cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Building Partnerships to Hear Freedom's Heroes Within Our Community

Each morning, 10 yellow school buses end their circuit through Montclair, NewJersey, to drop off 149 of Renaissance Middle School's 225 students. Ali, grandson of Charles and Marjorie Baskerville, is among the group of students who arrive by bus. Al's grandparents with other community activists, almost forty years ago, began the long and hard fight for school integration in this northern town. After court battles, parent meetings, community resistance, and ultimate victory, the struggle resulted in a public school system dedicated to both "choice" and integration. To those who retain the memory of struggle, Montclair's school buses and their routes, almost thirty years old, are a regular reminder of the magnet school plan implemented during the 1977-1978 school year. Bernadette Anand is currently a program director and instructor in the graduate division of Bank Street College. She is the founder of Renaissance Middle School a small school located within the Montclair, New Jersey, Magnet School District, the setting for the oral history project described here. Bernadette is a proponent of detracking based on inclusive pedagogy and rich academic experiences for all students.
Interaction terms in nonlinear models

Objectives To explain the use of interaction terms in nonlinear models. Study Design We discuss the motivation for including interaction terms in multivariate analyses. We then explain how the straightforward interpretation of interaction terms in linear models changes in nonlinear models, using graphs and equations. We extend the basic results from logit and probit to difference-in-differences models, models with higher powers of explanatory variables, other nonlinear models (including log transformation and ordered models), and panel data models. Empirical Application We show how to calculate and interpret interaction effects using a publicly available Stata data set with a binary outcome. Stata 11 has added several features which make those calculations easier. LIMDEP code also is provided. Conclusions It is important to understand why interaction terms are included in nonlinear models in order to be clear about their substantive interpretation.
The Impact of Recent Advances in Microbiology and Immunology on Perinatal and Women's Health Care

Microbiology and immunology have offered important advances in the care of women and newborns. Understanding of the interplay between individuals and the microorganisms associated with them has provided the framework for important changes in practice. An excellent historical example of this idea, well known to nurses, involves puerperal fever. A recent example is knowledge of the relationship of breastfeeding and human immunodeficiency virus. Recent advances in microbiology and immunology that have improved women's health include improved diagnostic tests and a more complete understanding of the vaginal biofilm.
Radiation Impairs Perineural Invasion by Modulating the Nerve Microenvironment

Purpose Perineural invasion (PNI) by cancer cells is an ominous clinical event that is associated with increased local recurrence and poor prognosis. Although radiation therapy (RT) may be delivered along the course of an invaded nerve, the mechanisms through which radiation may potentially control PNI remain undefined. Experimental Design An in vitro co-culture system of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and pancreatic cancer cells was used as a model of PNI. An in vivo murine sciatic nerve model was used to study how RT to nerve or cancer affects nerve invasion by cancer. Results Cancer cell invasion of the DRG was partially dependent on DRG secretion of glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). A single 4 Gy dose of radiation to the DRG alone, cultured with non-radiated cancer cells, significantly inhibited PNI and was associated with decreased GDNF secretion but intact DRG viability. Radiation of cancer cells alone, co-cultured with non-radiated nerves, inhibited PNI through predominantly compromised cancer cell viability. In a murine model of PNI, a single 8 Gy dose of radiation to the sciatic nerve prior to implantation of non-radiated cancer cells resulted in decreased GDNF expression, decreased PNI by imaging and histology, and preservation of sciatic nerve motor function. Conclusions Radiation may impair PNI through not only direct effects on cancer cell viability, but also an independent interruption of paracrine mechanisms underlying PNI. RT modulation of the nerve microenvironment may decrease PNI, and hold significant therapeutic implications for RT dosing and field design for patients with cancers exhibiting PNI.
Systematic identification of functional modules and cis-regulatory elements in Arabidopsis thaliana

Background Several large-scale gene co-expression networks have been constructed successfully for predicting gene functional modules and cis-regulatory elements in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). However, these networks are usually constructed and analyzed in an ad hoc manner. In this study, we propose a completely parameter-free and systematic method for constructing gene co-expression networks and predicting functional modules as well as cis-regulatory elements.
Marine natural products as inhibitors of cystathionine beta-synthase activity.

Abstract A library consisting of characterized marine natural products as well as synthetic derivatives was screened for compounds capable of inhibiting the production of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) by cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS). Eight hits were validated and shown to inhibit CBS activity with IC50 values ranging from 83 to 187 μM. The majority of hits came from a series of synthetic polyandrocarpamine derivatives. In addition, a modified fluorogenic probe for H2S detection with improved solubility in aqueous solutions is reported.
Fast region analysis using standard image processing hardware

Region analysis of binary images includes standard "blob counting" as well as the computation of geometric properties (area, perimeter, moments, number of holes) of the connected components or regions in an image. Software algorithms for region analysis are well known, and special purpose vendor systems are now available for real-time and near real-time binary region analysis. In this paper, we describe algorithms using a combination of software and inexpensive image hardware (e.g. boards from Matrox, Imaging Technology) that perform region analysis on 512x480 images in times ranging from about a half second ( < 10 regions) to a few seconds (several hundred regions) on a PC/AT (80286) based system, and well under a second for all the cases we have tested on a 80386 based system.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Rising inequality in the new global economy

The world is not ‘flat’. Globalization is disequalizing, rewarding the already rich while leaving the poor behind, making rising inequality more, not less likely. There are three reasons. First, the economic gains generated by efficient global markets are not equally shared. Second, global markets are imperfect and many developing countries do not have mechanisms for insuring (poor) people against market failures. Third, trade, migration, and intellectual property regimes at the global level naturally reflect the greater market power of the rich. To mitigate the asymmetric impacts of globalization we need a global polity that can address unequal endowments, whether in the form of lack of educational opportunities or weak institutions.
Evolutionary maintenance of oncogenesis

Background Transformation of normal cells into cells with malignant phenotypes is often the result of loss of tumor suppressor gene (TSG) function after exposure to a carcinogen.
Multiple-pass chamber for spectroscopy of tissue sheets.

A chamber for spectroscopy of tissue sheets is described which gives a three-fold increase in signal without, in general, an increase in noise. Design considerations are discussed.
Genes for basement membrane proteins are coordinately expressed in differentiating F9 cells but not in normal adult murine tissues

Abstract We have obtained cDNA clones coding for the A, B1, and B2 chains of laminin by screening a cDNA library prepared from mouse EHS tumor poly(A)RNA in the λgt11 expression vector with polyclonal antibody against denatured laminin. These cDNA clones were used in combination with a cDNA clone coding for the α1 type IV collagen chain to study the regulation of genes for these basement membrane proteins in retinoic acid-induced differentiating mouse F9 teratocarcinoma cells and in various adult murine tissues. The levels of mRNA for the laminin A, B1, and B2 chains and for the α1 type IV collagen chain were increased simultaneously and reached a maximum at almost the same time during the differentiation of F9 cells, suggesting coordinate expression in these cells. The tissue levels of mRNA encoding for the basement membrane components, however, varied considerably. The highest level of the B1 chain mRNA was observed in kidney, whereas, the levels of mRNA for A and B2 chains were highest in heart. Almost the same levels of expression of the α1(IV) collagen mRNA were found in kidney, lung, and heart. The results indicate that the expression of genes for the basement membrane proteins is not coordinately regulated in these tissues. It is thus possible that different subunit structures of the laminin molecule may exist in tissues.
The application of an improved solid phase synthetic technique to the delineation of an antigenic site of apolipoprotein A-II

Abstract Previous studies have shown that the antigenic sites of human plasma high-density apolipoprotein A-II (apoA-II) are separate from their lipid-binding determinants in human high density lipoproteins (HDL). A specific radioimmunoassay has shown that three distinct antigenic sites are located in residues 4–23, 31–46, and 56–77; these studies suggested that an antigenic site might be restricted to residues 60–77 in the 56–77 fragment. To further delineate this site, we have developed a solid phase radioimmunoassay technique using an improved solid support on which selected sequences of peptides were synthesized, deprotected with HF, and the resulting peptidyl-resins tested for their capability of binding purified 125 I-anti-apoA-II antibodies. Amino acid analyses and solid phase sequence analyses were performed to verify the sequence of the synthetic peptide on the solid support. Using this technique, 125 I-anti-apoA-II antibodies had achieved 50% of maximal binding when residues 61–77 were attached to the solid support. The maximal binding was achieved by the addition of one more residue, Leu 60 , thus confirming our suggestion that a major antigenic site is located in residues 60–77. The binding to the peptidyl-resin was inhibited by a synthetic fragment corresponding to residues 60–77 indicating that the antibodies were specifically bound to the resin.
Bio Inspired Particle Enhanced Capillary Heat Exchanger

This study proposes a new cooling concept using encapsulated phase-change material particles in mini-channels. This novel method is inspired by the gas exchange process in the lung capillaries. An important characteristic of capillary blood flow is that the red blood cells fit very snugly into the capillary opening. Hence, it is conjectured that using particles with diameter similar to the channel diameter, in a manner similar to red blood cells in lung capillaries, is likely to enhance the heat transfer coefficient, even under laminar flow. Preliminary tests are performed with encapsulated Octadecan paraffin (C18H38) in a low-conductivity thin melamine shell, flowing through a test module. The effect of flow rate on the heat transfer coefficient and also the effect of using particles on enhancement of Nusselt number has been measured. Temperature distribution on the chip has also been investigated under various particle concentrations, heat fluxes and Reynolds numbers.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Positron emission tomography: a technology assessment.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a new nuclear medicine technique that has recently entered the clinical realm of medicine. Although it is a technique that can be utilized for assessment of biochemical and physiological parameters of any organ in the body, it has particular utility in the investigation of the brain. PET poses unique advantages over previous imaging devices. For the first time, it is feasible to investigate directly various biological parameters of the brain in a noninvasive way. PET allows for investigating the functional, biochemical, physiological, and pharmacological characteristics of various areas within the brains of normal and psychiatric or neurological patients. Although it has already started to give promising results, it is too new a technique to obtain an accurate appraisal of its true potentials. This is a problem that seems always to surface when one tries to evaluate the utility of a new technique in a new area of research. The problem is accentuated in the case of PET where there is no other technique available with which to compare results. This paper will discuss the basic principles of PET, its relationship to other existing imaging devices, and the issues to be considered when making a technological assessment of positron emission tomography.
Temperature-dependent photoluminescence of CdZnO thin films grown by molecular-beam epitaxy

Large-Cd-concentration (Eg<3.0 eV) CdZnO thin films were grown using molecular-beam epitaxy. Variable-temperature photoluminescence measurements were performed on three typical CdZnO samples having pure wurtzite, pure rocksalt, and wurtzite–rocksalt mixture structures, respectively. The temperature dependence of the CdZnO bandgap shrinkage was investigated and analyzed based on the empirical Varshni and Bose–Einstein fitting on the near-band-edge photoluminescence peak positions. The temperature dependence of the integral PL intensity in the CdZnO samples was also fitted, where fitting equation with hopping term included shows a closer fit to the experimental data. The possible hopping processes in the CdZnO thin films may be related to the band tail states due to alloying effect and Cd distribution nonuniformity in the CdZnO samples.
Position-specific inhibition of yeast mitochondrial transcription by a poly(T) sequence.

The 3' flanking nucleotide(s) of the octanucleotide promoter sequence regulates transcriptional efficiency of some mitochondrial genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To understand this regulation the in vitro transcriptional activity of various synthetic mitochondrial promoters carrying different 3' flanking sequences was examined. The results presented here demonstrate that consecutive thymidine residues, but no other polynucleotides or secondary structure, in the promoter-proximal non-transcribed DNA strand inhibited mitochondrial transcription. The location and the number of T residues in the cluster as well as the concentration of UTP in the transcription reaction are the important factors determining this transcriptional inhibition. For example, a pair of thymidine nucleotides at positions +2 and +3 is sufficient for inactivation of mitochondrial transcription, whereas more than three consecutive thymidine nucleotides beyond these positions are required for inhibition of mitochondrial transcription. However, a cluster of six to 12 thymidine residues beyond position +11, a point where mtRNA polymerase has been shown to form a stable transcription complex, did not interfere with mitochondrial transcription. Interestingly, at low UTP concentration the mtRNA polymerase generates a large quantity of aborted initiation products on a template carrying promoter-proximal poly(T) sequence probably due to the inability of the polymerase to clear this promoter. On the other hand at high UTP concentration the same mtRNA polymerase on the same mitochondrial promoter produces a higher level of productive initiation complex. These observations suggest that the mechanism of poly(T) inhibition of mitochondrial transcription is a UTP-limited transcriptional attenuation at the promoter site, which might occur under specific physiological conditions (i.e. glucose repression-derepression, switching of aerobic-anaerobic conditions).
Robust coordination control of a pneumatic deburring tool

An efficient robotic deburring method was developed based on an active pneumatic tool. The developed method considers the interaction among the tool, the manipulator, and the workpiece and couples the tool dynamics and a control design that considers deburring process information. The active pneumatic tool was developed based on a single pneumatic actuator, with a passive chamber to provide compliance and reduce chattering caused by air compressibility. A coordination control method was developed for the efficient control of the system, which adopts two-level hierarchical control structure based on a coordination scheme. Robust feedback linearization was utilized to minimize the undesirable effect of the disturbances, such as static and Coulomb frictions and the nonlinear compliance of the pneumatic cylinder stemming from air compressibility. The developed coordination control method demonstrated its efficacy in terms of deburring accuracy and speed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Model-Based Control-Loop Performance of a Continuous Direct Compaction Process

This study is concerned with enhanced model-based control of a continuous direct compression pharmaceutical process. The control-loop performance is assessed in silico and results obtained will be incorporated into the pilot plant facility of the continuous direct compaction process at the NSF Engineering Research Center of Rutgers University. The models used in the study are obtained via system identification from a combination of first principles-based dynamic models, experimental data, and/or literature data. The main objective of the paper is to formulate an effective control strategy at the basic/regulatory level, for the integrated continuous operation of the direct compaction process, and to maintain the process at the desired set-points, taking into account the multivariable process interactions and disturbances. Simulations show that that at very mild interactions, the proposed regulatory control strategy is able to maintain set-points at desired values. However, at moderate to high process interactions, oscillatory behavior of controlled variables is seen. The presence of disturbances also resulted in poor control-loop performance. Results also lend credence to the development of advanced control strategies in such scenarios and will be addressed in future work. Optimal control tuning parameters are obtained from a derivative-free optimization algorithm.
Evaluation of peripheral nerve injury

Common etiologies of peripheral nerve injury include penetrating injury, crush, stretch, and ischemia. Management of nerve injury requires familiarity with the relevant anatomy, pathology, pathophysiology, and the surgical principles, approaches and concerns. Surgical repair is done at varying time intervals after the injury, and there are a number of considerations in deciding whether and when to operate. In neurapraxia, the compound muscle action and nerve action potentials on stimulating distal to the lesion are maintained indefinitely; stimulation above the lesion reveals partial or complete conduction block. The picture in axonotmesis and neurotmesis depends on the time since injury. The optimal timing for an electrodiagnostic study depends upon the clinical question being asked. Proximal nerve injuries are problematic because the long distance makes it difficult to reinnervate distal muscles before irreversible changes occur. In the early management of peripheral nerve injury, control of pain is often the most pressing consideration and a number of approaches may be used to bring relief.
Urinary tract infection in patients with acute coronary syndrome: a potential systemic inflammatory connection.

Background Inflammation has been linked with atherosclerotic disease development and instability. Contributors to systemic inflammation, such as subclinical infection, may trigger acute coronary syndromes (ACSs). Methods Using a case-control study design, we evaluated the prevalence of urinary tract infection (UTI) among 100 consecutive ACS patients, compared with a contemporary control group undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Cases were excluded if ACS was not confirmed by chart review or if a urinalysis was not obtained ≤6 hours of arrival. Patients excluded from the control group were those with myocardial infarction (MI) within 21 days before CABG or without a pre-CABG urinalysis. Results The case and control groups were well matched, with the only significant differences being less congestive heart failure (OR 7.3, 95% CI 3.3-15.9) and more prior MI (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.9) in the CABG control group. UTI was present in 27 of the ACS cases and 11 of the controls. Among ACS case patients, those with UTI tended to be older and more often women, with more diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and renal insufficiency, and more commonly had non–ST elevation MI. In unadjusted analysis, UTI was 3 times more common in the cases versus controls (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.4-6.4); results were similar after multivariable adjustment (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.3-6.8). Conclusions Subclinical UTI is common among patients with ACS. Underlying infection may precipitate ACS via activation of systemic inflammation. This hypothesis should be explored in other data sets, and similar relationships with other bacterial and viral infections should be examined.
Effect of omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters on the oxylipin composition of lipoproteins in hypertriglyceridemic, statin-treated subjects.

Background: Oxylipins mediate inflammation, vascular tension, and more. Their presence in lipoproteins could explain why lipoproteins mediate nearly identical activities. Methods: To determine how oxylipins are distributed in the lipoproteins of hypertriglyceridemic subjects, and whether omega-3 fatty acids alter them in a manner consistent with improved cardiovascular health, we recruited 15 dyslipidemic subjects whose levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were at goal but who remained hypertriglyceridemic (200–499 mg/dL). They were treated them with the indicated dose of 4 g/d omega-3 acid ethyl esters (P-OM3) for 8 weeks. Measured oxylipins included mid-chain alcohols (HETEs, HEPEs and HDoHEs), ketones (KETEs), epoxides (as EpETrEs, EpETEs, and EpDPEs). Results: At baseline, arachidonate-oxylipins (HETEs, KETEs, and EpETrEs) were most abundant in plasma with the greatest fraction of total abundance (mean |95% CI|) being carried in high density lipoproteins (HDL); 42% |31, 57| followed by very low density lipoproteins (VLDL); 27% |20, 36|; and LDL 21% |16, 28|. EPA- and DHA-derived oxylipins constituted less than 11% of total. HDL carried alcohols and epoxides but VLDL was also rich in ketones. Treatment decreased AA-derived oxylipins across lipoprotein classes (223% |233, 212|, p=0.0003), and expanded EPA2(322% |241, 422|, p,0.0001) and DHA-derived oxylipins (123% |80, 176|, p,0.0001). Conclusions: Each lipoprotein class carries a unique oxylipin complement. P-OM3 treatment alters the oxylipin content of all classes, reducing pro-inflammatory and increasing anti-inflammatory species, consistent with the improved inflammatory and vascular status associated with the treatment. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00959842
Cystic fibrosis: Myths. mistakes, and dogma

As a student I recall being told that half of what we would learn in medical school would be proven to be wrong. The challenges were to identify the incorrect half and, often more challenging, be willing to give up our entrenched ideas. Myths have been defined as traditional concepts or practice with no basis in fact. A misunderstanding is a mistaken approach or incomplete knowledge that can be resolved with better evidence, while firmly established misunderstandings can become dogma; a point of view put forth as authoritative without basis in fact. In this paper, I explore a number of myths, mistakes, and dogma related to cystic fibrosis disease and care. Many of these are myths that have long been vanquished and even forgotten, while others are controversial. In the future, many things taken as either fact or "clinical experience" today will be proven wrong. Let us examine these myths with an open mind and willingness to change our beliefs when justified.
Effect of Amobarbital and Chlorpromazine on Punished Behavior in the Pigeon

The effects of amobarbital and chlorpromazine were studied on punished behavior in the pigeon. Key-pecking responses, maintained by a variable-interval schedule of food reinforcement, were punished by brief electric shocks. Under this simultaneous food and punishment schedule, responding is suppressed and occurs at a fairly uniform rate that is inversely related to the punishment intensity. Amobarbital partially restores responding suppressed by punishment, but chlorpromazine has no tendency to attenuate suppression by punishment.
The Epidemiology of Psychiatric Disorders Among Repeat DUI Offenders Accepting a Treatment Sentencing Option

Psychiatric comorbidity likely contributes to driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol among repeat offenders. This study presents one of the first descriptions of the prevalence and comorbidity of psychiatric disorders among repeat DUI offenders in treatment. Participants included all consenting eligible admissions (N = 729) to a 2-week inpatient treatment facility for court-sentenced repeat DUI offenders (i.e., offenders electing treatment in place of prison time) from April 17, 2005, to April 23, 2006. Participants completed the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, which assessed the following disorders using criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994): alcohol use and drug use, bipolar, generalized anxiety, posttraumatic stress, intermittent explosive, conduct, attention deficit, nicotine dependence, pathological gambling, and major depressive. Repeat DUI offenders evidenced higher lifetime and 12-month prevalence of alcohol use and drug use disorders, conduct disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder compared with the general population. Almost half qualified for lifetime diagnoses of both addiction (i.e., alcohol, drug, nicotine, and/or gambling) and a psychiatric disorder. Lifetime and past-year comorbidity rates were higher among participants than in the general population. These results suggest that clinicians should consider multimorbidity within DUI treatment protocols.
Multichannel deconvolution: the generalized sampling approach

We investigate the problem of signal restoration and reconstruction in a multi-channel system with the constraint that the entire system acts as a projection operator. This projection requirement is optimal in the noise free case since an input signal which is contained in the reconstruction space is recovered exactly. We find a general optimization problem which gives rise to a large class of projection operators. This formalization allows optimization of various criteria while enforcing the projection constraint. In this paper, we consider the projection operator which minimizes the noise power at the system output. The significance of this work is that it incorporates knowledge of the final reconstruction method which can include splines, wavelets, or display devices. In addition, unlike most classical formulations, the input signal is not required to be band- limited; it can be an arbitrary finite energy function. The approach requires no a priori information about the input signal, but does require knowledge of the impulse responses of the input channels. The projection method is compared to a generalized multi-channel Wiener filter which uses a priori signal information. At best the projection approach achieves the least squares solution which is the orthogonal projection of the input signal onto the space defined by the reconstruction method.
Atttudes and behavior: Implications of attitudes toward behavioral alternatives

Abstract The relationship between attitudes and behavior was considered. An attitudinal model of behavioral alternatives was presented and its applied and theoretical implications explicated. Three investigations were reported that tested the initial viability of the approach. Support for the model was observed in all three investigations.
Balancing Environmental and Genetic Factors for Alcoholism in the Black Community: Implications for Social Work Practice

This article discusses the importance and relevance of balancing environmental and genetic factors for understanding alcoholism in the Black community. Studies are reviewed and myths dispelled to highlight the need for addressing the historical complexities and current challenges of alcoholism for Blacks. Suggestions for practice, research, and policy at the genetic and environmental levels are offered.
FluAlert: A qualitative evaluation of providers' desired characteristics and concerns regarding computerized influenza vaccination alerts

Abstract Objective To explore pediatric providers' perceived barriers to influenza vaccine delivery, and desired characteristics and potential concerns regarding an influenza vaccine alert integrated into the electronic health record (EHR). Methods Four focus groups with providers (n = 21) and five individual interviews with practice leaders in an urban, pediatric primary care network affiliated with an academic medical center in New York City were conducted. Data were collected during the 2009–10 influenza season and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Participants identified several barriers to influenza vaccine delivery, including remembering to vaccinate during sick visits, need to review multiple sources of immunization information, time shortages and inadequate staffing. They felt that an alert could help many of these challenges. They desired the following alert characteristics: 1) alerting providers early in the visit, 2) accurately determining patients' vaccine status by merging multiple sources of immunization information, 3) facilitating vaccine ordering, and 4) generating appropriate documentation in the EHR when vaccines were refused or otherwise not given. Potential concerns regarding the alert included reliability and accuracy of alert, workflow interruptions and forced actions. Conclusions This study highlights providers' interest in a well-integrated, accurate alert that streamlines assessment of vaccination eligibility, ordering and documentation without impeding work-flow.
PPM1D phosphatase, a target of p53 and RBM38 RNA-binding protein, inhibits p53 mRNA translation via dephosphorylation of RBM38

PPM1D phosphatase, also called wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1, promotes tumor development by inactivating the p53 tumor suppressor pathway. RBM38 RNA-binding protein, also called RNPC1 and a target of p53, inhibits p53 messenger RNA (mRNA) translation, which can be reversed by GSK3 protein kinase via phosphorylation of RBM38 at serine 195. Here we showed that ectopic expression of RBM38 increases, whereas knockdown of RBM38 inhibits, PPM1D mRNA translation. Consistent with this, we found that RBM38 directly binds to PPM1D 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) and promotes expression of a heterologous reporter gene that carries PPM1D 3'-UTR in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, we showed that PPM1D directly interacts with and dephosphorylates RBM38 at serine 195. Furthermore, we showed that PPM1D modulates p53 mRNA translation and p53-dependent growth suppression through dephosphorylation of RBM38. These findings provide evidence that the crosstalk between PPM1D and RBM38, both of which are targets and modulators of p53, has a critical role in p53 expression and activity.
Improving VoD server efficiency with bittorrent

This paper presents and evaluates Toast, a scalable Video-on-Demand (VoD)streaming system that combines the popular BitTorrent peer-to-peer (P2P)file-transfer technology with a simple dedicated streaming server to decrease server load and increase client transfer speed. Toast includes a modified version of BitTorrent that supports streaming data delivery and that communicates with a VoD server when the desired data cannot be delivered in real-time by other peers. The results show that the default BitTorrent download strategy is not well-suited to the VoD environment because it fetches pieces of the desired video from other peers without regard to when those pieces will actually be needed by the media viewer. Instead, strategies should favor downloading pieces of content that will be needed earlier, decreasing the chances that the clients will be forced to get the data directly from the VoD server. Such strategies allow Toast to operate much more efficiently than simple unicast distribution, reducing data transfer demands by up to 70-90% if clients remain in the system as seeds after viewing their content. Toast thus extends the aggregate throughput capability of a VoD service, offloading work from the server onto the P2P network in a scalable and demand-driven fashion.
An interpolation error estimate in mathcal{R}^2 based on the anisotropic measures of higher order derivatives

In this paper, we introduce the magnitude, orientation, and anisotropic ratio for the higher order derivative ∇ k+1 u (with k > 1) of a function u to characterize its anisotropic behavior. The magnitude is equivalent to its usual Euclidean norm. The orientation is the direction along which the absolute value of the k + 1-th directional derivative is about the smallest, while along its perpendicular direction it is about the largest. The anisotropic ratio measures the strength of the anisotropic behavior of ∇ k+1 u. These quantities are invariant under translation and rotation of the independent variables. They correspond to the area, orientation, and aspect ratio for triangular elements. Based on these measures, we derive an anisotropic error estimate for the piecewise polynomial interpolation over a family of triangulations that are quasi-uniform under a given Riemannian metric. Among the meshes of a fixed number of elements it is identified that the interpolation error is nearly the minimum on the one in which all the elements are aligned with the orientation of ∇ k+1 u, their aspect ratios are about the anisotropic ratio of ∇ k+1 u, and their areas make the error evenly distributed over every element.
Multisensor user authentication

User recognition is examined using neural and conventional techniques for processing speech and face images. This article for the first time attempts to overcome this significant problem of distortions inherently captured over multiple sessions (days). Speaker recognition uses both Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) cepstral and auditory neural model representations with speaker dependent codebook designs. For facial imagery, recognition is developed on a neural network that consists of a single hidden layer multilayer perceptron backpropagation network using either the raw data as inputs or principal components of the raw data computed using the Karhunen-Loeve Transform as inputs. The data consists of 10 subjects; each subject recorded utterances and had images collected for 10 days. The utterances collected were 400 rich phonetic sentences (4 sec), 200 subject name recordings (3 sec), and 100 imposter name recordings (3 sec). Face data consists of over 2000, 32 X 32 pixel, 8 bit gray scale images of the 10 subjects. Each subsystem attains over 90% verification accuracy individually using test data gathered on days following the training data.
Neuropsychology of multiple sclerosis

Neuropsychological investigations have demonstrated that cognitive disorders are common (45-65%) in patients with multiple sclerosis. This review summarizes our current understanding of the nature and etiology of these disorders. Specifically, neuropsychological deficits regularly occur on measures of recent memory, attention, information-processing speed, executive functions, and visuospatial perception. In contrast, general intelligence, language, and certain aspects of memory (short-term capacity and implicit) are preserved. The degree and pattern of cognitive dysfunction is highly correlated with the amount and location of white-matter disease within the cerebral hemispheres. Natural history studies indicate that changes in cognitive test performance are correlated with increasing lesion load on magnetic resonance imaging. The development of brief cognitive-testing instruments for clinical screening and measuring treatment effects in clinical trials is underway. A clear weakness in the literature is the dearth of studies evaluating potential treatments for cognitive disorders.
Modular and verified automatic program repair

We study the problem of suggesting code repairs at design time, based on the warnings issued by modular program verifiers. We introduce the concept of a verified repair, a change to a program's source that removes bad execution traces while increasing the number of good traces, where the bad/good traces form a partition of all the traces of a program. Repairs are property-specific. We demonstrate our framework in the context of warnings produced by the modular cccheck (a.k.a. Clousot) abstract interpreter, and generate repairs for missing contracts, incorrect locals and objects initialization, wrong conditionals, buffer overruns, arithmetic overflow and incorrect floating point comparisons. We report our experience with automatically generating repairs for the .NET framework libraries, generating verified repairs for over 80% of the warnings generated by cccheck.
Identification of a Linear Heparin Binding Domain for Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Attachment Glycoprotein G

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract disease in infants and young children worldwide. Infection is mediated, in part, by an initial interaction between attachment protein (G) and a highly sulfated heparin-like glycosaminoglycan (Gag) located on the cell surface. Synthetic overlapping peptides derived from consensus sequences of the G protein ectodomain from both RSV subgroups A and B were tested by heparin-agarose affinity chromatography for their abilities to bind heparin. This evaluation identified a single linear heparin binding domain (HBD) for RSV subgroup A (184A→T198) and B (183K→K197). The binding of these peptides to Vero cells was inhibited by heparin. Peptide binding to two CHO cell mutants (pgsD-677 and pgsA-745) deficient in heparan sulfate or total Gag synthesis was decreased 50% versus the parental cell line, CHO-K1, and decreased an average of 87% in the presence of heparin. The RSV-G HBD peptides were also able to inhibit homologous and heterologous virus infectivity of Vero cells. These results indicate that the sequence 184A/183K→198T/K197 for RSV subgroups A and B, respectively, defines an important determinant of RSV-G interactions with heparin.
Control-based design of free-piston stirling engines

A control-based analysis and characterization of a free-piston Stirling engine is presented, and proposed as a lightweight power supply for untethered robots. Typically, such devices are designed from the point of view of a thermodynamic cycle in terms of traditional thermodynamic equations of state. Such equations of state are independent of time and therefore lend little insight when dynamic elements are incorporated into the design. The approach presented here is from a system dynamics and control perspective. Equations of state are replaced by dynamic system modeling elements. Utilizing these dynamic elements, control concepts are applied to evaluate a given configuration and ensure an unstable oscillatory response and therefore transform heat into useful work. A simulation of a commercially available free-piston engine is presented, and standard control design tools are applied to its linearized model. The results show promising potential in utilizing small-scale free-piston Stirling engines as portable power supply for robotic systems.
What is the optimal neo-adjuvant treatment for liver metastasis?

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the Western population and has a 5-year overall survival of 5–10% when metastatic. Approximately 30% of the patients with metastatic colorectal cancer have limited disease apparently isolated to the liver and, if this can be resected, the 5-year overall survival is improved to 30–60%. Therefore, it is important to identify patients who have both resectable disease and those with initially unresectable tumors who can potentially be downsized with chemotherapy to allow resection. First-line doublet chemotherapy regimens lead to response rates of 50–60%, triplet chemotherapy regimens may result in a response rate of up to 70%, and biological agents may add to responses or induce morphologic changes that facilitate disease resection. Surgical advances in recent years have also increased resectability rates and have challenged prior rules of resectability. Local therapies including ablation and radiation, often performed in conjunction with resection, may further aid in control of disease. The aim of this article is to focus on the role of neoadjuvant therapy in the treatment of colorectal liver metastases.
Postmenopausal unopposed estrogen and estrogen plus progestin use and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study-II Cohort.

Results of epidemiologic studies on postmenopausal hormone (PMH) use and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) are inconsistent. To help clarify this issue, PMH and NHL incidence was examined in the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort. Between 1992 and 2007, 616 cases of NHL were identifi ed among 67 980 postmenopausal women who were cancerfree at baseline. PMH use was updated during follow-up. Using extended Cox regression, we observed a statistically signifi cant 29% higher risk of NHL for ever unopposed estrogen use compared to never use, which was restricted to follicular lymphoma (current estrogen compared to never use, hazard ratio [HR] 2.25, 95% confi dence interval [CI]: 1.17 – 4.33) and diff use large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL, HR 1.95, 95% CI: 1.13 – 3.35). There was no association between current estrogen plus progestin (E P) use and NHL incidence overall, but a suggested positive association between current E P use and DLBCL, as well as former E P use and follicular lymphoma. These results suggest that postmenopausal hormones might play a role in NHL etiology, particularly for follicular lymphoma and DLBCL.
Carbon-related Deep States in Compensated n-type and Semi-Insulating GaN:C and their Influence on Yellow Luminescence

The physical origin of the yellow luminescence in MBE-grown GaN co-doped with C and Si was investigated. Deep level optical spectroscopy (DLOS), deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), and photoluminescence (PL) were used to study the deep level spectrum as a function of C incorporation. In the absence of C co-doping, samples were n -type and demonstrated a weak yellow luminescence band, likely related to V Ga . For increasing C co-doping, samples became semi-insulating concurrent with increased intensity of the yellow luminescence and the concentration of C-related deep acceptors. The DLOS results were used to develop a configuration-coordinate model for a C-related deep level with optical ionization energy of 3.0 eV and Franck-Condon shift of 0.4 eV that is consistent with the observed yellow luminescence and DLTS results. From these findings, a general model for independent mechanisms of the yellow luminescence related to V Ga for n -type GaN and C for n -type and semi-insulating GaN:C:Si is discussed.
Response time effectiveness: comparison of response time and survival in an urban emergency medical services system.

Abstract. Emergency medical services (EMS) administrators seek methods to enhance system performance. One component scrutinized is the response time (RT) interval between call receipt and arrival on scene. While reducing RTs may improve survival, this remains speculative and unreported. Objective: To determine the effect of current RTs on survival in an urban EMS system. Methods: The study was conducted in a metropolitan county (population 620,000). The EMS system is a single-tier, paramedic service and provides all service requests. The 90% fractile RT specifications required for county compliance include 10:59 minutes for emergency life-threatening calls (priority I) and 12:59 minutes for emergency non-life-threatening calls (priority II). All emergency responses resulting in a priority I or priority II transport to a Level 1 trauma center emergency department over a six-month period were evaluated to determine the relation between specified and arbitrarily assigned RTs and survival. Results: Five thousand, four hundred twenty-four transports were reviewed. Of these, 71 patients did not survive (1.31%; 95% CI = 1.04% to 1.67%). No significant difference in median RTs between survivors (6.4 min) and nonsurvivors (6.8 min) was noted (p = 0.10). Further, there was no significant difference between observed and expected deaths (p = 0.14). However, mortality risk was 1.58% for patients whose RT exceeded 5 minutes, and 0.51% for those whose RT was under 5 minutes (p = 0.002). The mortality risk curve was generally flat over RT intervals exceeding 5 minutes. Conclusions: In this observational study, emergency calls where RTs were less than 5 minutes were associated with improved survival when compared with calls where RTs exceeded 5 minutes. While variables other than time may be associated with this improved survival, there is little evidence in these data to suggest that changing this system's response time specifications to times less than current, but greater than 5 minutes, would have any beneficial effect on survival.
Chemotherapeutic inhibitors in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Introduction: Prostate cancer being the second leading cause of death in men in Western countries remains a major challenge in healthcare. Several novel agents targeting signaling pathways in prost...
How to Make an Anarchist-Terrorist: An Essay on the Political Imaginary in Fin-De-Siècle France

This essay centers on the debate that surrounded the anarchist-terrorists of France in the 1890s. As a wave of bombings washed over Paris, commentators argued over the source of terrorism. With an eye toward a handful of notorious French anarchists—Ravachol, Auguste Vaillant, Emile Henry—they asked: How do you make an anarchist-terrorist? The debate that followed offers a window on the political imaginary of the French Third Republic in the years before the Dreyfus Affair. At times, the response to the anarchist bombings took the shape of a proxy war over the issues that moved French politics in the 1890s. But it was more than just this. For all of its variety, the debate centered on the problem of intellectual responsibility and gave form to the specter of the dangerous, rootless intellectual. There is a larger lesson in this tale, for the debate over the anarchist-terrorists of fin-de-siecle France makes for a revealing case study in the ways in which democratic societies respond to the threat of homegrown terrorism. It demonstrates the difficult challenge that terrorism poses to democratic societies and shows just how easily political-cultural interests can hijack discussions of terrorism.