cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pulsars and Neutron Star Formation

THE current popularity of the rotating neutron star hypothesis as an explanation of pulsars suggests that a re-examination of the problem of the formation of neutron stars is appropriate. In particular it is of interest to know the predictions of the theory of stellar evolution concerning the formation of neutron stars and the type of object from which they are formed. I present here a few plausible assumptions that lead to some surprising]y general predictions. It will be suggested that pulsars are formed from massive O stars; observational tests of this hypothesis are possible and will be discussed.
Assessing the effectiveness of text messages as appointment reminders in a pediatric dental setting

ABSTRACT Background Text messaging is a dominant form of communication in our society. However, little research has been conducted to evaluate its effectiveness as an appointment reminder in the dental setting. Methods From the patient pool of the pediatric dentistry clinic at the University of Washington, Seattle, the authors invited 543 caregiver/child dyads who met eligibility criteria to participate in this study. They randomly assigned 318 pairs (59 percent response) to receive a short message service (SMS) text message (n = 158) or a voice message (control group) (n = 160) as an appointment reminder. Results Younger caregivers were more likely to be nonattendees than were older caregivers ( P = .02). Participants in the voice message group had a lower no-show attendance (8.2 percent) than did those in the text message group (17.7 percent) ( P = .01). The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for type of appointment reminder and no-show attendance was 2.41 ( P = .01). After the authors adjusted for the caregiver's age, the OR was 2.12 ( P = .04). Conclusions SMS text messages were not as effective as voice reminders for patients in a dental school pediatric dentistry clinic. Future studies should investigate the effect of text message reminders when limited to patients who self-select that type of reminder and in patient populations outside the university setting. Clinical Implications Text messaging may not be the preferable method of reminding patients about appointments in a university pediatric dental clinic.
Hemodynamic Changes With Manual and Automated Lateral Turning in Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation

Background Lateral turning of critical care patients receiving mechanical ventilation can adversely affect hemodynamic status. Objective To study hemodynamic responses to lateral turning. Method A time-series design with automated signal processing and ensemble averaging was used to evaluate changes in heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure due to lateral turning in 13 adult medical-surgical critical care patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Patients were randomly assigned to the manual-turn or the automated-turn protocol for up to 7 consecutive days. Heart rate and arterial pressure were measured every 6 seconds for more than 24 hours, and pulse pressure was computed. Results A total of 6 manual-turn patients and 7 automated-turn patients completed the study. Statistically significant changes in heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure occurred with the manual turn. Return of the hemodynamic variables to baseline values required up to 45 minutes in the manual-turn patients (expected recovery time ≤ 5 minutes). However, clinically important changes dissipated within 15 minutes of the lateral turn. The steady-state heart rate response on the right side was slightly greater (3 beats per minute) than that on the back (P = .003). Automated turning resulted in no clinically important changes in any of the 3 variables. Conclusions In medical-surgical critical care patients receiving mechanical ventilation, manual lateral turning was associated with changes in heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure that persisted up to 45 minutes.
The Role of Chemokines in Oral Tolerance.

Peripheral antigen-specific tolerance can be induced by feeding protein antigens. The mechanism has been described as either clonal anergy/deletion or induction of antigen-specific regulatory cells that produce transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, depending on the dose of antigen fed. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis, can be prevented by feeding myelin basic protein (MBP) or proteolipid protein (PLP). We decided to address the role of chemokines in the induction of oral tolerance. We have used a model antigen system of feeding a high dose of human gamma globulin (HGG) to mice that have been subsequently immunized with HGG emulsified in CFA. The result was decreased recall proliferative, delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) and Th1 cytokine responses. By contrast, Th2 cytokine responses were enhanced. Interestingly, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha production was decreased, whereas monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 production was enhanced. Induction of oral tolerance was prevented by the administration of anti-MCP-1 to mice fed HGG. These results show that chemokines play an important role in the induction of oral tolerance.
Paradoxical effect of corticosteroids on pituitary ACTH/β-endorphin release in stressed animals

Abstract We have previously demonstrated a number of changes in the anterior lobe proopiomelanocortin (POMC) system in chronically stressed rats. The purpose of the present experiments was to investigate whether chronically stressed rats demonstrate changes in pituitary sensitivity to glucocorticoid negative feedback. To study this question we compared the effects of glucocorticoids on ovine corticotropin releasing factor (oCRF)-stimulated ACTH and β-endorphin release from cell suspensions prepared from naive unhandled rats versus chronically stressed rats. After dexamethasone, there was a 50% decrease in oCRF-stimulated hormone release in control rats but no inhibition of oCRF-stimulated hormone release in anterior lobe suspension from chronically stressed rats. Rather, the chronically stressed group exhibited a 50% hormone increase above the oCRF-stimulated baseline. The same pattern was observed after the addition of corticosterone to the medium. These findings suggest that there may be a positive feedback effect of glucocorticoids at the pituitary level under some conditions of chronic stress.
An intervention study targeting energy and nutrient intake in worksite cafeterias.

Abstract Modifying the food environment is a promising strategy for promoting healthier eating behavior. This study aimed to evaluate nutritional and weight changes in a program that used worksite cafeterias to reduce employees’ calorie content of purchased foods and improve their macronutrient intake. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: 1) only environmental change (i.e., the introduction of 10 new low-energy-density (ED) foods and provision of labels for all foods sold at lunch, which listed ED, calories, and macronutrient content) or 2) the environmental change plus pricing incentives for purchasing low-ED foods and education about low-ED eating delivered in four, 1-hour group sessions. Participant lunch choices were monitored electronically at the point of purchase for 3 months before the intervention was instituted (i.e., the baseline period) and for 3 months afterward (i.e., intervention period). Participants were adults ( n = 96, BMI = 29.7 ± 6.0 kg/m 2 ) who regularly ate lunch at their workplace cafeteria. There was no difference between groups in total energy intake over the study period. Across groups, energy and percent of energy from fat decreased and percent of energy from carbohydrate increased from baseline to the intervention period (all p p
Molecular dynamics for very large systems on massively parallel computers: The MPSim program

We describe the implementation of the cell multipole method CMM in a . . complete molecular dynamics MD simulation program MPSim for massively parallel supercomputers. Tests are made of how the program scales with size . . linearly and with number of CPUs nearly linearly in applications involving up to 10 7 particles and up to 500 CPUs. Applications include estimating the surface tension of Ar and calculating the structure of rhinovirus 14 without requiring icosahedral symmetry. Q 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Pharmacologic prophylaxis and risk factors for intraoperative floppy-iris syndrome in phacoemulsification performed by resident physicians

Purpose To determine the incidence of intraoperative floppy-iris syndrome (IFIS) in patients taking tamsulosin who had surgery by resident physicians, the effect of prophylactic intracameral lidocaine–epinephrine on the incidence, and the relationship between preoperative dilated pupil diameter and the incidence. Setting Tertiary care hospital, Seattle, Washington, USA. Methods Charts of consecutive patients who had cataract extraction by resident physicians between January 2005 and July 2008 were reviewed. Operative notes for patients taking tamsulosin at the time of surgery were reviewed. Preoperative dilated pupil diameter; use of prophylactic intracameral lidocaine–epinephrine; and presence of billowing iris, iris prolapse, and pupil constriction were recorded. Intraoperative floppy-iris syndrome was defined as the occurrence of any of the 3 phenomena constituting the syndrome. Results Review of 1163 charts identified 59 patients (81 eyes) taking tamsulosin at the time of surgery. The overall incidence of IFIS was 29.6%. Of those who received prophylactic intracameral lidocaine–epinephrine, the incidence of IFIS was 38.5%. The incidence of IFIS was 44.8% in eyes with preoperative dilated pupil diameter smaller than 6.5 mm and 21.7% in eyes with a preoperative dilated pupil diameter larger than 6.5 mm. A preoperative dilated pupil diameter smaller than 6.5 mm was significantly associated with IFIS ( P = .032). Conclusions The incidence of IFIS was lower than previously reported. Use of prophylactic intracameral lidocaine–epinephrine did not reduce the incidence of IFIS. A preoperative dilated pupil diameter smaller than 6.5 mm was significantly associated with an increased incidence of IFIS. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Risk Assessment Initiatives for Noncancer Endpoints: Implications for Risk Characterization of Chemical Mixtures

Current methods employed in risk assessment for noncarcinogens are associated with the estimation of reference doses (RfDs). These strategies reflect (appropriately) a protective philosophy in both...
Viscoelastic behavior of carbon black and its relationship with the aggregate size

Abstract The viscoelastic behavior of binderless carbon black compacts under dynamic compression (0.2–10.0 Hz, static strain 1.0–2.5%, deformation amplitude 9.4–16 μm and packing density 0.18–0.45 g/cm 3 ) is governed by the solid part of the compact, with the elastic character dominating the viscous character. The viscous character increases with increasing aggregate size, while the elastic character decreases. The interparticle movement in an aggregate contributes to the viscous deformation, while the connectivity among the aggregates contributes to the stiffness. The loss tangent of the solid part increases with increasing aggregate size up to 300 nm, which is optimum for viscoelasticity. A larger specific surface area weakly correlates with a lower storage/loss modulus of the solid part. The particle size does not correlate with the viscoelastic behavior. Both viscous and elastic characters increase with increasing static strain, due to the tightening of the solid part. The loss tangent of the solid part is up to 1.2, compared to 21 and 0.67 for exfoliated graphite and rubber respectively. The storage and loss moduli of the solid part (up to 21 and 180 kPa respectively) are below those of rubber, but are above or comparable to those of exfoliated graphite. Possible applications relate to mechanical isolation.
The Colloid/Nanogranular Nature of Cement Paste and Properties

The importance of microstructure in materials science rests in its ability to establish links between processing and properties. Many properties of concrete are governed by structure at the nano-scale, notably by the variable and difficult to study calcium silicate hydrate. A basis for recent progress has come from viewing the nanostructure as a colloid or granular material (referred to here as C-G), with certain properties assigned to the grains and other properties assigned to reasonably well defined packing arrangements of the grains. This approach taps into both colloid science and granular mechanics. This approach is rich both conceptually and quantitatively. This paper describes recent progress using the C-G approach to understand drying shrinkage and creep, with a view towards further reconciling a vast literature, and improving quantitative relationships between structure and properties.
VEGFR3 Inhibition Chemosensitizes Ovarian Cancer Stemlike Cells through Down-Regulation of BRCA1 and BRCA2

In ovarian cancer, loss of BRCA gene expression in tumors is associated with improved response to chemotherapy and increased survival. A means to pharmacologically downregulate BRCA gene expression could improve the outcomes of patients with BRCA wild-type tumors. We report that vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3) inhibition in ovarian cancer cells is associated with decreased levels of both BRCA1 and BRCA2. Inhibition of VEGFR3 in ovarian tumor cells was associated with growth arrest. CD133+ ovarian cancer stemlike cells were preferentially susceptible to VEGFR3-mediated growth inhibition. VEGFR3 inhibition–mediated down-regulation of BRCA gene expression reversed chemotherapy resistance and restored chemosensitivity in resistant cell lines in which a BRCA2 mutation had reverted to wild type. Finally, we demonstrate that tumor-associated macrophages are a primary source of VEGF-C in the tumor microenvironment. Our studies suggest that VEGFR3 inhibition may be a pharmacologic means to downregulate BRCA genes and improve the outcomes of patients with BRCA wild-type tumors.
Acute goiter hematoma following blunt neck trauma

Traumatic hemorrhage into the thyroid gland is rarely reported. We report the case of a 30-year-old man who sustained blunt trauma to his neck, resulting in hemorrhage into a previously existing goiter. The patient's goiter was drained in the hospital. He was doing well at a three-month follow-up.
Parallel coloring of graphs: two approximate algorithms

Graph coloring is an abstraction of scheduling problems. Using an exclusive-read and exclusive-write (EREW) parallel random access machine (PRAM) model, two approximate coloring algorithms are parallelized. The performance analysis reveals that the parallel largest-degree-first algorithm is efficient for regular or near-regular graphs; while the second, a costlier but more easily parallelizable algorithm, yields optimal speedup for graphs of widely varying densities.
Down-regulation of interleukin-3/granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor β-chain in BCR-ABL+ human leukemic cells: Association with loss of cytokine-mediated Stat-5 activation and protection from apoptosis after BCR-ABL inhibition

Several signaling cascades are engaged by expression of the p210 bcr-abl tyrosine kinase, and evidence suggests that these signals drive leukemogenesis. In this report, signaling pathways were examined and compared between cells derived from leukemic patients and cells expressing a bcr-abl construct (MBA). The effects of acute inhibition of bcr-abl with STI-571 on these signals and the survival of bcr-abl-expressing cells were also evaluated. Expression of bcr-abl in interleukin-3 (IL-3)/granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-dependent Mo7e cells (MBA) resulted in growth factor independence, constitutive activation of Stat-5 phosphorylation, engagement of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signals, and increased expression of PTP1B and bcl-x(L). STI-571 inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in bcr-abl-expressing cells (MBA, K562, BV-173, KBM5) but not in bcr-abl(-) tumor cells (Mo7e, KG-1, ME-180, Daudi). STI-571-mediated apoptosis correlated with the inhibition of Stat-5 and MAP kinase activation and a reduction in overexpressed bcl-x(L) but not in PTP1B. Inhibitor had no effect on IL-3/GM-CSF-dependent Mo7e cell signaling and did not prevent activation of the other Jak/Stat pathways (interferon alpha, IL-3/GM-CSF). However, neither IL-3 nor GM-CSF could reactivate Stat-5 after the STI-571-mediated inhibition of bcr-abl. Expression of the common beta-chain of the IL-3/GM-CSF receptor was down-regulated in Stat-5-activated myeloid leukemic cells, suppressing IL-3/GM-CSF signal transduction and the ability of these cytokines to provide apoptotic protection. These studies suggest that bcr-abl activates cytokine-independent mechanisms of survival while inactivating intrinsic cytokine signaling cascades, making bcr-abl(+) myeloid cells vulnerable to apoptosis after bcr-abl inactivation.
Audio recording of infant crying: Comparison with maternal cry logs:

This study investigated the accuracy of mothers’ reports of their babies’ crying. The crying of babies, 5-16 weeks old, was recorded by means of a wire-less, miniature microphone contained within a terry cloth belt worn by the baby. Crying was transmitted to a voice-activated recorder with a range of 500 feet. Thirteen 24-hour recordings were obtained from seven infants while, at the same time, the mothers kept a Cry Log of their baby’s crying. The number of minutes of crying and the number of bouts of crying obtained from the two procedures were highly correlated, although the amount of crying reported by the mothers was less than that obtained from the recorder. The mothers reported fewer bouts of crying. The results suggest that maternal cry reports are valuable for obtaining relative amounts of crying of infants within a group, as well as information on mothers’ perceptions of their infants’ crying, whereas audio recordings offer a more precise method for obtaining the amount and temporal patterning o...
Joint Learning and Inference for Grammatical Error Correction

State-of-the-art systems for grammatical error correction are based on a collection of independently-trained models for specific errors. Such models ignore linguistic interactions at the sentence level and thus do poorly on mistakes that involve grammatical dependencies among several words. In this paper, we identify linguistic structures with interacting grammatical properties and propose to address such dependencies via joint inference and joint learning. We show that it is possible to identify interactions well enough to facilitate a joint approach and, consequently, that joint methods correct incoherent predictions that independentlytrained classifiers tend to produce. Furthermore, because the joint learning model considers interacting phenomena during training, it is able to identify mistakes that require making multiple changes simultaneously and that standard approaches miss. Overall, our model significantly outperforms the Illinois system that placed first in the CoNLL-2013 shared task on grammatical error correction.
Correlation between histological outcome and surgical cartilage repair technique in the knee: A meta-analysis

Abstract Background Compare histological outcomes after microfracture (MF), autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), and osteochondral autograft transfer (OATS). Methods Literature review using PubMed MEDLINE, SCOPUS, Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Cochrane Collaboration Library. Inclusion criteria limited to English language studies International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grading criteria for cartilage analysis after ACI (autologous chondrocyte implantation), MF (microfracture), or OATS (osteochondral autografting) repair techniques. Results Thirty-three studies investigating 1511 patients were identified. Thirty evaluated ACI or one of its subtypes, six evaluated MF, and seven evaluated OATS. There was no evidence of publication bias (Begg's p=0.48). No statistically significant correlation was found between percent change in clinical outcome and percent biopsies showing ICRS Excellent scores (R 2 =0.05, p=0.38). Percent change in clinical outcome and percent of biopsies showing only hyaline cartilage were significantly associated (R 2 =0.24, p=0.024). Mean lesion size and histological outcome were not correlated based either on percent ICRS Excellent (R 2 =0.03, p=0.50) or percent hyaline cartilage only (R 2 =0.01, p=0.67). Most common lesion location and histological outcome were not correlated based either on percent ICRS Excellent (R 2 =0.03, p=0.50) or percent hyaline cartilage only (R 2 =0.01, p=0.67). Conclusions Microfracture has poorer histologic outcomes than other cartilage repair techniques. OATS repairs primarily are comprised of hyaline cartilage, followed closely by cell-based techniques, but no significant difference was found cartilage quality using ICRS grading criteria among OATS, ACI-C, MACI, and ACI-P. Level of evidence IV, meta-analysis
Interrelationship between Two and/or Three-Dimensional Grain Morphology and Fracture Toughness of Si3N4 Ceramics

Silicon nitride ceramics with different grain morphology and fracture toughness were prepared by sintering at 1900°C for 2 to 24h in a N2 atmosphere of 0.9MPa. Two and three-dimensional (2-D and 3-D) distributions of grain size and aspect ratio were analyzed to clarify the relationship between microstructure and fracture toughness. The 2-D and 3-D grain size distributions were in good agreement. However, the 3-D aspect ratio distribution curve shifted toward the higher value with a broader distribution as compared with that of 2-D. The improvement in fracture toughness was attributable to the increase in the volume and number fractions of grains in a particular elongated grain group (grain size: 1 to 1.5μm, aspect ratio: 4 to 8) in the 3-D distribution. The increase in fracture toughness was also explained by the increase in the area and number fractions of grains in a particular grain group modified in the 2-D distribution.
Mountain Pine Beetle Brood Production in Relation to Thickness of Lodgepole Pine Phloem

The effects of phloem thickness of lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta Douglas, and number of inches of egg gallery of Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins on brood production of the beetle were investigated in laboratory studies. Brood production ranged from an average of 16 beetles for phloem 0.09 inches thick to 94 beetles for phloem 0.23 inches thick. Brood production ranged from about 3 beetles for 10 inches of egg gallery to 130 beetles for 174 inches of egg gallery. When food supply limited production, numbers of emerging brood adults increased linearly with phloem thickness. When food supply did not limit production, numbers of emerging brood adults increased exponentially with an increase in inches of egg gallery.
The effect of whole-body cooling on brain metabolism following perinatal hypoxic–ischemic injury

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) have proven valuable in evaluating neonatal hypoxic–ischemic injury (HII). MRI scores in the basal ganglia of HII/HT+ neonates were significantly lower than HII/HT− neonates, indicating less severe injury and were associated with lower discharge encephalopathy severity scores in the HII/HT+ group (P = 0.01). Lactate (Lac) was detected in the occipital gray matter (OGM) and thalamus (TH) of significantly more HII/HT− neonates (31.6 and 35.3%) as compared to the HII/HT+ group (10.5 and 15.8%). In contrast, the ­N-acetylaspartate (NAA)-based ratios in the OGM and TH did not differ between the HII groups. Our data show that the HT was associated with a decrease in the number of HII neonates with detectable cortical and subcortical Lac as well as a decrease in the number of MRI-detectable subcortical lesions. We retrospectively compared the medical and neuroimaging data of 19 HII neonates who received 72 h of whole-body cooling (HII/HT+) with those of 19 noncooled HII neonates (HII/HT−) to determine whether hypothermia was associated with improved recovery from the injury as measured by MRI and MRS within the first 14 days of life. MRI scores and metabolite ratios of HII/HT+ and HII/HT− neonates were also compared with nine healthy, nonasphyxiated “control” neonates.
HEXOSAMINE-SYNTHESIZING ENZYME IN HUMAN ARTERIAL TISSUE.

SummaryDeterminations were made of the hexosamine-synthetase activities exhibited by intima-media layers of various types of human blood vessels. A total of 125 vascular specimens was included in the study. The activity measurements were performed by a modification of the procedure described by Bolognani et al. The average quantity of hexosamine synthesized in 20 minutes by one gram of thoracic descending aorta was .606 mg; corresponding values for the ascending aorta, abdominal aorta, pulmonary artery, coronary artery, cerebral arteries, and inferior vena cava were, respectively, .720, .726, .450, .450, .372, and .618. No significant difference was observed between the activity of normal and arteriosclerotic tissue from the same arterial specimens.
Wholesale Marketing in Japan

Japanese wholesale marketing methods are quite different from those in the United States. Many manufacturers engage in no marketing activities at all; and even those which have sales departments us...
Inhibition of the JAK/STAT and Bcl-2 Pathways Enhances Anti-Tumor Effects in an in Vitro model of T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL)

Abstract T cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematologic malignancy comprising 15% of pediatric and 25% of adult cases of ALL. With current treatment options, T-ALL survival rates have reached 50-60% in adults and 85% in children. Despite great strides in the treatment of this subset of ALL, T-ALL still shows resistance to first-line therapies in over 50% of adults and 25% of children, and relapse is often chemorefractory. Mutations in the Janus Activating Kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (JAK/STAT) pathways and overexpression of the B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein are highly linked to the progression of T-ALL, and to the resistance of a number of available treatments for lymphoid malignancies. JAK/STAT is one of the main cytokine signaling pathways involved in hematopoietic cell growth and development. Indeed, the JAK/STAT pathway is often constitutively activated by T-ALL. The Bcl-2 pathway also plays an important role in cell survival. Overexpression of Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, promotes cell survival by binding and neutralizing pro-apoptotic members. Inhibition of key proteins in both of these pathways has been greatly explored individually, but little is known about their combined effects on T-ALL. It is hypothesized that T-ALL manipulates both of these pathways as a means of escaping individual inhibition of either JAK/STAT or Bcl-2. Our hypothesis is that inhibiting both the JAK/STAT and Bcl-2 pathways with two small molecule inhibitors; Ruxolitinib (JAK 1/2 inhibitor) and Venetoclax (BH3 mimetic targeting Bcl-2), will inhibit T-ALL growth and survival. Proliferation of T-ALL was assessed by MTT assay and viability was measured by trypan blue and flow cytometry at 24, 48 and 72-hour time points post-treatment. Single-drug dose responses were conducted for both inhibitors. Six doses of both Ruxolitinib and Venetoclax were tested from a range of 0.156uM-5uM for Ruxolitinib and 1.56nM-50nM of Venetoclax. A response was seen for the three highest doses of both inhibitors (1.25uM, 2.5uM, and 5uM for Ruxolitinib and 12.5nM, 25nM, 50nM for Venetoclax). However, a synergistic effect was only achieved when combining 1.25uM Ruxolitinib with 25nM Venetoclax or 2.5uM Ruxolitinib with 12.5nM or 25nM Venetoclax. The combination dose of 1.25uM Ruxolitinib and 25nM Venetoclax demonstrated the greatest combined synergistic effect (CI Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The CYP17A1 inhibitor abiraterone exhibits estrogen receptor agonist activity in breast cancer.

Cytochrome P450 17A1 (CYP17A1) is the requisite enzyme for synthesis of sex steroids, including estrogens and androgens. As such, inhibition of CYP17A1 is a target for inhibiting the growth of hormone-dependent cancers including prostate and breast cancer. Abiraterone, is a first in class potent and selective CYP17A1 inhibitor that has been approved for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer. Given that, androgens are the precursors for estrogen production, it has been proposed that abiraterone could be an effective form of treatment for estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, though its utility in this context has yet to be established. Abiraterone has a core steroid-like chemical structure, and so we hypothesized that it may bind to nuclear steroid receptors including ER and have estrogenic activity. We tested this hypothesis by investigating abiraterone’s ability to directly modulate ER signaling in breast cancer cell line models. We show that abiraterone directly activates ER, induces ER-target gene expression, and elicits estrogen-response-element reporter activity in the ER-positive cell lines MCF-7 and T47D. Abiraterone also induced cell proliferation by ~2.5-fold over vehicle in both MCF-7 and T47D cells. Importantly, abiraterone-induced cell proliferation and ER-activity was blocked by the selective estrogen receptor downregulator (SERD) fulvestrant, confirming that abiraterone directly acts at the ER. These data suggest that abiraterone should be combined with other ER antagonists when used for the clinical management of ER-positive breast cancer.
The development status quo analysis on Guangdong modern agriculture industry of 2012

2011 is the first year of "The 12th Five-Year".The yields of Guangdong crop farming and breeding industry were achieved steady increase.The tight in supply and demand situation of agricultural products have shown some improvement.The price fluctuation of rice has relaxed.The price of pig lowered continually.The agricultural trade achieved a further growth.The science and technology foundation of agriculture has been further fortified.It lays a solid foundation for the development of agriculture and rural economy beginning in "The 12th Five-Year".
Comparison of three weaning ages on cow-calf performance and steer carcass traits

An experiment was conducted to compare three weaning ages on cow-calf performance and steer carcass traits. Crossbred steers (n = 168; 1/2 Simmental × 1/4 Angus × 1/4 Hereford) were randomly assigned to three treatments with eight pens per treatment: groups were 1) weaned at an average of 90 d of age (90 ± 13 d) and placed in the feedlot, 2) weaned at an average of 152 d of age (152 ± 13 d ) and placed in the feedlot, and 3) weaned at an average of 215 d of age (215 ± 13 d) and placed in the feedlot. The number of days steers were finished decreased by 55 and 38 d (linear, P =.0001) as weaning age increased when slaughtered at a constant fat end point (.81 cm). Weaning at an average of 90 and 152 d of age improved overall ADG by.15 and.07 kg/d, respectively, over weaning at an average of 215 d of age (linear, P =.005). Over the entire finishing period, intake increased (linear, P =.0006) and efficiency was poorer (linear, P =.004) as weaning age increased. Owing to differences in finishing days and intake, total concentrate consumed increased (linear, P =.03) as weaning age decreased. No differences (P >.21) were observed for carcass weight, longissimus muscle area, or yield grade. No differences (P >.19) were observed in marbling score or percentage of steers grading greater than or equal to Choice or Average Choice. Cow body condition score improved (linear, P =.0001) as weaning age decreased. Pregnancy rate improved 12 percentage units (linear, P =.15) for cows on the 90-d weaning treatment. In this study, early weaning improved gain and feed efficiency, but it increased total concentrate consumed.
TU‐H‐BRC‐04: Feasibility of Using TomoDirect for Pulsed Reduced Dose‐Rate Radiotherapy

Purpose: Pulsed reduced dose-rate radiotherapy (PRDR) is a technique used for treatment of recurrent disease where a planned treatment is split into 0.2 Gy pulses, each separated by three-minute intervals, to achieve a time averaged dose rate of 0.0667 Gy/min. This study investigated the feasibility of using TomoTherapy’s fixed angle delivery feature (TomoDirect) to create high quality IMRT plans that meet the radiobiological constraints of PRDR. Methods: Two plans (one craniospinal irradiation and a complex shaped temporal lobe re-irradiation) were created using a conventional technique and then TomoDirect. Plan quality was compared between techniques. Next, the dose rate to each voxel in the target was computed for each TomoDirect beam to verify that the time-averaged dose rate is less than 0.0667 Gy/min. Results: The TomoDirect CSI plan provided improved target coverage and organ at risk sparing with a per-beam treatment time ranging from 21.6 to 43.5 seconds and mean time-averaged dose rate of 0.032 Gy/min. The TomoDirect temporal lobe plan showed equivalent plan quality to a non-PRDR TomoHelical IMRT plan with per-beam treatment times ranging from 43.7 to 44.9 seconds and a mean time-averaged dose rate of 0.052 Gy/min. Conclusion: Our initial investigation suggests that TomoDirect PRDR is not only feasible but ideal for delivering superior conformality and target homogeneity to complex and large fields.
Response to "Eduardo P. Olaguer: the potential near-source ozone impacts of upstream oil and gas industry emissions, J. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc. 2012, 62(8): 966-977".

Dear Dr. Rao, Staff at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) read the above-referenced paper and found notable technical issues. While we have many questions about the study's modeli...
THE IMPACT OF FORENSIC ACCOUNTING ON INVESTIGATION OF CORPORATE FRAUD IN NIGERIA: STUDY OF EFCC

This paper examine the impact of forensic accounting on investigation of corporate fraud in Nigeria. A study of EFCC. Several instances of corporate scandals and failure in resent past have put the professional accounting bodies into a new perception that goes beyond statutory audit and in some ways even the trend of corporate governance, forensic accounting is one of the most, if not the most important tool in the fight against corruption and other criminal wrongdoing, both in private and public sectors. For the study, data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. A total of 60 (sixty's questionnaires were distributed and hypothesis were formulated sample percentages were used in analyzing the questions contained in the questionnaire. Chi-square statistics was used in the test of the hypothesis formulated. Based on the research, the researcher found out that forensic accounting enhances the role in easy detecting of fraudulent scheme. The effectiveness of EFCC of forensic accounting can restrict financial crime in Nigeria, and the prosecution of public office holders by EFCC can reduce the level of fraudulent activities in Nigeria. The researcher recommends for external and internal auditor to be trained on fraud detection procedures including knowing when suspicious activity is detected and then the executive and directors to become fully aware of the threat of fraud and the means of deterring it.
Linking transportation and population health to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in transportation injury: Implications for practice and policy

ABSTRACTIn both developing and advanced economies, it is commonly believed that lower income and minority populations are disproportionately at risk of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash, especially as pedestrians. However, this risk is rarely quantified with information about exposure. We argue that a combined transportation–population health framework is one way to quantify, and therefore prioritize, equity considerations in transportation safety decision-making. We illustrate this approach with an analysis that compares age-adjusted fatal and nonfatal injury rates per 100 million person-trips by race/ethnicity and sex for motor vehicle occupants, bicyclists, and pedestrians. We found that, per trip, whites are equally safe as pedestrians and motor vehicle occupants, whereas other racial and ethnic groups for whom we have data are less safe when they walk. In addition, black/African-American female motor vehicle occupants and pedestrians have higher inpatient injury risk than female travel...
Lysosomal Free Sialic Acid Storage Disorders: Salla Disease and ISSD

© 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Salla disease and infantile free sialic acid storage disease (ISSD) are rare disorders of free sialic acid storage characterized by accumulation of the monosaccharide sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid) in lysosomes. These disorders should be distinguished from sialuria in which free sialic acid accumulates in the cytoplasm. All three disorders present with increased excretion of free sialic acid in the urine. Only Salla disease and ISSD are discussed here in detail.
Un autre Iran. Un ethnologue au Gilân

The French anthropologist Christian Bromberger has been studying the Caspian province of Gilan for over four decades. In this sumptuously illustrated book he offers readers the summa of his researc...
CONVECTION AND FLOWS IN THE SUN AND STARS

Fluid motions associated with a variety of hydrodynamical and MHD processes occur continuously in the atmosphere and interior of the Sun. The present brief review focuses on one such flow, namely, the internal solar rotation. After summarizing some of what is known about the structure and physics of the Sun’s interior, we discuss the properties of solar acoustic oscillations and how analysis of them can reveal information about the internal angular velocity distribution. The results of such analyses are then compared with the predictions of models based on particular angular momentum transport mechanisms.
Electrostatics of Dna-Wrapped Cationically Stabilized Gold Nanospheres

Gold nanoparticles have a unique set of properties that allow them to be utilized in a wide array of research and medical applications. The interface of positively stabilized gold nanoparticles with DNA is of particular interest for a variety of applications such as the study of artificial forms of DNA packing and the design of new vectors for therapeutic gene delivery. DNA wraps electrostatically around gold nanoparticles that are stabilized or layered with cationic molecules. Depending on the size of the gold nanoparticles, the length of the DNA, and the ionic content of the solution, these complexes can vary in stability, morphology, and mechanism of formation. To investigate these complexes, we incubated small cetrimonium bromide (CTAB) stabilized gold nanospheres in solutions of sheared calf thymus DNA. We removed unwrapped DNA and introduced a background concentration of sodium chloride using equilibrium dialysis by serial centrifugation. We characterized the gold nanospheres at all stages of the process using UV spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential measurements. Following centrifugation, we analyzed the purified solutions of DNA wrapped gold nanospheres using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The goal of these measurements is to elucidate the electrostatics of these complexes by analyzing the effect of DNA wrapping on the properties of the gold nanospheres within the complex, the incorporation of stabilizing sodium cations into the complex, and the ratio of DNA to nanoparticles utilized in each complex.
Processes, patterns, practices, and perspectives: What we talk about when we talk about “development”

Abstract“Development” is a central term in an interdisciplinary discussion that brings together a diverse range of more conventional disciplines, including economics, politics, anthropology, and history. While this word is often used in highly specific ways within each of these contributing fields, the use can vary widely between them, leaving explicitly interdisciplinary discussions of “development” open to unnecessary semantic confusion. This paper breaks this multifaceted term down into the individual facets and constructs a descriptive typology that can be used to interpret individual uses in a text. This typology is then applied to four classic works that attack conventional understandings of “development” and a selection of articles in the journal World Development from 1973, 1993, and 2013. This analysis appears to document a maturation of interdisciplinary discussions of “development,” as evidenced through observation of increasing rigor, specificity, and a now nearly standard reliance of adjacent...
A comparative study of Vietnamese Amerasians, their non-Amerasian siblings, and unrelated, like-aged Vietnamese immigrants

Objective : The authors compared the personal histories, levels of psychological distress, and adaptation to American life of Vietnamese Amerasians (N=140), their non-Amerasian siblings (N=71), and a group of unrelated, like-aged Vietnamese immigrants (N=118). Method : Subjects completed two self-administered symptom checklists and provided demographic and personal history data. Results : Vietnamese Amerasians differed significantly from the other two groups on measures ofalcohol use, number of hospitalizations, years of education, childhood trauma, perceived effects of trauma, and score on the Vietnamese Depression Scale. The Amerasians did not, however, differ on measures ofsocial support or in their success at adapting to life in the United States. Conclusions : Despite multiple disadvantages, Vietnamese Amerasians appear to be adapting to life in the United States as well as other like-aged Vietnamese immigrants.
Short-term depression and transient memory in sensory cortex

Persistent neuronal activity is usually studied in the context of short-term memory localized in central cortical areas. Recent studies show that early sensory areas also can have persistent representations of stimuli which emerge quickly (over tens of milliseconds) and decay slowly (over seconds). Traditional positive feedback models cannot explain sensory persistence for at least two reasons: (i) They show attractor dynamics, with transient perturbations resulting in a quasi-permanent change of system state, whereas sensory systems return to the original state after a transient. (ii) As we show, those positive feedback models which decay to baseline lose their persistence when their recurrent connections are subject to short-term depression, a common property of excitatory connections in early sensory areas. Dual time constant network behavior has also been implemented by nonlinear afferents producing a large transient input followed by much smaller steady state input. We show that such networks require unphysiologically large onset transients to produce the rise and decay observed in sensory areas. Our study explores how memory and persistence can be implemented in another model class, derivative feedback networks. We show that these networks can operate with two vastly different time courses, changing their state quickly when new information is coming in but retaining it for a long time, and that these capabilities are robust to short-term depression. Specifically, derivative feedback networks with short-term depression that acts differentially on positive and negative feedback projections are capable of dynamically changing their time constant, thus allowing fast onset and slow decay of responses without requiring unrealistically large input transients.
Gas chromatographic retention behavior of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkyl-substituted PAHs on two stationary phases of different selectivity

Retention indices (I) for 45 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 63 methyl-substituted PAHs were determined by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using two different stationary phases: a Rxi-PAH phase (a “higher phenyl-content stationary phase”) and a 50% (mole fraction) liquid crystalline dimethylpolysiloxane phase. Retention data were obtained for parent PAHs from molecular mass (MM) 128 g/mol (naphthalene) to 328 g/mol (benzo[c]picene) and for 12 sets of methyl-PAHs (methylfluorenes, methylanthracenes, methylphenanthrenes, methylfluoranthenes, methylpyrenes, methylbenz[a]anthracenes, methylbenzo[c]phenanthrenes, methylchrysenes, methyltriphenylenes, methylbenzo[a]pyrenes, methylperylenes, and methylpicenes). Molecular shape descriptors such as length-to-breath ratio (L/B) and thickness (T) were determined for all the PAHs studied. Correlation between I and L/B ratio was evaluated for both stationary phases with a better correlation observed for the 50% liquid crystalline phase (correlation coefficients ranging from 0.22 to 1.00).
Global Versus Multidomestic: Culture’s Consequences on Innovation

This study examines the relationship of national culture to firm innovation, moderated by the type of industry in which the firm competes.
How (not) to think of the 'dead-donor' rule.

Although much has been written on the dead-donor rule (DDR) in the last twenty-five years, scant attention has been paid to how it should be formulated, what its rationale is, and why it was accepted. The DDR can be formulated in terms of either a Don’t Kill rule or a Death Requirement, the former being historically rooted in absolutist ethics and the latter in a prudential policy aimed at securing trust in the transplant enterprise. I contend that the moral core of the rule is the Don’t Kill rule, not the Death Requirement. This, I show, is how the DDR was understood by the transplanters of the 1960s, who sought to conform their practices to their ethics—unlike today’s critics of the DDR, who rethink their ethics in a question-begging fashion to accommodate their practices. A better discussion of the ethics of killing is needed to move the debate forward.
Dental Identification & Radiographic Pitfalls

Abstract Dental identification is often the most expedient, reliable, and effective method for identifying human remains that are decomposed, skeletonized, burned, or fragmented. The dental identification process involves the comparison of postmortem dental evidence documented from the examination of the decedent to the antemortem dental/medical records and photographs of the presumed decedent. Dental identification is the primary function of the forensic odontologist and can be a challenging endeavor depending on the quality and quantity of the postmortem and antemortem evidence that is available. This chapter will discuss the rationale for human identification, other methods used for forensic human identification, the collection and preservation of postmortem and antemortem dental evidence, dental identification software, the comparison process, and report writing; and, will discuss some of the more common pitfalls in forensic odontology radiography practices.
A (synthetic) lethal weapon for cancer

ROS1 inhibition in E-cadherin–deficient tumors leads to synthetic lethality, which could be exploited for the selective treatment of breast cancer patients.