cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Representation and Backlash: The Positive and Negative Influence of Descriptive Representation

For this article, I built on previous studies of representation by exploring the potential positive and negative impacts of descriptive representation in the policy process. Specifically, I examined the influence of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) state legislators on the amount and types of LGBT-related state legislation introduced from 1992 to 2002. My findings suggest that higher LGBT representation in state legislatures leads to greater substantive representation. The results also suggest, however, that descriptive representation is associated with the amount of anti-LGBT legislation introduced. Additional analysis reveals that the net policy influence of increased LGBT representation is positive for the LGBT community.
Isolation of a cytomegalovirus from African green monkey

SummaryTwo similar strains of virus were recovered from Cercopithecus monkey salivary gland tissue and kidney tissue culture. The agents possessed the biological characteristics of cytomegaloviruses, and shared CF antigens with a human cytomegalovirus. They are unique among cytomegaloviruses in their ability to grow in heterologous (human) tissue cultures. Antibodies were common in Cercopithecus held in captivity but were not found in freshly captured rhesus monkeys.
Sharing responsibility: what they didn't teach you in kindergarten

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the problem of allocating responsibility for risk through a simple classroom vignette that illustrates some of the difficulties encountered in more complex real‐world scenarios.Design/methodology/approach – After considering a number of ad hoc allocation methods, this study focuses on the Shapley and Aumann‐Shapley values from cooperative game theory.Findings – Shows that the Aumann‐Shapley value provides a useful tool for allocating risk in a real‐world insurance context, and therefore may be used to distribute capital (surplus) and premium loadings.Originality/value – The paper offers insights into both the challenges of the risk‐allocation problem and its proposed solutions.
Validation of an LC/MS method for the determination of gemfibrozil in human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study.

Gemfibrozil, a fibric acid hypolipidemic agent, is increasingly being used in clinical drug-drug interaction studies as an inhibitor of drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters. The validation of a fast, accurate, and precise LC/MS method is described for the quantitative determination of gemfibrozil in an EDTA-anticoagulated human plasma matrix. Briefly, gemfibrozil was extracted from human plasma by an acetonitrile protein precipitation method. The assay was reproducible with intra-assay precision between 1.6% and 10.7%, and inter-assay precision ranging from 4.4% to 7.8%. The assay also showed good accuracy, with intra-assay concentrations within 85.6% and 108.7% of the expected value, and inter-assay concentrations within 89.4 to 104.0% of the expected value. The linear concentration range was between 0.5 and 50 μg/mL with a lower limit of quantitation of 0.5 μg/mL when 125 μL of plasma were extracted. This LC/MS method yielded a quick, simple, and reliable protocol for determining gemfibrozil concentrations in plasma and is applicable to clinical pharmacokinetic studies.
How Organizations Foster the Creative Use of Resources

Using a multi-year qualitative study, I explain how employees at a fast-growing retail organization used creative resourcing—that is, the manipulation and recombination of objects in novel and usef...
A pattern recognition based approach to consistency analysis of geophysical datasets

Remotely sensed data from satellites are often validated by comparing them against ground-based measurements which usually are relatively sparse. Conventional consistency analysis methods provide information on each data point individually and in relation to its neighbors. In this study, a consistency analysis method based on wavelet-based feature extraction and one-class support vector machines is proposed. This method performs a consistency assessment of the entire time series in relation to others and provides a spatial distribution of consistency levels. The presented method is tested on soil moisture product from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) on board Aqua satellite for the years 2005-2006. Time series of in-situ soil moisture measurements from the USDA Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) are used as training data. Spatial distribution of consistency levels are presented as consistency maps for a region, including the states of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana in the USA. These results are correlated with the spatial distributions of averaged quality control information, mean soil moisture, and the cumulative counts of dense vegetation. Moreover, the methodology is tested for its robustness by examining its sensitivity to the spatial distribution of the network of training data sites. Finally, seasonal consistency maps for soil moisture data are developed. The degree to which the satellite estimates agree with the in-situ measurements has been represented seasonally as consistency maps which are helpful in interpreting the overall quality of the soil moisture product retrieved from satellite observations.
Hypnotherapy for Children with Cancer: Some Current Issues

Abstract The authors review some of the problems that now face clinicians and researchers working in the field of hypnotherapy for pediatric cancer patients. These include (1) understanding and dealing with resistance and refusal, (2) developing preventive hypnotherapeutic strategies for children who will survive cancer, and (3) carrying out research that clarifies the value of hypnotherapy with childhood cancer patients and elucidates when and how specific approaches can best be utilized.
Templated Synthesis of Amphiphilic Nanoparticles at the Liquid–Liquid Interface

A simple and reliable method is described to produce inorganic nanoparticles functionalized asymmetrically with domains of hydrophobic and hydrophilic ligands on their respective hemispheres. These amphiphilic, Janus-type particles form spontaneously by a thermodynamically controlled process, in which the particle cores and two competing ligands assemble at the interface between two immiscible liquids to reduce the interfacial energy. The asymmetric surface chemistry resulting from this process was confirmed using contact angle measurements of water droplets on nanoparticle monolayers deposited onto hydrophobic and hydrophilic substrates—particles presenting their hydrophobic face give contact angles of ∼96°, those presenting their hydrophilic face ∼19°. The spontaneous assembly process is rationalized by a thermodynamic model, which accounts both for the energetic contributions driving the assembly and for the entropic penalties that must be overcome. Consistent with the model, amphiphilic NPs form only ...
Radiation‐induced tumor regression as a prognostic factor in patients with invasive cervical cancer

Radiation-induced tumor regression was evaluated as a prognostic factor in 200 patients with invasive cervical cancer treated at the University of Kentucky Center during the years 1973-1977. Radiation responses were classified as complete (Type A), intermediate (Type B), or incomplete (Type C) based upon pelvic examination findings one month following completion of therapy. Patients with Type A response to radiation had a recurrence rate of 5%, as compared with 27% in patients with a Type B response and 85% in patients with a Type C response. The direct relationship between radiation response and the incidence of tumor recurrence was observed in all stages of disease. Seventy-five percent of patients with Stages IB and IIB disease and a Type C response to radiation developed recurrent cancer, and tumor recurrences were confined to the central pelvis in the majority of cases. Patients with keratinizing squamous cell cancers had the lowest incidence of complete response to radiation. These findings suggest that careful observation of cervical cancer throughout radiation therapy can provide prognostically significant information concerning radiation-induced tumor regression. The therapeutic implications of this data is discussed.
Autonomic correlates of individual differences in sensitization and look duration during infancy

Patterns of infant visual attention have been attributed to both the processes of habituation and arousal. Previous research has linked individual differences in arousal (sensitization) with measures from habituation that have been associated with the efficiency of stimulus encoding (look duration). The aim of current study was to validate individual differences in these realms with a convergent measure of attention based on heart rate (HR) that might presumably reflect autonomic function and arousal. In contrast with previous work, neither habituation nor look durations differed significantly as a function of the presence of sensitization. HR variables did not differentiate infants who showed sensitization from those who did not. HR analyses on individual differences in look duration, however, yielded two significant findings: short-looking infants maintained higher levels of HR variability than long-looking infants across the session, and long-looking infants had greater HR accelerations to stimulus onsets than did short-looking infants.
Molecular mechanism of cyclic-nucleotide-gated channel activation

STUDIES on the activation of ligand- and voltage-gated ion channels have identified regions involved in both ligand binding1 and voltage sensing2, but relatively little is known about how such domains are coupled to channel opening. Here we investigate the structural basis for the activation of cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels, which are directly opened by cytoplasmic cyclic nucleotides3,4 but are structurally homologous to voltage-gated channels5–7. By constructing chimaeras between cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels cloned from bovine retinal photoreceptors8 and catfish olfactory neurons7, we identify two distinct domains that are important for ligand binding and channel gating. A putative α-helix in the carboxy-terminal binding domain determines the selectivity of the channel for activation by cGMP relative to cAMP. A domain in the amino-terminal region determines the ease with which channels open and thus influences agonist efficacy. We propose that channel opening is coupled to an allosteric conformational change in the binding site which enhances agonist binding. Thus, cyclic nucleotides activate the channel by binding tightly to the open state and stabilizing it.
An asymptotic solution of the non-linear equations of conical shells

An asymptotic solution to the Donnell type non-linear equations of elastic conical shells is presented. Closed form solutions for the displacements and stress resultants including eight constants of integration are obtained, by considering the lateral displacement to be of the order of the thickness t, and omitting terms of order up to (t/r)12 in comparison to unity. A numerical example for a conical frustum under axial load is given. The results indicate that buckling occurs near the smaller end of the frustum, as observed in an experiment.
SU-E-T-493: 4D Considerations for Active-Scanning Proton Beams

Purpose: To optimize delivery parameters for mobile targets treated with active‐scanning proton beams. Methods: An algorithm was developed to sort delivery of scanned proton plans into temporal bins. The binning reflects various dose rates and respiratory periods. A single‐field proton plan was generated to treat a target within a phantom. The delivery of the plan was sorted into temporal bins, and the bins were displaced spatially to simulate residual motion within a respiratory gated delivery. The binned delivery was repeated multiple times with random starting points. Weighted combinations of the varied start points were formed to simulate repainting as a means of neutralizing intra‐gate motion. This process was extended to a plan generated for a single phase of a 4DCT scan of a lungtumor. Intra‐gate motion was simulated by binning the delivery and calculating portions on neighboring 4DCT phases. The dose matrices were deformably remapped back onto the planned 4DCT phase and the matrices were summed to yield the delivered dose. As with the phantom plan, various ranges of motion and repainting were simulated.Results: Simulated motion of a phantom tumor volume yields shallower DVH fall off than a static displacement of the same magnitude, although both hot and cold spots are observed. Simulated repaintings of the volume mitigated coverage inhomogeneities. Because of lower density tissue surrounding the lungtumor, simulated intra‐gate motion results in a reduction of dose to the tumor. Conclusions: By varying the range of simulated motion and number of repaintings we will optimize duty cycle and delivery parameters for scanning proton treatment of a mobile tumor. J Kruse is supported in part by a grant from Varian Medical Systems, Inc.
Crystallization and characterization of Smaug: a novel RNA-binding motif.

During Drosophila embryogenesis, Smaug protein represses translation of Nanos through an interaction with a specific element in its 3 0 UTR. The repression occurs in the bulk cytoplasm of the embryo; Nanos is, however, successfully translated in the specialized cytoplasm of the posterior pole. This generates a gradient of Nanos emanating from the posterior pole that is essential for organizing proper abdominal segmentation. To understand the structural basis of RNA binding and translational control, we have crystallized a domain of Drosophila Smaug that binds RNA. The crystals belong to the space group R3 with unit cell dimensions of a ¼ b ¼ 129:3 � c ¼ 33:1 � a ¼ b ¼ 90, c ¼ 120 and diffract to 1.80 �
Prospects for an economical, eye-safe water vapor lidar

A conceptual design and simulations are presented to explore the feasibility for an economical, eye-safe water vapor lidar. The design is based on using GaAlAs laser diode arrays in the lidar transmitter and photon counting silicon avalanche photodiodes (APDs) in the lidar receiver. Simulations are presented to demonstrate that a lidar using a laser diode powered transmitter and an APD photon counting detector should yield quite good signal-to noise ratios out to ranges of a few kilometers by averaging no more than /spl sim/10 minutes, even for daylight conditions. A novel broad band DIAL approach is considered to take advantage of the relatively broad spectral output produced by multi-mode GaAlAs laser diode arrays. It is shown that the broad band water vapor transmittance to be measured by the lidar should permit water vapor profile retrievals through the lowest few kilometers of the atmosphere with resolutions of a few hundred meters or less. >
Michael Vick’s Pit Bulls & Dogfighting: Ramifications of Media Coverage

According to The Humane Society of the United States from 2006 to 2008 there were more than 3,000 pit bulls removed from dogfighting rings. The majority of surviving dogs were euthanized upon confiscation by authorities. The purpose of this research was to examine the possible impact of Michael Vick’s dogfighting case on print media coverage of pit bull-type dogs. The research questions were whether the extensive coverage of his dogfighting charges would change how media portray these dogs, and whether the issue of dogfighting would become a more widely-covered topic. The research process included a literature review of scholarly works written about pit bulls, and a qualitative analysis of articles from The New York Times , The Wall Street Journal , and USA Today published one year before and after the Vick case broke, using “pit bull” as the key phrase. Articles were divided into different categories depending on the contextual use of the term “pit bull.” Findings were based on the analysis of those categories. The results indicated positive portrayals of pit bulls and discussions of dogfighting were primarily isolated to the coverage of Vick’s case and dogs. The more than 200 other recorded raids on dogfighting rings that same year went unmentioned, but six stories about aggressive pit bull-type dogs were covered. This indicates media coverage of pit bulls did not change. Media can learn there is more to cover than limiting the focus on celebrity dogfighters and the cliche of pit bulls as vicious. These changes in coverage could lead to an overall positive change in the public’s perception of pit bull-type dogs.
Complementary and alternative medicine use among youth with juvenile arthritis: are youth using CAM, but not talking about it?

Abstract Purpose To examine self-reported use and correlates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in adolescents with juvenile arthritis (JA). Methods One hundred thirty-four adolescents with JA completed an online survey of their use of, interest in, and discussions about CAM. The PedsQL 4.0 SF15 assessed quality of life. Results The majority (72%) of youth reported using ≥1 CAM modality. Use did not differ by sex, age, race, or geographic location. The most commonly used CAM modalities were yoga (45%) and meditation, relaxation, or guided imagery (40%). Low psychosocial quality of life was associated with massage and meditation, relaxation, or guided imagery use ( p Conclusions Youth with JA reported high use of CAM, but few discussed CAM with health care providers. Findings suggest practitioners should engage adolescents in discussions about CAM.
Clinical Evaluation of HTR Polymer Bone Replacement Grafts in Human Mandibular Class II Molar Furcations

A biocompatible microporous composite of PMMA (poly-methyl-methacrylate), PHEMA (poly-hydroxyl-ethyl-methacrylate), and calcium hydroxide (HTR) or autogenous osseous coagulum (AOC) bone replacement grafts were evaluated in 15 pairs of mandibular molar Class II furcations in 9 patients. Following initial preparation, full thickness flaps were raised to gain access to the furcations; mechanical hand and ultrasonic root and defect debridement and chemical (tetracycline) root preparation were performed; paired furcations in each patient were randomly grafted with either HTR or AOC; and the host flaps replaced or slightly coronally positioned. Weekly, then monthly, deplaquing was performed until surgical re-entry at 6 to 12 months. Both treatments improved the clinical status of the treated furcations. Direct clinical measurements demonstrated essentially equivalent clinical results with both bone replacement graft materials related to most hard and soft tissue changes in the furcations. Differences in favor o...
Dynamic Path Reconfiguration Among Hybrid FSO/RF Nodes

To increase the availability of free space network (FSO) networks, the optical link is provided with a redundant backup network, such as RF, to form a hybrid network. The immediate switching from FSO to RF in hybrid networks leads to suboptimal utilization of FSO network. In this work, a network of hybrid nodes, where each node is equipped with multiple transceivers and has multiple associations with other nodes of the network is proposed. Alternate FSO paths are established and prioritized through these multiple associations via intermediate nodes. On the loss of an active FSO link, path reconfiguration takes place, and the FSO path next in priority is utilized. Thus, communication can be maintained in the optical domain for a longer period, and efficiency is increased. A hardware testbed with four hybrid nodes having multiple IR transceivers to establish optical links was constructed to validate proof of concept. Dynamic path reconfiguration in the optical domain was demonstrated in the testbed by blocking different transceivers of the nodes. We measure network performance in terms of end-to-end delay along alternative FSO paths. Results show how the proposed path reconfiguration algorithm can provide performance improvement in hybrid networks.
Modeling and executing semantic B2B integration

Trying to achieve B2B integration by programming does not scale due to the high number of combinations of B2B protocols like EDI or RosettaNet, business processes, document formats, back end applications and trading partners. Furthermore, programming does not provide the necessary flexibility, reliability, and consistency. Instead, a set of B2B integration modeling constructs is proposed in this paper that allow to model B2B integration dynamically: B2B protocol, application protocol, workflow types, transformation, binding, trading partner and business event.
An adaptive mutation in adenylate kinase that increases organismal fitness is linked to stability–activity trade-offs

Protein function is a balance between activity and stability. However, the relevance of stability-activity trade-offs for protein evolution and their impact on organismal fitness have been difficult to determine. Previously, we have linked organismal survival at increasing temperatures to adaptive changes to a single protein sequence through allelic replacement of an essential gene, adenylate kinase (adk), in a thermophile. In vivo continuous evolution of the temperature-sensitive thermophile has shown that the first step toward increased organismal fitness is mutation of glutamine-199 to arginine in the mesophilic enzyme (AKsub Q199R). Here, we show that although substitution of Arg-199 did confer a modest increase in stability (0.6 kcal mol(-1)at 20 degrees C; DeltaT(m) = 3.0 degrees C), it is a large change in the activity profile of the enzyme that is responsible for its exceptional robustness during the earlier experimental evolution study. Kinetic studies of AKsub Q199R show that it has a strong loss of enzymatic activity (>50%) at lower temperatures (20-45 degrees C) and a subsequent increase at elevated temperatures. The stability-activity trade-off observed for AKsub Q199R was linked to the rigidification of the overall structure through stabilization of a polypeptide loop containing Arg-199 that is part of the ATP-binding site of the enzyme. Structural analysis revealed the formation of new ionic interactions facilitated by Arg-199. Our results suggest that stability-activity trade-offs are employed readily as an evolutionary strategy during natural selection to increase organismal fitness.
Genetic disease in the 1960s: a structural revolution.

From about 1955 to about 1975, an explosion of new institutions, disciplines, databases, interventions, practices, techniques, and ideas turned technically driven human genetics from a medical backwater to an exotic and appealing medical research frontier. In the early 1960s, health care professionals were attracted to the new insights of cytogenetics, including the chromosomal explanation of Down syndrome and of other congenital defects and abnormalities of sexual development. The discovery of a connection between myeloid leukemia and chromosomal abnormalities in leukemic cells made human cytogenetics suddenly relevant to cancer research and diagnosis. Successful dietary treatment of phenylketonuria brought genetic disease into the domain of public health and provoked legislative programs with sweeping long-term consequences. Meanwhile, those promoting the importance of genetic disease to medical education began to elaborate the idea that disease was literally becoming more genetic, as a consequence of techno-historical change. In this article, I present an overview of these remarkable events and a framework for understanding how and why they occurred. I emphasize the important roles of family members, religious isolates, legislators, pediatricians, and others who were not trained in genetic science, but who became advocates, at many levels, of genetic medicine. And I suggest that the idea, so important to the Human Genome Project, that "all disease is genetic disease" was structurally realized and institutionalized long before technologies for mapping the genome were available.
95 GHz metamorphic HEMT power amplifiers on GaAs

This paper reports on the first 95 GHz metamorphic HEMT power amplifier demonstration including power as a function of temperature. Two power MHEMT materials with 53% and 53%/43% indium channels are investigated showing a slight advantage to the split channel material. At 95 GHz, G/sub max/ values ranging 8.25-10.8 dB are shown for both materials. Single stage 0.15 mm periphery amplifiers using single 4/spl times/37.5 /spl mu/m FETs show >10 dB small signal gain. Two dB compressed power data at 95 GHz yields 15.3 dBm (224 mW/mm) and PAEs up to 22.8%. Increasing temperature up to 80/spl deg/C results in output power and PAE degradation of only 0.43 dB and 2.6 percentage points, respectively. These promising results are on the path to 100-300 mW MHEMT power amplifiers at W-band with improved manufacturability over InP HEMT.
Electrochemical Characterization of Horse Spleen Ferritin Covalently Immobilized on Self-Assembled Monolayer Modified Gold Electrodes

Horse spleen ferritin was covalently attached to SAM-modified gold electrodes using cross-linking agents. Reduction of ferritin occurs at negative potentials and is electrochemically irreversible. The voltammetry reveals the presence of a new electrochemical couple that has been determined to be a dissolved iron species released upon the reduction of ferritin. Covalently attached ferritin retains its ability to release iron as evidenced by the absence of the dissolved couple peaks when ferritin is reduced in the presence of nitrilotriacetate. As the SAM chain length increases, the reduction potential becomes more negative, suggesting a tunneling mechanism is involved in the electron transfer.
Spatial autoregressive structure of meander evolution revisited

Abstract Meandering rivers are intrinsically dynamic geomorphic systems that exhibit progressive change in their planforms as they migrate across their floodplains. Recent research in river meandering has focused on the development of linear mathematical models of meander migration. These models, which are based on momentum and mass conservation principles, aim to capture the basic physical mechanisms governing flow-sediment interactions in meandering rivers. A common attribute of the models is that bank erosion is represented as a linear function of near-bank velocity and near-bank velocity is expressed as a spatial convolution of channel curvature. Thus, in all of these process-based models, planform curvature, as mediated through its influence on near-bank velocity, has a strong effect on channel migration. Mathematical details of the curvature–migration relation depend on the number of curvature related convolution terms in the model; the number of such terms increases with increasing model order. Although first- through fourth-order linear models have been developed, few studies have examined rigorously the relation between planform curvature and migration in natural rivers to determine if even the simplest model-based curvature–migration relations correspond to relations derived from empirical data. This paper evaluates empirically the spatial structure of the relation between upstream planform curvature and local channel migration for bends along the Beatton River, British Columbia, Canada. In particular, we compare empirically derived curvature–migration relations to the exponential-decay form of this relation embodied in first-order linear mathematical models of meander migration. For this purpose, we use a refined empirical methodology and recently developed analytical techniques that overcome limitations of a similar analysis of the Beatton River bends conducted by Furbish (1991). The refined methodology examines the influence of upstream lags of planform curvature on migration rates. The new analytical techniques provide data on channel curvature and migration rate at a much finer spatial interval than in the analysis of Furbish (1991). The validity of the approach for revealing the exponential-decay structure of the curvature–migration relation is confirmed by applying it to a synthetic data set generated using a first-order mathematical model. In contrast to the findings of Furbish (1991), our results for the Beatton River bends show that the structure of the spatially distributed upstream curvature effect is more complex than pure exponential decay. The findings suggest that oscillatory components of the relation between curvature and migration rate are important in the planform dynamics of individual complex bends. These findings are consistent with results of recent empirical analysis of the curvature–migration relation based on discrete signal processing and with the structure of the curvature–migration relation in high-order mathematical models of meander migration.
A simple theoretical framework for understanding heterogeneous differentiation of CD4+ T cells.

CD4+ T cells have several subsets of functional phenotypes, which play critical yet diverse roles in the immune system. Pathogen-driven differentiation of these subsets of cells is often heterogeneous in terms of the induced phenotypic diversity. In vitro recapitulation of heterogeneous differentiation under homogeneous experimental conditions indicates some highly regulated mechanisms by which multiple phenotypes of CD4+ T cells can be generated from a single population of naive CD4+ T cells. Therefore, conceptual understanding of induced heterogeneous differentiation will shed light on the mechanisms controlling the response of populations of CD4+ T cells under physiological conditions. We present a simple theoretical framework to show how heterogeneous differentiation in a two-master-regulator paradigm can be governed by a signaling network motif common to all subsets of CD4+ T cells. With this motif, a population of naive CD4+ T cells can integrate the signals from their environment to generate a functionally diverse population with robust commitment of individual cells. Notably, two positive feedback loops in this network motif govern three bistable switches, which in turn, give rise to three types of heterogeneous differentiated states, depending upon particular combinations of input signals. We provide three prototype models illustrating how to use this framework to explain experimental observations and make specific testable predictions. The process in which several types of T helper cells are generated simultaneously to mount complex immune responses upon pathogenic challenges can be highly regulated, and a simple signaling network motif can be responsible for generating all possible types of heterogeneous populations with respect to a pair of master regulators controlling CD4+ T cell differentiation. The framework provides a mathematical basis for understanding the decision-making mechanisms of CD4+ T cells, and it can be helpful for interpreting experimental results. Mathematical models based on the framework make specific testable predictions that may improve our understanding of this differentiation system.
Evaluation of epothilone B analog in advanced soft tissue sarcoma: a phase II study of the phase II consortium.

Purpose Epothilones are a new class of nontaxane tubulin polymerization agents that have activity in taxane-resistant tumors. Epothilone B (BMS-247550) is a semisynthetic analog of the natural product epothilone B. This study was performed to determine the activity of BMS-247550 in patients with soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) who had not received prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Patients and Methods Patients with measurable, advanced, or metastatic STS with no prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease were treated with BMS-2457550 50 mg/m2 intravenously during 1 hour every 21 days. All responses were confirmed 4 weeks later. Results Thirty-one patients (median age, 54 years; range, 19 to 78 years; 48% female) were entered onto the trial and were assessable for response. All but one patient had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score of 0% or 1%, and 39% had received prior adjuvant chemotherapy. Mean follow-up was 22 months, with a confirmed response rate of 6% (95% CI, 0% to 17%). M...
Chromatin remodeling proteins interact with pericentrin to regulate centrosome integrity

Pericentrin is an integral centrosomal component that anchors regulatory and structural molecules to centrosomes. In a yeast two-hybrid screen with pericentrin we identified chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 4 (CHD4/Mi2). CHD4 is part of the multiprotein nucleosome remodeling deacetylase (NuRD) complex. We show that many NuRD components interacted with pericentrin by coimmunoprecipitation and that they localized to centrosomes and midbodies. Overexpression of the pericentrin-binding domain of CHD4 or another family member (CHD3) dissociated pericentrin from centrosomes. Depletion of CHD3, but not CHD4, by RNA interference dissociated pericentrin and -tubulin from centrosomes. Microtubule nucleation/organization, cell morphology, and nuclear centration were disrupted in CHD3depleted cells. Spindles were disorganized, the majority showing a prometaphase-like configuration. Time-lapse imaging revealed mitotic failure before chromosome segregation and cytokinesis failure. We conclude that pericentrin forms complexes with CHD3 and CHD4, but a distinct CHD3–pericentrin complex is required for centrosomal anchoring of pericentrin/-tubulin and for centrosome integrity.
Factors Controlling Erythropoiesis in Birds

1. Erythropoiesis in birds is stimulated by bleeding and environmental hypoxia and is suppressed by induced polycythemia, indicating that the physiologic response is similar to that in mammals. 2. This response is mediated through a humoral factor which stimulates erythropoiesis of birds but not of mammals. Similarly, the erythropoietin of mammals does not stimulate the erythropoiesis of birds. 3. Although both the erythropoiesis stimulating factor of birds and of mammals appear to require an intact protein structure for biological activity, the erythropoietin of birds differs from that of mammals in that it is not destroyed by sialidase and does not lose its activity when reacted with antibody to human urinary erythropoietin.
Abstract 5410: Down regulating heavy chain ferritin gene increasesthe radiation therapeutic efficacy for treatment of glioma

Gliomas, especially glioblastoma multiforme are resistant to radiation and chemotherapy. Therefore, efforts to develop new course of therapy to enhance efficacy of treatment strategies are obviously critical. We hypothesized that disrupting iron homeostasis in malignant tumor cells could prove effective at negatively affecting tumor growth because cancer cells have a robust iron requirement consistent with their rapid growth and high metabolic rates. The high levels of iron uptake require a mechanism to limit iron induced oxidative damage. This function is the responsibility of ferritin; an iron storage protein with 24 subunits of two types of chains light and heave chains. Heavy chain ferritin (H-ferritin) has been found in the nucleus of tumor cells where it appears to protect DNA from oxidative damage and promote transcription. We hypothesized that silencing the H-ferritin gene could increase the sensitivity of tumors cells to radiation. On the other hand, our previous data already demonstrated that silencing the H-ferritin gene increased chemotherapeutic efficacy for treating gliomas. To test our present hypothesis, the H-ferritin gene will be silenced via a cationic liposome carrying siRNA. We have chosen glioma cell lines (U251, U87 and MNSF) as our in vitro model. Subcutaneous glioma tumor in mouse model (athymic nude mice) was chosen as our in vivo model. Our preliminary in vitro data demonstrated silencing the H-ferritin gene in U251 cells leads to a 50% increase in cell death at 20 Gy for 24, 48 and 72 hours post radiation. Intratumoral injections of cationic liposomes containing H-ferritin siRNA reduced the effective in vivo dose of radiation for tumor suppression by more than 90% at 7 weeks. A supercoil relaxation assay demonstrated that H-ferritin, but not L-ferritin directly protects DNA from radiation by maintaining DNA in a relaxed from. We will further test our hypothesis in glioma-U87, neurofibroma-sNF96.2 and breast cancer-MCF-7 cells. As of now our data shows that silencing the H-ferritin gene appears to be an effective way to increase the sensitivity of the glioma tumors to radiation, which sheds light on increasing the radiation therapeutic efficacy for treatment of malignant tumors. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5410. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5410
Impulses in Cardiac Sympathetic Nerves.

A better understanding of the mechanism of the reflex regulation of heart rate and blood pressure is to be gained from a study of the afferent nerve impulses from the circulatory system and of the efferent impulses to the heart and blood vessels. Previous communications have described the nature of the nervous discharge from the arch of the aorta and from the carotid sinus,1, 2 and its relation to blood pressure. On the efferent side, sympathetic impulses concerned in maintaining the tone of the blood vessels have been recorded.3 The present report is concerned with the activity of the sympathetic fibers to the heart.One of the small nerve twigs running to the heart from the stellate or inferior cervical ganglion in a cat under urethane anesthesia was freed from the surrounding tissue and cut close to the heart, all other cardiac sympathetic fibers remaining intact. The nerve was then slung onto electrodes and the action potentials, after amplification, were recorded by means of an oscillograph. Figure 1A...
Cell-based therapy for pediatric traumatic brain injury: not (yet) an update to the traumatic brain injury guidelines.

A few short years ago it would have been hard to imagine that anyone might suggest a bone marrow transplant for pediatric traumatic brain injury. The concept of bone marrow-derived cell-based therapies is, however, not a new concept. Nearly 150 years ago, Cohnheim observed that intravenous dye delivery in animals resulted in dye-labeled scar tissue at distal injury sites [1]. This startling discovery suggested that progenitor cells within the bone marrow could become something other than circulating red blood cells, leukoctyes, and platelets. Although more than a century has passed since this pluripotent “potential” of bone marrow-derived cells was first described, in many ways our understanding of the mechanisms and relevance of this exciting phenomenon remain surprisingly rudimentary.
Parasitization of Imported Cabbageworm and Cabbage Looper Eggs on Cabbage in Southern California, with Notes on the Colonization of Trichogramma evanescens

Parasitization of eggs of imported cabbageworm, Pieris rapae (L.), and cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), was studied on successive cabbage plantings in Orange County, California, from April 1963 through October 1967 by collecting eggs from field plants and holding them individually in the laboratory for larval or parasite emergence. Trichogramma evanescens Westwood, obtained from Europe, was released in study plots during 1965, 1966, and 1967 for establishment on imported cabbageworm eggs. Host eggs were collected during 4 periods, April 1963 to April 1965; August 24 to October 26, 1965; August 30 to December 2, 1966; and June 6 to November 14. 1967. The number collected during each period varied from 834 to 3313. Of the imported cabbageworm eggs collected, 0, 0, 2.9, and 17.8%, respectively, were parasitized; 12.4, 10.2, 18.9, and 18.9% failed to hatch or produce parasites; and 87.6, 89.8. 78.8, and 66.7% hatched. Of the cabbage looper eggs collected 7.8, 15.8, 18.5, and 40.6%, respectively, were parasitized; 4.8, 4.6, and 4.7% of eggs collected during the 1st, 3rd, and 4th periods, respectively, failed to hatch or produce parasites; and 87.7, 77.7, and 56.6% of those collected during the same periods hatched. Only T. evanescens was reared from the imported cabbageworm eggs in 1966 and 1967. Prior to 1967. only T. pretiosum Riley was reared from the cabbage looper eggs, whereas in 1967 both T. evanescens and T. pretiosum was obtained. Parasitization of imported cabbageworm eggs by T. evanescens increased from 0 on September 16 to 21.1% on October 4, 1966. and 73.9% on August 8, 1967. Cabbage looper eggs were parasitized by this species in 1967. Parasitization of cabbage looper eggs (73.8%) by T. pretiosum reached its highest peak on October 10, 1967. The number of T. pretiosurn averaged 2.3 per cabbage looper egg in 1966 and 1967. The number of T. evanescens averaged 2.3 and 2.5 per imported cabbageworm egg in 1966 and 1967, respectively. and 1.9 per cabbage looper egg in 1967. The male: female sex ratio for T. pretiosum and T. evanescens reared from cabbage looper eggs was 1:1.97 and 1:2.27, respectively, in 1967. That for T. evanescens on imported cabbageworm eggs was 1:1.96 in 1966 and 1:2.32 in 1967.
Studies on the Metabolism of Glycerol by Hyperlipemic and Normolipemic Rats

SummaryThe metabolism of glycerol has been studied in BHE and Wistar rats using measures of transhepatic glycerol disposal, assays of glycerol and glycerol metabolites in frozen clamped hepatic tissue, and through the study of rnitochon-drial α-glycerophosphate shuttle activity and α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity. Strain differences in glycerol metabolism were observed, with the BHE rats having higher serum glycerol levels, Iower presumed glycerolkinase activity, lower α-glycerophosphate shuttle activity, and lower mitochondrial α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase activity. These findings were presumed to indicate a lack of coordination between the cellular compartments, explaining the previously reported enhanced hepatic lipogenesis seen in BHE rats.
Research of Simulation and Test on Deformation of Transformer Winds by Frequency Response Method

In order to detect deformation of transformer windings,the paper expounds principle of frequency response method.By PSPICE simulation on effect of changes of induction of winds and capacitance on frequency response curve,it is concluded that induction or capacitance increase may enable the curve to move to low frequency,induction parameter change may greatly affect low frequency of frequency response curve and capacitance parameter may greatly affect high frequency of the curve.In condition of normal winding and deformed winding,frequency response method is used for measurement and analysis to verify correctness of the simulation result.
Review of Sports Law Studies in China

Over the past 30 years,studies on sports law in China have undergone a transition from over emphasis of the achievements of sports legislation at the cost of ignoring practical issues in sports law system to in-depth analysis practical problems in sports.The studies on sports law in China made rapid progress since 21 century.Major findings of this study were sports law studies' new trends today:from the introduce and adopting of legal theories to focus on the specificity of sports,from focus on ‘sports and the law'to‘sports law',from studied by scholars from only sports school to both sports school and law school.But the needing of sports law from sports practice are still low.The next stage of sports law study should emphasize sports rule and specificity of sports.
The neuropsychiatric aspects of HIV infection.

SUMMARY Neuropsychiatric manifestations of HIV infection require aggressive and thorough diagnosis and treatment. Because people may live longer on antiviral therapy and chemoprophylaxis for opportunistic infections, a great emergence of neoplastic challenges to the central nervous system and the possibility of primary HIV encephalopathy appear. Because the mind is the container of all that makes us human, attention to these insults is essential to maintain quality of life, autonomy, and psychologic health as long as possible. Primary care providers can play a major role in this process. New chemotherapeutic interventions will continue to provide hope while longing for a cure or lifelong treatment, containing the tension between realistic optimism and appropriate resignation concerning any one particular individual's condition. Helping patients to see their brain as an organ system that deserves equal attention as the rest of the body is part of the primary provider's role. Finally, when further technologic and pharmacologic interventions are unavailable, the primary care provider serves the most important function by staying by the patient and her or his significant others until the very end of life.
The biology of amiloride-sensitive sodium channels.

The movement of sodium ions through those important epithelial entry pathways that are inhibited with high affinity by the diuretic amiloride can now be analyzed at the single-channel level. The next step to achieve a complete understanding of the process at the molecular level would be to purify and characterize the component(s) of the channel protein.
Learning as the Basis for Continuing Professional Education

This chapter is an update and expansion of previous work and explores how professionals construct knowledge in the context of their practice by connecting concepts from their experiences and continuing professional education activities.
Mechanism of bacteria inactivation by an atmospheric pressure plasma jet

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets are an abundant source of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) which can inactivate bacteria. A few clinical trials were performed showing the huge potential of plasma technology in reducing the bacteria load in wounds and stimulating wound healing1. Many studies on inactivation of planktonic bacteria have been reported. However for bacteria suspended in buffered solutions, most studies show a reduced plasma bactericidal efficacy. Recent results also show effective inactivation of biofilms using plasmas2.
7 – Active identification for control of discrete-time uncertain nonlinear systems

Publisher Summary In recent years, a great deal of progress has been made in the area of adaptive control of continuous-time nonlinear systems. A novel approach is proposed to remove the restrictive growth conditions of the nonlinearities and to yield global stability and tracking for systems that can be transformed into an output-feedback canonical form. The main novelties of the design are the temporal and algorithmic separation of the parameter estimation task from the control task and the development of an active identification procedure, which uses the control input to actively drive the system state to points in the state space that allow the orthogonalized projection estimator to acquire all the necessary information about the unknown parameters. It is proved that the proposed algorithm guarantees complete identification in a finite time interval and global stability and tracking.
Investigation of the Partial Constitution Diagram Ti−TiAu 2

Ti−Au alloys in the composition interval 0 to 66 2/3 atomic pet Au have been studied over a temperature range from 400° to 1500°C. A partial phase diagram has been established from micrographic and macroscopic observations. All intermediate phases, Ti3Au, TiAu, and TiAu2, exhibit open melting maxima. It has been observed that small additions of gold lower the allotropic transformation temperature of titanium. The β solid solution decomposes eutectoidally to α solid solution plus Ti3Au. The solubility of gold in α solid solution decreases with temperature.