cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Cell Permeable Peptide Inhibitor of NFAT Inhibits Macrophage Cytokine Expression and Ameliorates Experimental Colitis

Nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) plays a critical role in the development and function of immune and non-immune cells. Although NFAT is a central transcriptional regulator of T cell cytokines, its role in macrophage specific gene expression is less defined. Previous work from our group demonstrated that NFAT regulates Il12b gene expression in macrophages. Here, we further investigate NFAT function in murine macrophages and determined the effects of a cell permeable NFAT inhibitor peptide 11R-VIVIT on experimental colitis in mice. Treatment of bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) with tacrolimus or 11R-VIVIT significantly inhibited LPS and LPS plus IFN-γ induced IL-12 p40 mRNA and protein expression. IL-12 p70 and IL-23 secretion were also decreased. NFAT nuclear translocation and binding to the IL-12 p40 promoter was reduced by NFAT inhibition. Experiments in BMDMs from IL-10 deficient (Il10−/−) mice demonstrate that inhibition of IL-12 expression by 11R-VIVIT was independent of IL-10 expression. To test its therapeutic potential, 11R-VIVIT was administered systemically to Il10−/− mice with piroxicam-induced colitis. 11R-VIVIT treated mice demonstrated significant improvement in colitis compared to mice treated with an inactive peptide. Moreover, decreased spontaneous secretion of IL-12 p40 and TNF in supernatants from colon explant cultures was demonstrated. In summary, NFAT, widely recognized for its role in T cell biology, also regulates important innate inflammatory pathways in macrophages. Selective blocking of NFAT via a cell permeable inhibitory peptide is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.
Laser holographic interferometric measurements of the flow in a scramjet inlet at Mach 4

The need for quantitative data is addressed by laser holographic interferometry (LHI) by efficiently recording and reducing high resolution density data. This paper investigates the potential to get quantitative data from an interferogram created from two separate holographic plates. THe LHI measurements were made on a scramjet inlet at Mach 4. LHI successfully generated results for both internal and external flows, and demonstrated its ability to map entire flow fields. Of the three data reduction techniques used, the four-bucket method gave better results than the three-bucket or three-by-three methods. This technique requires high quality holograms as well as a good resolution in the digital images to produce good data.
Development and Testing of a Vaginal Pressure Sensor to Measure Intra-abdominal Pressure in Women

Aims Elevated intra-abdominal pressure may be a potentially modifiable risk factor for pelvic floor disorders. However, limited evidence exists due to the lack of instruments suitable to measure abdominal pressures in real world settings. The aim of this study was to develop and test a vaginal sensor prototype to measure intra-abdominal pressure in women.
Synthesis of homocysteine thiolactone by methionyl-tRNA synthetase in cultured mammalian cells

Homoeysteine thiolactone is a product of an error-editing reaction, catalyzed by Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae methionyl-tRNA synthetases, which prevents incorporation of homocysteine into tRNA and protein both in vitro and in vivo. Here, homocysteine thiolactone is also shown to be synthesized by cultured mammalian cells such as human cervical carcinoma (HeLa), mouse renal adenocarcinoma (RAG), and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells labeled with [35S]methionine, but not by normal human and mouse (Balb/c 3T3) fibroblasts. A temperature-sensitive methionyl-tRNA synthetase mutant of CHO cells, Met-1, does not make the thiolactone at the non-permissive temperature. The data indicate that methionyl-tRNA synthetase is involved in synthesis of homocysteine thiolactone in CHO cells, thereby extending this important proofreading mechanism to mammalian cells.
“The Littlest Science” Revisited

I revisit Allan Mazur’s 1968 claim that sociology is “The Littlest Science.” In doing so, I review four decades of disciplinary battles on how sociology might raise its scientific profile. I examine data on public attitudes toward sociology as a science and how sociology is perceived by the larger scientific community. I conclude that taking a more interdisciplinary perspective will improve the scientific status of sociology.
Secreted Phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1, Osteopontin) Binds to Integrin Alphavbeta6 on Porcine Trophectoderm Cells and Integrin Alphavbeta3 on Uterine Luminal Epithelial Cells, and Promotes Trophectoderm Cell Adhesion and Migration

Conceptus implantation involves pregnancy-specific alterations in extracellular matrix at the conceptus-maternal interface. Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1, osteopontin) is induced just before implantation and is present at the conceptus-maternal interface in mammals. In the present study, we investigated mechanisms by which SPP1 facilitates porcine conceptus and uterine luminal epithelial cell attachment. Native bovine milk and wild-type rat recombinant SPP1 stimulated trophectoderm cell migration. Bovine milk SPP1, ovine uterine SPP1, and recombinant wild-type, but not mutated, rat SPP1 promoted dose- and cation-dependent attachment of porcine trophectoderm and uterine luminal epithelial cells, which was markedly reduced in the presence of a linear Arg-Gly-Asp integrin-blocking peptide. Affinity chromatography and immunoprecipitation experiments revealed direct binding of alpha v beta 6 trophectoderm and alpha v beta 3 uterine epithelial cell integrins to SPP1. Immunofluorescence microscopy using SPP1-coated microspheres revealed colocalization of the alpha v integrin subunit and talin at focal adhesions as well as at the apical domain of trophectoderm cells. Similarly, immunofluorescence staining of implantation sites in frozen gravid uterine cross sections localized SPP1 and alpha v integrin to the apical surfaces of trophectoderm and luminal epithelium and beta 3 integrin to the apical surface of luminal epithelium. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to demonstrate functionally that SPP1 directly binds specific integrins to promote trophectoderm cell migration and attachment to luminal epithelium that may be critical to conceptus elongation and implantation.
A 48-well micro chemotaxis assembly for rapid and accurate measurement of leukocyte migration

We designed a 48-well chemotaxis chamber to minimize manipulation time and amount of material required by the larger blindwell or Boyden chemotaxis chamber. Cell and chemoattractant dose-response curves showed that results were comparable to our better than those obtained with blindwell chambers. The volume of chemoattractant per well is 25 microliter; the number of cells can be as low as 10,000. The time needed for setting up this multiwell unit and for staining the membrane filter sheet is negligible. Combined with the use of an image analyzer to count the number of migrated cells, the method is suitable for clinical research on the functional state of monocytes in large groups of patients.
A discussion between wittgenstein and moore on certainty (1939): : From the notes of Norman Malcolm

In April 1939, G. E. Moore read a paper to the Cambridge University Moral Science Club entitled ‘Certainty’. In it, amongst other things, Moore made the claims that: (i) the phrase ‘it is certain’ could be used with sense-experience-statements, such as ‘I have a pain’, to make statements such as ‘It is certain that I have a pain’; and that (ii) sense-experience-statements can be said to be certain in the same sense as some material-thing-statements can be — namely in the sense that they can be safely counted on. When Moore later read his paper to Wittgenstein, Wittgenstein took violent exception to it, and the two entered into a heated exchange. The only known notes of this exchange are a previously unpublished verbatim record of part of it, taken by Norman Malcolm. This paper is an edition of Malcolm’s notes. These notes are valuable for both philosophical and scholarly reasons. They give us a glimpse of a sustained exchange between Wittgenstein and a real-life interlocutor; they contain a defence by Wittgenstein of the idea that a word’s use can illuminate its meaning; and they provide evidence of Wittgenstein’s philosophical engagement with the topic of certainty, and with Moore’s thought on it, long before he began to write the notes which make up On Certainty, in 1949.
Human toxicity of various oximes. 2-Pyridine aldoxime methyl chloride, its methane sulfonate salt, and 1,1'-trimethylenebis-(4-formylpyridinium chloride).

(1967). Human Toxicity of Various Oximes. Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal: Vol. 15, No. 5, pp. 599-608.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in women

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in developed countries and is increasing in prevalence with the rise of diabetes and obesity. In addition to obesity and age, gender may also influence the prevalence and severity of NAFLD. However, mechanisms underlying gender-based differences in NAFLD have not been clearly defined. Furthermore, alterations in body composition, fat distribution and/or hormonal or metabolic changes that occur following menopause and in the setting of polycystic ovary syndrome may influence the development and progression of NAFLD. In this article, we will summarize known gender differences as well as the proposed mechanisms for gender differences in NAFLD, review two women-specific issues that may influence the prevalence and severity of NAFLD, menopause and polycystic ovary syndrome, and discuss potential therapeutic options for women with NAFLD who are postmenopausal or have polycystic ovary syndrome.
Stereo nonmydriatic digital-video color retinal imaging compared with Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study seven standard field 35-mm stereo color photos for determining level of diabetic retinopathy.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the ability to determine clinical levels of diabetic retinopathy, timing of next appropriate retinal evaluation, and necessity of referral to ophthalmology specialists using stereoscopic nonmydriatic digital-video color retinal images as compared with Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) seven standard field 35-mm stereoscopic color fundus photographs. Design Prospective, clinic-based, comparative instrument validation study. Participants Fifty-four patients (108 eyes) with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus selected after chart review from a single center to include the full spectrum of diabetic retinopathy. Methods Nonsimultaneous 45°-field stereoscopic digital-video color images (JVN images) were obtained from three fields with the Joslin Vision Network (JVN) system before pupil dilation. Following pupil dilation, ETDRS seven standard field 35-mm stereoscopic color 30° fundus photographs (ETDRS photos) were obtained. Joslin Vision Network images and ETDRS photos were graded on a lesion-by-lesion basis by two independent, masked readers to assess ETDRS clinical level of diabetic retinopathy. An independent ophthalmology retina specialist adjudicated interreader disagreements in a masked fashion. Main outcome measures Determination of ETDRS clinical level of diabetic retinopathy, timing of next ophthalmic evaluation of diabetic retinopathy, and need for prompt referral to ophthalmology specialist. Results There was substantial agreement (κ = 0.65) between the clinical level of diabetic retinopathy assessed from the undilated JVN images and the dilated ETDRS photos. Agreement was excellent (κ = 0.87) for suggested referral to ophthalmology specialists for eye examinations. Comparison of individual lesions between the JVN images and the ETDRS photos and for interreader comparisons were comparable to the prior ETDRS study. Conclusions Undilated digital-video images using the JVN system were comparable photographs for the determination of diabetic retinopathy level. The results validate the agreement between nonmydriatic JVN images and dilated ETDRS photographs and suggest that this digital technique may be an effective telemedicine tool for remotely determining the level of diabetic retinopathy, suggesting timing of next retinal evaluation and identifying the need for prompt referral to ophthalmology specialists. Thus, the JVN system would be an appropriate tool for facilitating increased access of diabetic patients into recommended eye evaluations, but should not be construed as a paradigm that would replace the need for comprehensive eye examinations.
POPULATION POLICY: OPINIONS AND ACTIONS OF GOVERNMENTS

In identifying the problems faced by nations starting population programs use may be made of certain formal properties of government responses to a survey. An attempt was made here to construct a model by which government reports can be analysed like individual interviews. The content of the reports reflects the compromise between opinions of many individuals; its exact meaning may be an accident of bureaucratic procedure. The possibility of this type of an analysis are illustrated by the example of an actual survey on population policy in which 113 governments were contacted and 43 of them responded. The response rate types of respondents types of countries and reports are discussed and implications analysed.
The Surface Interaction of Oxygen with a Gamma Tial

The composition and bonding of incipient and atmospheric oxides grown on a [gamma]-TiAl (2 at.% Nb) were examined using Auger, x-ray, and low-energy ion scattering spectroscopies. The was determined with secondary-ion mass depth distribution of various components spectroscopy (SIMS). An oxide grown on the material in air at room temperature showed advanced Al and Ti oxide bonding states, which had very different stabilities during heating in vacuum up to 600[degrees]C. The Ti-oxygen bonding state was markedly reduced while the Al oxide was somewhat enhanced during this process. Further controlled studies at 600[degrees]C, involving oxygen adsorption below [approximately]10[sup [minus]6] Torr, showed an initial Al cation surface enrichment until the detectable Al2p peak was 90% oxidized. Further oxygen exposure gradually produced a fully oxidized Ti valence state with a pronounced enrichment of the Ti cation at the vacuum-solid interface. The results are discussed in terms of the kinetic and thermodynamic factors of the rate-limiting steps in the oxidation process.
Partitioning techniques for fine-grained indexing

Many data-intensive websites use databases that grow much faster than the rate that users access the data. Such growing datasets lead to ever-increasing space and performance overheads for maintaining and accessing indexes. Furthermore, there is often considerable skew with popular users and recent data accessed much more frequently. These observations led us to design Shinobi, a system which uses horizontal partitioning as a mechanism for improving query performance to cluster the physical data, and increasing insert performance by only indexing data that is frequently accessed. We present database design algorithms that optimally partition tables, drop indexes from partitions that are infrequently queried, and maintain these partitions as workloads change. We show a 60× performance improvement over traditionally indexed tables using a real-world query workload derived from a traffic monitoring application
Reduction of intimal hyperplasia in injured rat arteries promoted by catheter balloons coated with polyelectrolyte multilayers that contain plasmid DNA encoding PKCδ

New therapeutic approaches that eliminate or reduce the occurrence of intimal hyperplasia following balloon angioplasty could improve the efficacy of vascular interventions and improve the quality of life of patients suffering from vascular diseases. Here, we report that treatment of arteries using catheter balloons coated with thin polyelectrolyte-based films ('polyelectrolyte multilayers', PEMs) can substantially reduce intimal hyperplasia in an in vivo rat model of vascular injury. We used a layer-by-layer (LbL) process to coat the surfaces of inflatable catheter balloons with PEMs composed of nanolayers of a cationic poly(β-amino ester) (polymer 1) and plasmid DNA (pPKCδ) encoding the δ isoform of protein kinase C (PKCδ), a regulator of apoptosis and other cell processes that has been demonstrated to reduce intimal hyperplasia in injured arterial tissue when administered via perfusion using viral vectors. Insertion of balloons coated with polymer 1/pPKCδ multilayers into injured arteries for 20 min resulted in local transfer of DNA and elevated levels of PKCδ expression in the media of treated tissue three days after delivery. IFC and IHC analysis revealed these levels of expression to promote downstream cellular processes associated with up-regulation of apoptosis. Analysis of arterial tissue 14 days after treatment revealed polymer 1/pPKCδ-coated balloons to reduce the occurrence of intimal hyperplasia by ~60% compared to balloons coated with films containing empty plasmid vectors. Our results demonstrate the potential therapeutic value of this nanotechnology-based approach to local gene delivery in the clinically important context of balloon-mediated vascular interventions. These PEM-based methods could also prove useful for other in vivo applications that require short-term, surface-mediated transfer of plasmid DNA.
New Kinds of Data, New Options for HIV Prevention Among Women: A Public Health Challenge

This theoretical article applies and extends the theory of gender and power developed by Robert Connell to define the exposures and risk factors that put women at increased vulnerability to HIV. Gina M.Wingood and Ralph J. DiClemente in “Application of the Theory of Gender and Power to Examine HIV-Related Exposures Risk Factors and Effective Interventions for Women” propose a new and innovative theoretical framework for understanding the risk factors for HIV among women. They provide fairly detailed recommendations for HIV interventions to address the three major structures that characterize the gendered relationships between men and women: the sexual division of labor the sexual division of power and the structure of cathexis. Public health researchers and practitioners are in need of new models for addressing this issue. The predominant theoretical models prevalent in HIV/STD behavior change (i.e. health belief model theory of reasoned action social cognitive theory transtheoretical stages of change model AIDS risk reduction model) even those that have informed community interventions have been justly criticized as being individualistic in their conceptualization. Although several include sociocultural and interpersonal elements such as perceived norms concerning behaviors their applications often ignore the social and cultural context of women’s (and men’s) sexual behaviors. They assume that the individual has total control over behavior and do not address the diverse contextual factors related to gender (e.g. power differentials gender roles) that likely influence behaviors that put women at risk for HIV. Thus the elaboration of the theory of gender and power to better understand the determinants of risk factors for HIV among women is an important and timely addition to our thinking about this public health issue. (excerpt)
Effects of the physical properties of water masses on microbial activity during an Ice Shelf Water overflow in the central Ross Sea

During the 1997-98 Italian Expedition a five-day mesoscale experiment was carried out on the continental shelf-break in the central Ross Sea. This area is oceanographically characterized by shelf/slope interactions, through intense mixing processes, between the Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) and the Ice Shelf Water (ISW), coming from beneath the Ross Ice Shelf and spilling over the shelf edge. The export of dense shelf waters is of crucial importance not only for the mass balance of the basin, but also for carbon export from the upper layers into the abyssal ones. The study investigated how the ISW interactions with the CDW may influence bacterial metabolism during an ISW downslope event. In particular, what effect does this have on the bacterial activities related to the utilization and transformation of the organic carbon substrate (ectoenzymatic activities, carbon production, growth rate) within the ISW and the CDW cores? Our data show that in the CDW the metabolic response was to increase the biomass and enzymes were less active due to a higher nutritional value for the substrate. In the ISW the bacterial metabolic activity shifted towards degradative processes. These results suggest differences in the quality of the organic carbon pool with a greater concentration of labile organic matter in the CDW and of low-degradable compounds in the ISW. The use of microbial parameters seems to be very promising in the evaluation of the carbon export during mixing processes, when the refractory fraction of the organic carbon pool might play a key role.
Aggressive behavior in abused children

Our objective was to investigate the relationship between a lifetime history of traumatic stress, defined as physical and/or sexual abuse and aggression and psychosocial functioning in a sample of clinically referred and nonclinically referred children and adolescents. This is a retrospective case comparison study. Three groups of children were identified, assessed, matched for age, and partially matched for gender. Children clinically referred to residential treatment with a history of abuse (N = 29) were compared with children clinically referred to residential treatment without a history of abuse (N = 29), and a nonclinical group of children residing in the community (N = 29). Variables investigating specific types of aggression, IQ, and psychopathology were assessed across the three groups. Clinically referred children scored worse on all measures compared with nonclinical community children. Clinically referred abused children scored higher on measures of aggression and significantly higher on measures of reactive aggression and verbal aggression than clinically referred nonabused children. Clinically referred abused children had significantly lower verbal IQ scores than clinically referred nonabused children, but no difference in psychopathology. Results support the importance of assessing specific types of aggression in samples of traumatized youths. Verbal information processing may be especially vulnerable in abused children and adolescents and enhance vulnerability to aggressive responding.
Environmental variability and collective action: Experimental insights from an irrigation game

Abstract Studies of collective action in commons dilemmas in social–ecological systems typically focus on scenarios in which actors all share symmetric (or similar) positions in relation to the common-pool resource. Many common social–ecological systems do not meet these criteria, most notably, irrigation systems. Participants in irrigation systems must solve two related collective action problems: 1) the provisioning of physical infrastructure necessary to utilize the resource (water), and 2) the asymmetric common-pool resource dilemma where the relative positions of “head-enders” and “tail-enders” generate asymmetric access to the resource itself (water). In times of scarcity, head-enders have an incentive to not share water with tail-enders. Likewise, tail-enders have an incentive to not provide labor to maintain the system if they do not receive water. These interdependent incentives may induce a cooperative outcome under favorable conditions. However, how robust is this system of interdependent incentives in the presence of environmental variability that generates uncertainty about water availability either through variation in the water supply itself or through shocks to infrastructure? This paper reports on results from laboratory experiments designed to address this question.
Neuropsychological correlates of urine toxicology results

Abstract 1. 1. The present study evaluated neuropsychological differences among 4 groups of men and women, aged 15 to 61 years. The groups were defined on the basis of urine toxicology screens indicating recent cocaine (n = 12), cannabis (n = 14), or multiple drug (n = 7) use, or no such use (n = 21). 2. 2. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), the Trail Making Tests, and the Porteus Maze Test were administered to all subjects. 3. 3. Analyses revealed no significant differences between the groups in age, gender composition, or in the proportion of group members with personal histories of alcohol/drug abuse or dependence, or Anti-Social Personality Disorder. 4. 4. The cocaine positive group exhibited statistically significant impairments in Verbal IQ, as well as on Information, Vocabulary, Comprehension, Picture Completion, and Trails B subtests. The other experimental groups did not differ from the urine negative group.
ELEVATED TEMPERATURE SENSORS FOR ON-LINE CRITICAL EQUIPMENT HEALTH MONITORING

The objective of the program was to improve high temperature piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) sensor technology to make it useful for instrumentation and health monitoring of current and future electrical power generation equipment. Improvements were aimed primarily at extending the useful temperature range of the sensor from approximately 700 C to above 1000 C, and investigating ultrasonic coupling to objects at these temperatures and tailoring high temperature coupling for use with the sensor. During the project, the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) AlN deposition process was successfully transferred from film production on tungsten carbide substrates to titanium alloy and silicon carbide (SiC) substrates. Film adhesion under thermal cycling was found to be poor, and additional substrate materials and surface preparations were evaluated. A new, porous SiC substrate improved the performance but not to the point of making the films useful for sensors. Near the end of the program, a new family of high temperature piezoelectric materials came to the attention of the program. Samples of langasite, the most promising member of this family, were obtained and experimental data showed promise for use up to the 1000 C target temperature. In parallel, research successfully determined that metal foil under moderate pressure provided a practical method of coupling ultrasound at high temperature. A conceptual sensor was designed based upon these methods and was tested in the laboratory.
Endophytic fungi alter relationships between diversity and ecosystem properties

Recent studies have expanded research on biodiversity by investigating whether the effects of diversity on ecosystem functioning hinge on the presence of symbiotic microorganisms. Cool-season grasses commonly harbour endophytic fungi that can enhance plant resistance to herbivory, drought and competition. We address whether these endosymbionts modify relationships between diversity and two ecosystem properties: productivity and invasibility. We develop a graphical model that predicts endophyte infection of a grass host will weaken correlations between diversity and ecosystem properties. We then use a long-term field experiment to test this prediction by manipulating symbiosis in tall fescue grass (Festuca arundinacea), a common and invasive species in the US. As predicted, endophyte infection reduced the strength of correlations between diversity and both primary productivity and the invasiveness of tall fescue. By altering relationships between diversity and ecosystem functioning, endophytic fungi may contribute more to the dynamics of communities than previously supposed.
Synthesis of pyridine fused polycyclic amines using sequential ring-closing metathesis and radical cyclisation reactions

The syntheses of novel pyridine fused polycyclic bridgehead amines are described using sequential ring-closing metathesis (RCM) and 5-exo-trig intramolecular radical cyclisation reactions. Critical to the success of the two sequential steps were the RCM catalyst and/or the nature of the nitrogen atom.
Magnesium Deficiency/Loss from Myocardium

The foregoing section has dealt predominantly with the evidence that magnesium deficiency can be contributory to arterial lesions (culminating either in sudden death or in chronic atherosclerosis) that are implicated in the cardiovascular diseases of civilization. Raab (1972), in his introduction to a symposium on myocardiology, commented that the current “official” approach to the problem of degenerative heart disease represents adherence to “traditional but outdated concepts that imply a purely, or almost purely coronary vascular origin of fatal myocardial lesions.” He referred to evidence that in about half the deaths clinically attributed to “myocardial infarctions,” “coronary occlusions,” “coronary thrombosis,” or “coronary artery disease,” no thrombi or vascular occlusions were found on autopsy (Baroldi, 1969, 1970/1972; Spain and Bradess, 1960). He suggested that the term “coronary heart disease” be replaced by one referring to “cardiac hypoxic dysionism,” as encompassing the ionic myocardial changes produced in association with the myocardial hypoxia resulting from a decreased oxygen supply (coronary insufficiency) in conjunction with stress-induced hormonal (catecholamine) increased oxygen demand (Raab, 1969). As depicted in Fig. 7–1 (Raab, 1972), hypoxia causes decreased myocardial concentrations of both magnesium and potassium and increased myocardial sodium. This dysionic pattern is contributed to by stress-induced corticosteroid secretion.
Evaluation of cell-line-derived xenograft tumours as controls for immunohistochemical testing for ER and PR

Quality control (QC) for immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis routinely incorporates archived specimens for on-slide control material. We have assessed the utility of cell-line-derived xenograft (CDX) tumours for QC in breast estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) biomarker testing. Immunoblot and IHC analyses were used to select cell lines with different steady-state levels of ER and PR expression. CDX tumours all demonstrated consistent and comparable expression of ER and PR with corresponding cell lines from which they were derived. Three pathologists experienced in breast biomarker reporting scored tumours from different locations on mammary fat pads to determine reproducibility. Tumours from different locations were consistently scored as identical, and the CDX tumours representing different levels of biomarker expression were similar to patient-derived controls. Pathologists could not consistently distinguish CDX tumours from patient-derived controls, suggesting that within the appropriate quality management setting, CDX tumours may serve as control material for reporting purposes.
A Pragma-Dialectical Analysis of the Inquisition

Disagreement space consists of all the commitments and understandings required for an utterance to take on its discourse function. These are virtual standpoints that can be called out for explicit argumentation. This paper shows how the Inquisition systematically controlled disagreement space, preventing some apparently important standpoints from ever being argued about, and requiring attention to others that may not have initially seemed relevant. This control of disagreement space constituted violation of the rules for critical discussion. The essay suggests that the idea of disagreement space be slightly enlarged, to show the distinctions among virtual, possible, and actual disagreement spaces. The Inquisition's extra-argumentative power is what permitted its specification of the possible disagreement space. The analysis suggests that pragma-dialectics may have application in the criticism and analysis of social institutions.
New designs for cancer vaccine and artificial veto cells: an emerging palette of protein paints.

Antigen-presenting cells (APC) can be refaced with “protein paints” that change the appearance of their T cell-oriented trans signal arrays. Our group has developed three categories of protein paints suitable for this kind of APC engineering: artificial glycosylphos-phatidylinositol (GPI) proteins, palmitated-protein A: Fcγ1 fusion protein conjugates, and trans signal converter proteins. Protein paints have been devised with either immune enhancement or suppression in mind. Costimulator · GPI and palmitated-protein A: costimulator · Fcγ1 conjugates can be used to augment the immune-activating potential of tumor cells. Alternatively, protein paints can be designed to transform APC into artificial veto cells, in essence creating Trojan horses capable of inhibiting pathogenic T cells. Trans signal converter proteins (TSCP) have been devised for this purpose. Our first paradigmatic inhibitory TSCP, CTLA-4 · Fas ligand, binds to APC, and in so doing, simultaneously blocks B7 costimulation (via CTLA-4) and sends inhibitory trans signals (via Fas ligand) to T cells with dramatic efficacy. Protein transfer offers a number of advantages over gene transfer in facilitating quantitative and combinatorial protein expression and simplifying in vivo applications; the palette of protein paints with immunotherapeutic potential will undoubtedly continue to evolve.
Development of the Granary Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on Barley, Corn, Oats, Rice, and Wheat

Granary weevil, Sitophilus Granarius (L.), development from egg to adult emergence on barley, corn, oats, rice, and wheat was examined at 27.5°C and 75% RH. Development was slowest on corn and fastest on rice. No differences in developmental duration were observed among barley, oats, and wheat. Progeny production was highest on barley and wheat, followed by (in descending order) corn, rice, and oats. Granary weevil development from egg to adult emergence on corn was examined at 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35°C, and 43, 58, or 75% RH. Development was slowest at 15°C and fastest at 30°C. Development was slowest at 43% RH. Few weevils emerged at 43% RH, and only one weevil emerged at 35°C and 75% RH. Granary weevil development from egg to adult emergence on barley was examined at 15, 20, 25, 27.5, and 300°C, and 43, 58, or 75% RH. Development was slowest at 15°C for all RH values and at 43% RH for all temperatures.
Related Risks: Foreclosure, Health Problems and Economic Insecurity in the USA

Libman, Fields and Saegert provide a rich analysis of how health problems and mortgage distress in the USA are often wrapped up in a complex web of common causation and vicious circles. Their socia...
SER Y ESTAR SON PAN COMIDO: LA ENSEÑANZA DE LA GRAMÁTICA MEDIANTE EXPRESIONES IDIOMÁTICAS

Este articulo presenta un estudio sobre la ensenanza de expresiones idiomaticas, modismos o frases hechas como ser un cero a la izquierda en un curso de espanol como lengua extranjera de nivel intermedio. Tomando como punto de partida recomendaciones de incorporar las expresiones idiomaticas en la ensenanza de clases de segunda lengua (ej. Irujo, 1986b; Liontas, 2003; Tran, 2012), el estudio investiga un acercamiento pedagogico que hasta ahora no ha recibido mucha atencion: el uso de los modismos como recurso mnemonico en el aprendizaje de aspectos gramaticales de la lengua. Se aprovecharon los materiales didacticos de Zyzik (2010) y Zyzik y Marques-Pascual (en prensa) para comparar dos metodos diferentes de la ensenanza explicita de la distincion semantica entre ser y estar : uno con actividades de reconocimiento y produccion y otro mediante la ensenanza de expresiones idiomaticas. Los resultados indicaron que la ensenanza de modismos no es necesariamente mejor que otros metodos de ensenanza, pero si es una opcion viable para la practica de la gramatica a la vez que fomenta el aprendizaje del lenguaje idiomatico.
Using a Task-Filled Delay During Discrimination Trials to Examine Different Components of Learned Visual Categorical Perception.

The evidence concerning the level at which learned CP effects occur is complex. The goal of this study was to use a different approach to this question by manipulating the abstractness of the information available for distinguishing pairs of items in an XAB task, and the presence or absence of a short task-filled delay between X and AB. Participants engaged in XAB trials containing a mixture of trials with and without the delay task before and after standard training to classify visual texture stimuli into two categories. Training improved discrimination of pairs differing on the category-relevant dimension whether withinor betweencategory, but not on pairs differing only on non-category relevant low level features. In addition, only successful learners in the post-training trials avoided decreased discrimination accuracy due to the delay task, suggesting that they formed more stable representations. However, this effect was not limited to pairs varying in category-relevant ways.
Mechanism of modulation of the voltage-gated skeletal and cardiac muscle sodium channels by fatty acids.

Voltage-gated rat skeletal muscle and cardiac Na+ channels are modulated by exogenous unsaturated fatty acids. Application of 1-10 microM arachidonic or oleic acids reversibly depressed Na+ channel...
AHA responds to proposals on medical waste incineration.

Roger Olson, chairman of facilities operations for the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, testified on behalf of the American Hospital Association before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards on the EPA's proposed rules on medical waste incinerators. Here's what he had to say.
Characterization of a high-molecular-weight glycoprotein isolated from the pulmonary secretions of patients with alveolar proteinosis.

A high-molecular-weight glycoprotein was isolated, purified and partially characterized from the insoluble pulmonary secretions accumulating in lungs of patients suffering from pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. On electrophoresis in 5% polyacrylamide gel in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate and 2-mercaptoethanol, the purified protein gave one major band as detected by Coomassie Blue as well as with periodic acid/Schiff staining. An apparent mol.wt. of 250000 was estimated for this glycoprotein. Amino acid analysis showed that it contains hydroxyproline, and relatively high amounts of glycine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid and leucine. It contains approx. 6% hexose, 3% sialic acid and 2% glucosamine. The neutral sugars are galactose, mannose and fucose. An antiserum prepared in rabbits against this high-molecular-weight glycoprotein cross-reacted with two smaller glycoproteins (mol.wts. 62000 and 36000) isolated from the same pulmonary secretions of these patients. A complementary observation was also made when this large alveolar glycoprotein cross-reacted with an antiserum prepared in rabbits against the smaller glycoprotein (mol.wt. 36000). It appears that this high-molecular-weight glycoprotein may be the precursor of the two smaller glycoproteins present in the same diseased pulmonary secretions.
Documenting the Undocumented: Testimonios as a Humanizing Pedagogy

This article delves deep into the story of “illegal” immigration, while humanizing the issue of those who experience it and its enduring consequences. In so doing, this study seeks to look beyond the broadly articulated claims about undocumented immigrants and shed light on what it really means to be unauthorized in America. This body of research challenges current immigration discourse through personal accounts, by exposing the areas of immigration where understanding is most needed. I use the methodological approach of testimonio to conduct, collect, and analyze four testimonio interviews of current undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Towards the endeavor, this article seeks to create a rich narrative of human survival and about the struggles and obstacles undocumented immigrants face within our broken immigration system.
Temperatures and Optical Depths of Saturn's Rings and a Brightness Temperature for Titan

The Pioneer Saturn infrared radiometer viewed Saturn's rings at 20- and 45-µm wavelength under several conditions of illumination. The data are analyzed to infer radial locations of major ring boundaries, temperatures and temperature gradients, and normal optical depths. Error bounds on the above inferred quantities are given. Most ring boundaries are defined to ±0.01 R_s(1 R_s≡6 × 10^4 km) and are in good agreement with those inferred from the imaging photopolarimeter experiment. Temperatures generally decrease with radial distance from the planet. A significant temperature gradient exists from the colder north (unilluminated) side of the rings to the warmer south side. The gradient appears to be steepest on the south side. Ring optical depths are greater than some previously published values and are approximately 0.1 for the Cassini division and the C ring. In addition, the C ring optical depth decreases towards the planet. The temperature drop during eclipse is ≳10 K, implying low thermal inertia for the ring particles. Titan's 45-µm brightness temperature is 75±5 K, in good agreement with earth-based observations.
Clinicopathologic characteristics of metastatic esophageal carcinoma isolated to the pineal region: A case report and review of the literature

Metastasis to the pineal region is a rare event, and esophageal adenocarcinoma metastatic to the pineal region is exceptionally rare, with only two cases reported in the current literature. Here, we characterize a third case of metastatic esophageal adenocarcinoma to the pineal region, and compare clinicopathological characteristics among all three cases. The three patients were men, with ages at neurological presentation ranging from 48 to 65years. Time from initial esophageal adenocarcinoma diagnosis to development of neurologic symptoms ranged from 12 to 23months. Neuroimaging in all cases showed an isolated enhancing pineal region mass with sizes ranging from 1.8 to 2.2cm. All cases were believed to have local control of esophageal disease prior to metastatic sequela, with initial treatment including esophageal resection with or without chemoradiation therapy. No cases had evidence of primary site disease progression at time of metastatic presentation, nor were there signs of other sites of metastasis. All patients underwent tumor excision and were referred for subsequent radiotherapy. Overall, all three cases demonstrate similar demographics, histology, and clinical presentations. In the appropriate clinical setting it is important to keep esophageal metastasis in the differential diagnosis, particularly in the setting of isolated pineal lesions.
An Integrated Framework for Cyber Situation Awareness

In this chapter, we present a framework that integrates an array of techniques and automated tools designed with the objective of drastically enhancing the Cyber Situation Awareness process. This framework incorporates the theory and the tools we developed to answer – automatically and efficiently – some of the fundamental questions security analysts may need to ask in the context of Cyber Situation Awareness. Most of the work presented in this chapter is the result of the research effort conducted by the authors as part of a the Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative project sponsored by the Army Research Office that was mentioned in the introductory chapter. We present the key challenges the research community has been called to address in this space, and describe our major accomplishments in tackling those challenges.
Application of Ultra-High Pressure Cavitation Peening on Reactor Vessel Head Penetration, BMN and Primary Nozzles

Cavitation Peening (CP) is achieved by delivery of Ultra-High Pressure (UHP) water through a nozzle, the pressure drop through the orifice creating cavitation bubbles, and delivering these bubbles to the target metal surfaces. Collapse of the bubbles on the surface generates a shock wave resulting in compressive stresses. Complex or regular geometric surfaces can be treated by “coating” them with cavitation bubbles through this simple, robust, and forgiving process. Laboratory tests have demonstrated that the compressive stresses due to UHP CP prevent PWSCC crack initiation of Alloy 600. UHP CP additionally does not significantly affect roughness and hardness in depth of the mitigated surfaces nor risk to damage the component. UHP CP can be applied cost effectively to the remaining Alloy 600 primary components in order to prevent expensive repairs or replacements. Process parameter development and a tooling qualification program for the application of the UHP CP process on Alloy 600 RPV head penetration nozzles was completed, and this process was successfully implemented in several PWRs.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Approaches: a Current Overview

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a global human pathogen responsible for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). While RSV infection is innocuous in healthy adults, it is the leading cause of infant hospitalization for respiratory tract infection. Nearly everyone shows evidence of an RSV infection by the age of 3. However, there is still not a vaccine commercially available. This review will provide an update on the clinical and preclinical vaccine studies and different approaches to prevent RSV infection. Novel vaccine approaches that induce protection against RSV without enhancement of respiratory tract disease. Recent technological approaches have led to generation of different strategies to prevent RSV infection, including live attenuated, chimeric, and subunit vaccines, virus-like particles, and nanoparticles. These vaccine approaches represent promising candidates towards an efficient RSV vaccine that effectively protects infants, children, and adults.
Improving Diabetes Self-Management Support: Goal-Setting Across the Continuum of Care

IN BRIEF Goal-setting has consistently been promoted as a strategy to support behavior change and diabetes self-care. Although goal-setting conversations occur most often in outpatient settings, clinicians across care settings need to better understand and communicate about the priorities, goals, and concerns of those with diabetes to develop collaborative, person-centered partnerships and to improve clinical outcomes. The electronic health record is a mechanism for improved communication and collaboration across the continuum of care. This article describes a quality improvement project that was intended to improve the person-centeredness of care for adults with diabetes by offering goal-setting and self-management support during and after hospitalization.
Two theorems on list decoding

We prove the following results concerning the list decoding of error-correcting codes: 1. We show that for any code with a relative distance of δ (over a large enough alphabet), the following result holds for random errors: With high probability, for a ρ ≤ δ - e fraction of random errors (for any e > 0), the received word will have only the transmitted codeword in a Hamming ball of radius ρ around it. Thus, for random errors, one can correct twice the number of errors uniquely correctable from worst-case errors for any code. A variant of our result also gives a simple algorithm to decode Reed-Solomon codes from random errors that, to the best of our knowledge, runs faster than known algorithms for certain ranges of parameters. 2. We show that concatenated codes can achieve the list decoding capacity for erasures. A similar result for worst-case errors was proven by Guruswami and Rudra (SODA 08), although their result does not directly imply our result. Our results show that a subset of the random ensemble of codes considered by Guruswami and Rudra also achieve the list decoding capacity for erasures. We also show that the exponential list size bound in our result with outer random linear codes cannot be improved using the recent techniques of Guruswami, Hastad and Kopparty that achieved similar improvements for errors. Our proofs employ simple counting and probabilistic arguments.