cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Methyl-CpG-DNA binding proteins in human prostate cancer: expression of CXXC sequence containing MBD1 and repression of MBD2 and MeCP2.

Abstract We analyzed gene expression of MBD1, MBD2, MBD3, MBD4, and MeCP2 and protein expression of MBD1, MBD2, and MeCP2 in prostate cancer cell lines, benign prostate epithelium (BPH-1) cell line, 49 BPH tissues, and 46 prostate cancer tissues. The results of this study demonstrate that MBD2 gene is expressed in all samples and MeCP2 gene is expressed in all cancer cell lines but not in BPH-1 cell line. However, there was no protein expression for MBD2 and MeCP2 in cancer cell lines and cancer tissues. For CXXC sequence containing MBD1, both protein and mRNA were expressed in cancer cell lines, cancer tissues, BPH-1 cell line, and BPH tissues. We observed that, in BPH tissues and low-grade cancer tissues, MBD1 protein expression was very high and gradually decreased with increase of cancer grade. Treatment of cancer cell lines with proteasome inhibitor (MG-132) did not restore expression of MBD2 and MeCP2 proteins. When prostate cancer cell lines were treated with hypomethylating agent, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (DNMT inhibitor), HDAC1 and HDAC2 expression was decreased. This is the first report demonstrating that CXXC sequence containing MBD1 is overexpressed and can be the major factor of hypermethylated chromatin segments through HDAC1/2 translocation and histone deacetylation in human prostate cancer.
Endothelin-1 Mediates Hypoxia-Induced Increases in Vascular Collagen in the Newborn Mouse Lung

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) mediates hypoxia-mediated pulmonary vascular remodeling (HPVR), and endothelin-A receptor (ET-AR) blockade prevents HPVR in newborn mice. Our objective was to determine postnatal effects of chronic hypoxia and/or ET-AR blockade on lung ET-1, ET-AR, ET-BR, and vascular collagen and elastin. Newborn C57BL/6 mice (n = 6–8/gp) given either BQ610 (ET-AR blocker) or vehicle were exposed to air or hypoxia (12% O2) from birth for 1, 3, or 14 d. Lung ET-1 was assessed by ELISA, and ET-AR and ET-BR by immunohistochemistry. Vascular collagen and elastin were assessed by quantitative image analysis. ET-1, ET-AR, ET-BR, collagen I and III, and tropoelastin mRNA levels were assessed by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. We observed that: 1) hypoxia attenuated the normal postnatal decrease in ET-1 and collagen content; 2) ET-AR blockade reduced collagen independent of O2; 3) hypoxia increased elastin mRNA expression and attenuated the normal postnatal decrease in elastin content; and 4) BQ610 reduced elastin mRNA but not elastin content. We conclude that, in neonatal mice, hypoxia attenuates normal postnatal decreases in ET-1, vascular collagen, and elastin. ET-AR blockade reduces collagen fiber area but not mRNA, and does not decrease elastin despite reducing its expression.
Nrf2-dependent induction of proteasome and Pa28αβ regulator are required for adaptation to oxidative stress.

The ability to adapt to acute oxidative stress (e.g. H2O2, peroxynitrite, menadione, and paraquat) through transient alterations in gene expression is an important component of cellular defense mechanisms. We show that such adaptation includes Nrf2-dependent increases in cellular capacity to degrade oxidized proteins that are attributable to increased expression of the 20 S proteasome and the Pa28αβ (11 S) proteasome regulator. Increased cellular levels of Nrf2, translocation of Nrf2 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, and increased binding of Nrf2 to antioxidant response elements (AREs) or electrophile response elements (EpREs) in the 5′-untranslated region of the proteasome β5 subunit gene (demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation (or ChIP) assay) are shown to be necessary requirements for increased proteasome/Pa28αβ levels, and for maximal increases in proteolytic capacity and stress resistance; Nrf2 siRNA and the Nrf2 inhibitor retinoic acid both block these adaptive changes and the Nrf2 inducers dl-sulforaphane, lipoic acid, and curcumin all replicate them without oxidant exposure. The immunoproteasome is also induced during oxidative stress adaptation, contributing to overall capacity to degrade oxidized proteins and stress resistance. Two of the three immunoproteasome subunit genes, however, contain no ARE/EpRE elements, and Nrf2 inducers, inhibitors, and siRNA all have minimal effects on immunoproteasome expression during adaptation to oxidative stress. Thus, immunoproteasome appears to be (at most) minimally regulated by the Nrf2 signal transduction pathway.
Cardiac magnetic resonance versus routine cardiac catheterization before bidirectional Glenn anastomosis: Long-term follow-up of a prospective randomized trial

Objectives A previously published randomized clinical trial comparing cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) versus routine catheterization in patients with functional single ventricle before bidirectional Glenn (BDG) operation demonstrated similar short-term post-BDG outcomes. We sought to assess late outcomes in this cohort to ascertain any long-term effects of this evaluation strategy. Methods Retrospective review of enrolled patients through most recent follow-up was performed on all 82 patients in the original cohort, at a median age of 8.8 years. Results Of these, 76 (93%) underwent Fontan operation; 2 died before Fontan. Baseline demographics, anatomic factors, and age at BDG did not differ between those randomized to CMR versus catheterization. Although pre-BDG CMR patients were younger at Fontan (2.4 vs 2.7 years; P = .02), baseline weight, body surface area, oxygen saturation, ventricular function, and degree of atrioventricular valve regurgitation were similar. Catheterization before Fontan (n = 76) demonstrated similar hemodynamic parameters including pulmonary vascular resistance and mean pulmonary artery, atrial, and ventricular end-diastolic pressures. CMR patients had comparable rates of transcatheter interventions (71% vs 79%; P = .6), including coil occlusion of systemic–pulmonary collaterals (66% vs 61%; P = .29). At Fontan surgery, short-term complications, hospital length of stay, and the percent meeting a 5-part definition of successful Fontan operation were not different (71% vs 55%; P = .23). Conclusions Pre-BDG CMR and catheterization groups had equivalent clinical and hemodynamic profiles before Fontan and similar post-Fontan outcomes at a median follow-up of 8 years after BDG. For selected patients, a pre-BDG evaluation with CMR is an acceptable alternative to catheterization.
Carbons produced from known organic compounds I—Anthracene and phenanthrene

Abstract Carbons were prepared from anthracene, phenanthrene, and their mixtures by first charring in a bomb to 550°C, followed by coking in a flowing nitrogen stream at 900°C, and then heating in helium to 2500°C. The cokes and 2500°C carbons were characterized using X-ray diffraction, gas adsorption, density, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. All the cokes were found to be highly graphitizable when heated to 2500°C.
Intracranial androgenic activation of male-typical behaviors in house mice: Motivation versus performance

Castrated male mice were bilaterally implanted with 27 ga cannulae containing testosterone into either the septum, medial preoptic area (MPO), or corticomedial amygdala. One additional group of castrates received no hormone and another received only systemic testosterone via subcutaneous silastic capsules. All males were subsequently tested for ultrasonic mating vocalizations, urine marking, mounting behavior, aggression and gender preference, all of which are androgen-dependent, male-typical behaviors. In general castrates receiving no hormone performed these behaviors at low levels and animals receiving systemic testosterone performed the behaviors at normal male-typical levels. Ultrasonic vocalizations in response to female urine were activated by MPO implants. Urine marking in response to female urine appeared to be partially activated only with MPO implants. Very little mounting or fighting were seen in the brain implanted groups. Gender preference (for females over males) was restored with MPO implants and appeared to be partially activated with septal implants. The seminal vesicles of the castrates receiving brain implants were not significantly different from those receiving no hormone indicating that little or no implanted hormone was exiting the brain into general circulation. The implications of these findings for the neuroanatomy of sexual motivation and performance are discussed.
The assessment of adolescent self‐esteem: A comparison of methods1

The present series of studies explores the relationship between two conceptions of self-esteem: the self as experienced by the individual and the self as presented to others. Traditional measures of self-esteem are employed, and two new methods of assessing self-esteem in adolescents are introduced: an observational measure of self-esteem behavior (presented self) and a repeated self-report measure (experienced self). The presented self (observed behavior and peer ratings) and the experienced self (Rosenberg, Lerner, and a new method, paging devices) measures were consistent within themselves in assessing self-esteem. The presented self and the experienced self were not, however, significantly related to each other. We propose a moderator variable (“defensiveness”) to explain these discrepancies, and suggest that the observation of adolescent behavior provides a more accurate assessment of self-esteem than self-report measures.
Unsupported allegations about a link between Milgram and the CIA: tortured reasoning in A Question of Torture.

In researching the biography I wrote of Stanley Milgram, The Man Who Shocked the World: The Life and Legacy of Stanley Milgram (Blass, 2004), I was surprised to discover the pervasiveness of misinformation and misstatements about Milgram’s obedience research—something that is a continuing phenomenon. For example, two writers gave Milgram a nonexistent middle initial, calling him “Stanley J. Milgram” (Lemov, 2005; Markle, 1995). Another referred to the experimenter as “graduate student confederates” (Baumrind, 1985), when, in fact, he was a moonlighting 31-year-old high school biology teacher named John Williams. One occasionally sees the participants in Milgram’s experiments, who were adult residents of New Haven and surrounding areas, erroneously described as students; and the lecturer in the “Great Courses” video series (The Teaching Company, 1997) describes the subjects as turning up a dial on the shock machine, whereas the “shocks” were supposedly delivered by pressing switches arranged horizontally along its front panel. One gets the sense in encountering these and other errors or misstatements that, at least in some cases, the writers were relying on their memory, or even that they were basing their accounts on second-hand information and may not have actually read Milgram’s original writings. All of the above misstatements could have been avoided by the simple act of checking Milgram’s obedience book (Milgram, 1974) or his earlier journal articles (e.g., Milgram, 1963). For example, all it would have required to realize that Milgram did not have a middle name is a perusal of the title page of one of his books or the first page of one of his journal articles. Or, for a more conclusive statement, one could look to Milgram himself. In 1963, he accepted an appointment at Harvard as an assistant professor in the Department of Social Relations. During the hiring process, the departmental secretary asked about his middle name, explaining that a person’s full legal name was required when corresponding with the Dean. Apparently, seeing this as a bureaucratic requirement without any rhyme or reason, he replied to her appropriately in verse (see Blass, 2004, pp. 132–133):
First seizure management--reconsidered. Response I.

The main conclusion to be derived from the articles by Hauser 1 and by Hart and Easton 2 is that we really do not have accurate information regarding the chances of further seizures after a single first seizure. Therefore, the fairest and most ethical way to treat such patients is to share our uncertainty with them. It is certainly more time consuming to thoroughly discuss what we do and what we do not know about the implications of positive or negative family history, normal or abnormal electroencephalograms, presence or absence of possible precipitating factors, and the like, but it is really the only fair way to proceed. The presence of epileptogenic activity in the electroencephalogram, a positive family history for epilepsy, or a history of febrile convulsions as a child certainly make it more likely that further seizures will occur. On the other hand, when a seizure occurs after
Inhibition of the UCI-107 human ovarian carcinoma cell line by a targeted cytotoxic analog of somatostatin, AN-238.

BACKGROUND Cytotoxic analogs of somatostatin (SST), such as AN-238, which consists of 2-pyrrolinodoxorubicin (AN-201) linked to the SST carrier RC-121, can be targeted to tumors that express SST receptors. Because SST receptors are present in ovarian carcinoma cells, the authors evaluated the effect of AN-238 on the UCI-107 ovarian carcinoma cell line. METHODS An analysis of microsatellite alleles in cocultured SST receptor positive and receptor negative cells was used for the demonstration of in vitro targeting. The toxicity and antitumor effects of AN-238 in nude mice bearing UCI-107 human ovarian tumors were investigated with or without pharmacologic inhibition of serum carboxylesterases (CE). The expression of SST receptor subtypes was determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis, and the binding affinity of AN-238 to SST receptors was determined by radioligand assays. RESULTS The proliferation of SST receptor positive UCI-107 cells in vitro was inhibited preferentially by AN-238. AN-238 showed high-affinity binding to UCI-107 tumor membranes at a 50% inhibition concentration of 3.39 nM ± 0.74 nM. In vivo, the volume and weights of UCI-107 tumors treated with AN-238 were decreased by more than 60% (P < 0.05) compared with controls. Cytotoxic radical AN-201 or the unconjugated mixture of AN-201 with carrier RC-121 had no significant effects on tumors and were toxic. In mice with inhibited serum CE activity, AN-201 at 400 nmol/kg was lethal, whereas AN-238 at a total dose of 800 nmol/kg caused only 22% mortality and reduced tumor weight by 69% and volume by 70% (P < 0.05 vs. control). CONCLUSIONS Targeted chemotherapy with the SST conjugate AN-238 inhibits SST receptor positive experimental ovarian tumors. AN-238 may provide a new treatment modality for patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma. Cancer 2001;92:1168–76. © 2001 American Cancer Society.
Sin and mental illness in the Middle Ages

The modern stereotype that in the Middle Ages there was a general belief that mental illness was caused by sin is reviewed. The authors examined 57 descriptions of mental illness (madness, possession, alcoholism, epilepsy, and combinations thereof) from pre-Crusade chronicles and saints' lives. In only 9 (16%) of these descriptions did the sources attribute the mental illness to sin or wrongdoing, and in these cases the medieval authors appeared to use this attribution for its propaganda value against an enemy of their patron saints, their monastery lands, or their religious values. The medieval sources indicate that the authors were well aware of the proximate causes of mental illness, such as humoral imbalance, intemperate diet and alcohol intake, overwork, and grief. The banality that, since God causes all things he also causes mental illness, was only used by medieval authors under special circumstances and in a minority of cases. It does not constitute evidence of superstitious and primitive notions about mental illness in the early Middle Ages.
Abuse of inhalants: a review

Inhalants, a chemically heterogeneous group of psychoactive substances found in adhesives, lighter fluids, spray paints, cleaning fluids and typewriter correction fluid, may be used by up to 10% of young people. This article reviews the health effects, epidemiology, risk of other substance use and addiction and psychiatric co-morbidity associated with the practice of inhalant use.
Death and Love in Iris Murdoch's The Time of the Angels

(1995). Death and Love in Iris Murdoch's The Time of the Angels. Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction: Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 130-144.
Hysteresis loops of Cu-Mn thin spin-glass systems.

Magnetic hysteresis loops of ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{0.93}$${\mathrm{Mn}}_{0.07}$/Si multilayered sputtered films were studied for the first time. The Cu-Mn thickness L was varied between 100 and 5000 A\r{}. To obtain a strong magnetization signal, multiple Cu-Mn films were used, separated by 70-A\r{} Si films. The hysteresis curves were obtained by cooling in a 6 kG field from temperatures above the spin-glass transition temperature ${T}_{g}$ to T\ensuremath{\ll}${T}_{g}$. As in the bulk, the loops for all the Cu-Mn thicknesses were displaced from the origin, though they varied in shape and width for different L. In each loop the magnetization of the descending branch dropped rapidly at a certain negative field ${H}_{\mathrm{sh}}$, which was found to vary systematically with L. The variation of ${H}_{\mathrm{sh}}$ with Cu-Mn thickness is explained in terms of weakening of the Dzyaloshinsky-Moria interaction as the Cu-Mn film gets thinner.
The progression of severe behavior disorder in young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Behavior disorders, such as self-injurious, stereotypic, and aggressive behavior are common among individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. While we have learned much about those behaviors over the past few decades, longitudinal research that looks at developmental trajectory has been rare. This study was designed to examine the trajectory of these three forms of severe behavior disorders over a one year time period. The behaviors were measured on two dimensions: frequency of occurrence and severity. Participants were 160 infants and toddlers at risk for developmental delays in Lima, Peru. Using structural equation modeling, we found that the frequency of self-injury and stereotypic behavior and the severity of aggressive behavior remained stable over the 12-month period. Uni-directional structural models fit the data best for self-injurious and aggressive behavior (with frequency being a leading indicator of future severity of self-injury and severity being a leading indicator of future frequency for aggression). For stereotypic behavior, a cross-lagged autoregressive model fit the data best, with both dimensions of frequency and severity involved as leading indicators of each other. These models did not vary significantly across diagnostic groups, suggesting that toddlers exhibiting behavior disorders may be assisted with interventions that target the specific frequencies or severities of behaviors, regardless of diagnostic category.
Test of Scale Invariance in Ratios of Muon Scattering Cross Sections at 150 and 56 GeV

Scale invariance is tested in ratios of muon scattering cross sections from an iron target at pairs of q2 values ranging to 40 (GeV/c)2 and differing by a factor of 38. The apparatus was changed with incident energy to preserve acceptance and resolution in scaled variables. The scale-noninvariant departure from unity of these ratios displays a statistically significant ω dependence. The effect exceeds the systematic uncertainty by a factor of 1.7.
Optimizing memory system performance for communication in parallel computers

Communication in a parallel system frequently involves moving data from the memory of one node to the memory of another; this is the standard communication model employed in message passing systems. Depending on the application, we observe a variety of patterns as part of communication steps, e.g., regular (i.e. blocks of data), strided, or irregular (indexed) memory accesses. The effective speed of these communication steps is determined by the network bandwidth and the memory bandwidth, and measurements on current parallel supercomputers indicate that the performance is limited by the memory bandwidth rather than the network bandwidth.Current systems provide a wealth of options to perform communication, and a compiler or user is faced with the difficulty of finding the communication operations that best use the available memory and network bandwidth. This paper provides a framework to evaluate different solutions for inter-node communication and presents the copy-transfer model; this model captures the contributions of the memory system to inter-node communication. We demonstrate the usefulness of this simple model by applying it to two commercial parallel systems, the Cray T3D and the Intel Paragon.In particular we identify two methods to transfer data between nodes in these two machines. In buffer-packing transfers, a contiguous block of data is transferred across the network. If the data are not stored contiguously, they are copied to (gathering) or from (scattering) buffers in local memory before and after the transfer. Chained transfers perform gathering, transfer and scattering in one step, reading the data elements with some non-sequential pattern and immediately transferring them on to the destination.Our model and measurements indicate that chaining of the gather, transfer, and scatter operations results in better performance than buffer packing for many important access patterns. Most standard message passing libraries (like MPI, PVM or NX) force the parallelizing compiler (or the programmer) to employ the buffer-packing communication operations. However, the addition of hardware support dedicated to communication (e.g., DMAs, line-transfer units) now gives the compiler a wider range of options.
Vitamin D and Serum Cytokines in a Randomized Clinical Trial

Background. The role of vitamin D in the body's ability to fight influenza and URI's may be dependent on regulation of specific cytokines that participate in the host inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that vitamin D can influence intracellular signaling to regulate the production of cytokines. Subjects and Methods. This study was a 3-month prospective placebo-controlled trial of vitamin D3 supplementation in ambulatory adults [Li-Ng et al., 2009]. 162 volunteers were randomized to receive either 50&#x2009; (2000 IU) of vitamin D3 or matching placebo. 25(OH)D and the levels of 10 different cytokines (IL-2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13, GM-CSF, IFN-, TNF-) were measured in the serum of participants at baseline and the final visit. There were 6 drop-outs from the active vitamin D group and 8 from the placebo group. Results. In the active vitamin D group, we found a significant median percent decline in levels of GM-CSF (&#x2212;62.9&#x25;, ), IFN- (&#x2212;38.9&#x25;, ), IL-4 (&#x2212;50.8&#x25;, ), IL-8 (&#x2212;48.4&#x25;, ), and IL-10 (&#x2212;70.4&#x25;, . In the placebo group, there were significant declines for GM-CSF (&#x2212;53.2&#x25;, ) and IFN- (&#x2212;34.4&#x25;, ). For each cytokine, there was no significant difference in the rate of decline between the two groups. 25(OH)D levels increased in the active vitamin D group from a mean of &#x2009;nmol/L to &#x2009;nmol/L. Conclusions. The present study did not show that vitamin D3 supplementation changed circulating cytokine levels among healthy adults.
Evidence for a Blast Wave from Compressed Nuclear Matter

Central collisions of heavy nuclei at c.m. kinetic energies of a few hundred MeV per nucleon produce fireballs of hot, dense nuclear matter. Each fireball explodes, producing a blast wave of nucleons and pions. Several features of the observed cross sections for pions and protons from Ne on Na F at 0.8 GeV/nucleon (lab) are explained by the blast wave, but contradict earlier, purely thermal models. The available energy is equally divided between translational energy of the blast, and thermal motion of the particles in the exploding matter.
Suvorexant for insomnia: a systematic review of the efficacy and safety profile for this newly approved hypnotic - what is the number needed to treat, number needed to harm and likelihood to be helped or harmed?

SummaryObjective To describe the efficacy and safety of suvorexant for the treatment of insomnia. Data sources The pivotal registration trials were accessed by querying http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ and http://www.clinicaltrials.gov for the search terms ‘suvorexant’ and ‘MK4305’. Briefing documents from the US Food and Drug Administration Peripheral & Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee and product labelling, provided additional information. Study selection All available clinical reports of studies were identified. Data extraction Descriptions of the principal results and calculation of number needed to treat (NNT) and number needed to harm (NNH) for relevant dichotomous outcomes were extracted from the available study reports and other sources of information. Data synthesis Suvorexant (MK4305) is the first orexin receptor antagonist approved for the treatment of insomnia. This approval was based in part on a Phase 3 clinical development programme that included two similarly designed, 3-month, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group studies examining suvorexant 40 and 20 mg in non-elderly adults (age < 65 years) and 30 and 15 mg in elderly patients (age ≥ 65 years). Suvorexant was superior to placebo for sleep latency as assessed both objectively by polysomnography and subjectively by patient-estimated sleep latency; suvorexant was also superior to placebo for sleep maintenance, as assessed both objectively by polysomnography and subjectively by patient-estimated total sleep time. NNT vs. placebo for response as measured by a ≥ 6 point improvement on the Insomnia Severity Index at month 3 was 8 (95% CI 6–14) for both the higher and lower dose regimens. The most commonly encountered adverse event (incidence ≥ 5% and at least twice the rate of placebo) as identified in product labelling is somnolence, with NNH values vs. placebo of 13 (95% CI 11–18) for suvorexant 40 and 30 mg, and 28 (95% CI 17–82) for suvorexant 20 and 15 mg. The efficacy and tolerability profile of suvorexant is similar for those < 65 and ≥ 65 years of age. Rebound insomnia and withdrawal effects were not observed when suvorexant was discontinued after 3 months or after 12 months of nightly use. Because of concerns about dose-related, next-day effects, including sedation, the recommended dose range is 10–20 mg. Conclusions Suvorexant appears efficacious and relatively tolerable. Its different mechanism of action and potentially different safety and tolerability profile compared with currently available hypnotics represents a new option for the pharmacological treatment of insomnia.
Vasoactive intestinal peptide: autocrine growth factor in neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor of children less than 5 years of age; yet the biology of this tumor is poorly understood. Neuroblastoma tumors are derived from neural crest precursors; they synthesize both adrenergic and peptidergic neurotransmitters. This study determined VIP receptor expression in primary neuroblastoma tumors prior to chemotherapy. The VIP receptor was expressed in 12 of 15 neuroblastoma tumors as determined by direct binding studies (KD = 1.3-12.4 nM) and VIP-mediated stimulation of adenylate cyclase. The VIP stimulation index for adenylate cyclase in the primary tumor was inversely correlated with the VIP content of the tumor, suggesting that VIP regulates its own receptor expression. Similar observations were made in vitro by comparison of two human neuroblastoma cell lines, IMR32 and SKNSH. Both cell lines were demonstrated to express specific, high affinity VIP receptors (KD = 4 nM and 2.5 nM for IMR32 and SKNSH, respectively). IMR32 cells contained very low levels of VIP (0.6 pg VIP/10(6) cells). Exogenous VIP stimulated adenylate cyclase 22-fold over basal activity and VIP inhibited proliferation of IMR32 cells by 49% in 6-day cultures. On the other hand, SKNSH cells synthesized high levels of VIP (6.3 pg/10(6) cells), metabolized VIP rapidly and demonstrated a low level of VIP-mediated stimulation of adenylate cyclase; their proliferation rate was minimally inhibited by exogenous VIP. These observations help validate the hypothesis that VIP serves as an autocrine growth factor in neuroblastoma.
Major histocompatibility class II peptide occupancy, antigen presentation, and CD4+ T cell function in mice lacking the p41 isoform of invariant chain

Abstract We used a "hit and run" gene targeting strategy to generate mice expressing only the p31 isoform of the conserved invariant (li) chain associated with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules. Spleen cells from these mice appear indistinguishable from wild type with respect to class II subunit assembly, transport, peptide acquisition, surface expression, and the ability to present intact protein antigens. Moreover, these mutant mice have normal numbers of thymic and peripheral CD4 + T cells, and intact CD4 + T-dependent proliferative responses towards a soluble antigen. In short, MHC class II expression and function are surprisingly unaffected in mice lacking p41 invariant chain, implying that the p31 and p41 isoforms may be functionally redundant in the intact animal.
Immediate Detection of X-rays by the Rat

An investigation was made of the ability of rats to perceive radiation and an attempt was made to determine the physiological receptor mechanism involved. X rays were used as a warning stimulus to signal the occurrence of a subsequent electric shock to the paws of normal and blind mice while pressing a lever to obtain food. X radiation caused an immediate arrest in the animals lever pressing behavior. Results indicate that doses as low as 0.05 r/sec were detected by all animals. It was concluded that phosphenes or other visual effects do not account for the response to x radiation.
Nucleotide sequence homologies among mouse mammary tumor viruses.

Abstract We have made DNA complementary to the entire genome of the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) produced by GR tumor cells (MMTV-P), and we have tested the ability of RNAs from other virus strains (MMTV-L and MMTV-S) to compete with labeled RNA from MMTV-P for annealing to this DNA. RNA from these strains can compete with 96–100% of labeled RNA from MMTV-P, indicating that the genomes of MMTV viruses are composed of closely related nucleotide sequences.
Search-based optimization

The problem of determining the minimum cost hypothetical ancestral sequences for a given cladogram is known to be NP-complete (Wang and Jiang, 1994). Traditionally, point estimations of hypothetical ancestral sequences have been used to gain heuristic, upper bounds on cladogram cost. These include procedures with such diverse approaches as non-additive optimization of multiple sequence alignment, direct optimization (Wheeler, 1996), and fixed-state character optimization (Wheeler, 1999). A method is proposed here which, by extending fixed-state character optimization, replaces the estimation process with a search. This form of optimization examines a diversity of potential state solutions for cost-efficient hypothetical ancestral sequences and can result in greatly more parsimonious cladograms. Additionally, such an approach can be applied to other NP-complete phylogenetic optimization problems such as genomic break-point analysis.
Environmental triggers to cold hardening

Abstract 1. 1. Evidence is presented that indicates that the primary environmental cue to antifreeze/ cryoprotectant accumulation and increased ice nucleator activity is temperature-dependent in various insect species. 2. 2. In the freeze-tolerant, Nearctic carabid beetle Pterostichus brevicornis, first exposure to 0 results in the induction of glycerol synthesis independent of short daylength. 3. 3. In the freeze-tolerant larvae of the Antarctic midge Belgica antarctica, antifreeze/cryoprotectant modulation is dependent in part on temperature and on dietary carbon source and independent of extremes in daylength. 4. 4. Both northern (45 N) and southern (25 30'N) populations of the freeze-tolerant third instar of the fly Eurosta solidaginis depend on near-freezing exposures for the triggering and sorbitol synthesis and the increased activity of hemolymph-borne ice nucleators. 5. 5. The relative advantages of temperature vs photic cues to winter hardening is discussed.
WEAS: a web-based educational assessment system

In past decades, paper-based assessment systems have been used to evaluate student learning outcomes through graded assignments and tests. However, without a systematic and accurate categorization of test knowledge levels, these commonly used systems are limited in scope. A simple test grade does not reveal an understanding of learning outcomes or allow us to determine if students are attaining our course goals. In addition, paper-based systems are complex and do not provide immediate feedback for personalized assessment or improvement of teaching practices. In this paper, we present a novel Web-based Educational System (WEAS) that will solve these problems by applying Bloom's taxonomy theory to an evaluation of student learning outcomes and teacher instructional practices with immediate feedback. Applying the system to science courses at a local high school has produced encouraging results.
Forward Induction and Other-regarding Preferences Arising from an Outside Option: An Experimental Investigation

Based on forward induction, existing experimental studies have shown that an outside option, when offered to one of the two players who later participate in a battle-of-the-sexes game, facilitates coordination. However, the particular outside-option payoffs that these studies used may have led to certain kinds of other-regarding preferences which worked against the forward induction prediction. The current paper hypothesizes that an appropriately chosen outside option which controls for these preferences raises the predictive power of forward induction. The experimental results presented in the paper support the hypothesis.
A COOL Effect: The Direct and Indirect Impact of Country-of-Origin Disclosures on Purchase Intentions for Retail Food Products

Abstract Retailers recently became required to provide specific country-of-origin information for muscle cuts of beef, chicken, pork, lamb, and goat. Drawing from the consumer inference and activation theory literatures, hypotheses are offered regarding how consumers use country-of-origin labeling (COOL) to draw inferences related to specific product attributes and how these inferences, in turn, lead to differences in mediation effects for purchase intentions. Results from a pilot study and two experiments reveal that consumers are more likely to purchase meat when it is identified as a U.S. product. Furthermore, the relative strength of the mediating effects of perceived food safety, taste, and freshness differs as expected. The authors show how the direct and indirect effects of the country-of-origin disclosure are attenuated by the presentation of objective information about the meat processing systems of competing countries. Given the recently mandated COOL disclosures, results have important implications for food retailers, members of the supply chain, and consumers.
The neural representation of faces and bodies in motion and at rest

The neural organization of person processing relies on brain regions functionally selective for faces or bodies, with a subset of these regions preferring moving stimuli. Although the response properties of the individual areas are well established, less is known about the neural response to a whole person in a natural environment. Targeting an area of cortex that spans multiple functionally-selective face and body regions, we examined the relationship among neural activity patterns elicited in response to faces, bodies, and people in static and moving displays. When both stimuli were static or moving, pattern classification analyses indicated highly discriminable responses to faces, bodies, and whole people. Neural discrimination transferred in both directions between representations created from moving or static stimuli. It transferred also to stimuli experienced across static and dynamic presentations (one static and the other dynamic). In both transfer cases, however, discrimination accuracy decreased relative to the case where the representations were both created and tested with static or moving forms. Next, we examined the relative contribution of activity pattern and response magnitude to discrimination by comparing classifiers that operated with magnitude-normalized scans with classifiers that retained pattern and magnitude information. When both stimuli were moving or static, response magnitude contributed to classification, but the spatially distributed activity pattern accounted for most of the discrimination. Across static and moving presentations, activity pattern accounted completely for the discriminability of neural responses to faces, bodies, and people, with no contribution from response magnitude. Combined, the results indicate redundant and flexible access to person-based shape codes from moving and static presentations. The transfer of shape information across presentation types that preferentially access dorsal and ventral visual processing streams indicates that a common shape code may ground functional divisions in the processing of face and body information.
COHORT CHANGES IN POLITICAL ATTITUDES: TOLERANCE OF IDEOLOGICAL NON CONFORMITY

This analysis of cohort changes in political attitudes reveals that tolerance of ideological nonconformity has been increasing among all cohorts. Aging is not invariably accompanied by greater conservatism, as earlier studies have suggested. Rather, older cohorts are more likely than younger ones to adhere to their earlier, more conservative, attitudes. It is this differential propensity for change that leads to a widening gap between cohort attitudes. Stephen J. Cutler is Associate Professor in the Department of SociologyAnthropology, Oberlin College; Robert L. Kaufman is a graduate student in the Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin.
Obstetric complications, neonatal morbidity, and indications for cesarean delivery by maternal age.

Objective To delineate adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes as well as indications for cesarean delivery by maternal age in a contemporaneous large national cohort. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of electronic medical records from 12 centers and 203,517 (30,673 women aged 35 years or older) women with singleton gestations stratified by maternal age. Logistic regression was performed to investigate maternal and neonatal outcomes for each maternal age strata (referent group, age 25.0-29.9 years), adjusting for race, parity, body mass index, insurance, pre-existing medical conditions, substance and tobacco use, and site. Documented indications for cesarean delivery were analyzed. Results Neonates born to women aged 25.0-29.9 years had the lowest risk of birth weight less than 2,500 g (7.2%; P Conclusions Maternal and obstetric complications differed by maternal age, as did rates of elective cesarean delivery. Women aged 25.0-29.9 years had the lowest rate of serious neonatal morbidity. Level of evidence : II.
Latino families' experiences with family-centered rounds at an academic children's hospital.

Abstract Objective To characterize Latino families' experiences with family-centered rounds at an academic children's hospital to identify areas for improvement. Methods Five focus groups of families of Latino children hospitalized on a general medical ward were conducted in Spanish by a single bilingual facilitator. Participants were recruited from a convenience sample of Spanish-speaking Latino family members present at the patients' bedside. Data were transcribed verbatim, content coded, and analyzed in Spanish for emergent themes. Results Twenty-eight Latino family members of 21 hospitalized children participated in the 5 focus groups. Most spoke only Spanish (75%), and Spanish was the preferred language of all focus group participants. Qualitative data analysis indicated that families reported positive experiences with rounds involving a Spanish-speaking provider. Thematic issues focused on family-physician communication problems, lack of family empowerment, family and provider participants for family-centered rounds, and cultural needs. Parents were dissatisfied with telephonic interpretation services and preferred a live interpreter in the absence of a fluent, bilingual physician. Many families did not feel empowered to request interpretation assistance or health information; parents often felt embarrassed as a result of their inability to understand the primary language (English) of the care providers. Some parents felt inhibited to express themselves in the presence of other family members. Addressing cultural needs (eg, chaplain support) was appreciated by families. Conclusions Spanish-speaking Latino families are not consistently receiving optimal family-centered rounds. Different strategies are needed to fully engage and empower Latino families.
Identifying Communication Barriers to Learning in Large Group Accounting Instruction

Abstract For this study, descriptive data provided by college students who had completed at least one semester in a large class lecture format were analyzed for differences in student perceptions of several items that may be barriers to communication and learning. An instrument was administered to two groups of college students in accounting at a large southwestern university. Results show that students in both groups perceived the most serious barrier was that too much information is given to students in large lectures. As students gained experience with various class sizes, size became a greater concern. There were no significant differences based on student demographics of major, gender, age, and grade point average. Some possible ways to mediate the most serious barriers are discussed, such as implementing “minute papers” as described by Angelo and Cross (1993) in their handbook for classroom assessment techniques.
A Game-Theoretic Genetic Algorithm for the reliable server assignment problem under attacks

We introduce the reliable server assignment problem under attacks.A bi-level modeling framework with two decision makers is used.We propose a Game-Theoretic Genetic Algorithm.A simulation method is developed to evaluate service reliability under attacks.Computational studies confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach. We introduce the reliable server assignment problem considering attacks, which seeks to choose the locations of servers on a network in order to maximize the network reliability that results from a worst-case attack on the edges of the network. The problem is formulated on an unreliable network such that edges are subject to fail independently, and attacks increase the probability of failure for the attacked network edges. The reliability is measured by the critical service rate, which equals the probability that at least a fraction α of the nodes in the network are connected to a server. We model this problem as a bi-level optimization problem, with the network designer acting as the leader and the attacker acting as the follower. The problem is very difficult to solve, both because of its bi-level structure and because simply evaluating the critical service rate for a single network configuration and attack is NP-hard. We propose a novel Game-Theoretic Genetic Algorithm (GTGA) that simultaneously maintains two populations, one for each player, which interact through a joint payoff matrix. We benchmark the GTGA against a more straightforward Nested GA (NGA) and find that the GTGA significantly outperforms the NGA in terms of solution quality with nearly identical CPU times. We also introduce an efficient simulation method to estimate the reliability for a given set of servers and integrate this into the GAs. We contribute to the literature on the reliable server assignment problem, as well as introducing a novel algorithmic approach that can be adapted to other bi-level optimization problems.
The connections between horizontal cells and photoreceptors in the retina of the cat: electron microscopy of Golgi preparations.

Electron microscopy of Golgi preparations reveals that the dendritic terminals of horizontal cells in the cat's retina are connected only to cones. The axon terminals of these horizontal cells connect exclusively to rods. Dendritic and axonal terminals of horizontal cells penetrate the photoreceptor endings to become lateral elements of the invaginations. In addition this study suggests that each cone is in contact with more than one horizontal cell and that each rod connects to more than one axon terminal system. The horizontal cells of the cat are similar to those of the rhesus monkey in that the rod and cone connections are segregated to different portions of these cells.
Heat Transfer to the Periodontal Ligament During Root Obturation Procedures Using an In Vitro Model

It appears to be important to avoid thermal injury to the periodontal ligament when using heated gutta-percha techniques such as “System B.” An in vitro model was developed, consisting of an extracted human tooth rooted in an artificial periodontal ligament (PDL) and alveolar socket, which allowed us to measure the temperature transferred to the root surface. The teeth were instrumented and subsequently embedded in alginate to simulate the PDL. Medium gutta-percha points were fit, sealer was applied, and a fine Buchanan plugger was used for condensation. Temperature measurements were taken simultaneously at the apex and 5 mm from the apex during obturation with two fine gauge thermocouples connected to a digital thermometer. The average temperature increase was ∼1°C at the apex and ∼2°C at the 5 mm mark. The resulting temperature increases appear to be lower than previously reported by other investigators (Hardie, 1986, 1987; Barkhordar et al., 1990; Weller et al., 1991; Lee et al., 1998), who did not allow for the heat disseminating effect of the PDL.
Manometric evaluation of the feline esophagus

Fifteen healthy mongrel cats were manometrically evaluated to quantitate esophageal function and to establish the feline esophagus as an appropriate model for investigations relevant to human physiology and pathology. Detailed findings are presented in the paper. Characteristics of the upper and lower esophageal high-pressure zones and of esophageal body motility were found to be similar to human values. Response to bethanechol stimulation was also similar to that seen in humans. This study establishes normal manometric values for the feline esophagus and validates it as an appropriate model for investigations of esophageal physiology and pathophysiology.
Therapeutic leukopheresis of acute myelo‐monocytic leukemia in pregnancy

Cytopheresis techniques have proven useful in the provision of platelets and granulocytes for transfusion to the pancytopenic patient. Mechanical cell removal has been applied to the treatment of chronic myelocytic and lymphocytic leukemias and the Sezary syndrome. We have treated a 16-year-old pregnant acute myelomonocytic leukemia (AMML) patient for 12 weeks solely with the use of intensive leukopheresis utilizing batch processing centrifugation and packed red cell transfusions. The patient presented with a white blood cell count of 54,000/mm3 with 64% myelomonoblasts, a platelet count of 45,000/mm3, marked gingival hyperplasia, and splenomegaly. Patient had a normal spontaneous delivery of a 2.5-kg male infant without complications. At the time of delivery, 12 weeks later, the white blood count had fallen to 4,9000/mm3 with 8% blasts and the platelet count had risen to over 100,000/mm3. Gingival hyperplasia decreased and the patient felt well. We have treated an additional small group of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) with high white counts with short term intensive leukopheresis followed by chemotherapy with promising results.