cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nutritional Assessments in Pediatric Patients with High Risk Neuroblastoma

Background There have been few improvements in nutritional supportive care for high-risk neuroblastoma (NBL) patients in the past decade. Malnutrition is associated with treatment delays, increased risk of infection, and decreased survival. We reviewed pediatric patients with high risk Neuroblastoma undergoing autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) from January 2011 through June 2018 to estimate their nutritional status at diagnosis and ASCT. Methods We reviewed the medical records pediatric NBL patients who underwent ASCT at MUSC from January 2011 through June 2018. Patients were treated on/per clinical trials NMTRC012, ANBL0532, or ANBL12P1. All received 5-6 cycles of chemotherapy and surgery prior to ASCT. We collected height and weight on treatment day 1 and at the time of BMT admission. We calculated a BMI-age adjusted-Z score. We used the prolate elliptical volume estimate based on diagnostic CT scan measurements (L x W x D x Π)/6 to estimate tumor weight at diagnosis. Results Twenty-four patients were analyzed and tumor weight averaged of 3.04 % of the body weight at diagnosis for our patients. Seven patients (29%) had an initial Z score of Discussion Pediatric NBL patients have several features that can impact their nutrition including abdominal masses causing decreased appetite, and precluding early G-tube placement. Treatments are emetogenic, intensively timed and lengthy. Our data demonstrated that G-tube placement and the start of supplemental nutrition occurred late in the treatment. Our data suggest that earlier nutritional intervention may be required, and that nutritional measures that are non-weight based may better characterize nutritional status and would not be impacted by tumor burden. Conclusions • Pediatric NBL patients are high risk for malnutrition • Weight based nutritional assessments may overestimate status • G-tubes placement time provides a target for earlier nutritional interventions • Data from later time-points is needed to determine if nutrition via G-tube is beneficial Future directions • A trial with multifaceted nutritional assessments and interventions for patients with high risk neuroblastoma is under development.
Spirituality and worker well-being: Examining the relationship between spirituality, job burnout, and work engagement

Workers in the social work, mental health, and human service fields are increasingly encouraged to use spirituality and religion in their interventions with clients. This emphasis on the importance...
Recognizing the family caregiver: integral and formal members of the rehabilitation process

Radical and emerging changes in health care service delivery systems and steady increases in the number of chronic health conditions have shifted more responsibility to family caregivers of people with disabilities. These caregivers essentially operate as formal health care providers who receive little or no recognition, support, or preparation from health care systems. In this article, major societal and psychological issues in caregiving are discussed. We also explore interventions to prepare and assist caregivers that effectively integrate them into the rehabilitation process. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.
That is What a Feminist Looks Like: Identification and Exploration of the Factors Underlying the Concept of Feminism and Predicting the Endorsement of Traditional Gender Roles

The present studies identified the underlying attitudinal factor structure of the concept of feminism, providing a measure of what it means to be a feminist, and explored the predictive validity of these components for self-identifying as a feminist and endorsing traditional gender roles. Data were gathered from student populations (Study 1 n = 199, Study 2 n = 230) and community samples obtained through MTurk (Study 1 n = 204, Study 2 n = 260). Study 1 identified, and Study 2 replicated, four components underlying the concept of feminism (positive personal characteristics, negative stereotypes of feminists, equality/fairness ideals, and stereotypes of womanhood). Further, cluster analysis identified two groups of participants across both studies: (1) one that associates feminism with equality/fairness ideals while being relatively neutral towards the other factors, and (2) one that accentuates the positive aspects of feminism (equality/fairness ideals and positive personal characteristics) while downplaying the negative aspects of feminism (negative stereotypes of feminists). Cluster membership was related to self-identification as a feminist, with the group that accentuates the positive while downplaying the negative being more likely to self-identify as feminist. These studies provide a conceptual understanding of what it means to be a feminist, helping elucidate why people might be hesitant to self-identify as feminist.
67 Breast biopsy patterns and findings among older women undergoing screening mammography: what is the impact of age and comorbidity?

Purpose Biopsy use and findings following screening mammography among older women are not well established. Method We included 171,636 women ages 66–99 years with at least one screening mammogram from the Medicare-linked Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC, 1999–2010). We calculated percentage of screens followed by biopsy within 90 days by age and comorbidity. Results Among 527,254 screening mammograms, 6587(1.2%) were followed by biopsy within 90 days. Whereas proportions of screens followed by any biopsy did not vary significantly by age groups (ages 66–74:1.3%, ages 75–84: 1.2%, ages 85–99:1.2%, ptrend=0.07), they increased with increasing Charlson Comorbidity score (CCS) ([ages 66–74: CCS0:1.2%, CCS1: 1.3%, CCS≥2:1.6%; ptrend= Conclusions Whereas proportions of screening mammograms followed by biopsy did not differ significantly by age group, proportions increased with increasing comorbidity, overall and within age groups, resulting in lower invasive cancer yield for the oldest age groups. Proportions of benign biopsy also increased with increasing comorbidity. These results highlight that older women with significant comorbidity may be harmed by downstream procedures following screening mammography. Acknowledgements This study was supported by the U.S. National Cancer Institute 1R01CA207361-01A1 grant (to Dr. D. Braithwaite) and BCSC P01CA154292 grant. We thank all study participants and BCSC staff.
Assessment of Physician & Nursing Attitudes & Barriers to Implementation Prior to Universal Pediatric ICU Delirium Screening

Background: Delirium is defined as an acute, global brain dysfunction that is common, yet underappreciated in critically-ill pediatric patients. Delirious patients have longer hospital stays, increased risk of mortality, and higher rates of post-traumatic stress syndrome. To address this problem, several screening tools have been developed to facilitate diagnosis of pediatric ICU delirium. Implementation of delirium screening has been associated with decreased prevalence and improved outcomes. In the initial phase of a broader QI project, we conducted a pre-intervention survey of clinicians and nurses to identify barriers to successful implementation …
IMIX: A multivariate mixture model approach to integrative analysis of multiple types of omics data

Abstract Motivation Integrative genomic analysis is a powerful tool to study the biological mechanisms underlying a complex disease or trait across multiplatform high-dimensional data, such as DNA methylation, copy number variation (CNV), and gene expression. It is common to perform large-scale genome-wide association analysis of an outcome for each data type separately and combine the results ad hoc, leading to loss of statistical power and uncontrolled overall false discovery rate (FDR). Results We propose a multivariate mixture model framework (IMIX) that integrates multiple types of genomic data and allows examining and relaxing the commonly adopted conditional independence assumption. We investigate across-data-type FDR control in IMIX, and show the gain in lower misclassification rates at controlled over-all FDR compared with established individual data type analysis strategies, such as Benjamini-Hochberg FDR control, the q-value, and the local FDR control by extensive simulations. IMIX features statistically-principled model selection, FDR control, and computational efficiency. Applications to the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data provide novel multi-omic insights into the luminal/basal subtyping of bladder cancer and the prognosis of pancreatic cancer. Availability and implementation We have implemented our method in R package “IMIX” with instructions and examples available at https://github.com/ziqiaow/IMIX.
Abstract 6378: CDC20 is a novel therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer

Background: Approximately 15% of breast cancers lack expression of Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR) and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER-2), and are referred to as Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). Due to a lack of targeted therapies, clinical outcomes in patients with TNBC continue to be poor. Likewise, due to the inherently aggressive biology of the disease, patients are forced to deal with the toughest breast cancer while having the least treatment options. In this study, we identified Cell Division Cycle protein 20 (CDC20), a key regulatory protein that mediates sister chromatid separation in mitosis, as a novel therapeutic target in TNBC. Methods: To uncover new drivers of TNBC, we nominated genes that are significantly overexpressed in patients with TNBC, compared to non-TNBCs. After identifying CDC20 as a top hit in this analysis, we used RNAseq analyses, expression microarrays, and Western blotting to assess CDC20 expression levels in breast cancer patients and cell lines. Kaplan-Meier analyses were formed to study the correlation between clinical outcomes and CDC20 expression levels, including recurrence-free survival, metastasis-free survival and overall survival. shRNA and siRNA-mediated knockdown of CDC20 in TNBC cell lines were employed to study the role of CDC20 in TNBC proliferation, invasion, and migration. Results: CDC20 was significantly overexpressed in TNBCs (compared to non-TNBCs) patients and is a predictor of poor clinical outcomes and radiation resistance. CDC20 expression was also significantly higher in TNBC cell lines compared to non-TNBC cell lines, reflecting what is seen in clinical data sets, such as in The Cancer Genome Atlas. Sh and siRNA-mediated knockdown of CDC20 expression resulted in decreased proliferation, invasion and migration in TNBC cell lines. Conclusions and future directions: Our findings support the development of pharmacologic strategies to inhibit CDC20 function as a potential targeted therapy against TNBC. Efforts are underway to validate our findings in vivo in xenograft models of TNBC in mice. Citation Format: Jayesh K. Sharma, Prasanna Alluri, Nashir Udden. CDC20 is a novel therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6378.
Forensic applications of DART-MS: A review of recent literature

Abstract The need for rapid chemical analyses and new analytical tools in forensic laboratories continues to grow due to case backlogs, difficult-to-analyze cases, and identification of previously unseen materials such as new psychoactive substances. To adapt to these needs, the forensics community has been pursuing the use of ambient ionization mass spectrometry, and more specifically direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS), for a wide range of applications. From the inception of DART-MS forensic applications have been researched with demonstrations ranging from drugs of abuse to inorganic gunshot residue to printer inks to insect identification. This article presents a review of research demonstrating the use of DART-MS for forensically relevant samples over the past five years. To provide more context, background on the technique, sampling approaches, and data analysis methods are presented along with a discussion on the potential future and research needs of the technology.
“[I]t's hard because it's the cops that are killing us for stupid stuff”: Racial identity in the sociopolitical context of Black Lives Matter.

Black Lives Matter (BLM) has profoundly shifted public and political discourse about race in the United States and thus the broader sociopolitical landscape in which children learn about race and their own racial identities. A sample of Black, White, and Multiracial children (N = 100; Mage = 10.18 years old) were interviewed about their racial identities in 2014 and again in 2016. During these 2 years, BLM surged with the National March on Washington, widespread news coverage of multiple cases of police brutality, and a highly racialized presidential election. The current analysis examines longitudinal change in children's racial identity narratives across these two time points with attention to the role of BLM. Qualitative interview analyses show that (a) the importance of racial identity increased among Black and Multiracial (but not White) children, and (b) the content of children's race narratives shifted to include BLM-related themes and more discussions of race as interpersonal and structural (not just individual). We discuss age-related changes and how to conceptualize maturation during significant sociopolitical moments, like the current one, in relation to racial identity development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Enabling Online, Dynamic Remedial Action Schemes by Reducing the Corrective Control Search Space

To combat dynamic, cyber-physical disturbances in the electric grid, online and adaptive remedial action schemes (RASs) are needed to achieve fast and effective response. However, a major challenge lies in reducing the computational burden of analyses needed to inform selection of appropriate controls. This paper proposes the use of a role and interaction discovery (RID) algorithm that leverages control sensitivities to gain insight into the controller roles and support groups. Using these results, a procedure is developed to reduce the control search space to reduce computation time while achieving effective control response. A case study is presented that considers corrective line switching to mitigate geomagnetically induced current (GIC) -saturated reactive power losses in a 20-bus test system. Results demonstrated both significant reduction of both the control search space and reactive power losses using the RID approach.
Evaluating a herpetofaunal monitoring program in the Rolling Plains of Texas.

We evaluated the herpetofaunal monitoring program on a state-owned property in the Rolling Plains ecoregion of Texas to determine whether the current study design and survey effort are meeting the following monitoring objectives: (1) inventory herpetofaunal diversity on the property, (2) improve understanding of herpetofaunal habitat preferences, and (3) track herpetofaunal response to land management activities. We used the iChao1 species richness estimator to evaluate the sample completeness of the current dataset, which was collected intermittently from 2004 to 2016. Species richness was evaluated by site and year as well as pooled across sites and years. Observed species richness across all sites and years was 23 species, and estimated richness was 23.999 (23.090–34.052, 95% CI). Observed species richness for each year was less than the cumulative total, with 20 species observed in 2004, 6 species observed in 2013, 11 species observed in 2014, and 19 species observed in 2016. The estimated species richness for individual years of sampling ranged from 6.250 to 39.320 species. Our analysis suggests that inadequate sampling design and effort prevents all three objectives from being addressed using the existing dataset. Necessary improvements to the monitoring program to meet all objectives include increasing the spatial and temporal scale of the monitoring effort and utilizing a random sampling protocol. Monitoring methods that address variation in detection probability, such as occupancy and mark-recapture, will also need to play a role. Our findings show that monitoring programs require substantial investment in materials and personnel to obtain datasets sufficient for rigorous biodiversity monitoring.
Deliberative Stakeholder Engagement in Person-centered Health Research

Robust stakeholder engagement in health research requires broad communicative integration, not only of patients but also other stakeholders such as health system leaders, clinicians, and researcher...
Minimax Optimal Regression over Sobolev Spaces via Laplacian Eigenmaps on Neighborhood Graphs

In this paper we study the statistical properties of Principal Components Regression with Laplacian Eigenmaps (PCR-LE), a method for nonparametric regression based on Laplacian Eigenmaps (LE). PCR-LE works by projecting a vector of observed responses ${\bf Y} = (Y_1,\ldots,Y_n)$ onto a subspace spanned by certain eigenvectors of a neighborhood graph Laplacian. We show that PCR-LE achieves minimax rates of convergence for random design regression over Sobolev spaces. Under sufficient smoothness conditions on the design density $p$, PCR-LE achieves the optimal rates for both estimation (where the optimal rate in squared $L^2$ norm is known to be $n^{-2s/(2s + d)}$) and goodness-of-fit testing ($n^{-4s/(4s + d)}$). We also show that PCR-LE is \emph{manifold adaptive}: that is, we consider the situation where the design is supported on a manifold of small intrinsic dimension $m$, and give upper bounds establishing that PCR-LE achieves the faster minimax estimation ($n^{-2s/(2s + m)}$) and testing ($n^{-4s/(4s + m)}$) rates of convergence. Interestingly, these rates are almost always much faster than the known rates of convergence of graph Laplacian eigenvectors to their population-level limits; in other words, for this problem regression with estimated features appears to be much easier, statistically speaking, than estimating the features itself. We support these theoretical results with empirical evidence.
Optical sectioning and three-dimensional reconstruction of diploid and polytene nuclei.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the techniques used for the observation and three-dimensional (3-D) analysis of nuclei, specifically the diploid and polytene nuclei of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster . By using film, video cameras, and sensitive charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras, first the polytene chromosomes and then the diploid embryonic nuclei have yielded their secrets. Most recently, this 3-D analysis has been extended to the study of Drosophila embryos. To build a coherent picture of mitosis and cell fates during blastoderm and through the complex movements of gastrulation, it is important to localize and follow several markers simultaneously in live specimens, ideally in 3-D, using high-resolution, specific, noninjurious staining and observation procedures. The study of early Drosophila development has profited from the use of fluorescent labeling and low-light-level imaging of live embryos using a CCD camera. The chromosomes in fixed samples are labeled using DNA-specific dyes, making the pattern of mitotic patches visible. In vivo , 3-D microscopy of fluorescently tagged chromosomes, in conjunction with computerized image processing, has permitted the first direct cell lineage analysis in the early Drosophila embryo. The techniques adapted to study Drosophila development are used for analysis of Drosophila chromosome structure, mitosis, and cell cycle.
The Best of the Brightest: Definitions of the Ideal Self among Prize-Winning Students

This paper documents and explains characteristics of the ideal self rewarded by the American educational system as defined and projected by high school students who have been selected as Presidential Scholars in a national academic competition sponsored by the Department of Education and a White House Commission. Drawing on analysis of competition essays written by 119 Presidential Scholars and interviews conducted with 19 of them, we identify how these students implicitly and explicitly define the ideal self and what they do to demonstrate that they embody the characteristics of the self they perceive as rewarded by the American educational system. The data show that morality is the most salient dimension of the ideal self displayed by Scholars, and that they define it in terms of self-actualization, authenticity, and interpersonal morality; that Scholars present negative or ambivalent views concerning the importance of socioeconomic status; and that culture as a dimension of the ideal self is highlighted only by a subset of Scholars. In general, their displayed definitions of the ideal self are individualist in content but highly institutionalized in form. We explain our findings by the cultural repertoires that are made available to students and by their life experience and the broader structural characteristics of American society that lead them to draw on specific repertoires.
Interband Transitions in Sn x Ge 1-x Alloys

Optical absorption measurements for diamond cubic ${\mathrm{Sn}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ge}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}$ alloy films indicate strong interband transitions with a change in direct energy gap of $0.35l{E}_{g}l0.80\mathrm{eV}$ for $0.15gxg0$. The optical energy gap undergoes an indirect to direct transition in this composition range and decreases much faster with Sn content than predicted by tight binding and pseudopotential calculations in the virtual crystal approximation.
Device and technology challenges for integrated sensors

Integrated silicon sensors have emerged over the past few years to extend microelectronics into important new areas, including health care, automotive systems, industrial process control (including semiconductor manufacturing), and environmental monitoring. Increasingly, such devices combine sensors, actuators, and microelectronics on single chips to form integrated microsystems, and the resulting devices are beginning to show the steady improvements in performance that have characterized integrated circuits in the past. The present and future device and technology challenges offered by integrated sensors are highlighted in this paper.
csrR, a Paralog and Direct Target of CsrA, Promotes Legionella pneumophila Resilience in Water

ABSTRACT Critical to microbial versatility is the capacity to express the cohort of genes that increase fitness in different environments. Legionella pneumophila occupies extensive ecological space that includes diverse protists, pond water, engineered water systems, and mammalian lung macrophages. One mechanism that equips this opportunistic pathogen to adapt to fluctuating conditions is a switch between replicative and transmissive cell types that is controlled by the broadly conserved regulatory protein CsrA. A striking feature of the legionellae surveyed is that each of 14 strains encodes 4 to 7 csrA -like genes, candidate regulators of distinct fitness traits. Here we focus on the one csrA paralog ( lpg1593 ) that, like the canonical csrA , is conserved in all 14 strains surveyed. Phenotypic analysis revealed that long-term survival in tap water is promoted by the lpg1593 locus, which we name csrR (for “CsrA-similar protein for resilience”). As predicted by its GGA motif, csrR mRNA was bound directly by the canonical CsrA protein, as judged by electromobility shift and RNA-footprinting assays. Furthermore, CsrA repressed translation of csrR mRNA in vivo , as determined by analysis of csrR-gfp reporters, csrR mRNA stability in the presence and absence of csrA expression, and mutation of the CsrA binding site identified on the csrR mRNA. Thus, CsrA not only governs the transition from replication to transmission but also represses translation of its paralog csrR when nutrients are available. We propose that, during prolonged starvation, relief of CsrA repression permits CsrR protein to coordinate L. pneumophila9s switch to a cell type that is resilient in water supplies. IMPORTANCE Persistence of L. pneumophila in water systems is a public health risk, and yet there is little understanding of the genetic determinants that equip this opportunistic pathogen to adapt to and survive in natural or engineered water systems. A potent regulator of this pathogen9s intracellular life cycle is CsrA, a protein widely distributed among bacterial species that is understood quite well. Our finding that every sequenced L. pneumophila strain carries several csrA paralogs—including two common to all isolates—indicates that the legionellae exploit CsrA regulatory switches for multiple purposes. Our discovery that one paralog, CsrR, is a target of CsrA that enhances survival in water is an important step toward understanding colonization of the engineered environment by pathogenic L. pneumophila.
MNC practice transfer: institutional theory, strategic opportunities and subsidiary HR configuration

Human resource (HR) practice transfer is an important topic in the domain of strategic international human resource management (SIHRM). Previous research in practice transfer has emphasized the challenges arising from the institutional distance between the home and host countries. However, potential opportunities due to this distance have been largely overlooked. Shifting the focus away from looking at institutional distance as a constraint, we examine the possibilities of strategic opportunities that exist because of institutional distance. We argue multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiaries can exploit these opportunities to gain competitive advantage. Building upon SIHRM literature, institutional theory and the resource-based views, we propose a conceptual framework explaining how institutional environments present strategic opportunities. We argue that these strategic opportunities are most abundant in the case of moderate institutional distance between the two countries. Building upon the conceptua...
Three-phase flash calculations for multicomponent systems

Abstract Three-phase flash algorithm (Nelson, Computers chem. Engng 11, 581, 1987) has been incorporated into a program for calculating high-pressure phase equilibria (Dohrn and Brunner, Chem. Technik 41, 65; 1989a). The method presented here includes the a priori determination of the number of phases present and the solution of the flash equations once the number of phases has been determined. Although an extension to more than three coexisting phases is possible, the method given here is restricted to multicomponent systems with a maximum of three phases in equilibrium. To illustrate the method, phase-equilibrium calculations are shown for the ternary systems hexadecane-water-hydrogen and toluene-water-hydrogen at elevated pressures and temperatures.
Regulation by heme of sterol uptake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract The leaky heme mutants G204, G216, and G214 are shown to accumulate exogenous sterols. Unlike hem mutants which have complete blocks in the heme pathway, these strains do not require ergosterol, methionine, or unsaturated fatty acids for growth. The addition of aminolevulinic acid to the growth medium inhibited sterol uptake in G204 96% but had only a slight effect on sterol uptake by strains G214 and G216. Sterol uptake in all three strains was inhibited 83–94% when cells were grown in the presence of hematin. Sterol analysis of these strains grown in the presence and absence of either aminolevulinic acid or hematin revealed that saturation of the cell membrane with ergosterol was not responsible for the dramatic decrease in sterol uptake. These results suggest that sterol uptake by yeast cells is controlled by heme, and explain the non-viability of yeast strains that are heme competent and auxotrophic for sterols.
Change in dominant mechanisms for phyllosilicate preferred orientation during cleavage development in the Kitakami slates of NE Japan

Abstract Selected slates from the Kitakami Mountains of NE Japan were studied by means of finite strain measurement, X-ray texture goniometry, optical microscopy, back-scattered SEM, and X-ray fluorescence and diffraction analyses. Finite strain recorded by radiolarians in slates, although not equivalent to bulk strain, shows a positive correlation with strength of phyllosilicate basal plane fabrics. However, there is a possible difference between the fabric pattern and radiolarian strain ellipsoid shape as well as a difference in fabric pattern between chlorite and illite/mica. These relationships between phyllosilicate fabrics and finite strains suggest that strain estimation from phyllosilicate fabrics based on the March model may be unreliable unless their relationship is established in each case. Optical and back-scattered SEM studies revealed a change in microstructures in accordance with increasing fabric strength. In slates with weak fabric strength, cleavage domains are dark to opaque in appearance and characterized by a concentration of insoluble residues such as carbonaceous matter, sphene, ilmenite, rutile, epidote and apatite as well as phyllosilicates. Phyllosilicates in cleavage domains are oriented subparallel to cleavage, whereas those in intercleavage domains are variously oriented. As fabric strength increases, cleavage domains become transparent and composed mainly of phyllosilicates. Phyllosilicates become finer-grained and more uniform in grain size. They are well oriented in both cleavage and intercleavage domains. As fabric strength further increases, phyllosilicates tend to coarsen. These lines of microstructural evidence suggest that the dominant mechanism for phyllosilicate preferred orientation changes as cleavage develops from pressure solution transfer, through syntectonic crystallization—recrystallization, and possibly to oriented grain growth. Because fabric strength increases with increasing illite crystallinity, metamorphic grade (mainly temperature) must be one of the major factors which control the dominance of phyllosilicate preferred orientation mechanisms.
Physics of Oil Entrapment in Water-Wet Rock

Displacement of oil from an initially oil-filled porous rock by water consists of advancement of menisci and rupture of oil connections. In displacements controlled by capillarity, which are typical of oil reservoir floods, these pore-level events are governed by the local pore geometry, pore topology, and fluid properties, but the pressure field initiates these pore-level events and integrates them with the externally imposed Darcy flow. This paper reports the physics of the pore-level and their integration on a computationally simple model of rock: a square network of pores. The novelty of the approach lies in keeping track of the evolution of the displacement front and in constructing an approximation of the entire pressure field that carries the information essential for predicting the evolution. The result gives insight into the state of the residual oil saturation and its dependence on pore geometry and the capillary number, N/sub ca/, of displacement. As the capillary number increases, the residual oil saturation decreases and the residual oil blobs tend to be smaller. As the pore size distribution becomes wider, the decrease of residual oil saturation with capillary number becomes smoother.
Mocking the News: How The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Holds Traditional Broadcast News Accountable

The purpose of this study is to see how Jon Stewart and his Daily Show colleagues hold traditional broadcast media accountable. This paper suggests Stewart is holding those who claim they are practicing journalism accountable to the public they claim to serve and outlines the normative implications of that accountability. There is a journalistic norm that media practitioners, and the media as a whole, should be accountable to the public. Here, accountability “refers to the process by which media are called to account for meeting their obligations” (McQuail, 1997, p. 515). However, the government cannot enforce this accountability due to privileges afforded to the press by the First Amendment. Further, while national press councils have been effective in other countries, specifically India, there is no national press council in the United States. Enforcing accountability, then, falls to journalists—along with press critics. The researchers suggest that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart holds traditional broa...
Deamidation studies on selected food proteins

Complete deamidation (amide bond hydrolysis) of soy protein and some other food protein was achieved by acid hydrolysis. The amide content of the proteins was determined based on the amount of ammonia generated. When soy protein was treated with commercial proteases, deamidation was found to occur to the free glutamine in the hydrolysates. The deamidation was nonenzymatic and was accelerated by anions such as phosphate and bicarbonate. Ammonia was also generated during the proteolysis from sources other than deamidation. The generation of nonamide ammonia was most likely from enzymatic deamination (cleavage of amino groups) because of the reaction of microorganisms.
Effect of Formalin Fixation on the Activity of Five Enzymes of Rat Liver

The effect of formalin fixation on the enzymatic activity of five enzymes in rat liver was studied as a function of time and temperature, β-glucuronidase was found to be most resistant to the inactivating effects of formalin. At a time when fixation was satisfactory for preparing frozen sections (24 hours), considerable enzymatic activity was present in decreasing order; β-glucuronidase, sulfatase, acid phosphatase, esterase, and alkaline phosphatase.
Optimal filtering of measured spectral intensity, estimation of light attenuation coefficient and prediction of the euphotic zone in shallow waters

We proposed an algorithm for modeling the average (monochromatic) light attenuation coefficient and predicting the euphotic zone in shallow waters. Our algorithm uses Kalman filter and Kalman smoother to preprocess experimental data and utilizes Expectation-Maximization (EM) to estimate the average attenuation coefficient. The latter is then fitted to an appropriate function which is employed to predict the location of the euphotic zone and can be employed to solve various inverse problems of interest. In our implementation of the EM algorithm which is iterative, we indicate how to select the initial values of relevant parameters. We demonstrated the algorithm on clear water, turbid water and water with suspended chlorophyll. Our algorithm has applications in the monitoring of water quality, marine environment health, fishery and image correction. Besides, in these applications, our algorithm is capable of handling in situ data in near real time.
Racial ambivalence in diverse communities

I was delighted to review this book about whiteness in three diverse communities on the north side of Chicago. I lived in Edgewater during my time as a graduate student, one of the neighbourhoods a...
Novel Analogues of Arachidonylethanolamide (Anandamide): Affinities for the CB1 and CB2 Cannabinoid Receptors and Metabolic Stability

Several analogues of the endogenous cannabinoid receptor ligand arachidonylethanolamide (anandamide) were synthesized and evaluated in order to study (a) the structural requirements for high-affinity binding to the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors and (b) their hydrolytic stability toward anandamide amidase. The series reported here was aimed at exploring structure-activity relationships (SAR) primarily with regard to stereoelectronic requirements of ethanolamido headgroup for interaction with the cannabinoid receptor active site. Receptor affinities, reported as Ki values, were obtained by a standard receptor binding assay using [3H]CP-55,940 as the radioligand, while stability toward the amidase was evaluated by comparing the Ki of each analogue in the presence and absence of phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), a serine protease blocker and inhibitor of anandamide amidase. Introduction of a methyl group in the 1'- and 2'-positions or substitution of the ethanolamido headgroup with a butylamido group gave analogues with vastly improved biochemical stability. This is accomplished in some cases with increased receptor affinity. Conversely, oxazolyl and methyloxazolyl headgroups led to low-affinity analogues. Substitution of the hydroxyl group with electronegative substituents such as fluoro, chloro, allyl, and propargyl groups significantly increased receptor affinity but did not influence the biochemical stability. The 2'-chloro analogue of anandamide was found to have the highest affinity for CB1. Additionally, reversing the positions of the carbonyl and NH in the amido group produces retro-anandamides possessing considerably higher metabolic stability. Replacement of the arachidonyl tail with oleyl or linoleyl results in analogues with low affinities for both receptors. All of the analogues in this study showed high selectivity for the CB1 receptor over the peripheral CB2 receptor. The most potent analogues were tested for their ability to stimulate the binding of [35S]GTPgammaS to G-proteins and were shown to be potent cannabimimetic agonists. The results are discussed in terms of pharmacophoric features affecting receptor affinity and enzymatic stability.
Geminin overexpression promotes imatinib sensitive breast cancer: a novel treatment approach for aggressive breast cancers, including a subset of triple negative.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype that affects 10–25% mostly African American women. TNBC has the poorest prognosis of all subtypes with rapid progression leading to mortality in younger patients. So far, there is no targeted treatment for TNBC. To that end, here we show that c-Abl is one of several tyrosine kinases that phosphorylate and activate geminin’s ability to promote TNBC. Analysis of >800 breast tumor samples showed that geminin is overexpressed in ∼50% of all tumors. Although c-Abl is overexpressed in ∼90% of all tumors, it is only nuclear in geminin overexpressing tumors. In geminin-negative tumors, c-Abl is only cytoplasmic. Inhibiting c-Abl expression or activity (using imatinib or nilotinib) prevented geminin Y150 phosphorylation, inactivated the protein, and most importantly converted overexpressed geminin from an oncogene to an apoptosis inducer. In pre-clinical orthotopic breast tumor models, geminin-overexpressing cells developed aneuploid and invasive tumors, which were suppressed when c-Abl expression was blocked. Moreover, established geminin overexpressing orthotopic tumors regressed when treated with imatinib or nilotinib. Our studies support imatinib/nilotonib as a novel treatment option for patients with aggressive breast cancer (including a subset of TNBCs)-overexpressing geminin and nuclear c-Abl.
Testing of QCD plasma formation by dilepton spectra in relativistic nuclear collisions.

If a colored plasma is produced in ultrarelativistic collisions of heavy nuclei, its presence can be inferred by observing that the $\ensuremath{\rho}$-meson peak in the mass spectrum of emitted dileptons disappears as their transverse energy increases.
Mismatch repair genes in renal cortical neoplasms

Summary Mutation of human mutL homolog 1 (MLH-1) and human mutS homolog 2 (MSH-2) has been linked with the pathogenesis of colorectal carcinoma in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer syndrome and other carcinomas. Mutations of these genes in renal cell carcinomas were recently described. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of MLH-1 and MSH-2 in renal cortical neoplasms of various histological types by immunohistochemistry. Thirty-eight (n = 38) resected renal tumors were obtained from the surgical pathology files of the UMass Memorial Healthcare, including clear cell carcinomas (CLEARs, n=20), papillary carcinomas (PAPs, n=8), chromophobe carcinomas (CHRs, n=4), and oncocytomas (ONCs, n=6). Positive immunostaining for MLH-1 and MSH-2 was graded by the number of positive tumor cell nuclei, as follows: 0, negative; 1, up to one third of positive nuclei; 2, one to two thirds positive; and 3, greater than two thirds positive. Loss of MLH-1 or MSH-2 was defined as a tumor with grade 0 or 1, compared with the normal tubules. Normal tubules and intercalated ducts contained cells positive for MLH-1 and MSH-2 in all cases. For both antibodies, positive staining in tumors ranged from grade 1 to 3 in the CLEAR and PAP but was only grade 2 to 3 in the CHR and ONC. Loss of MLH-1 and/or MSH-2 occurred in malignant tumors but not in ONC. Loss of MLH-1 was present in 8 (40%) of 20 CLEARs and 4 (50%) of 8 PAPs, compared with loss of MSH-2 in 4 (20%) of 20 CLEARs and 1 (25%) of 4 CHRs. Our results suggest that loss of mismatch repair genes is involved in the malignant transformation in some renal carcinomas, particularly those derived from the proximal tubules.
Interleukin-1 Stimulates β-Cell Necrosis and Release of the Immunological Adjuvant HMGB1

Background There are at least two phases of β-cell death during the development of autoimmune diabetes: an initiation event that results in the release of β-cell-specific antigens, and a second, antigen-driven event in which β-cell death is mediated by the actions of T lymphocytes. In this report, the mechanisms by which the macrophage-derived cytokine interleukin (IL)-1 induces β-cell death are examined. IL-1, known to inhibit glucose-induced insulin secretion by stimulating inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and increased production of nitric oxide by β-cells, also induces β-cell death. Methods and Findings To ascertain the mechanisms of cell death, the effects of IL-1 and known activators of apoptosis on β-cell viability were examined. While IL-1 stimulates β-cell DNA damage, this cytokine fails to activate caspase-3 or to induce phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization; however, apoptosis inducers activate caspase-3 and the externalization of PS on β-cells. In contrast, IL-1 stimulates the release of the immunological adjuvant high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1; a biochemical maker of necrosis) in a nitric oxide-dependent manner, while apoptosis inducers fail to stimulate HMGB1 release. The release of HMGB1 by β-cells treated with IL-1 is not sensitive to caspase-3 inhibition, while inhibition of this caspase attenuates β-cell death in response to known inducers of apoptosis. Conclusions These findings indicate that IL-1 induces β-cell necrosis and support the hypothesis that macrophage-derived cytokines may participate in the initial stages of diabetes development by inducing β-cell death by a mechanism that promotes antigen release (necrosis) and islet inflammation (HMGB1 release).
Depressive Symptoms Among Community-Dwelling Oldest-Old Residents in Israel.

The authors examined the rate and correlates of depressive symptoms among community-dwelling oldest-old citizens in Israel with a sample of about 1,200 Jewish Israelis age 75–94. The estimated national rate of depressive symptoms was 43.5%. Significantly higher rates of depressive symptoms were found in women (52%, vs. 29.5% for men) and those of low educational level, low income, and Middle Eastern or North African origin. Having more depressive symptoms was associated with 1) all measures of impaired health status; 2) the psychosocial factors of living alone or with a nonspouse, having no available caretaker, and social and physical inactivity; 3) the following health behavior and habits: poor sleep, skipping meals, sexual inactivity, and drinking no alcohol; and 4) traumatic life events and immigration after age 20. The rate of depressive symptoms is relatively high among oldest-old citizens in Israel, possibly because of the immigrant nature of this population.
Cycles in 2-Factors of Balanced Bipartite Graphs

In the study of hamiltonian graphs, many well known results use degree conditions to ensure sufficient edge density for the existence of a hamiltonian cycle. Recently it was shown that the classic degree conditions of Dirac and Ore actually imply far more than the existence of a hamiltonian cycle in a graph G, but also the existence of a 2-factor with exactly k cycles, where . In this paper we continue to study the number of cycles in 2-factors. Here we consider the well-known result of Moon and Moser which implies the existence of a hamiltonian cycle in a balanced bipartite graph of order 2n. We show that a related degree condition also implies the existence of a 2-factor with exactly k cycles in a balanced bipartite graph of order 2n with .
Moment computations for graphs with fractal property

In this paper, we use explicit formulas for the moments of a self-adjoint operator (radial operator), induced by a certain discrete structure, in Hilbert space. Our main theorem shows that the structures are classified by the moment computations producing an equivalence relation. Our motivation in turn derives from a groupoid-theoretic approach to spectral problems as they arise in quantum mechanics. While it is typically difficult to obtain explicit formulas for spectra, we demonstrate that our moment formulas serve as a substitute. The discrete structures \(\Bbb{G}\) we study have a built in fractal feature: any portion of \(\Bbb{G}\) is similar to the whole. And this fact (like in renormalization groups) serves to facilitate computations.
Rapid synthesis of isoprenoid diphosphates and their isolation in one step using either thin layer or flash chromatography

Abstract A rapid procedure for the preparation of short-chain (C 5 -C 20 ) isoprenoid diphosphates is described. It is based on the method of Cornforth and Popjak [ Methods Enzymol. , 15 (1969) 359–390] which utilizes bis-triethylammonium phosphate in trichloroacetonitrile as the phosphorylating reagent. The reaction takes place in 15 min, and product isolation, previously requiring several steps, is done in a single step using either preparative thin-layer chromatography or flash chromatography on silica. From a single TLC plate, up to 50 μmol of pure farnesyl diphosphate ( i.e. , ca. 20 mg) can be isolated, while up to 1200 μmol can be isolated using a standard flash chromatography column.
The brain as a Darwin Machine.

For parallel computers to simulate our brains, we must face the fact that human beings have a better claim on the title Homo seriatim than Homo sapiens – we're more consistently serial than wise.
Testing a wavelet-based variability model (WVM) for solar PV power plants

A wavelet variability model (WVM) for simulating photovoltaic (PV) power plant output given a single irradiance point sensor as input is tested at the 48MW Copper Mountain solar PV plant. 4 days with different amounts of variability are chosen for validation of the model. Comparisons of wavelet fluctuation power index (fpi) and power output ramp rates (RRs) between the input point sensor, WVM simulated power output, and actual power output are presenwavelet fluctuation power indexted for the 4 test days. At all timescales, the WVM simulated power output is found to match the variability of the actual power output well, and to be a strong improvement over the input point sensor.
Europe and Central Asia after the May 2004 EU enlargement: A brief synthesis

Abstract This introduction provides a synthesis of the three papers in this symposium and its conclusion focusing on the potential trade between the Central Asian countries and the EU and highlights the impediments to achieving this potential. We argue that institutions matter and that, given the current level of institutional and infrastructure development in Central Asia, government intervention is necessary to establish a viable economic partnership.
Some aspects of the thermal conductivity of isotopically enriched diamond single crystals.

New data on the thermal-conductivity temperature dependence k(T) of both natural abundance and isotopically enriched synthetic diamond gems are presented. The existing data on the thermal-conductivity temperature dependence k(T) of natural type-IIa diamond have been reanalyzed using a comprehensive Klemens-Callaway model. The high thermal conductivity of isotopically pure diamond is shown to be consistent with the model.