cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical and chemical properties of the bovine neurophysins.

Abstract The amino acid composition of native bovine neurophysins I and II, isolated by 0.1 n HCl extraction of acetone-desiccated posterior pituitary glands, has been contrasted with that of neurophysins isolated under conditions of lesser acidity. The results indicate that one of the principal fractions isolated under the latter condition represents neurophysin II from which the amino-terminal Ala-Met peptide has been removed by proteolytic digestion. The previously shown ability of this fraction to bind oxytocin and vasopressin indicates that residues 1 and 2 of neurophysin II, which include its single methionine residue, are nonessential to hormone-binding. Molecular weight studies of neurophysins I and II indicate that they are heterogeneous with respect to molecular weight and that neurophysin II is a mixture of monomer and dimer under the conditions studied. Circular dichroism studies indicate that the conformations of neurophysins I and II are similar and suggest almost no α-helical content. H+ ion titration studies indicate that all ionizable side chains in neurophysin II, in addition to the single histidine of neurophysin I, are freely available to solvent. Changes in proton equilibria and circular dichroism accompanying neurophysin-hormone interaction have been used to study the interaction of neurophysin with a series of peptides containing sequences related to those at positions 1 to 3 of oxytocin and vasopressin. The results indicate that the principal qualitative features of neurophysin-hormone interaction are preserved in its interaction with peptides containing only the first 3 residues of the hormones. In addition, the following relative binding affinities to neurophysin were observed: l-cystinyl-bis-l-tyrosine amide, l-methionyl-l-tyrosyl-l-phenylalanine amide g S-methyl-l-cysteinyl-l-tyrosyl-l-phenylalanine amide g l-alanyl-l-tyrosyl-l-phenylalanine amide g glycyl-l-tyrosyl-l-phenylalanine amide. These data indicate that, together with the hormone α-NH2 and its side chains in positions 2 and 3, the side chain attached to the α-carbon at position 1 plays an important role in binding to neurophysin. This finding is tentatively interpreted in terms of a model in which water is excluded from the binding site upon interaction. H+ ion titration studies confirm previous conclusions from optical activity studies that high concentrations of calcium ion do not significantly diminish the interaction of the hormones with bovine neurophysin. These results differ from the reported effect of calcium ion on porcine neurophysin-hormone interaction.
Exploring storage class memory with key value stores

In the near future, new storage-class memory (SCM) technologies -- such as phase-change memory and memristors -- will radically change the nature of long-term storage. These devices will be cheap, non-volatile, byte addressable, and near DRAM density and speed. While SCM offers enormous opportunities, profiting from them will require new storage systems specifically designed for SCM's properties.This paper presents Echo, a persistent key-value storage system designed to leverage the advantages and address the challenges of SCM. The goals of Echo include high performance for both small and large data objects, recoverability after failure, and scalability on multicore systems. Echo achieves its goals through the use of a two-level memory design targeted for memory systems containing both DRAM and SCM, exploitation of SCM's byte addressability for fine-grained transactions in non-volatile memory, and the use of snapshot isolation for concurrency, consistency, and versioning. Our evaluation demonstrates that Echo's SCM-centric design achieves the durability guarantees of the best disk-based stores with the performance characteristics approaching the best in-memory key-value stores.
Vision Guided Motion Control of a Biomimetic Quadruped Robot: RoboCat

This paper presents the vision system and visual processing for a biomimetic elastic cable-driven quadruped robot RoboCat. This paper presents the vision system and visual processing for a biomimetic elastic cable-driven quadruped robot RoboCat. The paper is geared towards selection of appropriate visual servoing techniques for RoboCat such as vision algorithms, high-level cognition algorithms, software architecture and hardware implementation. The system uses two video cameras for stereo vision data acquisition and a SUMIT-ism form factor embedded computer for vision data processing. The vision system employs a color based target recognition algorithm, a neural network based shape recognition algorithm and a Color and Zernike moment based face detection algorithm. The paper presents the vision algorithms, vision guidance and motion tracking algorithms, rule-based decision making algorithms and the open architecture of the autonomous vision tracking system. Experimental testing results (including video clips) are also presented.
Increased aldosterone secretion in response to blood loss.

A marked increase in the adrenal secretion of the potent electrolyte-active steroid, aldosterone, was observed in the dog in response to loss of blood. The proportionate increase in adrenal output of alclostcrone exceeded that of hydrocortisone. The physiologic mechanism by which the increased aldosterone release is mediated remains obscure. The stimulus to increased aldosterone secretion was not a change in the serum electrolytes. Expansion of the volume of the vascular system by the infusion of large amounts of plasma substitutes failed to uniformly prevent the increased aldosterone output.
Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation for Mixes of Naval Air Weapons Systems

The problem for solution was to develop a method for determining cost and a means for employing cost together with effectiveness in the determination of the next generation attack air weapon system for the Navy. A number of factors in this problem are different from the usual cost-effectiveness problem, some aircraft being procured today will still be in use, Naval aircraft have multiple mission capability both strategic and tactical, the ships being built now or already commissioned are those from which next generation aircraft will operate and aircraft carriers have a fixed area for accommodating aircraft and relatively fixed personnel accommodations. In addition, when we consider a decision that must be made in the relatively near future, we must allow that not only is the total Naval budget limited, but that each kind of major procurement appropriation for aircraft, missiles, ships, etc. is also limited. These considerations led to the formulation of a weapon system costing methodology that was tailored to Naval operating characteristics, and the development of a cost-effectiveness evaluation methodology by way of linear programming to include the various restrictions cited.
How hard is it for urban economies to become ‘green’?

Home to over half the world's population, cities are the drivers of the global economy and the primary influencers of the Earth's sustainability. Thus, the burden of sustainable economic development falls ever more on cities, with many global organizations and governments calling for the promotion of ‘green’ economies. Yet how does a city move from its current economic structure to a green economy? Using detailed occupational data for US cities, we develop a green jobs index based on the network of interdependencies between occupational specializations. Using this index we quantify how close a city's current economy is to the green economy. We further show that movement or transition through this ‘occupation space’ toward a green economy is a slow and difficult process, with the average annual movement towards a green economy across all US cities being close to zero. Such difficulty is uncorrelated with a city's current population size, density, per capita GDP, per capita income, or even the city's curren...
Is Brown Dying? Exploring the Resegregation Trend in Our Public Schools

The fiftieth anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education triggered significant reflection on the case, including its meaning, its goals, and its legacy. One obvious impact that Brown v. Board of Education had was the end of de jure racial segregation in our public schools. The more controversial and ongoing debate surrounding Brown's legacy is whether Brown was intended to or actually achieved any level of sustained success in actually integrating our public schools. This essay approaches the question of whether Brown is dead by focusing on the impact that Brown has today on the racial integration of our public schools. This essay examines closely the resegregation trend in school districts where court-ordered desegregation decrees have ended, drawing on the Harvard Civil Rights Project. Unlike much of the legal scholarship on Brown which focuses on Supreme Court decisions, this essay also focuses on district court resegregation cases, identifying commonalities in the cases that may aid in the larger project of identifying the causes of the resegregation trend. This essay will also focus on district court resegregation cases that followed form the Supreme Court resegregation cases by identifying commonalities in the district court resegregation cases. There are several significant similarities in the district court resegregtion cases related to the actions of the parties (plaintiffs, defendants, and the United States as the intervening party) and to the district courts that may aid in the larger project of identifying the causes of the resegregation trend. Part I of this essay briefly describes the history of court-ordered desegregation, and the role that district courts have played in crafting school desegregation plans. Part II examines the Supreme Court resegregation cases of the early 1990s and the subsequent analysis of those cases by legal scholars. Part III looks beyond the Supreme Court resegregation cases and describes the commonalities in the district court resegregation cases. Finally, Part IV analyzes the implications of these commonalities in the district court resegregation cases and areas that should be addressed in these cases.
First resolved observations of the demagnetized electron-diffusion region of an astrophysical magnetic-reconnection site.

Spatially resolved, diagnostic signatures across the $X$-line and electron-diffusion region (EDR) by the Polar spacecraft are reported at Earth's magnetopause. The $X$-line traversal has a local electron's skin depth scale. First, resolved EDR profiles are presented with peak electron thermal Mach numbers $g1.5$, anisotropy $g7$, calibrated electron agyrotropy $g1$, and misordered expansion parameters indicative of demagnetization and strong (150 eV) increases in electron temperature. The amplitude and phase of these profiles correlate well with a guide geometry kinetic simulation of collisionless magnetic reconnection. Such high resolution diagnosis has been made possible by data processing techniques that afford an 11-fold reduction in the aliasing time for the electron moments.
G232(P) Prevalence of elevated PEWS scores in a Specialist Children’s Hospital: snapshot audit

Introduction Early Warning Scores are associated with an increase in early detection of illness (true positive), high scores without clinical deterioration (false positive) and clinician over-ride or alarm fatigue that leads to missed detection (false negative). Aim: To establish the prevalence of false positive and false negative alerts generated by the Paediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) Methods Data collection occurred on three different days selected purposefully for when the hospital would have the maximum number of patients and a representative case mix of medical and surgical patients. The PEWS score and physiological parameters for the patients were entered on a secure database. For patients with high PEWS (>/= 9), notes were reviewed and nursing staff were contacted for clarification of the action taken and bedside management and escalation plan. This is similar to routine Trust wide safety audits. Results: 248 patients’ PEWS charts from 300 inpatient beds were reviewed over 3 days. 87% of the patients had observations in their PEWS chart, with a physiological value against their PEW score. PEWS were scored more >9 in 2%, 5–8 in 13% and 1–4 in 85% of patients. Majority of the patients with high PEWS were from the cardiac, respiratory and post-operative units. In 46 and 57% of the patients with PEWS >/= 9 and 4–8 respectively, inappropriate response was taken. During this period 4 of the patients were admitted to the PICU from the wards. Conclusion 2% of patients had score >/= 9 and so even if these are false positives it is a small burden. Clinicians do override the PEWs recommendations. Is this due to poor calibration of the score or clinician disbelief?
Utilization of Carbon and Nitrogen Compounds by Coccidioides Immitis (Rixford And Gilchrist, 1896)

Very little information is available concerning the assimilation of carbon and nitrogen compounds by Coccidioides. immitis. All investigators have agreed that carbohydrates are not fermented with the production of acid or gas.1 Stewart and MeyeriB demonstrated that glucose is utilized by the fungus but could not detect the presence of incompletely oxidized end products. Hirsch and Bensonzd demonstrated that ammonium lactate can serve as a source of carbon. Stewart and Meyerlg found that acetic acid, but not formic acid, can serve as a carbon source and that amino acids, but not urea, can serve as both carbon and nitrogen
Probing the Surface-Vacuum Interface with Spin-Sensitive Metastable Atom Deexcitation, Electron Capture and Electron Emission Spectroscopies

Spin-Polarized Metastable Atom Deexcitation (SPMDS) and Electron Capture (ECS) Spectroscopies probe the exponential tails of electronic wavefunctions extending from the surface into the vacuum, and are consequently extremely sensitive to the surface-vacuum interface. The use of SPMDS to probe the near-surface vacuum magnetization of Ni(110) and Fe(110) and the dramatic changes that result upon exposure to ambient gases is discussed, as is the use of ECS and Spin-Polarized Electron Emission Spectroscopy (SPEES) to determine the ferromagnetic and critical behavior of surfaces and ultra-thin epitaxial systems.
Traffic Control in Modular Polyketide Synthases.

Lowry et al. greatly enhance the mechanistic understanding of the vectorial nature of PKS machines utilizing ACP cross-linking probes.
Agricultural Zoning: Impacts and Future Directions

Farmland preservation has become a growing societal concern over the past two decades and is now a common component of any serious discussion of environmental land-use controls. All levels of government have perceived farmland preservation as an important societal goal and have responded with a variety of programs to slow and control the rate of conversion. This article will examine agricultural zoning as a farmland preservation tool. Part one will briefly examine types of agricultural zoning restrictions. Part two, which is the main focus of the article, will examine the impacts of agricultural zoning from four perspectives: (1) Its Legal Impact; (2) Its Economic Impact; (3) Its Development Impact; and (4) Its Effectiveness as a farmland preservation tool. Finally, the last section of the article will give some brief recommendations on the directions agricultural zoning might take.
Assigning clinical meaning to somatic and germ-line whole-exome sequencing data in a prospective cancer precision medicine study.

Implementing cancer precision medicine in the clinic requires assessing the therapeutic relevance of genomic alterations. A main challenge is the systematic interpretation of whole-exome sequencing (WES) data for clinical care. One hundred sixty-five adults with metastatic colorectal and lung adenocarcinomas were prospectively enrolled in the CanSeq study. WES was performed on DNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor biopsy samples and matched blood samples. Somatic and germ-line alterations were ranked according to therapeutic or clinical relevance. Results were interpreted using an integrated somatic and germ-line framework and returned in accordance with patient preferences. At the time of this analysis, WES had been performed and results returned to the clinical team for 165 participants. Of 768 curated somatic alterations, only 31% were associated with clinical evidence and 69% with preclinical or inferential evidence. Of 806 curated germ-line variants, 5% were clinically relevant and 56% were classified as variants of unknown significance. The variant review and decision-making processes were effective when the process was changed from that of a Molecular Tumor Board to a protocol-based approach. The development of novel interpretive and decision-support tools that draw from scientific and clinical evidence will be crucial for the success of cancer precision medicine in WES studies. Genet Med advance online publication 26 January 2017
An Operationally Simple and Mild Oxidative Homocoupling of Aryl Boronic Esters To Access Conformationally Constrained Macrocycles.

Constrained macrocyclic scaffolds are recognized as challenging synthetic motifs with few general macrocyclization methods capable of accessing these types of systems. Although palladium catalyzed oxidative homocoupling of aryl boronic acids and esters to biphenyls has been recognized as a common byproduct in Suzuki–Miyaura cross-couplings for decades, this reactivity has not been leveraged for the synthesis of challenging molecules. Here we report an oxidative boronic ester homocoupling reaction as a mild method for the synthesis of strained and conformationally restricted macrocycles. Higher yields and better efficiencies are observed for intramolecular diboronic ester homocouplings when directly compared to the analogous intramolecular Suzuki–Miyaura cross-couplings or reductive Yamamoto homocouplings. Substrates included strained polyphenylene macrocycles, strained cycloalkynes, and a key macrocyclic intermediate toward the synthesis of acerogenin A. Notably, this oxidative homocoupling reaction is pe...
Disparities in gestational age-specific fetal mortality rates in the United States, 2009-2013.

Abstract Purpose Although studies have examined overall temporal changes in gestational age–specific fetal mortality rates, there is little information on the current status of racial/ethnic differences. We hypothesize that differences exist between racial/ethnic groups across gestational age and that these differences are not equally distributed. Methods Using the 2009–2013 data from US fetal death and live birth files for non-Hispanic white (NHW); non-Hispanic black (NHB); Hispanic; and American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) women, we conducted analyses to examine fetal mortality rates and estimate adjusted prevalence rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results There were lower risks of fetal mortality among NHB women (aPRR = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.71–0.81) and Hispanic women (aPRR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.83–0.96) compared with NHWs at 22–23 weeks’ gestation. For NHB women, the risk was higher starting at 32–33 weeks (aPRR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.04–1.18) and continued to increase as gestational age increased. Hispanic and AIAN women had lower risks of fetal mortality compared with NHW women until 38–39 weeks. Conclusions Further examination is needed to identify causes of fetal death within the later pregnancy period and how those causes and their antecedents might differ by race and ethnicity.
Pitted keratolysis: a case report and review of current literature:

The article offers a brief history of pitted keratolysis (PK), research regarding PK etiology, evaluation of PK, and current treatment modalities. The main objective of this article focuses on the ...
International Justice: Philosophical Aspects

International justice, like justice within borders, is largely concerned with duties of aid in response to inequality and duties of noninterference. However, the change to an international context strikes most people as profoundly altering the moral norms to be applied. They think that tax-financed aid to the needy should attend to foreigners to a far lesser extent than to compatriots. They also think that considerations of national sovereignty support stringent prohibitions against intrusion in another country's affairs, even to promote just and humane goals rightly pursued within a country's borders. Current philosophical debate over the proper norms of foreign aid and national sovereignty is a forum both for challenges to the routine assessments of the moral importance of borders, as failing to express a full appreciation of the equal worth of all persons everywhere, and for appeals to these assessments as exposing the typical insensitivity of modern moral philosophy to the special ties of obligation binding compatriots.
Depression of Amino Acid Uptake in Human Placental Villus by Cocaine, Morphine and Nicotine

There are several drugs which are known to cause intrauterine growth retardation in experimental animals and man (Tuchmann-Duplessis, 1975). This retarded growth may predispose neonates to perinatal morbidity and mortality. Morphine is known to be associated with retarded intrauterine growth, the extent of which is apparently related to the amount of exposure (Stone et al., 1971). Nicotine and smoking are also implicated in intrauterine fetal growth retardation (Tuchmann-Duplessis, 1975; Hasselmeyer et al., 1979). Prior studies in our laboratory have demonstrated dose-related inhibition of the uptake of the amino acid, a-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), by components of tobacco smoke (Barnwell and Sastry, 1982). Intrauterine fetal growth retardation among cocaine addicts has not been well documented. However, its use as an euphoric drug has recently become more popular, and greater numbers of pregnant females may be exposing their offspring to the drug (Ellinwood and Kilbey, 1975). Amino acids for fetal protein synthesis and metabolic energy have to be transported from maternal blood to the fetal circulation through the placenta. There is, however, little information on the effects of the above drugs on amino acid transport in human placenta.
Timing of Endoscopic Necrosectomy Following Transmural Stent Placement for Pancreatic Necrosis.

Purpose of the review Pancreatic walled-off necrosis (WON) may require adjunctive direct endoscopic necrosectomy (DEN) following transmural stent placement. DEN is performed immediately or delayed in relation to index endoscopy. There is currently no consensus on the optimal timing of DEN. We review the most recent literature addressing each practice. Recent findings Some expert opinion prefer delayed DEN; however, recent data reveal immediate DEN may reduce the number of endoscopic sessions required for successful clinical resolution of WON. Future studies are needed to determine the optimal timing for DEN following transmural stent placement for the management of WON.
Effect of Topical Brimonidine on Alcohol-Induced Flushing in Asian Individuals: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance Alcohol flushing syndrome (AFS, also known asAsian glowandAsian flush) affects 20% to 47% of East Asians and causes significant psychosocial distress. There are no approved treatments for this condition. Objective To determine whether brimonidine gel, 0.33%, decreases facial erythema in patients with AFS after consumption of alcohol. Design, Setting, and Participants In this randomized clinical trial, 20 healthy volunteers of East Asian descent with a self-reported history of AFS were recruited between April 2018 and March 2019. Interventions Participants were randomized to application of brimonidine gel to either the left or right half of their face. Placebo control was applied to the opposite side. After 30 minutes, participants ingested alcohol. Main Outcomes and Measures Outcomes were specified before data collection. The difference in erythema between the treated and placebo side of each participant’s face was measured 60 minutes after drug application (primary outcome) and at 90 and 120 minutes after drug application (secondary outcomes). Participants were asked to rate their likelihood of using the medication again and their likelihood of recommending the medication to a friend on a scale of 0 to 10. Results The mean (SD) age of the 20 individuals enrolled in the study was 30.5 (8.4) years, and there were 10 women (50%). There was a significant difference in erythema at 60 minutes after drug application as measured by the difference in Clinician Erythema Assessment score (2.1; 95% CI, 1.5-2.71;P Conclusions and Relevance This study demonstrates that brimonidine gel is effective in reducing the facial erythema of AFS. Patients with psychosocial distress due to AFS may benefit from treatment with brimonidine. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier:NCT03497442
A VSM-Based DER Dispatch MINLP for Volt-VAR Control in Unbalanced Power Distribution Systems

This paper presents an optimal dispatch algorithm to coordinate customer-owned controllable loads and smart solar inverters with utility-owned voltage regulators and capacitors to meet voltage control objectives. The optimization problem is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem. A voltage sensitivity matrix (VSM) is used to linearize the effect of control actions on the voltage at customer nodes when solving the MINLP. The VSM is recalculated at each time step to improve the computational accuracy. Both discrete switching actions of the capacitor and VRs and the continuous adjustment of real and reactive power from load and smart inverters are considered in the MINLP volt-var problem formulation. The objective function minimizes the cost of all control actions and the magnitude of voltage fluctuations from the previous time period. Constraints ensure that the voltage at each node is maintained within ANSI limits and the feeder power factor is controlled within the desired range. The algorithm is tested using an actual 3-phase unbalanced distribution feeder model. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is computationally feasible on real circuits and improves voltage control while minimizing operational costs.
Communicating Death and Dying Through Simulation: A Project with Pediatric Residents

Program Goals Pediatric residentscare for a wide spectrum of children with acute and chronic disease processes. They are often the first to communicate with families, yet receive little formal training in conveying difficult information. In 2014, during this author’s chief resident academic year, many residents expressed feelings of frustration and inadequacy when caring for children at end-of-life, and also reported a lack of opportunities to process their patients’ deaths. To address these needs, we partnered with an interdisciplinary team to create an end-of-life communications-based curriculum that was integrated …
Quality of DNA extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded canine tissues

Veterinary pathology tissue banks are valuable resources for genetic studies. However, limited data exist as to whether quality DNA can be extracted from these tissues for use in canine genotyping studies. We extracted DNA from 44 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks from dogs; 9 of these dogs had DNA available from whole blood samples that had been banked. We genotyped DNA from 30 of 44 tissue blocks and 9 whole blood samples on the Illumina CanineHD BeadChip; DNA quality was insufficient in 14 of 44 samples from tissue blocks. There was significant correlation between the 260/280 ratio and single-nucleotide variation (SNV) call rate (p = 0.0276; r2 = 0.162); 23 of 30 samples from FFPE were genotyped with > 65% call rates. Median pairwise identical-by-state (IBS) analysis was 0.99 in 8 pairs of dogs with call rates > 65%. Neither age of tissue block nor specific tissue types were associated with significant differences in DNA concentration, 260/280 ratio, or SNV call rate. DNA extracted from tissue blocks can have variable quality, although comparable levels of homozygosity suggest that extracts from FFPE with call rates > 65% might provide similar results to samples from whole blood when analyzed on the Illumina CanineHD BeadChip.
Mechanosensation in traumatic brain injury

Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is distinct from other neurological disorders because it is induced by a discrete event that applies extreme mechanical forces to the brain. This review describes how the brain senses, integrates, and responds to forces under both normal conditions and during injury. The response to forces is influenced by the unique mechanical properties of brain tissue, which differ by region, cell type, and sub-cellular structure. Elements such as the extracellular matrix, plasma membrane, transmembrane receptors, and cytoskeleton influence its properties. These same components also act as force-sensors, allowing neurons and glia to respond to their physical environment and maintain homeostasis. However, when applied forces become too large, as in TBI, these components may respond in an aberrant manner or structurally fail, resulting in unique pathological sequelae. This so-called “pathological mechanosensation” represents a spectrum of cellular responses, which vary depending on the overall biomechanical parameters of the injury and may be compounded by repetitive injuries. Such aberrant physical responses and/or damage to cells along with the resulting secondary injury cascades can ultimately lead to long-term cellular dysfunction and degeneration, often resulting in persistent deficits. Indeed, pathological mechanosensation not only directly initiates secondary injury cascades, but this post-physical damage environment provides the context in which these cascades unfold. Collectively, these points underscore the need to use experimental models that accurately replicate the biomechanics of TBI in humans. Understanding cellular responses in context with injury biomechanics may uncover therapeutic targets addressing various facets of trauma-specific sequelae.
Just Say No: Dr Richard I. Evans Efforts to Influence Juvenile Behaviour through US Public Health Programming

Television as a means of distributing public health information and influencing health behaviours was recognized even in the earliest days of broadcasting, a natural extension of health messaging on radio and film. This paper examines the place health-focused programming held in the United States’ educational television landscape and the role of Dr Richard I. Evans, social-psychology researcher, who sought to use television to influence the behaviours of youths engaging in “risky” activities.
A Plate Based Assay for Determination of the Median Lethal Dose of 1-Hydroxyphenazine in Caenorhabditis elegans .

Caenorhabditis elegans is an ideal model organism for studying the xenobiotic detoxification pathways of various natural and synthetic toxins. We developed a new workflow to study the effects of 1-hydroxyphenazine (1-HP), a toxin produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, on the survival of C. elegans. Prior research has demonstrated that C. elegans can detoxify 1-HP through the general mechanism of O-glycosylation. As part of the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) undergraduate research team, we have developed a workflow for a plate-based toxicity assay to determine the median lethal dose (LD50) of 1-HP. This was achieved through a toxin exposure method in which the worms were exposed to varying concentrations of 1-HP. The death rates were measured using a fluorescent bead assay. This workflow can be used to test C. elegans responses to different toxins and also the response of different mutant strains to a toxin of interest.
A Review on Personalized Therapies

Aims: Healthcare and pharmaceutical research are incessantly reaching to new zeniths which is substantiated by the increasing numbers of diagnostic and therapeutic options available to healthcare professionals for treating patients but a major impediment to this growth has been the evolution of genetic mutation that makes diagnosis and treatment an enigmatic job. Unfortunately, the study of etiology of mutations is still a very neonatal area of research due to the high number of different factors involved in cellular signal trafficking, several metabolic pathways and their simultaneous effects. Owing to these reasons it has been very difficult to select an appropriate treatment modality based on the manifestations of certain common mutations in a pack of symptoms especially in patients who are resistant to treatment. This has led to the development of personalized therapy which can be delineated as acclimatizing of medical treatment based on the characteristics of the individual being treated. This development leans on our understanding of how an individual ingrained molecular and genetic profile makes them prone to certain diseases. To discover a right target for personalized therapies a long screening proses along with In vivo and in vitro analysis are needed. To begin with this review is an attempt to summarize the information available for personalized therapies.
Metabolomic profiling of Burkholderia cenocepacia in synthetic cystic fibrosis sputum medium reveals nutrient environment-specific production of virulence factors

Infections by Burkholderia cenocepacia lead to life-threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals, including those living with cystic fibrosis (CF). While genetic variation in various B. cenocepacia strains has been reported, it remains unclear how the chemical environment of CF lung influences the production of small molecule virulence factors by these strains. Here we compare metabolomes of three clinical B. cenocepacia strains in synthetic CF sputum medium (SCFM2) and in a routine laboratory medium (LB), in the presence and absence of the antibiotic trimethoprim. Using a mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics approach, we identify several compound classes which are differentially produced in SCFM2 compared to LB media, including siderophores, antimicrobials, quorum sensing signals, and various lipids. Furthermore, we describe that specific metabolites are induced in the presence of the antibiotic trimethoprim only in SCFM2 when compared to LB. Herein, C13-acyl-homoserine lactone, a quorum sensing signal previously not known to be produced by B. cenocepacia as well as pyochelin-type siderophores were exclusively detected during growth in SCFM2 in the presence of trimethoprim. The comparative metabolomics approach described in this study provides insight into environment-dependent production of secondary metabolites by B. cenocepacia strains and suggests future work which could identify personalized strain-specific regulatory mechanisms involved in production of secondary metabolites. Investigations into whether antibiotics with different mechanisms of action induce similar metabolic alterations will inform development of combination treatments aimed at effective clearance of Burkholderia spp. pathogens.
Pediatric T-wave memory after accessory pathway ablation in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Abstract Background Altered ventricular depolarization due to manifest accessory pathway conduction, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, leads to repolarization abnormalities that persist after pathway ablation. The term T-wave memory (TWM) has been applied to these changes, as the post-ablation T-wave vector “remembers” the preexcited QRS vector. In adults, these abnormalities can be misinterpreted as ischemia leading to unnecessary interventions. To date, there have been no comprehensive studies evaluating this phenomenon in the pediatric population. Objective Define TWM in the pediatric population, identify pre-ablation risk factors, and delineate the timeline of recovery. Methods Pre- and post-ablation ECGs in patients ≤ 25 years were analyzed over a 5 year period. Frontal plane QTc interval, T-wave axis, QRST angle and T-wave inversions were used to identify patients with TWM. Univariate analysis was performed to determine the association of pre-ablation ECG features with the outcome of TWM. Results TWM was present in 42% of pediatric patients, with resolution occurring within 3 months of ablation. Pre-ablation QRS axis Conclusion TWM is less common in children compared to adults, and normalization occurred within 3 months post-ablation. The most predictive features for the development of TWM include a leftward preexcited QRS axis and posteroseptal pathway location.
Increased PGD2 is associated with delayed dendritic cell maturation in neonates during respiratory viral infection (VIR2P.1031)

During respiratory viral infection in adults, inflammatory cytokines stimulate conventional dendritic cells (cDC) to increase expression of MHC class II molecules, co-stimulatory molecules, and chemokine receptors. Activated cDC then migrate from the lung to the draining lymph nodes where they present antigen to T cells. Our previous studies demonstrated that neonatal mice exhibit reduced inflammation and inflammatory cytokine expression during paramyxoviral infection. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a cytokine known to participate in cDC activation, is expressed at significantly lower levels in neonatal mice during respiratory viral infection compared to adults. Thus, we hypothesized that cDC maturation and migration to lymph nodes may be delayed or impaired in neonates. Adult and two-day old neonatal C57BL/6 mice were inoculated intranasally with Sendai virus (500 pfu/g body weight). Adult cDC had increased expression of MHC Class II and CCR7 and had migrated to the lymph nodes on post-infection days 1 and 3. However, these events were delayed in neonates and did not reach adult levels until post-infection day 7. Interestingly, studies in geriatric mice suggest that high levels of Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) may inhibit cDC maturation and migration to lymph nodes. We also observed higher PGD2 expression in neonatal bronchoalveolar lavage fluid compared to adults during paramyxoviral infection, and this may contribute to the impairment of DC maturation in neonates.
REVOLVING DOORS : LOBBYISTS ' GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE , EXPERTISE , AND ACCESS IN POLITICAL CONTEXT

In this paper we identify how many lobbyists have previously worked in the federal government—and in which venue—to investigate whether their previous public service affects their subsequent lobbying behavior. Using evidence from a new data set of professional biographies of roughly 1,600 registered lobbyists—which we link to data from almost 50,000 quarterly Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) reports—we find that revolving door lobbyists (1) frequently underreport their previous government employment as mandated by law, (2) have worked mostly in Congress, (3) tend to work as contract lobbyists, (4) represent a more diverse clientele, and (5) actively lobby in more policy domains than their conventional counterparts. We also find that, depending on the political context of the relevant policy domain, revolving door lobbyists’ clienteles and activities systematically vary by the highly specialized expertise and access that particular kinds of congressional experience provides.
Dirty Hands in Classrooms

John Kenneth Galbraith is reported to have observed that in America, people are paid in inverse proportion to the perceived value of their role. If this is true, a comparison of the incomes of movie stars or professional athletes to that of public school teachers suggests that teachers are held in high regard. Despite complaints about the ability of public schools to educate children, the public image of teachers is, I believe, primarily positive. Most teachers are viewed as good people, devoted to a worthy task — the education of future citizens and workers. Moreover, recognizing the influence of such non-academic factors as a sense of community or safety on academic achievement, many public schools have undertaken some sort of character or values education, which promotes the kinds of traits and actions that are commonly found in a moral life. Why then, do I want to suggest that public school teachers are engaged in an occupation that involves what political theorists call “dirty hands”?
Hydrolysis of Tay-Sachs Ganglioside by β-Hexosaminidase A of Human Liver and Urine

Abstract A crude β-hexosaminidase fraction prepared by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation of human liver extract or urine was found to convert Tay-Sachs ganglioside, GalNAcβ1 → 4(NANα2 → 3)Galβ1 → 4Glc → ceramide (Gm2) into NANα2 → 3Galβ1 → 4 Glc → ceramide (Gm3). After separation of hexosaminidase A and B by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, only freshly prepared β-hexosaminidase A hydrolyzed Gm2 although both forms were still active toward p-nitrophenyl-β-d-N-acetylglucosaminide. A heat-stable, nondialyzable preparation obtained from the crude β-hexosaminidase fraction of human liver was found to stimulate the hydrolysis of Gm2 by β-hexosaminidase A but not B isolated from both sources. Upon aging, β-hexosaminidase A would only hydrolyze Gm2 in the presence of the heat-stable preparation. Extensive purification as well as aging tended to reduce the capacity of β-hexosaminidase A to hydrolyze Gm2 even in the presence of the heat-stable preparation. Our results explain why β-hexosaminidase A has been previously reported by other investigators to hydrolyze Gm2 only with great difficulty. Our results also relate the inordinate storage of Gm2 to the absence of β-hexosaminidase A in the classical form of Tay-Sachs disease.
The Perfect Match: A Case Study of a First Year Woman Principal.

This case study of a first-year woman principal in a small, rural school district describes succession effects from the perspectives of the female principal, some faculty members, a parent, and ano...
Force Dynamics and Directed Change in Event Lexicalization and Argument Realization

Both the aspectual and causal structure of events contribute to the grammatically significant elements of event structure. However, previous representations of event structure do not clearly distinguish causal and aspectual structure, and generally do not involve a sufficiently rich typology of aspectual types. In this chapter, a more fine-grained typology of aspectual types is presented, and a three-dimensional model of event structure is introduced to accommodate relevant details of event structure for event lexicalization and argument realization, following Croft (Aspectual and causal structure in event representations 2009, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; Verbs: aspect and causal structure 2012, Oxford University Press). The model is used to introduce an aspectual category directed change, and to analyze resultative constructions and the so-called manner/result verb distinction.
Empirical model reduction of controlled nonlinear systems

In this paper we introduce a new method of model reduction for nonlinear systems with inputs and outputs. The method requires only standard matrix computations, and when applied to linear systems results in the usual balanced truncation. For nonlinear systems, the method makes used of the Karhunen-Lo`eve decomposition of the state-space, and is an extension of the method of empirical eigenfunctions used in fluid dynamics. We show that the new method is equivalent to balanced-truncation in the linear case, and perform an example reduction for a nonlinear mechanical system.
Refocusing the responsiveness requirement

Many guidelines for international research require that studies be responsive to host community health needs or health priorities. Although responsiveness possesses great intuitive and rhetorical appeal, existing conceptions are confusing and difficult to apply. Not only are there few examples of what research the responsiveness requirement permits and what it rejects, but its application can lead to contradictory results. Because of the practical difficulties in applying responsiveness and the danger that misapplying responsiveness could harm the interests of developing countries, we argue that responsiveness should be refocused in three ways: in terms of (1) who enforces it, (2) under what standard, and (3) in what cases. We conclude that responsiveness should be applied by host country officials at the policy level with the exercise of judgment when externally funded research threatens to displace scarce local resources.
Acute toxicity of dietary polybrominated biphenyls in Bobwhite Quail

This investigation was undertaken to study the acute oral toxicity of PBB to Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus). The median lethal dietary concentration (LC/sub 56/) of PBB was determined over 8 days and clinical signs of intoxication are described.
The electrocardiogram and ventricular gradient in atrial septal defect.

Abstract The electrocardiograms in 100 proved instances of atrial septal defect (90 patients with septum secundum defect and 10 with septum primum defect) were studied. The electrocardiogram was fairly characteristic in atrial septal defect, sufficiently so to be of considerable value in clinical diagnosis. The tracings had a prominent S wave in Leads I, V 5 , and V 6 , with a prominent R′ wave in Leads V 1 and V 2 . The prominence included large magnitude and/or duration, especially when considered with respect to the R wave in Leads I, V 5 , and V 6 , and the S wave in Leads V 1 and V 2 . The electrocardiograms of the septum primum defects differed significantly in a readily recognizable fashion from those of the septum secundum defects, in that the former also manifested left axis deviation of the QRS or Â QRS , while in the latter the axis was shifted toward the right. This was evident from an S wave of considerable magnitude in Leads II and III. Not one of the 90 patients with septum secundum defect manifested left axis deviation of the QRS complex or Â QRS . The P wave was not particularly altered in the electrocardiogram, except in Lead V 1 , in spite of right atrial enlargement in atrial septal defect. These studies show again the unreliability of the arbitrary electrocardiographic criteria of right bundle branch block. The 100 sets of tracings also indicate the value of the electrocardiogram in differentiating hypertrophy of the crista supraventricularis from that of the entire right ventricle.
The nembutal metabolic rate as an aid in the study of thyroid function.

(1957). The Nembutal Metabolic Rate as an Aid in the Study of Thyroid Function. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 1-7.
Workshop - effective, efficient teaching

Effective, efficient methods for "lecture-style" courses was considered in the first part of the workshop. The wisdom of the participants was tapped to develop ideas for classes. Methods to improve testing and grading were explored. This part was concluded with an interactive question-answer session. The second part of the workshop considers student learning and approaches to tap into the vast untapped reservoir of student involvement. This part includes motivation, teaching approaches and extra-curricular activities. The final part focuses on teaching students how-to-learn and the development of classes that do this