cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nutritional Regulation of the Sae Two-Component System by CodY in Staphylococcus aureus.

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus subverts innate defenses during infection in part by killing host immune cells to exacerbate disease. This human pathogen intercepts host cues and activates a transcriptional response via the S. aureus exoprotein expression (SaeR/SaeS [SaeR/S]) two-component system to secrete virulence factors critical for pathogenesis. We recently showed that the transcriptional repressor CodY adjusts nuclease (nuc) gene expression via SaeR/S, but the mechanism remained unknown. Here, we identified two CodY binding motifs upstream of the sae P1 promoter, which suggested direct regulation by this global regulator. We show that CodY shares a binding site with the positive activator SaeR and that alleviating direct CodY repression at this site is sufficient to abrogate stochastic expression, suggesting that CodY represses sae expression by blocking SaeR binding. Epistasis experiments support a model that CodY also controls sae indirectly through Agr and Rot-mediated repression of the sae P1 promoter. We also demonstrate that CodY repression of sae restrains production of secreted cytotoxins that kill human neutrophils. We conclude that CodY plays a previously unrecognized role in controlling virulence gene expression via SaeR/S and suggest a mechanism by which CodY acts as a master regulator of pathogenesis by tying nutrient availability to virulence gene expression. IMPORTANCE Bacterial mechanisms that mediate the switch from a commensal to pathogenic lifestyle are among the biggest unanswered questions in infectious disease research. Since the expression of most virulence genes is often correlated with nutrient depletion, this implies that virulence is a response to the lack of nourishment in host tissues and that pathogens like S. aureus produce virulence factors in order to gain access to nutrients in the host. Here, we show that specific nutrient depletion signals appear to be funneled to the SaeR/S system through the global regulator CodY. Our findings reveal a strategy by which S. aureus delays the production of immune evasion and immune-cell-killing proteins until key nutrients are depleted.
Etiology and treatment outcomes of persistent postoperative inflammation in primary resident-performed cataract surgeries at a large tertiary care public hospital

Purpose To determine the risk factors, intraoperative and postoperative complications, therapeutic interventions, and visual outcomes for persistent postoperative inflammation in primary resident-performed cataract surgeries. Setting Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA. Design Retrospective case series. Methods Primary resident-performed cataract surgeries from January 2012 to June 2015 were analyzed for persistent postoperative inflammation, defined as persistent anterior chamber inflammatory reaction after a standard 1-month topical corticosteroid and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) drops taper. Preoperative characteristics, operative complications, therapeutic modalities, and duration of therapy were analyzed. The primary outcome measures were duration of corticosteroid and NSAID therapy, treatment modalities, and postoperative visual outcomes at the 1-month postoperative visit. Results The study assessed 1290 primary resident-performed cataract surgeries. Persistent postoperative inflammation occurred in 82 eyes (6.6%). The presumed etiology was classified as idiopathic persistent postoperative inflammation, nonadherence to topical therapy, and complicated cataract surgery. Patients with persistent postoperative inflammation were more likely of African American descent, had hypertension, or used aspirin, anticoagulants, or prostaglandins (P = .019, P = .027, P = .028, P = .020, respectively). The complicated cataract subgroup required a longer duration of therapy (P = .021) and was the only subgroup to require injections or systemic corticosteroids. There was no significant difference in postoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) when comparing patients with persistent postoperative inflammation with those without inflammation or between the subgroups. Conclusions The idiopathic and nonadherent subgroups were successfully treated with topical antiinflammatory therapy; the complicated subgroup required longer duration and multiple modalities of treatment. Visual outcomes were comparable to the general cataract population with no differences in postoperative CDVA.
Acute Focal Bacterial Nephritis: A Systematic Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment

AbstractAcute focal bacterial nephritis, synonymous with acute lobar nephronia or focal nonliquefactive pyelonephritis, represents a localized area of renal inflammation. Clinically, acute focal bacterial nephritis presents as acute pyelonephritis but is distinguishable by the presence of a focal mass on excretory urography. The further distinction between acute focal bacterial nephritis and other renal masses is aided by the appropriate use of renal sonography and computerized tomography. The clinical and imaging manifestations in 9 patients with acute focal bacterial nephritis are described. Our experience coupled with a review of the literature suggests that a systematic approach to the diagnosis and management of acute focal bacterial nephritis allows for the most efficacious use of the noninvasive imaging modalities.
Structures of the Prokaryotic Galactose Transporter vSGLT and Their Implications on Alternating Access Mechanism in Human SGLT1

Secondary active transporters couple electrochemical energy to the transport of solutes across biological membrane. The sodium solute symporters (SSS) comprise a large family of secondary active transporters fundamental to the homeostasis of a variety of solutes including sugars, inositols, anions, short chain fatty acids, choline, and vitamins. This chapter will explicate the structural framework of the sodium galactose transporter from Vibrio parahaemolyticus (vSGLT) and focus on mechanistic hypothesis drawn from these structures, some of which were directly transferable to the human homologues of vSGLT, which are members of the medically important SLC5 family. Compiling functional, structural, and bioinformatics data generated from these studies and incorporating unique conformations from structurally similar proteins, we propose a modified mechanism for sodium-dependent transport.
Identification of transient intermediates in the bisphosphatase reaction of rat liver 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase by 31P-NMR spectroscopy.

31P-NMR spectroscopy was used to identify reaction intermediates during catalytic turn-over of the fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase domain (Fru-2,6-P2ase) of the bifunctional enzyme, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase. When fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2,6-P2) was added to the enzyme, the 31P-NMR spectrum showed three resonances in addition to those of free substrate: the phosphohistidine (His-P) intermediate, the C-6 phosphoryl group of fructose-6-phosphate bound to the phosphoenzyme, and phosphate generated by the hydrolysis of substrate. Direct analysis of the alkali-denatured phospho-enzyme intermediate by 1H-31P heteronuclear multiple quantum-filtered coherence spectroscopy confirmed the formation of 3-N-phosphohistidine. Binding of fructose 6-phosphate to the bisphosphatase was detected by a down-field shift and broadening of the C-6 phosphoryl resonance. The down-field shift was greater in the presence of the phosphoenzyme intermediate. Inhibition of Fru-2,6-P2 hydrolysis by fructose 6-phosphate and Fru-2,6-P2 was shown to involve binding of the sugar phosphates to the phosphoenzyme. This study provides new experimental evidence in support of the reaction mechanism of Fru-2,6-P2ase and suggests that the steady-state His-P intermediate exists primarily in the E-P.fructose 6-phosphate complex. These results lay a solid foundation for the use of 31P-NMR magnetization transfer studies to provide an in-depth analysis of the bisphosphatase reaction mechanism.
Measurement of Binocular Alignment in Normal Monkeys and in Monkeys with Strabismus

Accurate assessment of ocular alignment in monkeys is difficult because typical clinical methods require extensive cooperation by the subject or provide only a rough estimate of the misalignment. Recently, Brodie derived a geometrical model for determining the Hirschberg ratio in humans, and validated it photographically. In this study, we have applied these procedures in order to determine corresponding values for monkeys. We have found the average Hirschberg ratio for macaques to be approximately 14° of rotation per millimeter corneal light reflex displacement. We extended the model to binocular viewing conditions, which allows for a description of the visual axes in Cartesian coordinates in relation to the head. Fixation errors, computed in terms of lateral and axial error vectors from intended fixation targets, were then determined for one normal monkey and for three monkeys that have a naturally occurring strabismus. Assessment of the fixation errors was made at several different distances and angles in the horizontal plane. The standard deviation for our measurements averaged 2.1°. Our data indicate that measurements must be made at multiple locations throughout the visual field in order to accurately specify the pattern of misalignment. Finally, a procedure is demonstrated which specifies the misalignment in terms of a cyclopian eye, which is independent of the interocular separation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 30:1159-1168,1989 While animal models of strabismus are important in the search for the underlying processes responsible for binocular misalignment, the usefulness of such models in part depends on the ability to accurately assess the given pattern of misalignment. The clinical methods that are most commonly used to evaluate ocular misalignment in human patients are prism and cover tests. However, these tests are not well suited for assessing alignment in animals, and this lack of appropriate methodology has hindered animal studies of strabismus.1 - 2 For example, extended cooperation is required to complete a prism and cover test and this is often difficult to obtain from animals. Furthermore, these clinical tests provide information about the magnitude of misalignment only at the specific distances and positions tested, and are usually not performed for fixation targets positioned at several different locations in the visual field. The effort required to obtain an accurate estimate of deviations throughout an animal's visual field by a prism and cover test would be prohibitive.
Ultrafast separations via pulse flow valve modulation to enable high peak capacity multidimensional gas chromatography

Ultrafast modulation with a modulation period PM ≥ 50ms via a pulse flow valve is demonstrated for comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) and comprehensive three-dimensional (3D) gas chromatography (GC3). Significant increases in peak capacity and peak capacity production are achieved for GC×GC and GC3 relative to previous studies due to using pulse flow valve modulation. Due to the nature of the "partial" modulation process, the separation dimension following pulse flow valve modulation is not a traditional chromatogram, rather requires data processing to convert the data to expose the encoded chromatographic information, producing "apparent" chromatographic peaks. In the GC×GC mode, a 115-component test mixture was evaluated using a PM of 500ms, creating an apparent 2D peak width-at-base 2W with an average of 25ms, producing a 2nc of 20. Based on the average 1W of 1.0s for the 6min first dimension 1D separation, an ideal peak capacity nc,2D of 7200 is achieved (1,200/min peak production). For a high-speed GC×GC separation (30s run), a PM of 75ms produced apparent 2W of 8ms, ideal for the third dimension of a GC3 instrument. Using the knowledge gained from this high-speed GC×GC experiment, the pulse flow valve was implemented as the second modulator in GC3. Three samples were evaluated in the GC3 mode: a simple mixture containing 18 compounds (to illustrate basic concepts), the 115-component test mixture (to determine peak capacity figures-of-merit), and a diesel spiked with 8 polar compounds (to illustrate chemical selectivity benefits of GC3). For the 115-component test mixture with a 1PM of 1.2s and a 2PM of 60ms, average 1W of 3.2s, 2W of 130ms, and apparent 3W of 13ms were produced, resulting in a 1nc of 210, 2nc of 9.2, and 3nc of 5, respectively. Hence, an ideal peak capacity, nc,3D of ∼10,000 for GC3 was achieved for the 11min 1D separation window of the 115-component test mixture.
Clinical and Electrodiagnostic Presentation of Pharyngeal-Cervical-Brachial Variant of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (P07.060)

OBJECTIVE: To present an uncommon variant of Guillain Barre syndrome, electrophysiological findings and raise awareness on early recognition and treatment. BACKGROUND: Pharyngeal-cervical-brachial (PBC) variant of Guillain–Barre presents with acute oropharyngeal, neck, and upper extremity weakness with preserved lower extremity strength, reflexes and no sensory distrubances. DESIGN/METHODS: 71 year old man presented 5 months after initial symptoms with history of sudden onset of mild dysphagia to solids and liquids which became severe over a few hour and dysarthria. 24 hour later developed proximal upper extremity weakness, and 36 hours later lower extremity weakness. Absence of sensory symptoms, autonomic dysfunction or pain. He had received a flu shot 3 weeks prior to the onset of symptoms. Patient required intubation, PEG tube. Was treated with 7 plasma exchange followed by IVIG, and intensive rehabilitation. Electrodiagnostic studies showed evidence of a diffuse polyradiculoneuropathy affecting predominantly the upper limbs, and cranial innervated muscles. A follow up visit at 8 month revealed improvement of arm strengh with no dysarthria, minimal facial weakness. RESULTS: The pharyngo-cervical-brachial variant is a rare presentation characterized by oropharyngeal, neck and proximal upper extremity weakness, with sparing of the lower extremities. Sensory symptoms and autonomic dysfunction are absent. This patient findings on nerve conduction studies were not consistent with a demyelinating pattern, and showed axonal loss and polyradicular involvement. It is unclear of which is the primary mechanism of nerve damage in these patients, demyelination or axonal degeneration . In cases of this variant of Guillain-Barre there have been electrophysiological findings of motor axonal loss, similar to that found in AMAN. CONCLUSIONS: This variant of Guilan-Barre should be considered in patients with acute progressive bulbar and upper extremity weakness. Recognition of the atypical forms of Guillain-Barre syndrome, including the PCB variant should have a strong clinical impact and should raise awareness to help with early diagnosis and treatment. Disclosure: Dr. Soriano Caminero has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ahmed has nothing to disclose.
BACTERIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF A FARM BULK MILK HANDLING SYSTEM1,2

Studies were conducted on the bacteriology of a farm bulk milk handling system. The sanitary condition of two bulk cooling tanks was tested by the swab-contact method. Milk samples were taken under...
Video abstraction inspired by human visual attention models

This paper describes an application of three different state-of-the-art human inspired visual attention models to video abstraction. Two types of video abstractions, video skim and key frame extraction, are performed over three different genres of videos. Qualitative and quantitative results are reported based on user studies and statistical tests. A comparison is made with human made video abstraction set to benchmark the current analysis. We report some abstraction similarities at scene level showing that all three models are successful in capturing semantic content despite having anatomical differences. However different models are more suitable for different genres of videos.
Corticotropin Receptors, Cyclic AMP and Steroidogenesis

The detection and characterization of the physiologically relevant receptors for corticotropin (ACTH) in rat adrenocortical cells is described. By the use of a radioligand with full biological potency and high specific radioactivity (1800 + 75 Ci/mmol), a single class of receptors with an apparent Kd of 1.41 + 0.21 nM was detected and the number of sites was estimated to be 3840 + 1045 per cell. The binding curve was superimposable on the concentration-response curve for cAMP but dissociated from that for steroidogenesis. These data are best explained by the receptor - reserve model in which occupancy of a small fraction of the receptors is sufficient for inducing maximal steroidogenesis.
Voices in Evidence-Based Newborn Care: A How-to-Guide on Developing a Parent-Facing Podcast.

Podcasting is becoming a more popular form of media. Its use in medical education is being researched—but what about its use in public education? In this tutorial, the authors offer a how-to-guide on starting a public or patient-facing podcast. The authors hope to inspire more physicians to utilize this type of media to share evidence-based information. More research is needed looking into how podcasting can be used to help with patient education.
Contextual Fields of Rhetoric

This essay revisits and expands upon the Leff–McGee text-ideology debate by coining the concept “contextual fields.” Contextual fields are the situating elements used to make sense of the rhetorica...
Phenotype, Niche Construction, and Natural Cellular Engineering

The conventional view of phenotype is that it is an epiphenomenon directly driven by selection. Instead, in a modern context based on the primacy of the unicellular form, phenotype can be re-appraised as a means toward obtaining contemporaneous genetic marks (Torday and Miller 2016c). When the evolutionary imperative is appropriately understood as the strategic derivation of epigenetic marks from the environment and their appropriate assortment through the EUC, its evolutionary meaning shifts away from the natural assumption that its impact necessarily relates to the direct survival advantage of the offspring (Wang et al. 2017). In part, this reflects that epigenetic effects need not be immediately apparent. Although the actual identity of the mechanism that determines the distribution of the epigenetic marks from germ cells to somatic cells is not completely known, it is clear that the unicellular recapitulation is the dominant governing phase, with further adjustments during embryogenesis (Gapp and Bohacek 2018; Wang et al. 2017). In this context, pleiotropy (the production by a single gene of two or more apparently unrelated effects) (Williams 1957), heterochrony (the developmental change in the timing or rate of events, leading to changes in size and shape of organisms) (Torday 2016a), and neoteny (the retention of juvenile features in the adult organism) (Skulachev et al. 2017; Godfrey and Sutherland 1996) can each be understood as mechanisms through which epigenetic inheritance might be governed.
Base-directed photoredox activation of C–H bonds by PCET

Photoredox catalysis using proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) has emerged as a powerful method for bond transformations. We previously employed traditional chemical oxidants to achieve multipl...
SINGLE-NEUTRON-TRANSFER-REACTION STUDIES OF $sup 176$Hf AND $sup 180$Hf.

The strongly deformed even-even nuclei $^{176}\mathrm{Hf}$ and $^{180}\mathrm{Hf}$ have been studied using the reactions $^{177}\mathrm{Hf}(d,t)^{176}\mathrm{Hf}$ and $^{179}\mathrm{Hf}(d,p)^{180}\mathrm{Hf}$. These reactions were performed at 12- and 14-MeV incident energy on the Florida State University super FN tandem Van de Graaff accelerator with the outgoing particles analyzed by means of a Browne-Buechner-type broad-range magnetic spectrograph. 25 states associated with two-quasiparticle rotational bands have been identified or tentatively identified in these nuclei; included are the intrinsic band heads ${6}^{+}$[514\ensuremath{\downarrow} + 512\ensuremath{\uparrow}], ${3}^{+}$[514\ensuremath{\downarrow} - 521\ensuremath{\downarrow}], ${4}^{+}$[514\ensuremath{\downarrow} + 521\ensuremath{\downarrow}], and ${6}^{+}$[514\ensuremath{\downarrow} + 523\ensuremath{\downarrow}] in $^{176}\mathrm{Hf}$ and the intrinsic band heads ${4}^{\ensuremath{-}}$[624\ensuremath{\uparrow} - 510\ensuremath{\uparrow}], ${5}^{\ensuremath{-}}$[624\ensuremath{\uparrow} + 510\ensuremath{\uparrow}], ${6}^{\ensuremath{-}}$[624\ensuremath{\uparrow} + 512\ensuremath{\downarrow}], and ${8}^{\ensuremath{-}}$[624\ensuremath{\uparrow} + 503\ensuremath{\uparrow}] in $^{180}\mathrm{Hf}$. Coriolis-mixing calculations have been an important factor in making the state assignments.
From Cynic to Advocate: The Use of Twitter in Cardiology.

As someone who still enjoys reading books and newspapers in print, I have been admittedly slow to engage with social media. Yet it is undeniable that social media plays a critical role in facilitating the public sharing of information, ideas, and opinions. In 2019, approximately 3.5 billion people
The Future Is Also a Different Country and We Should Do Things Differently There

This essay is an attempt to think about how concerns regarding disciplinary boundaries and distinctions intersect with the most current critique of Asian studies in the wake of the multi-disciplinary call for “transnational” or “global” approaches to scholarship and pedagogy. This constitutes no manifesto—simply an encouragement of what I call “globally sensitive Asian Studies.”
Stewart, Potter. “Or of the Press,” 26 Hastings L. J. 631 (1975)

One of the enduring controversies of the United States Constitution is what the writers meant by those four words in the First Amendment that Justice Potter Stewart used as the title of his 1974 sp...
Symmetry-Dependent Intermolecular π–π Stacking Directed by Hydrogen Bonding in Racemic Copper-Phenanthroline Compounds

We examine the role of molecular symmetry and hydrogen bonding in determining heterochiral intermolecular π–π stacking motifs in four racemic compounds with the formula [Cu(phen)2(H2O)][MF6]·xH2O (...
Holography cytology for imaging cellular biomechanics

Cell response to mechanical stimuli are essential for cell function yet not well understood. Existing rheological tools typically have limited throughput or require complex schemes. We have developed quantitative phase imaging methods which can image cell structural changes due to mechanical stimuli at the nanoscale. These methods are label free and can image cells in culture or flowing through microfluidic chips, providing high throughput measurements. We will present our holographic cytology imaging system and show its application to profiling large samples of red blood cells. Studies of cancer cells will show that refractive index variance is linked to measured cellular mechanical properties such as shear modulus. Additional applications include examining modulation of mechanical properties due to early carcinogenic events, investigating the role of specific cellular structural proteins in mechanotransduction and tracking water and ion channel regulation due to mechanical stress.
Five paths to personality coherence: Integrative implications of the Knowledge-and-Appraisal Personality Architecture

The study of personality coherence can be grounded in an analysis of personality architecture, that is, the overall structure and dynamics of intra-individual personality systems. A personality arc...
Reflections from Supervision Amid a Pandemic

Nearly overnight, we found ourselves adapting to a new normal: constantly worrying about loved ones, balancing life-at-home, and teaching and learning in “Brady Bunch” boxes. At first, I must admit, it was alarming. We all thought it: If cameras and videos are off, are the students even there? And more importantly, are students learning?
The K* meson

The K* was first seen by Alston et al. (1961) in the reaction $${K^ - } + p \to {\bar K^0} + {\pi ^ - } + p$$ (17.1) at an incident K- momentum of 1.15 Gev/c. Its mass and width are $$M = 888 \pm 3{\text{MeV}},\quad \Gamma = 50 \pm 10{\text{MeV}}{\text{.}}$$ .
The role of nonparish clergy in the mental health system

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the roles of Nonparish clergy in the mental health system. In the mental health system, not much attention is given to the services produced by clergy as religion is regarded as a negative influence on mental health. This chapter describes three contexts outside the traditional parish setting in which clergy provide mental health services. These settings include ministry as chaplains in psychiatric inpatient facilities, as pastoral counselors in church-based or community centers, and as mental health care brokers who mobilize communication between parish clergy, mental professionals, and consumers. Under this, it takes a look at four contributions which chaplains make as part of psychiatric inpatient treatment teams—spiritual assessments, responses to and uses of religious psychological material, interactions with clinical staff members, and liaisons with communities of faith. This chapter calls for more research in order to demonstrate that clergy provide competent and helpful services and that these services are clinically so efficacious that the broader system cannot afford to ignore them.
Hymenoptera sensitivity: II. The role of atopy in the development of clinical hypersensitivity

Abstract The present study assesses the relationship between the presence of the atopic state and the occurrence of insect-sting hypersensitivity. Despite the use of broad criteria for the definition of atopy, 14 of 41 individuals with systemic insect-sting hypersensitivity were found to be nonatopic. the authors suggest that atopy is not a prerequisite for the development of other types of anaphylactic hypersensitivity.
Juvenile angiofibroma. Review of 120 cases.

Summary All young males with nasal obstruction or nose-bleed (or both) should be suspected of having juvenile angiofibroma. This awareness, as well as a good physical examination and history taking, is essential. Plain roentgenograms of the sinus, with submentovertical views, and tomograms should be sufficient adjuncts for diagnosis. Knowledge of the point of origin in the posterior nasal cavity and the natural history of extension of the tumor into the nasal cavity, nasopharynx, sphenoid sinus, pterygomaxillary and infratemporal fossae, and cranial cavity is essential in planning treatment. Angiography for diagnostic purposes should be used only in unusual circumstances. The use of hormones, cryotherapy, carotid ligation, or hypotensive anesthesia probably will not be of any help in controlling hemorrhage at operation. Our experience with patients who have received irradiation and who still had the angiofibroma—with the ever present risk of irradiation [ 15 ] in the preadult patient—has caused us to be skeptical of this modality as a primary form of treatment. However, the radiotherapist is a member of the team managing the treatment of patients with this most difficult tumor. (Figure 9.) All operations presently used to obtain surgical exposure of the angiofibroma and its extension may be inadequate when the tumor bleeds excessively on manipulation. We believe-lateral rhinotomy, in one procedure, allows the surgeon to expose the extensions of the tumor and to remove the tumor from its point of origin in the posterior nasal cavity without disturbing facial growth or causing facial deformity. Intracranial extension indicates advanced disease and is not unusual [ 13, 16 ]. We have successfully removed angiofibromas involving the middle fossa, but four of our patients who died had evidence of intracranial angiofibroma.
BTEX Sorption by Montmorillonite Organo-Clays: TMPA, Adam, HDTMA

Organo-clay can be utilized for the containment of environmentalpollutants originating from waste sites or accidental spills. Abatch study was conducted using organo-clays produced from aWyoming montmorillonite (SWy) and three organic cations(trimethylphenylammonium (TMPA), trimethylammonium adamantane(Adam), and hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA)) to characterizeBTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-, m-, p-xylene) sorption. Sorption data were fitted to two models,with Freundlich resulting in greater correlations of the datathan the Langmuir model (R 2 at P ≤0.001-0.05). The Freundlich conditional index (n f),which describes the experimental sorption characteristics,decreased curvilinearly with organic-cation molecular weights,thus suggesting organo-clays with smaller cations had greaterhydrocarbon retention. Sorption of BTEX followed the order ofTMPA > Adam > HDTMA organo-clays. A similar sequence in themagnitudes of log K d and log K omsupportedthis finding. Positive log K om/K ow valuesfor TMPA and Adam derivatives indicated there was a greaterretention of BTEX by these organo-clays than octanol. The orderof log K om for SWy-HDTMA, although concentration-dependent, was analogous to the log K ow order,indicating partitioning was the dominant sorption mechanism forthe HDTMA-clay. Isotherms for SWy-TMPA and SWy-Adam followed aconvex up pattern. In contract, a concave up curvature, notedfor SWy-HDTMA isotherms, was probably caused by a cosorptiveenhancement process resulting from an effective increase in organic matter content of the organo-clay due to furtherhydrocarbon sorption,in concurrence with a decrease inadsorbate activity coefficients. Values of binding affinityconstant, K f, for SWy-TMPA were consistently higherthan SWy-Adam. The K f values determined for totalBTEX sorption by TMPA and Adam derivatives were higher thanthose for the individual hydrocarbons. With SWy-HDTMA, the same order was observed for benzene and toluene; however, ethylbenzene and xylenes had greater K f values thanthat for the BTEX mixture, possibly due to higher partitioningaffinity of the larger alkylbenzenes. With SWy-HDTM, thesequence of K f values was: ethylbenzene > m-xylene > p-xylene > o-xylene > toluene >benzene. Trends for SWy-TMPA and SWy-Adam were in contrast tothat of the partitioning order, suggesting that adsorption, ratherthan partitioning, was the primary sorption mechanism for thesetwo organo-clays. With respect to the equilibriumconcentrations, the sorbed amounts for total BTEX mixture weregenerally higher than those for the individual compounds. Ascompared to benzene and toluene, the large-size alkylbenzenesshowed greater partitioning affinity due to their high hydrophobicity.
Time-Efficient Creation of an Accurate Sentence Fusion Corpus

Sentence fusion enables summarization and question-answering systems to produce output by combining fully formed phrases from different sentences. Yet there is little data that can be used to develop and evaluate fusion techniques. In this paper, we present a methodology for collecting fusions of similar sentence pairs using Amazon's Mechanical Turk, selecting the input pairs in a semi-automated fashion. We evaluate the results using a novel technique for automatically selecting a representative sentence from multiple responses. Our approach allows for rapid construction of a high accuracy fusion corpus.
A two-phase approach to predictably scheduling real-time transactions

We consider the problem of designing a database system that schedules ACID transactions to meet real-time deadlines. Two complementary algorithms are proposed, valid for a large class of applications, that minimize the unproductive data contention and limit to one the number of transaction aborts and subsequent retries arising from achieving serializability in concurrent execution. This is a crucial step in providing predictable transaction scheduling capability for real-time needs. Both algorithms proposed envision two phases of transaction execution, a first phase that gathers needed information to make the transaction predictable, and a second phase where transactions are scheduled for execution so as to avoid data and resource contention. The two algorithms together make up what we call the "TwoPhase Approach".
Minimization of polypeptide energy: XI. The method of gentlest ascent

Abstract An algorithm is described for passing from a minimum position x (0) in a many-dimensional scalar function E(x) to a neighboring minimum x′ via an intervening saddle point. The application of the technique is demonstrated for two examples, a first in which E is a simple mathematical function, and a second in which it represents the energy of a “dipeptide” as a function of its conformation. Some implications of the method for conformational and also for kinetic studies are discussed.
Multi-criteria based learning of the Choquet integral using Goal programming

In this paper, we explore a new way to learn an aggregation operator for fusion based on a combination of one or more labeled training data sets and information from one or more experts. One problem with learning an aggregation from training data alone is that it often results in solutions that are overly complex and expensive to implement. It also runs the risk of over-fitting and the quality of that solution is based in large on the size and diversity of the data employed. On the other hand, learning an aggregation based on only expert opinion can be overly subjective and may not result in desired performance for some given task. In order to overcome these shortcomings, we explore a new way to combine both of these important sources. However, conflict between data sets, experts or a combination of the two, can (and often do) occur and must be addressed. Herein, weighted Goal programming, an approach from multi-criteria decision making (MCDM), is employed to learn the fuzzy measure (FM) relative to the Choquet integral (CI) for data/information fusion. This framework provides an interesting way in which we can set the priority order of any number of combination of these two sources. Furthermore, it provides a mechanism to preserve the monotonicity constraints of the FM. We demonstrate results from synthetic experiments across a range of different conflicting and combination of sources scenarios.
Modeling the effects of cycling of a localized heat source on the durability of a FCOC with defects

A nonlinear, finite element based, coupled-field, sequential thermal-structural analysis was conducted on a flip-chip on ceramic (FCOC) package with defects. The effect of cycling of a localized heat source on the underside of the package die was studied in order to explore the possible formation of hot spots in the package resulting from heat flow inhibiting defects due to imperfect thermal contacts at key interfacial locations. In addition, an energy partitioning model was used to evaluate the reliability of the solder joints under such accelerated thermal fatigue cycling loads. The effects of different peak heat flux values, and thermal boundary conditions were investigated within the bounds of a maximum allowable solder joint temperature indicative of failure. The thermal results clearly show pronounced temperature gradients that can be induced within the package due to localized power dissipation in the die, and clearly point to the need and significance of non-uniform thermal analyses of such packages. The associated structural results applied to the damage model show that creep continues to be the primary mechanism of failure in the FCOC package.
TGF-beta inhibits vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation through down regulation of cyclin A

Background: Smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation contributes to the development of intimal hyperplasia. In this study, we explore the mechanism by which TGF-β, a potent endogenous growth inhibitor of SMCs, affects cell cycle progression. Method: (Cells-A10 vascular SMCs) (SMC proliferation - 3H-thymidine) (protein levels of cyclin kinase inhibitors, P21,P27 and cyclin A - Western Blotting) (cyclin A mRNA - Northern blotting) (cyclin A gene expression - luciferase reporter containing cyclin A promoter) Results: TGF-β (5 ng/ml), which produced a 30% decrease in A10 SMC DNA synthesis, has been shown in other cellular systems to control proliferation by upregulating P21 and P27, two proteins that inhibit cell-cycle progression. Thus, we examined the effect of TGF-β on P21 and P27 in vascular SMC. We found no significant alteration in P21/P27 protein levels following stimulation of SMC with TGF-β for 5, 12 and 24 hrs. We then evaluated the effect of TGF-β on protein levels of cyclin A, a critical cell cycle protein down stream from P21/27 required for G1/S transition and completion of S. TGF-β (5 ng/ml) produced a 48.4 ± 17.5% decrease in cyclin A protein that was maximal at 17 hrs (p < 0.05) (Fig. 1). To determine if this reduction is the result of a decrease in cyclin A expression, we examined the level of cyclin A mRNA in A10 cells. We found a 50.2 ± 19.6% (p < 0.05) reduction in cyclin A mRNA following 17 hrs stimulation with TGF-β (5 ng/ml) (Fig. 2). To test whether TGF-β acts directly on the cyclin A promoter to reduce transcription, we transfected A10 cells with a luciferase reporter plasmid which contains the -516 to +245 region of the human cyclin A promoter. After transfection (3 hrs), cells were treated with TGF-β (5 ng/ml) for 17hrs. Lucifease activity in the TGF-β treated cells was decreased by 63.0 ± 12.0% (p < 0.05), suggesting that the cyclin A promoter activity is suppressed by TGF-β. Conclusion: Our data suggest that TGF-β directly inhibits cyclin A expression in SMC through an interaction with its proximal promoter. TGF-β appears to have no effect on the cell cycle inhibitors P21 and P27. Strategies that enhance the inhibitory effect of TGF-β on SMC proliferation and block its effect on matrix protein production will diminish the formation of intimal hyperplasia.
Consistency of "Nonfocal" Neurological Signs

Abstract Controversy exists in the neuropsychiatric literature regarding “soft” or “nonfocal” neurological signs and their significance. The consistency o f such signs over time in children hospitalized on a psychiatric unit was studied and replicated. Each child was tested on three different occasions dining the first 8 days of hospitalization. The Cochran Q analysis of variance demonstrated general consistency of “nonfocal” neurological signs. The greatest inconsistency was found in the most immature and neuropsychiatrically impaired subjects. This report presents new data to support the continued use of “nonfocal” neurological signs in combination with a clinical examination in the psychiatric evaluation of children.
Intramuscular testosterone esters and plasma lipids in hypogonadal men: a meta-analysis

Abstract Purpose It is unclear whether intramuscular administration of testosterone esters to hypogonadal men is associated with changes in plasma lipids. We therefore analyzed 19 studies published between 1987 and 1999 that focused on male subjects with nonexperimental hypogonadism, treated subjects with an intramuscular testosterone ester and reported pretreatment and post-treatment concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, or total triglyceride. Methods We calculated study-specific, post-treatment minus pretreatment differences in each plasma lipid concentration (mean [95% confidence interval]). After testing of between-study homogeneity, we combined the study-specific differences. We then determined whether heterogeneity of differences could be explained in models of the differences on study and patient characteristics (mean ± SE) before and after excluding extreme values using a multiple outlier procedure. Results The studies represented 272 hypogonadal men (age 44 ± 4 years; 20% with hypergonadotropic hypogonadism; total testosterone 0.5 ± 0.2 ng/mL) who received, on average, 179 ± 13 mg intramuscular testosterone ester every 16 ± 1 days for 6 ± 1 months. Fixed-effects estimates of post-treatment minus pretreatment differences were −14 [−17 to −11] mg/dL (total cholesterol), −5 [−8 to −1] mg/dL (LDL cholesterol), −4 [−5 to −2] mg/dL (HDL cholesterol), and −1 [−6 to + 4] mg/dL (triglyceride). Decreases in HDL cholesterol were larger at lower dosages of testosterone ester ( r = −0.54, P = 0.055), but were not explained by attrition, regression to the mean, dosing frequency or duration, concomitant elevation of plasma total testosterone, aromatization of testosterone to estradiol, or other study and patient characteristics. Conclusion Intramuscular administration of testosterone esters to hypogonadal men is associated with a small, dosage-dependent decrease in HDL cholesterol and concomitant declines in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. The aggregate effect of these changes on cardiovascular risk remains unknown but deserves further study.
Conditional Covariance-Based Subtest Selection for DIMTEST.

DIMTEST is a nonparametric hypothesis-testing procedure designed to test the assumptions of a unidimensional and locally independent item response theory model. Several previous Monte Carlo studies have found that using linear factor analysis to select the assessment subtest for DIMTEST results in a moderate to severe loss of power when the exam lacks simple structure, the ability and difficulty parameter distributions differ greatly, or the underlying model is noncompensatory. A new method of selecting the assessment subtest for DIMTEST, based on the conditional covariance dimensionality programs DETECT and HCA/ CCPROX, is presented. Simulation studies show that using DIMTEST with this new selection method has either similar or significantly higher power to detect multidimensionality than using linear factor analysis for subtest selection, while maintaining Type I error rates around the nominal level.
Effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor agonists and antagonist on LHRH-synthesizing neurons as detected by immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is thought to play an important role in the regulation of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) release but its role in the regulation of LHRH gene expression and LHRH synthesis is not known. We hypothesized that since GABA appears to have primarily inhibitory effects on LHRH cells (at the level of the cell body), GABA may act to decrease LHRH gene expression and peptide synthesis. This hypothesis was tested by examining the effect of GABA receptor activation and GABA receptor blockade on LHRH mRNA and peptide levels employing in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. Cells in the preoptic area (POA) of ovariectomized (ovx) rats were selectively exposed in vivo to specific GABA-ergic receptor agonists or an antagonist for up to 24 h. THIP, a specific GABA a receptor agonist, did not have a significant effect on either the intensity of LHRH immunoreactivity, or the number of LHRH-ir cells, observed as compared to controls. Baclofen, a GABA b receptor agonist appeared to decrease the number of cells with the greatest intensity of LHRH immunoreactivity, compared to controls. In situ hybridization, with either a tritiated RNA probe or a 32P-labelled oligonucleotide, complementary to LHRH mRNA, revealed that THIP either had no effect on the labelling intensity (32P-labelled oligonucleotide) or (contrary to our hypothesis) a slight excitatory effect on the level of LHRH mRNA detected per cell (tritiated RNA probe). Bicuculline (a specific GABA a receptor antagonist) decreased both the number of labelled cells observed per section through the POA, and the intensity of labelling observed in sections hybridized with the 32P-labelled oligonucleotide. These results suggest that in the POA GABA a receptors do not exert an inhibitory effect on LHRH gene expresssion, but rather could affect LH perhaps by electrically inhibiting LHRH neurons. In contrast, baclofen appeared to exert an inhibitory effect on LHRH gene expression, since the number of grains per labelled cell in the POA of baclofen treated rats was lower than the grains per labelled cell of control rats. Also, similar to the results obtained with immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization following baclofen treatment suggested that activation of GABA b receptors is able to reduce the number of neurons with the highest levels of LHRH mRNA. Thus, in the POA, GABA acting through GABA b receptors could be effective through changes in mRNA or peptide synthesis.
Integration of LIDAR with the NIITEK GPR for Improved Performance on Rough Terrain

Vehicle-mounted ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has proved to be a valuable technology for buried threat detection, especially in the area of military route clearance. However, detection performance may be degraded in very rough terrain or o-road conditions. This is because the signal processing approaches for target detection in GPR rst identify the ground re ection in the data, and then align the data in order to remove the ground re ection. Under extremely rough terrain, antenna bounce and multipath eects render nding the ground re ection a dicult task, and errors in ground localization can lead to data alignment that distorts potential target signatures and/or creates false alarms. In this work, commercial-o-the-shelf light detection and ranging (LIDAR), global positioning system (GPS), and inertial measurement unit (IMU) were integrated with a GPR into a prototype route clearance system. The LIDAR provided high-resolution measurements of the ground surface prole, and the GPS/IMU recorded the vehicle's position and orientation. Experiments investigated the applicability of the integrated system for nding the ground re ection in GPR data and decoupling vehicle motion from the rough surface response. Assessment of ground-tracking performance was based on an experiment involving three prepared test lanes, each with dierent congurations of buried targets and terrain obstacles. Several algorithms for target detection in GPR were applied to the data, both with traditional preprocessing and incorporating the LIDAR and IMU. Experimental results suggest that the LIDAR and IMU may be valuable components for ground tracking in next-generation GPR systems.
Postmenopausal hormone therapy is associated with atherosclerosis progression in women with abnormal glucose tolerance.

Background— Abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT; diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, especially in women. Cardiovascular disease rates in women increase after menopause. The Women’s Health Initiative found that postmenopausal hormone therapy (PHT) increased the risk of cardiovascular disease and that effects in diabetic women did not differ from those in women without diabetes. In this study, we hypothesized that PHT would have a worse effect on disease among women with AGT. Methods and Results— We randomly assigned 423 postmenopausal women with angiographically defined atherosclerosis (321 women had exit angiograms) with (n=140) or without (n=181) AGT to receive estrogen, estrogen plus progestin, or a placebo for 2.8±0.9 years. LDL was lower and HDL and triglycerides were higher after PHT in non-AGT and AGT women, but more adverse changes occurred in C-reactive protein and fibrinogen in women with AGT (P=0.11 and P=0.02 for interactions). PHT h...
A novel single-step dimethyl ether (DME) synthesis in a three-phase slurry reactor from co-rich syngas

Abstract The productivity of liquid phase methanol synthesis reactor in limited by the chemical equilibrium barrier caused by high local methanol concentration in the liquid phase. This barrier can be partly lifted by either selective physical remoal of methanol from the liquid phase or in-situ conversion to other chemical species. A novel process for manufacturing dimethyl ether (DME) from CO-rich syngas in the liquid phase has been developed. Two functionally different catalysts are slurried in the inert liquid phase, in this dual catalytic mode of operation. The (methanol+DME) co-production approach is extremely effective in increasing the per-pass syngas conversion and reactor productivity over those of methanol synthesis alone. The co-production approach can also co-produce methanol and DME in any fixed proportion, from practically pure DME to pure methanol. Scientific aspects of the process including the process feasibility domain, reaction kinetics, catalytic management, and thermodynamic modeling will be discussed.