cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract P6-20-17: Targeting SHP2 for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer

Approximately 20% of breast cancer (BC) is caused by overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). As a result, several antibody-based and small molecule-based anti-HER2 therapies have been developed. These drugs have benefited BC patients by improving overall survival and quality of life. However, development of resistance and disease recurrence have been the major clinical challenges. One way to overcome these clinical problems is to develop alternative therapeutic strategies. Multiple lines of evidence show that targeting the Src homology phosphotyrosyl phosphatase 2 (SHP2) in HER2-positive BC may prove beneficial both in treatment-naive and anti-HER2 therapy-resistant forms of the disease. For instance, silencing SHP2 expression in HER2-positive breast cancer cells or conditional knockout in ErbB2 transgenic mice blocks HER2 overexpression and associated signaling, leading to loss of cell transformation and tumorigenesis. To test the clinical translational significance of SHP2 targeting, we have invented a specific small molecule SHP2 inhibitor named WGMDY (US 9,932,288) that has shown promising anti-cancer effects. The results obtained so far show that inhibition of SHP2 with WGMDY blocks HER2 expression, suppresses cell proliferation and anchorage independent growth, and induces regression of preformed xenograft tumors. These findings suggest that SHP2 might be an excellent drug target for HER2-positive BC and WGMDY has a promising potential to serve as a lead compound for developing anti-SHP2 drugs. Citation Format: Agazie Y, Hartman Z. Targeting SHP2 for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-20-17.
Orthognathic surgery for obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract As the importance in the management of obstructive sleep apnea and other obstructive upper airway disease continues to increase, the effect of orthognathic surgery on the upper airway in correction of both dentofacial deformities and obstructive sleep apnea has become a prominent component of treatment planning in recent decades. Applied correctly, orthognathic surgery can have a dramatic and life-changing effect on decreasing nocturnal obstructions through expansion of the upper airway. Large advancements of the maxillomandibular complex allows for three-dimensional upper airway expansion to nocturnal obstruction that diminish the deleterious effects of obstructive sleep apnea. This paper will discuss the orthognathic surgical techniques that are essential in the treatment planning to achieve the desired results of relief of nocturnal upper airway obstructions.
Staged laparoscopic traction orchidopexy for impalpable testes: a preliminary study

Laparoscopy is the gold standard to assess for presence of an intra-abdominal testis. However, techniques for the subsequent orchidopexy vary, and include the recently described staged laparoscopic traction orchidopexy (SLTO) (Shehata in Pediatr Surg 51(2):211–215, 2016). SLTO enables elongation of the testicular vessels without division, with initial success rates reportedly superior to Fowler–Stephens. We present the first UK data following a preliminary study using SLTO. 19 boys prospectively presenting with 22 intra-abdominal testes (IAT) underwent STLO in a single centre, with a median age of 2.5 years (IQR 1.4–5.2) at first stage. 3/19 (16%) boys had bilateral IAT and nine (41%) were left-sided. Pneumoperitoneum was established using 5 mm umbilical and 3 mm accessory ports in bilateral iliac fossae. The gubernaculum and lateral peritoneal attachments were divided prior to securing the intra-abdominal testis to the contralateral anterior abdominal wall with 2/0 Ti-cron™. Second-stage procedures were planned for 3–6 months later. The securing stitch was cut; an 11 mm STEP port was placed trans-scrotally to retrieve the testis and secured in a sub-dartos pouch. Outcome measures included palpable testes in the scrotum and surgical complications. 13/22 IAT have undergone follow-up. Twelve (92%) IAT were palpable in the scrotum following SLTO. There was one diathermy-related bladder injury necessitating laparoscopic repair, and 3/22 (13.6%) slipped sutures, requiring repeat first-stage procedures. Staged laparoscopic traction orchidopexy is a feasible technique, which can be performed as an alternative to Fowler–Stephens procedure, with potentially better outcomes for the testis. The complications described should be preventable as the technique evolves.
Ocular manifestation of giant cell arteritis vs AL-amyloidosis: similar presentations but different approaches

Light chain (AL) amyloidosis may present with the features of vasculitis, including giant cell arteritis (GCA). Similarities between GCA and AL-amyloidosis can potentially cause confusion in diagno...
Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic practice changes: more harm than good?

In response to the Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, sweeping changes were made to obstetric care. Many practices rapidly converted to telehealth visits or drive-through obstetric services (Turrentine M et al, Obstet Gynecol 2020; 136(1):29-32). Others modified out-patient care practices such as reducing the number of ultrasounds or antenatal surveillance visits. In the manuscript by van-de-I'Isle and colleagues, the authors evaluated if a change to gestational diabetes (GDM) screening guidelines suggested by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) during the COVID-19 pandemic changed the proportion of pregnant women found to have GDM (van-de-I'Isle Y et al, BJOG 2020, epub ahead of print).
Asymmetrical neighbors: borderland state building between China and Southeast Asia: by Enze Han, New York, Oxford University Press, 2019, 240 pp., £19.99 (pbk), ISBN 978-0-19-006078-7

This book is an important contribution to the comparative political scientific study of state-making in South East Asia, focusing mainly on Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and China, and on the issue of ...
Distributed Generation Smoothing Absorption Method Based on Power Internet of Things under Market Mechanism

With the increasing proportion of new energy sources such as wind and photovoltaics and the dispatchable potential of the demand response on the load side, distribution networks' characteristics have undergone great changes. Both the economic dispatch on the distribution network side and the demand response on the user side affect the electricity market's transaction process. On the one hand, economic dispatch will lead to changes in conditions, which will change power users' demand response strategy. On the other hand, users adjust the power demand to respond to maximum profits. And the results of demand response affect the load curve. Based on current technologies such as the Internet of Things, this paper takes the day-ahead market and the real-time market as the core on the time scale and uses a multi-objective optimization algorithm to optimize multiple indicators. In this process, an intelligent source load matching method considering the balance of multilateral interests is proposed. Finally, by introducing blockchain and smart contract technology, this paper guarantees information security during the transaction and can greatly improve the electricity market's real-time transaction efficiency.
Being and Subjectivity: Heidegger and Husserl

The relationship between what Husserl calls subjectivity and what Heidegger calls the “being” of beings (das Sein des Seienden) awaits careful and detailed analysis in view of the increased interest in Husserl, due largely to the continuing publication of his hitherto inaccessible manuscripts.1 After undergoing the experience of Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty, we can no longer make a simple return to the founder of phenomenology. But we may have to recoup certain fundamental issues and perspectives that in the wake of Husserl seem to have lost the emphasis they rightly deserve. In his last work, Die Krisis der europaischen Wissenschaften, Husserl complained that students were learning their phenomenology not from a careful study of his own fundamental writings but rather from his students, such as Martin Heidegger.2 What motive inspired him to write these lines is anyone’s surmise. Heidegger specialists may be amused at it, regarding this complaint as the result of the master’s preoccupation with his own thinking (and his confessed inability to follow the thought of others.) Freudians might well see in this the natural resentment of father against son, a son about to displace him. However, our purpose here is not to play this kind of parlor game. Instead we shall try to see what it was about “being” that so concerned and displeased Husserl.
Treatment of chronic childhood asthma with beclomethasone dipropionate aerosols: II. Effect on pituitary-adrenal function after substitution for oral corticosteroids.

The effects of beclomethasone, dipropionate aerosol (DBA) (400 microgram/day) on clinical course, pulmonary function, and pituitary-adrenal function was studied in 34 steroid-dependent asthmatic children. Asthma severity was assessed by daily symptom and medication scores, peak flow measured three times a day, and weekly spirometry. Pituitary-adrenal function was evaluated by diurnal cortisol levels, cortisol responses to intravenous (IV) corticotropin (ACTH), and steroid responses to IV metyrapone. After 12 weeks of BDA therapy, 30 of 34 patients no longer required prednisone. Mean weekly symptom and medication scores and the number of attacks decreased significantly (P less than .01)). A significant improvement was demonstrated in the patients' peak flow (P less than .01), forced expiratory volume in one second, and maximum midexpiratory flow rates (P less than .01). Thirty of the 34 patients initially had abnormal metyrapone responses, 28 had abnormal diurnal cortisol levels, whereas only 14 had abnormal IV ACTH response tests. Although significant improvement was noted in the mean metyrapone and diurnal cortisol tests, only partial recovery of pituitary-adrenal function was observed in 20 patients, complete recovery in 5, and no change in 9. BDA was found to be therapeutically superior to oral steroids in the group of steroid-dependent asthmatic children and produced no serious adverse effects.
Chiral and critical spin liquids in a spin- 1 2 kagome antiferromagnet

The kagome spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ systems have attracted intensive attention in recent years as the primary candidate for hosting different gapped spin liquids (SLs). To uncover the nature of the novel quantum phase transition between the SL states, we study a minimum $XY$ model with the nearest-neighbor (NN) (${J}_{xy}$), the second-NN, and the third-NN couplings (${J}_{2xy}={J}_{3xy}={J}_{xy}^{\ensuremath{'}}$). We identify the time-reversal-symmetry-broken chiral SL (CSL) with the turn on of a small perturbation ${J}_{xy}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\sim}0.06{J}_{xy}$, which is fully characterized by the fractionally quantized topological Chern number and the conformal edge spectrum as the $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/2$ fractional quantum Hall state. Interestingly, the NN $XY$ model (${J}_{xy}^{\ensuremath{'}}=0$) is shown to be a critical SL state adjacent to the CSL, characterized by the gapless spin singlet and spin triplet excitations. The quantum phase transition from the CSL to the gapless critical SL is driven by the collapsing of the neutral (spin singlet) excitation gap. The effect of the NN spin-$z$ coupling ${J}_{z}$ is also studied, which leads to a quantum phase diagram with an extended regime for the gapless SL.
Determinants of western food adoption among hindu nepalese women living in the Kathmandu valley

Objectives The purpose of this study was to characterize western food adopters among Nepalese women and to investigate whether caste and class play an important role as a barrier to food adoption, thus limiting access to the globalizing market. It was hypothesized that women who consumed and prepared above average amounts of western foods would be taller and heavier. Methods A convenience sample of 508 Nepalese women of mixed castes, 18–60 years, was purposefully recruited. A Food Adoption Instrument was developed, tested, and used to assess the consumption of western foods. Women were grouped as western food adopters (≥12.5)—those consuming equal or more western food than Nepalese foods and western food non-adopters (≤12.5). Using student t-tests, sample characteristics and body mass index (BMI) were compared between western food adopters and non-western food adopters. Results Nearly a quarter of the women identified as western food adopters (n = 118) and 76% identified as western food non-adopters (n = 399). Using student t-test analysis, stepwise regression, and Pearson correlation analyses, it was found that western food adopters were significantly younger (P < 0.000), better educated (P < 0.000), had fewer children (P < 0.003), had higher incomes (P < 0.000), and watched more TV (P < 0.000) than western food non-adopters. They were taller and had lower BMIs than their western food non-adopter counterparts. Caste was also associated with western food adoption. Conclusions Lack of education and low paying jobs appear to prevent access to the globalizing food system, suggesting that the centuries old sociopolitical and caste infrastructure indirectly prevents western food adoption for those failing to achieve financial security. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 25:205–214, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Yielding of glassy polymer on a microstructural level

Abstract Based on recent studies of the morphology and of shear bands and crazes in amorphous polymers it is suggested that shear is the basic mechanism of plastic deformation. Three stages are proposed for the formation of crazes, shear yielding at a defect or craze tip due to stress concentration, nodular movement resulting in fibril formation, followed by void formation between the fibrils.
MMP-14 and TIMP-2 Overexpression Protects against Hydroquinone-Induced Oxidant Injury in RPE: Implications for Extracellular Matrix Turnover

Purpose To investigate whether overexpression of MMP-14 and/or TIMP-2 would overcome the effect of nonlethal oxidant injury with hydroquinone (HQ) on MMP-2 activity. Methods Human MMP-14 and TIMP2 cDNA were cloned into a mammalian expression vector. Transient transfections were performed on human ARPE-19 cells. The cells were incubated 48 hours after transfection with a nonlethal dose of HQ for either 6 or 18 hours and then were collected for protein determination or RNA isolation. MMP-2 protein and activity were determined by Western blot and zymography. The extracellular matrix (ECM) components type I and type IV collagen and laminin were analyzed by Western blot analysis and real-time PCR. Results HQ for 6 hours modestly decreased MMP-2. MMP-2 recovered only after co-overexpression of MMP-14 and TIMP-2, but activity further decreased after HQ for 18 hours. MMP-14 or TIMP-2 overexpression alone contributed as much as the co-overexpression to the recovery of MMP-2 activity. MMP-2 protein seemed not to be altered. Type I collagen and laminin transcriptional levels remained unaffected, whereas type IV collagen transcripts decreased with HQ. Transfection with MMP-14 and/or TIMP-2 contributed to the return of type IV collagen levels to normal. On the other hand, type I and IV collagens and laminin protein accumulated after HQ treatment, an effect prevented by transfection. Conclusions MMP-14 and TIMP2 contribute to the maintenance of adequate levels of MMP-2 activity in ARPE-19 cells after oxidant injury. In addition, changes in ECM components may result as a consequence of MMP-2 activity and may be relevant to the progression of dry AMD.
Social impairment in children with obsessive compulsive disorder: Do comorbid problems of inattention and hyperactivity matter?

Available studies examining the social relationships of children with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) suggest the presence of significant social difficulties. A notable limitation of these studies, however, is a lack of consideration for the potential impact of comorbidity on social variables. Given the high rate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in youth with OCD, and extensive evidence for ADHD-specific social impairments, the current study examined the interpersonal functioning and peer relationships of youth, ages 6–15 years, with primary OCD (n=24) and a non-psychiatric control group (n=18) while accounting for comorbid problems of inattention/hyperactivity. Overall results based on parent and child reports revealed that children with OCD, regardless of ADHD symptomology, were less socially-competent, had fewer dyadic friendships, and greater difficulty making new friends compared to controls. Children with OCD were just as likely, however, to have a best friend. Findings are considered in terms of their potential implications for intervention.
Optimal choice of FinFET devices for energy minimization in deeply-scaled technologies

FinFET devices are considered to be the device substitute for bulk CMOS in sub-20nm technology nodes due to the reduced short-channel effects, improved ON/OFF current ratio, and improved voltage scalability. This paper investigates the problem of optimal selection of deeply-scaled FinFET technology to achieve minimum energy consumption for different applications such as sensor applications, smartphones, embedded micro-processors, or server micro-processors, which differ in the required performance and duty ratio. For each application space, different FinFET technologies (with different V th and gate length biases) are compared in term of minimum energy consumption for both logic circuits and cache memories. A device-circuit-architecture cross-layer framework has been developed to facilitate this technology selection. This optimal technology selection procedure demonstrates up to 11× energy saving compared to poorly selected technologies.
Effective potential approach to modeling of 25 nm MOSFET devices

We present a thermodynamic approach to introducing quantum corrections to the classical transport picture in semiconductor device simulation. The approach leads to a modified Boltzmann equation with an effective quantum potential that takes into account the Hartree and the barrier contributions. We study the influence of the quantum effects on the device output current.
Adaptive demand-diversion prediction for integrated control of freeway corridors

Integrated freeway corridor control, which includes efficient real-time management of freeway traffic diversion onto less congested arterials, is one of the most cost-effective ways to cope with freeway congestion. Because traffic diversion is influenced by ramp metering and intersection signal timing, the effectiveness of an integrated corridor control strategy draws on its ability to predict the diversion resulting from the control in real time. An adaptive demand-diversion predictor is developed that reflects the drivers' choice behavior in a rapidly changing traffic environment. The new method explicitly treats the time-variant effects of control on the traffic demand to be predicted by combining behavioral modeling with filtering. Behavioral demand-diversion models and an extended Kalman filter are developed, with the filter continuously updating the model parameters with the most recent prediction error. The method was applied in several freeway entrance ramps of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area freeway system to predict the demand-diversion of traffic flow approaching the ramp area in real time. Following extensive testing and evaluation, the method was incorporated in a new demand-responsive control logic for the online control of freeway corridors.
On the existence of noncompact bounded linear operators between certain Banach spaces

It is proved that if the Banach spaceE has an unconditional basis and ifF is another Banach space, the following two assertions are equivalent: (1) There is a non-compact bounded linear operator fromE intoF′. (2) The space of bounded linear operators fromE intoF′ has a subspace isomorphic toc0.
Genes and Ideologies

There is a trend among behavioral scientists to view ever more complex attitudes or systems of belief as in some sense genetically determined (or “heritable”). Consistent with this trend is the recent article of Alford, Funk, and Hibbing titled “Are Political Orientations Genetically Transmitted?” in which the authors claim to have demonstrated that when it comes to the transmission of political ideologies, genes count for more than environment. Their article has received an enormous amount of attention among political scientists and in the popular press. I critically evaluate the research technique on the basis of which the authors' support their claims and argue that it suffers from significant methodological flaws. Such flaws notwithstanding, I demonstrate that the authors' data do not clearly support their conclusions. I then question the cogency, from an historical and theoretical perspective, of proposing the existence of “liberal” and “conservative” “phenotypes” and “genotypes.” My argument has implications beyond the findings of Alford, Funk, and Hibbing, and applies to all studies that claim to have demonstrated the heritability of complex and politically relevant attitudes.
Thermal Stress Analysis of Partially Absorbing Brittle Ceramics Subjected to Symmetric Radiation Heating

An analysis is presented of the thermal stresses in partially absorbing ceramics, in the form of flat plates symmetrically heated by thermal radiation and cooled by convection. The absorption coefficient is introduced as a material property, which affects thermal stress resistance. For zero heat transfer coefficient and optical thickness ..mu..a ..-->.. 0 the tensile thermal stresses are proportional to (..mu..a)/sup 3/. For h = varies as and ..mu..a ..-->.. 0, the tensile thermal stresses are a linear function of ..mu..a. Appropriate thermal stress resistance parameters were derived.
Nocardia infection of the hand-case report.

A 72-year-old woman presented with an acute purulent hand infection which proved to be due to Nocardia asteroides. She was found to have Cushing's syndrome secondary to ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone production. Her hand infection was successfully treated with debridement and drainage. Despite intensive medical treatment, she developed pulmonary infection while hospitalized and died from pulmonary complications. In cases such as this, treatment with sulfonamides is indicated and must be begun on the basis of Gram's stain findings since successful culture and identification of the organism may be delayed.
Atomic force microscopy of conventional and unconventional nucleic acid structures.

SUMMARY Images of conventional (Watson–Crick base paired) and unconventional (G4 RNA) nucleic acid structures have been obtained by atomic force microscopy. The images are reproducibly generated from samples deposited on freshly cleaved mica. Periodic substructural features are evident in fibres observed in both cases. In the case of G4 RNA, tip-induced formation of large fibres is observed.
Maturation, internalization, and turnover of soluble and membrane proteins associated with atrial myocyte secretory granules.

Primary cultures of neonatal atrial myocytes were used to study the biosynthesis of a prominent secretory granule enzyme that occurs naturally in soluble and integral membrane forms. The two most prominent forms of peptidylglycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase PAM) in atrial myocytes are type I integral membrane proteins (PAM-1 and -2); smaller amounts of a soluble form, PAM-3, are also found. All three PAM proteins are N-glycosylated, and PAM-1 also has sialylated O-linked oligosaccharide. Two hours after their biosynthesis, approximately half of the newly synthesized PAM-1 and PAM-2 proteins have acquired N-linked oligosaccharide chains resistant to digestion with endoglycosidase-H. Secretion of newly synthesized PAM-3 is detectable within 90 min after biosynthesis and is largely complete within 4 h. Release of the catalytic domains of PAM-1 and PAM-2, which requires endoproteolytic cleavage, occurs at a slow rate for many hours after biosynthesis. Release of PAM-3 and the soluble PAM proteins derived f...
Racial disparities in the optimal delivery of chronic kidney disease care.

Ethnic minorities make up a disproportionate share of the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population in the United States. The reasons for this include a concentration of biologic-clinical, sociodemographic, and behavioralrisk factors for chronic kidney disease among certain racial and ethnic minorities. Behavioral factors including patient and provider interactions are not yet fully explored and may be central to the delivery of optimal care and prevention of ESRD in racial and ethnic minorities. More attention to understanding the clustering and reduction of these risk factors may help to arrest the continuing epidemic of ESRD in racial and ethnic minorities in the United States.
Paying Attention with the Latest Technology

In this issue of Neuron , Parikh et al. utilize biosensors to probe the cholinergic system in freely moving rats performing cue-detection/reward delivery tasks. They show that cue-evoked cholinergic activity in the medial prefrontal cortex is associated with cue detection and not reward delivery. We discuss the implications of their research in behavioral neuroscience.
Computational Models of Space: Isovists and Isovist Fields

Abstract A new computational model for space representation, called the isovist, is defined. Given a point x in a space P, the isovist at x, Vz, is the subset of P visible from x. Procedures for computing Vx for polygonal spaces are presented. Next, isovist fields are defined by associating a scalar measure of Vx at each point x in P. The architectural and computational significance of these fields is discussed. Finally, an analysis of computing small, sufficient sets of points is given. A set of points is sufficient if the union of the isovists of the points in the set is the entire space P. Sufficient sets are related to the endpoints of branches of the skeleton in the case of polygonal spaces.
Statistics of the morphological pattern-spectrum moments for a random-grain model

The morphological pattern spectrum (granulometric size distribution) results from iteratively opening an image and at each step recording the area of the opened image. Owing to the manner in which the size distribution is normalized, it defines a probability distribution function and possesses moments. If a binary image is considered as a random process, then the moments of the pattern spectrum are random variables. It is these random moments that are employed as shape and texture signatures in image classification and segmentation. Consequently, the statistics (moments) of these moments are important, and in the present paper these are studied for a grain model that has been used in various applications. A numerical procedure is developed to obtain approximate moment distributions, and both exact and asympotic methods are developed to express the mean and variance of the pattern-spectrum mean and variance. The general methods are applied to both normal- and gamma-distributed grain sizes.
Winners or Losers: Resident Perceptions of Transit-Induced Neighborhood Change

Existing research rarely goes beyond individual dimensions of neighborhood change to explore the broader neighborhood impacts of transit investments as perceived by neighborhood residents. To fill gaps in this knowledge, the residents of selected neighborhoods along four transit corridors in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota were surveyed. Survey results show that residents of the study neighborhoods had generally positive perceptions of transit-induced neighborhood change. However, significant differences existed between urban and suburban areas and between individual neighborhoods. In addition, African-Americans, immigrants, frequent transit users, carless residents, and new residents in general had more positive perceptions of transit-induced neighborhood change than did whites, nonimmigrants, infrequent or nontransit users, residents with access to a motor vehicle, and longtime residents. Asian urbanites had more negative perceptions. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Beta blockers and exercise: physiologic and biochemical definitions and new concepts.

Abstract Exercise training effects occur in man after chronic exposure to aerobic exercise, which should be defined quantitatively to permit a precise mechanistic understanding. Exercise adaptations result from circulatory and metabolic changes that involve altered responsiveness to neurohumoral transmitters at the receptor level. The adrenergic mechanisms are most important and are linked to new understandings of the adrenergic receptor and Its coupling with biochemical processes in the cell. The adrenergic receptor is a specialized protein In the cell membrane linked to the catalytic moiety of the enzyme adenylate cyclase by a coupling protein controlled by guanine nucleotides. The sensitivity of this receptor mechanism may be altered by exposure to agonists and antagonists and by circulatory and metabolic diseases. The effects of β-adrenergic blockers on exercise adaptation and the clinical seauelae are emphasized.
Decision time and perseveration of adolescent rats in the T-maze are affected differentially by buspirone and independent of 5-HT-1A expression.

Abstract Disruption of spontaneous alternation behavior (SAB) by the serotonin 1A (5-HT-1A) receptor agonist, 8-hydroxy-dipropylaminotetraline (8-OH-DPAT), results in repetitive behaviors that have been used to model the perseveration and indecisiveness of human obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In the present study, we compared the effects of buspirone to those of 8-OH-DPAT in two strains of adolescent rats and analyzed repetitive choices of arms of the maze and prolonged apparent decision time due to induction of vicarious trial and error (VTE) behavior. In adolescent Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats, 8-OH-DPAT induced repetitive choices of arms of the maze (perseveration) and increased the apparent decision time. Buspirone induced VTE behavior and increased apparent decision time without perseveration. This distinct effect of buspirone was seen in SD adolescents but not in Long-Evans (LE) adolescents which appeared to be insensitive to buspirone. Lack of responsiveness to buspirone was dependent on the developmental stage because buspirone induced VTE behavior and prolonged decision time in LE adults. Western blotting of brain 5-HT-1A receptors showed expression of receptor protein in adolescent LE brain was comparable to that of adolescent SD and adult LE. The 5-HT-1A antagonist WAY 100365 blocked the effect 8-OH-DPAT on repetitive choice of arms but not the effect of buspirone on VTE behavior. We conclude that the adolescent LE rat has normal levels of 5-HT-1A receptor and that the effect of buspirone on VTE behavior is not mediated by the 5-HT-1A receptor. The LE strain may provide a useful system for further study of the adolescent brain and potential genetic differences in induction of repetitive behaviors.
Association of motor proteins with membranes

The motility of intracellular components, and of the cell as a whole, is mediated by cytoplasmic motor proteins. This review discusses what is known about the binding of cytoplasmic motors to membranes. Mechanisms by which these interactions may result in observed motile phenomena are proposed.
CYTOPLASMIC INHERITANCE OF MALE STERILITY IN ZEA MAYS.

1. The analyses of a male-sterile condition inZea mays indicate that the egg cytoplasm plays the chief role in the expression of the character.
Viewpoint: intrinsic value of higher education

There are a few things in the world, I am convinced, that you cannot put a dollars‐and‐cents value on. Among such things is the value of higher education. We can determine how much higher education may cost us. We can also determine the approximate payback for higher education. But we will be hard pressed to put a monetary value on higher education. And here is the fallacy for those who argue that higher education has become too expensive and it is not worth it. In this paper, I will discuss the cost of higher education (to the student and to the nation or the state), the value of higher education, and the approximate payback of higher education for the individual and the state.
Effect of PAMAM Dendrimers on *Ru(bpy)32+ Emission Quenching by Ferrocyanide and on ANS Fluorescence: Quantitative Binding Parameters as a Function of Dendrimer Size, pH, and Buffer Composition

The quenched emission intensity for *Ru(bpy)32+ in the presence of ferrocyanide, [Fe(CN)64−], was restored in aqueous solutions at pH 8 via the addition of PAMAM dendrimers due to competitive electrostatic binding of the ferrocyanide to the dendrimer. Binding equations were developed assuming a 1:1 interaction between the quencher and a dendrimer binding site size (defined as the number of terminal amine groups). Nonlinear curve fitting of titration data for emission intensity versus added dendrimer at fixed [Fe(CN)64−] resulted in calculated values for the binding constants, binding site sizes, and bound quenching rate constants between ferrocyanide and different sized dendrimers. When the PAMAM dendrimer size was increased, the ferrocyanide binding constant increased and the fully bound quenching rate constant decreased, but the binding site size remained the same (between 5 and 6 terminal amines). Changing the buffer from Tris to phosphate at pH 8 dramatically changes the binding parameters as predicte...
Simulation study of hierarchical regression.

Hierarchical regression – which attempts to improve standard regression estimates by adding a second-stage ‘prior’ regression to an ordinary model – provides a practical approach to evaluating multiple exposures. We present here a simulation study of logistic regression in which we compare hierarchical regression fitted by a two-stage procedure to ordinary maximum likelihood. The simulations were based on case-control data on diet and breast cancer, where the hierarchical model uses a second-stage regression to pull conventional dietary-item estimates toward each other when they have similar levels of food constituents. Our results indicate that hierarchical modelling of continuous covariates offers worthwhile improvement over ordinary maximum-likelihood, provided one does not underspecify the second-stage standard deviations.
Control of a Nonlinear Pressure-Regulating Engine Bleed Valve in Aircraft Air Management Systems

This paper presents an adaptive control algorithm, based on the ℒ1 adaptive control method, for controlling the pressure of engine bleed air in a commercial aircraft. The pressure is affected by a control valve that is part of a larger air management system which includes control valves for temperature and flow rate as well as a heat exchanger or precooler. A system model is presented including valve hysteresis due to backlash and dry friction. Simulations are conducted for a control valve subject to unmeasured disturbance, and the adaptive control results are compared to those of a traditional proportional-integral controller.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Fusion γ Ray Signals from ICF Targets Recorded with Streak Camera

Summary form only given. For a dozen years, the fusion reaction rate in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsules has been determined by monitoring the production rate of fusion neutrons. Future high-yield targets producing >1015 neutrons should allow reaction rates to be measured with γ rays produced in deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion. Using γ rays makes the measurement independent of target-to-detector distance, but the low branching ratio for γ-ray production (<10-4) makes the task difficult at current ICF facilities where shot yields are <1014 neutrons. Two detector systems based on Cherenkov gas cells have been tested at the OMEGA laser facility. Incident γ rays produce forward-directed, relativistic electrons in a converter foil at the entrances to high-pressure (up to 100 psi) gas cells containing CO2 gas. The electrons generate Cherenkov light when they travel faster than the speed of light through the CO2 gas. Reflective optics collects the light at the output of each cell. For one system the signal is recorded with a fast photomultiplier tube (PMT) at the output of the gas cell. The other system uses relay optics to transfer the Cherenkov light to a streak camera several meters away. The PMT work has been presented in an earlier paper. This paper describes the streak camera based detector system and initial measurements made with it
Biodiversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in agroecosystems.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi [AMF] are soil fungi which form a mutualistic symbiosis with the roots of plants. A variety of benefits to the host have been ascribed to mycorrhizae, most often enhanced uptake of immobile nutrients from the soil, notably P. An understanding of the impacts of agronomic practices upon communities of these fungi would help to ensure an opportunity for the utilization of the symbiosis and contribute to the success of sustainable agriculture. Measurement of the diversity of AMF communities in field soils presents a variety of challenges, among them the difficulty of identifying field collected spores, the detection of non-sporulating members of the community, and the lack of relation between functional diversity and the morphological diversity of spores used to delineate species. These challenges, as well as current efforts to overcome them, are discussed and recent research elaborating the effects of agromonic practices upon AMF communities and the effectiveness of mycorrhizae is presented.
Transcription activity is required for p53-dependent tumor suppression.

As a transcription factor, the critical tumor suppressor, p53, directly regulates the transcription of hundreds of genes, leading to cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, cellular senescence and differentiation. Although it has been assumed that p53 transcription activity is critical for tumor suppression, this assumption has been increasingly contested by recent findings of transcription-independent roles of p53 in apoptosis as well as findings that none of the mutant mice lacking important p53 transcription targets are cancer prone. On the basis of previous findings that p53 transcription activity is abolished in p53QS (Leu25Trp26 to Gln25Ser26) knock-in mouse cells after DNA damage, to determine the importance of transcription activity of p53 in tumor suppression, we generated knock-in mice that can conditionally express p53QS protein in a Cre-dependent manner. By breeding the knock-in mice with Lck-Cre transgenic mice that specifically express Cre in thymocytes, we show that p53-dependent suppression of thymic lymphomas is abolished in thymocytes expressing high levels of p53QS protein. In addition, p53QS protein is accumulated in some of the thymic tumors. Therefore, p53 transcription activity induced by DNA damage is required for tumor suppression. Together with the findings that the disruption of various p53-dependent functions individually fails to promote cancer, our findings indicate that various transcription-dependent functions of p53 must collaborate to efficiently suppress tumorigenesis.
Neonatal intrahippocampal gp120 injection: an examination early in development.

The presence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in the brain is believed to be responsible for mediating the pathogenesis of neurological abnormalities through the viral toxins gp120 and Tat. Numerous studies indicate neurotoxic effects of the HIV-1-protein Tat, with demonstrated neurobehavioral and cognitive alterations. However, less clear is the neurotoxic effect of gp120 on neurobehavior. This study was designed to characterize the potential deficits in sensory-motor and preattentive functions, following intrahippocampal administration of gp120. Using a randomized-block design, male and female pups of eight Sprague–Dawley litters were injected bilaterally with either vehicle (VEH) (1 μl volume) or one of the three gp120 doses (1.29, 12.9, or 129 ng/μl) at postnatal day (P)1. Sensory-motor functions were assessed at P3, as measured by the righting reflex and at P8, as measured by negative geotaxis. At P24 animals were tested on preattentive processes, as indexed by sensorimotor gating. Sensorimotor gating was measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the auditory startle response (ASR) (ISIs of 0, 8, 40, 80, 120, and 4000 ms, six trial blocks, Latin-square design). Results indicated gp120-induced neurotoxicity on the righting reflex but not negative geotaxis. For sensorimotor gating, the PPI test demonstrated a reduced inhibition response on peak ASR latency as the dose of gp120 increased. No effect was noted for response inhibition on peak ASR amplitude. These data suggest that intrahippocampal injection of gp120 (0, 1.29, 12.9, or 129 ng/μl) had transient neurotoxic effects on sensory-motor function and limited effects on preattentive processes early in development.
Relative prices and wage inequality: evidence from Mexico

Abstract This paper examines the link between relative goods prices and relative wages during two periods of Mexico's trade liberalization. The relative price of skill-intensive goods rose following Mexico's entrance to the General Agreement and Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1986, but fell after Mexico entered the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. This paper adds a band pass filter to two established techniques to compare the relationship between prices and wages. Results from all three approaches are consistent with a positive long-run relationship between relative output prices and relative wages. The band pass filter results suggest that the relevant time frame for the relationship begins after 3–5 years.
Optimal Distributed Password Verification

We present a highly efficient cryptographic protocol to protect user passwords against server compromise by distributing the capability to verify passwords over multiple servers. Password verification is a single-round protocol and requires from each server only one exponentiation in a prime-order group. In spite of its simplicity, our scheme boasts security against dynamic and transient corruptions, meaning that servers can be corrupted at any time and can recover from corruption by going through a non-interactive key refresh procedure. The users' passwords remain secure against offline dictionary attacks as long as not all servers are corrupted within the same time period between refreshes. The only currently known scheme to achieve such strong security guarantees incurs the considerable cost of several hundred exponentiations per server. We prove our scheme secure in the universal composability model, which is well-known to offer important benefits for password-based primitives, under the gap one-more Diffie-Hellman assumption in the random-oracle model. Server initialization and refresh must take place in a trusted execution environment. Initialization additionally requires a secure message to each server, but the refresh procedure is non-interactive. We show that these requirements are easily met in practice by providing an example deployment architecture.
Bilateral Internal Carotid Artery Occlusion: Natural History and Surgical Alternatives:

Abstract Purpose and background: Bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion is an extremely rare entity, therefore, studies of the natural history of this disease are lacking in the English literature. The purpose of this study is to analyze the natural history and surgical alternatives for patients with bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion. Patient population and methods: Twenty-one patients with bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion were encountered with a mean age of 61 years (range of 48–73 years). Their clinical presentations included eight with hemispheric transient ischemic attacks, three with amaurosis fugax, five with strokes and five with non-hemispheric transient ischemic attack. Diagnosis was confirmed using carotid duplex ultrasound and angiography. The majority of patients had more than one risk factor for atherosclerosis: smoking in 100%, hyperlipidemia in 14/21 (67%), hypertension in 17/21 (81%), coronary artery disease in 15/21 (71%) and diabetes mellitus in 7/21 (33%). In addition to the usual medical treatment, 13 patients underwent surgical intervention: eight had an external carotid endarterectomy, four had a carotid–subclavian bypass (to increase external carotid or vertebral flow for tight stenosis or occlusion of the common carotid or subclavian artery) and one patient had an ascending aorta to innominate artery bypass. At a mean follow-up of 6 years (range 1–11 years), the overall mortality rates were 11/21 (52%), in the surgical group it was 5/13 (38%) and 6/8 (75%) in the medical group. The causes of death included seven myocardial infarctions (four in the surgical group and three in the medical group) and four strokes (one in the surgical group and three in the medical group). In the surgical group, 2/13 (15%) had late neurological deficits (one hemispheric transient ischemic attack and one stroke), in contrast to 6/8 (75%, three strokes and three hemispheric transient ischemic attacks) in the medical group. Conclusions: Bilateral internal carotid artery occlusions have grave prognoses and should be considered a marker for severe systemic disease. Various cerebrovascular reconstructive procedures, if feasible, may be beneficial for some of these patients.
Laser optoacoustic imaging of breast cancer in vivo

A clinical prototype of the laser optoacoustic imaging system (LOIS) was employed for breast cancer detection and localization in patients with confirmed breast cancer and scheduled for radical mastectomy. The prototype LOIS used a single optical fiber for delivery of laser pulses, an arc shaped 32-element PVDF transducer array for ultrawide-band piezoelectric detection of optoacoustic signals and a single-channel data acquisition card for signal processing. The resonance ultrasound frequency of the 110 micrometers PVDF film was outside detectable range of ultrasound. Spatial resolution of the transducer array was slightly better than 1mm in radial direction and slightly worse than 1 mm in lateral direction. The system was optimized for contrast and sensitivity. Data acquisition, signal conditioning and image processing were significantly improved and optimized resulting in reduced image frame rate of 2 seconds employing 700 MHz Aphlon processor. The computer code for digital signal processing employed band-pass hyper-Gaussian filtering and denoising. An automatic recognition of the optoacoustic signal detected from the irradiated surface was implemented in order to visualize the breast surface and improve the accuracy of tumor localization. Radial back- projection algorithm was employed adopting combination of integration along spherical wavefronts and integration along planar wavefronts (as in Radon transform) for image reconstruction. The system performance was evaluated initially in breast tissue-like phantoms with embedded blood vessels. Clinical studies in breast cancer patients scheduled for surgical mastectomy were performed and compared with x-ray radiography, ultrasound and pathology reports.
FMRFamide reverses protein phosphorylation produced by 5-HT and cAMP in Aplysia sensory neurons

FMRFamide reverses protein phosphorylation produced by 5-HT and cAMP in Aplysia sensory neurons