cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular cloning and expression of a fifth muscarinic acetylcholine receptor.

Abstract A cDNA of 2149 base pairs with an incomplete open reading frame (ORF) encoding amino acids 1-516 of a 531-amino acid protein highly homologous to muscarinic receptors was cloned from a rat brain cDNA library. The complete ORF was then deduced from a DNA fragment cloned from a rat genomic library. This ORF was subcloned into the eukaryotic expression vector p91023(B) under control of the adenovirus major late promoter and co-transfected with the thymidine kinase selection marker into muscarinic receptor-negative, thymidine kinase-negative murine L cells. Stable transformants were selected and tested for acquisition of muscarinic receptors by following appearance of specific binding sites for the muscarinic ligand [3H] N-methylscopolamine. Two cell lines, LM5.36 and LM5.40, were cloned and shown to express typical muscarinic receptor sites, thus confirming that the newly cloned ORF encodes a muscarinic receptor, the rat M5 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor. Tests for activities showed it to stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis in intact cells, without affecting positively or negatively adenylyl cyclase activity. The M5 receptor contains two putative glycosylation sites at its amino terminus and, based on hydropathicity analysis, is predicted to span the plasma membrane seven times. Like 17 other receptors of this class, the M5 receptor has 19 conserved amino acids, among which are 4 prolines located in the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th predicted transmembrane regions, conferring possible bends to these helices, and 2 cysteines, one in the 1st and the other in the 2nd extracellular loop, possibly providing for a disulfide bond. Similarity in amino acid composition and in patterns of antagonist binding and biologic effects suggest the M5 receptor to be M1-like.
Respiratory outcomes of children with BPD and gastrostomy tubes during the first 2 years of life.

Summary Objectives Infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) often undergo gastrostomy tube (GT) placement and/or Nissen fundoplication (Nissen) to improve weight gain and to attenuate chronic respiratory symptoms related to feeding difficulties. After initial hospitalization little is known how these children do with regard to respiratory symptoms when compared to children with BPD who did not receive GTs. This study was done to determine if differences in respiratory outcomes were associated with the presence of a GT or Nissen/GT in children with BPD during the first 2 years of life. Methods Children (n = 398) were recruited from the Johns Hopkins BPD Outpatient Clinic. Medical charts were reviewed and acute care usage and respiratory symptoms were assessed by caregiver questionnaires. Results Ninety-two children with BPD had GTs, with the majority placed by 6 months of age. Of children with GTs, 64.7% also had Nissen fundoplication. Children with Nissen/GTs were more likely to have birth weights <10th percentile and to be discharged on supplemental oxygen. After initial hospitalization, children with GTs and Nissen/GTs weaned off supplemental oxygen at significantly older ages than children without GTs. Children with Nissen/GTs also had more hospitalizations than children without GTs. Caregivers of children with GTs and Nissen/GTs reported similar respiratory symptoms as caregivers of children without GTs. Conclusion Weaning off supplemental oxygen occurred later in children with GTs and Nissen/GTs compared to children without GTs. Although children with Nissen/GTs had more re-hospitalizations, there were no differences in reported respiratory symptoms between any of the groups by caregiver questionnaire. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2014; 49:537–543. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lost in Translation? Corporate Legal Transplants in China

This essay examines an old question - why it is often so difficult for transplanted legal norms and institutions to take - with the hope of shedding a bit of new light on it through a specific focus on institutions for corporate governance in China. Foreign norms and institutions are borrowed because they seem to the borrowers to serve some need. Very often they are borrowed in a time of rapid social change in which the home culture, so to speak, is lagging behind. But the problem of fit is real and severe. First, although the borrowers may imagine their needs to be the same as those of the society that produced the institution to be borrowed, this is rarely so. They may misread the needs of the source society, or may misunderstand the needs of their own society. Second, the borrowed institution in fact does not perfectly serve any particular need in the source society. Institutions develop not in response to particular objectively defined social needs, but as a result of a complex interplay of social forces with different agendas. A given institution might be a field of contestation for different groups with radically differing goals without being the natural servant of any of them. As a result, it is virtually impossible for a borrowed institution to survive the transition into the borrowing society intact, if by "intact" we mean that it performs exactly the same function. Indeed, if it could, that would imply that the borrowing society was indistinguishable from the source society, and it is precisely the difference that prompted the borrowing in the first place. In this essay, I look at a number of borrowings: the concept of the industrial trust, independent directors, the board of supervisors, and fiduciary duties (which might be more aptly deemed an aborted borrowing). I conclude that none of the above borrowings has taken because they were marked by a failure to understand the history and supporting institutions of the borrowed institution or concept in its home jurisdiction. I end with a speculation that it is particularly difficult for the Chinese legal system to borrow from Western jurisdictions because the Chinese system, as a result of its history both traditional and recent, is concerned more with the balancing of interests than with the vindication of rights.
Network-aware distributed computing: A case study

The development of network-aware applications, i.e. applications that dynamically adapt to network conditions, has had some success in the domain of multimedia applications, but progress has been very slow for distributed computing applications. The reason is that the relationship between application performance and network performance is typically more complex for that class of applications, making adaptation difficult. In this paper we introduce two adaptation methods for distributed computing applications, one based on a performance model and another based on balancing computation and communication time. We illustrate the two methods using a simple distributed application (matrix multiply) and compare their performance. We show that both methods can correctly estimate the best number of nodes to use on our testbed. We also show that both methods have weaknesses. Model-based adaptation requires an accurate performance model and is sensitive to errors in measurements of the system parameters. The ratio-based method is more robust but less general.
Comparison of the Ultrastructure of Several Rickettsiae, Ornithosis Virus, and Mycoplasma in Tissue Culture

Abstract Anderson, Douglas R. (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md.), Hope E. Hopps, Michael F. Barile, and Barbara C. Bernheim. Comparison of the ultrastructure of several rickettsiae, ornithosis virus, and Mycoplasma in tissue culture. J. Bacteriol. 90:1387–1404. 1965.—In an effort to make a valid comparison of the ultrastructure of several intracellular parasites, selected agents were propagated under identical conditions in a single type of tissue culture cell; such infected preparations were processed for examination by electron microscopy by use of a standardized procedure for fixation and embedding. The organisms studied were: the Breinl and E strains of epidemic typhus, Rickettsia prowazeki; the Bitterroot strain of R. rickettsii; the Karp strain of R. tsutsugamushi (R. orientalis); R. sennetsu; the P-4 strain of ornithosis virus; and the HEp-2 strain of Mycoplasma hominis type I. Each of the rickettsial species examined had a cell wall and a plasma membrane, and contained ribosomes and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in a ground substance. However, certain differences were noted. Both strains of R. prowazeki contained numerous intracytoplasmic electron-lucent spherical structures (4 to 10 mμ), not previously described. R. sennetsu, unlike the other rickettsiae, was not free in the host cytoplasm but was always enclosed in a vacuole. R. rickettsii was observed intranuclearly and in digestive organelles of the host cell as well as in the cytoplasm. Cells infected with ornithosis virus contained several forms representing the stages in its life cycle. The “initial bodies,” made up of ribosomes and DNA strands, were morphologically similar to the rickettsiae. In cultures infected with M. hominis, most of the cells became large and multinucleate. Although the Mycoplasma organisms were readily cultivated from these cultures, only a few could be found in the electron microscope preparations. These organisms were extracellular and lacked a cell wall, being bound only by a unit membrane. Again, the internal components were ribosomes and DNA strands. Under the uniform preparative conditions employed here, the three groups of organisms were morphologically distinguishable from one another.
Anti-infective Efficacy of Antiseptic-coated Intramedullary Nails*†

The coating of medical devices with antimicrobial agents has recently emerged as a potentially effective method for the prevention of device-related infections. We examined the anti-infective efficacy of intramedullary nails coated with an antiseptic combination of chlorhexidine and chloroxylenol in a rabbit model of device-related infection after fixation of an open tibial fracture. The rabbits were randomized to receive 2.8-by-100-millimeter stainless-steel tibial intramedullary nails that either were uncoated or were coated with antiseptic. After administration of anesthesia and preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, a tibial fracture was created and then reduced with insertion of the intramedullary nail. A bacterial inoculum of 106 colony-forming units of Staphylococcus aureus was injected into the intramedullary canal, and the wound was sutured. Radiographs of the tibiae were made postoperatively, and the rabbits were monitored daily. They were killed at six weeks, or earlier if there was dehiscence of the wound, the fracture became grossly unstable, or the rabbit failed to thrive. The use of the antiseptic-coated nails was associated with a significantly lower rate of device-related osteomyelitis (two of twenty-two; 9 per cent) than the use of the uncoated nails (thirteen of twenty-one; 62 per cent) (p = 0.0003). The radiographic and histopathological findings were generally similar in the two groups of rabbits. Antiseptic agents were not detected in serum. The results suggest that antiseptic-coated fracture-fixation devices provide significant local protection against Staphylococcus aureus, which is the most common cause of infections related to orthopaedic devices.
On the Gibbs Phenomenon and Its Resolution

The nonuniform convergence of the Fourier series for discontinuous functions, and in particular the oscillatory behavior of the finite sum, was already analyzed by Wilbraham in 1848. This was later named the Gibbs phenomenon. This article is a review of the Gibbs phenomenon from a different perspective. The Gibbs phenomenon, as we view it, deals with the issue of recovering point values of a function from its expansion coefficients. Alternatively it can be viewed as the possibility of the recovery of local information from global information. The main theme here is not the structure of the Gibbs oscillations but the understanding and resolution of the phenomenon in a general setting. The purpose of this article is to review the Gibbs phenomenon and to show that the knowledge of the expansion coefficients is sufficient for obtaining the point values of a piecewise smooth function, with the same order of accuracy as in the smooth case. This is done by using the finite expansion series to construct a different, rapidly convergent, approximation.
Low-temperature degradation studies of AlGaAs/GaAs modulation-doped field effect transistors

Abstract The degradation of AlGaAs/GaAs modulation-doped field effect transistors (MODFETs) was studied at the low temperature of 77 K. The MODFETs were stress tested at 77 K under both short- and long-term bias stress conditions. The measured MODFET parameters include threshold voltage V t , transconductance g m and the gate voltage V u at which g m shows a maximum. Shifts of V t , g m and V u were studied as a function of stress voltage and stress time. The measured shifts are found to depend on ( V g − V d ) which indicates the influence of hot electrons coming from the high mobility channel. The MODFETs were also tested for temperature cycling between 300 and 77 K up to 20 cycles. Some changes of device properties at 77 K were observed.
Species specificity in the response of an in vitro amphibian (Xenopus laevis) ovulation assay to mammalian luteinizing hormones.

Relative potencies of pituitary LH and pregnancy gonadotropins (hCG and PMSG) from numerous mammalian species estimated by an in vitro ovulation bioassay in the anuran Xenopus laevis correlated poorly with estimates obtained by various mammalian bioassays. For example, potencies of seven preparations of pituitary LH which varied by about 5-fold in the in vivo mammalian ovarian ascorbic acid depletion (OAAD) bioassay, differed by 140-fold in potency in the anuran bioassay. The ranking of hormonal potencies was also very different in these two assays; e.g., human LH was the most potent in the rat OAAD assay and among the least potent in Xenopus (ovine LH was most potent in Xenopus). Results of the OAAD assay corresponded closely to those observed in several in vitro assays based on steroid production by mammalian (rat and rabbit) tissues. Thus, pronounced species specificity is evident in the response of Xenopus ovaries to gonadotropins from mammalian origin; these findings have important implications for interpreting comparative data on LH purification and biological actions of hormones.
Survivors of Suicide: A Comprehensive Bibliography:

A bibliography of the literature on survivors of suicide is presented. Journal articles, books, book chapters, abstracts in proceedings of professional meetings, and pamphlets on the topic of survi...
Multiple-outcomes Meta-analysis of Treatments for Periodontal Disease

The results of periodontal therapy vary by disease severity, outcome measure, and method of data analysis. Several clinical trials and a subsequent meta-analysis have demonstrated that, for teeth with severe disease, surgery decreases probing depth (PD) and increases attachment level (AL) more than non-surgical treatment. For other disease levels, the choice of therapy depends on the outcome measure. When clinical trials use two or more outcome measures (such as PD and AL), investigators ordinarily analyze each outcome separately. When the correlations are incorporated among the outcomes, a meta-analysis can use generalized-least-squares (GLS) regression to analyze multiple outcomes jointly. We applied the GLS multiple-outcomes model in a meta-analysis of 5 trials comparing surgical and non-surgical periodontal treatments, each assessing the outcomes PD and AL one year after treatment. The clinical conclusions are similar to those reported earlier, but our estimates of the relative benefits of surgical an...
Understanding How American Consumers Formulate Their Attitudes About Foreign Products

This paper investigates the foreign product image of American consumers, to determine how these "made in" stereotypes are formed. A mail survey of 359 U.S. respondents from several geographic areas of the United States were analyzed to determine what were the general attitudes of these consumers towards products from specific foreign countries, whether these attitudes were product specific and what demographic factors were associated with these attitudes. This research revealed that a consumer's attitudes about the quality of the automobile produced by a particular country produced a "halo effect" that covered all prodcuts from that country. This findings suggests that a country's efforts to penetrate the U.S. auto market will have far-reaching effects on all prodcuts from that country.
The Search for the 'Origins' of Melayu

Based on linguistic, archaeological, and historical evidence, this essay describes the environment that produced the culture associated with the ‘Melayu’, or the Malays. It also argues that Melayu ethnicity was never predetermined but was contested on both sides of the Straits of Melaka.
Oscillations in Collector Current of a Double Heterostructure Bipolar Transistor: A Quantum Effect

Abstract In spite of many advantages, GaInP/GaAs/GaInP double heterostructure bipolar transistors (DHBT) suffer from the disadvantage of energy barrier to flow of carriers at the collector-base junction due to non-zero conduction band edge discontinuity which results in higher VD,sat. To circumvent this critical problem, Liu et al. IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, 40 , 1384-1389 (1993) have employed a set-back layer of undoped GaAs between the base and the collector. As a consequence of the set-back layer, they observed oscillations in the collector current in the forward active mode with the output voltage (VBC), the origin of which they proposed to be the presence and absence of resonant energy levels at the energy equal to the conduction band edge, Ec, of the base. In this work, we have investigated the origin and conditions of these oscillations theoretically. Energy band balance was performed at the base-set-back layer and set-back layer-collector junctions to determine the distribution of the output voltage, VBC, at these junctions using degenerate statistics. This calculation also provided the electric field and potential drop on the set-back layer. The parabolic Ec profiles of the base and collector depletion layers were linearized. The transmission coefficient as a function of energy was obtained using Airy and exponential function solutions to Schrodinger equation. The transmission coefficient was energy averaged for various VBCS and thus, a transmission parameter for the collector-base junction was obtained and used in a DC I-V characteristics model. Theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the experimental results with the VBCS at which the peaks of the collector current occurs matching closely for the first two peaks.
Distinguishing carotid artery pseudo-occlusion with color-flow Doppler.

Background and Purpose This study was undertaken to determine the impact of color-flow Doppler on the accuracy of noninvasive carotid imaging for distinguishing an internal carotid artery pseudo-occlusion (string sign) from a complete occlusion. Methods From January 1985 to January 1994, review of noninvasive vascular studies, arteriograms, and operative reports of 26 consecutive patients undergoing 27 carotid endarterectomies for carotid pseudo-occlusion was performed. Further review was conducted of all patients identified with carotid occlusion by noninvasive testing who underwent confirmatory arteriography during the same interval. Results Conventional gray-scale duplex scanning (January 1985 to December 1989) correctly identified 3 of 11 (27%) pseudo-occluded internal carotid arteries compared with 15 of 16 (94%) internal carotid artery pseudo-occlusions correctly identified by color-flow Doppler (January 1990 to June 1994) (P<.01). Similarly, carotid occlusion was more accurately identified by color...
Effective temperatures of A and F stars.

Effective temperatures of late A and early F stars are determined from the observed fluxes in the visual at 1900 A and 1420 A. The observed ratios are compared with those calculated by Kurucz (1979). A correction of the theoretical fluxes at 1900 A brings the effective temperatures obtained from different ratios into reasonable agreement. The effective temperatures determined in this way for late A stars agree well with those obtained from the optical region. For F stars, however, the effective temperatures obtained from the UV are found to be higher than those obtained from the optical region if radiative equilibrium models are used for the comparison. It is thought that this discrepancy may derive from the effects of temperature, pressure, and absorption coefficient inhomogeneities caused by convection.
Natural product leads for drug discovery: Isolation, synthesis and biological evaluation of 6-cyano-5-methoxyindolo[2,3-a]carbazole based ligands as antibacterial agents

Indolo[2,3-a]carbazole based inhibitors were synthesized from readily available indigo via a seven-step linear synthetic sequence with a moderate overall yield. The inhibitors were selectively and readily functionalized at the nitrogen on the indole portion of the carbazole unit. The synthesized analogs displayed moderate inhibitory activities toward Bacillus anthracis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, indicating that indolo[2,3-a]carbazoles could serve as promising leads in the development of new drugs to combat anthrax and tuberculosis infections.
Endogenous transforming growth factor-beta inhibits toll-like receptor mediated activation of human uterine natural killer cells.

Problem Toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognition is an important means for the innate immune system to rapidly respond to pathogen invasion. Our aim was to determine whether uterine natural killer (uNK) cell cytokine production induced by stimulation through TLRs could be regulated by endogenous transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta in human endometrium. Method of study Single cells were isolated from human endometrium, and interferon (IFN)-gamma production by endometrium cells and uNK cells was determined after stimulation by TLR agonists. The role of TGF-beta in regulating this response was tested by blocking TGF-beta function using antibodies or a specific inhibitor, SB431542. Results TGF-beta blockade increased TLR agonist induced IFN-gamma by uNK cells. The regulation of uNK cell cytokine production was observed when uNK cells were incubated with agonists for TLR2 (PGN) or TLR3 (polyI:C). Blockade of TGF-beta or TGF-beta receptor signaling had no effect on constitutive cytokine production in the absence of TLR agonists. Conclusion The results indicate that endogenous TGF-beta alters cytokine responses of uNK cells in human endometrium in response to TLR agonists. These data suggest that uNK cell responses to microbial pathogens in the endometrium are regulated by the amount of biologically active TGF-beta present within the human endometrium.
Zinc intestinal absorption: Effect of carbohydrates

Abstract We investigated the role of some simple and complex carbohydrates (CHO) on the luminal phase of Zn absorption from rat jejunum, using an open perfusion system and basal solutions containing 0.15 mM (10 mg/L) Zn and 0.30 mM L-histidine, in the presence of either no CHO or 50 mOsm/kg of either glucose (GLU), fructose (FRU), lactose (LAC), or corn syrup solids (CSS). The latter was also studied at 10 mOsm/kg. GLU, FRU and low level CSS enhanced Zn absorption, but neither LAC nor high level CSS had an effect. GLU and CSS increased net water and sodium absorption. The absolute amount of CHO absorbed did not correlate with Zn absorption. When either GLU or high level CSS were present, there was a positive correlation between net water and zinc absorption (r=0.652, P
The Anthropology of Christianity

This article surveys the literature that constitutes the newly emergent anthropology of Christianity. Arguing that the development of this sub-discipline was impeded until recently by anthropology's theoretical framing and empirical interests, this article explains that demographic and world-historical forces have made it such that anthropology has had to recently come to terms with Christianity as an ethnographic object. In doing so, anthropology also has had to address its problematic relationship with Christianity, either in the religion's direct effect on the formation of the discipline, or as reflected by Christianity's influence on modernity itself, which has been vital for anthropology as both a category and as a style of cognition. In addition to these meta-theoretical questions, the anthropology of Christianity has become a space in which anthropology has been able to re-examine issues of social and cultural continuity and discontinuity in light of conversion to Christianity. Specifically, the issue of social change (often thought through or against the issue of ‘modernity’) has involved specific ethnographic examinations of fields, such as the relation between linguistic ideology and language use, economic practice, changing formations of gender and race, and the modes through which the person is culturally structured, and how that category of the person stands in relation to the social. Rather than presenting an overarching theoretical narrative, however, this review notes that these issues play out in divergent ways in differently situated communities, especially where Christianity's individuating effect may be muted where is it functions as an anti- or counter-modern force; this dynamic and contingent nature of Christianity underscores that Christianity itself is a heterogeneous object, and thus promises to be an area of rich empirical research and theoretical focus that should be beneficial not only for this sub-discipline, but also for the field of anthropology as a whole.
A comparative review of physical properties in the hydrated cobaltate superconductor

Abstract Research results in recent years with regard to the hydrated cobaltate superconductor have been reviewed and outlined below to compare their experimental data in them with theoretical ones, which have been discussed for several years based on unconventional superconductors. In this review, the two types of upper critical field data are cited, one exceeding the Pauli limit at x=0.30 and the other not exceeding it at x=0.35. As is well known, inclusion of the f-wave triplet state, doped canting spin structure in it suggested in the SBP model, breaking inversion symmetry and spin–orbit coupling, which are major candidates to interpret experimental data, are introduced to hint physical properties of this group of superconductors to satisfy a contradiction in this system though there are some problems in this review thyat requires further reviews.
Optimum scaling of buried-channel CCD's

The maximum charge packet size in a two-phase charge-coupled device (CCD) is limited by many constraints relating to the transfer efficiency requirement and control circuit limitations. The constraints are quantified and an optimization routine is developed for designing CCD's with maximum charge capacity per unit area under these constraints. The optimum charge capacity for scaled down CCD's is calculated and it is shown that the normal buried channel cannot be designed to have adequate charge capacity at small geometries. A novel low-voltage buried-channel structure is introduced which uses a shallow p-type surface implant to minimize surface trapping and increases the charge capacity per unit area 2.4× compared to the normal buried channel. The optimum charge packet size at ∼1-µm geometry for these CCD structures, based on these calculations, is shown to be inadequate for VLSI dynamic memory applications.
Dynamic shuttling of TIA-1 accompanies the recruitment of mRNA to mammalian stress granules.

Mammalian stress granules (SGs) harbor untranslated mRNAs that accumulate in cells exposed to environmental stress. Drugs that stabilize polysomes (emetine) inhibit the assembly of SGs, whereas drugs that destabilize polysomes (puromycin) promote the assembly of SGs. Moreover, emetine dissolves preformed SGs as it promotes the assembly of polysomes, suggesting that these mRNP species (i.e., SGs and polysomes) exist in equilibrium. We used green flourescent protein–tagged SG-associated RNA-binding proteins (specifically, TIA-1 and poly[A] binding protein [PABP-I]) to monitor SG assembly, disassembly, and turnover in live cells. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching shows that both TIA-1 and PABP-I rapidly and continuously shuttle in and out of SGs, indicating that the assembly of SGs is a highly dynamic process. This unexpected result leads us to propose that mammalian SGs are sites at which untranslated mRNAs are sorted and processed for either reinitiation, degradation, or packaging into stable nonpolysomal mRNP complexes. A truncation mutant of TIA-1 (TIA-1ΔRRM), which acts as a transdominant inhibitor of SG assembly, promotes the expression of cotransfected reporter genes in COS transfectants, suggesting that this process of mRNA triage might, directly or indirectly, influence protein expression.
Measurement of transport parameters in polymer films: Flux overshoot produced by a step change in temperature

Abstract When a polymer film, initially at steady state with respect to a partial pressure difference of a gas, is subjected to a step increase in temperature, the gas flux out of the film increases beyond and then relaxes back to a new steady-state value. The flux overshoot occurs as follows: In polymer films, heat transfer is much more rapid than mass transfer. Therefore, following a step change in temperature at the outside surfaces of the film, the temperature throughout the film goes from the old to new value before there can be a significant change in the concentration profile. If the gas solubility in the polymer decreases with temperature (generally true), the concentration profile slowly relaxes to a new, lower, steady-state level at the higher temperature. The flux of gas out of the film goes through a transient maximum immediately after the step change because the diffusion coefficient is representative of the new higher temperature but the concentration gradient is still representative of the original lower temperature. A simple model employing a Fick's law diffusion equation with temperature-dependent solubility and diffusion coefficients was found to give excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental measurements. A method for separately determining the temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient and the solubility arises from the analysis of this phenomenon.
Liberation of Desmosine and Isodesmosine as Amino Acids from Insoluble Elastin by Elastolytic Proteases

The development of atherosclerotic lesions and abdominal aortic aneurysms involves degradation and loss of extracellular matrix components, such as collagen and elastin. Releases of the elastin cross-links desmosine (DES) and isodesmosine (IDE) may reflect elastin degradation in cardiovascular diseases. This study investigated the production of soluble elastin cross-linking structures by proteinases implicated in arterial diseases. Recombinant MMP-12 and neutrophil elastase liberated DES and IDE as amino acids from insoluble elastin. DES and IDE were also released from insoluble elastin exposed to monocyte/macrophage cell lines or human primary macrophages derived from peripheral blood monocytes. Elastin oxidized by reactive oxygen species (ROS) liberated more unconjugated DES and IDE than did non-oxidized elastin when incubated with MMP-12 or neutrophil elastase. These results support the exploration of free DES and IDE as biomarkers of elastin degradation.
Fighting in young and mature opossums

The fighting posture of the young opossum is indicated by the uptilted snout and widely opened mouth. This pattern is derived from the open-mouth response which the animal makes to the sudden impact of any tactile, odorous, auditory or visual stimulus, from the moment it emerges voluntarily from the pouch until old age overtakes it. This threat posture serves as the "releaser" for nearby opossums to open their jaws in the same fashion. Any stimulus at this moment of tension releases a swift, slashing bite and a return to the alert but immobile threat posture. The actual bite may be delivered in
Cretaceous mammals of southern Utah. IV. Eutherian mammals from the Wahweap (Aquilan) and Kaiparowits (Judithian) Formations

Eutherian mammals are herein reported from the Wahweap and Kaiparowits formations, southern Utah, of probable Aquilan and Judithian age, respectively. Three species of the leptictid insectivoran Gy...
The environmental significance of iron-stained quartz grains on the southeastern United States Atlantic shelf

Abstract An examination of approximately 1,000 continental shelf, beach and river samples from the Atlantic southeastern United States shows that there are significant differences in the percentages of iron-stained quartz grains in two sand-size fractions in each of these major environments. More iron-stained quartz is found in sediments of rivers draining the Piedmont province than those draining the coastal plain. The presence of iron-stained quartz on the shelf may be due in large part to the contributions of rivers during the Pleistocene rather than subaerial weathering of shelf sediments, as indicated by shelf abundance anomalies related to river mouths. These same shelf anomalies are evidence of lack of extensive lateral transportation of sediment on the shelf. Abrasion is apparently not effective in removing the iron coating from the quartz grains in any environment, even in the beach environment.
Washoff of Ultra‐Low‐Volume‐Oil‐Applied Insecticides from Cotton Plants as a Function of Time between Application and Rainfall

Model development for predicting the movement of foliar-applied pesticides depends on being able to characterize the dynamics of pesticide disappearance from plants, including washoff by rainfall. This study was conducted to determine the effect of elapsed time between spray application and initial rainfall on pesticide washoff from foliage. Methyl parathion [0, 0-dimethyl,0-(p-nitrophenyl) phosphorothioate] and fenvalerate [(RS)-α-cyano-3-phenoxybenzyl (RS)-2-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-methylbutyrate] were applied in oil by rotary-atomizer controlled-droplet applicators to mature cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants. Simulated rainfall (51 mm in 1 h) was applied to the plants at different times after insecticide application to determine washoff characteristics for both compounds. Residues of both insecticides became increasingly resistant to washoff with increasing time interval between pesticide application and initial rainfall. The mean amounts of both insecticides washed from the plants (i) were related to the square of the mean insecticide loads on the plants and (ii) decreased exponentially with time. In cooperation with the Louisiana Agric. Exp. Stn., Louisiana State Univ. Agric. Center, and the Mississippi Agric. and Forestry Exp. Stn.
Molecular and Functional Interaction between Protocadherin-γC5 and GABAA Receptors

We have found that the γ2 subunit of the GABA(A) receptor (γ2-GABA(A)R) specifically interacts with protocadherin-γC5 (Pcdh-γC5) in the rat brain. The interaction occurs between the large intracellular loop of the γ2-GABA(A)R and the cytoplasmic domain of Pcdh-γC5. In brain extracts, Pcdh-γC5 coimmunoprecipitates with GABA(A)Rs. In cotransfected HEK293 cells, Pcdh-γC5 promotes the transfer of γ2-GABA(A)R to the cell surface. We have previously shown that, in cultured hippocampal neurons, endogenous Pcdh-γC5 forms clusters, some of which associate with GABAergic synapses. Overexpression of Pcdh-γC5 in hippocampal neurons increases the density of γ2-GABA(A)R clusters but has no significant effect on the number of GABAergic contacts that these neurons receive, indicating that Pcdh-γC5 is not synaptogenic. Deletion of the cytoplasmic domain of Pcdh-γC5 enhanced its surface expression but decreased the association with both γ2-GABA(A)R clusters and presynaptic GABAergic contacts. Cultured hippocampal neurons from the Pcdh-γ triple C-type isoform knock-out (TCKO) mouse (Pcdhg(tcko/tcko)) showed plenty of GABAergic synaptic contacts, although their density was reduced compared with sister cultures from wild-type and heterozygous mice. Knocking down Pcdh-γC5 expression with shRNA decreased γ2-GABA(A)R cluster density and GABAergic innervation. The results indicate that, although Pcdh-γC5 is not essential for GABAergic synapse formation or GABA(A)R clustering, (1) Pcdh-γC5 regulates the surface expression of GABA(A)Rs via cis-cytoplasmic interaction with γ2-GABA(A)R, and (2) Pcdh-γC5 plays a role in the stabilization and maintenance of some GABAergic synapses.
Taking Student Criticism Seriously: Using Student Quality Teams to Guide Critical Reflection

Using teams of students to provide reflective feedback can yield quality insights into ways to improve teaching and learning.
Massive hemangioma in infants: Therapeutic considerations

Eight infants were treated for massive symptomatic hemangioma over a 6-year period. The hemangiomas were located in the liver in five infants and in the upper arm, lower leg, and face in one newborn each. Symptoms included congestive heart failure in six infants and platelet trapping in three newborns. Prednisone and surgical excision were curative in six of the eight patients, while two of the eight died of sepsis, congestive heart failure, and continued platelet trapping. Radiation therapy and arteriographic embolization were of limited value.
Stabilization of interface-binding chloroperoxidase for interfacial biotransformation

The stability of an interface-binding chloroperoxidase (CPO) against the deactivation effect of H(2)O(2) was examined. Native CPO was conjugated with polystyrene and thus self-assembled at the water-oil interface. Although the interface-assembled CPO showed improved stability as compared to native CPO, enzyme deactivation as a result of the side effect of H(2)O(2), still limits the overall productivity of the enzyme. Two approaches to further improve the stability of CPO were examined in this work. In one approach, several stabilizers including poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), PEI, glycerol, sugars and sucrose monododecanoate were used; while in a second approach, in situ generation of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) by using glucose oxidase (GOx) was applied. PEG was found exceptional in that it increased both the operational and storage stability of CPO. The best improvement of enzyme productivity was obtained with addition of PEG which led to an increase of 57% for interface-bound CPO and 33% for native CPO. One interesting observation with PEI is that it enhanced the storage stability against H(2)O(2) deactivation, but did not affect the enzyme's operational stability. On the other hand, glucose enhanced the operational stability by two folds, but exhibited no significant effect on storage stability. It was also found that the extended operational lifetime of CPO with in situ generation of H(2)O(2) by GOx was a result that combines the stabilizing effect of glucose and lowered concentration of H(2)O(2). Interestingly, the addition of stabilizers could improve the enantioselectivity of CPO by as much as 10%.
Identifying potential habitat for the endangered Aleutian shield fern using topographical characteristics

Abstract The Aleutian shield fern Polystichum aleuticum is endemic to the Aleutian archipelago of Alaska and is listed as endangered pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Despite numerous efforts to discover new populations of this species, only four known populations are documented to date, and information is needed to prioritize locations for future surveys. Therefore, we incorporated topographical habitat characteristics (elevation, slope, aspect, distance from coastline, and anthropogenic footprint) found at known Aleutian shield fern locations into a Geographical Information System (GIS) model to create a habitat suitability map for the entirety of the Andreaonof Islands. A total of 18 islands contained 489.26 km2 of highly suitable and moderately suitable habitat when weighting each factor equally. This study reports a habitat suitability map for the endangered Aleutian shield fern using topographical characteristics, which can be used to assist current and future recovery efforts for the spe...
Significance of increased alkaline phosphatase activity in viral-induced thymic lymphoma.

SummaryMice inoculated with a leukemogenic virus (Rich) were studied to determine when alkaline phosphatase appears in thymic cells relative to the developing thymic lymphoma. The findings indicated that the enzyme increase occurs only after the tumor is definitely established, hence this change cannot be causally related to the neoplasm.
Effect of manganese oxide insertion layer on the dielectric and ferroelectric properties of Pb0.92La0.08Zr0.52Ti0.48O3 films grown by a sol–gel process

Abstract We incorporated a ≈5-nm-thick MnO x insertion layer in the middle of a ≈1.38-μm-thick Pb 0.92 La 0.08 Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48 O 3 (PLZT) film grown by a modified sol–gel process and measured the dielectric and ferroelectric properties of PLZT films with and without MnO x insertion layer. By incorporation of the MnO x layer, residual stress was reduced from ≈350 MPa to ≈125 MPa, dielectric permittivity decreased from ≈1300 to ≈950, while dielectric loss increased from ≈0.04 to ≈0.07 as measured at 10 kHz. Also, remanent polarization increased from ≈9.1 μC/cm 2 to ≈11.7 μC/cm 2 , coercive field increased from ≈28.7 kV/cm to ≈40.3 kV/cm, and internal bias field from ≈3 kV/cm to ≈14 kV/cm. We have observed decreased irreversible Rayleigh coefficient and dielectric nonlinearity on samples with MnO x insertion layer. These changes in properties are attributable to Mn cation doping as acceptors near the MnO x /PLZT interface, which forms oxygen vacancies and defect induced dipoles like 2 M n ′ T i − V O • • (or M n ″ T i − V O • • ), acting effectively as pinning centers to hinder domain wall movement.
Arterial fluorescent components involved in atherosclerotic plaque instability: Differentiation by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy

As part of our ongoing research on spectroscopic differentiation between unstable and stable atherosclerotic lesions, we report data on time-resolved fluorescence of components of arterial intima matrix (different types of cholesterols, lipoproteins, and collagens). Certain compositional features of atherosclerotic plaque have been associated with plaque instability and rupture. We have characterized and compared the time-resolved spectra of structural proteins (Types I and III collagens, and elastin), lipoproteins (LDL, VLDL), and cholesterols (free cholesterol, and cholesteryl oleate and linoleate) induced with nitrogen laser excitation pulses (337 nm, 3 ns) and detected (360-510 nm range, 5 nm interval) with an MCP-PMT connected to a fast digitizer (2 Gsamples/s). Spectral intensities and time-dependent parameters (lifetime (tau) f ; decay constants (tau) 1 (fast-term), (tau) 2 (slow-term), A 1 (fast-term amplitude contribution)) derived from the time-resolved spectra were used for samples characterization and comparison. We observed that time- resolved data distinguish collagens from cholesterols and from lipoproteins, and additionally, distinguish different types of cholesterols, different types of lipoproteins and different types of collagen from each other. For instance, the collagen lifetime (390 nm: Type I 5.2 ns, Type III 2.95 ns) was significantly longer than that of cholesterols (free 1.5 ns, linoleate 0.9 ns, oleate 1.0 ns) and that of lipoproteins (LDL 0.95 ns, VLDL 0.85 ns).
Strontium-90 content of first bicuspids.

THE tooth crown, once formed, is a stable calcified structure removed from direct equilibrium with body fluids and therefore undergoes minimal remodelling, exchange or turnover of mineral elements. During development and calcification, the mineral elements of the crown are in equilibrium with body fluids and, indirectly, with the diet. The concentration of strontium-90 in the tooth crown is, therefore, a measure of the equilibrium between the tooth and dietary strontium-90, and the tooth crown represents a permanent record of the equilibrium existing at the time of tooth formation.
Glycosylation of Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone in Pituitary Tumor Cells: Influence of High Mannose Oligosaccharide Units on Subunit Aggregation, Combination, and Intracellular Degradation

We have studied the glycosylation of TSH in cell culture and have examined the influence of carbohydrate on subunit aggregation, intracellular degradation, and combination. Dispersed mouse thyrotropic tumor cells were labeled by pulse-chase methods with [35S]methionine and various 3H-labeled carbohydrates; cell lysates and media were precipitated with antisera to TSH alpha and TSH beta, and the products were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate gradient gel electrophoresis without or with preexposure to Endoglycosidase (Endo) H. At early pulses, both intracellular alpha and beta were mainly composed of one Endo H-sensitive (high mannose) carbohydrate unit and a small amount of nonglycosylated forms; alpha only had the posttranslational addition of a second high mannose unit. With increasing chase times up to 18 h, intracellular subunits showed a slow but progressive increase in Endo H-resistant (complex) forms, and media subunits were completely resistant. Preincubation of cells with tunicamycin caused production of nonglycosylated subunits that showed a high degree of aggregation, especially after heating at 37 C under nonreducing conditions. Unlike glycosylated subunits, which were not degraded, nonglycosylated subunits were 50-65% degraded intracellularly before secretion; the degradation caused by tunicamycin was specific for TSH subunits and not noted for other 35S-labeled proteins. Incubation of various 35S-labeled alpha forms with excess unlabeled TSH beta showed high combining activity for intracellular alpha with two high mannose units, intermediate activity for media alpha with two complex units, and low activity for intracellular alpha with one high mannose unit or nonglycosylated media alpha. These data suggest that the initial glycosylation with high mannose carbohydrate units prevents intracellular aggregation and degradation of TSH subunits and enhances attainment of the conformation necessary for alpha- and beta-subunit combination.
The Distribution of Injected 32P in Transient Hyperammonemia in the Chick and Rat

SummaryThe distribution of injected 32P was studied in the mildly hyperammonemic chick and rat. Ammonia toxicity in the chick resulted in decreased accumulation of 32P in the tibia (p<.001) and decreased level of labeling in the inorganic phosphate fraction of blood (p<.001). Toxicity in the rat also resulted in decreased accumulation of label in the tibia (p<.005), but increased incorporation in the liver (p<.005), kidney (p<.005), and urine (p<.001), indicating that injected ammonia probably converted inorganic phosphate into a form that was eventually treated by the body as a waste product. Changes in organic blood metabolites accompanying ammonia toxicity in the chick paralleled those described earlier for the rat and pig.The results of this study represent the first direct evidence that low doses of ammonia administered to laboratory animals interfere with phospate metabolism.
A fluorescent amino acid probe to monitor efficiency of peptide conjugation to glass surfaces for high density microarrays

Using a fluorescent NBD amino acid, new protease substrates were developed that are attractive because of the excellent chemical stability and long wavelength of excitation (480 nm) of the NBD fluorophore. The fluorescent peptides are synthesized by Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis. An example peptide was efficiently immobilized onto a microarray surface using click chemistry, and its proteolysis was monitored by fluorescence imaging. Excellent site specificity was achieved for the protease. Fluorescent peptides are also used to monitor the conjugation efficiency onto a surface using a standard microarray scanner.