cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Designating Bank SIFIs: An Arbitrary Threshold for Risk

In response to the recent severe financial crisis and the worst recession since the Great Depression, the U.S. Congress enacted and President Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (DFA) in July 2010. An important objective of DFA is to mitigate the threat to financial stability posed by systemically important financial institutions, or SIFIs. Should any of these institutions fail, the entire financial industry would be adversely affected and most likely the broader economy as well. The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) was established by DFA to identify any and all SIFIs, which are then subjected to enhanced prudential supervision by the Federal Reserve Board. Section 165 of DFA, however, requires that bank holding companies (BHCs) with $50 billion or more in consolidated assets must be designated as SIFIs.
Comprehensive molecular tumor profiling in radiation oncology: How it could be used for precision medicine

New technologies enabling the analysis of various molecules, including DNA, RNA, proteins and small metabolites, can aid in understanding the complex molecular processes in cancer cells. In particular, for the use of novel targeted therapeutics, elucidation of the mechanisms leading to cell death or survival is crucial to eliminate tumor resistance and optimize therapeutic efficacy. While some techniques, such as genomic analysis for identifying specific gene mutations or epigenetic testing of promoter methylation, are already in clinical use, other "omics-based" assays are still evolving. Here, we provide an overview of the current status of molecular profiling methods, including promising research strategies, as well as possible challenges, and their emerging role in radiation oncology.
Coverage of Reproductive Technologies Under Employer-Sponsored Health Care Plans

Proceedings of the 2004 Annual Meeting, Association of American Law Schools, Sections on Employee Benefits and Employment Discrimination. Panel includes: Professor Colleen E. Medill; Professor Helen Norton; Eve Gartner, Esq.; and Professor Elizabeth Pendo.
Ultrasonic Disruption of Bacteria and Density-Gradient Centrifugation of the Products

In addition to those mechanical procedures which disrupt cells by grinding them with solid particles, such as sand or small glass beads, the most widely applied is the destruction of cells by ultrasonication.
The Effect of Stock Option Backdating on CEO Risk Taking

Existing compensation literature often assumes that stock options are granted at-the-money (when the option has no value). However, the popularity of stock option backdating implies this assumption is invalid in the real world. This study examines how stock option backdating affects executive risk taking by using the behavioral agency model and the house money effect view. While behavioral agency theory suggests a negative relationship between the gains of stock option backdating and subsequent risk taking, the house money effect advocates a positive relationship between these two factors. In addition, we propose that CEO vulnerability positively moderates the relationship between stock option backdating gains and executives’ risk taking behavior. Using a matched sample design, our empirical results support the house money effect predictions.
Endosulfan, Oxydemetonmethyl, and Endrin in Control of the Green Peach Aphid and Suppression of Leaf Roll in Potatoes in Eastern Washington

Endosulfan, oxydemetonmethyl, and endrin applied in sprays at 1 lb per acre to Russet Burbank potatoes were equally effective in the control of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer). The incidence of leaf roll in growing plants was reduced significantly when spray applications were continued until mid-June. Also 4 applications ending in late June reduced net necrosis in the tubers and chronic leaf roll in stocks replanted the next season. Net necrosis was a less reliable index than chronic leaf roll for determining the effectiveness of insecticides in suppressing leaf roll. Chronic leaf roll developed in 96, 30, and 18% of plants grown from tubers that contained net necrosis, other discolorations, and no discolorations, respectively.
Preclinical Evaluation of AMG 337, a Highly Selective Small Molecule MET Inhibitor, in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Aberrant hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/MET signaling has been implicated in hepatocarcinogenesis, suggesting that MET may serve as an attractive therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma. We sought to investigate the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of AMG 337, a potent and highly selective small molecule MET kinase inhibitor, in preclinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma. The antiproliferative activity of AMG 337 was evaluated across a panel of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines in a viability assay. Daily oral administration was used to evaluate the in vivo antitumor activity of AMG 337 in two patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of hepatocellular carcinoma (LI0612 and LI1078). AMG 337 exerted potent antiproliferative activity against 2 of 40 hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, namely, MHCC97H (IC50, 0.015 μmol/L) and HCCLM3 (IC50, 0.025 μmol/L). Both sensitive cell lines showed MET amplification (MET/CEN-7 >2.0) assessed by FISH, and high MET expression (3+ IHC) assessed by IHC. AMG 337 potently inhibited p-MET in all cell lines with detectable levels of total MET. However, the dose-dependent inhibition of downstream effectors of HGF/MET signaling, including p-GAB1, p-AKT, and p-ERK, was limited to those cell lines sensitive to AMG 337 in a viability assay (MHCC97H and HCCLM3). AMG 337 significantly inhibited tumor growth at all doses tested in the MET-amplified and MET-high-expressing hepatocellular carcinoma PDX model LI0612 and had no effect on tumor growth in the non-MET-amplified and MET-low-expressing hepatocellular carcinoma PDX model LI1078. AMG 337 represents a promising and novel therapeutic strategy for targeting hepatocellular carcinomas with a dependence on HGF/MET signaling. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(6); 1227-37. ©2016 AACR.
Effect of 1-Methyl-2-Mercaptoimidazole (Methimazole-Tapazole On DNA Content of the Chicken Thyroid Gland.∗†:

SummaryMature male fowls were divided into 4 groups of equal TSR. One group served as controls whereas the other 3 groups were injected daily with 0.5 mg tapazole/100 g bw/day for 30, 60 and 90 days. The mean wet thyroid gland weight of the control group was 134.8 mg. After 30 days, the thyroid weight increased 66.8%, after 60 days, the increase was 187.9%, and after 90 days the increased weight was 136.5% above the controls. The determination of the total DNA of each group of thyroid glands indicated the extent of cell multiplication involved and from these data it was possible to estimate the proportion of the weight increase which was due to cell multiplication and the increase due to cell size.After 30 days the cell multiplication accounted for 68% and cell size for 32% of the increase, after 60 days 57% to cell multiplication and 43% to cell size and after 90 days 42% due to cell multiplication and 58% due to cell size.
Activity and Burrow Structure of Attwater's Pocket Gopher (Geomys attwateri)

Activity of Attwater's pocket gopher ( Geomys attwateri ) was monitored by radio-telemetry and related to burrow structure and temperature at the Welder Wildlife Refuge, Texas. In May 1984, radio fixes were taken hourly over a 2-day period on 10 individuals and each position was marked aboveground. After completion of radiotracking, entire burrow systems were excavated and mapped. Architecture of burrow systems did not reflect local variation in total above-ground biomass. Average area covered by the burrow systems was 202 m2, mean total length of burrows in a system was 91 m, and mean minimum distance moved between fixes was 4.3 m with no difference between sexes. Distance moved was less in more convoluted burrow systems and was correlated positively with length of burrow systems. Body mass was not correlated with burrow length or distance between fixes. More than 60% of the fixes were localized in the vicinity of a nest or refuge and neither sex exhibited a diel activity period. There was little daily variation in temperature in the burrow because of insulation by the soil. We conclude that architecture of burrow systems was not adaptive to resource availability, and that burrow size and configuration affected underground movement, but not frequency of activity. The looping burrow structure of G. attwateri contrasts with the linear, branched systems reported for other geomyids and may be an adaptation to low primary production or social interactions in southern Texas.
Cultivating Diversity: The Donor Connection

This paper addresses the importance of documenting the history of traditionally underrepresented communities. It draws upon the author's experiences as director of the African American Women in Iowa Project, a collecting initiative launched by the Iowa Women's Archives at the University of Iowa Libraries and as curator of the Givens Collection of African American Literature, a rare book and manuscript collection housed in the Special Collections and Rare Books department at the University of Minnesota Libraries. The author discusses considerations for launching such documentation projects with a particular focus on cultivating strong relationships with donors of manuscript material. Archivists, regardless of racial, ethnic, or cultural background, need to assess their motives and prospective strategies prior to embarking on such documentation initiatives.
New Insight into the Dietary Cause of Atherosclerosis: Implications for Pharmacology

At present, the guideline approach to the medical treatment and prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is to classify patients by risk and treat the known risk factors (contributory causes), e.g., hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and poor diet, as appropriate. All high-risk patients should receive statins. This approach has had substantial success but ASCVD still remains the number one cause of death in the United States. Until recently, the underlying cause of ASCVD remained unknown, although a potential dietary cause was suggested by the fact that vegetarians, especially vegans, have a much lower incidence of ASCVD than animal flesh eaters. Recently, consistent with the vegetarian data, substantial evidence for a cause of ASCVD in animals and humans has been discovered. Trimethylamine (TMA)-containing dietary compounds in meat, milk, and other animal foods (e.g., lecithin, choline, and carnitine) are converted by closely related gut bacterial TMA lyases to TMA, which is absorbed and converted predominantly by flavin mono-oxygenase 3 to the toxic trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO causes atherosclerosis in animals and is elevated in patients with coronary heart disease. Inhibition of bacterial lyases in mice prevents TMA and secondarily TMAO formation and atherosclerosis, strong evidence for the TMAO hypothesis. At present, the challenge for the pharmaceutical industry is to discover and develop a potent "broad spectrum" bacterial lyase inhibitor that, along with diet and exercise, could, if the TMAO hypothesis is correct, revolutionize the preventive treatment of ASCVD.
The Pathogenicity and Infection Site of Phomopsis longicolla on Soybean Seed

Phomopsis longicolla is the primary cause of Phomopsis seed decay( PSD) in soybean. The pathogen can seriously affect soybean yield and seed quality. The effect of soybean germination and infection site was explored by seed inoculating the pathogen in lab test. The results showed that Phomopsis longicolla significantly reduced seed germination potential and germination rate. The site of infection included seed coat,cotyledon and embryo of soybean. It seriously affects seed vigor.
The Economy of Consumption: The Entropy of Leisure in Pynchon's Vineland

When, "[I]ater than usual one summer morning in 1984 … with a squadron of blue jays stomping around on the roof" (3), Zoyd Wheeler drifts awake, it is to a cacophony of echoes from Kafka's Metamorphosis and the Orwellian state, not to mention Pynchon's own Crying of Lot 49 and Gravity's Rainbow. During the period of most of Vineland's action, from 1945 to 1984, advances in video, audio and broadcasting technology made possible an increasing compression of "history," so that at its most frenetic, yesterday's news can appear repackaged as today's documentary. News programs offering up-to-the- minute or live coverage are one sign of the contemporary fixation on a present given the privileged status of the historical. Side by side with all the live coverage, we have reruns of old TV series, from The Brady Bunch to CHiPs, so that by 1984, there are effectively two timeframes in American society, the live and the rerun, and it is against these that Pynchon foregrounds his story of Zoyd, Prairie, Frenesi and Brock Vond. Video technology provides Pynchon with the perfect analogue to the consumption economy Hannah Arendt described in 1958.
The third component of complement: new functions for an old friend

The present review has evaluated four biologic processes in which the participation of C3 as a primary mediator deserves more extensive investigation. These novel functions of C3 derive in part from the biochemistry ascribable to a thiolester-containing protein and are underscored by its remarkably high concentration in plasma and widespread presence in tissues. Such physiologic characteristics argue that we have only begun to understand the functions of this most versatile complement protein. The availability of full-length cDNA and the ability to manipulate the C3 gene in tissue culture or embryonic stem cells should help to illuminate the pluripotent nature of this fascinating protein.
Multiple Penile Horns: Case Report and Review

AbstractWe report a case of unusually large multiple penile horns following removal of condylomata acuminata. Penile horns can grow rapidly, although malignant degeneration is uncommon. Wide excision with deep biopsy of skin at the base of the lesion probably is appropriate treatment.
Historical note: On validity measurement of Hannibal's crossing the Alps

All human intellectual enterprises that have empirical content face the problem of validity of their constructs. Many argue that history cannot evaluate validity since the pristine events have vanished. Hannibal’s crossing the Alps is one such historical event cast in doubt by ambiguous descriptions of past and present scientific historians. However, this brief note presents three historians’ verification of Hannibal’s crossing in terms of the forms of validity conventional in psychology.
Antoine Arnauld and Pierre Nicole

Arnauld and Nicole begin with the premise that language is secondary to and dependent on thought: language is a purely conventional means for expressing thoughts. So, all theorizing about language is really theorizing about the relationship between ideas and conventionalized sounds. This thesis was key to maintaining that language was a uniquely human (and rational) phenomena. The classification of meaning types occupied much of the first part of the Port Royal Logic. The second part of the selection concerns propositions, propositional structures, and propositional meaning. Unlike a more holistic use theory of propositional meaning, they push for a notion of propositional meaning that is a function of the words composing the proposition. They also address the important notion of truth/falsity and attempt to explain how not just propositions but also ideas and definitions can themselves be false.
Core curriculum illustration: pediatric testicular torsion

This is the 21st installment of a series that will highlight one case per publication issue from the bank of cases available online as part of the American Society of Emergency Radiology (ASER) educational resources. Our goal is to generate more interest in and use of our online materials. To view more cases online please visit the ASER Core Curriculum and Recommendations for Study online at: http://www.erad.org/?page=CCIP_TOC .
Overview: The Management of the HIV-Positive Patient with Neuropsychiatric Impairment

The assessment and management of neuropsychiatric (NP*) disturbances in the patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) must begin with an understanding of the criteria by which AIDS and other manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are diagnosed. Table 1 shows the criteria used by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the classic definition of AIDS, which in large part, is a diagnosis of exclusion.1 The core features include a defect in cell mediated immunity with presence of an opportunistic disease, the most common being Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and/or neoplasia in the form of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). With discovery of the agent responsible for the immune deficiency of AIDS, HIV,2–4 the original concept of an AIDS patient being without a known cause of immune deficiency becomes irrelevant. This means that the occurrence of certain disease processes in the presence of a positive HIV antibody test are taken as diagnostic of AIDS.5 Included in this list of conditions qualifying as AIDS are two recently added conditions: severe weight loss (the “wasting syndrome”) and severe neurological illness (the so-called “AIDS dementia complex” or ADC). It must be kept in mind that none of these diseases is a direct measure of the underlying HIV infectious disease process.
Reversible conduction block in peripheral nerve using electrical waveforms.

Introduction Electrical nerve block uses electrical waveforms to block action potential propagation. Materials & methods Two key features that distinguish electrical nerve block from other nonelectrical means of nerve block: block occurs instantly, typically within 1 s; and block is fully and rapidly reversible (within seconds). Results Approaches for achieving electrical nerve block are reviewed, including kilohertz frequency alternating current and charge-balanced polarizing current. We conclude with a discussion of the future directions of electrical nerve block. Conclusion Electrical nerve block is an emerging technique that has many significant advantages over other methods of nerve block. This field is still in its infancy, but a significant expansion in the clinical application of this technique is expected in the coming years.
Second-Order Know-How Strategies

The fact that a coalition has a strategy does not mean that the coalition knows what the strategy is. If the coalition knows the strategy, then such a strategy is called a know-how strategy of the coalition. The paper proposes the notion of a second-order know-how strategy for the case when one coalition knows what the strategy of another coalition is. The main technical result is a sound and complete logical system describing the interplay between the distributed knowledge modality and the second-order coalition know-how modality.
MicroRNAs Overcome Cell Fate Barrier by Reducing EZH2-Controlled REST Stability during Neuronal Conversion of Human Adult Fibroblasts.

Summary The ability to convert human somatic cells efficiently to neurons facilitates the utility of patient-derived neurons for studying neurological disorders. As such, ectopic expression of neuronal microRNAs (miRNAs), miR-9/9∗ and miR-124 (miR-9/9∗-124) in adult human fibroblasts has been found to evoke extensive reconfigurations of the chromatin and direct the fate conversion to neurons. However, how miR-9/9∗-124 break the cell fate barrier to activate the neuronal program remains to be defined. Here, we identified an anti-neurogenic function of EZH2 in fibroblasts that acts outside its role as a subunit of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 to directly methylate and stabilize REST, a transcriptional repressor of neuronal genes. During neuronal conversion, miR-9/9∗-124 induced the repression of the EZH2-REST axis by downregulating USP14, accounting for the opening of chromatin regions harboring REST binding sites. Our findings underscore the interplay between miRNAs and protein stability cascade underlying the activation of neuronal program.
Cell culture models for lead toxicity in neuronal and glial cells

Two goals of lead (Pb) neurotoxicity research are to identify molecular and cellular alterations that underlie behavioral deficits and to define mechanisms of Pb uptake and tolerance in cells that accumulate Pb. Cell and tissue cultures are practical tools with which to pursue these goals, offering such advantages over in vivo methods as defined cell types, an extracellular environment that can be precisely manipulated, and direct observation. On the other hand, toxicity studies with cultured cells also present new challenges of design and interpretation. If a living vertebrate is like an orchestra playing a Beethoven symphony, then tissue culture is like two of the violinists playing their part alone. Historically, Pb toxicity studies with cell and tissue culture can be divided into an exploratory phase, an expansion phase, and a newly emerging intensification phase. In the exploratory phase, gross cytotoxic effects from massive Pb exposure (50-500 microM) were characterized. The collective data suggest differential sensitivity to Pb toxicity among various types of cultured neural cells, ranked as follows from most to least sensitive: myelinating cells, neurons, and astroglia. In addition, astroglia were shown to take up and store large amounts of Pb intracellularly, a phenomenon resembling the Pb-sequestering ability hypothesized for mature astroglia in vivo. The mechanisms of Pb entry may involve an anion exchanger, Ca2+ channels, or some other transport process. Three ingrained problems concerning the use of cell cultures began to emerge: appropriate dose regimens, biologically relevant forms of Pb (i.e. ionized or complexed with other molecules), and suitable measurements of Pb effects. These problems received scrutiny in the expansion phase, during which subcellular targets of Pb-induced damage were examined, specifically membranes, enzymes, and Ca-mediated cellular processes. Investigators attempted to define a biologically relevant dose regimen in vitro, as well as a threshold dose below which Pb had no biological effect. Effects of Pb at nanomolar concentrations in intact cells and tissue homogenates stimulated the metamorphosis of Pb toxicity studies in cell culture into a new phase, the intensification phase. Alterations in discrete molecular targets, particularly those effects in the cell that may be metabolically amplified, will be a major focus of this phase. Critical molecular targets for Pb-induced injury appear to be present during neuritogenesis and/or synaptogenesis. With the availability of cell culture models for neurite extension and synapse formation, this area may be another focus for innovative Pb neurotoxicity research.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Application of negative binomial modeling for discrete outcomes: A case study in aging research

We present a case study using the negative binomial regression model for discrete outcome data arising from a clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a prehabilitation program in preventing functional decline among physically frail, community-living older persons. The primary outcome was a measure of disability at 7 months that had a range from 0 to 16 with a mean of 2.8 (variance of 16.4) and a median of 1. The data were right skewed with clumping at zero (i.e., 40% of subjects had no disability at 7 months). Because the variance was nearly 6 times greater than the mean, the negative binomial model provided an improved fit to the data and accounted better for overdispersion than the Poisson regression model, which assumes that the mean and variance are the same. Although correcting the variance and corresponding test statistics for overdispersion is a standard procedure in the Poisson model, the estimates of the regression parameters are inefficient because they have more sampling variability than is necessary. The negative binomial model provides an alternative approach for the analysis of discrete data where overdispersion is a problem, provided that the model is correctly specified and adequately fits the data.
Pharmacology and molecular mechanisms of retinoid action in skin

In both hypo- as well as hyper-vitaminosis A, alterations in clinical appearance and histological morphology of the skin, although non-specific, are known to occur [1 2]. Realizing the importance of vitamin A for the normal physiology of epithelial tissue, investigative dermatologists were among the first to experiment with retinoid therapeutics [3 4]. More than three decades ago, they introduced topical retinoic acid treatment for actinic keratosis, a premalignant skin condition characterized by cytologic atypia and a loss of normal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. Since then, a variety of dermatological conditions, ranging from acne to photoaged skin, have proven to be responsive to topical and/or systemic retinoid treatment [5]. In addition to the impressive clinical advances that have been made with retinoid therapy, there have also been significant advances in our understanding of the cutaneous effects of retinoids. Indeed, skin remains the only human tissue in which systematic analyses of retinoid biology have been made under in vivo conditions. This chapter summarizes the relevant data, emphasizing the in vivo studies on human skin that form the basis of prevailing knowledge about metabolism and molecular mechanisms of retinoid action.
Experimental Evidence for Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mediation of Membrane Transport

There is now a rich history to those experiments studying the stimulation of biological systems using extremely weak electrical and magnetic fields. In the following, we review this work, with particular emphasis on the experimental evidence in support of ion cyclotron resonance as the interaction mechanism underlying the observed effects. The number of compartmentalized groups studying electromagnetic effects in tissue is growing rapidly, and it is wise to limit the area we shall cover. Thus, we restrict ourselves solely to those observations involving time-varying fields, primarily in the ELF range. We will begin with a short review of ion cyclotron resonance.
Aluminum dihydride complexes and their unexpected application in atomic layer deposition of titanium carbonitride films.

Aluminum dihydride complexes containing amido-amine ligands were synthesized and evaluated as potential reducing precursors for thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD). Highly volatile monomeric complexes AlH2(tBuNCH2CH2NMe2) and AlH2(tBuNCH2CH2NC4H8) are more thermally stable than common Al hydride thin film precursors such as AlH3(NMe3). ALD film growth experiments using TiCl4 and AlH2(tBuNCH2CH2NMe2) produced titanium carbonitride films with a high growth rate of 1.6-2.0 A per cycle and resistivities around 600 μΩ cm within a very wide ALD window of 220-400 °C. Importantly, film growth proceeded via self-limited surface reactions, which is the hallmark of an ALD process. Root mean square surface roughness was only 1.3% of the film thickness at 300 °C by atomic force microscopy. The films were polycrystalline with low intensity, broad reflections corresponding to the cubic TiN/TiC phase according to grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. Film composition by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was approximately TiC0.8N0.5 at 300 °C with small amounts of Al (6 at%), Cl (4 at%) and O (4 at%) impurities. Remarkably, self-limited growth and low Al content was observed in films deposited well above the solid-state thermal decomposition point of AlH2(tBuNCH2CH2NMe2), which is ca. 185 °C. Similar growth rates, resistivities, and film compositions were observed in ALD film growth trials using AlH2(tBuNCH2CH2NC4H8).
Adult learners’ use of lexical cues in the acquisition of L2 allophones

Adult second language (L2) learners gain knowledge of L2 allophones with experience. However, it is not well understood how this knowledge is acquired. We investigated whether naive subjects use lexical cues in the form of visual referents to acquire L2 allophones. We exposed native English speakers to one of two artificial languages where novel words containing two acoustically similar sounds, [b] and [β], occurred in an overlapping distribution. The words were paired with an image that either did or did not reinforce the contrast (i.e., [bati]—"apple" and [βati]—"penguin" (DiffImage group) or [bati]—"penguin" and [βati]—"penguin" (SameImage group)). Participants completed three tests to determine whether the exposure phase impacted their ability to perceive and lexically encode the [b]-[β] contrast in trained and untrained words. If subjects use lexical cues in the form of visual referents to infer the phonological status of [b] and [β], then participants in the DiffImage group, but not the SameImage group, should discriminate and lexically encode the distinction. Data from 40 participants suggest that lexical cues may impact participants’ lexical encoding, but not perceptual sensitivity, to the [b]-[β] contrast. We discuss our findings in relation to proposed learning mechanisms.
Drug screening assay based on the interaction of intact Keap1 and Nrf2 proteins in cancer cells.

Abstract Background The Nrf2–Keap1 interaction is the major regulatory pathway for cytoprotective responses against oxidative and electrophilic stresses. Keap1, a substrate protein of a Cul3-dependent E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, is a negative regulator of Nrf2. The use of chemicals to regulate the interaction between Keap1 and Nrf2 has been proposed as a strategy for the chemoprevention of degenerative diseases and cancers. Results The interactions between Keap1 and Nrf2 in vitro and in vivo were investigated using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) strategies in our study. Nrf2 with its N-terminal fused to eGFP and Keap1 with its C-terminal fused to mCherry were expressed and purified in vitro. When purified eGFP-Nrf2 and Keap1-mChrry proteins were mixed together, a strong FRET signal could be detected, indicating an efficient energy transfer from eGFP to mCherry. Moreover, the FRET was detected in vivo using confocal microscopy in colon cancer HCT-116 cells that were co-transfected with eGFP-Nrf2 and Keap1-mCherry. Finally, using an eGFP BiFC approach, the Keap1-Nrf2 interaction was also detected in MCF7 cells by transfecting eGFP N-terminal fused to Nrf2 (eN158-Nrf2) and eGFP C-terminal fused to Keap1 (eC159-Keap1). Using the BiFC and FRET systems, we demonstrated that the prototypical Nrf2-activiting compound tBHQ and the antitumor drug F-dUrd might interfere with the intracellular interaction between Keap1 and Nrf2 whereas the 5-Fu have little role in activating the protective response of Nrf2 pathway in cancer cells. Conclusions By analyzing the perturbation of the energy transfer between the donor and acceptor fluorophores and the bimolecular fluorescence complementation of eGFP, we can screen potential inhibitors for the interaction between Keap1 and Nrf2.
Reversely well-ordered valuations on rational function fields in two variables

AbstractWe examine valuations on a rational function field K(x, y) and analyze their behavior when restricting to an underlying polynomial ring K[x,y]. Motivated to solve the ideal membership probl...
Nymphal Ixodes scapularis questing behavior explains geographic variation in Lyme borreliosis risk in the eastern United States

Most people who contract Lyme borreliosis in the eastern United States (US) acquire infection from the bite of the nymphal life stage of the vector tick Ixodes scapularis, which is present in all eastern states. Yet <5% of Lyme borreliosis cases are reported from outside the north-central and northeastern US. Geographical differences in nymphal questing (i.e., host-seeking behavior) may be epidemiologically important in explaining this latitudinal gradient in Lyme borreliosis incidence. Using field enclosures and a 'common garden' experimental design at two field sites, we directly tested this hypothesis by observing above-litter questing of laboratory-raised nymphal I. scapularis whose parents were collected from 15 locations (= origins) across the species' range. Relative to southern nymphs from origins considered to be of low acarologic risk, northern nymphs from high-risk origins were eight times as likely to quest on or above the surface of the leaf litter. This regional variation in vector behavior (specifically, the propensity of southern nymphs to remain under leaf litter) was highly correlated with Lyme borreliosis incidence in nymphs' counties of origin. We conclude that nymphal host-seeking behavior is a key factor contributing to the low incidence of Lyme borreliosis in southern states. Expansion of northern I. scapularis populations could lead to increased incidence in southern states of Lyme borreliosis and other diseases vectored by this tick, if the 'northern' host-seeking behavior of immigrant nymphs is retained. Systematic surveillance for I. scapularis nymphs questing above the leaf litter in southern states will help predict future geographic change in I. scapularis-borne disease risk.
HOW TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR

I have been doing experiments in social psychology for about 30 years—basic research, mostly in the laboratory, trying to figure out how to influence people, what motivates people to change under controlled laboratory conditions. My early experience convinced me that, in doing laboratory experiments, the most important difference between a successful experiment and an unsuccessful experiment is the attention to detail. The details of the experiment are extremely important. The way one creates an independent variable, the way one measures the dependent variable, the construction of a sensible scenario that engages the subject—the details are extraordinarily important.
组胺及其受体对角质形成细胞功能的调节作用

通常认为组胺是一种炎症介质,通过与组胺受体结合影响炎症的形成、疼痛、瘙痒、自身免疫及感染等[1-3].越来越多的研究结果显示,角质形成细胞不仅合成组胺,而且组胺通过角质形成细胞上的组胺受体调节角质形成细胞的功能[4-6].干预组胺与其受体的结合已成为防治多种疾病的手段[7-8].现就组胺及其受体对角质形成细胞功能的调节做一简述,旨在为皮肤病的防治提供参考。
A four week trial of hypertonic saline in children with mild cystic fibrosis lung disease: Effect on mucociliary clearance and clinical outcomes.

Abstract Background Hypertonic saline (HS) is commonly prescribed for children with cystic fibrosis (CF) despite the absence of strong data indicating clinical efficacy in a population with mild lung disease. We hypothesized that HS treatment would result in a sustained improvement in mucociliary clearance (MCC) in children with CF who had minimal lung disease, thus providing evidence for a biologically relevant effect that also may be associated with clinical improvements. Methods We performed a randomized, placebo controlled, double blind study of 6% versus 0.12% sodium chloride, delivered three-times daily with an eFlow nebulizer for 4 weeks. MCC was measured using gamma scintigraphy at baseline, 2-hours after the first study treatment, and ~12-hours after the final dose (at day 28). Spirometry, respiratory symptoms (CFQ-R), and safety were also assessed. Results Study treatments were generally well tolerated and safe. HS (6% sodium chloride) resulted in a significant, sustained improvement from baseline in whole lung clearance after 4 weeks of therapy (p = 0.014), despite absence of a prolonged single-dose effect after the initial dose. This sustained change (12 hrs after prior dose) was significantly greater when compared to placebo (0.12% sodium chloride) treatment (p = 0.016). Improvements in spirometry with HS did not reach statistical significance but correlated with MCC changes. Conclusions The observed sustained improvement in MCC with HS suggests that this treatment may yield health benefits, even in relatively mildly affected children with CF. Highlighting this physiologic finding is important due to the lack of meaningful, validated endpoints in this population.
A short history of pandemic coverage on the Internet: SARS, H1N1 and MERS

This short history of previous online pandemic news coverage (of SARS, H1N1, MERS, c. 2003–2012) draws on Pew Research Center data and then-contemporary primary sources, including meta-journalistic analysis, to explore continuities and divergences to the present and our ongoing coranavirus pandemic. Numerous trends, including a cycle of neglect and panic, emerged on the Internet in the 2000s, and have become exacerbated over time. Other, more positive trends, such as more interactive and helpfully mediated/curated access to health experts, have also emerged. This study provides important context for our current moment.
Bullying, family cohesion, and school connectedness: a moderated-mediation multigroup analysis of adolescents

Bullying experiences in adolescence has become a nationwide problem as 28% of the children report being bullied over the past school year. Adolescents who report being bullied have been found to ha...
Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome: A Narrative Review for Emergency Clinicians.

Abstract Background Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a clinicoradiologic disorder characterized by seizures, headache, altered mental status, and visual disturbances, and is often associated with acute hypertension. Objective This narrative review provides a focused description of the presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and management of PRES. Discussion PRES is associated with a variety of factors, including acute rise in blood pressure, renal disease, preeclampsia/eclampsia, and immunosuppressive therapy. The pathophysiology is theorized to involve dysfunction of cerebral autoregulation leading to vascular leak or endothelial dysfunction resulting in vasogenic edema. In the emergency department (ED), clinical findings suggestive of PRES should prompt diagnostic testing focused on confirming the diagnosis and excluding other conditions that may present similarly. Laboratory studies are primarily useful for excluding alternative diagnoses. Computed tomography (CT) and, in particular, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are the recommended neuroimaging modalities for diagnosis. CT and MRI may demonstrate cerebral vasogenic edema, most often in the distribution of the posterior circulation. Treatment involves management of seizures, control of blood pressure if elevated, and treatment of any underlying trigger. Conclusion PRES is a neurological disorder that is typically reversible if recognized on presentation and promptly and appropriately managed. This narrative review characterizes this condition for emergency clinicians.
Not so disinterested or objectivist: John A. Mills' control: A history of behavioral psychology

Mills’ book begins as a self-stated intellectual history of behavioral psychology, but in the end is a social constructionist critique of the very idea of a natural science of behavior. In between, it offers brief but welcome coverage of overlooked behaviorists (e.g., Guthrie, Kantor, Kuo), well-researched critiques of neobehaviorists (e.g., Hull), and praise and proper caution about Skinner (e.g., early scholarship and inductive fallacies, respectively). Unfortunately, its treatment of Skinner contains some rather rudimentary misunderstandings, for instance, that he was antitheoretical, adopted a mechanistic form of materialism, and adhered to an operationism that was explanatory, not descriptive. In this, and in its treatment of behavioral engineering, the book’s scholarship is dated. Still, the book is a must-read for professional scholars of the history of behaviorism.
Planning and Managing School Facilities

An evolutionary process contemporary issues planning models assessment activities the elementary school secondary schools professional assistance projecting populations financing facility projects projects involving existing facilities school district maintenance managing the individual school focused management issues the future.
Some test results on the SIMSCRIPT II. 5 and SIMPL/1 pseudorandom number generators

This paper presents results of applying the runs up and down test, the chi-square goodness-of-fit test and the serial test to streams of pseudo-random number generators implemented in the IBM version of SIMSCRIPT II.5, in SIMPL/1 and using their default seeds. Although this limited testing prevents general conclusions, the results presented here do identify several areas of concern. Because of the limited publication of such test information in the learned literature, it is regrettably not possible to offer a completely acceptable method of removing these concerns.
Ferrihydrite gels derived in the Fe(NO3)3 · 9H2O–C2H5OH–CH3CHCH2O ternary system

Abstract A study of gel formation in iron(III) nitrate nonahydrate (Fe(NO 3 ) 3 · 9H 2 O)–ethanol (C 2 H 5 OH)–1,2-epoxypropane (propylene oxide (CH 3 CHCH 2 O)) ternary system has been performed. The phase boundaries for existing ferrihydrite gels were determined. It was shown that this ternary system has two different types of ferrihydrite gel phases. The dominant chemical bonds of these phases were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Both ferrihydrite phases transform to amorphous α-FeOOH phase after 6 h annealing at T = 300 °C. The temperatures of crystallization from these amorphous α-FeOOH phases to α-Fe 2 O 3 phases were found.
Activity and Development

In this chapter I will survey just a sample of the work in developmental studies and ethological inquiries which give the activist view further empirical plausibility and a naturalistic setting. I cannot prove that it is the most (much less only) plausible conception of agency. I do not suppose such a claim can be proven. Still, given what we suppose we know about the structure and development of animals, including humans, this conception of agency seems plausible on every front. Of course, I also claim that the activist perspective has the empirical bases afforded by our usual understanding of agents and their deeds. In addition, it is set in the context of developmental and comparative ontogeny of behaviors. While our knowledge and theorizing are limited in these areas, the activist conception of action, the conceptions of power and ability, and the notion of psychological causation are designed to be understood in what seems the most plausible theories of behavioral development. In such theories, native proclivities, developmental stages of both continuous and noncontinuous sorts, periods of critical learning and developmental capacities, plasticity of behavior routines within the context of genetic makeup, and the crucial role of ‘contingent’ stimuli in development are all among the bits and pieces which supplement and support the present view of agency. Apart from the activist view, a host of data appears ano-molous.
Stimulation of the transfer reaction of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases by cations.

Abstract The transfer reaction of amino acid from aminoacyl adenylate to tRNA catalyzed by some aminocyl-tRNA synthetases from Escherichia coli (isoleucine and lysine) is activated by a variety of cations, exemplified by Mg 2+ , spermine, and NH 4 + . The phenylalanylt-RNA synthetase of E. coli has an absolute requirement for a divalent cation, Mg 2+ or Mn 2+ , and is not activated by amines. The arginine enzyme is fully active without added cations.
Effects of metabolic inhibitors on responses to serotonin and angiotensin on isolated sheep umbilical arteries.

Abstract Sheep umbilical arteries contracted to angiotensin and serotonin in the absence of oxygen (95% N2 −5% CO2) and in the presence of either NaCN, 10−4 M, or 2,4-dinitrophenol, 10−3 M. The dose-response curves to angiotensin and serotonin were shifted to the right and the maximal contractions were reduced about 20% and 10% respectively, in the presence of 95% N2 −5% CO2 and reduced 12% for each in the presence of NaCN. The dose-response curves to angiotensin and serotonin in the presence of 2,4-dinitrophenol were shifted to the right in a non-parallel manner. Cocaine, 10−5 g/ml, potentiated responses to serotonin in the presence of NaCN suggesting that the potentiation of serotonin by cocaine does not depend on aerobic metabolism. These studies suggest that glycolysis may support many of the energy requirements in sheep umbilical arteries.
A skin reaction in guinea pig homograft donors with a cell-free substance from recipient lymph nodes.

IN recent years a material called ‘transfer factor’ has been described which is able to effect the passive transfer of certain delayed hypersensitivities from one human being to another1. This substance is obtained from sensitive human leucocytes and can be used to sensitize passively human beings to skin homografts as well2. It has been suggested that the homograft reaction is a special case of delayed hypersensitivity3. Lawrence's experiences would seem to be compatible with this view. Brent et al.4 have presented an argument in favour of this interpretation by showing that a delayed type of skin reaction can be elicited in a guinea pig skin graft donor by injection of lymph node tissue taken from the immune recipient. We have used this adaptation of the transfer reaction as an assay method in the isolation of the responsible substances. While this work was in progress, Turk5 reported the partial purification of a substance apparently very similar to ours, using guinea pigs which had been sensitized to picryl chloride. The comparison of Turk's material with ours may serve to clarify the relationship of the homograft reaction to delayed hypersensitivity.
Nickel(II)‐Carbene Intermediates in Reactions of Geminal Dihaloalkanes with Nickel(0) Reagents and the Corresponding Carbene Capture as the Phosphonium Ylide

In a previous study of geminal bond cleavages of substrates of the type R2CE2 [E2 = X2, O, S, Li(SO2Ph)] by nickel(0) reagents [LnNi, Ln = (Cod)2, (Et4P)4], leading to R2C=CR2 as products, the tentative hypothesis had been proposed that such reactions likely proceed via nickel(0)-carbene intermediates (J. J. Eisch, Y. Qian, M. Singh, J. Organomet. Chem.1996, 512, 207). Because such proposed nickel(0)-carbenes do not satisfactorily account for reactions encountered with such α-eliminations, a detailed reexamination of the reaction of these nickel(0) reagents with geminal dihalides has been undertaken. For example, two reactions of such presumed nickel(0)-carbenes remained anomalous: (1) the failure of 5,5-dibromotetraphenylcyclopentadiene to form its expected dimer, octaphenylphenylfulvalene and instead the formation of triethylphosphonium tetraphenylcyclopentadienide in its reaction with (Et3P)4Ni; and (2) the presumed capture of intermediate R2C=Ni0 in presence of the trapping agent (benzaldehyde or benzophenone). As to the first anomaly, a detailed study has shown that no trace of octaphenylfulvalene was formed. As to the second anomaly, the R2C fragment could be trapped by the carbonyl reagents only in reactions involving (Et3P)4Ni, but not in reactions with (Cod)2Ni. This finding compels one to conclude that the carbonyl reagent is capturing the Wittig reagent, R2C=PEt3, and not R2C=Ni0. Based upon all present data, the mechanism of such C=C bond dimerizations is best explicable in terms of nickel(II)-carbenes. The triethylphosphonium tetraphenylcyclopentadienide formed here has by single-crystal X-ray structure determination, complemented by 13C NMR spectroscopic data, been found to have the zwitterionic structure Ph4Cp––+PEt3 as its paramount resonance contributor.(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)