cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
National Attributes as Predictors of Delegate Attitudes at the United Nations

The purpose of this paper is to explore United Nations delegate attitudes toward the major organs of the United Nations, i.e., the Security Council, General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, International Court of Justice, and the General and Main Committees of the General Assembly. In respect to these organs, the study probes “delegate satisfactions” concerning voting procedures, membership arrangements, and general role and past performance; “delegate perceptions” in respect to present and future importance and the probability of changes occurring in respect to membership arrangements; and “delegate desires” in respect to modifying roles and powers. The study also attempts to ascertain if delegate attitude patterns can be related to “predictors” generated from attributes of the delegates' home states. That is, is it possible to predict delegate attitudes from information about their home states? The potential importance of delegate attitudes in respect to the United Nations will be treated in detail later in the paper. Here, suffice it to say that delegates make decisions, relay information, give advice, and engage in other types of activities which allow them to help shape the institutions in which they operate. Because this is the case, it is assumed that the discovery of attitudinal patterns and the relationship of these patterns to various other indices is a potentially fruitful line of inquiry, which may facilitate an understanding of, and provide a basis for predictions about, the political processes of the United Nations.
Lax-integrable Laberge–Mathieu hierarchy of supersymmetric nonlinear dynamical systems and its finite-dimensional reduction of Neumann type

A compatibly bi-Hamiltonian Laberge–Mathieu hierarchy of supersymmetric nonlinear dynamical systems is obtained by using a relation for the Casimir functionals of the central extension of a Lie algebra of superconformal even vector fields of two anticommuting variables. Its matrix Lax representation is determined by using the property of the gradient of the supertrace of the monodromy supermatrix for the corresponding matrix spectral problem. For a supersymmetric Laberge–Mathieu hierarchy, we develop a method for reduction to a nonlocal finite-dimensional invariant subspace of the Neumann type. We prove the existence of a canonical even supersymplectic structure on this subspace and the Lax–Liouville integrability of the reduced commuting vector fields generated by the hierarchy.
Coastal currents in low latitudes (with application to the Somali and El Niño currents)

Abstract Near the equator, the directly wind-driven coastal jet along the western boundary of an ocean basin differs from its counterpart along the eastern boundary in several respects. (1) The western boundary current is more intense by an order of magnitude, because it flows in the direction of the pressure force associated with density gradients whereas the eastern boundary current is opposed by this pressure force. (2) In the west the flow at the depth of the thermocline is still in the direction of the wind, but in the east the pressure force drives an undercurrent that is practically as strong as the surface current. (3) Variability on time scales from a week to months is much higher in the east than the west. (4) On time scales longer than a month long Rossby waves disperse the eastern boundary current westcard, but the western current remains a coastal jet. (5) A relaxation of the wind causes a prompt reversal in the direction of the flow in the east but in the western region, where the current flows ‘downhill’, there is only a gradual deceleration. The relevance of these results to the Somali Current in the western Indian Ocean and El Nino Current in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean is discussed.
Does my patient with a serum monoclonal spike have multiple myeloma

A monoclonal spike on serum protein electrophoresis is a frequent finding in the general population and pathognomonic of a plasma cell dyscrasia. In otherwise healthy individuals, it is diagnostic of two asymptomatic, premalignant conditions called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM) which carry a lifelong risk of progression to multiple myeloma (MM) or related malignancy. This article discusses the criteria for diagnosis of MGUS, SMM, and MM; current recommendations for follow-up and risk factors for progression to MM of patients with MGUS and SMM; and diagnostic evaluation of suspected MM transformation.
FAK-Mediated Src Phosphorylation of Endophilin A2 Inhibits Endocytosis of MT1-MMP and Promotes ECM Degradation

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is an important mediator of integrin signaling in the regulation of cell proliferation, survival, migration, and invasion. To understand how FAK contributes to cell invasion, we explored the regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) by FAK. We found that v-Src-transformed cells activate a FAK-dependent mechanism that attenuates endocytosis of MT1-MMP. This in turn increases cell-surface expression of MT1-MMP and cellular degradation of extracellular matrix. Further, we identified an interaction between FAK's second Pro-rich motif and endophilin A2's SH3 domain. This interaction served as an autophosphorylation-dependent scaffold to allow Src phosphorylation of endophilin A2 at Tyr315. Tyr315 phosphorylation inhibited endophilin/dynamin interactions, and blockade of Tyr315 phosphorylation promoted endocytosis of MT1-MMP. Together, these results suggest a regulatory mechanism of cell invasion whereby FAK promotes cell-surface presentation of MT1-MMP by inhibiting endophilin A2-dependent endocytosis.
Higher order fully overlapping domain decomposition method for EMI/EMC modeling

We propose a fully overlapping domain decomposition method (DDM) for the analysis of small radiating/receiving features situated in electrically large enclosures for EMI/EMC analysis. The proposed method decouples the relatively dense finite element mesh (representing the RF environment of low-noise amplifier front ends and/or output power amplifiers with high fidelity), from a coarse background mesh modeling propagation and coupling effects with enclosures and nearby cable bundles. This overlapping decomposition allows for unstructured meshing of the small features within large domains, providing great flexibility in modeling multi-scale electromagnetic environments. We also demonstrate a higher-order version of the proposed method to further improve computational efficiency.
Abundance of N 2 O in the Atmosphere between 4.5 and 13.5 km

The variation with altitude of the ir solar spectrum, in the 4.5-μ region, was observed from a balloon-borne grating spectrometer. Quantitative analysis of the N2O absorption lines in this region has shown that the N2O concentration between 4.5 and 13.5 km is 0.14±04 ppm.
After the Women's Health Initiative: Postmenopausal Women's Experiences with Discontinuing Estrogen Replacement Therapy

Objective: To gather information about women's responses to the publication of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) and to determine what proportion of women stopped hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and whether the technique of discontinuation affected the recurrence of menopausal symptoms. Methods: 73 subjects were identified through VA pharmacy records and were mailed a letter detailing the results of the WHI. A follow-up questionnaire was mailed several months later to the same population. Results: 48 subjects responded and were eligible for inclusion in the study. Mean age was 62 years; 37(77%) stopped taking HRT, and 11(23%) continued. Twenty patients stopped abruptly, and 17 tapered off HRT. Eight (40%) of the group who stopped abruptly experienced recurrent menopausal symptoms, compared with 12(71%) of the group who tapered HRT. Conclusions: In a population of women veterans, 77% stopped HRT after publication of the WHI. Tapering HRT, rather than stopping abruptly, did not reduce the recurrence of ...
Tau physics prospects at Belle and BaBar

The new asymmetric colliders at KEK-B and SLAC PEP-II have come on line at the ϒ(4s) and are producing luminosity at record levels. Together the experiments, Belle and BaBar, have about 25 × 106 tau pairs produced. Belle presented two preliminary tau-physics results at this conference. Prospects for the coming few years are for as many as hundreds of millions of tau pair events. These data sets will bring tau physics into a new regime.
The MIT Lincoln Laboratory Optical Systems Test Facility

The Optical Systems Test Facility was established at MIT Lincoln Laboratory to support a broad scope of program areas, encompassing tactical ground-based sensors through strategic space-based sensors. The Optical Systems Test Facility comprises several separate ranges developed as a coordinated set of test sites at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. There are currently four separate ranges in the facility, an active range (Laser Radar Test Facility), a passive range (Seeker Experimental System), an aerosol range (Standoff Aerosol Active Signature Testbed) and an optical material measurements range. The active range has optical and target facilities for evaluating elements of laser radar sensors as well as complete ladar systems. It has facilities for simulating long range wavefronts and for dynamic target motions. The passive range concentrates on evaluating passive infrared sensors, with capabilities for static and dynamic scene generation in both cryogenic and room temperature environments. The aerosol range is currently configured for the measurement of both particulate and bio-agent aerosol dispersion characteristics. The optical materials measurements range started with measurement capabilities for laser radar target materials and is currently being expanded to measure both emissivity and reflectance of materials from the visible through the infrared.
Minocycline prevents the decrease in bone mineral density and trabecular bone in ovariectomized aged rats

Abstract In the current study, we examined the effects of minocycline, on the osteopenia of ovariectomized aged rats. Old female rats were randomly divided into five groups: sham, ovariectomized control and ovariectomized treated with minocycline, 17β-estradiol, or both agents. Bone samples were collected 8 wk after the treatment. Ovariectomy reduced bone mineral density of the whole femur and at the condylar, distal metaphyseal and head-neck-trochanter regions 10%–19% and the loss of bone density was prevented by treatment with minocycline or 17β-estradiol. Histomorphometric analysis of distal femur showed ovariectomy reduced the trabecular bone area, the trabecular bone number, trabecular bone thickness and increased the trabecular bone separation. The microanatomic structure of trabecular bone also showed that the number of nodes, node to node, cortical to node, node to free end was reduced by ovariectomy. Treatment with minocycline attenuated the effect of ovariectomy on trabecular bone in aged animals. In contrast, cortical bone was not affected by ovariectomy or minocycline treatment. The effect of minocycline on bone turnover was also examined. Minocycline increased osteoid surface, mineralizing surface, mineral apposition rate, bone formation rate and reduced eroded surface. We have therefore concluded that the modest increase in bone mineral density and the improvement in the trabecular bone status noted in minocycline treated ovariectomized aged rats is likely due to an increase in bone formation coupled with a decrease in bone resorption.
Postnatal growth of the rabbit mandible

Abstract Postnatal growth patterns in the rabbit mandible were studied as a sequel to previous reports dealing with mandibular growth and remodeling in the human and Rhesus monkey. Procedures and methods used in the present work follow those in past studies. The detailed distribution of depository and resorptive surfaces in all areas throughout the mandible was determined. Using this information, overall growth patterns in the entire bone were described and interpreted. Remodeling relationships between the different areas of the mandible were evaluated, and similarities and differences between modes of postnatal growth in the rabbit and human mandibles are discussed. Due to the general similarity of mandibular form in both species, the overall sequence of growth is parallel, including processes of condylar growth, progressive reduction of the condylar neck, and the posterior drift of the ramus. The lingual surface of the ramus in each species is predominantly depository, in contrast to the resorptive nature of the contralateral buccal side in both the human and rabbit. Growth of the mandibular body is also comparable in the two forms. Several major remodeling differences are present, however, and these are associated with certain gross anatomical dissimilarities, including differences in the coronoid process, lingual tuberosity and the mental region. The developmental basis for these differences is explained and discussed.
A genetic-epidemiologic study of human immune responsiveness to allergens in an industrial population II. The associations among skin sensitivity, total serum IgE, age, sex, and the reporting of allergies in a stratified random sample

Abstract We have quantitated puncture skin test responses to six standardized, high-quality, inhalant allergen extracts and histamine in 320 adults—a stratified random sample, equally distributed between the sexes and among all decades between 20 and 60 yr. Both the sensitivity of each subject toward histamine and his "average" IgE-mediated skin sensitivity to the entire panel of allergens (Allergy Index) were calculated. Allergy Index and Log [total serum IgE] values were weakly, but significantly, correlated (r = 0.453t p p ⩽ 0.004) for the total population of male adults versus female adults. Skin test positivity, the Allergy Index, and log [total serum IgE] values demonstrated a tendency to decrease between 20 and 60 yr of age. Furthermore, log, age, and sex, respectively, were important predictors of the allergic state (Allergy Index) of an individual. Lastly, in various subgroups of our population, we found only weak correlations between the subjects' perceptions of their allergic status and both the Allergy Index and log [total serum IgE].
Optimization of triazole -based TGR5 agonists towards orally available agents

Reported herein is a medicinal chemistry effort towards the identification of orally available TGR5 agonist 12, which served as a dog tool compound for studies to increase confidence in this mechanism. With the challenge of striking the balance of TGR5 potency and desired clearance profile, the screening strategy as well as medicinal chemistry strategy are discussed in this article.
Using Mobile Devices for Motor-learning Laboratory Exercises

When teaching motor-learning concepts, laboratory experiments can be valuable tools for promoting learning. In certain circumstances, traditional laboratory exercises are often impractical due to facilities, time, or cost. Inexpensive or free applications (apps) that run on mobile devices can serve as useful alternatives. This article details three specific motor learning labs conducted by university students using mobile devices. Students used free apps to explore Hick's Law, Fitts's Law, and the distribution of practice (massed versus distributed). Final lab reports were equal in quality to past labs conducted without mobile devices, and the students reported generally favorable opinions of the experiences.
Topographic Hadley cells

When a rotating fluid over sloping topography is heated from below and/or cooled from above, horizontal temperature gradients develop which drive convection cells aligned with isobaths. We refer to these cells as topographic Hadley cells. Laboratory experiments reveal that sinking occurs in small cyclonic vortices situated in relatively shallow regions. This is balanced by slower upwelling in adjacent deeper regions. The cross-isobath motions which connect the upwelling and downwelling are accelerated by Coriolis forces, resulting in strong jets which follow isobathic contours. For anticlockwise rotation, the surface jets keep the shallows to their left when looking in the direction of flow, which is opposite to both Kelvin and Rossby wave propagation. The width of the jets scales with the Rossby deformation radius and if this is much less than the width of the slope region then a number of parallel jets form. Motions on the deeper side of the jets where the flow is accelerating are adequately described by linear inviscid theory. However, the strong shears generated by this acceleration lead to baroclinic instability. The resulting cross-stream momentum fluxes broaden and flatten the velocity profile, allowing the flow on the shallow side of the jet to decelerate smoothly before sinking. Topographic Hadley cells are dynamically similar to terrestrial atmospheric Hadley cells and may also be relevant to the zonal jet motions observed on Jupiter and Saturn. It is also suggested that in coastal seas they may represent an important mode of heat (or salt) transfer where surface cooling (or evaporation) drives convection.
Participatory research: Three models and an analysis

This article examines three models of participatory research: what we call the parallel process model, the mutual engagement model, and the University of Central America (UCA) model. These models represent successively greater degrees of academic engagement with outside communities—from complementary, though not necessarily uncommitted, engagement by academic(s); to compromised full engagement between the academic(s) and the community; to institutional engagement between the entire university and the community. Our analysis outlines the tensions that may arise within participatory research between service and scholarship. We conclude that for participatory research to capture the attention and involvement of the broader discipline, it must provide a spectrum of theory, methods, and substance that sociologists find of importance independent of the participatory way in which such contributions are generated.
Cities from space: potential applications of remote sensing in urban environmental research and policy

Abstract The rapidly expanding urban areas of the world constitute an environmental challenge for the 21st century that requires both new analytic approaches and new sources of data and information. Management of the urban environment must consider phenomena at three scales, including the physical environment within cities, environmental systems consisting of cities and their regional hinterlands, and the environmental implications of the global network of megacities. Increasing availability of remotely sensed observations and a variety of other geospatial information could facilitate the development of new tools and approaches for understanding the urban environment. These new applications should take advantage of the special characteristics of remotely sensed data, including their broad spatial coverage, their capacity for routine and unobtrusive updating and their ability to provide self-consistent measurements of critical physical properties that would be difficult or expensive to obtain in situ. In many cases, using remote sensing data to measure and monitor urban environmental conditions will be more straightforward than using them for urban planning purposes, where traditional sources of governmental and private sector data are more easily obtained and understood. In developing countries, however, remote sensing may provide fundamental observations of urban growth and environmental conditions that are not available from other sources.
THE FINE STRUCTURE OF REGENERATING ADRENOCORTICAL AUTOTRANSPLANTS IN THE RAT.

The fine structural changes accompanying the regeneration of adrenocortical transplants in the rat were studied with the electron microscope. One-half gland autotransplants were made to the dorsal musculature of male Wistar rats, weighing approximately 120 gm. Transplants were recovered after 2, 4, 7, 14, 21 and 60 days of regeneration. During the first week of regeneration there was an increase in the granular endoplasmicreticulum at the expense of the agranular form. The internal structure of the numerous mitochondria was transformed from the normal tubular and vesicular forms of the zonae glomerulosa and fasciculata, respectively, to a lamellar type. The quantities of free ribonucleoprotein particles also were reduced. During this period the viable cortical cells are considered to be more deeply involved in protein synthesis and growth rather than hormone biosynthesis. Following 14 days of regeneration and thereafter, the characteristics of the mal intact adrenal cortex became established. Highly osmiophilic “dark cells,” present in the inner zones of the normal intact adrenal cortex, firstappeared after 14 days of regeneration, and were widely scattered throughout the cortexafter three weeks. After two months of regeneration, the “dark cells” were again concentrated in the inner cortical zones. During this latter period, hormone biosynthesis appears to be the major cell function. Possible structural-functional relationships are discussed.
Sub-local constraint-based learning of Bayesian networks using a joint dependence criterion

Constraint-based learning of Bayesian networks (BN) from limited data can lead to multiple testing problems when recovering dense areas of the skeleton and to conflicting results in the orientation of edges. In this paper, we present a new constraint-based algorithm, light mutual min (LMM) for improved accuracy of BN learning from small sample data. LMM improves the assessment of candidate edges by using a ranking criterion that considers conditional independence on neighboring variables at both sides of an edge simultaneously. The algorithm also employs an adaptive relaxation of constraints that, selectively, allows some nodes not to condition on some neighbors. This relaxation aims at reducing the incorrect rejection of true edges connecting high degree nodes due to multiple testing. LMM additionally incorporates a new criterion for ranking v-structures that is used to recover the completed partially directed acyclic graph (CPDAG) and to resolve conflicting v-structures, a common problem in small sample constraint-based learning. Using simulated data, each of these components of LMM is shown to significantly improve network inference compared to commonly applied methods when learning from limited data, including more accurate recovery of skeletons and CPDAGs compared to the PC, MaxMin, and MaxMin hill climbing algorithms. A proof of asymptotic correctness is also provided for LMM for recovering the correct skeleton and CPDAG.
Patterns of Hand Motion during Grasping and the Influence of Sensory Guidance

This study was aimed at describing temporal synergies of hand movement and determining the influence of sensory cues on the control of these synergies. Subjects were asked to reach to and grasp various objects under three experimental conditions: (1) memory-guided movements, in which the object was not in view during the movement; (2) virtual object, in which a virtual image of the object was in view but the object was not physically present; and (3) real object, in which the object was in view and physically present. Motion of the arm and of 15 degrees of freedom of the hand was recorded. A principal components analysis was developed to provide a concise description of the spatiotemporal patterns underlying the motion. Vision of the object during the reaching movement had no influence on the kinematics, and the effect of the physical presence of the object became manifest primarily after the fingers had contacted the object. Two principal components accounted for >75% of the variance. For both components, there was a strong positive correlation in the rotations of metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers. The first principal component exhibited a pattern of finger extension reversing to flexion, whereas the second principal component became important only in the second half of the reaching movement.
Disparate Igf1 expression and growth in the fore- and hind limbs of a marsupial mammal (Monodelphis domestica).

Proper regulation of growth is essential to all stages of life, from development of the egg into an embryo to the maintenance of normal cell cycle progression in adults. However, despite growth's importance to basic biology and health, little is known about how mammalian growth is regulated. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis of the highly disparate growth of opossum fore- and hind limbs in utero. We first used a novel, opossum-specific microarray to identify several growth-related genes that are differentially expressed in opossum fore- and hind limbs of comparable developmental stages. These genes included Igf1. Given Igf1's role in the growth of other systems, we further investigated the role of Igf1 in opossum limb growth. Supporting the microarray results, RT-PCR indicated that Igf1 levels are approximately two times higher in opossum fore- than hind limbs. Consistent with this, while Igf1 transcripts were readily detectable in opossum forelimbs using whole-mount in situ hybridization, they were not detectable in opossum hind limbs. Furthermore, opossum limbs treated with exogenous Igf1 protein experienced significantly greater cellular proliferation and growth than control limbs in vitro. Taken together, results suggest that the differential expression of Igf1 in developing opossum limbs contributes to their divergent rate of growth, and the unique limb phenotype of opossum newborns. This study establishes the opossum limb as a new mammalian model system for study of organ growth. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 318:279–293, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Scaring the Already Scared: Some Problems With Hiv/Aids Fear Appeals in Namibia

FearappealsareoftenusedinpublichealthcampaignsinAfricatopreventfurtherspreadof HIV/AIDS. Based on the extended parallel processing model framework (K. Witte, 1991), this research assessed the impact of such messages in a high-fear situation. A 2 (high threat, low threat) × 2 (high efficacy, no efficacy) experiment with a no-message offset control and efficacy-only conditions tested several predictions. Participants demonstrated high preexisting fear about HIV/AIDS. As a likely consequence, statistical equivalence tests indicated that messages’ threat levels had little impact on perceptions of fear or on outcome measures such as attitudes, intentions, or behaviors. It is concluded that the use of fear appealstopersuadeaudiencewithhighlevelsofpreexistingfearisill-advisedandineffective.
Understanding Suicide: A Sociological Autopsy:

Ever since Durkheim's seminal work, the sociology of suicide has tended to focus on the analysis of suicide rates. Some may even argue that a concern with rates is the defining feature of the sociological approach. But like any other behavior, each suicide occurs in a particular time and place and responds to concrete social conditions, such as the loss of a job or a conflict between spouses. The great advantage of Understanding Suicide is that it goes beyond mere rates to discuss the immediate social context in which suicide occurs. Language: en
Cavity-coupled double-quantum dot at finite bias: Analogy with lasers and beyond

We present a theoretical and experimental study of photonic and electronic transport properties of a voltage biased InAs semiconductor double quantum dot (DQD) that is dipole coupled to a superconducting transmission line resonator. We obtain the master equation for the reduced density matrix of the coupled system of cavity photons and DQD electrons accounting systematically for both the presence of phonons and the effect of leads at finite voltage bias. We subsequently derive analytical expressions for transmission, phase response, photon number, and the nonequilibrium steady-state electron current. We show that the coupled system under finite bias realizes an unconventional version of a single-atom laser and analyze the spectrum and the statistics of the photon flux leaving the cavity. In the transmission mode, the system behaves as a saturable single-atom amplifier for the incoming photon flux. Finally, we show that the back action of the photon emission on the steady-state current can be substantial. Our analytical results are compared to exact master equation results establishing regimes of validity of various analytical models. We compare our findings to available experimental measurements.
Peak scaling method to measure temperatures in the laser‐heated diamond anvil cell and application to the thermal conductivity of MgO

We test and characterize a new method to measure 2-D radial temperature distributions in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell using comparisons against real and synthetic data. We show that this method (1) incorporates an inexpensive and robust design for laser-heated diamond cell temperature measurements, (2) yields precise measurements of radial temperature distributions of laser-heated samples, and (3) can be used in conjunction with numerical models to measure the pressure and temperature dependence of thermal conductivity of materials. We apply the method to determine the high-pressure, high-temperature thermal conductivity of MgO.
Compact sub-milliwatt low-phase-noise CMOS LC-VCO based on power reduction technique

A power-minimized LC voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) with switched biasing and triode-region MOSFETs has been designed using a 0.18-µm CMOS process. The design strategy for an LC VCO suggested an inductance selection scheme to accommodate the trade-off between power consumption and phase noise. Consuming a current of 680-µA from a 1.2 V power supply, the VCO achieves a measured single-sideband phase noise of −123.2 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset frequency and 8 % tuning range. The Figure-Of-Merit with the normalized area of the proposed VCO is −198.2 dB, which is the lowest among the latest state-of-the-art sub-1mW VCOs.
A new approach for wideband signal processing

A new method for the estimation of the direction of arrival (DOA) of correlated wideband signals received by an array of sensors uses 2-D directive filtering in the time-space domain. This results in selecting bins at different frequencies from signals arriving from different directions. Since signals at different frequencies are uncorrelated, any spectral estimator can then be used to estimate the DOA. >
Time-domain steady-state simulation of frequency-dependent components using multi-interval Chebyshev method

Simulation of RF circuits often demands analysis of distributed component models that are described via frequency-dependent multi-port Y, Z, or S parameters. Frequency-domain methods such as harmonic balance are able to handle these components without difficulty, while they are more difficult for time-domain simulation methods to treat. In this paper, we propose a hybrid frequency-time approach to treat these components in steady-state time-domain simulations. Efficiency is achieved through the use of the multi-interval Chebyshev (MIC) simulation method and a low-order rational-fitting model for preconditioning matrix-implicit Krylov-subspace solvers.
Splice Variants but not Mutations of DNA Polymerase β Are Common in Bladder Cancer

DNA polymerase beta (POLbeta) is a highly conserved protein that functions in base excision repair. Loss of the POLbeta locus on chromosome 8p is a frequent event in bladder cancer, and loss of POLbeta function could hinder DNA repair leading to a mutator phenotype. Both point mutations and large intragenic deletions of POLbeta have been reported from analysis of various tumor cDNAs but not from genomic DNA. We noticed that the breakpoints of the presumed rearrangements were delineated by exon-exon junctions, which could instead be consistent with alternative splicing of POLbeta mRNA. We tested the hypothesis that the reported intragenic deletion were splice variants by screening genomic DNA of human bladder tumors, bladder cancer cell lines, and normal bladder tissues for mutations or deletions in exons 1-14, exon alpha, and the promoter region of POLbeta. We found no evidence of somatic mutations or deletions in our sample set, although two polymorphisms were identified. Examination of cDNA from a subset of the original sample set revealed that truncated forms of POLbeta were surprisingly common. Forty-eight of 89 (54%) sequenced cDNA clones had large deletions, each beginning and/or ending exactly at exon-exon junctions. Because these deletions occur at exon-exon junctions and are seen in cDNA but not genomic DNA, they are consistent with alternative mRNA splicing. We describe 12 different splicing events occurring in 18 different combinations. Loss of exon 2 was the most frequent, being found in 42 of 49 (86%) of the variant sequenced clones. The splice variants appear to be somewhat more common and variable in bladder cancer cell lines and tumor tissues but occur at a high frequency in normal bladder tissues as well. We examine alternative splicing in terms of the information content of splice donor and acceptor site sequences, and discuss possible explanations for the predominant splicing event, the loss of exon 2.
A new spread spectrum receiver for narrow-band interference suppression

A new spread spectrum receiver with narrow-band interference suppression is proposed. This receiver also considers information from previous bit samples beside those from current bit. Closed-form analytical expression for the output signal-to-interference ratio is derived under the condition of single tone interference. Analytical results show that the new spread spectrum receiver outperforms other previous NBI suppression techniques.
Adolescent Sexual Risk Behaviors and School-Based Sexually Transmitted Infection/HIV Prevention.

Many adolescents are susceptible to negative outcomes associated with sexual behavior. This is particularly true for those who initiate sexual intercourse at an early age, have many sex partners, or engage in unprotected sex because these behaviors put one at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. This article reviews the various demographic, social-contextual, and intrapersonal factors linked to sexual risk behaviors. Successful STI/HIV prevention programs must consider developmental and gender issues, as well as cultural norms and values, to effectively meet the prevention needs of all adolescents. We discuss the characteristics of effective intervention programs and provide the names and key features of empirically validated, school-based STI/HIV prevention programs. In addition, we recommend specific roles for school psychologists in STI/HIV prevention efforts. Finally, other resources are provided to assist practitioners in their continuing review of STI/HIV prevention education. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Some reflections on thinking skills

This paper and the three which follow it, by Dijkstra, Klauer and Tennyson, are based upon a 1987 symposium of the American Educational Research Association: Metalearning theories and instructional design. This paper discusses the other three papers by posing the question “Are there any thinking skills?”, then considering points that need to be taken into account in arriving at a reasonable answer to this question. It concludes “There is thinking, and there are skills. But-are there any thinking skills?”.
Brief Report: The Relationship of Parental Support and Conflict to Physical Activity in Preadolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Objective To use structural equation modeling to provide a preliminary examination of the relationship between parental support and conflict regarding physical activity behaviors in preadolescents with type 1 diabetes. Method Parent-child dyads (n = 85, M child age = 10.8) completed physical activity items from the Diabetes Family Behavior Scale, Diabetes Related Conflict Scale, and Self-Care Inventory. Children completed physical activity items from the Center for Disease Control's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, and activity was further measured via 24 hr recall interviews assessing physical activity behavior on a typical day. Results Parental conflict was related to less frequent physical activity, whereas parental support was related to more frequent physical activity. Conclusions In this exploratory study, parental conflict and support for physical activity were related to physical activity in preadolescents with type 1 diabetes. Further research and development of interventions aimed at improving parental support and decreasing conflict around physical activity are warranted.
Management of the orbit during endoscopic sinonasal tumor surgery.

Background The primary aims of the study were to report preoperative imaging characteristics and intraoperative management of the orbit during endoscopic resection of benign and malignant sinonasal tumors. Methods This study was a case series at an academic tertiary care center. Retrospective chart review and prospective imaging assessment was performed on 159 cases treated between July 2009 and December 2012. Results A total of 41 patients met predetermined inclusion criteria. Squamous cell carcinoma (17.1%) and inverted papilloma (31.7%) were the most common malignant and benign histology, respectively. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) scanning most commonly demonstrated erosion of the lamina papyracea (80.5%), whereas magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) most commonly illustrated loss of fat plane between tumor and extraocular muscle (53.1%). Endoscopic procedures to address the orbital interface included lamina papyracea resection (85.4%), dacryocystorhinostomy (26.8%), periorbita resection (26.8%), optic nerve decompression (7.3%), and orbital exenteration (2.4%). Oculoplastic surgery involvement was required in 31.7% of cases. Orbital complications included epiphora in 3 (7.3%) and diplopia in 2 (5.1%) patients. Postoperatively, no recurrences were noted in the benign group, whereas 6 (28.6%) recurrences were noted in 21 patients in the malignant group treated with intent to cure. Two patients died of disease due to distant metastases from mucosal melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusion This represents the largest series to date on endoscopic management of the orbit in benign and malignant sinonasal tumors. A majority of these cases can be managed by a purely endoscopic approach with low complication and recurrence rates, although a subset still require adjunct open approaches for successful tumor extirpation.
The making and the being of an academic (ambulatory) pediatrician.

I t is a privilege to follow in the footsteps of two Armstrong awardees and Yale colleagues—Paul McCarthy, who is in the audience today, and Dr George Silver, who in 1967 received the very first Armstrong award. George was a health policy expert at the Yale School of Public Health and a tireless advocate for children’s health. I also want to mention my special link with C. Henry Kempe, the 1976 awardee, whose talk was about the prevention of child abuse; many years before others, Kempe was wise enough to focus on the prevention of this terrible problem. Kempe labeled and described the ‘‘battered child syndrome’’ in a landmark publication in JAMA in 1962. In so doing, he got American physicians to recognize a disease that had gone mostly undiagnosed and ignored. This work made us all much smarter. He also established and was the first editor of an academic journal focused on child abuse. I had the honor of being the fourth editor of that journal, and if I can accomplish one tenth of what Kempe did in the field of child abuse, I will feel privileged. During the last several weeks, I had the opportunity to read many of the previous Armstrong talks and learned that previous speakers have usually given what I would call a ‘‘vision’’ talk about an important topic in child health—preventive pediatrics, road blocks confronting general pediatrics, and childhood disabilities in the United States, to name just a few. I was struck, however, that an important topic—one that is less about vision but equally important—had not been addressed, maybe because it is often difficult to talk about oneself. Interestingly, none of the previous Armstrong speakers had talked about us— about you and me, about how we have developed, how we have evolved, and how, if we plan to continue, we get others to be like us. So my talk today is about a journey—my own and my evolution as an academic pediatrician and a child abuse doctor. As I speak to you, I would like you to reflect some on your own journeys and on your own careers as academic pediatricians. What paths have you taken and what
Possible immunotherapeutic potentiation with D-fraction in prostate cancer cells.

Prostate cancer remains the most common malignancy among elderly men and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Although several conventional therapies are currently available, they have a low efficacy and the more effective treatment modalities need to be established. Interferons (IFNs) are one of such options known as immunotherapy and demonstrated their antitumor effects on certain cancer types. Yet such antitumor activity should be improved or potentiated to have the satisfactory outcomes. In fact, combination therapy has been proposed as an alternative approach and is being underway in human and animal studies. Accordingly, we studied whether the combination of IFN-α and D-fraction (PDF), a bioactive mushroom extract, might potentiate anticancer activity of IFN-α in prostate cancer PC-3 cells in vitro. Potential effects of recombinant IFN-α2b (0–100,000 IU/ml), PDF (0–1,000 μg/ml), or their combinations were assessed on the growth of PC-3 cells at 72 h. Cell cycle analysis using a flow cytometer and Western blot analysis were performed to explore antiproliferative mechanism of these agents. The dose-dependent study showed that IFN-α2b up to 20,000 (20 K) IU/ml had no significant effects, but >60% growth reduction was attained ≤50 K IU/ml. Similarly, PDF showed no effects up to 250 μg/ml but ~65% growth reduction was seen at 1,000 μg/ml. When IFN-α2b and PDF were combined, a relatively low concentration (10 K IU/ml) of IFN-α2b and PDF (250 μg/ml) resulted in a ~65% growth reduction. This was accompanied by a G1 cell cycle arrest, indicated by cell cycle analysis. Western blots also revealed that the G1-specific cell cycle regulators, CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1, and cyclin E, had been significantly (>60%) down-regulated in IFN/PDF-treated cells. The combination of IFN-α2b (10 K IU/ml) and PDF (250 μg/ml) is capable of inducing a ~65% reduction in PC-3 cell growth. This appears to be due to a synergistic potentiation of two agents, leading to a G1 cell cycle arrest. Thus, it is conceivable that PDF may potentiate IFN-α2b activity, improving immunotherapy for prostate cancer.
Functional caveolae are a prerequisite for CD40 signaling in human renal proximal tubule cells.

The role of caveolae in CD40/CD154 activation of proinflammatory chemokines and their potential role in renal inflammatory disease were explored in primary cultures of human renal proximal tubule e...
Innovation and the Role of Collaborative Planning in Local Clean Energy Policy

The adoption of clean energy policies is becoming more common among US localities, but is still far from universal. Policy innovation theory suggests that some shared internal characteristics should distinguish the localities that adopt those policies from others that do not. Based on a survey of US local government officials, and supplementary data from the US Census, we use multiple regression analysis to identify those distinguishing characteristics. We find that collaborative planning approaches play a crucial role in helping localities build the local civic capacity necessary to adopt these innovative policies. Our results reinforce prior studies which have found that citizen participation and stakeholder participation in planning processes can help to foster the development of innovative local policies for sustainability and climate change mitigation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
Multi-sensor surveillance with in-situ environmental characterization

It has been speculated that the performance of surveillance systems can be enhanced by the capability to sense and adapt to the environment in which it is deployed. Moreover, the use of multiple sensors, which observe the same surroundings using different physics, should provide more information and greater accuracy in characterizing an operational environment. However, it is not often easy or straightforward to predict the accuracy or validity of environmentally derived data from inverse methods, even when using a single sensor type. This presentation describes a methodology for predicting the parameter estimation errors achieved by a hypothetical system comprising an acoustic and an electromagnetic (EM) sensor. The hypothesis is tested by investigating a shallow water environment with mostly known parameters.
Antiapicoplast and Gametocytocidal Screening To Identify the Mechanisms of Action of Compounds within the Malaria Box

Malaria remains a significant infectious disease that causes millions of clinical cases and >800,000 deaths per year. The Malaria Box is a collection of 400 commercially available chemical entities that have antimalarial activity. The collection contains 200 drug-like compounds, based on their oral absorption and the presence of known toxicophores, and 200 probe-like compounds, which are intended to represent a broad structural diversity. These compounds have confirmed activities against the asexual intraerythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum and low cytotoxicities, but their mechanisms of action and their activities in other stages of the parasite's life cycle remain to be determined. The apicoplast is considered to be a promising source of malaria-specific targets, and its main function during intraerythrocytic stages is to provide the isoprenoid precursor isopentenyl diphosphate, which can be used for phenotype-based screens to identify compounds targeting this organelle. We screened 400 compounds from the Malaria Box using apicoplast-targeting phenotypic assays to identify their potential mechanisms of action. We identified one compound that specifically targeted the apicoplast. Further analyses indicated that the molecular target of this compound may differ from those of the current antiapicoplast drugs, such as fosmidomycin. Moreover, in our efforts to elucidate the mechanisms of action of compounds from the Malaria Box, we evaluated their activities against other stages of the life cycle of the parasite. Gametocytes are the transmission stage of the malaria parasite and are recognized as a priority target in efforts to eradicate malaria. We identified 12 compounds that were active against gametocytes with 50% inhibitory concentration values of <1 μM.