cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cerebellar ataxia

There is nothing more discouraging than for a patient to be given a specific diagnosis, then to be told that there is nothing that can be done. Physicians are equally disheartened to see exponential progress being made in the understanding of the pathophysiology of a complex disorder but few direct benefits resulting for their patients. Over the past 5 years, molecular genetic research has completely revolutionized the way in which the progressive cerebellar ataxias are classified and diagnosed, Class IIa], but it has yet to produce effective gene-based, neuroprotective, or neurorestorative therapies. The treatment of cerebellar ataxia remains primarily a neurorehabilitation challenge, employing physical, occupational, speech, and swallowing therapy; adaptive equipment; driver safety training; and nutritional counseling. Modest additional gains are seen with the use of medications that can improve imbalance, incoordination, or dysarthria (amantadine, buspirone, acetazolamide); cerebellar tremor (clonazepam, propranolol); and cerebellar or central vestibular nystagmus (gabapentin, baclofen, clonazepam). Many of the progressive cerebellar syndromes have associated features involving other neurologic systems (eg, spasticity, dystonia or rigidity, resting or rubral tremor, chorea, motor unit weakness or fatigue, autonomic dysfunction, peripheral or posterior column sensory loss, neuropathic pain or cramping, double vision, vision and hearing loss, dementia, and bowel, bladder, and sexual dysfunction), which can impede the treatment of the ataxic symptoms or can worsen with the use of certain drugs. Treatment of the associated features themselves may in turn worsen the ataxia either directly (as side effects of medication) or indirectly (eg, relaxation of lower limb spasticity that was acting as a stabilizer for an ataxic gait). Secondary complications of progressive ataxia can include deconditioning or immobility, weight loss or gain, skin breakdown, recurrent pulmonary and urinary tract infections, aspiration, occult respiratory failure, and obstructive sleep apnea, all of which can be life threatening. Depression in the patient and family members is common. Although no cures exist for most of the causes of cerebellar ataxia and there are as yet no proven ways to protect neurons from premature cell death or to restore neuronal populations that have been lost, symptomatic treatment can greatly improve the quality of life of these patients and prevent complications that could hasten death. Supportive interventions should always be offered—education about the disease itself, genetic counseling, individual and family counseling, referral to support groups and advocacy groups, and guidance to online resources. Misinformation, fear, depression, hopelessness, isolation, and financial and interpersonal stress can often cause more harm to the patient and caregiver than the ataxia itself.
Relationship between obesity and pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis (AP) has several etiologies and diverse outcomes. The outcomes may range from spontaneous resolution of an acute attack which may never recur again, to a disease which over a few days may progress to severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) resulting in prolonged hospitalization for local or systemic complications, and sometimes mortality. Several studies have reported obese patients, who have increased visceral fat depots, including pancreatic fat, as being at risk of SAP (1, 22, 37, 42, 89, 95, 100, 109, 117, 119, 149). Repeated attacks of AP may result in a clinical picture of recurrent acute pancreatitis which may progress to chronic pancreatitis (CP) with an associated increased in pancreatic fat (70, 86, 146). However, while being potentially debilitating due to pain, exocrine insufficiency, diabetes or quality of life issues, recurrent acute or chronic pancreatitis rarely result in SAP (70, 87, 92).
a-SiC Thin Films Deposited Using Pulsed Laser Ablation of Graphite and Magnetron Sputtering of Silicon onto Steel Substrates at Room Temperature

Typically SiC films are deposited on substrates at elevated temperatures either by sputtering SiC targets or using other conventional deposition methods. To maintain substrate properties (temper, dimensional tolerance etc.) a low process temperature is required. In this work, silicon carbide is formed from simultaneous sputtering of silicon and laser ablation of graphite onto substrates at room temperature. The advantage in this method lies in the individual selection of the species accelerated to optimum energy which permits the formation of selected phases in the film. Films are formed on M50 steel substrates at biasing varied from -100 to -300 Volts resulting in different deposition rates for carbon and silicon and changes in bonding strength. The shift in the binding energies of carbon and silicon obtained from XPS analysis corresponds to the silicon carbide bonds. Chemical bonding data is correlated to microstructure and mechanical properties. Special emphasis is given to film stoichiometry control and Si/C composition ratio to achieve optimum tribological properties.
Twistor superstring in two-time physics

By utilizing the gauge symmetries of two-time physics (2T physics), a superstring with linearly realized global $\mathrm{S}\mathrm{U}(2,2|4)$ supersymmetry in $4+2$ dimensions (plus internal degrees of freedom) is constructed. It is shown that the dynamics of the Witten-Berkovits twistor superstring in $3+1$ dimensions emerges as one of the many one-time (1T) holographic pictures of the $4+2$ dimensional string obtained via gauge fixing of the 2T gauge symmetries. In 2T physics the twistor language can be transformed to usual spacetime language and vice versa, off shell, as different gauge fixings of the same 2T string theory. Further holographic string pictures in $3+1$ dimensions that are dual theories also can be derived. The 2T superstring is further generalized in the $\mathrm{S}\mathrm{U}(4)=\mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}(6)$ sector of $\mathrm{S}\mathrm{U}(2,2|4)$ by the addition of six bosonic dimensions, for a total of $10+2$ dimensions. Excitations of the extra bosons produce a $\mathrm{S}\mathrm{U}(2,2|4)$ current algebra spectrum that matches the classification of the high-spin currents of $N=4,$ $d=4$ super Yang-Mills theory which are conserved in the weak coupling limit. This spectrum is interpreted as the extension of the $\mathrm{S}\mathrm{U}(2,2|4)$ classification of the Kaluza-Klein towers of typeII-B supergravity compactified on ${\mathrm{A}\mathrm{d}\mathrm{S}}_{5}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathrm{S}}^{5}$, into the full string theory, and is speculated to have a covariant $10+2$ origin in F-theory or S-theory. Further generalizations of the superstring theory to $3+2$, $5+2$, and $6+2$ dimensions based on the supergroups $\mathrm{O}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{p}(8|4),$ F(4), $\mathrm{O}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{p}({8}^{*}|4)$, respectively, and other cases, are discussed also. The $\mathrm{O}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{p}({8}^{*}|4)$ case in $6+2$ dimensions can be gauge fixed to $5+1$ dimensions to provide a formulation of the special superconformal theory in six dimensions either in terms of ordinary spacetime or in terms of twistors.
Effects of cholesterol feeding on primate serum lipoproteins. II. Low density lipoprotein characterization from Rhesus monkeys with a moderate rise in serum cholesterol.

Abstract Rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta ) were fed diets containing added cholesterol and fat for 2 months during which time their serum cholesterol rose to 308 ± 75 mg/dl. The LDL were isolated by agarose gel filtration of the serum lipoproteins floating at a density of 1.22 g/ml. Upon cholesterol-fat feeding, the LDL increased in amount and heterogeneity, rose in S f , 1.063, KBr from 8.1 to 10.8 (major peak) and S f 14–17 (minor peak), increased in average molecular weight from 3.1 to 3.6 million (major component), decreased in elution volume (indicating a higher molecular weight), decreased in protein (24 to 18.5%) and triglyceride (6.5 to 2.5%) content, and increased in cholesterol content from 46.5 to 55%. Fractions of the cholesterol-fed LDL were studied on the ascending, peak, and descending limbs of the agarose LDL peak. The fractions across the cholesterol-fed LDL peak were similar in composition, even though the S f 14–17 component was in much greater amount on the ascending side than on the descending side (pure S f 10–11 component). This indicated that in cholesterol feeding which produced a moderate serum cholesterol rise, the LDL size increased to a limiting molecular weight of about 3.6 million and a larger species formed, having an S f around 14–17, but with a similar composition. These results are in agreement with results obtained in studies of human LDL only in the increased amount of LDL. Human LDL has not been observed to change composition to that extent, nor alter in its molecular size or heterogeneity.
Identification of citrullinated hsp90 isoforms as novel autoantigens in rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease.

Objective Subsets of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) develop extraarticular complications that include interstitial lung disease (ILD). Because standardized algorithms for identification of RA patients at risk of developing clinically significant ILD are lacking, the purpose of this study was to elucidate unique serologic markers of RA-associated ILD (RA-ILD). Methods Sera from RA patients with ILD and from RA patients without ILD were used to immunoprecipitate citrullinated and uncitrullinated proteins derived from K562 cell extracts. Mass spectrometry was performed to facilitate identification of citrullinated proteins differentially immunoprecipitated by RA-ILD patient sera. These candidate proteins were then used as substrate antigens in custom enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for high-throughput screening of sera obtained from cohorts of patients with RA, RA-ILD mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Results Differential immunoprecipitation and subsequent mass spectrometric sequencing identified citrullinated Hsp90α and citrullinated Hsp90β as candidate autoantigens in patients with RA-ILD. ELISAs incorporating uncitrullinated and citrullinated isoforms of Hsp90 as substrate antigens demonstrated that sera from patients with RA-ILD preferentially recognized citrullinated versions of Hsp90 with moderate sensitivity (range 20–30%) and great specificity (>95%) relative to sera derived from patients with RA alone (without ILD), patients with MCTD, or patients with IPF. Conclusion These studies demonstrate the utility of a novel autoantigen discovery method based on differential immunoprecipitation of citrullinated protein extracts. Application of these techniques identified citrullinated versions of Hsp90α and Hsp90β as autoantibody targets distinguishing RA-ILD from RA without ILD, MCTD, and IPF, suggesting that anti–citrullinated Hsp90α/β autoantibodies may serve as effective biomarkers for the potentially devastating pulmonary manifestations of RA-ILD.
Ehs-1 is required for the expulsion step of the Caenorhabditis elegans defecation motor program (1129.5)

The Caenorhabditis elegans digestive motor program occurs at approximately 50 second intervals and consists of three contractions. The first contraction occurs in the posterior body wall muscle and...
Validation of electroadhesion as a docking method for spacecraft and satellite servicing

An electrostatic gripping force is created when a non-conducting dielectric is placed between a conducting material and a series of oppositely charged monopolar electrodes. Given the non-uniformity of satellites and their typical lack of docking structures, electrostatic gripping is a promising option for docking to satellites for servicing and refueling. This research investigates the effectiveness of a high voltage electrostatic gripper in vacuum to validate its use as a docking method in space. Five linear actuators were mounted inside a vacuum chamber to create a 5 DOF test stand to examine normal, shear, peeling, and twisting forces on various test materials. To further assess the feasibility of the gripping system in docking operations, the gripper was mounted to a robotic arm atop a free-floating frictionless base on a special flat floor in the NASA MSFC Flight Robotics Laboratory to test satellite docking and capture maneuvers utilizing electroadhesion.
Cutting Edge: A Novel Function for the SLAP-130/FYB Adapter Protein in β1 Integrin Signaling and T Lymphocyte Migration

The role of integrin-mediated signaling events in T cell function remains incompletely characterized. We report here that alpha4beta1 integrin stimulation of H9 T cells and normal human T cell blasts results in rapid and transient tyrosine phosphorylation of the adapter protein, SH2 domain-containing 76-kDa protein (SLP-76)-associated phosphoprotein of 130 kDa (SLAP-130)/FYB at levels comparable to those observed following TCR stimulation. Stimulation of T cells via the alpha4beta1 integrin enhances the association of tyrosine phosphorylated SLAP-130/FYB with the SH2 domain of the src tyrosine kinase p59fyn. Activation of normal T cells, but not H9 T cells, via alpha4beta1 leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of SLP-76 as well as SLAP-130/FYB. Overexpression of SLAP-130/FYB in normal T cells enhances T cell migration through fibronectin-coated filters in response to the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1alpha. These results identify SLAP-130/FYB as a new tyrosine phosphorylated substrate in beta1 integrin signaling and suggest a novel function for SLAP-130/FYB in regulating T lymphocyte motility.
The relationship between tuber size and hollow heart in norgold russet potatoes

Hollow heart (HH) when found in potatoes is predominately in the largest tubers. Various tuber lots of cv Norgold Russets ranged from 3.4 to 55.9% HH by weight. In the lot with the least HH approximately 43% of the tubers over 8.89 cm in diameter were hollow compared to 0.2% of those between 3.81 and 5.07 cm. By first removing the very largest, followed by successively smaller tubers there was a continuous reduction in HH in all tuber lots. There were only small differences among the five years in the effect of sizing on HH, and these appeared to be associated with yield differences among years. Figures illustrate the specific effect of removing progressively smaller tubers on the amount of HH remaining.
Tectonics: Mantle spread across the sea floor

The sea floor around mid-ocean ridges is often carpeted by hummocky lava flows. Images from the Southwest Indian Ridge sea floor, however, show a smooth texture created by exhumation and widespread exposure of altered mantle rocks.
Cancer Recurrence: An Important but Missing Variable in National Cancer Registries

Background Cancer recurrence is a critically important outcome to patients and providers. However, no publicly available cancer registry data contain recurrence information. The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) collects recurrence data; however, this information is not provided to researchers because of completeness and accuracy concerns. Our objective was to examine completeness of cancer recurrence information in the NCDB.
Biosynthesis of 3-Amino-5-hydroxybenzoic Acid, the Precursor of mC7N Units in Ansamycin Antibiotics†

The biosynthetic pathway of 3-amino-5-hydroxybenzoic acid (AHBA) formation was studied with cell-free extracts from the rifamycin B producer, Amycolatopsis mediterranei S699, and the ansatrienin A producer, Streptomyces collinus Tu1892. Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) plus erythrose 4-phosphate (E4P) gave AHBA in low but nevertheless significant (6%) yield. 3,4-Dideoxy-4-amino-d-arabino-heptulosonic acid 7-phosphate (aminoDAHP) was converted efficiently into AHBA (45%), as were 5-deoxy-5-amino-3-dehydroquinic acid (aminoDHQ, 41%) and 5-deoxy-5-amino-3-dehydroshikimic acid (aminoDHS, 95%). On the other hand, the normal shikimate pathway intermediate, 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonic acid 7-phosphate (DAHP) did not give rise to AHBA under these conditions. AminoDAHP (9%) was produced by incubation of [14C]PEP and E4P, but not of [14C]DAHP, with the cell-free extracts. The results demonstrate the operation of a new variant of the shikimate pathway in the formation of the mC7N units of ansamycin, and presumably also ...
Specialized Coatings For Increased Color Perception Underwater

To date, examined evidence of color perception deals with pigments of low reflectance values, and as evidenced with increased depth, decreasing light level, plus water density, rapid absorbtion of the infra unit occur (ie. color rendition S.P.I.E. February 1967, E. Brooks II). High reflective units are revealed in this paper to determine added efficiency to the recording underwater observer and camera receiver. Ambient levels to low and high pigments in close and extended distances. Supplementary lighting evaluation on targets utilizing quartz iodine, thalium iodide, and magnesium for evaluated image enhancement and increased color penetration of the water barrier on large targets equaling 80 square feet of surface.© (1968) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Energy Conservation & Emission Reduction of Coal Mining and Value-Added Tax Preferences

In the process of coal mining, people waste resources rashly as well as ruin environment. Therefore, energy conservation and emission reduction are roads which we must get through to actualize the sustainable development of coal industry. Under this background, this article puts forward the main approaches to energy conservation and emission reduction for coal industry, and then analyses the important significances of giving value-added tax (VAT) preferences to them. Detailed conceptual design for VAT comes up in the end, which is also the main body of this article.
The role of mesoscopic disorder in determining the character of the field-induced insulating regime of amorphous ultrathin films

Abstract This work documents the conditions under which the field-tuned behavior of quench condensed films grown on relatively thick layers of a-Sb is essentially identical to that found for amorphous InO x and polycrystalline TiN x films. The electrical transport properties of a series of amorphous Bi (a-Bi) films of different thicknesses, grown with a 14.67 A thick underlayer of amorphous Sb (a-Sb), were studied in perpendicular and parallel magnetic fields. A magnetoresistance (MR) peak was found in insulating films in both perpendicular and parallel magnetic fields. In all insulating films, Arrhenius type conduction was also found over all ranges of magnetic field. Neither behavior is found for a-Bi films grown on top of thinner a-Sb underlayers, which were substantially smoother. These observations, together with a quantitative analysis of film roughness profiles, highlight the role of mesoscopic scale thickness fluctuations in nucleating superconducting clusters or islands that apparently lead to the MR peak and Arrhenius conduction. This implies that the nature of the disorder plays a major role in determining the character of the insulating regime.
Human and Rat Nav1.3 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels Differ in Inactivation Properties and Sensitivity to the Pyrethroid Insecticide Tefluthrin

Voltage-gated sodium channels are important sites for the neurotoxic actions of pyrethroid insecticides in mammals. The pore-forming alpha subunits of mammalian sodium channels are encoded by a family of 9 genes, designated Nav1.1-Nav1.9. Native sodium channels in the adult central nervous system (CNS) are heterotrimeric complexes of one of these 9 alpha subunits and two auxiliary (beta) subunits. Here we compare the functional properties and pyrethroid sensitivity of the rat and human Nav1.3 isoforms, which are abundantly expressed in the developing CNS. Coexpression of the rat Nav1.3 and human Nav1.3 alpha subunits in combination with their conspecific beta1 and beta2 subunits in Xenopus laevis oocytes gave channels with markedly different inactivation properties and sensitivities to the pyrethroid insecticide tefluthrin. Rat Nav1.3 channels inactivated more slowly than human Nav1.3 channels during a depolarizing pulse. The rat and human channels also differed in their voltage dependence of steady-state inactivation. Exposure of rat and human Nav1.3 channels to 100 microM tefluthrin in the resting state produced populations of channels that activated, inactivated and deactivated more slowly than unmodified channels. For both rat and human channels, application of trains of depolarizing prepulses enhanced the extent of tefluthrin modification approximately twofold; this result implies that tefluthrin may bind to both the resting and open states of the channel. Modification of rat Nav1.3 channels by 100 microM tefluthrin was fourfold greater than that measured in parallel assays with human Nav1.3 channels. Human Nav1.3 channels were also less sensitive to tefluthrin than rat Nav1.2 channels, which are considered to be relatively insensitive to pyrethroids. These data provide the first direct comparison of the functional and pharmacological properties of orthologous rat and human sodium channels and demonstrate that orthologous channels with a high degree of amino acid sequence conservation differ in both their functional properties and their sensitivities to pyrethroid insecticides.
The confined chain approach to the deformation behavior of bulk polymers

A theoretical two wall model of polymer chains confined between a pair of infinite parallel walls is developed to represent the amorphous regions in filled or reinforced elastomers, block copolymers and semicrystalline polymers. The free energies of the various types of confined chains are determined using statistics which incorporate nearest-neighbor interactions. The stress-strain, tensile modulus and swelling properties of the individual chains as a function of chain contour length and temperature are discussed. A mean field, free energy expression is used to account for interactions beteen confined chain segments. The free energy due to the direct interaction between the walls is given by a van der Waals potential. The equilibrium wall separation of the two wall model is determined as a function of the number of each type of chain, chain contour length and temperature. The two wall model is shown to display several deformation pheneomena, including: yield, stress softening; draw; stress hardening; the Mullins effect; set; and crack or craze propagation. 16 figures.
The Case for the Defense

John Vlahos's bold and confident assertion that Penelope recognizes Odysseus well before book 23 will be controversial among readers who follow the party line established by the literal-minded Eustathius. Once we accept the likelihood, however, provided by evidence quite clear once it is pointed out, that the narrator is not as blatant and upfront as we generally assume, Vlahos's case becomes quite plausible. In fact, the traditional view that Penelope is clueless until she performs the bed-trick starts to sound rather naive and does not do justice to Homer's talent for indirection and subtlety. The argument for early recognition makes better sense of the final third of the epic than the usual assumption of her ignorance.
When supervisors feel supported: Relationships with subordinates' perceived supervisor support, perceived organizational support, and performance.

The authors surveyed full-time retail employees and their supervisors to investigate relationships of supervisors' perceived organizational support (POS) with subordinates' perceptions of support from their supervisors (perceived supervisor support [PSS]), POS, and in-role and extra-role performance. The authors found that supervisors' POS was positively related to their subordinates' perceptions of supervisor support. Subordinates' PSS, in turn, was positively associated with their POS, in-role performance, and extra-role performance. Beyond these bivariate relationships, subordinates' perceptions of support from the supervisor mediated positive relationships of the supervisors' POS with the subordinates' POS and performance. These findings suggest that supervisors who feel supported by the organization reciprocate with more supportive treatment for subordinates.
The Commodity Structure of World Trade: Comment

While making a statistical inquiry into the commodity structure of world trade in an article which appeared in this Journal in August 1943, Albert Hirschman devised a method for the subdivision of the foreign trade of individual countries into various categories of interchange.' Having applied this procedure to world trade as a whole, he then showed that the largest proportion of world trade consisted, each year between 1925 and 1937, of an exchange of primary products (foodstuffs and raw materials) against primary products (foodstuffs and raw materials).2 This led him to conclude that "the traditional view which believes world trade to be based primarily upon the exchange of manufactures against raw materials and foodstuffs is not even approximately correct."' I find this result rather surprising and am of the opinion that, attempting to match corresponding export and import items for each country (conveniently subdivided into the two broad categories of primary products and manufactured goods), Hirschman has not chosen the best hypothesis or the best procedure. Before I elaborate on two other alternatives, I believe that a brief outline of Hirschman's method is here in order. According to it, the exports of manufactures are matched against the imports of manufactures and the exports of primary products are matched against the imports of primary products on the assumption that exports provide in each instance the buying power for the corresponding imports. The amounts left unmatched are then postulated to represent the amounts of trade accounted for by the exchange of manufactures against primary products. Thus, for example, the conclusion reached by Hirschman on the basis of his Scheme III4
The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in the management of thin melanoma

The lifetime risk for developing thin (≤1 mm) melanoma continues to increase steadily. Although generally associated with an excellent prognosis, it also has a proven capacity to metastasize. There has been increasing interest in using sentinel lymph node biopsy to improve staging for thin melanoma. However, it is difficult to define clinicopathologic factors that reliably predict the presence of nodal metastasis. The prognostic significance of a positive sentinel lymph node in thin melanoma remains to be defined.
A proposal of operation history management system for source-to-source optimization of HPC programs

To optimize various high performance computing (HPC) programs on complex supercomputer architectures source-to-source optimization tools are becoming important to support network-architecture-specific and application-specific performance optimization in addition to compiler optimizations. Because of try-and-error nature of performance optimization work and complex relationships among optimizations, programmers often need to evaluate effectiveness of many combinations of their optimizations on the target architecture.When programmers optimize their program by both source-to-source optimization tool and manual editing, an issue, called, "reapplication conflicts," can occur. To optimize HPC programs, a programmer modifies some code to apply optimizations by manual editing and automatic conversion by source-to-source tool and, compiles it, and executes it to confirm the effects of the optimizations. If it is found that an earlier optimization is ineffective, the code should return to the point before the ineffective optimization, the optimization should be removed or replaced, and any succeeding operations that were confirmed to be effective should be reapplied. This can cause the "reapplication conflicts," because the succeeding operations were performed on different source code. Current version management systems support this conflict only for manual code optimizations, but do not support it for automatic conversions by source-to-source optimization tools.We propose an algorithm to resolve reapplication conflicts, and a new user interface to show the status and necessity of the reapplications. A user can select and modify any earlier operation, and the succeeding operations are automatically reapplied as needed to produce a new version without using explicit branch and merge operations by using the proposed algorithm. We also report our prototype developed on the Eclipse framework.
The effects of seasonality on discrete models of population growth

Abstract The effects of seasonality on the dynamics of a bivoltine population with discrete, nonoverlapping generations are examined. It is found that large seasonality is inevitably destabilizing but that mild seasonality may have a pronounced stabilizing effect. Seasonality also allows for the coexistence of alternative stable states (equilibria, cycles, chaos). These solutions may be seasonally in-phase, out-of-phase, or asynchronous. In-phase solutions correspond to winter regulation of population density, whereas out-of-phase solutions correspond to summer regulation. Analysis suggests that summer regulation is possible only in mildly seasonal habitats.
Long-term protection from SARS coronavirus infection conferred by a single immunization with an attenuated VSV-based vaccine

Although the recent SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that appeared in 2002 has now been contained, the possibility of re-emergence of SARS-CoV remains. Due to the threat of re-emergence, the overall fatality rate of ∼10%, and the rapid dispersion of the virus via international travel, viable vaccine candidates providing protection from SARS are clearly needed. We developed an attenuated VSV recombinant (VSV-S) expressing the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) spike (S) protein. In cells infected with this recombinant, S protein was synthesized, glycosylated at approximately 17 Asn residues, and transported via the Golgi to the cell surface. Mice vaccinated with VSV-S developed SARS-neutralizing antibody and were able to control a challenge with SARS-CoV performed at 1 month or 4 months after a single vaccination. We also demonstrated, by passive antibody transfer, that the antibody response induced by the vaccine was sufficient for controlling SARS-CoV infection. A VSV-vectored SARS vaccine could have significant advantages over other SARS vaccine candidates described to date.
Environmental Concerns and the New Environmental Paradigm in Bulgaria

Little is known about environmental concerns and attitudes among people in former Soviet bloc countries in Eastern Europe despite widespread perceptions of severe environmental problems. The authors addressed this gap by examining Bulgarians' environmental concerns with a focus on whether the new environmental paradigm (NEP) scale can reliably measure their environmental orientations. Three surveys conducted in Bulgaria in 1998, 1999, and 2000 provide evidence of high environmental concern, and proximity to a major petrochemical plant is associated with greater concerns. The 6-item NEP is multidimensional and low in reliability. A scale constructed with 3 items that loaded consistently on 1 factor appears as valid as the 6-item NEP scale and has comparable internal consistency. There is much proenvironmental sentiment in Bulgaria, only part of which the NEP appears to measure. Despite overestimating the magnitude of current government investments in environmental protection, surveyed Bulgarians supported ...
Analyzing censored data in the analysis of multiplicative repeatability and reproducibility studies

Measurements from instruments are sometimes censored at or below the instrument’s lower or upper limit of detection because the instruments have a calibrated response only over a certain data range. Near the ends of the range, the system reports a censored value such as “measurand value is less than threshold,” or “measurand value is more than threshold.” How should one analyze data that includes such “less than” and/or “more than” results and what is the impact of such censoring on estimation of variance components? To answer these two questions, this article makes three contributions: (1) It illustrates a straightforward numerical Bayesian analysis of such censored data based on the likelihood function, (2) it provides a simulation study to show the impact of increased amounts of censoring, and (3) it shows that if the true likelihood has an unknown form for measurand values near the threshold and another known form away from the threshold, then it is prudent for the measurement system to report censored values rather than actual values. Open source software to analyze censored data is provided as supplementary material.
Recursive reconstruction of sequences from group delay

Abstract A recursive procedure to reconstruct a given sequence from its group delay or phase derivative is given. The procedure is based on the relationships between minimum, maximum phase sequences and their cepstra, and on the modified least squares (MLS) rational approximation. To avoid unwrapping of the phase, the cepstrum of the sequence is calculated from the group delay function. Using a recursive procedure, we find from the cepstrum values a minimum phase sequence with a phase equal to that of the original sequence. The reconstructed sequence is obtained using the MLS procedure to find recursively a rational approximation of the minimum phase sequence. The constraints under which the phase reconstruction is possible are checked with a root distribution algorithm, and we indicate how to modify the sequence when the constraints are not satisfied. Examples illustrate the efficiency of the proposed procedure.
Design and performance of a direct-reading, multichannel spectrometer for the determination of chlorinated purgeable organic compounds by flame infrared-emission spectrometry

Abstract The feasibility of determining chlorinated, purgeable organic compounds (POCs) in aqueous samples by flame infrared-emission (FIRE) spectrometry was evaluated with a specially designed, multichannel, dispersive spectrometer having sufficient resolving power to prevent interference from large amounts of non-halogenated POCs that could also be present in the sample. The polychromator was based on a Czerny—Turner optical mounting with a 0.15-m focal length, a nominal focal ratio of f/3, and a reciprocal linear dispersion of 0.15 μm/mm in the first order. The HCl and CO 2 infrared emission bands (3.77 and 4.42 μm, respectively) were monitored in two analytical channels, while a third reference channel, used for background subtraction, monitored the H 2 O background emission at 2.8 μm. Instrumental performance was evaluated with dichloromethane, trichloromethane, trichloroethylene, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane and monochlorobenzene as test compounds, and parameters such as the linear dynamic range, reproducibility, detection limit and signal-to-noise ratio, and extent of spectral crosstalk between channels were determined. The feasibility of performing a quantitative analysis of a two-component mixture of dichloromethane and trichloromethane at trace levels was demonstrated.
Influence of added calcium compounds on swelling, plastic, and pyrolysis behaviour of coal devolatilized at elevated pressures

Abstract The swelling and plastic properties of a low volatile bituminous coal pyrolysed in the presence of added Ca compounds have been investigated. The results suggest that the addition of CaO significantly reduced the swelling and plastic behaviour of coal at low pressures ( 2 or He. However, at elevated pressures (≈ 2.9 MPa) of H 2 and He, the maximum swelling parameter, V s , was restored to varying degrees depending on the heating rate and the concentration of CaO utilized. The effectiveness of the Ca additives as decaking agent decreases in the order: Ca ( Ac ) 2 > CaO > CaCO 3 . The presence of CaO resulted in increased solid yield. It is suggested that crosslinking reactions catalysed by Ca facilitate increased thermosetting char yield. At elevated pressures of H 2 , it was noted that the swelling parameter increased. This is explained by suggesting that the effect of H 2 is to reduce the extent of char-forming reactions during pyrolysis by ‘capping’ some of the free radicals and thus increasing the fluid behaviour of coal.
Receptive-Field Plasticity in the Adult Visual Cortex: Dynamic Signal Rerouting or Experience-Dependent Plasticity

Abstract Neurons in adult visual cortex can generate new receptive fields (RFs) when small retinal injuries remove their normal feedforward signals, a clear sign of plasticity. The activation of new RFs leads to a striking topographic map reorganization around the deafferentated cortical region. It appears that the lesion down-regulates GABAergic inhibition and uncovers the normally subthreshold signals from remote areas. The newly activated individual neurons and their assemblies show surprisingly normal response patterns, indicating that these large-scale alterations in the cortical map may contribute to, rather than disrupt, visual perception. Thus, weighing a variety of synaptic inputs based on the nature of the current drive and history of prior stimulation, the adult visual cortex is capable of showing considerable “plasticity” while maintaining the overall stability of its functional organization. In the mammalian visual system, however, the involvement of experience-dependent plasticity in this process is, as reviewed here, a matter of debate.
Asymptotic Efficiency of Two Nonparametric Competitors of Wilcoxon's Two Sample Test

Abstract Wilcoxon's signed rank test and a test based on the uniform minimum variance unbiased estimator of P(X 1 + X 2 < Y 1 + Y 2) are considered as competitors of the Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon (U) test. The criteria used to compare the tests are Bahadur and Pitman efficiency. For pure translation alternatives U is superior, but both tests compare favorably with respect to U for certain contamination alternatives.
Refinements in the methods for the measurement of the mechanical properties of unwounded and wounded skin.

One of the most important and least understood problems in medicine is that of what variables govern the rate and the quality of the wound healing process. It is highly desirable to know the effects of external or internal agents such as drugs, radiation, and physical irritants on the healing process with a view toward accelerating and improving it. Since mechanical strength is a basic criterion, it is important that standardized methods for the physical testing, analysis and interpretation of results be devised. This paper presents a basic technique for the determination of the mechanical properties of wounded and unwounded skin.
Evaluating U.S. presidential election forecasts and forecasting equations

Abstract This article examines four problems with past evaluations of presidential election forecasting and suggests one aspect of the models that could be improved. Past criticism has had problems with establishing an overall appraisal of the forecasting equations, in assessing the accuracy of both the forecasting models and their forecasts of individual election results, in identifying the theoretical foundations of forecasts, and in distinguishing between data-mining and learning in model revisions. I contend that overall assessments are innately arbitrary, that benchmarks can be established for reasonable evaluations of forecast accuracy, that blanket assessments of forecasts are unwarranted, that there are strong (but necessarily limited) theoretical foundations for the models, and that models should be revised in the light of experience, while remaining careful to avoid data-mining. The article also examines the question of whether current forecasting models grounded in retrospective voting theory should be revised to take into account the partial-referendum nature of non-incumbent, open-seat elections such as the 2008 election.
Native America’s twenty-first-century right to know

More than 30 years ago, in October of 1978, Standing Rock Sioux scholar Vine Deloria Jr. prepared a paper for The White House Pre-conference on Indian Library and Information Services On or Near Reservations titled “The Right to Know.” In his paper, Deloria establishes the United States Federal government’s treaty responsibility for Indian Country’s: …need to know; to know the past, to know the traditional alternatives advocated by their ancestors, to know the specific experiences of their communities, and to know about the world that surrounds them (Deloria 1978, p. 13).
A design-based approach to planarization in multilayer surface micromachining

This paper describes a design-based planarization strategy that can control topography to within submicron levels. The design concept takes advantage of the inherent conformability of the film deposition processes to achieve planar topography, without the need for an additional planarization step. It is based on a universally regulating line spacing in patterned layers to within a predefined amount, thus allowing subsequent layers to fill in as they grow, conforming to the previous layer. Test structures were fabricated to study the effect of different feature sizes in underlying layers on the topography of subsequent layers. Predictions based on numerical and geometric models for topography generation are compared to fabricated devices. An example of successful application to a micromachined adaptive mirror is presented.
The Carrageenan Diet: Not Recommended

We read with great interest and concern recent reports of the spread of carrageenan-producing seaweeds in coral reefs in the Bay of Bengal, as well as in Butaritari, Kiribati, and other Pacific atolls [“Seaweed invader elicits angst in India,” P. Bagla, News of the Week, 6 June, p. [1271][1],
Polyaminohydroxamic acids and polyaminobenzamides as isoform selective histone deacetylase inhibitors.

A series of polyaminohydroxamic acids (PAHAs) and polyaminobenzamides (PABAs) were synthesized and evaluated as isoform-selective histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. These analogues contain a polyamine chain to increase affinity for chromatin and facilitate cellular import. Seven PAHAs inhibited HDAC >50% (1 µM), and two PABAs inhibited HDAC >50% (5 µM). Compound 17 increased acetylated α-tubulin in HCT116 colon tumor cells 253-fold but only modestly increased p21waf1 and acetylated histones 3 and 4, suggesting that 17 selectively inhibits HDAC 6. PABA 22 alone minimally increased p21waf1 and acetylated histones 3 and 4 but caused dose-dependent increases in p21waf1 in combination with 0.1 µM 5-azadeoxycytidine. Finally, 22 appeared to be a substrate for the polyamine transport system. None of these compounds were cytotoxic at 100 µM. PAHAs and PABAs exhibit strikingly different cellular effects from SAHA and have the potential for use in combination antitumor therapies with reduced toxicity.
Induction and Translocation of Tissue Transglutaminase Isoforms Increased Phosphorylation in Retinoic Acid Treated Erythroleukemia Cells

Tissue transglutaminase (TGC, TG2, 80 kDa) is inactive in cross-linking reactions and is converted in vitro and in vivo to the TG (55 kDa) active isoform (Fraij in J Cell Biochem 112:2469–2489, 2011). Two isoforms of human TGC were cloned from human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells induced with retinoic acid (RA) and termed TGH, 63 kDa (Fraij et al. in J Biol Chem 267:22616–22673, 1992) and TGH2, 37 kDa. The purified TGC isoforms exhibited GTPase activity and TGH and TGH2 showed higher activities than the native TGC protein. In all normal cells examined, TGC was found in membrane fractions several fold higher than the supernatant fractions; however, in the natural tumor cell line HEL the TGC cellular distribution was reversed. Although TGC is the major enzyme in normal human erythrocytes, its expression level was significantly decreased in HEL cells. RA treatment induced a sevenfold increase in the level of TGC protein in HEL cells and was accompanied by its translocation to cell membranes. When isolated membrane and supernatant fractions from normal human foreskin (CF3), normal human embryonic lung (WI-38), and HEL cells treated with or without RA were incubated with [32P]-ATP at 37 °C for 1 h, more radio-labeled proteins were detected in the membrane fractions than the cytosolic fractions. More labeled protein bands were detected in RA treated HEL cells in comparison to control HEL cell extracts. Radio labeled proteins coimmunoprecipitated with the TGC isoforms in RA treated HEL membrane fractions thereby confirming that the radio-labeled material consists of endogenous proteins associated with TGC isoforms. Protein phosphorylation is related to the induction and translocation of the isoforms in RA treated cells. These results show that the TGC isoforms complexes with proteins in vivo and that the phosphorylation of these proteins is catalyzed directly by TGC kinase activity or indirectly by the TGC phosphorylation of other protein kinases.
Focal esophageal candidiasis in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

When candidiasis involves the esophagus, it usually does so as an extensive and diffuse infection. In our experience, however, esophageal candidiasis in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is clinically distinct from the same infection in patients with other immunodeficiency states. Of 25 patients with AIDS and esophageal candidiasis studied radiographically, 4 patients with localized involvement of the esophagus are presented. The clinical and radiologic manifestations of focal esophageal candidiasis in these patients are reviewed and compared to previously described cases of esophageal candidiasis.
Soil Erosion and Land Prices: Discussion

A significant controversy has arisen over the ability of the land market to reflect adequately the long-term deleterious effects of soil erosion in land prices. Most arguments for market failure rest on one of two implicit assumptions: (a) the private rate of discount is higher than the social rate, at least in the long run; or (b) because of the high cost of information on the effects of erosion on productivity, individual decision makers are unwilling to invest to obtain sufficient information on the long-term effects. Additional arguments for market failure are couched in terms of the length of the planning horizon but could be stated equivalently in terms of differentials in discount rates. The finite planning horizon hypothesized for farmers' decisions on rented lands is
The Shp-2 tyrosine phosphatase activates the Src tyrosine kinase by a non-enzymatic mechanism

Previously, we demonstrated that the Src tyrosine kinase interacts with the Shp-2 tyrosine phosphatase. To determine whether Shp-2 regulates Src kinase activity, we measured Src activity in cells overexpressing wild-type or catalytically-inactive C463S Shp-2. We observed a 2-3-fold increase in the specific activity of Src in both cell types and the increase did not appear to be due to dephosphorylation of Tyr 527 or phosphorylation of Tyr 416 on Src. Conversely, we observed a 2-3-fold decrease in the specific activity of Src when Shp-2 expression was inhibited. Using glutathione S-transferase-fusion proteins, we demonstrated that Shp-2 binds to the SH3 domain of Src. Our findings reveal that the Shp-2 tyrosine phosphatase can regulate the Src tyrosine kinase by a non-enzymatic mechanism. We also found that the phosphatase activity of Shp-2 immunoprecipitates is downregulated in cells transformed by Src or other proteins, and that Shp-2 preferentially associates with the membrane fraction of transformed cells. We suggest that membrane-association of Shp-2 is important for regulating Shp-2 activity.