cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Allogeneic stem cell transplantation in fully MHC-matched Mauritian cynomolgus macaques recapitulates diverse human clinical outcomes

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a critically important therapy for hematological malignancies, inborn errors of metabolism, and immunodeficiency disorders, yet complications such as graft-vs.-host disease (GvHD) limit survival. Development of anti-GvHD therapies that do not adversely affect susceptibility to infection or graft-vs.-tumor immunity are hampered by the lack of a physiologically relevant, preclinical model of allogeneic HSCT. Here we show a spectrum of diverse clinical HSCT outcomes including primary and secondary graft failure, lethal GvHD, and stable, disease-free full donor engraftment using reduced intensity conditioning and mobilized peripheral blood HSCT in unrelated, fully MHC-matched Mauritian-origin cynomolgus macaques. Anti-GvHD prophylaxis of tacrolimus, post-transplant cyclophosphamide, and CD28 blockade induces multi-lineage, full donor chimerism and recipient-specific tolerance while maintaining pathogen-specific immunity. These results establish a new preclinical allogeneic HSCT model for evaluation of GvHD prophylaxis and next-generation HSCT-mediated therapies for solid organ tolerance, cure of non-malignant hematological disease, and HIV reservoir clearance. Rhesus macaques are not ideal for studying response to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) owing to complex MHC genetics that prevent full MHC-matching. Here the authors show that inbred Mauritian-origin cynomolgus macaques are a superior preclinical model of allogeneic stem cell transplantation that mimics diverse clinical outcomes of human allo-HSCT.
The Electronic Structure, Fermi Surface and Pseudogap in Manganites

This chapter presents an overview of the electronic structure and the Fermi Surface of the colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) oxides, with an emphasis on recent angle resolved photoemission results of the bilayer manganite La2–2x Sr1+2x Mn2O7. These experiments have now advanced to the stage that the low energy excitations very near the Fermi level can be directly measured. The key transport parameters and energy scales can be directly determined from the data. One of the critical outcomes of these and other experiments is the observation and study of a pseudogap: a suppression of spectral weight near the Fermi energy. This effect is shown to be crucial in understanding the very high resistivities as well as the CMR effect. We argue that this pseudogap is likely to be an unusual type of fluctuating charge density wave (CDW) gap, in which the variations in charge density cooperate with the lattice distortions (e.g. Jahn-Teller distortions) as well as with the spin degrees of freedom (double exchange). An other important factor consistent with this data appears to be nanoscale electronic phase separation.
Media use and political learning: Comparing Trump supporters to celebrity candidate voters

This study examines whether political media use behaviors of voters who supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election align with those of “celebrity candidate voters” portrayed in the li...
Shades of Bliss: Imagining Heaven in Wallace Stevens and Richard Wilbur

Richard Wilbur’s “A Baroque Wall-Fountain in the Villa Sciarra” describes fountains which embody different conceptions of human virtue expressed in contrasting religious systems. Wallace Stevens’s ...
Ternary deep eutectic solvents for effective biomass deconstruction at high solids and low enzyme loadings.

Ternary deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were developed to enable rapid and high-solid biomass pretreatment as well as concentrated sugar hydrolysate production. Six ternary DESs constituted choline chloride (ChCl) or guanidine hydrochloride (GH) as a hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA), ethylene glycol (EG) or propylene glycol (PG) or glycerin (GLY) as a polyol-based hydrogen bond donor (HBD), and p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) as an acidic HBD. GH-EG-PTSA was the most effective, evidenced by 79% xylan and 82% lignin removal in only 6 min at 120 °C and 10 wt% solid loading. Even at 35 wt% solid loading, both GH-EG-PTSA and ChCl-EG-PTSA still removed more than 60% xylan and lignin in 30 min. Using a 20% solid loading and a low enzyme loading of 5 mg protein/g solid, 128 g/L glucose and 20 g/L xylose was obtained, with a glucose yield of 78.4%. Overall, this study demonstrated novel and high-performance ternary DESs for effective lignocellulose deconstruction.
275-LB: Connectome Predictive Modeling May Identify Brain Connectivity Signatures to Help Predict Who Will Benefit from Low-Calorie Diet

While studies have investigated changes in brain connectivity following diet and weight loss, it has not yet been explored whether baseline brain connectivity can be used to predict weight loss during diet or to identify individual subjects for which a particular diet may be effective. The following study uses Connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM), a data-driven analysis approach for producing predictive models of individual brain-behavior relationships from brain connectivity data using cross-validation, to help identify individual participants who will lose weight after an 8-week low calorie diet. 16 Healthy OB subjects (10F/6M, age 44.4±8 years, BMI 32.7±2) and 9 T2DM subjects (5F/4M, age 48±9, BMI 33.9±2) underwent functional MRI (fMRI) during a hyperglycemic-euglycemic clamp. Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) brain activity was assessed while subjects viewed food (high-calorie, low-calorie) pictures and non-food images. The study was repeated after 8 weeks of a reduced calorie diet. CPM was applied to BOLD activity during hyperglycemia and euglycemia. Analyses show that models built on individual subject brain connectivity matrices averaged between hyperglycemia and euglycemia before an 8-week low calorie diet are able to predict 50.2% and 53.4% of the variance in BMI and weight loss (kg), respectively (p Disclosure D. Groskreutz: None. W. Lam: None. C. Lacadie: None. A. Elshafie: None. J.J. Hwang: None. D. Seo: None. M. Savoye: None. R. Sinha: None. T. Constable: None. R. Sherwin: Other Relationship; Self; ICON plc., IQVIA, MannKind Corporation. R. Belfort-DeAguiar: Research Support; Self; Silver Palate Kitchens, Inc. Funding National Institutes of Health
Transfusion of Uncrossmatched Group O Erythrocyte-containing Products Does Not Interfere with Most ABO Typings.

Editor’s PerspectiveWhat We Already Know about This TopicUncrossmatched erythrocyte units that are provided to a massively bleeding patient whose ABO group is unknown must be type O to ensure compatibility. The effect of transfusing type O units on the ability to subsequently determine the patient’s
Gone Home: Race and Roots through Appalachia

Black lives have long been invisible and left out of the stories of Appalachia, especially the coal miner story. In her book, Gone Home: Race and Roots through Appalachia, author Karida L. Brown sp...
Consolidation of use-dependent motor memories induced by passive movement training

Abstract Motor adaptation, a type of motor learning, is often thought to involve two distinct processes: error-based and use-dependent learning. Passive movement training, which is associated with use-dependent learning, can facilitate motor adaptation, although it is unknown how long its facilitative effect can last. The objective of this study was to examine the lasting effect of passive training on visuomotor adaptation for the duration of up to 24 h. Neurotypical, right-handed subjects experienced four experimental sessions: baseline, training, time delay and testing. In the training session, all subjects received passive training of their dominant arm that was moved by an exoskeletal robot in a “desired” target direction repeatedly. Following that, the subjects experienced a time delay of 5 min, 1 h or 24 h. In the testing session, the subjects performed reaching movements under a novel visuomotor condition, in which the visual display was rotated 30 degrees counterclockwise about the start circle. Control subjects experienced the baseline and testing sessions with a time delay of 5 min between the two sessions. Results indicate that the 1-h and 24-h groups, but not the 5-min group, adapted to the rotation significantly better than the controls. This finding has an implication for neurorehabilitation suggesting, for example, that passive proprioceptive training may indeed be a viable option for improving arm motor function in stroke survivors with severe hemiparesis, for whom efficient intervention techniques are very limited.
1968 in an Expanded Field: The Frankfurt School and the Uneven Course of History

No longer capable of serving as a nodal point of a single coherent narrative or as a marker for parallel events across national borders, “1968” is best understood in a tense relation to “1967”. Jux...
On Coded Caching for Two Users with Overlapping Demand Sets.

Coded caching is a technique for reducing congestion in communication networks by prefetching content during idle periods and exploiting multicasting opportunities during periods of heavy traffic. Most of the existing research in this area has focused on minimizing the worst case (i.e., peak) rate in a broadcast link with multiple identically distributed user requests. However, modern content delivery networks are investing very heavily in profiling their users and predicting their preferences. The minimal achievable rate of a coded caching scheme with heterogeneous user profiles is still unknown in general. This paper presents the first steps towards solving that problem by analyzing the case of two users with distinct but overlapping demand sets. Specifically, it provides a complete characterization of the uniform-average-rate capacity when the sets overlap in just one file and shows that such capacity can be achieved with selfish and uncoded prefetching. Then, it characterizes the same capacity under selfish and uncoded prefetching when the demand sets overlap in two or more files. The paper also provides explicit prefetching schemes that achieve those capacities. All our results allow for arbitrary (and not necessarily identical) users' cache sizes and number of files in each demand set.
Issue Framing, Entrepreneurship, and the Passage of the Violence Against Women Act

The authors map how the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) made it to the legislative agenda and seek to answer the question of how gender entered the discussion of violence. We adopt a longitudinal approach to examine how the media, experts, and legislative entrepreneurs engaged in a dialogue to get domestic violence on the government agenda. The study develops and uses indicators of media attention, expert attention, presidential attention, and legislative attention to track the evolution of domestic violence policy between 1965 and 2020. Our results showed that public attention matters to those interested in getting an issue on the agenda. But more importantly, expert attention can be instrumental in keeping an issue alive. Salience is a key factor that allows expansion of conflict and redefinition of issues. These findings demonstrate that government can and does enact major policy change without a punctuating event. The controversial character of domestic violence might explain its struggles to gain access to the government and decision agendas. Initially constructed as a private family issue, and thus not suitable for government attention, it was not until it was framed as criminal violence that the public began to take notice. This construction involved the media, academics, and select members of congress, who worked to move the issue to the government agenda where crime was a perennial favorite.
Robust Low-Rank Matrix Completion via an Alternating Manifold Proximal Gradient Continuation Method

Robust low-rank matrix completion (RMC), or robust principal component analysis with partially observed data, has been studied extensively for computer vision, signal processing and machine learning applications. This problem aims at decomposing a partially observed matrix into the superposition of a low-rank matrix and a sparse matrix, where the sparse matrix captures the grossly corrupted entries of the matrix. A widely used approach to tackle RMC is to consider a convex formulation, which minimizes the nuclear norm of the low-rank matrix (to promote low-rankness) plus the $\ell _1$ norm of the sparse matrix (to promote sparsity). In this paper, motivated by some recent works on low-rank matrix completion and Riemannian optimization, we formulate this problem as a nonsmooth Riemannian optimization problem over Grassmann manifold. This new formulation is scalable as the low-rank matrix is factorized to the multiplication of two much smaller matrices. We then propose an alternating manifold proximal gradient continuation method to solve the proposed new formulation. Convergence rate of the proposed algorithm is rigorously analyzed. Numerical results on both synthetic data and real data on background extraction from surveillance videos are reported to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed new formulation and algorithm over several popular existing approaches.
Ultra-Low Voltage Silicon Photonic MEMS Phase Shifter

We present the design and working model of an ultra-low voltage silicon photonic MEMs phase shifter that produces a 1.41π phase shift with only a 0.7V actuation voltage. This device is electrostatically driven and compatible with CMOS-silicon photonic foundries.
The future of artificial intelligence in healthcare

Abstract The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has witnessed significant advances in the last decade in terms of computational power and the ease of implementing AI in domain-specific settings. The medical field, in particular, contains many prominent examples of these advances. AI has already taken a foothold in some specialties such as radiology, and is likely to continue expanding into other clinical realms, altering established approaches for disease diagnosis, research conduct, and patients interaction. This chapter provides an historical perspective and background on recent computing advances that have set the stage for the emergence of AI in healthcare, describes the burgeoning trends in AI’s clinical implementation, and considers some of the challenges that will face healthcare providers as AI makes its way into day-to-day clinical practice.
Dissolved organic nutrients at the interface of fresh and marine waters: flow regime changes, biogeochemical cascades and picocyanobacterial blooms—the example of Florida Bay, USA

The availability of dissolved inorganic and organic nutrients and their transformations along the fresh to marine continuum are being modified by various natural and anthropogenic activities and climate-related changes. Subtropical central and eastern Florida Bay, located at the southern end of the Florida peninsula, is classically considered to have inorganic nutrient conditions that are in higher-than-Redfield ratio proportions, and high levels of organic and chemically-reduced forms of nitrogen. However, salinity, pH and nutrients, both organic and inorganic, change with changes in freshwater flows to the bay. Here, using a time series of water quality and physico-chemical conditions from 2009 to 2019, the impacts of distinct changes in managed flow, drought, El Nino-related increases in precipitation, and intensive storms and hurricanes are explored with respect to changes in water quality and resulting ecosystem effects, with a focus on understanding why picocyanobacterial blooms formed when they did. Drought produced hyper-salinity conditions that were associated with a seagrass die-off. Years later, increases in precipitation resulting from intensive storms and a hurricane were associated with high loads of organic nutrients, and declines in pH, likely due to high organic acid input and decaying organic matter, collectively leading to physiologically favorable conditions for growth of the picocyanobacterium, Synechococcus spp. These conditions, including very high concentrations of NH4+, were likely inhibiting for seagrass recovery and for growth of competing phytoplankton or their grazers. Given projected future climate conditions, and anticipated cycles of drought and intensive storms, the likelihood of future seagrass die-offs and picocyanobacterial blooms is high.
Epigenetics and Heart Development

Epigenetic control of gene expression during cardiac development and disease has been a topic of intense research in recent years. Advances in experimental methods to study DNA accessibility, transcription factor occupancy, and chromatin conformation capture technologies have helped identify regions of chromatin structure that play a role in regulating access of transcription factors to the promoter elements of genes, thereby modulating expression. These chromatin structures facilitate enhancer contacts across large genomic distances and function to insulate genes from cis-regulatory elements that lie outside the boundaries for the gene of interest. Changes in transcription factor occupancy due to changes in chromatin accessibility have been implicated in congenital heart disease. However, the factors controlling this process and their role in changing gene expression during development or disease remain unclear. In this review, we focus on recent advances in the understanding of epigenetic factors controlling cardiac morphogenesis and their role in diseases.
“Serve It Up Hot and Brief”: The Journalistic Innovations and Influence of Willard M. Kiplinger

The newsletter format has witnessed a popular resurgence in digital media but little is known about the origins of this multi-billion dollar industry for specialized information. Newsletter industr...
Reducing Exposure Measurement Error Using Disease Risk Scores

Suppose that an investigator wants to estimate an association between a continuous exposure variable and an outcome, adjusting for a set of confounders. If the exposure variable suffers classical m...
Links between Jet Instabilities, Radiation and Propagation in Astrophysics

At the head of a jet the confining medium of plasma frequency νp is compressed, so that streaming instabilities between relativistic electrons and this plasma produce waves at ν ′ > νp. Considerable power can be lodged in these e1ectrostatic waves, and conversion to electromagnetic waves allows them to propagate far beyond the jet. Emission at ν ≈ νP ’ or Compton boosted radiation at ν ≲ γ2 ν ′ yields a cone of radiation of angle ~ 1/γ, which illuminates the region directly in front of the jet. This emission is not absorbed by the surrounding plasma unless a cloud blocks the jet. Absorption in a cloud can lead to tunneling through large clouds, or propelling of smaller clouds out of the jet path. In this fashion jets may clear their way through an inhomogeneous medium, avoiding lateral disturbances and preheating their path.
Serially concatenated convolutional coding for frequency-hopped PSK in partial-band jamming

This paper presents results on the performance of the serial concatenation of a convolutional code and differentially encoded phase-shift keying (PSK) in the presence of partial-band white-noise jamming. Frequency hopping is used to combat the effects of the jamming. We assume that the carrier phase is constant over a hop, but varies randomly from hop to hop. An expanded trellis-based demodulator, which assumes a quantized phase offset, is used to provide nearly coherent performance. Iterative demodulation and decoding provides excellent performance at relatively low E/sub b//N/sub 0/. A fixed block length is considered to limit the delay and processing requirements. We show that, consequently, there is a trade-off between nearly coherent reception and antijam (AJ) protection. That is, more symbols per hop provide better performance when the phase offset is unknown, but having more hops per code block enables better protection from jamming.
Legislative Constitutional Interpretation

This is an Essay about “the how” of constitutional interpretation. Much attention has been devoted to the question of how the Constitution is interpreted in courts. Rather little attention has been devoted to the question of how the Constitution is interpreted elsewhere in the government. The Constitution tells us that Congress, the President, and state legislators and courts must adhere to its terms, but it does not tell us how much interpretive power each actor should have, nor does it prescribe rules for each actor to use when interpreting the text. I argue that constitutional interpretation by Congress is, and should be, quite different from constitutional interpretation by courts. In so doing, I combine insights from political scientists about the ways Congress operates with insights from constitutionalists who fear open-ended interpretation. Congressional interpretation is a recurring problem in constitutional law. In the last four years, momentous events have forced us to rethink how Congress should approach the task. In 1997, the Supreme Court struck down the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) on the ground that Congress could not expand constitutional rights through ordinary legislation. The next year, Congress was required to make a judgment about the meaning of the phrase “high Crimes and Misdemeanors” in President Clinton’s impeachment trial. Last year,
Recombinant Human Milk Proteins

Human milk provides proteins that benefit newborn infants. They not only provide amino acids, but also facilitate the absorption of nutrients, stimulate growth and development of the intestine, modu
Ecological niche differentiation in the Aphelocoma jays: a phylogenetic perspective

The Aphelocoma jays have become an important touchstone in behavioural ecology and biogeography – the corpus of studies of this genus makes it an important point of reference. Aphelocoma evolutionary history, nevertheless, has been the subject of two papers reaching opposite conclusions, even though they were based on the same allozyme data set. Herein, we present a second molecular data set – 500 bases of the ND2 gene – and analyse it cladistically to arrive at a new hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships. Recent hypotheses by other investigators of a hybrid origin of Aphelocoma populations are strongly contradicted. The ecological context within which these evolutionary processes are taking place is characterized using new tools for modelling ecological niches of species along a spectrum from humid tropical to dry temperate habitats. Evolutionary patterns of ecological niches are shown to consist of drastic departures from rate-uniformity and ecological niche conservatism. © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 80, 369–383.
Short-latency primate vestibuloocular responses during translation.

Short-lasting, transient head displacements and near target fixation were used to measure the latency and early response gain of vestibularly evoked eye movements during lateral and fore-aft translations in rhesus monkeys. The latency of the horizontal eye movements elicited during lateral motion was 11.9 +/- 5.4 ms. Viewing distance-dependent behavior was seen as early as the beginning of the response profile. For fore-aft motion, latencies were different for forward and backward displacements. Latency averaged 7.1 +/- 9.3 ms during forward motion (same for both eyes) and 12.5 +/- 6.3 ms for the adducting eye (e.g., left eye during right fixation) during backward motion. Latencies during backward motion were significantly longer for the abducting eye (18.9 +/- 9.8 ms). Initial acceleration gains of the two eyes were generally larger than unity but asymmetric. Specifically, gains were consistently larger for abducting than adducting eye movements. The large initial acceleration gains tended to compensate for the response latencies such that the early eye movement response approached, albeit consistently incompletely, that required for maintaining visual acuity during the movement. These short-latency vestibuloocular responses could complement the visually generated optic flow responses that have been shown to exhibit much longer latencies.
The laboratory for human interaction in the virtual environment

The Laboratory for Human Interaction in the Virtual Environment at the Naval Postgraduate School is one of the leading groups for the comprehensive study of humans in the virtual environment. The lab builds on work completed by the NPSNET Research Group to push the edge of human interaction. The HIVE Lab is additionally working towards the acceptance of a Masters program for this work at NPS and is driving the creation of the da Vinci Consortium for the study of humans in the virtual environment.
Testimony of the American College of Nurse-Midwives on national health insurance as submitted to The House Ways and Means CommitteeApril 8, 1975

Summary 1. The American College of Nurse-Midwives is the professional organization of Certified Nurse-Midwives in the U.S.A. The ACNM is dedicated to the improvement of health care to the mothers and babies of America, through professional midwifery services as provided by the Certified Nurse-Midwife. 2. The Certified Nurse-Midwife is a Registered Nurse who has successfully completed a midwifery educational program and who has passed the examination for Certification given by the ACNM. The CNM practices normal obstetrics, routine gynecology, and infant care within the framework of a medically directed health service. 3. It has been well documented that Certified Nurse-Midwives have contributed for 50 years to quality care for mothers and babies in the U.S.A. 4. ACNM is concerned that the present national health insurance bills do not adequately speak on two issues: 1) The proposed bills do not sufficiently cover the needs for preventive health care services for the mothers and babies of our country; 2) No provision is presently made in any national health insurance bills for recognition of and payment for the services of Certified Nurse-Midwives. 5. Without separate, specific recognition for the Certified Nurse-Midwives' care in any national health insurance bill, the close collaborative services provided by the physician/Certified Nurse-midwife team is less likely to fluorish in our country. This would deny us the possibility of truly improving the health care services to our mothers and babies. 6. The ACNM strongly urges that professional midwifery services, as provided by the Certified Nurse-Midwife, should be identified and listed as a separate reimbursable category in any national health insurance bill being considered.
Predicted performance of an integrated modular engine system

Space vehicle propulsion systems are traditionally comprised of a cluster of discrete engines, each with its own set of turbopumps, valves, and a thrust chamber. The Integrated Modular Engine (IME) concept proposes a vehicle propulsion system comprised of multiple turbopumps, valves, and thrust chambers which are all interconnected. The IME concept has potential advantages in fault-tolerance, weight, and operational efficiency compared with the traditional clustered engine configuration. The purpose of this study is to examine the steady-state performance of an IME system with various components removed to simulate fault conditions. An IME configuration for a hydrogen/oxygen expander cycle propulsion system with four sets of turbopumps and eight thrust chambers has been modeled using the Rocket Engine Transient Simulator (ROCETS) program. The nominal steady-state performance is simulated, as well as turbopump thrust chamber and duct failures. The impact of component failures on system performance is discussed in the context of the system's fault tolerant capabilities.
Examining the effects of computer-based scaffolds on novice teachers’ reflective journal writing

This study employed an explanatory mixed methods design to examine the effects of two computer-based scaffolds on novice teachers' reflective journal writing. The context for the study was an attempt to refine the reflective writing component of a large scale electronic portfolio system. Quantitative results indicated that the computer-based scaffolds significantly enhanced the participants' reflective journal writing as well as the length of their written artifacts. Moreover, correlation analysis revealed that there was a positive relationship between the highest level of reflection and the length of journal writing. Three factors gleaned from qualitative data helped explain how and why the scaffolds enhanced participants' reflective thinking, including (a) the specific requirements conveyed in the scaffolds; (b) the structure of the scaffolds; and (c) the use of the critical incidents to anchor reflective journal writing. It is hoped that the analyses and results of the current study can help inform others on how to leverage the affordances of computer-based scaffolds to augment reflective practice in technology-enhanced educational systems.
Spectral Band Absorptance for Atmospheric Slant Paths

A number of equations are derived for the absorptance along a slant path. The absorptances of slant and homogeneous paths are compared. Various combinations of assumptions are made in the derivation of these equations as to the variation of the temperature and absorber concentration along the path, the extent and nature of the overlapping of the spectral lines, the variation of the intensity and half-width from line to line, the shape of the spectral lines, and the extent of the frequency interval considered. The particular assumptions applicable to each result are clearly stated. A general method is developed for obtaining slant path absorptances from homogeneous path data when either the weak or strong line approximation is valid. A combination of the weak and strong line results gives new general expressions for the relationship of slant and homogeneous path absorptance. These results are correct in both of the weak and strong line limits and in addition provide a good approximation for all values of the parameters.
Gas Turbine Technology and the Engineering Curriculum: A Viewpoint

Current engineering curricula are characterized by stress on concepts and principles on one hand and by considerable freedom of choice on the other, and these qualities are expected to be continued and expanded. Academic instruction in particular technologies relating to current practice is minimal and it is therefore unrealistic to expect gas turbine studies to be directly viable. It is suggested that generalized courses in turbomachinery for background in the major gas turbine components and that topics of very broad coverage, such as pollution and energy supply, for facility in application of basic aerothermodynamics and combustion be utilized to provide the underlying disciplines for the development of gas turbine technology.Copyright © 1974 by ASME
Expression of cloned aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

Abstract Sense mRNA coding for bovine adrenal medulla aromatic l -amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) was expressed following microinjection into Xenopus laevis oocytes. The expressed enzyme activity was stereoselective for l -5-hydroxytryptophan and l -DOPA and blocked by NSD-1015 an inhibitor of AADC. Heating the expressed enzyme at 55°C resulted in a parallel loss of activity towards both substrates. Our findings are consistent with the prevailing notion that a single enzyme is able to decarboxylate both substrates in vivo .
Evidence for regulation of actin synthesis in cytochalasin D-treated HEp-2 cells

Abstract In HEp-2 cells treated with 0.2 or 2.0 μM cytochalasin D (CD), the relative rate of actin synthesis increased for about 12 h and then reached a plateau; this increase was suppressed by actinomycin D (AD). When CD was washed from cells which had been treated for 20 h, the elevated rate of actin synthesis declined to the control value within ca 4 h, as the actin-containing cytoskeletal components rearranged by CD recovered their normal morphology. Subsequently, actin synthesis was depressed below control values for a prolonged period; during recovery from 2 h treatment with CD, this depression was of much shorter duration. Re-addition of CD to cells after a 3 h recovery period again induced the cytoskeletal alterations characteristic of CD treatment but did not reverse the prior decline in the rate of actin synthesis. In HEp-2 cells treated with cycloheximide during exposure to CD for 20 h, the relative rate of actin synthesis measured after removal of cycloheximide was twofold higher than with CD alone and such cells exhibited a twofold slower decline in the rate of actin synthesis during recovery from CD in the continued presence of cycloheximide. These effects of cycloheximide, which resemble observations on “super-induction”, suggest that actin synthesis in CD-treated and recovering HEp-2 cells may be regulated by a repressor protein. The possibility that the proposed repressor protein is actin and that actin may thus be a feedback inhibitor of its own synthesis is discussed.
Interactive communication in civil engineering classrooms

For over 100 years studies have consistently recommended that the engineering curriculum should stress underlying principles and have a considerable range of cultural studies. In addition, today, some authorities believe that the development of critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills are vital for and must be developed in the engineering student. In this regard, the findings of this study suggest that students prefer the use of thought-provoking questions and discussion in the classroom. They also appreciate the opportunity for student input, like to be challenged by the subject matter, and enjoy group interaction. Undergraduates, in particular, perceive that working in groups is an excellent learning experience. They also believe that the development of communication skills will be a benefit for them in their future endeavors. Students, therefore, appear to have accepted that critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills are important aspects of the curriculum.
"End-Only" Functionalized Oligo(phenylene ethynylene)s: Synthesis, Photophysical and Biocidal Activity

It is essential to develop alternative strategies to treat infections, especially those infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, which is responsible for most skin infections. Among those strategies, light-induced inactivation of pathogens appears to be a promising candidate. We present four novel “end only” oligo(phenylene ethynylene)s (EO-OPE-1s) that have the ends functionalized with cationic groups and are powerful light-activated biocides against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and S. aureus. We have correlated the light-induced biocidal activities with singlet oxygen quantum yields Φ (1O2) of EO-OPE-1s, and a higher Φ (1O2) correlates with a better light-induced biocidal activity. Coupled with our previous work on the interactions of EO-OPE-1s with dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC)/cholesterol vesicles, we believe the biocidal process involves the following: (1) EO-OPE-1s penetrate the bacterial membrane, (2) EO-OPE-1s photosensitize the generation of singlet oxygen and/or...
Ambient oxygen tension modulates endothelial fibrinolysis

Abstract Purpose: Vascular procedures reoxygenate ischemic endothelial cells (EC) and arterialize saphenous vein (HSV) EC. The balance between the EC-derived fibrinolytic components, plasmingogen activator (tPA), and plasminogen inhibitor (PAI-I) contributes to maintaining thromboresistance. This balance also affects proteolysis through plasmin generation, mediating matrix metabolism endothelial migration, angiogenesis, and theoretically affecting the development of intimal hyperplasia. Methods: To explore the impact of varying oxygen tensions on EC fibrinolysis, HSV and human umbilical vein (HUV) were subjected to PO 2 of 40 mm Hg for 24 hours with restoration of PO 2 to 150 mm Hg for 24 hours. The tPA and PAI-1 antigen and tPA/PAI-1 antigen ratio in conditioned media (CM), expressed as ↑ or ↓ % change, normalized for cell count, versus controls, were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cellular tPA and PAI-1 mRNAs were assessed by Northern analysis. Results: The tPA but not PAI-1 was significantly decreased after the first 24 hours in HSVEC and significantly decreased after 48 hours in both HUVEC and HSVEC when compared with controls. Messenger RNA for tPA was unchanged but PAI-1 mRNA increased significantly for HSVEC and HUVEC after 24 hours of PO 2 of 40 mm Hg, returning to baseline within 24 hours of PO 2 to 150 mm Hg restoration. Conclusions: These data support the hypothesis of a fibrinolytic shift after altered ambient O 2 tensions exposure in endothelium and demonstrate that HSVEC are more sensitive to altered O 2 tension than HUVEC. Altered O 2 tensions depress EC fibrinolysis in this model. (J VASC SURG 1993;18:939-46.)
Characterization of Ti:LiNbO3 deep waveguides diffused in dry and wet oxygen ambient.

The diffusivity of thicker than usual Ti films into LiNbO3 to create deep waveguides has been investigated as a function of crystal orientation and diffusion ambient for temperatures ranging from 1050 to 1100°C. The diffusion parameters for substrates diffused in water vapor environment are always larger than ones diffused in dry ambient. Differences in the diffusion coefficient for the extraordinary mode as high as 90, 66, and 84% are measured for X-, Y-, and Z-cut crystals, respectively. Smaller but noticeable differences are detected for the ordinary mode. Similar enhancing effects of the water vapor are also obtained for the surface-index change. Severe rough surface finish and surface contouring, revealing an etchedlike appearance, are observed on Z-cut substrates diffused in wet atomosphere. In general, substrates diffused in dry O2 produced relatively smoother surfaces. No outdiffused modes are excited in Z-cut substrates when diffused in dry oxygen ambient for long times at high temperatures.
Response properties of high-threshold cutaneous cold receptors in the primate.

Abstract Cutaneous high-threshold cold receptors (HCRs) in the monkey were identified as sensitive only to cold temperatures below 27°C and not responsive to mechanical or heat noxious stimulation. Some HCRs had axons conducting in the low A-δ range while others had C fibers. The response properties of HCRs were contrasted with those of mechanothermal nociceptors, the latter believed to contribute to the sense of cold pain. HCRs with Aδ fibers may contribute to the sense of innocuous cold below temperatures to which low-threshold cold receptors are maximally responsive.
Group vs Individual Performance in Mixed-Motive Situations: Exploring an Inconsistency

Abstract Previous research has shown that groups, as compared to individuals, perform better on integrative bargaining tasks (Thompson, Peterson, & Brodt, 1996), but worse on dilemma tasks (i.e., the “discontinuity effect”; Schopler & Insko, 1992). After reaching agreement on either a cooperative or a competitive integrative bargaining task in one of three formats (three-person group vs three-person group, three-person group vs a single individual, and individual vs individual), participants were given the opportunity to either keep the agreement or defect within a prisoner's dilemma payoff structure. Groups earned more points than individuals in the bargaining task, but continued to show the discontinuity effect even in the cooperative condition. Results are interpreted in terms of shared motives for group defection, which differed depending on whether the opponent was an individual or a group.
55 Local anaesthetic reduces postoperative analgesic requirements in laparoscopic urological surgery

Objective: To determine if local anaesthetic reduces patient discomfort following laparoscopic urological surgery. Methods: Sixty-seven patients undergoing laparoscopic urological surgery were randomly assigned to either the treatment (0.5% bupivacaine) arm or the placebo (0.9% normal saline) arm. Patients, surgeon and data collector were blinded. The port sites and the hand assist port site (when present) were infiltrated at the outset of the procedure. Postoperative pain was determined with a standardized 10 point visual analog scale at consistent intervals. Results: Thirty-three individuals were treated with the placebo (13 standard laparoscopic [SL] and 20 hand assisted laparoscopic [HALS]) and 34 with bupivacaine (17 SL and 17 HALS). Average pain scores for the placebo vs. bupivacaine group at 4, 12, 24 h were 3.9, 3.1, 3.6 vs. 3.0, 2.1, 2.0 (P < 0.10). Mean use of morphine for the placebo group vs. bupivacaine group was: 26.1 mg (range 0–91.9) vs. 15.4 mg (range 0–49.5) at 12 h (P < 0.05), 43.5 mg (range 0–136.9) vs. 26.2 mg (range 0–71.0) at 24 h (P = 0.07) and 50.4 mg (range 0–154.9) vs. 28.3 mg (range 0–71.0) for total hospital stay (P < 0.05). In multivariable anova, use of bupivacaine, but not SL vs. HALS, was associated with reduced morphine use at all three time points (P < 0.05). Conclusions: At the outset of laparoscopic urological surgery in the upper retroperitoneum, port site and other incision infiltration with a long acting local anaesthetic reduces postoperative parenteral opioid requirements when compared with placebo controls.
Genetically determined differences in ethanol sensitivity influenced by body temperature during intoxication

The present study investigated the importance of body temperature during intoxication in mediating differences between five inbred strains of mice (C57BL/6J; BALB/cJ; DBA/2J; A/HeJ; 129/J) in their acute sensitivity to the hypnotic effects of ethanol. Mice exposed to 22 degrees C after ethanol injection became hypothermic and exhibited statistically significant differences between strains in rectal temperatures at the return of the righting reflex (RORR), duration of loss of the righting reflex (LORR), and blood and brain ethanol concentrations at RORR. Exposure to 34 degrees C after injection offset ethanol-hypothermia and markedly reduced strain-related differences in rectal temperatures and blood and brain ethanol concentrations at RORR. Brain ethanol concentrations at RORR were significantly lower in C57, BALB, DBA and A/He mice exposed to 34 degrees C compared to mice exposed to 22 degrees C during intoxication suggesting that offsetting hypothermia increased ethanol sensitivity in these strains. Taken with previous in vitro studies, these results suggest that genetically determined differences in acute sensitivity to the behavioral effects of ethanol reflect differences in body temperature during intoxication as well as differences in sensitivity to the initial actions of ethanol at the cellular level.
Preclinical study of dolastatin-10 in dogs with spontaneous neoplasia

Purpose: To evaluate the short-term adverse effects of administration of dolastatin-10 (Dol-10) to dogs with spontaneously occurring malignant tumors. Methods: A total of 34 tumor-bearing dogs were given Dol-10 as a rapid intravenous bolus every 14 days at starting dosages ranging from 200 to 350 µg/m2. Acute and short-term adverse effects, antitumor response, and duration of response were characterized. Results: The maximum tolerated dose varied greatly from patient to patient, but a reasonable starting dose for further studies was established at 300 µg/m2. The median number of treatments per dog was 2 (range 1 to 17). Granulocytopenia was the dose-limiting toxicity. The overall response rate was 3%, consisting of a complete and durable (30 months) response in a dog with high-grade malignant lymphoma that was refractory to standard therapy. Two minor or transient responses were observed, and two dogs experienced disease stabilization for 8 and 16 weeks. Conclusions: Dol-10 appears to be well tolerated in tumor-bearing dogs at doses approaching those tolerated by humans. The clinical activity observed in dogs with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma warrants further investigation.
On data error control problems in medical information systems

The problem of data error control is one of the significant issues in the design of medical information systems which are used for supporting medical decision making. High degree of accuracy of information is necessary when human health problems are involved.A literature survey was conducted and an examination of several existing computerized medical information systems was made. The results indicate that many systems now in use have not adequately designed to implement fully the data error control techniques now available for minimizing the data errors. The situation may be improved by carefully introducing these techniques into the information processing procedures. It also suggests that further research should be undertaken in order to develop better suited data error detecting and correcting techniques for medical information systems.A systematic analysis was made to identify the sources and the causes of the data errors in medical information processing procedures both in mannual as well as in automated systems. Data errors are classified and are discussed along with the logical data flow in a typical medical information processing model. The characteristics of the data items involved, the data structures, the nature of the data errors, and the possible data error control methods are disscussed.
Fundoplications resist reflux independent of in vivo anatomic relationships

BACKGROUND: Antireflux operations restore lower esophageal sphincter (LES) function and hiatal anatomy; however, the relative contributions are unclear. METHODS: We measured the competency of fundoplications, exclusive of in vivo variables, in gastroesophageal explants from 8 cadavers. Using a multichannel manometer, esophageal, LES, and intragastric pressures were recorded during transpyloric distension. Data were compared at baseline, and after Nissen (360°) and Toupet (270°) fundoplications. RESULTS: Before fundoplication, stomachs refluxed immediately upon distension. Nissen fundoplications never refluxed before gastric rupture (46.8 ± 15.0 mm Hg). LES pressure averaged 2.0 ± 0.5 times intragastric pressure during distension. Toupet fundoplications refluxed at intragastric pressure <2 mm Hg, then became competent until gastric rupture (49.9 ± 15.0 mm Hg). LES pressure averaged 2.4 ± 1.0 times intragastric pressure during distension. CONCLUSIONS: Nissen and Toupet fundoplications increase LES pressure linearly at 2 to 2.5 times intragastric pressure, independent of in vivo variables. Toupet fundoplication lacks the competency of Nissen fundoplication at low intragastric pressures.
Effects of Length and Linguistic Complexity on Temporal Acoustic Measures in Apraxia of Speech

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of varying length and linguistic utterance types on temporal acoustic characteristics of the imitative speech of apraxic speakers. Vowel duratio...
Brevetoxin Inhalation Alters the Pulmonary Response to Influenza A in the Male F344 Rat

Epidemiological studies demonstrated that the number of emergency-room visits for respiratory indications increases during periods of Florida Red Tides. The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not repeated brevetoxin inhalation, as may occur during a Florida Red Tide, affects pulmonary responses to influenza A. Male F344 rats were divided into four groups: (1) sham aerosol/no influenza; (2) sham aerosol/influenza; (3) brevetoxin/no influenza; and (4) brevetoxin/influenza. Animals were exposed by nose-only inhalation to vehicle or 50 μg brevetoxin-3/m3, 2 h/d for 12 d. On d 6 of aerosol exposure, groups 2 and 4 were administered 10,000 plaque-forming units of influenza A, strain HKX-31 (H3N2), by intratracheal instillation. Subgroups were euthanized at 2, 4, and 7 d post influenza treatment. Lungs were evaluated for viral load, cytokine content, and histopathologic changes. Influenza virus was cleared from the lungs over the 7-d period; however, there was significantly more virus remaining in t...