cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of an Attract-and-Kill Strategy for Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae): Evaluation of Attracticidal Spheres Under Laboratory and Field Conditions.

Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive, polyphagous fruit fly that attacks soft-skinned fruits. Originally from Asia, D. suzukii has successfully invaded the United States and the European and South American countries. At present, calendar-based insecticide applications are used to combat D. suzukii. Here, we evaluate a behaviorally based attract-and-kill management technique using attracticidal spheres to reduce D. suzukii infestations in raspberries. In laboratory bioassays aimed at identifying effective toxicants, attracticidal spheres containing dinotefuran at 1.0% a.i. killed 100% of D. suzukii within 5 min. Spinetoram, spinosad, permethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin (CS) and lambda-cyhalothrin (WG), all at 1.0% a.i., killed 100% of D. suzukii within 24 h. In field trials, statistically equivalent infestation rates were recorded in raspberry plots protected by attracticidal spheres containing 1.0% a.i. spinetoram compared with standard weekly insecticide applications. In field trials using 1.0% a.i. dinotefuran, attracticidal spheres decreased D. suzukii infestations compared with control plots, but insecticide applications were more effective at reducing D. suzukii infestations, although differences in harvesting practices likely affected fly population densities and infestation rates in both years. Attracticidal spheres effectively attract and kill D. suzukii and reduce infestations rates under field conditions, indicating that this behavioral strategy holds promise in D. suzukii management.
Experiences of Vaginal, Oral, and Anal Sex From Adolescence to Early Adulthood in Populations With Physical Disabilities.

Abstract Purpose Few studies have sought to understand the typical sexual development of populations with physical disabilities in the United States, and those that do are often based on convenience samples or cross-sectional data. The purpose of this paper is to examine relationships between physical disability and experiences of vaginal, oral, and anal sex in a nationally representative sample of individuals in the United States who have been followed from adolescence through early adulthood. Methods We used data from 13,456 respondents who completed Waves I (1994–1995) and IV (2008–2009) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Physical disabilities were identified and grouped by severity using information regarding limb difficulties, blindness, and deafness during adolescence. Analyses included bivariate statistics and adjusted logistic regression models relating physical disability and experiences of each type of sex. Results Respondents with the most severe physical disabilities had significantly lower odds of experiencing vaginal sex, oral sex, and having any sexual experience compared with the odds of those without disabilities. After stratifying by biological sex, we found that males with the most severe physical disabilities had significantly lower odds of experiencing any type of sex compared with the odds of males without disabilities, whereas females with moderate and severe physical disabilities had significantly lower odds of experiencing vaginal sex compared with the odds of females without disabilities. Conclusions Our findings build on past research often conducted with convenience samples or cross-sectional data, indicating variation in sexual experiences among populations with disabilities.
Multitalented Ginger and Its Clinical Development for Cancer Treatment

Abstract The drug industry is witnessing a paradigm shift in anticancer drug discovery processes with researchers recognizing the potential of natural medicines (dietary phytochemicals, plant extracts, etc.) to treat cancer. This shift has primarily been precipitated due to the limited success of currently available chemotherapeutics to treat cancer, their monotargeting nature, their respective associated side effects, and the escalating cost of discovering new anticancer drugs. Natural medicines by nature are multitargeting with mild to no side effects and have a low cost of development. Among several natural medicines tested for their anticancer properties, ginger displays an immense potential to treat cancer alone or in combination with currently used anticancer drugs. Ginger-based therapies not only target cancer cells but also can attenuate chemotherapy-associated side effects and resensitize cancer cells to anticancer drugs. Here, we discuss various mechanisms by which ginger exerts its multiple effects on cancer cells and its clinical development. We further discuss various novel approaches such as network pharmacology, reverse pharmacokinetics and PK-PD modeling, whose applications can overcome certain roadblocks to facilitate clinical translation of ginger. We are hopeful that ginger-based therapies will provide wholesome and nontoxic treatments to cancer patients to positively impact their lives.
Pharmacists' Impact on Secondary Stroke Prevention.

Background:Patients admitted to our institution with a cerebrovascular accident (stroke) or transient ischemic attack (TIA) are referred to the pharmacist-run stroke prevention clinic (SPC) for med...
Perceived Stress is Associated with Accelerated Monocyte/Macrophage Aging Trajectories in Clinically Normal Adults.

Objectives Chronic stress is associated with poorer age-related cognition, but the mechanisms of this relationship are not well understood. Aging increases expression of activated macrophages, leading to exacerbated immune responses to stressors. We examined the impact of stress and aging on macrophage-related inflammation and cognition in clinically normal adults. Methods Three hundred eighty clinically normal adults were followed longitudinally (age M = 73 years; visit range: 1–8; M = 2.5 visits). Participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale, a neuropsychological battery, and blood draws. Plasma was analyzed for cytokines related to macrophage function (interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta). Linear mixed-effects examined the effects of age, baseline stress, and their interaction predicting macrophage cytokines, adjusting for sex, education, and depressive symptoms. Latent growth curve models assessed the mediating role of macrophage cytokines in the relationship between age and cognition in high or low stress. Results Baseline perceived stress interacted with age to predict macrophage cytokines longitudinally. Specifically, high-stress adults demonstrated accelerated age-related elevations in macrophage cytokines across time. Macrophage cytokines negatively tracked with executive functioning longitudinally. Macrophage cytokines mediated 19% of the relationship between age and executive function in high-stress, but not low-stress, adults. Conclusions Our data provide evidence of accelerated immune aging among individuals with high stress. Elevated macrophage cytokine trajectories mediated the effect of age on executive function only in individuals with high stress, suggesting these constructs may be more tightly linked in elevated stress contexts. Stress interventions are warranted to optimize immune aging, with possible downstream cognitive benefits among even clinically normal adults.
The Behavior of Carbon Dioxide Stores of the Body during Unsteady States

Under steady-state conditions metabolically produced CO2 is discharged rapidly enough by ventilation of the lung so that there are no appreciable fluctuations in the pH and Pco2 of the body. However, whenever the ventilatory pattern is disturbed or when CO2 production or the composition of the external environment is changed so that the balance between expired and metabolically produced CO2 is no longer maintained, the body depends on the capacity of its tissues to absorb CO2 in physical solution and in chemical combination (the CO2 stores) to prevent extreme changes in PH and Pco2. In certain animals with irregular breathing patterns like the diving mammals, these unsteady states can last for long periods of time; but in man where ventilatory adjustments take place relatively rapidly, the absorptive capacity of the CO2 stores are usually called into play for only seconds or a few minutes.
Period Analysis of the EEG on the PDP-12

A series of programs are being developed to provide an EEG period analysis system on the PDP-12 processor at the Missouri Institute of Psychiatry. The program will, for a single lead pair, operate at up to ¼ real time for sampling rates ≤300 pps. Output is provided on a line printer and simultaneously on an IBM compatible tape for later processing, plotting and storage.
Isolation of the Zeros of a Complex Polynomial by Exploring Function Structure Uniqueness of the Solution Set Established

The presented algorithm for simultaneous polynomial root isolation is based on the discrete tracing of the zero curves of the real (and imaginary) part of the function. Being guided by the structure of the function as presented by these curves is essential in attaining the desired characteristics of robustness, reliability and global optimal computational complexity. A mathematical condition for uniqueness of the tracing is optionally verified and -if not fulfilled in exceptional cases – uniqueness is established. The method immediately applies to transcendental functions in one complex variable in a region of analyticity.
Treatment with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in metastatic melanoma and clinical benefit regardless of site of origin, mutation status, or prior checkpoint blockade.

9079 Background: In this report we describe the association of specific patient attributes, such as mutation status, prior treatment with checkpoint blockade, and location of primary tumor with tre...
Autophagy-dependent secretion: mechanism, factors secreted, and disease implications

Although best understood as a degradative pathway, recent evidence demonstrates pronounced involvement of the macroautophagic/autophagic molecular machinery in cellular secretion. With either overexpression or inhibition of autophagy mediators, dramatic alterations in the cellular secretory profile occur. This affects secretion of a plethora of factors ranging from cytokines, to granule contents, and even viral particles. Encompassing a wide range of secreted factors, autophagy-dependent secretion is implicated in diseases ranging from cancer to neurodegeneration. With a growing body of evidence shedding light onto the molecular mediators, this review delineates the molecular machinery involved in selective targeting of the autophagosome for either degradation or secretion. In addition, we summarize the current understanding of factors and cargo secreted through this unconventional route, and describe the implications of this pathway in both health and disease. Abbreviations: BECN1, beclin 1; CAF, cancer associated fibroblast; CUPS, compartment for unconventional protein secretion; CXCL, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand; ER, endoplasmic reticulum; FGF2, fibroblast growth factor 2; HMGB1, high mobility group box 1; IDE, insulin degrading enzyme; IL, Interleukin; MAP1LC3/LC3, microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3; MAPS, misfolding associated protein secretion; MEF, mouse embryonic fibroblast; MTORC1, MTOR complex I; PtdIns, phosphatidyl inositol; SEC22B, SEC22 homolog B, vesicle trafficking protein (gene/pseudogene); SFV, Semliki forest virus; SNCA, synuclein alpha; SQSTM1, sequestosome 1; STX, Syntaxin; TASCC, TOR-associated spatial coupling compartment; TGFB, transforming growth factor beta; TRIM16, tripartite motif containing 16; UPS, unconventional protein secretion; VWF, von Willebrand factor.
Molecular Biology of Pituitary Adenomas

Pituitary adenomas are benign tumors, but still cause significant morbidity and in some cases increases in mortality. Surgical resection is not without risks, and approximately 40% of adenomas are incompletely resected. Medical therapies such as dopamine agonists, somatostatin analogues, and growth hormone antagonists are associated with numerous side effects. Understanding the molecular biology of pituitary adenomas may yield new therapeutic approaches. Additional studies are needed to help determine which genes or pathways are "drivers" of tumorigenesis and should be therapeutic targets. Further studies may also enable pituitary adenoma stratification to tailor treatment approaches.
A Stab in the Heart: Scimitar Pulmonary Venous Anomaly Complicating a Case of Cardiogenic Shock

Introduction Scimitar syndrome is described as an abnormal connection between one pulmonary vein and the right atrium or vena cava. Case presentation 40 year old female presented with respiratory failure and septic shock that was unresponsive to pressors and IV fluids. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed severely dilated right ventricle with severe tricuspid regurgitation. Chest computed tomography angiogram (CTA) was negative for pulmonary embolism but showed right upper pulmonary vein connecting to inferior vena cava consistent with Scimitar anomaly. (Figure 1) Invasive hemodynamic evaluation showed mixed venous saturation (SvO2) 14%, cardiac index (CI) 1.89 L/min/m2, systemic vascular resistance (SVR) 754 dynes, severely elevated filling pressures, and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) 77/44 (57) mmHg. Dialysis, dobutamine and inhaled nitroglycerin (iNO) were added to pressors for RV support. Follow up hemodynamic profile showed SvO2 75%, CI 4.9 L/min/m2, improved filling pressures, SVR 473 dynes, PAP 79/37 (48) mmHg. However, liver/kidney function and lactic acid continued to worsen indicating inadequate organ perfusion. Inaccurate SvO2 and subsequent CI and SVR calculation in the setting of L to R shunt through the anomalous vein was suspected. Subsequently, the decision was made to titrate hemodynamic support using MAP>70 accepting the presence of shunt, after which lactic acid and liver/kidney function started improving. Unfortunately, the patient suffered hypoxemic cardiac arrest. The rate of iNO was decreased as it was thought to increase V/Q mismatch despite its hemodynamic benefit to RV. Initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was difficult because of severe vasospasm. Vegetative state was noted and care was withdrawn per family request. Discussion The patient's hemodynamic profile was consistent with cardiogenic shock secondary to acute RV failure caused by initial IV fluid administration. RV support in the setting of pulmonary hypertension was achieved with dialysis, dobutamine and iNO. Improving hemodynamic parameters obtained by pulmonary catheter didn't correlate with worsening laboratory perfusion parameters. The availability of chest CTA showing an unexpected pulmonary venous anomaly helped our multidisciplinary team explain the inaccuracy of hemodynamic parameters.
Women & Lobbying, 1924–1936 Part 3: American Voices in a Changing Democracy: Women, Lobbying, and Tax 1924–1936

This Part of AMERICAN VOICES IN A CHANGING DEMOCRACY: WOMEN, LOBBYING, AND TAX 1924-1936 turns from a general examination of women and lobbying during the 1924–1936 time period to a specific look at some women’s tax lobbying Although women’s groups generally did not focus on tax issues, there were occasions when they did so. The Part demonstrates the variety of tax activities women’s groups engaged in by briefly describing the activities of four groups: the National Housewives’ League, the Women’s Nonpartisan Fair Tariff Committee, the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs (NFBPWC) and the League of Women Voters. Together, these groups, as their names indicate, represented women in a variety of their roles ranging from their traditional domestic roles as housewives to women in their more public roles as newly enfranchised citizens and growing participants in the paid work force. The tax issues they engaged in reflected their membership running the gamut from housewives concerned with taxes on consumer products to income tax exemptions for single businesswomen. In my research for this path-breaking survey of early women’s tax lobbying book, I have found evidence of several other clubs’ involvement with tax issues but not specifics. I believe that an extended, methodical (and laborious) searching through individual collections of clubs’ meetings and reports as well as papers of some of the important women members would uncover more details about women’s groups’ activities in tax lobbying. Even such a search, however, might not reveal the full extent of women’s activities because I have discovered that many women’s groups did not keep detailed official records and written evidence, if it ever existed, may have disappeared or be hidden in someone’s attic.
Varying Climate Change Governance

This chapter uses climate change governance to illustrate how policymakers can engage in an integrated analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of defining agency jurisdiction along each of the dimensions for different governmental functions. In particular, the chapter assesses and considers alternatives to the interjurisdictional frameworks that have begun to develop, with a three-part focus on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and geoengineering activities. Though undoubtedly contextual within these three general categories of emerging governance, each presents challenges and implies different tradeoffs that are likely to be more consistent with particular types of allocations. The chapter extrapolates from the insights from the book's earlier case studies and draws plausible inferences based on justifications for particular allocations to propose configurations for these three emerging regulatory regimes. Finally, the chapter explains how climate change governance illustrates the merit of integrating into institutional design strategies that promote learning about the efficacy of adopted allocations.
Appendix H: Complete Programs

This is the sample drawing application from the first chapter. It illustrates the use of the tkinter library including many widgets and mouse handling. This program can be downloaded from the text’s website.
Ingrafts in hypospadias surgery: Longer-term outcomes.

Summary Background The technique of hypospadias repair with a dorsal inlay graft (ingraft) was initially reserved for boys with an unfavorable glans configuration or in previously failed repairs. Although the ingraft technique has been used for some time, there is scarce literature describing its longer term outcomes. Additionally, there is minimal data comparing inner preputial skin and buccal mucosal graft outcomes in primary and reoperative surgery. Objective To describe longer-term outcomes in the use of buccal mucosa and inner preputial skin ingrafts for primary and revisional hypospadias repairs. Study design We conducted a single-center retrospective review of our hypospadias repairs employing ingrafts along with a review of the literature. Results A total of 47 patients met inclusion criteria. Primary repair was performed in 38 patients, all with unfavorable glans characteristics at a mean age of 16 months and redo repairs in 9 boys at a mean age of 110 months. We used a buccal mucosal graft (BMG) in 19 boys and the remaining 28 were grafted with inner preputial skin. The complication rate was 32% in primary repairs and amongst those, 6 of 28 patients (21%) with skin grafts and 6 of 10 patients (60%) with BMGs suffered a complication. Only BMGs were used in reoperative situations and complications occurred in 2 of 9 cases (22%) of those cases. Overall, 8 patients (42%) with BMG and 6 patients (21%) with preputial skin ingrafts experienced a complication, at an average time of 17 months (range: 0.4–66 months) and 24 months (range: 1.1–113 months), respectively. Surgical correction of the complications resulted in resolution of symptoms in a majority of patients. Discussion In our experience, BMGs used as salvage therapy in revisional hypospadias surgery, had lower observed complication rates when compared to its use in primary repair. Inner preputial skin ingrafts for primary repair yielded an acceptable complication rate. Our study describes some of the longest follow-up times in the literature with complications observed even up to 10 years postoperatively. This reinforces the need for active long-term follow-up in reporting outcomes in hypospadias surgery. Summary Table . Outcomes in Primary versus Redo repair using ingrafts Primary repair Redo repair Total (n) 38 9 Total Complications: n (%) 12 (32) 2 (22) Complication type: n (%) Urethrocutaneous fistula 6 (16) 0 (0) Meatal stenosis 3 (8) 0 (0) Glans separation 2 (5) 2 (22) Urethral stricture 1 (3) 0 (0) Surgical correction of complication: n (%) 11 (92) 0 (0) Average time to complication (months) 23 (range: 0.7–113) 0.5 (range: 0.4–0.7)
Evidence for dissociable cognitive and neural pathways from poverty versus maltreatment to deficits in emotion regulation

Poverty and threat exposure (TE) predict deficits in emotion regulation (ER). Effective cognitive ER (i.e., reappraisal) may be supported by: (1) cognitive processes implicated in generating and implementing cognitive reappraisal, supported by activation in brain regions involved in cognitive control (e.g., frontal, insular, and parietal cortices) and (2) emotion processing and reactivity, involving identification, encoding, and maintenance of emotional states and related variation in brain activity of regions involved in emotional reactivity (i.e., amygdala). Poverty is associated with deficits in cognitive control, and TE with alterations in emotion processing and reactivity. Our goal was to identify dissociable emotional and cognitive pathways to ER deficits from poverty and TE. Measures of cognitive ability, emotional processing and reactivity, ER, and neural activity during a sadness ER task, were examined from a prospective longitudinal study of youth at risk for depression (n = 139). Both cognitive ability and left anterior insula extending into the frontal operculum activity during a sadness reappraisal task mediated the relationship between poverty and ER. Emotion processing/reactivity didn't mediate the relationship of TE to ER. Findings support a cognitive pathway from poverty to ER deficits. They also underscore the importance of dissociating mechanisms contributing to ER impairments from adverse early childhood experiences.
Soft skill change perceptions of accounting majors: Current practitioner views versus their own reality

Abstract Calls for greater inclusion of both soft and technical skills exist within the field of accounting education. Yet, what skills do students perceive they are gaining? Rebele and St. Pierre (2019), in the lead paper for this special issue, argue that greater soft skills development may be difficult to achieve within accounting classes. We provide a unique contribution for this discussion by examining whether the professionals calling for increased soft skills development actually believe they developed these soft skills along with technical skills during completion of their own accounting education. We analyzed a sample of over 440,000 students from more than 600 American colleges and universities to investigate the skills graduates perceive they acquired during pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in accounting. To determine if those calling for skill development actually achieved this development during their own college careers, we examined data from 1994 to 2006, which corresponds to students who are now mid-career professionals. We found that the majority of accounting majors reported increased skills in 14 of 15 categories analyzed. However, after holding constant relevant student, collegiate experience, and institutional characteristics, accounting majors’ skill gains only outperformed those of other business majors in 2 of 15 categories, mathematics and “knowledge of your field,” and outperformed non-business majors in only 3 of 15 categories, mathematics, “knowledge of your field,” and computer skills. Overall, findings were positive in that accounting students reported significant gains in most skill categories. Conversely, the findings also suggest accounting educators should remain vigilant in developing curriculum content and determine whether they are still being outpaced by other business fields and non-business majors, especially given our efforts in the area of soft skill development.
Interest Rates, Inflation and the Value of Growth Options

A company's investment opportunities are analogous to options, and options react differently to interest rate changes than other types of assets. We examine growth option sensitivity to inflation-induced changes in interest rates using a binomial model. We find that growth options are generally less sensitive to these rate changes than assets in place, but contrary to the usual call option intuition, the value of growth options frequently decreases as interest rates increase. The magnitude (and sign) of their interest sensitivity depends critically on how much of those changes in expected inflation rates can be "flowed through" to changes in the project's nominal cash flows.
Troubling Dialogue and Digital Media: A Subaltern Critique:

Over the past several decades, scholars have explored dialogue and digital media. While this scholarship has advanced strategic communication theory, it lacks a critical focus on how marginalized g...
Association of vitamin D deficiency with COVID-19 infection severity: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: We sought to evaluate the association between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. METHODS: Multiple databases from 1 January 2019 to 3 December 2020 were searched for observational studies evaluating the association between vitamin D deficiency and severity of COVID-19 infection. Independent reviewers selected studies and extracted data for the review. The main outcomes of interest were mortality, hospital admission, length of hospital stay and intensive care unit admission. RESULTS: Seventeen observational studies with 2756 patients were included in the analyses. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with significantly higher mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 2.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50-4.05; 12 studies; hazard ratio [HR]: 4.11, 95% CI: 2.40-7.04; 3 studies), higher rates of hospital admissions (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.48-3.21; 3 studies) and longer hospital stays (0.52 days; 95% CI: 0.25-0.80; 2 studies) as compared to nonvitamin D deficient status. Subgroup analyses based on different cut-offs for defining vitamin D deficiency, study geographic locations and latitude also showed similar trends. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with greater severity of COVID-19 infection. Further studies are warranted to determine if vitamin D supplementation can decrease the severity of COVID-19.
Comparison of machine learning methodologies for predicting kinetics of hydrothermal carbonization of selective biomass

We have examined performance of various machine learning (ML) methods (artificial neural network, random forest, support vector-machine regression, and K nearest neighbors) in predicting the kinetics of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of cellulose, poplar, and wheat straw performed under two different conditions: first, isothermal conditions at 200, 230, and 260 °C, and second, with a linear temperature ramp of 2 °C/min from 160 to 260 °C. The focus of this study was to determine the predictability of the ML methods when the biomass type is not known or there is a mixture of biomass types, which is often the case in commercial operations. In addition, we have examined the performance of ML methods in interpolating kinetics results when experimental data is available for only a handful of time-points, as well as their performance in extrapolating the kinetics when the experimental data from only a few initial time-points is available. While these are stringent tests, the ML models were found to perform reasonably well in most cases with an averaged mean squared error (MSE) and R2 values of 0.25 ± 0.06 and 0.76 ± 0.05, respectively. The ML models showed deviation from experimental data under the conditions when the reaction kinetics were fast. Overall, it is concluded that ML methods are appropriate for the purpose of interpolating and extrapolating the kinetics of the HTC process.
DENR/MCTS1 knockdown modulates repeat-associated non-AUG translation

Abstract Repeat associated non-AUG (RAN) translation of mRNAs containing repeat-expansion mutations produces toxic peptides in neurons of patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. Recent findings indicate that RAN translation in diverse model systems is not inhibited by cellular stressors that impair global translation through phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eIF2, the essential eukaryotic translation initiation factor that brings the initiator tRNA to the 40S ribosome. Using in vitro, cell-based, and Drosophila models, we examined the role of alternative ternary complex factors that may function in place of eIF2, including eIF2A, eIF2D, and DENR/MCTS1. Among these factors, DENR knockdown had the greatest inhibitory effect on RAN translation of expanded GGGGCC and CGG repeat reporters, and its reduction improved survival of Drosophila expressing expanded GGGGCC repeats. Taken together, these data support a role for alternative initiation factors in RAN translation and suggest they may serve as novel therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative disease.
Young Children's Interactions with Objects: Play as Practice and Practice as Play

Objects permeate human culture and saturate the imagination. This duality offers both opportunity and challenge. Here we ask how young human children learn to exploit the immense potential afforded...
Bubble Pop: An Analysis of Asian Pop Culture and Soft Power Potential

Despite scholarly work on Northeast Asia’s growing economic influence, few authors have adequately addressed the region’s increasing cultural clout as well. This paper aims to address this cultural impact in a specific diplomatic context in regards to the South Korea and Japan, and whether their respective pop cultures can be viewed as a source of soft power. An analysis of various academic works and media stories concludes that 1) neither country has been able to turn their soft power resources into actual political leverage, though 2) Japan’s mishandling of its national branding puts South Korea in a much more advantageous place to do so, making it a possible regional tastemaker. In essence, this work twists the traditional understanding of Northeast Asian relations by looking at them through a different lens, seeking to bridge the gap between cultural theory and the soft power’s idea of “attractiveness.” This article is available in Res Publica Journal of Undergraduate Research: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/respublica/vol18/iss1/9
Immigrants, Imaging, and Immunoblots: the Emergence of Neurocysticercosis as a Significant Public Health Problem

Taeniasis, or cysticercosis, caused by Taenia solium (often referred to as the pork tapeworm), is a classical zoonosis which has been recognized since antiquity. Cysticercosis is acquired by ingesting Taenia eggs shed in the feces of a human tapeworm carrier and may occur in humans who neither eat pork nor share environments with pigs. Although cysticerci may localize throughout the body, most clinical manifestations result from their presence in the central nervous system (neurocysticercosis (NCC)), where they can cause seizures, hydrocephalus, and other neurologic dysfunctions. 175 patients with active neurocysticercosis were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: (i) oral prednisolone alone, (ii) praziquantel (50 mg/kg for 15 days) with prednisolone, or (iii) albendazole (15 mg/kg) for 8 days with prednisolone. The results of this study suggest that still reliable criteria to determine which patients require treatment with either praziquantel or albendazole is lacking. Approximately half of the patients in this study had anticysticercal antibodies that recognized all seven of the diagnostic proteins. Although local persons are usually unaware of the threat to public health that this infection in pigs represents and do not relate the lesions in their animals to disease in humans, pig owners routinely check their live pigs for cysticercosis by direct examination of the tongue. Special studies reveal that morbidity caused by NCC is measurable and severe in areas where NCC is endemic.
The Behavioral Space of Zebrafish Locomotion and Its Neural Network Analog

How simple is the underlying control mechanism for the complex locomotion of vertebrates? We explore this question for the swimming behavior of zebrafish larvae. A parameter-independent method, similar to that used in studies of worms and flies, is applied to analyze swimming movies of fish. The motion itself yields a natural set of fish "eigenshapes" as coordinates, rather than the experimenter imposing a choice of coordinates. Three eigenshape coordinates are sufficient to construct a quantitative "postural space" that captures >96% of the observed zebrafish locomotion. Viewed in postural space, swim bouts are manifested as trajectories consisting of cycles of shapes repeated in succession. To classify behavioral patterns quantitatively and to understand behavioral variations among an ensemble of fish, we construct a "behavioral space" using multi-dimensional scaling (MDS). This method turns each cycle of a trajectory into a single point in behavioral space, and clusters points based on behavioral similarity. Clustering analysis reveals three known behavioral patterns—scoots, turns, rests—but shows that these do not represent discrete states, but rather extremes of a continuum. The behavioral space not only classifies fish by their behavior but also distinguishes fish by age. With the insight into fish behavior from postural space and behavioral space, we construct a two-channel neural network model for fish locomotion, which produces strikingly similar postural space and behavioral space dynamics compared to real zebrafish.
AMG 706 induces the rapid destruction of tumor microvessels in nude mice

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 3792 Background: AMG 706 is a potent, oral, multi-kinase inhibitor that selectively targets VEGF, PDGF, and Kit receptors. Treatment with AMG 706 has been shown to cause regression of established disease in A431 xenografts. The present studies were designed to address the mechanism of action of this molecule. Methods: Female CD1 nu/nu mice were challenged subcutaneously with 1x107 tumor cells. Treatment with AMG 706 (75 mg/kg, po, bid) or vehicle (n = 10) was initiated after the tumors became established. At various time points thereafter, animals were sacrificed and tumors were collected and evaluated for blood vessel area (CD31), endothelial cell apoptosis (CD31 and TUNEL), viable tumor area (hematoxylin) and tumor cell apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3). Results: Treatment with AMG 706 resulted in a significant increase in % endothelial cell apoptosis and decrease in % blood vessel area starting at 12 hours after initiation of treatment ( p = 0.0257 and 0.0005, respectively). Subsequently, a significant increase in tumor cell apoptosis was observed at 48 hrs ( p = 0.009), followed by a significant decline in % viable tumor area at 72 hours ( p = 0.0002). These effects occurred immediately prior to the statistically significant regression of disease at 96 hrs ( p = 0.0327). Conclusions: The effect of AMG 706 upon tumor blood vessels was found to temporally precede the destruction of tumor in the A431 xenograft model. The temporal sequence associated with these observations support the concept that tumor blood vessels are the primary target of AMG 706 and illustrate a mechanism of action consistent with the inhibition of VEGF receptors.
From the bottle to the skin: challenges in evaluating antioxidants

Summary Endogenous production and ultraviolet-generated free radicals in the skin can lead to photoaging and even skin cancer. Topical antioxidants have been found to provide benefits against ultraviolet damage and these ingredients have been incorporated into various cosmetic products and claimed to have substantial effects. Currently, there is a lack in a standardized rating system to measure the concentration and activity levels of antioxidants in these products. As a result, it is difficult for consumers and clinicians to evaluate and select commercial products based on readily accessible evidence. In this review, we will describe four assays which have been used to measure antioxidants in various products, and the strengths and weaknesses of each test will be detailed. We will highlight key considerations for clinicians when interpreting the results of antioxidant tests when evaluating commercial products containing antioxidants.
Frequency response enhancement of injection-locked lasers

The impact of detuning and injection power on the frequency response is studied experimentally and theoretically. The resonance frequency increases with injection power while damping increases with both detuning and power. Our model confirms the experimental results.
Teaching introductory computer graphics via ray tracing

Ray tracing is a computer graphics technique capable of creating visual effects such as realistic soft shadows, reflections, refractions, motion blur, and depth of field. Historically considered computationally expensive, ray tracing is gaining in popularity as computing power (primarily the recent increase in the number of processor cores) continues to increase. This paper details an introductory computer graphics course taught around a Java ray tracer. For most students this was their first exposure to the field of graphics. Having programmed primarily in Java since CS 1, the students preferred Java to C++. Like any other Java program, the ray tracer ran on all platforms, minimizing students' frustrations and avoiding investment in a new IDE. For most homework assignments, students added features to a bare-bones ray tracer, converted from the C++ code in Kevin Suffern's textbook, Ray Tracing from the Ground Up [13]. Additional non-ray tracing homework was also assigned to expose students to other fundamental areas of computer graphics, such as color models, transformations, viewing and event-driven interactions.
La Vía Campesina: Globalization and the Power of Peasants – By Annette Aurélie Desmarais

The article reviews the book "La Via Campesina: Globalization and the Power of Peasants," by Annette Aurelie Desmarais.
Antiplatelet antibodies and platelet counts in pregnancies complicated by autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura

In 48 pregnant women with autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura, no consistent correlation was found between the infant platelet count and either the maternal platelet count, a previous maternal splenectomy, or maternal treatment with corticosteroids. Although the concentration of antiplatelet antibody in maternal serum frequently reflected the severity of neonatal thrombocytopenia, a number of exceptions to this observation limited the clinical usefulness of the test for individual patients. Antiplatelet antibody levels in the amniotic fluid were always low. A twin gestation in this series of patients in which one infant was thrombocytopenic and the other was not also showed that no antepartum maternal clinical characteristic or laboratory test can accurately predict the fetal platelet count. Only fetal platelet counts from scalp samples obtained prior to or early in labor from 25 patients with autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura proved to be reliable in assessing the degree of fetal thrombocytopenia and selecting the appropriate route of delivery.
Kicking the National Habit: The Legal and Policy Arguments for Abolishing Private Prison Contracts

Privatization overall negatively impacts the treatment, rehabilitation, and care of prisoners, indicating that the market-driven business model is fundamentally incompatible with an effective and humane corrections system. There are several reasons for this tension. First, private prison companies are primarily profit-seeking entities, working to reduce costs wherever possible. Cost-cutting measures promote inferior contract performance, undue safety risks, and poor delivery of inmate services. The profit motive also encourages private prison companies to disregard the principles of inmate rehabilitation and criminal deterrence; if advanced, these principles would undermine profits and reduce the demand for these companies’ services. Finally, to expand their markets, private prison operators are exhorted to advance harsh criminal sentencing policies and to dilute early-release, parole, and good-behavior programs within their facilities. All of these market-based incentives, as applied to the field of corrections, operate to the detriment of the Government, prison inmates, and society as a whole.
Every session counts: The differential impact of previous programmes and current programme dosage on offender recidivism

Purpose. The present study examined the impact of current treatment dosage on recidivism among offenders. Methods. Using a sample of dropouts from a community treatment programme, current treatment dosage and past completed programmes were used to predict criminal recidivism. Results. After statistically controlling for risk levels, only current dosage was predictive of recidivism. Conclusions. Offenders’ current direction, indicated by current dosage, is central to reducing recidivism. Strategies for offenders completing treatment sessions are discussed.
Differential Involvement of the Circadian Clock in the Expression of Genes Required for Ribulose-1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase Synthesis, Assembly, and Activation in Arabidopsis thaliana

We have investigated the role of the circadian clock in the regulation of expression of genes required for ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) synthesis, assembly, and activation. Circadian oscillations in RCA (the gene encoding Rubisco activase) and RBCS (the gene encoding Rubisco small subunit) mRNA accumulation, with peak abundance occurring soon after dawn, occur in Arabidopsis thaliana grown in a light-dark (LD) photoperiod. These oscillations persist in plants that have been transferred from LD to either continuous darkness (DD) or continuous light (LL). In contrast, CPN60[alpha] (the gene encoding [alpha]-chaperonin) and CPN60[beta] (the gene encoding [beta]-chaperonin) mRNA abundance oscillates in a diurnal, but not in a circadian, fashion. Although rapid damping of the circadian oscillation in RCA mRNA abundance is observed in Arabidopsis that have been grown in LD and then transferred to DD for 2 d, the circadian oscillations in RCA and RBCS mRNA abundance persist for at least five continuous cycles in LL, demonstrating the robustness of the circadian oscillator.
The latitudinal distribution of solar wind magnetic holes

Using the fast latitude scan period of the Ulysses spacecraft, the occurrence of magnetic holes in the solar wind is investigated from -80 degrees to +80 degrees helio-latitude.
The JAK kinase inhibitor CP‐690,550 supresses the growth of human polycythemia vera cells carrying the JAK2V617F mutation

The somatic activating janus kinase 2 mutation (JAK2)(V617F) is detectable in most patients with polycythemia vera (PV). Here we report that CP-690,550 exerts greater antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activity against cells harboring JAK2(V617F) compared with JAK2(WT). CP-690,550 treatment of murine factor-dependent cell Patersen-erythropoietin receptor (FDCP-EpoR) cells harboring human wild-type or V617F JAK2 resulted in inhibition of cell proliferation with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of 2.1 microM and 0.25 microM, respectively. Moreover, CP-690,550 induced a significant pro-apoptotic effect on murine FDCP-EpoR cells carrying JAK2(V617F), whereas a lesser effect was observed for cells carrying wild-type JAK2. This activity was coupled with inhibition of phosphorylation of the key JAK2(V617F)-dependent downstream signaling effectors signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3, STAT5, and v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT). Furthermore, CP-690,550 treatment of ex-vivo-expanded erythroid progenitors from JAK2(V617F)-positive PV patients resulted in specific, antiproliferative (IC(50) = 0.2 microM) and pro-apoptotic activity. In contrast, expanded progenitors from healthy controls were less sensitive to CP-690,550 in proliferation (IC(50) > 1.0 microM), and apoptosis assays. The antiproliferative effect on expanded patient progenitors was paralleled by a decrease in JAK2(V617F) mutant allele frequency, particularly in a patient homozygous for JAK2(V617F). Flow cytometric analysis of expanded PV progenitor cells treated with CP-690,550 suggests a possible transition towards a pattern of erythroid differentiation resembling expanded cells from normal healthy controls.
RVG-mediated calpain2 gene silencing in the brain impairs learning and memory.

In the central nervous system, two calpain isoforms are highly expressed: calpain1 and calpain2. Here, we show for the first time that activation of the calpain isoform, calpain2, is a necessary event in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and in learning and memory. We developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer–based animal model to monitor in vivo calpain activation in single cells and in real time. Additionally, utilizing a novel rabies virus glycoprotein-chimeric peptide, which enabled the transvascular delivery of small interfering RNA to the brain against calpain2, we down-regulated the calpain2 isoform in vivo. Calpain2 gene silencing eliminated long-term potentiation and impaired learning and memory. Our results not only identify the calpain2 isoform as a critical mediator in learning and memory but also highlight an innovative, highly efficient calpain2-targeting peptide capable of isoform-specific gene silencing in the brain. We anticipate these innovative technologies and our better understanding of the calpain machinery, particularly of the calpain2 isoform, will have substantial influence on future translational studies, attracting considerable interest in the use of calpain models and calpain-specific inhibitors in the development of therapeutics.
Array comparative genomic hybridization reveals genomic copy number changes associated with outcome in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.

To identify, in high-resolution regions of DNA, the copy number changes associated with outcome in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a disease with an approximately 50% mortality rate, we performed array comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) on specimens from 64 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy. For the entire cohort, 55 commonly gained/lost regions, ranging in size from less than 1 Mbp to entire chromosomes, were identified using 1- to 2-Mbp and 2- to 4-Mbp resolution BAC arrays. Copy number changes of 9 minimal regions significantly correlated with overall survival, of which 6 were 10 Mbp or smaller. On multivariate analysis, loss of chromosomes 2 (2.4-4.1 Mbp) and 16 (33.8-35.6 Mbp) were found to be prognostic indicators of poor survival, independent of clinical features routinely used to predict outcome. Loss of chromosome 1 (78.2-79.1 Mbp) was predictive of good outcome. For a subset of 55 specimens classified according to cell-of-origin expression signature subtype, gain of chromosome 12 (45.4-53.8 Mbp) was found to be significantly associated with the germinal center B-cell-like DLBCL subtype. Overall, array-CGH identified relatively small genomic regions associated with outcome, which, along with follow-up expression studies, may reveal target genes important in DLBCL clinical behavior. (Blood. 2006;107:2477-2485)