cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lack of site specific recombination of exogenous DNA in mouse L cells.

Summary Plasmids were constructed containing the HSV thymidine kinase gene and two copies of X. borealis 5S rDNA. Mouse L TK − cells were transformed with these DNAs, with selection for the TK + gene. Transformed cells were then analyzed by Southern blot hybridization and hybridization in situ to determine whether integration of the exogenous DNA occurred at regions of chromosomal homology i.e., at the 5S rDNA regions. Four cell lines were analyzed by Southern blots. Differences in restriction endonuclease specificity strongly suggested that integration was at a different site in each cell line. Two cell lines were further analyzed by hybridization in situ ; each showed a single integration site, both different from each other and different from the mouse L cell 5S rDNA sites. Therefore, the presence of two copies of the 5S rDNA gene in the DNA introduced by gene transfer and approximately 300–350 copies of the mouse 5S rDNA gene was not sufficient in these experiments to produce homologous integration into a specific site.
The deformation of a tilt boundary under applied forces

Abstract The equilibrium positions of the dislocations forming a tilt boundary are found when they are acted on by applied forces varying both periodically and aperiodically along the boundary. Explicit expressions are obtained for the displacements when these are small; large displacements may be determined by using a relaxation technique. The method is illustrated by a consideration of the maximum force on a pinned dislocation in the boundary.
Model study of the sign problem in the mean-field approximation

We consider the sign problem of the fermion determinant at finite density. It is unavoidable not only in Monte Carlo simulations on the lattice but in the mean-field approximation as well. A simple model deriving from quantum chromodynamics (QCD) in the double limit of large quark mass and large quark chemical potential exemplifies how the sign problem arises in the Polyakov loop dynamics at finite temperature and density. In the color SU(2) case our mean-field estimate is in excellent agreement with the lattice simulation. We combine the mean-field approximation with a simple phase reweighting technique to circumvent the complex action encountered in the color SU(3) case. We also investigate the mean-field free energy, from the saddle point of which we can estimate the expectation value of the Polyakov loop.
LONG TERM ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC FOLLOW-UP OF INFANTS WITH SEVERE PERSISTENT PULMONARY HYPERTENSION OF THE NEWBORN. † 1677

LONG TERM ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC FOLLOW-UP OF INFANTS WITH SEVERE PERSISTENT PULMONARY HYPERTENSION OF THE NEWBORN. † 1677
Physiological Differences Between Lodgepole Pines Resistant and Susceptible to the Mountain Pine Beetle and Associated Microorganisms

Environ. Entomol. 11: 486-492 (1982) Lodgepole pines, Pinus contorta Douglas vaL latifolia Engelmann, were assayed for traits as­ sociated with resistance to the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonusponderosae Hopkins (Co­ leoptera: Scolytidae). There was no relationship between resistance and the daily rate of resin flow, rate of resin crystallization, monoterpene content, monoterpene composition, or current growth rate. The major difference between trees which survived or died during exposure to naturally occurring high beetle -popUlations was the extent of their active response to fungal inva­ sion. Resistant trees responded to artificial inoculation with fungi vectored by D. ponderosae by forming greater quantities of resin than did susceptible trees. This wound response is general in nature, quantitatively variable, metabolically active, rapid, and localized. It appears to form the major line of defense to D. ponderosae and its associated fungi, and to be related to the general vigor of the tree. The wound response was greatest in those trees which had a periodic growth ratio greater than unity.
Signal detection in incompletely characterized impulsive noise modeled as a stable process

We address the problem of detection of signals of known shape but unknown level in incompletely characterized impulsive noise using lower-order moments and order statistics. We form a generalized likelihood ratio test which is based on fractional moment and order statistics, rather than maximum likelihood, estimates of the unknown parameters of the detection problem. We show theoretically, that the estimates we propose are consistent and that the proposed generalized likelihood ratio test is asymptotically equivalent to the optimum likelihood ratio test corresponding to completely known signal and noise parameters (clairvoyant test). >
Fipronil induces CYP isoforms and cytotoxicity in human hepatocytes.

Abstract Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of pesticides to either inhibit or induce xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in humans. Exposure of human hepatocytes to doses of fipronil (5-amino-1-[2,6-dichloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-4-[(trifluoromethyl) sulfinyl]-1H-pyrazole-3-carbonitrile) ranging from 0.1 to 25 μM resulted in a dose dependent increase in CYP1A1 mRNA expression (3.5 to ∼55-fold) as measured by the branched DNA assay. In a similar manner, CYP3A4 mRNA expression was also induced (10–30-fold), although at the higher doses induction returned to near control levels. CYP2B6 and 3A5 were also induced by fipronil, although at lower levels (2–3-fold). Confirmation of bDNA results were sought through western blotting and/or enzyme activity assays. Western blots using CYP3A4 antibody demonstrated a dose responsive increase from 0.5 to 1 μM followed by decreasing responses at higher concentrations. Similar increases and decreases were observed in CYP3A4-specific activity levels as measured using 6β-hydroxytestosterone formation following incubation with testosterone. Likewise, activity levels for a CYP1A1-specific substrate, luciferin CEE, demonstrated that CYP1A1 enzyme activities were maximally induced by 1 μM fipronil followed by dramatically declining activity measurements at 10 and 25 μM. Cytotoxic effects of fipronil and fipronil sulfone were examined using the adenylate kinase and the trypan blue exclusion assays in HepG2 cells and human hepatocytes. The results indicate both that HepG2 cells and primary human hepatocytes are sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of fipronil. The maximum induction of adenylate kinase was ca. 3-fold greater than the respective controls in HepG2 and 6–10-fold in the case of primary hepatocytes. A significant time- and dose-dependent induction of adenylate kinase activity in HepG2 cells was noted from 0.1 to 12.5 μM fipronil followed by decreasing activities at 25 and 50 μM. For fipronil sulfone, cytotoxic effects increased throughout the dose range. The trypan blue assay indicated that cytotoxic effects contributing to an increase of greater than 10% of control values was indicated at doses above 12.5 μM. However, fipronil sulfone induced cytotoxic effects at lower doses. The possibility that cytotoxic effects were due to apoptosis was indicated by significant time- and dose-dependent induction of caspase-3/7 activity in both HepG2 cells and human hepatocytes. Fipronil mediated activation of caspase-3/7 in concurrence with compromised ATP production and viability are attributed to apoptotic cell death.
Kinetics of Ordering with Random Impurities: Pb on Ni(001)

We apply high resolution x-ray diffraction to study the development of the c(2×2) phase of Pb on Ni(001). We observe lineshapes in agreement with the scaling theory of Ohta, Jasnow, and Kawasaki, but with an anomalously slow time dependence of average domain size R on time t, R α t0.12. The presence of 1%–3% carbon on the surface apparently acts as a weak random field.
PAX3 and SOX10 activate MET receptor expression in melanoma

Melanoma is a cancer with a poorly understood molecular pathobiology. We find the transcription factors PAX3, SOX10, MITF, and the tyrosine kinase receptor MET expressed in melanoma cell lines and primary tumors. Analysis for MET expression in primary tumor specimens showed 27/40 (68%) of the samples displayed an increased expression of MET, and this expression was highly correlated with parallel expression of PAX3, SOX10, and MITF. PAX3 and MITF bind to elements in the MET promoter independently, without evidence of either synergistic activation or inhibition. SOX10 does not directly activate the MET gene alone, but can synergistically activate MET expression with either PAX3 or MITF. In melanoma cells, there was evidence of two pathways for PAX3 mediated MET induction: (i) direct activation of the gene, and (ii) indirect regulation through MITF. SK-MEL23 melanoma cells have both of these pathways intact, while SK-MEL28 melanoma cells only have the first pathway. In summary, we find that PAX3, SOX10 and MITF play an active role in melanoma cells by regulating the MET gene. In consequence, MET promotes the melanoma cancer phenotype by promoting migration, invasion, resistance to apoptosis, and tumor cell growth.
Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy secondary to interferon alfa.

Objective: To report the occurrence of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy as a complication of treatment with interferon alfa and to consider the possible underlying mechanisms for this association. Design: Description of the clinical findings in two patients with this condition. Setting: A neuro-ophthalmology referral center. Patients: Two patients, ages 40 and 51 years, undergoing treatment with interferon alfa for malignant neoplasms experienced sudden bilateral, sequential visual loss with disc-related field defects and segmental optic disc edema. Interventions: Treatment with aspirin and prednisone in one patient. Main Outcome Measures: Visual acuity, color vision, Goldmann perimetry testing, and fundus photography. Results: Visual loss was mild and generally nonprogressive. The interval between initiating treatment with interferon alfa and onset of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy was similar to that of interferon-associated vascular retinopathy. Conclusion: Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy may complicate treatment with interferon alfa. The underlying pathogenesis is probably multifactorial.
Drug Treatment of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy of women in the United States, affecting one out of every 13 women at some time in their lives. Although only 10% of patients have demonstrable distant metastases at the time of diagnosis, a majority will eventually die of disseminated disease. Chemotherapy was formerly considered to be the treatment of last resort in patients with breast cancer, reserved for those who had failed surgery, radiotherapy and hormonal manipulation. However, combination chemotherapy has now been shown to be highly effective. The most active drug combinations produce objective tumour regression in about 60% of patients with advanced disease. Parallel to the development of effective chemotherapy, there has been a renewal of interest in hormonal therapy. The ability to predict whether or not a patient will respond to hormonal therapy has been improved significantly by the clinical application of the oestrogen receptor assay. The selection of a specific treatment for the patients with advanced breast cancer must be individualised. It should take into account a number of prognostic variables, including: sites of metastatic involvement; total extent of disease; disease free interval; menopausal status; and the presence or absence of oestrogen receptor in tumour tissue. The final decision regarding treatment should then be based not only on the probability of response, but also on the anticipated degree of toxicity. Current efforts to improve the management of advanced breast cancer include the development of more effective drug regimens and the combination of chemotherapy with hormonal manipulation. For instance, it would appear that in premenopausal patients, the combination of chemotherapy with oophorectomy may yield results that are superior to those achieved with either treatment alone. The most promising development in the management of early breast cancer has been the use of chemotherapy as an adjuvant treatment in patients with operable disease.
Effect of Piezoelectric Energy on Porcine Kidneys Using the EDAP LT.02

AbstractEDAP International (Cambridge, Massachusetts) has developed a new piezoelectric lithotripter (LT.02) that differs from their earlier model (LT.01) in two important respects: method of stone visualization and available power. The LT.02 provides both in-line fluoroscopy as well as real time ultrasound. The maximum energy is 1400 Bar (compared with 1100 Bar in the LT.01). The purpose of this study was to determine whether treatment with the EDAP LT.02 piezoelectric lithotripter would cause significant renal injury in minipigs. Accordingly, 18 minipigs were divided into 3 groups of 6. Each group received a treatment of 20, 40, or 60 minutes; the power level and shock wave frequency were kept at maximal levels throughout the treatment period. Three pigs from each group were sacrificed at 72 hours (acute). The remaining 9 pigs were sacrificed 1 month following LT.02 treatment (chronic). Histopathologic analysis of the treated kidney revealed that 33 percent of the 9 acute pigs developed a small capsular...
Photoconductor-based 10-110-GHz on-chip device characterization technique

Integration of reflectometer circuitry and device under test on the same semiconductor chip provides an attractive means for measuring scattering parameters at very high frequencies and over wise, uninterrupted frequency ranges. The investigated approach utilizes high-speed photoconductive circuit elements to perform sampling and incident pulse generation functions, assisted by special pulse shaping and compensation networks. Five test structures, implemented in monolithic format on a GaAs chip, experimentally demonstrate the practicability of the approach for frequencies up through W-band. >
Socio‐infantile and Socio‐sexual signals in Canids: a Comparative and Ontogenetic Study

Zusammenfassung Die Ontogenese sozialen Erkundungsverhaltens und seiner Ausrichtung auf Artgenossen wurde an Hunden untersucht, an Haushunden verschiedenen Alters auch die Reaktion auf Artgenossen-Attrappen. Die Ausrichtung dieses Verhaltens auf die Duftdrusen am Korper bei verschiedenen Caniden wird erortert. Mehrere „sexuelle” Verhaltensweisen kommen bei Erwachsenen auch in nicht-sexuellem Zusammenhang vor; dasselbe gilt fur manches „kindliche” Verhalten. Die Entstehung dieser abgeleiteten Verhaltensweisen wird aufgezeigt. Leichte Beruhrung in der Weichengegend verursacht passive Duldung bei Haushund, Wolf, Koyote und Graufuchs, nicht aber bei Rot- und Eisfuchs. Darbieten der Weiche und Heben des dem Partner zugewandten Hinterbeins dient als Befriedungsgeste. Beim Graufuchs ist daraus eine gegenseitige Zeremonie geworden; deren Ontogenese ist beschrieben. Das Passiv-Werden in dieser Situation konnte aus fruher Jugend stammen, als die Mutter das Urinieren ausloste. Beidseitiger Weichenkontakt wahrend der Kopula kann das ♀ stillhalten lassen; Hundehalter nutzen diese Stillhalte-Reaktion im Umgang mit ihren Tieren aus. An Haushunden wurden die Ursachen fur solche Kontakte und ihre Abhangigkeit von fruhkindlichen Erfahrungen untersucht. Nahrungspenden durch die Mutter gilt als Belohnung. Bis zum Alter von 6 Wochen vollig, nur optisch oder gar nicht isolierte Junge unterschieden sich entsprechend in Richtung und Haufigkeit ihrer Kontakte zu verschiedenen Attrappen-Korperteilen. Die Entwicklungs- und Stammesgeschichte und soziale Bedeutung dieses Verhaltens ist vergleichend erortert.
Protocol for the Examination of Specimens From Patients With Carcinomas of the Cervix

T protocol is intended to assist pathologists in providing clinically useful and relevant information as a result of the examination of surgical specimens. Use of this protocol is intended to be entirely voluntary. If equally valid protocols or similar documents are applicable, the pathologist is, of course, free to follow those authorities. Indeed, the ultimate judgment regarding the propriety of any specific procedure must be made by the physician in light of the individual circumstances presented by a specific patient or specimen. It should be understood that adherence to this protocol will not guarantee a successful result. Nevertheless, pathologists are urged to familiarize themselves with this document. Should a physician choose to deviate from the protocol owing to the circumstances of a particular patient or specimen, the physician is advised to make a contemporaneous written notation of the reason for the procedure followed. The College recognizes that this document may be used by hospitals, attorneys, managed care organizations, insurance carriers, and other payers. However, the document was developed solely as a tool to assist pathologists in the diagnostic process by providing information that reflects the state of relevant medical knowledge at the time the protocol was first published. It was not developed for credentialing, litigation, or reimbursement purposes. The College cautions that any uses of the protocol for these purposes involve considerations that are beyond the scope of this document.
Transit Use at Transit-Oriented Developments in Portland, Oregon, Area

Many regions throughout the United States are turning to various smart growth concepts, including transit-oriented development (TOD), to address a variety of concerns. Public agencies in the Portland, Oregon, region were early adopters of policies to promote TOD. More than 300 residents of TODs near four rail stations in the Portland area were surveyed about their travel behavior. The neighborhoods were selected to represent a range of styles of TODs while controlling for income. All the TODs surveyed were market-price units, most of them for sale, generally marketed to higher-income households. None of the neighborhoods completely satisfies agreed-on standards for good TODs: higher density, good land use mix, pedestrian friendly, and close to transit. The research found that households in the neighborhoods tend to be smaller than in the surrounding cities and often are without children. The residents of the surveyed TODs are not transit dependent, although they did commute by transit at a significantly h...
Some spectral properties of several soil types: implications for photomorphogenesis*

Abstract. Light transmission through several sands, soils and size classes of glass beads was investigated. The glass beads served as a highly reflective model system for the sands. Light penetration was significantly better through sands than through either sandy or silty loams. For sandy soils, there was a shift in the spectrum leading to a change in the red-to-far-red photon ratio with increase in depth: this ratio dropped by more than 30% in the first few millimetres, and in some cases increased again with further increases in depth. The depths at which these changes occurred in the soil profile were specific for a given soil type. Similar spectral changes were obtained when sample depth for a sandy soil was held constant, and particle (ped) size of that soil was decreased. No such changes, either with sample depth or ped size, were observed with loams. Per cent transmittance in the blue (442 nm) was more than three orders of magnitude lower than in the red (632.8 nm) for sandy soils. When dry sandy soils were water-saturated, their transmittance increased by up to three orders of magnitude, and the red far-red ratios in the transmitted light increased in all cases. By contrast, water-saturated loams were essentially opaque. The possible significance of these spectral properties of soils in seed germination and seedling photomorphogenesis is discussed.
State Misallocation and Housing Prices: Theory and Evidence from China

This paper examines the equilibrium price effects of the privatization of housing assets that were previously owned and allocated by the state. I develop a theoretical framework that shows that privatization can have ambiguous effects on prices in the private market, and that the degree of misallocation of the assets prior to privatization deter mines the subsequent price effects. I test the predictions of the model using a large-scale housing reform in China. The results suggest that the removal of price distortions allowed households to increase their consumption of housing and led to an increase in equilibrium hous ing prices. (JEL L33, 018, P25, R31, R38) State participation in the housing market occurs in several forms in countries throughout the world. The provision of subsidized housing as a welfare benefit to low income households is common throughout the Western hemisphere. In addition, local governments in several cities in the United States have implemented regula tions that limit the increase of rents charged by landlords.1 This paper focuses on a form of state intervention in housing that occurs through the provision of subsidized homes to state employees. The economic consequences of this area of research are potentially large as employer-provided housing in the state sector is common throughout the developing world, particularly in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Government regulation of the private market or the creation of a separate mar ket ensures that certain households have access to housing at prices that are below market value. State interventions that aim to bring affordable housing to particu lar subsegments of the population can create economic inefficiencies. They distort the decisions that individuals make regarding residential mobility (Joseph Gyourko and Peter Linneman 1989; Gordon A. Hughes and Barry McCormick 1987) and employment (Michael Svarer, Michael Rosholm, and Jakob Roland Munch 2005; Wang forthcoming), and they lead to underinvestment in the construction and main
Naltrexone prevents delayed encephalopathy in rats poisoned with the sarin analogue diisopropylflurophosphate

Abstract Background Acute poisoning with organophosphate compounds can cause chronic neuropsychological disabilities not prevented by standard antidotes of atropine and pralidoxime. We determine the efficacy of naltrexone in preventing delayed encephalopathy after poisoning with the sarin analogue diisofluorophosphate (DFP) in rats. Methods A randomized controlled experiment was conducted. Rats were randomly assigned to receive a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of 5 mg/kg DFP (n = 12) or vehicle control (isopropyl alcohol, n=5). Rats were observed for cholinesterase toxicity and treated with IP atropine (2 mg/kg) and pralidoxime (25 mg/kg) as needed. After resolution of acute toxicity, rats injected with DFP were again randomized to receive daily injections of naltrexone (5 mg/kg per day) or saline (vehicle control). Control animals also received daily injections of saline. For 4 weeks after acute poisoning, rats underwent neurologic testing with the Morris Water Maze for assessment of spatial learning and reference memory. Comparisons on each test day were made across groups using analysis of variance followed by Fisher's least significant difference. Comparisons of changes in performance between first and last test day within each group were made using a paired t test. Significance was determined at P Results All rats receiving DFP developed toxicity requiring rescue. Spatial learning was significantly worse in the DFP-only group compared with the naltrexone-treated and control groups at day 10 ( P = .0078), day 13 ( P = .01), day 24 ( P = .034), and day 31 ( P = .03). No significant differences in reference memory were detected at any time point. Conclusion Naltrexone protected against impairment of spatial learning from acute poisoning with DFP in rats.
Mauss’s lectures to psychologists: A case for holistic sociology

In lectures delivered to psychologists in the 1920s and 1930s, Marcel Mauss argued for a rapprochement between sociology and psychology. His goal was not disciplinary unification, but rather a more...
Guidance of cardiac pacemaker leads using real time 3D ultrasound: feasibility studies.

We investigated the feasibility of the guidance of pacemaker lead implantation using the pacemaker lead stylet as an acoustic wave-guide combined with real time 3D ultrasound imaging. In one approach, with a 2.5 MHz transducer coupled to a stylet of a pacemaker lead, we used the stylet as a transmitter to track the vibrating tip in a 3D ultrasound scan. In another approach, we connected the stylet to a piezoelectric actuator vibrating in the range 0.5 -5 kHz so that the tip of the stylet was imaged using the color Doppler feature of the real time 3D ultrasound scanner. In both approaches, tracking of the isolated stylet showed good accuracy. However, neither approach offered sufficient signal-to-noise ratio to detect the vibration within the lumen of an intact pacemaker lead.
Modeling Surface Area to Volume Effects on Borosilicate Glass Dissolution

We simulated the reaction of SRL-131 glass with equilibrated J-13 water in order to investigate the effects of surface area to volume ratio (SA/V) on glass dissolution. We show that glass-fluid ion exchange causes solution pH to rise to progressively higher values as SA/V increases. Because the ion exchange is rapid relative to the duration of the glass dissolution experiment, the pH effect does not scale with (SA/V)*time. Experiments compared at the same (SA/V)*time value therefore have different pHs, with higher pHs at higher SA/V ratios. Both experimental data and our simulation results show similar trends of increasing reaction rate as a function of SA/V ratio when scaled to (SA/V)*time. Glasses which react in systems of differing SA/V ratio therefore follow different reaction paths and high SA/V ratios cannot be used to generate data which accurately scales to long time periods unless the ion exchange effect is taken into account. We suggest some simple test designs which enable more reliable high SA/V accelerated tests.
Strengthening of the Tropopause Inversion Layer during the 2009 Sudden Stratospheric Warming: A MERRA-2 Study

AbstractThe behavior of the tropopause inversion layer (TIL) during the 2009 sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) is analyzed using NASA’s Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2), and short-term simulations with the MERRA-2 general circulation model. Consistent with previous studies, it is found that static stability in a shallow layer above the polar tropopause sharply increases following the SSW, leading to a strengthening of the high-latitude TIL. Simultaneously, the height of the thermal tropopause decreases by around 1 km. Similar behavior is also detected during other major SSW events between the years 2004 and 2013. Using an ensemble of general circulation model forecasts initialized from MERRA-2, it is demonstrated that the primary cause of the strengthening of the TIL is an increased convergence of the vertical component of the stratospheric residual circulation in response to an SSW-induced acceleration of the mean downward motion between 75° and 90°N. ...
Abstract 4491: Transforming growth factor (TGF) ≤ pathway and clinical outcome of pancreatic cancer

Background: TGFβ acts both as a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter depending upon cellular context and stage of tumor progression. TGFβ exerts its effects through the TGFβR1/ R2 receptors and the SMAD transcription regulators. We investigated the prognostic value of TGFβ signaling biomarkers in pancreatic cancer. Methods: We measured plasma TGFβ1 level using Meso Scale Discovery Multi-array® Human TGFβ1 Assay in 643 pancreatic cancer patients. TGFβR2 (Novus) and SMAD4 (Proteintech) protein expression were measured in 86 biopsies using immunohistochemisty (IHC). IHC intensity was scored 0-3. Percentage IHC-positive cancer cells were 0-3 (0: 0%+, 1: 1-10%+, 2: 10-25%+, 3: >25%+). Final IHC score was measured as intensity × percentage. We also genotyped 3 SNPs of TGFB1 gene using the Taqman assay. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests were used to analyze overall survival (OS) by TGFβ1 level. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models with relevant clinical covariates were used to assess the relationship between IHC score and OS. Results: In patients with locally advanced and metastatic disease (n = 355), there was a significant association of plasma TGFβ1 with OS. OS of the top quartile of TGFβ1 levels (>19.05 ng/mL) vs. those with low level was 27.7 weeks vs. 40 weeks, respectively [log-rank p = 0.0125, adjusted for baseline CA 19-9 and performance status (PS)]. No significant association between plasma TGFβ1 and OS was noted in surgical patients (n = 288). In the multivariate Cox model, after adjusting for baseline stage, CA 19-9, PS, age and TGFβR2 expression, complete loss of SMAD4 expression (IHC score 0) was significantly associated with lower OS [HR (95% CI): 1.85 (1.06-3.23), p = 0.03]. Progressive disease on gemcitabine-based therapy was more likely in SMAD4 IHC 0 group as compared with higher score (46.5% vs. 38.1% progressed; chi square p = 0.069). TGFB1 –1346T>C CT/TT genotype correlated with shorter OS [HR (95% CI): 1.21 (1.02-1.45), p = 0.03] after adjusting for clinical variables. Conclusions: This large retrospective study suggests an important stage-dependant role of the TGFβ pathway in pancreatic cancer. Targeting this pathway in advanced pancreatic cancer may have therapeutic relevance. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4491. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4491
Digital Design Tools and the Temporality of Design

Designing semiconductor chips is a complex, digitally mediated process. While already using fully digitalized tools with various affordances, chip designers continue to augment their cognitive efforts by using advanced computational tools in order to deal with growing complexity of their design tasks. The introduction of such advanced computing capabilities such as simulation introduces causal ambiguity in the process, which reconfigures the designer-tool relationship, altering the temporal rhythms of work. Through a qualitative, multi-project case study at one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers, we show that different types of affordances lead to different constructions of the temporal modes of designing. We found that existing digital design tools afford a uni-threaded temporal mode of designing by a sequential ordering of human and tool actions; advanced digital design tools affords a multi-threaded temporal mode of designing by braiding together of multiple threads of human and tool ac...
Natural bond-bond polarizability: a Hückel-like electronic delocalization index.

We show how the bond–bond polarizability index, as originally introduced by Coulson and Longuet–Higgins in the Huckel-theoretic context, can be generalized in the natural bond orbital (NBO) framework to ab initio molecular orbital and density functional theory levels. We demonstrate that such a “natural bond–bond polarizability” (NBBP) index provides a flexible and quantitative descriptor for a broad spectrum of delocalization effects ranging from strong π aromaticity to weak intra- and intermolecular hyperconjugative phenomena. Illustrative applications are presented for representative delocalization effects in saturated and unsaturated species, chemical reactions, and hydrogen-bonding interactions.
Papers on health education of children covered in CMCC: A bibliometric analysis

Objective To understand the situation in health education of children in China and study its new methods by analyzing the papers on health education of children covered in CMCC from 1994 to 2010.Methods Papers on health education of children and distribution of their authors,key words,funds,and publishing journals were analyzed by bibliometrics using the synthetic and added limiting functions of databases,Excel,and reading.Results A total of 1015 papers on health education of children were covered in CMCC,with a coauthor rate of 65.62% and a cooperation degree of 2.66.The number of papers published by Guangdong Province was the highest.Asthma was found to be the most used key word for different kinds of disease.Forty-seven papers were supported by different kinds of fund.The greatest number of related papers was published inChina Health Education.Conclusion Papers on health education of children in China tend to increase.,but the research on health education of children needs to be strengthened.The research is focused on disease prevention and control and health care of children.Medical and health institutions are the core organizations for health education of children.
Urban–Rural Differences in Disaster Resilience

The concept of disaster resilience has gained attention in political spheres and news outlets over the past few years, yet relatively few empirical measures of the concept exist. Furthermore, resea...
The Slaughter of the Buffalo

In the Treaty of Medicine Lodge with the southern plains tribes in 1867 and the Treaty of Fort Laramie with the Sioux in 1868, the United States government guaranteed to the Indians the right to continue hunting on certain lands “so long as the buffalo may range thereon in such numbers as to justify the chase.”1 But even as the American peace commissioners offered the Indians assurances that they would be allowed to continue their buffalo-hunting way of life, the United States was poised to destroy that way of life by systematically slaughtering the buffalo herds.
Political Legitimacy, Direct Democracy, and American Politics

This chapter complements the treatment of natural science in the first two chapters. The American Constitution is the most successful application of the Enlightenment’s new political science, and Rousseau was deeply skeptical about its promises. Nevertheless, his Social Contract and Considerations on the Government of Poland offer considerable support for important features of America’s constitutional arrangements. At the same time, Rousseau’s analysis points to the merits of certain dissident or subdominant strains in American political thought. American students of politics should reconsider the widely held view that Rousseau is a useless or dangerous guide for us. The chapter uses an important decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to show how Rousseau’s analysis of political legitimacy can throw new light on contemporary political issues.
High Yield Synthesis of Fluorinated Benzoxazine Monomers and Their Molecular Characterization

A method for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydro-3-pentafluorophenyl-2H-1,3-benzoxazine in a high yield derived from pentafluoroaniline is described. This fluorinated benzoxazine monomer has been developed as a potential precursor for a polybenzoxazine in electronic applications as well as others taking advantage of the low dielectric constant, low flammability, low refractive index, low coefficient of friction, and high glass transition temperature of fluorinated compounds. The traditional benzoxazine synthesis conditions are inappropriate for the synthesis of fluorinated benzoxazines when the fluorination is on the primary amine component. It is found that the pH value of the reaction medium is the controlling factor in the yield of the compound from weak amines. A strongly acidic condition is necessary for the synthesis of similar compounds from other very weak amines having a pK a lower than 3. A dramatic increase in the yield of benzoxazine ring has been observed when benzoxazines with very weak amines are synthesized in an acidic medium. The effects of solvent and pK a of phenol are also discussed. The synthesized compounds have been characterized by 1 H NMR, FTIR, GPC and HPLC.
THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Enough Good Food for All: A Proposal

Note: This column is a follow-up to my previous Economic Pamphleteer column, “How Do We Ensure Good Food for All?,” which appeared in the summer 2016 issue. How do we provide good food for all 323 million Americans? I began my previous column with this question (Ikerd, 2016). In that column, I defined good food as safe, nutritious, and flavorful foods, produced by means that protect natural ecosystems, fairly reward farmers and farmworkers, and ensure that all have enough food to support healthy, active lifestyles. I explained why our current industrial food system is fundamentally incapable of providing good food for everyone. I concluded that replacing today’s impersonal industrial food system with a personally connected food network would create at least the possibility of enough good food for all. In this column, I propose a logical means of capitalizing on this possibility....
IL-6 Inhibits Upregulation of Membrane-Bound TGF-β 1 on CD4+ T Cells and Blocking IL-6 Enhances Oral Tolerance

Oral administration of Ag induces regulatory T cells that express latent membrane-bound TGF-β (latency-associated peptide [LAP]) and have been shown to play an important role in the induction of oral tolerance. We developed an in vitro model to study modulation of LAP+ on CD4+ T cells. The combination of anti-CD3 mAb, anti-CD28 mAb, and recombinant IL-2 induced expression of LAP on naive CD4+ T cells, independent of Foxp3 or exogenous TGF-β. In vitro generated CD4+LAP+Foxp3- T cells were suppressive in vitro, inhibiting proliferation of naive CD4+ T cells and IL-17A secretion by Th17 cells. Assessing the impact of different cytokines and neutralizing Abs against cytokines, we found that LAP induction was decreased in the presence of IL-6 and IL-21, and to a lesser extent by IL-4 and TNF-α. IL-6 abrogated the in vitro induction of CD4+LAP+ T cells by STAT3-dependent inhibition of Lrrc32 (glycoprotein A repetitions predominant [GARP]), the adapter protein that tethers TGF-β to the membrane. Oral tolerance induction was enhanced in mice lacking expression of IL-6R by CD4+ T cells and by treatment of wild-type mice with neutralizing anti-IL-6 mAb. These results suggest that proinflammatory cytokines interfere with oral tolerance induction and that blocking the IL-6 pathway is a potential strategy for enhancing oral tolerance in the setting of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Genetic and individual assignment of tetraploid green sturgeon with SNP assay data

Polyploid organisms pose substantial obstacles to genetic analysis, as molecular assay data are usually difficult to evaluate in a Mendelian framework. Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) is a tetraploid species and is facing significant conservation challenges, including bycatch in ocean fisheries. We present here novel molecular genetic assays and analytical methodology for green sturgeon that allow discrimination of fish from the two visually indistinguishable distinct population segments (DPSs), and also provide individual-specific genetic tags. We show how the relative fluorescence intensity data from a standard quantitative PCR assay, designed for a biallelic single nucleotide polymorphism, can be grouped into “genotype categories” using standard analytical software and post-processing manipulation. We then show how these genotype category data can be used to discriminate green sturgeon from the southern DPS, which is protected under the US Endangered Species Act, and the northern DPS, which is not. We also show how these data can be used to reliably identify individual green sturgeon, and can therefore be used in capture/recapture analyses. Both types of identification are extremely accurate even when fewer than half of the assays are successfully called. We then apply these new techniques to show that proportions of the two green sturgeon DPSs are extremely different in the two major fishery areas where they are encountered as bycatch. While these assays and methods do not provide data that can be used in pedigree-based analyses, they are an important advance in the application of genetic analysis to conservation and management of polyploid organisms.
Fear of Pain Questionnaire-9: Brief assessment of pain-related fear and anxiety.

Background Fear and anxiety are important considerations in both acute and chronic pain. Effectively and efficiently measuring fear and anxiety associated with pain in healthcare settings is critical for identifying vulnerable patients. The length and administration time of current measures of pain-related fear and anxiety inhibit their routine use, as screening tools and otherwise, suggesting the need for a shorter, more efficient instrument. Methods A 9-item shortened version of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire – III (FPQ-III), the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-9 (FPQ-9), was developed based upon statistical analyses of archival data from 275 outpatients with chronic pain and 275 undergraduates. Additionally, new data were collected from 100 outpatients with chronic pain and 190 undergraduates to directly compare the standard and short forms. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and other psychometric analyses, were conducted to examine and establish the FPQ-9 as a reliable and valid instrument. Results The original three-factor structure of the FPQ-III was retained in the shortened version; a confirmatory factor analysis produced good model fit (RMSEA = 0.00, CFI = 1.00, TLI = 1.00, SRMR = 0.03). Results suggested a high degree of correlation between the original FPQ-III and the new FPQ-9 (r = 0.77, p < 0.001). Measures of internal consistency for FPQ-9 subscales were high; correlations with other pain and anxiety instruments suggested concurrent, convergent and divergent validity. Conclusions The FPQ-9 is a psychometrically sound alternative to longer instruments assessing fear and anxiety associated with pain, for use in both clinical and research situations that only allow brief screening. Significance The FPQ-9 has considerable potential for dissemination and utility for routine, brief screening, given its length (completion time ~2 min; scoring time ~1 min), reading level and psychometric properties.
Working Memory and Aging: A Review

In this chapter, we review research on the sensory and working memory changes that typically accompany normal aging, with the view that an examination of individual differences over the lifespan can illuminate some of the mechanisms underlying working memory processes. We also discuss the theoretical frameworks used to interpret these age-related changes and provide an integrated view encompassing both behavioral and brain imaging data. Behavioral data show age-related changes in both the maintenance and attention-control aspects of working memory, suggesting a balance change between the top-down and bottom-up processing streams. Brain imaging studies provide evidence for anatomical and functional changes in the brain networks associated with working memory and the top-down control of attention.
Food allergy and omics

Food allergy (FA) prevalence has been increasing over the last few decades and is now a global health concern. Current diagnostic methods for FA result in a high number of false-positive results, and the standard of care is either allergen avoidance or use of epinephrine on accidental exposure, although currently with no other approved treatments. The increasing prevalence of FA, lack of robust biomarkers, and inadequate treatments warrants further research into the mechanism underlying food allergies. Recent technological advances have made it possible to move beyond traditional biological techniques to more sophisticated high-throughput approaches. These technologies have created the burgeoning field of omics sciences, which permit a more systematic investigation of biological problems. Omics sciences, such as genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, and exposomics, have enabled the construction of regulatory networks and biological pathway models. Parallel advances in bioinformatics and computational techniques have enabled the integration, analysis, and interpretation of these exponentially growing data sets and opens the possibility of personalized or precision medicine for FA.
CRT-100.09 Vasoactive Agent Use Prior to Acute Mechanical Circulatory Support for Cardiogenic Shock Is Associated with End Organ Dysfunction and Mortality

Prior to initiating acute mechanical circulatory support (AMCS) for cardiogenic shock (CS), vasoactive agents are used for hemodynamic support to avert multi-system dysfunction or hemo-metabolic shock. The relationship between vasoactive agent use for CS and clinical outcomes is not well-understood
Clinical Application of Ultrasound Guidance in Arterial and Venous Access

The use of ultrasound by vascular specialists has continued to increase over the past two decades. Historically, access for venous and arterial cannulation has been guided by landmark techniques. This has slowly been either replaced or only selectively used. With the availability of portable ultrasound devices, most operating theaters and interventional suites are equipped with specified units for physician use. This chapter describes common percutaneous cannulation sites and how access can be assisted by ultrasound technology. In addition, available literature comparing this modality to other methods of vascular access is examined.
Reproducing Kernel Partition of Unity: from Continuum to Quantum

Through three classes of problems at continuum macro-scale, meso-scale, and quantum-scale, we demonstrate how the reproducing kernel (RK) approximation can be constructed to alleviate the numerical difficulties associated with the standard finite element methods (FEM) in solving the partial differential equations of the three demonstration problems. A typical problem at macro-scale that cannot be effectively analyzed by FEM is the problem involving large material distortion and damage. Employment of the mesh based methods often encounters mesh entanglement type ill-conditioning or solution divergence in large deformation and fragment-impact problems. With the proper selection of continuity and locality in the RK approximation, this class of problems can be modeled with desired regularity. At meso-scale, surface energy of materials becomes critical, and the numerical method that can accurately approximate moving discontinuities on the evolving material interfaces is essential. For example, modeling of microstructure evolution and topological changes requires a continuous remeshing using FEM. This difficulty is resolved by the RK approximation by introducing an interface enrichment function to adequately capture meso-scale moving material interfaces. In quantum mechanics, Schrodinger equation exhibits a highly nonlinear behavior near nuclei. We demonstrate how p-refinement and enrichment of orbital functions can be formulated under the RK approximation framework for effective numerical solution of Schrodinger equation.
Free Nature in the Laboratory

Vinogradskii developed his approach during the laboratory revolution, when scientists increasingly distinguished between lab and field research. Two parallel developments characterized this revolution—on the one hand, laboratory-builders appropriated the natural to authenticate their experimental practices, and on the other, natural historians (field scientists) drew on the authority of heroic adventure to validate their research. Even by the 1890s, when laboratory standards came to dominate the biological sciences, some researchers in nascent disciplines such as microbiology and ecology preserved their natural history perspectives. Vinogradskii, for example, was able to synthesize his laboratory and natural research due in part to his commitment to a conceptual and rhetorical strategy of making “direct observations.” For him, viewing an organism’s physiological processes microscopically and in artificial cultures gave the data he collected in the laboratory and the field the same epistemological status. For him, organisms developed the physiological characteristics that defined their ‘true’ roles in the cycle of life in the plenum of nature’s complexity. By eliminating that complexity using controlled laboratory environments and careful observational techniques, he believed he could decipher these roles. Vinogradskii’s grand vision of the cycle of life—and the methods by which he transformed it into an experimental laboratory investigation—would guide his later research and constitute his great legacy to an international school of soil microbiologists in the twentieth century.