cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of alcohol dehydrogenases in steroid and retinoid metabolism.

Retinoid and steroid hormones play an important role in the regulation of differentiation and maintenance of a wide range of animal tissues. These tissues include reproductive organs, liver, kidney, heart, brain, and skin of species from fish to humans. Several isozymes of cytosolic NAD+-dependent 40 kDa subunit molecular weight alcohol dehydrogenases catalyze oxidation and reduction of retinoid and steroid substrates in vitro. The isozymes are grouped into classes based on the similarities in amino acid sequence and their substrate specificities. Currently, a total of six classes of mammalian ADHs are known (Jornvall and Hoog, 1995). Each class has a characteristic tissue-specific and developmental pattern of expression (Edenberg and Bosron, 1996). Class I ADHs are basic isozymes with a wide range of Km for ethanol (0.05–36 mM). In humans, class I is comprised of multiple molecular forms, β1β1, β2β2, β3β3, γ1γ1, γ2γ2, α α, and their heterodimers. During development, ᾲᾳ is the first ADH isozyme detectable in fetal liver. β-ADH appears by mid-gestation, and γ-ADH is first detected about six month after birth. Human class II π-ADH has a relatively high KM for ethanol (34 mM) and is found in fetal and adult liver. The ubiquitously expressed class III ADH, also known as glutathione-dependent formaldehyde dehydrogenase, is not saturable with ethanol and is not active with either steroid or retinoid alcohols. Human class IV σ-ADH exhibits high KM for ethanol (28 mM) and is present in the adult stomach, esophagus and epithelium. In mice embryos, class IV ADH is detected on day 7.5 of development in the craniofacial region as well as trunk and forelimb bud mesenchyme (Ang, H.L. et al., 1996). Little is known about the catalytic properties of human class V and deermouse class VI ADH isozymes.
Type I Interferons in Autoimmune Disease.

Type I interferons, which make up the first cytokine family to be described and are the essential mediators of antivirus host defense, have emerged as central elements in the immunopathology of sys...
Case Study: Teaching Design in Advertising. Lessons From a Portfolio School:

This case study is based on interviews with students and staff members who are presently involved with the art direction program at a leading U.S. portfolio school. It addresses two main questions:...
Perinephric myxoid pseudotumor of fat: a distinctive pseudoneoplasm most often associated with non-neoplastic renal disease

In 2009, Tanas et al reported unusual changes in the perinephric fat, mimicking well-differentiated liposarcoma. We report 11 perinephric masses showing similar changes but chiefly arising in patients with non-neoplastic renal disease. Tissue from 11 perinephric masses was retrieved, and immunohistochemistry for IgG/IgG4 and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for MDM2 amplification was performed. Clinical information was obtained. Cases occurred in 10 males and 1 female (43-84 years of age; median, 63.5 years). Ten patients presented with perinephric masses (size range, 2-28 cm), and one was an incidental finding. Four patients had bilateral or multiple masses. Underlying renal disease included diabetes mellitus (n = 3), end-stage kidney (n = 2), diabetes and end-stage kidney disease (n = 1), chronic pyelonephritis (n = 1), and non-invasive high-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis (n = 1). Three patients were not known to have renal disease. Most tumors were submitted as "well-differentiated liposarcoma." The masses consisted of mature fat, myxoid stroma, moderately variable spindled to stellate cells and a mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate. Enlarged, hyperchromatic stromal cells were absent. IgG4-positive plasma cells and MDM2 amplification were absent in all tested cases. Clinical follow-up (11 patients; range, 1-120 months; median, 24 months) showed absent or stable disease in 9 patients; 2 died of unrelated causes. This distinctive pseudoneoplasm usually occurs in association with non-neoplastic renal disease, although similar changes may be identified in the perinephric fat of patients with renal carcinoma. Morphologic evaluation and FISH for MDM2 amplification should allow its distinction from liposarcoma and other mimics.
Cardioprotective Heme Oxygenase-1-PGC1α Signaling in Epicardial Fat Attenuates Cardiovascular Risk in Humans as in Obese Mice.

Objective This study investigated whether levels of signaling pathways and inflammatory adipokines in epicardial fat regulate cardiovascular risks in humans and mice. Methods Epicardial fat was obtained from the hearts of patients with heart failure requiring coronary artery bypass surgery, and signaling pathways were compared with visceral fat. The genetic profile of epicardial and visceral fat from humans was also compared with genetic profiles of epicardial and visceral fat in obese mice. Left ventricular (LV) fractional shortening was measured in obese mice before and after treatment with inducers of mitochondrial signaling heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1)-peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1α). An RNA array/heat map on 88 genes that regulate adipose tissue function was used to identify a target gene network. Results Human epicardial fat gene profiling showed decreased levels of mitochondrial signaling of HO-1-PGC1α and increased levels of the inflammatory adipokine CCN family member 3. Similar observations were seen in epicardial and visceral fat of obese mice. Improvement in LV function was linked to the increase in mitochondrial signaling in epicardial fat of obese mice. Conclusions There is a link between cardiac ectopic fat deposition and cardiac function in humans that is similar to that which is described in obese mice. An increase of mitochondrial signaling pathway gene expression in epicardial fat attenuates cardiometabolic dysfunction and LV fractional shortening in obese mice.
Process-Driven Incremental Effort Estimation

Effort estimation has shown its value in process decisions, such as feasibility analysis, resource allocation, risk mitigation, and project planning. In this paper, we propose an incremental effort estimation method that integrates phase-based effort estimation models to solve the concerns about software process compatibility and estimation accuracy, which one may often have when adopting effort estimation methods for project management. We define the process framework for incremental effort estimation in terms of the transition between the phase model that defines the analysis and design activities, the system models that specify a system’s behavior and structure at different levels of detail, the sizing model that measures software functional size via transaction analysis, the Bayesian model that statistically models the effects that the size measurements have on project effort, and the phase-based effort estimation models that provide improved effort estimation accuracy over the targeted early phases. The phase-based effort estimation models are calibrated and evaluated based on an empirical dataset of 61 master-level student projects from USC CSSE. The evaluation results show their improvements in out-of-sample estimation accuracy, provide a perspective about how estimation accuracy evolves throughout a software process, and set the practical criteria to decide the investment in analysis and design activities for the return in estimation accuracy.
Survival Outcomes of Screening with Breast MRI in Women at Elevated Risk of Breast Cancer.

Objective To determine survival outcomes in women with breast cancer detected at combined screening with breast MRI and mammography versus screening mammography alone. Methods This is an institutional review board-approved retrospective study, and the need for informed consent was waived. A total of 3002 women with an increased risk of breast cancer were screened between 2001 and 2004. Of the 3002 women, 1534 (51.1%) had 2780 combined screenings (MRI and mammography) and 1468 (48.9%) had 4811 mammography-only screenings. The Χ2 test and the Kaplan-Meier method were used to compare cancer detection rates and survival rates. Results The overall cancer detection rate was significantly higher in the MRI plus mammography group compared with the mammography-only group (1.4% [40 of 2780] vs 0.5% [23 of 4811]; P < 0.001). No interval cancers occurred in the MRI plus mammography group, whereas 9 interval cancers were found in the mammography-only group. During a median follow-up of 10.9 years (range: 0.7 to 15.2), a total of 11 recurrences and 5 deaths occurred. Of the 11 recurrences, 6 were in the MRI plus mammography group and 5 were in the mammography-only group. All five deaths occurred in the mammography-only group. Disease-free survival showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.32). However, overall survival was significantly improved in the MRI plus mammography group (P = 0.002). Conclusion Combined screening with MRI and mammography in women at elevated risk of breast cancer improves cancer detection and overall survival.
Team-Based Learning in STEM and the Health Sciences

Team-Based Learning (TBL) is a collaborative learning pedagogy in which students work in permanent teams during class time to solve discipline-relevant problems. TBL has been shown to improve scores on measurements of student learning in both professional and undergraduate STEM fields, with the greatest number of studies in the health sciences. More research is needed in undergraduate contexts. In the author’s undergraduate physiology classes, students show large conceptual gains across the semester as well as conceptual gains during individual class periods; they retain much of what they learned in the first semester of a two-semester sequence over the summer, are enthusiastic about the method, and engage in positive out-of-class learning behaviors such as reading the textbook. Ongoing work suggests that the quality of problems and questions given to students to solve is a critical aspect of success using this approach. Overall, TBL is a straightforward way to implement many of the practices that have been shown to improve student learning: active participation of students, immediate feedback on performance, collaborative learning, and accountability for preparation outside of class and performance in class.
Claims of categorical primacy for musical affect are confounded by using language as a measure.

Cowen et al. (1) leverage modern gains in data science to describe impressive cross-cultural similarities in the perception of musical affect and do so in unprecedented detail. Their approach is innovative and fundamentally empirical. As such, it should have important applications for prediction in the field of affective computing, which aims to create artificial systems that can recognize and simulate human affect (2). At a theoretical level, however, the authors argue that their results support the primacy of categories in how music makes us feel, posing broad dimensions like valence (3) and arousal (4, 5) as post hoc derivations. If true, these claims would have broad … [↵][1]1Email: dbowling{at}stanford.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Decentralization and the Precontract Dispute in Soviet Industry

Precontract negotiations between enterprises play an important role in determining the detailed product mix and the timing of delivery in the Soviet planning system. This paper uses a comparative institutional framework drawn from the law and economics literature to analyze the legal regulation of these negotiations by Gosarbitrazh. In view of features of the Soviet economy which weaken the buyer's influence on the supplier, the key hypothesis is that Gosarbitrazh should favor the buyer in resolving precontract disputes, thereby forcing the supplier to satisfy the buyer's demand. This hypothesis is supported by the reported case law. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 052, 124.
Lung Ultrasound in Children with Respiratory Tract Infections: Viral, Bacterial or COVID-19? A Narrative Review

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are common complaints among patients presenting to the pediatric emergency department. In the diagnostic assessment of children with RTIs, many patients ultimately undergo imaging studies for further evaluation. Point-of-care lung ultrasound (LUS) can be used safely and with a high degree of accuracy in differentiating etiologies of RTIs in pediatric patients. Ultrasonographical features such as an irregular pleural line, subpleural consolidations, focal and lobar consolidation and signs of interstitial involvement can be used to distinguish between several pathologies. This work offers a comprehensive overview of pediatric LUS in cases of the most common pediatric RTIs including bacterial and viral pneumonia, bronchiolitis, and COVID-19.
Passive Ownership and Price Informativeness

Despite the rapid growth of passive ownership over the past 30 years, there is no consensus on how or why passive ownership affects stock price informativeness. This paper provides a new answer to this question by examining how passive ownership changes investors' incentives to acquire information. I develop a model where passive ownership affects how many investors gather information, and how investors allocate attention between systematic and idiosyncratic risk. The model also links investors' learning decisions to price informativeness through quantities that are readily observable in the data: trading volume, returns and volatility. The model's predictions motivate three new measures of price informativeness, all of which declined on average over the past 30 years. In the cross-section, increases in passive ownership are negatively correlated with price informativeness. To establish causality, I show that price informativeness decreases after quasi-exogenous increases in passive ownership arising from index additions and rebalancing.
Catalyzed Chemical Synthesis of Unnatural Aromatic Polyhydroxyalkanoate and Aromatic–Aliphatic PHAs with Record-High Glass-Transition and Decomposition Temperatures

The catalyzed chemical synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) via stereoselective ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of eight-membered cyclic diolides (8DLR, R denotes the two substituents on the...
David vs. Diversification: Ricardian trade theory compared to financial principles, in varied designs

Abstract. The purpose of this article is to assess the extent, if any, to which trade leads to specialization, as hypothesized by the 19 th Century economist David Ricardo, or diversification, as under financial principles, and if so, when does the transition between the two occur? What other political-economic factors lead to diversifying versus specializing trade as related to risk? Were these factors present in the great rise of international trade, during the 19 th Century food blights and Corn Laws? Methodologically, this article uses: historical documents, a simple game theory model, an analysis of post-World War II crises, qualitative cases of risk-reducing institutions with descriptive statistics, and a statistical regression of randomly chosen countries, explaining diversification deductively. The results show that: contrary to orthodox, “Ricardian” trade theory, trade is risky, and causes expansion into diverse firms. But, countries may then turn towards specialization, as larger economic nations may be beter able to take-on risks. Still, such states may turn immobile institutionally, while organizations and diversified supply chains have helped mollify international crises. Additionally, the discussion indicates that countries may also trade similar goods, called intra-industry trade, which reduces risk, and also intermediate goods. The conclusion addresses policies for reducing risk in trade. Keywords. International trade, Diversification, Ricardo, Risk, International Monetary Fund JEL. B1, B50, F11, F13, G10.
4d N=1/2d Yang-Mills Duality in Holography

We study the supergravity dual of four-dimensional N=1 superconformal field theories arising from wrapping M5-branes on a Kahler two-cycle inside a Calabi-Yau threefold. We derive an effective three-dimensional theory living on the cobordism between the infrared and ultraviolet Riemann surfaces, describing the renormalization group flows between AdS_7 and AdS_5 as well as between different AdS_5 fixed points. The realization of this system as an effective theory is convenient to make connections to known theories, and we show that upon imposing (physical) infrared boundary conditions, the effective three-dimensional theory further reduces to two-dimensional SU(2) Yang-Mills theory on the Riemann surface.
Atomic precision fabrication of quantum devices down to the single atom regime

NIST is using atomically precise fabrication to develop electronic devices for use in quantum information processing and novel quantum materials. We are using hydrogen-based scanning probe lithography to enable deterministic placement of individual dopant atoms with atomically aligned contacts and gates to fabricate single atom transistors, devices for single electron spin manipulation, and arrayed devices for analog quantum simulation research. Atomic precision devices, where individual atoms or electrons fundamentally affect device performance, bring about a variety of new manufacturing and metrology challenges. Single atom defects and charge instability deeply change device performance, affecting reliable manipulation and sensing of individual electrons. Conventional metrology methods such as transmission electron and scanning electron microscopy often prove inadequate at this length scale and new, challenging electrical test methods are needed.
Short-term exposure to air pollution and biomarkers of cardiovascular effect: A repeated measures study

Abstract To help understand the pathophysiologic mechanisms linking air pollutants and cardiovascular disease (CVD), we employed a repeated measures design to investigate the associations of four short-term air pollution exposures – particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), with two blood markers involved in vascular effects of oxidative stress, soluble lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (sLOX-1) and nitrite, using data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Seven hundred and forty participants with plasma sLOX-1 and nitrite measurements at three exams between 2002 and 2007 were included. Daily PM2.5, NO2, O3 and SO2 zero to seven days prior to blood draw were estimated from central monitors in six MESA regions, pre-adjusted using site-specific splines of meteorology and temporal trends, and an indicator for day of the week. Unconstrained distributed lag generalized estimating equations were used to estimate net effects over eight days with adjustment for sociodemographic and behavioral factors. The results showed that higher short-term concentrations of PM2.5, but not other pollutants, were associated with increased sLOX-1 analyzed both as a continuous outcome (percent change per interquartile increase: 16.36%, 95%CI: 0.1–35.26%) and dichotomized at the median (odds ratio per interquartile increase: 1.21, 95%CI: 1.01–1.44). The findings were not meaningfully changed after adjustment for additional covariates or in several sensitivity analyses. Pollutant concentrations were not associated with nitrite levels. This study extends earlier experimental findings of increased sLOX-1 levels following PM inhalation to a much larger population and at ambient concentrations. In light of its known mechanistic role in promoting vascular disease, sLOX-1 may be a suitable translational biomarker linking air pollutant exposures and cardiovascular outcomes.
Documenting Cultures of Harassment in Archaeology: A Review and Analysis of Quantitative and Qualitative Research Studies

This article is the first of a two-part series to analyze current research on harassment in archaeology. Harassment has shaped the discipline of archaeology since at least the late 1800s. Since the 1970s, harassment has been recognized as a significant factor impacting gender equity in archaeology. Recent qualitative and quantitative research has verified that harassment occurs at epidemic rates in archaeology. Archaeologists are primarily harassed by other archaeologists, and harassment occurs not only in field research settings but also in classrooms, laboratories, museums, office workplaces, and conferences. Although women in archaeology experience a higher frequency of harassment, both men and women report harassment at disturbingly high rates. Archaeologists of color, LGBTQIA+ archaeologists, nonbinary archaeologists, and archaeologists with disabilities are also disproportionately harassed. As reflected in the author's own career experiences, harassment creates a cognitive burden for survivors and reduces access to professional opportunities, directly impacting diversity within archaeology. Fortunately, there are evidence-based interventions and policies that can reduce harassment and support survivors. These are discussed in the second article, “Disrupting Cultures of Harassment in Archaeology.”
Innovations in congenital heart surgery

Abstract Pediatric heart surgery is still a young discipline. The first operations to treat congenital heart diseases were done in the early 1940s and its real expansion ensued after intra-cardiac procedures were feasible with acceptable risk following wider access to the use of cardio-pulmonary bypass machine. The first two decades of existence of this specialty saw a whirlwind of new procedures making it one of the most quickly evolving specialty. Pioneers tested and abandoned operations by rapid trials and errors, shaping our specialty at an unbelievable speed [1,2]. The latest big landmark procedure of our specialty was the Norwood procedure that was introduced in 1980 [3]. The results of this extremely complex procedure kept improving until after the turn of the century. But since around 2005, our results for the Norwood procedure seem to have stagnated [4]. A similar trend has been observed across several conditions treated in our specialty [5]. So, we have seen a slowing down of new procedures offered to our patients. Have we gone cold on innovations? Let us see the changes seen in the last 15 years.
Repeatability of foraging behavior following a simulated predation attempt depends on color morph, sex, and foraging metric in Red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus)

Behavioral repeatability greatly affects the capacity of an individual to respond to varying environments. When multiple behaviors within individuals are repeatable and correlated across time or ac...
NExUS-Heart: Novel examinations using smart technologies for heart health—Data sharing from commercial wearable devices and telehealth engagement in participants with or at risk of atrial fibrillation

Background Telemedicine and commercial wearable devices capable of detecting atrial fibrillation (AF) have revolutionized arrhythmia care during coronavirus disease 2019. However, not much is known about virtual patient-provider interactions or device sharing behaviors. Objective The purpose of this study was to characterize how participants with or at risk of AF are engaging with their providers in the context of telemedicine and using commercially wearable devices to manage their health. Methods We developed a survey to describe participant behaviors around telemedicine encounters and commercial wearable device use. The survey was distributed to participants diagnosed with AF or those at risk of AF (as determined by being at least 65 years old and having a CHA2DS2-VASc stroke risk score of >2) in the University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Care system. Results The survey was distributed to 23,530 patients, and there were 1222 (5.19%) participant responses. Among the participants, 327 (26.8%) had AF and 895 (73.2%) were at risk of AF. Neither device ownership nor device type use differed by AF status. After adjusting for covariates that may influence surveyed participant communication patterns, we found that participants with AF were more likely to share their wearable device-derived data with providers (adjusted odds ratio 1.87; 95% confidence interval 1.02–3.41). Rates of sharing physical activity or sleep data were low for both groups and did not differ by AF status. Conclusion Compared with participants at risk of developing AF, those with AF were more likely to share heart rate and rhythm data from their commercial wearable devices with providers. However, both groups had similar rates of sharing physical activity and sleep data, telemedicine engagement, and technology use and ownership.
Stress and Skin: An Overview of Mind Body Therapies as a Treatment Strategy in Dermatology

Stress has multiple and wide-ranging physiologic and clinical impacts on skin disease. This has led to an interest in mind body therapies as potential adjunct treatments for skin disease. The stress response results in the activation of the endocrine, neurologic, and immune systems, with a resulting cascade of impacts, that are both systemic and cutaneous. The 2 main arms of the stress response are the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The resultant release of cortisol, catecholamines, and neuropeptides has multiple effects. Clinically, these have been shown to increase skin inflammation, increase itching, impair skin barrier function, impair wound healing, and suppress immunity. Mind body therapies are those that focus on the interaction between the mind and the body, with the goal to influence physical function and impact health. These have been shown to ameliorate some of the harmful physiologic changes attributed to stress or to reduce harmful behaviors. In some cases, such as with biofeedback, they may also result in beneficial physiologic changes. Treatments such as meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, guided imagery, and others have been evaluated in the treatment of skin disease and have shown some benefits. Although randomized controlled trials are limited, these interventions have shown beneficial effects on itching, psychosocial outcomes, and even skin severity. These interventions have been evaluated in diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, trichotillomania, and others. Given the potential benefits, improvements in psychosocial outcomes, and a low risk profile, referral to qualified practitioners or multidisciplinary clinics should be considered for some patients.
Batalin-Vilkovisky formality for Chern-Simons theory

We prove that the differential graded Lie algebra of functionals associated to the Chern-Simons theory of a semisimple Lie algebra is homotopy abelian. For a general field theory, we show that the variational complex in the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism is a differential graded Lie algebra.
Placental Ischemia Says "NO" to Proper NOS-Mediated Control of Vascular Tone and Blood Pressure in Preeclampsia

In this review, we first provide a brief overview of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms and biochemistry. This is followed by describing what is known about NOS-mediated blood pressure control during normal pregnancy. Circulating nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability has been assessed by measuring its metabolites, nitrite (NO2) and/or nitrate (NO3), and shown to rise throughout normal pregnancy in humans and rats and decline postpartum. In contrast, placental malperfusion/ischemia leads to systemic reductions in NO bioavailability leading to maternal endothelial and vascular dysfunction with subsequent development of hypertension in PE. We end this article by describing emergent risk factors for placental malperfusion and ischemic disease and discussing strategies to target the NOS system therapeutically to increase NO bioavailability in preeclamptic patients. Throughout this discussion, we highlight the critical importance that experimental animal studies have played in our current understanding of NOS biology in normal pregnancy and their use in finding novel ways to preserve this signaling pathway to prevent the development, treat symptoms, or reduce the severity of PE.
Scattering techniques for mixed donor-acceptor characterization in organic photovoltaics.

Precise control of the complex morphology of organic photovoltaic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) active layers remains an important yet challenging approach for improving power conversion efficiency. Of particular interest are the interfacial regions between electron donor and acceptor molecules where charge separation and charge recombination occur. Often, these interfaces feature a molecularly mixed donor–acceptor phase. This mixed phase has been extensively studied in polymer:fullerene systems but is poorly understood in state-of-the-art polymer:non-fullerene acceptor blends. Accurate, quantitative characterization of this mixed phase is critical to unraveling its importance for charge separation and recombination processes within the BHJ. Here, we detail X-ray and neutron scattering characterization techniques and analysis methods to quantify the mixed phase within BHJ active layers. We then review the existing literature where these techniques have been successfully used on several different material systems and correlated to device performance. Finally, future challenges for characterizing non-fullerene acceptor systems are addressed, and emerging strategies are discussed.
The Speeches of Outsiders in Acts: Poetics, Theology and Historiography

Introduction 1. The current state of research on the speeches of Acts 2. The speeches of outsiders in selected biblical and Second Temple narrative 3. The Gamaliel speech 4. The speech of Gallio 5. The speeches of Demetrius and the Ephesian town clerk 6. The speeches of Claudius Lysias, Tertullus, and Festus Conclusions.
Paths of Carbon in Gluconeogenesis and Lipogenesis: IV. INHIBITION BY l-TRYPTOPHAN OF HEPATIC GLUCONEOGENESIS AT THE LEVEL OF PHOSPHOENOLPYRUVATE FORMATION

Abstract l-Tryptophan administered to normal or adrenalectomized rats inhibits formation of glycogen from pyruvate, aspartate, or malate and from endogenous sources under the influence of hydrocortisone, but not from glucose or glycerol. The site of inhibition was located by determining the concentration of hepatic metabolites in fasted, normal rats and in fasted, adrenalectomized rats treated with tryptophan as compared with untreated control animals. Administration of tryptophan was found to cause rapid accumulation of lactate, pyruvate, citrate, aspartate, malate, and oxalacetate to 5 to 35 times normal concentrations. Phosphoenolpyruvate and all succeeding intermediates toward glycogen were decreased to one-half of normal concentrations or less. These data indicate that, following tryptophan administration, gluconeogenesis is blocked because phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase is nonfunctional. The accumulation of citrate, aspartate, and especially of malate in livers of rats given tryptophan supports the proposal that these compounds are intermediates in the conversion of pyruvate to phosphopyruvate. Tryptophan is a useful tool for studying the process of gluconeogenesis.
Afro-Cuban Tales: Cuentos Negros De Cuba

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Lydia Cabrera Translators: Alberto Hernandez-Chiroldes, Lauren Yoder Year: 2004 Pages: xvii + 169 Publisher: University of Nebraska Press ISBN: 0803264380 Prices: $45.00 US(hard cover).
Risk Assessment, Quantitative

Two different forms of risk assessment are commonly in practice. They have somewhat different orientations and address different regulatory and communications goals. One form of risk assessment can be referred to as safety assessment. This type of assessment seeks to identify the largest level of exposure or dose that can reasonably be expected to be without adverse effect. It does not necessarily provide quantitative information on the risk associated with exposure above this “safe” level. The other type of risk assessment seeks to quantify the risk associated with any exposure or dose of an environmental agent. This latter form of risk assessment is the focus of this article. Keywords: risk assessment; safety assessment; cancer risk; hazard identification; dose-response assessment; LOAEL; NOAEL; BMD; BMDL; POD
Google Scholar Retrieves Twice as Many Relevant Citations as PubMed and Provides Greater Full-Text Access for Quick, Clinical Nephrology Searches

Objective – To compare recall and precision of results retrieved by searches in PubMed and Google Scholar for clinical nephrology literature. Design – Survey questionnaire, comparative. Setting – Canada. Subjects – Practicing nephrologists with average age of 48 years and who have practiced nephrology for an average of 15 years. Methods – The researchers identified 100 systematic reviews in renal therapy published between 2001 and 2009. The primary studies cited in the systematic reviews served as the reference standard for relevant articles; 1,574 unique citations were identified and used to measure recall and precision. The researchers created a unique clinical question from each of the objective statements of systematic reviews and sent one question to a random sample of practicing nephrologists to determine the search strings they would use to search for clinical literature; the researchers collected 100 usable responses. Using the search string in both Google Scholar and PubMed, the researchers analyzed the first 40 retrieved results in each for recall of relevant literature and precision. The researchers also analyzed the availability of full-text articles in each database. A pilot study to test the methodology preceded the main study. Results – Google Scholar’s recall for the first 40 records was 21.9% and PubMed was 10.9%. Each database contained 78% of the relevant literature/reference standard set from the systematic reviews. However, 15% of the articles were in neither database. Precision results were similar (7.6% for Google Scholar and 5.6% for PubMed). Google Scholar had more full-text available at 15% of articles versus 5% for PubMed. Google Scholar and PubMed had similar numbers of relevant articles when all retrieved records were analyzed, but Google Scholar still provided more access to free full-text articles. Conclusion – Google Scholar provides better recall and provides more access to full-text than PubMed; however, search strings provided by nephrologists used in both databases failed to retrieve 80% of relevant articles. Therefore improving nephrologists’ ability to effectively search could enhance their ability to implement research in practice helping patients. The researchers suggest future studies should be conducted to determine the generalizability of the findings on recall and precision in other medical disciplines.
Realizability of the adams-novikov spectral sequence for formal a-modules

We show that the formal A-module Adams-Novikov spectral sequence of Ravenel does not naturally arise from a filtration on a map of spectra by examining the case A = Z[i]. We also prove that when A is the ring of integers in a nontrivial extension of Qp, the map (L, W) → (L A , W A ) of Hopf algebroids, classifying formal groups and formal A-modules respectively, does not arise from compatible maps of E ∞ -ring spectra (MU, MU^MU)→ (R, S).
Physical and kinetic properties of human phosphofructokinase from skeletal muscle and erythrocytes.

Human phosphofructokinase was partially purified from skeletal muscle and erythrocytes. Erythrocyte phosphofructokinase migrated faster on electrophoresis, showed greater affinity for DEAE-cellulose in Tris-phosphate buffer at pH 8, was more inhibited by ATP, and was less inhibited by citrate than muscle phosphofructokinase. Antibody to muscle phosphofructokinase inhibited the activity of erythrocyte phosphofructokinase less than that of the muscle enzyme, but the enzymes could not be distinguished by immunodiffusion methods. By sucrose density gradient centrifugation, the molecular weight of muscle phosphofructokinase was estimated to be between 3.8 × 105 and 4.3 × 105 for the smallest active form. When larger amounts of enzyme were centrifuged, a broad peak resulted, suggesting polymerization of the enzyme. The sedimentation coefficient of erythrocyte phosphofructokinase was also concentration-dependent, but a heterogeneous peak was obtained when even small amounts of enzyme were centrifuged so that the molecular weight could not be estimated accurately. In kinetic studies of both enzymes, Lineweaver-Burk plots yielded parallel lines when activity was measured at different fixed concentrations of the second substrate. Both Km and Vmax for either substrate were increased by raising the concentration of the other substrate. The pH maximum for both enzymes was about 8.5 and inhibition at low pH was greater with high ATP. NH4+ and Pi increased Vmax and decreased Km for both substrates.
Supervised Pretrial Release: Policy Issues That Must Be Explored to Create Appropriate Programs

This article examines some policy concerns associated with implementing supervised pretrial release programs that have the least restrictive conditions necessary to protect the community and ensure defendants do not flee before trial. Responding to a literature critiquing traditional pretrial treatment of defendants, jurisdictions have augmented the standard bail/no bail dichotomy to allow release under supervision. Critics argue that this innovation can lead to net widening (forcing supervision on defendants who might have made release-on-recognizance in the original system), overintrusive monitoring, loss of confidentiality of information secured from defendants in intense pretrial interviews, and an overextensive role for relatively unaccountable private organizations in the supervision process. Analyzing these concerns is a prerequisite for structuring programs with minimal problems.
Exploring Diverse Accounts of Teacher Knowledge

Abstract This article explores the nature of teacher knowledge as it is portrayed by Schoenfeld's model of teaching. We attempt to situate Schoenfeld's work in the field of teacher knowledge and to elucidate the contribution that he makes to the growing body of research in this area. Towards this end, we explore two related issues. First, we distinguish between claims about the form of teacher knowledge and claims about the content of teacher knowledge. Second, we propose two families of theories of teacher knowledge, where each family shares common phenomena, methods, and theoretical forms. We argue that these two families capture much of the diversity that exists in the literature on teacher knowledge today. Our goal is to begin to develop a theoretical approach that will not only allow us to situate Schoenfeld's research, but that will also help us to compare existing theories with each other.
Histology of the ovarioles and the role of nurse cells in corpus luteum formation in Philosamia cynthia ricini (Boisd.) (Saturniidae: Lepidoptera)

Summary There are two ovaries, each comprising four polytrophic ovarioles and containing many chorionated eggs, some unchorionated eggs without nurse cells and few unchorionated eggs with nurse cells. Each ovariole has an anterior germarium and a posterior vitellarium. The vitellarium is connected to the lateral oviducts through a long pedicel. The pedicel and the basal plug are observed in the pupal ovary only. Histology of all these regions is described. The nurse cells in each follicle are exhausted before the onset of chorionation of the egg. The role of nurse cells in the corpus luteum formation is discussed.
WE‐D‐I‐6B‐02: High DQE Megavoltage Imaging Using Active Matrix Flat‐Panel Imagers Incorporating Polycrystalline Mercuric Iodide

Purpose: In order to explore the potential for significantly improving the DQE of megavoltage active matrix flat panel imagers (AMFPIs), two forms of thick, polycrystalline mercuric iodide ( HgI 2 ) photoconductors have been investigated. Method and Materials: Prototype direct‐detection AMFPIs with an effective pitch of 508 μm and a pixel format of 192×192 were coated with two types of HgI 2 : a “PVD” form created through physical vapor deposition and a “PIB” (particle‐in‐binder) form involving screen‐printing. Results were compared to those from a conventional indirect‐detection megavoltage AMFPI employing a phosphor screen. Data were obtained fluoroscopically, using a 6 MV beam at very low doses, equivalent to ∼0.004 to 0.04 cGy. Results: Compared to PVD, the PIB array exhibits much lower dark current, lower dark drift, slightly higher lag and similar non‐uniformity, linearity and DQE. For both PVD and PIB, MTF and DQE results are in a good agreement with theoretical expectations, and the MTF is higher than that from the conventional megavoltage AMFPI. Moreover, the DQE results show input‐quantum‐limited behavior, even at very low doses. Finally, zero‐frequency DQE values are ∼1.4% and 1.2% for PVD and PIB, respectively, matching the theoretical upper limits for the thickness of the converters used. Given the modest photoconductor thickness of these early prototypes, the DQE values compare favorably to values of ∼1% obtained from conventional megavoltage AMFPIs. Conclusion: These initial studies indicate that AMFPIs incorporating polycrystalline HgI 2 have the potential for significant dose reduction in megavoltage imaging. The use of HgI 2 offers the promise of increased quantum efficiencies through the development of substantially thicker converters than have thus far been achieved, without significant degradation of the spatial resolution. In addition, compared to PVD, PIB appears to provide better prospects for such thick coatings, leading to higher DQE. This work is supported by NIH grant R01‐CA51397.
Safety of Varicella Vaccine after Licensure in the United States: Experience from Reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, 1995–2005

Widespread use of varicella vaccine in the United States could enable detection of rare adverse events not identified previously. We reviewed data from 1995 to 2005 from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, including data from laboratory analyses, to distinguish adverse events associated with wild-type varicella-zoster virus (VZV) versus those associated with vaccine strain. Almost 48 million doses of varicella vaccine were distributed between 1995 and 2005. There were 25,306 adverse events reported (52.7/100,000 doses distributed); 5.0% were classified as serious (2.6/100,000 doses distributed). Adverse events associated with evidence of vaccine-strain VZV included meningitis in patients with concurrent herpes zoster. Patients with genetic predispositions may rarely have disease triggered by receipt of varicella vaccine. Overall, serious adverse events reported after varicella vaccination continue to be rare and must be considered relative to the substantial benefits of varicella vaccination. Ongoing safety surveillance and further studies may shed light on some of the hypothesized associations.
Effect of minimal listing criteria on waiting list registration for liver transplantation: a process-outcome analysis.

Objective To determine the level of association between minimal listing criteria (MLC) recognition and outcomes associated with waiting list registration for liver transplantation (LT). Patients and Methods A total of 147 patients and 201 patients were identified as first-time referrals for LT evaluation between January 1, 1997, and November 30, 1997 (cohort A), and December 1, 1997, and December 31, 1998 (cohort B), respectively. Relevant demographic and clinical information was abstracted from medical records. Minimal listing criteria were defined as a Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score of 7 or higher. Results Patient age, sex, hepatic disease etiology, and mean CTP scores were similar between cohorts A and B. However, the proportion of registered patients in cohort B with CTP scores of 7 or higher increased significantly after formal MLC recognition (96% vs 82% for cohort A; P =.001). In cohort A, waiting list registration was based on patient age, male sex, nonalcohol-related hepatic disease, and a CTP score of 7 or higher in the absence of formal MLC. The rate of first-time patient referral was also increased in cohort B vs cohort A after formal MLC recognition (80% vs 69%, respectively; P =.002) despite similar clinical characteristics. Although the number of patients with a CTP score of 10 or higher was greater in cohort B vs cohort A, the proportion of patients with advanced endstage liver disease was similar (29% vs 26%, respectively; P =.72). Conclusion The explicit recognition of MLC was strongly associated with improvements in appropriate waiting list registration for LT.
Female‐Biased Helping in a Cooperatively Breeding Bird: Female Benefits or Male Costs?

There is often a sex bias in helping effort in cooperatively breeding species with both male and female helpers, and yet this phenomenon is still poorly understood. Although sex-biased helping is often assumed to be correlated with sex-specific benefits, sex-specific costs could also be responsible for sex-biased helping. Cooperatively breeding brown jays (Cyanocorax morio) in Monteverde, Costa Rica have helpers of both sexes and dispersal is male-biased, a rare reversal of the female-biased dispersal pattern often seen in birds. We quantified helper contributions to nestling care and analyzed whether there was sex-biased helping and if so, whether it was correlated with known benefits derived via helping. Brown jay helpers provided over 70% of all nestling feedings, but they did not appear to decrease the workload of breeders across the range of observed group sizes. Female helpers fed nestlings and engaged in vigilance at significantly higher levels than male helpers. Nonetheless, female helpers did not appear to gain direct benefits, either through current reproduction or group augmentation, or indirect fitness benefits from helping during the nestling stage. While it is possible that females could be accruing subtle future direct benefits such as breeding experience or alliance formation from helping, future studies should focus on whether the observed sex bias in helping is because males decrease their care relative to females in order to pursue extra-territorial forays. Explanations for sex-biased helping in cooperative breeders are proving to be as varied as those proposed for helping behavior in general, suggesting that it will often be necessary to quantify a wide range of benefits and costs when seeking explanations for sex-biased helping.
Wavefront-guided laser in situ keratomileusis retreatment for consecutive hyperopia and compound hyperopic astigmatism.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy, predictability, and safety of wavefront-guided laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) using the Visx CustomVue excimer laser (Advanced Medical Optics) in eyes with consecutive hyperopia and compound hyperopic astigmatism after LASIK. Setting Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford, California, USA. Methods This retrospective analysis included 19 eyes of 16 patients who had wavefront-guided LASIK for consecutive hyperopia and compound hyperopic astigmatism after initial LASIK surgery. Primary outcome variables, including uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), higher-order aberration (HOA) analysis, and spherical equivalence, were evaluated at 1 and 3 months. Nine eyes of 7 patients were available for all visits. Results The mean patient age was 51.7 years ± 3.77 (SD) (range 44 to 55 years). The mean preoperative manifest refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE) was 0.99 ± 0.32 diopters (D) (range 0.50 to 1.50 D) and the mean 3-month postoperative MRSE, −0.04 ± 0.66 D (range −1.50 to 0.75 D). At 1 month, 57.9% of eyes had a UCVA of 20/20 or better and 78.9% of 20/25 or better; 84.2% were within ±1.00 D of emmetropia. At 3 months, 66.7% of eyes had a UCVA of 20/20 or better and 88.9% of 20/25 or better; 88.9% were within ±1.00 D of emmetropia. No eye lost 2 or more lines of BSCVA at 1 or 3 months. Conclusion Wavefront-guided LASIK was an effective, predictable, and safe procedure for consecutive hyperopia and compound hyperopic astigmatism after LASIK.