cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cannabinoid Signaling Recruits Astrocytes to Modulate Presynaptic Function in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

Circadian rhythms are 24-h cycles in physiology regulated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the brain, where daily cues act on SCN neurons to alter clock timing. Cannabinoid signaling modulates SCN neuronal activity, although the mechanism remains unclear. We propose that neuronal activity generates endocannabinoid release, activating astrocyte Ca2+ signaling, which releases adenosine and activates adenosine-1 receptors (A1Rs) on the presynaptic axon terminals, decreasing GABA release. We demonstrated, in mice, that activation of cannabinoid-1 receptors (CB1R) with the agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN) reduced the miniature GABA receptor-mediated postsynaptic current (mGPSC) frequency by a mechanism that requires astrocytes and A1R. WIN activated an intracellular Ca2+ signaling pathway in astrocytes. Activating this intracellular Ca2+ pathway with designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs) also decreased the mGPSC frequency and required A1R activation. The frequency of spontaneous Ca2+ events, including those induced by depolarization of a postsynaptic SCN neuron, was reduced by blocking CB1R activation with AM251, demonstrating neuronal endocannabinoid signaling modulates astrocytic Ca2+ signaling in the SCN. Finally, daytime application of WIN or adenosine phase advanced the molecular circadian clock, indicating that this cannabinoid signaling pathway is vital for the timing of circadian rhythms.
Chronic antioxidant administration restores macrovascular function in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

New findings What is the central question of this study? We aimed to examine oxidative stress, antioxidant capacity and macro- and microvascular function in response to 30 days of oral antioxidant administration in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. What is the main finding and its importance? We observed an approximately twofold improvement in macrovascular function, assessed via brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation, and a reduction in oxidative stress after antioxidant administration in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. The improvement in macrovascular function was reversed 1 week after treatment cessation. These findings have identified the potential of oral antioxidant administration to optimize macrovascular health in this patient group. Abstract Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is characterized by macrovascular dysfunction and elevated oxidative stress that may be mitigated by antioxidant (AOx) administration. In this prospective study, we assessed flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and reactive hyperaemia responses in 14 healthy, older control participants and 14 patients with HFrEF, followed by 30 days of oral AOx administration (1 g vitamin C, 600 I.U. vitamin E and 0.6 g α-lipoic acid) in the patient group. Blood biomarkers of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde) and AOx capacity (ferric reducing ability of plasma) were also assessed. Patients with HFrEF had a lower %FMD (2.63 ± 1.57%) than control participants (5.62 ± 2.60%), and AOx administration improved %FMD in patients with HFrEF (30 days, 4.90 ± 2.38%), effectively restoring macrovascular function to that of control participants. In a subset of patients, we observed a progressive improvement in %FMD across the treatment period (2.62 ± 1.62, 4.23 ± 2.69, 4.33 ± 2.24 and 4.97 ± 2.56% at days 0, 10, 20 and 30, respectively, n = 12) that was abolished 7 days after treatment cessation (2.99 ± 1.78%, n = 9). No difference in reactive hyperaemia was evident between groups or as a consequence of the AOx treatment. Ferric reducing ability of plasma levels increased (from 6.08 ± 2.80 to 6.70 ± 1.59 mm, day 0 versus 30) and malondialdehyde levels decreased (from 6.81 ± 2.80 to 6.22 ± 2.84 μm, day 0 versus 30) after treatment. These findings demonstrate the efficacy of chronic AOx administration in attenuating oxidative stress, improving AOx capacity and restoring macrovascular function in patients with HFrEF.
Resilience is associated with importance of quitting in homeless adult smokers.

Abstract Objective The prevalence of cigarette smoking in homeless populations is disproportionately high with rates between 57 and 80%. Resilience may affect a smoker’s ability to successfully quit smoking. This cross-sectional study examined the association between resilience levels and smoking behaviors in homeless adults. Method Fifty-nine homeless adults were recruited from a large multi-service homelessness agency in the northeast United States. Surveys were administered to measure smoking behaviors and resilience. Results Most participants were current smokers (83.1%), with more than half (67.1%) identifying as “moderate smokers” (smoking 10–20 cigarettes per day). Of the current smokers, 93.9% reported smoking daily and 71.4% had tried to quit at least once in their lifetime. The number of quit attempts was significantly (p Conclusions This study demonstrates an association between importance of quitting and resilience levels in homeless adult smokers. Future work is needed to examine whether resilience is related to successful smoking cessation in homeless adults, and whether resilience levels can be increased with targeted interventions.
Genetic disruption of the p27kip1 confers antiestrogen insensitivity and metastasis potential on human breast cancer cells

1530 The genetic changes and molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of estrogen-dependent breast cancers to estrogen-independent and antiestrogen-resistant breast cancers, a major problem of endocrine therapy, are unclear. Here, we used an enhanced retroviral mutagen (ERM) system to screen the entire genome for identifying the loss- or gain-of-function mutations that could confer this critical progression. We show that the T47D estrogen-dependent human breast cancer cell line contains only one p27kip1 allele coding for the p27 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor. An ERM insertion into the p27kip1 locus of T47D cells disrupted the p27kip1 gene and caused estrogen-independent and antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer cell growth even these cells were still ERα positive. Disruption of p27 in T47D cells resulted in several changes. First, CDK2 activity was increased in the absence of estrogen or presence of tamoxifen or ICI. Second, AIB1, a cancer-overexpressed transcriptional coactivator, was hyper-phosphorylated, which made AIB1 a super-coactivator for E2F1. Third, overactivation of E2F indirectly stimulated Akt activation, which in turn promoted cell survival, motility and invasion. Both T47D and p27-deficient T47D cells formed solid tumors after injected into the mammary fat pads of ovariectomized nude mice treated with estradiol, but failed to develop tumors in placebo-treated mice, suggesting that inactivation of p27 alone is not sufficient to develop estrogen-independent tumors in the mammary gland although it is sufficient to maintain estrogen-independent cell growth in culture. Nevertheless, when the p27-deficient T47D cells were intravenously injected into the nude mice, they formed metastatic lung tumors in 3 weeks in an ovarian hormone-independent manner. In contrast, no lung tumors were observed in nude mice injected with T47D cells. In summary, out results demonstrate that p27 is required not only for estrogen dependency and antiestrogen sensitivity of ER-positive breast cancer cells but also for inhibition of cell motility, invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells.
Implementing the Renewable Fuel Standard with the Renewable Portfolio Standard in the US: Implications for Policy Costs and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and state-level Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) have the potential to interact in complex ways because they will both rely on biomass for cellulosic biofuels and bio-electricity. This interaction could be synergistic or competitive; while the implementation of the RFS could divert biomass from electricity generation for biofuels it would also generate electricity as a co-product of the cellulosic biofuel production process. This paper examines the welfare costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions effects of the RFS and RPS implemented jointly and compares them with those of implementing each of these policies by itself over the 2007-2030 period using an integrated, dynamic, price endogenous model of the electricity, transportation and agricultural sectors for the US. We also compare the cost effectiveness of these policies implemented jointly with those of a carbon tax that achieves the same level of cumulative reduction in domestic GHG emissions over 2007-2030 period. We find that the implementation of the RFS will raise the welfare costs of implementing the RPS for the electricity sector by 10% and lower its GHG benefits by 7% relative to those with the RPS implemented by itself. We also find that the global welfare costs of the jointly implemented RFS and RPS policies are significantly higher than those of a carbon tax. However, the former induces a larger shift to renewable energy than the carbon tax alone and thus would achieve larger reductions in domestic GHG emissions in the long run than a constant carbon tax policy.
Attention based Writer Independent Handwriting Verification.

The task of writer verification is to provide a likelihood score for whether the queried and known handwritten image samples belong to the same writer or not. Such a task calls for the neural network to make it's outcome interpretable, i.e. provide a view into the network's decision making process. We implement and integrate cross-attention and soft-attention mechanisms to capture the highly correlated and salient points in feature space of 2D inputs. The attention maps serve as an explanation premise for the network's output likelihood score. The attention mechanism also allows the network to focus more on relevant areas of the input, thus improving the classification performance. Our proposed approach achieves a precision of 86\% for detecting intra-writer cases in CEDAR cursive "AND" dataset. Furthermore, we generate meaningful explanations for the provided decision by extracting attention maps from multiple levels of the network.
Local Semicircle Law at the Spectral Edge for Gaussian β-Ensembles

We study the local semicircle law for Gaussian β-ensembles at the edge of the spectrum. We prove that at the almost optimal level of \({n^{-2/3+\epsilon}}\), the local semicircle law holds for all β ≥ 1 at the edge. The proof of the main theorem relies on the calculation of the moments of the tridiagonal model of Gaussian β-ensembles up to the pn-moment, where \({p_n = O(n^{2/3-\epsilon})}\). The result is analogous to the result of Sinai and Soshnikov (Funct Anal Appl 32(2), 1998) for Wigner matrices, but the combinatorics involved in the calculations are different.
A Quantitative Analysis of Social Media to Determine Trends in Brain Tumor Care and Treatment.

Background Approximately 80,000 primary brain tumors are diagnosed annually. Social media provides a source of information and support for patients diagnosed with brain tumors; however, use of this forum for dissemination of information about brain tumors has not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate social media utilization and content related to brain tumors with an emphasis on patients’ trends in usage. Methods Social media platforms were systematically evaluated using two search methods: systematic manual inquiry and a keyword-based social media tracker. The search terms included brain tumor, glioblastoma, glioma, and glioblastoma multiforme. Social media content (which includes Facebook pages and groups, YouTube videos, and Twitter or Instagram accounts) and posts were assessed for activity (as quantified by views of posts) and analyzed using a categorization framework. Results The manual and keyword searches identified 946 sources of social media content, with a total count of 7,184,846 points of engagement. Social media platforms had significant variations in content type. YouTube was the largest social media platform for sharing content related to brain tumors overall, with an emphasis on surgical videos and documented patient experiences. Facebook accounted for the majority of patient-to-patient support, and Twitter was the most common platform for scientific dissemination. Overall social media content was mostly focused on treatment overviews and patient experience. When evaluated by search term, most social media posts by the “brain tumor” community shared illness narratives, and searches specific to “glioma” and “glioblastoma” demonstrated a higher proportion of educational and treatment posts. Conclusions This study presents novel observations of the characteristics of social media utilization for the online brain tumor community. A robust patient community exists online, with an emphasis on sharing personal narratives, treatment information, patient-to-patient support, treatment options, and fundraising events. This study provides a window to the role of social media utilization by patients, their families, and health professionals. These findings demonstrate the different roles of Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter in the rapidly changing era of social media and its relationship with neurosurgery and neuro-oncology.
Extremal general affine surface areas

Abstract For a convex body K in R n , we introduce and study the extremal general affine surface areas, defined by IS φ ( K ) : = sup K ′ ⊂ K ⁡ as φ ( K ) , os ψ ( K ) : = inf K ′ ⊃ K ⁡ as ψ ( K ) where as φ ( K ) and as ψ ( K ) are the L φ and L ψ affine surface area of K, respectively. We prove that there exist extremal convex bodies that achieve the supremum and infimum, and that the functionals IS φ and os ψ are continuous. In our main results, we prove Blaschke-Santalo type inequalities and inverse Santalo type inequalities for the extremal general affine surface areas. This article may be regarded as an Orlicz extension of the recent work of Giladi, Huang, Schutt and Werner (2020), who introduced and studied the extremal L p affine surface areas.
Optimisation of ammonia refrigeration system by manipulating parameters of vapour compression cycle

Energy saving is the key to reduce the operational cost of any industrial process. Slight optimisation of the process can lead to reduced energy consumption and higher profits. In this study, the ammonia refrigeration cycle has been optimised by changing some of the process conditions. The demand of ammonia has been reduced to 1.30%, lowering the cooling water temperature for the same cooling load. Moreover, the co-efficient of performance (COP) of the cycle has also increased from 4.0 to 4.68. The CoolPack® software has been used to determine the maximum possible COP of ammonia along with the analysis and design of the ammonia refrigeration cycle. The study also encompasses a detailed comparison of potential refrigerants and proposes R32 as a potential alternative in industrial refrigeration systems ensuring higher efficiency, safety, and environmental friendliness.
Racial capitalism and epistemic injustice: Blindspots in the theory and practice of solidarity economy in Brazil

Abstract This article performs a socio-spatial analysis of the political discourse, agendas, and organizing spaces of the Solidarity Economy Movement (MSE) in Rio de Janeiro as a lens to examine how racialized power–knowledge dynamics and race-based socio-spatial inequalities can be replicated in the process of institutionalization of social movements’ agendas. It discusses adverse implications stemming from the MSE’s political choice to disproportionately focus on policy-centrism over grassroots organization as its priority strategy. It also analyses the failures of the white leadership of the movement to acknowledge Black economic traditions, Favela economies, and Black solidarity economies as pivotal experiences to understand and challenge racial capitalism. I draw on two years of participatory ethnographic research in Favela City of God and in Solidarity Economy marketplaces and political spaces across Rio de Janeiro. This paper elucidates a gap in the literature on Solidarity Economy in Brazil in terms of theorizing around race. I contend that a colorblind class-first Marxist approach, in tandem with the perversive myth of racial democracy in Brazil, underpin the movement’s conceptual shortcoming in addressing how racialization is co-constitutive of both capitalism and solidarity economies. I show how such neglect has displaced Black women favela dwellers as knowledge producers and weakened the base support of the movement in ways that is debilitating to its organizational capacity. I argue for the epistemic and political contributions that Black communities’ expertise with solidarity economies can make to critical analysis of racial capitalism and solidarity economies as well as to the endeavor of rethinking political economy.
Human iPSC lines from a Christianson syndrome patient with NHE6 W523X mutation, a biologically-related control, and CRISPR/Cas9 gene-corrected isogenic controls.

Abstract Loss-of-function mutations in Na+/H + exchanger 6 (NHE6) (also termed SLC9A6) cause the X-linked neurogenetic disorder Christianson syndrome (CS). Using peripheral blood mononuclear cells, we developed induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from a patient with the NHE6 nonsense mutation c.1569G > A (p.(W523X)) and diagnosed with CS and from a biologically-related control. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, we generated two isogenic control lines in which the c.1569G > A mutation was corrected. All lines were verified by DNA sequencing and for NHE6 protein expression, pluripotency, and differentiation potential. These lines will serve as a valuable resource for both basic and translational studies in CS.
Evaluating longitudinal bending stiffness testing for performance footwear

Longitudinal bending stiffness (LBS) is a critical factor in performance running shoe design. Moreover, the recent appearance of carbon-fiber plates in running shoes has created increased interest ...
נשים בתפקידים שיפוטיים בספרות ההלכתית: ניתוח משפטי-היסטורי Women in Judicial Roles: A Legal-History Analysis

תקציר בעברית: המאמר עוסק בהתפתחות ההיסטורית של הדיונים ההלכתיים על סוגית כשירותן של נשים לשמש בתפקידים שיפוטיים. ניתוח המקורות הקאנוניים מעלה כי אין קביעות מהותניות ברורות בבסיס פסלותן של נשים לדון. הרמב"ם היה הראשון שקישר בין פסלות נשים לדון לבין מבני כוח. שאלת הכוח הפכה למרכזית בדיונים המודרניים סביב השאלה ונערכה על רקע השינויים במעמדן של נשים. חשיבותו של מימד הכוח והשלכותיו הפוליטיות מתבררת על רקע השוואת הדיון בסוגיה זו לסוגיה דומה והיא מינויה של אישה כאפוטרופוס. יש דימיון רב בין מערכת השיקולים ההלכתית בסוגיות הללו אך השיח ההלכתי איפשר לנשים לתפקד בתפקידי אפוטרופסות ולא בתפקידים שיפוטיים. המאמר טוען כי ההבדל בתוצאה נובע מכך שמימד הכוח לא רלוונטי לסוגיית האפוטרופסות בניגוד לתפקידים שיפוטיים. English Abstract: The article discusses the historical evolution of halachic discussions on the eligibility of women to serve in judicial roles. An analysis of canonical sources shows that there are no clear essentialist axioms and the first to introduce such ideas to the discussion was Maimonides who linked this question to power in its sociological aspects. The political significance of power and judicial roles is apparent when comparing the halachic discourse on these questions to a parallel halachic discussion on women serving as guardians. There are many similarities between the legalistic arguments in both but at a certain point the halachic discourse allowed women to assume guardianship roles, the article asserts that this is the result of the fact that questions of power are not relevant to the guardianship discussion.
Ethics and Fallacies of Human-Centric Lighting and Artificial Light at Night

Human-centered design is a problem-solving approach that focuses on people first—their productivity, comfort, and user experience. A bicycle should be designed with pedals, seat, handlebars, brakes...
When Does Personalized Feedback Make A Difference? A Narrative Review of Recent Findings and Their Implications for Promoting Better Diabetes Self-Care

Providing behavioral, biomarker, or disease risk feedback to patients is a key component of most behavioral interventions in diabetes, but it remains unclear what is necessary for such feedback to be truly engaging and effective. We sought to identify how personalized health-related feedback is most effectively designed and delivered, and how feedback may be tailored to meet the needs of individual patients with diabetes. To do so, we systematically reviewed recent findings concerning the effectiveness of feedback in eight health-related areas, including several specific to diabetes care (blood glucose monitoring and HbA1c) and others which touch on broader care dimensions (blood pressure, cholesterol, dietary intake, pedometer usage, self-weighing, and medical imaging). Five interdependent characteristics of health-related feedback were identified (clarity of the feedback message, personal meaningfulness of the feedback, frequency of feedback, guidance and support accompanying feedback, and interplay between feedback and patient characteristics) and applications for use in diabetes care were provided. Findings suggested that feedback will be most effective when it is easy for patients to understand and is personally meaningful, frequency of feedback is appropriate to the characteristics of the behavior/biomarker, guidance for using feedback is provided, and feedback is qualified by patient characteristics. We suggest that the effectiveness of feedback to promote better diabetes outcomes requires careful consideration of the feedback message, how it is delivered, and characteristics of the recipients.
Formatting Your Worksheets Quickly and Efficiently

To make your worksheets show the information you need and present it so that it’s easy to understand, you’ll need to format them. This chapter shows you how to format worksheets quickly and efficiently using the various tools that Excel provides.
Complications of Thyroidectomy

Postoperative complications are related to the wound, hemorrhage, damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve or the external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve, injury to the blood supply, or removal of the parathyroids. With proper preoperative evaluation, well-planned surgery, meticulous dissection, and proper attention to intraoperative details, the complication rate can be minimized.
Effects of guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate on the perfused rat liver.

Abstract The effect of exogenous guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic GMP) and adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) were compared in the isolated rat liver perfused with buffer containing blood cells and albumin. Cyclic GMP was ⅓ to ½ as potent as cyclic AMP in stimulating glucose production, net glycogenolysis, glyconeogenesis from lactate, and release of K+. Cyclic GMP activated glycogen phosphorylase and inhibited the incorporation of 14C from lactate into glycogen. The effectiveness of cyclic GMP in the perfused liver was unexpected in view of its relatively weak ability to mimic cyclic AMP in broken cell preparations. Cyclic GMP did not act by raising the tissue level of cyclic AMP nor did it promote the release of cyclic AMP into the medium as did glucagon or epinephrine. Cyclic GMP was observed to accumulate in the liver to a much greater extent than cyclic AMP, and this probably accounts for its unexpected potency. The two nucleotides were removed by the liver at similar rates. Insulin inhibited the effects of submaximal concentrations of cyclic AMP on hepatic glycogenolysis, but did not alter the effects of cyclic GMP.
Service to the Profession: Definitions, Scope, and Value

Abstract For academic librarians with faculty status, service to the profession often forms part of the requirements for promotion and tenure. Considering the concept of professional service raises questions as to what specific activities qualify; what is their weight, both within the service requirement and also as compared with other requirements, such as research and publication; and how are service activities best documented. Examination of ARL Standards and selected promotion and tenure documents revealed inconsistencies between institutions and great flexibility in interpretation by most.
Design and construction of a small ducted fan engine for nonlinear control experiments

This paper describes the design and construction of a small ducted fan engine which is being used for experimental research in robust nonlinear control of high-performance vectored thrust aircraft. The fan consists of a high-efficiency electric motor with a 6-inch diameter blade, capable of generating up to 9 Newtons of thrust. Flaps on the fan allow the thrust to be vectored from side to side and even reversed. The engine is mounted on a three degree of freedom stand which allows horizontal and vertical translation as well as unrestricted pitch angle. We give a detailed description of the design and construction of the fan and its analytical and empirical models. Initial PID controllers for altitude and pitch angle stabilization are included to verify the system model and indicate future avenues of research.
Fire Resistance of Unprotected Steel Columns

Fire resistance of unprotected steel columns is examined by standard fire test and numerical analyses based on a 1,000 D F (538 D C) critical temperature for failure. It is shown that fire resistance time varies with the shape factor of column weight divided by the heated perimeter, and two simple equations for calculating the fire resistance times of unprotected steel columns are established. A practical example shows that large columns used in high-rise buildings can have fire resistance times of up to one hr. The more conservative of the two equations is recommended for use in building standards.
Removal of reverse-fluxed ammonium by anammox in a forward osmosis system using ammonium bicarbonate as a draw solute

Abstract Reverse flux of ammonium draw solute is a serious problem for applying forward osmosis (FO) in water/wastewater treatment. In this study, anaerobic ammonium oxidization (anammox) was synergistically linked to FO for removal of reverse-fluxed ammonium, thereby creating an osmotic anammox system. The feasibility of this system was demonstrated through both batch and continuous operation, and the anammox process was developed in two stages: sole anammox and nitritation–anammox. With addition of nitrite, the sole anammox process achieved an effluent ammonium concentration of 9.9±9.5 mg N L−1. The nitritation–anammox maintained an ammonium concentration of 3.1±4.2 mg N L−1, and increased the water flux to 2.46±0.24 LMH (L m−2 h−1) compared with the sole anammox (1.90±0.14 LMH). The nitritation–anammox process exhibited advantages over anammox process in assisting the FO with respect to water flux improvement and chemical savings. The osmotic anammox system can be linked to previously developed microbial electrolysis cells that recover ammonium from high-strength wastes as a draw solute for FO operation. The results encourage further investigation of this system for effects of organic residues, decreasing nitrate accumulation, understanding biofilm on the FO membrane, and long-term performance with actual waste.
Structural properties of InAs/InAs 1-x Sb x type-II superlattices

This paper describes structural properties of strain-balanced InAs/InAs1-xSbx type-II superlattices (SLs) with random and modulated InAs/InAs1-xSbx alloy layers as grown on GaSb(001) substrates either by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) or metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The SL periods and the average Sb compositions of the InAs/InAs1-xSbx alloys are determined by comparison of simulations with (004) high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The most intense SL peaks no longer correspond to the zero-order peak because of the large SL periods, and XRD studies of thick individual InAs/InAs1-xSbx and InAs layers show envelope modulations of the SL peaks on either side of the substrate peak, causing some satellite peaks to be more intense than the zero-order SL peak. From the substrate - zero-order SL peak separations, the average SL strain in the growth direction is revealed to be less than ~0.2%. Calculated bandgap energies agree closely with photoluminescence peaks for mid-wavelength and long-wavelength infrared samples. Cross-sectional electron micrographs reveal the entire structure including the GaSb substrate and buffer layer, the SL periods, and the GaSb cap layer. Growth defects are occasionally visible, some originating at the substrate/buffer interface, some starting in the middle of the buffer layer, and some located only just within the SL. Higher magnification images of the SLs grown by MBE reveal that interfaces for InAs/InAs1-xSbx deposited on InAs are considerably more abrupt than those of InAs deposited on InAs/InAs1-xSbx with the most likely reason being segregation of the Sb surfactant during layer growth.
A new computational method for detection of chimeric 16S rRNA artifacts generated by PCR amplification from mixed bacterial populations.

A new computational method (chimeric alignment) has been developed to detect chimeric 16S rRNA artifacts generated during PCR amplification from mixed bacterial populations. In contrast to other nearest-neighbor methods (e.g., CHECK_CHIMERA) that define sequence similarity by k-tuple matching, the chimeric alignment method uses the score from dynamic programming alignments. Further, the chimeric alignments are displayed to the user to assist in sequence classification. The distribution of improvement scores for 500 authentic, nonchimeric sequences and 300 artificial chimeras (constructed from authentic sequences) was used to study the sensitivity and accuracy of both chimeric alignment and CHECK_CHIMERA. At a constant rate of authentic sequence misclassification (5%), chimeric alignment incorrectly classified 13% of the artificial chimeras versus 14% for CHECK_CHIMERA. Interestingly, only 1% of nonchimeras and 10% of chimeras were misclassified by both programs, suggesting that optimum performance is obtained by using the two methods to assign sequences to three classes: high-probability nonchimeras, high-probability chimeras, and sequences that need further study by other means. This study suggests that k-tuple-based matching methods are more sensitive than alignment-based methods when there is significant parental sequence similarity, while the opposite becomes true as the sequences become more distantly related. The software and a World Wide Web-based server are available at http://www-hto.usc.edu/software/mglobal CHI.
Trisomy 21 and Facial Developmental Instability

The most common live-born human aneuploidy is trisomy 21, which causes Down syndrome (DS). Dosage imbalance of genes on chromosome 21 (Hsa21) affects complex gene-regulatory interactions and alters development to produce a wide range of phenotypes, including characteristic facial dysmorphology. Little is known about how trisomy 21 alters craniofacial morphogenesis to create this characteristic appearance. Proponents of the "amplified developmental instability" hypothesis argue that trisomy 21 causes a generalized genetic imbalance that disrupts evolutionarily conserved developmental pathways by decreasing developmental homeostasis and precision throughout development. Based on this model, we test the hypothesis that DS faces exhibit increased developmental instability relative to euploid individuals. Developmental instability was assessed by a statistical analysis of fluctuating asymmetry. We compared the magnitude and patterns of fluctuating asymmetry among siblings using three-dimensional coordinate locations of 20 anatomic landmarks collected from facial surface reconstructions in four age-matched samples ranging from 4 to 12 years: (1) DS individuals (n = 55); (2) biological siblings of DS individuals (n = 55); 3) and 4) two samples of typically developing individuals (n = 55 for each sample), who are euploid siblings and age-matched to the DS individuals and their euploid siblings (samples 1 and 2). Identification in the DS sample of facial prominences exhibiting increased fluctuating asymmetry during facial morphogenesis provides evidence for increased developmental instability in DS faces. We found the highest developmental instability in facial structures derived from the mandibular prominence and lowest in facial regions derived from the frontal prominence.
Pro: ‘The usefulness of biomarkers in glomerular diseases’. The problem: moving from syndrome to mechanism—individual patient variability in disease presentation, course and response to therapy

The diagnosis and treatment decisions in glomerular disease are principally based on renal pathology and nonspecific clinical laboratory measurements such as serum creatinine and urine protein. Using these classification approaches, patients have marked variability in rate of progression and response to therapy, exposing a significant number of patients to toxicity without benefit. Additionally, clinical trials are at risk of not being able to detect an efficacious therapy in relevant subgroups as patients with shared clinical-pathologic diagnoses have heterogeneous underlying pathobiology. To change this treatment paradigm, biomarkers that reflect the molecular mechanisms underlying the clinical-pathologic diagnoses are needed. Recent progress to identify such biomarkers has been aided by advances in molecular profiling, large-scale data generation and multi-scalar data integration, including prospectively collected clinical data. This article reviews the evolving success stories in glomerular disease biomarkers across the genotype-phenotype continuum and highlights opportunities to transition to precision medicine in glomerular disease.
Toxicological effects of pyrethroids on non-target aquatic insects

The toxicological effects of pyrethroids on non-target aquatic insects are mediated by several modes of entry of pyrethroids into aquatic ecosystems, as well as the toxicological characteristics of particular pyrethroids under field conditions. Toxicokinetics, movement across the integument of aquatic insects, and the toxicodynamics of pyrethroids are discussed, and their physiological, symptomatic and ecological effects evaluated. The relationship between pyrethroid toxicity and insecticide uptake is not fully defined. Based on laboratory and field data, it is likely that the susceptibility of aquatic insects (vector and non-vector) is related to biochemical and physiological constraints associated with life in aquatic ecosystems. Understanding factors that influence aquatic insects susceptibility to pyrethroids is critical for the effective and safe use of these compounds in areas adjacent to aquatic environments.
Thiol-dependent passive K/Cl transport in sheep red cells: III. Differential reactivity of membrane SH groups with N-ethylmaleimide and iodoacetamide.

Treatment with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) is known to stimulate ouabain-insensitive, Cl−-dependent K+ transport in low K+ (LK) but not in high K+ (HK) sheep red cells (Lauf, P.K., and Theg, B.E., 1980,Biophys. Biochem. Res. Commun. 921422–1428). The dependence of this effect on the pH of pretreatment with NEM and/or iodoacetamide (IAA) was studied. Maximum stimulation of Cl−-dependent K+ transport in LK red cells was produced by prior treatment with 1–5mm NEM at pH 6 at which only about 30–40% of the 107 SH groups present per membrane reacted. At pH 6 no NEM effect was seen on Na++K+ fluxes in HK red cells. Treatment with NEM below pH 6 enhanced Cl−-independent K+ transport in both LK and HK red cells. At higher pH values or higher concentrations the NEM-stimulation of K+ transport was reduced and absent at pH 8.7. Exposure of LK cells to 5mm IAA prior to NEM abolished the stimulatory effect of NEM on K+ transport. Hence at least two different chemical groups were reacting with NEM: acidic SH groups responsible for the stimulatory action of NEM, and more alkaline SH or NH2 groups whose reaction with NEM leads to an inhibition of the NEM effect brought about at pH 6.
SIMULATION AND SEWAGE

Faced with increasing pressures on environmental issues, municipal and industrial planners must incorporate changing technology into planning processes. Conventional approaches to wastewater treatment plant design severely limit the ability of the designer to evaluate alternative design configurations. This paper suggests that computer simulation techniques can provide solutions to many of the problems which confront a designer. A simulation model of a hypothetical sewage treatment plant is described, and some of the design trade-offs that can be evaluated with the model are presented.
Stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Versus Echocardiography for the Diagnosis and Risk Stratification of Patients with Known or Suspected Coronary Artery Disease

Stress perfusion imaging and stress echocardiography (ECHO) are both very useful for assessment of diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Both techniques have been well validated during exercise and inotropic stress, but coronary vasodilation stress is better used in combination with perfusion imaging. The overall sensitivity for detection of CAD is slightly higher by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) than by two-dimensional (2D) ECHO during all stress modalities, whereas the specificity is slightly higher by ECHO, although the differences in general are not statistically significant. SPECT, however, appears to be superior to ECHO in the diagnosis of isolated circumflex stenosis, as well as for the correct identification of multivessel CAD. A substantially greater amount of information is available regarding risk stratification with SPECT than with 2D ECHO. Although the data suggest that both techniques are very useful for risk stratification of patients with stable CAD, after myocardial infarction, and for preoperative risk stratification, the risk for cardiac events is lower in the presence of a normal stress SPECT study than of a normal stress ECHO.
Dicotyledonous wood anatomical characters as predictors of climate

Abstract The relationships among wood anatomical characters and climate are examined for 50 wood anatomical features in floras from 37 regions in North America, South America, Africa and Malaysia. Correlations, simple regressions and multiple regressions, were used to develop models for the prediction of climate from wood anatomy. The climate variables considered were: mean annual temperature, mean annual range in temperature, cold month mean temperature, mean annual precipitation, precipitation of the driest month and length of the dry season. Good correlations were found with temperature; poorer correlations with precipitation. The climate variables, especially the temperature-related ones, were best predicted by two or more wood anatomical characters considered together. Characters that we selected to calculate climate variables are: vessels with multiple perforations; spiral thickenings present in the vessels; vessel mean tangential diameter less than 100 μm; fibers septate; rays commonly more than 10 cells wide; rays heterocellular with four or more rows of upright cells; rays storied; axial parenchyma absent or rare; marginal parenchyma present; and wood ring-porous. Models were validated on seven temperate and six tropical sites. Based on these results, a method for determining paleoclimate from fossil wood assemblages is suggested.
Wrist centralization using the dorsal rotation flap in radial longitudinal deficiency.

Although the role of wrist centralization has been controversial, the surgeon must knowledgeably make surgical decisions for patients with radial longitudinal deficiency, understanding the advantages and disadvantages of centralization techniques. The goals of surgical intervention for correction of
Oral histories in meteoritics and planetary science: XIII: Fred L. Whipple

Born in Red Oak, Iowa, in 1906, Fred Lawrence Whipple earned his Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley in 1931. He immediately accepted a position at the Harvard College Observatory and remained at Harvard throughout his career. In 1950, he was appointed to the Phillips Professorship in the Department of Astronomy, and in 1955, he began serving concurrently as the Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory when it moved from Washington, D.C. to Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the 1930s, Whipple established the Harvard Meteor Project in which two cameras, 26 miles apart, simultaneously photographed the same meteors, for which he invariably derived elliptical orbits indicative of their origin within the solar system. In 1950, Whipple introduced his “dirty snowball” model of comet nuclei, which soon became widely accepted and was fully confirmed in 1986 by close-up images of comet Halley taken by the European Space Agency’s Giotto spacecraft. Keenly anticipating the orbiting of satellites during the International Geophysical Year (July 1, 1957-December 31, 1958), Whipple won contracts to build a worldwide network of telescopic cameras for satellite tracking. At least one of the cameras was ready in time to photograph the Soviet Union’s Sputnik I satellite in October 1957, and all 12 stations were in operation by midsummer of 1958. For his leadership role in this project, President John Kennedy honored Fred L. Whipple in June 1963 with the President’s Award for Distinguished Public Service. In the 1960s, Whipple collaborated with astronomers at the University of Arizona to build a new observatory on Mt. Hopkins, 40 miles south of Tucson. Two of the most innovative instruments installed there for astrophysical research were the world’s largest gamma-ray detector and the Multiple-Mirror Telescope. In 1982, the Mt. Hopkins Observatory was rededicated as the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. Although he retired in 1973, Whipple was present at the dedication and until 2003, he continued to actively participate in research projects. At present, he is anticipating the return of the Stardust mission to comet Wild 2, which will bring back to Earth samples of the comet and of interstellar dust. It is scheduled to arrive in 2006, the year of Fred Whipple’s 100th birthday. Among his many honors, Fred Whipple received the Leonard Medal from the Meteoritical Society in 1970 at its meeting hosted by the Goddard Space Flight Center, in Skyland, Virginia.
Numerical Study of an Observed Orogenic Mesoscale Convective System. Part 1: Simulated Genesis and Comparison with Observations

Abstract The interaction of topographically induced thermally and mechanically driven diurnal flow regimes in the lee of the Rockies is shown to lead to the growth of a mesoscale convective system (MCS). An organic MCS observed during the 1977 combined South Park Area Cumulus Experiment and High Plains Experiment is numerically simulated with a two-dimensional nonhydrostatic cloud model covering spatial scales of 1000 km. In this numerical investigation,mesoγ-, mesoβ- and mesoα-scales of motion are represented simultaneously. As a result, interesting features of cloud-mesoscale interaction are predicted that cannot be represented in cloud parameterization frameworks. Based on the results of this simulation, a six-stage conceptual model of orogenic development is given.
Fat metabolism in higher plants. XIX. The biosynthesis of triglycerides by avocado-mesocarp enzymes.

Abstract The synthesis of glycerides in the mesocarp of avocados was investigated. The major site of synthesis appears to reside in microsomal particles isolated from the tissue. The pathway of synthesis is essentially the same as that which has been elucidated in mammalian tissues. However, monoglycerides appeared during the reaction. Evidence is presented which indicates that the monoglycerides arose from the action of phosphatidic acid phosphatase on lysophosphatidic acid. A glycerolkinase was also found to be present in the tissue.
Removal of a Penile Constriction Device with a Large Orthopedic Pin Cutter

Penile strangulation is an infrequent clinical condition that has widely been reported. It usually results following placement of a constriction device to enhance sexual stimulation. Early treatment is essential to avoid potential complications, including ischemic necrosis and autoamputation. We describe the use of a Large Orthopedic Pin Cutter to remove a metal penile constriction device in the Emergency Department (ED). This case report describes the relatively safe technique of using an instrument available in many hospitals that can be added to the physician's arsenal in the removal of metal constriction devices.
A Reevaluation of the Uniqueness of Japanese Written Discourse: Implications for Contrastive Rhetoric

According to contrastive rhetoric research, Japanese expository prose is characterized by a classical style (ki-sho-ten-ketsu), reader responsibility, and an inductive style with a sudden topic shift. It is claimed that English readers have difficulty comprehending texts written by Japanese writers because of such culturally unique conventions. This article challenges these hypotheses concerning the uniqueness of Japanese texts. It argues that previous studies tend to view language and culture as exotic and static rather than dynamic, and overgeneralize the cultural characteristics from a few specific examples. Also, these characterizations of Japanese written discourse can be challenged by multiple interpretations of ki-sho-ten-ketsu offered by composition specialists in Japan and the linguistic and educational influences from the West on the development of modern Japanese since the mid-19th century. This article suggests that researchers and writing teachers should be wary of stereotyping cultural conve...
Californium-252 plasma desorption mass spectrometry of aminoglycoside antibiotics

This paper presents mass spectral data of eleven aminoglycoside antibiotics by using californium-252 plasma desorption (252Cf PD) mass spectrometry. This mass spectral data could be used to develop a confirmatory method for monitoring aminoglycoside antibiotic residues isolated from food products of animal origin. Mass spectra were determined by applying time-of-flight 252Cf PD mass spectrometry to eleven aminoglycoside antibiotics, namely: neomycin, kanamycin, paromomycin, tobramycin, apramycin, streptomycin, dihydrostreptomycin, amikacin, netilmicin, sisomicin and gentamicins. All eleven antibiotics yielded positive ion spectra. These hydrophilic antibiotics were derivitized to extractable chromopheric compounds. All but two antibiotics (streptomycin and dihydrostreptomycin) yielded nitrophenyl derivatives and spectra were obtained in both negative and positive ion modes. Derivatized aminoglycosides produced cation and anion spectra with quasimolecular ions corresponding to [M + H]+., M+, [M - H]-., [M + Na]+, [M + K]+ and M-. or [M - H]- and M-. or [M - H]-. Underivatized antibiotics were best examined in the positive ion mode. 252Cf PD mass spectrometry consistently produced very strong molecular or quasimolecular ions for all aminoglycoside antibiotics.
Chronic disease as a barrier to breast and cervical cancer screening.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether chronic disease is a barrier to screening for breast and cervical cancer.