cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computer Assisted Structure-Antileukemic Activity Correlations of Organotin Compounds and Initial Exploration of their Potential Anti-HIV Activity

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and others have a continuing interest in exploring the anticancer and recently the anti-HIV potential of metal and metalloid compounds (Cleare et al 1980; Lippard 1983; Crowe et al 1980). The number of metal-containing compounds in the NCI collection is given in Table 1. Organotin compounds are the largest class among metals as represented by more than 2,000 compounds. This emphasis is the natural consequence of the wide biological use (Cardarelli 1972; Arakawa et al 1988) of tin compounds and their subsequent availability for screening by the NCI. A good deal of work has been done on the chemistry (Davis et al 1980; Wardell 1967), toxicology (Cardarelli 1986; Smith et al 1975), and metabolism (Thayer 1974; Kimmel 1977) of tin compounds. This study focuses on the structure-anticancer activity of tin-containing compounds evaluated by the NCI.
Non-native Speakers’ Production

This chapter examines the tone categories produced by NNS. The experiment discussed in this chapter sought to answer the following research questions for both TL and HL.
Bone marrow transplantation for the treatment of acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia in children aged less than 2 years

Eleven children with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia in first remission who were less than 2 years of age at diagnosis were treated with 120 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide, 12-Gy fractionated total-body irradiation, and marrow transplantation. Seven patients remain in complete remission from 3.5 to 13.8 years posttransplant, four for more than 6.75 years. The immediate posttransplant course was relatively uncomplicated in surviving patients. No child developed severe graft-v-host disease. The major long-term side effect has been a slowing in growth. Although the prognosis for such children with conventional chemotherapy remains poor, intensive cytotoxic therapy and marrow transplantation offers an alternative therapy with a chance for cure.
Juvenile Hormone Activity of Mixed Ethers Containing a Phenyl and a Terpenoid Moiety Applied Topically to the Large Milkweed Bug and the Yellow Mealworm124

Juvenile hormone activity of 42 mixed ethers containing an aromatic and a terpenoid moiety was compared with that of four 3,4-(methylenedioxy) phenyl analogues against the large milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus (Dallas), and the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor L. Wide differences in activity between the 2 species were observed for the compounds with 17 different aromatic substituents. Several ethers were more active than their 3,4-(methylenedioxy) phenyl analogues.
Abstract A45: An in vivo examination of the effects of ARID3B on ovarian cancer metastasis in nude mice

In 2011, 21,880 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and more than 13,850 died from the disease. Unfortunately, the prognosis for most women diagnosed with ovarian cancer is poor due to most patients being diagnosed with local and distant metastases. ARID3B, a DNA binding protein from the AT-rich interactive domain (ARID) family, is overexpressed in late stage neuroblastoma and ovarian cancer. In early development, ARID3B is essential as evidenced by the deaths of Arid3B null embryos by midgestation. The importance of ARID3B in early development and its overexpression in cancer suggest a potential role in cancer progression and metastasis. In addition, our laboratory identified two isoforms of ARID3B a full length (FL) and a short form (SH) that is missing the c-terminal exons 5-9. To determine the effects of the two ARID3B isoforms on metastasis in vivo, human ovarian cancer SKOV3IP cells (selected for their ability to metastasize) overexpressing red fluorescent protein (RFP), ARID3B-FL, or ARID3B-Sh were injected intraperitoneally into nude mice. The mice underwent live optical fluorescence imaging using the Multispectral FX (Kodak) imaging system at frequent intervals to assess tumor burden. The mice were sacrificed when they began to show signs of significant illness. Live imaging of the mice demonstrated that ARID3B-FL expressing SKOV3IP cells formed more and larger tumors more quickly than either SKOV3IP-RFP cells or SKOV3-ARID3B-Sh cells. After sacrificing the mice, tumors and organs were recovered from the abdomen and were imaged ex vivo for tumor burden. Tumors were separated from the organs, weighed, and imaged. The average weights of the tumors were 1.91g for SKOV3IP-RFP derived tumors, 3.22g for SKOV3IP ARID3B-Sh tumors, and 5.46g for SKOV3IP-FL derived tumors. The average tumor burden was greatest for the mice bearing SKOV3IP ARID3B-FL tumors. Gross examination of the tumors post-mortem and post fixation suggested that the tumors from the RFP and ARID3B-Sh expressing cell lines were less vascular or had less vascular leakage than those from the ARID3B-FL mice. Survival analysis showed that the median survival for SKOV3IP ARID3B-FL tumor bearing mice was significantly lower than mice bearing RFP or the ARID3B-Sh expressing tumors (RFP=51 days, ARID3B-Sh=52 days, ARID3B-FL=36 days; P=0.0074). Currently, our lab is addressing potential mechanisms for how ARID3B functions in metastasis. The data presented here suggest that ARID3B plays a significant role in peritoneal metastasis in ovarian cancer. Citation Format: Lynn Roy, Serene Samyesudhas, Martin Carrasco III, Karen Cowden Dahl. An in vivo examination of the effects of ARID3B on ovarian cancer metastasis in nude mice. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Invasion and Metastasis; Jan 20-23, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A45.
An Application of the Bass Model in Long-Term New Product Forecasting

Bass [1] has developed a model of first-purchaser activity which seems to portray accurately the growth patterns for a large number of new products, such as durables, in which repeat purchasing is not a major factor in early years of the product life cycle [1, 2]. The Bass model implies sales growth to a peak and then decline, and provides a framework for guessing the longterm sales behavior of a product based on early sales data. One of the advantages of the Bass model is that it permits a forecast of the timing of a turndown in sales during a period in which sales are growing rapidly, where naive forecasting models tend to project indefinite sales growth at rapid rates. Thus Bass in 1966 accurately predicted that a sales peak would occur in 1968 for color television set sales at 6.7 million units, while the industry was building plant capacity for 14 million picture tubes. The overly optimistic industry projections resulted in rather severe economic dislocations which might have been avoided. In this article the framework of the Bass model is used to develop a long-term forecast of cable television adoption.
Infection of Bracon mellitor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) by Mattesia grandis (Protozoa: Neogregarinida)

The neogregarine Mattesia grandis McLaughlin infected larvae and adults of Bracon mellitor Say, a parasite of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman. The larvae of B. mellitor became infected by feeding on infected larvae of the boll weevil, and data suggested that any stage of M. grandis present in the host was infective. Adults of B. mellitor became infected by ingesting spores of M. grandis . Healthy adult parasites did not transmit the pathogen to larvae of the boll weevil or to progeny after stinging a diseased boll weevil larva, and diseased adult parasites did not transmit M. grandis to larvae of the boll weevil. Only 1 of 49 progeny of B. mellitor produced by diseased parents was infected.
Are we delivering two standards of care for pelvic trauma? Availability of angioembolization after hours and on weekends increases time to therapeutic intervention.

BACKGROUNDWe hypothesized that patients with pelvic fractures and hemorrhage admitted during daytime hours were undergoing interventional radiology (IR) earlier than those admitted at night and on weekends, thereby establishing two standards of time to hemorrhage control.METHODSThe trauma registry (
The Porphyric Diseases of Man

Clinically, these diseases are rare, but the biochemical derangements that cause them are of far-reaching importance to the understanding of human physiology, for they involve the pathway of heme synthesis and may thus become manifest through disruption of any of heme's many functions. The disorders fall into two main groups-erythropoietic and hepatic—depending on where the biochemical lesion is located.
SU-F-T-613: Multi-Lesion Cranial SRS VMAT Plan Quality

Purpose: Cranial SRS VMAT plans must have steep dose gradient around each target to reduce dose to normal brain. This study reports on the correlation between gradient index (GI=V50%/V100%), target size and target dose heterogeneity index (HI=PTV Dmax/prescription dose) for multi-lesion cranial SRS VMAT plans. Methods: VMAT plans for 10 cranial cases with 3 to 6 lesions (total 39 lesions) generated in Varian Eclipse V11.0.47 with a fine-tuned AAA beam model and 0.125 cm dose grid were analyzed. One or two iso centers were used depending on the spatial distribution of lesions. Two to nine coplanar and non-coplanar arcs were used per isocenter. Conformity index (CI= V100%/VPTV), HI, and GI were determined for each lesion. Dose to critical structures were recorded. Results: Lesion size ranged from 0.05–11.00 cm3. HI ranged from 1.2–1.4, CI ranged from 1.0–2.8 and GI from 3.1–8.4. Maximum dose to brainstem, chiasm, lenses, optic nerves and eyes ranged from 120–1946 cGy, 47–463 cGy, 9–121 cGy, 14–512 cGy, and 17–294 cGy, respectively. Brain minus PTV (Brain-PTV) V7Gy was in the range 1.1–6.5%, and Brain-PTV Dmean was in the range 94–324 cGy. Conclusion: This work shows that a GI 0.4cc. For smaller lesions, GI increases rapidly. GI is lower when HI is increased. Based on this study, recommend HI is 1.4, and recommended GI is for volumes 1.0cc GI<4. CI is < 1.3 for all lesions except for targets < 0.1cc. Cranial SRS VMAT plans must be optimized to lower the GI to reduce the dose to normal brain tissue.
Visualizing the phage T4 activated transcription complex of DNA and E. coli RNA polymerase

The ability of RNA polymerase (RNAP) to select the right promoter sequence at the right time is fundamental to the control of gene expression in all organisms. However, there is only one crystallized structure of a complete activator/RNAP/DNA complex. In a process called σ appropriation, bacteriophage T4 activates a class of phage promoters using an activator (MotA) and a co-activator (AsiA), which function through interactions with the σ(70) subunit of RNAP. We have developed a holistic, structure-based model for σ appropriation using multiple experimentally determined 3D structures (Escherichia coli RNAP, the Thermus aquaticus RNAP/DNA complex, AsiA /σ(70) Region 4, the N-terminal domain of MotA [MotA(NTD)], and the C-terminal domain of MotA [MotA(CTD)]), molecular modeling, and extensive biochemical observations indicating the position of the proteins relative to each other and to the DNA. Our results visualize how AsiA/MotA redirects σ, and therefore RNAP activity, to T4 promoter DNA, and demonstrate at a molecular level how the tactful interaction of transcriptional factors with even small segments of RNAP can alter promoter specificity. Furthermore, our model provides a rational basis for understanding how a mutation within the β subunit of RNAP (G1249D), which is far removed from AsiA or MotA, impairs σ appropriation.
Anatomizing the Other

Per Wahloo’s notion that the crime novel can be used “as a scalpel cutting open the belly of an ideologically pauperized and morally debatable” society (Lundin 1553) should be peculiarly appropriate to James McClure’s police procedurals, set in South Africa, which undertake to anatomize the ailing body politic of his homeland.1 As Nadine Gordimer notes, quoting Gramsci as her epigraph to July’s People, “The old is dying, and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum there arises a great diversity of morbid symptoms.” Indeed, it is hard to imagine fiction about South Africa which does not at some level confront these signs of mortal illness, yet when such a confrontation is formulated by European or American authors, many white South Africans resent it: “‘What angers me,’ one man said, ‘is that you see in me your own underbelly’” (Crapanzano 47).2 Such an argument implies, of course, that those non-South African writers are simultaneously displaying their ignorance and displacing their own racial fears, and perhaps racism, in their fascination with South Africa. As a result of this displacement, South Africa has become “a symbolic element in the discourse of the West…” (Crapanzano 308). Thus, on the one hand, the abstract notion of an apartheid state has been the consistent — if distant — object of protest for at least the last forty years; on the other hand, the reality of life in the Republic remains Other: the daily existence of both blacks and whites under the system of apartheid remains, by and large, mysterious to those who have never experienced it.3
Phase III multicenter evaluation of high-dose gadoteridol in neurologic pathology: comparison of 0.1 mmol/kg gadopentetate dimeglumine and 0.3 mmol/kg gadoteridol in patients with lesions of the central nervous system

In this phase III multicenter study, 164 patients with suspected intracranial or spinal pathology underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the safety of gadoteridol as a neurological MR contrast agent and to compare the efficacy of 0.1 mmol/kg of gadopentetate dimeglumine and 0.3 mmol/kg of gadoteridol. One serious adverse event was reported, which resolved spontaneously without residual effects. No other clinically significant changes were noted in laboratory values, vital signs, or physical examination. Comparison of gadopentetate dimeglumine and gadoteridol scans demonstrated visualization of 194 versus 285 brain lesions, respectively (P=0.0001) and 70 versus 77 spine lesions (P=0.0625). A potential change in patient management occurred in 10 patients (7.6%). Data from this study indicate that gadoteridol at a dose of 0.3 mmol/kg yields increased lesion detection and diagnostic information compared with 0.1 mmol/kg of gadopentetate dimeglumine in MRI of intracranial and spinal lesions.
Methylparaben stimulates tumor initiating cells in ER+ breast cancer models.

A body of epidemiological evidence implicates exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with increased susceptibility to breast cancer. To evaluate the physiological effects of a suspected EDC in vivo, we exposed MCF-7 breast cancer cells and a patient-derived xenograft (PDX, estrogen receptor positive) to physiological levels of methylparaben (mePB), which is commonly used in personal care products as a preservative. mePB pellets (4.4 μg per day) led to increased tumor size of MCF-7 xenografts and ER+ PDX tumors. mePB has been thought to be a xenoestrogen; however, in vitro exposure of 10 nM mePB failed to increase MCF-7 cell proliferation or induction of canonical estrogen-responsive genes (pS2 and progesterone receptor), in contrast to 17β-estradiol (E2) treatment. MCF-7 and PDX-derived mammospheres exhibited increased size and up-regulation of canonical stem cell markers ALDH1, NANOG, OCT4 and SOX2 when exposed to mePB; these effects were not observed for MDA-MB-231 (ER−) mammospheres. As tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are also believed to be responsible for chemoresistance, mammospheres were treated with either tamoxifen or the pure anti-estrogen fulvestrant in the presence of mePB. Blocking the estrogenic response was not sufficient to block NANOG expression in mammospheres, pointing to a non-classic estrogen response or an ER-independent mechanism of mePB promotion of mammosphere activity. Overall, these results suggest that mePB increases breast cancer tumor proliferation through enhanced TIC activity, in part via regulation of NANOG, and that mePB may play a direct role in chemoresistance by modulating stem cell activity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Review of weather impact on outdoor terahertz wireless communication links

Abstract As the demand for higher wireless data rates continues to increase, there has been more interest in extending the carrier frequency of wireless links from the millimeter wave range into the terahertz (THz) range. For long distance wireless communications, THz links can suffer significant signal loss due to atmospheric weather effects. Obviously, for evaluating wireless system link budgets, it will be important to estimate the weather impact on high capacity data links and compare the performance degradation of THz links to that of the competing approach of free-space optical wireless. This paper reviews the impact of weather on THz wireless links and emphasizes THz attenuation and channel impairments caused by atmospheric gases (in particular water vapor), airborne particulates (such as dust, fog, clouds, and rain), refractive index inhomogeneities which are driven by air turbulence, and their associated scintillations.
Knockdown of HSPA9 Induces Apoptosis and Increases TP53 Levels in Human CD34+ Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells

HSPA9, a gene located on chromosome 5q31.2, is commonly deleted in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). MDS patients with a deletion of the long arm of chromosome 5 [del(5q)] typically present with cytopenias, including anemia, and have increased levels of apoptosis in their bone marrow contributing to ineffective hematopoiesis. Recent evidence suggests that upregulation of TP53 in MDS bone marrow cells may contribute to the cytopenias and accererated apoptosis observed in patients. While the mechanisms of TP53 activation in MDS are likely to be multifactorial, gene haploinsufficiency has been shown to contribute. Previous reports have shown that knockdown of RPS14, a chromosome 5q33.1 gene, in human CD34+ cells (or heterozygous knockout in mouse bone marrow cells) results in upregulation of TP53 and an increase in apoptosis. It is not known whether additional del(5q) candidate genes contribute to TP53 activation in del(5q)-associated MDS. In order to determine whether HSPA9 gene deletion also results in TP53 activation, we used lentiviral shRNA vectors to knockdown the expression of HSPA9 in primary human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. The HSPA9 protein level was reduced to ~20% (sh960) and ~50% (sh433) compared to the control lentiviral shRNA (shGFP). Knockdown of HSPA9 significantly inhibited the growth (fold change sh960 compared to shGFP = 0.16, p Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Postelection surrealism and nostalgic racism in the hands of Donald Trump

This article builds on interlocutor comments to “The Hands of Donald Trump: Entertainment, Gesture, Spectacle” (Hall, Goldstein, and Ingram 2016), a study published before the 2016 presidential election that analyzes Trump’s use of derisive humor in the Republican Party primaries. We move this earlier analysis forward by examining the ways that Trump’s semiotic displays on the campaign trail now inform the material policies of the Trump administration. Our response reflects upon two currents that characterize this postelection moment: first, the surreal mix of gendered and racialized nostalgia embedded in Trump’s iconography and message, and second, the intensification of white racism as Trump’s rhetoric of patriotic nationalism becomes government. Bringing the responses of our esteemed interlocutors into conversation with the philosophical work of Walter Benjamin, Susan Buck-Morss, and Susan Sontag and the historical work of Carol Anderson, we suggest that Trump’s spectacle of governing embraces sexual transgression, civil lawlessness, and excessive opulence, all of which encourage a pro-white semiotics and a return to racisms past.
A History of Map-Making at Mammoth Cave

Documentation of Mammoth Cave as the longest known cave has a history dating to the early nineteenth century, not long after Caucasian settlers first encountered it. The progress of underground survey and cartography is followed from the earliest crude sketch maps. Progress was frequently not linear, with advances in cartography followed by regression prior to further advances, but with an ever-expanding geographic range. Recent efforts have continued that expansion but have also focused on increasing levels of detail and precision.
Water sorption in pretreated grasses as a predictor of enzymatic hydrolysis yields.

Abstract This work investigated the impact of two alkaline pretreatments, ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) and alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) delignification performed over a range of conditions on the properties of corn stover and switchgrass. Changes in feedstock properties resulting from pretreatment were subsequently compared to enzymatic hydrolysis yields to examine the relationship between enzymatic hydrolysis and cell wall properties. The pretreatments function to increase enzymatic hydrolysis yields through different mechanisms; AFEX pretreatment through lignin relocalization and some xylan solubilization and AHP primarily through lignin solubilization. An important outcome of this work demonstrated that while changes in lignin content in AHP-delignified biomass could be clearly correlated to improved response to hydrolysis, compositional changes alone in AFEX-pretreated biomass could not explain differences in hydrolysis yields. We determined the water retention value, which characterizes the association of water with the cell wall of the pretreated biomass, can be used to predict hydrolysis yields for all pretreated biomass within this study.
Generating multimedia briefings: language generation in a coordinated multimedia environment

Communication can be more effective when several media (such as text, speech, or graphics) are integrated and coordinated to present information. This changes the nature of media specific generation (e.g., language generation) which must take into account the multimedia context in which it occurs. In this paper, 1 will present work on coordinating and integrating speech, text, static and animated 3D graphics, and stored images, as part of several systems we have developed at Columbia University. A particular focus of our work has been on the generation of presentations that brief a user on information of interest.
Mixed metals migration through zeolite-amended backfills for vertical cut-off walls

Column tests were performed with two sand–bentonite backfills comprising 5·8% bentonite with 5% of one of two high-cation-exchange-capacity (CEC) zeolite amendments – clinoptilolite and chabazite upper bed (chabazite-UB). The backfill specimens were permeated with a mixed salt solution of 17·5 mM potassium chloride (KCl) and 10 mM zinc chloride (ZnCl2) to evaluate the extent of attenuation of two metals – potassium (K) and zinc (Zn). The specimens were characterised by low hydraulic conductivity (<1·0 × 10−9 m/s) and delayed breakthrough of potassium and zinc that was consistent with exchange of potassium (K+) and zinc (Zn2+) ions for the sodium (Na+) and/or calcium (Ca2+) ions initially occupying the exchange sites of the bentonite and zeolite components of the backfills. The results were consistent with those previously reported for the same backfills permeated with single-salt solutions of the same metals, indicating that the competition between potassium and zinc ions in the mixed salt solution had li...
Physical and perceptual accuracy of upright and inverted face drawings

This study considers the conception that drawing or copying a face that is vertically inverted will improve the accuracy of the drawing by preventing holistic interference. We used a novel paramete...
Islands Connect: People, Things, and Ideas Among the Small Islands of the Western Indian Ocean

Edward Alpers takes up the central themes of the volume by testing the ideas of connectivity, smallness, translocality, and the unique situation of islands against case studies of the Comoro and Mascarene Islands. His chapter thus both tests Burkhard Schnepel’s introductory chapter and anticipates other chapters in the volume. Rather than employ a simple network model, with its linear, bidirectional implications, Alpers interrogates the utility of the subterranean metaphor of the rhizome as a way to understand transregionalism. The chapter concludes by suggesting that a modified network approach best allows for integrating a wide range of methodologies and historical evidence.
ROLE AND RELEVANCE OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN CONTEMPORARY PROFIT-CENTRIC ERA

With ‘bottom-line’ and profits emerging as top priorities, the function of Human Resource Management is being expected to deliver value like never before. Contemporary Businesses and corporations are desperately exploring ways to cut costs and maximize value gained from every function. This Paper deals with the various challenges that the function of HRM is faced with in an increasingly profit-centric era. The major HRM challenges that distinctly stick out during financially challenging times are listed and briefly explained in this paper. In addition to that, the author has also suggested ways and means in which the function of HRM can add value and make a real business contribution.
When a Small Group Turned Large: An Existential Encounter on 11/9 as an Enactment of 9/11

This paper was drafted in late November and mid-December 2001, two to three months after 9/11/01, in the weeks following the Opening Plenary of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society's Annual Conference held on 11/9/01. It was written from the position of observer-discussant-participant and impromptu large group facilitator, with the aim of reviewing and drawing meaning from what transpired during the Conference's opening plenary, which focused on existential issues in group psychotherapy. The plenary was chaired by Dr. Bernard Frankel and was comprised of a short talk, demonstration group, discussants' responses, and audience reaction. The emphasis in this review is on the process, content, and synchronous impingement of a real-life event on a remarkable demonstration group. Being in the group demonstration on 11/9 so closely paralleled being in the world of 9/11 that a small group turned into a large group.
Perspectives and Functional Implications

Although the preceding chapters have summarized much of our current knowledge regarding nervous tissue complex carbohydrates, it is evident that most hypotheses concerning their functional roles are still highly speculative, and that firm conclusions of a functional nature must await a better understanding of their structure, localization, and metabolism. These concluding remarks will therefore attempt to set out a few of the major questions related to the biosynthesis and metabolism of complex carbohydrates in brain, their relationship to synaptic events and structure, and their possible involvement in cell recognition phenomena and cell-cell interactions.
Innovative Development of Contact Lenses

Contact lenses have been a common means of vision correction for more than half a century. Recent developments have raised the possibility that the next few decades will see a considerable broadening of the range of applications for contact lenses, with associated expansions in the number and type of individuals who consider them a valuable option. The novel applications of contact lenses include treatment platforms for myopic progression, biosensors, and ocular drug delivery. Orthokeratology has shown the most consistent treatment for myopia control with the least side effects. Recent work has resulted in commercialization of a device to monitor intraocular pressure for up to 24 hours, and extensive efforts are underway to develop a contact lens sensor capable of continuous glucose tear film monitoring for the management of diabetes. Other studies on drug-eluting contact lenses have focused on increasing the release duration through molecular imprinting, use of vitamin E, and increased drug binding to polymers by sandwiching a poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) layer in the lens. This review demonstrates the potential for contact lenses to provide novel opportunities for refractive management, diagnosis, and management of diseases.
Mobility for All

Substantial numbers of children and adolescents are treated with second-generation antipsychotic medications (SGAs), and the cardiometabolic adverse effects of this medication class have raised concerns.1 In the October 2017 issue of the Journal, Handen et al.2 published a 16-week open-label extension study of youth 6 to 17 years of age with autism spectrum disorder treated with liquid metformin after a 16-week double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical efficacy trial. The acute-phase and open-label extension trials demonstrated that liquid metformin was well tolerated, and significant improvements in body mass index z-scores were observed in the metformin-metformin and placebo-metformin groups.2 Handen et al.2 concluded that metformin can be effective for decreasing weight gain associated with SGA use and maintaining prior improvement in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
6.1 Channel Proteins – An Introduction

Ion channels, a special class of membrane proteins that allow the selective and regulated diffusion of ions across membranes, are fundamental for cell function and regulation. Their design is a marvel of protein chemistry and evolution, and their dysfunction is at the root of devastating human diseases. This volume presents critical and comprehensive reviews on the major advances that have been achieved with respect to membrane protein structure and the mechanisms underlying ionic conduction, selectivity, and gating.
Term structure estimation with missing data: Application for emerging markets

Abstract This paper addresses the challenge of estimating the term structure of interest rates with missing data. There is a void in the term structure literature when it comes to estimation techniques addressing the challenge of sparse bond price data. Our aim is twofold: (1) to establish an estimation technique that can deal with the missing data problem, and (2) to apply this technique to estimate the term structure of interest rates in Hungary. Hungary offers a unique test of the state-space methodology because it is a relatively developed and stable economy while the bond market is not mature. We show that state-space form of the Nelson–Siegel yield curve can provide efficient estimation in the presence of missing data.
RISK ASSESSMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS IN AVIATION SYSTEMS

The research area of defining, classifying, and mitigating against organizational factors in aviation is in an early stage. Organizational factors are inherently enigmatic; nonetheless, recent rese...
Technology-Independent Link Sensing in Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks: Benefits and Challenges

Wireless-connected computing and communication devices such as cell phones, pagers, hand-held PCs, and the latest “integrated” devices that incorporate a PC or PDA and a cell phone into one package are becoming increasingly more popular. Some of these devices have several network interface options, such as Bluetooth
Dispatching Anglo-Saxonism: Whiteness and the Crises of American Racial Identity in Richard Harding Davis's Reports on the Boer War

U.S. opinion of the Second Boer War (1899–1902) was highly divided. The debate over the war served as a proxy for fights over domestic issues of immigration, inequality, and race. Anglo-American Republicans’ support for the British was undergirded by belief in Anglo-Saxon racial superiority. Caucasian but non-Anglo Democrats and Populists disputed the Anglo-Saxonist assumptions and explicitly equated the plight of the Boers to the racial and economic inequalities they faced in the United States. They utilized Anglophobia, republican ideology, and anti-modernist jeremiads to discredit their opponents and to elevate an alternative racial fiction: universal whiteness. Reports written by the celebrity journalist Richard Harding Davis while covering the Boer War, along with a wide array of other sources, illustrate the discursive underpinning of the debate. They also suggest the effectiveness of the pro-Boer argument in reshaping the racial opinions of some Anglo-Saxon elites. Although Davis arrived in South Africa a staunch supporter of transatlantic Anglo-Saxonism, he came to link the Boers with the republican values and frontier heritage associated with the U.S.’ own history. The equation of the South African Republic's resistance against the British Empire with that of the U.S.’ own war of independence highlighted contradictions between Anglo-Saxonism and American exceptionalism. As a result, Anglo-Saxonism was weakened. Davis and others increasingly embraced a notion of racial identity focused on color. Thus, public reaction to the Boer War contributed to the ongoing rise of a new wave of herrenvolk democratic beliefs centered on a vision of white racial hybridity across the social and political divisions separating Americans of European descent.
On the origins of transverse jet shear layer instability transition

This experimental study explores the physical mechanisms by which a transverse jet’s upstream shear layer can transition from being a convective instability to an absolute/global instability as the jet-to-cross-flow momentum flux ratio is reduced. As first proposed in computational studies by Iyer & Mahesh (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 790, 2016, pp. 275–307), the upstream shear layer just beyond the jet injection may be analogous to a local counter-current shear layer, which is known for a planar geometry to become absolutely unstable at a large enough counter-current shear layer velocity ratio, . The present study explores this analogy for a range of transverse jet momentum flux ratios and jet-to-cross-flow density ratios , for jets containing differing species concentrations (nitrogen, helium and acetone vapour) at several different jet Reynolds numbers. These studies make use of experimental data extracted from stereo particle image velocimetry as well as simultaneous stereo particle image velocimetry and acetone planar laser-induced fluorescence imaging. They provide experimental evidence for the relevance of the counter-current shear layer analogy to upstream shear layer instability transition in a nozzle-generated transverse jet.
Demonstration and Mitigation of Aerosol and Particle Dispersion During Mastoidectomy Relevant to the COVID-19 Era.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has become a global pandemic with a dramatic impact on healthcare systems. Concern for viral transmission necessitates the investigation of otologic procedures that use high-speed drilling instruments, including mastoidectomy, which we hypothesized to be an aerosol-generating procedure. METHODS: Mastoidectomy with a high-speed drill was simulated using fresh-frozen cadaveric heads with fluorescein solution injected into the mastoid air cells. Specimens were drilled for 1-minute durations in test conditions with and without a microscope. A barrier drape was fashioned from a commercially available drape (the OtoTent). Dispersed particulate matter was quantified in segments of an octagonal test grid measuring 60âcm in radius. RESULTS: Drilling without a microscope dispersed fluorescent particles 360 degrees, with the areas of highest density in quadrants near the surgeon and close to the surgical site. Using a microscope or varying irrigation rates did not significantly reduce particle density or percent surface area with particulate. Using the OtoTent significantly reduced particle density and percent surface area with particulate across the segments of the test grid beyond 30âcm (which marked the boundary of the OtoTent) compared with the microscope only and no microscope test conditions (Kruskall-Wallis test, pâ=â0.0066). CONCLUSIONS: Mastoidectomy with a high-speed drill is an aerosol-generating procedure, a designation that connotes the potential high risk of viral transmission and need for higher levels of personal protective equipment. A simple barrier drape significantly reduced particulate dispersion in this study and could be an effective mitigation strategy in addition to appropriate personal protective equipment.
Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders in Adolescent Athletes.

# CONTEXT To summarize available literature to date and discuss the importance of Disordered Eating (DE) in adolescent athletes, with special attention to the female athlete triad. In this paper, the authors will review the literature regarding adolescent athletes who intentionally engage in abnormal eating behaviors and focus on adolescent athletes of all training levels who may be affected by both DE and eating disorders (ED). # METHODS In 2019, the authors completed a systematic literature search on PubMed using the search term variations of "Feeding and Eating Disorders" and “athletes” with "high school.” # RESULTS A total of 20 pertinent articles were identified concerning DE in adolescent athletes. ED have been shown to impose higher rates of comorbidity than other psychological disorders and only a small number of individuals with ED seek treatment. ED tend to be more prevalent in adolescent elite athletes than non-athletes of both genders in all sports and levels of competition. # CONCLUSIONS More rigorous tools for family practice physicians, nurses, and coaches to use when working with at-risk adolescent athletes are needed to identify DE behaviors. Healthcare and school professionals need to be educated and trained to detect DE and the components of the female athlete triad. Additional research with adolescent males or those associating with alternative gender roles is also required to help them prevent physical and mental health consequences associated with DE.
Considering a Meso-Ergonomic Factor: Can Accountability Reduce Errors?:

Accountability is an ill-defined and underexplored concept in job design, particularly in highly proceduralized environments that must operate under both high throughput and high-security expectati...
Navigating the Hierarchy: Communicating Power Relationships in Collaborative Health Care Groups:

Interdisciplinary health care groups increasingly face issues related to power and authority in the patient care process. Many of these issues stem from a tension between the historically entrenche...
Construction and screening of A cDNA library for the C3 gene(s) of the Nurse Shark (Ginglymostoma Cirratum)

OF THE THESIS CONSTRUCTION AND SCREENING OF A cDNA LIBRARY FOR THE C3 GENE(S) OF THE NURSE SHARK (GINGLYMOSTOMA CIRRATUM) by Janette Cristina Builes Florida International University, 2001 Miami, Florida Professor Sylvia L. Smith, Major Professor Mammalian C3 is a complement protein which consists of an a chain (125kDa) and P chain (75kDa) held together by a disulfide bond. The a chain contains a conserved thiolester site which provides the molecule with opsonic properties. The protein is synthesized as a single pro-C3 molecule which is post-translationally modified. C3 genes have been identified in organisms from different phyla, however, the shark C3 gene remains to be cloned. Sequence data from the shark will contribute to understanding further the evolution of this key protein. To obtain additional sequence data for shark C3 genes a cDNA library was constructed and screened with a DIG-labeled C3 probe. Fifty clones were isolated and sequenced. Analysis identified four sequences that yielded positive alignments with C3 of a variety of organisms including human C3. Deduced amino acid sequence analysis confirmed a P/a cut site (RRRR), the CR3 and properdin binding sites, the catalytic histidine, and the reactive thiolester sequence. In the shark there are at least two C3-like genes as the gene sequence obtained is distinct from that previously described.
Cooperative Interference Cancellation for Multiuser Transmission

This paper proposes a novel interference cancellation scheme that utilizes relay stations in multi-user transmission systems. Unlike conventional relay transmission schemes, the relay stations are used to decode the interference and transfer the pertinent information to the mobile stations. The proposed method takes advantage of the training signals and frame format of the interference at a neighboring cell when time division multiple access (TDMA) systems are applied. Even if external interference simultaneously arrives at the mobile stations during the transmission period from an access point to the mobile stations, the mobile stations employing the proposed scheme can effectively cancel the external interference because the relay station transfers the information related to the interference to the mobile stations. Moreover, we show that the proposed scheme improves the transmission efficiency compared to that for multi-user transmission without interference cancellation or with interference cancellation based on zero forcing algorithm when TDMA-based external interference is considered. (6 pages)
Force distribution at hand/handle coupling. The effect of handle type

Handle location and geometry play an important role in container design and effectiveness. An ideal handle position and angle should minimize stress at L5/S1 and minimize average grip pressure on the two hands with force distributed evenly on both hands. Handles in such a position will be most comfortable for performing a MMH task and reduce the likelihood of compressive injuries on the lumbar spine. Most of the published research on container handles have used the psychophysical, biomechanical, and/or physiological methods to determine handle effectiveness. The force distribution at the exact point of energy transfer, namely the hand/handle interface has rarely been addressed by the scientific community. The intent of this study was to determine the force distribution at the hand/handle interface and use the same to compare the effectiveness of various handle types, positions, and angles. Six factors were tested in this experiment using a fractional factorial design. The pressure at the interface was mea...
Using a Paradigm Shift to Teach Neurobiology and the Nature of Science—a C.R.E.A.T.E.-based Approach

Decades ago, classic experiments established the phenomenon of "neural induction" (Spemann and Mangold, 1924; Holtfreter, 1933). It appeared clear that amphibian ectoderm was pre-programmed to form epidermis, and that the neural phenotype was induced by a chemical signal from mesoderm. The "ectoderm makes skin, unless induced to make nervous system" model appeared in many textbooks. This interpretation, however, was not simply incorrect but 180 degrees out of alignment with the actual situation. As subsequently demonstrated, the default state of amphibian ectoderm is neuronal, and the expression of the epidermal phenotype requires cell signaling (Hemmati-Brivanlou and Melton, 1992; 1994; 1997). In this activity, students are presented with key experiments in a stepwise fashion. At several points, they work in groups to devise models that explain particular experimental results. The stepwise presentation of results mirrors the history of discoveries in this experimental system. Eventually, faced with seemingly contradictory data, students must revise their models substantially and in doing so, experience the paradigm shift. The lesson also examines the history of this paradigm shift. Data inconsistent with the "epidermal default" model were published years before the "neural default" model was proposed, but the significance of the surprising new data was underemphasized by the scientists who made the discovery. Discussing this situation provides insight into how science works and highlights the possibility that working scientists may become entrenched in prevailing paradigms. Such "nature of science" discussions emphasize research as a human activity, and help to dispel student misconceptions about science and scientists.
Relationships among canine interdigestive exocrine pancreatic and biliary flow, duodenal motor activity, plasma pancreatic polypeptide, and motilin

Abstract To evaluate the cyclic patterns of interdigestive pancreatic and biliary flows into the duodenum and to correlate these and the plasma levels of pancreatic polypeptide and motilin with duodenal interdigestive motor activity, five dogs were surgically prepared with three indwelling duodenal catheters. Through the first catheter, located just distal to the pylorus, a nonabsorbable marker was perfused at 3 ml/min. The second catheter, opposite the main pancreatic duct orifice, was water-filled and was used to continuously record duodenal pressures and also to deliver pulses of a second nonabsorbable marker in order to measure transit time through the duodenum and sampling catheter. From the third catheter, 10 cm distal to the second, duodenal samples were continuously collected by siphonage. Twominute aliquots were analyzed for trypsin, bile acids, bicarbonate, and markers. At the beginning and end of each phase of motor activity, blood samples were analyzed for pancreatic polypeptide and motilin. Four phases of duodenal interdigestive motor activity were defined. During phase I, outputs of trypsin, bile acids, and bicarbonate were absent or minimal. During phase II, maximal outputs of trypsin and bile acids occurred. During phase III, there was a trend toward maximal bicarbonate output, but this was not significantly greater than the output during phase II. Low plasma levels of pancreatic polypeptide and motilin were present during phase I. Peak levels of pancreatic polypeptide occurred during phases II and III, and peak levels of motilin occurred during phases III and IV. In summary, pancreatic and biliary flows into the duodenum are cyclic and associated with interdigestive motor activity. Cyclic changes of plasma motilin and pancreatic polypeptide also were associated with changes in pancreatic and biliary flows into the duodenum and intestinal motor activity, but whether these events are modulated by motilin or pancreatic polypeptide is uncertain.
Attacking agent-based systems

Agent-based systems add unique aspects to assessment activity and require the use of traditional tools and techniques in new or unconventional ways and the development of new, domain-customized tools. Agent-based system assessments must address the same issues as those of traditional systems: unsafe programming practices, such as failure to validate inputs or use of insecure libraries. Assessments of agent-based systems should also include "system-of-systems" concepts. Complex systems interact with and rely on other systems that may exist independently. A system-of-systems assessment identifies systems and their behaviors and considers ways that those behaviors can interact to harm the complex system. Attacks are then developed to cause the desired behavior. Agent-based systems are aware of and respond to their environment through adaptation and evolution. They require assessment through concepts normally reserved for humans. Just as adversaries cause humans to react in ways advantageous to the attacker, agent-based system assessors must cause agents to react. These assessments require "social engineering" of the agents just as simpler systems may require "social engineering" of users and administrators. This paper discusses the application of existing and new tools and techniques to agent system assessments including descriptions of actual and theoretical attacks.