cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract A05: Investigating mechanisms of obesity-mediated pancreatic cancer progression

Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) that faithfully recapitulate the genetics and histology of human tumors are an underutilized tool to understand how modifiable risk factors influence tumor development. Prospective cohort studies have shown that obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer, more advanced disease at diagnosis, and worse survival, though the precise mechanisms behind which obesity contributes to cancer progression remain elusive. We crossed mice harboring loss-of-function mutations in the leptin gene ( ob/ob ) with Pdx1-Cre; LSL-Kras G12D ( KC ) mice predisposed to initiate pancreatic cancers. KC; ob/ob mice are obese and exhibit markedly shortened survival (~4 months vs. ~1 year), increased primary tumor burden, and enhanced progression to adenocarcinoma compared to nonobese KC mice. Interestingly, early correction of leptin deficiency using an adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based approach induces rapid normalization of body weight and hyperglycemia and completely prevents the emergence of enhanced tumor burden. In contrast, late leptin restoration following tumor progression does not impact survival. These data suggest a causal and reversible role for obesity in early pancreatic cancer progression. Furthermore, by evaluating the degree by which alternative interventions phenocopy the effects of leptin restoration, we have developed a model to rapidly interrogate mechanisms of obesity-mediated tumor progression. As a proof of principle, we have tested the ability of immunomodulatory (aspirin) and antidiabetic (metformin) agents, observed to impact pancreatic cancer risk and survival in human cohorts, to intercept cancer progression in this model. Finally, combined molecular and biochemical analyses of tumors reveal increased immune cell activation and fibrosis in KC; ob/ob mice compared to nonobese KC and KC; p53 mutant mice and provide specific molecular targets to evaluate for pancreatic cancer therapy and prevention. Citation Format: Mandar Deepak Muzumdar, Kimberly Judith Dorans, Katherine Minjee Chung, Arjun Bhutkar, Charles Fuchs, Tyler Jacks. Investigating mechanisms of obesity-mediated pancreatic cancer progression [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Advances in Modeling Cancer in Mice: Technology, Biology, and Beyond; 2017 Sep 24-27; Orlando, Florida. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A05.
Adoptive transfer of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived regenerated T cells mediates effective regression of large tumors and establishes immunological memory

Current approaches to adoptive T cell therapy are limited by the difficulty of obtaining sufficient numbers of T cells against targeted antigens with effective in vivo characteristics. Theoretically, this limitation can be overcome by using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that could provide an unlimited source of autologous T cells. However, therapeutic efficacy of iPSC-derived regenerated T cells remains to be elucidated. To this end, we established iPSCs from Pmel-1 T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic CD8 + T cells specific for the gp100 melanocyte differentiation antigen as a preclinical model of evaluating antitumor reactivity of regenerated antigen-specific T cells from iPSCs (Pmel-1 iPSCs). Pmel-1 iPSCs retained the same rearranged configuration as the original Pmel-1 CD8 + T cells, and differentiated into CD4 + CD8 + double positive (DP) T cells that expressed CD3 and the desired TCR in vitro . Stimulation of iPSC-derived DP T cells with the cognate antigen in the presence of IL-7 and IL-15 followed by expansion with IL-2, IL-7 and IL-15 generated large numbers of less-differentiated CD8 + single positive T cells with antigen-specific potent cytokine production and cytolytic capacity. Furthermore, adoptively transferred iPSC-derived CD8 + T cells escaped immune rejection, mediated effective regression of large tumors, improved survival, and established antigen-specific immunological memory. These findings support the translational potential of iPSCs to provide an unlimited number of phenotypically defined, functional and expandable autologous antigen-specific T cells harboring characteristics necessary for in vivo effectiveness.
Psychosocial Interventions to Address the Emotional Needs of Caregivers of Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) poses unique difficulties for many families. The time from the onset of symptoms of the illness to death is typically 5–15 years. The person with the illness experiences increasing cognitive and functional impairments, and ultimately becomes entirely dependent on others for survival. While it is possible to describe the symptoms that generally accompany the disease as it progresses, it is not possible to predict when or if a specific symptom will arise in any individual, or how long it will be before the symptom disappears as the severity of the illness increases.
Algorithms with Random Input

Randomness arises in connection with algorithms and their analysis in at least two different ways, Some algorithms (sometimes called coin-flipping algorithms) provide their own randomness, perhaps through the use of random number generators, Sometimes, though, it is useful to analyze the performance of a deterministic algorithm under some assumption about the distribution of inputs, We briefly survey some work which gives a perspective on such problems, Next we discuss some of the techniques which are useful when carrying out this type of analysis, Finally, we briefly discuss the problem of choosing an appropriate distribution
Emotional Expressiveness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analytic investigation explored the relationship between measures of emotional expressiveness and the core personality constructs of Extraversion and Neuroticism. Measures of emotional expressiveness included both behavioral assessments of emotional encoding/expressiveness and self-report instruments. There were 34 effect sizes for the Extraversion-expressiveness relationship and 26 effect sizes for Neuroticism-expressiveness. The results revealed that self-report measures of emotional expressiveness yield Extraversion and Neuroticism effects that are not the same as effects provided by behavioral assessments of emotional expressiveness/encoding. However, there was a significant overall positive relationship between Extraversion and emotional expressiveness, regardless of type of expressiveness measure. Overall, Neuroticism was significantly negatively related to behavioral measures of emotional expressiveness, but unrelated to self-report measures. These results suggest that emotional expressiveness and extraversion are linked, but that self-report and behavioral measures of emotional expressiveness are not interchangeable. Nonverbal communication researchers should pay attention to both the type and scope of the instrument when selecting and using measures of emotional expressiveness.
The Coming of the Stranger God

When Thomas Mann published The Black Swan in 1953, it was the twenty-ninth story to come from his pen, and fifty-nine years had passed since a monthly journal, Die Gesellschaft, had published his first story, Fallen.1 Among this host of stories were some that have since become classics in world literature, such as Little Herr Friedemann, Tonio Kroger, Death in Venice, or Mario and the Magician. There are others, like The Dilettante, The Child Prodigy, or Blood of the Walsungs which are known to a somewhat more limited audience that is specifically interested in Mann, and then there are stories which the author himself has deliberately suppressed by not including them in later anthologies or editions of his works. The above-mentioned Fallen, Death, and The Will to Happiness belong in this category.
So the First Pelvic Organ Prolapse Repair Failed…Now What?

Surgical repair of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is common and a significant number of women will experience POP recurrence. This paper provides a summary of management options for recurrent POP. Vaginal and abdominal approaches to recurrent POP utilizing native tissues, previously placed mesh, or a new mesh implant are all reasonable options for repair. Choice of surgical approach should be individualized to the patient. Without evidence from randomized controlled studies to help clinicians delineate the appropriate repair for each patient, there is still no perfect answer as to the best surgical treatment for recurrent POP. Similar to primary repairs, vaginal and abdominal approaches to recurrent POP utilizing either native tissues or polypropylene mesh (new or previously placed) are all reasonable options for repair. In the hands of an experienced pelvic reconstructive surgeon, complication rates from mesh implantation are limited while potential benefits of additional strength and durability are offered. Debate continues over the appropriate use of polypropylene mesh for pelvic reconstruction in women with prolapse; in the setting of recurrent bothersome prolapse mesh may offer a durable option.
Intraoperative Blood Loss During Induced Abortion: A Comparison of Anesthetics

Objective. To determine whether there is a difference in intraoperative bleeding with inhalational versus noninhalational anesthetic agents for patients undergoing suction dilatation and curettage for first-trimester induced abortion. Methods. This is an IRB-approved retrospective chart review of the electronic medical records of patients undergoing induced abortion at gestational ages between 5 0/7 and 14 0/7 weeks of pregnancy at the New York City Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. The records of 138 patients who underwent suction dilatation and curettage for induced abortion between June 2012 and June 2014 were reviewed for an association between anesthetic technique and intraoperative hemorrhage. Twenty patients received inhalational anesthetic agents, while 118 received intravenous anesthetics. Blood loss was estimated by the operating gynecologists. Results. The mean intraoperative blood loss for inhalational anesthetics (113.6 ml) was significantly higher than with noninhalational agents (40.2 ml) ( ). Age, body mass index, and gestational age were not statistically different between the groups; the number of methylergonovine doses at induced abortion trended higher with inhalation anesthetics. Conclusions. The difference in blood loss between the two types of anesthetic techniques was statistically significant. These findings may be important for patients with significant anemia or at an increased risk of bleeding, such as those with unrecognized coagulopathies.
Trauma Communication in Channel Catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus )

Among the animals that are adapted to limited light are the catfishes. The North American channel catfish, which was used as the subject of this investigation, is an ostariophysan. These fishes are known to possess club cells, and most members produce alarm substance (Frisch 1938, 1941, Pfeiffer 1977). Limitation of visual communication indicated by the catfish’s habitat and specific anatomical features of the channel catfish, such as the presence of chemosensory cells covering the body and a high concentration of these cells on parts of the body such as the barbels, is presumably the result of favored selection for this method of communication (Todd 1971). Catfishes are capable of producing and recognizing individual specific pheromones. Through these pheromones a bullhead catfish, I. nebulosus can identify not only the species and sex of a conspecific, but also its age or size, reproductive state, and hierarchical social status (Lowe-McCannell 1975).
Seasonal Variation and Crop Sequences Shape the Structure of Bacterial Communities in Cysts of Soybean Cyst Nematode

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines Ichinohe, is the number 1 pathogen of the important economic crop soybean. Bacteria represent potential biocontrol agents of the SCN, but few studies have characterized the dynamics of bacterial communities associated with cysts under different crop rotation sequences. The bacterial communities in SCN cysts in a long-term soybean-corn crop rotation experiment were investigated over 2 years. The crop sequences included long-term soybean monoculture (Ss), years 1-5 of soybean following 5 years corn (S1-S5), years 1 and 2 of corn following 5 years soybean (C1 and C2), and soybean-corn annual rotation (Sa and Ca). The bacterial 16S rRNA V4 region was amplified from DNA isolated from SCN cysts collected in spring at planting, midseason (2 months later), and fall at harvest and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. The SCN cyst microbiome was dominated by Proteobacteria followed by Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Verrucomicrobia. The bacterial community composition was influenced by both crop sequence and season. Although differences by crop sequence were not significant in the spring of each year, bacterial communities in cysts from annual rotation (Sa and Ca) or crop sequences of early years of monoculture following a 5-year rotation of the alternate crop (S1 and C1) became rapidly differentiated by crop over a single growing season. In the fall, genera of cyst bacteria associated with soybean crop sequences included Rhizobacter, Leptothrix, Cytophaga, Chitinophaga, Niastella, Streptomyces, and Halangium. The discovery of diverse bacterial taxa in SCN cysts and their dynamics across crop rotation sequences provides invaluable information for future development of biological control of the SCN.
Association of combination opioid, benzodiazepine, and muscle relaxant usage with emergency department visits in a nationwide cohort in the United States.

Background Concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use (“double-threat”) and opioid, benzodiazepine, and muscle relaxant use (“triple-threat”) are linked to increased adverse events compared to opioid use alone. Objectives To assess prevalence of double-threat and triple-threat in the US and to measure association between double- and triple-threat and emergency department visits. Setting Nationally representative, 2-year health database of the United States. Method A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the national medical expenditure panel survey. Two-year prevalence of combination use was measured. Association between 2013–2014 double- and triple-threat exposure and emergency department visit compared to non-users, opioid-users, and all other exposure combinations assessed using logistic regression. Main outcome measures Survey-weighted prevalence of triple-threat and double-threat in 2013 and 2014 was measured. The outcome variable of at least one emergency department visit in a study year was utilized for the logistic regression. Results Opioids, benzodiazepines, and muscle relaxants were used in 11.9% (38.4 million lives), 4.2% (13.5 million), and 3.4% (10.9 million) individuals respectively in 2013, and 12.2% (39.3 million), 4.6% (14.8 million), and 3.6% (11.6 million), respectively in 2014. Prevalence of individuals on double-threat rose from 1.6 to 1.9% from 2013 to 2014. Triple-threat prevalence was unchanged at 0.53% in that interval. Triple-threat patients had increased emergency department visit probability with ORs of 9.19 (95% CI 9.17–9.22) in 2013, 9.82 (95% CI 9.79–9.85) in 2014, and 5.90 (95% CI 5.89–5.92) for longitudinal 2013–2014 analysis compared to non-users. Double-threat patients had increased emergency department visit probability with ORs of 4.57 (95% CI 4.56–4.58) in 2013, 6.66 (95% CI 6.65–6.68) in 2014, and 4.49 (95% CI 4.48–4.50) for 2013–2014 analysis compared to non-users. Conclusions Concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use and opioid, benzodiazepine, and muscle relaxant use increased probability of emergency department visit. Amplified efforts in surveillance, prescribing, and default follow-up for concurrent opioid, benzodiazepine, muscle relaxant use are needed to reduce this public health concern.
Advances in Receptor-Targeted Radiolabeled Peptides for Melanoma Imaging and Therapy.

Melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) and very late antigen-4 (VLA-4, integrin α4β1) are 2 attractive molecular targets for developing peptide radiopharmaceuticals for melanoma imaging and therapy. MC1R- and VLA-4–targeting peptides and peptide-conjugated Cornell prime dots (C′ dots) can serve as delivery vehicles to target both diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides to melanoma cells for imaging and therapy. This review highlights the advances of MC1R- and VLA-4–targeted radiolabeled peptides and peptide-conjugated C′ dots for melanoma imaging and therapy. The promising preclinical and clinical results of these new peptide radiopharmaceuticals present an optimistic outlook for clinical translation into receptor-targeting melanoma imaging and radionuclide therapy in the future.
Characterization of FOXF1 as a novel regulator of nodal metastasis in bladder cancer.

480Background: Members of the forkhead transcription factor (FOX) family are important mediators of embryonic development and are known to be altered in a variety of cancers. The functional role of...
The changing landscape of parasite control in small ruminants

Control of gastrointestinal (GIN) parasites is of primary concern in any small ruminant health management program, and is critical to profitability of the farm. For many years, GIN were controlled by the frequent use of anthelmintics, and this approach was quite effective. However, we now know that this strategy is shortsighted and unsustainable. Anthelmintic resistance is bounding out of control, and many of the drugs relied upon for decades no longer are effective on many farms. Furthermore, despite the occasional development of new anthelmintic classes, history clearly demonstrates that the development of resistance is almost certain to outpace the introduction of new drug classes. Thus, anthelmintics can no longer be viewed as inexpensive management tools, but instead must be viewed as extremely valuable and limited resources. Furthermore, parasite control must no longer be equated with a deworming program. Rather, parasite control will only be sustainable if it is approached as an integrated parasite management program, where anthelmintics are only 1 of several components. Additionally, there are new strategies for how we need to use our anthelmintics, the most important of which are that treatment is given selectively to animals based on need, and multiple anthelmintics are administered as a combination treatment.
Schooling the parties: the effect of the education realignment on LGBTQ+ party position taking in the US House of Representatives

Much has been made of the ongoing partisan realignment of college-educated voters from the Republican to the Democratic Party, particularly the shift among college-educated whites. Less attention h...
How to Develop an Educator’s Portfolio

Educators seeking academic promotion must provide documentation that they have achieved the academic standards and expectations for faculty as scholars. Evolving from the field of education, a specific approach to scholarly work reflects the domains of excellent teaching and includes clear goals, adequate preparation, appropriate methods, significant results, effective presentation, and reflective critique. Institutions have developed standards and evaluation metrics to assess these domains. The education portfolio is often the tool used to communicate excellence in teaching when preparing for appointment, reappointment, or promotion. This chapter will use the six domains as a framework to discuss how to develop and present an Educator’s Portfolio.
Humankind, Nature and the New Journalism: A Return to the Mythopoeic

The new journalism - or preferably literary journalism - has been analysed from a number of perspectives, but little effort has been made to delineate the genre's epistemological roots. Traditional journalism emerged from the epistemological conclusions of the Greeks. However, literary journalism arose from the intellectual traditional of romanticism including a world view in which humankind was considered an inseparable part of nature, in which subjective perception had an equal place with that of the omniscient observer's, and in which knowledge could be acquired through personal experience. The result has been that literary journalists have explored a wider variety of literary techniques and subjects - including the human psyche - than have more traditional journalists. This expanded world view has resulted in a return to an ancient epistemological foundation: a mythopoeic world view. The return to the mythopoeic means that journalism's intellectual milieu has - for the first time - placed equal emphas...
Digital Signals and Digital Filters

Digital filtering techniques are widely used in many scientific and industrial endeavors such as digital telephony and communications, television and facsimile image processing, electrical and speech signal processing, radar, sonar, and space control systems. The major advantage of digital techniques over the classical analog version is the availability of modern digital equipment for high-speed processing with high signal/noise ratio and fast computation with high accuracy, and at the same time with a decrease in the implementation and computation costs.
Incidence of posterior vessel wall puncture during ultrasound-guided vessel cannulation in a simulated model.

Objectives: The incidence of posterior vessel wall puncture (PVWP) during central line placement with possible subsequent injury to structures lying behind the vein is unknown. At times the internal jugular vein lies immediately anterior to the carotid artery rather than lateral to it, leading to potential arterial puncture should the needle pass through the vein completely. The objective of this study is to evaluate the incidence of PVWP during simulated ultrasound (US)-guided vessel cannulation. Methods: Enrolled subjects were emergency medicine resident and attending physicians. Subjects performed US-guided venous access on simulated blood vessels within gelatin-based US phantoms. While blinded to the purpose of the study, each subject performed successful cannulation of the vessel on separate phantoms, with wire placement confirmed by expert review of a follow-up US. Each phantom was subsequently deconstructed to manually inspect for PVWP. Results: Thirty-five subjects with a range of experience in the technique participated, each performing both transverse and long-axis approaches for a total of 70 cannulations. The overall incidence of PVWP was 34% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 22.9% to 45.1%). Conclusions: This study found a high incidence of inadvertent PVWP during simulated US-guided vessel cannulation in this model. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:1138–1141 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Chemical Composition and Biological Properties of the Endotoxin of Brucella abortus

Baker, Phillip J. (University of Wisconsin, Madison), and J. B. Wilson. Chemical composition and biological properties of the endotoxin of Brucella abortus. J. Bacteriol. 90:895-902. 1965.-The ability of endotoxin to induce hypoferremia in mice was used to measure the specific activity of various endotoxin preparations of Escherichia coli and Brucella abortus and to determine the endotoxin content of several strains of B. abortus differing in virulence for guinea pigs. The endotoxin preparations from E. coli possessed greater biological activity than those from B. abortus. The same types of B. abortus endotoxin preparations, whether obtained from strains of high or low virulence, had about the same activity. Although differences in endotoxin content were noted among several strains of B. abortus of different virulence, there appeared to be no correlation between endotoxin content and virulence. Chemical analyses of B. abortus and E. coli endotoxins, based upon nitrogen, phosphorus, fatty acid ester, fatty acid amide, total fatty acids, hexose, and hexosamine content, revealed differences in chemical composition; however, these differences could not be correlated with differences in biological activity. The same types of endotoxin preparations, whether obtained from strains of B. abortus of high or low virulence, were similar in chemical composition and in biological activity. A correlation between the ability of endotoxin to induce hypoferremia and its lethal effects in mice is suggested. In general, endotoxin preparations of high hypoferremic activity had low mouse ld(50) values.
Sleep in Othello

Some of our best descriptions of sleep disorders come from literature. While Shakespeare is well known for his references to insomnia and sleep walking, his works also demonstrate a keen awareness of many other sleep disorders. This paper examines sleep themes in Shakespeare's play Othello. The play indicates Shakespeare's astute eye for sleep deprivation, sexual parasomnias, and effects of stress and drugs on sleep. Citation: Dimsdale JE. Sleep in Othello. J Clin Sleep Med 2009;5(3):280-281.
The Quality of Economics Instructional Videos on YouTube

We evaluate a sample of 25 economics instructional videos publicly available on YouTube on the topic of price elasticity of demand for their instructional effectiveness, correctness of their economics content, and their video production values. To judge instructional effectiveness, we compared the teaching in the videos to the principles of multimedia instructional design that foster meaningful learning from educational psychologist Richard E. Mayer (2009). Our results showed that the instruction in these videos were somewhat effective in minimizing extraneous cognitive processing but did not do well in meeting the modality and multimedia principles. We also found a wide variety of explanations for how to calculate the elasticity and some incorrect explanations. We offer recommendations for the improvement of video-based instruction of economics.
Ad hoc probe: path capacity probing in wireless ad hoc networks

Knowledge of end-to-end path capacity is useful for video/audio stream adaptation, rate control and overlay design. Capacity estimation in wired and last-hop wireless networks has been extensively investigated, but an in-depth study of path capacity in ad hoc, multihop wireless networks is still lacking. Since the "capacity" of a wireless link can vary dynamically and rapidly due to changes in interference, mobility or energy optimization policy, timely path capacity tracking is the key to efficient routing, traffic management and application deployment. In this paper, we present ad hoc probe, a "packet-pair" based technique, to estimate end-to-end path capacity in ad hoc wireless networks. Using analysis and simulation, we show that ad hoc probe converges fast and thus works well in mobile, rapidly changing scenarios. Ad hoc probe is simpler, faster and less intrusive than previously proposed schemes.
Drosophila Retinal Patterning

The Drosophila retina is a compound apposition eye composed of some 750 self-contained eye units with lens, retina and photoreceptors. Study of the Drosophila retina is useful in understanding the general problems of cell cycle regulation, local cell signalling, expression of determinative factors, control of programmed cell death and rearrangement of cells within epithelia. Keywords: retina; Drosophila; signal transduction; programmed cell death; planar polarity
Estimation of perceived speech quality using measuring normalizing blocks

We describe a new approach to the estimation of perceived speech quality. The approach uses a simple, but effective, perceptual transformation to emulate hearing and a hierarchy of measuring normalizing blocks (MNBs) to emulate auditory judgment. The resulting estimates were correlated with the results of seven subjective listening tests. Together, these seven tests include 182, 4-kHz bandwidth speech codecs, transmission systems, and reference conditions, with bit-rates ranging from 2.4 to 64 kbps. When compared with six other estimators, the MNB approach offers significant improvements in many cases, particularly at lower bit-rates, and when bit errors or frame erasures are present.
RHC 80267 does not inhibit the diglyceride lipase pathway in intact platelets

Abstract RHC 80267 inhibits diglyceride lipase activity in microsomes from canine platelets (1). Chau and Tai (2) reported that RHC 80267 prevents the transient accumulation of monoglyceride in thrombin-stimulated human platelets, while leaving arachidonate release unimpaired. In contrast, we find that while the drug inhibits both diglyceride lipase (I 50 =15 μM) and monoglyceride lipase (I 50 =11 μM) activities in platelet microsomes, it is ineffective when added to intact platelets. The transient intermediates in the diglyceride lipase pathway, 1,2-diglyceride and 2-monoglyceride, both accumulated after thrombin stimulation of intact platelets treated with RHC 80267, and arachidonate release was not inhibited. We conclude that RHC 80267 cannot be used to evaluate the diglyceride lipase pathway in intact platelets.
Auxin and cytokinin levels in selected and temperature-induced morphologically distinct tissue lines of tobacco crown gall tumors

Two morphologically distinct tissue culture lines were selected from a tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. ‘Wisconsin 38’) crown gall tumor: (1) a green teratomous line producing numerous abnormal shoots, designated leafy; and (2) a white, hard, spherical tissue, designated white. These were originally isolated at 27°C, but temperature changes were also found to control these morphologies, with 33°C favoring the development of the leafy form and 21°C favoring the white form. The higher temperature was also correlated with a decrease in the endogenous levels of both auxin and cytokinin, whereas the lower temperature was correlated with an increase in the levels of these growth regulators. There was no significant difference, however, in the auxin and cytokinin levels in the two forms maintained at 27°C, suggesting that the basis for morphological changes at this temperature resides either in very subtle differences in auxin and cytokinin or in factors other than these two growth regulators.
COHORT DIFFERENCES ASSOCIATED WITH TRENDS IN SAT® SCORE AVERAGES

The potential impact of cohort changes with regard to ethnic group, gender, class rank, and first language learned on yearly average Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and Test of Standard Written English (TSWE) scores was studied. Regression and cross-classification analyses were conducted on data from 1985, and 1987 to 1990. Both analyses adjusted test score means based on common cohorts of students. The analyses indicated that approximately half of the decline in SAT verbal (SAT-V) scores was associated with cohort change. Average SAT mathematics (SAT-M) scores could possibly have risen by three points, rather than remaining constant, if the 1987 and 1990 cohorts were the same.
Resectional gastric bypass outcomes in active duty soldiers: a retrospective review.

Abstract Background As in civilian life, some active duty service members have developed severe obesity that is refractory to diet alteration and exercise. In addition to controlling obesity, surgical weight control measures in an active duty population must consider the effect of the postbariatric state on a service member's ability to continue to be deployable to a war zone or other austere military assignment. We report our experience with such patients undergoing open resectional gastric bypass. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the perioperative and long-term outcomes of 33 active duty service members who had undergone open gastric bypass by the same surgical team at a single institution during a 30-month period. Data were collected by chart review and questionnaires. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 14.0. Results The questionnaires were returned by 27 patients (13 women and 14 men). The mean age at surgery was 34.2 years (range 24–51). The mean follow-up was 218 weeks (range 162–369). The mean preoperative body mass index was 40.6 kg/m 2 (range 34.0–49.4). The mean postoperative BMI was 25.6 kg/m 2 (range 19–34.7). Using the Bariatric Analysis and Reporting Outcome System outcome criteria for these 27 patients, the results were fair for 4 patients (15%), good for 9 (33%), very good for 12 (44%), and excellent for 2 (7%). No patients had treatment failure according to the Bariatric Analysis and Reporting Outcome System criteria. Also, 5 patients who had previously been nonpromotable because of their weight were reclassified as promotable after the results of the bariatric intervention. Of the 27 patients, all but 3 maintained or achieved deployable status after surgical recovery. Conclusion As in civilian populations, bariatric surgery improves the quality of life of active duty service members who have failed nonoperative means of obesity control. Most service members who undergo bariatric intervention are able to successfully deploy to war zones without adverse effects on their military performance and retain or improve their competitiveness for career promotion.
Synthesis and reactivity of molybdenum(IV) complexes with alkyl and aryl isocyanides

The synthesis and characterization of the bis(isocyanide) complexes (RNC) 2 Mo(NPh)-(o-(Me 3 SiN) 2 C 6 H 4 ) (2: 2a, R = t BuNC; 2b, R = 2,6-dimethylphenyl) and the subsequent reactivity of these complexes with excess isocyanide have been reported. An X-ray crystal structure of (RNC)2Mo(NPh)(o-(Me3SiN)2C6H4) (R = 2,6-dimethylphenyl) is reported. Treatment of 2a with excess tert-butyl isocyanide resulted in the formation of the tris(isocyanide) complex (tBuNC)3Mo(NPh)(o-(Me3SiN)2C6H4) (3). Complex 3 exists in solution in equilibrium with 2a. Using a two-site exchange mechanism the activation barrier for the dissociative exchange of t BuNC has been calculated. The X-ray crystal structure of ( t BUNC) 3 Mo(NPh)-(o-(Me 3 SiN) 2 C 6 H 4 ) is reported. Computational studies (ONIOM) performed on 3 reveal that π conflicts in this complex results in the lengthening of the Mo-N(amido) c i s bond relative to the Mo-N(amido) t r a n s bond. Treatment of 2b with excess 2,6-dimethylphenyl isocyanide results in the slow insertion of the isocyanide ligands into the Mo-N bond of the chelating diamide ligand, resulting in a novel chelating iminocarbamoyl bis(isocyanide) complex, 4. An X-ray crystal structure of 4 is reported.
Single Molecule Movement of Full-Length Myosin X

Myosin X is an unconventional myosin that is critical for cargo transportation to filopodia, and is associated with the mechanism underlying filopodia formation and extension.We previously reported that myosin X-HMM is a processive motor with large ∼34 nm step size. Our myosin X-HMM dominantly shows the large step size on both single actin filament and fascin-actin bundle although a minor ∼18 nm step size can be seen on fascin-actin bundle [Sun et al. (2010) Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol., 17, 485-491]. On the other hands, Rock and his colleagues recently reported that their myosin X-HMM only showed ∼18 nm step size [Nagy et al. (2010) J. Biol. Chem., 285, 26608-26617; Kapitein et al. (2010) Biophys. J., 99, 2143-2152]. Thus, the actual step size of myosin X remains to be elucidated.To address the question of innate step size of myosin X molecules, we produced the full-length myosin X construct with a leucine zipper motif at the C-terminal end (M10FullLZ) to ensure the dimer formation. We first compared the localization of M10FullLZ with the wild type myosin X full-length (M10Full) in COS7 cells, and confirmed that M10FullLZ localized at the tip of filopodia, which is similar to M10Full.We next expressed M10FullLZ in Sf9 cells and purified for motility assay. The M10FullLZ could move actin filaments in PIP3 dependent manner by in vitro multi-molecule motility assay, consistent with the result of M10Full. We then analyzed the single molecular step size of M10FullLZ using a total internal reflection fluorescence microscope. The mean step size of M10FullLZ was the large ∼34 nm on single actin filaments. This result suggests that the innate step size of myosin X is ∼34 nm. The step size of M10FullLZ on actin bundles in filopodia is now underway.
The Martian Canals According to a Purely Aeolian Hypothesis

Abstract The suggestion is made that the Martian canals are chains of desert sand dunes. The necessary physical conditions for dune formation are reviewed; these conditions probably exist on Mars. Sand driving winds are a factor of 7 higher and so Martian dune chains should be longer than on the Earth.
Elevated cyclic AMP and PDE4 inhibition induce chemokine expression in human monocyte-derived macrophages

Macrophages are central mediators of the innate immune system that can be differentiated from monocytes upon exposure to cytokines. While increased cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels are known to inhibit many lipopolysaccharide-elicited macrophage inflammatory responses, the effects of elevated cAMP on monocyte/macrophage differentiation are not as well understood. We show here that during differentiation, cAMP agonists can cause a large increase in the mRNA and protein levels of several of the pro-inflammatory CXCL and CCL chemokines. The cAMP mediator-exchange protein activated by cAMP (Epac) contributes substantially to the increase in these chemokines. These chemokines are known to play an important role in the regulation of immune responses, particularly regarding the pathogenesis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. We also found that a selective cAMP-degrading phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 inhibitor can potentiate the chemokine expression elicited by low-dose forskolin or Prostaglandin E2 (PGE 2 ). These data suggest that chemokine receptor antagonists administered in conjunction with a PDE4 inhibitor may improve both the efficacy and safety of PDE4-inhibitor therapy for chronic inflammatory disorders.
An Investigation of Music Teachers' Work in Changing Times

In this paper I explore elementary musicteachers' descriptions of the work of teachingmusic in changing times. Using survey dataderived from a three-year study of itinerantmusic teachers in Queensland, Australia, Ianalyze how teachers' descriptions of workpractices provides some insight into the labornecessary to achieve intrinsic rewards fromteaching music. Teachers' accounts convey notonly the delights of teaching, but also thedifficulties inherent in accomplishing the workof music teaching in schools in the late 1990s.In written accounts, teachers contrast the``good'' aspects of teaching against a backdropdepicting the obstacles to be overcome in orderto achieve the rewards of teaching. For manymusic teachers, teaching is described as a``labor of love'' – an act requiring hard workand self-sacrifice in the face of excessivedifficulties. I argue that these teachers aresituated – both through the structure of theirworking conditions, and the nature of thesubject area, music – to take responsibilityfor both their own emotional labor and theconsequences of work intensification withinrestructured educational systems. For teachersexpending increasing amounts of emotional laborin school settings in which the outcomes ofwork intensification are clearly evident, thelevels of intrinsic rewards derived fromteaching may be insufficient to sustain theenergy and enthusiasm necessary for effectiveteaching, or even survival in the workplace.
ATP differentially upregulates fibroblast growth factor 2 and transforming growth factor alpha in neonatal and adult mice: effect on neuroproliferation

Multiple neurotrophic factors play a role in proliferation, differentiation and survival in the olfactory epithelium (OE); however, the signaling cascade has not been fully elucidated. We tested the hypotheses that ATP induces the synthesis and secretion of two neurotrophic factors, fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGFα), and that these neurotrophic factors have a role in inducing proliferation. Protein levels of FGF2 and TGFα were increased 20 h post-intranasal instillation of ATP compared to vehicle control in adult Swiss Webster mice. Pre-intranasal treatment with purinergic receptor antagonist pyridoxal-phosphate-6-azophenyl-20,40-disulfonic acid (PPADS) significantly blocked this ATP-induced increase, indicating that upregulation of FGF2 and TGFα expression is mediated by purinergic receptor activation. However, in neonatal mouse, intranasal instillation of ATP significantly increased the protein levels of FGF2, but not TGFα. Likewise, ATP evoked the secretion of FGF2, but not TGFα, from neonatal mouse olfactory epithelial slices and PPADS significantly blocked ATP-evoked FGF2 release. To determine the role of FGF2 and TGFα in inducing proliferation, 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation was examined in adult olfactory epithelium. Intranasal treatment with FGF receptor inhibitor PD173074 or epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor AG1478 following ATP instillation significantly blocked ATP-induced BrdU incorporation. Collectively, these data demonstrate that ATP induces proliferation in adult mouse olfactory epithelium by promoting FGF2 and TGFα synthesis and activation of their receptors. These data suggest that different mechanisms regulate neurogenesis in neonatal and adult OE, and FGF2 and TGFα may have different roles throughout development.
A note on the characterization of the normal distribution

Suppose X1, X2,…, Xn are independent and identically distributed random variables with absolutely continuous distribution function F. It is known that if F is standard normal distribution then (i)∑X2i is a chi-square with n degrees of freedom and (ii)nX¯2 is a chi-square with 1 degrees of freedom where X¯=1/n ∑Xi. Here the above two properties are utilized to characterize the normal distribution.
Toll-like Receptor 4 Is a Sensor for Autophagy Associated with Innate Immunity

Autophagy has recently been shown to be an important component of the innate immune response. The signaling pathways leading to activation of autophagy in innate immunity are not known. Here we showed that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) served as a previously unrecognized environmental sensor for autophagy. Autophagy was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in primary human macrophages and in the murine macrophage RAW264.7 cell line. We defined a new molecular pathway in which LPS-induced autophagy was regulated through a Toll-interleukin-1 receptor domain-containing adaptor-inducing interferon-beta (TRIF)-dependent, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)-independent TLR4 signaling pathway. Receptor-interacting protein (RIP1) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase were downstream components of this pathway. This signaling pathway did not affect cell viability, indicating that it is distinct from the autophagic death signaling pathway. We further showed that LPS-induced autophagy could enhance mycobacterial colocalization with the autophagosomes. This study links two ancient processes, autophagy and innate immunity, together through a shared signaling pathway.
Considering Careers beyond Academia: Advice for Graduate Students

The author draws upon his experience and observations outside academia to provide ten suggestions for graduate students in political science who are exploring nonacademic career options. Their mentors may also find this advice useful.
REVRESED CHRONOBIOLOGY OF THE “DAWN PHENOMENON” IN ADRENAL HEYPERPLASTA: RESURGENCE OF THE ACTH-ADRENAL AXIS

The “dawn phenomenon” is described in patients with insulin dependent diabetes (IDD) and normal subjects characterized by abrupt increases in plasma glucose (G) levels and/or insulin (I) requirements between 5 and 9 a.m. Suppression of cortisol by metyrapone or ACTH by dexamethasone has failed to abolish the “dawn phenomenon” in IDD so the ACTH-adrenal axis has been felt not to play a role. We have tested this hypothesis in patients with 21-hydroxylasc CAH whose ACTH secretion is altered by receiving their usual hs cortisol dosage. Seven patients, m age 2(1.2 ± 1.7 y, M/F:4/3, m hydrocortisone dose 16.7 ± 4.7 mg/m2/day, were studied. Levels of plasma G, I, cortisol, growth hormone were measured q 20 min, ACTH q h. After 0500h plasma glucose dropped significantly (p<0.01) though plasma insulin concentration dropped significantly in all but one, while ACTH levels increased and cortisol dropped then rose. Other hormones were not different before and after 0500h All had normal GTT's. We conclude that a reversed “dawn phenomenon” occurs in treated patients with CAH, suggesting that this phenomenon is an ACTH - cortisol dependent event.
Tax-motivated transfer pricing and US intrafirm trade prices

Abstract This paper analyzes monthly data on US international trade prices between 1997 and 1999 in order to investigate the impact of tax influences on intrafirm trade prices. Results indicate that there is substantial evidence of tax-motivated transfer pricing in US intrafirm trade prices. There is a strong and statistically significant relationship between countries’ tax rates and the prices of intrafirm transactions. Controlling for other variables that affect trade prices, as country tax rates are lower, US intrafirm export prices are lower, and US intrafirm import prices are higher. This finding is consistent with theoretical predictions regarding tax-motivated income shifting behavior.
Practical vision based degraded text recognition system

Rapid growth and progress in the medical, industrial, security and technology fields means more and more consideration for the use of camera based optical character recognition (OCR) Applying OCR to scanned documents is quite mature, and there are many commercial and research products available on this topic. These products achieve acceptable recognition accuracy and reasonable processing times especially with trained software, and constrained text characteristics. Even though the application space for OCR is huge, it is quite challenging to design a single system that is capable of performing automatic OCR for text embedded in an image irrespective of the application. Challenges for OCR systems include; images are taken under natural real world conditions, Surface curvature, text orientation, font, size, lighting conditions, and noise. These and many other conditions make it extremely difficult to achieve reasonable character recognition. Performance for conventional OCR systems drops dramatically as the degradation level of the text image quality increases. In this paper, a new recognition method is proposed to recognize solid or dotted line degraded characters. The degraded text string is localized and segmented using a new algorithm. The new method was implemented and tested using a development framework system that is capable of performing OCR on camera captured images. The framework allows parameter tuning of the image-processing algorithm based on a training set of camera-captured text images. Novel methods were used for enhancement, text localization and the segmentation algorithm which enables building a custom system that is capable of performing automatic OCR which can be used for different applications. The developed framework system includes: new image enhancement, filtering, and segmentation techniques which enabled higher recognition accuracies, faster processing time, and lower energy consumption, compared with the best state of the art published techniques. The system successfully produced impressive OCR accuracies (90% -to- 93%) using customized systems generated by our development framework in two industrial OCR applications: water bottle label text recognition and concrete slab plate text recognition. The system was also trained for the Arabic language alphabet, and demonstrated extremely high recognition accuracy (99%) for Arabic license name plate text recognition with processing times of 10 seconds. The accuracy and run times of the system were compared to conventional and many states of art methods, the proposed system shows excellent results.
Interaction of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon monoxide with supported rhodium

Abstract Uptakes of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon monoxide and the volumetric hydrogen titration of preadsorbed oxygen were investigated for a series of Rh η- Al 2 O 3 catalysts, under a variety of conditions. Behavior toward these gases was complex and differed markedly from that which has been reported for supported-platinum catalysts.