cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract A36: Chemosensitivity to trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) differs in naturally or transduced HER2-overexpressing human breast cancer cells

Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) is overexpressed in 25-30% of breast cancers and is associated with distant metastasis and poor survival. Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1), an antibody-drug conjugate of anti-HER2 mAb trastuzumab linked to microtubule-targeting agent mertansine, has been approved for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Chemoresistance has been a major obstacle to T-DM1 treatment, and mechanisms remain incompletely understood. We tested T-DM1 chemosensitivity in vitro and in vivo using two human breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231BR-HER2 (triple-negative cells stably transfected with HER2 plasmid) and HCC1954 (natural HER2 overexpression), which show equivalent HER2 and αv integrin protein levels. MDA-MB-231BR-HER2 was strongly resistant to T-DM1, with doses as high as 1 µg/ml failing to induce apoptosis indicated by the presence of cleaved PAPR protein. In contrast, HCC1954 cells are sensitive to T-DM1, with doses as low as 10 ng/mL causing cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner. Cellular internalization of trastuzumab-pHrodo conjugates was significantly higher in HCC1954 than MDA-MB-231BR-HER2, but no difference was found in anti-EGFR-Ab-pHrodo conjugates internalization. Endocytosis-related proteins caveolin-1 and rab5, but not early endosome antigen, were diminished in HCC1954 cells. Consistently, single-dose treatment with T-DM1 (3.6 mg/kg, IV) significantly reduced brain tumor volume in rats inoculated with HCC1954 but not MDA-MB-231BR-HER2 cells in an intracerebral xenograft breast cancer brain metastasis model. In conclusion, our findings suggest that rab5 and caveolin-1 proteins mediating antibody internalization and/or natural vs transduced HER2 overexpression may provide possible mechanisms in resistance of T-DM1 and should be investigated when HER2-positive cancer patients fail T-DM1 HER2-targeted therapy in clinical settings. Citation Format: Jeffrey Wu, Leslie Muldoon, Edward Neuwelt. Chemosensitivity to trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) differs in naturally or transduced HER2-overexpressing human breast cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Advances in Breast Cancer Research; 2017 Oct 7-10; Hollywood, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2018;16(8_Suppl):Abstract nr A36.
First-Principles Analysis of Radiative Recombination in Lead-Halide Perovskites

Slow radiative recombination due to a slightly indirect band gap has been proposed to explain the high efficiency of lead-halide perovskite solar cells. Here, we calculate the radiative recombinati...
Through the Lion Gate: A History of the Berlin Zoo

This history of the Berlin zoo charts the changing perceptions of the role of animals in human existence among modern Germans since the institution’s founding in 1844. The author, a historian at th...
From political to personal violence: Links between conflict and non-partner physical violence in post-conflict Liberia.

ABSTRACTWar and interpersonal violence together account for a large burden on global health. Yet very few studies look at the relationship between these types of aggression. Non-partner physical vi...
Twenty Years After Faragher and Ellerth, Is It Time to Re-visit Strict Vicarious Liability for On-The-Job-Sexual Harassment?

In 1995, I published the attached article in the Cornell Law Review, arguing that a proper application of agency law would impose strict vicarious liability on employers for nearly all on-the-job sexual harassment. (See Exacerbating the Exasperating: Title VII Liability of Employers for Sexual Harassment Committed by Their Supervisors, 81 Cornell L. Rev. 66 (1995).) Three years later, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the cases Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 U.S. 775 (1998) and Ellerth v. Burlington Industries, 524 U.S. 742 (1998), taking a different approach. The Court held that in the absence of a tangible employment decision (such as termination of employment), an employer sued for sexual harassment could assert an affirmative defense that it had an anti-harassment policy that the employee unreasonably failed to invoke, and that it vacted properly once on notice of the harassment. As the #MeToo movement dramatically illustrates, in the ensuing twenty years, the law of harassment has woefully failed to protect women workers. All too often women harassed on the job find their cases dismissed or decided against them on summary judgment because they failed to properly follow their employer’s anti-discrimination policy, even when the employer knew of the harassment. As Lauren Edelman argues in Working Law (2016), courts have accepted the existence of anti-discrimination policies as persuasive proof of a lack of discrimination/harassment, even in the face of evidence that the policies are ineffective, or serve only a symbolic purpose. This may be a good time, then, to return to the common law of agency, and the duties it imposes on employers to protect the safety of employees. For good reasons of public policy, worked out over many years, those rules usually impose strict liability on employers for harm caused by or to employees, and treat these as duties an employer may not delegate to others. Re-visiting Exacerbating the Exasperating seems like a good place to start.
A Review of Telemental Health as a Modality to Deliver Suicide-Specific Interventions for Rural Populations.

Introduction: Despite recent advancements in the development of new suicide prevention interventions, suicide rates continue to rise in the United States. As such, suicide prevention efforts must c...
Using censored regression when estimating abundance with CPUE data to account for daily catch limits

In fisheries where there is a limit on total catch in a given period, catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) data may not be proportional to abundance because catches may be censored at the limit. Commonly u...
High Throughput Screen To Identify Small Molecules That Differentially Regulate Expression of the Globin Genes.

Several lines of evidence indicate that the pharmacological activation of fetal hemoglobin is an effective therapy for sickle cell anemia and beta thalassemia, but novel treatments for these diseases are needed. We developed and validated a high throughput assay to detect differential regulation of the globin genes and utilized this assay in a small molecule screen to identify novel compounds that increase the relative expression of gamma globin. In our assay, transcripts for the alpha, beta, delta, epsilon, gamma, theta, and zeta globin genes are amplified by multiplexed ligation-mediated PCR. Labeled amplicons are captured on different fluorescent microspheres using molecular barcodes, and the relative abundance of labeled amplicons is detected by high speed flow cytometry. To recapitulate the activity of compounds in the bone marrow of patients as accurately as possible, the screen was performed using primary human erythroid progenitor cells cultured in vitro . The assay was adapted to 384-well format with robotic liquid handling. In validation studies, the assay detected the expected increases in globin gene expression during erythroid differentiation, increased gamma globin expression in umbilical cord blood progenitor cells, and increased gamma globin expression in cells treated with known inducers of fetal hemoglobin including hydroxyurea and sodium butyrate. We screened a library of 1040 known bioactive compounds, 75% of which are FDA approved drugs, and a library of 600 compounds produced by diversity oriented synthesis that have been shown to inhibit histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity. In the screen, we rediscovered previously identified globin gene regulators, further validating our globin assay. For example, corticosteroids, known activators of fetal hemoglobin, increased the relative expression of gamma globin. Thyroid hormone specifically increased expression of delta globin, consistent with clinical observations that hemoglobin A 2 levels are increased in hyperthyroidism and decreased in hypothyroidism. We identified ten novel compounds from the diversity oriented synthesis library that powerfully induce expression of the gamma globin gene relative to beta globin. Moreover, HDAC inhibition reversed the ontogeny of globin gene expression, coordinately increasing expression of fetal and embryonic relative to the adult globin genes. Relative to beta globin gene expression, gamma and epsilon globin were induced while delta globin was unaffected by HDAC inhibitors; relative to alpha globin expression, zeta globin was increased and theta globin was unaffected. The identification of compounds that differentially regulate globin gene expression may provide lead compounds for the development of novel therapies for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia and may help elucidate the molecular events underlying switching of the globin genes during normal development.
Color Vision: A Review from a Neurophysiological Perspective

Color vision is an extraordinary phenomenon not only for the beauty it bestows on the external world we perceive but also for the power it gives to organisms for exploring this world. Color vision has evolved to enhance wavelength differences between the reflectance of an object and its background in an environment where gradients of light energy are often minimal. Color vision is not concerned with analyzing the wavelength composition of light reflected from an object’s surface but with exposing an object in its background. That is why totally different wavelength combinations can produce identical colors (red and green mixtures match a spectrally different yellow) or why different colors can be produced by identical combinations of wavelengths (white objects can appear pink, pale green, or as other contrasting colors in the proper background). The colors we see in objects are those that best set them off from their background under the prevailing light conditions.
Towards Improving Sample Representativeness of Teachers on Online Social Media: A Case Study on Pinterest

Many teachers utilize online social media to supplement their students’ needs and enhance their professional activities, curating millions of educational resources. In fact, during the Coronovirus pandemic, online curation of resources provides teachers a repository of materials to provide students in online space. Teachers’ engagement online then provides the ability to learn more about how teachers are addressing students’ learning needs and potentially improve the quality of the resources they share. Historically, to perform such a study, we often survey some teachers and then leverage their shared resources to investigate education-related research questions. However, this can lead to problems including sample representativeness where surveyed teachers may not be representative of the population of teachers in social media. In this paper, we attempt to improve the sample representativeness of teachers on Pinterest. We first survey 541 teachers in the United States as seed samples and then collect their online data and social connections on Pinterest. Then, we devise a heuristic that automatically identifies other Pinterest accounts that are likely to be teachers thus improving the sample representativeness. Finally, we evaluate our heuristic with advanced machine learning techniques.
Disease Proxies and the Diagnosis of the Late Antonine Economy

Evidence from Roman Egypt clearly shows demographic disruptions around the time of the Antonine plague. Recently, scholars have reinterpreted this evidence as showing a multi-faceted crisis—one caused not only by an outbreak of disease but also by agricultural, social and ecological factors. This chapter rethinks recent applications of equilibrium theory to second-century AD wheat prices in order to show that either the Antonine plague was not as severe as some scholars claim or perhaps the Roman economy was not primary connected via markets.
An Improved Baseline for Sentence-level Relation Extraction.

Sentence-level relation extraction (RE) aims at identifying the relationship between two entities in a sentence. Many efforts have been devoted to this problem, while the best performing methods are still far from perfect. In this paper, we revisit two problems that affect the performance of existing RE models, namely entity representation and noisy or ill-defined labels. Our improved baseline model, incorporated with entity representations with typed markers, achieves an F1 of 74.6% on TACRED, significantly outperforms previous SOTA methods. Furthermore, the presented new baseline achieves an F1 of 91.1% on the refined Re-TACRED dataset, demonstrating that the pre-trained language models achieve unexpectedly high performance on this task. We release our code to the community for future research.
Gleipnir: Toward Practical Error Analysis for Quantum Programs (Extended Version).

Practical error analysis is essential for the design, optimization, and evaluation of Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum(NISQ) computing. However, bounding errors in quantum programs is a grand challenge, because the effects of quantum errors depend on exponentially large quantum states. In this work, we present Gleipnir, a novel methodology toward practically computing verified error bounds in quantum programs. Gleipnir introduces the $(\hat\rho,\delta)$-diamond norm, an error metric constrained by a quantum predicate consisting of the approximate state $\hat\rho$ and its distance $\delta$ to the ideal state $\rho$. This predicate $(\hat\rho,\delta)$ can be computed adaptively using tensor networks based on the Matrix Product States. Gleipnir features a lightweight logic for reasoning about error bounds in noisy quantum programs, based on the $(\hat\rho,\delta)$-diamond norm metric. Our experimental results show that Gleipnir is able to efficiently generate tight error bounds for real-world quantum programs with 10 to 100 qubits, and can be used to evaluate the error mitigation performance of quantum compiler transformations.
Flow Cytometry-Based Analysis of the Mouse Bone Marrow Stromal and Perivascular Compartment

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) account for an extremely small percentage of total bone marrow cells; therefore, it is technically challenging to harvest a good quantity of BMSCs with good viability using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Here, we describe the methods to effectively isolate BMSCs for flow cytometry analyses and subsequent FACS. Use of transgenic reporter lines facilitates FACS-based isolation of BMSCs, aiding to uncover fundamental characteristics of these diverse cell populations.
Changes in young adult substance use during COVID-19 as a function of ACEs, depression, prior substance use and resilience.

Background: Given the potential for increased substance use during COVID-19, we examined (1) young adults' changes in cigarette, e-cigarette, marijuana, and alcohol use from pre- to during COVID-19; and (2) related risk/protective factors. These findings could inform intervention efforts aimed at curbing increases in substance use during periods of societal stress. Methods: We analyzed Wave 3 (W3; September-December 2019) and Wave 4 (W4; March-May 2020) from the Vape shop Advertising, Place characteristics and Effects Surveillance (VAPES), a 2-year, five-wave longitudinal study of young adults across six metropolitan areas. We examined risk/protective factors (i.e. adverse childhood experiences [ACEs], depressive symptoms, resilience) in relation to changes in past 30-day substance use frequency. Results: In this sample (N = 1084, Mage=24.76, SD = 4.70; 51.8% female; 73.6% White; 12.5% Hispanic), W3/W4 past 30-day use prevalence was: 29.1% cigarettes (19.4% increased/26.4% decreased), 36.5% e-cigarettes (23.2% increased/28.6% decreased), 49.4% marijuana (27.2% increased/21.2% decreased), and 84.8% alcohol (32.9% increased/20.7% decreased). Multivariate regressions indicated that, greater increases were predicted by: for e-cigarettes, greater ACEs; and for alcohol, greater depression. Among those with low resilience, predictors included: for e-cigarettes, greater depression; and for marijuana, greater ACEs. Conclusions: Interventions to reduce substance use during societal stressors should target both risk and protective factors, particularly resilience.
Abstract LB212: The VGLL4 tumor suppressor inhibits transglutaminase-2 dependent YAP1-TEAD signaling to attenuate the cancer phenotype

Epidermal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is among the most common and aggressive forms of cancer. We previously showed that the pro-cancer transcription factor, YAP1, drives an aggressive SCC cancer phenotype by binding to nuclear TEAD transcription factors to activate pro-cancer gene expression. Vestigial-like protein 4 (VGLL4) is a tumor suppressor that is downregulated in epithelial cancers. It binds to TEAD factors to displace YAP1 binding to reduce YAP1-dependent transcription and target gene expression. The present study shows that VGLL4 overexpression reduces SCC cell TEAD-dependent transcription to reduce expression of mRNA and protein encoding YAP1-target genes (CTGF, CYR61, CCND1), and pro-cancer collagen genes (COL1A2, COL3A1) leading to reduced cell proliferation, spheroid formation, invasion and migration. Identical results were observed in response to transient and stable VGLL4 overexpression. Similarly, VGLL4 expression reduces YAP1 activity in tumors leading to reduced YAP1 target and pro-cancer collagen gene expression and reduced and EMT marker proteins levels which is associated with reduced tumor formation. Loss of YAP1 responsive gene expression appears to be essential for VGLL4 attenuation of the aggressive phenotype, as forced overexpression of CCND1 or COL1A2 antagonizes VGLL4 action. These findings suggest VGLL4 functions as a tumor suppressor in SCC by repressing YAP1/TEAD signaling and consequently attenuating the SCC phenotype. Citation Format: McKayla B. Mickle, Gautam Adhikary, Wen Xu, Suruchi Shrestha, Richard L. Eckert. The VGLL4 tumor suppressor inhibits transglutaminase-2 dependent YAP1-TEAD signaling to attenuate the cancer phenotype [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr LB212.
Composing Security Metrics

I have to apologise that, having been asked to set the pace, I have done something inadvertently terrible: I have prepared a presentation and a paper that's approximately in keeping with the theme of the workshop; that is entirely an accident, I have never looked at what the theme of the workshop was, so I apologise for any confusion, please assume that I'm speaking on a completely different topic if you're interested in understanding the theme. I'm going to talk about composing security metrics, and that does have something to do with putting the human back in protocols, and thinking about protocols on a human scale. This is joint work with Sandy Clark, Eric Cronin, Gaurav Shah, and Micah Sherr. Sandy and Eric are here, and this is a result of long conversations, and meetings, and trying to shape something out of what looks like a very difficult subject. We've made very little progress, but we have some pretty pictures.
Structure out of sound

Sound is the predominant communication modality in the natural world, yet most current computers have no sense of sound whatsoever. They only occasionally "bleep," and are, in effect, stone-deaf. This is a serious deficiency. General audio capability must be developed if machines are to function in more natural contexts. The thesis presented here is that machines must be able to extract meaningful structure in order to operate intelligently on sound. They must "hear" events, and recognize voices, effects, melodies, moods, room-acoustics, and many other features. This work demonstrates how such sound recognizers may be built and unified in a fruitful framework. In particular, several implementations of sound sensors are presented, including a polyphonic pitch extractor, a music detector, and a talker recognizer for indexing conversations. These programs filter sound to produce event-list scripts that describe the contents in some sense. In this way, many sorts of sound streams may be abstracted and rendered amenable to processing by a wide variety of applications. New applications in music and speech synthesis as well as content-oriented filtering of video are shown. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Elevated levels of reactive oxygen species in heart failure patients: role for increased mononuclear NADPH oxidase expression (1153.9)

Although heart failure (HF) patients exhibit elevated levels of ROS, the sources and mechanisms contributing to the increase in ROS remain unclear. Recent work has shown that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are a major source of NADPH oxidase-derived superoxide (O2●-) production. Therefore, we measured systemic ROS, O2●-, and expression of NADPH oxidase and its potential activators, angiotensin II type 1 receptors (AT1R) and Rho Kinase (ROCK) 1, in PBMCs from 6 HF (ejection fraction 22±4%) and 6 age-matched healthy controls. Total ROS and O2●- levels were measured in blood using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Protein expression of NADPH oxidase subunits (gp91phox, p22phox, p47phox and p67phox), AT1R and ROCK1 were assessed from PBMCs using western blot. Total ROS and O2●- levels were elevated in blood from HF patients compared to controls (P<0.05). HF patients showed augmented protein expression of all NADPH oxidase subunits (e.g. 4±1 fold increase in gp91phox; P<0.05 vs. control...
Ventricular fibrillation: With special reference to the Morgagni-Adams-Stokes syndrome: Report of an unusual case

Abstract 1. 1. We have discussed the definition of the condition known as Adams-Stokes disease, or the Morgagni-Adams-Stokes syndrome. Based upon the review of the literature, we feel that the Adams-Stokes syndrome should include not only cases of ventricular standstill with loss of consciousness, but also those of syncope due to ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. 2. 2. An instance of this condition is reported which is unusual in that the patient lived six years, which is much longer than most patients liver after the onset of syncope. 3. 3. The varied methods of treatment are briefly summarized and found to be inadequate. At the present time, quinidine and papaverine seem to be the drugs of choice.
Child Mobility Car

Child Mobility Car is a small, motorized vehicle that allows a six-year-old girl with cerebral palsy to move about within small areas. Child Mobility Car is a small vehicle about 2 ft. long and 1 ft. wide allowing her to interact far more freely with other children without a cumbersome electric wheelchair. A radio is attached to the car providing a small measure of entertainment for the child as well.
Electroluminescence - an optical technique to determine the early stages of polymer degradation under high electric stresses

An experimental setup to detect electroluminescence (EL) in polymeric dielectric subjected to high electric stresses is described. The technique, which is at least three orders of magnitude more sensitive than conventional partial discharge detection systems, shows that the spectra of EL are in the visible and ultraviolet ranges and could cause polymer degradation.
Clinical asthma score as a predictor for hospital admissions and duration of stay in children presenting with acute asthma to a paediatric emergency department

Background Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood with increasing rates of hospitalisation worldwide. Various clinical asthma severity scores have been developed as tools to assist clinicians in assessing children presenting with an acute exacerbation of asthma. Aims Assess usefulness of clinical asthma score (CAS), as a predictor of need for admission and duration of hospital stay in children who presented to emergency department (ED) with an acute exacerbation of asthma. CAS score used in the study was a modification of Woods- Downes asthma score 1 . Method A CAS was completed for all children aged 2 to 16 years with asthma who presented to our ED over a 15-week period, facility with 35 000 attendances per year. Retrospective review of hospital records done for details of admission and length of stay (LOS) Results Total 223 children were included in the study. Mean age was 61.6 months. CAS values were grouped into three categories: mild (0-4), moderate (5-8) and severe (9-12). Significant difference in admission rates between the three groups (p=<.001) seen. Similarly, significant difference in admission rates between individual CAS values (p=<.001) seen. Average LOS was 32.8 hours. No correlation between CAS value and duration of stay in hours (p=0.6) was seen. Conclusions CAS is a useful tool in assessing the need for admission in children presenting to ED with acute exacerbation of asthma. However not useful in predicting duration of hospital stay following admission. Reference A clinical scoring system for the diagnosis of respiratory failure. Wood, DW, Downes, JJ, Lecks HI.AM J Dis Child 1972;123:227-228.
In vitro and in vivo digestibility of soya-bean straw treated with various alkalis

Three trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of treating soya-bean straw with various alkalis plus ensiling on digestibility of various nutrients and on nitrogen retention in ruminants. Soya-bean straw was treated with sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide or ammonium hydroxide and ensiled at 650 g/kg moisture. In trial 1, the effects of level and type of alkali on in vitro digestibility of ensiled soya-bean straw were evaluated. Concentrations of alkalis used were 0 (control), 20, 30, 40 and 50 g/kg dry matter. Both in vitro digestibilities of dry matter and organic matter of soya-bean straw were significantly (P < 0·05) increased with alkali treatment at all levels plus ensiling compared with untreated or treated unensiled straw. The 40 g/kg alkali concentration level in combination with ensiling appeared to be the most effective overall. In trial 2, the effects of type of alkali on nutrient digestibility and nitrogen retention in wether lambs were evaluated. Sixteen wether Suffolk lambs were given untreated or alkali-treated (40 g/kg) ensiled soya-bean straw. Treatments were: (1) water-treated straw; (2) NaOH-treated straw: (3) Ca(OH)1-treated straw; and (4) NH4OH-treated straw. Lambs given NH4OH-treated ensiled straw digested the dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein better than those given water-treated ensiled straw (P < 0·05). NH4OH improved nitrogen intake by proportionately 0·181 but not nitrogen retention. For trial 3, eight Angus steers were used. Chopped soya-bean straw was treated with NH4OH and ensiled in Silopress bags. Treatments were: (1) untreated dry straw; (2) water-treated straw; (3) 30 g/kg NH4OH-treated straw; and (4) 40 g/kg NH4OH-treated straw. The trial consisted of a 7-day collection period which was replicated once. Apparent digestibilities of dry matter, crude protein and various fibre constituents were increased by ensiling or ensiling and NH4 OH treatment combinations (P < 0·05). Alkali treatments in combination with ensiling appeared to improve digestibility of soya-bean straw, but ammoniation did not improve nitrogen utilization. Ensiling appeared to have a more significant effect than alkali treatments per se on the degradability of soya-bean straw.
Three small ribooligonucleotides with specific arginine sites

Arginine-binding RNA motifs are important to protein-RNA interaction and perhaps also for Archean biochemistry. Selection-amplification was used to isolate three RNAs that are eluted by free arginine from an L-arginine affinity column (Kd approximately 0.2-0.4 mM). The binding sites contain specific internal and bulge loops, whose sequences can include arginine coding triplets. Binding is highly specific for arginine, but all three motifs, like the self-splicing group I intron, also bind guanosine 5'-monophosphate. One site is stereoselective, somewhat preferring D-arginine.
"More Merciful and Not Less Effective": Eugenics and American Economics in the Progressive Era

Oliver Wendell Holmes was made a Progressive lion upon his pithy dissent to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision to overturn a New York statute restricting (male) bakers’working hours. “The 14thAmendment,” said Holmes famously, “does not enact the Social Statics of Mr. Herbert Spencer.”1 Twenty-two years later, in another well-known case, Holmes wrote for the majority, which upheld the constitutionality of a Virginia law proposing involuntary sterilization of persons believed to be mentally retarded—the “feebleminded,” in the jargon of the day. “The principle that sustains compulsory vaccination is broad enough to cover cutting the Fallopian tubes,” Holmes wrote in Buck v. Bell (1927). “Three generations of imbeciles,” Holmes volunteered, “is enough.” How does an opponent of Spencerian Social Darwinism come to endorse coercive sterilization of the unfit? This essay argues that, as a matter of history, there is no contradiction in the views that underwrite the
Infrared, Raman spectra and vibrational assignment of (PF2)2O

Abstract The IR spectra of gaseous and solid (PF 2 ) 2 O has been recorded from 80 to 1200 cm −1 . The Raman spectra of gaseous, liquid and solid (PF 2 ) 2 O have also been obtained (30–1000 cm −1 ). The spectra of the fluid phases indicate the presence of at least two conformers. The spectrum of the solid phase can readily be interpreted on the basis of a single conformer possessing a symmetry lower than C 2v . A vibrational assignment is proposed for all normal modes except the PF 2 torsions. The results are compared with similar data of related compounds. There appear to be two molecules per primitive cell based upon the low-frequency Raman data.
Families' views upon experiencing change in the neonatal intensive care unit environment: from the ‘baby barn’ to the private room

Parents whose newborns were cared for in the old neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment and then moved to the new NICU environment describe their impressions of the impact upon their infant's care, information access and support, of the two care settings. To determine the perceptions of parents in the NICU regarding noise, light, space, access to caregivers and personal privacy as they experience both old and new NICU environments in the continuum of care for their infant. In the first 9 months after moving into the new private room NICU, a convenience sampling of parents was voluntarily administered a 20-question Likert scale survey addressing length of stay (LOS) in the respective NICU environment, environmental stimuli, access to caregivers, access to information and personal privacy. Scores reflect frequency of perceptions as never=1, sometimes=2, usually=3 and always=4. The responses of 53 parents are reported. This represents 10% of admissions to the private room NICU during the 9-month sampling time. Fifty-nine percent had LOS of ⩽14 days in the old NICU before moving; 76% had LOS ⩽14 days in the new NICU before completing this survey. Median scores for the major content themes are reported (New:Old). Responses suggest that in the new vs old design, parents feel they are able to spend more time with their infant (4:3); have more privacy (4:2) and space for their personal items (4:1); experience less overstimulation with noise and light (1:2); had comparable access to their infant's nurse (4:4) but greater access to their infant's doctor (3:2); and felt comparably informed (4:4) but better supported by the entire team (4:3). The new private room NICU is perceived by parents to offer an enhanced environment that is more spacious and less overstimulating for their infant and themselves. Access to professional caregivers, information and overall support appears to be improved in the new environment despite a larger overall NICU area, floor plan and structural layout.
Nerve growth factor accelerates the early cellular events associated with wound healing.

Abstract The effects of injecting nerve growth factor (NGF) into subdermal air sacs on the backs of mice was studied. Sequential infiltration of cells into the lining of the sacs was observed. The initial cell type to infiltrate was the polymorphonuclear leukocyte, followed by highly vacuolated mononuclear cells, and then by fibroblast-like cells. This resembles the classical pattern of cellular responses during the normal process of wound healing. The kinetics for the peak accumulation of each cell type were dependent upon the concentration of NGF injected, and significant acceleration of infiltration of each cell type was observed with as little as 1 nM NGF. A similar acceleration of cellular infiltration was observed when mice were injected with the synthetic chemotactic peptide n-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenyl-alanine. This finding suggests that application of any chemotactic factor to wound sites may lead to accelerated tissue repair and an enhanced rate of wound contraction. The observation that NGF can act as a chemotactic factor in vivo may explain its ability to accelerate the healing of experimentally induced wounds in mice.
Injection of ideal fluid from a slot into a free stream

A cold gas is injected from a slot into a free stream of hot gas. In a simple model this leads to a two-fluid free boundary problem with the jump relation |∇u-|2−|∇u+|2 = λ (λ constant) on the free boundary {u=0}, where u is the stream function. We prove that for any λ e (−1, ∞) there exists a unique solution (Q, u) where Q is the flux of the injected fluid. Various properties of the solution u and of the free boundary are established.
Separation of polyene antifungal antibiotics by high-speed liquid chromatography.

Abstract High-speed liquid chromatography was applied to separate the components of different classes of polyene macrolides. The instrument contained at UV detector and VYDAC RP packing and a solvent mixture of water methanol tetrahydrofuran (420:90:45-90, v/v) was employed. Optimum conditions for the separation of different antibiotics were achieved by changing the amount of tetrahydrofuran in the solvent mixture. Eurdocidin separated completely in 5 min into two components, which were quantitated from peak height measurements. In less than 20 min. candicidin separated into five components with better resolution than that obtained after 600 transfer with counter-current distribution separation. The reproducibility of retention times was very good. It was observed that antibiotics with longer retention times, as measured under identical conditions, were also more active as antifungal agents. The heptaenes appeared to form three distinct groups with characteristic similar ranges of retention time and levels of antifungal activity.
Effects of metformin on insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity in rat adipocytes.

The cellular mechanism(s) by which the biguanide, metformin, exerts its antihyperglycaemic effect was investigated. Rat adipocytes were either treated acutely (2 h) or maintained in a biochemically defined medium (20 h) in the presence or absence of metformin (1 x 10−4 mol/1). Exposure to the drug resulted in a significant enhancement (p < 0.01) of hexose transport in both the absence (basal) and presence of insulin. Stimulation of transport was not explained by the increase in the basal state alone, since the incremental response to maximally effective concentrations of insulin was significantly enhancedp<0.025. Insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase activity was examined under the same experimental conditions. Activity of the kinase was unaltered as evaluated by phosphorylation of an artificial substrate and by phosphorylation of the receptor in situ. Furthermore, in this investigation neither insulin receptor number nor affinity was changed in adipose tissue treated with metformin. These studies indicate that metformin potentiates the effect of insulin on glucose transport at a site(s) beyond insulin receptor binding and phosphorylation.
Expression and characterization of human PDEδ and its Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog CEδ

Cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) is rod photoreceptor disk membrane-associated via C-terminal lipid tails. PDEδ, a recently identified subunit, was shown to disrupt PDE/membrane interaction under physiological conditions, without affecting PDE catalytic activity. We found that a PDEδ ortholog from the eyeless nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (termed CEδ) solubilizes bovine PDE in vitro with an EC50 very similar to PDEδ. Immobilized PDEδ and CEδ both bind, in addition to bovine PDE, an N-terminal fragment of human retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator, but not rhodopsin kinase and Ran binding protein 1. The results suggest that PDEδ and CEδ may regulate membrane binding of a variety of proteins in photoreceptors and other tissues.
Transplacental Transmission of Leishmania infantum as a Means for Continued Disease Incidence in North America

Background Dogs are the predominant domestic reservoir for human L. infantum infection. Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) is an emerging problem in some U.S. dog breeds, with an annual quantitative PCR prevalence of greater than 20% within an at-risk Foxhound population. Although classically Leishmania is transmitted by infected sand flies and phlebotomine sand flies exist in the United States, means of ongoing L. infantum transmission in U.S. dogs is currently unknown. Possibilities include vertical (transplacental/transmammary) and horizontal/venereal transmission. Several reports have indicated that endemic ZVL may be transmitted vertically. Aims Our aims for this present study were to establish whether vertical/transplacental transmission was occurring in this population of Leishmania-infected US dogs and determine the effect that this means of transmission has on immune recognition of Leishmania. Methodology A pregnant L. infantum-infected dam donated to Iowa State University gave birth in-house to 12 pups. Eight pups humanely euthanized at the time of birth and four pups and the dam humanely euthanized three months post-partum were studied via L. infantum-kinetoplast specific quantitative PCR (kqPCR), gross and histopathological assessment and CD4+ T cell proliferation assay. Key Results This novel report describes disseminated L. infantum parasites as identified by kqPCR in 8 day old pups born to a naturally-infected, seropositive U.S. dog with no travel history. This is the first report of vertical transmission of L. infantum in naturally-infected dogs in North America, emphasizing that this novel means of transmission could possibly sustain infection within populations. Major Conclusions Evidence that vertical transmission of ZVL may be a driving force for ongoing disease in an otherwise non-endemic region has significant implications on current control strategies for ZVL, as at present parasite elimination efforts in endemic areas are largely focused on vector-borne transmission between canines and people. Determining frequency of vertical transmission and incorporating canine sterilization with vector control may have a more significant impact on ZVL transmission to people in endemic areas than current control efforts.
Resistance to adhesion formation: A comparative study of treated and untreated mesh products placed in the abdominal cavity

New materials have been devised to prevent postoperative adhesions when placing a prosthesis in contact with abdominal contents. Eighty rats underwent laparotomy and denudation of the serosa of the cecum and peritoneal covering of the abdominal wall. Five treated mesh products (Parietex Composite, Parietene Composite, Bard Composix E/X, Sepramesh, and Gore-Tex Dual Mesh) and one untreated mesh product (untreated Parietene) were randomly placed between the cecum and abdominal wall. A group without mesh was used as control. The animals were sacrificed at 21 days following surgery and analyzed for the presence of adhesions. The incidence of adhesion formation, mean adhesion area, maximum adhesion length, and strength of adhesion separation were similar between Parietex Composite, Parietene Composite, and Bard Composix E/X, and they were significantly less than with Sepramesh, untreated Parietene, and the control group. Gore-Tex Dual Mesh resulted in less adhesions, adhesion area, mean strength of separation, and work of separation than the untreated Parietene group and the control group. Sepramesh resulted in less strength and work of separation compared to the control group. The incidence of adhesions and work and strength of adhesion separation are reduced when using a treated mesh, compared to the untreated mesh and the control group without mesh. Parietex Composite, Parietene Composite, Bard Composix E/X, and Gore-Tex Dual Mesh were superior to Sepramesh, untreated Parietene, and the control group in the prevention of adhesion formation.
Anticoagulation in the setting of intracerebral hemorrhage: controversies in resuming therapy.

Oral anticoagulation is widely used for the treatment of patients harboring medical conditions with predisposition to thromboembolic complications. This population is particularly susceptible to ICH.However, themanagement of anticoagulation in thesettingof acute ICH is a considerable challenge. Current guidelines recommend discontinuation of anticoagulation after a lobar ICH, but consideration of maintenance in nonlobar ICH, when the need for anticoagulation is apparent (6). There is a paucity of data, and no strong consensus, regarding optimal latency for re-initiation of routine anticoagulation after a hemorrhage. Guidelines state that anticoagulation may be restarted between 7 and 10 days in patients with a high risk of thromboembolism (2).
Multiple Blood Pressure Medications and Mortality Among Elderly Individuals

RESULTS A significant interaction was found between low SBP and treatment with 2 or more BP-lowering agents, resulting in a higher risk of mortality (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.81; 95% CI, 1.36-2.41); adjusted HR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.34-2.37; both P < .001) in patients with low SBP who were receiving multiple BP medicines compared with the other participants. Three sensitivity analyses confirmed the significant excess of risk: propensity score–matched subsets (unadjusted HR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.32-2.93; P < .001; adjusted HR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.37-3.06; P < .001), adjustment for cardiovascular comorbidities (HR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.29-2.32; P < .001), and exclusion of patients without a history of hypertension who were receiving BP-lowering agents (unadjusted HR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.33-2.48; P < .001; adjusted HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.28- 2.41; P < .001).
Electrical potentials and ionic fluxes in ion exchangers. I. "n Type" non-ideal systems with zero current.

In this paper a derivation, based on the Nernst-Planck flux equations extended for non-ideal behavior, is given for the electrical potentials and cationic fluxes occurring across a one-phase ion exchange system separating two aqueous solutions. It is assumed that the activities of the cations in the exchanger are proportional to thenth power of their concentrations, a relationship of broad empirical validity. This paper deals only with the case of the quasi-stationary state in which no net electrical current flows. The profles of the cationic concentrations and of the diffusion potential in the exchanger are found to be, in general, exponential and linear respectively. An equation is derived for the stationary-state potential of an ion exchange phase interposed between two aqueous solutions containing mixtures of two cations. The potential selectivity constant of this equation is found to equal the product of the ion exchange equilibrium constant and thenth power of the mobility ratio.
Related non-homogeneous partial differential equations

The author's technique for relating the solutions of pairs of homogeneous partial differential equations is extended to nonhomogeneous equations. This method is first developed for a canonical class of non-homogeneous equations having homogeneous terms which resemble generalized hypergeometric operator equations. Transformations are obtained which connect pairs of non-homogeneous terms and pairs of solutions. Formulas involving shifts on parameters are also developed. Numerous important equations from applied mathe¬matics can be reduced to some one of these canonical types (through changes of variables) and their solution properties can be readily inferred. The theory developed is employed to treat (i) shifting relations on solutions of non-homogeneous GASPT equations, (ii) a projection technique for elliptic equations and (iii) solutions of higher order homogeneous equations through a factorization procedure
Production of Anagrus epos Girault (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) on Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) eggs

Abstract Anagrus epos Girault (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) is a natural enemy candidate for a classical biological control program targeting the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), in California. Little is known about the biology or ecology of A. epos when it utilizes GWSS eggs as a host. Here, we report the results of laboratory studies that describe the host age preference for oviposition, longevity of A. epos adults provided with different food sources, and developmental rates at six different constant temperature regimes. Anagrus epos is a gregarious parasitoid in GWSS eggs with up to 14 adults emerging from each GWSS egg. In choice and no-choice tests for oviposition, A. epos females successfully parasitized all developmental ages of GWSS eggs (1–8 days old). In choice tests, parasitism rates were significantly higher in 1-, 3-, 4-, and 5-day-old GWSS eggs than in 2-, 6-, 7-, and 8-day-old eggs. If provided with honey and water, honey only, water only, or no food or water, A. epos females lived on average 8.2, 4.7, 2.6, and 1.6 days, respectively. Anagrus epos required 294.1 degree-days above a lower temperature threshold of 12.4 °C to develop from egg to adult (eclosion). Our results provide baseline information useful in the development of an efficient parasitoid mass rearing program for A. epos release and evaluation in California.
Toward a chemiresistive ammonia (NH3) gas sensor based on viral-templated gold nanoparticles embedded in polypyrrole nanowires

Preliminary studies toward the assembly of a gold-polypyrrole (PPy) peapod-like chemiresistive ammonia (NH3) gas sensors are presented. The proposed synthesis process will use electropolymerization to embed gold nanoparticles in polypyrrole nanowires. Viral-templating of gold nanoparticles and PPy electrodeposition via cyclic voltammetry are the focus of this investigation. A gold-binding M13 bacteriophage was used as a bio-template to assemble continuous chains of gold nanoparticles on interdigitated Pt working electrodes. The dimensions of the resulting nanowire-like structures were examined and the electrical resistance measured. PPy films were electropolymerized using an interdigitated planar, Pt electrode integrated counter and reference electrode. Morphological characterization of the polymer films was completed.