cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of 5-HT1A receptor stimulation on striatal and cortical M1 pERK induction by L-DOPA and a D1 receptor agonist in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

Motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease are commonly treated using l-DOPA although long-term treatment usually causes debilitating motor side effects including dyskinesias. A putative source of dyskinesia is abnormally high levels of phosphorylated extracellular-regulated kinase (pERK) within the striatum. In animal models, the serotonin 1A receptor agonist ±8-OH-DPAT reduces dyskinesia, suggesting it may exhibit efficacy through the pERK pathway. The present study investigated the effects of ±8-OH-DPAT on pERK density in rats treated with l-DOPA or the D1 receptor agonist SKF81297. Rats were given a unilateral dopamine lesion with 6-hydroxydopamine and primed with a chronic regimen of l-DOPA, SKF81297 or their vehicles. On the final test day, rats were given two injections: first with ±8-OH-DPAT, the D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 or their vehicles, and second with l-DOPA, SKF81297 or their vehicles. Rats were then transcardially perfused for immunohistological analysis of pERK expression in the striatum and primary motor cortex. Rats showed greater dyskinesia in response to l-DOPA and SKF81297 after repeated injections. Although striatal pERK induction was similar between acute and chronic l-DOPA, SKF81297 caused the largest increase in striatal pERK after the first exposure. Neither compound alone affected motor cortex pERK. Surprisingly, in the ventromedial striatum, ±8-OH-DPAT potentiated l-DOPA-induced pERK; in the motor cortex, ±8-OH-DPAT potentiated pERK with l-DOPA or SKF81297. Our results support previous work that the striatal pERK pathway is dysregulated after dopamine depletion, but call into question the utility of pERK as a biomarker of dyskinesia expression.
The expanded lung of the term fetus

Under conditions simulating those existing in utero, the histologic appearance of the normal fetal lung is one of complete expansion. This is due to the presence of fluid produced in the lung itself. The “crumpled sac” appearance seen at postmortem examination is due to loss or removal of fetal lung fluid.
Stereoselective synthesis of stable isotope-labeled L-α-amino acids: Biosynthesis of 2H-, 13C-, and 15N-labeled L-serines

We have developed a stereospecific biosynthesis of 13C- and 15N-labeled L-serine which involves the serine-type methylotroph Methylobacterium extorquens AM1. In this biosynthesis, C-3 of serine is derived from methanol while C-2, C-1 and the α-amino group are derived from glycine. By starting with the appropriate labeling precursor, we can produce any of the 2H, 13C and/or 15N isotopomers of L-serine. Using a 5-L culture, 40–50 millimoles of L-serine are produced; L-serine and glycine are recovered from the growth medium and then separated chromatographically.
Measuring Homeland Security Innovation in Small Municipal Agencies Policing in a Post—9/11 World

Though homeland security has been the focus of ample rhetoric since the 9/11 attacks, empirical accounts of actual innovations in local American policing have been lacking. This study considers the measurement of homeland security innovations within small municipal departments in the state of Illinois. Using survey data, the analysis examines perceptions of risk, engagement in preparatory measures, and perceptions of response capacities within these small agencies. The analysis also considers whether innovation and associated issues are influenced by being located in the Chicago metropolitan area, an urban county, or a rural county. Results suggest limited differences across these regions, with most differences likely emerging due to variation in respondent’s proximity to larger peer agencies. The results are discussed within the context of extant literature on policing in small agencies and rural communities.
Dorsal gradient networks in the Drosophila embryo.

Here, we describe one of the major maternal regulatory gradients, Dorsal, and threshold outputs of gene expression that result from the graded distribution of this transcription factor. The analysis of a large number of authentic and synthetic target genes suggests that the Dorsal gradient directly specifies at least four, and possibly as many as seven, different thresholds of gene activity and tissue differentiation. These thresholds initiate the differentiation of the three primary embryonic tissues: the mesoderm, neurogenic ectoderm, and dorsal ectoderm. Moreover, primary readouts of the Dorsal gradient create asymmetries that subdivide each tissue into multiple cell types during gastrulation. Dorsal patterning thresholds represent the culmination of one of the most complete gene regulation network known in development, which begins with the asymmetric positioning of the oocyte nucleus within the egg chamber and leads to the localized activation of the Toll-Dorsal signaling pathway in ventral regions of the early embryo.
Convergent Evolution of Hawaiian and Australo-Pacific Honeyeaters from Distant Songbird Ancestors

The Hawaiian "honeyeaters," five endemic species of recently extinct, nectar-feeding songbirds in the genera Moho and Chaetoptila, looked and acted like Australasian honeyeaters (Meliphagidae), and no taxonomist since their discovery on James Cook's third voyage has classified them as anything else. We obtained DNA sequences from museum specimens of Moho and Chaetoptila collected in Hawaii 115-158 years ago. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequences supports monophyly of the two Hawaiian genera but, surprisingly, reveals that neither taxon is a meliphagid honeyeater, nor even in the same part of the songbird radiation as meliphagids. Instead, the Hawaiian species are divergent members of a passeridan group that includes deceptively dissimilar families of songbirds (Holarctic waxwings, neotropical silky flycatchers, and palm chats). Here we designate them as a new family, the Mohoidae. A nuclear-DNA rate calibration suggests that mohoids diverged from their closest living ancestor 14-17 mya, coincident with the estimated earliest arrival in Hawaii of a bird-pollinated plant lineage. Convergent evolution, the evolution of similar traits in distantly related taxa because of common selective pressures, is illustrated well by nectar-feeding birds, but the morphological, behavioral, and ecological similarity of the mohoids to the Australasian honeyeaters makes them a particularly striking example of the phenomenon.
Caffeinated nitric oxide-releasing lozenge improves cycling time trial performance.

▼nitric oxide production during exercise by various means has been found to improve exercise performance. We investigated the effects of a nitric oxide releasing lozenge with added caffeine (70 mg) on oxygen consumption during steady-state exercise and cycling time trial performance using a double-blinded randomized, crossover experimental design. 15 moderately trained cyclists (7 females and 8 males) were randomly assigned to ingest the caffeinated nitric oxide lozenge or placebo 5 min before exercise. Oxygen consumption and blood lactate were assessed at rest and at 50 %, 65 % and 75 % maximal oxygen consumption. Exercise performance was assessed by time to complete a simulated 20.15 km cycling time-trial course. No significant treatment effects for oxygen consumption or blood lactate at rest or during steady-state exercise were observed. However, time-trial performance was improved by 2.1 % (p < 0.01) when participants consumed the nitric oxide lozenge (2 424 ± 69 s) compared to placebo (2 476 ± 78 s) and without a significant difference in rating of perceived exertion. These results suggest that acute supplementation with a caffeinated nitric oxide releasing lozenge may be a practical and effective means of improving aerobic exercise performance.
Management of the subcentimeter pulmonary nodule.

The most sensitive imaging modality for detection of pulmonary nodules is computed tomography (CT). Advances in radiologic techniques not only increase the number of nodules detected, but also the nodules that are identified are smaller. With increased use of spiral CT for lung cancer screening, there will be more subcentimeter pulmonary nodules (SCPNs) that will require further diagnostic workup. Radiologic evaluation including repeat observational CT or CT contrast enhancement should be performed. Bronchoscopic or needle biopsy of the majority of SCPNs is not practical. VATS is possible for SCPNs but should be performed in a controlled manner to reduce the resection of benign lesions. An SCPN management algorithm is necessary to expedite resection of a malignant lesion and to minimize removal of benign disease.
Imaging following cryoablation of a renal lesion

Background An 81-year-old man presented with a history of right nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma, chronic renal insufficiency and implanted defibrillator. He was asymptomatic. Contrast-enhanced CT and MRI were contraindicated. Investigations Non-contrast CT, positron emission tomography (PET), fused PET–CT and Doppler ultrasound. Diagnosis Small exophytic left midpole renal tumor, 3.7 cm in size. Management Percutaneous CT-guided renal cryoablation, followed up with PET–CT imaging.
Modification of enzyme activity in reversed micelles through clathrate hydrate formation

The physical phenomenon of clathrate hydrate formation in protein-containing reversed micelles is described. Hydrate formation in reversed micelles is a method of adjusting the water to surfactant molar ratio, wo, which influences micellar size. Lipase and alpha-chymotrypsin encapsulated in large reversed micelles of high wo show significant enhancements in activity when the micelle size is reduced through hydrate formation. Alternate methods of micelle size adjustments also show enhancements in activity. The implications for improving the activity of such encapsulated enzymes recovered from fermentation media through phase transfer into reversed micelles are discussed.
Suppression of epileptiform burst discharges in CA3 neurons of rat hippocampal slices by the organic calcium channel blocker, verapamil

We studied the effects of the organic calcium channel blocker, verapamil, on spontaneous and bicuculline-induced epileptiform burst discharges in CA3 pyramidal cells of hippocampal slices. A transient increase of burst discharge rate was observed in most cells within 30 min after the addition of verapamil (100 μM) to the perfusing medium. Prolonged verapamil perfusions gradually reduced the rate and duration of burst discharges, then abolished them in all tested slices (over periods of 50–150 min) without blocking synaptic transmission. Responses to intracellular injections of current pulses were also gradually affected by verapamil: Action potential amplitude was decreased, action potential duration increased, frequency adaptation increased, amplitude of the fast hyperpolarization following a single action potential decreased, and amplitude and duration of the slow afterhyperpolarization markedly reduced. The amplitude of calcium spikes elicited in slices perfused with tetrodotoxin-containing medium was not affected by verapamil, but the mean velocity of depolarization near the peak of the calcium spike was decreased. Membrane resting potential and input resistance were not affected by verapamil. These results confirm that verapamil is able to suppress epileptiform activity, but suggest that this effect is rather non-specific, due to inhibition of both postsynaptic sodium and calcium conductances.
Cross-correlation of noise produced inside a hot turbojet exhaust with and without suppression using a new, hot probe

The noise producing region of a hot turbojet exhaust is studied by cross-correlating hydrodynamic pressure fluctuations within the exhaust with far field sound for Mach numbers up to 0.99. Measurements are made on unsuppressed engine and on a suppressed engine fitted with a 31-tube multijet nozzle. Hydrodynamic pressure fluctuations inside the hot exhaust are measured using a special 1/4 inch diameter probe tube (acoustically damped and air cooled), fitted with a ported nose cone. Maximum, normalized cross-correlations of 0.2 are found for Ma = 0.99 at an angle of 30 deg.
Breast cancer treatment practices in elderly women in a community hospital.

Background. Elderly women with breast cancer are considered underdiagnosed and undertreated, and this adversely affects their overall survival. Methods. A total of 393 female breast cancer patients aged 70 years and older, diagnosed within the years 1989–1999, were identified from the tumor registry of The Brooklyn Hospital Center. Comparisons between the 3 different subgroups 70–74, 75–79, and 80 years and older were made using the Pearson Chi Square test. Results. Lumpectomy was performed in 42% of all patients, while mastectomy was done in 46% of patients. Adjuvant therapy such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormonal therapy were done in 12%, 25%, and 38%, respectively. Forty-seven percent of patients with positive lymph nodes received chemotherapy. Eighty-six percent of patients who were estrogen receptor-positive received adjuvant hormonal therapy. Overall five-year survival was only 14% for the ≥80 age group, compared to that of 32% and 35% for the 70–74 and the 75–79 age groups, respectively. Conclusions. Surgery was performed in majority of these patients, about half received lumpectomy, the other half mastectomy. Adjuvant therapies were frequently excluded, with only hormonal therapy being the most commonly used. Overall five-year survival is significantly worse in patients ≥80 years with breast cancer.
CD error characterization: differences between CD-ROM and writable CD

A system that directly measures errors on Compact Discs has been developed. This system will be used to study the differences in initial and time/temperature/handling-induced errors that may occur on both pressed (CD-ROM) and writable (CD-R) discs. Data reliability estimates that are independent of the CD-player used to read the discs (i.e., independent of the CIRC decoding strategy/implementation) will also be obtained.
Recent B decay results from CLEO

We have used the CLEO II detector operating at CESR to measure the branching fractions and decay amplitudes in B → J/ψK (*) . We have measured the semileptonic branching fraction for B 0 → D 0 l − ν and extracted the CKM matrix element V cb from the q 2 dependence of the decay. We have observed the rare decay of the B + → ωh + .
Lyme borreliosis in 2005, 30 years after initial observations in Lyme Connecticut

Nearly 100 years ago, Afzelius described a patient with an expanding skin lesion, called erythema migrans [1], which is now known to be the initial skin manifestation of Lyme borreliosis. Approximately 70 years later, in 1976, epidemiologic evaluation of a cluster of children with arthritis in Lyme, Connecticut [2] led to a complete description of the infection [3]. During the subsequent years, investigators in a number of countries have made remarkable strides in the elucidation of this tick-borne spirochetal infection. The purpose of this review is to discuss the current status of Lyme borreliosis, including areas in which knowledge of the infection is still incomplete.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Child Care Settings

Background. The incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the United States has decreased with decreased prone sleeping. Extrapolating from Census Bureau data, ∼7% of SIDS should occur in organized child care settings (ie, child care centers or family child care homes). However, 2 states have reported higher rates of SIDS in child care. Objectives. To determine the percentage of SIDS deaths occurring in child care settings, and to ascertain associated factors. Design. A retrospective study of SIDS deaths from January 1995 through June 1997 was conducted. Data were abstracted from SIDS databases in 11 states. Characteristics of SIDS cases occurring in child care settings, including sleep position, were compared with those occurring in the care of parents. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Results. A total of 1916 SIDS cases were analyzed for this study. Of these deaths, 20.4% occurred in child care settings. Compared with deaths in the care of parents, those occurring in child care settings were more likely to occur on weekdays between 8:00am and 4:00 pm; infants were older; not black; and their mothers were more educated. Infants in child care were more likely to be found prone in univariate analysis, but the association was not significant in multiple logistic regression analysis. However, in multiple regression analysis, infants in child care were more likely to be last placed prone or found prone, when the usual sleep position was side or supine. Conclusion. A large proportion (20.4%) of SIDS cases occur in child care settings. Factors associated with SIDS in child care settings include older age, race, and highly educated parents. Previous studies have reported that unaccustomed prone sleeping puts infants at high risk for SIDS; this characteristic was found to be associated with SIDS in child care and may partly explain the high proportion of SIDS cases in child care settings. Parents must discuss sleep position with any caretakers of their infants. In addition, further efforts to educate child care providers about the importance of supine sleep for infants must be ongoing.
Rubber-Assisted Hot Embossing for Structuring Thin Polymer Film Polymeric Films

Precision structured polymer thin films with microstructures comparable to or greater than the film thickness are highly desired in many applications. Such micro-patterned thin films, however, are difficult to fabricate using the standard hot embossing technology where both halves of the mold are made of hard materials. This study investigated a rubber-assisted embossing process for structuring thin polymer films. The advantages of the rubber backup instead of a hard support include but are not limited to 1) simplifying the embossing tool, 2) protecting the embossing master, 3) facilitating embossing pressure buildup, and 4) accommodating conformal forming of microscale shell patterns. Several design and process variables including rubber hardness, embossing temperature, embossing pressure and holding time were carefully studied. Thin polystyrene films in a thickness of 25 μm were accurately patterned with microgrooves of characteristic dimensions on the order of 100 μm.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Adsorption isotherms of ethyl acetate modifier on silica from supercritical carbon dioxide

Abstract Adsorption isotherms were determined for ethyl acetate on silica in supercritical carbon dioxide using the peak maxima method. Langmuir equation fits of the isotherm data suggest monolayer adsorption, and plots of inverse stationary phase coverage versus mobile phase density were found to be linear. Stationary phase coverage was plotted as a function of both pressure and mobile phase ethyl acetate concentration. Under the conditions examined, stationary phase saturation coverage by ethyl acetate occurs at approximately 1% (g/ml) ethyl acetate in the mobile phase, with a maximum stationary phase coverage of approximately 0.031 (g/g).
A variable-dimension simplicial algorithm for antipodal fixed-point theorems

Let and . The following is a version of the Borsuk-Ulam Theorem: If is continuous, and if for all , then there exists a y e Bn such that f(y) = 0. Given ϵ > 0, we give a simplicial homotopy-type algorithm that will compute a point y such that . Unlike earlier simplicial algorithms for the Borsuk-Ulam problem, our method gives a computationally practical way of handling degeneracy. An application to the solution of systems of odd degree polynomials is given.
Transmigration across activated endothelium induces transcriptional changes, inhibits apoptosis, and decreases antimicrobial protein expression in human monocytes

We investigated the hypothesis that transmigration drives monocyte transcriptional changes. Using Agilent whole human genome microarrays, we identified over 692 differentially expressed genes (2x, P<0.05) in freshly isolated human monocytes following 1.5 h of transmigration across IL-1beta-stimulated ECs compared with untreated monocytes. Genes up-regulated by monocyte transmigration belong to a number of over-represented functional groups including immune response and inhibition of apoptosis. qRT-PCR confirmed increased expression of MCP-1 and -3 and of NAIP following monocyte transmigration. Additionally, quantification of Annexin V binding revealed a reduction in apoptosis following monocyte transmigration. Comparison of gene expression in transmigrated monocytes with additional controls (monocytes that failed to transmigrate and monocytes incubated beneath stimulated ECs) revealed 89 differentially expressed genes, which were controlled by the process of diapedesis. Functional annotation of these genes showed down-regulation of antimicrobial genes (e.g., alpha-defensin down 50x, cathelicidin down 9x, and CTSG down 3x). qRT-PCR confirmed down-regulation of these genes. Immunoblots confirmed that monocyte diapedesis down-regulates alpha-defensin protein expression. However, transmigrated monocytes were functional and retained intact cytokine and chemokine release upon TLR ligand exposure. Overall, these data indicate that the process of monocyte transmigration across stimulated ECs promotes further monocyte recruitment and inhibits monocyte apoptosis. Unexpectedly, following transmigration, monocytes displayed reduced antimicrobial protein expression.
Placing a Value on New Technologies

In this issue of Circulation , two studies examine the value (cost-effectiveness) of two rapidly changing technologies: ventricular assist devices (VADs) as a bridge to transplant for patients with heart failure, and left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion as an alternative to anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation. Both heart failure and atrial fibrillation impose an important economic and health burden on western societies that is only going to worsen as their populations age. In addition, the high cost of treating these conditions in the United States (US) is increasingly paid by Medicare resulting in greater taxes and premiums for all. Heart failure is already the most common reason for hospitalization in the US Medicare program and its prevalence in the US is estimated to grow by 43% to 8 million people by 2030 1 . The cost of this care, due solely to the aging of the US population is expected to increase from 30 to 70 billion during the next 20 years. As the number of patients with heart failure grows so will the number of those with end-stage heart failure. Given that the rate of cardiac transplantation has not increased 2 many patients, providers, and payers will consider the use of ventricular assist devices (VADs) as a potential therapy for those not responding to other therapies. Older generation VADs were shown shown to improve survival in patients with severe heart failure (REMATCH) 3 . More recently continuous flow devices have been found to provide even better outcome and have been used routinely for several years 4 . Unfortunately the devices are expensive with an acquisition cost near $150,000 5 . The use of VADs for both destination therapy and as a bridge to transplant has increased resulting in estimated VAD costs in the US climbing from $143 million to $479 million in 2009 6 .
What future for the policy sciences

The term "policy sciences" refers both to a distinctive tradition within the policy movement and to the broader policy movement itself. While the generic use of this term is sure to persist, the community of policy scientists trained in the tradition founded by Harold Lasswell and Myres S. McDougal faces challenges to its sustainability as a distinctive tradition of the policy movement. To motivate open discussion and debate, this essay follows the logic of a problem-oriented analysis, and also includes personal reflections and anecdote, with the following objectives: It suggests that the policy sciences tradition faces challenges to its sustainability because of the simple arithmetic of generational turnover in university faculty. It explores six factors internal and external to the policy sciences community militating against sustainability. The essay then critiques three different roles the policy scientist might play in contemporary academia, and concludes with a discussion of alternatives that might enhance the sustainability of the policy sciences tradition, should sustainability indeed be a desired outcome.
The contemplative manager.

The John W. Webb Lecture Award presentations, published first in 1986 in AJHP , have filled an important void in our literature. With the theme of “Achieving Excellence in Pharmacy Management,” the Webb lectures are a set of personal reflections written by leading hospital pharmacy managers.
How Neural Nets Work

There is presently great interest in the abilities of neural networks to mimic "qualitative reasoning" by manipulating neural incodings of symbols. Less work has been performed on using neural networks to process floating point numbers and it is sometimes stated that neural networks are somehow inherently inaccurate and therefore best suited for "fuzzy" qualitative reasoning. Nevertheless, the potential speed of massively parallel operations make neural net "number crunching" an interesting topic to explore. In this paper we discuss some of our work in which we demonstrate that for certain applications neural networks can achieve significantly higher numerical accuracy than more conventional techniques. In particular, prediction of future values of a chaotic time series can be performed with exceptionally high accuracy. We analyze how a neural net is able to do this, and in the process show that a large class of functions from Rn → Rm may be accurately approximated by a backpropagation neural net with just two "hidden" layers. The network uses this functional approximation to perform either interpolation (signal processing applications) or extrapolation (symbol processing applications). Neural nets therefore use quite familiar methods to perform their tasks. The geometrical viewpoint advocated here seems to be a useful approach to analyzing neural network operation and relates neural networks to well studied topics in functional approximation.
Diurnal variation in luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone and beta-endorphin release in pituitary portal plasma during the rat estrous cycle.

In this study, we investigated the pattern of both LHRH and R-endorphin (-EP) secretion from the median eminence of cyclic female rats during the estrous cycle by collecting pituitary portal blood for hormone measurements by RIA. On diestrus, proestrus, or estrus 0900 h or 1300 h), rats were hypophysectomized (in order to prevent contamination of portal 3-EP with pituitary P-EP) and were given a 50-60min resting period of postsurgical recovery prior to blood sampling. Between 1000 h and 1800 h of the same day, pituitary portal blood samples were collected at 10-min intervals from these animals under Saffan anesthesia. Hormone RIA data revealed that LHRH and -EP levels in the portal plasma ranged from 25 to 600 pg/ml and from 0.6 to 4.6 ng/ml, respectively, whereas no discernible amounts of these hormones were detected in the peripheral plasma. Analysis further revealed that secretion of both LHRH and P-EP showed a diurnal rhythmicity and that both neuropeptides were secreted in a pulsatile manner on each day of the cycle, with most dramatic changes seen in female rats on proestrus. In proestrous rats, portal plasma levels of P-EP were highest during 1000-1500 h and lowest around 16001800 h. In contrast, morning and early afternoon values of LHRH were obviously higher in rats on proestrus than in animals on other days of the cycle, and an even greater rise in portal plasma levels of LHRH occurred in late afternoon on proestrus, when i-EP values were lowest. The latter result seems to suggest an inverse relationship between LHRH and P-EP secretion. These results reveal pulsatile patterns of LHRH and P-EP secretion in cyclic female rats and suggest a possible interaction between these neuropeptide systems in the hypothalamus.
Evidence-Based and Value-Based Decision Making About Healthcare Design An Economic Evaluation of the Safety and Quality Outcomes

Objective:This study describes a vision and framework that can facilitate the implementation of evidence-based design (EBD), scientific knowledge base into the process of the design, construction, and operation of healthcare facilities and clarify the related safety and quality outcomes for the stakeholders. The proposed framework pairs EBD with value-driven decision making and aims to improve communication among stakeholders by providing a common analytical language.Background:Recent EBD research indicates that the design and operation of healthcare facilities contribute to an organization’s operational success by improving safety, quality, and efficiency. However, because little information is available about the financial returns of evidence-based investments, such investments are readily eliminated during the capital-investment decision-making process.Method:To model the proposed framework, we used engineering economy tools to evaluate the return on investments in six successful cases, identified by a...
miR-29b represses intestinal mucosal growth by inhibiting translation of cyclin-dependent kinase 2.

The epithelium of the intestinal mucosa is a rapidly self-renewing tissue in the body, and defects in the renewal process occur commonly in various disorders. miR-29b functions as a biological repr...
A generation control system for Hoover Powerplant to optimize plant operating efficiency

A digital control system which provides unit commitment functions and real-time generation control while optimizing plant operating efficiency was put in service at the Hoover hydroelectric powerplant (USA) on June 1, 1987. The theory of the unit commitment and generation allocation schemes is presented. Results showing the operating efficiency gains during the first year of system operation are given. >
Overlay of cellular CDMA on FSM

The spectrum sharing capability of a CDMA PCN (48 MHz bandwidth), overlayed on the fixed service microwave (FSM) band (1850-1990 MHz), is investigated. This overlay may cause two types of interference: 1) interference from the overlayed PCN on the FSM systems, 2) interference from the microwave system to the PCN users. In the first case, both analog and digital systems are considered, because they are both in operation in the above frequency band. Furthermore, for the digital microwave system performance degradation, most of the modulation methods employed for digital transmission are considered. In the second case, the performance degradation of both the forward and the reverse PCN links are investigated, and, for the forward link, two options are considered: 1) incorporating power control, and 2) a no-power-control scheme. Next, real Fourier transformers and notch filters in the PCN receiver and transmitter are employed, in order to minimize both types of interference, and the above analysis is repeated. >
Learning in a Laboratory Market with Random Supply and Demand

We propose a simple adaptive learning model to study behavior in the call market. The laboratory environment features buyers and sellers who receive a new random value or cost in each period, so they must learn a strategy that maps these random draws into bids or asks. We focus on buyers' adjustment of the “mark-down” ratio of bids relative to private value and sellers' adjustment of the corresponding “mark-up” ratio of asks relative to private cost. The learning model involves partial adjustment of these ratios towards the ex post optimum each period. The model explains a substantial proportion of the variation in traders' strategies. Parameter estimates indicate strong recency effects and negligible autonomous trend, but strongly asymmetric response to different kinds of ex post error. The asymmetry is only slightly attenuated in “observational learning” from other traders' ex post errors. Simulations show that the model can account for the main systematic deviations from equilibrium predictions observed in this market institution and environment.
Pilot case-control study of paediatric falls from windows.

Background Unintentional falls from windows are an important cause of paediatric morbidity. There have been no controlled studies to identify modifiable environmental risk factors for window falls in young children. The authors have piloted a case–control study to test procedures for case identification, subject enrolment, and environmental data collection. Methods Case windows were identified when a child 0–9 years old presented for care after a fall from that window. Control windows were identified (1) from the child9s home and (2) from the home of an age- and gender-matched child seeking care for an injury diagnosis not related to a window fall. Study staff visited enrolled homes to collect window measurements and conduct window screen performance tests. Results The authors enrolled and collected data on 18 case windows, 18 in-home controls, and 14 matched community controls. Six potential community controls were contacted for every one enrolled. Families who completed the home visit viewed study procedures positively. Case windows were more likely than community controls to be horizontal sliders (100% vs 50%), to have deeper sills (6.28 vs 4.31 inches), to be higher above the exterior surface (183 vs 82 inches), and to have screens that failed below a threshold derived from the static pressure of a 3-year-old leaning against the mesh (60.0% vs 16.7%). Case windows varied very little from in-home controls. Discussion Case–control methodology can be used to study risk factors for paediatric falls from windows. Recruitment of community controls is challenging but essential, because in-home controls tend to be over-matched on important variables. A home visit allows direct measurement of window type, height, sill depth, and screen performance. These variables should all be investigated in subsequent, larger studies covering major housing markets.
Three-dimensional numerical simulations of dynamic faulting in a half-space

A method is presented for the computation of near-field particle displacements and particle velocities resulting from a dynamic propagating, stress relaxation occurring on a finite fault plane embedded within a three-dimensional semiinfinite medium. To check our numerical procedure we compare our results for a circular fault in a full space with Kostrov's (1964) analytic solution for a self-similar propagating stress relaxation. We have simulated two bilateral strike-slip earthquakes differing only in hypocentral location and examined the particle motion on the traction-free surface and on the rupture surface. Focusing of energy is evident in both ruptures. The static displacement on the rupture surface overshoots the theoretical static value by approximately 25 per cent. For the rupture that nucleated at depth the free surface almost doubled the particle velocities along the fault trace as compared with the rupture that nucleated at the free surface. Our numerical results indicate that for an earthquake occurring on a semi-circular fault with radius of 10 km, an effective stress of 100 bars and a rupture velocity of 0.9 β in a medium characterized by β = 3 km/sec, α = α = 3 β and a density of 2.7 gm/cm3 particle velocities can reach 400 cm/sec and displacements 250 cm. We also compare our numerical results with the observations made by Archuleta and Brune (1975) for a spontaneous stress relaxation on a semi-circular crack in a prestressed foam rubber block.
Student Perceptions of Social Justice and Social Justice Activities.

Encouraging students to engage in activities that actively seek to promote social justice is a goal of many educators. This study analyzed college student perceptions around social justice and related activities in a medium-sized, urban university in the United States. Students’ open-ended responses to questions assessing their perceptions of social justice and related social justice activities were coded, and a set of categories were developed. After establishing adequate inter-rater reliability for these categories, the associations between these categories with Global Belief in a Just World Scale, Symbolic Racism Scale, Neosexism Scale, and Perry Public Service Motivation Scale were explored. The results and implications of these analyses are presented and discussed.
Relational Message Interpretations of Nonverbal Matching Behavior: An Application of the Social Meaning Model

The social meaning model asserts that some nonverbal behaviors have consensually recognized relational meanings within a given social community. According to this perspective, the interpretations made by encoders, decoders, and 3rd-party observers of the same nonverbal behavior should be congruent. The authors applied the model to the identification of relational message interpretations of nonverbal matching behavior. Confederates either matched or did not match the nonverbal behaviors of conversational participants while being watched by nonparticipant observers. All three nonconfederate participants provided interpretations of the confederates' relational messages. As the authors had expected, there were moderate correlations between the 3 perspectives, with observers usually providing less favorable assessments than the conversational participants. The authors also examined the influence of positive and negative stimulus behavior on relational message interpretations.
Family- and Genus-Level 16S rRNA-Targeted Oligonucleotide Probes for Ecological Studies of Methanotrophic Bacteria

Methanotrophic bacteria play a major role in the global carbon cycle, degrade xenobiotic pollutants, and have the potential for a variety of biotechnological applications. To facilitate ecological studies of these important organisms, we developed a suite of oligonucleotide probes for quantitative analysis of methanotroph-specific 16S rRNA from environmental samples. Two probes target methanotrophs in the family Methylocystaceae (type II methanotrophs) as a group. No oligonucleotide signatures that distinguish between the two genera in this family, Methylocystis and Methylosinus, were identified. Two other probes target, as a single group, a majority of the known methanotrophs belonging to the family Methylococcaceae (type I/X methanotrophs). The remaining probes target members of individual genera of the Methylococcaceae, including Methylobacter, Methylomonas, Methylomicrobium, Methylococcus, and Methylocaldum. One of the family-level probes also covers all methanotrophic endosymbionts of marine mollusks for which 16S rRNA sequences have been published. The two known species of the newly described genus Methylosarcina gen. nov. are covered by a probe that otherwise targets only members of the closely related genus Methylomicrobium. None of the probes covers strains of the newly proposed genera Methylocella and "Methylothermus," which are polyphyletic with respect to the recognized methanotrophic families. Empirically determined midpoint dissociation temperatures were 49 to 57 degrees C for all probes. In dot blot screening against RNA from positive- and negative-control strains, the probes were specific to their intended targets. The broad coverage and high degree of specificity of this new suite of probes will provide more detailed, quantitative information about the community structure of methanotrophs in environmental samples than was previously available.
Three-Dimensional Simulation of a Translating Strut Inlet

A three-dimensional Navier-Stokes code is used to numerically simulate the flow through a translating strut scramjet inlet. The inlet has variable geometry for efficient operation over a wide speed range. Overall flow-field features such as the corner flow, topwall separation, shockwave coalescence, cowl pressure increase, and flow distortion at the throat are investigated. Comparisons are made with experimental results to provide for the assessment of the present analysis. Effects of boundary-layer ingestion on the overall flow features are also investigated.
Achieving Social Class Diversity Throughout the Workforce: A Case Study of TIAA-CREF

Most arguments for class-based diversity involve extending more educational opportunities to disadvantaged students, especially applicants to college and professional schools, such as law and medicine. Despite legal precedents and popular sentiment regarding socioeconomic-based diversity programs, the social equity movement still pays little attention to achieving a more representative workforce based on an applicant's class origins. Given that people from disadvantaged backgrounds face a lifetime of limitations, this omission is puzzling. Still, it is reasonable to say that one of diversity’s primary justifications – bringing different perspectives to the discussion – should apply to all personnel and include social class background concerns. If only one prestigious organization implemented such a diversity plan, it would bring some much needed attention to the problem of unequal socioeconomic origins and the need for compensatory considerations. This case study details how the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF) can operationalize a workforce wide class-based diversity plan. This research focuses on TIAA-CREF because of its well publicized (and award winning) commitment to gender and racial diversity. While only addressing one tier of employees, the generic methodology and rationale presented herein are readily applicable to any public or private sector enterprise seeking to democratize its personnel process.
Fluid flow activates a regulator of translation, p70/p85 S6 kinase, in human endothelial cells

Cellular phenotype is determined not only by genetic transcription but also by subsequent translation of mRNA into protein. Extracellular signals trigger intracellular pathways that distinctly activate translation. The 70/85-kDa S6 kinase (pp70S6k) is a central enzyme in the signal-dependent control of translation, but its regulation in endothelial cells is largely unknown. Here we show that fluid flow (in the absence of an exogenous mitogen) as well as humoral agonists activate endothelial pp70S6k. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, blocked flow-induced pp70S6k activation; FK-506, a rapamycin analog with minimal mTOR inhibitory activity, and PD-98059, an inhibitor of the flow-sensitive mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, had no effect. Synthesis of Bcl-3, a protein whose translation is controlled by an mTOR-dependent pathway, was induced by flow and inhibited by rapamycin and wortmannin. Transcriptional blo...
Abstract P5-03-11: Possible role for cancer stem cells: results from a pilot neoadjuvant trial of HER-2 positive breast cancer patients treated with a combination of (Nab)-paclitaxel and lapatinib.

Background: Lapatinib, a dual kinase inhibitor against both epidermal growth factor (EGFR) and human epidermal factor 2 (HER-2) and nanoparticle albumin bound (nab) paclitaxel was recently used by our group in a pilot study of early stage HER-2 positive breast cancer. We reported that the combination was well tolerated and showed good efficiency in this patient group. Cancer stem cells were recently identified in solid tumors including breast carcinomas. These tumor initiating stem cells are reported to be increased in HER-2 positive breast cancers. Lapatininb is postulated to reduce the percentage of breast cancer stem cells following HER-2 inhibition. This study aimed to investigate such an effect in this patient population of early stage HER-2 positive breast cancer cases uniquely treated by a combination of nab-paclitaxel and lapatininb. Design: 30 patients with stage I-III HER-2 positive breast cancer were treated in a neoadjuvant setting with lapatinib 1,000mg/day and nab-paclitaxel 260 mg/m2 every 2 weeks for 4 cycles. The expression of the stem cell markers aldehyde dehydroganase (ALDH1) (BD), CD24 and CD44 (both Santa Cruz Biotechnology) was assessed immunohistochemically in breast cancer specimens prior to treatment and at the time of definitive surgery. Staining was considered negative if 1%. Results: Of the 30 patients, 28 underwent surgery and were evaluated for pathologic response. Complete pathologic response (pCR) was observed in 5/28 (17.9%) of the patients. Of the 17 patients for whom pre-treatment material was available 13 (76.5%) were positive for ALDH1 expression and 4 (23.5%) were negative. Of the 22 patients with material available for testing at the time of surgery, 5 showed pCR, 3 were negative and 14 (63.6%) were positive for ALDH-A1 expression. The CD44+/CD24- phenotype was variable and showed no difference between groups. Conclusions: 1. Combination of lapatinib and nab-paclitaxel resulted in a complete pathologic response in almost 1/5 of the HER-2 positive early stage breast cancer patients. 2. Overall, there is a reduction in the number cancer stem cells following neoadjuvant treatment with lapatinib and nab-paclitaxel. Our results support the hypothesis that lapatinib may have an effect in manipulating the numbers of cancer stem cells in patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer. Additional studies are currently under way to further characterize these findings. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-03-11.
Creating an entrepreneurial society in Europe

The purpose of this work is to propose a framework, called Strategic Management of Places, which demonstrates how the underlying forces, namely labor and capital, lead to economic performance. Moreover, we discuss how policy decision-making is involved in aspects of the framework. There are four elements to the framework: factors and resources, spatial organization and structure, human dimension, and policy. We apply the framework to the European Union to analyze how the elements fared from 1990s to present day. We conclude with examples where strategic policy decision-making proved to be a success and illustrate how each region differs in what underlying forces work and how in order to achieve economic success.
Attenuation of isoproterenol-stimulated plasma renin activity by chronic estrogen treatment.

AbstractChronic administration of estradiol benzoate to intact female rats for 12 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in unstimulated plasma renin activity. Acute administration of the β-adrenergic agonist, dl-isoproterenol, stimulated plasma renin activity in both control and estrogen-treated animals in a dose-dependent manner. However, chronic administration of estradiol benzoate resulted in a reduced sensitivity to low, but not high, doses of isoproterenol. These results are consistent with those of previous studies in which chronic treatment with an estrogenic agent was shown to reduce the responsiveness of heart rate, tail skin temperature, metabolic rate, and drinking to acute administration of a β-adrenergic agonist.
High-pressure polymorphism of the electrochemically active organic molecule tetrahydroxy-p-benzoquinone

Abstract The structural and chemical response of tetrahydroxy-p-benzoquinone to isothermal compression to near 20 GPa have been studied using powder x-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy. Compression beyond 11.5 GPa resulted in the appearance of several new peaks in the x-ray patterns, changes in the peak distribution and intensities, as well as the disappearance of features observed at lower pressures, which when coupled with concomitant changes in the infrared spectrum are indicative of a phase transition. Further analysis of the infrared spectra suggest this phase transition results in an increase in the anharmonicity of the system. Raman spectroscopic experiments indicate the high-pressure phase to be highly photosensitive and easily polymerized.