cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Motivations and Experiences of People Seeking Medication Abortion Online in the United States.

CONTEXT State legislation restricting access to abortion in the clinic setting raises the possibility that an increasing number of individuals in the United States will self-manage their abortion at home. Medications sourced online represent a potential pathway to abortion self-management. Yet, very little is known about the reasons U.S. residents may seek abortion online or their experiences finding medications and information. METHODS In January-June 2017, anonymous in-depth interviews were conducted with 32 people from 20 states who sought abortion medications online (30 women and two men seeking medications for their partners). Participants were asked about their (or their partners') motivations for considering self-managed abortion, the sources of medications they identified and any other methods they considered. Transcripts were coded and analyzed according to the principles of grounded theory. RESULTS The analysis revealed four key themes: Seeking abortion medications online can be a response to clinic access barriers both in states with and in ones without restrictive abortion laws; self-managed abortion can be a preference over clinical care; online options offer either information or medications, but not both; and the lack of trusted online options can delay care and lead to consideration of ineffective or unsafe alternatives. CONCLUSION Current online options for abortion medications leave many important needs unmet, particularly for women who encounter barriers to obtaining clinic-based abortion services. There is a public health justification to reduce clinic access barriers and to make medication abortion that is sourced online and managed at home as safe and supported as possible.
Reflexivity and Social Embeddedness in the History of Ethical Philosophies

If one looks at the long-term history of philosophy, not only in the European West but in the world, one sees that ethical philosophies develop in a very different pattern than epistemology and metaphysics. Value questions arise early in the forming of intellectual networks, and they are generally the most important questions in their appeal to lay audiences. The most common amateur conception of philosophy is such discussion as ‘what is the meaning of life?’ or ‘how ought one to act?’ Nevertheless, in overviewing the history of philosophical networks, value-questions are much less prominent in shaping the direction of intellectual change than are arguments over cosmology, metaphysics, and epistemology. Once formulated, value-stances have tended to remain static for very long periods of time, compared to the long series of shifts in epistemology and metaphysics.
Numbers and Strings

Compact Riemann surfaces figure prominently in string theory where they appear as string world sheets. Compact Riemann surfaces are “algebraic curves” (curves, in that their complex dimension is one while their real dimension is two), and their algebraic geometry has strong arithmetic (number-theoretic) flavor. Some of this arithmetic geometry has already surfaced in discussions of higher loop diagrams in string theory. It is well known that in algebraic geometry it pays to be flexible concerning the nature of the number-field over which the algebraic curves (or varieties) are defined. Could one be equally flexible in physics, and envisage strings over the still locally compact but non-archimedean field of p-adic numbers? Could such non-archimedean strings shed light on the physically interesting archimedean string over the field R of real numbers? As we shall see 1),2) this is indeed the case and the extremely simple non-archimedean strings can be viewed, essentially, as the basic building blocks of the much richer physical (archimedean) string. Before constructing such non-archimedean strings one has to confront three crucial decisions.
Notes Toward a Performative Theory of Assembly, by Judith Butler

Judith Butler’s published responses to current events continue with this new essay collection on mass popular protests. Since the early years of the twenty-first century, Butler has responded to ma...
Retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy (RVCL): A rare mimic of tumefactive MS.

Objective We report a series of 2 brothers who each developed tumefactive brain lesions, initially thought to have brain tumors or tumefactive multiple sclerosis (MS), but who were ultimately diagnosed with a rare autosomal dominant condition known as retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy (RVCL). Methods Case series and literature review. Results We present 2 brothers who developed tumefactive right frontal brain lesions leading to gait disturbances and cognitive changes. Both brothers also had nonspecific brain calcifications and T2-hyperintense lesions, and both had ophthalmic and liver disease of unclear etiology. The first brother had been extensively evaluated by various specialists, underwent inconclusive brain and liver biopsies, and was ultimately unsuccessfully treated for a diagnosis of tumefactive MS. The second brother also underwent unrevealing evaluation with CSF analysis and brain biopsy. Further family history revealed that the patients9 father developed a tumefactive brain lesion in the 1980s and had been diagnosed with CNS vasculitis. Given the familial link, RVCL was suspected, and genetic analysis confirmed the diagnosis with a 3-prime repair exonuclease 1 ( TREX1 ) C-terminal mutation. Conclusion The presence of tumefactive brain lesions, nonspecific brain calcifications, liver disease, and retinal vasculopathy, coupled with suggestive family history, led to the RVCL diagnosis. This report contributes to the limited understanding of RVCL, which can cause brain lesions that mimic gliomas or tumefactive MS. Recognition of this entity may prevent unnecessary invasive procedures and inappropriate therapeutic interventions, and would allow for proper counseling of family members.
Vain foresight: Against the idea of implementation in planning:

Why are many plans not implemented? Common explanations are planners have little power, they fail to account for political or environmental uncertainty in the plans or they failed to include enough...
Resilient performance of emergency department: Patterns, models and strategies

Abstract Emergency Departments (EDs) in the U.S. have long experienced difficulties in meeting the often-unexpected healthcare demands resulting in widespread overcrowding. Understanding performance adjustment in such complex systems would inform initiatives to improve ED resilience to expected and unexpected demands. Resilience Engineering (RE) literature offers abundant case-based findings that highlight performance adjustment in ED practices. However, there is a lack of effort to generalize such findings into a harmonized knowledge base. By reviewing and summarizing findings from literature, this study first presents four patterns of performance adjustment: Adjustment by Matching, Extending, Sustaining, and Transforming. Second, five conceptual models of resilience are presented from the literature exhibiting different characteristics of resilience in EDs. Third, in order to support ED practitioners in coping with the chronic safety issues, this paper provides a repertoire of resilience strategies to manipulate four ED resources: staff, supplies, space, and sequence (four S’s) that can facilitate performance adjustment. As the synthesis of such findings, the patterns and strategies are incorporated into each model. Strengths, weaknesses, and recommended usage for the ED resilience models are also discussed. By inspiring a transition from a case-based approach to a model-based approach for resilient healthcare, the findings of this paper provide an initial framework for developing better work strategies and new tools to deliver safer and more productive ED practices.
Articular Cartilage Defects of the Glenohumeral Joint: A Systematic Review of Treatment Options and Outcomes:

ObjectiveTo report radiographic and magnetic resonance imaging findings, patient-reported outcomes, and complications and/or reoperations following nonarthroplasty surgical intervention for focal g...
Foamy Urine: Is This a Sign of Kidney Disease?

Historically, persistent foamy urine noticed upon voiding is considered a warning sign of kidney disease. Foamy urine is characterized by the appearance and persistence of multiple layers of small to medium bubbles in urine voided into a container, such as a toilet bowl (see [Figure 1][1]). The
Interactions between Moisture and Tropical Convection. Part II: The Convective Coupling of Equatorial Waves

AbstractThe exponential increase in precipitation with increasing column saturation fraction (CSF) is used to investigate the role of moisture in convective coupling. This simple empirical relation...
Pectin-Tannic Acid Nano-Complexes Promote the Delivery and Bioactivity of Drugs in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Pancreatic cancer (PanCa) is a lethal disease. Conventional chemotherapies for PanCa offer severe systemic toxicities. Thus, the development of a successful nanomedicine-based therapeutic regimen with augmented therapeutic efficacy is highly sought. Naturally occurring pectin and modified pectin-based drug delivery systems exhibit remarkable self-targeting ability via galactose residues to various cancer cells. Herein, we developed and used an innovative approach of highly stable nanocomplexes based on modified pectin and tannic acid (MPT-NCs). The nanocomplex formation was enabled by strong intermolecular interactions between pectin and tannic acid under very mild conditions. These nanocomplexes were characterized by particle size and morphology (DLS, TEM, and SEM), FT-IR spectroscopy, and zeta potential measurements. Additionally, MPT-NCs were capable of encapsulating anticancer drugs (5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine, and irinotecan) through tannic acid binding. The in vitro bioactivity of these drug MPT-NCs were evaluated in pancreatic cancer adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines (HPAF-II and PANC-1). A dose-dependent internalization of nanocomplexes was evident from microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. Both proliferation and colony formation assays indicated the anticancer potential of pectin drug nanocomplexes against PDAC cells compared to that of free drug treatments. Together, the pectin-based nanocomplexes could be a reliable and efficient drug delivery strategy for cancer therapy.
Review of COVID-19 Outcomes in Surgical Patients.

COVID-19 emerged as a viral pandemic in the year 2019. The practice and scope of surgery and medicine transformed radicially as the virus spread across the world. There is an urgent need to underst...
Photocatalytic decarboxylative amidosulfonation enables direct transformation of carboxylic acids to sulfonamides

Sulfonamides feature prominently in organic synthesis, materials science and medicinal chemistry, where they play important roles as bioisosteric replacements of carboxylic acids and other carbonyls. Yet, a general synthetic platform for the direct conversion of carboxylic acids to a range of functionalized sulfonamides has remained elusive. Herein, we present a visible light-induced, dual catalytic platform that for the first time allows for a one-step access to sulfonamides and sulfonyl azides directly from carboxylic acids. The broad scope of the direct decarboxylative amidosulfonation (DDAS) platform is enabled by the efficient direct conversion of carboxylic acids to sulfinic acids that is catalyzed by acridine photocatalysts and interfaced with copper-catalyzed sulfur–nitrogen bond-forming cross-couplings with both electrophilic and nucleophilic reagents.
Indexed squares

We study some combinatorial principles intermediate between square and weak square. We construct models which distinguish various square principles, and show that a strengthened form of weak square holds in the Prikry model. Jensen proved that a large cardinal property slightly stronger than 1-extendibility is incompatible with square; we prove this is close to optimal by showing that 1-extendibility is compatible with square.
ATN-161 Ameliorates Ischemia/Reperfusion-induced Oxidative Stress, Fibro-inflammation, Mitochondrial damage, and Apoptosis-mediated Tight Junction Disruption in bEnd.3 Cells.

We have previously demonstrated the significance of endothelial cell-expressed α5β1 integrin in ischemic stroke, having shown that α5β1 integrin endothelial cell-selective knockout mice are significantly resistance to ischemic stroke injury via preservation of the tight junction protein claudin-5 and subsequent stabilization of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). In addition, inhibition of α5β1 by the small peptide noncompetitive integrin α5 inhibitor, ATN-161, is beneficial in a mouse model of ischemic stroke through reduction of infarct volume, edema, stabilization of the BBB, and reduced inflammation and immune cell infiltration into the brain. In continuation with our previous findings, we have further evaluated the mechanistic role of ATN-161 in vitro and found that oxygen and glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R)-induced inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, mitochondrial depolarization, and fibrosis attenuate tight junction integrity via induction of α5, NLRP3, p-FAK, and p-AKT signaling in mouse brain endothelial cells. ATN-161 treatment (10 µM) effectively inhibited OGD/R-induced extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition by reducing integrin α5, MMP-9, and fibronectin expression, as well as reducing oxidative stress by reducing mitochondrial superoxide radicals, intracellular ROS, inflammation by reducing NLRP3 inflammasome, tight junction loss by reducing claudin-5 and ZO-1 expression levels, mitochondrial damage by inhibiting mitochondrial depolarization, and apoptosis via regulation of p-FAK and p-AKT levels. Taken together, our results further support therapeutically targeting α5 integrin with ATN-161, a safe, well-tolerated, and clinically validated peptide, in ischemic stroke.
Lost in Translation: Mahr-Agreements, US Courts, and the Predicament of Muslim Women

As a reciprocal contract, Islamic marriage (nikāḥ) furnishes rights and obligations for both spouses. Usually split into two portions, the deferred part of the bridal dower (mahr muʾakhkhar)—a one-time financial liability that both spouses agree on during the wedding proceedings—is customarily received by the Muslim wife where her husband seeks to divorce her unilaterally (ṭalāq). However, US courts faced with construing mahr-agreements have been reluctant to enforce the financial promises stipulated in such agreements. Based on evidence gathered from case law, this article argues that a combination of several factors, most importantly, the judicial anxiety to get involved in religious doctrinal interpretation, as well as the misinformed analogizing of bridal dowers to prenuptial agreements, adversely affects Muslim women as courts increasingly adhere to the presumption that mahr-agreements are non-enforceable, squarely placing the burden of proof to the contrary on women. Moreover, women's financial hardship is often the immediate result of the court's refusal to uphold a husband's commitment to pay dower. As a critical feature of Islamic marriage, the agreed-on dower payment assures financial stability after divorce, predictability, and women's bargaining power throughout a marital relationship. Since 2013, state legislators' partially successful endeavors to bar state courts from applying Islamic law under comity function as a compounding factor that has created dire prospects for the future of mahr-agreements in the US, posing a substantial risk not only to the institution of Islamic marriage, but also the parties’ freedom of contract.
StackBERT: Machine Learning Assisted Static Stack Frame Size Recovery on Stripped and Optimized Binaries

The call stack represents one of the core abstractions that compiler-generated programs leverage to organize binary execution at runtime. For many use cases reasoning about stack accesses of binary functions is crucial: security-sensitive applications may require patching even after deployment, and binary instrumentation, rewriting, and lifting all necessitate detailed knowledge about the function frame layout of the affected program. As no comprehensive solution to the stack symbolization problem exists to date, existing approaches have to resort to workarounds like emulated stack environments, resulting in increased runtime overheads. In this paper we present StackBERT, a framework to statically reason about and reliably recover stack frame information of binary functions in stripped and highly optimized programs. The core idea behind our approach is to formulate binary analysis as a self-supervised learning problem by automatically generating ground truth data from a large corpus of open-source programs. We train a state-of-the-art Transformer model with self-attention and finetune for stack frame size prediction. We show that our finetuned model yields highly accurate estimates of a binary function's stack size from its function body alone across different instruction-set architectures, compiler toolchains, and optimization levels. We successfully verify the static estimates against runtime data through dynamic executions of standard benchmarks and additional studies, demonstrating that StackBERT's predictions generalize to 93.44% of stripped and highly optimized test binaries not seen during training. We envision these results to be useful for improving binary rewriting and lifting approaches in the future.
Female Gender Increases Risk of Stroke and Readmission after CEA and CAS.

Objectives Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has historically demonstrated a higher rate of perioperative adverse events for female patients. However, recent evidence suggests similar outcomes for CEA between genders. In contrast, fewer studies have examined gender in carotid artery stenting (CAS). Using contemporary data from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database, we aim to determine if gender impacts differences in postoperative complications in patients who undergo CEA or CAS. Methods The ACS NSQIP database was queried from 2005-2017 using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for retrospective review. Patients with carotid intervention (CEA or CAS) were stratified into asymptomatic vs symptomatic cohorts to determine the effect of gender on 30-day postoperative outcomes. Symptomatic patients were defined as those with perioperative transient cerebral ischemic attack or stenosis of carotid artery with cerebral infarction. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Risk-adjusted odds of 30-day postoperative outcomes were calculated using multivariate regression analysis with fixed effects for age, race, and comorbidities. Results There were 106,568 patients with CEA or CAS (104,412 CEA and 2,156 CAS). Average age was 70.9 years old and female patients accounted for 39.9% of the population. For asymptomatic patients that underwent CEA or CAS, female gender was associated with significantly higher rates of CVA/stroke (13%, p=0.005), readmission (10%, p=0.004), bleeding complication (32%, p=0.001), and UTI (54%, p=0.001) as well as less infection (26%, p=0.001). In the symptomatic cohort, female gender was associated with significantly higher rates of CVA/stroke (32%, p=0.034), bleeding complication (203%, p=0.001), and UTI (70%, p=0.011), while female gender was associated with a lower rate of pneumonia (39%, p=0.039). Subset analysis found that, compared to male patients, female patients Conclusion In patients undergoing carotid intervention, female gender was associated with significantly increased rates of postoperative CVA/stroke in the asymptomatic and symptomatic cohorts as well as readmission in the asymptomatic cohort. Female gender was associated with higher rates of CVA/stroke following CEA, but not CAS. We recommend that randomized control trials ensure adequate representation of female patients to better understand gender-based disparities in carotid intervention.
The Republican Roman Army: A Sourcebook

The Republican Roman Army assembles a wide range of source material and introduces the latest scholarship on the evolution of the Roman Army and the Roman experience of war. The author has carefully selected and translated key texts, many of them not previously available in English, and provided them with comprehensive commentaries and essays. This wide-ranging survey of documents recreates the social and historical framework in which ancient Roman warfare took place – from the Archaic and Servian period through to the Late Republic. The topics addressed extend beyond the conventional questions of army mechanics such as strategy and tactics, and explore questions such as the army’s influence on Roman society and its economy. Complete with notes, index and bibliography, The Republican Roman Army provides students of Ancient and Military History with an unprecedented survey of relevant materials.
Let Me Be

Little wonder I aged so fast, and before I was forty I was wizened and tiny, shrunken like my Grandpa, and Uke him afraid of nothing. I think I would have died early had I not been re-born American, blue-eyed, taU. This time I smoked Luckies, let my hair grow long, and never prayed. Except for the smoking people said I was like Jesus, except for that and not knowing the answers to anything. This time too I drove badly because my head was always filled with tunes and words, and when the songs went wild, so did I. Four times I was arrested
Health Care Reform and Health Care Stocks: Evidence from the Affordable Care Act Supreme Court Ruling

The Patient Protection and Aff ordable Care Act of 2010 marked a substantial shift in U.S. health care policy. This paper creates an event study that measures the impact of the law by observing health care fi rm stocks in the S&P 500 when on June 28, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court very unexpectedly did not overturn key sections of the Affordable Care Act in their landmark ruling on NFIB v. Sebelius. This included upholding the individual mandate, a provision requiring that Americans maintain a certain level of health insurance or face a monetary penalty. Following the upheaval, the paper finds cumulative average abnormal returns for managed care stocks of -6.7% (-$6.9 bn in total market capitalization). The same metric was -1.2% (-$1.5 bn) for biotechnology companies, 3.2% ($0.4 bn increase) for hospitals, 1.9% ($1.6 bn increase) for health care services, and 0.5% ($4.8 bn increase) for pharmaceutical companies. Health care equipment, distribution, and technology stocks had flat cumulative average abnormal returns over the period.
Changes in fetal acid-base chemistries following tromethamine (THAM) or bicarbonate infusions into fetal circulation of amniotic fluid

Abstract Direct infusions of equimolar quantities of bicarbonate and tromethamine into rhesus monkey fetal circulation near term resulted in roughly equivalent increases in fetal pH. However, intra-amniotic infusion of tromethamine was not followed by alkaline changes in the fetus and in most instances was followed by a progressive fetal acidosis. This sharply contrasts with previous experimental success in elevating fetal pH via amniotic fluid bicarbonate infusions.
Replenishment of granuloma macrophages promotes mycobacterial resistance by preventing extracellular bacterial growth (INC7P.410)

Pathogenic mycobacteria exploit the early tuberculous granuloma for their expansion by inducing infected macrophage apoptosis and accelerating uninfected macrophage recruitment and infection upon engulfing the dying macrophages. Whether sustained macrophage recruitment to established granulomas is also host-detrimental is unclear. We addressed this question in the zebrafish model of tuberculosis by manipulating the macrophage colony stimulation factor 1 (CSF-1) pathway, which promotes macrophage development. Early granuloma formation was normal in CSF-1 receptor-deficient fish in spite of having fewer macrophages. However, they became hypersusceptible upon depleting their macrophages, leading to the sudden loss of new recruits that would normally engulf the infected dead cells. The unphagocytosed infected macrophages underwent necrosis, releasing mycobacteria into the extracellular milieu that promotes exuberant growth. Partial macrophage depletion with lipo-clodranate produced the same effects in wild-type fish. Conversely, overexpression of CSF-1 in wild-type fish increased macrophage numbers and reduced susceptibility to infection. These results suggest that granuloma kinetics must be nuanced to promote resistance - while delaying granuloma formation is host-beneficial, abolishing macrophage recruitment to established granulomas is detrimental. These results might also explain why monocytopenias confer susceptibility to mycobacterial infections in humans.
A Review of “Long Wars and the Constitution“

With Long Wars and the Constitution, Stephen M. Griffin has entered the debate between “congressionalists” and “presidentialists” regarding war powers. Focusing on the goal of promoting greater pub...
Design and implementation of super broadband high speed waveguide switches

In this paper, based on the theory of dynamic waveguiding effect in nanodisordered KTN crystals, a detailed design and implementation of a super broadband 1x2 high speed waveguide switch is presented. The important waveguide parameters, including the dimension, the refractive index distribution, and the electric field distribution within the waveguide are quantitatively simulated and analyzed. An experimental verification of switching effect based on the design is also conducted, which confirmed the design. The broadband and high speed nature of such kind of switch can play a key role in data center networks and cloud computing, which needs low power consumption and high speed switches.
Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein positively regulates inclusion of an alternative 3'-terminal exon.

Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB) is an abundant vertebrate hnRNP protein. PTB binding sites have been found within introns both upstream and downstream of alternative exons in a number of genes that are negatively controlled by the binding of PTB. We have previously reported that PTB binds to a pyrimidine tract within an RNA processing enhancer located adjacent to an alternative 3′-terminal exon within the gene coding for calcitonin and calcitonin gene-related peptide. The enhancer consists of a pyrimidine tract and CAG directly abutting on a 5′ splice site sequence to form a pseudoexon. Here we show that the binding of PTB to the enhancer pyrimidine tract is functional in that exon inclusion increases when in vivo levels of PTB increase. This is the first example of positive regulation of exon inclusion by PTB. The binding of PTB was antagonistic to the binding of U2AF to the enhancer-located pyrimidine tract. Altering the enhancer pyrimidine tract to a consensus sequence for the binding of U2AF eliminated enhancement of exon inclusion in vivo and exon polyadenylation in vitro. An additional PTB binding site was identified close to the AAUAAA hexanucleotide sequence of the exon 4 poly(A) site. These observations suggest a dual role for PTB in facilitating recognition of exon 4: binding to the enhancer pyrimidine tract to interrupt productive recognition of the enhancer pseudoexon by splicing factors and interacting with the poly(A) site to positively affect polyadenylation.
Homogenization of tandemly repeated nucleotide sequences by distance-dependent nucleotide sequence conversion

Previous work revealed that recurrent mutations (=mutation occurring more than once) in the tandemly repeated arrays present in nontranscribed spacers (NTS) of ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) are clustered, i.e., they most frequently occur in repeats with adjacent or alternate distribution. A possible explanation is that the likelihood of heteroduplex formation, a prerequisite of gene conversion, decreases with the distance between repeats. To test this possibility, evolution of an array of 11 initially homogeneous repeats was computer simulated using three models, two assuming that the likelihood of heteroduplex formation decreases with increasing distance between the repeats and one assuming that it is constant. Patterns of mutations distribution obtained in computer simulations were compared with the distribution of mutations found in the repeated arrays in the NTS of seven rDNA clones. The patterns of mutations generated by the models assuming that the likelihood of heteroduplex formation decreases as distance between the repeats increases agreed with the patterns observed in rDNA; the patterns generated by the model assuming that the likelihood is independent of distance between repeats disagreed with the patterns observed in the rDNA clones. The topology of the heteroduplex formed between DNA in adjacent repeats predicts that the most frequently occurring conversions in the NTS repeated arrays will be shorter than the length of the repeat. The topology of the heteroduplex also predicts that if the heteroduplex leads to crossing over a circular repeat is excised. It is speculated that the circle can transpose or can be amplified via rolling circle replication and subsequently transpose. It is also shown that homogenization of the NTS repeated arrays proceeds at different rates in different species.
A tutorial on multirate digital filter banks

A number of topics in multirate digital signal processing, such as decimation and interpolation, polyphase structures, power-complementary and Mth band filters, and digital filter banks are reviewed. Maximally decimated digital filter banks are emphasized, and the problem of perfect reconstruction reviewed. The role of FIR (finite-impulse-response) lossless systems in this context is also reviewed. >
Abstract 1020: Recruitment of Tie2-expressing monocytes is associated with the heightened invasive phenotype of gliomas after antiangiogenic therapies

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Gliomas are highly vascularized tumors, and preclinical data have suggested that glioma growth critically depends on the generation of tumor associated blood vessels. Among multiple factors controlling the complex process of angiogenesis, VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) and its associated signaling cascade are considered of central importance. Glioma cells are a major source of VEGF, and high levels of VEGF generation have been reported to correlate with high grade malignancy and poor prognosis. Antiangiogenic therapy has been recently added to the battery of treatments to newly diagnosed malignant gliomas. However, preclinical data from our laboratory and others, as some clinical results, shown concomitantly elicit tumor adaptation and progression to stages of greater malignancy, with heightened invasiveness. These results warrant preclinical investigation. Here, we present evidence of accumulation of Tie2-expressing monocytes (TEMs) in the brain tumor/normal interphase regions in tumor-bearing animals treated with anti-VEGF agents. Immunohistochemistry using F4/80 or Iba1 antibodies revealed an increase number of microglia/macrophages in central and peripheral tumoral areas after antiangiogenesis treatment. Moreover, the recruitment of these tumor-associated microglia/macrophages (TAMs) was associated with an overrepresentation of TEMs. Almost 50% of Tie2-positive cells co-localized with microglia/macrophages after bevacizumab or prolonged VEGF-Trap/Aflibercept therapies. To determine the role of TEMs in the invasive phenotype of gliomas upon antiangiogenic therapies, we use monocytes isolated from buffy coats and sorted positively for Tie2 expression, and monocytic cultures polarized to M2 phenotype and forced to express Tie2. We found that TEMs express high level of MMP2, MMP9, CD44, and CXCR4, molecules related with extracellular matrix remodeling, using q-PCR, ELISA, FACS analysis and double immunofluorescence. Gelatin zymography, as well as collagenase assay confirmed the upregulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity. Of interest, knocking down Tie2 by siRNA suppresses MMP9 activity emphasizes a role of Tie2 signaling in the regulation of MMP9. Additionally, in vitro invasion assay showed a pivotal role of TEMs in development of an invasive phenotype in glioma cells. Together, our results suggest a novel mechanism of escape of GBMs to anti-VEGF therapies and the necessity of targeting the TEM population in combination with anti-VEGF therapies to improve clinical outcome. 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 1020. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1020
ON THE MAXIMUM ENTROPY PROPERTY OF NONLINEAR AUTOREGRESSIONS

. The assumption of a linear autoregressive model for time series has often been justified on the basis of a maximum entropy principle. The purpose of this short note is to point out that the class of nonlinear autoregressions is also characterized by a maximum entropy property.
A Common Interface on Histidine-containing Phosphocarrier Protein for Interaction with Its Partner Proteins *

The bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system accomplishes both the transport and phosphorylation of sugars as well as the regulation of some cellular processes. An important component of this system is the histidine-containing phosphocarrier protein, HPr, which accepts a phosphoryl group from enzyme I, transfers a phosphoryl group to IIA proteins, and is an allosteric regulator of glycogen phosphorylase. Because the nature of the surface on HPr that interacts with this multiplicity of proteins from Escherichia coli was previously undefined, we investigated these interactions by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The chemical shift changes of the backbone and side-chain amide (1)H and (15)N nuclei of uniformly (15)N-labeled HPr in the absence and presence of natural abundance glycogen phosphorylase, glucose-specific enzyme IIA, or the N-terminal domain of enzyme I have been determined. Mapping these chemical shift perturbations onto the three-dimensional structure of HPr permitted us to identify the binding surface(s) of HPr for interaction with these proteins. Here we show that the mapped interfaces on HPr are remarkably similar, indicating that HPr employs a similar surface in binding to its partners.
Scintillation spectrometer for high energy neutrons using hydrocarbon filaments

Abstract A scintillator configuration consisting of an array of hydrocarbon scintillation filaments (NE102) surrounded by a CsI(Tl) scintillator is described for detecting high energy neutrons with good efficiency and energy resolution. Pulse shape discrimination is used to distinguish forward proton recoils that are produced and expend their range in the plastic filaments. Prototype measurements are presented which demonstrate the feasibility of this new concept.
β-Arrestin-1 mediates glucagon-like peptide-1 signaling to insulin secretion in cultured pancreatic β cells

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a polypeptide hormone secreted from enteroendocrine L cells and potentiates glucose-dependent insulin secretion in pancreatic β cells. Recently the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1 R) has been a focus for new anti-diabetic therapy with the introduction of GLP-1 analogues and DPP-IV inhibitors, and this has stimulated additional interest in the mechanisms of GLP-1 signaling. Here we identify a mechanism for GLP-1 action, showing that the scaffold protein β-arrestin-1 mediates the effects of GLP-1 to stimulate cAMP production and insulin secretion in β cells. Using a coimmunoprecipitation technique, we also found a physical association between the GLP-1 R and β-arrestin-1 in cultured INS-1 pancreatic β cells. β-Arrestin-1 knockdown broadly attenuated GLP-1 signaling, causing decreased ERK and CREB activation and IRS-2 expression as well as reduced cAMP levels and impaired insulin secretion. However, β-arrestin-1 knockdown did not affect GLP-1 R surface expression and ligand-induced GLP-1 R internalization/desensitization. Taken together, these studies indicate that β-arrestin-1 plays a role in GLP-1 signaling leading to insulin secretion, defining a previously undescribed mechanism for GLP-1 action.
Metastatic potential as a heritable trait.

Cancer metastasis has historically been viewed in the context of the mutational spectra arising during development of the primary cancer. The identification of a new modifier of cancer metastasis efficiency in mice provides experimental support for a predisposition model in which metastatic potential is viewed as a heritable trait influenced by host genetic polymorphisms.
Asymptotic theory for the probability density functions in burgers turbulence

A systematic analysis is carried out for the randomly forced Burgers equation in the infinite Reynolds number (inviscid) limit. No closure approximations are made. Instead the probability density functions of velocity and velocity gradient are related to the statistics of quantities defined along the shocks. This method allows one to compute the dissipative anomalies, as well as asymptotics for the structure functions and the probability density functions. It is shown that the left tail for the probability density function of the velocity gradient has to decay faster than $|\ensuremath{\xi}{|}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. A further argument confirms the prediction of E et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 1904 (1997)] that it should decay as $|\ensuremath{\xi}{|}^{\ensuremath{-}7/2}$.
Factors in multinational valuations: Transparency, political risk and diversification

Abstract This paper examines the role of geographic diversification, transparency, and political risk, in the determination of the value of multinational corporations (MNCs). Using alternative measures for geographic diversification, this paper finds the evidence supporting the positive effect of the degree of multinationality on the firm value. The evidence also provides support for the theories that argue that political risk and transparency have negative impact on the MNC value.
Time-Domain Vertical-External-Cavity Semiconductor Laser Simulation

A time-domain simulator for vertical external cavity semiconductor lasers (VECSEL) is described in detail. The core of the model employs a digital filter method to model the optical properties of the active mirror over a wide range of frequencies, temperatures, and carrier densities. The method is also applicable without modifications to the time-domain simulation of semiconductor saturable mirrors (SESAM). As an illustration, ultrashort pulse generation is simulated in two kinds of devices: in a synchronously pumped VECSEL and in a laser passively mode-locked by SESAM.
The measurement of shock waves following heel strike while running

A non-invasive method for demonstrating the shock wave which propagates through the skeletal system following heel strike is described. This wave was not seen in force plate studies where adequate shock absorption was provided by running shoes. In the present study six subjects ran across a force plate without shoes before and after they were fatigued on a treadmill to demonstrate possible changes in the heel strike transient. Most of the parameters measured were not altered by fatigue, and a relationship between the shock wave and height, but not the weight of the runner was demonstrated. The different mechanisms leading to this phenomenon, and its implication in the areas of osteoarthritic degeneration and running mechanics are discussed.
T Waves from the 1998 Papua New Guinea Earthquake and its Aftershocks: Timing the Tsunamigenic Slump

T waves recorded at hydrophone and seismic stations following the Papua New Guinea earthquake of 17 July 1998 and its aftershocks show that a small event at 09:02 GMT featured source properties incompatible with an elastic dislocation of appropriate body-wave magnitude (m b = 4.4). These include an exceptional duration (47 s at the Wake Island hydrophone station WK31), a spectrum rich in high frequencies (7 to 12 Hz), and a generally low spectral amplitude. These characteristics can be explained by the model of an underwater slump, accelerating from a standstill and eventually slowing down. The relocation of the 09:02 event is compatible with its location within an amphitheater inside which shipboard cruises in 1998 and 1999 documented the presence of a 4 ¨C km3 geologically fresh slump. We propose that the slump took place at 09:02 on 17 July 1998, i.e.,13 minutes after the mainshock, and that it generated the locally catastrophic tsunami, whose properties (amplitude and distribution of runup; timing) could not be explained by a dislocation model.
Building Majorities for Policy Changes in the House of Representatives

This paper attempts to determine whether member replacement or member conversion accounts for policy change in the U.S. Congress. Unlike previous work in this area we focus on the number of votes necessary for final passage rather than on scale scores. We investigate policy changes in civil rights and welfare legislation during the mid-1960s, a period characterized by significant policy changes. The results show that depending upon the policy area conversion, replacement, and/or a combination of these can account for policy shifts. Perhaps the most interesting finding is that unlike previous research we find that policy change can occur quickly, even in an area like civil rights which is dominated by constituency effects.
Infusion of 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose into the Hepatic-Portal System Causes Eating: Evidence for Peripheral Glucoreceptors

Injections of 2-deoxyglucose into the hepatic-portal system of normal rabbits increased eating to a greater extent and with shorter latency than comparable injections of 2-deoxyglucose into the jugular vein or into the hepaticportal circulation of the vagotomized rabbit. These differences suggest the existence of vagally mediated peripheral glucoreceptors important in the initiation of food intake.
Soybean mesophyll protoplasts

Abstract Protoplasts were released from approx. 99% of mechanically isolated soybean primary leaf cells within 1 h in a mixture of 0.1% Pectolyase, 0.2% cellulase, 8% mannitol and 0.12% CaCl 2 .2H 2 O, at pH 5.8 and 30°C.
A kinetic criterion of flammability limits: The C-H-O-inert system

An experimental and theoretical investigation has been conducted on the determination of the flammability limits of the C-H-O-inert system and on the understanding of limit phenomena in general. Experimentally, flammability limits have been determined by first measuring the extinction limits of stretched, counterflow flames and extrapolating the results to zero stretch. Consequently, lean and rich flammability limits have been determined for mixtures of methane, ethane, ethylene, acetylene, and propane with air, for mixtures of H2, H2/CH4, and H2/CO with O2/N2, and for the effects of dilution, inert substitution chemical additives such as CH3Br and H2, and radiative heat loss due to flame broadening. By further hypothesizing that the limit phenomena are primarily controlled by the kinetic processes of chain branching gersus termination, a predictive theory has been, advanced for the a priori determination of flammability limits. Calculated results largely agree with the experimental data, for both the lean and rich limits, except for excessively thick flames for which the limits could be qualitatively affected by radiative heat loss. The study further show that H+O2O+OH is the dominant branching, reaction for all lean and rich limits, that H+O2+MHO2+M is the dominant termination reaction for all lean limits, that the dominant termination reaction for rich limits can be mixture specific, and that as the flammability limit is approached the maximum termination rate occurs in the same physical region as that of the maximum branching rate, thereby allowing for the most efficient radical scavenging. Pressure effects on rich limits and the concept of limit temperature are also interpreted based on the present theory and understanding.
On turbulent chemical explosions into dilute aluminum particle clouds

We use a hybrid two-phase numerical methodology to investigate the flow-field subsequent to the detonation of a spherical charge of TNT with an ambient distribution of a dilute cloud of aluminum particles. Rayleigh–Taylor instability ensues on the contact surface that separates the inner detonation products and the outer shock-compressed air due to interphase interaction, which grows in time and results in a mixing layer where the detonation products afterburn with the air. At early times, the ambient particles are completely engulfed into the detonation products, where they pick up heat and ignite, pick up momentum and disperse. Subsequently, as they disperse radially outwards, they interact with the temporally growing Rayleigh–Taylor structures, and the vortex rings around the hydrodynamic structures results in the clustering of the particles by also introducing local transverse dispersion. Then the particles leave the mixing layer and quench, yet preserve their hydrodynamic ‘footprint’ even until much ...
CD1d and natural T cells: how their properties jump-start the immune system

Cellular and humoral immune mechanisms recruited to defend the host from infectious agents depend upon the early immune events triggered by antigen. The cytokine milieu within which the immune response matures is the most important of many factors that govern the nature of the immune response. Natural T cells, whose function is controlled by CD1d molecules, are an early source of cytokines that can bestow type 1 or type 2 differentiative potential upon helper T lymphocytes. This review attempts to illuminate the glycolipid antigen presentation properties of CD1d, how CD1d controls the function of natural T cells and how CD1d and natural T cells interact to jump start the immune system. CD1d is postulated to function as a sensor, sensing alterations in cellular lipid content by virtue of its affinity for such ligands. The presentation of a neo-self glycolipid, presumably by infectious assault of antigen-presenting cells, activates natural T cells, which promptly release pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and jumpstart the immune system.
The Medical Home–Improving Quality of Primary Care for Children

The concept of a medical home appears to be a key driver for enhancing the value of health services as care systems are transitioned to meet the ongoing challenges of improving quality and containing costs. This article provides an overview of the challenges faced in United States health care delivery systems that affect child health, explains how the medical home might address them, describes methods for measuring quality in medical homes, and identifies barriers to implementation of the model.
Philippine public relations: an industry and practitioner profile

Abstract After more than five decades of existence, public relations in the Philippines, a transplanted practice from the West, has achieved tremendous progress. As this study shows, the public relations industry sought to define its role during various stages of the country’s political and economic development and embarked on a sustained process of professionalization. It is still a relatively young industry composed of a small but steadily growing group of practitioners. It is male dominated, western styled, and urban concentrated. The Philippines is one developing country where many advancements in public relations have been accomplished in a few decades. Developments in the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s were particularly important because these provided a germane framework for the priorities in later years. Despite significant strides in its search for legitimacy, a number of issues remain, among which is the challenge to maintain credibility and social responsibility as it responds to the developmental needs of a Third World country. Zenaida Sarabia Panol has done government, association, university, and nonprofit public relations work in the Philippines and is now an assistant professor at the Department of Mass Communication, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.