Elwell, Eben oral history interview

Eben Elwell was born on January 20, 1921 in Brooks, Maine. His father was a farmer, and his mother a homemaker. Both parents came from active Democratic families, and participated in Democratic politics. At the age of eight months, Eben contracted Polio in the same epidemic that struck President Roosevelt. He attended Morse High School of Brooks, and enrolled at the University of Maine. World War II interrupted his college career, and he went to Portland, Maine, to build ships. He returned to Brooks in 1946 and became active in town politics. He was on the board of selectmen, serving as the overseer, and also served one year as town manager. He made a living by collecting liens on area properties. He eventually was nominated for the school committee, where he served for six years. He became active on the Maine Democratic Committee, and eventually won a seat in the Maine Legislature. He brought forth education legislation that reimbursed school departments for interest on school building loans. He was also active in roads and agriculture, and served as minority leader. Eben sold insurance for a time, and was appointed State Treasurer. In 1966, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic First District Congressional nomination. At the time of interview, he lived in Augusta

Five minutes with Robert O. Keohane: “We shouldn’t fool ourselves by believing that global governance will soon be made democratic”

Can global governance through organisations such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization ever be made properly democratic? In an interview with EUROPP’s editor Stuart Brown, Robert O. Keohane discusses the problems with establishing global democratic governance, the distinction between liberal constitutionalist achievements and democracy, and why we should be sceptical of claims that a global democracy is just around the corner

Pathway-Based Genomics Prediction using Generalized Elastic Net.

We present a novel regularization scheme called The Generalized Elastic Net (GELnet) that incorporates gene pathway information into feature selection. The proposed formulation is applicable to a wide variety of problems in which the interpretation of predictive features using known molecular interactions is desired. The method naturally steers solutions toward sets of mechanistically interlinked genes. Using experiments on synthetic data, we demonstrate that pathway-guided results maintain, and often improve, the accuracy of predictors even in cases where the full gene network is unknown. We apply the method to predict the drug response of breast cancer cell lines. GELnet is able to reveal genetic determinants of sensitivity and resistance for several compounds. In particular, for an EGFR/HER2 inhibitor, it finds a possible trans-differentiation resistance mechanism missed by the corresponding pathway agnostic approach

Perceptions of Science of Third, Seventh, and Eleventh Grade Students Enrolled in Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Schools

As a part of the Third Assessment of Science for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (National Assessment, Note 1.), an extensive battery of items dealing with the affective domain were included for the first time. Information for the National Assessment of Educational Progress is gathered from a stratified sample drawn from the entire United States. All questions are reviewed by education specialists (including science educators, measurement experts, and lay persons). The questions are administered to 2,500 persons selected to represent varying age levels. For NAEP studies, four samples are used, namely 9, 13 and 17-year-olds and a young-adult sample

Making sense of IL-6 signalling cues in pathophysiology

Unravelling the molecular mechanisms that account for functional pleiotropy is a major challenge for researchers in cytokine biology. Cytokine–receptor cross-reactivity and shared signalling pathways are considered primary drivers of cytokine pleiotropy. However, reports epitomized by studies of Jak-STAT cytokine signalling identify interesting biochemical and epigenetic determinants of transcription factor regulation that affect the delivery of signal-dependent cytokine responses. Here, a regulatory interplay between STAT transcription factors and their convergence to specific genomic enhancers support the fine-tuning of cytokine responses controlling host immunity, functional identity, and tissue homeostasis and repair. In this review, we provide an overview of the signalling networks that shape the way cells sense and interpret cytokine cues. With an emphasis on the biology of interleukin-6, we highlight the importance of these mechanisms to both physiological processes and pathophysiological outcomes

Gastrointestinal Complications in 147 Consecutive Patients with Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Treated by Cytoreductive Surgery and Perioperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy

Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is increasingly used in the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastrointestinal malignancies. The purpose of this study is to reevaluate the incidence of gastrointestinal events and identify risk factors associated with this treatment approach. Between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2009, 147 patients with appendiceal and colorectal carcinomatosis were treated. Gastrointestinal events were analyzed. The overall incidence of grade I–IV gastrointestinal events was 17%. There were 4 grade III gastrointestinal events that occurred in 4 patients and 11 grade IV gastrointestinal events that occurred in 8 patients. On univariate analysis of grade I–IV events a statistically significant association was observed with the following variables: histological grade, peritoneal cancer index (PCI), small bowel resection, colorectal anastomosis, and the number of anastomoses performed per patient. By multivariate analysis, PCI was identified as the only independent risk factor for gastrointestinal complications. CRS combined with a uniform HIPEC regimen is associated with a 17% gastrointestinal morbidity rate (grade I–IV). The frequency of gastrointestinal complications was associated with a large extent of disease measured by PCI (>30)

Dissolved organic carbon uptake in streams: A review and assessment of reach‐scale measurements

Quantifying the role that freshwater ecosystems play in the global carbon cycle requires accurate measurement and scaling of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal in river networks. We reviewed reach‐scale measurements of DOC uptake from experimental additions of simple organic compounds or leachates to inform development of aquatic DOC models that operate at the river network, regional, or continental scale. Median DOC uptake velocity (vf) across all measurements was 2.28 mm min−1. Measurements using simple compound additions resulted in faster vf (2.94 mm min−1) than additions of leachates (1.11 mm min−1). We also reviewed published data of DOC bioavailability for ambient stream water and leaf leachate DOC from laboratory experiments. We used these data to calculate and apply a correction factor to leaf leachate uptake velocity to estimate ambient stream water DOC uptake rates at the reach scale. Using this approach, we estimated a median ambient stream DOC vf of 0.26 mm min−1. Applying these DOC vf values (0.26, 1.11, 2.28, and 2.94 mm min−1) in a river network inverse model in seven watersheds revealed that our estimated ambient DOC vf value is plausible at the network scale and 27 to 45% of DOC input was removed. Applying the median measured simple compound or leachate vf in whole river networks would require unjustifiably high terrestrial DOC inputs to match observed DOC concentrations at the basin mouth. To improve the understanding and importance of DOC uptake in fluvial systems, we recommend using a multiscale approach coupling laboratory assays, with reach‐scale measurements, and modeling

In-flight radiometric calibration of the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS)

A reflectance-based method was used to provide an analysis of the in-flight radiometric performance of AVIRIS. Field spectral reflectance measurements of the surface and extinction measurements of the atmosphere using solar radiation were used as input to atmospheric radiative transfer calculations. Five separate codes were used in the analysis. Four include multiple scattering, and the computed radiances from these for flight conditions were in good agreement. Code-generated radiances were compared with AVIRIS-predicted radiances based on two laboratory calibrations (pre- and post-season of flight) for a uniform highly reflecting natural dry lake target. For one spectrometer (C), the pre- and post-season calibration factors were found to give identical results, and to be in agreement with the atmospheric models that include multiple scattering. This positive result validates the field and laboratory calibration technique. Results for the other spectrometers (A, B and D) were widely at variance with the models no matter which calibration factors were used. Potential causes of these discrepancies are discussed