cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
KSHV: Immune Modulation and Immunotherapy

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is associated with KS, primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), and multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). To ensure its own survival and propagation, KSHV employs an extensive network of viral proteins to subvert the host immune system, resulting in lifelong latent infection. Modulation of cellular and systemic immune defenses allows KSHV to persist in the host, which may eventually lead to the progression of KSHV-associated cancers. Due to KSHV's reliance on modifying immune responses to efficiently infect its host, immunotherapy is an attractive option for treating KSHV-associated malignancies. In this review, we will focus on the mechanisms by which KSHV evades the immune system and the current immune-related clinical strategies to treat KSHV-associated disease.
Chapter 21 – Rights of Access

Publisher Summary The RPSGB has a duty and is given powers to enforce provisions relating to the retail sale and supply of medicinal products. Any person authorized in writing by the RPSGB has a power to enter premises to ascertain whether there is or has been any contravention of the provisions of the Act. The persons authorized also have a power to inspect, take samples, and to seize goods and documents. The RPSGB inspectors are also authorized by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Products Agency, in relation to wholesale and manufacturing matters, within pharmacies. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 sets out a legal framework for the interception of communications and surveillance in the course of authorized investigations and related matters. It provides exemptions from the general human rights set out in the Human Rights Act 1998, which makes it unlawful for a public authority to act in a way that is incompatible with any of the convention rights, including the right to privacy. Authorizations have to be given, in writing, other than in urgent cases, and must specify the nature of the surveillance, the circumstances in which it is to be carried out and the nature of the investigation being undertaken.
High-Quality and High-Yield RNA Extraction Method From Whole Human Saliva:

Background:Human saliva has been identified as a novel, practical, and noninvasive source of biomarkers and genetic materials. However, it is equally challenging due to the availability of an abund...
Predicting 30-day readmission after congenital heart surgery across the lifespan

INTRODUCTION Hospital readmission is an important driver of costs among patients with CHD. We assessed predictors of 30-day rehospitalisation following cardiac surgery in CHD patients across the lifespan. METHODS This was a retrospective analysis of 981 patients with CHD who had cardiac surgery between January 2011 and December 2012. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify demographic, clinical, and surgical predictors of 30-day readmission. Receiver operating curves derived from multivariate logistic modelling were utilised to discriminate between patients who were readmitted and not-readmitted at 30 days. Model goodness of fit was assessed using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test statistic. RESULTS Readmission in the 30 days following congenital heart surgery is common (14.0%). Among 981 patients risk factors associated with increased odds of 30-day readmission after congenital heart surgery through multivariate analysis included a history of previous cardiac surgery (p < 0.001), longer post-operative length of stay (p < 0.001), as well as nutritional (p < 0.001), haematologic (p < 0.02), and endocrine (p = 0.04) co-morbidities. Patients who underwent septal defect repair had reduced odds of readmission (p < 0.001), as did children (p = 0.04) and adult (p = 0.005) patients relative to neonates. CONCLUSION Risk factors for readmission include a history of cardiac surgery, longer length of stay, and co-morbid conditions. This information may serve to guide efforts to prevent readmission and inform resource allocation in the transition of care to the outpatient setting. This study also demonstrated the feasibility of linking a national subspecialty registry to a clinical and administrative data repository to follow longitudinal outcomes of interest.
Sequence Comparison of Vaginolysin from Different Gardnerella Species

Gardnerella vaginalis has recently been split into 13 distinct species. In this study, we tested the hypotheses that species-specific variations in the vaginolysin (VLY) amino acid sequence could influence the interaction between the toxin and vaginal epithelial cells and that VLY variation may be one factor that distinguishes less virulent or commensal strains from more virulent strains. This was assessed by bioinformatic analyses of publicly available Gardnerella spp. sequences and quantification of cytotoxicity and cytokine production from purified, recombinantly produced versions of VLY. After identifying conserved differences that could distinguish distinct VLY types, we analyzed metagenomic data from a cohort of female subjects from the Vaginal Human Microbiome Project to investigate whether these different VLY types exhibited any significant associations with symptoms or Gardnerella spp.-relative abundance in vaginal swab samples. While Type 1 VLY was most prevalent among the subjects and may be associated with increased reports of symptoms, subjects with Type 2 VLY dominant profiles exhibited increased relative Gardnerella spp. abundance. Our findings suggest that amino acid differences alter the interaction of VLY with vaginal keratinocytes, which may potentiate differences in bacterial vaginosis (BV) immunopathology in vivo.
The Marxist Conception of the State: A Contribution to the Differentiation of the Sociological and the Juristic Method: by Max Adler, Leiden, Brill, 2019, 243 pp., $139 (hardback), ISBN: 978-90-04-29782-1

In the first decades of the twentieth century, the Austro-Marxist school with which Max Adler was associated made important contributions to philosophy, law, political economy, and the study of nat...
Communication as Commodity Exchange: Mapping the Media Ecology of Fantasy Sport

This research applies an ecological lens to examine how ‘media’ impacts both fantasy sport and the stock market through the translation of statistical data by way of new technologies. The core cont...
Recurrent adult pilocytic astrocytoma presenting with intraventricular and leptomeningeal spread.

Background Infratentorial pilocytic astrocytomas are uncommon tumors in adulthood but are thought to be prognostically similar to their pediatric counterparts with excellent overall survival following gross total resection. However, given the relative rarity of these tumors, no management guidelines exist for recurrent adult pilocytic astrocytomas (APAs). This lack of consensus is especially problematic for inoperable recurrences or those with aggressive features concerning for malignant transformation. Case description In 2017, a 26-year-old female presented with headaches, nausea, vomiting, and blurry vision. A brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a large, well-circumscribed mass within the fourth ventricle causing obstructive hydrocephalus. She underwent near-total resection through a midline suboccipital transtonsillar approach. Pathology demonstrated a World Health Organization Grade 1 pilocytic astrocytoma. Despite initial improvement in her symptoms, she developed worsening headaches and lethargy 10 months after surgery and repeat MRI demonstrated recurrent tumor within the entire ventricular system and the subarachnoid spaces of the left cerebellopontine angle suggesting leptomeningeal spread. Due to the unresectable nature of the recurrence, the patient declined any further intervention and succumbed to her disease 6 months later. Conclusion We present the first case of a recurrent APA presenting with intraventricular and leptomeningeal spread. Although thought to be a benign neoplasm, close interval follow-up with serial imaging is of essential, especially in those patients with known residual tumor, to prevent aggressive recurrences such as this.
Infrastructuring Sustainable and Equitable Solutions

Traditionally, design had a focus on the built environment and how humans interact with it. However, contemporary challenges of equity, sustainability, and computation in health, mobility, food, finance, housing, and energy require design to refocus its attention on the systems that emerge from the complex and adaptive interconnectivity of humans and non-humans agents. These complex interactions between agents form the infrastructures that shape contemporary livelihoods, consequently governing how resources are appropriated, used, managed, exchanged, monetized, and disposed by different populations. Therefore, designing infrastructures for equitable and sustainable livelihoods has become the biggest challenge for designers in the twenty-first century. It requires the understanding of the interconnectivity of the built environment and humans as systems. In this lecture, we will discuss the role played by large organizations from multiple sectors — for profit, not for profit, and government — in designing equitable and sustainable infrastructures. Frameworks on how to interpret and design infrastructures will be presented with the goal of discussing strategies through which systems can be designed by a coalition of organizations. Projects and case studies developed at the IIT Institute of Design in the past five years will be used to illustrate how designers and large organizations are well positioned to drive impact by designing sustainable and equitable solutions powered by computation.
Chemotherapy for Germ Cell Tumours in the United States

The therapeutic success of chemotherapy for advanced germ cell tumours over the last several decades has resulted in extension of the use of chemotherapy, from a modality used strictly as primary therapy of surgically unresectable disease or disease outside the confines of radiation therapy port, to the modern use which includes consideration of the use of chemotherapy as an adjuvant for fully resected pathological stage II non-seminomatous germ cell tumour, certain rare situations with clinical stage I non-seminoma and of course extension of chemotherapy into a role for secondary therapies after failure of primary chemotherapy. Herein we will review the current standard usage of chemotherapy in the United States as primary therapy for disseminated disease, its use as a post-surgical adjuvant in resected stage II non-seminoma, its rare usage in seropositive clinical stage I non-seminoma and the myriad of salvage chemotherapy approaches for patients with recurrent disease.
Measurement of milliohms of impedance at hundred MHz on chip power supply loop

The introduced method of measuring the high frequency impedance of a microprocessor's power supply loop is based on measurement of the on-chip voltage generated by a predetermined stimulus formed by a set of computer instructions.
A note on stabilization of linear systems using coding and limited communication

We consider the problem of stabilizing a linear time-invariant system using sampled encoded measurements of its state or output. We derive a relationship between the number of values taken by the encoder and the norm of the transition matrix of the open-loop system over one sampling period, which guarantees that global asymptotic stabilization can be achieved. A coding scheme and a stabilizing control strategy are described explicitly.
Organization of the Dictyostelium discoideum actin multigene family. Flanking sequences show subfamily homologies and unusual dyad symmetries.

Abstract Sequences flanking the protein-coding regions of 15 of the 17 to 20 actin genes in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoidium have been determined. Comparison of sequences among genes shows that they contain extensive homologies at both the 5′ and 3′ ends of the coding regions. On the basis of these homologies, actin genes fall into three groups. Group I consists of Actin 8 alone. Group II consists of the two closely linked genes Actin 3-sub1 and Actin 3-sub2. These two genes differ from all other actin genes in the location of their TATA box and oligo(dT) run, and diverge substantially in their coding sequence as well. Group III contains all the rest of the genes we have studied. Within this group, there are two subgroups of genes, IIIA (Actins 5, 9 and 10) and IIIB (Actins M6, 2-sub1 and 2-sub2, 4, 6, 7, 11 and 12). Two actin cDNA clones, ITL-1 and III-12/A1, which have no cloned genomic counterparts, are members of groups IIIA and IIIB, respectively. Homologies at the 3′ ends of genes do not extend beyond a short genomic poly(A) sequence, the probable termination of transcription. Homologies at the 5′ ends may extend about 300 base-pairs 5′ to the ATG but, in most cases, extend only about 150 base-pairs 5′ to the ATG. We have identified a group of short, relatively G + C-rich sequences within the extremely A + T-rich sequence at the 5′ ends of actin-coding regions, which are shared among different actin genes. Many of these sequences exhibit dyad symmetry, and their general location and order is conserved among the different actin genes. We suggest that they may have a role in regulation of the transcriptional patterns of individual actin genes.
Evaluation of a latex test for rotavirus detection.

A latex agglutination (LA) test (Slidex Rota-Kit; bioMerieux, Marcy-l9Etoile, France) was a rapid, easily used method for detecting rotavirus (RV) in pediatric fecal specimens. With 45 RV-positive and 50 RV-negative diarrhea specimens, the sensitivity of the LA test was 82%, and the specificity was 100%. Six other specimens produced indeterminate results. The frequency of positive LA tests appeared to be proportional to the concentration of virions in the stool.
Universal behavior in the scattering of heavy, weakly interacting dark matter on nuclear targets

Abstract Particles that are heavy compared to the electroweak scale ( M ≫ m W ), and that are charged under electroweak SU ( 2 ) gauge interactions display universal properties such as a characteristic fine structure in the mass spectrum induced by electroweak symmetry breaking, and an approximately universal cross section for scattering on nuclear targets. The heavy particle effective theory framework is developed to compute these properties. As illustration, the spin independent cross section for low-velocity scattering on a nucleon is evaluated in the limit M ≫ m W , including complete leading-order matching onto quark and gluon operators, renormalization analysis, and systematic treatment of perturbative and hadronic-input uncertainties.
Making the `MOST' out of RFID technology: a research agenda for the study of the adoption, usage and impact of RFID

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology dramatically increases the ability of the organization to acquire a vast array of data about the location and properties of any entity that can be physically tagged and wirelessly scanned within certain technical limitations. RFID can be applied to a variety of tasks, structures, work systems and contexts along the value chain, including business-to-business logistics, internal operations, business-to-consumer marketing, and after-sales service applications. As industry adoption of RFID increases there is an emerging interest by academic researchers to engage in scholarly investigation to understand how RFID relates to mobility, organizational and systems technologies (MOST). In this paper, we explore RFID and propose a research agenda to address a series of broad research questions related to how RFID technology: (1) is developed, adopted, and implemented by organizations; (2) is used, supported, and evolved within organizations and alliances; and (3) impacts individuals, business processes, organizations, and markets. As with many technological innovations, as the technical problems associated with implementing and using RFID are addressed and resolved, the managerial and organizational issues will emerge as critical areas for IS research.
On a two stage shrinkage testimator of the mean of a normal distribution

Let X be distributed normally with unknown mean μ and known variance σ2. Further, it is assumed that prior knowledge about μ is available in the form of an initial estimate μ0 of μ. It A is proposed to estimate the unknown mean by a testimator that is based upon the result of a test of the hypothesis If H0 is accepted based on the first sample of size n1 we take where the weighing factor k is a function of the test statistic for testing H0. However, if H0 is rejected, we obtain a second sample of size n2, and take . Choosing an expression for the mean square error of is derived and comparisons are made with variance of a single sample mean. The case when the variance σ2 is unknown is also considered.
Coronary angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction: should it be done? To whom? When?

In this issue of the Journal, Ellis et al. (1) describe the results of primary coronary angioplasty without prior thrombolytic therapy performed in the setting of acute myocardial infarction. The study patients were classified into 139 patients who received angioplasty 6 to 48 h after the onset of chest pain (late group) and 117 patients treated with angioplasty within 6 h of chest pain (early group). All patients underwent angioplasty on the basis of clinical evidence of ongoing ischemia or hemodynamic compromise. Patients with left main coronary artery disease or combination disease of the proximal left anterior descending and left circumflex coronary arteries were excluded, as were patients with lesions not suitable for attempted angioplasty. The late group had more patients with diabetes mellitus (19.4% versus 7.4%, p = 0.003), multivessel disease (61.2% versus 48.7%, p = 0.05) and a lower ejection fraction (44% versus 49%, p = 0.001). Successful coronary angioplasty was accomplished in 78.4% of the late group and 71.8% of the early group (hospital mortality rate 13.7% in both groups). Successful angioplasty was associated with a 5.5% hospital mortality rate, whereas unsuccessful angioplasty was associated with a 43.3% hospital mortality rate (p < 0.001). The predictors of hospital death were cardiogenic shock, low ejection fraction, unsuccessful angioplasty and older age. The time to angioplasty was not a predictor of outcome. The authors conclude that late emergency angioplasty may be justified when the likelihood of angioplasty success is very high. Assessing the role of coronary angioplasty. This large experience of early primary angioplasty in the absence of prior thrombolytic therapy is noteworthy and points to the difficulty in assessing the role of angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction. As the authors correctly note, the patients
Insights into the Size and Geometry of a Robust Engineered Membrane Protein Nanopore

The maximum utility of protein nanopores in biotechnological applications is generally dictated by the size and internal geometry of the protein. The knowledge of these two parameters is imperative, particularly when extensive protein redesign is employed to produce task-specific proteins.Recently, we used ferric hydroxamate uptake component A (FhuA), a β-barrel bacterial outermembrane protein, as a protein-engineering template to produce an unusually-rigid, open nanopore (FhuA ΔC/Δ4L). This new nanopore maintains its stability under harsh experimental conditions. It was essential to couple comprehensive protein redesign with protein refolding protocols to obtain such a nanopore. With the radical revamp of the FhuA template, it was necessary to shed light on the overall structure of the new FhuA ΔC/Δ4L protein. Thus, we employed water-soluble, flexible poly(ethylene glycols) and dextran polymers to inspect the interior of FhuA ΔC/Δ4L during single-channel recordings.The addition of poly(ethylene glycols) to solution produced alterations in the single-channel conductance, allowing for the calculation of the nanopore diameter. We report that FhuA ΔC/Δ4L features an approximate conical internal geometry with the cis entrance (extracellular) smaller than the trans entrance (periplasmic). This finding is in accord with the asymmetric nature of the crystal structure of the wild-type FhuA protein. Additionally, experiments with impermeable dextran indicated an average internal diameter of ∼2.4 nm, an estimate based on the polymer-induced alteration of the access resistance contribution to the total resistance of the nanopore. The insights into size and geometry of FhuA ΔC/Δ4L deduced from these polymers experiments will aid in future protein engineering of FhuA, opening new engineering avenues for specific tasks in biotechnological applications.This work is funded in part by grants from the US National Science Foundation (DMR-1006332, L.M.) and the National Institutes of Health (R01 GM088403, L.M.).
Antiphospholipid antibody-associated recurrent pregnancy loss : Treatment with heparin and low-dose aspirin is superior to low-dose aspirin alone

Abstract OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the use of low-dose aspirin alone with heparin and low-dose aspirin in the treatment of the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, single-center trial included 50 patients who were alternately assigned to treatment. Each patient had at least three consecutive spontaneous pregnancy losses, positive antiphospholipid antibodies on two occasions, and a complete evaluation. Data were compared by χ 2 analysis and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Viable infants were delivered of 11 of 25 (44%) women treated with aspirin and 20 of 25 (80%) women treated with heparin and aspirin ( p CONCLUSION: Heparin plus low-dose aspirin provides a significantly better pregnancy outcome than low-dose aspirin alone does for antiphospholipid antibody–associated recurrent pregnancy loss. (AM J OBSTET GYNECOL 1996;174:1584-9.)
Asymptotic Behavior of Self-Normalized Trimmed Sums: Nonnormal Limits III

Let X,X 1,X 2,…, be independent, identically distributed real random variables which are symmetric about the origin and have common nondegenerate distribution function F. Arrange the random sample X 1,X 2},…, X n in decreasing order of magnitude, breaking ties by priority of index, and denote the results by {X n(1),…, X n(n). Thus $$|X_{n}(1)|\geq |X_{n}(2)|\geq ...\geq |X_{n}(n)|$$ and X n(j)= X k if and only if #i ≤n: ∣X i∣ > ∣X k∣, or ∣X i∣ = ∣X k∣ and i ≤k= j.
Temporal variability in sources of dissolved organic carbon in the lower Mississippi river

Here we report on the temporal changes in the composition of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) collected in the tidal freshwater region of the lower Mississippi River. Lignin-phenols, bulk stable carbon isotopes, compound-specific isotope analyses (CSIA) and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry were used to examine the composition of high molecular weight dissolved organic matter (HMW DOM) at one station in the lower river over 6 different flow regimes in 1998 and 1999. It was estimated that the annual input of DOC delivered to the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River was of 3.1 × 10−3 Pg, which represents 1.2% of the total global input of DOC from rivers to the ocean. Average DOC and HMW DOC were 489 ±163 and 115 ± 47 μM, respectively. 13C-NMR spectra revealed considerably more aliphatic structures than aromatic carbons in HMW DOC. Lignin phenols were significantly 13C-depleted with respect to bulk HMW DOM indicating that C4 grass inputs to the HMW DOM were not significant. It is speculated that C4 organic matter in the river is not being converted (via microbial decay) to HMW DOM as readily as C3 organic matter is, because of the association of C4 organic matter with finer sediments. The predominantly aliphatic 13C NMR signature of HMW DOM suggests that autochthonous production in the river may be more important as a source of DOC than previously thought. Increases in nutrient loading and decreases in the suspended load (because of dams) in the Mississippi River, as well as other large rivers around the world, has resulted in significant changes in the sources and overall cycling of riverine DOC.
THEORETICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE STM IMAGES OF ALKANES AND SUBSTITUTED ALKANES ADSORBED ON GRAPHITE

A theoretical model based on perturbation theory has been developed to predict the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of molecules adsorbed on graphite. The model is applicable to a variety of different molecules with reasonable computational effort and provides images that are in qualitative agreement with experimental results. The model predicts that topographic effects will dominate the STM images of alkanes on graphite surfaces. The computations correlate well with the STM data of functionalized alkanes and allow assessment of the structure and orientation of most of the functionalized alkanes that have been studied experimentally. In addition, the computations suggest that the highly diffuse virtual orbitals of the adsorbed molecules, despite being much farther in energy from the Fermi level of the graphite than the occupied orbitals, may play an important role in determining the STM image contrast of such systems. I. Introduction The previous article 1 reports high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images of organic molecules adsorbed in ordered monolayers onto highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces. The images reported therein reveal features as small as single atoms and/or functional groups in the adsorbed molecules and provide atomic level information on the electronic coupling profiles of such overlayers. The STM images observed in this work and in studies of related systems 2-5 are, however, dependent on subtle structural changes in the adsorbed molecules and appear to be the result of both electronic and geometric effects. Thus, to fully exploit this imaging technique, it is important to understand how different aspects of the adsorbate and the experimental conditions blend together to create the observed images. In order to study and explain such phenomena for a large number of molecules, this article describes a theoretical model that has been developed to simulate the STM process. The method is accurate enough to be useful and reliable, it is simple enough to provide a facile method for interpretation of the available STM results, and it is cheap enough to be applicable to the systems of interestssmall functionalized alkanes on
Identification of potential fermentation inhibitors in conversion of hybrid poplar hydrolyzate to ethanol

In the production of automobile fuel ethanol from biomass by dilute acid hydrolysis/fermentation process, degradation products from the hydrolysis substantially inhibit the bioconversion of sugar to ethanol. Majority of these inhibitors have not been previously identified due to the complexity of biomass hydrolyzate. This paper presents an analytical procedure for identification of biomass degradation products, which entails flash evaporation, anion exchange, chloroform and ethyl acetate extraction, HPLC and GC-MS analyses. More than 35 potential inhibitors to S. cerevisiae fermentation in dilute nitric acid hydrolyzates of hybrid poplar were identified by correlating the fermentability of the anion exchange treated and untreated hydrolyzate samples with their chemical compositions, and by chemical analysis of the regeneration eluate from the ion exchange resin saturated by the hydrolyzate.
Two-fluid model compared to the quantum two-component plasma model for fully ionized hydrogen

Abstract We compare the thermodynamic functions calculated with the two-fluid model and with the quantum two-component plasma model for a dense, fully ionized hydrogen plasma. We find that a two-fluid model including a local field correction in the dielectric function and a proper free energy for the electron gas gives surprisingly good results, even in the region of low electron degeneracy.
On the role of subspace zeros in retrospective cost adaptive control of non-square plants

We consider adaptive control of non-square plants, that is, plants that have an unequal number of inputs and outputs. In particular, we focus on retrospective cost adaptive control (RCAC), which is a direct, discrete-time adaptive control algorithm that is applicable to stabilisation, command following, disturbance rejection, and model reference control problems. Previous studies on RCAC have focused on control of square plants. In the square case, RCAC requires knowledge of the first non-zero Markov parameter and the non-minimum-phase (NMP) transmission zeros of the plant, if any. No additional information about the plant or the exogenous signals need be known. The goal of the present paper is to consider RCAC for non-square plants. Unlike the square case, we show that the assumption that the non-square plant is minimum phase does not guarantee closed-loop stability and signal boundedness. The main purpose of this paper is to establish the existence of time-invariant input and output subspaces correspond...
Effect of Anionic Lipids on Structure and Function of Cannabinoid CB2 Receptor in Micelles and in Reconstituted Liposomes

Human cannabinoid CB2 receptor functions in plasma membranes of cells in immune and hematopoietic systems upon binding of cannabinoid ligands. Previously we reported on functional reconstitution of the recombinant CB2 receptor into liposomes. During solubilization and purification, structure of the receptor in micelles is stabilized by adding anionic cholesteryl hemisuccinate (CHS), that is used widely to maintain the functionality of recombinant GPCR. Here we show that the functional structure of CB2 receptor in micelles can be significantly preserved by replacing CHS with phospholipids prior to reconstitution. By ligand binding studies on the reconstituted receptor performed by 2H MAS NMR, that distinguishes specific binding to the receptor and nonspecific binding to the lipid matrix, and by G protein activation tests, we demonstrated that the anionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine (POPS) can be almost as efficient as CHS in stabilizing the receptor in micelles while the zwitterionic PC counterpart, POPC, was much less effective. Our results obtained with various phospholipid headgroup and acyl-chain species suggest that the net negative charge as well as the specific molecular structure of the PS headgroup plays a key role in maintaining the structural integrity of the receptor in micelles. On the reconstituted CB2 receptor in liposomes, effect of negative electric potential of membrane surface on G protein activation was investigated by systematically changing the content of anionic CHS or PS. The activation was highest at an anionic lipid content of about 50 mol%. There was no correlation between the efficiency of G protein activation and an increase of hydrocarbon chain order induced by CHS or cholesterol. The results highlight importance of anionic lipids in regulating signal transduction by CB2 receptor and possibly other class-A GPCR.
Attentional distraction, μ-suppression and empathic perspective-taking

Social mirroring has been proposed to be an automatic process whereby an observer understands the intentions of others by using his/her motor system to simulate others’ actions. Automaticity implies that if the observer’s eyes are fixed on another person, the observer’s mirror system will engage whether attention is focused on the other person or not. This proposal has not been fully tested, however. The current study therefore addressed whether μ-suppression, an electroencephalographic measure of putative mirror neuron activity, induced by observing the actions of others would be affected by attentional distraction. Participants performed two different distraction tasks while watching a video of a hand repeatedly touching the forefinger and thumb together. μ-suppression was compared across three different blocks: (1) video with no distraction, (2) video with mental imagery distraction and (3) video with word generation distraction. While the no distraction condition yielded the typical level of μ-suppression, the word generation distraction task eliminated any evidence of μ-suppression suggesting that simply fixating the eyes on an action without focusing attention is insufficient to induce μ-suppression. A secondary goal of the current experiment was to replicate correlational findings between μ-suppression and empathic perspective-taking. A counterintuitive, negative relationship between μ-suppression and perspective-taking was replicated, and a theoretical model for explaining this relationship is offered.
Examining the positive effects of exercise in intubated adults in ICU: a prospective repeated measures clinical study.

Summary Background Determining the optimal timing and progression of mobility exercise has the potential to affect functional recovery of critically ill adults. This study compared standard care with care delivered using a mobility protocol. We examined the effects of exercise on vital signs and inflammatory biomarkers and the effects of the nurse-initiated mobility protocol on outcomes. Methods Prospective, repeated measures study with a control (standard care) and intervention (protocol) period. Results 75 heterogeneous subjects admitted to a Medical or Surgical intensive care unit (ICU) were enrolled. In Conclusion A growing body of evidence demonstrates that early, progressive exercise has significant benefits to intubated adults. These results should encourage clinicians to add mobility protocols to the care of ICU adults and lead to future studies to determine optimal “dosing” of exercise in ICU patients.
Titin isoform changes in rat myocardium during development.

Developmental changes in the alternative splicing patterns of titin were observed in rat cardiac muscle. Titin from 16-day fetal hearts consisted of a single 3710 kDa band on SDS agarose gels, and it disappeared by 10 days after birth. The major adult N2B isoform (2990 kDa) first appeared in 18-day fetal hearts and its proportion in the ventricle increased to approximately 85% from 20 days of age and older. Changes in three other intermediate-sized N2BA isoform bands also occurred during this same time period. The cDNA sequences of fetal cardiac, adult ventricle, and adult soleus were different in the PEVK and alternatively spliced middle Ig domain. Extensive heterogeneity in splice patterns was found in the N2BA PEVK region. The extra length of the fetal titin isoforms appeared to be due to both a greater number of middle Ig domains expressed plus the inclusion of more PEVK exons. Passive tension measurements on myocyte-sized fragments indicated a significantly lower tension in neonate versus adult ventricles at sarcomere lengths greater than 2.1 mm, consistent with the protein and cDNA sequence results. The time course of the titin isoform switching was similar to that occurring with myosin and troponin I during development.
La loa para el auto sacramental "El sacro pernaso" de Calderón de la Barca

The Loa para el auto sacramental del Sacro Parnaso [Sacro Pernaso] (herebycritically edited for the first time) follows in the footsteps of other loas (prologues)written as preambles for Calderon’s autos. In addition to being a eulogy of Madrid asa devout city and a eulogy of the Habsburg house as having sponsored the sacramentalfestivities, the Loa is the perfect prologue to the auto entitled El Sacro Pernaso inwhich the spectators will be offered questions pertaining to dogmatic theology and anoverall celebration of the Mystery of the Eucarist
Amino acid accumulation in frog muscle. II. Are cycloleucine fluxes consistent with an adsorption model for concentrative uptake of amino acid

Cycloleucine accumulation by frog muscle was studied at 0 degrees C and 25 degrees C. At external concentrations less than 5 mM the distribution ratio of cycloleucine is higher at 0 degrees C. At concentrations greater than 5 mM the converse is true due to apparent exclusion of cycloleucine from a larger portion of the cell water at 0 degrees C than at 25 degrees C. The steady state data are consistent with an adsorption model for amino acid accumulation. Flux studies provide a means to rule out this model if all the possible rate-limiting steps in the movement of amino acid into and out of the cell are considered. These steps include intra-cytoplasmic diffusion, desorption from cytoplasmic or membrane sites and passage through the cell membrane. The assumption is made that the rate-limiting step for influx and efflux is the same, allowing the use of either influx or efflux data to examine the model. Diffusion-limited flux is ruled out on the basis of "influx profile analysis" of the time course of cycloleucine entry at both 0 degrees C and 25 degrees C. At least 95% of all intracellular cycloleucine leaves frog muscle cells with a single exponential time course at both 0 degrees C and 25 degrees C. The rate constant of efflux does not vary with cellular concentration. These findings are shown to be incompatible with desorption-limited efflux. They are compatible with membrane-limited efflux only if (i) adsorption sites are located on membranes with direct access to the extracellular space and (ii) the rate constant for desorption is equal to the rate constant of membrane-limited efflux of free amino acid. It is considered unlikely that such a coincidence would occur at both 0 degrees C and 25 degrees C. Therefore, an adsorption model for cycloleucine accumulation in frog muscle appears to be untenable.
Process Mapping as a Tool for Home Health Network Analysis

ABSTRACT Process mapping is a qualitative tool that allows service providers, policy makers, researchers, and other concerned stakeholders to get a “bird's eye view” of a home health care organizational network or a very focused, in-depth view of a component of such a network. It can be used to share knowledge about community resources directed at the older population, identify gaps in resource availability and access, and promote on-going collaborative interactions that encourage systemic policy reassessment and programmatic refinement. This article is a methodological description of process mapping, which explores its utility as a practice and research tool, illustrates its use in describing service-providing networks, and discusses some of the issues that are key to successfully using this methodology.
Changes in RNA and protein synthesis associated with the adaptation of Synechococcus sp. to 0.4 M NaCl

Abstract The effect of 0.4 M NaCl on protein and RNA synthesis in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus was studied. The rate of [ 14 C]leucine and [ 3 H]uridine incorporation over 3 hr was measured by TCA precipitation of protein and RNA molecules present in sonicated extracts of control, salt-grown and osmotically shocked cells. Protein and RNA syntheses rates were markedly higher in salt-adapted cells. Hyper-osmotic shock (resuspension of control cells in 0.4 M NaCl) elicited a stimulation in protein synthesis while RNA synthesis was initially depressed when compared to control cells. Hypo-osmotic shock (resuspension of salt-grown cells in basal media) initially depressed both rates relative to salt-adapted cells. It is concluded that adaptation to 0.4 M NaCl in this organism is correlated with rapid (1–3 hr) and substantial changes in the rates of transcription and translation.
Nutritional adaptation of some Colombian Indians.

In an attempt to suggest the relationships among cultural practices, the limitations of the environment, and nutrition to on-going human evolution, a series of synopses of information on Colombian Indian groups was presented. These groups consisted of the Choco, Kogi, Ika, Motilon, Guajiro, Guahibo, and Cubeo. Although there is little useful data available, this report does indicate that these Indians depend on agricultural methods for a substantial portion of their diet. Furthermore, this study suggests the framework necessary for future studies of nutrition and its effects on human evolution.
Three-dimensional computed tomography comparison of the maxillary palatal vault between patients with rapid palatal expansion and orthodontically treated controls

Introduction The aim of this study was to use cone-beam computed tomography to compare changes of skeletal and dental structures of the maxillary palatal vault in a group of growing patients treated for posterior crossbite before and after rapid palatal expansion (RPE) with changes over time in a control group. Methods The sample for this retrospective study included 19 patients treated with a hyrax palatal expander at a graduate orthodontic clinic and 19 control subjects who received no RPE. Beginning and progress cone-beam computed tomography scans of all patients were analyzed to measure the anatomic volume, width, height, and anteroposterior dimensions of the palatal region. Results Progress scans (after RPE treatment for cases) showed, the mean percentages of change in palatal volume were 10.8% in the controls and 21.7% in the RPE group ( P = 0.038); however, there were no statistically significant differences in palatal volume at baseline or at progress scan between the RPE patients and controls. Absolute first molar-to-molar width changes at progress scan were 0.57 mm in the controls and 3.27 mm in the RPE group ( P = 0.022). Absolute canine-to-canine width changes at progress scan were 0.45 mm in the controls and 2.79 mm in the RPE group ( P = 0.007). There were significant differences in percentage and absolute changes in maxillary width measured from molar to molar and canine to canine between RPE group and controls, but no significant differences in maxillary vault height or anteroposterior dimension changes. Conclusions At progress scan, canine-to-canine width, first molar-to-molar width, and anteroposterior length of the palatal maxillary volume in the RPE group approached the measurements of the controls. Palatal volumes (at baseline and progress scan) were not statistically significantly different between the groups.
Radiation-sensitive genetically susceptible pediatric sub-populations

Major advances in pediatric cancer treatment have resulted in substantial improvements in survival. However, concern has emerged about the late effects of cancer therapy, especially radiation-related second cancers. Studies of childhood cancer patients with inherited cancer syndromes can provide insights into the interaction between radiation and genetic susceptibility to multiple cancers. Children with retinoblastoma (Rb), neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), and nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) are at substantial risk of developing radiation-related second and third cancers. A radiation dose-response for bone and soft-tissue sarcomas has been observed in hereditary Rb patients, with many of these cancers occurring in the radiation field. Studies of NF1 patients irradiated for optic pathway gliomas have reported increased risks of developing another cancer associated with radiotherapy. High relative risks for second and third cancers were observed for a cohort of 200 LFS family members, especially children, possibly related to radiotherapy. Children with NBCCS are very sensitive to radiation and develop multiple basal cell cancers in irradiated areas. Clinicians following these patients should be aware of their increased genetic susceptibility to multiple primary malignancies enhanced by sensitivity to ionizing radiation.
Clinical Safety of 311C90: Aggregated Data from Patients and Volunteers to Date

The tolerability of 311C90, a novel, selective and highly effective 5-HT1D receptor agonist in development for the acute treatment of migraine, has been evaluated in a number of clinical ph
Serotonin regulation of neostriatal tachykinins following neonatal 6-hydroxydopamine lesions.

Abstract In order to determine whether dopamine mediates the effects of serotonin on tachykinin biosynthesis in the neostriatum, serotonin neurotransmission was altered following depletion of dopamine. Neonatal rats received intracisternal injections of saline or the dopamine neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6HD). This lesion caused significant reductions in the neostriatum of substance P-like immunoreactivity as well as levels of mRNA coding for preprotachykinin (PPT; the prohormone precursor to tachykinins substance P, neurokinin A and related peptides). Two months later, rats were treated for 5–6 days with saline or the serotonin-uptake inhibitor, zimelidine. Zimelidine treatment of unlesioned animals significantly increased PPT mRNA levels in the neostriatum. However, zimelidine treatment failed to increase PPT mRNA content in 6HD-treated animals. By contrast, neostriatal substance P-like immunoreactivity was restored by zimelidine treatment of 6HD-lesioned animals. These results suggest that an intact nigrostriatal pathway may be required for serotonin neurotransmission to alter PPT mRNA levels in the neostriatum. However, neostriatal tachykinins may be regulated by direct serotonin innervation.
Development of a protein phosphatase-based assay for the detection of phosphatase inhibitors in crude whole cell and animal extracts

Abstract Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) is a serious and globally widespread phytoplankton-related seafood illness. Although DSP is rarely life-threatening, it causes incapacitating diarrhea and vomiting with no known medical treatments. In addition, phytoplankton producing DSP toxins have been identified in temperate coastal waters worldwide, and their numbers may be increasing as a result of coastal eutrophication. The toxic effects of the major DSP toxins, okadaic acid and dinophysistoxin-1 (35-methylokadaic acid), appear to originate from their inhibitory activity against a family of structurally related serine/threonine protein phosphatases (PSPases). In particular, the inhibition of essential PSPases (e.g. PP1 and PP2A) has catastrophic consequences in most eukaryotic cells. Exploiting the potent inhibitory property of the DSP toxins, we have developed an enzyme-based assay (PP2A assay) capable of detecting both okadaic acid and dinophysis- toxin-1 in nanogram amounts. The assay employs purified PP2A, which has an extremely high affinity for both DSP toxins. This provides the PP2A assay with a level of sensitivity comparable to, or surpassing, that of most monoclonal antibody probes. To evaluate the PP2A assay as a means of detecting contaminated shellfish, a series of spike recovery experiments was conducted. The findings from these studies suggest that the PP2A assay has the potential for development into a rapid and relatively simple method for detecting PSPase inhibitors in crude extracts produced from shellfish.