cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cdc28-Dependent Regulation of the Cdc5/Polo Kinase

Polo kinase is activated as cells enter mitosis and plays a central role in coordinating diverse mitotic events, yet the mechanisms leading to activation of Polo kinase are poorly understood . Work in Xenopus meiotic cell cycles has suggested that Polo kinase functions in a pathway that helps trigger activation of Cdk1 . However, studies in other organisms have suggested that activation of Polo kinase is dependent upon Cdk1 and therefore occurs downstream of Cdk1 activation . In this study, we have investigated the role of Cdk1 in the activation of budding yeast Polo kinase. The budding yeast homologs of Cdk1 and Polo kinase are referred to as Cdc28 and Cdc5. We show that signaling from Cdc28 is required to maintain Cdc5 activity in vivo. Furthermore, purified Cdc28 associated with the mitotic cyclin Clb2 is sufficient to activate purified Cdc5 in vitro. A single Cdc28 consensus phosphorylation site found at threonine 242 in the activation loop segment of Cdc5 is required for Cdc5 function in vivo and for kinase activity in vitro, whereas four other Cdc28 consensus sites are dispensable. Analysis of Cdc5 phosphorylation by mass spectrometry indicates that threonine 242 is phosphorylated in vivo. These results suggest that Cdc28 activates Cdc5 via phosphorylation of threonine 242.
Nanowires: bringing order to twin-plane defects.

Two independent groups have demonstrated an unprecedented degree of control over the crystal structure and defect distribution in semiconductor nanowires
Immunochemical and biochemical characterization of a glioma-associated extracellular matrix glycoprotein.

A novel human glioma-associated extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein has been identified by murine monoclonal antibody 81C6. The glycoprotein, designated GMEM, is expressed in the ECM of glioma and mesenchymal cell cultures, in the perivascular matrix of endothelial proliferations of human gliomas, and in the stroma of human glioma xenografts in athyrnic mice, where it has been used as a target antigen for monoclonal antibody tumor localization and radioimaging. We report here on the immunochemical and biochemical characterization of GMEM. Polyacrylamide gel analysis of immunoprecipitated [3H]-leucine- and [3H]-glucosamine-labeled ECM from the human glioma cell line U-251MG has shown that GMEM is a high-molecular-weight macromolecule (Mr ∼ 1,000,000) composed of Mr ∼ 230,000 disulfide-bonded glycoprotein subunits. Immunoprecipitation, immunoblot, and one-dimensional peptide map analysis have shown that GMEM is distinct from human fibroblast and plasma fibronectin. These results support previous immunohistology and absorption analysis findings, indicating that GMEM is distinct from fibronectin, laminin, and glycosaminoglycans secreted by U-251MG.
Effect of Nominal Strain-Rates on the Initiation and Growth of Adiabatic Shear Bands in Steels

A Brief Note is a short paper that presents a specific solution of technical interest in mechanics but which does not necessarily contain new general methods or results. A Brief Note should not exceed 1500 words or equivalent (a typical one-column figure or table is equivalent to 250 words; a one line equation to 30 words). Brief Notes will be subject to the usual review procedures prior to publication. After approval such Notes will be published as soon as possible. The Notes should be submitted to the Technical Editor of the JOURNAL OF APPLIED MECHANICS. Discussions on the Brief Notes should be addressed to the Editorial Department, ASME, United Engineering Center, 345 East 47th Street, New York, N. Y. 10017, or to the Technical Editor of the JOURNAL OF APPLIED MECHANICS. Discussions on Brief Notes appearing in this issue will be accepted until two months after publication. Readers who need more time to prepare a Discussion should request an extension of the deadline from the Editorial Department.
Interaction of a two-transmembrane-helix peptide with lipid bilayers and dodecyl sulfate micelles

Abstract To probe structural changes that occur when a membrane protein is transferred from lipid bilayers to SDS micelles, a fragment of bacteriorhodopsin containing transmembrane helical segments A and B was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and stopped flow kinetics. In lipid bilayers, Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) was observed between tyrosine 57 on helix B and tryptophans 10 and 12 on helix A. FRET efficiency decreased substantially when the peptide was transferred to SDS. MD simulation showed no evidence for significant disruption of helix–helix interactions in SDS micelles. However, a cluster of water molecules was observed to form a hydrogen-bonded network with the phenolic hydroxyl group of tyrosine 57, which probably causes the disappearance of tyrosine-to-tryptophan FRET in SDS. The tryptophan quantum yield decreased in SDS, and the change occurred at nearly the same rate as membrane solubilization. The results provide a clear example of the importance of corroborating distance changes inferred from FRET by using complementary methods.
The influence of glucocorticoids on the growth of a human leiomyosarcoma cell line SK-LMS-1

A cell line derived from a human leiomyosarcoma, SK-LMS-I, has cystolic [Bmax 201.6 +/- 39.7, means +/- SD, fm/mg cytosol protein KD 14.6 +/- 7.8 nM (n = 8)] and nuclear [Bmax 189.2 +/- 87.3 fM/mg DNA, KD 4.8 +/- 0.26 nM (n = 5)] glucocorticoid receptor, by Scatchard analysis of tumors grown in male athymic mice. Tumor growth of SK-LMS-I cells in male athymic mice is inhibited by daily s.c. injection of DEX 5 micrograms, DEX 25 micrograms, DEX 5 micrograms with 5 mu RU-486 and 5 micrograms RU-486. In sharp contrast, in vitro, glucocorticoid markedly stimulates the growth (as determined by cell number) of SK-LMS-I cells, principally at higher cell densities (days 10-21 of growth carried on over a 21- to 23-day period), the greatest stimulation being seen with DEX 10(-6) to 10(-8) M, and no stimulation being seen with DEX 10(-9) and 10(-10) M. In vitro, glucocorticoids with higher affinity for the GR stimulate growth, steroids with lower affinity inhibit growth. No alterations in cell-cycle distribution (percent G0/G1, S, or G2/m) could be found by flow cytometric analysis of glucocorticoid-stimulated asynchronously growing cultures. Single, isolated, untreated SK-LMS-I cells form colonies in soft agar with an efficiency of 1.78 +/- 0.10%. Pre-treatment of cells with DEX 10(-7) M increases this to 3.24 +/- 0.17%, while cells pre-treated with both DEX 10(-7) M RU-486 10(7) M form colonies with the same efficiency as untreated cells. Glucocorticoids have inhibitory effects on in vivo growth and stimulatory effects on in vitro growth of a GR-positive human leiomyosarcoma cell line.
Intramolecular charge transfer in pyridinium-substituted Ru-polypyridine complexes

A comparative photophysical study has been carried out on the complexes (bpy) 2 Ru(MQ + ) 2 4+ and (bpy) 2 Ru(bpy-py-Me + ) 3+ ( 1 and 2 , respectively, where bpy=2,2′-bipyridine, MQ + is N -methyl-4,4′-bipyridinium and bpy-py-Me + is 4-( N -methyl-4-pyridyl)-2,2′-bipyridine). In addition, the X-ray crystal structure of 2 is reported. As noted previously by Meyer and co-workers, complex 1 features strong photoluminescence from the Ru→bpy metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) state at 80 K in an ethanol–methanol glass, but the emission is quenched at the solvent glass-to-fluid transition temperature due to intramolecular ligand-to-ligand charge transfer to produce the Ru→MQ + MLCT state: [(bpy)(bpy − )Ru(III)(MQ + ) 2 ] 4+ *→[(bpy) 2 Ru(III)(MQ )(MQ + )] 4+ *. The existence of the Ru→MQ + MLCT state is confirmed in the present study by laser flash photolysis of 1 at 160 K which provides evidence for the reduced monoquat ligand, MQ . The photophysics of the new complex 2 at temperatures ranging from 80 to 300 K is dominated by a the low-lying Ru→bpy-py-Me + MLCT state. Luminescence is observed from this state in an ethanol–methanol glass at 80 K as well as at temperatures above the solvent glass-to-fluid transition. The photoluminescence of 2 undergoes a large thermally-induced Stokes shift as the temperature is raised through the solvent glass-to-fluid transition region. The large Stokes shift is ascribed to solvent relaxation as well as relaxation with respect to a low-frequency inner sphere mode that consists of rotation around the CC bond between the bpy and N -methylpyridinium rings in the bpy-py-Me + acceptor ligand. Temperature dependent emission lifetime studies indicate that 2 features a dynamic anti-Stokes shift in the emission at T ≤110 K and a dynamic Stokes shift for T >110 K.
The New York Times as a resource for Mode 2

The New York Times (NYT) receives more citations from academic journals than the American Sociological Review, Research Policy, or the Harvard Law Review. This article explores the reasons why scho...
How to Measure Specific Heat Using Event-by-Event Average $p_T$ Fluctuations.

A simple way to visualize event-by-event average pT fluctuations is by assuming that each collision has a diffe- rent temperature parameter (inverse pT slope) and that the ensemble of events has a temperature distribution about the mean, 〈T〉, with standard deviation σ T. PHENIX characterizes the non-random fluctuation of MpT , the event-by-event average pT, by FpT , the fractional difference of the standard deviation of the data from that of a random sample obtained with mixed events. This can be related to the temperature fluctuation: FpT = σ M d p a T /σ M r p T ndom - 1 ~ − (〈n〉 − 1)σ T 2 /〈T〉 2 . Combining this with the Gavai et al. (5) and Korus et al. (6) definitions of the specific heat per particle, a simple relationship is obtained: cv/T 3 = (〈n〉/〈Ntot〉)⋅(1/FpT ). FpT is measured with a fraction 〈η〉/〈Ntot〉 of the total particles produced, a purely geometrical factor representing the fractional acceptance, ~1/33 in PHENIX. Gavai et al. (5) predict that cv/T 3 = 15, which corresponds to FpT ~ 0.20% in PHENIX, which may be accessible by measurements of MpT in the range 0.2 ≤ pT ≤ 0.6 GeV/c. In order to test the Gavai et al. prediction that cv/T 3 is reduced in a QGP compared to the ideal gas value (15 compared to 21), precision measurements of FpT in the range 0.20% for 0.2 ≤ pT ≤ 0.6 GeV/c may be practical.
Paraconductivity and upper critical field in inhomogeneous amorphous superconductors

Correlation between enhanced paraconductivity ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ near the superconducting transition temperature ${T}_{c0}$ and enhanced upper critical field ${H}_{c2}$ at low temperature is observed in bulk amorphous superconductors. It is pointed out that the presence of inhomogeneities is responsible for this observation. Phase inhomogeneity causes ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ to diverge as ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{5}{2}}$ near ${T}_{c0}$ where $\ensuremath{\epsilon}=\frac{(T\ensuremath{-}{T}_{c0})}{{T}_{c0}}$; while statistical fluctuation in alloy composition yields the usual result ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\propto}{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{2}}$. Various models of enhanced ${H}_{c2}$ are discussed. Comparison with new data on both homogeneous and inhomogeneous amorphous ${\mathrm{Zr}}_{3}$Pd samples is made.
Prostate-specific antigen and hormone receptor expression in male and female breast carcinoma

Background Prostate carcinoma is among the most common solid tumors to secondarily involve the male breast. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostate-specific acid phosphatase (PSAP) are expressed in benign and malignant prostatic tissue, and immunohistochemical staining for these markers is often used to confirm the prostatic origin of metastatic carcinoma. PSA expression has been reported in male and female breast carcinoma and in gynecomastia, raising concerns about the utility of PSA for differentiating prostate carcinoma metastasis to the male breast from primary breast carcinoma. This study examined the frequency of PSA, PSAP, and hormone receptor expression in male breast carcinoma (MBC), female breast carcinoma (FBC), and gynecomastia.
Empathic Accuracy and Adolescent Romantic Relationships.

Although theoretical insights suggest that empathic accuracy should emerge to play a role in adolescents' romantic relationships, the nature of any such role remains unknown. The current study examined whether empathic accuracy: (1) was developmentally based, (2) differed across gender, and (3) was associated with adolescents' satisfaction with their romantic relationships. Participants were 204 male-female couples who ranged between 14 and 21 years of age and had been dating between 4 weeks and 5 years. On average, both male and female adolescents showed high levels of empathic accuracy that were positively associated with their own and their partners' relationship satisfaction. However, the direction of the associations that emerged, and gender differences in them, depended in part on the type of information being perceived. For instance, while both males' and females' accuracy for discomfort and conflict were positively associated with partners' satisfaction, males'-but not females'-accuracy for connection was negatively associated with their satisfaction, and females'-but not males'-accuracy for persuasion was positively associated with partners' satisfaction. Empathic accuracy was not significantly associated with age or relationship length. Taken together, these results reveal that a complete picture of empathic accuracy requires research on perceptions of various types of information.
Food Import Demand in the Czech Republic

Author(s): Janda, Karel; Rausser, Gordon C.; McCluskey, Jill | Abstract: This paper provides an overview of Czech food import demand in the transition period of the 90's. It also provides econometrical estimates of own- and cross-price elasticities and group expenditure elasticities of Czech import demand for a number of foods. Based on the Hausman test for endogeneity, which supports the hypothesis that Czech import prices were exogenously determined outside of the Czech economy, we estimated five demand models as direct-demand systems of the AIDS type. The econometric estimation of elasticities was based on bimonthly data from March 1993 to August 1997.
An explanation for the decrease in cell lysis in a rotating tube with increasing ultrasound intensity.

Previous observations indicate that for in vitro mammalian cells insonated in a rotating test tube the amount of cell lysis initially increases to some maximum and then decreases with further increase in ultrasound exposure. The results of the present investigation support the postulate that the reduction in cell lysis with increase in ultrasound intensity is related to the development of an ultrasonically induced “cloud” of bubbles in the fluid between the transducer and test tube; these bubbles mitigate against acoustic transmission thus reducing cell lysis in the insonated test tube.
Generation Three of the Happy Family and the Pariahs

We now sketch the discoveries and constructions of the remaining fourteen sporadic simple groups, and make some comments on their properties.
Large-scale in silico mapping of complex quantitative traits in inbred mice.

Understanding the genetic basis of common disease and disease-related quantitative traits will aid in the development of diagnostics and therapeutics. The processs of gene discovery can be sped up by rapid and effective integration of well-defined mouse genome and phenome data resources. We describe here an in silico gene-discovery strategy through genome-wide association (GWA) scans in inbred mice with a wide range of genetic variation. We identified 937 quantitative trait loci (QTLs) from a survey of 173 mouse phenotypes, which include models of human disease (atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, cancer and obesity) as well as behavioral, hematological, immunological, metabolic, and neurological traits. 67% of QTLs were refined into genomic regions <0.5 Mb with ∼40-fold increase in mapping precision as compared with classical linkage analysis. This makes for more efficient identification of the genes that underlie disease. We have identified two QTL genes, Adam12 and Cdh2, as causal genetic variants for atherogenic diet-induced obesity. Our findings demonstrate that GWA analysis in mice has the potential to resolve multiple tightly linked QTLs and achieve single-gene resolution. These high-resolution QTL data can serve as a primary resource for positional cloning and gene identification in the research community.
Strengthening support mechanisms for Accredited Social Health Activists in order to improve home-based newborn care in Uttar Pradesh, India

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) are female frontline health workers that provide critical antenatal and postnatal support to mothers and newborns for over five million deliveries in Uttar Pradesh every year. Performance reviews of ASHAs showed that even after initial training, the quality and the numbers of home visits made by ASHA were inadequate. ASHAs lacked interpersonal communication and counseling skills to effectively negotiate behavior change for home-based newborn care. The health system lacked mechanisms for continued learning and periodic upgrading of their skills and knowledge. Post-training, ASHAs were not being adequately supervised.
Linear Approximation to ADMM for MAP inference

Maximum a posteriori (MAP) inference is one of the fundamental inference tasks in graphical models. MAP inference is in general NP-hard, making approximate methods of interest for many problems. One successful class of approximate inference algorithms is based on linear programming (LP) relaxations. The augmented Lagrangian method can be used to overcome a lack of strict convexity in LP relaxations, and the Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) provides an elegant algorithm for finding the saddle point of the augmented Lagrangian. Here we present an ADMM-based algorithm to solve the primal form of the MAPLP whose closed form updates are based on a linear approximation technique. Our technique gives efficient, closed form updates that converge to the global optimum of the LP relaxation. We compare our algorithm to two existing ADMM-based MAP-LP methods, showing that our technique is faster on general, non-binary or non-pairwise models.
L-Tyrosine, L-DOPA, and Tyrosinase as Positive Regulators of the Subcellular Apparatus of Melanogenesis in Bomirski Ab Amelanotic Melanoma Cells

In cultured cells of the Bomirski Ab amelanotic hamster melanoma line, the substrates of tyrosinase, L-tyrosine, and L-DOPA induce the melanogenic pathway. In this report, we demonstrate that these substrates regulate the subcellular apparatus involved in their own metabolism and that this regulation is under the dynamic control of one of the components of this apparatus, tyrosinase, via tyrosine hydroxylase activity. Culturing cells with nontoxic but melanogenically inhibitory levels of phenylthiourea (PTU; 100 microM) strongly inhibits induction of both the tyrosine hydroxylase and DOPA oxidase activities of tyrosinase by L-tyrosine (200 microM) but has no effect on the induction of either activity by L-DOPA (50 microM). De novo synthesis of premelanosomes precedes the onset of tyrosine-induced melanogenesis. Thereafter, increases in the population of melanosomes (likewise inhibited by PTU) correlate positively with increases in tyrosinase activity induced by L-tyrosine. Melanogenesis induced by L-DOPA in the absence of L-tyrosine is rate-limited not by tyrosinase but by inadequate melanosome synthesis. Our findings indicate that in Bomirski Ab amelanotic hamster melanoma cells the synthesis of the subcellular apparatus of melanogenesis is initiated by L-tyrosine and is regulated further by tyrosinase and L-DOPA, which serves as a second messenger subsequent to tyrosine hydroxylase activity.
Determination of Fetal, Placental and Neonatal Blood Volumes in the Sheep

A sheep preparation was developed for studying fetoplacental and neonatal blood volumes using isotope dilution techniques. Fetoplacental blood volume was measured in 46 fetal lambs (gestational age 112 to 146 days) using radioactive iodinated human serum albumin (125I-RISA). In 28 of the 46 animals, blood volume was also computed using 125I-RISA and maternal red cells labeled with radiochromium (51Cr). Blood volume averaged 156.1 ml/kg of fetal weight with the single-label method and 134.7 ml/kg with the double-label method. Blood volumes measured in 17 neonatal lambs with the single-label technique averaged 110.0 ml/kg, and with the double-label technique in 10 animals averaged 104.0 ml/kg. Placental blood volume, determined by subtracting the neonatal blood volume from the fetoplacental blood volume, although varying from animal to animal, was independent of fetal weight and remained relatively constant during the last fourth of gestation.
In-Flight Performance of the Mars Science Laboratory Spacecraft Cruise Phase Thermal Control Systems

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission will land a robotic rover on the surface of Mars for a two-year exploration mission. During the deep space transit from Earth to Mars, the rover will reside in a compact and static mechanical assembly stack called the Cruise phase configuration. While the majority of the Mars entry, descent, landing and surface-specific hardware subsystems are dormant during the nine-month transit from Earth to Mars, all of the spacecraft’s thermal control systems are utilized to maintain hardware within allowable temperature limits. Of these systems, a mechanically-pumped fluid loop runs throughout each of the main spacecraft stages and is used to both reject spacecraft waste heat loads and provide survival heating to components. A second fluid loop located within the rover is used to thermally control the surface avionics and science instrument suite. Additionally, a large number of electrical film heaters are employed throughout the spacecraft to provide survival heating to individual spacecraft components. This paper presents a description of the various MSL cruise phase thermal control systems and reviews their in-flight performance over the first six months of the mission.
Electrophysiological and histological studies of laser and suture anastomosis in rat sciatic nerve

In order to compare the effects of the two repair techniques, a controlled study was devised in which the right sciatic nerve of Sprague-Dawley rats was surgically cut and reanastomosed by means of either four epineurial sutures or two epineurial sutures and CO/sub 2/ laser welds. After a mean of 11 months, both sciatic nerves were excised. The conduction velocities recorded for suture- and laser-assist-repaired nerves were not found to be significantly different. However, laser-repaired nerves exhibited lower conduction failure rates and lower stimulation thresholds than nerves with conventional suture repair. No apparent difference in the diameter of myelinated fibers distal to the anastomosis in either of the two repair categories was observed. Sutured nerves exhibited greater branching of myelinated axons proximal to the anastomosis and at the same time permitted fewer axons through the anastomosis as compared to laser-repaired nerves. It is suggested that this could explained the greater incidence of neuroma formation in sutured nerves as well as the diminished conduction. >
Proposal for a New Tool to Evaluate Drug Interaction Cases

The assessment of causation for a potential drug interaction requires thoughtful consideration of the properties of both the object and precipitant drugs, patient-specific factors, and the possible contribution of other drugs that the patient may be taking. The Naranjo nomogram was designed to evaluate single-drug adverse events, not drug-drug interactions. Several of the questions on the Naranjo nomogram do not apply to potential drug-drug interactions, while others do not specify object or precipitant drug. Nevertheless, it has been inappropriately used to evaluate drug-drug interactions. The Drug Interaction Probability Scale (DIPS) was developed to provide a guide to evaluating drug interaction causation in a specific patient. It is intended to be used to assist practitioners in the assessment of drug interaction-induced adverse outcomes. The DIPS uses a series of questions relating to the potential drug interaction to estimate a probability score. An accurate assessment using the DIPS requires knowledge of the pharmacologic properties of both the object and precipitant drugs. Inadequate knowledge of either the drugs involved or the basic mechanisms of interaction will be a limitation for some users. The DIPS can also serve as a guide in the preparation of articles describing case reports of drug interactions, as well as in the evaluation of published case reports.
Action of angiotensin II upon renal vascular resistance

The effects of angiotensin II, vasopressin, l-norepinephrine, and elevated perfusion pressure were investigated on the peripheral resistance of the vascular beds in isolated rabbit kidneys in which the rate of flow was controlled by a Sigmamotor pump. Angiotensin II produced marked rhythmic fluctuations in perfusion pressure, having a mean amplitude of 52 mm. H 2 O ( n = 124); and when flow was decreased so that perfusion pressure was equal to control levels, the mean amplitude of rhythmic fluctuations was still 40 mm. H 2 O. This effect of angiotensin II appeared to be affected by both age and sex with peak activity occurring at 2 to 4 months of age and the kidneys from female rabbits being significantly more responsive than those of male rabbits. Vasopressin also significantly increased the amplitude of the rhythmic fluctuations in perfusion pressure but to a much lesser degree than angiotensin II. The effect of l-norepinephrine was not significantly different from that induced by simple elevation of perfusion pressure. These data suggest that angiotensin II may exert a direct effect upon renal vascular smooth muscle of the “single-unit” type by increasing the number of spontaneous, local depolarizations through an increased influx of Ca 2+ into the muscle cells. Such an action might also involve angiotensin II in the autoregulation of renal blood flow.
Extensional flow behavior of polymer solutions and particle suspensions in a spinning motion

Mechanical spinning of fluid filaments was used to generate an extensional flow, in which rheological measurements were obtained for a Newtonian fluid, two aqueous polymer solutions, and two fluid suspensions of rod-shaped particles. The tensile stress was determined by measuring the tensile force of the fluid filament while the kinematics were determined from photo- graphic measurement of the filament profile and the assumption of a flat velocity profile. The measured tensile stresses for the Newtonian fluid matched predicted stresses, thereby confirming the validity of the experimental technique. The spinning behavior of each polymer solution could be correlated as stress versus extension rate. The apparent "spinning viscosity" increased with increasing rate of extension, in contrast to shear-thinning behavior in viscometric flow. For the fluid suspensions, the presence of rod-shaped particles increased the apparent viscosity far more in extensional flow than in shear. Tensile stresses calculated from a theoretical formula for suspensions proposed by Batchelor agreed rather well with experiment. Some general criteria for the interpretation of the spinning experiment are proposed, and some microrheological implications of the present findings are discussed.
Is a consensus possible on stem cell research? Moral and political obstacles

Neither of the two central moral and political obstacles to human embryonic stem cell research survives critical scrutiny
Ageing and Attitudes about Sexual Morality

Available evidence does not support the notion that aging is associated with increasingly conservative social and political attitudes, or the idea that attitudinal rigidity is the norm among older cohorts. To examine whether aging is associated with attitudinal rigidity, nine surveys from the National Opinion Research Center were analyzed to determine whether older cohorts have kept pace with or lagged behind younger cohorts on the issue of sexual morality. Mean score trends were traced over a 10-year span and the direction of attitude change was determined for five cohorts. Scores were adjusted for possible compositional effects due to educational attainment and sex, and examined for inter-cohort and intra-cohort differences. Results of the analysis of the premarital sexual relations item indicated that liberal, tolerant, or permissive attitudes were more prevalent among the younger cohorts than among the older cohorts, but there were no indications that the older cohorts had become more conservative over the period encompassed by the surveys. Equally stable patterns were characteristic of the younger cohorts. Analyses of the extramarital sexual relations and homosexual relations items revealed the same pattern. Attitudinal Agidity appears'to be no more characteristic of older persons than of younger persons. (LLL) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** AGING AND ATTITUDES ABOUT SEXUAL MORALITY STEPHEN J. CUTLER The University of Vermont Department of Sociology 31 South Prospect Street Burlington, VT 05405 U.S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION IDUCA IIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION MICR IERICI XIles document lids been reproduced 88 WI MVP(' Irum the person or omanitation ongitwIrtiti Wm/ rJbanws haw? been made to improve tpprodiuttho) qualdv points ut view (a ()flacons stated in this docu Merit (JO lint rief e%Siitliy represent official ME posotoowmhor "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)," AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is an expanded version of a paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, San Antonio, Texas, November 20, 1984. ACING AND ATTITUDES ABOUT SEXUAL MORALITY
What Is the Role of Housing Policy? Considering Choice and Social Science Evidence

“ … autonomy should refer instead to decisions reached with a full and vivid awareness of available opportunities, with reference to all relevant information and without illegitimate or excessive c...
Viscoelastic melt behavior of poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide), high‐impact polystyrene, and a 35–65 blend

The viscoelastic melt behavior of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO1 resin), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), and a 35–65 blend of these polymers has been characterized by measuring the steady shear viscosity and primary normal stress difference and the dynamic storage and loss moduli as functions of shear rate or frequency and temperature. Time–temperature superpositioning was used to generate master curves of each type of data for a reference temperature of 260°C. This procedure required five different empirical shift factors for each material. These shift factors show large differences between PPO resin and HIPS and exhibited large deviations from the WLF equation with universal constants. This result suggests that the temperature dependence of the relaxation processes in PPO resin is significantly different from the temperature dependence of HIPS relaxations. Flow activation energies computed from the viscosity data for PPO resin are much higher and more shear sensitive than those calculated for HIPS. The computed relaxation spectra clearly display the effect of long-time relaxation mechanisms associated with PPO molecules when compared to HIPS. The 35–65 blend exhibits general rheological compatibility with material parameters and responses intermediate between PPO resin and HIPS. This result is indicative of a high degree of segmental mixing for the two components in the blend.
Localizing in unstructured environments: dealing with the errors

A robot navigating in an unstructured outdoor environment must determine its own location in spite of problems due to environmental conditions, sensor limitations and map inaccuracies, exact measurements are seldom known, and the combination of approximate measures can lead to large errors in self-localization. The conventional approach to this problem has been to deal with the errors either during processing or after they occur. The authors maintain that it is possible to limit the errors before they occur. The authors analyze how measurement errors affect errors in localization and propose that a simple algorithm can be used to exploit the geometric properties of landmarks in the environment in order to decrease errors in localization. The authors' goal is to choose landmarks that will provide the best localization regardless of measurement error, determine the best areas in which to identify new landmarks to be used for further localization and choose paths that will provide the least chance of "straying". The authors show the result of implementing this concept in experiments run in simulation with USGS 30 m DEM data for a robot statically locating, following a path and identifying new landmarks. >
Core losses in motor laminations exposed to high frequency or nonsinusoidal excitation

This paper first reviews three internationally standardized core loss measurement methods: Epstein frame, toroids and single sheet testers. A comparison of the Epstein frame and toroid test results is presented for annealed and unannealed steel. Two methods are used to predict core losses under nonsinusoidal supplies. The first method uses the Fourier series and an improved loss separation algorithm to predict core losses under equivalent brushless DC motor flux waveform with known spectrum. For lower harmonics, superposition yielded results close to the measured values. The second method uses the form factor concept and an improved loss separation algorithm to predict core loss. The combination of the improved loss separation algorithm and the form factor concept was found to yield results close to the measured losses under high frequency supplies, such as pulse width modulated waveforms. An Epstein frame with commercial 0.0140-inch electrical steel was used for direct core loss measurements; the methods and test bench used are detailed in the paper, along with test results.
Amorphous Hydrogenated Carbon Nanofilm

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) nanofilm is a metastable form of amorphous carbon with significant sp3 bonding. a-C:H is a semiconductor with a high mechanical hardness, chemical inertness, and optical transparency. This chapter will describe the deposition methods, deposition mechanisms, characterization methods, electronic structure, gap states, defects, doping, luminescence, field emission, mechanical properties, and some applications of a-C:H. The films have widespread applications as protective coatings in areas such as magnetic storage disks, optical windows, and micro-electromechanical devices (MEMs).
The Financial Benefits of an Effective Hospitalwide Quality Assurance/Utilization Management Program

This article describes the organizational structure and functions of the quality assurance/utilization management (QA/UM) department at The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore), which has developed a proactive QA/UM program for identifying opportunities to control inappropriate inpatient admissions, shorten a patient's length of stay, monitor the use of ancillary services, and improve physician documentation in patient medical records. In addition, the QA/UM department has developed and implemented an aggressive third-party appeal mechanism to ensure that the institution has an effective UM program. The QA/UM department annually recovers more than 3 million dollars for the hospital by aggressively appealing third-party payer denials. Specific chart-review variables are outlined.
Evaluation of Renal Allograft Dysfunction

Measuring renal function to monitor the status of a kidney allograft dates back to the earliest days of transplantation. Although numerous other techniques (including direct measurement of glomerular filtration rate [GFR], immunologic monitoring of blood or urine, gene expression, and surveillance biopsy) have been advanced as more accurate alternatives to detect allograft injury, serial measurement of serum creatinine levels remains the standard for assessing graft integrity. Each transplant center may have its own protocol for monitoring changes in renal function; Table offers a sample schedule that originated as part of a clinical guideline. Appropriate monitoring of allograft function also includes serial determination of urinary protein excretion.
Abstract B41: The angiotensin receptor blocker telmisartan inhibits the growth of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and improves survival

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal forms of cancer with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. PDAC is highly resistant to chemotherapy, which impels search for novel approaches for treatment. Our group has previously shown in PDAC models that the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) blocker losartan decreases desmoplasia and solid stress, which enhances blood flow, and improves the delivery and effectiveness of cytotoxic agents (Chauhan et al, Nature Comm 2013). In contrast to losartan, which had no effects on the growth of primary PDAC, we recently found that the AT1R blocker telmisartan significantly reduces the growth of PDAC. In addition to inhibiting AT1R activity telmisartan is also a partial agonist of Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor γ (PPARγ). We determined in a panel of PDAC cell lines the effects of telmisartan on cellular viability. Our findings suggest that the sensitivity to telmisartan treatment correlates with low steady-state expression of PPARγ and a mesenchymal morphology. Furthermore, telmisartan induced a transcriptional profile distinct from the response to the direct PPARγ agonist pioglitazone. In support of our correlative results, the genetic knockdown of PPARγ increased the sensitivity to telmisartan and stimulated epithelial to mesenchymal transition (e.g. decreased expression of E-cadherin, increased expression of the mesenchymal markers Snail and N-cadherin). We also tested the effects of telmisartan in orthotopically implanted and genetically engineered mouse models of PDAC. Telmisartan inhibited the growth of primary tumors, decreased the incidence of metastasis and improved mice survival. In summary, our findings show that telmisartan reduces the viability of PDAC cells with a mesenchymal morphology and low expression of PPARγ, inhibits PDAC growth and improves the survival of mice. Citation Format: Jelena Grahovac, Shiwei Han, Hao Liu, Rakesh Jain, Yves Boucher.{Authors}. The angiotensin receptor blocker telmisartan inhibits the growth of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and improves survival. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Advances in Science and Clinical Care; 2016 May 12-15; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(24 Suppl):Abstract nr B41.
Limited Public Healthcare Coverage as Binding Child Welfare Constraint: a Perspective of Selected Southern States in the USA

Healthcare coverage and child well-being have improved nationally as a result of public healthcare and welfare policies along with various outreach efforts across the USA. However, some southern states continue to register higher numbers of uninsured children and lower scores on child well-being index. This article operationalizes limited public healthcare coverage as medical neglect in child welfare context and reflects on the potential link between adequate healthcare coverage and child welfare in selected southern states. A review and synthesis of secondary data obtained from the Kaiser Commission Research, Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) National Health Interview Survey Data, Child Welfare Gateway, and Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count data book are presented. The data shows that improvement in healthcare coverage and outreach efforts does not correlate to the lower child well-being index in some southern states. Recommendations for enhancing children’s healthcare coverage with intended positive outcomes on child welfare variables including physical health, childcare, education, and psychological development are provided.
Highly scalable slotted small antennas

Smaller flexible conformal antennas are being developed for many applications especially for medical applications. The overall antenna thicknesses are thin and cn easily be processed on flexible substrates. Slotted line versions are developed so that they can be more flexible and cover wider frequency ranges. They can also be easily scalable dimensionally. Simple slotted antenna is used a as an example.
A 9-Year-Old Boy with a Red Eye

A 9-year-old boy with no significant past medical history presented to the emergency department with 4 days of swelling just in front of his left ear and 1 week of “pink eye” on the left side. He also had a fever 4 days prior to presentation and was taken to a local emergency department where he was given trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and cephalexin. Given that the eye redness and left-sided facial swelling were not improving, the patient was taken to a different emergency department where he was given one dose of intravenous vancomycin and transferred to our pediatric tertiary care hospital.
Design and Comparison of Advanced Modulation Formats Based on Generalized Mutual Information

Generalized mutual information (GMI) has been comprehensively studied in multidimensional constellation and probabilistic-shaped (PS) constellation together with different forward error correction (FEC) coding schemes. The simulation results confirm that GMI is an efficient and accurate tool to compare their post-FEC performance. In particular for uniformly geometric-shaped constellation, the pre-FEC Q-factor is highly correlated with GMI though the correlation is reduced at lower FEC coding rate. Furthermore, GMI can be used to design optimized constellation together with generalized pairwise optimization algorithm to mitigate the GMI loss in non-Gray-mapped constellation. The GMI-optimized 32QAM (opt32) shows $\sim$ 0.5 dB signal-to-noise ratio improvement between 3 and 4 b/s GMI in both simulated and experimental results. Optimized two-dimensional 8 QAM is also designed to show the consistent GMI improvement over multi-dimensional 8 QAM-equivalent formats. In simulations, PS-64 QAM outperforms opt32 when a long sequence block is used in the distribution matcher.
Nonequilibrium Kink Density from One-Dimensional Nucleation for Step Velocity Predictions

Crystal growth rates depend on the density of kink sites along step edges, ρ. The supersaturation-dependence of the kink density, ρ(S), is often ignored despite available nonequilibrium models for centrosymmetric crystals. The aim of this work is to derive ρ(S) from a rather simple one-dimensional nucleation framework in a manner that accounts for multiheight kinks. These become more prevalent at higher S and/or lower kink energies where the step front roughens (i.e., higher ρ). We arrive at a density of kinetic kinks that contribute to the step velocity and make comparisons with other models and simulations. Our model almost entirely eliminates systematic errors in predicted step velocities and crystal growth rates.
Examining the Prospective Relationship between Pre-Disaster Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Post-Disaster Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Children.

Previous studies have examined the concurrent relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a range of psychophysiological variables, including respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). However, there is a lack of research examining the prospective development of trauma symptomatology, and the directionality of the association between RSA level and PTSD has yet to be determined. The current study is the first prospective study to examine whether RSA level and RSA reactivity are risk factors for PTSD symptoms in children. Assessments were conducted both prior to (Time 1) and following (Time 2) a natural disaster (i.e., Hurricane Katrina). Participants were 36 children who were 3–6 years-old during the Time 1 assessment. Structured diagnostic interviews were used to assess PTSD symptoms at both Time 1 and Time 2. RSA level during a neutral stimulus, RSA reactivity to emotional video stimuli (distress, joy, and trauma videos) and RSA reactivity to memory stimuli (remote happy memory, trauma memory, mother’s recall of the trauma memory) were also collected at both time points. Time 1 RSA level during a neutral stimulus was a significant predictor of Time 2 PTSD symptoms (controlling for age, Time 1 PTSD symptoms, Time 2 neutral RSA level), such that lower RSA during a neutral condition was related to higher PTSD symptoms. Also, Time 1 RSA reactivity in response to memory (but not video) stimuli, in the form of relatively less vagal withdrawal, was a significant predictor of more Time 2 PTSD symptoms (controlling for age, Time 1 PTSD symptoms, Time 2 RSA reactivity). This unique prospective study provides evidence for level of RSA and RSA reactivity as pre-existing clinical markers of stress sensitivity that predict psychopathology following a trauma.
Neutrophils modulate the progression of B cell auto-reactivity in systemic lupus erythematosus

The central feature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathogenesis is loss of immunologic self-tolerance. Here, we address a current controversy regarding whether neutrophils influence the development of B cell auto-reactivity SLE. While both human and murine lupus neutrophils produce factors known to fuel adaptive immune dysregulation, including type I interferon, B cell survival factors, and extracellular traps (a putative source of self-antigen), some studies have contended that neutrophils in peripheral lymphoid organs (PLO) suppress B cell activation and differentiation. In order to ask whether neutrophils exert regulatory or deleterious effects on loss of B cell self-tolerance and immune activation, we compare changes in SLE progression following neutrophil depletion in the NZB/W lupus model, either during or after establishment of disease. Following depletion early in disease, we observe pronounced acceleration of proteinuria, anti-dsDNA titers, and germinal center formation. However, neutrophil depletion after onset of overt disease pathology (including proteinuria) does not strongly alter SLE progression, implicating neutrophils as playing a protective role only apparent during disease onset. To elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying neutrophil effects on B cell auto-reactivity, we examine the cytokine profile of neutrophils in direct proximity to B cells in PLO during several stages of disease. With progression of disease, we observe an influx of interferon-alpha-producing neutrophils in direct proximity to B cells in PLO. These data delineate a shifting balance of both regulatory and activating roles for neutrophils in auto-reactive B cell activation/proliferation during SLE progression.