cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biology of Brain Metastasis

Brain metastases, which develop in up to 35% of all cancer patients, are a major cause of death from cancer. Development of improved therapies requires the understanding of the biology of brain metastasis. A relevant in vivo model for brain metastasis is essential. The intracarotid injection of murine or human cancer cells into syngeneic or immune-incompetent mice produces metastasis in different regions of the brain. This site-specific metastasis is not due to patterns of initial cell arrest, motility, or invasiveness, but rather to the ability of tumor cells to proliferate in the brain parenchyma or the meninges. The blood-brain barrier is intact in metastases that are smaller than 0.25 mm in diameter. Although in larger metastases the blood-brain barrier is leaky, the lesions are resistant to many chemotherapeutic drugs. These data demonstrate that the development of brain metastasis represents the end result of multiple interactions between tumor cells and the unique microenvironment of the brain.
Analytic Index to the Texts

Note: In this Index only those points which, in the texts, are explicitly attributed to Plato or the Platonici are listed. The points are arranged under key terms, phrases or statements. Only two sets of subdivisions are used under each heading. The first subordinate headings are printed in italics; if additional subdivisions under these are necessary, they are placed, in small letters, within parentheses.
Thymosin β4 Prevents Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Fibrosis in Ethanol- and LPS-Induced Liver Injury in Mice.

Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), an actin-sequestering protein, is involved in tissue development and regeneration. It prevents inflammation and fibrosis in several tissues. We investigated the role of Tβ4 in chronic ethanol- and acute lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced mouse liver injury. C57BL/6 mice were fed 5% ethanol in liquid diet for 4 weeks plus binge ethanol (5 g/kg, gavage) with or without LPS (2 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) for 6 hours. Tβ4 (1 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) was administered for 1 week. We demonstrated that Tβ4 prevented ethanol- and LPS-mediated increase in liver injury markers as well as changes in liver pathology. It also prevented ethanol- and LPS-mediated increase in oxidative stress by decreasing ROS and lipid peroxidation and increasing the antioxidants, reduced glutathione and manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase. It also prevented the activation of nuclear factor kappa B by blocking the phosphorylation of the inhibitory protein, IκB, thereby prevented proinflammatory cytokine production. Moreover, Tβ4 prevented fibrogenesis by suppressing the epigenetic repressor, methyl-CpG-binding protein 2, that coordinately reversed the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and downregulated fibrogenic genes, platelet-derived growth factor-β receptor, α-smooth muscle actin, collagen 1, and fibronectin, resulting in reduced fibrosis. Our data suggest that Tβ4 has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic potential during alcoholic liver injury.
When to fight? Disentangling temperature and circadian effects on aggression and agonistic contests

Agonistic behaviour is an important component of intraspecific competition because outcomes of agonistic contests can serve as indicators of fitness, helping the victors secure critical resources. Although several factors affecting aggression, including age and body size, have been well documented, few studies have examined the effects of abiotic factors on aggression and outcomes of agonistic contests. Abiotic factors affect a broad range of behaviours and can naturally covary, but some factors are becoming increasingly uncoupled. For example, ongoing climate change continues to shift temperature, but not light:dark, cycles. Thus, we employed a 2 × 2 factorial design in sand field crickets, Gryllus firmus, to disentangle the naturally covarying effects of temperature and circadian rhythms. During early adulthood, virgin males were maintained in either a typical or inverted diel temperature cycle (i.e. cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon, or warm in the morning and cool in the afternoon, respectively) reflecting field conditions (20.5–32 °C). Agonistic contests occurred at either cool (22 °C) or warm (31 °C) periods in the temperature cycle. Morphological traits, such as head width, femur length and testes mass, positively covaried and influenced the outcome of contests where relatively large crickets won most contests. However, temperature and time of day had additive, interactive effects on the level of aggression and the duration of contests. Contests occurring in cool, morning conditions were relatively long and aggressive. Although crickets appeared to use a mutual assessment strategy (contests between males of mismatched body size took longer to initiate), there may have been a context-dependent shift to a self-assessment strategy during warm evenings. Thus, plasticity in agonistic behaviour occurred due to the interactive, additive effects of temperature and circadian dynamics. We encourage continued investigation into studies that disentangle the effects of temperature and circadian effects on other fitness-related behaviours, such as mate choice or foraging.
AB0867 DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS INFLUENCE SUCCESS OF ALLOPURINOL AS URATE LOWERING THERAPY

Background Elevated levels of serum urate (sUA) is the known precursor of gout and urate lowering therapies (ULT) are the backbone of successful gout treatment. However, less is known about factors that influence the effectiveness of ULTs. Depression has shown strong relationships with treatment noncompliance, which may translate into reduced effectiveness of treatment with allopurinol. Little is known about any effects depression may produce on the observed serum urate lowering efficacy of ULTs (e.g.; allopurinol). Objectives To evaluate the role of depressive symptoms in the efficacy of allopurinol for lowering sUA in the context of a clinical trial. Methods Within a larger cross-over clinical trial of 300 daily mg of allopurinol vs. placebo for urate lowering and its effect in ambulatory blood pressure (1), 67 patients had complete data for depressive symptoms at the beginning of each treatment period, as well as sUA before and after a 4-week treatment period with allopurinol and a 4-week placebo period (order of conditions was randomized). Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-10 (CESD-10) (2). Paired samples t-test evaluated change in sUA from pre- to post-treatment during active treatment and placebo. Then, linear regressions predicted change in sUA over each treatment period from pre-treatment depressive symptoms, adjusting for sex and race which were associated with baseline sUA levels. Results The 67 patients had average age 27.01 years (SD=6.5, range 18-40), 39% were African-American, and 64% were males. Over the 4-week active treatment period, sUA levels decreased from average 5.8 mg/dL (SD=1.2) (345.7 µmol/L) to 4.4 mg/dL (SD=1.2) (261.7 µmol/L), p Conclusion Even in the absence of clinical diagnosis of depression, depressive symptoms are associated with reduced efficacy of urate-lowering with allopurinol. This could have important implications for gout treatment, as it would suggest that screening for depressive symptoms might be indicated for treatment success. Additional analyses will address whether this effect can be explained by treatment noncompliance. References [1] Saddekni MB, Saag KG, Dudenbostel T, et al. Contemp Clin Trials. 2016:238-44. [2] Bjorgvinsson, T., Kertz, S.J., Bigda-Peyton, J.S., McCoy, K.L., Aderka, I.M. Assessment. 2013. 20, 429-436. Disclosure of Interests Sylvie Mrug: None declared, Catheryn Orihuela: None declared, Elizabeth Rahn: None declared, Kenneth Saag Grant/research support from: Amgen, Ironwood/AstraZeneca, Horizon, SOBI, Takeda, Consultant for: Abbvie, Amgen, Ironwood/AstraZeneca, Bayer, Gilead, Horizon, Kowa, Radius, Roche/Genentech, SOBI, Takeda, Teijin, Angelo Gaffo: None declared
RITAN: rapid integration of term annotation and network resources.

Background Identifying the biologic functions of groups of genes identified in high-throughput studies currently requires considerable time and/or bioinformatics experience. This is due in part to each resource housed within separate databases, requiring users to know about them, and integrate across them. Time consuming and often repeated for each study, integrating across resources and merging with data under study is an increasingly common bioinformatics task. Methods We developed an open-source R software package for assisting researchers in annotating their genesets with functions, pathways, and their interconnectivity across a diversity of network resources. Results We present rapid integration of term annotation and network resources (RITAN) for the rapid and comprehensive annotation of a list of genes using functional term and pathway resources and their relationships among each other using multiple network biology resources. Currently, and to comply with data redistribution policies, RITAN allows rapid access to 16 term annotations spanning gene ontology, biologic pathways, and immunologic modules, and nine network biology resources, with support for user-supplied resources; we provide recommendations for additional resources and scripts to facilitate their addition to RITAN. Having the resources together in the same system allows users to derive novel combinations. RITAN has a growing set of tools to explore the relationships within resources themselves. These tools allow users to merge resources together such that the merged annotations have a minimal overlap with one another. Because we index both function annotation and network interactions, the combination allows users to expand small groups of genes using links from biologic networks-either by adding all neighboring genes or by identifying genes that efficiently connect among input genes-followed by term enrichment to identify functions. That is, users can start from a core set of genes, identify interacting genes from biologic networks, and then identify the functions to which the expanded list of genes contribute. Conclusion We believe RITAN fills the important niche of bridging the results of high-throughput experiments with the ever-growing corpus of functional annotations and network biology resources. Availability Rapid integration of term annotation and network resources is available as an R package at github.com/MTZimmer/RITAN and BioConductor.org.
Automated Ice-Bottom Tracking of 2D and 3D Ice Radar Imagery Using Viterbi and TRW-S

Multichannel radar depth sounding systems are able to produce two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) imagery of the internal structure of polar ice sheets. Information such as ice thickness and surface elevation is extracted from these data and applied to research in ice flow modeling and ice mass balance calculations. Due to a large amount of data collected, we seek to automate the ice-bottom layer tracking and allow for efficient manual corrections when errors occur in the automated method. We present improvements made to previous implementations of the Viterbi and sequential tree-reweighted message passing (TRW-S) algorithms for ice-bottom extraction in 2D and 3D radar imagery. These improvements are in the form of novel cost functions that allow for the integration of further domain-specific knowledge into the cost calculations and provide additional evidence of the characteristics of the ice sheets surveyed. Along with an explanation of our modifications, we demonstrate the results obtained by our modified implementations of the two algorithms and by previously proposed solutions to this problem, when compared to manually corrected ground truth data. Furthermore, we perform a self-assessment of tracking results by analyzing differences in the estimated ice-bottom for surveyed locations where flight paths have crossed and, thus, two separate measurements have been made at the same location. Using our modified cost functions and preprocessing routines, we obtain significantly decreased mean error measurements from both algorithms, such as a 47% reduction in average tracking error in the case of 3D imagery between the original and our proposed implementation of TRW-S.
Generalizability of the CASTLE-AF trial: Catheter ablation for patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure in routine practice

Background In the Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation with Heart Failure (CASTLE-AF) trial, catheter ablation reduced the risk of death and heart failure (HF) hospitalization in patients with atrial fibrillation and HF by 40%. Objectives The study aimed to assess the generalizability of CASTLE-AF to routine clinical practice. Methods Using a large US administrative database, we identified 289,831 patients with atrial fibrillation and HF treated with ablation (n = 7465) or medical therapy alone (n = 282,366) from January 1, 2008, through August 31, 2018. Patients were divided into 3 groups on the basis of trial eligibility: (1) eligible for CASTLE-AF, (2) failing to meet the inclusion criteria, and (3) meeting at least 1 of the exclusion criteria. Propensity score overlap weighting was used to balance ablated and drug-treated patients on 90 baseline characteristics. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compare ablation with medical therapy for the primary outcome of a composite end point of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization. Results Only 7.8% of patients would have been eligible for the trial; 91.0% failed to meet the trial inclusion criteria; and 15.5% met the exclusion criteria. Ablation was associated with a lower risk of the primary outcome in the overall cohort (hazard ratio [HR] 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76–0.87; P Conclusion The benefit associated with ablation appears to be more modest in practice than that reported in the CASTLE-AF trial.
The Impact of Hospital Volume on Short-term and Long-term Outcomes for Patients Undergoing Radical Nephroureterectomy for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES To examine the effect of hospital volume on short and long-term outcomes for radical nephroureterectomy (RNUx). Upper tract urothelial carcinoma is a rare malignancy that few surgeons have experience with. The hospital volume-outcome relationship has been well established for other cancers but not RNUx. METHODS The National Cancer Database was queried for all cases of upper tract urothelial carcinoma that underwent RNUx from 2004 to 2016. Average annual hospital volume for radical nephroureterectomy was stratified into tertiles. The upper tertile, defined as 6 or more RNUx per year, was considered high volume while low volume was less than 6 RNUx per year. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to identify independent predictors of overall survival, and logistic regression was used to identify predictors of perioperative outcomes. RESULTS We identified 37,479 RNUx performed across 1290 hospitals. There were no differences in baseline health or cancer staging between patients who presented at low- versus high-volume centers. Both peri-operative survival (30- and 90-day mortality) and long-term overall survival were improved in patients treated at high-volume centers. On multivariable survival analysis, treatment at a high-volume center was associated with improved hazards of survival. This relationship for long-term survival remained consistent on landmark analysis where patients who died within 90 days of surgery were removed. CONCLUSIONS Treatment at a high-volume hospital was associated not only with improved short-term perioperative outcomes but also with improved overall long-term survival. The mechanism behind this is likely multifactorial with surgeon volume, and ancillary support services all playing critical roles.
Gaming to Implement System Dynamics Models

Operational games based on System Dynamics models have been used in System Dynamics teaching since the first days of the field. Already in the text Problems in a Industrial Dynamics (D. Packer, MIT Press, 1962) was described the simple production distribution exercise, widely known as “the beer game.” This game is so effective that it has been used in almost every introductory System Dynamics course over the past thirty years. Nevertheless, until the early 1980s there were essentially no further efforts to develop and use System Dynamics games, except for a few management-training exercises developed by consulting companies.
Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Are at Higher Risk for Meningitis.

Background The epidemiology of meningitis is unknown in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Goals We aimed to determine the incidence of and risk factors for meningitis in IBD patients. Study We conducted a retrospective cohort and nested case-control study in the Quintiles IMS Legacy PharMetrics Adjudicated Claims Database from January 2001 to June 2016. We matched IBD patients to those without IBD on age, sex, enrollment, and region. Meningitis was defined as one code for meningitis associated with an emergency department visit or hospitalization. Meningitis risk was calculated with incidence rate ratios. In a nested case-control study of IBD patients, predictors for meningitis were determined with multivariable conditional logistic regression models. Results We identified 50,029 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 59,830 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) matched to 296,801 non-IBD comparators. There were 85 CD patients, 77 UC patients, and 235 comparators with meningitis. CD patients had 2.17 times the rate of meningitis and UC patients had 1.63 times the rate of meningitis as non-IBD comparators. After adjusting for relevant covariates among those with IBD, treatment with mesalamine was associated with a significantly lower odds of a meningitis claim (odds ratio: 0.40, 95% confidence interval: 0.26-0.62). Having at least one comorbidity was associated with a significantly higher odds of a meningitis claim (odds ratio: 2.21, 95% confidence interval: 1.76-2.77). Conclusions Although the overall rate of meningitis is low, IBD patients are at an increased risk compared with non-IBD comparators. Comorbidities are a risk factor for meningitis in IBD patients. Pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccinations should be discussed.
Muscle from aged rats is resistant to mechanotherapy during atrophy and reloading

Massage is a viable mechanotherapy to improve protein turnover during disuse atrophy and improve muscle regrowth during recovery from disuse atrophy in adult muscle. Therefore, we investigated whether massage can cause beneficial adaptations in skeletal muscle from aged rats during normal weight-bearing (WB) conditions, hindlimb suspension (HS), or reloading (RE) following HS. Aged (30 months) male Fischer 344/Brown Norway rats were divided into two experiments: (1) WB for 7 days (WB, n = 8), WB with massage (WBM, n = 8), HS for 7 days (HS7, n = 8), or HS with massage (HSM, n = 8), and (2) WB for 14 days (WB14, n = 8), HS for 14 days (HS14, n = 8), reloading (RE, n = 10), or reloading with massage (REM, n = 10) for 7 days following HS. Deuterium oxide (D2O) labeling was used to assess dynamic protein and ribosome turnover in each group and anabolic signaling pathways were assessed. Massage did have an anabolic benefit during RE or WB. In contrast, massage during HS enhanced myofibrillar protein turnover in both the massaged limb and contralateral non-massaged limb compared with HS, but this did not prevent muscle loss. Overall, the data demonstrate that massage is not an effective mechanotherapy for prevention of atrophy during muscle disuse or recovery of muscle mass during reloading in aged rats.
Intelligent super-fast Vehicle-to-Everything 5G communications with predictive switching between mmWave and THz links

Abstract With the incoming of 5G communications, Vehicular Networks have the hope to achieve ultra-high data transmission rate with extremely low end-to-end delay. However, the dynamic nature of transportation traffic and increased data bandwidth demands are the major obstacles to achieve high transmission rate in Vehicular-to-Anything (V2X) Networks. To overcome these obstacles, this paper presents a novel Software Defined Networking (SDN)-controlled and Cognitive Radio (CR)-enabled V2X routing approach to achieve ultra-high data rate, by using predictive V2X routing that supports the intelligent switching between two 5G technologies: millimeter-wave (mmWave) and terahertz (THz). To improve the network management, Road Side units (RSUs) are used to segregate the V2X network into different clusters. Stability-aware clustering (SAC) scheme is also used for cluster formations. Our intelligent V2X is based on three features enabled machine learning approach: (1) To predict future 3D positions of the vehicles in the Cluster Heads (CHs) using Deep Neural Network with Extended Kalman Filter (DNN-EKF) algorithm for real-time, high-resolution prediction. (2) For THz communications, 0.3 THz to 3 THz band is selected for short-distance super-fast data transmissions. The THz band detection is performed by the CR-enabled Road Side Units (cRSUs). A Genetic Algorithm (GA)-based Improved Fruit Fly (GA-IFF) scheme is proposed to achieve an optimal route selection in THz communications. (3) In mmWave-based V2X communications, optimal beam selection is performed by the multi-type2 fuzzy inference system (M-T2FIS). By using these three intelligent designs approaches, we are able to achieve ultrahigh- rate and minimized transmission delay for short-range (in THz bands) and middle-range (in mmWave) communications. Finally, the proposed SDN-controlled, CR-enabled V2X Network is modeled and tested for performance evaluations with the metrics of delivery ratio, routing delay, protocol overhead, and data rate.
Effects of auditory training on low-pass filtered speech perception and listening-related cognitive load

Studies supporting learning-induced reductions in listening-related cognitive load have lacked procedural learning controls, making it difficult to determine the extent to which effects arise from perceptual or procedural learning. Here, listeners were trained in the coordinate response measure (CRM) task under unfiltered (UT) or degraded low-pass filtered (FT) conditions. Improvements in low-pass filtered CRM performance were larger for FT. Both conditions showed training-related reductions in cognitive load as indexed by a secondary working memory task. However, only the FT condition showed a correlation between CRM improvement and secondary task performance, suggesting that effects can be driven by perceptual and procedural learning.
The Otter-Man Empires: The Pacific Fur Trade, Incorporation and the Zone of Ignorance

This article examines the concept of the external arena, the relationship it holds to the expansion of the modern world-system, and the process of systemic incorporation. In order to address the notion of systemic expansion, I examine how boundaries of the system are de?ned by networks of exchange and interaction and I echo criticisms that information and luxury goods networks exert important systemic impacts. Signi?cant change occurs well prior to the point at which traditional world-systems literature considers an arena incorporated. The case of the sea-otter fur trade and the relationship with the natives of the Northwest coast of America is used as an example of these processes of change in action. This case isselected because there is no question that the area is pristine; initially it is outside the realm of European contact. This region characterizes a zone of ignorance beyond the traditional world-system that must undergo a signi?cant grooming process before incorporation is more fully expanded, and this process is partially operationalized by the use of historically contemporary maps. Finally, the case o?ers a good example of the impact that external regions can exert on internal systemic behavior, as European powers were pushed to the brink of war in their e?orts to exploit the resources and peoples of the Nootka Sound region. I conclude by o?ering a more developed conceptualization of the process of incorporation and related concepts.
Evaluating associations between fitspiration and thinspiration content on Instagram and disordered-eating behaviors using ecological momentary assessment: A registered report.

Introduction Greater use of appearance-focused social media, such as Instagram, is associated with increased body dissatisfaction and eating disorder (ED) symptoms; however, questions remain about the mechanism connecting social media use to disordered-eating behaviors (DEBs). The proposed study evaluates how and for whom exposure to fitspiration or thinspiration on Instagram is associated with DEBs. Methods We will evaluate a hypothesized pathway from Instagram use to disordered-eating mediated by negative affect. We will test how individual differences in internalized weight stigma, trait self-esteem, and trait self-comparison moderate the pathway from social media use to negative affect. We will recruit 175 undergraduate women who report engaging in DEBs on average at least once per week over the past 3 months. Participants will complete a 7-day ecological momentary assessment protocol, during which they will report their Instagram use, affect, and engagement in DEBs. Results Multi-level modeling will be used to assess moderated mediation. Results from this study will provide increased specificity about how Instagram usage is linked to eating pathology and who may be most vulnerable to experiencing distress. Discussion Information about negative affect from Instagram and engagement in DEBs could contribute to the development of Just-In-Time Interventions for problematic social media use.
A Split-Future MPC Algorithm for Lithium-Ion Battery Cell-Level Fast-Charge Control

Abstract Constrained predictive control has emerged as a viable candidate for generating optimal real-time charging strategies for lithium ion batteries. Able to conform to hard constraints on problem variables, model predictive control (MPC) formulates an optimal 2-norm solution at each time step and can thus assure safe and reliable fast-charge operation. Standard MPC implementations make certain simplifying assumptions regarding future control actions beyond a specified control horizon. This paper demonstrates the potential gains that can be realized for the battery charge problem by relaxing these assumptions.
Bots and nots: safeguarding online survey research with underrepresented and diverse populations

COVID-19 has intensified the use of internet-mediated research for reaching historically underrepresented minorities (URMs) and other diverse groups. Preventing and detecting responses from automat...
The Evolution of the Use of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Respiratory Failure

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used with increasing frequency to support patients with acute respiratory failure, most commonly, and severe forms of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The marked increase in the global use of ECMO followed the publication of a large randomized trial in 2009 and the experience garnered during the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, and has been further supported by the release of a large, randomized clinical trial in 2018, confirming a benefit from using ECMO in patients with severe ARDS. Despite a rapid expansion of ECMO-related publications, optimal management of patients receiving ECMO, in terms of patient selection, ventilator management, anticoagulation, and transfusion strategies, is evolving. Most recently, ECMO is being utilized for an expanding variety of conditions, including for cases of severe pulmonary or cardiac failure from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This review evaluates modern evidence for ECMO for respiratory failure and the current challenges in the field.
Social Work Scholars Perceptions of Practice-Informed Research and Research Informed Practice

Despite a focus on applied social work research, there is a gap in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. This article presents the findings of an exploration study of tenured-t...
Synthesis and biologic activity of conformationally constrained analogs of L-363,301.

: We report the synthesis, biological activity and conformational analysis of analogs of the cyclic hexapeptide L-363,301, c[Pro6-Phe7-d-Trp8-Lys9-Thr10-Phe11] (numbering as in the native hormone somatostatin-14). The d-Trp in position 8 was replaced with (2R,3S)- and (2R,3R)-β-MeTrp respectively, with an added methyl group in the beta position of Trp. The objective of our study was to determine the potency and selectivity generated by the added constraint in the beta position of the d-Trp upon binding to human somatostatin receptors hsst1-5. We synthesized the building blocks enantioselectively and incorporated them into the peptides by SPPS. Competition binding assays revealed that both compounds 2 and 3 were selective for hsst2 over hsst5. The (2R,3S) analog 2 was approximately 30 times more potent at hsst2 than the (2R,3R) analog 3. Interestingly, the (2R,3R) compound showed no binding affinity at hsst5.
Women and the Emergence of the NAACP

This article discusses contributions of women to the emergence of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Using network analysis, the author studied affiliations between African American and White women who signed “The Call,” a petition calling for a national conference to obtain civil rights for African Americans. These links led to the origin of one of the most successful organizations in the fight for equality. Their experiences reflect the segregation and conflicts of the era. They also suggest strategies for facing cultural issues today. Teaching about social work history, its legacy of reform, and its commitment to social justice gained from the social movements of the Progressive Era can help social work students, most of whom are women, understand how social change can occur.
Transgenic models are predictive: the herceptin and flavopiridol experience.

Intact cyclin D1 functions are essential for transformation by erbB2. We have used transgenic models, tissue culture experiments and human tumor samples to particularly address the role of cyclin D1–cyclin dependent kinase interactions in transformation by erbB2. The p16 tumor suppressor specifically blocks cyclin dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4) activity and blocked tumorigenesis by erbB2, demonstrating that deregulation of the cyclin dependent kinase partner of cyclin D1 is an essential target of erbB2. We then investigated the uses of a candidate drug that inhibits Cdk4 in erbB2-mediated tumorigenesis. Individual drugs active against ErbB2 and cyclin D1 (Herceptin and flavopiridol) were synergistically cytotoxic against ErbB2-positive breast cancer. The addition of flavopiridol to Herceptin synergistically lowered erbB2 levels in these cells. Our data suggest the potential use of combinations of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors and Herceptin in breast cancer and form the basis for an ongoing trial of this drug combination.
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE: AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE TO LEARN ARCHITECTURE IN INDIA

“The object in view of both my predecessors in office and by myself has been rather to bring out the reasoning powers of individual students, so that they may understand the inner meaning of the old forms and their original function and may develop and modernize and gradually produce an architecture, Indian in character, but at the same time as suited to present day India as the old styles were to their own times and environment.” Claude Batley-1940; Lang, Desai, Desai, 1997 (p.143). The article introduces teaching philosophy, content and method of Basic Design I and II for first year students of architecture at the Faculty of Architecture, Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) University, Ahmedabad, India. It is framed within the Indian perspective of architectural education from the British colonial times. Commencing with important academic literature and biases of the initial colonial period, it quickly traces architectural education in CEPT, the sixteenth school of post-independent India, set up in 1962, discussing the foundation year teaching imparted. The school was Modernist and avant-garde. The author introduced these two courses against the back drop of the Universalist Modernist credo of architecture and education. In the courses, the primary philosophy behind learning design emerges from heuristic method. The aim of the first course is seen as infusing interest in visual world, development of manual skills and dexterity through the dictum of ‘Look-feel-reason out-evaluate’ and ‘observe-record-interpret-synthesize transform express’. Due to the lack of architectural orientation in Indian schooling; the second course assumes vernacular architecture as a reasonable tool for a novice to understand the triangular relationship of society, architecture and physical context and its impact on design. The students are analytically exposed to the regional variety of architectures logically stemming from the geo-climatic forces, human and material resources and techniques that satisfy the socio cultural needs and desires of a given people. Research analysis, large scale model making, simulation, actual size mockups and such engage the students in make-believe world of architectural learning in this course.
Self-training and co-training in biomedical word sense disambiguation

Word sense disambiguation (WSD) is an intermediate task within information retrieval and information extraction, attempting to select the proper sense of ambiguous words. Due to the scarcity of training data, semi-supervised learning, which profits from seed annotated examples and a large set of unlabeled data, are worth researching. We present preliminary results of two semi-supervised learning algorithms on biomedical word sense disambiguation. Both methods add relevant unlabeled examples to the training set, and optimal parameters are similar for each ambiguous word.
Clinical Predictors of Physiological Deterioration and Subsequent Cardiorespiratory Arrest among Hospitalized Patients

Hospitalized patients who experience sudden, or unanticipated, physiological deterioration and subsequent cardiorespiratroy arrest have very poor outcomes. Studies have reported varying results in mortality following cardiac arrest, but most have historically placed the level of survival to discharge at around 15%, with some recent studies placing the figure closer to 30% [1, 2]. In addition, the institutional and patient costs of an arrest event are quite high [3]. Patients who undergo an unexpected arrest consume extensive personnel resources, receive more medications and other therapies, and spend more time in intensive care units (ICUs). One study has estimated that in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) programs cost $ 400,000 per life saved [4]. Other investigations have concluded that much of the morbidity and mortality associated with such events is preventable 5. Studies have estimated that up to 84% of patients who go on to a cardiorespiratory arrest have measurable evidence of deterioration in the eight hours prior to their event [6]. If these symptoms and signs could be correctly identified and acted upon, a portion of these less than optimal outcomes might be avoided.
Longitudinal direct medical costs associated with constipation in women

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011; 33: 251–260 Summary Background Although direct medical costs for constipation-related medical visits are thought to be high, to date, there have been no studies examining longitudinal resource utilisation in adults with constipation. Aim To estimate the incremental direct medical costs associated with constipation in women. Methods This is a nested case-control study. The study population consisted of all mothers of 5718 children in the population-based birth cohort born during 1976–1982 in a community. The cases presented to the medical facilities with constipation. The controls were randomly selected and matched to cases in a 2:1 ratio. Direct medical costs for constipated women and controls were collected for the years 1987–2002. Results We identified 168 women with a diagnosis of constipation. The total direct medical costs over the 15-year period for constipated subjects were more than double those of controls [$63 591 (95% CI: 49 786–81 396) vs. $24 529 (95% CI: 20 667–29 260)]. The overall out-patient costs for constipated women were $38 897 (95% CI: 31 381–48 253) compared to $15 110 (95% CI: 12 904–17 781) for controls. The median of annual out-patient visits for constipated women was 0.16 compared to 0.11 for controls. Conclusion Women with constipation have significantly higher medical care utilisation and expenditures compared with women without constipation.
The meanings of Hebrew: defining bilingual education in a dual-language charter school

Using a discourse analytic framework that draws on theories of language ideologies, this paper analyzes the semiotics of a heritage language as it moves from the context of parochial education to the realm of public schooling. Specifically, it examines how Hebrew undergoes resemioticization when a Hebrew language charter school in the District of Columbia is established. I examine what Hebrew signifies through an analysis of two public texts: the Sela Public Charter School application and a community online forum. I identify how this new educational initiative redefines Hebrew teaching as a novel form of bilingual education that eschews discourses of identity, rights, and heritage. Next I show that the online forum participants attach diverse and contradictory meanings to Hebrew. This analysis examines the semiotic processes at work when a heritage language is untethered from its traditional communal context and transformed into a public language, and the ways in which bilingualism and bilingual education...
Control studies of time-delayed dynamical systems with the method of continuous time approximation

Abstract This paper presents control studies of delayed dynamical systems with the help of the method of continuous time approximation (CTA). The CTA method proposes a continuous time approximation of the delayed portion of the response leading to a high and finite dimensional state space formulation of the time-delayed system. Various controls of the system such as LQR and output feedback controls are readily designed with the existing design tools. The properties of the method in frequency domain are also discussed. We have found that time-domain methods such as semi-discretization and CTA, and other numerical integration algorithms can produce highly accurate temporal responses and dominant poles of the system, while missing all the fast and high frequency poles, which explains why many numerical methods can be applied to study the stability of time-delayed systems, and may not be a good tool for control design. Optimal feedback controls for a linear oscillator, collocated and non-collocated feedback controls of an Euler beam, and an experimental demonstration are presented in the paper.
Determining spending behaviour of female travellers in nature-based tourism

Abstract This study identifies a potential market for nature‐based tourism in the form of female travellers. It further discusses the significance of economic benefits accrued from this market to facilitate stakeholder co‐ordination toward sustained environment strategies. Visitors to Lake Berryessa, Napa County, California were surveyed in 2002. The results reveal that majority of female travellers were domestic tourists travelling an average distance of 50 miles. Average spending was found to be $299 and regression analyses indicated that repeat visitation was a key determinant of spending. Socio‐economic characteristics such as age and income did not influence the spending behaviour of the female travellers. Results further indicate that despite low multipliers, non‐resident female travellers generated an economic impact of $22.9 million.
Polymeric black tea polyphenols inhibit 1,2-dimethylhydrazine induced colorectal carcinogenesis by inhibiting cell proliferation via Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Abstract Tea polyphenols like epigallocatechin gallate and theaflavins are established chemopreventive agents for colorectal carcinogenesis. However, studies on evaluating similar chemopreventive properties of thearubigins or polymeric black tea polyphenols (PBPs), the most abundant polyphenols in black tea, are limited. Hence, in the present study we aim to investigate chemopreventive effects along with probable mechanisms of action of PBP extract employing 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced colorectal carcinogenesis in Sprague–Dawley rats as experimental model. The present study suggests that PBPs, like other tea polyphenols, also inhibit DMH-induced colorectal tumorigenesis by decreasing tumor volume and multiplicity. This study also shows that although the pretreatment with PBP extract could induce detoxifying enzymes in hepatic and colorectal tissue, it did not show any additional chemopreventive effects when compared to treatments with PBP extract after initiation with DMH. Mechanistically, PBP extract may inhibit colorectal carcinogenesis by decreasing DMH-induced cell proliferation via Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Treatments with PBP extract showed decreased levels of COX-2, c-MYC and cyclin D1 proteins which aid cell proliferation probably by regulating β-catenin by maintaining expression of APC and decreasing inactivation of GSK3β. DMH-induced activation of MAP kinases such as ERK and JNK was also found to be inhibited by treatments with PBP extract. In conclusion, the protective effects of PBP extract could be attributed to inhibition of DMH-induced cellular proliferation probably through β-catenin regulation.
Assessing Multiple Hospitalizations for Health‐Plan‐Managed Medicaid Diabetic Members

This study is a retrospective analysis of medical claims of individuals with diabetes enrolled in managed Medicaid as well as a diabetes management program. The sample consists of 695 individuals who had at least two hospitalizations in one calendar year. This study had two related aims. The first was to examine factors associated with an increased risk of repeat hospitalizations. The second was to determine an appropriate alternative to rehospitalization. Using negative binominal regression, we find that members most likely to be rehospitalized have congestive heart failure or psychosis. We suggest that rehospitalizations in this population may be mitigated by providing home healthcare.
Factorial Validity of the Stanford Achievement Test for First-Grade Children

The factorial validity of the Stanford Achievement Test was investigated with a sample of first grade pupils. Although eight areas are proposed from the SAT, this analysis produced only a single factor. Although the general factor included all eight areas of the SAT, it appeared to be highly influenced by verbal comprehension or reading abilities. In light of these results, interpretation of the SAT for first-grade children should be limited to a total score approach.
Dynamics and phylogenetic implications of MtDNA control region sequences in New World Jays (Aves: Corvidae)

To study the evolution of mtDNA and the intergeneric relationships of New World Jays (Aves: Corvidae), we sequenced the entire mitochondrial DNA control region (CR) from 21 species representing all genera of New World jays, an Old World jay, crows, and a magpie. Using maximum likelihood methods, we found that both the transition/transversion ratio (κ) and among site rate variation (α) were higher in flanking domains I and II than in the conserved central domain and that the frequency of indels was highest in domain II. Estimates of κ and α were much more influenced by the density of taxon sampling than by alternative optimal tree topologies. We implemented a successive approximation method incorporating these parameters into phylogenetic analysis. In addition we compared our study in detail to a previous study using cytochrome b and morphology to examine the effect of taxon sampling, evolutionary rates of genes, and combined data on tree resolution. We found that the particular weighting scheme used had no effect on tree topology and little effect on tree robustness. Taxon sampling had a significant effect on tree robustness but little effect on the topology of the best tree. The CR data set differed nonsignificantly from the tree derived from the cytochrome b/morphological data set primarily in the placement of the genus Gymnorhinus, which is near the base of the CR tree. However, contrary to conventional taxonomy, the CR data set suggested that blue and black jays (Cyanocorax sensu lato) might be paraphyletic and that the brown jay Psilorhinus (=Cyanocorax) morio is the sister group to magpie jays (Calocitta), a phylogenetic hypothesis that is likely as parsimonious with regard to nonmolecular characters as monophyly of Cyanocorax. The CR tree also suggests that the common ancestor of NWJs was likely a cooperative breeder. Consistent with recent systematic theory, our data suggest that DNA sequences with high substitution rates such as the CR may nonetheless be useful in reconstructing relatively deep phylogenetic nodes in avian groups.
A Numerical Procedure to Calculate Hydraulic Conductivity for an Arbitrary Pore Size Distribution

The ability to calculate soil hydraulic properties from soil physical data has been a dominant objective of soil physics research since the 1950s. The purpose of this study was to develop an approach based on modern physics to deal with an arbitrary porous medium. Some important advances resulted from applying critical path analysis from percolation theory and percolation scaling to a truncated random fractal model (Rieu and Sposito) of a soil. In fact, some of the perceived limitations of the fractal model at high and low saturations were reevaluated as strengths in the previous application. Nevertheless, it is not realistic to expect all media to be characterized accurately in such a simple fashion. We developed an appropriate generalization of the description of the medium to an arbitrary pore size distribution while maintaining the complications related to fluid connectivity at high and low saturations relating to percolation theory. It also maintains the relevance of the pore size distribution to the hydraulic conductivity through the application of critical path analysis. A numerical routine was constructed to apply these concepts to an arbitrary pore size distribution, which in our case was inferred from experimentally determined particle size data. Although more than 50 soils were investigated, our preliminary study does not indicate what the general relevance of fractal models is.