cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The small-molecule chk1 inhibitor, PD-321852, causes synergistic depletion of chk1 protein and clonogenic death when combined with gemcitabine in colorectal and pancreatic tumor cells

4911 Chk1 is a protein kinase that has been implicated as a key regulator of cell cycle progression and DNA repair. Inhibitors of chk1 (e.g., UCN-01) have been shown to selectively potentiate the cytotoxic actions of chemotherapeutic drugs in tumor cells, in some circumstances, and are under development as therapeutic agents. In this study, we examined the ability of PD-3218521, a new, small-molecule chk1 inhibitor with an in vitro IC50 of 5nM, to potentiate gemcitabine (Gem)-induced loss of clonogenicity in a panel of colorectal and pancreatic cancer cell lines. In most cell lines, 300 nM was the highest concentration of PD-321852 that was non-toxic when given by itself for 24 hr. When this “threshold” concentration of PD-321852 was combined with Gem in SW620 colorectal and BxPC3 pancreatic cancer cells, it enhanced clonogenic death by about 25-fold in each cell line, as compared to a 3-fold enhancement that was obtained with a comparable (threshold) concentration of UCN-01 (100 nM). Although UCN-01 and PD-321852 were each able to cause elevated levels of cdc25A protein, as expected following chk1 inhibition, this effect on cdc25A did not correlate with potentiation of cytotoxicity. For example, Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cells did demonstrate substantially elevated levels of cdc25A after chk1 inhibition, but were minimally sensitized to Gem by PD-321852 (less than 2-fold). Surprisingly, we observed that when PD-321852 was combined with Gem under conditions resulting in synergistic cytotoxicity, it caused a dramatic depletion of chk1 protein, as indicated by Western blot analysis. The loss of chk1 signal was mitigated by incubation with a proteasome inhibitor (LLnL), supporting the conclusion that it reflected a real decline in chk1 protein content, rather than a change in antibody reactivity. In contrast, only a slight loss of chk1 protein could be detected after treatment with UCN-01, and this required use of toxic concentrations of that agent. In addition, Panc-1 cells, which were minimally sensitized to Gem by PD-321852, were relatively resistant to the effects of PD-321852 on chk1 protein levels. Thus, it appeared to be the loss of chk1 protein, rather than the inhibition of chk1 and subsequent deregulation of cdc25A, that correlated with the synergistic effects of PD-321852 on Gem-induced cytotoxicity. We are currently investigating the mechanism(s) of PD-321852-mediated chk1 repression and the relationship between drug-induced loss of chk1 and potentiation of cytotoxicity. 1Palmer et al. 2004. Eur J Cancer Suppl 2:20.
Summary of the Session by the Rapporteur

In Session IV, Mr. K.T. Cherian of the U.S. Department of Energy outlined the goals of the U.S. Solar Thermal Technology Program. Mr. Clif Selvage, IEA/SSPS Project, followed with an introductory presentation of the lessons which have been learned to date. Projects were then presented, and a lively discussion ensued.
Regulation of interleukin (IL)-11 gene expression in IL-1 induced primate bone marrow stromal cells.

Interleukin (IL)-1 alpha treatment of a primate bone marrow stromal cell line, PU-34, transiently increased the steady state level of IL-11 mRNA. Nuclear run-on experiments showed that the transcription rate of the IL-11 gene was not affected appreciably by IL-1 alpha induction, but changes in the half-life of the IL-11 mRNA corresponded well with the changes in the steady state level of the IL-11 mRNA during the induction. Although transient transfection of PU-34 cells with IL-11 promoter constructs failed to respond to IL-1 alpha, a 10-base pair promoter region and JunD.AP-1 complex were found to be responsible for the basal level transcription of the IL-11 gene. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein accelerated the degradation of the IL-11 mRNA without affecting the transcription rate of the IL-11 gene in IL-1 alpha stimulated cells. The insertion of DNA sequences corresponding to the 3′-untranslated region of the IL-11 gene into a rabbit beta-globin gene resulted in destabilization of the chimeric mRNA which failed to be induced by IL-1 alpha. Exogenous IL-11 expression generated from transient transfection with plasmid pCMV-IL-11, however, can be stabilized by IL-1 alpha. In contrast to the hypothesis that AUUUA motifs in the 3′-untranslated region are sufficient to regulate cytokine mRNA stability, our results suggest that IL-1 alpha induced stabilization of the IL-11 mRNA requires participation of RNA sequences from different regions of the IL-11 message.
Mortality predictions on admission as a context for organizing care activities.

BACKGROUND Favorable health outcomes are more likely to occur when the clinical team recognizes patients at risk and intervenes in consort. Prediction rules can identify high-risk subsets, but the availability of multiple rules for various conditions present implementation and assimilation challenges. METHODS A prediction rule for 30-day mortality at the beginning of the hospitalization was derived in a retrospective cohort of adult inpatients from a community hospital in the Midwestern United States from 2008 to 2009, using clinical laboratory values, past medical history, and diagnoses present on admission. It was validated using 2010 data from the same and from a different hospital. The calculated mortality risk was then used to predict unplanned transfers to intensive care units, resuscitation attempts for cardiopulmonary arrests, a condition not present on admission (complications), intensive care unit utilization, palliative care status, in-hospital death, rehospitalizations within 30 days, and 180-day mortality. RESULTS The predictions of 30-day mortality for the derivation and validation datasets had areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.88. The 30-day mortality risk was in turn a strong predictor for in-hospital death, palliative care status, 180-day mortality; a modest predictor for unplanned transfers and cardiopulmonary arrests; and a weaker predictor for the other events of interest. CONCLUSIONS The probability of 30-day mortality provides health systems with an array of prognostic information that may provide a common reference point for organizing the clinical activities of the many health professionals involved in the care of the patient. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2013;8:229–235 © 2012 Society of Hospital Medicine
Treatment strategies to improve and sustain remission in major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is an often chronic, recurrent illness affecting large numbers of the general population. In recent years, the goal of treatment for MDD has moved from mere symptomatic response to that of full remission (ie, minimal/no residual symptoms). The recent Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial stewed that even with systematic measurement-based treatment, approximately one third of patients reach full remission after one treatment trial, with only two thirds reaching remission after four treatment trials. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is therefore a common problem in the treatment of MDD, with 60% to 70% of all patients meeting the criteria for TRD, Given the huge burden of major depressive illness, the low rate of full recovery remains suboptimal. The following article reports on some current treatment strategies available to improve rates of, and to sustain, remission in MDD.
Los medios ciudadanos y la voz del ángel-poeta

Este articulo propone una redefinicion de lo que se entiende por medios de comunicacion alternativos, estableciendo para ello el concepto de "medios ciudadanos"
Genotypic vs. condition effects on parasite-driven rare advantage.

Models and empirical studies of coevolution assume host resistance and parasite infectivity are genetically based. However, nongenetic physiological or environmental influences could alter host susceptibility even when the relationship is genetically based. In this experiment we examined the influence of host genotype, host condition at the time of infection (age and reproductive status), and their interaction on resistance of the freshwater snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum) to its dominant trematode parasite (Microphallus sp.). We used a laboratory infection experiment of a clonal snail population to determine the susceptibility of juveniles, brooding adult females, and nonbrooding adult females. We found a significant effect of both life-history state and clonal genotype on the prevalence of infection. However, the relative susceptibility of different clonal genotypes was not altered by condition; genotypes that were rare in the natural population were less infected than those that were common for each life-history state. These results suggest that although host condition affects susceptibility, it does not disrupt the specificity of the match between parasites and common clonal genotypes. Hence these findings support the Red Queen hypothesis for the maintenance of sex under genetically based host–parasite interactions.
2-Amino-3-nitrotoluene †

2-Amino-3-nitrotoluene product: 2-amino-3-nitrotoluene reactant: o-toluidine byproduct: 2-amino-5-nitrotoluene Keywords: acylation; nitration; gas traps, absorption
Relationship of plasma and adrenal gland sterols to corticosterone in the rabbit

Abstract The relation of plasma and adrenal gland sterols to corticosterone has been studied in the rabbit after feeding cholesterol-4- 14 C for 19–35 days. The specific activity of blood cholesterol was about 35% that of dietary cholesterol. The specific activity of the adrenal gland cholesterol was found to be about 77% that of blood cholesterol. Corticosterone specific activity was the same as adrenal gland cholesterol specific activity. Some 14 C-sterol(s) other than cholesterol were present in the adrenal gland but did not appear to be present in blood.
Simulation and optimization of strained Si1-xGex buried channel p-MOSFETs

Abstract Deep submicron (0.35 μm) strained Si1−xGex buried channel p-MOSFETs with a Ge concentration up to 50% were simulated using the MEDICI device simulator. A buried channel structure offers several benefits over a surface channel structure without a Si cap. Simulation results show that the maximum drain current increases monotonically with the Ge mole fraction. The drive current enhancement is more than 300% for Si0.5 Ge0.5 over Si. Subthreshold characteristics were analyzed for different Ge mole fractions in this study. The effects of Si cap layer thickness and Si1−xGex channel thickness on drive current and gate voltage operating window were analyzed. The simulation results show that the drive current is the highest when the Si1−xGex layer thickness is between 100 and 300 A and that Si1−xGex layer thickness can be as low as 50 A with less than 10% penalty in the drive current, for structures with a 50 A Si cap layer.
The Role of Culture in Shaping Perceptions of Discrimination among Active Duty and Reserve Forces in the US Military

Organizational culture allows workers in an organization to develop a shared understanding about events that occur within the organization. The US Army has developed its own culture, which allows it to pursue a variety of challenges that it must face. Today’s US Army relies heavily on citizen soldiers, consisting of the Army Reserve and the National Guard. These soldiers come from a different background than the active component soldiers, and as a result, interpret actions taken by the organization and its leaders differently, based on the subculture from which these soldiers come. The present paper examines the effects that culture and status have on perceptions of discrimination and fairness during a recent US military operation. An historical frame of reference of similar experiences in previous military operations is provided, and implications for organizations that employ both permanent and temporary workers are discussed.
Excess Thermodynamic Properties of H2O and D2O Solutions of Tetramethylurea, an Azeotropic System. Vapor Pressures, Excess Vapor Pressures, and Vapor Pressure Isotope Effects

Vapor pressures of the tetramethylurea (TMU) + H2O or + D2O solutions (1, 2, 4, 8, 15, 25, 50, and 70 molal, 283 ≤ T/K ≤ 353) were obtained from precise differential measurements. The vapor pressures in the lower temperature range show sharp maxima that are 40 to 50% above the Raoult's law value at XTMU = 0.07 (4 molal) which fall with increasing temperature. The vapor pressure isotope effects of the solutions lie significantly below that for pure solvent. Below 50 °C the difference shows its maximum at 2 to 4 aquamolal, reaching unusually large values at low temperature (40% at 10 °C). The behavior of the solution is discussed using the cage-model of hydrophobic hydration. In the water-rich region, competition between hydrophobic and hydrophilic hydration spheres results in unusually high TMU activity and solution nonideality and in turn accounts for the strong denaturing effect of TMU on natural proteins; this effect is most effective at about 3 m.
A simple method for detecting steroid aggregation and estimating solubility in aqueous solutions

Abstract Steroids are generally sparingly soluble in water. Thus, for in vitro studies of steroid metabolism or enzymology it is common practice to solubilize steroids by the addition of a small amount (2–10%, v/v) of an organic cosolvent. Methanol, ethanol, and 1,2-propanediol, singly or in combination, have been widely used (1). Effects of organic solvents on the kinetic parameters, Km and Vmax, of steroid-metabolizing enzymes with various substrates have been demonstrated (2,3), and the results are consistent with the conclusion that organic solvent influences on catalytic activity reflect, in part, effects on the aggregation state and solubility of steroid substrates. Light-scattering measurements have been applied extensively in studies of macromolecular structure (4) and micelle formation by a large variety of amphiphilic substances [reviewed in Ref. (5)]. Jones and Gordon (6) used a commercial instrument, designed specifically for light-scattering measurements, to characterize micelle formation in aqueous solutions by Δ5-3-ketosteroids containing various substituents at the 17β position. They showed that turbidity versus concentration plots were of the form seen in studies of micelle formation (5) and that steroids can exist in solution in monomeric or micellar forms, their aggregation state being a function of the polarity of the steroid solute and the composition of the solvent. To estimate solubility quantitatively 3H- or 14C-labeled steroids have been used in conjunction with centrifugation (3), dialysis (7), or filtration (8). These techniques allow for accurate estimates of solubility, but one may encounter problems due to nonspecific absorption on membranes or the unavailability of the labeled steroid of interest. We have observed that steroid aggregation and solubility can be estimated easily and with high sensitivity with a commercially available fluorometer. In this report the method is described and examples demonstrating the reproducibility and sensitivity of the technique are presented.
Fourier Transform Vibrational Circular Dichroism In The amide I band Of Polypeptides

The Fourier transform vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) in the amide I region of poly-L-lysine in D20 solution has been investigated. Signals corresponding to the random coil, a-helix and antiparallel (3-sheet have been characterized. The spectrum of the a-helix shows the presence of three distinct features in agreement with previous results on deuterated polypeptides. We were able to detect the antiparallel β-sheet conformation in solution; the signal is unexpectedly large and monosignate in contrast to that predicted from exciton theory.
A Course in Speech and Image Processing for Prdominantly Undergraduate Institutions

Predominantly undergraduate institutions with engineering are teaching-focused institutions with curricula that provide concise but core fundamental engineering knowledge to its constituents. Such institutions may have the sufficient number of faculty members and courses to cover core knowledge areas in electrical and computer engineering but may not offer the wide expanse of courses that bigger institutions with graduate programs usually do. This paper shows how an undergraduate can be exposed to two major applications of signal processing at considerable depth in a single one-semester course that may require a typical signals & systems course as a prerequisite or, perhaps, a DSP core course as a prerequisite or co-requisite. The idea is to introduce college undergraduates to a thorough treatment of applied signal processing without sacrificing a number of allotted electives on the DSP side of the ECE curriculum. This allows the undergraduate student to study other facets of a typical ECE curriculum but also get an in-depth treatment of applied DSP.
Available P determination by equilibration with dilute SrCl2

Abstract A dilute salt equilibration method for estimating plant‐available P was compared with the Bray P‐1 in a greenhouse‐correlation study. Both methods gave availability estimates significantly related to P uptake within groups of homogeneous soils. However, the dilute salt equilibration method was better related to P availability among groups of different soils. An apparent effect of previous crop on P availability was observed.
Controller design for small air vehicles — An overview and comparison

Small unmanned air vehicles (SUAVs) such as quadrotors are mainly used in several research labs including our Multiple Air Robotics Indoor Testbed (MARIT) [1]. However, an overview of these common control techniques have been missing. This paper presents an overviews of designing and evaluating commonly used controllers for SUAVs. To design the controllers, the quadrotor's physical parameters are measured and mathematical dynamics models are established. Simulators are constructed based on the dynamics models to validate the performances of the controllers. Several evaluation criteria are used to compare the performances and the results are presented.
Atmosphere of Mars: Mariner IV Models Compared

Mariner IV models of three Mars atmospheric layers analogous to terrestrial E, F-1 and F-2 layers, considering relative mass densities, temperatures, carbon dioxide photodissociation and ionization profile
47 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in Healthy Children: Risk Factor (RF) Analysis and Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) of Colonizing and Invasive Strains.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus (SA) disease is common in colonized persons. The number of patients with MRSA colonization/infection increased from 443 to 736 in our institution from 2004 to 2005. MRSA infection has become a common consultation. Recent national studies have documented SA carriage 26-36% and MRSA 0.8-9%.
Chloroperoxidase-catalyzed halogenation of antipyrine, a drug substrate of liver microsomal cytochrome P-450☆

Abstract Chloroperoxidase catalyzes halogenation of antipyrine at the 4-position with stoichiometric H 2 O 2 , in the presence of excess KCl or KBr; the pH optima of these reactions, near pH 4.0, are characteristic of other halogenation activities of this enzyme. In the presence of KCl or KBr, antipyrine was an effective inhibitor of H 2 O 2 decomposition catalyzed by chloroperoxidase. Under similar experimental conditions, 4-halogenation of antipyrine also occurred in the absence of chloroperoxidase with stoichiometric NaOCl, or enzymatically with horseradish peroxidase in the presence of H 2 O 2 and excess KBr (but not KCl). As observed previously for chloroperoxidase, horseradish peroxidase catalyzed oxidation of Br − by H 2 O 2 to Br 2 , readily detected in the presence of excess Br − by the intense uv absorbance of Br 3 − . These nonenzymatic and enzymatic halogenating systems could also effect N-demethylation of antipyrine, with complete release of formal-dehyde requiring a severalfold molar excess of NaOCl or H 2 O 2 respectively. These results and data obtained with 4-bromoantipyrine indicated that the methyl group is cleaved subsequent to halogenation. Since the halide anion was absolutely required for the enzymatic N-demethylation reactions, it appears that the enzymatically generated halogenating species is also responsible for N-demethylation, which is much less favorable than halogenation of antipyrine. These results parallel qualitatively the relative extents of 4-hydroxylation and N-demethylation of antipyrine catalyzed by liver microsomal cytochrome P -450 in vivo and in vitro and provide evidence for similar functions of chloroperoxidase and cytochrome P -450 as catalysts of: (1) dehydrogenation reactions and (2) insertion of an electonegative atom (Cl or 0) into an organic compound.
Relationships between soil bulk electrical conductivity and the principal component analysis of topography and soil fertility values

Measures of soil electrical conductivity (EC) and elevation are relatively inexpensive to collect and result in dense data sets which allow for mapping with limited interpolation. Conversely, soil fertility information is expensive to collect so that relatively few samples are taken and mapping requires extensive interpolation with large estimation errors, resulting in limited usefulness for site-specific applications in precision agriculture. Principal component (PC) analysis and cokriging can be applied to create meaningful field scale summaries of groups of attributes and to decrease the estimation error of maps of the summarized attributes. Deep (0–90 cm) and shallow (0–30 cm) EC, elevation, and soil fertility attributes were measured in fields under corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max L.) rotations, at two sites in Illinois (IL) and two sites in Missouri (MO). Soil fertility and topography attributes were summarized by PC analysis. The first topography PC (TopoPC1) contrasted flow accumulation against elevation and curvature, to describe the main topographic pattern of the fields. The first soil fertility PC (SoilPC1) consistently grouped together cation exchange capacity (CEC), Ca, Mg, and organic matter (OM). SoilPC1 was well correlated to soil EC for all sites and cokriging with EC had higher r 2 in the crossvariogram models compared to ordinary kriging. The second and third soil fertility PCs (SoilPC2 and SoilPC3) were concerned with soil pH and P, and reflected historic land use patterns. Maps of SoilPC2 and SoilPC3 had little relationship to soil EC or topography and so could not be improved by cokriging. Abbreviations: CEC – cation exchange capacity; EC – soil bulk electrical conductivity; OM – soil organic matter; PC – principal component; SoilPC – soil fertility principal component; Sph – spherical variogram function; TopoPC – topography principal component.
Prevalence of self-reported heart failure among US adults: results from the 1999 National Health Interview Survey.

Abstract Objective The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of self-reported heart failure among US adults. Methods Data from the 1999 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed. A total of 30,801 sampled adults aged ≥18 years were given a list of major medical conditions, which included heart failure (HF), and asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had any of the conditions. Analyses were conducted with the use of SUDAAN software to account for the complex sample design. Results An estimated 2.4 million adults had been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had HF. The prevalence of self-reported HF for age groups 18 to 39, 40 to 64, 65 to 74, and 75 to 105 years were 0.1%, 1.1%, 3.6%, and 5.5%, respectively. HF was most prevalent among ever-smokers, obese persons, and persons aged ≥65 years. No difference was found in the prevalence of self-reported HF between black and white persons. The most common comorbid conditions for those with HF were hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. Compared with those without HF, the elderly persons with HF were 8 times as likely to have severe mobility difficulties and 2 to 3 times as likely to have severe depression. Half of the elderly persons with HF had been hospitalized, visited an emergency room, or had >10 clinic visits in the past year. Black patients were more likely than white patients to have been unable to pay for prescription medicine and to have seen a medical specialist during the past year. Conclusions This nationally representative survey indicates that an estimated 2.4 million adults had been told by a doctor or other health professional that they had heart failure. Black patients with HF were less likely than white patients to have received the needed care.
Voltage-gated cation conductance channel from fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum: steady-state electrical properties.

The interaction of fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) with an artificial planar phospholipid membrane under conditions known to induce fusion of phospholipid vesicles raises the conductance of the planar bilayer by several orders of magnitude. Measurements of steady-state electrical properties of bilayers thus modified by SR show that two types of conductance pathways are present. One is a voltage-independent pathway which may be somewhat anion-selective. The other is a voltagegated ionophore showing selectivity to small monovalent cations. This latter ionophore is fully oriented within the artificial bilayer and is inhibited asymmetrically by divalent cations. It is also inhibited below pH 6. The ionophore displays single-channel conductance fluctuations between two states, “open” and “closed”, with an open-state conductance of 1.4×10−10 mho in 0.1m K+. The physiological function of this ionophore is unknown.
Selective Detection and Quantitation of Organic Molecule Crystallization by Second Harmonic Generation Microscopy

Second order nonlinear optical imaging of chiral crystals (SONICC) was applied to selectively detect crystal formation at early stages and characterize the kinetics of nucleation and growth. SONICC relies on second harmonic generation (SHG), a nonlinear optical effect that only arises from noncentosymmetric ordered domain structures, which include crystals of chiral molecules. The model systems studied include pharmaceutically relevant compounds: griseofulvin and chlorpropamide. SONICC demonstrates low detection limits producing an 8 order of magnitude improvement relative to macroscopic average techniques and 5 order of magnitude improvement relative to optical microscopy. SONICC was also applied to examine the kinetics of crystallization in amorphous griseofulvin. The results show that SONICC enables simultaneous monitoring of individual crystal growth, nucleation rate, and macroscopic crystallization kinetics.
Dissociation of urease by glycol and glycerol.

THE existence of a urease of low molecular weight has previously been noted1–3 but in circumstances that prevented ready characterization. We have shown that highly purified preparations of jack bean urease can be reversibly and rapidly dissociated without appreciable change in enzyme activity. The preparative molecular weight of 485,000 (ref. 4) is halved in the process.
Analysis of the configurations 5d 8 6s 2 in Pt i through Hg iii and 5d 9 6p in Pt i through Bi vi

The levels of the configurations 5d86s2 in Pt i through Hg iii and 5d96p in Pt i through Bi vi were calculated and compared with experiment. The experimental levels of 5d96p in Pt i and 5d86s2 in Au ii do not agree with the calculated values. Some minor corrections are suggested for the other ions. The published g factors of Au ii are shown to be rather doubtful.
Performance impacts of autocorrelated flows in multi-tiered systems

We focus on the general problem of capacity planning and performance prediction of multi-tiered systems. Workload characterization studies of such systems usually examine the stochastic characteristics of arrivals to the system and wait/service times at various tiers aiming at bottleneck identification, diagnosing the conditions under which bottlenecks are triggered, and assisting the development of resource management policies to improve performance or provide service level provisioning.
Charge collection in bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices: An impedance spectroscopy study

Through thickness and applied bias variation, charge collection in poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM) bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices was investigated with impedance spectroscopy. An equivalent circuit model incorporating chemical capacitance (Cμ), recombination resistance (R2), and transport resistance (R1) was used to analyze the results. Insufficient carrier extraction, exhibiting diffusion transport characteristics at high frequencies, was found in devices with a thick active layer. These devices also display a higher chemical capacitance, indicating greater carrier accumulation, and a lower recombination resistance, signaling increased bimolecular recombination. Increasing internal field with negative applied bias enhances carrier collection by reducing carrier accumulation and recombination. Moreover, we showed explicitly that charge collection can be quantified by (R2/R1)1/2, which is proportional to device fill factor. These results demonstrate that impedance spectroscopy is an effective tool for investigating charge collection in OPV devices.
Transfer learning for Bayesian discovery of multiple Bayesian networks

Bayesian network structure learning algorithms with limited data are being used in domains such as systems biology and neuroscience to gain insight into the underlying processes that produce observed data. Learning reliable networks from limited data is difficult; therefore, transfer learning can improve the robustness of learned networks by leveraging data from related tasks. Existing transfer learning algorithms for Bayesian network structure learning give a single maximum a posteriori estimate of network models. Yet, many other models may be equally likely, and so a more informative result is provided by Bayesian structure discovery. Bayesian structure discovery algorithms estimate posterior probabilities of structural features, such as edges. We present transfer learning for Bayesian structure discovery which allows us to explore the shared and unique structural features among related tasks. Efficient computation requires that our transfer learning objective factors into local calculations, which we prove is given by a broad class of transfer biases. Theoretically, we show the efficiency of our approach. Empirically, we show that compared to single-task learning, transfer learning is better able to positively identify true edges. We apply the method to whole-brain neuroimaging data.
Latina and Latino Researchers Interact on Issues Related to Literacy Learning.

In this conversation, a group of educators discuss professional development and identity, representation in academe, assessment of linguistically diverse students, current movements in literacy instruction, teaching style and process of instruction, content of instruction, and teacher training from their perspectives as Latino and Latina researchers.
He-II film transfer rates for solid-Ar beakers

Helium-II film transfer rates have been measured for filling and for emptying beakers of solid Ar. Liquid Ar was frozen slowly in a mold which was later removed, leaving free-standing transparent solid-Ar beakers. The beakers used were of 3-mm i.d., 5-mm o.d., and 3.5 cm in height. Experiments were carried out in the temperature range 1.45-2 K. The dependence of the transfer rate sigma (cm/sup 3//s cm of circumference) on the difference between inner and outer He levels Z, height of the beaker lip above the level of the liquid source H, and-temperature was studied. The transfer rates were lower than those observed with glass beakers, in agreement with theory. For beaker fillings with a level difference of l mm and at a temperature of 1.66 K, the measured transfer rates may be described by the relation sigma = 4.8 H/sup -0.21/ x 10/sup -5/ cm/ sup 2//s, where H is in cm. (auth)
Quality Improvement Research in Pediatric Hospital Medicine and the Role of the Pediatric Research in Inpatient Settings (PRIS) Network

Abstract Pediatric hospitalists care for many hospitalized children in community and academic settings, and they must partner with administrators, other inpatient care providers, and researchers to assure the reliable delivery of high-quality, safe, evidence-based, and cost-effective care within the complex inpatient setting. Paralleling the growth of the field of pediatric hospital medicine is the realization that innovations are needed to address some of the most common clinical questions. Some of the unique challenges facing pediatric hospitalists include the lack of evidence for treating common conditions, children with chronic complex conditions, compressed time frame for admissions, and the variety of settings in which hospitalists practice. Most pediatric hospitalists are engaged in some kind of quality improvement (QI) work as hospitals provide many opportunities for QI activity and innovation. There are multiple national efforts in the pediatric hospital medicine community to improve quality, including the Children's Hospital Association (CHA) collaboratives and the Value in Pediatrics Network (VIP). Pediatric hospitalists are also challenged by the differences between QI and QI research; understanding that while improving local care is important, to provide consistent quality care to children we must study single-center and multicenter QI efforts by designing, developing, and evaluating interventions in a rigorous manner, and examine how systems variations impact implementation. The Pediatric Research in Inpatient Setting (PRIS) network is a leader in QI research and has several ongoing projects. The Prioritization project and Pediatric Health Information System Plus (PHIS+) have used administrative data to study variations in care, and the IIPE-PRIS Accelerating Safe Sign-outs (I-PASS) study highlights the potential for innovative QI research methods to improve care and clinical training. We address the importance, current state, accomplishments, and challenges of QI and QI research in pediatric hospital medicine; define the role of the PRIS Network in QI research; describe an exemplary QI research project, the I-PASS Study; address challenges for funding, training and mentorship, and publication; and identify future directions for QI research in pediatric hospital medicine.
Clinical trials: what a waste

Trials that are unregistered, unfinished, unpublished, unreachable, or simply irrelevant Randomized controlled trials are the gold standard tool for evaluating interventions. Nevertheless, the utility of this excellent tool is contingent on how it is used. Chapman and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.g6870) show this in a sample of 395 trials relevant to surgical practice that were registered in ClincialTrials.gov between 2008 and 2009.1 By the end of 2013, 21% were discontinued, 34% of those that were completed were not published, and for 77% of the trials that had uncertain fate no way existed to reach investigators to find what had happened to them. This work adds to several other empirical evaluations showing that evidence from randomized controlled trials is wasted at multiple stages from conception to publication and beyond.2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Many trials are entirely lost, as they are not even registered. Substantial diversity probably exists across specialties, countries, and settings. Overall, in a survey conducted in 2012, only 30% of journal editors requested or encouraged trial registration.2 Among registered trials, a sizeable fraction are never completed. In some cases, discontinuation may be the best …
Mechanisms of the Anti-Ischemic Effect of Angiotensin II AT( 1 ) Receptor Antagonists in the Brain.

1. Circulating and locally formed Angiotensin II regulates the cerebral circulation through stimulation of AT1 receptors located in cerebrovascular endothelial cells and in brain centers controlling cerebrovascular flow. 2. The cerebrovascular autoregulation is designed to maintain a constant blood flow to the brain, by vasodilatation when blood pressure decreases and vasoconstriction when blood pressure increases. 3. During hypertension, there is a shift in the cerebrovascular autoregulation to the right, in the direction of higher blood pressures, as a consequence of decreased cerebrovascular compliance resulting from vasoconstriction and pathological growth. In hypertension, when perfusion pressure decreases as a consequence of blockade of a cerebral artery, reduced cerebrovascular compliance results in more frequent and more severe strokes with a larger area of injured tissue. 4. There is a cerebrovascular angiotensinergic overdrive in genetically hypertensive rats, manifested as an increased expression of cerebrovascular AT1 receptors and increased activity of the brain Angiotensin II system. Excess AT1 receptor stimulation is a main factor in the cerebrovascular pathological growth and decreased compliance, the alteration of the cerebrovascular eNOS/iNOS ratio, and in the inflammatory reaction characteristic of cerebral blood vessels in genetic hypertension. All these factors increase vulnerability to brain ischemia and stroke. 5. Sustained blockade of AT1 receptors with peripheral and centrally active AT1 receptor antagonists (ARBs) reverses the cerebrovascular pathological growth and inflammation, increases cerebrovascular compliance, restores the eNOS/iNOS ratio and decreases cerebrovascular inflammation. These effects result in a reduction of the vulnerability to brain ischemia, revealed, when an experimental stroke is produced, in protection of the blood flow in the zone of penumbra and substantial reduction in neuronal injury. 6. The protection against ischemia resulting is related to inhibition of the Renin–Angiotensin System and not directly related to the decrease in blood pressure produced by these compounds. A similar decrease in blood pressure as a result of the administration of β-adrenergic receptor and calcium channel blockers does not protect from brain ischemia. 7. In addition, sustained AT1 receptor inhibition enhances AT2 receptor expression, associated with increased eNOS activity and NO formation followed by enhanced vasodilatation. Direct AT1 inhibition and indirect AT2 receptor stimulation are associated factors normalizing cerebrovascular compliance, reducing cerebrovascular inflammation and decreasing the vulnerability to brain ischemia. 8. These results strongly suggest that inhibition of AT1 receptors should be considered as a preventive therapeutic measure to protect the brain from ischemia, and as a possible novel therapy of inflammatory conditions of the brain.
Popular opinion leaders and HIV prevention peer education: resolving discrepant findings, and implications for the development of effective community programmes.

A series of community-level trials undertaken in the United States over the past 10 years established the effectiveness of an HIV prevention intervention that systematically identifies, recruits, trains, and engages the popular opinion leaders (POLs) of a population to serve as behaviour change endorsers. Recently, several investigators reported unsuccessful attempts to implement peer education programmes for men who have sex with men in the United Kingdom and raised questions about whether peer-based programmes are effective or feasible. However, POL is a theory-based and very specialized intervention, and the UK peer education programmes did not incorporate many of POL's core or essential elements. Consequently, they were not evaluations of POL. In this article, core elements of the popular opinion leader model are presented; interpretations are made of possible reasons for the discrepant findings of the UK peer education and US POL interventions; and practical issues for applied programme development a...
Targeting the OB-Folds of Replication Protein A with Small Molecules

Replication protein A (RPA) is the main eukaryotic single-strand (ss) DNA-binding protein involved in DNA replication and repair. We have identified and developed two classes of small molecule inhibitors (SMIs) that show in vitro inhibition of the RPA-DNA interaction. We present further characterization of these SMIs with respect to their target binding, mechanism of action, and specificity. Both reversible and irreversible modes of inhibition are observed for the different classes of SMIs with one class found to specifically interact with DNA-binding domains A and B (DBD-A/B) of RPA. In comparison with other oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding-fold (OB-fold) containing ssDNA-binding proteins, one class of SMIs displayed specificity for the RPA protein. Together these data demonstrate that the specific targeting of a protein-DNA interaction can be exploited towards interrogating the cellular activity of RPA as well as increasing the efficacy of DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics used in cancer treatment.
The importance of choice of visualization technique in the use of indirect immunodetection methods: specific reference to the detection of light chain movement on a regulatory myosin.

This paper addresses a practical problem associated with the use of visual detection systems used in immunoblotting. Western blot analyses from the same experiment, differing only at the level of the secondary antibody used and the means of visualization employed, have produced apparently different results which, in isolation, could lead to different conclusions at both the qualitative and quantitative level. Indirect immunofluorescence, using a fluorescein isothiocyanate labeled secondary antibody and visualized by fluorescence excitation, was excellent for detecting the major species present but could not detect minor components. Indirect immunoperoxidase staining, on the other hand, appeared to detect all immunoreactive species present, both major and minor, presumably reflecting a more realistic picture of the experimental situation. All results were obtained during the observation of photocross-link formation between regulatory light chains and regulatory and essential light chains after hybridizatio...
How internationalization affects corporate ethics: formal structures and informal management behavior

Abstract International business research has considered how ethical values and practices vary across cultural boundaries. But how does the degree of internationalization of a firm affect the way multinational corporations (MNCs) and their executives approach ethics? We use primary and secondary data from American MNCs to test this question. The data indicate that internationalization is related to the amount of concern executives display toward ethical issues, but is not related to the creation of formal ethics structures and policies.
Neuropsychological functioning in a patient with essential tremor with and without bilateral VIM stimulation.

Abstract The effects of deep brain stimulation on motor functions, cognitive abilities, and mood were assessed in an 80-year-old, right-handed male with a chronic history of essential tremor. Electrodes were implanted bilaterally in the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus during a single operation. Upon evaluation at 3 months postsurgery, bilateral stimulation was associated with a clinically significant reduction in tremor ratings and improvement in manual dexterity. At that time, a battery of neuropsychological measures was administered with and without bilateral stimulation. The patient demonstrated comparable performances on measures of visuospatial perception, attention, mental tracking, verbal learning, and verbal recognition memory in both the “on” and “off” conditions. Without stimulation, the patient demonstrated declines of greater than 1 SD on measures of verbal fluency and verbal recall compared to when the stimulators were active. Responses to mood rating scales also indicated greater subjective distress without stimulation. Results are discussed in the context of previous studies of the effects of thalamic stimulation on neurocognitive functioning.
Henry S. Saunders: A Tribute

Brief biographical sketch of and tribute to Toronto cellist, collector, bibliographer, and independent Whitman scholar/enthusiast Henry S. Saunders.
Effects of Molybdenum and Sulfate Sulfur on Metabolism of Copper in Dairy Cattle

Summary Experiments were performed using first-calf Holstein heifers to study the occurrence of molybdenum toxicity. Levels from 5 to 50 ppm molybdenum were added to a diet low in copper and to which no sulfate or 0.3% sulfate sulfur was added. Heifers which received diets containing from 5 to 50 ppm molybdenum and no added sulfate sulfur did not develop any symptoms of molybdenum toxicity such as alopecia, achromatrichia (loss of hair color), diarrhea, emaciation, or anemia, but copper in the liver and blood serum was lowered. Identical results were observed in heifers receiving a diet containing from 5 to 20 ppm molybdenum and 0.3% sulfate sulfur. Heifers receiving 50 ppm molybdenum and 0.3% sulfate sulfur developed alopecia and achromatrichia; however, no further symptoms of molybdenum toxicity were observed when two heifers were continued on this diet 625 days. When lactating heifers were subjected to the stress of being housed in a pole barn and fed in an open lot during winter months, there was no increase in susceptibility to molybdenum toxicity observed. Four heifers which received a diet containing either 100 or 200 ppm molybdenum with 0.3% sulfate sulfur became emaciated, developed alopecia, achromatrichia, and lost nervous control of their hind quarters within three weeks; however, no changes were observed in liver copper or blood serum copper levels. Copper added to the diet of heifers which developed achromatrichia and alopecia completely corrected these conditions.
Response: Critical Realism--Response to Longhofer and Floersch.

This article addresses key challenges posed by critical realism, proposed by Longhofer and Floersch, as a philosophical underpinning for a science of social work. As a response to Longhofer and Flo...
Minimizing start-up latency in scalable continuous media servers

In a scalable server that supports the retrieval and display of continuous media, both the number of simultaneous displays and the expected startup latency of a display increases as a function of additional disk bandwidth. Based on a striping technique and around-robin placement of data, this paper describes object replication and request migration as two alternative techniques to minimize startup latency. In addition to developing analytical models for these two techniques, we report on their implementation using a scalable server. The results obtained from both the analytical models and the experimental system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Histological characterization of a lingual mass using thyroglobulin immunoperoxidase staining

We report a patient with a lingual mass clinically diagnosed as lingual thyroid. Due to marked distortion of the normal thyroidal architecture from prior 131I therapy, pathological examination of the mass was consistent with a mixed salivary gland tumor. Immunoperoxidase staining for thyroglobulin was utilized to correctly characterize the lingual mass as ectopic thyroid.
Optical mapping of cryoinjured rat myocardium grafted with mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to improve cardiac electrophysiology when administered in the setting of acute myocardial infarction. However, the electrophysiological phenotype of MS...