cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Family preservation and child protection: Striking a balance

Nothing is more horrifying to the public than the brutal killing of an innocent child. Observing that "Last year 1,300 abused kids died--though authorities knew that almost half were in danger" Newsweek magazine began major coverage on family preservation asking "Is it time to stop patching up dead-end families?" Unquestionably children have died at the hands of families which have been "preserved" even though retaining children in the "preserved" family represented endangerment. In Chicago, the Tribune newspaper tracked child fatalities for one year and found more than 50 children in the Chicago area alone who died from abuse (Ingrassia & McCormick, 1994). Without a proven techr~ology to protect children who have been abused in their home, the Newsweek reporters questioned an approach--family preservation--which keeps children in a family where their health and safety is endangered. Obviously, children should not be taken from their family if it is possible to keep them safe at home. The problem is that the child welfare field has not developed a proven technology which can assure the adequate safety of endangered children. The risk with inappropriate removal of a child is that it may tear apart a family unnecessarily. However, the risk of leaving a child in an endangered home is a child fatality. Neither is acceptable, but protecting the child' s life must always be paramount.
Characterization of HeLa cell and viral ribonucleic acid by oligonucleotide analysis

Abstract Oligonucleotide maps of [ 32 P]RNA from HeLa cells indicated a shift from predominantly non-ribosomal [ 32 P]RNA synthesis to ribosomal [ 32 P]RNA synthesis with increasing time of exposure to the isotope. Such analysis also indicated that synthesis of ribosomal [ 32 P]RNA showed the greatest sensitivity to inhibition by both actinomycin D and puromycin. HeLa cell [ 32 P]RNA exhibiting messenger characteristics could be distinguished from either transfer RNA or ribosomal RNA on the basis of a predominance of adenosine-uridine monophosphate dinucleotide relative to the guanylyl-3′,5′-cytidine 3′-phosphate and guanylyl-3′,5′-adenylyl-3′,5′-cytidine 3′-phosphate oligonucleotides. Viral and/or virus-induced [ 32 P]RNA also revealed a similarly high content of the adenosine-uridine dinucleotide.
Injury prevention behaviors: A report card for the nation, 1995.

INTRODUCTION: This study estimated the 1995 state-level prevalence of occupant restraint use for children and adults, child bicycle helmet use, not drinking and driving, and installation and regular checking of smoke detectors. METHODS: Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) were weighted to reflect the age, sex, and racial distribution of each state. State prevalence estimates were ranked by quartile. RESULTS: Prevalence estimates for five of the six behaviors varied widely across states. Use of safety belts among adults ranged from 41.5 to 87.3% (median 66.7%); use of child occupant restraints, 62.3 to 95.7% (80.8%); not drinking and driving within the past 30 days, 94.7- 99.4% (97.8%); smoke detector installation, 78.9 to 98.7% (94.1%); monthly checking of smoke detectors, 31.3- 51.2% (40.4%); and child use of bicycle helmets, 9. 3 to 62.8% (23.1%). Certain states had consistently poor quartile rankings. States with behavior-relevant laws appeared to have the highest level of associated safety practices for impaired driving, adult occupant restraint use, and bicycle helmet use. CONCLUSIONS: Injury risk taking behaviors appear to cluster. States with consistently poor quartile rankings should consider more concerted injury prevention efforts. Health care providers can play an important role in increasing the prevalence of injury prevention behaviors by providing age-appropriate counseling to their patients.
Reversal of hemodynamic and phonocardiographic abnormalities in idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis

Abstract A 17 year old girl had typical electrocardiographic and phonocardiographic findings of idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis in 1960. Left ventricular-systemic arterial gradients of at least 95 mm Hg were verified by left heart catheterization on 3 occasions in 1960 and 1961 without pharmacological stimulation. Over the next 10 years, the murmur and abnormal cardiac catheterization findings disappeared. Catheterization in 1968 demonstrated no significant resting gradient and only a minimal gradient after administration of isoproterenol. The phonocardiogram and carotid pulse tracing were normal in 1970.
Open‐tubular capillary columns with a porous layer of monolithic polymer for highly efficient and fast separations in electrochromatography

Open-tubular columns for CEC separations having inner-wall coated with a thin layer of porous monolithic polymer have been studied. A two-step process including (i) UV-initiated polymerization leading to a layer of porous poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate), and (ii) UV-initiated grafting of ionizable monomers appear to be well suited for the preparation of these columns. The thickness of the porous polymer layer is controlled by the percentage of monomers in the polymerization mixture and/or length of the irradiation time. The layer thickness significantly affects retention, efficiency, and resolution in open-tubular CEC. Under optimized conditions, column efficiencies up to 400,000 plates/m can be achieved. Use of higher temperature and application of pressure enables a significant acceleration of the open-tubular CEC separations.
Empirical potential approach for defect properties in 3C-SiC

Abstract Defect energetics in silicon carbide (SiC) have been widely studied using Tersoff potentials, but these potentials do not provide a good description of interstitial properties. In the present work, an empirical many-body interatomic potential is developed by fitting to various equilibrium properties and stable defect configurations in bulk SiC, using a lattice relaxation fitting approach. This parameterized potential has been used to calculate defect formation energies and to determine the most stable configurations for interstitials using the molecular dynamics method. Although the formation energies of vacancies are smaller than those obtained by ab initio calculations, the properties of antisite defects and interstitials are in good agreement with the results calculated by ab initio methods. It is found that the most favorable configurations for C interstitials are 〈1 0 0〉 and 〈1 1 0〉 dumbbells on both Si and C sites, with formation energies from 3.04 to 3.95 eV. The most favorable Si interstitial is the tetrahedral interstitial site, surrounded by four C atoms, with a formation energy of 3.97 eV. The present results will be discussed and compared to those obtained by others using various empirical potentials in SiC.
College for America: Student-Centered, Competency-Based Education

Southern New Hampshire University's College for America, a competency-based education model for working adults, increases their access to and the convenience of higher education while decreasing co...
A Conceptual Framework for Organizing Active Learning Experiences in Biology Instruction

Introductory biology courses form a cornerstone of undergraduate instruction. However, the predominantly used lecture approach fails to produce higher-order biology learning. Research shows that active learning strategies can increase student learning, yet few biology instructors use all identified active learning strategies. In this paper, we present a framework to design biology instruction that incorporates all active learning strategies. We review active learning research in undergraduate biology courses, present a framework for organizing active learning strategies, and provide clear implications and future research for designing instruction in introductory undergraduate biology courses.
Isolated local-regional recurrence following mastectomy for adenocarcinoma of the breast treated with radiation therapy alone or combined with surgery and/or chemotherapy

Abstract The results of radiation therapy alone or combined with surgery and/or chemotherapy are reported for 47 patients who presented with local and/or regional recurrence without evidence of distant metastases following initial management of adenocarcinoma of the breast with radical or modified radical mastectomy (43) or simple mastectomy (4). Patients were treated between October 1964 and March 1983 at the University of Florida; all have a 2-year minimum follow-up and 42 47 (89%) have had follow-up for ⩾ 5 years. The overall actuarial local-regional control rates were 80% at 2 years, 68% at 5 years, and 61% at 10 years. The 5-year actuarial local-regional control rates by site and extent of disease were as follows: single chest wall nodule, 92%; multiple chest wall nodules, 49%; regional lymph nodes, 66%; and multiple sites, 64%. The 5- and 10-year actuarial determinate disease-free survival rates for all patients were 41 and 17%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year actuarial survival rates for all patients were 50 and 34%, respectively.
Development of the 2nd generation neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist LY686017 for social anxiety disorder

Abstract The neurokinin-1 (NK-1) antagonist LY686017 showed activity in preclinical anxiety models. The clinical development of LY686017 included a PET study and a proof-of-concept in social anxiety disorder (SAD). [ 11 C]GR205171 was used healthy volunteers receiving 1–100 mg/d LY686017 for 28 days to determine brain receptor occupancy (RO). The mean NK-1 RO increased ranged from 25% with 1 mg to 93% with 100 mg. Subsequently, a 12-week randomized clinical trial tested LY686017 vs. paroxetine, or placebo in SAD. Pharmacokinetic (PK)/RO modeling based on the PET results predicted that once daily dosing of > 30 mg LY686017 led to sustained trough RO of over 80%. 189 outpatients 1 suffering from SAD were randomly assigned to 12-weeks treatment with 50 mg/d LY686017 ( N = 77), placebo ( N = 74), or 20 mg/d paroxetine ( N = 38). There was no significant difference between LY686017 and placebo as measured with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety scale (LSAS). The active comparator paroxetine showed positive trends on primary and secondary measures. The plasma concentrations were above the level expected to produce maximal brain NK-1 RO based on the PK/RO relationship obtained in the human PET investigation. Thus, further evaluation of LY686017 for the treatment of SAD does not seem warranted.
Computer-aided design and modeling of composite unit cells

A novel modeling approach for designing and constructing CAD-based composite unit cells is presented. The modeling technique is developed based on a reasoning Boolean operation algorithm which consists of merging and extracting operation to construct composite unit cells at the heterogeneous material level. Owing to its CAD-based nature, the unit cell models can be readily implemented with advanced CAD/CAE/CAM systems for integrated design, simulation, and manufacturing of advanced composites. A seamless integration between the CAD model and finite element analysis, and results of stress and deformation in composite unit cells and in the fiber and matrix is demonstrated. The proposed modeling technique is able to capture the designed composite geometry, reinforced fiber architecture, and constituent material heterogeneity. Sample unit cells representing 2D woven fabric, 2D basket weave, 3D tri-axial braided, and 3D uni-directional composite are also presented.
Diffuse coronary vasospasm and accelerated atherosclerosis in a transplanted human heart.

Abstract Coronary vasospasm is rare in transplanted hearts. We report a case of diffuse coronary vasospasm followed by rapidly progressive coronary atherosclerosis in a transplanted heart.
Factors Influencing the Effect of β-Propiolactone on Chromosomes of Vicia faba

The effect of β-propiolactone on chromosomes is independent of p H, oxygen tension, and some metabolic inhibitors. It is influenced by temperature, concentration, and pretreatments with dinitrophenol. henol. Interphase sensitivitycalizationand localization of breaks are discussed in terms of the action of β-propiolactone and the relationship of γ-propiolactone to other radiomimetic compounds.
Actin and cortical fiber reticulation in the siphonaceous alga Vaucheria sessilis.

Since light-induced organellae aggregation in the siphonaceous alga Vaucheria sessilis (Vauch.) D.C. is accompanied by the formation of a cortical fiber reticulum in the light, we proposed that this process of reticulation might be causally related to aggregation (Blatt and Briggs, 1980). In this paper we report the tentative identification of actin filaments and filament bundles in the cortical cytoplasm of V. sessilis, and present additional evidence, obtained using the inhibitors cytochalasin B and phalloidin and indicating that aggregation in response to low-intensity point irradiation with blue light is dependent upon the formation of a cortical fiber reticulum. Phalloidin stabilized the cortical fibers, preventing both reticulum formation and organelle aggregation in blue light. Cytochalasin B partially destabilized the cortical fibers to the extent of permitting light-induced reticulum formation and organelle aggregation in the light in the presence of phalloidin.
Ion channel blockade by oximes and recovery of diaphragm muscle from soman poisoning in vitro

1. The actions of oximes and related compounds on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ion channel at the adult mouse muscle endplate were investigated by use of single-channel recording techniques. The aim of the study was to determine whether the channel-blocking properties of the compounds could contribute to their therapeutic effectiveness against soman poisoning in vitro. 2. Therapeutic effectiveness was assessed in guinea-pig phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparations by measuring the degree of recovery of neuromuscular function produced by the compounds following poisoning by soman. A number of the compounds, including some which lacked the oxime group, produced a significant recovery of neuromuscular function which was unrelated to acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivation; this was reversed by washing off the compound, and was therefore attributed to a direct pharmacological action on the muscle. 3. Single channel recordings showed that some of the compounds blocked open nicotinic receptor ion channels in preparations of mouse muscle fibres. The compounds which showed the greatest direct pharmacological actions in diaphragms produce a very fast, flickering blockade of the channels. Several quantitative measures of channel-blocking activity correlated very well with the direct pharmacological action. Furthermore, for two compounds studied in greater detail, the direct action and channel-blocking showed similar concentration-response relationships. 4. The results of this study indicate that the direct pharmacological action of oximes and their analogues against neuromuscular blockade by soman in vitro is due to their channel-blocking activity. The direct action does not correlate well with protection against soman poisoning in vivo, however, which suggests that additional non-reactivating properties of these compounds, at sites other than the neuromuscular junction, may also be important for their therapeutic effectiveness.
Substance Abuse in Women : Etiology and Prevention

Substance abuse, or the use of alcohol or drugs to the extent that normal functioning is impaired, is often viewed as a unique behavior, not subject to the same laws that govern other behaviors. This assumption has led to a plethora of conflicting theories about its etiology that do not take into account extant knowledge about behavior development. (See Lettieri et al., 1980.) This chapter is based upon the assumption that substance abuse has multiple determinants, both within and across individuals, as do other complex behaviors, such as working long hours, driving very fast, eating a lot of sugar, or talking very much. This viewpoint enables us to integrate findings from diverse studies into a coherent picture of substance abuse, including the variables and processes that increase its probability of occurrence.
Advanced basal cell carcinoma and successful treatment with chemotherapy

The patient presented in this report has a large basal cell carcinoma on the wrist and thigh. The lesion on the wrist was nonresectable without amputation. The patient showed an impressive response to chemotherapy with systemic cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, and intra-arterial cisplatin. The tumor could be excised by a simple excision on both sites and showed no residual tumor on the hand and only a microscopic focus on the thigh. The patient continues to be free of disease 3 years after the initiation of the therapy.
Quaternary paleoenvironments and potential for human exploitation of the Jordan plateau desert interior

The physical, chemical, numerical, and radiometric analyses of a 31-m sediment core from the Qa'el-Jafr basin provide an important record of Quaternary paleoenvironments for the Jordan Plateau and evidence for several significant changes in climate regime. Cluster and PCA analyses of the geochemical data support the designation of major sedimentation regimes identified by stratigraphic and sediment analyses. Multiple cycles of alluvial deposition, lacustrine units, and erosional unconformities characterize the deepest sediments, followed by a period(s) of intense evaporation. Radiocarbon ages of charcoal in the uppermost 7 m place the aeolian/alluvial phase between 16,030 ± 140 yr B.P. and 24,470 ± 240 yr B.P. Deflation processes may explain the lack of a Holocene sequence. Despite lacking radiometric ages for the lower sediments, the thickness and degree of calcium-carbonate cementation suggest considerable age for the basal sediments, which suggests that a very long terrestrial record of Quaternary climate changes has been preserved in the Jafr basin. This new record of paleoenvironments provides important context to the archaeological record of the Jordan Plateau during the Quaternary. Several archaeological surveys demonstrate extensive human exploitation of lakes and springs of the major wadis along the western margin of the Rift Valley. However, little is known of human exploitation of the desert interiors. Qa'el-Jafr sediments demonstrate significant lacustrine and high moisture phases sufficient for human exploitation of the eastern desert during the Pleistocene. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Searching for Heavy Tails in Web Robot Traffic

This paper presents a study on whether the heavy-tailed trends reported in Web traffic are present in the traffic generated by Web robots. The study is motivated by three factors: (i)~a significant volume of Web server traffic can now be attributed to Web robots, (ii)~the Web is continuing to evolve into a semantic and service-oriented environment where Web robots will play a central role, and (iii)~there are fundamental differences in the way robots and humans visit a site and search for information and these differences may lead to contrasts in the statistical patterns of the robots' requests compared to humans. We analyze Web robot traffic from a two-year access log from a Web server in the academic domain and study whether the response sizes, request inter-arrival times, and inter-session times exhibit heavy-tailed properties. In a multi-faceted analysis of the data we find that the response sizes and request inter-arrival times of robot requests do not exhibit heavy-tailed characteristics, contrasting the trends in these metrics in human traffic. However, we find that inter-session times of robots follow heavy-tailed characteristics similar to that of humans.
Pricing Decisions During Inter-Generational Product Transition

How should companies price products during an inter-generational transition? High uncertainty in a new product introduction often leads to extreme cases of demand and supply mismatches. Pricing is an effective tool to either prevent or alleviate these problems. We study the optimal pricing decisions in the context of a product transition in which a new-generation product replaces an old one. We formulate the dynamic pricing problem and derive the optimal prices for both the old and new products. Our analysis sheds light on the pattern of the optimal prices for the two products during the transition and on how product replacement, along with several other dynamics including substitution, external competition, scarcity, and inventory, affect the optimal prices. We also determine the optimal initial inventory for each product and discuss a heuristic method.
Capacity of Wireless Hybrid Networks with Successive Interference Cancellation

In this paper, we investigate the capacity of wireless hybrid networks, in which a wired network of base stations is used to support long-range communications between wireless nodes. We introduce the multiple access technique by allowing more than one source node to transmit simultaneously and utilizing successive interference cancellation to decode information at the destination node. Our results show that, with the multiple access concept, the destination or the nearest base stations can receive information from the source nodes at rate O((b/n)log(n/b)). But, when data is delivered to node, because the base station is the only transmitter in the cell, it can forward the message to each node only at rate θ(b/n) and causes a bottleneck.
Surface wave effects on the reflection phase of curved High Impedance Surfaces

For most cases, the reflection phase diagram of a curved High Impedance Surface (HIS) is independent of the curvature. However, the surface waves generated on HISs, due to their periodic geometry, distorts their reflection characteristics within specific frequency intervals. In those intervals, the reflection phase changes as a function of radius of curvature and size of the HIS. These effects are not observed for the flat cases because of the lower radiation resistance of the surface waves.
Effects of different logging schemes on bird communities in tropical forests: A simulation study

Abstract Most tropical forests are located in developing countries which heavily utilize their natural resources for development. Thus, setting aside remaining natural forests for conservation purposes is nearly impossible. Balancing economic activities, such as logging, with conservation programs will play an important role in conserving the rich biodiversity typical of these regions. Therefore, the effects of logging on biodiversity need to be more thoroughly understood. To address this, we simulated the recovery of avian communities following a variety of potential logging schemes that varied by the logging interval (1–100 years) and the wood volume left after harvesting (0–100%). The recovery rate of forest generalists was very high during the first 15 years of succession and then became asymptotic. The recovery rate of forest specialists remained high until about 50 years of succession. After 50 years, the recovery rate was lower, and fewer bird species colonized in subsequent years. Logging schemes with either a logging cycle >15 years or wood volume left after harvesting >30% resulted in 70% of the regional forest bird species pool being conserved. The results from these simulations suggest that logging schemes with either cycle lengths >40 years or wood volume left after harvest >55% should be implemented to conserve 80% of the species pool. Our simulations provide a prediction of how avian communities could be affected under different logging schemes and can provide guidance to management agencies in developing, forested tropical countries.
An integrative management protocol for connecting human priorities with ecosystem health in the Neponset River Estuary

Environmental scientists currently lack a common and unifying approach to equitably connect human activities with ecosystem health assessments. In order to enhance ecosystem health, our historical way of thinking about ecosystem monitoring needs to include a vital connection between the benefits of ecosystems and users' well-being. To date much emphasis has been placed on environmental indicators (e.g. pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen), and not as much on socio-economic indicators (e.g. environmental clean-up costs, dollars lost from beach closures, number of public access points), ones that the public can understand more easily, and therefore value, and this bias toward environmental indicators may influence their decisions. Given that each ecosystem has unique physical characteristics and that monitoring objectives may vary, a common set of indicators is not necessarily suitable to all systems. Rather, a common protocol for indicator selection is more appropriate as it can be applied across political jurisdictions and a diverse set of ecosystems. To investigate the value of environmental and socio-economic indicators in coastal urban ecosystems, we have applied a methodology to identify management goals and to select indicators specific to an urban estuarine ecosystem, the Neponset River Estuary. In our study, we identified the stakeholder community who had significant management interests in order to specify and rank management goals. A panel of experts was convened to select and rank essential environmental and socio-economic indicators according to how well they measured success in achieving the largest number of more important management goals. A post-survey evaluation was administered among the stakeholder community and panel of experts in order to evaluate the protocol's applicability, effectiveness, and potential for implementation. This protocol resulted in a ranked set of environmental and socio-economic indicators that were equally assessed against a common set of management goals identified by the stakeholder community from the Neponset River Estuary.
Single-level integrity and confidentiality protection for distributed shared memory multiprocessors

Multiprocessor computer systems are currently widely used in commercial settings to run critical applications. These applications often operate on sensitive data such as customer records, credit card numbers, and financial data. As a result, these systems are the frequent targets of attacks because of the potentially significant gain an attacker could obtain from stealing or tampering with such data. This provides strong motivation to protect the confidentiality and integrity of data in commercial multiprocessor systems through architectural support. Architectural support is able to protect against software-based attacks, and is necessary to protect against hardware-based attacks. In this work, we propose architectural mechanisms to ensure data confidentiality and integrity in Distributed Shared Memory multiprocessors which utilize a point-to-point based interconnection network. Our approach improves upon previous work in this area, mainly in the fact that our approach reduces performance overheads by significantly reducing the amount of cryptographic operations required. Evaluation results show that our approach can protect data confidentiality and integrity in a 16-processor DSM system with an average overhead of 1.6% and a maximum of only 7% across all SPLASH-2 applications.
Explanation and inference: mechanistic and functional explanations guide property generalization

The ability to generalize from the known to the unknown is central to learning and inference. Two experiments explore the relationship between how a property is explained and how that property is generalized to novel species and artifacts. The experiments contrast the consequences of explaining a property mechanistically, by appeal to parts and processes, with the consequences of explaining the property functionally, by appeal to functions and goals. The findings suggest that properties that are explained functionally are more likely to be generalized on the basis of shared functions, with a weaker relationship between mechanistic explanations and generalization on the basis of shared parts and processes. The influence of explanation type on generalization holds even though all participants are provided with the same mechanistic and functional information, and whether an explanation type is freely generated (Experiment 1), experimentally provided (Experiment 2), or experimentally induced (Experiment 2). The experiments also demonstrate that explanations and generalizations of a particular type (mechanistic or functional) can be experimentally induced by providing sample explanations of that type, with a comparable effect when the sample explanations come from the same domain or from a different domains. These results suggest that explanations serve as a guide to generalization, and contribute to a growing body of work supporting the value of distinguishing mechanistic and functional explanations.
Role of Streptococcus gordonii Amylase-Binding Protein A in Adhesion to Hydroxyapatite, Starch Metabolism, and Biofilm Formation

Interactions between bacteria and salivary components are thought to be important in the establishment and ecology of the oral microflora. alpha-Amylase, the predominant salivary enzyme in humans, binds to Streptococcus gordonii, a primary colonizer of the tooth. Previous studies have implicated this interaction in adhesion of the bacteria to salivary pellicles, catabolism of dietary starches, and biofilm formation. Amylase binding is mediated at least in part by the amylase-binding protein A (AbpA). To study the function of this protein, an erythromycin resistance determinant [erm(AM)] was inserted within the abpA gene of S. gordonii strains Challis and FAS4 by allelic exchange, resulting in abpA mutant strains Challis-E1 and FAS4-E1. Comparison of the wild-type and mutant strains did not reveal any significant differences in colony morphology, biochemical metabolic profiles, growth in complex or defined media, surface hydrophobicity, or coaggregation properties. Scatchard analysis of adhesion isotherms demonstrated that the wild-type strains adhered better to human parotid-saliva- and amylase-coated hydroxyapatite than did the AbpA mutants. In contrast, the mutant strains bound to whole-saliva-coated hydroxyapatite to a greater extent than did the wild-type strains. While the wild-type strains preincubated with purified salivary amylase grew well in defined medium with potato starch as the sole carbohydrate source, the AbpA mutants did not grow under the same conditions even after preincubation with amylase. In addition, the wild-type strain produced large microcolonies in a flow cell biofilm model, while the abpA mutant strains grew much more poorly and produced relatively small microcolonies. Taken together, these results suggest that AbpA of S. gordonii functions as an adhesin to amylase-coated hydroxyapatite, in salivary-amylase-mediated catabolism of dietary starches and in human saliva-supported biofilm formation by S. gordonii.
Abstract 475: uPAR and cathepsin B knockdown inhibits radiation-induced PKC integrated integrin signaling to the cytoskeleton and migration of glioma initiating cells

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains one of the most fatal and least successfully treated solid tumors. It is evident that some cancer cells with stem cell properties (known as glioma initiating cells; GICs) survive conventional treatments and are involved in the recurrence of tumors. In the present study, CD133+ GICs were isolated from established U251 and 5310 glioma cell lines and subjected to radiation and transfection with shRNA against uPAR and cathepsin B so that we could study the events related to cell migration. Simultaneous downregulation of uPAR and cathepsin B (pUC) caused the disruption of radiation-induced complex formation of pPKC∈/α:integrinβ1 and PKC∈:integrinβ1 in glioma cells as well as in GICs as was observed by immunoprecipitation analysis. Further, pUC treatment also inhibited the PKC/integrin signal through FAK by disintegrating the association of FAK and the cytoskeletal molecules vinculin and α-actinin. It was also observed that inhibition of radiation-induced ERK phosphorylation by pUC directed a negative feedback mechanism over the FAK signaling molecules that led to an extensive reduction in the cytoskeletal organization, and thereby generating a migratory arrest. Further confirmation was obtained by treating the cells with U0126 (10 µM), a MEK inhibitor, and rottlerin (200 µM), a PKC inhibitor. pUC treatment efficiently inhibited the co-localization of pPKC∈/α/integrinβ1, PKC∈/integrinβ1, FAK/vinculin and FAK/α-actinin in the brain tumor sections of mice implanted with glioma cells and GICs. In conclusion, shRNA-mediated knockdown of uPAR and cathepsin B could be an effective treatment strategy for controlling highly invasive glioma cells and treatment-resistant glioma initiating cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 475. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-475
The genetics of osteoarthritis

The study of the etiology of osteoarthritis (OA) is distinguished by a long-standing consideration of the disease as an inherited disorder. Until the last decade, the study of OA as a genetic disease was limited to anecdotal reports of families in which specific OA traits were clustered. The impetus to further explore the genetics of OA has come from our increasing understanding of the nature of complex genetic disease in which disease traits need not be inherited in a Mendelian manner. This review will acquaint the reader with the impressive and fast-paced progress that has been made, especially in the past decade, regarding the study of OA as a heritable disease. While this review is not meant to be an exhaustive compendium of every published study, it will familiarize the reader with some of the highlights of OA genetics, as well as illustrate the range and depth of effort needed to unravel of genetics of complex diseases, such as OA.
Further Explorations of Cellular Uptake of Radioactivity

It is widely recognized in the field of internal emitter therapy that radiopharmaceuticals are distributed nonuniformly within tissues of localization, and this nonuniformity extends to all spatial levels—organs, suborgans, multicellular clusters, single cells, and even subcellular compartments
Tourette's syndrome: a neurochemical analysis of postmortem cortical brain tissue.

Postmortem frontal, temporal, and occipital regions of the brain from adult patients who had a diagnosis of Tourette's syndrome were analyzed for neurochemical alterations. In 3 of 4 TS-affected brains, the concentration of adenosine 3′,5′ -monophosphate (cyclic AMP) was reduced in all brain regions evaluated. This diminution in cyclic AMP was not associated with a significant change in the activity of the synthesizing enzyme, adenylate cyclase. No significant differences were identified for the neurotransmitter-synthesizing enzymes choline acetltransferase and glutamate decarboxylase. Concentrations of dopamine, norepinephrine, and the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were not altered. Postsynaptic receptor-binding activity for muscarinic cholinergic ([3H] quinuclidiny1 benzilate) and beta receptors ([125I]iodocyanopindolol) showed no generalized impairment. It is suggested that symptoms of Tourette's syndrome might be related to an abnormality within a second messenger system.
Antenna shape synthesis using characteristic modes

An initial effort is described to develop an antenna synthesis procedure by which the shape of a surface of rotation and its current density are deduced from a given far-field radiation pattern which satisfies the conditions of a characteristic mode. Typical results obtained to date are presented to substantiate the method and to illustrate some antenna shapes. A variety of research topics suggested by present efforts are discussed and suggested for future investigation.
Males Choose Larger Females as Mates in the Salamander Desmognathus santeetlah

Intrinsic constraints resulting in temporally-limited mating capacity may select for ‘prudence’ in the allocation of sexual resources by male salamanders. Prudence in the form of male mate choice was examined in a dusky salamander, Desmognathus santeetlah (Plethodontidae). Males mated with small and larger females at similar rates when presented sequentially with potential partners differing in snout-vent length. However, males were more likely to mate with larger females when presented simultaneously with two potential partners that differed in snout-vent length by at least 4 mm. The greater mating success of larger females was due to male mate choice for more fecund partners. Behavioural observations of trios composed of one male and two females revealed that males experienced ample opportunities for partner assessment that were uninfluenced by direct interactions between females. Male choice for larger females may confer an advantage on choosy males because female fecundity is positively correlated with body size in D. santeetlah: larger females carry more eggs available for fertilization. The occurrence and value of male mate choice in natural populations, where males compete for partners and females mate multiple times, remain to be determined.
Fiber-optic multiphoton in vivo flow cytometry

We demonstrate the use of a double-clad fiber probe to conduct two-photon excited flow cytometry in a live mouse. High detection efficiency of GFP-expressing cells is demonstrated, and the initial dynamics of injected circulating cells is observed.
bgc: Software for Bayesian estimation of genomic clines

Introgression in admixed populations can be used to identify candidate loci that might underlie adaptation or reproductive isolation. The Bayesian genomic cline model provides a framework for quantifying variable introgression in admixed populations and identifying regions of the genome with extreme introgression that are potentially associated with variation in fitness. Here we describe the bgc software, which uses Markov chain Monte Carlo to estimate the joint posterior probability distribution of the parameters in the Bayesian genomic cline model and designate outlier loci. This software can be used with next-generation sequence data, accounts for uncertainty in genotypic state, and can incorporate information from linked loci on a genetic map. Output from the analysis is written to an HDF5 file for efficient storage and manipulation. This software is written in C++. The source code, software manual, compilation instructions and example data sets are available under the GNU Public License at http://sites.google.com/site/bgcsoftware/.
Laser-Induced Thermal Decomposition of Platinum Metallo-Organic Films

The focused output from an argon ion laser (514 nm) has been used to pattern micron-size platinum features by decomposition of spun-on metallo-organic film on quartz substrate. The role of laser power and energy density on the thermal decomposition of the film is studied using pulsed and cw laser irradiation. Transient reflectivity has been used as a probe to study the reaction steps involved in the decomposition of the metallo-organic containing film. Preliminary results on the use of the platinum features as seed layer for electroless copper plating is presented.
Bronchiectasis in a Diverse US Population: Effects of Ethnicity on Etiology and Sputum Culture

Background Previous studies of patients with bronchiectasis have found that the cause is idiopathic in the majority of cases, but these studies were done in homogeneous populations. We hypothesized that the etiology of bronchiectasis can be determined in a higher percentage of patients in a diverse US population and will differ significantly based on ethnicity. Methods One hundred twelve patients with bronchiectasis confirmed by chest CT scan entered the study. Data from 106 patients were available for full evaluation. Clinical questionnaire, pulmonary function tests, sputum microbiology, laboratory data, and immune function testing were done. Results were analyzed by ethnicity and etiology. Results Patients were 61.6% European American (EA), 26.8% African American (AA), 8.9% Hispanic American (HA), and 2.7% Asian American. A cause of bronchiectasis was determined in 93.3% of patients. In 63.2% of patients, bronchiectasis was caused by immune dysregulation, including deficiency (n = 18 [17%]), autoimmune disease (n = 33 [31.1%]), hematologic malignancy (n = 15 [14.2%]), and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (n = 1 [0.9%]). Rheumatoid arthritis was the cause of bronchiectasis in 28.6% of AA patients vs 6.2% of EA patients (P Conclusions The etiology of bronchiectasis can be determined in the majority of patients in a heterogeneous US population and is most often due to immune dysregulation. Rheumatoid arthritis is more likely in AA patients than EA patients. HA patients are more likely to have P aeruginosa in their sputum.
The Role of Family Support and Parental Monitoring as Mediators in Mexican American Adolescent Drinking

This study contributes to the current gap in the literature on drinking behaviors among Mexican American youth by exploring the role of family relationships as a mediator against alcohol use. This is a secondary analysis of data from a nationally representative study on Adolescent Health (ADD Health) collected in 1995 and focuses on a sample (n = 1,424) of Mexican American teens across the United States. Analysis of the data utilizes multiple regression to identify risks and protective factors of adolescent drinking in Mexican American youth. The study's implications and limitations are noted and important areas for future research are considered.
A Collaborative Computing Infrastructure based on atom

We present a collaborative computing infrastructure that facilitates interactions between distributed applications using the pull-based, event-based model of distributed computing. The collaborative computing infrastructure uses the Atom XML format to provide interoperability between application programs, even if they run on dissimilar computing platforms. The collaborating applications can be programmed in different programming languages and can use different data schema. The Atom server allows applications to publish their output as Atom feed entries for other applications to read using the Atom Publishing Protocol. We have implemented the currently specified Atom Publishing Protocol, which requires feed entries to be retrieved one by one, and also a modified version of the Atom Publishing Protocol, which supports retrieval of all of the feed entries in a collection at once. The modified version results in shorter retrieval times for feed entries, requires fewer connections to the Atom Server for each consumer, and supports larger numbers of concurrent consumers.
Technoeconomic analysis of five microalgae-to-biofuels processes of varying complexity

The economics surrounding five algae-to-fuels process scenarios were examined. The different processes modeled were as follows: an open pond producing either triacylglycerides (TAG) or free fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), a solar-lit photobioreactor producing either FAME or free fatty acids (FFA), and a light emitting diode irradiated (LED-lighted) photobioreactor producing TAG. These processes were chosen to represent both classical and esoteric approaches presented in the open literature. Viable (or suggested) processing techniques to liberate and purify (and convert) the microalgal triacylglycerides were then modeled to accompany each growth option. The investment and cost per kg of fuel or fuel precursor for each process was determined. The open pond produced TAG at ∼$7.50/kg, while the process using the LED-lit photobioreactor produced TAG at ∼$33/kg. The scenario containing the solar-lit photobioreactor produced FAME at ∼$25/kg, while the open pond produced FAME at ∼$4/kg. The scenario containing the solar-lit photobioreactor produced FFA at ∼$29/kg. The open pond scenarios appear to be closest to the $1/kg pricepoint at this time, and thus are the most viable economic options. Future technological advancements that reduce the cost of bioreactor vessels, LED lighting, and solvent recovery, may reduce the oil production costs of these scenarios to a more attractive level.
How to color in a coloring book

Children's coloring books contain line drawings which a child can fill in with a crayon to produce colored pictures. Two dimensional colored areas can be produced on a raster display by an analogous method. After drawing a closed curve with line drawing commands, the graphics system can fill the area bordered by the curve. This paper presents an algorithm for filling in areas of any size or shape. The area may be filled with any color, texture, or “wallpaper” pattern. The algorithm is simple, flexible and efficient, optimized to take advantage of the the memory organization of most current raster graphics systems.
Interiorizing Islam: Religious Experience and State Oversight in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Recent work in religious studies has turned from a long-standing focus on interior expressions of religion to emphasize instead embodied worship and the materiality of religious expression. Yet, for all the worthwhile critique of experience as a theoretical category, in practice various communities have taken up the language of experience as a central term for their own traditions. Scholars of religion have traced the cross-pollination of modern Hindu and Buddhist traditions with the language of “experience”; however, this question has received little attention in the study of Islam. This article addresses that lacuna. Muslim writings on Islam, specifically within the Islamic Republic of Iran, demonstrate a clear engagement with “religious experience.” The Muslim writers discussed here, major figures of the Iranian reformist movement of the 1990s and 2000s, attempt to craft an arena of religiosity untouchable by state law and the Islamic Republic’s governance of religious action. The tired ones have all departed. Shut the house’s door. Laugh together at those tired people. Come to the Ascension (miʿrāj) since you are the Prophet’s people. Kiss the Moon’s cheek since you stand on heights of splendor.
Data Reconciliation and Dynamic Modeling of a Sour Water Gas Shift Reactor

Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plants with CO2 capture have strong potential in the future carbon-constrained world. In these plants, the CO2 and COS content of the syngas at the inlet of the acid gas removal process should be within certain limits in order to satisfy the environmental limits on sulfur and CO2 emissions. To satisfy these constraints, the syngas from the gasification process is passed through water gas shift reactor(s). A premium is placed on sulfur-tolerant catalysts since the syngas may contain COS and H2S. In comparison to the sweet-shift process, the sour-shift process results in higher overall efficiency because of the higher temperature of the feed syngas and requirement of less additional steam for the shift reactions. The optimal operating conditions and the dimensions of the sour shift reactors can be obtained by considering the effect of a number of key variables. With this motivation, a 1-D mathematical model of a sour water gas shift (WGS) reactor has been develo...
Cancer detection and therapy; affinity of neoplastic, embryonic, and traumatized tissues for porphyrins and metalloporphyrins.

Summary and ConclusionsThese experiments show that all porphyrins tested accumulate in neoplastic (induced and transplanted sarcomas, spontaneous and transplanted mammary carcinomas), embryonic and regenerating tissues. Introduction of a metal (zinc) into the porphyrin molecule did not destroy the tendency of the porphyrin to concentrate in tumors. The tendency of injected porphyrins and metalloporphyrins to accumulate in lymph nodes may limit the therapeutic usefulness of these compounds in all neoplastic diseases except lymphatic leukemias. The possibility of using small doses of radioactive metalloporphyrins for detecting deep cancer is being investigated.