cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solitary plasmacytoma of bone and soft tissues.

Abstract Purpose To define the optimal treatment and outcomes for patients with solitary plasmacytoma of bone and soft tissue. Methods Review of the literature. Results Solitary plasmacytomas are uncommon and account for less than 5% of plasma cell neoplasms. Solitary plasmacytomas of bone (SPB) usually occur in the vertebra and skull and are more common than extramedullary plasmacytomas (EMP) that almost always arise in the head and neck and may spread to regional lymph nodes. The optimal treatment is moderate-dose radiotherapy (40–50 Gy) and occasionally surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapy does not improve survival. Patients with EMP have a relatively low risk of progressing to multiple myeloma and have improved survival compared with those who present with SPB. Conclusion Solitary plasmacytoma is an uncommon neoplasm that often arises in the head and neck. Optimal treatment is moderate-dose radiotherapy. Prognosis is relatively good and is better for patients with EMP compared with those presenting with SPB.
Optimizing the kinetics of persulfate-mediated oxidative coupling of phenols to 4-aminoantipyrine

The kinetics of the persulfate oxidation of phenol, p-ethylphenol, and 1-naphthol in the presence of 4-aminoantipyrine under basic condition was studied. Parallel oxidation of 4-aminoantipyrine was observed to influence the rate law in a very complicatedway. The rate law was simplified by limiting the concentration of the phenol, and optimizing the excess persulfate and the 4-aminoantipyrine. Under such condition, the rate law is independent of the concentration of 4-aminoantipyrine. The order of reaction was found to be one with respect to the concentrations of a phenol or persulfate. The second order rate constant was highest for 1-naphthol followed by phenol and p-ethylphenol in that order. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J chem Kinet 33: 600–604, 2001
Genetic studies of Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus: lack of association with seven genetic markers

Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus, a disease of complex aetiology, has been reported to be nonrandomly associated with several polymorphic markers in human populations. These data, plus evidence of a high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus in American Indians and mixed populations, such as Mexican-Americans, which is only partially attributable to the prevalence of obesity in these populations, makes it imperative that the nature of such associations be clarified in relation to genetic susceptibility to Type 2 diabetes mellitus. The present paper reports the results of tests of association between Type 2 diabetes mellitus and seven polymorphic markers: the blood groups — ABO, Rhesus, Duffy and Kell (K and KP) — haptoglobin and group specific component; among Anglo and Hispanic populations in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, USA. The sample population consisted of 788 individuals of which 398 were Anglo subjects (97 Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 301 normal individuals) and 390 Hispanic subjects (191 Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 199 normal individuals). Association between Type 2 diabetes mellitus and genetic markers in patients was tested using the G2 statistic within each ethnic class using normal frequencies as a comparison. Results of the tests indicated that only the Kell blood group was significantly associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus at a 5% level among the Anglo subjects (G2=5.16, 1df). This significant value can be explained by chance alone, if multiple comparisons are taken into account. Our tests have not shown the previously reported haptoglobin or Rhesus blood group associations seen in Mexican-Americans in San Antonio, Texas.
On the response of a sphere to an acoustic pulse

The motion of a rigid sphere responding to the passage of an acoustic pulse is considered by means of a simple approximate model which neglects the diffraction of the pulse front. The model is based on a solution of the equivalent inviscid problem and assumes that, initially, the flow field around the sphere corresponds to the steady incompressible flow of an inviscid fluid over a sphere at rest. For t > 0, the motion is studied by means of the unsteady Stokes equations. Results for the sphere's velocity, displacement and drag are obtained in closed form in terms of tabulated functions and compared with results obtained by using the Stokes drag. It is found that, when the ratio of gas density to sphere material density is finite, the initial response of the sphere differs considerably from that predicted by the use of the Stokes drag. However, when the ratio of gas density to sphere material density is infinitesimal, the differences disappear. These results may be of some importance in the study of shock-induced droplet collisions in aerosol clouds.
Do we need an extended evolutionary synthesis

The Modern Synthesis (MS) is the current paradigm in evolutionary biology. It was actually built by expanding on the conceptual foundations laid out by its predecessors, Darwinism and neo-Darwinism. For sometime now there has been talk of a new Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES), and this article begins to outline why we may need such an extension, and how it may come about. As philosopher Karl Popper has noticed, the current evolutionary theory is a theory of genes, and we still lack a theory of forms. The field began, in fact, as a theory of forms in Darwin's days, and the major goal that an EES will aim for is a unification of our theories of genes and of forms. This may be achieved through an organic grafting of novel concepts onto the foundational structure of the MS, particularly evolvability, phenotypic plasticity, epigenetic inheritance, complexity theory, and the theory of evolution in highly dimensional adaptive landscapes.
Possible Association of Acute Lateral-Wall Myocardial Infarction and Bitter Orange Supplement

OBJECTIVETo report a possible incidence of acute lateral-wall myocardial infarction (MI) coinciding with the use of a Citrus aurantium L. (bitter orange)—containing dietary supplement in a patient with undetected coronary vascular disease.CASE SUMMARYA 55-year-old white woman presented to the emergency department with symptoms of dull aching shoulder and chest pain. A review of medications during cardiac rehabilitation revealed the patient had ingested a multicomponent dietary supplement for weight loss containing 300 mg of bitter orange (Edita's Skinny Pill) for the past year. Although the patient's past medical history did not include hypertension, coronary disease, or hyperlipidemia, an arteriogram revealed a lesion in the left main coronary artery. She did have a smoking history. She was diagnosed with acute lateral-wall MI and hospitalized for 4 days.DISCUSSIONConsumers generally consider dietary supplements safe. However, some supplements taken for weight loss contain ingredients that have been asso...
On requirements specifications for a power system communications system

This paper elucidates and discusses some aspects of requirements specifications of a power system communication system. The results are based on applied research and procurement work in both academia and industry. Requirements regarding functionality, availability, and classification are treated mainly from a customer's viewpoint. Specification of unavailability instead of availability is proposed. Two concepts of classification and ranking of requirements are aggregated into one method of work. The need for a structured method of work is emphasized. The importance of information security and resilience to intrusion is stressed.
Endoscopic lower esophageal sphincter bulking for the treatment of GERD: safety evaluation of injectable polymethylmethacrylate microspheres in miniature swine.

Background Endoscopic therapy for GERD is an appealing, minimally invasive alternative to medical treatment and surgery. Various materials have been tested to augment the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), with limited success. To our knowledge, safety and migration of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) microspheres has never been evaluated. Objective To assess the safety, migration, inflammatory reaction, and durability of PMMA injected into the LES of miniature swine to create a reflux barrier. Design Animal study. Setting Approved animal research facilities. Intervention Injection of the LES of miniature swine with PMMA. Histopathology of the injected site at certain intervals and postnecropsy microsphere counts of various organs. Main Outcome Measurements Minimal inflammatory reaction at the injection site, persistent bulking effect of the material, and no migration of microspheres. Results Injection of LES with PMMA caused a mild inflammatory reaction. The bulking effect of the injected material was persistent. Migration of microspheres was eliminated with the use of larger-sized microspheres. Limitations Animal model. Conclusion Our phase I study documented that 40-μm polymethylmethacrylate microspheres are biocompatible and that PMMA microspheres are resistant to degradation when injected submucosally into the wall of the esophagus. The detection of 40-μm PMMA microspheres in local lymph nodes, liver, and lungs of some animals in the phase I study clearly documented transport of PMMA away from the injection site. This finding was eliminated by increasing the size of microspheres to 125 μm. The potential therapeutic effects of these larger microspheres for humans with GERD remains to be evaluated.
Stereoselective Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions of potassium alkenyltrifluoroborates with alkenyl bromides.

The stereoselective synthesis of conjugated dienes using air-stable potassium alkenyltrifluoroborates as coupling partners is described. The palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of potassium (E)- and (Z)-alkenyltrifluoroborates with either (E)- or (Z)-alkenyl bromides proceeds readily with moderate to excellent yields to give the corresponding (E,E)-, (E,Z)-, (Z,E)-, or (Z,Z)-conjugated dienes stereospecifically. The cross-coupling can generally be effected using 5 mol % of Pd(OAc)2, 10 mol % of PPh3, and 3 equiv of Cs2CO3 in THF−H2O (10:1). A variety of functional groups are tolerated in both coupling partners.
Detection of HIV-1 RNA/DNA and CD4 mRNA in feces and urine from chronic HIV-1 infected subjects with and without anti-retroviral therapy

HIV-1 infects gut associated lymphoid tissues (GALT) very early after transmission by multiple routes. The infected GALT consequently serves as the major reservoir for HIV-1 infection and could constantly shed HIV-1 and CD4+ T cells into the intestinal lumen. To examine this hypothesis, we monitored HIV-1 RNA/DNA and CD4 mRNA in fecal samples of chronically infected subjects with and without antiretroviral therapy (ART). We compared this to levels of HIV-1 RNA/DNA in urine and blood from the same subjects. Our results show that HIV-1 DNA, RNA and CD4 mRNA were detected in 8%, 19% and 31% respectively, of feces samples from infected subjects with detectable plasma viral load, and were not detected in any of subjects on ART with undetectable plasma viral load. In urine samples, HIV-1 DNA was detected in 24% of infected subjects with detectable plasma viral load and 23% of subjects on ART with undetectable plasma viral load. Phylogenetic analysis of the envelope sequences of HIV-1 revealed distinct virus populations in concurrently collected serum, feces and urine samples from one subject. In addition, our study demonstrated for the first time the presence of CD4 mRNA in fecal specimens of HIV-1 infected subjects, which could be used to assess GALT pathogenesis in HIV-1 infection.
Mice With a Null Mutation in the NHE1 Na+-H+ Exchanger Are Resistant to Cardiac Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Pharmacological studies indicate that Na+-H+ exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1) plays a central role in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury; however, confirmation by alternative methods is lacking. To address this issue, we examined the role of NHE1 in ischemia-reperfusion injury using gene-targeted NHE1-null mutant (Nhe1−/−) mice. Nhe1−/− and wild-type hearts were perfused in a Langendorff apparatus in both the absence and presence of the NHE1 inhibitor eniporide, subjected to 40 minutes of ischemia and 30 minutes of reperfusion, and the effects of genetic ablation or inhibition of NHE1 on hemodynamic, biochemical, and pathological changes were assessed. In the absence of eniporide, left ventricular developed pressure, end-diastolic pressure, and coronary flow were significantly less impaired in Nhe1−/− hearts relative to wild-type hearts, and release of lactate dehydrogenase, morphological damage, and ATP depletion were also significantly less. In the presence of eniporide, however, wild-type hearts were sig...
Cocaine and Chest Pain

Clinicians should be alerted to the adverse effects of acute and chronic use of cocaine and watch for potential withdrawal symptoms, possibly including chest pain. At this point, further studies are needed to address the efficacy and safety of agents such as propranolol and calcium channel blockers in the treatment of acute cocaine intoxication and withdrawal. We caution physicians to consider the risks and benefits of the use and timing of antidepressants in the treatment of cocaine abuse, especially in patients with chest pain.
Multi-Level Discrete Cosine Transform for Content-Based Image Retrieval by Support Vector Machines

Texture feature extraction is widely used in content-based image retrieval (CBIR) and is not efficient to be implemented directly in the pixel domain due to high information redundancy and strong correlations in raw images. It is well known that low-frequency coefficients of the discrete cosine transforms (DCTs) preserve the most important image features. In this paper, we use multi-level DCTs (MDCTs) to generate image texture feature vectors for the purpose of CBIR. The texture feature vectors generated from MDCTs coefficients and Zernike moments are classified by support vector machines (SVMs). The experimental result shows good average retrieval accuracy. It also shows that DCT coefficients from low level resolution images are sufficient to extract image texture feature with significant less computing cost.
Emotional and neutral declarative memory impairments and associated white matter microstructural abnormalities in adults with type 2 diabetes

Declarative memory impairment is frequently reported among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), who also demonstrate hippocampal volume reduction. Our goals were to ascertain whether emotional memory, which is mediated by neural circuits overlapping those of declarative memory, is also affected. In addition we wanted to characterize cerebral white matter (WM) involvement in T2DM. We studied 24 middle-aged and elderly patients with T2DM who were free of obvious vascular pathology or a psychiatric disorder, and 17 age- and education-matched healthy individuals with no evidence of insulin resistance. We examined emotional and neutral memory and performed a whole-brain voxelwise WM assessment utilizing diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We found clear evidence of impairment in declarative memory among diabetic subjects and in addition found some preliminary support to suggest a possible blunting of the memory facilitation by emotional material among female but not male diabetics. This report is also the first DTI assessment among individuals with T2DM, which after accounting for overt WM damage, revealed diffuse but predominantly frontal and temporal WM microstructural abnormalities, with extensive involvement of the temporal stem. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that immediate, but not delayed, emotional memory performance was explained by temporal stem FA, independent of age, poor metabolic regulation, and systolic blood pressure. Given that the temporal lobe memory networks appear to be particularly vulnerable to the deleterious effects of T2DM, this may help explain the observed memory impairments among diabetics. Future efforts should better clarify, with a larger sample, whether emotional memory is affected in adults with T2DM and whether there are clear gender effects.
Multisystem coupling by a combination of data sharing and data partitioning

A hybrid architecture is proposed that combines the approaches of a multisystem partitioned database system and a data-sharing multisystem approach offering the advantages of each. With this architecture some databases are shared between systems, while others are retained private by specific systems. The authors examine how to determine which databases to share, which to retain private, and how to route transactions and partition the private databases among systems so as to minimize response time or overheads while balancing the load among systems. A simulated annealing heuristic is used to solve this optimizing problem. Trace data from large mainframe systems running IBM's Information Management System database management system are used to illustrate the methodology and to demonstrate the advantages of the hybrid approach. >
METHODS TO PREPARE RNA AND TO ISOLATE DEVELOPMENTALLY REGULATED GENES FROMEIMERIA

Coccidians represent a large class of important intracellular parasites that traverse multiple developmental stages that are distinct and required to complete the life cycle. The biochemical details underlying the regulation of transformation from one developmental form to the next are limited and the study of such details presents unique obstacles. However, the genetic program is critical and may provide a basis for understanding the biology of these organisms in addition to the opportunity to suppress development and infection. We provide a basic overview of several strategies, including previously unpublished results, used by this laboratory to isolate stage-specific genes from Eimeria bovis. Additionally, we have included detailed discussions that summarize the associated advantages and disadvantages of each as applied to coccidia and potentially to other parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa. Given that the purification of sufficient quantities of high-quality RNA is vital, we have included detailed protocols for the isolation of RNA from various parasite stages. Also included is a detailed protocol to apply mRNA differential display to investigate stage-specific developmental regulation.
Dynamic properties of neural network with adapting synapses

It is pointed out that two kinds of dynamic processes take place in neural networks. One is the change of activity of each neuron; the other is the change of connection between neurons. When a neural network is learning or developing, both of these two processes take place and interact with each other. The abstracted biological properties of neuron activation and connection modification are used. The learning rule is the Hebbian rule: the connection between two neurons is positively correlated to the correlation of their activities in a long learning time scale. An energy analysis is provided for this network model including both dynamic processes. Some interesting learning features appear. The kind of dynamical system considered here has the unique feature of learning the correlation of input vectors under certain conditions and selecting the final learning results under other conditions. >
Does My Patient Have a Life- or Limb-Threatening Thrombocytopenia?

The diagnosis and management of severe thrombocytopenias can be difficult, but is necessary to avoid significant morbidity and mortality. The causes of severe thrombocytopenias, often with a platelet count of less than 10 × 10(9)/L, include heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, the thrombotic microangiopathies, the catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome, preeclampsia/HELLP, and posttransfusion purpura. This review provides a brief overview of the key clinical features of each of these major clinical entities, and strategies for their diagnostic workup and therapeutic management.
Antifungal Effects of Peroxidase Systems

In the presence of hydrogen peroxide and either potassium iodide, sodium chloride, or potassium bromide, purified human myeloperoxidase was rapidly lethal to several species of Candida. Its candidacidal activity was inhibited by cyanide, fluoride, and azide, and by heat inactivation of the enzyme. A hydrogen peroxidegenerating system consisting of d-amino acid oxidase, flavine-adenine dinucleotide, and d-alanine could replace hydrogen peroxide in the candidacidal system. Horseradish peroxidase and human eosinophil granules also exerted candidacidal activity in the presence of iodide and hydrogen peroxide; however, unlike myeloperoxidase or neutrophil granules, these peroxidase sources were inactive when chloride replaced iodide. Cells of Saccharomyces, Geotrichum, and Rhodotorula species, and spores of Aspergillus fumigatus and A. niger were also killed by the combination of myeloperoxidase, iodide, and hydrogen peroxide. Peroxidases, functionally linked to hydrogen peroxide-generating systems, could provide phagocytic cells with the ability to kill many fungal species.
Role of oviposition preference in an invasive crambid impacting two graminaceous host crops.

Oviposition preference studies of the Mexican rice borer, Eoreuma loftini (Dyar), on sugarcane, Saccharum spp., and rice, Oryza sativa L., showed that drought stressed sugarcane was 1.8-fold more attractive based on egg masses/plant than well watered sugarcane. The E. loftini susceptible sugarcane cultivar LCP 85–384 was 1.6-fold more attractive than HoCP 85–845 based on numbers of eggs per egg mass. Egg masses were 9.2-fold more abundant and 2.3-fold larger on sugarcane than on rice. Rice, however, was preferred to sugarcane on a plant biomass basis. Oviposition on sugarcane occurred exclusively on dry leaf material, which increased under drought stress. Egg masses per plant increased on drought stressed sugarcane and were correlated with several foliar free amino acids essential for insect growth and development. The more resistant (based on injury) but more attractive (based on oviposition) rice cultivar XL8 had higher levels of several free amino acids than the susceptible cultivar Cocodrie. The association of host plant characteristics to oviposition preference is discussed. Projected oviposition patterns relative to sugarcane and rice production areas were estimated for Texas and Louisiana based on the availability of each host in different regions of each state. These results suggest that, where sugarcane and rice co-occur, the majority of eggs would be found on sugarcane early in the season, because of this crop’s substantially greater biomass compared with rice. Abundance later in the season would also favor sugarcane; however, the abundance on rice would be greater than expected solely based on host availability, largely because of the greater preference per gram of rice plant dry weight.
The influence of root zone temperature on growth and flavour precursors in Allium cepa L.

SummaryThe effects of changing root zone temperature (RZT) while maintaining a constant foliar temperature were tested. ‘Granex 33’ onions (Allium cepa L.) were grown at RZTs of 12°C (± 3.0°C), 21°C (± 0.5°C) (control), or 34°C (± 0.7°C) while maintaining the air temperature at 21°C (± 0.5°C). Plants were harvested at maturity and bulbs evaluated for their growth and flavour characteristics. Bulb fresh weight was highest at an RZT of 21°C and lowest for plants grown at other RZTs. Total bulb-S was no different for the 12°C and 21°C treatments, but was significantly lower for bulbs grown at an RZT of 34°C. Bulb soluble solids contents and total pyruvic acid (pungency) levels responded similarly, increasing between 12°C and 21°C, and falling in the 34°C treatment. Concentrations of trans-S-1-propenyl-L-cysteine sulphoxide, and two peptide intermediates, 2-carboxypropyl glutathione and -glutamyl propenyl cysteine sulphoxide were highest at 21°C, and lowest at 34°C. The adverse affect of the high RZT (34°C) t...
Reproductive performance of sows entering stable and dynamic groups after mating

Housing soivs in large groups is increasing in popularity but some group-housing systems may compromise subsequent reproductive performance. An experiment was designed to test this hypothesis using multiparous sows weaned at 21 ±2 days. Two treatments were studied: a stable group of 12 sows and a dynamic group of 18 sows. Both treatments had similar space allowances in the lying area (1·24 m2 per sow). Sows were allocated to treatment within 1 week of service and remained on treatment until after day 40 of pregnancy. Each stable treatment group remained unchanged, whereas sows were replaced weekly in the dynamic treatment. Sows were fed using a single electronic feeder for each pen. All sows were treated similarly for the rest of pregnancy. Eighty and 120 sows from the stable and dynamic treatments respectively completed pregnancy. Five second parity sows from the dynamic treatment were removed having suffered from aggression. The farrowing rate was 0·78 and 0·85 for stable and dynamic treatment sows respectively. The stable treatment sows had larger litters and a higher proportion of litters having 10 or more total piglets born (P < 0·01). The stable treatment showed a significantly heavier (P < 0·05) litter weight for total pigs born (16·9 v. 14.6 (s.e.d. 0·57) kg per litter). The parities were uneven so the data must be treated with caution. However, the results indicate that the present advice, that soivs should be housed in stable groups for the first 4 weeks of pregnancy, should remain unchanged.
Their Love is Here to Stay: Why the Supreme Court Cannot Turn Back the Hands of Time

Throughout history, and certainly throughout the history of this nation, change has been a constant. Customs and mores have moved back and forth between liberal and conservative, freewheeling to draconian, with never-ending changes in between. Political changes have concurrently ushered in administrations and legislatures who have idealized many of these societal mores. In the 1950s, amid widespread, systemic, and in many cases fiercely defended patterns of segregation in this nation, the Supreme Court of the United States told the country that the time had come for forced integration. In 1973, the Court allowed legal access to abortion, and in 2003, put an end to criminal sanctions for homosexuality, which it had upheld only seventeen years earlier.Recent changes on the Court, specifically the retirements of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor -- long considered the "swing" vote on a fairly conservative Court -- and Justice John Paul Stevens -- the de facto leader of the liberal block -- as well as the appointments of known conservatives Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito, have led to speculation on both sides of the political spectrum that the Court is destined to change and/or overturn long-established law. This, in turn, leads to quandaries by interested parties of whether and when to bring challenges on controversial issues. Much of the discussion in this article focuses on contentious issues, such as abortion and same-sex relationships, including partner rights, adoption and other societal benefits. However, this article also looks at the history of major issues in controversy to determine how and why they were resolved and how history may give guidance to the likely resolution of future issues.Part I takes a brief look at the Court as an institution, Presidential appointments, and judicial perceptions. Part II looks at a brief history of some landmark cases and their surroundings, including the makeup of the Court at each of these times in history, as well as the societal influences that surrounded them. A major focus is whether, in many of the precedential cases, it was the Court and/or societal changes that paved the way to the ultimate decisions. It looks at what role public opinion may have played in these holdings, including the kinds of violent confrontations and mass rallies preceding decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade, and the continuing controversies surrounding such topics as new cases have arisen. It addresses changes both in the makeup of the bench and in societal mores between the time of an earlier decision such as Roe and later challenges to it, as in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, to try to determine what might have been the predicted outcomes of each and whether those predictions held true. Much of the research is focused on family and privacy issues, looking to the string of "privacy cases" beginning with Griswold v. Connecticut as well as cases prior to this seminal case, and culminating, at least presently, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood.
Compression of CCl4 at High Pressures

The compression of carbon tetrachloride has been measured along twelve isotherms covering a pressure range of 0.1 to 200 MPa and a temperature range of 254 to 298 K. Volume changes were measured with an automated capacitance bridge–one side of the bellows containing the sample serving as one plate of the capacitor. Data were obtained in the liquid, face-centered cubic (fcc), and rhombohedral phases, during melting, during freezing into the fcc phase and during the fcc to rhombohedral phase change. Premelting behavior was observed for both solids. The disappearance of the fcc phase at approximately 273 K and the existence of dual melting curves for the fcc and rhombohedral phases were reaffirmed.
Abstract 3341: Molecular mechanisms of hedgehog (HH) signaling in human colon carcinoma (cc)

HH signaling is essential for normal embryonic development and tissue patterning, and absent in most adult tissues. Aberrant HH signaling is implicated in many human cancers. The classical HH signaling cascade is initiated by ligation of secretory HH molecules to their receptor, Patched, thereby releasing the inhibition on Smoothened (Smo), which then causes the activation of Gli1 and Gli2. The active Gli molecules transcriptionally modulate HH target gene expression. Non-classical pathways, including Ras/Raf/MEK/Erk and PI3K-Akt, can also activate Gli molecules in lymphomas. We have observed that inhibition of PI3K (using LY294002) or ERK (with U0126) decrease Gli1-luciferase activity (by 20% and 50%, respectively) as well as Gli1 mRNA expression in the human cc cell line, HT29, indicating the existence of a Smo-independent HH signaling axis. Inhibition of classical HH signaling using Cyclopamine, a natural inhibitor of Smo, or CUR61414, a synthetic Smo antagonist, demonstrated activity in mouse models of human cancers (basal cell carcinoma [BCC]), but with absence of activity in clinical trials. In the current study 1) the cytotoxicity of HH signaling inhibition by Cyclopamine or GANT61 (a synthetic small molecule Gli antagonist), and 2) the molecular mechanism(s) downstream of HH signaling inhibition leading to cytotoxicity, are being elucidated in human cc cell lines. Data demonstrate that GANT61 (IC50: 20-30 μM) elicits greater cytotoxicity in human cc than Cyclopamine (Annexin V/PI staining; clonogenic survival). Furthermore in HT29 cells, GANT61 increases Fas expression (a known regulator of apoptosis in cc cells), concomitantly with decreased PDGFRα expression (directly regulated by Gli1), which also regulates Fas. We previously determined that interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) promotes Fas-induced apoptosis via Fas upregulation in cc. Thus, co-treatment of HT29 with non-cytotoxic concentrations of GANT61 (10μM) + IFN-γ (100IU/ml) was synergistic in the induction of cell death, increasing both Fas receptor and Fas ligand expression at the transcriptional level. Immunoprecipitation of the Fas receptor complex demonstrated recruitment of increased FADD and decreased c-FLIP when GANT61 and IFN-γ were combined, confirming the importance of Fas in the cytotoxic response downstream of HH signaling inhibition. Data suggest in cc 1) Gli1 is regulated by both canonical HH and non-canonical PI3K and ERK pathways, 2) the importance of Gli activation downstream and independent of Smo activation as a therapeutic target, 3) activated Gli represses Fas expression via PDGFRα, and 4) Fas plays a critical role downstream of Gli1-targeted HH signaling inhibition. Supported by NCI awards CA32613 and CA108929 to JAH. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3341.
Reversible data hiding by histogram gap method based on integer wavelets

A histogram gap method for image lossless data hiding based on integer wavelet transform and histogram modification was proposed.The data was hidden into wavelet coefficients of high frequency subbands,which conformed to the human vision system.Then the data was embedded into the gap by iteratively generating gaps in wavelet coefficient histogram,and the histogram modification technique was used to prevent overflow.Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over the existing methods.That is,the proposed method has a larger embedding capacity(payload) in the same visual quality(PSNR) or has better visual quality in the same capacity.
Doing Collaboration: How Organizations Use Facebook to Foster Collaboration

ABSTRACTWhile organizational self-interest dominates discourse about nonprofit social media use, the technology also has the capacity to strengthen interorganizational collaboration. This research used grounded theory to explore how organizations used Facebook to collaborate. The study included the population of one network of antipoverty organizations in a state plagued by persistent poverty if they had a Facebook page (N = 47). The sampling frame included all Facebook posts on each organization’s Facebook page during March 2013. Findings revealed that organizations posted content indicating the presence of a collaboration continuum including information about programs, events, and cause awareness among collaborators, other organizations, or volunteers.
Physical Principles of Locomotion

Locomotion is the act of moving from place to place. Since motion is involved, Newton’s laws governing the motion of a particle, as used in mechanics and in particular in dynamics, are recalled and used as a starting point. It is obvious that the application of a force to a stationary body produces motion by overcoming inertia and by overcoming such restraining forces as friction and viscosity of the surrounding environment. Without the application of a force or forces no voluntary movement, in this case locomotion, can take place.
Thermidor and Napoleon as the Outcome of Bolshevik Rule

Many of the Bolsheviks’ enemies were convinced that their seizure of power was ill-fated and would result in a complete failure similar to that of the Jacobins and come to an abrupt end.
Proactive Thermal-Aware Resource Management in Virtualized HPC Cloud Datacenters

Clouds provide the abstraction of nearly-unlimited computing resources through the elastic use of federated resource pools (virtualized datacenters). They are being increasingly considered for HPC applications, which have traditionally targeted grids and supercomputing clusters. However, maximizing energy efficiency and utilization of cloud datacenter resources, avoiding undesired thermal hotspots (due to overheating of over-utilized computing equipment), and ensuring quality of service guarantees for HPC applications are all conflicting objectives, which require joint consideration of multiple pairwise tradeoffs. An innovative proactive thermal-aware virtual machine consolidation (involving allocations as well as migrations) technique is proposed to maximize computing resource utilization, to minimize datacenter energy consumption for computing, and to improve the efficiency of heat extraction. The capability to migrate virtual machines away from lightly-loaded servers in a thermal-aware manner opens up opportunity to improve resource consolidation over time and, hence, achieve the aforementioned goals. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is verified through experimental evaluations with HPC workload traces under single- as well as federated-datacenter scenarios.
Uniform CR bound: implementation issues and applications

The authors apply a uniform Cramer-Rao (CR) bound (A.O. Hero, 1992) to study the bias-variance trade-offs in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image reconstruction. The uniform CR bound is used to specify achievable and unachievable regions in the bias-variance trade-off plane. The image reconstruction algorithms considered here are: 1) space alternating generalized EM and 2) penalized weighted least-squares. >
Uneasy Partners Against Crime: The Ambivalent Relationship Between the Police and the Private Security Industry in Mexico

Legitimation is a fraught process for private security companies operating in Mexico and other countries in the Global South where the police have a poor reputation. Mexican private security companies have an ambivalent relationship with the police, which causes firms to engage in two seemingly contradictory practices. Companies attempt to gain legitimacy by aligning with the image of the police to earn a sense of “symbolic stateness” while simultaneously distancing themselves from Mexico's actual police forces so as to disassociate from the institution's poor reputation. Consequently, collaboration between public and private security is limited, despite official attempts by the Mexican state to foster positive contact between them. Overall, this study contributes to the growing literature on private security by providing novel insights into the strategies private security firms utilize to navigate within states possessing delegitimated security forces, and the resulting lucrative political economy landscape.
The partial dopamine D2 receptor agonist aripiprazole is associated with weight gain in adolescent anorexia nervosa.

Objective Finding medication to support treatment of anorexia nervosa has been difficult. Neuroscience-based approaches may help in this effort. Recent brain imaging studies in adults and adolescents with anorexia nervosa suggest that dopamine-related reward circuits are hypersensitive and could provide a treatment target. Methods Here, we present a retrospective chart review of 106 adolescents with anorexia nervosa some of whom were treated with the dopamine D2 receptor partial agonist aripiprazole during treatment in a specialized eating disorder program. Results The results show that aripiprazole treatment was associated with greater increase in body mass index (BMI) during treatment. Discussion The use of dopamine receptor agonists may support treatment success in anorexia nervosa and should be further investigated.
Pirates of the Prairie: Fraudulent County Organization in 1870s Kansas

"Scandal!" "Fraud!" These words often resounded through the late nineteenth century, as scandal, graft and criminal activity seemed to infiltrate and infect every level of American society. The disease wormed its way even more so into government, from the President of the United States down to the lowest levels of county government in south central and southwest Kansas.
Inhibition of CHK1 sensitizes Ewing sarcoma cells to the ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor gemcitabine

// Kelli L. Goss 1 , Stacia L. Koppenhafer 1 , Kathryn M. Harmoney 1 , William W. Terry 1 and David J. Gordon 1 1 Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA Correspondence to: David J. Gordon, email: david-j-gordon@uiowa.edu Keywords: Ewing sarcoma, ribonucleotide reductase, gemcitabine, CHK1, replication stress Received: March 06, 2017 Accepted: May 22, 2017 Published: June 28, 2017 ABSTRACT Ewing sarcoma is a bone and soft tissue sarcoma that occurs in children and young adults. The EWS-FLI1 gene fusion is the driver mutation in most Ewing sarcoma tumors and functions, in part, as an aberrant transcription factor. We recently identified that Ewing sarcoma cells are sensitive to inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), which catalyzes the formation of deoxyribonucleotides from ribonucleotides. In this report, we show that Ewing sarcoma cells are sensitive to treatment with clofarabine, which is a nucleoside analogue and allosteric inhibitor of RNR. However, clofarabine is a reversible inhibitor of RNR and we found that the effect of clofarabine is limited when using a short (6-hour) drug treatment. Gemcitabine, on the other hand, is an irreversible inhibitor of the RRM1 subunit of RNR and this drug induces apoptosis in Ewing sarcoma cells when used in both 6-hour and longer drug treatments. Treatment of Ewing sarcoma cells with gemcitabine also results in activation of checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1), which is a critical mediator of cell survival in the setting of impaired DNA replication. Notably, inhibition of CHK1 function in Ewing sarcoma cells using a small-molecule CHK1 inhibitor, or siRNA knockdown, in combination with gemcitabine results in increased toxicity both in vitro and in vivo in a mouse xenograft experiment. Overall, our results provide insight into Ewing sarcoma biology and identify a candidate therapeutic target, and drug combination, in Ewing sarcoma.
Social Interaction and Sidman Avoidance Performance

Following extensive individual training on a Sidman avoidance schedule (Rs=15;Ss=5 sec), pairs of rats were exposed to the avoidance schedule in the same single-lever chamber in which training had taken place. In two pairs of pre-trained rats, only one animal worked at the avoidance schedule at a given time, and extensive disruption of avoidance performance was observed. In addition, varying degrees of aggressive social interaction, most often stemming from the second animal’s attempt to “take over” the lever, were reported. In two cases in which a pre-trained and naive rat were paired, although the disruption of avoidance performance was again reported, relatively less aggressive interaction was observed. The possibility of social facilitation and/or summation of individual avoidance performance was considered and dismissed for lack of empirical support.
Mitigation Translocation of Red-Tailed Hawks to Reduce Raptor–Aircraft Collisions

Translocation of problematic individual animals is commonly used to reduce human–wildlife conflicts, especially to reduce the presence or abundance of raptors within airport environments, where they pose a risk to safe aircraft operations. Although this method has strong public support, there have been no scientific evaluations of its efficacy or to determine which factors might influence the return of translocated birds to the airport. We conducted a study to determine which biological and logistical factors might influence the return of red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) translocated from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) during 2010–2013. We live-captured and translocated red-tailed hawks various distances from the ORD airfield and monitored for returning birds. We found the odds of hawk return increased by 2.36 (95% CI = 0.99–5.70) times for older birds (>1 yr of age) relative to younger birds (≤ 1 yr of age). Odds of hawk return went up 4.10 (95% CI = 0.75–22.2) times when translocations were conducted during the breeding season relative to the non-breeding season. The odds of hawk return increased 11.94 (95% CI = 3.29–43.38) times for each subsequent translocation event involving the same hawk. The cost of 1 translocation event to the release sites that were 81, 121, 181, and 204 km from ORD was $213, $284, $362, and $426, respectively. Management programs that use release sites 80 km from the airport minimize translocation events to include only younger birds during the non-breeding season, and undertake only 1 translocation event for an individual hawk would increase program efficacy and greatly reduce program implementation costs. The decision matrix regarding the use of a raptor trapping and translocation program involves a variety of biological, logistical, economic, and sociopolitical variables. This study represents an important first step in providing a scientific foundation for informing such management decisions. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
The Effects of Brand Familiarity on Perceived Risk, Attitude, and Purchase Intentions toward an Intimate Apparel Brand

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of brand familiarity on perceived risk and attitudinal and behavioral responses toward the intimate apparel brand. Using a Web-based survey, data were collected from 368 female adults between the ages of 18-29 through an Alumni Association at a large Mid-Southern university in the US. Results from structural equation modeling indicated positive, statistically significant associations between the four variables (e.g., brand familiarity, perceived risk, attitude, and purchase intentions). The findings implied that young female consumers who are familiar with a particular intimate apparel brand are likely to perceive a low level of risk, leading to positive and strong attitude and purchase intentions toward the familiar intimate apparel brand. Results indicated that perceived risk had a much stronger impact than did brand familiarity on attitude and purchase intentions in intimate apparel shopping.
Mast cell degranulation and calcium influx are inhibited by an Echinacea purpurea extract and the alkylamide dodeca-2E,4E-dienoic acid isobutylamide.

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Native Americans used plants from the genus Echinacea to treat a variety of different inflammatory conditions including swollen gums, sore throats, skin inflammation, and gastrointestinal disorders. Today, various Echinacea spp. preparations are used primarily to treat upper respiratory infections. Aim of the study The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of an ethanolic E. purpurea (L) Moench root extract and the alkylamide dodeca-2E,4E-dienoic acid isobutylamide (A15) on mast cells, which are important mediators of allergic and inflammatory responses. Inhibition of mast cell activation may help explain the traditional use of Echinacea. Materials and methods A15 was evaluated for its effects on degranulation, calcium influx, cytokine and lipid mediator production using bone marrow derived mast cells (BMMCs) and the transformed rat basophilic leukemia mast cell line RBL-2H3. Methods included enzymatic assays, fluorimetry, ELISAs, and microscopy. A root extract of E. purpurea, and low and high alkylamide-containing fractions prepared from this extract, were also tested for effects on mast cell function. Finally, we tested A15 for effects on calcium responses in RAW 264.7 macrophage and Jurkat T cell lines. Results A15 inhibited s-hexosaminidase release from BMMCs and RBL-2H3 cells after treatment with the calcium ionophore A23187 by 83.5% and 48.4% at 100 µM, respectively. Inhibition also occurred following stimulation with IgE anti-DNP/DNP-HSA. In addition, A15 inhibited 47% of histamine release from A23187-treated RBL-2H3 cells. A15 prevented the rapid rise in intracellular calcium following FceRI crosslinking and A23187 treatment suggesting it acts on the signals controlling granule release. An E. purpurea root extract and a fraction with high alkylamide content derived from this extract also displayed these activities while fractions with little to no detectable amounts of alkylamide did not. A15 mediated inhibition of calcium influx was not limited to mast cells as A23187-stimulated calcium influx was blocked in both RAW 264.7 and Jurkat cell lines with 60.2% and 43.6% inhibition at 1 min post-stimulation, respectively. A15 also inhibited the release of TNF-α, and PGE2 to a lesser degree, following A23187 stimulation indicating its broad activity on mast cell mediator production. Conclusions These findings suggest that Echinacea extracts and alkylamides may be useful for treating allergic and inflammatory responses mediated by mast cells. More broadly, since calcium is a critical second messenger, the inhibitory effects of alkylamides on calcium uptake would be predicted to dampen a variety of pathological responses, suggesting new uses for this plant and its constituents.