Statement of Richard Bensinger Before the Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations

Includes author's essay "When a democracy isn't a democracy".Testimony_Bensinger_081094.pdf: 402 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

The Profession of Law: Columbia Law School’s Use of Experiential Learning Techniques to Teach Professional Responsibility

Columbia Law School\u27s ethics course, The Profession of Law, is an interactive, experiential exploration of legal ethics. The course puts students in a role and asks them to deal, with issues that most of them are likely to encounter, and then the students are asked to reflect on what their role-playing performance has taught them about legal ethics

Subverting sterols: rerouting an oxysterol-signaling pathway to promote tumor growth.

Oxysterols are oxidized derivatives of cholesterol that are generated enzymatically or through autoxidation. Initially identified as important lipid signaling molecules in the context of atherosclerosis and inflammation, accumulated evidence indicates that these lipid-signaling molecules can have pleiotropic effects on the fate and function of the immune system. These effects range from the regulation of immune cell survival and proliferation to chemotaxis and antiviral immunity. New studies now indicate that tumor-derived oxysterols can serve to subvert the immune system by recruiting protumorigenic neutrophils into the tumor microenvironment. The consequence of this recruitment is the generation of proangiogenic factors and matrix metalloproteinase proteins that provide a tumor a significant growth and survival advantage. In combination with other recent studies, these data highlight the ongoing cross talk between sterol metabolism and the immune system, and they raise the intriguing possibility that targeting oxysterol pathways could serve as a novel therapeutic approach in the war on cancer

F-16 flutter model studies with external wing stores

Results from transonic flutter model studies are presented. The flutter model was constructed to support the flutter prevention and clearance program from preliminary design through flight flutter tests. The model tests were conducted in the Langley transonic dynamics tunnel. The large full span free-flying model was shown to be an effective tool in defining airplane flutter characteristics by demonstrating freedom from flutter for most configurations and by defining optimum solutions for a few troublesome configurations

Effect on type dietary protein and form of iron in creep feed diets on utilization of iron by nursing pigs

In two experiments nursing piglets (142 Duroc x Yorkshire x Duroc pigs from the October 1977 farrowing and 160 Duroc x Yorkshire X Duroc pigs from the January 1978 farrowing), respectively, were utilized to determine the effect of type of dietary protein and form of iron in creep feed diets on utilization of iron by nursing pigs. The litters were randomly allotted to one of four treatment rations. In experiment one the treatment rations consisted of corn + soybean meal + ferrous sulfate (control ration) (1); corn + soybean meal + ferric citrate (2); corn + soybean meal + dried whey product + ferrous sulfate (3); corn + soybean meal + dried whey product + ferric citrate (4). In experiment two the treatment rations (1) and (2) were the same as in experiment one. Treatment ration (5) consisted of corn + dried skim milk + ferrous sulfate, and (6) consisted of corn + dried skim milk + ferric citrate. One-half the piglets in each litter were injected with 100 mg of iron from iron dextran intramuscularly at three days of age. In experiment one the pigs were weighed and bled at 3, 4, and 5 weeks and in experiment two at 5, 6, and 7 weeks. At 10 days of age feeding of the experimental rations was initiated, and throughout the trial creep feed consumption was recorded. At each bleeding various hematological analyses were performed on each blood sample. The results of this study indicate that source of protein and form of iron can affect iron utilization in the nursing pig. In experiment one pigs receiving soybean meal protein had greater hemoglobin and hematocrit values, serum iron concentrations, and total iron binding capacities. In experiment one hematocrit values were higher for those pigs receiving ferric citrate, but hemoglobin, serum iron and total iron binding capacity values were less at each of the three bleeding periods. There was no significant difference on average pig weight due to source of protein or form of iron at any of the three weigh periods. Pigs receiving dried whey product and those receiving ferric citrate consumed less total creep feed per pig weaned than those receiving soybean meal or ferrous sulfate. In experiment two hemoglobin and hematocrit values, serum iron, total iron binding capacity and percent saturation of transferrin values of pigs receiving soybean meal as a source of protein were higher at each of the three bleeding periods. Those pigs receiving ferrous sulfate had higher hematocrit, hemoglobin, serum iron and total iron binding capacity values at all three time periods. The hemoglobin, hematocrit and serum iron concentrations were significantly higher by the seventh week. The average weekly weights were significantly greater for pigs receiving dried skim milk as the major source of dietary protein. Form of iron had no significant effect; however, pigs receiving ferric citrate were heavier. Pigs receiving dried skim milk in the diet consumed more total creep feed per pig weaned than did pigs receiving soybean protein. In both experiment one and two, pigs receiving ferric citrate consumed less total creep feed per pig weaned than pigs receiving ferrous sulfate

Role of autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation in myeloma.

The treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), a largely incurable B-cell hematologic malignancy, is changing dramatically. Autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT) and the approval of two new classes of drugs, immunomodulators and proteosome inhibitors, have resulted in improved response rates and increased overall survivals. Thalidomide, bortezomib and lenalidomide have been combined with corticosteroids, alkylators and anthracyclines in front-line MM treatment. Phase 2 and preliminary phase 3 studies have reported very high response rates and complete response rates formerly seen only with SCT. When patients with MM who have received these new drugs then proceed to transplant, major response rates are further increased. Owing to limited follow-up, it is unclear whether these higher response rates translate into increased survival. Despite these improvements, the disease remains incurable for all but a small fraction of patients. Allogeneic SCT is potentially curative, due in part to a graft-versus-myeloma effect but is limited by mortality. Mortality can be reduced through the use of lower intensity conditioning regimens but this comes at a cost of higher rates of disease progression and relapse. Strategies to improve outcomes of allogeneic transplants include more intensive, yet non-myeloablative conditioning regimens, tandem transplants, peripheral blood cells, graft engineering, post-transplant maintenance and targeted conditioning therapies

Observations of a Multi-Component Intervention for Elementary Students with Emotional Behavioral Disorder after Self-Efficacy Coaching

Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) experience more negative student outcomes compared to other special education disability categories, specifically, higher dropout rates, less access to higher education and incarceration. Mathematically, 73% of students with EBD achieve below the 50th percentile on standardized tests (Wagner, Kutash, Duchnowski, Epstein, & Sumi, 2005). This study focused on the exploration of a multi-component mathematics and behavior intervention targeting student self-efficacy for productive learning behaviors in the general education mathematics classroom setting for elementary students with EBD. Participants for this study were students from two 4th grade classrooms, who have been identified with co-occurring EBD and low mathematics achievement. Each student participated in goal setting, four days weekly self-monitoring and behavior rating. Teachers used effort-ascribed feedback and met one-on-one with students for Self-Efficacy Coaching Session for 4 weeks (16 sessions). Students were assessed prior to the treatment and post treatment, measuring on-task behavior in mathematics and mathematical achievement. A concurrent single-subject multiple baseline research design was implemented to explore student outcomes related to mathematics achievement and on-task behavior during mathematics instruction. The results indicate that Self-Efficacy Coaching has potential as a promising practice to improve students’ on-task behavior and increase mathematics achievement for elementary students with EBD. Recommendation for further research include implementation with an experimental design to include a control group to determine if a causal relationship between Self-Efficacy Coaching and behavior/academic gains

Doxycycline alters metabolism and proliferation of human cell lines.

The tetracycline antibiotics are widely used in biomedical research as mediators of inducible gene expression systems. Despite many known effects of tetracyclines on mammalian cells-including inhibition of the mitochondrial ribosome-there have been few reports on potential off-target effects at concentrations commonly used in inducible systems. Here, we report that in human cell lines, commonly used concentrations of doxycycline change gene expression patterns and concomitantly shift metabolism towards a more glycolytic phenotype, evidenced by increased lactate secretion and reduced oxygen consumption. We also show that these concentrations are sufficient to slow proliferation. These findings suggest that researchers using doxycycline in inducible expression systems should design appropriate controls to account for potential confounding effects of the drug on cellular metabolism

Loss of Foveal Cone Structure Precedes Loss of Visual Acuity in Patients With Rod-Cone Degeneration.

PurposeTo assess the relationship between cone spacing and visual acuity in eyes with rod-cone degeneration (RCD) followed longitudinally.MethodsHigh-resolution images of the retina were obtained using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy from 13 eyes of nine RCD patients and 13 eyes of eight healthy subjects at two sessions separated by 10 or more months (mean 765 days, range 311-1935 days). Cone spacing Z-score measured as close as possible (average <0.25°) to the preferred retinal locus was compared with visual acuity (letters read on the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study [ETDRS] chart and logMAR) and foveal sensitivity.ResultsCone spacing was significantly correlated with ETDRS letters read (ρ = -0.47, 95%CI -0.67 to -0.24), logMAR (ρ = 0.46, 95%CI 0.24 to 0.66), and foveal sensitivity (ρ = -0.30, 95%CI -0.52 to -0.018). There was a small but significant increase in mean cone spacing Z-score during follow-up of +0.97 (95%CI 0.57 to 1.4) in RCD patients, but not in healthy eyes, and there was no significant change in any measure of visual acuity.ConclusionsCone spacing was correlated with visual acuity and foveal sensitivity. In RCD patients, cone spacing increased during follow-up, while visual acuity did not change significantly. Cone spacing Z-score may be a more sensitive measure of cone loss at the fovea than visual acuity in patients with RCD