cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mediation of vascular endothelial proliferation by factors in fetal bovine retinal extracts and serum

Abstract The effect of fetal bovine retinal extract (FBR) and dialyzed fetal bovine serum (FBS) on in vitro proliferation of vascular endothelial cells was studied. Quantitatively, FBR, both dialyzable and nondialyzable, and dialyzed FBS exhibited a synergism in bringing about an enhanced proliferation of vascular endothelial cells. Assays on selected samples using both aortic and retinal vascular endothelial cells yielded similar results. In the absence of dialyzed FBS, FBR had only a negligible stimulatory effect. When compared at a protein concentration of 3 mg ml−1, dialyzed FBS elicited vascular endothelial proliferation at a rate only 25% that of FBS (not dialyzed). However, under experimental conditions using 3 mg ml−1 of dialyzed FBS and 0·5 mg ml−1 of dialyzed retinal extract, a six-fold increase in the activity of vascular endothelial proliferation was demonstrated. The observed synergistic effect was dependent on the concentrations of both dialyzed FBS and FBR. The observed synergism rules out the possibility that the stimulatory effect of FBR was due to blood contamination in sample preparation. Qualitatively, major components of dialyzed FBS and dialyzed FBR that exerted a synergistic effect on the stimulation of vascular endothelial proliferation were isolated by permeation chromatography using Sephadex G-100, with Mr estimated at 150 000 and 80 000, respectively. One minor component in FBS and one in FBR were also present.
Determination of aqueous and vitreous concentration of moxifloxacin 0.5% after delivery via a dissolvable corneal collagen shield device.

Purpose To determine the penetration of moxifloxacin 0.5% in the human aqueous and vitreous when delivered by a presoaked collagen shield. Setting University-based clinical practice. Methods Moxifloxacin 0.5% was administered before vitrectomy surgery in 10 patients using a 24-hour dissolvable cross-linked corneal collagen shield delivery device. Aqueous and vitreous samples were obtained after the shield was placed for 4 hours in the first 5 patients and for 24 hours in the second 5 patients. Assays were performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. Results Delivery of moxifloxacin via a collagen shield revealed a mean aqueous concentration of 0.30 μg/mL ± 0.17 (SD) 4 hours after placement (n = 5). Vitreous levels at 4 hours and aqueous and vitreous levels at 24 hours were negligible using this route of administration. Peak aqueous moxifloxacin levels occurred soon after shield placement. This is when high concentrations of moxifloxacin are most needed to clear the aqueous of bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration at which 90% of the isolates were inhibited for organisms commonly responsible for endophthalmitis was exceeded in the 4-hour aqueous group. Negligible concentrations were detected at 24 hours. Conclusions Although aqueous moxifloxacin levels achieved through the use of a collagen shield delivery device are lower than via topical drops, there are several advantages to this route of delivery that make it appealing in the immediate postoperative period. Future studies will be needed to define precisely the role of fourth-generation fluoroquinolones and presoaked collagen shields in the prophylaxis or management of intraocular infections.
In vitro bond strengths of amalgam added to existing amalgams.

Clinical Relevance Freshly mixed amalgam added to existing amalgam restorations as a means of repair and allowed to set completely may be expected to join with nearly original strength, if sufficient condensation time and pressure are used.
Sensitivity to visual prosodic cues in signers and nonsigners.

Three studies are presented in this paper that address how nonsigners perceive the visual prosodic cues in a sign language. In Study 1, adult American nonsigners and users of American Sign Language (ASL) were compared on their sensitivity to the visual cues in ASL Intonational Phrases. In Study 2, hearing, nonsigning American infants were tested using the same stimuli used in Study 1 to see whether maturity, exposure to gesture, or exposure to sign language is necessary to demonstrate this type of sensitivity. Study 3 addresses nonsigners’ and signers’ strategies for segmenting Prosodic Words in a sign language. Adult participants from six language groups (3 spoken languages and 3 sign languages) were tested. The results of these three studies indicate that nonsigners have a high degree of sensitivity to sign language prosodic cues at the Intonational Phrase level and the Prosodic Word level; these are attributed to modality or ‘channel’ effects of the visual signal.There are also some differences between...
Glucan Particles for Macrophage Targeted Delivery of Nanoparticles

Glucan particles (GPs) are hollow, porous 2–4 μm microspheres derived from the cell walls of Baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The 1,3-β-glucan outer shell provides for receptor-mediated uptake by phagocytic cells expressing β-glucan receptors. GPs have been used for macrophage-targeted delivery of soluble payloads (DNA, siRNA, protein, and small molecules) encapsulated inside the hollow GPs via core polyplex and layer-by-layer (LbL) synthetic strategies. In this communication, we report the incorporation of nanoparticles as cores inside GPs (GP-NP) or electrostatically bound to the surface of chemically derivatized GPs (NP-GP). GP nanoparticle formulations benefit from the drug encapsulation properties of NPs and the macrophage-targeting properties of GPs. GP nanoparticle formulations were synthesized using fluorescent anionic polystyrene nanoparticles allowing visualization and quantitation of NP binding and encapsulation. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) containing the chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (Dox) were bound to cationic GPs. Dox-MSN-GPs efficiently delivered Dox into GP phagocytic cells resulting in enhanced Dox-mediated growth arrest.
The Politics of the Professors: Self-Identifications, 1969–1984

This study uses datafrom the 1969, 1975, and 1984 Carnegie surveys offaculty at U.S. colleges and universities to show that the distribution of political orientations among the professoriate changed minimally between the late 1960s and mid-1980s. The largest net shift, about 7% of the respondents, was from liberal to conservative self-identifications. The 1975 and 1984 surveys show the same patterns of disciplinary differences present in 1969, but the patterns by age and type of institution changed. Analyses by disciplinary political context and type of institution show that the incidence of leftism had been considerably exaggerated in much of the current literature. The institutional types with the largest numbers of students, moreover, have the most conservative or
A New Era for the Systemic Therapy of Neuroendocrine Tumors

Carcinoids and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors are becoming increasingly common, with the majority of patients presenting with either lymph node involvement or metastatic disease. An improved understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in these tumors has implicated several pathways that have led to new therapeutic approaches. In this manuscript, we describe the biology of neuroendocrine tumors and approaches to systemic therapy. We review early data regarding the use of cytotoxics and several recent studies employing more targeted approaches that promise to change the standard of care. Specifically, phase III studies indicate that pharmacologic inhibition of the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway with sunitinib, and of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway with everolimus, appears to have altered the natural history of these diseases. These successes set the stage for further advances in the management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors.
Regulation of the mouse retinal taurine transporter (TAUT) by protein kinases in Xenopus oocytes.

Abstract The goal was to investigate the role of protein kinases in modulating taurine transporter activity in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing the mouse retinal Na + /C − /taurine transporter. The currents generated by the taurine transporter were studied with a two-electrode voltage clamp and we recorded the maximal current ( I max ), presteady-state charge transfer Q , and membrane capacitance C m . 8-BR-cAMP, a membrane-permeable activator of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), decreased I max (41%), Q (41%) and C m (10%). Similarly, 1 μM sn -1,2-dioctanoylglycerol (DOG), an activator of the Ca 2+ I diacylglycerol-dependent protein kinase (PKC), decreased I max (56%), Q (37%), and C m (9%). Calyculin A, a specific inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, also produced effects similar to those of 8-Br-cAMP and DOG, and decreased I max (64%), Q (38%), and C m (10%). We conclude that the taurine transporter is regulated by activators of PKA and PKC, and regulation occurs largely by changes in the number of transporters in the plasma membrane.
Microbial decontamination and weight of carcass beef as affected by automated washing pressure and length of time of spray.

Carcasses were obtained from 56 heifers that were fed a corn-corn silage diet to determine the effects of automated washing water spray pressures (SP) of 2412 kilopascal (kPa) or 4134 kPa and chain speeds (CS) of 3.9, 5.9 or 7.9 m/min on microflora and weight changes of carcass beef. Carcass beef sides were weighed before washing, 5 min after washing and 20 h after washing and storage at 0°C. Enterobacteriaceae and aerobic counts of forequarters and hindquarters were determined before and 20 h after washing. Carcass sides shrank 1.52 kg after 20 h of storage. This shrinkage was similar among all treatment groups. Washing reduced Enterobacteriaceae counts 1.57 log10 colony forming units (CFU)/200 cm2 and counts of aerobic bacteria 0.87 log10 CFU/200 cm2. All combinations of SP and CS were similar in effectiveness of reducing Enterobacteriaceae counts. However, the low SP tended (P<0.102) to be more effective in reducing aerobic counts. Forequarters possessed greater (P<0.051) aerobic counts (5.44 vs 5.29 log10 CFU/200 cm2) than hindquarters, but washing eliminated this differential. Automated carcass washing reduced bacterial counts of carcass beef, but within treatments applied, SP and CS had no effect on variation in carcass weight or variation in reduction of microflora. Research indicated that automated carcass washing was a useful procedure for reducing bacterial counts on carcass beef without affecting carcass weights.
Plains Indians, A.D. 500-1500: The Archaeological Past of Historic Groups/ The Cheyenne in Plains Indian Trade Relations 1795-1840

Plains Indians, A.D. 500-1500: The Archaeological Past of Historic Groups. KARL SCHLESIER. ed. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1994. xxvii. 479 pp., illustrations, maps, tables, list of contributors, bibliography, index. The Cheyenne in Plains Indian Trade Relations 1795-1840. JOSEPH JABLOW. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1994. xix. 100 pp., maps, bibliography, Index.
Equivalence of Lauric Acid and Glycerol Monolaurate as Inhibitors of Signal Transduction in Staphylococcus aureus

Glycerol monolaurate (GML) inhibits the expression of virulence factors in Staphylococus aureus and the induction of vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus faecalis, presumably by blocking signal transduction. Although GML is rapidly hydrolyzed by bacteria, one of the products, lauric acid, has identical inhibitory activity and is metabolized much more slowly. At least four distinct GML-hydrolyzing activities are identified in S. aureus: the secreted Geh lipase, residual supernatant activity in a geh-null mutant strain, a novel membrane-bound esterase, and a cytoplasmic activity.
The master clinical lexicon. Integrated product team approach

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs established a vendor consortium to develop a clinical lexicon for use by all Department of Defense (DoD) health care services and systems. Commercial vendors of lexicon software and government team members participated in an Integrated Product Team (IPT) from September 1996 through March 1997 to develop a "proof of concept" demonstration of how this lexicon will perform in the DoD clinical environment. After the first meeting of 40 members of the government and competing vendors, the Government IPT chairperson determined the use of Electronic Meeting Software (EMS) was essential to enhance communication and to promote consensus among the diverse members of the group. During the course of the five-month long project, use of the EMS focused the team on their accomplishments and the tasks yet to be completed, insured the ability of all team members to express their concerns, questions, and issues, and maintained documentation of all decisions and actions. After the demonstration of the lexicon and presentation to the Assistant Secretary of Defense, the IPT chairperson congratulated the team members on the exceptional results of this "first-of-its-kind" government and commercial vendor collaborative effort The use of EMS was cited as a critical success factor in managing the work of this team. This paper outlines the processes and rationale behind the sessions and provides a framework for future IPT efforts to follow.
Capacity-interference investigation in cognitive radio networks with beacon

We consider an OFDM-based cognitive radio network where a secondary user chooses parallel sub-channels from different primary users' bands to form its transmission link. It transmits one OFDM sub-carrier per each sub-channel. Before starting its transmission, a primary user sends a beacon to inform the secondary user. If the secondary user receives this message, it does not use any sub-channel from that primary user band for its transmission in order to limit the interference to the primary receiver. However, it is possible that the secondary user misses the beacon of a primary user because of the channel fading and hence, considers the sub-channels of that primary user for its transmission. We are interested in the total interference caused by the secondary user to primary users' receivers and the total capacity of the secondary user. In particular, we provide the average of total interference as well as an analytical lower bound on the mean of the capacity. The trade-off between the capacity and the interference is useful in the design of an OFDM-based cognitive network with beacon.
A MAC Layer Dynamic Power Management Scheme for Multiple Users in a WLAN

To prolong the lifetime of battery powered wireless devices, standard protocols for WLANs have the provision for such devices to transition to a "sleep" state periodically. Being in the "sleep" state entails minimal power consumption by a wireless device but it also increases the average packet delay that the device encounters. This paper proposes a simple, centralized, dynamic, scalable and adaptive algorithm to optimize the duration of sleep states of wireless nodes operating in the infrastructure mode in a WLAN, with the objective of minimizing their power consumption with respect to a QoS constraint namely average packet delay. The algorithm dynamically adjusts the sleep duration of a node to its average packet arrival rate and its average packet delay constraint. The performance of this algorithm is compared with a common power saving protocol implemented in WLANs like 802.11, namely, a static sleep mechanism where the sleep duration of a devise is set to be equal to the average delay constraint of the devise. Simulation results prove the power efficiency of the adaptive sleep algorithm over the static sleep scheme especially for non uniform traffic.
Mechanisms that limit the diversity of antibodies. II. Evolutionary conservation of Ig variable region genes which encode naturally occurring autoantibodies

Antibody which reacts with phosphatidyl choline can be detected in all normal mice. Generation of this specificity requires the use of either the unmutated VH11 or VH12 genes, with constraints on the length and sequence of CDR3, and specific light chain association. Given that those parts of the antibody that are subject to somatically generated diversity are restricted, we hypothesized that the germline VH11 and VH12 genes may be evolutionarily conserved to a greater extent than other VH genes. The nucleotide sequence was determined from a panel of inbred strains and Mus species for VH11 and VH12. The results were compared to the three functional members of the S107 VH family and show that VH11 and VH12 have a total of 13 silent and three replacement mutations while the S107 genes have 11 silent and 20 replacement mutations. This implies that there has been strong selection to conserve the VH11 and VH12 gene products, which must reflect a substantial survival value to the individual. Sequence comparisons also show that the alleles present in the recently derived inbred strains arose prior to speciation. While there is polymorphism within the inbred strains, there are alleles which are shared between species which diverged 3-5 million years ago. Conservation at the amino acid and nucleotide levels argues against the idea that Ig genes evolve at a rapid rate and suggests that the rate at which mutations are incorporated may be determined by the importance of the encoded protein.
Vegetation transition following drainage in a high-latitude hyper-oceanic ecosystem

Questions: How does draining affect the composition of vegetation? Are certain functional groups favoured? Can soil parameters explain these differences? Location: Central Faroe Islands, treeless islands in the northern boreal vegetation zone. Since 1987, an area of 21 km2 at 100–200 m a.s.l. was drained in order to provide water for hydro-electric production. Method: Vegetation and soil of a drained area and a control, undrained neighbouring area of approximately the same size were sampled in 2007. Six sites were sampled in each area. The vegetation was classified with cluster analysis. Results: Four plant communities were defined in the area: Calluna vulgaris–Empetrum nigrum–Vaccinium myrtillus heath, Scirpus cespitosus–Eriophorum angustifolium blanket mire, Carex bigelowii–Racomitrium lanuginosum moss-heath, Narthecium ossifragum–Carex panacea mire. Heath was more extensively distributed within, and was the dominant community of the drained area, whereas moss-heath was more extensive in the undrained area. Blanket mire and mire had approximately the same distribution in both areas. For the blanket mire, species composition indicated drier conditions in the drained than in the undrained area. The drained area had higher frequencies of woody species and lichens, grasses had finer roots and available soil phosphate was considerably higher, whereas the undrained area had higher frequencies of grasses and sedges. Conclusion: The dominant plant communities were different in the two areas, which indicated that the blanket mire was drying in the drained area. Higher concentration of soil phosphate in the drained area also indicated increased decomposition of organic soils owing to desiccation.
Vacuum cerenkov radiation in lorentz-violating theories without CPT violation

In theories with broken Lorentz symmetry, Cerenkov radiation may be possible even in vacuum. We analyze the Cerenkov emissions that are associated with the least constrained Lorentz-violating modifications of the photon sector, calculating the threshold energy, the frequency spectrum, and the shape of the Mach cone. In order to obtain sensible results for the total power emitted, we must make use of information contained within the theory which indicates at what scale new physics must enter.
Irregular Breathing Classification From Multiple Patient Datasets Using Neural Networks

Complicated breathing behaviors including uncertain and irregular patterns can affect the accuracy of predicting respiratory motion for precise radiation dose delivery. So far investigations on irregular breathing patterns have been limited to respiratory monitoring of only extreme inspiration and expiration. Using breathing traces acquired on a Cyberknife treatment facility, we retrospectively categorized breathing data into several classes based on the extracted feature metrics derived from breathing data of multiple patients. The novelty of this paper is that the classifier using neural networks can provide clinical merit for the statistical quantitative modeling of irregular breathing motion based on a regular ratio representing how many regular/irregular patterns exist within an observation period. We propose a new approach to detect irregular breathing patterns using neural networks, where the reconstruction error can be used to build the distribution model for each breathing class. The proposed irregular breathing classification used a regular ratio to decide whether or not the current breathing patterns were regular. The sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristiccurve of the proposed irregular breathing pattern detector was analyzed. The experimental results of 448 patients' breathing patterns validated the proposed irregular breathing classifier.
The Emergence of Global Systemic Risk

In this article, we discuss the increasing interdependence of societies, focusing specifically on issues of systemic instability and fragility generated by the new and unprecedented level of connectedness and complexity resulting from globalization. We define the global system as a set of tightly coupled interactions that allow for the continued flow of information, capital, goods, services, and people. Using the general concepts of globality, complexity, networks, and the nature of risk, we analyze case studies of trade, finance, infrastructure, climate change, and public health to develop empirical support for the concept of global systemic risk. We seek to identify and describe the sources and nature of such risks and methods of thinking about risks that may inform future academic research and policy-making decisions.
Back to the Future With Intravenous Diuretics: Reinvigorating an Old Treatment Through New Care Settings.

The discovery and use of diuretics are ancient history. Paleolithic humans may have discovered the original diuretic when they found caffeine-containing plants whose seeds and bark were used to prepare beverages [(1)][1]. In the 16th century, the renowned physician Paracelsus identified mercurous
Radionuclides in domestic and imported foods in the United States, 1983-1986.

Findings in the Food and Drug Administration's Radionuclides in Foods program are summarized for samples collected between October 1, 1982, and September 30, 1986. All radionuclide findings for Total Diet and reactor samples were either in Action Range I or low in Range II of the surveillance and control recommendations given by the Federal Radiation Council. The only long-range trend noted was a continuation of the general decline in dietary intake of /sup 90/Sr since 1961. Imported food samples were analyzed for contamination after the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The findings for imported foods indicate that the surveillance efforts successfully targeted contaminated foods, and that contamination levels were below levels of concern for all but one oregano and 3 cheese samples.
Inflammation as a cause and consequence of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent chronic arrhythmia, affecting more than 2 million Americans. Prevalence of AF is strongly age related, with AF afflicting more than 10% of the population over age 80. Currently available antiarrhythmic drugs for treating persistent AF have yielded poor long-term relief from arrhythmia recurrence [1]. AF increases the risk of stroke 5- to 7-fold, and is an independent risk factor (2-fold) for mortality [2]. Thus, while AF is not immediately life threatening, its consequences, particularly in the form of increased stroke risk and stroke severity, can be devastating to the patient. As knowledge about the factors that create a thromboembolic environment in AF are limited, current treatment focuses heavily on adequate anticoagulation therapy as a primary goal. In this chapter, evidence is presented suggesting that inflammatory processes have a crucial role both in the endothelial changes leading to increased stroke risk as well as to the electro-physiological and structural changes that increase the persistence of AF.
The Role of Electron–Hole Separation in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence in Donor–Acceptor Blends

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) is becoming an increasingly important OLED technology that extracts light from nonemissive triplet states via reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) to the bright singlet state. Here we present the rather surprising finding that in TADF materials that contain a mixture of donor and acceptor molecules the electron–hole separation fluctuates as a function of time. By performing time-resolved photoluminescence experiments, both with and without a magnetic field, we observe that at short times the TADF dynamics are insensitive to magnetic field, but a large magnetic field effect (MFE) occurs at longer times. We explain these observations by constructing a quantum mechanical rate model in which the electron and hole cycle between a near-neighbor exciplex state that shows no MFE and a separated polaron-pair state that is not emissive but does show magnetic field dependent dynamics. Interestingly, the model suggests that only a portion of TADF in these blends comes fr...
Extraction, Polymerase Chain Reaction, and Sequencing of a 440 Base Pair Region of the Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I Gene from Two Species of Acetone-Preserved Damselflies (Odonata: Coenagrionidae, Agrionidae)

Preserved insects are an important data source for many molecular systematics projects. This study investigates the use of acetone-preserved specimens in molecular DNA research. Two species of damselflies, Enallagma civile (Hagen) and Hetaerina americana (F.), were soaked in acetone before drying. Total genomic DNA was successfully extracted, amplified, and sequenced from the acetone-preserved damselflies with no noticeable effect from either the acetone or preservation time. Nucleotide sequences of a 440 bp region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene are presented for E. civile and H. americana. These 2 species have reached a saturated divergence level and it seems that the COI gene will not be useful for developing phylogenies at this taxonomic level.
Abstract A33: in ovarian cancer cell lines resistant to microtubule-stabilizing agents, expression of IGF2 and ABCB1 is increased and IGF1R inhibition restores drug sensitivity

Overexpression of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is associated with worse outcome in ovarian cancer patients; previously, our group has shown that IGF2 is upregulated after Taxol treatment of ovarian cancer cells and leads to activation of AKT. Thus, we hypothesized that IGF2 may be involved in drug resistance. The Taxol-resistant cell line HEY-T30 was developed in our laboratory from chemo-naive, sensitive HEY ovarian cancer cells by repeated Taxol treatment in tissue culture. HEY-T30 is 40-fold resistant to Taxol (IC50: 2.6 nM versus 105.9 nM), as determined by sulforhodamine B cytotoxicity assays. In these cells, IGF2 mRNA levels, measured by quantitative PCR, are increased 8.8-fold compared with its expression in the parental cell line. In addition, HEY-T30 have a genomic amplification of ABCB1 (mdr1; encoding the drug efflux pump p-glycoprotein) detected by array CGH, associated with increased ABCB1 mRNA expression. Alterations in IGF2 and ABCB1 were assessed in an additional drug-resistant ovarian cancer cell line, OVCAR8-D30, developed in our laboratory. OVCAR8-D30 is 2-fold-resistant to discodermolide (IC50: 56 nM versus 115 nM), another microtubule-stabilizing drug with a distinct chemical structure. This resistant cell line also showed an increase (4-fold) in IGF2 expression compared to its parental cell line, as well as a 19-fold increase in ABCB1 expression. To determine the effect of IGF pathway inhibition in Taxol-resistant cells, NVP-AEW541 (a small molecule inhibitor of the IGF1R, the major receptor for IGF2) was used. By concurrent treatment with NVP-AEW541, HEY-T30 cells were significantly re-sensitized to Taxol (IC50 from 105.9 nM to 17.0 nM). The effect of combined Taxol and NVP-AEW541 treatment on cell cycle distribution was evaluated by flow cytometry. Eighteen hours after Taxol (75 nM, 125 nM and 250 nM) and NVP-AEW541 (1 μM) treatment alone or in combination, more cells were arrested in G2/M with combination treatment compared to Taxol treatment alone at the higher Taxol concentrations (75 nM: 23.3% to 26.4% with NVP, 125 nM: 23.8% to 44.0% with NVP, and 250 nM: 34.6% to 74.1% with NVP) as determined by flow cytometry. At this time point, caspase activity analysis by flow cytometry detection of FAM-VAD-FMK FLICA reagent, showed no significant differences between the two treatments (75 nM: 6.7% and 9.5% with NVP, 125 nM: 10.0% and 11.5% with NVP, and 250 nM: 12.4% and 14.9% with NVP). These data suggest that treatment with the IGF1R inhibitor NVP-AEW541 can restore Taxol sensitivity in cells with multiple aberrations that confer drug-resistance (IGF2 and ABCB1 over-expression). We conclude that IGF2 has a prominent role in resistance to microtubule-stabilizing drugs in ovarian cancer cell lines and we therefore propose IGF2 to be a valuable target in future molecular therapies for chemo-resistant ovarian cancer. Citation Information: Clin Cancer Res 2010;16(7 Suppl):A33
Cranial CT in Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: Spectrum of Diseases and Optimal Contrast Enhancement Technique

A retrospective review of cranial CT scans obtained over a 4 year period in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and documented central nervous system (CNS) pathology is presented. The spectrum of diseases and the value of CT in detecting new, recurrent, and superimposed disease processes were determined. Fifty-one AIDS patients with confirmed CNS pathology were identified. Six of them had two coexistent diseases. Opportunistic infections predominated, especially Toxoplasma encephalitis and cryptococcal meningitis, while tumor was seen infrequently. Initial CT was positive in 76% of cases. In contrast to meningeal processes, where it was not very effective, CT was very sensitive in detecting most parenchymal disease processes. Characteristic although not pathognomonic CT patterns were found for certain diseases. Improvement or resolution of CT abnormalities in patients on medical therapy for Toxoplasma encephalitis correlated well with clinical improvement. Recurrence of CT abnormalities correlated well with medical noncompliance. The optimal contrast enhancement technique for detecting CNS pathology and for monitoring the effectiveness of medical therapy was also evaluated by a prospective study in which both immediate (IDD) and 1 hr delayed (DDD) double-dose contrast CT scans were compared. The examination found to be diagnostically superior in 30 of the 41 IDD/DDD studies was the delayed scan. It is recommended that CT be used routinely and with the 1 hr DDD scan to evaluate and follow AIDS patients with neurologic symptoms and/or signs.
Drug influences on malformations.

Confirmed evidence of congenital malformations caused by drug exposure is difficult to obtain because of limitations in methods of study. The case against exogenous female hormones, the benzodiazepines, amphetamines, and clomiphene citrate has not been proved, but oral anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, tri-methadione, and lithium have recently been added to the list of human teratogens.
The partial transsexual.

The “partial transsexual” is described as a person who has begun the surgical and hormonal process of sex change but, for varying reasons, has failed to complete the process, therefore being neithe...
Northern America’s Production of Technology Capital Is Transforming the World Economy

Technology capital produced by multinationals, many of which are American, is playing a major role in transforming the world economy. This form of capital is special because it can be used in multiple locations not only within a country but also in locations in other countries by their wholly owned foreign subsidiaries. The extension of aggregate economic theory to include this form of capital justifies Adam Smith that the extent of specialization is limited by the size of the market. Further, the invisible hand works, and there are no monopoly rents. The extended theory accounts for an important part of the large gains from being open to foreign direct investment (FDI). It accounts for much of the higher reported returns on U.S. FDI than on foreigners’ FDI in the U.S.
La perte d’expression de l’adénylate cyclase soluble facilite la transformation tumorale des mélanocytes

Introduction La plupart des melanomes presentent une hyperactivation de la voie des MAPK secondaire a une mutation activatrice de BRAF (50 %) ou NRAS (20 %). La voie des MAPK est soumise a plusieurs formes de regulation. Un exemple est celui de l’AMP cyclique (AMPc) qui par la phosphorylation de la proteine kinase A (PKA) inhibe CRAF. L’AMPc est produit par 2 types d’enzymes : l’adenylate cyclase transmembranaire et une adenylate cyclase soluble. L’expression de sAC est deregulee dans de nombreux cancers dont le melanome. De plus, sAC est mutee dans 10 % des melanomes et est localisee differemment dans les melanocytes tumoraux suggerant qu’elle pourrait jouer un role dans la carcinogenese cutanee. Materiel et methodes Nous avons etabli une lignee cellulaire murine de melanocytes sAC KO et WT et un modele murin d’inhibition genique de sAC (sAC KO) que nous avons comparee aux souris WT. Resultats Les melanocytes sAC KO ont une morphologie differente des cellules WT. Ils presentent une activation de MEK et ERK, un cycle cellulaire altere, un phenotype de croissance modifie ( p -value p -value p Discussion Ces resultats suggerent que sAC joue un role dans la tumorigenese cutanee et qu’elle pourrait jouer un role dans la transformation tumorale des melanocytes. Conclusion Nos travaux actuels consistent a etudier le mecanisme par lequel sAC regule la voie de MAPK et confirmer le role de sAC dans la melanomagenese grâce a un modele murin.
A non-trigonometric, pseudo area preserving, polyline smoothing algorithm

A line-smoothing algorithm based on simple arithmetic is presented and its characteristics are analyzed for various implementations. The algorithm is efficient because it can be implemented using only simple integer arithmetic, with no square root or trigonometric calculations. The algorithm is applicable to graph drawing applications that require smooth polylines between graph nodes. Though the algorithm is efficient, it is sensitive to seemingly minor implementation details which make it an illustrative and illuminating student/classroom exercise for the discussion of integer round-off, integer overflow, and the importance of implementation details.
Risks, Benefits, and Importance of Collecting Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data in Healthcare Settings: A Multi-Method Analysis of Patient and Provider Perspectives.

Abstract Purpose: Research suggests that LGBT populations experience barriers to healthcare. Organizations such as the Institute of Medicine recommend routine documentation of sexual orientation (SO) and gender identity (GI) in healthcare, to reduce LGBT disparities. We explore patient views regarding the importance of SO/GI collection, and patient and provider views on risks and benefits of routine SO/GI collection in various settings. Methods: We surveyed LGBT/non-LGBT patients and providers on their views on SO/GI collection. Weighted data were analyzed with descriptive statistics; content analysis was conducted with open-ended responses. Results: One-half of the 1516 patients and 60% of 429 providers were female; 64% of patients and 71% of providers were White. Eighty percent of providers felt that collecting SO data would offend patients, whereas only 11% of patients reported that they would be offended. Patients rated it as more important for primary care providers to know the SO of all patients com...
Varicocelectomy before assisted reproductive technology: are outcomes improved?

Clinical varicoceles have been associated with impaired semen parameters and male-factor infertility. Varicocele repair can improve live birth rates for men with clinical varicocele. Varicocelectomy is often combined with assisted reproductive techniques (ART) such as intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Here we review the literature examining varicocelectomy before ART to evaluate whether improved pregnancy outcomes are realized. Although insufficient evidence exists to determine if correcting a varicocele improves IUI outcomes, a clinical benefit is observed when correcting a clinical varicocele in oligospermic and nonobstructed azoospermic men before IVF/ICSI. In couples seeking fertility with the use of ART, varicocele repair may offer improvement in semen parameters and may decrease the level of ART needed to achieve successful pregnancy.
Interaction of Pregnancy, Loss, and Developmental Issues in Adolescents:

Pregnant adolescents may experience losses in unique ways or may experience additional losses as a result of their pregnancy. This article explores some of the common losses that may be experienced...
The Story upon a Hill: The Puritan Myth in Contemporary American Fiction

The Puritan myth assumes an essential place within the American psyche, operating as a grounding narrative that captures both the call to freedom and the sustained religiosity that defines America ...
Perceived Marital Support and Incident Mental Illness: Evidence from the National Comorbidity Survey

Social support in marriage may be associated with reduced risk for mental illness. Past studies are limited by short follow up and a focus on depression. A two-wave nationally representative survey in the United States (n = 2,503) is used to examine whether social support in marriage is associated with the onset of each of four clusters of disorders-internalizing, externalizing, phobic, and bipolar-10 years later. Results indicate that higher levels of perceived marital support were protective against internalizing, fear, and bipolar disorders, and against incident externalizing disorders for women. Protective effects of social support in marriage against mental illness are long-lasting, and sometimes differ by gender. Findings suggest the importance of mental health assessment in clinical practice.
Lung Tumors of Uncertain Histogenesis

The cell of origin of several rare lung tumors is still a matter of debate. Although some progress has been made in the last few decades in identifying the possible histogenesis of these tumors, their exact origins remain uncertain. Clear cell sugar tumor of lung, granular cell tumor, inflammatory pseudotumor, and sclerosing hemangioma are a group of tumors that fall into this category. A summary of the most pertinent features of these tumors is provided in Table 10.1.
The Internal Morality of Medicine: An Essential Dimension of the Patient-Physician Relationship

Discussions of the ethical aspects of the physician-patient relationship generally concentrate on interpersonal questions about such things as decisionmaking, mutual rights and responsibilities, autonomy and paternalism, treating patients as persons rather than as cases, truth-telling, and informed consent; or else they are concerned with more specialized topics such as euthanasia, abortion, genetic counselling, refusing treatment, orders not to resuscitate, and triage. All of these questions are obviously important. In this essay, however, I propose to approach the physician-patient relationship somewhat differently, namely, from the point of view of medical professionalism. I shall examine the ethical requirements and constraints governing this relationship that are binding on physicians by virtue of their status as members of the medical profession. The body of norms that are involved here will be referred to as the internal morality of medicine, 1
External fixation and limited internal fixation for complex fractures of the tibial plateau.

Twenty-one complex fractures of the tibial plateau in twenty patients were treated with closed reduction, interfragmental screw fixation of the articular fragments, and application of a unilateral half-pin external fixator. The average duration of external fixation was twelve weeks (range, three to twenty weeks). The fixator was left in situ until the fracture had united in all but two patients. All of the fractures healed. The complications with this technique were attributable primarily to the proximal half-pins of the external fixator. Seven patients needed antibiotics for an infection at a pin site, and two had septic arthritis that necessitated arthrotomy and debridement. The average duration of follow-up was thirty-eight months. The range of motion of nineteen of the twenty-one knees was at least a 115-degree arc. Laxity was evident in seven knees, but no patient complained of instability of the knee. Radiographs showed malalignment of more than 6 degrees in three knees compared with the normal, contralateral knee and evidence of post-traumatic osteoarthrosis in five knees. The Iowa knee score, determined for nineteen patients, averaged 87 points (range, 55 to 100 points). The SF-36 general health survey demonstrated that most patients had function close to that of age-matched controls. We concluded that external fixation with limited internal fixation is a satisfactory technique for the treatment of selected complex fractures of the tibial plateau.
The Side Effects of Hair Products on the Scalp and Hair

Cosmetic products are used by the consumer for the primary purpose of cleansing and beautification of the skin, hair and nails. Because these keratinizing structures continue to grow and are influenced by endogenous and exogenous environmental changes, the cosmetic products employed for beautification are used repetitively and frequently to maintain the desired appearance. For this reason, the cosmetic industry has flourished and represents one of the major world industries today.
What’s new in Chaco research?

This special section of Antiquity reports on new research on Chaco Canyon and its surrounding region in the northern U.S. Southwest. Two of the contributions are based on new excavations within Chaco Canyon—one at the largest great house of Pueblo Bonito by Patricia Crown and W.H. Wills (2018), and the other on Chaco’s water management by Vernon Scarborough et al. (2018). The second pair of articles are based on the regional data compilation and analyses of great houses and great kivas, which form part of the larger Chaco World. The article by Mills et al. (2018) applies social network analysis to a large database of ceramics to look at changing connectivity in the Chaco World over three centuries. Katherine Dungan et al. (2018) use an innovative total viewshed approach to examine when and to what degree great houses and great kivas were placed in visually prominent locations. This introduction reviews new findings of the past decade and contextualises the following four articles within the current literature. It does not provide a comprehensive review of the Chaco literature, and the reader is referred to other reviews, most recently by Plog (2010, 2018), Schachner (2015) and Plog et al. (2017). These can be compared with earlier syntheses (Mills 2002; Lekson 2006, 2009) to underscore the pace of new research.
Efficacious and Ethical Public Paternalism

People often make bad judgments. A big brother or sister who was wise, well-informed, and properly-motivated could often make better decisions for almost everyone. But can governments, which are not staffed with ideal big brothers or sisters, improve upon the mediocre decisions individuals make? If so, when and how? The risks of extending the reach of government into guiding individual lives must also be addressed. This essay addresses three questions concerning when paternalistic policies can be efficacious, efficient, and safe: 1. In what circumstances can policy makers be confident that they know better than individuals how individuals can best promote their own well-being? 2. What are the methods governments can use to lead people to make decision that are better for themselves? 3. What are the moral pluses and minuses of these methods? Answering these questions defines a domain in which paternalistic policy is an attractive option.
The Effects of Questionnaire Length and Behavioral Consequences on Careless Responding

Abstract. The current paper reports the results of two randomized experiments designed to test the effects of questionnaire length on careless responding (CR). Both experiments also examined whethe...
One-step targeted maximum likelihood estimation for time-to-event outcomes.

Researchers in observational survival analysis are interested in not only estimating survival curve nonparametrically but also having statistical inference for the parameter. We consider right-censored failure time data where we observe n independent and identically distributed observations of a vector random variable consisting of baseline covariates, a binary treatment at baseline, a survival time subject to right censoring, and the censoring indicator. We assume the baseline covariates are allowed to affect the treatment and censoring so that an estimator that ignores covariate information would be inconsistent. The goal is to use these data to estimate the counterfactual average survival curve of the population if all subjects are assigned the same treatment at baseline. Existing observational survival analysis methods do not result in monotone survival curve estimators, which is undesirable and may lose efficiency by not constraining the shape of the estimator using the prior knowledge of the estimand. In this paper, we present a one-step Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimator (TMLE) for estimating the counterfactual average survival curve. We show that this new TMLE can be executed via recursion in small local updates. We demonstrate the finite sample performance of this one-step TMLE in simulations and an application to a monoclonal gammopathy data.
Test Accuracy of Human Papillomavirus in Urine for Detection of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia.

ABSTRACT The objective was to assess the diagnostic test accuracy of high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing of self-collected urine and cervicovaginal samples for the detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or higher (CIN2+). We recruited a convenience sample of women 25 to 65 years of age who were undergoing clinically indicated colposcopy at two medical centers in North Carolina between November 2016 and January 2019. Women with normal cytology results and positive hrHPV results were also recruited. Urine samples, self-collected cervicovaginal samples, provider-collected cervical samples, and cervical biopsy samples were obtained from all enrolled women. Samples were tested for hrHPV DNA using the Onclarity assay (Becton Dickinson, Sparks, MD). Biopsy samples were histologically graded as CIN2+ or