cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 334: Mcl-1 protects prostate cancer cells from chemotherapy-induced DNA damage

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Mcl-1 (myeloid cell leukemia sequence 1 [Bcl2-related]) is predominantly localized in the cytoplasm and protects cells from apoptosis by blocking mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization. There is evidence that nuclear localization of Mcl-1 has pleiotropic effects independent of apoptosis, including functional roles in DNA damage response. Mcl-1 is highly expressed in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), resulting in resistance to apoptosis and association with poor prognosis. The role of nuclear Mcl-1 in mediating sensitivity to chemotherapy-induced DNA damage and apoptotic cell death in prostate cancer (PCa) is not known. The novel antimitotic agent ENMD-1198 is a more stable and potent derivative of 2-methoxyestradiol (2ME2). We confirmed that 1198 was a more potent inhibitor of androgen-dependent LNCaP and castration-resistant DU145 and PC3 PCa cell viability compared to 2ME2 and induced apoptotic cell death in docetaxel-resistant PC3 cells that overexpress the multi-drug resistance protein (MDR). The ability of 1198 to increase the proteasomal-mediated degradation of Mcl-1 correlated with enhanced apoptotic cell death and shRNA knockdown of Mcl-1 further sensitized LNCaP and PC3 cells to 1198-mediated cell death. We then showed that the combination of 1198 with betulinic acid (BA, a plant-derived small molecule that can increase apoptosis specifically in cancer but not in normal cells) reduced nuclear Mcl-1, increased a pro-death Mcl-1 isoform, increased gamma histone 2AX (marker of DNA damage), and enhanced apoptotic cell death in human PC3 CRPC cells. In the TRAMP mouse model of PCa, the 1198 (75 mg/kg) + BA (10 mg/kg) combination significantly reduced PCa weights compared to 1198, BA alone, and vehicle controls. However, the reduced PCa weights between the 1198 + BA combination and BA alone was more associated with decreased Mcl-1 and increased gamma-H2AX (DNA damage) immunostaining compared to cleaved caspase-3 (apoptosis), CD31(angiogenesis), or Ki67 (proliferation). Furthermore, our results showed that blocking the DNA damage response signaling pathway with an ATM kinase (KU55933) or DNA-PK (NU7441) inhibitor lowered apoptotic cell death induced by the 1198 + BA combination in PC3 cells. Overall, our results demonstrate that nuclear Mcl-1 has an important role in protecting PCa cells from DNA damage and that agents such as 1198 and BA that reduce total/nuclear Mcl-1 and increase pro-death Mcl-1 isoforms will sensitize PCa cells to antimitotic DNA damaging agents. Citation Format: Carlos Perez-Stable, Teresita Reiner, Alicia de las Pozas, Ricardo Parrondo. Mcl-1 protects prostate cancer cells from chemotherapy-induced DNA damage. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 334. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-334
Women and health care communication

Research bearing on the issue of gender differences in patient-provider communication is discussed, and recommendations for future research and for patient education and counseling are offered. Based on limited available evidence, women appear to receive more health care communications and more health information than men, possibly due to women's superior general communication skills. Provider gender may also affect the communication process, and congruence between patient and provider gender could produce more effective communication under some circumstances.
EFFECTS OF ALTERNATE FOODSERVICE HEAT PROCESSING METHODS ON THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF RESTRUCTURED BEEF PRODUCTS1,2

The effects of four heat processing methods (convective heating, dry and moist; rotating hot air; charbroiling) on the thermophysical properties of a restructured beef formula prepared as roasts or steaks were determined. Standard laboratory procedures were used. Changes in the physical dimensions of the products revealed that each method had a different effect on food product yield, namely by moisture and/or lipid losses. No significant (p > 0.05) differences in density and thermal conductivity were observed. The specific heat values were significantly greater after both rotating hot air and charbroiling, than after the convective heating procedures. Some comparisons were made to “intact roast”, using similar heat processing and laboratory procedures.
State Consolidation through Liberalization of Telecommunications Services in India

Why did the Indian state decide to open up its over 45-year-old monopoly of telecommunications to private sector participation ? Why did the state choose competition rather then privatization of the government Department of Telecommunications ? This case study traces the changing state-capital relations in telecommunications in India since the beginning of the telecommunications as a law-and-order maintenance tool of the British empire. It focuses on how the state included the interests of particular external and internal forces in restructuring its telecommunication sector and how it consolidated its own interests in the process
Justice and Boundary Setting in Greenhouse Gas Cap and Trade Policy: A Case Study of the Western Climate Initiative

Cap and trade systems have been pursued as a primary strategy for addressing climate change but have received surprisingly little analysis from a justice perspective. Using a multivalent justice framework that includes the dimensions of distribution, recognition, and representation, this article examines the development of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), the largest multijurisdictional North American attempt to create a greenhouse gas (GHG) cap and trade system. Decisions involving five components of creating the system are interrogated: participation metrics, stakeholder consultations, methods of policy analysis, market boundaries, and policy guidelines. This analysis yields two sets of observations. First, the article documents how market-oriented regulation contracted understandings of climate change policy. Decisions taken to facilitate the commodification and marketization of GHGs narrowed the understanding of justice with the WCI to the concept of “fair play” among market participants. Second,...
Lyme disease update for the general dermatologist.

Lyme disease is an Ixodes tick–borne illness that may arise from different species of the Borrelia spirochete and may be propagated in various hosts. Humans are considered dead-end hosts in this propagation cycle but may have a range of Lyme disease characteristics as a result of borrelial infection. Lyme disease has varied cutaneous manifestations, and the approach to diagnosis and treatment is based on the patient, the region, and suspected coinfection with another tick-borne illness. An understanding of the distribution of the Ixodes tick, its vectors, and the most likely dermatologic presentation based on these factors allows the dermatologist to make appropriate testing and treatment recommendations. Our aim is to simplify this approach for the treating practitioner.
Statistical issues in the planning of prevention studies.

A discussion of some statistical issues in the planning of prevention studies will be presented. Limitations of space necessitate confining topics to: (i) The role of compliance and (ii) theoretical models and mechanism of action. Compliance issues have k e n discussed in several of the preceding articles. The aim of this presentation is to show that compliance is absolutely crucial in the planning of prevention trials. An understanding of the mechanism of action of interventions is important both in the planning and interpretation of prevention trials. One can develop analytical models of different mechanisms of action and use these models to explore how endpoints are affected with knwn inputs. Analytic models can be viewed as the theoretical analogs of animal models. Other aspects of statistical problems associated with cancer prevention trials can be found in Byar (l), and Prentice (2).
Modeling strategies for the spatial search problem

Spatial search is a highly complex decision problem. In this paper, modeling approaches are developed which alleviate some of the difficulties encountered in analyzing spatial search. A search modeling framework is outlined which states the problem in a sufficiently detailed yet manageable format. Within the framework, an operational model is developed which generates the probability that a feasible search pattern will result in the lowest realized acquisition cost. Solution strategies for the model include Monte Carlo simulation and a pruning rule which can reduce the dimensionality of the problem. Computational experience with the Monte Carlo procedure and the pruning rule is also provided.
A theory of surface tension of solids—I application to metals

Abstract A theory is developed which allows one to calculate the surface tension of nonionic solids (metals and nonmetals) from the arrangement of their next neighbors, from the heat of fusion, and from the surface tension of the liquid at the melting-point. Theoretically-calculated interface tension values of solid metals with their own liquids are compared with the interface tensions determined by D. Turnbull from undercooling of metal droplets. The agreement is satisfactory. The temperature coefficient of the surface tension of solid metals is calculated from the theory; it is compared with that obtained from Strattons' electron theory in two cases in which Stratton's theoretical solid-surface tension values come closest to reality. The agreement is good. Maximal and minimal surface tensions for solid gold, silver, and copper are calculated from the theory and compared with these obtained from the thin-foil and or wire-stretching method. The experimental figures, if their uncertainties are taken into consideration fall within the theoretically-predicted limits. The tacit assumptions of the theory are critically discussed.
Data driven articulatory synthesis with deep neural networks

We present an articulatory-to-acoustic mapping for real-time articulatory synthesis.The method uses a deep neural network with a tapped-delay input line.Tapped-delay line efficiently captures dynamics in articulatory trajectories.The model achieved higher accuracy than competing models based on Gaussian mixtures.The improvement was also found perceivable in a subjective listening test. The conventional approach for data-driven articulatory synthesis consists of modeling the joint acoustic-articulatory distribution with a Gaussian mixture model (GMM), followed by a post-processing step that optimizes the resulting acoustic trajectories. This final step can significantly improve the accuracy of the GMM frame-by-frame mapping but is computationally intensive and requires that the entire utterance be synthesized beforehand, making it unsuited for real-time synthesis. To address this issue, we present a deep neural network (DNN) articulatory synthesizer that uses a tapped-delay input line, allowing the model to capture context information in the articulatory trajectory without the need for post-processing. We characterize the DNN as a function of the context size and number of hidden layers, and compare it against two GMM articulatory synthesizers, a baseline model that performs a simple frame-by-frame mapping, and a second model that also performs trajectory optimization. Our results show that a DNN with a 60-ms context window and two 512-neuron hidden layers can synthesize speech at four times the frame rate - comparable to frame-by-frame mappings, while improving the accuracy of trajectory optimization (a 9.8% reduction in Mel Cepstral distortion). Subjective evaluation through pairwise listening tests also shows a strong preference toward the DNN articulatory synthesizer when compared to GMM trajectory optimization.
Modeling large-area solar cells

In this talk we will discuss the modeling of large-area organic solar cells. Degradation of the performance with increased area is observed and analyzed in terms of the power loss density concept. The equivalent circuit model is used to verify that a change in power loss density (or RSA) can have a strong influence on device performance. The limited sheet resistance of ITO is found to be one of the major limiting factors when the area of the cell is increased. The effective series resistance of the ITO film can be minimized by integrating metal grids and the improvement is analyzed using a power loss density analysis. By integrating metal grids onto ITO, the series resistance could be reduced significantly yielding improved performance.
Phosphate-sensitive binding of the estrogen receptor to its response elements.

Although the nucleotide bases that constitute the consensus DNA sequence of the estrogen response element (ERE) have been identified, the involvement of electrostatic contacts between the sugar-phosphate backbone of the ERE and the estrogen receptor (ER) is not known. Moreover, the contribution of these contacts to sequence-specific DNA binding has not been determined. Therefore, the interactions of highly purified ER with the phosphate residues of the ERE derived from the chick vitellogenin (cVit)-II gene were examined by phosphate ethylation interference. Specific ER-DNA complexes were evident in electrophoretic gel mobility shift assays using DNA fragments containing either the perfect ERE (−625 relative to gene start site; 5′-GGTCAGCGTGACC) or the imperfect ERE (−353; 5′-GGTCAACATAACC). The phosphate ethylation interference footprint identified a 2-fold, symmetrical exclusion of phosphate residues essential for specific binding to the perfect ERE with a 5′ stagger, indicating that each monomer of the ...
Incident-energy dependence of 3p electron energy-loss spectra of nickel

Abstract The intensities of two features in the 3p electron energy-loss spectrum of nickel, a dip prior to the threshold and a satellite ∼ 12 eV above the threshold, are observed to systematically decrease as the incident electron energy is lowered from 1000 to 150 eV. These intensity changes indicate a dependence of the matrix elements for each excitation on momentum transfer as the incident energy is decreased, in part through changes in the strength of Fano interference near threshold.
Intralymphatic infusion of autochthonous tumor cells in canine lymphoma.

Abstract The feasibility of repeated intralymphatic injections of cellular materials was investigated in dogs having spontaneous lymphomas. Forty-two administrations of enzymatically-modified irradiated autochthonous tumor cell preparations were performed with minimal difficulty and negligible deleterious side effects, indicating that the intralymphatic route of administration and these methods of cell vaccine preparation may be safely used for further pre-clinical investigations. Although the number of animals treated thus far is insufficient to realistically evaluate the immunotherapeutic potential of this method, all treated tumor-bearing dogs demonstrated marked reduction in tumor volume and significant clinical improvement.
Redundant Group A Streptococcus Signaling Peptides Exhibit Unique Activation Potentials

All bacterial quorum sensing (QS) systems are based on the production, secretion, and detection of small signaling molecules. Gram-positive bacteria typically use small peptides as QS effectors, and each QS circuit generally requires the interaction of a single signaling molecule with a single receptor protein. The recently described Rgg2 and Rgg3 (Rgg2/3) regulatory circuit of Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus [GAS]) is one of only a few QS circuits known to utilize multiple signaling peptides. In this system, two distinct, endogenously produced peptide pheromones (SHP2 and SHP3) both function to activate the QS circuit. The aim of this study was to further define the roles of SHP2 and SHP3 in activation of the Rgg2/3 QS system, specifically with regard to shp gene identity and dosage. Results from our studies using transcriptional reporters and isogenic GAS mutants demonstrate that shp gene dosage does contribute to Rgg2/3 system induction, as decreased gene dosage results in decreased or absent induction. Beyond this, however, data indicate that the shp genes possess distinct potentials for supporting system activation, with shp3 more readily able to support system activation than shp2. Studies using synthetic peptides and shp gene mutants indicate that the disparate activities of endogenous SHPs are due to production, rather than signaling, differences and are conferred by the N-terminal regions rather than the C-terminal signaling regions of the peptides. These data provide evidence that the N-terminal, noneffector sequences of SHP pheromones influence their production efficiencies and thereby the relative activation potentials of endogenous SHPs.
Improved Visualization of Sinus Venosus Atrial Septal Defects in Adults from the Transthoracic Approach

transthoracic imaging planes 2 used in adult echocardiography laboratories and often require the use of more invasive imaging techniques (eg, intracardiac or transesophageal echocardiography [TEE]) to obtain a diagnosis. Typically, standard subxiphoid views used in adult echocardiography laboratories consist of a frontal or 4-chamber view, and limited sagittal or short-axis views. The sagittal view is used to: (1) interrogate the semilunar valves; (2) assess biventricular systolic function from the short axis; and (3) demonstrate collapsibility of the inferior vena cava to estimate right atrial (RA) pressure in adults. However, this sagittal view, which has proved instrumental in displaying sinus venosus ASDs in pediatric echocardiography, 3-7 is seldom used to interrogate the interatrial septum in adults. We hereby present 3 cases where the use of the subxiphoid sagittal view (Figure 1 and Video 1) was instrumental in visualizing this type of defect in adult patients using the transthoracic approach. CASE REPORTS Patient 1 was a 42-year-old woman with a medical history of primary pulmonary hypertension who presented with progressive shortness of breath. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed right ventricular (RV) and atrial dilation with preserved left ventricular systolic function. No evidence for an ostium secundum or primum ASD was appreciated from the modified apical 4-chamber view or
Votes or Competitions Which Determine a Winner by Estimating Expected Plurality

Abstract A voting model is considered in which the philosophy of the traditional plurality method of selecting a winner is accepted but it is desired to compensate for the fact that voters may not have been able to evaluate all of the nominees, for example, voters voting for “best foreign film” from a list of nominees, consumers buying (that is, voting for) a product of a certain brand from a selection of available brands, and respondents selecting an answer to a multiple-choice question for which the possible alternative responses are not the same for all respondents. The model can be interpreted as a generalization to selections from possibly more than two nominees of the basic Bradley-Terry odds-ratio model of paired comparisons. Nominees (k) correspond to probabilities (pk ), and the probability that a voter votes for an evaluated nominee k is pk divided by the sum of the pi 's of the nominees evaluated by the voter. This article's major contribution is a convenient matrix representation of the log-li...
Thick attractors of boundary preserving diffeomorphisms

A diffeomorphism is said to have a thick attractor provided that its attractor has positive but not full Lebesgue measure. A set in a functional space is quasiopen, if it may be obtained from an open set by removing a countable number of hypersurfaces. We prove that there exists a quasiopen set in the space of boundary preserving diffeomorphisms of a compact manifold with boundary, such that any map in this set has a thick attractor. The meaning of the word “attractor” should be specified. In the above claim an “attractor” is, roughly speaking, a “topologically mixing maximal attractor”. We also conjecture that the claim is true for the Milnor attractor of diffeomorphisms and prove the claim for Milnor attractors of mild skew products. We reduce the conjecture above to a general conjecture about Milnor attractors of partially hyperbolic diffeomorphisms.
Effect of the venodilated state on sympathetic-induced venoconstriction in normal subjects

Abstract The interaction between venoconstriction induced by application of ice to the forehead and nitroglycerin-induced venodilation was examined in 19 healthy male volunteers, ages 25 ± 5 years (mean ± standard deviation). Venous tone was determined by the equilibration technique. Mercury-in-silastic plethysmography was used to measure changes in forearm volume before and after ice application during control conditions, and before and after ice application in the venodilated state (nitroglycerin spray, 0.8 mg). Venous tone and arterial pressure increased significantly after the application of ice to the forehead in both the control and venodilated states, indicating that ice increased sympathetic tone. Nitroglycerin increased venous volume by 0.28 cc/100 cc arm. The venoconstrictive effect of ice after nitroglycerin (a decrease in venous volume of 0.53 cc/100 cc arm) was quantitatively similar to the venoconstrictive effect of ice during control conditions (a decrease in venous volume of 0.54 cc/ 100 cc arm). These results suggest that sympathetic-induced venoconstriction is not attenuated in the venodilated state.
Design Considerations for a High Spatial Resolution Positron Camera with Dense Drift Space MWPC's

A multiplane Positron Camera is proposed, made of six MWPC modules arranged to form the lateral surface of a hexagonal prism. Each module (50×50 cm2) has a 2 cm thick lead-glass tube converter on both sides of a MWPC pressurized to 2 atm. Experimental measurements are presented to show how to reduce the parallax error by determining in which of the two converter layers the photon has interacted. The results of a detailed Monte Carlo calculation for the efficiency of this type of converter are shown to be in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements. The expected performance of the Positron Camera is presented: a true coincidence rate of 56000 counts/s (with an equal accidental coincidence rate and a 30% Compton scatter contamination) and a spatial resolution better than 5.0 mm (FWHM) for a 400 ?Ci point-like source embedded in a 10 cm radius water phantom.
Fundamental investigations of the effect of the linkage group on the behavior of hydrophilic–hydrophobic poly(arylene ether sulfone) multiblock copolymers for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

A growing number of alternative proton exchange membrane (PEM) research efforts involve multiblock copolymer chemistries, but little emphasis is placed on the methods used to couple the oligomers. Fluorinated linkage groups can help increase block efficiency during coupling, but their effect on a PEM is not well known. The choice of linkage type, hexafluorobenzene (HFB) vs. decafluorobiphenyl (DFBP), appears to have small but observable influences on multiblock copolymers with disulfonated and unsulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) oligomers. DFBP linkages promote greater phase separation than HFB linkages, resulting in increased stiffness, decreased ductility, and increased proton conductivity at low humidities. DFBP linkages also promote more surface enrichment of fluorine, causing changes in surface morphology and slightly increased water desorption, but determining the impact on actual fuel cell performance requires further research.
MANAGING REQUIREMENTS EFFECTIVELY IN THE CONCURRENT ENGINEERING ENVIRONMENT

The concurrent engineering environment can be characterized by three key factors: (1) a structured systems engineering approach employed by a cross-functional development team; (2) the use of quality engineering techniques; and (3) an integrated development environment which facilitates and integrates systems analysis, development, and design. This paper will introduce the RMat Requirements Baseline Management System, developed and used by IBM Federal Systems Company (FSC) in Owego, New York. RMat's role in facilitating concurrent engineering will be discussed in the context of these key characteristics.
Leak tight vacuum seals for large windows and flanges at liquid helium temperatures

current through the magnetized sample of 20 wt% in the two opposite directions which indicate asymmetry in the resistance of the sample (Fig. 1). Fig. 2 shows the temperature dependence of the reduced resistance, ie the ratio of the resistance at a given temperature (reduced against the critical temperature of the matrix) to the resistance in the normal state, for the sample containing 20 wt% ferromag. netic particles, both before and after magnetization for the both current directions. The estimated maximum errors of the measured values are shown in Fig. 2. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the values of the resistance measured with the current passing through the sample in the same direction as the magnetizating current are larger than the respective resistance values measured with the current passing in the opposite direction. The directional asymmetry of the electrical resistance has been found for aU circularly magnetized samples with the exception of the sample of 5 wt%.
HDD seeking acoustics analysis by a transfer function approach

A new approach to analyze HDD seeking acoustics is proposed. An acoustic transfer function was derived that has seeking current as input and seeking acoustics as response. The derivation and the advantage and limitation of this acoustic transfer function approach is discussed in details in this paper. HDD seeking acoustics is mainly determined by the seeking current spectrum and the mechanical design. The acoustics transfer function represents the mechanical design, and was used to diagnose trouble mechanical modes and to guide servo design to reduce specific seeking current frequency content. The acoustic transfer function approach also enables quick performance prediction of combination of different mechanical designs and seeking currents. Various HDDs with different seeking current profiles and mechanical designs were evaluated experimentally and numerically. Finally, a new seeking servo algorithm was evaluated, and good agreement was shown between the numerical prediction using the acoustics transfer function approach and the measured seeking acoustics.
G1961E mutant allele in the Stargardt disease gene ABCA4 causes bull's eye maculopathy

The aim of this study was to characterize the pathological and functional consequences of the G1961E mutant allele in the Stargardt disease gene ABCA4. Data from 15 patients were retrospectively reviewed and all the patients had at least one G1961E mutation. Comprehensive ophthalmic examination, full-field and pattern electroretinograms, and fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging were performed on all patients. Microperimetry, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fluorescein angiography were performed in selected cases. Genetic screening was performed using the ABCR400 micro-array that currently detects 496 distinct ABCA4 variants. All patients had normal full-field scotopic and photopic electroretinograms (ERGs) and abnormal pattern electroretinograms (PERGs) performed on both eyes, and all the fundi had bull's eye maculopathy without retinal flecks on FAF. On OCT, 1 patient had disorganization of photoreceptor outer segment, 2 had outer nuclear layer (ONL) thinning likely due to photoreceptor atrophy proximal to the foveal center, and 3 had additional retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy. On microperimetry, 6 patients had eccentric superior fixation and amongst this group, 5 had an absolute scotoma in the foveal area. DNA analysis revealed that 3 patients were homozygous G1961E/G1961E and the rest were compound heterozygotes for G1961E and other ABCA4 mutations. The G1961E allele in either homozygosity or heterozygosity is associated with anatomical and functional pathologies limited to the parafoveal region and a trend to delayed onset of symptoms, relative to other manifestations of ABCA4 mutations. Our observations support the hypothesis that the G1961E allele contributes to localized macular changes rather than generalized retinal dysfunction, and is a cause of bull's eye maculopathy in either the homozygosity or heterozygosity state. In addition, genetic testing provides precise diagnosis of the underlying maculopathy, and current non-invasive imaging techniques could be used to detect photoreceptor damage at the earliest clinical onset of the disease.
Independent technique of verifying high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy treatment plans

Abstract Purpose: An independent technique for verfying high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherpy treatment plans has been formulated and validated clinically. Methods and Materials: In HDR brachytherapy, dwell times at respective dwell positions are computed, using an optimization algorithm in a HDR treatment-planning systems to deliver a specified dose to many target points simultaneously. Because of the variability of dwell times, concerns have been expressed regarding the ability of the algorithm to compute the correct dose. To address this concern, a commercially available low-dose rate (LDR) algorithm was used to compute the doses at defined distances, based on the dwell times obtained from the HDR treatment plans. The percent deviation between doses computed using the HDR and LDR algorithms were reviewed for HDR procedures performed over the last year. Results: In this retrospective study, the differene between computed doses using the HDR and LDR algorithms was found to be within 5% for about 80% of the HDR procedures. All of the reviewed procedures have dose difference of less than 10%. Conclusion: An independent technique for verifying HDR brachytherapy treatment plans has been validated based on clinical data. Provided both systems are available, this technique is universal in its applications and not limited to either a particular implant applicator, implant site, or implant type.
Anti-communism, race, and structuration: newspaper coverage of the labor and desegregation movements in the South, 1932-40 and 1953-61

The Southern labor and desegregation movements were organized at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee between 1932–40 and 1953–61, respectively. This historical sociology examines the role of journalism within the process of social reform by focusing on the labor and desegregation movements as racial “hot spots” of ideological tension and pragmatic transformation. A comparison of the relationship in news coverage in each movement period between the rhetoric of anti-Communism and the newspapers' normative fight against desegregation provides a point of critical analysis. In the interpretation of the resulting process of reforms, Anthony Giddens' (1984) theory of structuration supports the analysis of interactions between movement activists and their normative counterparts at the state's newspapers that ultimately produced social and institutional reforms.
Random fine needle aspiration of the breast of women at increased breast cancer risk and standard risk controls

: The diagnosis of occult breast epithelial proliferation by random fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of the breast remains controversial. However, the detection of proliferative change using FNAB would potentially improve assessment of breast cancer risk among women entering chemoprevention trials. To assess the validity of this procedure in risk stratification for breast cancer, we performed FNAB on 70 women while they were anesthetized for a variety of general surgical procedures. The contralateral breasts of 32 women with a history of breast cancer (cases) and both breasts of 38 women at standard risk for breast cancer (controls) were subjected to random FNAB. Cytospin preparations from four pooled FNAB passes from each breast were stained by the papanicolaou technique and interpreted according to previously published criteria. Inadequate aspirates comprised 40% (28/70) of the samples. In the remaining cases, there was a statistically significant difference between the frequency of proliferative changes and atypical hyperplasia in high-risk cases versus controls (Pearson χ2= 9.98, p = 0.019). The contralateral breasts of women with sporadic breast cancer demonstrated proliferative changes at higher rates than breasts of asymptomatic control women. Similarly, in a logistic regression model, the odds of a diagnosis of breast cancer increased with the presence of proliferative changes with or without atypia [odds ratio (OR) = 3.6, p < 0.02]. This study suggests that FNAB may have a role in the further stratification of high-risk women and provide a suitable sample for the monitoring of surrogate end point biomarkers in chemoprevention trials.
Mitochondrial transcription factor A, an endogenous danger signal, promotes TNFα release via RAGE- and TLR9-responsive plasmacytoid dendritic cells.

Objective Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) is normally bound to and remains associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) when released from damaged cells. We hypothesized that TFAM, bound to mtDNA (or equivalent CpG-enriched DNA), amplifies TNFα release from TLR9-expressing plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) by engaging RAGE. Materials and Methods Murine Flt3 ligand-expanded splenocytes obtained from C57BL/6 mice were treated with recombinant human TFAM, alone or in combination with CpG-enriched DNA with subsequent TNFα release measured by ELISA. The role of RAGE was determined by pre-treatment with soluble RAGE or heparin or by employing matching RAGE (-/-) splenocytes. TLR9 signaling was evaluated using a specific TLR9-blocking oligonucleotide and by inhibiting endosomal processing, PI3K and NF-κB. Additional studies examined whether heparin sulfate moieties or endothelin converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1)-dependent recycling of endosomal receptors were required for TFAM and CpG DNA recognition. Main Results TFAM augmented splenocyte TNFα release in response to CpGA DNA, which was strongly dependent upon pDCs and regulated by RAGE and TLR9 receptors. Putative TLR9 signaling pathways, including endosomal acidification and signaling through PI3K and NF-κB, were essential for splenocyte TNFα release in response to TFAM+CpGA DNA. Interestingly, TNFα release depended upon endothelin converting enzyme (ECE)-1, which cleaves and presumably activates TLR9 within endosomes. Recognition of the TFAM-CpGA DNA complex was dependent upon heparin sulfate moieties, and recombinant TFAM Box 1 and Box 2 proteins were equivalent in terms of augmenting TNFα release. Conclusions TFAM promoted TNFα release in a splenocyte culture model representing complex cell-cell interactions in vivo with pDCs playing a critical role. To our knowledge, this study is the first to incriminate ECE-1-dependent endosomal cleavage of TLR9 as a critical step in the signaling pathway leading to TNFα release. These findings, and others reported herein, significantly advance our understanding of sterile immune responses triggered by mitochondrial danger signals.
Formation of two double-strand breaks in the same DNA molecule by a single high-energy photon or ionizing particle.

I calculate the probability that a single high-energy ionizing particle or photon makes two widely spaced doublestrand breaks in the same DNA molecule. Deletions (or inversions) between two breaks formed by the same incident particle are linear in radiation dose and occur even at extremely low dose-rates; deletions between breaks induced by separate particles are quadratic in dose and are much fewer at very low dose-rate. The calculations show that for a few grays of sparsely ionizing radiations such as fast electrons, X-rays or gamma-rays, the formation of two double-strand breaks in a DNA molecule 1 megabase in size should be nearly entirely quadratic in dose. For heavily ionizing particles such as alpha particles from radon products, the linear and quadratic terms are comparable in size. These conclusions are robust and insensitive to details of the calculations. The results are essentially the same for DNA in a random coil configuration and for DNA uniformly and randomly distributed within a sphere.
Diffraction Loss and Beam Size in Lasers with Spherical Mirrors

The diffraction loss and beam size of the TEM00 mode in gas lasers have been determined experimentally. The results are in agreement with theoretically predicted values to within the experimental error, except that the increase in beam size with reduction of mirror size was found to be less than predicted.
Are historic years understood as numbers or events? An fMRI study of numbers with semantic associations.

Abstract While numbers generally cue processing of quantity or order, they can also contain semantic information, as in the case of historic years (e.g., “1492” calls forth associations of Columbus sailing the ocean blue). Whether these dates are processed as quantities or events may depend on the context in which they occur. We examined such “ambiguous number” processing in two different contexts using a paired-comparison task, recording both behavioral responses and brain activity. Participants were either asked to think of all items as numbers and to choose the larger number, or were told to treat the comparators as events and to choose the later event. Behaviorally, all events showed a normal distance effect, establishing that they may be understood and compared in an ordinal sequence. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) demonstrated significant differences between years when treated as numbers versus as events. Dates in both contexts shared activity in parietal lobe regions previously implicated in number processing. Dates as numbers showed no extra-numeric activity, while dates thought of as events evoked activity in temporal semantic processing and frontal semantic retrieval areas. These differences suggest that extra-numeric information may be easily accessed and incorporated during processing when supported by even a weak context. This work supports previous studies showing a dissociation between quantity and meaning, and illustrates the brain areas involved in these different aspects.
NOSTALGIA: A PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

A survey was designed to assess nostalgia for 20 aspects of experience as well as relative judgments of the world past, present, and future. Surveys were completed by 648 respondents, 268 males and...
Development of biomarkers of human exposure to carcinogens: the example of DNA-protein cross-links

Biomarkers are considered to be more biologically informative than traditional methods and less prone to misclassification bias. However, new biomarkers are conceived in experimental laboratories and normally undergo extensive experimental in vitro and in vivo testing, usually without regard as to their potential use in humans. Whereas the epidemiologist had no role in the original development of the basic research idea leading to the initial formulation of a biomarker, the new biomarker or technical modification of an existing one are the product of observations in humans. The results of our field studies on DNA-protein cross-links (DPX) among chromate workers illustrates inherent difficulties in the process of development and validation of biomarkers.
Utilization of ‘pseudo-lattice symmetry’ in cluster calculations

Cluster calculations which model chemisorption on a surface are often composed of substrate atoms arranged in a periodic manner. This pseudo-lattice symmetry of a cluster is used to reduce the number of 2-electron integrals computed in a SCF calculation by evaluating only unique integrals identified by lattice displacement vectors. The method, without using any explicit symmetry, is shown to be competitive with calculations which utilize point group symmetry. It is also demonstrated that the pseudo-lattice method markedly reduces the number of 2-electron integrals in multi-layer clusters which have little or no symmetry.
Detecting Possible Rotation of Earth's Inner Core

In her 3 July Perspective, “Earth's inner core: Is the rotation real?,” A. Souriau ([1][1]) notes that several different estimates of the inner core rotation rate have been published since the appearance of the original results of Song and Richards ([2][2]). She discusses problems with the
Hyperandrogenism due to a testosterone-secreting Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor associated with a dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate-secreting adrenal adenoma in a postmenopausal woman: case presentation and review of literature.

Objective: To report a case of hyperandrogenism attributable to the presence of an adrenal adenoma secreting dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) and an ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor secreting testosterone in a postmenopausal woman.Methods: The laboratory, radiologic, and pathologic findings in our case are described. In addition, the pertinent literature is reviewed.Results: A 56-year-old woman presented with a history of gradual increase in facial and body hair, scalp hair loss, male pattern baldness, and deepening of her voice, beginning a few years after spontaneous menopause at age 49 years. She had hypertension, obesity, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Laboratory tests showed elevated levels of total testosterone (348 ng/dL) and DHEA-S (2,058 μg/dL), and a left adrenal tumor (3 by 4 cm) was detected on abdominal computed tomographic scan. Laparoscopic left adrenalectomy was performed, and the pathologic diagnosis was adrenal adenoma. The DHEA-S returned to normal levels, but the serum testoster...
A Multichannel Microfluidic Sensor That Detects Anodic Redox Reactions Indirectly Using Anodic Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence

Here, we describe a new approach for detecting redox-active targets by electrochemical oxidation and reporting their presence by electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) based on electrochemical oxidation of Ru(bpy)32+ (bpy = 2,2‘-bipyridine) and tripropylamine (TPA). This new strategy, which complements our previous reports of using ECL to signal the presence of targets undergoing electrochemical reduction, takes advantage of many of the attractive attributes of microfluidic-based electrochemical cells. These attributes include close proximity of multiple flow channels and electrodes, ability to move reagents through channels under laminar flow conditions, and the capacity to precisely place device components relative to one another using photolithography. Specifically, the microfluidic electrochemical sensor described here consists of three channels. The analyte and ECL reporting cocktail flow through separate channels, but they share a common anode. The cathode resides in a channel containing a sacrifi...
Trithorax monomethylates histone H3K4 and interacts directly with CBP to promote H3K27 acetylation and antagonize Polycomb silencing

Trithorax (TRX) antagonizes epigenetic silencing by Polycomb group (PcG) proteins, stimulates enhancer-dependent transcription, and establishes a 'cellular memory' of active transcription of PcG-regulated genes. The mechanisms underlying these TRX functions remain largely unknown, but are presumed to involve its histone H3K4 methyltransferase activity. We report that the SET domains of TRX and TRX-related (TRR) have robust histone H3K4 monomethyltransferase activity in vitro and that Tyr3701 of TRX and Tyr2404 of TRR prevent them from being trimethyltransferases. The trx(Z11) missense mutation (G3601S), which abolishes H3K4 methyltransferase activity in vitro, reduces the H3K4me1 but not the H3K4me3 level in vivo. trx(Z11) also suppresses the impaired silencing phenotypes of the Pc(3) mutant, suggesting that H3K4me1 is involved in antagonizing Polycomb silencing. Polycomb silencing is also antagonized by TRX-dependent H3K27 acetylation by CREB-binding protein (CBP). We show that perturbation of Polycomb silencing by TRX overexpression requires CBP. We also show that TRX and TRR are each physically associated with CBP in vivo, that TRX binds directly to the CBP KIX domain, and that the chromatin binding patterns of TRX and TRR are highly correlated with CBP and H3K4me1 genome-wide. In vitro acetylation of H3K27 by CBP is enhanced on K4me1-containing H3 substrates, and independently altering the H3K4me1 level in vivo, via the H3K4 demethylase LSD1, produces concordant changes in H3K27ac. These data indicate that the catalytic activities of TRX and CBP are physically coupled and suggest that both activities play roles in antagonizing Polycomb silencing, stimulating enhancer activity and cellular memory.
A Study of Introspectiveness in Adolescents and Young Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between introspectiveness and the theoretically related variables of close friend solidarity, self-esteem, and symptom patterns in early, middle, and late adolescents, as well as in young adults. Samples of early (n = 103), middle (n = 107), and late adolescents (n = 101) as well as young adults (n = 70) completed the Introspectiveness Scale, the Close Friend Solidarity Instrument, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Symptom Pattern Scale in classroom settings. Hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlations, with a one-tailed test of significance. Introspectiveness was statistically, significantly, and positively related to close friend solidarity in all adolescents but not in young adults; introspectiveness was statistically, significantly, and inversely related to self-esteem in all adolescents but not in young adults. Finally, introspectiveness was statistically, significantly, and positively related to symptom patterns in all adolescents and in young adults.
FURTHER OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING GROWTH REQUIREMENTS OF HEMOPHILIC BACILLI

1. 19 strains of non-hemolytic hemophilic bacilli were studied. 17 required the addition of V and X growth accessory factors to their media, 2 required the addition of only V. 2. Of 15 strains of hemolytic hemophilic bacilli examined, 10 were found to require the addition of only V to their media, 3 the addition of V and X in the form of yeast extract and hematin, and 2 the addition of accessory growth factors in the form of blood. 3. In media to which neither V nor X had been added true symbiosis was found to occur on growing B. hemoglobinophilus canis, requiring the addition of X, with B. parainfluenzae, requiring the addition of V, or with hemolytic strains of bacilli, requiring the addition of only V.