cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hormone dependent and independent mammary tumor development from N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-treated rat mammary epithelial cell xenografts in the nude mouse: multiple pathways and H-ras activation

A nude mouse mammary fat pad xenograft system was developed to examine hormone dependent and independent mammary tumorigenesis and progression from N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced hyperplastic lesions. Ninety-one percent of transplanted mammary tumors grew, with an orthotopic preference, and maintained their hormone dependence, histopathology, and H-ras mutation frequency. Grafted mammary epithelial cells, from MNU-treated rats, developed normal and hyperplastic outgrowths, representative of those found in the rat mammary gland after MNU-treatment. Hyperplasias developed into neoplasias that were both hormone dependent and independent. We demonstrate that hormone independent tumors can develop directly either from lobuloalveolar or ductal hyperplasias or from hormone dependent tumors. H-ras mutation was detected in mammary preneoplasias (4 lines) before they developed into tumors and was associated with an elevated tumorigenic potential. Our observations suggest that there are multiple histopathogenic pathways in the development and progression to hormone independent rat mammary tumors.
Privatization of health and publicization of violence: violence toward doctors in Turkey

In recent years, health professionals have been suffering from widespread violence in Turkey as well as in the world. Based on the data obtained from a fieldwork in Gaziantep and Kilis, this article aims to discuss neo-liberal transformation of the health sector and the consequences of this transformation in effecting violence toward doctors. The data shows that physicians working at public health institutions are the main victims of verbal and physical attacks coming from mostly patients and their companions. The social and economic context within which the violence toward physicians takes place is a process of restructuring of the provision of health service based on neo-liberal market logic. The health services and field are increasingly being shaped and redefined in accordance with economic logic like efficiency, profit, cost, competitiveness, and so on. These policy changes in the health sector have resulted in differentiation of health services, devaluation of public services, the stigmatization of ...
Canonical transformations for space trajectory optimization

Canonical transformations are developed between the Cartesian coordinates, equinoctial elements, trajectory variables, and orbital elements for coplanar space trajectory optimization problems. The canonical transformations permit the state and adjoint or their solution, transversality conditions, the optimal control, and integrals of the motion, to be transformed between any of the common sets of coordinates for planar space trajectory optimization problems. Variations on the canonical transformations shown are straightforward to develop given the group properties of the canonical transformations.
Agenda Setting and State Policy Diffusion: The Effects of Media Attention, State Court Decisions, and Policy Learning on Fetal Killing Policy*

Objectives. This study combines theories on agenda setting, policy innovation, and policy learning to develop an improved model of state policy change. The case of fetal killing policy change in the states is used to develop a model that incorporates national media attention and the decisions of state courts, in addition to policy learning variables that account for the policy changes of neighboring states and the passage of time. Methods. I test the effect of national media attention, decisions by the courts, and the actions of neighboring states on the likelihood that states will change their fetal homicide policies. Using time-series cross-sectional data from 1970 to 2002, the model is tested using logistic regression analysis. In addition to testing the theories mentioned above, control variables in the model include citizen and government ideology and the percentage of state residents who are fundamentalist Protestants. Results. Three of the four research hypotheses are supported by the statistical analysis. The results demonstrate that increased media attention to fetal homicide in a given year increases the likelihood that a state will change its policy the next year. Support is also found for the hypothesis that state court decisions will affect policy change. One of the control variables, government liberalism, is also found to decrease the likelihood that states will change their fetal homicide policies. Conclusions. This study lends insight into why states change their policies by including agenda-setting variables such as media attention and decisions made by the courts. States do react to the actions of the courts by making changes to policies affected by the decisions.
Steller sea lion spatial‐use patterns derived from a Bayesian model of opportunistic observations

Despite acquisition of a substantial catalog of telemetry data from Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) over the past two decades, scientists still lack comprehensive regionally explicit knowledge about Steller sea lion habitat use. The Platforms of Opportunity data contain records of Steller sea lion sightings throughout the species’ entire range and have potential to fill gaps in knowledge about their spatial use; however, the data have not previously been used because effort (e.g., time spent surveying or area sampled) was not recorded when sightings were obtained. For this study a novel approach was used to overcome the lack of effort data through development of an effort index and a Bayesian negative binomial model. The model quantified Steller sea lion encounter rates and associated uncertainty within 15 × 15 km2 grid cells across the species’ entire range. Year-round, as well as breeding and nonbreeding season encounter rates were estimated. The results of this analysis identify several previously undocumented areas of high use by Steller sea lions, indicate that only 37% of Steller sea lion high-use areas fall within designated critical habitat, and demonstrate that use of depth and distance from shore as indicators of Steller sea lion habitat is contraindicated.
Initial Relaxation Response: Personality and Treatment Factors

In clinical practice various techniques are used to help clients achieve a state of relaxation. The relaxation response is usually inferred from changes in physiological and self-report measures with this inference being tentative because generalization between response systems is lacking. EMG biofeedback and Jacobson's ( 1938) Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique are two of the most frequently mentioned approaches and share an extended clinical and research history. Quales and Sheehan (1981) review research comparing these techniques and conclude that methodological and personality factors make generalizations about their effectiveness difficult. They suggest that EMB biofeedback produces deeper states of relaxation than other techniques when subjects are exposed to extended training (more than 8 sessions). Inconsistent findings are evident when these techniques are compared early in training. Personality variables (absorption, anxiety, and locus of control) are also suggested as sources of potential interactions with the response to treatment. Quales and Sheehan (1981) focus on absorption, a measure of the capacity for absorbed inner attention and indicate that individuals high in this characteristic respond better to nonstructured inductions. The present study compared EMG biofeedback, Progressive Muscle Relaxation and a Self-relaxation control condition for subjects high and low in trait anxiety. Because this study examined the initial stages of training, no main effect of treatment was expected. Individuals with anxiety-related symptoms are frequently treated with biofeedback, which suggests that their natural strategies have not been effective. Subjects high in trait anxiety were predicted to respond better to structured techniques while subjects low in anxiety were expected to relax more with the nonstructured self-relaxation technique.
Chemical beam epitaxy of AlAs using novel group-V precursors

Chemical beam epitaxy of AlAs with trimethylaluminum, tertiarybutylarsine or tris(dimethylamino)arsenic at a moderate growth temperature has been studied. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction monitoring of growth surfaces reveals that growth with cracked tertiarybutylarsine results in rough growth surfaces and films of poor crystal quality, but on the other hand, with tris(dimethylamino)arsenic, streaky reconstruction patterns are maintained. The surface chemical processes responsible for the observed growth behavior are discussed. The growth rate variation with group-III and V flow rates is also investigated in the case of tris(dimethylamino)arsenic. The growth rate is found to increase with increasing group-V flux. Dependence of the background hole concentration on growth conditions is discussed.
Leader cognition: Approaches and findings

Abstract Although few scholars would dispute the point leaders must think, cognition has not, perhaps, received the attention it warrants in studies of leadership. The intent of the present special issue is to examine how cognition influences leader emergence and performance. In this introductory piece we argue that cognitive skills, often domain specific cognitive skills, strongly influence leader emergence and performance. The conditions that moderate the impact of these skills are also examined along with the ways in which cognitive capacities shape subsequent leader behavior. The implications of cognition for leader development and directions for future research are discussed.
Stochastic predictions of sediment yields from small coastal watersheds in Oregon, U.S.A.

Abstract For many streams in the Pacific northwestern U.S.A., nearly all sediment is transported during brief, distinct runoff events. The event sequence can be stochastically described by combining a Poisson process, a flow frequency analysis, and a sediment rating curve. The model is used to predict long-term distributions of annual suspended-sediment yields from two small watersheds in the Oregon coast range. For these watersheds, observed annual yields appear to be less variable than would be predicted from random sums of individual storm event yields. The discrepancy between synthetic and observed yields is probably due to the controls imposed by sediment sources.
Factors controlling CaCO3 dissolution in the Weddell Sea from foraminiferal distribution patterns

Abstract Surface samples of sediment cores from the Weddell Sea contain foraminiferal assemblages which are distinctly divided into calcareous or arenaceous populations and reflect CaCO3 dissolution in some regions. Water depth apparently is only partly responsible for this CaCO3 dissolution, the present CCD varying from 250 m to greater than 3700 m. Other factors such as water-mass properties, biological producitivity and sedimentation, all of which are controlled by the glacial regime of a region, are of major importance. Perennial sea-ice formation over the southwestern continental shelf causes a deficiency in surface productivity, limits air—sea interaction and produces cold, Saline Shelf Water which is apparently undersaturated with respect to CaCO3. In the eastern Weddell Sea, less severe glacial conditions appear to favor CaCO3 preservation on the continental shelf. In this area the CCD coincides approximately with major water-mass boundaries varying from over 700 m to approximately 500 m. The deepest and most widespread occurrence of calcareous foraminiferal assemblages coincides with the present region of Antarctic Bottom Water production in the Weddell Sea. Here the CCD is depressed from approximately 1500 m to over 3700 m from east to west along the outer edge of the slope and reflects intensification of mixing and subsequent increased biological productivity in that direction.
Striatal CB1 and D2 receptors regulate expression of each other, CRIP1A and delta opioid systems

Although biochemical and physiological evidence suggests a strong interaction between striatal CB1 cannabinoid (CB1 R) and D2 dopamine (D2 R) receptors, the mechanisms are poorly understood. We targeted medium spiny neurons of the indirect pathway using shRNA to knockdown either CB1 R or D2 R. Chronic reduction in either receptor resulted in deficits in gene and protein expression for the alternative receptor and concomitantly increased expression of the cannabinoid receptor interacting protein 1a (CRIP1a), suggesting a novel role for CRIP1a in dopaminergic systems. Both CB1 R and D2 R knockdown reduced striatal dopaminergic-stimulated [(35) S]GTPγS binding, and D2 R knockdown reduced pallidal WIN55212-2-stimulated [(35) S]GTPγS binding. Decreased D2 R and CB1 R activity was associated with decreased striatal phosphoERK. A decrease in mRNA for opioid peptide precursors pDYN and pENK accompanied knockdown of CB1 Rs or D2 Rs, and over-expression of CRIP1a. Down-regulation in opioid peptide mRNAs was followed in time by increased DOR1 but not MOR1 expression, leading to increased [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]-enkephalin-stimulated [(35) S]GTPγS binding in the striatum. We conclude that mechanisms intrinsic to striatal medium spiny neurons or extrinsic via the indirect pathway adjust for changes in CB1 R or D2 R levels by modifying the expression and signaling capabilities of the alternative receptor as well as CRIP1a and the DELTA opioid system.
Ten years of infitah: class, rent, and policy stasis in Egypt

The Political Economy of Income Distribution in Egypt. Edited by Gouda Abdel‐Khalek and Robert Tignor. New York: Holmes & Meier, 1982. $55. ISBN 0 8419 0633 5. Employment Opportunities and Equity in Egypt: A Labour Market Approach. By Bent Hansen and Samir Radwan. Geneva: International Labour Office, 1982. $25.65 and $19.95. ISBN 92 2 102995 6 and 102996 4. Egypt: Politics and Society, 1945–1981. By Derek Hopwood. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1982. £12.50. ISBN 0 04 956011 5. An Economic History of the Middle East and North Africa. By Charles Issawi. London: Methuen, 1982. £12.50. ISBN 0 416 34330 9. Population and Development in Rural Egypt. By Allen C. Kelley, Atef M. Khalifa, and M. Nabil El‐Khorazaty. Durham, NC: Duke Press Policy Studies, 1982. $22.75. ISBN 0 8223 0475 9.
Bichromatic laser cooling in a three-level system.

We report a 1D study of optical forces on atoms in a two-frequency laser field. The light couples two ground state hyperfine structure levels to a common excited state of $^{85}\mathrm{Rb}$, thus forming a \ensuremath{\Lambda} system. We observe a new type of sub-Doppler coupling with blue-tuned light that uses neither polarization gradients nor magnetic fields, efficient heating with red tuning, and the spatial phase dependence of these. We observed deflection from a rectified dipole force and determined its velocity dependence and capture range. We report velocity selective resonances associated with Raman transitions. A simplified semiclassical calculation agrees qualitatively with our measurements.
Phase-slip mechanism for dissipation in high-Tc superconductors.

The phase-slip theory of Ambegaokar and Halperin (AH) is used to explain measurements of magnetoresistance versus temperature for a granular high-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ superconducting material, assuming an array of Josephson weak links. Results of experiments are compared to dynamical calculations of the critical current versus magnetic field in a Josephson-junction array at non-zero temperatures. The AH theory is able to account for the observed dissipation, give physical insight into the role played by the sample microstructure, and also quantitatively explain the kink in the magnetoresistance curve seen to occur in both granular and single-crystal materials. Furthermore, within this framework, the critical current for a particular sample is determined from magnetoresistance measurements, and then used to calculate the temperature dependence of the ac magnetic susceptibility. Comparison of the calculated real and imaginary components is made to direct measurements.
Automation for the Synthesis and Application of PET Radiopharmaceuticals

The development of automated systems supporting the production and application of PET radiopharmaceuticals has been an important focus of researchers since the first successes of using carbon-11 (Comar et al., 1979) and fluorine-18 (Reivich et al., 1979) labeled compounds to visualize functional activity of the human brain. These initial successes of imaging the human brain soon led to applications in the human heart (Schelbert et al., 1980), and quickly radiochemists began to see the importance of automation to support PET studies in humans (Lambrecht, 1982; Langstrom et al., 1983). Driven by the necessity of controlling processes emanating high fluxes of 511 KeV photons, and by the tedium of repetitive syntheses for carrying out these human PET investigations, academic and government scientists have designed, developed and tested many useful and novel automated systems in the past twenty years. These systems, originally designed primarily by radiochemists, not only carry out effectively the tasks they were designed for, but also demonstrate significant engineering innovation in the field of laboratory automation.
Fabrication of Three-Dimensional Macroporous Membranes with Assemblies of Microspheres as Templates

Assemblies of polymer beads were used as templates to produce macroporous membranes of polymers and ceramics. These membranes consist of spherical pores whose sizes could be precisely controlled in...
Craft Production and Social Identity in Northwest Mesopotamia

This paper examines the relationships among the high demand for specialist-produced goods in early urban society, the roles of those goods in negotiating social identities, the organization of craft production, and the status of craft workers. Textual and archaeological data from mid-third millennium B.C. northwest Mesopotamia provide insights into three categories of craft goods that were produced by specialists: pottery, textiles and metal objects. Results suggest that the organization of production varied, depending on factors such as the scarcity of the raw materials, the degree of skilled labor required, and the social and political uses of the goods. Similarly, the status of craft workers was highly variable, depending on factors such as who they worked for and the kinds of crafts they produced. The high demand for specialist-produced craft goods in early urban society, stemming from the importance of goods in negotiating social identities, gave craft workers a vital role in the political economies of early urban societies.
CDS in Unit Ball Graphs and Growth Bounded Graphs

In a mountain area or underwater [1, 131], environment is often not flat. In such a situation, deployed sensors would form a three-dimensional wireless sensor network, which has a mathematical model, the unit ball graph. A unit ball graph consists of vertices lying in the three-dimensional Euclidean space. There exists an edge between two vertices u and v if and only if the distance between them, d(u, v) is at most one.
Career Search Self-Efficacy: Ripe for Applications and Intervention Programming.

Career search self-efficacy has been found to be predictive of individuals' level of career indecision (Taylor & Pompa, 1990) as well as the number of career search activities they actually perform (Solberg et al., in press). This article described the four sources of efficacy information and noted how application of these sources could help individuals become more successful in the career search process. Interventions designed to promote the development of career search self-efficacy are clearly needed. Two instruments for assessing the effectiveness of career search self-efficacy programs are described. Career counselors are urged to incorporate sources of efficacy into their learning experiences to facilitate enhancement of career search selfefficacy, especially with individuals who are at-risk for career search difficulty.
Global forcing and regional interactions

The Climate System Modeling Program (CSMP) sponsored a “Global Forcing and Regional Interaction Workshop” from October 21 to 23, 1991, at Colorado State University's Pingree Park campus, to evaluate the relationship between global climate forcing and the response of the land surface on a regional scale. The general aim of the workshop was to develop specific action plans and preliminary science research strategies for regionalglobal interactions. Each participant was invited to identify tractable, high pay-off science issues related to global forcing and regional interactions. The workshop, with twenty-six participants about evenly split between atmospheric scientists, hydrologists, and ecologists, was also designed to facilitate a network of collaborators to prepare multidisciplinary research proposals. Discussion also focused on regional climate over the last 200 years and included the influence of atmosphere-land surface processes on natural climate variability. Several major recommendations were made on topics discussed.
Measuring Public Health Practice and Outcomes in Chronic Disease: A Call for Coordination

A strategic opportunity exists to coordinate public health systems and services researchers’ efforts to develop local health department service delivery measures and the efforts of divisions within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) to establish outcome indicators for public health practice in chronic disease.Several sets of outcome indicators developed by divisions within NCCDPHP and intended for use by state programs can be tailored to assess outcomes of interventions within smaller geographic areas or intervention settings.Coordination of measurement efforts could potentially allow information to flow from the local to the state to the federal level, enhancing program planning, accountability, and even subsequent funding for public health practice.
Differential Medium for Vibrio cholerae

A differential medium designed for rapid presumptive identification of Vibrio cholerae was described and shown to be useful for enumeration of viable cholera vibrios in the presence of other intestinal bacteria.
Feedforward control of DC-DC PWM boost converter

A new feedforward control circuit suitable for applications in the dc-dc pulsewidth modulated (PWM) boost converter operated in the continuous conduction mode (CCM) is proposed. Its principle of operation is described, analyzed for steady state, and experimentally verified. The peak value of the sawtooth voltage at the noninverting input of a PWM modulator is held constant and the voltage at the inverting input of the PWM modulator varies in proportion to the converter dc input voltage. As a result, the complement of the on-duty cycle (1-D) is proportional to the dc converter input voltage, yielding the converter output voltage theoretically independent of the converter input voltage. The circuit is very simple and significantly improves line regulation of the output voltage. The measured open-loop line regulation at fixed loads was less than 5% for the converter dc input voltage change by 400%. The load regulation was also good even without a negative feedback loop.
The effects of anatabine on non-invasive indicators of muscle damage: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study

Anatabine (ANA), a minor tobacco alkaloid found in the Solanaceae family of plants, may exhibit anti-inflammatory activity, which may be useful to aid in recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the effects of ANA supplementation on the recovery of isometric strength and selected non-invasive indicators of muscle damage. A double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover design was used to study eighteen men (mean ± SD age = 22.2 ± 3.1 yrs; body mass = 80.3 ± 15.7 kg) who participated in two randomly-ordered conditions separated by a washout period. The ANA condition consisted of consuming 6–12 mg anatabine per day for 10 days, while testing took place during days 7–10. The placebo (PLA) condition was identical except that the PLA supplement contained no ANA. Maximal voluntary isometric peak torque (PT) of the forearm flexors, arm circumference, hanging joint angle, and subjective pain ratings were measured before (PRE), immediately after (POST), and 24, 48, and 72 h after six sets of 10 maximal, eccentric isokinetic forearm flexion muscle actions. Resting heart rate and blood pressure were measured at PRE and 72 h in each condition. For PT, hanging joint angle, arm circumference, and subjective pain ratings, there were no condition x time (p > 0.05) interactions, there were no main effects for condition (p > 0.05), but there were main effects for time (p 0.05) interactions and no main effects for condition (p > 0.05) or time (p > 0.05) for blood pressure or resting heart rate. ANA supplementation had no effect on the recovery of muscle strength, hanging joint angle, arm swelling, or subjective pain ratings after a bout of maximal eccentric exercise in the forearm flexors. Therefore, ANA may not be beneficial for those seeking to improve recovery from heavy eccentric exercise. Future studies should examine the effects of ANA on the pro-inflammatory cytokine responses to exercise-induced muscle damage and the chronic low-grade inflammation observed in obese and elderly individuals.
Designing Asymptotics and Transients of Linear Stochastic Automaton Networks

Stochastic automaton networks are widely used in both modeling and computation. Motivated by several of these applications (e.g., weather modeling), we study the problem of designing stochastic automaton networks to shape their transient and/or asymptotic responses. Specifically, for a broad but specially tractable class of stochastic automata networks known as influence models, we consider designing parameters of the interactions among the network components (as specified by a known graph), so that statistics of the network’s state at particular time-snapshots meet requirements. In this paper, we address such snapshot design for the asymptotic case in some generality, while focusing on an illustrative example (originating from the weather-modeling application) in designing transients.
Developing Innovation Transfer Capacity in a Cross-National Firm

The study presented in this article analyzes an attempt to transfer a discontinuous product innovation across national boundaries within a biopharmaceutical company. The commercialization process, which had been effective within the company's home market, was less effective in Europe and Japan. The study concludes that when the company engaged in a transformational change intervention, it was able to improve the effectiveness of its international transfer process. The changes required were emergent rather than planned; they were driven by a renewed strategy and did not use the tools of OD nor embed itself in the humanistic values typically associated with OD. The study provides insight into the requirements of product transfer and commercialization to international subsidiaries, which needs to be approached as an international organizational change process, which the authors define as strategically aligned alterations in patterns of employee behavior across international borders.
Results of mitral valve annuloplasty with a standard-sized posterior band: Is measuring important?

Objective This study was undertaken to determine hemodynamic and clinical outcomes of annuloplasty with a standard-sized (63 mm) posterior band in adult patients undergoing mitral valve repair for degenerative valve disease. Methods We studied 511 patients who underwent isolated mitral valve repair for degenerative disease with a 63-mm posterior band used for annuloplasty. Operations were performed between 1994 and 2001, and average follow-up was 4.8 ± 3.1 years. Echocardiographic data were reviewed, with specific focus on the relationship between patient size and residual mitral regurgitation and gradient. Results Mean age at the time of operation was 59.3 ± 13.5 years, and 72% were male. Body mass index was 25.8 ± 4.1 kg/m 2 , and body surface area was 1.97 ± 0.24 m 2 . Preoperative mean ejection fraction was 64% ± 7%, and 96% of patients had severe mitral regurgitation on preoperative echocardiography. The 30-day mortality was 0.8%. At hospital discharge, the mean gradient was 4.7 ± 3.1 mm Hg. Body surface area, body mass index, and weight were not associated with postoperative gradients or residual regurgitation at discharge. At last follow-up, 89% of patients had no or mild regurgitation, and the mean ejection fraction was 58% ± 9%. At 5 years, survival was 95% and cumulative risk of reoperation was 3%. Conclusion A standard-sized (unmeasured) posterior annuloplasty band provided excellent intermediate results with good durability. There were neither excess gradients in larger patients nor excess regurgitation in smaller patients. Measured annuloplasty is unnecessary for most adults undergoing mitral valve repair.
Phase advancing human circadian rhythms with morning bright light, afternoon melatonin, and gradually shifted sleep: can we reduce morning bright-light duration?

Abstract Objective Efficient treatments to phase-advance human circadian rhythms are needed to attenuate circadian misalignment and the associated negative health outcomes that accompany early-morning shift work, early school start times, jet lag, and delayed sleep phase disorder. This study compared three morning bright-light exposure patterns from a single light box (to mimic home treatment) in combination with afternoon melatonin. Methods Fifty adults (27 males) aged 25.9 ± 5.1 years participated. Sleep/dark was advanced 1 h/day for three treatment days. Participants took 0.5 mg of melatonin 5 h before the baseline bedtime on treatment day 1, and an hour earlier each treatment day. They were exposed to one of three bright-light (~5000 lux) patterns upon waking each morning: four 30-min exposures separated by 30 min of room light (2-h group), four 15-min exposures separated by 45 min of room light (1-h group), and one 30-min exposure (0.5-h group). Dim-light melatonin onsets (DLMOs) before and after treatment determined the phase advance. Results Compared to the 2-h group (phase shift = 2.4 ± 0.8 h), smaller phase-advance shifts were seen in the 1-h (1.7 ± 0.7 h) and 0.5-h (1.8 ± 0.8 h) groups. The 2-h pattern produced the largest phase advance; however, the single 30-min bright-light exposure was as effective as 1 h of bright light spread over 3.25 h, and it produced 75% of the phase shift observed with 2 h of bright light. Conclusions A 30-min morning bright-light exposure with afternoon melatonin is an efficient treatment to phase-advance human circadian rhythms.
Changes in a tropical forest support metabolic zero-sum dynamics

Major shifts in many ecosystem-level properties of tropical forests have been observed, but the processes driving these changes are poorly understood. The forest on Barro Colorado Island (BCI) exhibited a 20% decrease in the number of trees and a 10% increase in average diameter. Using a metabolism-based zero-sum framework, we show that increases in per capita resource use at BCI, caused by increased tree size and increased temperature, compensated for the observed declines in abundance. This trade-off between abundance and average resource use resulted in no net change in the rate resources are fluxed by the forest. Observed changes in the forest are not consistent with other hypotheses, including changes in overall resource availability and existing self-thinning models. The framework successfully predicts interrelated changes in size, abundance and temperature, indicating its utility for understanding changes in the structure and dynamics of ecosystems.
Development of a Mouse Model of Menopausal Ovarian Cancer

Despite significant understanding of the genetic mutations involved in ovarian epithelial cancer and advances in genomic approaches for expression and mutation profiling of tumor tissues, several key questions in ovarian cancer biology remain enigmatic: the mechanism for the well-established impact of reproductive factors on ovarian cancer risk remains obscure; questions of the cell of origin of ovarian cancer continue to be debated; and the precursor lesion, sequence, or events in progression remain to be defined. Suitable mouse models should complement the analysis of human tumor tissues and may provide clues to these questions currently perplexing ovarian cancer biology. A potentially useful model is the germ cell-deficient Wv (white spotting variant) mutant mouse line, which may be used to study the impact of menopausal physiology on the increased risk of ovarian cancer. The Wv mice harbor a point mutation in c-Kit that reduces the receptor tyrosine kinase activity to about 1-5% (it is not a null mutation). Homozygous Wv mutant females have a reduced ovarian germ cell reservoir at birth and the follicles are rapidly depleted upon reaching reproductive maturity, but other biological phenotypes are minimal and the mice have a normal life span. The loss of ovarian function precipitates changes in hormonal and metabolic activity that model features of menopause in humans. As a consequence of follicle depletion, the Wv ovaries develop ovarian tubular adenomas, a benign epithelial tumor corresponding to surface epithelial invaginations and papillomatosis that mark human ovarian aging. Ongoing work will test the possibility of converting the benign epithelial tubular adenomas into neoplastic tumors by addition of an oncogenic mutation, such as of Tp53, to model the genotype and biology of serous ovarian cancer. Model based on the Wv mice may have the potential to gain biological and etiological insights into ovarian cancer development and prevention.
Contribution of Fibrosis and the Autonomic Nervous System to Atrial Fibrillation Electrograms in Heart Failure

Background— Fibrotic and autonomic remodeling in heart failure (HF) increase vulnerability to atrial fibrillation (AF). Because AF electrograms (EGMs) are thought to reflect the underlying structural substrate, we sought to (1) determine the differences in AF EGMs in normal versus HF atria and (2) assess how fibrosis and nerve-rich fat contribute to AF EGM characteristics in HF. Methods and Results— AF was induced in 20 normal dogs by vagal stimulation and in 21 HF dogs (subjected to 3 weeks of rapid ventricular pacing at 240 beats per minute). AF EGMs were analyzed for dominant frequency (DF), organization index, fractionation intervals (FIs), and Shannon entropy. In 8 HF dogs, AF EGM correlation with underlying fibrosis/fat/nerves was assessed. In HF compared with normal dogs, DF was lower and organization index/FI/Shannon entropy were greater. DF/FI were more heterogeneous in HF. Percentage fat was greater, and fibrosis and fat were more heterogeneously distributed in the posterior left atrium than in the left atrial appendage. DF/organization index correlated closely with %fibrosis. Heterogeneity of DF/FI correlated with the heterogeneity of fibrosis. Autonomic blockade caused a greater change in DF/FI/Shannon entropy in the posterior left atrium than left atrial appendage, with the decrease in Shannon entropy correlating with %fat. Conclusions— The amount and distribution of fibrosis in the HF atrium seems to contribute to slowing and increased organization of AF EGMs, whereas the nerve-rich fat in the HF posterior left atrium is positively correlated with AF EGM entropy. By allowing for improved detection of regions of dense fibrosis and high autonomic nerve density in the HF atrium, these findings may help enhance the precision and success of substrate-guided ablation for AF.
Alterations in Corticolimbic Dendritic Morphology and Emotional Behavior in Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor–Deficient Mice Parallel the Effects of Chronic Stress

Many changes produced by chronic stress are similar to those seen in cannabinoid CB(1) receptor-deficient mice. In the current study, we examined both anxiety-like behavior and dendritic complexity within the prefrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala (BLA) in wild-type and CB(1) receptor-deficient mice, under basal conditions and following exposure to 21 days of protracted restraint stress. CB(1) receptor-deficient mice exhibited increased indices of anxiety in the elevated plus maze under basal conditions that were similar in magnitude to changes seen in wild-type mice exposed to chronic stress. Chronic stress or deletion of the CB(1) receptor also produced a reduction in both apical dendritic length and branch points of neurons within layer II/III of the prelimbic region of the prefrontal cortex. Pyramidal neurons in the (BLA) of CB(1) receptor-deficient mice were found to have increased dendritic length compared with wild type. Chronic stress increased dendritic length of these amygdalar neurons in both wild-type and CB(1) receptor-deficient mice. Collectively, these data demonstrate that loss of cannabinoid CB(1) receptor signaling produces a chronic stress-like phenotype under basal conditions and provide a putative neural substrate that may subserve the changes in emotional behavior seen following disruption of CB(1) receptor signaling.
MicroRNA in cancer: New hopes for antineoplastic chemotherapy

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding small RNAs that are evolutionarily conserved and widely distributed among species. Their major function is to negatively regulate mRNA target genes, and miRNA expression has been found to be deregulated in all human cancers, where miRNAs play critical roles in tumorigenesis, functioning either as tumor suppressors or as oncogenes. This review provides a current overview of the connection between miRNAs and cancer by covering the recent advances in miRNA involvement in human cancer including initiation, growth, invasion, and metastasis. We will also highlight the literature where application of miRNAs has created the foundation for the development of potential future miRNA therapy.
Patients’ reactions to house staff work rounds

Abstract Patients’ reactions to resident work rounds were studied in a community teaching hospital. The patients generally experienced the work rounds as a positive and reassuring experience that allowed them to ask questions, often regarding diagnostic tests. Patients with a higher score for emotional disturbance tended more to regard the rounds as somewhat alarming, but no other significant relationships were found between other personal characteristics or severity of illness and the reactions to the rounds. It is recommended that incoming patients receive a short description of the purpose and functioning of work or teaching rounds.
Phosphonium-containing diblock copolymers from living anionic polymerization of 4-diphenylphosphino styrene

Living anionic polymerization of 4-diphenylphosphino styrene (DPPS) achieved well-defined homopolymers, poly(DPPS-b-S) styrenic block copolymers, and poly(I-b-DPPS) diene-based diblock copolymers with predictable molecular weights and narrow polydispersities. In situ FTIR spectroscopy monitored the anionic polymerization of DPPS and tracked monomer consumption for kinetic analysis. Post-alkylation enabled controlled placement of phosphonium functionality in poly(I-b-DPPS) diblock copolymers, producing well-defined phosphonium-containing block copolymers with low degrees of compositional heterogeneity. Incorporating phosphonium charge disrupted the lamellar bulk morphology of the neutral diblock precursor and provided morphologies with interdigitated packing of alkyl chains on the phosphonium cation.
Abstract Algebra to Secondary School Algebra: Building Bridges.

The authors have experience with secondary mathematics teacher candidates struggling to make connections between the theoretical abstract algebra course they take as college students and the algebra they will be teaching in secondary schools. As a mathematician and a mathematics educator, the authors collaborated to create and implement a three-semester project to help secondary mathe matics teacher candidates inform their teaching using abstract algebra.
Trauma and psychological distress among ethnically diverse community college students

ABSTRACTAn association has been found between traumatic experiences and psychological distress; however, the impact of ethnicity on psychological distress is less clear. The present study examined the relationship between traumatic experiences and measures of psychological distress among a multiethnic sample of community college students. A total of 389 male and 848 female students completed a questionnaire that included the Distressing Events Questionnaire (DEQ), the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire (TLEQ), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), the Bulimia (BUL), and the Drive for Thinness (DT) subscales of the Eating Disorders Inventory. As predicted, Blacks and Latinos reported higher levels of interpersonal trauma than White students. There was a positive association between trauma exposure and symptoms of depression, eating disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and no ethnic differences were observed in depression and PTSD scores among students exposed to in...
Insulin-like growth factor system in patients with HIV infection: effect of exogenous growth hormone administration.

The purpose of this study was to characterize changes in the levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF binding proteins (BP) 1, 2, and 3 in HIV-infected adults throughout the course of their disease, and to assess the responsiveness of the IGF system components to growth hormone (GH) administration (6 mg/day) for 2 weeks. Healthy control study subjects (n = 10) were compared with patients who were either HIV-positive (n = 9), had AIDS without weight loss (n = 13), or had AIDS with >10% weight loss (n = 6), all of whom had been free of acute illness for at least 3 months. Under basal conditions, fasting serum concentrations of epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, glucagon, insulin, IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 were not significantly different among the four groups. The serum concentrations of IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 were significantly higher in AIDS patients with wasting than in the other three groups (p < .05). In addition, there was a statistically significant positive correlation between the levels of IGFBP- 1 (p = .004) and IGFBP-2 (p = .03) and the stage of disease. Following GH administration, the serum concentrations of insulin and IGF-I were increased in all groups (p < .05). In addition, the increases in insulin levels correlated with stage of disease (p = .004). The responses of the IGFBPs were more variable. GH administration significantly increased the levels of IGFBP-3 in all groups except the patients with AIDS wasting, whereas the levels of IGFBP-1 were significantly decreased in controls and AIDS patients. These results demonstrate that there is a continuum of both elevations in the IGFBPs and altered metabolic responsiveness in patients infected with HIV that increases with the severity of the disease. These data also demonstrate that AIDS patients, who are free from secondary infection, respond to administration of GH by significantly increasing hepatic IGF-I production.
DYNAMICS OF POLLEN TUBE GROWTH IN THE WILD RADISH, RAPHANUS RAPHANISTRUM (BRASSICACEAE). I. ORDER OF FERTILIZATION

Gametophytic competition and selection have important effects on patterns of mating in plant populations. However, the relative importance of prezygotic mechanisms is often unclear due to a paucity of observations on pollen tube growth in vivo. In this study, we present observations on pollen tube behavior in the gynoecium of wild radish. Significant variation in the order of fertilization of the linearly arranged ovules occurred within the radish ovary. This variation is evidence that prezygotic mechanisms of gamete selection operate to sort pollen tubes nonrandomly to different ovule positions in the ovary. We propose that the variation in fertilization patterns can be attributed to variance in pollen tube growth rates in the central septum of the radish gynoecium. The path of pollen tube growth and gynoecial structure deserve greater attention in future studies of gamete competition.
Microscopic model for the strain-driven direct to indirect band-gap transition in monolayer MoS 2 and ZnO

At the monolayer limit both ${\mathrm{MoS}}_{2}$ and the graphitic phase of ZnO have a direct band gap. Biaxial tensile strain has been found to induce a transition into an indirect band-gap semiconductor with the strain percentage required for the transition equal to 0.83% for ${\mathrm{MoS}}_{2}$ and 8% for ZnO, respectively. A low strain percentage is desirable for possible device applications. We identify a simple design principle which could be used to identify materials requiring a small strain to induce such a transition. A scaling of the hopping interaction strengths according to Harrison's law within a tight-binding model for ${\mathrm{MoS}}_{2}$ is able to capture the effect.
Stasis and Matters of Concern: The Conviction of the L’Aquila Seven

On October 22, 2012, six scientists and one civil servant were convicted of manslaughter for failing to properly warn the people of L’Aquila, Italy, of an impending earthquake that resulted in over...
Beneficial effects of LY203647, a novel leukotriene C4/D4 antagonist, on pulmonary function and mesenteric perfusion in a porcine model of endotoxic shock and ARDS.

The sulfidopeptide leukotrienes (LT) have been implicated as important pathophysiological mediators in septic shock. To further define the role of these compounds, we utilized a porcine endotoxicosis model to study the effects of pre- and concurrent treatment with LY203647, a novel LT receptor antagonist. Pentobarbital-anesthetized pigs (13-20 kg) were mechanically ventilated with 100% O2. Superior mesenteric arterial flow (Qsma) was measured using an ultrasonic flow probe. Ileal intramucosal hydrogen ion concentration, [H+]1, was estimated tonometrically. Pigs in groups I and II were infused with endotoxin (250 micrograms/kg) and resuscitated with saline (1.2 ml/kg min). Group I (n = 8) were controls; Group II (n = 8) were pretreated with LY203647 (30 mg/kg bolus, then 10 mg/kg h). Treatment with LY203647 persistently and significantly (P less than .05) improved post-LPS pO2 and transiently improved Qsma. Treatment with LY203647 did not affect [H+]1. Lung extravascular wet-to-dry weight ratios were 7.13 +/- .33 and 5.43 +/- .09 in groups I and II, respectively (P less than .001). These data suggest that sulfidopeptide LT are important mediators of key pathophysiologic events in this porcine model of endotoxic shock and the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Optimal Layout of Trusses

In Section 3.2b we discussed optimal plastic design of a truss of given layout. The notations and results of that section will now be used in the discussion of the following problem. A plane truss is to transmit the given load P to a given rigid foundation, which is indicated by shading in Fig. 5.1. The bars of the truss are to be made from a rigid, perfectly plastic material with tensile and compressive yield limits ±σ0. The given load is to represent the load-carrying capacity of the truss, and the total volume of the bars of the truss is to be minimized. Note that the choice of the layout of the truss is left to the designer, except that there must be a joint at the given point of application of the load, and that joints on the foundation arc, wich represents the surface of the rigid foundation, are restrained from moving.