of apoptosis ranged from 100 μM to 300 μM. Within this dose range, gossypol was also found to be effective at inhibiting protein kinase C (PKC) activity. This inhibitory effect was demonstrated by measuring the PKC residing in cytosolic and particulate fractions. However, the gossypol-induced inhibition of PKC activity was protected by phorbol 12,13-dibytyrate (PDBu), an activator of PKC. Furthermore, the presence of PDBu prevented gossypol-induced DNA fragmentation. These results suggest that spermatocyte apoptosis induced by gossypol is correlated with the reduction of PKC activity, and that maintenance of PKC basal activity is essential for protecting the spermatocyte from apoptosis.
Sustaining Collaboration: English-as-a-Second-Language, and Content-Area Teachers.

Abstract This research is an investigation into English as a Second Language (ESL) and content area teachers’ perceptions of collaboration after they completed a joint professional development program called the Collaborative Teaching Institute (CTI). The overall objective of the study was to identify how CTI and other joint professional development programs for ESL and content area teachers could better support sustained teacher collaboration. The study yielded information on the key actors, opportunities, tensions and conflicts in the collaboration between the two sets of teachers. The researchers also sought to identify specific types of activities that emerged when the teachers were successful in working together.
Epistemic Beliefs of Teachers in Technology-Rich Community College Technical Education Programs

Dramatic changes in the nature of work and its organization emphasize the need for workers to address complex and ill-structured problems and to produce knowledge useful in the workplace. Integrate...
Automatic segmentation of MR brain images in multiple sclerosis patients

A totally automatic scheme for segmenting brain from extracranial tissues and to classify all intracranial voxels as CSF, gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), or abnormality such as multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions is presented in this paper. It is observed that in MR head images, if a tissue's intensity values are normalized, its relationship to the other tissues is essentially constant for a given type of image. Based on this approach, the subcutaneous fat surrounding the head is normalized to classify other tissues. Spatially registered 3 mm MR head image slices of T1 weighted, fast spin echo [dual echo T2 weighted and proton density (PD) weighted images] and fast fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences are used for segmentation. Subcutaneous fat surrounding the skull was identified based on intensity thresholding from T1 weighted images. A multiparametric space map was developed for CSF, GM and WM by normalizing each tissue with respect to the mean value of corresponding subcutaneous fat on each pulse sequence. To reduce the low frequency noise without blurring the fine morphological high frequency details an anisotropic diffusion filter was applied to all images before segmentation. An initial slice by slice classification was followed by morphological operations to delete any brides connecting extracranial segments. Finally 3-dimensional region growing of the segmented brain extracts GM, WM and pathology. The algorithm was tested on sequential scans of 10 patients with MS lesions. For well registered sequences, tissues and pathology have been accurately classified. This procedure does not require user input or image training data sets, and shows promise for automatic classification of brain and pathology.
Conflict‐Resolution Training and Middle School Students' Integrative Negotiation Behavior

This study examined the impact of conflict-resolution training on students' use of distributive and integrative negotiating procedures. In a midwestern, suburban middle school, 176 students (grades 6 through 9) participated in the study. Students were placed in a negotiation situation involving the buying and selling of commodities in which they could adopt a distributive (maximize own outcomes) or an integrative (maximize joint outcomes) negotiation approach. There were no significant differences between males and females or among students in the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. The results of this study indicated that conflict-resolution and peer-mediation training resulted in the middle school students increasing their use of integrative negotiations and the positiveness of students' attitudes toward conflict.
Catalytic and ligand-binding characteristics of Plasmodium falciparum serine hydroxymethyltransferase

The plant-like, bifunctional dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TS) from malaria parasites has been a good target for drug development. Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is inhibited by clinically established antimalarials, pyrimethamine and cycloguanil. Thymidylate synthase (TS) is the target of potent experimental antimalarials such as 5-fluoroorotate and 1843U89. Another enzyme in folate recycling, serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT), produces 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate which, in many cells, is required for the de novo, biosynthesis of thymidine and methionine. Thus, the biochemical characterization of malarial SHMT was of interest. The principle, active Plasmodium falciparum SHMT (PfSHMT) was expressed in E. coli and purified using an N-terminal histidine tag. Unlike the plant enzyme, but like the host enzyme, PfSHMT requires the cofactor pyridoxal 5'-phosphate for enzymatic activity. The substrate specificities for serine, tetrahydrofolate, and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate were comparable to those for SHMT from other organisms. Antifolates developed for DHFR and TS inhibited SHMT in the mid-micromolar range, offering insights into the binding preferences of SHMT but clearly leaving room for improved new inhibitors. As previously seen with P. falciparum DHFR-TS, PfSHMT bound its cognate mRNA but not control RNA for actin. RNA binding was not reversed with enzyme substrates. Unlike DHFR-TS, the SHMT RNA-protein interaction was not tight enough to inhibit translation. Another gene PF14_0534, previously proposed to code for an alternate mitochondrial SHMT, was also expressed in E. coli but found to be inactive. This protein, nor DHFR-TS, enhanced the catalytic activity of PfSHMT. The present results set the stage for developing specific, potent inhibitors of SHMT from P. falciparum.
L-DOPA-induced dysregulation of extrastriatal dopamine and serotonin and affective symptoms in a bilateral rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Convergent evidence indicates that raphestriatal serotonin (5-HT) neurons can convert and release dopamine (DA) derived from exogenous administration of the pharmacotherapeutic L-3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (L-DOPA) as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD). While aspects of such neuroplasticity may be beneficial, chronic L-DOPA may also modify native 5-HT function, precipitating the appearance prevalent non-motor PD symptoms such as anxiety and depression. To examine this, male Sprague–Dawley rats were rendered parkinsonian with bilateral medial forebrain bundle 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) infusions and treated for at least 28 days with vehicle or L-DOPA. In the first experiment, striatal, hippocampal, amygdalar, and prefrontal cortex DA and 5-HT levels were examined at various post-treatment time-points. In experiment 2, L-DOPA’s effects on DA and 5-HT cell bodies in the substantia nigra pars compacta and dorsal raphe, respectively, were examined. Finally, the effects of L-DOPA on affective behaviors were assessed in locomotor chambers, social interaction, forced swim, and elevated plus maze behavioral tests. Bilateral 6-OHDA lesion induced approximately 80% DA and 30% 5-HT depletion in the striatum compared to sham-lesioned controls, while monoamine levels remained largely unchanged in extrastriatal regions. Tissue levels of DA were increased at the expense of 5-HT levels in parkinsonian rats subjected to chronic L-DOPA injections in all regions sampled, though DA or 5-HT cell bodies were unaffected. Behaviorally, rats could only be tested 24 h after their last L-DOPA injection due to severe dyskinesia. Despite this, prior exposure to chronic L-DOPA treatment exerted a pronounced anxiogenic phenotype. Collectively, these results suggest that chronic L-DOPA treatment may interfere with the balance of DA and 5-HT function in affect-related brain regions and could induce and/or exacerbate non-motor symptoms in PD.
Covering all clinically significant areas of the colon surface in virtual colonoscopy

ABSTRACT We have developed a method that automatically displays, places in sized order and allows viewing of the areas of the colon surface not visualized during initial endoscopic navigational viewing. While complete surface visualization is possible, we demonstrate that all of these "missed patches" do not have to be reviewed to detect clinically significant colon polyps. CT scans are performed on 147 patients and volunteers after bowel preparation and colon distention with CO2. After automatic segmentation and electronic cleansing of the colon lumen, the medial axis (centerline) is extracted. Volume rendering fly-through along the centerline is performed and visualized surfaces are marked. To simulate optical colonoscopy, the virtual camera is passed in the antegrade direction. For virtual colonoscopy, the camera is passed both antegrade and retrograde, and the combined visible surface voxel count is recorded. After both fly-throughs, the total visualized surface is recorded and all "patches" of connected surface area not yet seen are identified, measured, sorted by size, and counted. Clinically significant patches, defined as smallest diameter being > 5mm, are sequentially visualized by stepping through the sorted list until reaching the patch diameter of 5 mm.. for each. By enabling endoscopic navigation in both antegrade and retrograde directions, virtual colonoscopy is able to evaluate behind haustral folds and around sharp bends, thereby visualizing significantly more surface area than optical colonoscopy. Furthermore, automatic marking of the visualized surface area and identifying and viewing unseen patches allows examination of all clinically significant surfaces of the colon. Keywords: Virtual Endoscopy, Volume Rendering, Interactive Navigation, Complete Surface Coverage
Helix-loop-helix proteins and lymphocyte development

Helix-loop-helix (HLH) proteins are transcriptional regulators that control a wide variety of developmental pathways in both invertebrate and vertebrate organisms. Results obtained in the past decade have shown that HLH proteins also contribute to the development of lymphoid lineages. A subset of HLH proteins, the 'E proteins', seems to be particularly important for proper lymphoid development. Members of the E protein family include E12, E47, E2-2 and HEB. The E proteins contribute to B lineage- and T lineage-specific gene expression programs, regulate lymphocyte survival and cellular proliferation, activate the rearrangement of antigen receptor genes and control progression through critical developmental checkpoints. This review discusses HLH proteins in lymphocyte development and homeostasis.
Sting frequency and progeny production of lab-cultured Cotesia marginiventris

A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the impact of sting frequency on progeny production of Cotesiamarginiventris (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a solitary, koinobiont endoparasitoid of noctuid pests. In replicated trials, young, mated, host-deprived C. marginiventris females were exposed to three Spodopteraexigua (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) early instar larvae, one at a time, in Petri dish arenas, and observed as they stung these hosts once, twice, or thrice. The average amount of time that elapsed between stinging a host ranged from a minimum of 3 min, when females were exposed to unstung hosts, to a maximum of 8–11 min when females were exposed to previously stung hosts. Sting frequency had no effect on the yield of C. marginiventris progeny; approximately 90% of hosts, in all treatment groups, yielded a parasitoid mature larva, which spun a cocoon. No hosts yielded more than one parasitoid. The percentage of adult female progeny tended to increase with sting frequency; hosts that were stung thrice yielded 60% female C. marginiventris adults. The production of female progeny may depend on the egg allocation pattern of C. marginiventris females as well as the competitive interactions between siblings developing inside a shared host. This study suggests that S. exigua larvae can sustain 2–3 stings without diminishing their ability to yield a C. marginiventris mature larva. Provisioning enclosures with enough hosts to exceed the daily (per capita) oviposition rate of C. marginiventris females might limit the repeated stinging of the same hosts.
Postsynaptic potentials in pacemaker cells: A correlate of behavior in command cells of an electric fish

Intracellular recordings were made from pacemaker-command cells of the electric organ discharge (EOD) of the weakly electric fish Eigenmannia virescens. The fish was immobilized with gallamine triethiodide (Flaxedil) which silenced the EOD. A simulated EOD of this fish (ca. 300 Hz) and a sine wave simulating a neighbor, a few Hz higher (+deltaF) or lower (-deltaF) were introduced into the bath to elicit the "jamming avoidance response" (JAR), monitored through the pacemaker potential. We observed that accompanying the JAR there is a minute hyperpolarizing postsynaptic potential (hpsp) superimposed on the pacemaker potential. A shift in the phase of the hpsp occurs with a change in the sign of deltaF, and therefore of the JAR. Assuming that the behaviorally correlated hpsp is inhibitory, it suggests that mutual inhibition may play a role in regulating the synchronous firing frequency of command neurons, which are electrically coupled with one-another. Scheich and Bullock (1974) proposed a neuronal scheme for the JAR in which they suggest that two systems (P and T) operate together in the nervous system. The T system affects the pacemaker cells at a precise, variable phase of the pacemaker cycle. Although the present results indeed reveal a shift in the hpsp with a change in the sign of deltaF, the actual significance of this shift remains to be evaluated. The unexpected direction of the shift suggests either that the hpsp is excitatory at the phases when it occurs, or that effectiveness of inhibition decreases at later phases in this case instead of increasing as in other cases, or that the hpsp opposes the JAR. The parallel P system is probably more important in explaining the JAR, acting by a DC level control rather than a phase control.
Access to information technologies among school-age children: implications for a democratic society

Access to information and participation in a democratic society are mutually dependent. This connection implies the possibility that a segment of society can become disenfranchised, not by exclusion from voting rights, but by exclusion from access to information and information technologies. Large-scale survey data on access to information technologies hint that such a process has already begun. As information technology proliferates, we approach a societal watershed in which technology will either improve the life chances of the disadvantaged or further drive a wedge between the poor and the privileged. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Foreign Policy at the Ballot Box: How Citizens Use Foreign Policy to Judge and Choose Candidates

This paper uses the elections of 1980 to 2004 to illustrate that political candidates from opposing parties face different incentives in mentioning foreign policy during campaigns and in taking foreign policy positions. The paper demonstrates that citizens connect their own foreign policy views clearly to their evaluations of Republican candidates, but these same foreign policy opinions are much less likely to affect evaluations of the Democratic party and Democratic candidates. In addition, this paper reveals another significant asymmetry—in a threatening environment, Americans reward candidates and parties perceived to hold hawkish positions but even more severely punish candidates perceived to be dovish. Using two datasets, I find that Americans’ opinions on defense spending and diplomacy mattered significantly for the type of political leadership the public preferred at election time.
ASyMTRe: Automated Synthesis of Multi-Robot Task Solutions through Software Reconfiguration

This paper describes a methodology for automat ically synthesizing task solutions for heterogeneous multi-robot teams. In contrast to prior approaches that require a manual pre definition of how the robot team will accomplish its task (while perhaps automating who performs which task), our approach automates both the how and the who to generate task solution approaches that were not explicitly defined by the designer a priori. The advantages of this new approach are that it: (1) enables the robot team to synthesize new task solutions that use fundamentally different combinations of robot behaviors for different team compositions, and (2) provides a general mechanism for sharing sensory information across networked robots, so that more capable robots can assist less capable robots in accomplishing their objectives. Our approach, which we call ASyMTRe (Automated Synthesis of Multi-robot Task solutions through software Reconfiguration, pronounced “Asymmetry”), is based on mapping environmental, perceptual, and motor control schemas to the required flow of information through the multi-robot system, automatically reconfiguring the connections of schemas within and across robots to synthesize valid and efficient multi-robot behaviors for accomplishing the team objectives. We validate this approach by presenting the results of applying our methodology to two different teaming scenarios: altruistic cooperation involving multi-robot transportation, and coalescent cooperation involving multi-robot box pushing.
Faculty power in the community college

At no time has the study of power and authority been of more vital importance to the academic community, and to every thoughtful man, than it is at present. Accounts of sit-in demonstrations, riots, and general civil disobedience on college campuses appear with regularity in the daily press-and, in recent months, accounts of faculty walkouts and strikes. In reviewing and analyzing the causes of current faculty unrest, Weber said that "faculty dissatisfaction is clearly a child of growth and affluence."'
Effects of volume expansion and vasodilators in acute pericardial tamponade

Pharmacologic therapy may be useful as emergency treatment for acute pericardial tamponade while preparing for pericardiocentesis. We studied the effects of volume expansion and vasodilators in acute pericardial tamponade in spontaneously breathing mongrel dogs. Hemodynamic parameters and blood flow (15-micrometer microspheres) to brain, heart, kidney, colon, stomach, liver, and temporalis muscle were measured. Arterial pressure and cardiac output rose, and blood flow to all major organs, except stomach, increased after volume expansion (n = 17) by infusion of 20 ml/kg of dextran after tamponade. With nitroprusside (8-75 microgram/min) after volume expansion (n = 5), ventricular filling pressures were reduced to control levels, whereas the favorable effects of volume expansion on cardiac output, blood pressure, and kidney and heart blood flow were maintained. Hydralazine alone or hydralazine plus volume expansion was not as effective as the combination of nitroprusside and volume expansion. Thus, volume expansion alone or the combination of volume expansion and nitroprusside infusion should be beneficial as emergency therapy while preparing for pericardiocentesis in patients with acute pericardial tamponade.
Does Stockholding Provide Perfect Risk Sharing

This paper analyzes the extent of risk-sharing among stockholders. Wealthy households play a crucial role in many economic problems due to the substantial concentration of wealth and asset holdings in the U.S. data. Hence, to evaluate the empirical importance of market incompleteness, it is essential to determine if idiosyncratic shocks are important for the wealthy who also have better insurance opportunities compared to the average household. We study a dynamic structural model where each period households compare the benefits of stockholding with a per-period trading cost and decide whether to participate in the stock market. Due to the endogenous entry decision, the testable implications of perfect risk-sharing take the form of a sample selection model. To eliminate the selection bias, we implement a semiparametric estimation method recently proposed by Kyriazidou (2001). Using data from PSID we strongly reject perfect risk-sharing for stockholders, but perhaps surprisingly, find no evidence against it among non-stockholders. The results are robust to a number of changes in the test method, such as including future wages into the instrument set, and testing from long time differences. We offer some explanations based on private information problems and the resulting idiosyncratic production risk borne by wealthy households. Finally, we strongly reject risk-sharing for the whole population consistent with existing literature. These findings indicate that, if anything, market incompleteness may be more important for the wealthy, and suggest further focus on risk factors that primarily affect this group, such as business risks.
The problem of evil: skeptical theism leads to moral paralysis

Natural disasters would seem to constitute evidence against the existence of God, for, on the face of things, it is mysterious why a completely good and all-powerful God would allow the sort of suffering we see from earthquakes, diseases, and the like. The skeptical theist replies that we should not expect to be able to understand God’s ways, and thus we should not regard it as surprising or mysterious that God would allow natural evil. I argue that skeptical theism leads to moral paralysis: accepting skeptical theism would undermine our ability to make any moral judgments whatsoever. Second, and more briefly, I argue that skeptical theism would undercut our ability to accept any form of the argument from design, including recent approaches based on fine-tuning.
Community informatics: hope or hype?

Community informatics is a promising strategy for taking advantage of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to further goals of community development. It is important, however, that proponents of this approach recognize that it is based on the assumption that technology in itself can lead to positive social development. This "techno-utopianism" is subject to various critiques, which can be grouped into three categories: methodological, philosophical and ideological. Reflecting on the implications of these critiques, we can develop several recommendations for "democratizing" community informatics. In order to retain the "hope" that ICTs can help lead to greater social, political, and economic equity, it is necessary to not succumb to the seductive "hype" that surrounds these technological developments. This perspective could lay the groundwork for an "ethics of community informatics".
Knowledge and implicit knowledge in a distributed environment: preliminary report

We characterize the states of knowledge that are attainable in distributed systems, where communication is done by unreliable message exchange. The reason that certain states of knowledge are unattainable is a conservation principle which says that information about "nature" that can be obtained by combining all of the knowledge of the members of a closed system is preserved. We axiomatize the class of formulas in the propositional modal logic of knowledge that are valid in attainable knowledge states, and we determine the complexity of the decision problem.
STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL ROLES OF CYTOSKELETAL PROTEINS DURING REPAIR OF NATIVE GUINEA PIG INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM

The cytoskeletal events that assist restitution of the native intestinal epithelium are poorly understood. To enhance our understanding of repair mechanisms in the native intestinal epithelium we assessed the functional role of actin and the temporal and spatial alterations in actin and villin that occur in native enterocytes migrating in response to injury. Using a well-characterizedin vitroUssing chamber model of native intestine epithelial restitution, the actin inhibitor cytochalasin D (CD) was applied to determine the functional importance of actin to restitution as assessed by sensitive electrophysiological means and structural techniques. Additionally we used phalloidin and indirect immunohistochemistry to localize and semi-quantitate F-actin and villin in migrating cells during restitution. We report new data that shows that when cytoskeletal changes were impaired with CD, the epithelial monolayer was re-established in fewer than 20% of CD-treated villi, cells bordering the epithelial defect did not assume the characteristic phenotype associated with migrating cells, and transepithelial resistance did not return to pre-injury levels. F-actin and villin were present at the leading edge of the migrating cells, basolateral F-actin was decreased, and cytoplasmic villin was increased as determined by phalloidin and immunohistochemical methods. We conclude thatin vitrorepair of the native intestinal epithelium is functionally and structurally dependent on major changes in the cytoskeleton of cells involved in re-establishing the epithelial monolayer over a complex extracellular matrix.
Race/Ethnicity, Gender and Job Earnings across Metropolitan Areas in the United States: A Multilevel Analysis:

Using the US 5 per cent Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) and Census Summary Files from the year 2000, and a multilevel linear modelling strategy, this study examines the effects of a range of individual and metropolitan-area characteristics on the job earnings of US-born Whites and Blacks, foreign-born Hispanics and Asians, separately by men and women. The key findings suggest that macroeconomic structure and racial composition have significant influences on interracial and gender earnings disparities, although the direction and magnitude are different among groups. Results also show that all racial and gender groups would benefit from a more evenly distributed labour market among ethnic minorities and immigrants. With respect to gender issues, the earning gaps between racial groups are greater than between men and women. However, compared with men, women workers are more sensitive to macroeconomic conditions, racial residential segregation and labour market segmentation.
New n-type polymer semiconductors based on naphthalene diimide and selenophene derivatives for organic field-effect transistors

n-Type conjugated polymers based on naphthalene diimide (NDI) and various selenophene derivatives have been synthesized, characterized and evaluated as semiconductors for n-channel organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). The new poly(naphthalene diimides) (PNDIs) have weight average molecular weights of 12–107 kDa with a polydispersity of 1.1–2.6. These PNDIs combined a constant electron affinity of 3.9 eV with an optical band gap that varies from 1.7 eV in PNDISS to 1.4 eV in ePNDIBS due to intramolecular charge transfer. X-ray diffraction analysis of films of the polymers revealed a lamellar crystalline structure in which the lamellar interchain distance varied from 2.45 nm in PNDISS to 2.75 nm in PNDIBDS while the π-stacking distance varied from 0.397 nm in PNDIBDS to 0.443 nm in PNDISS. Average field-effect electron mobility of 0.008 to 0.24 cm2 V−1 s−1 with high on/off current ratio (104 to 106) was observed from the bottom gate/top contact n-channel OFETs. A 3.4-fold enhancement in electron mobility was observed in phenyl end-capped and high molecular weight ePNDIBS whereas such end-capping had no effect on the electron mobility in PNDISS and PNDIBDS.
Clinical Treatment of Nondysentery Travelers' Diarrhea During Deployment

Abstract : Learning Objective - Readers will be able to answer the following question in such a manner as to be of significant use in their official duties: Question: When do I give antibiotics in the setting of traveler's diarrhea while deployed?
Disaggregate Multimodal Travel Demand Modeling Based on Road Pricing and Access to Transit

In this paper, the conventional disaggregate travel demand model, a probability model for the modeling of multiple modes, generally called random utility maximization (RUM), is expanded to a model of count of mode choice. The extended travel demand model is derived from general economic theory—maximizing instantaneous utility on the time horizon, subject to a budget constraint—and can capture the dynamic behavior of countable travel demand. Because the model is for countable dependent variables, it has a more realistic set of assumptions to explain travel demand than the RUM model. An empirical test of the theoretical model using a toll facility user survey in the New York City area was performed. The results showed that the theoretical model explained more than 50% of the trip frequency behavior observed in New York City toll facility users. Travel demand for toll facility users increased with respect to household employment, household vehicle count, and employer payment of tolls and decreased in terms o...
A three-dose intramuscular injection schedule of anthrax vaccine adsorbed generates sustained humoral and cellular immune responses to protective antigen and provides long-term protection against inhalation anthrax in rhesus macaques.

A 3-dose (0, 1, and 6 months) intramuscular (3-IM) priming series of a human dose (HuAVA) and dilutions of up to 1:10 of anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA) provided statistically significant levels of protection (60 to 100%) against inhalation anthrax for up to 4 years in rhesus macaques. Serum anti-protective antigen (anti-PA) IgG and lethal toxin neutralization activity (TNA) were detectable following a single injection of HuAVA or 1:5 AVA or following two injections of diluted vaccine (1:10, 1:20, or 1:40 AVA). Anti-PA and TNA were highly correlated (overall r2 = 0.89 for log10-transformed data). Peak responses were seen at 6.5 months. In general, with the exception of animals receiving 1:40 AVA, serum anti-PA and TNA responses remained significantly above control levels at 28.5 months (the last time point measured for 1:20 AVA), and through 50.5 months for the HuAVA and 1:5 and 1:10 AVA groups (P < 0.05). PA-specific gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) CD4+ cell frequencies and T cell stimulation indices were sustained through 50.5 months (the last time point measured). PA-specific memory B cell frequencies were highly variable but, in general, were detectable in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by 2 months, were significantly above control levels by 7 months, and remained detectable in the HuAVA and 1:5 and 1:20 AVA groups through 42 months (the last time point measured). HuAVA and diluted AVA elicited a combined Th1/Th2 response and robust immunological priming, with sustained production of high-avidity PA-specific functional antibody, long-term immune cell competence, and immunological memory (30 months for 1:20 AVA and 52 months for 1:10 AVA). Vaccinated animals surviving inhalation anthrax developed high-magnitude anamnestic anti-PA IgG and TNA responses.
The Role of EMC Standards in Product Quality

This paper provides the reader with a representation of how the most common international EMC standards created by the IEC for commercial electronic equipment are created why it is important to use standards, and how these standards can actually increase the quality of the product. The paper attempts to also provide the reader with a background for the electromagnetic conditions the standards attempt to simulate. It attempts to provide the reader with some reference to what is mandatory, what is optional, and suggested levels for a product based upon the intended operating environment. The paper will mainly reference international standards created by the IEC and CISPR for simplicity. Since National or Local standards may be different, the paper is a good guidance, but not a substitute for the application of Due Diligence. This paper does not include Military or special standards. While the process is somewhat the same for these types of standards, the use environment and limits are significantly different. For these reasons, Military and special standards must be handled differently.
Energy reduction in VLSI computation modules: an information-theoretic approach

We consider the problem of reduction of computation cost by introducing redundancy in the number of ports as well as in the input and output sequences of computation modules. Using our formulation, the classical "communication scenario" is the case when a computation module has to recompute the input sequence at a different location or time with high fidelity and low bit-error rates. We then consider communication with different computational cost objective than that given by bit-error rate. An example is communication over deep submicrometer very-large scale integration (VLSI) buses where the expected energy consumption per communicated information bit is the cost of computation. We treat this scenario using tools from information theory and establish fundamental bounds on the achievable expected energy consumption per bit in deep submicrometer VLSI buses as a function of their utilization. Some of our results also shed light on coding schemes that achieve these bounds. We then prove that the best tradeoff between the expected energy consumption per bit and bus utilization can be achieved using codes constructed from typical sequences of Markov stationary ergodic processes. We use this observation to give a closed-form expression for the best tradeoff between the expected energy consumption per bit and the utilization of the bus. This expression, in principle, can be computed using standard numerical methods. The methodology developed here naturally extends to more general computation scenarios.
Genetic Predisposition to Central Obesity and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Two Independent Cohort Studies

OBJECTIVE Abdominal obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to examine the association between the genetic predisposition to central obesity, assessed by the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) genetic score, and T2D risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The current study included 2,591 participants with T2D and 3,052 participants without T2D of European ancestry from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). Genetic predisposition to central obesity was estimated using a genetic score based on 14 established loci for the WHR. RESULTS We found that the central obesity genetic score was linearly related to higher T2D risk. Results were similar in the NHS (women) and HPFS (men). In combined results, each point of the central obesity genetic score was associated with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.04 (95% CI 1.01–1.07) for developing T2D, and the OR was 1.24 (1.03–1.45) when comparing extreme quartiles of the genetic score after multivariate adjustment. CONCLUSIONS The data indicate that genetic predisposition to central obesity is associated with higher T2D risk. This association is mediated by central obesity.
Opportunities and challenges for community health centers in meeting women's health care needs.

1 Federal grantees are commonly referred to as federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and non-grantees as FQHC-look-alikes. FQHC and look-alike status qualifies health centers to receive cost-based reimbursement from Medicaid and Medicare (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2011). 2 Health center estimate based on 5.4 million female patients age 15 to 44 served by health centers and proportion (93%) of patients with incomes below 200% of the Federal Poverty level in 2010. 3 Introduction
Liberalisation, privatisation, modernisation, and schooling in India: an interview with Krishna Kumar

In 2004, India’s Congress Party wrested control of parliament from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. I present below an interview conducted with Professor Krishna Kumar, Delhi University, the new Government’s choice for Director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training. Professor Kumar discusses the ways that liberalisation, privatisation and modernisation complexly interact in late twentieth and early twenty‐first century India, paying special attention to their relevance for schooling. Professor Kumar thus links education to some of the themes most salient in the social sciences.
Low-Rank Matrix Decomposition and Spatio-Temporal Sparse Recovery for STAP Radar

We develop space-time adaptive processing (STAP) methods by leveraging the advantages of sparse signal processing techniques in order to detect a slowly-moving target. We observe that the inherent sparse characteristics of a STAP problem can be formulated as the low-rankness of clutter covariance matrix when compared to the total adaptive degrees-of-freedom, and also as the sparse interference spectrum on the spatio-temporal domain. By exploiting these sparse properties, we propose two approaches for estimating the interference covariance matrix. In the first approach, we consider a constrained matrix rank minimization problem (RMP) to decompose the sample covariance matrix into a low-rank positive semidefinite and a diagonal matrix. The solution of RMP is obtained by applying the trace minimization technique and the singular value decomposition with matrix shrinkage operator. Our second approach deals with the atomic norm minimization problem to recover the clutter response-vector that has a sparse support on the spatio-temporal plane. We use convex relaxation based standard sparse-recovery techniques to find the solutions. With extensive numerical examples, we demonstrate the performances of proposed STAP approaches with respect to both the ideal and practical scenarios, involving Doppler-ambiguous clutter ridges, spatial and temporal decorrelation effects. The low-rank matrix decomposition based solution requires secondary measurements as many as twice the clutter rank to attain a near-ideal STAP performance; whereas the spatio-temporal sparsity based approach needs a considerably small number of secondary data.
Evolving paradigms in the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: increased options and increased complexity

The use of modern therapies such as thalidomide, bortezomib and lenalidomide coupled with upfront high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) has resulted in improved survival in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). However, patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) often have poorer clinical outcomes and might benefit from novel therapeutic strategies. Emerging therapies, such as deacetylase inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies and new proteasome inhibitors, appear promising and may change the therapeutic landscape in RRMM. A limited number of studies has shown a benefit with salvage ASCT in patients with RRMM, although there remains ongoing debate about its timing and effectiveness. Improvement in transplant outcomes has re-ignited a debate on the timing and possible role for salvage ASCT and allogeneic stem cell transplant in RRMM. As the treatment options for management of patients with RRMM become increasingly complex, physicians must consider both disease- and patient-related factors in choosing the appropriate therapeutic approach, with the goal of improving efficacy while minimizing toxicity.
New Developments of Characteristic Analysis in Wireless Sensor Networks

ABSTRACTAs a completely new information acquisition and processing technology, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has extensive application prospects in environmental monitoring, target tracking, intelligent transportation, intrusion detection, and so on. In these applications, when receiving the monitoring information, in many cases, one should know the location information of WSN sensor nodes. However, no matter which localization method one adopts, the rapid and accurate characteristic extraction is always one of the key techniques of WSNs. In this paper, we will explore a new characteristic extraction technology in WSNs. By separately computing the scores of related dimensions, we can obtain the final comprehensive information characteristic of all nodes. All of the characteristic analysis results are precise and credible.
Downthrown closures of the Outer Moray Firth

In the Outer Moray Firth area of the UK Continental Shelf, some 3 × 10 9 BBL of recoverable hydrocarbons have been discovered. The reservoir rocks are primarily shallow marine (Piper) and deep marine (Claymore) sands of Late Jurassic age, with subordinate amounts of hydrocarbons contained in Lower Cretaceous sandstones. The major fields include Piper, Scott, Claymore and Tartan. Whilst these are principally classical tilted fault block footwall traps, all except Piper have elements of downthrown, hanging wall trapping that add significantly to the reserve base. Several other fields and discoveries, including Scapa, Saltire, Perth, and Lowlander are entirely dependent upon downthrown fault closure. A number of exploration wells drilled on valid downthrown terraces have, however, proved dry, apparently a result of lateral fault seal failure. An examination of the success and failure cases suggests that the critical factors controlling the trap integrity in this area are the geology and geometry of the sediments in the footwall, the timing of fault movement and the nature of the depositional system in the hanging wall. These appear to be more important than the more commonly used shale smear or gouge criteria. Consideration of these factors has allowed the construction of a ranking system for downthrown Mesozoic prospects.
Search algorithms for M best solutions for graphical models

The paper focuses on finding the m best solutions to combinatorial optimization problems using Best-First or Branch-and-Bound search. Specifically, we present m-A*, extending the well-known A* to the m-best task, and prove that all its desirable properties, including soundness, completeness and optimal efficiency, are maintained. Since Best-First algorithms have memory problems, we also extend the memory-efficient Depth-First Branch-and-Bound to the m-best task. We extend both algorithms to optimization tasks over graphical models (e.g., Weighted CSP and MPE in Bayesian networks), provide complexity analysis and an empirical evaluation. Our experiments with 5 variants of Best-First and Branch-and-Bound confirm that Best-First is largely superior when memory is available, but Branch-and-Bound is more robust, while both styles of search benefit greatly when the heuristic evaluation function has increased accuracy.
A Patient with Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid with Elevated Serum Thyroglobulin but Negative Imaging Studies

The patient presented with rather aggressive papillary thyroid cancer, which after initial therapy had evidence of residual disease based upon measurable thyroglobulin levels but which could not be anatomically located. Thus, she illustrated the dilemma facing clinicians not infrequently of the imaging-negative but thyroglobulin-positive patient. Given that there is no explanation for the loss of radioiodine uptake other than dedifferentiation of the tumor, further identification of the source of the thyroglobulin and further treatment become problematic. The utility of other imaging modalities including FDG-PET/CT and the merits of empiric radioiodine therapy are discussed.
Aging and body composition : possibilities for future studies

Three approaches are being taken to the development of techniques for measuring body composition: 1) improving present methods, 2) formulating and devising new body composition measuring techniques and 3) focusing on specific problems of body composition changes in aging. The improvement of multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance, computerised tomography, magnetic resonance and dual-photon absorptiometry imaging belong under the first category. Recent developments in low radiation exposure measurement of body carbon and oxygen by neutron inelastic scattering and body protein by gamma-ray resonance are examples of new technology applied to the direct assessment of body composition of the elderly. The third category remains the most important one and should motivate the evolution of existing methods and the development of new
Human IgA1 and IgA2 have distinct spectrotypes but display subclass similarities between individuals.

Isoelectric focusing (IEF) is a powerful tool for the examination of protein heterogeneity. A variety of IEF techniques have been employed to analyze the spectrotypes of total IgA from humans, rats and rabbits.1,2,3 In all of these studies however, purified IgA was used, with the potential of having an artificially altered pi range.
How Adolescents Use Drugs

We have seen that the answers to the question of why adolescents use drugs vary in terms of the patterns of use; the reasons they themselves give are both social, in the case of boredom and custom, and individual, in the case of depression and self-control. Listening to adolescents talk about their drug use and their observations of others’ use immediately suggests the importance of understanding how drugs are used, that is, the social routines which define appropriate drug use and the instances in which drugs are used primarily to achieve some desired physiological change in the user.
Antibiotic Resistance Among Enterococcal Isolates from Environmental and Clinical Sources.

Antibiotic resistance among enterococci and fecal streptococci was examined by testing 149 isolates from pork, water, and clinical material, as well as 50 strains of 13 known species, for resistance to 27 different antimicrobial agents. Tests were performed by using the MicroScan Pos MIC type 6 panels. Pork isolates exhibited less resistance than either water or clinical isolates to most antibiotics, although a larger proportion of pork isolates than others was resistant to tetracycline. Comparisons of antimicrobial-resistance patterns between enterococcal species revealed that Enterococcus faecium was most resistant to β-lactam antimicrobials, especially ampicillin, whereas Enterococcus faecalis seemed to be the most resistant to the synergistic effects of antimicrobial combinations. Vancomycin resistance was observed in one Enterococcus hirae isolate from water. Enterococcal isolates from any of the sources tested did not show multiple resistance to antibiotics (such as gentamicin, ampicillin, streptomy...
Intelligent Control Technology

(1991). Intelligent Control Technology. Materials and Processing Report: Vol. 6, No. 8-9, pp. 7-9.