cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Activation of p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Promotes Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Internalization

Endocytic trafficking plays an important role in the regulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). To address if cellular kinases regulate EGFR internalization, we used anisomycin, a potent activator of kinase cascades in mammalian cells, especially the stress-activated mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase subtypes. Here, we report that activation of p38 MAP kinase by anisomycin is sufficient to induce internalization of EGFR. Anisomycin and EGF employ different mechanisms to promote EGFR endocytosis as anisomycin-induced internalization does not require tyrosine kinase activity or ubiquitination of the receptor. In addition, anisomycin treatment did not result in delivery and degradation of EGFR at lysosomes. Incubation with a specific inhibitor of p38, or depletion of endogenous p38 by small interfering RNAs, abolished anisomycin-induced internalization of EGFR while having no effect on transferrin endocytosis, indicating that the effect of p38 activation on EGFR endocytosis is specific. Interestingly, inhibition of p38 activation also abolished endocytosis of EGFR induced by UV radiation. Our results reveal a novel role for p38 in the regulation of EGFR endocytosis and suggest that stimulation of EGFR internalization by p38 might represent a general mechanism to prevent generation of proliferative or anti-apoptotic signals under stress conditions.
Hydrogenation for CC Bond Formation

The sections in this article are By-product-free CC Coupling and the Departure from Preformed Organometallic Reagents Hydrogenative Vinylation of Carbonyl Compounds and Imines Hydrogenative Allylation of Carbonyl Compounds Hydrogenative Aldol and Mannich Additions Hydrogenative Acyl Substitution (Reductive Hydroacylation) Hydrogenative Carbocyclization Future Directions Acknowledgments Keywords: hydrogenation; homogeneous catalysis; CC bond formation; green chemistry
Contrasting Impacts of Immunosuppressive Agents (Rapamycin, FK506, Cyclosporin A, and Dexamethasone) on Bidirectional Dendritic Cell-T Cell Interaction During Antigen Presentation

Rapamycin (RAP), tacrolimus (FK506), cyclosporin A, and glucocorticoids represent modern and classic immunosuppressive agents being used clinically. Although these agents have distinct molecular mechanisms of action and exhibit different immunoregulatory profiles, their direct influences on Ag presentation processes remain relatively unknown. Here we report quantitative and qualitative differences among the above four immunosuppressants in their impact on Ag-specific, bidirectional interaction between dendritic cells (DC) and CD4(+) T cells. In the presence of relevant Ag, bone marrow-derived DC delivered activation signals to CD4(+) T cells isolated from the DO11.10 TCR transgenic mice, leading to clonal expansion; secretion of IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-4; and surface expression of CD69. Conversely, DO11.10 T cells delivered maturation signals to DC, leading to IL-6 and IL-12 production and CD40 up-regulation. FK506 (10(-10)-10(-8) M) and cyclosporin A (10(-9)-10(-7) M) each blocked efficiently and uniformly all the changes resulting from intercellular signaling in both DC-->T cell and T cell-->DC directions. Dexamethasone (10(-9)-10(-6) M) suppressed all changes, except for CD69 up-regulation, rather incompletely. Remarkably, RAP (10(-10)-10(-8) M) efficiently inhibited DC-induced T cell proliferation and T cell-mediated CD40 up-regulation by DC without abrogating other changes. Interestingly, T cell-independent DC maturation triggered by LPS stimulation was inhibited by dexamethasone, but not by other agents. Our results demonstrate contrasting pharmacological effects of RAP vs calcineurin inhibitors on Ag presentation, thus forming a conceptual framework for rationale-based selection (and combination) of immunosuppressive agents for clinical application.
An epidemic of aseptic meningitis, primarily among infants, caused by echovirus 11-prime.

In the summer of 1965 an epidemic of aseptic meningitis and other acute febrile illness occurred in New Haven, Connecticut. The agent responsible proved to be echovirus 11-prime, a distantly related variant of the prototype Gregory strain of echo-11, which has not heretofore been associated with a community outbreak. The age group attacked was unusual in that more than half the virus positive patients with meningitis were under 6 months old. Other syndromes encountered, chiefly in the 1 to 4 year age group, were nonspecific febrile illnesses and respiratory infections, including pneumonia. A serologic survey indicated that echovirus 11-prime had not been active in the area previously; but, several months following the outbreak more than half the children in the crowded central area of the city, where most of the cases had occurred, possessed antibody to the epidemic strain. The strain of echo-11 prime was unlike other echoviruses in that it grew well in continuous line HEp-2 cells and primary isolations could be made in this cell system. Postinfection antibody titers in patients were in general low; one patient whose spinal fluid had yielded virus had no detectable antibody against the epidemic strain 6 months after onset.
What moves, the airplane or the world?

The literature pertaining to motion-relationship variables in the display of airplane flight attitude and steering commands and their effects upon pilot performance is reviewed. Factors considered ...
Sympathoadrenal Hyperactivity and the Etiology of Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome

OBJECTIVE: The author’s goal was to develop a pathophysiological model for neuroleptic malignant syndrome with greater explanatory power than the alternative hypotheses of hypothalamic dopamine antagonism (elevated set point) and direct myotoxicity (malignant hyperthermia variant). METHOD: Published clinical findings on neuroleptic malignant syndrome were integrated with data from human and animal studies of muscle physiology, thermoregulation, and autonomic nervous system function. RESULTS: The data show that the sympathetic nervous system’s latent capacity for autonomous activity is expressed when tonic inhibitory inputs from higher central nervous system centers are disrupted. These tonic inhibitory inputs are relayed to preganglionic sympathetic neurons by way of dopaminergic hypothalamospinal tracts. The sympathetic nervous system mediates hypothalamic coordination of thermoregulatory activity and is a primary regulator of muscle tone and thermogenesis, augmenting both of these when stimulated. In ad...
Agreement between women's and providers' assessment of hormonal contraceptive risk factors

Objective To measure agreement between women's self-administered risk factor questionnaire and their providers' evaluation of their medical eligibility for hormonal contraceptive use. Methods This was an anonymous cross-sectional study. Participants were women 15–45 years old who completed a 20-item self-administered questionnaire. Women were recruited from six public health family planning clinics in the Seattle Metropolitan area. A matching medical evaluation questionnaire was completed concurrently by each participant's health care provider. Using provider evaluation as the “gold standard” against which we compared self-reported medical history, we calculated participant–provider agreement with point estimates and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results Of 399 participant and provider pairs, participant–provider agreement was obtained for 392 participant pairs. The majority of the participants (90.3%) were 15–30 years old and 77.7% had used a hormonal contraceptive method for more than 1 year. The estimated proportion of the overall agreement was 96% (95% CI, 0.92–0.98). Women were more likely to report severe headaches (12.4% vs. 3.3%), possible pregnancy (7.3% vs. 3.5%) and smoking (6.2% vs. 2.1%) than providers, but less likely to report smoking more than 15 cigarettes per day (2.6% vs. 9.2%) and irregular menses (6.5% vs. 9.9%). Conclusion Overall, a high proportion of the women in this study completed our medical history questionnaire in concordance with their health care providers' same-day medical evaluation. Agreement on critical medical eligibility criteria such as hypertension was well above 90%. For criteria on which there was disagreement, women were more likely to identify contraindications than were their providers.
Managing the intelligent enterprise: Knowledge & service‐based strategies

Contrary to popular belief, the United States never has been dominantly a manufacturing country. More people have always been employed in the service sector. They now account for about 78 percent of all employment in the U.S., although that does not include the additional 12 percent of employees in manufacturing companies who perform service activities.
Hydrogen-bond symmetry in zwitterionic phthalate anions: symmetry breaking by solvation.

The cationic nitrogen of zwitterion 1 is located symmetrically with respect to its intramolecular OHO hydrogen bond. Incorporation of one 18O allows investigation of the H-bond symmetry by the NMR method of isotopic perturbation. In both CD3OD and CD2Cl2 equilibrium isotope shifts are detected at the carboxyl and ipso carbons. Therefore, 1 exists as a pair of interconverting tautomers, not as a single symmetric structure with its hydrogen centered between the two oxygens. The H-bond is instantaneously asymmetric, and there is an equilibrium between solvatomers (isomers or stereoisomers that differ in solvation). The broader implications of this result regarding the role of the local environment (“solvation”) in breaking symmetry are discussed.
Molybdenum-sulfur dimers as electrocatalysts for the production of hydrogen at low overpotentials.

(CpMoμ-S)2S2CH2, 2, and related derivatives serve as electrocatalysts for the reduction of protons with current efficiencies near 100%. The kinetics of the electrochemical reduction process has been studied, and the effects of varying the proton source, the solvent, the cyclopentadienyl substituents, and the sulfur substituents on the catalyst have been examined. The reduction of excess p-cyanoanilinium tetrafluoroborate under a hydrogen atmosphere in 0.3 M Et4NBF4/acetonitrile buffered at pH 7.6 is catalyzed by 2 at −0.64 V versus ferrocene, with an overpotential of 120 mV. Protonation of the sulfido ligand in 2 is an initial step in the catalytic process, and the rate-determining step at high acid concentrations appears to be the elimination of dihydrogen. The elimination may occur either from adjacent hydrosulfido sites or from a hydrosulfido−molybdenum hydride intermediate.
Radiative lifetimes and alignment depolarization cross sections for YbI and II by the Hanle effect in a flowing helium system

The radiative lifetimes of the 17992-,25068-,28857-, 37414-, 40564-, and 44017-${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ neutral levels and the 30392-${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ ion level of Yb have been measured by the Hanle method in a fast-flowing He system. The lifetimes (in units of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$ sec) were found to be 820(20), 5.12(0.12), 14.4(0.4), 77.4(6.0), 9.32(0.6), 39.1(3.5), and 5.8(0.6), respectively. In a flowing system with He as a buffer gas the alignment depolarization cross sections with Yb were obtained and are reported here for the first time. They are (in units of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}15}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$) 5.0(1.0), 5.9(1.0), 5.9(1.2), 17.9(2.0), 28.2(3.0), 5.16(4.0), and 7.2(2.5), respectively.
State-Based Marketplaces Using ‘Clearinghouse’ Plan Management Models Are Associated With Lower Premiums

The state-based and federally facilitated health insurance Marketplaces, or exchanges, enrolled more than eight million people during the first open enrollment period, which ended March 31, 2014. There is significant variation in how states have designed and implemented their Marketplaces. We examined how premiums varied with states’ involvement in the Marketplaces through governance, plan management authority, and strategy during the first year that the exchanges have been open. State-based Marketplaces using “clearinghouse” plan management models had significantly lower adjusted average premiums for all plans within each metal level compared to state-based Marketplaces using “active purchaser” models and the federally facilitated and partnership Marketplaces. Clearinghouse management models are those in which all health plans that meet published criteria are accepted. Active purchaser models are those in which states negotiate premiums, provider networks, number of plans, and benefits. Our baseline esti...
toward a semiotics of “purity” and “pollution” in India

In spite of the fact that “purity” and “pollution” have been given a prominence in the study of Indian society unequaled by any other indigenous concepts, little attention has been paid to the explication of the content and structure of these as Indian conceptual categories. This paper is intended as a contribution to that explication and an argument for the central place of linguistic analyses in it. The paper contains a structural semantic analysis of the language of “purity” and “pollution” in Kannada and suggests a semiotic framework for integrating that analysis with others, both linguistic and nonlinguistic. [India, purity and pollution, ethnographic semantics, semiotics]
Effect of downwind swells on offshore wind energy harvesting – A large-eddy simulation study

Abstract The effect of ocean downwind swells on the harvesting of offshore wind energy is studied using large-eddy simulation of fully developed wind turbine array boundary layers, which is dynamically coupled with high-order spectral simulation of sea-surface wave field with and without the presence of a downwind swell. For the two moderate wind speeds of 7 m/s and 10 m/s considered in this study, the swell is found to induce a temporal oscillation in the extracted wind power at the swell frequency, with a magnitude of 6.7% and 4.0% of the mean wind power output, respectively. Furthermore, the averaged wind power extraction is found to be increased by as much as 18.8% and 13.6%, respectively. Statistical analysis of the wind field indicates that the wind speed in the lower portion of the boundary layer oscillates periodically with fast wind above the swell trough and slow wind above the swell crest, resulting in the observed wind power oscillation. The wind above the swell accelerates due to the strong wave forcing, causes a net upward flux of kinetic energy into the wind turbine layer, and thus acts to increase the extracted wind power of the turbines. For a high wind speed of 17 m/s, the wave-induced motion becomes relatively weak and the swell effect on the wind turbine performance diminishes.
Role of wafer geometry in wafer chucking

Wafer chucks are used in advanced lithography systems to hold and flatten wafers during exposure. To minimize defocus and overlay errors, it is important that the chuck provide sufficient pressure to completely chuck the wafer and remove flatness variations across a broad range of spatial wavelengths. Analytical and finite element models of the clamping process are presented here to understand the range of wafer geometry features that can be fully chucked with different clamping pressures. The analytical model provides a simple relationship to determine the maximum feature amplitude that can be chucked as a function of spatial wavelength and chucking pressure. Three-dimensional finite element simulations are used to examine the chucking of wafers with various geometries, including cases with simulated and measured shapes. The analytical and finite element results both demonstrate that geometry variations with short spatial wavelengths (e.g., high-frequency wafer shape features) present the greatest challenge to achieving complete chucking. The models and results presented here can be used to provide guidance on wafer geometry and chuck designs for advanced exposure tools.
Plant Genomics: Homoplasy Heaven in a Lycophyte Genome

Summary The recent genomic sequencing of Selaginella , a member of the lycophyte lineage of vascular plants, opens up all kinds of new opportunities to examine the patterns of evolutionary innovation and the creation of the basic bauplan of plants.
A non-clonogenic assay for the determination of the sensitivity of leukemic cells to chemotherapeutic agents.

Abstract A new method for measuring the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on leukemic cells has been developed. In this method tritated thymidine ([3H]-TdR) is used to determine the surviving proportion of leukemic cells which are stimulated to proliferate by colony-stimulating factor (CSF). The effects of four antileukemia drugs on bone marrow cells from 20 AML patients were studied using this method and the results correlated well with the effects of the drugs on the CFUc, which were studied simultaneously. Using the liquid culture method drug effects were measured on five bone marrow specimens which failed to clone in the CFUc assay as well as on three specimens which produced too few colonies/clusters to allow estimation of drug effects.
Weighted derivation trees

The nodes of a weighted derivation tree are associated with weighting functions over the vocabulary of a context-free grammar. An algorithm is presented for constructing the optimal derivation tree having the same structure as a given weighted derivation tree. In addition, the correctness of the algorithm is established. The method may be applied to problems involving probabilistic parsing or combinatorial optimization.
Stability of lipid films in aqueous electrolyte media: Electrostatic interactions

Abstract Some aspects of the electrostatic energy of charged species acting across a lipid film with aqueous electrolyte media on either side are quantitatively discussed. These aspects are of significance in explanation of stability of artificial black lipid films and, thus, hopefully, also of physiological membranes.
Fluctuations and light scattering in superionic conductors

We present a theory of the dynamics of the coupled crystalline-cage-charged-liquid fluctuations in superionic conductors. The dispersion relations of the coupled modes are obtained together with the imaginary parts of their self-energies, which determine, among other things, the acoustic attenuation. The light-scattering process due to these fluctuations is studied and we show that it can provide unique information about local site symmetries and hopping times. The nature of the thermal fluctuations is discussed near a critical point.
Miniaturized detection system for handheld PCR assays

We have developed and delivered a four chamber, battery powered, handheld instrument referred to as the HANAA which monitors the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process using a TaqMan based fluorescence assay. The detection system differs form standard configurations in two essential ways. First, the size is miniaturized, with a combined cycling and optics plug-in module for a duplex assay begin about the size of a small box of matches. Second, the detection/analysis system is designed to call a positive sample in real time.
Ultra-high angular resolution measurements in X-ray astronomy by means of occultation techniques

Abstract Occultations can provide information concerning angular structure of celestial X-ray sources. For angular scales near or exceeding one arcsec they offer no advantage over other available methods such as focusing optics and coded masks, yet fundamental difficulties preclude using either of those methods to reach milli-arcsec resolution. For mask designs, the inescapable issue is one of station-keeping in low-earth orbit, presuming other technical difficulties are overcome. Occultations appear to offer the sole means of reaching milli-arcsec resolution in X-rays within this century. One prerequisite is a large area (100 m 2 ) X-ray collector array, which could be attached to the proposed NASA Space Station. In addition to serving other purposes, it would be able to detect sources in the short integration times needed for milli-arcsec occultation measurements. Much could be done using the moon as an occulting edge. However great improvement in the number, quality, and scheduling of occultations could be realized by placing an artificial, controlled occulting edge on a second, high-orbit platform, with orbital radius comparable to that of the lunar orbit. Preliminary feasibility calculations are presented here for the latter approach. The orbit plane of the high-orbit platform precesses at 1.6°/month without control expenditure. A system of vernier adjustments to orbit phase accomplishes the required rendezvous with the desired target without excessive control fuel expenditure. The analysis also shows how the GPS system of navigational satellites can be extended to address problems for which it was not originally designed, to provide accurate positions in high orbits.
Better Measurements of Worth

How can we determine the worth of something, especially its historical worth? The price, even deflated for inflation, is not enough. Was Carnegie richer than Gates? Did Babe Ruth make more than Barry Bonds? Was the cost of a loaf of bread more then than now? The authors summarize a fascinating set of measures that attempt to make just such estimates. It depends on the context, they make clear. And they provide calculators on their Web site to enable users to make their own comparisons.
An experimental study of water–rock interaction and acid rock drainage in the Butte mining district, Montana

This paper summarizes a laboratory study of water–rock interaction and the generation of acidic mine drainage in the Butte mining district, Montana. The Butte district includes two large open pit mines exploiting different portions of the same porphyry Cu–Mo system: (1) the well-known Berkeley Pit, which is abandoned and flooding with acidic mine water; and (2) the nearby Continental Pit, which is active. The two pits are separated by a normal fault with several thousand feet of vertical displacement, and consequently the styles of alteration and mineralization are quite different. Humidity cell and recirculating leachate experiments of crushed rock exposed on the walls of the Berkeley Pit produced effluent waters very similar in composition to the flooded Berkeley Pit lake. In contrast, the same experiments on crushed ore from the Continental Pit generated circum-neutral leachates with low metal concentrations, caused by the presence of calcite in the alteration assemblage. Because carbonate is being depleted at a faster rate than pyrite during weathering, the quality of mine drainage in the Continental Pit could eventually degrade.
SPECIALIZED NURSES REDUCE INFECTION RATES IN CENTRAL VENOUS PARENTERAL NUTRITION (CVPN)

Although some institutions use a specially trained nurse to change CVPN dressings, the actual effect such an individual has on reducing infection rates and decreasing complications of CVPN has not been proven. During a 9 month period all children receiving CVPN were followed for both mechanical and infectious complications. For 4 months, surgical residents (group R) were responsible for the dressing changes and for the subsequent 5 months, two trained nurses were responsible for dressing changes (group N). The protocol for handling the lines was otherwise the same for the two groups. The two groups were comparable for most known confounding variables. These include primary illness, serum albumin, lymphocyte count, age, race and sex; however, lines from group N were in place longer (t=2.21,p<0.05). In group R, 49% of the lines were removed because of septic or mechanical complications. This rate compared to 20% in group N (X2=6.42,p<0.05). The infection rate alone was also higher in the R group, 31% compared to 3.3% in the N group (X2=8.7,p<0.01): relative risk (RR)=9.3. When patient days on CVPN was used as the denominator, the difference between the groups was greater, 1.42 infections/100 patient days in group R versus 0.11 in the N group (RR=12.9,p<0.01). These data indicate that the utilization of a highly trained individual using meticulous care for all dressing changes is an extremely important factor in lowering infection rates in CVPN lines.
Gonadal dysgenesis: case report of a 6-year-old boy with a fallopian tube and an undifferentiated gonad.

The case is reported of a 6-year-old boy with gonadal dysgenesis and a male nuclear pattern (oral smear), who underwent exploratory laparotomy. The internal genitalia on the left consisted of a Fallopian tube and a poorly differentiated gonad. On the right the gonad resembled a prepubertal testis, with an epididymis and spermatic cord, but exhibited areas of dysgenesis; there were intratubular bodies in some of the seminiferous tubules. The anatomic abnormalities associated with gonadal dysgenesis are not predictable, and can be established only by exploratory laparotomy.
HORMONE-INDUCED ENDOREDUPLICATION PRIOR TO MITOSIS IN CULTURED PEA ROOT CORTEX CELLS'

A B S T R A C T One-mm-thick cortical explants excised aseptically from 10-11 mm behind the tip of 3-dayold roots of the garden pea, Pisum sativumn, cv. 'Little Marvel' were cultured on a synthetic nutrient medium supplemented with auxin or auxin and cytokinin. Nuclear DNA contents were measured in cells of the explants at the outset and at specified times during culture up to seven days. Fixed and sectioned preparations were stained with the Feulgen method using the DNA-specific dye auramin-O. Fluorescent microspectro-photometric measurements of individual nuclei were made from each cortical population. At day zero all cortical nuclei measured were either 2c or 4c with respect to their DNA content. In the presence of the auxins, indoleacetic acid and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and the cytokinin, kinetin, DNA values increased to multiples of the 2c level with populations at the 8c and 16c level predominating after three days of culture as well as at seven days. In the presence of auxins alone no change in DNA values was observed during three days. Kinetin concentrations as low as 0.01 ppm were already effective. The data are interpreted to show that cytokinin, in the presence of auxin, induces two rounds of DNA synthesis prior to the first mitoses, the first round being connected with chromosome doubling by endoreduplication and the second one with normal mitosis. From this we inferred that tetraploid cells in leguminous root nodules might have arisen in the same way, i.e., by endoreduplication prior to the first mitoses induced by the rhizobial division stimulus, unless the chromosome number of root cortical cells had already been doubled by endoreduplication in the normally differentiating root systems.
Effect of surface roughness and cement space on crown retention

The effects of varying luting agent space and internal surface roughness with different types of cores and cements were studied. One hundred eighty amalgam and 180 composite cores were cemented into standardized stainless steel retainers. Cores and retainers were divided into 12 groups according to core type, core diameter, and retainer roughness. Each group was further subdivided according to cement, A: zinc phosphate (ZOP); B: resin; and C: glass ionomer cement (GIC). Subgroups were divided into thermal-cycled and nonthermal-cycled groups. Thermal cycling was at 5 degrees to 55 degrees C, repeated 500 times. Cores were separated from their retainers with a compression rod in an Instron testing machine at a crosshead speed of 0.02 cm/minute. Results were as follows: Amalgam cores were most retentive. Resin and ZOP cements were equally retentive with amalgam cores, but GIC was less retentive. Resin cores cemented with resin cement were more than twice as retentive than those cemented with ZOP or GIC cements. Retainers with rough internal surfaces were most retentive. A reduced cement space between core and retainer was most retentive. Thermal cycling reduced retention.
Longevity of a mixture of acetamiprid and bifenthrin (Transport(TM) ) at the termiticidal application rate.

BACKGROUND: The 30 month longevity, mobility and insecticidal activity of a combination of acetamiprid and bifenthrin currently marketed in the United States for the prevention of termite infestation in buildings was investigated in greenhouse and laboratory studies. RESULTS: Acetamiprid dissipated to below the limit of detection within 7 months of application, while bifenthrin remained in the soil at levels sufficient to kill termites for the duration of the study. Acetamiprid was detected in decreasing amounts in eluates of treated soil from months 1 to 4, while no bifenthrin was detected in eluates at any time. The treated soil remained toxic to termites for the 30 month duration of the study. Two indices of synergy between technical-grade acetamiprid and bifenthrin demonstrated that it is unlikely that there would be any synergism between the two active ingredients in the field. The presence of vegetation did not have a significant effect on the longevity of bifenthrin, except at intermediate times, where residues in the treated soil were higher in vegetated plots, depending on depth and time. CONCLUSIONS: Acetamiprid has a short residual time in soil, and this formulation's effectiveness beyond about 7 months against subterranean termites is due to the bifenthrin content. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Intestinal development of lysosomal and microsomal beta glucuronidase and bilirubin uridine diphosphoglucuronyl transferase in normal and jaundiced rats

The perinatal development of an enzyme which catalyzes the deconjugation of bilirubin glucuronide (beta glucuronidase) differs from that of the enzyme which conjugates bilirubin (UDP-glucuronyl transferase) in the rat intestine. Before birth, beta glucuronidase activity is relatively high, while transferase activity is barely detectable. During the first four days after birth, beta glucuronidase reaches a level nearly seven times that of adult activity, whereas glucuronyl transferase merely approximates adult activity. Beta glucuronidase is present in lysosomes and microsomes. Lysosomal activity predominates during the perinatal period; microsomal activity develops more gradually, mainly in the distal intestine. Both activities decline during the third postnatal week. Neither weaning nor conjugated bilirubin appear to influence the development of deconjugating activity. In contrast, the conjugating process may be inducible by deconjugated (unconjugated) bilirubin. These findings provide evidence that the capacity of the newborn intestine for conversion of conjugated bilirubin to free bilirubin greatly exceeds the capacity for conjugating the pigment. These conditions favor active intestinal reabsorption of bilirubin after birth.
Small Nucleolar RNA-Derived MicroRNA hsa-miR-1291 Modulates Cellular Drug Disposition through Direct Targeting of ABC Transporter ABCC1

Multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1/ABCC1) is an important membrane transporter that contributes to cellular disposition of many endobiotic and xenobiotic agents, and it can also confer multidrug resistance. This study aimed to investigate the role of human noncoding microRNA-1291 (hsa-miR-1291) in regulation of ABCC1 and drug disposition. Bioinformatics analyses indicated that hsa-miR-1291, localized within the small nucleolar RNA H/ACA box 34 (SNORA34), might target ABCC1 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR). Using splinted ligation small RNA detection method, we found that SNORA34 was processed into hsa-miR-1291 in human pancreatic carcinoma PANC-1 cells. Luciferase reporter assays showed that ABCC1 3'-UTR-luciferase activity was decreased by 20% in cells transfected with hsa-miR-1291 expression plasmid, and increased by 40% in cells transfected with hsa-miR-1291 antagomir. Furthermore, immunoblot study revealed that ABCC1 protein expression was sharply reduced in hsa-miR-1291-stably transfected PANC-1 cells, which was attenuated by hsa-miR-1291 antagomir. The change of ABCC1 protein expression was associated with an alternation in mRNA expression. In addition, hsa-miR-1291-directed downregulation of ABCC1 led to a greater intracellular drug accumulation and sensitized the cells to doxorubicin. Together, our results indicate that hsa-miR-1291 is derived from SNORA34 and modulates cellular drug disposition and chemosensitivity through regulation of ABCC1 expression. These findings shall improve the understanding of microRNA-controlled epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying multidrug resistance and interindividual variability in pharmacokinetics.
Sites of Gastrointestinal-Blood Passage of Iodide and Thyroxine in Young Cattle

Summary A nonabsorbed marker technique (Ce 144 ) has been used to determine the net absorption and endogenous secretion of orally administered radioiodide in young animals. The rumen appears to be a major site of absorption and the abomasum a major site of endogenous secretion. Net absorption occurred from the second section of the small intestine throughout the remainder of the tract. Following intravenous administration of labelled NaI one-half hour prior to slaughter, a significantly greater concentration of radioactivity was found in the abomasum than in the first part of the small intestine. The reverse was true for iodine from 1-thyroxine.
A not so Pacific voyage: the 'floating laboratory' of Nicolas Baudin.

Nicolas Baudin's voyage to Australia in 1800 was particularly fractious. Many officers and scientists deserted. When stories of mission mismanagement leaked back to France, Baudin's reputation--and the public reputation of the expedition as a whole--was left in tatters. All was not Baudin's fault, however. Scientific rivalries--disputes over credit and quarrels over mission priorities--undermined his mission from the start, and explain why his attempt to use a 'public' journal to foster teamwork backfired. Unable to control his floating laboratory's paperwork, Baudin became an 'invisible commander'. After the expedition returned, naturalist Francois Peron assumed credit for its work.
Medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic lesions in prepubertal male cats: effects on juvenile and adult sociosexual behaviors.

Abstract Bilateral lesions of the medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic (MP-AH) area were made in prepubertal male cats at 6–8 weeks of age. All subjects were subsequently reared in groups containing male and female peers, until the last phase of the juvenile period when an adult estrous female was inserted in these social groups. In spite of such optimal conditions for the practice of sociosexual behaviors during development, no sparing of adult male copulatory behavior was observed in these MP-AH animals during testing in adulthood. This finding, while consistent with earlier work on dogs, contrasts with the results obtained in prepubertally lesioned rats. Urine spraying, another sexually dimorphic behavior which is eliminated by MP-AH lesions in adult cats, was spared by prepubertal lesion placement. Heterotypical sexual behavior was not enhanced by prepubertal MP-AH lesion placement, as it is with postpubertal placement. In the present study, therefore, different behavioral systems influenced by the MP-AH area showed varying degrees of plasticity. As found in dogs, prepubertal MP-AH lesions enhanced and accelerated testosterone secretion in cats.
Application of Mathematical Morphology based filters to detect a power swing

Mathematical Morphology (MM) has been discussed in recent literature for its possible applications in power systems. However, the application of MM as a real-time filtering tool in power systems has not been explored adequately. This paper reports further contributions to our previous efforts in this direction. The paper shows how an appropriate choice of the structuring element (SE) can help develop a method to detect power system phenomena characterized by low frequency. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, it is used to detect a power swing simulated using PSCAD/EMTDC®. Results are presented and analyzed. Based on the analysis, future work is outlined in order to construct an improved out-of-step blocking tool using this method, and to integrate this tool with a distance relay.
On imploding cylindrical and spherical shock waves in a perfect gas

The problem of a cylindrically or spherically imploding and reflecting shock wave in a flow initially at rest is studied without the use of the strong-shock approximation. Dimensional arguments are first used to show that this flow admits a general solution where an infinitesimally weak shock from infinity strengthens as it converges towards the origin. For a perfect-gas equation of state, this solution depends only on the dimensionality of the flow and on the ratio of specific heats. The Guderley power-law result can then be interpreted as the leading-order, strong-shock approximation, valid near the origin at the implosion centre. We improve the Guderley solution by adding two further terms in the series expansion solution for both the incoming and the reflected shock waves. A series expansion, valid where the shock is still weak and very far from the origin, is also constructed. With an appropriate change of variables and using the exact shock-jump conditions, a numerical, characteristics-based solution is obtained describing the general shock motion from almost infinity to very close to the reflection point. Comparisons are made between the series expansions, the characteristics solution, and the results obtained using an Euler solver. These show that the addition of two terms to the Guderley solution significantly extends the range of validity of the strong-shock series expansion.
Eigenvalue computation of large symmetric tridiagonal matrices on concurrent processors

Symmetric tridiagonal eigenvalue problems may arise indirectly in structural dynamic analysis. An algorithm for eigenvalue computation of large symmetric tridiagonal matrices on concurrent processors to meet the challenge of the new emerging computer hardware technology is presented. A standard bisection method in conjunction with Sylvester's Theorem is chosen to be converted into a parallel N-section algorithm. This parallel algorithm takes advantage of the multi-processor environment by carrying out N (number of processors) triangular factorizations of chosen shifted matrices in all processors concurrently and by minimizing communication between processors. The algorithm is designed for local-memory concurrent processors, i.e. message passing type processors. The efficiency and speed-up are given in terms of problem and machine parameters. The algorithm is very efficient when both the number of processors and the number of eigenvalues to be extracted are much smaller than the order of the tridiagonal matrix.
Review of Fossil Penguins from Seymour Island

Two collections of fossil penguins have been made from Seymour Island, off the north-eastern end of the Antarctic Peninsula, one by a Swedish expedition in 1901-1903 and the other by a British expedition in 1946. The age has usually been considered early Miocene but is probably earlier, late Eocene now seeming most likely but still uncertain. Wiman in 1905 based six then new generic and specific names on the Swedish collection. Anthropornis nordenskjoeldii and Delphinornis larsenii are considered valid. Pachypteryx grandis is a valid species but is transferred to Anthropornis. Eosphaeniscus gunnari is a valid species transferred to Palaeeudyptes, a genus otherwise known from New Zealand and Australia. Orthopteryx gigas and Ichtyopteryx gracilis are considered essentially indeterminate, as are two groups of bones not named by Wiman. Marples named genus and species Notodyptes wimani from the British collection. The species is accepted but transferred to the New Zealand genus Archaeospheniscus. Wimanornis seymourensis, new genus and species, is based on a British specimen. This penguin fauna is essentially similar to the early (late Eocene and early Oligocene) faunas known from New Zealand. In the probable absence of species in common, geographic proximity is not indicated. The ecological similarity and some indirect evidence suggest that despite the presence of relative gigantism these penguins lived in considerably warmer waters than those of the present Antarctic coast.
Positive and Negative Associations between Adolescents' Religiousness and Health Behaviors via Self-Regulation.

It has been proposed that self-regulation may be the explanatory mechanism for the relation between religiousness and positive health behaviors. However, different religious motivations have differential effects on a variety of health-related outcomes, which may explain the adverse effects of religiousness found in some studies. The current study hypothesized that higher identification as religious motivation would be linked to higher health-promoting behavior and lower health-risk behavior through higher self-regulation, whereas higher introjection would be linked to lower health-promoting behavior and higher health-risk behavior through lower self-regulation. The sample included 220 adolescents (mean age = 15 years, 55% male) and their primary caregivers. Structural equation modeling results supported the hypotheses and indicated that adolescent self-regulation mediated the relations between their religious motivation and health behavior. The findings suggest that different types of religious motivation...
Elasticity of single crystal and polycrystalline MgSiO3 perovskite by Brillouin spectroscopy

[1] The elastic moduli of MgSiO3 perovskite have been measured on both single-crystal and polycrystalline samples by Brillouin spectroscopy at ambient conditions. The aggregate elastic moduli calculated from measured single-crystal elastic moduli and from the average polycrystalline velocities are in excellent agreement. This convincingly demonstrates that accurate values of elastic moduli can be obtained for polycrystalline samples of dense anisotropic materials by Brillouin spectroscopy. Our new values of the bulk modulus (KS = 253(3) GPa) and shear modulus (μ = 175(2) GPa) are ∼4% and ∼1% lower than commonly accepted values for end-member MgSiO3 perovskite (KS = 264 GPa, μ = 177 GPa). These lower elastic moduli suggest that the pressure, temperature, and compositional dependence of elastic moduli and wave velocities for magnesian silicate perovskite must be reevaluated in order to obtain reliable constraints on the mantle chemistry and thermal structure.
Doppler Lidar Using Coherently Locked Dual Frequencies

A tunable microwave subcarrier on an optical wave is generated by the nonlinear dynamics of a semiconductor laser for Doppler lidar measurement. This new technique is capable of accurately measuring velocities down to 10 μm/s.
Simple estimates for Fermi jets

Abstract The phenomenon of Fermi jets is investigated in the approximation of two colliding potential wells filled with degenerate Fermi gases of nucleons. A model is formulated which largely bypasses the explicit treatment of the relative motion of the nuclei, assumed to be governed by the window friction mechanism. Formulae for the velocity distributions and differential cross sections for neutrons and protons jetting through either target or projectile are derived. The numerical results are investigated systematically over a wide range of nuclear reactions. It is shown that the net linear momentum carried away by Fermi jets accounts for only a rather minor fraction of the observed missing momentum in typical heavy-ion fusion reactions.
Chemorepulsion of Trichomonads by Products of Neutrophil Oxidative Metabolism

To determine whether secreted neutrophil products affect the migration of motile microorganisms such as Trichomonas vaginalis, stimulated human neutrophils and cell-free oxygen metabolites were used as stimuli in a multiwell filter chemotaxis assay using tritiated T. vaginalis. When stimulated neutrophils were present on the opposite side of the filter, migration of T. vaginalis into the filter was significantly diminished, and this reduction varied with the dose of neutrophil stimulus. The reduction of movement was abrogated by the addition of catalase and superoxide dismutase to scavenge oxygen metabolites. Studies with cell-free hydrogen peroxide or hypochlorite preparations indicated that the reduction in trichomonal trapping in the filter was due to chemorepulsion and not to a nonspecific decrease in motility or adherence. These findings suggest that active migration away from neutrophil products might be a means by which trichomonads avoid the microbicidal functions of host phagocytes.
The usefulness of middle cerebral artery Doppler assessment in the treatment of the fetus at risk for anemia

The use of Doppler ultrasound evaluation to measure the peak systolic velocity of the fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA) has been a major breakthrough in the noninvasive detection of fetal anemia. An elevated peak MCA velocity of >1.5 multiples of the median is useful in the timing of the initial intrauterine transfusion (IUT) in the red cell–alloimmunized pregnancies. Data reported to date suggest that a threshold of 1.32 multiples of the median can be used to time the second IUT; the MCA Doppler evaluation does not appear sensitive for the timing of subsequent IUTs in these pregnancies. The peak MCA velocity has also proved useful in the detection of other anemic states that include Kell alloimmunization, fetal parvovirus infection, fetomaternal hemorrhage, alphathalassemia, and after-laser therapy for twin-twin transfusion.
Inability of peripheral blood lymphocytes to react to A and B antigens.

Lymphocytes from donors immunized with heterologous A and B blood group substances and from unprovoked volunteers were grown in tissue culture in the presence of A and B blood group antigens. The culture supernatants did not contain detectable A and B isohemagglutinins and mitotic figures were not induced by the in vitro stimulants. In addition, lymphocyte extracts which had incorporated C14 in the form of an amino acid hydrolysate did not bind specifically to A and B red cells. These results indicate that the peripheral blood lymphocyte, although reactive against a multiplicity of other antigens, is singularly unresponsive to blood group substances. It is possible that the peripheral lymphocyte may have inherent immunogenic limitations, that the circulating lymphocyte is not completely interchangeable with its counterpart in fixed lymph organs, or that another cell, such as the plasmacyte, gives rise to the blood group antibodies. The cellular origin of isohemagglutinins remains undefined for the moment.
Evaluation of multiple strains of Enterobacter sakazakii using fatty acid profiles

Abstract Fatty acid profiles are useful for identifying Gram-negative Enterobacter sakazakii strains within the family Enterobacteriaceae . The majority of cases of E. sakazakii infection have involved sepsis, meningitis, or enteritis, especially in neonates and infants. Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) was utilized for the analysis of cellular fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). Thirty E. sakazakii strains isolated from food and environmental sources were cultured for 24 h on brain heart infusion (BHI) agar on three different days at 37 °C. Whole cell FAMEs were obtained by saponification, methylation and extraction into hexane:methyl tert -butyl ether. The day to day variations for the 30 E. sakazakii strains for each fatty acid were determined. Gram-negative bacteria commonly contain combinations of straight-chain, unsaturated, hydroxyl, and cyclo fatty acids. Major fatty acids of E. sakazakii strains evaluated in this study were straight chain 12:0, 14:0, 16:0 and unsaturated 16:1, 18:1, and 17:0 ω cyclo 7–8. Analysis of FAMEs from E. sakazakii strains grown on BHI agar by this rapid GC-FID method is highly reproducible and provides a sensitive procedure for identification of this organism. The fatty acid profile assay could be used to rapidly screen infant formula samples for E. sakazakii and reduce the time required for the current assay by up to 5 days.