cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHAPTER 10 – Carbon Catabolism of Amino Acids

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights carbon catabolism of amino acids. In the majority of cases, the carbon residue of an amino acid in the course of its catabolism is transformed into a short chain di- or mono-carboxylic acid; in the latter case, this may be straight-chained or branched. Many of the clues as to the metabolic pathways of the carbon residues of the amino acids were obtained by investigations of the ketogenic, glycogenic, and antiketogenic properties of the different amino acids. The catabolic pathways of the carbon chains of the amino acids, alanine, glutamic, and aspartic acids appear to be readily apparent once these amino acids lose their amino groups. When this occurs, alanine is converted to pyruvic acid, glutamic acid to α-ketoglutaric acid, and aspartic acid to either oxalacetic or fumaric acid. The reaction for α-amino nitrogen in the substrate decreases during the incubation, and the decrease is approximately equivalent to the amount of NH3 liberated from the amino acid. It has been observed that the excretion of a compound yielding one equivalent each of glutamic and formic acids and ammonia in the urine of folic-deficient rats is greatly enhanced upon feeding histidine.
Port Infrastructure and Supply Chain Integration under the Belt and Road Initiative: Role of Colombo Port in the Apparel Industry in South Asia

Abstract This paper analyzes the role of port infrastructure in supply chain integration of the South Asian apparel industry through a case study of Colombo Port. Key factors for improving supply chain integration are first identified, such as reducing lead time production, increasing diversity of product lines and higher value-added products. The case study shows that the Colombo Port transshipment hub and its multi-country consolidation services have played a role in improving supply chain integration in these key factors. Nevertheless, there is a need to improve internal logistics and to improve matching port and logistics infrastructure in the rest of South Asia. We discuss policies for further improving port and logistics infrastructure that could be implemented under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Finite Sample Moments of Maximum Likelihood Estimator in Spatial Models

We investigate the finite sample properties of the maximum likelihood estimator for the spatial autoregressive model. A stochastic expansion of the score function is used to develop the second-order bias and mean squared error of the maximum likelihood estimator. We show that the results can be expressed in terms of the expectations of cross products of quadratic forms, or ratios of quadratic forms in a normal vector which can be evaluated using the top order invariant polynomial. Our numerical calculations demonstrate that the second-order behaviors of the maximum likelihood estimator depend on the degree of sparseness of the weights matrix.
TET Enzymes and 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in Neural Progenitor Cell Biology and Neurodevelopment

Studies of tissue-specific epigenomes have revealed 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) to be a highly enriched and dynamic DNA modification in the metazoan nervous system, inspiring interest in the function of this epigenetic mark in neurodevelopment and brain function. 5hmC is generated by oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC), a process catalyzed by the ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes. 5hmC serves not only as an intermediate in DNA demethylation but also as a stable epigenetic mark. Here, we review the known functions of 5hmC and TET enzymes in neural progenitor cell biology and embryonic and postnatal neurogenesis. We also discuss how TET enzymes and 5hmC regulate neuronal activity and brain function and highlight their implications in human neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Finally, we present outstanding questions in the field and envision new research directions into the roles of 5hmC and TET enzymes in neurodevelopment.
Loss of phthalic acid ester from polyvinyl chloride tubing into various fluids.

Migration of phthalic acid esters (PAE) from polyvinyl chloride (Tygon) tubing, approved for use with processed milk and milk products, was measured under conditions simulating normal daily use. Squares of tubing were soaking in water at 18, 44, and 72 C; milk at 38 C; aqueous solutions of two chlorinated alkaline cleaners at 62 C and use dilution; and three sanitizers at 24 C and use dilution. Each soaking solution was extracted using the AOAC Method for organochlorine pesticides and analyzed quantitatively for PAEs by gas liquid chromatography. Water at 72 C extracted greater amounts of PAEs than water at 18 or 44 C. Milk extracted the least amounts of PAEs; values were usually less than 1 ppb per day. Little difference was seen between the two chlorinated alkaline cleaners. Sanitizers, in general, extracted the greatest quantities of PAEs, averaging about 3 ppb per day. Leaching patterns of the individual sanitizers varied. Deformation tests were made on the used squares of tubing with a penetrometer. No change was found compared to samples of unused tubing (control), indicating longer use and greater PAE loss is necessary before tubing flexibility is affected.
Body mass index, smoking, age and cancer mortality among women: a classification tree analysis.

Aim Although obesity is an established risk factor for cancer mortality among women, little is known about how body mass index (BMI) is interacting with certain lifestyle behaviors and sociodemographic characteristics to increase the risk of cancer mortality. The purpose of this study was to use classification trees to examine possible interactions between BMI, smoking, age, poverty level and marital status in identifying high-risk subgroups for all-cause cancer mortality in women. Material and Methods Data from the US National Health Interview Survey linked with the National Death Index from 1990–2004 were used in this study. The data were restricted to women with complete information on all risk factors considered in the analyses. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and classification trees. Results Findings revealed that younger women (41–50 years old) who smoked had higher cancer mortality if they were underweight. Even among 51–60-year-old never smokers, we observed an inverse relationship between BMI and mortality. High BMI, however, was not a protective factor in 51–60-year-old women who were not married and did not smoke. Conclusion Classification tree analysis confirms and extends current knowledge about the role of BMI and smoking on cancer mortality by providing preliminary risk profiles. The findings indicate that it is imperative for cancer-related studies to examine BMI and smoking within age-specific groups and in the context of several sociodemographic factors that are known to independently affect cancer mortality.
Post-inflammatory Hyperpigmentation

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is an acquired hypermelanosis that commonly follows traumatic or inflammatory injury to the skin. While it may affect all skin types, it is most evident and lingering in patients with skin of color. Diagnosis is usually straightforward given a history of prior inflammatory dermatosis or injury in the area but may be aided by Wood’s lamp examination or skin biopsy. Differential diagnoses of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation include melasma, tinea versicolor, and drug-induced hyperpigmentation. Treatment can be challenging. In this chapter we will review the epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentations, differential diagnoses, and recommended treatments of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
The Interface Between Beliefs and Behavior Henry Kissinger's Operational Code and the Vietnam War

This paper examines the interface between Henry Kissinger's operational code and his bargaining behavior during the Vietnam conflict. Kissinger's position at the pinnacle of the American foreign af...
Abstract 384: Epigenetic derangements in histone and cytosine methylation are unique to diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG)

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a universally fatal tumor that comprises approximately 10% of pediatric brain tumors. Eighty percent of DIPG patients have a mutation in the H3F3A gene resulting in a lysine to methionine conversion at position 27 of Histone 3.3 (H3K27M). This mutation inhibits methylation at this site by enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2) methyltransferase and leads to global chromatin changes. DIPG is also associated with global DNA hypomethylation. Recent evidence suggests that 5-methylcytosine (5mC) can be converted to cytosine in a multistep enzymatic process with 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) being the initial intermediate. 5hmC itself represents an important epigenetic mark and together with 5mC and histone methylation plays a key role in neural development. Due to the global hypomethylation noted in DIPGs, we hypothesized that 5mC and 5hmC would be low. We expected H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) to be low and associated with the H3F3A mutation common in DIPGs. Tissue microarrays created from post mortem tumor tissue from 24 pediatric DIPG cases were compared to adult and pediatric glioblastoma (GBM) tissue arrays. Immunohistochemical (IHC) assay using antibodies for H3K27me3, 5hmC, and 5mC was used to identify epigenetic differences between the brain tumor groups. H-scores (H) (0-200) were obtained by multiplying intensity of stain (0: no stain, 1: weak stain, 2: strong stain) by percentage (0-100) of cells showing the staining. We found H3K27me3 immunoreactivity was significantly lower for DIPG compared to pediatric GBM (p Citation Format: Sama Ahsan, Eric Raabe, Michael C. Haffner, Javad Nazarian, Katherine Warren, Leo Ballester, Martha Quezado, Charles Eberhart, Fausto J. Rodriguez. Epigenetic derangements in histone and cytosine methylation are unique to diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 384. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-384
Market Access, Investment, and Heterogeneous Firms

This paper presents a model of international trade in which heterogeneous firms can expand through capital acquisitions. I show that demand elasticities are a crucial element in predicting which firms invest, in what location, and for what reason. High productivity firms, who tend to sell goods at a low elasticity, invest for market access (tari jumping). Middle productivity firms, who tend to sell at a higher elasticity, invest for productivity improvement. The relative value of trade costs dictates which incentive is larger. In equilibrium, trade liberalization can reduce aggregate productivity by reducing an important source of investment demand: foreign firms.
Robert A. Dahl and the essentials of Modern Political Analysis: politics, influence, power, and polyarchy

In Modern Political Analysis (MPA), Robert A. Dahl presents what he saw as the essentials of politics and political science. Spanning four decades of Dahl’s scholarly career, the six editions of MPA address (i) the nature of politics; (ii) ‘influence’, the constituent element of politics and MPA’s term for what political scientists often call ‘power’; and (iii) similarities and differences among political systems. Seven ‘forms of influence’ – power, coercion, force, persuasion, manipulation, inducement, and authority – are distinguished and analyzed. In exploring similarities and differences among the world’s political systems, MPA presents an overview of Dahl’s insights on democracy and polyarchy. The six MPA editions also provide an opportunity to observe how Dahl’s thinking about the essentials of his discipline evolved over forty years.
XG: a grid-enabled query processing engine

In [12] we introduce a novel architecture for data processing, based on a functional fusion between a data and a computation layer. In this demo we show how this architecture is leveraged to offer significant speedups for data processing jobs such as data analysis and mining over large data sets. One novel contribution of our solution is its data-driven approach. The computation infrastructure is controlled from within the data layer. Grid compute job submission events are based within the query processor on the DBMS side and in effect controlled by the data processing job to be performed. This allows the early deployment of on-the-fly data aggregation techniques, minimizing the amount of data to be transfered to/from compute nodes and is in stark contrast to existing Grid solutions that interact with data layers as external (mainly) “storage” components. By integrating scheduling intelligence in the data layer itself we show that it is possible to provide a close to optimal solution to the more general grid trade-off between required data replication costs and computation speed-up benefits. We validate this in a scenario derived from a real business deployment, involving financial customer profiling using common types of data analytics.
El Niño–Southern Oscillation Sea Level Pressure Anomalies in the Western Pacific: Why Are They There?*

AbstractAlthough sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies in the western Pacific have long been recognized as an integral part of the classic Southern Oscillation pattern associated with El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), there is an unresolved question regarding the dynamics that maintain these anomalies. Traditional studies of the ENSO response in the tropics assume a single deep baroclinic mode associated with the tropospheric temperature anomalies. However, the SLP anomalies in the western Pacific are spatially separated from the baroclinic signal in the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis, CMIP5 models, and an intermediate complexity model [a quasi-equilibrium tropical circulation model (QTCM)]. Separation of ENSO SLP anomalies in the tropical Pacific into baroclinic and barotropic components indicates that the barotropic component contributes throughout the tropics and constitutes the primary contribution in the western Pacific. To demonstrate the roles of baroclinic and barotropic modes in ENSO teleconnections within...
Monozygotic twins with Crohn's disease: A case report

Abstract Twin brothers whose monozygosity was demonstrated by analysis of dermatoglyphic patterns, chromosome banding, HLA typing, and gene markers developed Crohn's disease within 8 mo of each other. Both had involvement of the terminal ileum, colon, and rectum, as well as arthritis. However, one had severe esophagitis and recurrent pancreatitis, and the other had severe arthritis and oral mucosal involvement. Both twins had manifestations controlled by parenteral nutrition. This report describes the similarities and differences in the complicated course of Crohn's disease in identical twins and demonstrates that while the development of Crohn's disease may be genetically influenced the site of gastrointestinal involvement is affected by other factors. This experience does not support previously held concepts of the role of genetics in the clinical manifestations of Crohn's disease.
Comparison of real-time PCR and hemagglutination assay for quantitation of human polyomavirus JC.

Human polyomavirus JC (JCV), the etiological agent of the disease progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) affects immunocompromised patients particularly patients with AIDS. In vitro studies of JCV infection are hampered by the lack of sensitive JCV quantitation tests. Although the hemagglutination (HA) assay has been routinely employed for in vitro quantitation of JCV, its sensitivity is severely limited. We have employed a real-time PCR assay which compares favorably with the HA assay for the in vitro quantitation of JCV. JCV(Mad1), propagated in primary human fetal glial (PHFG) cells in two independent laboratories, was purified and quantitated by the HA assay. Both batches of purified JCV(Mad1) were then serially diluted in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium to obtain HA titers ranging from 64 to 0.001 HA units (HAU) per 100 μL of virus suspension. DNA was extracted from 100 μL of virus suspension and eluted in 50 μL of buffer, and DNA amplification and quantitation were performed in the Bio-Rad iCycler iQ Multicolor Real-Time PCR Detection System using T-antigen as the target gene. Real-time PCR for quantitation of JCV was sensitive and consistently detected 1.8 × 101 copies of JCV DNA, and as low as 0.001 HAU equivalent of JCV. Moreover, there was a strong linear correlation between the HA assay and the DNA copy number of JCV(Mad1). The intra-run and inter-run coefficients of variation for the JCV standard curve were 0.06% to 4.8% and 2.6% to 5.2%, respectively. Based on these data, real-time PCR can replace the less-sensitive HA assay for the reliable detection, quantitation and monitoring of in vitro JCV replication.
The Ephemeral Civilization: Exploding the Myth of Social Evolution

The Ephemeral Civilization: Exploding the Myth of Social Evolution. Graeme Donald Snooks. London: Routledge, 1997. 858 pp.
PHARMACOKINETICS OF PRIMIDONE METABOLISM AND EXCRETION IN CHILDREN

The metabolism and excretion of orally administered primidone was studied in ten children, ages six to ten years, who were chronically receiving the drug for temporal lobe seizures. Plasma concentrations of primidone (Pr) peaked at 2 to 4 hours and declined exponentially from 6 to 24 hours with half-lives ranging from 6 to 12 hours. A mean of 81% of the administered dose was recovered in the urine as Pr and its metabolites. Of the total Pr excreted in the urine in 24 hours, 53.3% appeared as unchanged drug, 43.8% as phenylethyl-malondiamide (PEMA), and 2.9% as phenobarbital (Pb). The rate constants for conversion of Pr to PEMA (K1), Pr to Pb (K2), and urinary excretion of unchanged Pr (K3) were estimated. K1 ranged from .013 to .072 hrs.−1, K2 from .0004 to .005 hrs.−1, and K3 from .058 to .116 hrs.−1. Those patients with a larger K2 tended to have a higher plasma concentration of Pb, and vice versa. Since Pb accounts for a small fraction of the total Pr excreted, a ten fold change in K2 will have little influence on the overall rate constant for elimination of primidone, but may have an important effect on the steady state plasma concentration of Pb in patients receiving Pr. (Supported in part by PMA Foundation Research Starter Grant and USPHS Grant 15956).
Palaeoflood hydrology in a global context

Abstract From its origins as a geological study of flood erosion and sediments the science palaeoflood hydrology matured to become an indispensable means for understanding the hydrology of very large, rare floods. Such floods are increasingly posing risks to human habitation. More that 3 decades of research in palaeoflood hydrology produced spectacular advances in capabilities for (1) accurately determining palaeoflood ages, (2) quantifying the magnitudes and dynamics of palaeoflood processes, and (3) incorporating palaeoflood data into various modeling procedures for risk assessments. Palaeoflood studies now have a global sweep, and it is appropriate to apply the information they provide to address questions of global environmental change. In doing so, it will be necessary to reconsider aspects of science–society interactions because of the many failings of these in current practice.
Sensitivity of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline: An Application of Item Response Theory

ABSTRACT The Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline (IQCODE) is a formal informant report instrument, originally developed by Jorm and Jacomb (1989; Psychological Medicine, 19(4), 1015). The goal of the present study was to evaluate the range of cognitive decline in which the IQCODE is most sensitive, using item response theory (IRT). Existing data (N = 740) from a sample of community-dwelling older adults was used for this purpose. A 2-parameter model estimating item difficulty and discrimination fit the data best. Additionally, the IQCODE provided the most psychometric information in the range of −0.5 < θ < 1.5, with peak information obtained at approximately θ = 0.4. Based on individuals' latent score (θ) estimates, items on the IQCODE are adequate for use as a screening tool for dementia. Results of the item calibration may be useful for targeted assessment needs, such as the development of short forms.
Effects of dopamine depletions in the medial prefrontal cortex on active avoidance and escape in the rat

Abstract Dopamine systems have been implicated in the performance of avoidance behavior, and the dopaminergic innervation of medial prefrontal cortex is known to be responsive to stressful stimuli. In the present investigation, injections of 6-hydroxydopamine were used to produce moderate depletions of dopamine in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats trained to perform an active avoidance/escape task. In this task, 0.5 mA shock was presented for 5 s every 30 s, and the rat could escape shock presentation, or avoid the shock for 30 s, by pressing a lever. Depletion of dopamine in the medial prefrontal cortex did not affect total number of responses, and did not impair avoidance responding (i.e. responding when the shock was off), and in fact dopamine-depleted animals tended to make slightly more avoidance responses than control animals. Prefrontal dopamine depletions did result in a significant decrease in the number of escape responses (i.e. responding to terminate shock when the shock was on). Moreover, dopamine depletions significantly decreased response efficiency, which is an index of the reduction of shock time produced per level pressing response. Previous work has indicated that dopamine antagonists and accumbens dopamine depletions have dramatic effects on avoidance behavior; thus present results indicate that prefrontal cortex dopamine depletions do not mimic the effects of interference with subcortical dopamine systems. The selective effects of dopamine depletions on escape behavior in the present study suggest that rats with medial prefrontal dopamine depletions have an impairment in the ability to respond appropriately to the direct presentation of footshock. These findings may have implications for the functional significance of stress-induced increases in prefrontal cortex dopamine activity.
Electron interactions with plasma processing gases: present status and future needs

The work conducted at the National Institute of Standards and Technology over the last 7 years on the systematic synthesis and assessment of fundamental knowledge on low-energy electron interactions with plasma processing gases is briefly summarized and discussed. This work deals mostly with the primary electron interaction processes. Assessed data on electron collision cross sections and rate coefficients are discussed and their multiple value is indicated. Data needs are identified for electron interactions with ground-state, excited, and transient species, and for electron energy losses. It is indicated that the currently limited knowledge on electron reactions at surfaces and interfaces can be aided by related existing knowledge on electron interactions in dense gases, liquids, clusters, and molecular layers on cold surfaces.
Changes in axonal impulse conduction correlate with sensory modality in primary afferent fibers in the rat.

Abstract Conduction velocity was measured in vivo in single cutaneous afferent fibers of rat sciatic nerve that were characterized by natural stimulation. During sustained electrical stimulation, impulses slowed less and propagated more reliably in cold fibers (both Aδ and C) than in nociceptive fibers of similar conduction velocity. Velocity in cold fibers tended to stabilize after an initial decrease rather than decrease throughout the stimulation as for nociceptive fibers. The slowing correlated with axon modality and hence with natural firing pattern, raising the possibility that impulse activity can determine conduction properties of axons.
Development Policy Choice: Four Explanations for City Implementation of Economic Development Policies

This research attempts to account for the number of adoptions of four economic development policies in large American cities. Four explanations focusing upon fiscal stress, growth coalitions, government institutions, and competition among cities are examined in the light of a typology that classifies the polices on the basis of their visibility and distributional impact. We hypothesize the applicability of the four explanations to be contingent upon the particular policy being explained and its visibility and distributional consequences. Poisson regression analyses of data drawn from large U.S. cities reveal inconsistent support for these expectations. We discuss the importance of policy characteristics in the prediction of policy adoption.
Species-selective and sensitive films based on host-guest interactions

Series selective and sensitive films were designed and fabricated for sensing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs). The molecular recognition host reagents were designed and synthesized for optimum binding or organic vapors. Sensing films were fabricated onto a surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducer surface through molecular self-assembly and covalent immobilization. The selectivity and sensitivity of the film are based on host-guest interaction, between the host reagent (cyclodextrins) and gas phase species. The self- assembled film containing cyclodextrins can detect certain organic vapors at parts per billion concentrations.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Influence of acute and chronic nicotine administration on intra- and inter-structural relationships of the electrical activity in the rabbit brain.

Abstract Chronic nicotine administrations were performed for 3 weeks on male albino rabbits equipped with electrodes in the cortex, the reticular formation, the hippocampus, the amygdala and the hypothalamus. 200 μg kg were injected subcutaneously 5 times a day. Controls were run with chronic saline administration. Statistical analysis of the distribution of amplitude levels per successive epochs of 2 sec revealed a change. The characteristic unimodal distributions were replaced at cortical and hippocampal levels by bimodal distributions. The extent of mutual involvement between structures was estimated by the ratio of the variances between structures. Chronic nicotine administration produced a gradual increase for the pairs cortex/hippocampus and cortex/amygdala. These results are discussed in terms of a recently introduced hypothesis of a two-system arousal in the brain.
Protein secondary structure prediction using neural networks

The three dimensional structure of a protein affects the structural, functional and biological characteristics of the various cells and genes significantly. Therefore, prediction of the structure of a protein is the key to understanding the biological functions of proteins. In this paper, a new hybrid neural network has been proposed for predicting protein secondary structure. A new encoding scheme for representing amino acid protein sequences has also been designed which greatly reduces the convergence time of the prediction process.
Separable Jordan algebras over commutative rings, III

This paper presents a theory of separable Jordan algebras over commutative rings. We define a Jordan algebra over a commutative ring with & to be separable if its unital universal multiplication algebra is a separable associative algebra. In Section 1 we develop the basic properties of separable Jordan algebras over commutative rings. In Section 2 we prove that a central separable R-algebra J is an R-progenerator and that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the ideals of J and the ideals of R. The rest of the paper centers around the decomposition theorem of Section 6, that a separable Jordan algebra is a direct sum of homogenous components corresponding to the isomorphism classes of finite-dimensional simple Jordan algebras over an algebraically closed field. In Section 3, we obtain analogous decompositions for separable associative algebras and separable associative algebras with involution. In Sections 7 and 8 we apply the decomposition theorems to study the structure of central separable Jordan algebras and their universal envelopes. In particular, we relate the decompositions of separable Jordan algebras and separable associative algebras with involution. More precisely, the decomposition theorem states that a separable Jordan R-algebra J can be written J = Ji @ ... @ Js for distinct ordered pairs (pi , qi),..., (ps , qs) such that, if m is a maximal ideal of R and F is the algebraic closure of R/m, then ( Ji/m Ji) aRlln F is a direct sum of simple F-algebras of degree pi and dimension qi . We note that the isomorphism class of a finitedimensional simple algebra over an algebraically closed field is determined by its degree and dimension. The key fact needed to prove the decomposition theorem is that, if J is separable with center Z(J), its special universal envelope SzcJ)( J) is finitely spanned Z( J)-projective along with J. This implies that Z(J) is the direct sum of ideals Ci such that Ci J and S,,(Ci J) have constant rank over C, . On the other hand, * * Portions of the results presented here are contained in the author’s doctoral dissertation, written at Yale University under the direction of Professor N. Jacobson. The author would like to express his gratitude to Professor Jacobson for his guidance and encouragement.
The effect of the acrodermatitis enteropathica mutation on zinc uptake in human fibroblasts

The acrodermatitis enteropathica (AE) mutation affects intestinal zinc absorption. Our goal was to determine whether the AE mutation affects zinc uptake in human fibroblasts. Zinc uptake was determined during initial rates of uptake (10 min) following incubation in HEPES/saline buffer. Zinc uptake (from 0.25 to 1 μM) into normal fibroblasts was significantly greater than into the AE fibroblasts (p<0.05). In order to identify factors that may alter cellular zinc uptake and be affected by the AE mutation, zinc uptake in the presence of albumin or bicarbonate was measured. Albumin restricted zinc uptake in both normal and AE fibroblasts, whereas bicarbonate stimulated zinc uptake in the normal fibroblasts. The effect of bicarbonate on zinc uptake in the AE fibroblasts was significantly reduced in both the Pronase-sensitive and Pronase-resistant compartments. Following loading of the fibroblasts with 1 μM zinc for 60 min, zinc efflux and retention were measured. The AE mutation did not affect zinc retention compared to normal fibroblasts. We conclude that the AE mutation affects both zinc binding to the cell surface and its translocation across the plasma membrane into the cell, possibly mediated through a defective anionic exchange mechanism.
Quantification of cell surface receptor expression in live tissue culture media using a dual-tracer stain and rinse approach

Immunofluorescence staining is a robust way to visualize the distribution of targeted biomolecules invasively in in fixed tissues and tissue culture. Despite the fact that these methods has been a well-established method in fixed tissue imaging for over 70 years, quantification of receptor concentration still simply assumes that the signal from the targeted fluorescent marker after incubation and sufficient rinsing is directly proportional to the concentration of targeted biomolecules, thus neglecting the experimental inconsistencies in incubation and rinsing procedures and assuming no, nonspecific binding of the fluorescent markers. This work presents the first imaging approach capable of quantifying the concentration of cell surface receptor on cancer cells grown in vitro based on compartment modeling in a nondestructive way. The approach utilizes a dual-tracer protocol where any non-specific retention or variability in incubation and rinsing of a receptor-targeted imaging agent is corrected by simultaneously imaging the retention of a chemically similar, “untargeted” imaging agent. Various different compartment models were used to analyze the data in order to find the optimal procedure for extracting estimates of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) concentration (a receptor overexpressed in many cancers and a key target for emerging molecular therapies) in tissue cultures with varying concentrations of human glioma cells (U251). Preliminary results demonstrated a need to model nonspecific binding of both the targeted and untargeted imaging agents used. The approach could be used to carry out the first repeated measures of cell surface receptor dynamics during 3D tumor mass development, in addition to the receptor response to therapies.
A technique for the assay of enzymes in intact plant cells in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide.

In our studies on the biosynthesis of tryptophan in callus tissue of Nicotiana tabacum var. Wisconsin 38 (3,4), we have made use of a convenient technique for the assay of enzymes in intact cells of this tissue. The technique involves the use of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), an agent which appears to alter the permeability properties of many cell types without effecting the activity of a variety of enzymes (1). By altering the permeability of intact cells with DMSO in order to facilitate the entry of substrates and release of reaction products, we hoped to observe activity for the enzymes of the tryptophan pathway without initially encountering the technical problems of denaturation which often occur in plant tissues in the preparation of cell-free extracts. Because our most extensive studies have been done, both in whole cells and in partially-purified preparations, with the terminal enzyme, tryptophan synthetase, data for this enzyme are presented here in order to show some of the characteristics of the
Popular Exclusionary Diets for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Search for a Dietary Culprit

The evolving understanding of the role of the microbiome and environmental factors in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease makes diet an interesting and potentially powerful tool in the treatment of disease. However, at this time, evidence is limited but anecdotal reports of success abound. There is a bewildering array of new diets being tried by patients in an attempt to control diseases. This review attempts to summarize the most common diets for the treating physician.
A hospital administrator's view of the operating room

The need for greater efficiency in OR management will become apparent as hospitals are forced to respond to a myriad of pressures imposed by the external environment. The most effective strategy in dealing with this challenge will be realized by adopting a "systems" approach to OR functions as opposed to the more traditional methodology that emphasizes a review of individual problematic components. One issue that challenges many ORs is "throughput": the backlog of patients in ORs that occurs because the recovery room is filled to capacity. The traditional approach is to focus on the recovery room's inefficiency and to expend energy on improving recovery room function. A "systems" approach would examine all factors that affect recovery room function and analyze the interdependencies that exist between the recovery room and other hospital service functions. These might include the way cases in the OR are scheduled, as well as issues that involve patient transfer from the recovery room to intensive, intermediate, and routine floor care. By establishing a dialogue with parties outside of the traditional OR community, the opportunity to solve problems that affect the OR but that are outside of its direct sphere of control, presents itself. This approach will require the acquisition of new skills by those responsible for OR management in addition to promulgating a change in the culture that dominates many ORs today. An insular approach that reinforces the concept of the OR as a microcosm unto itself is an outmoded one. The hospital community at large will benefit from the expert skills possessed by those proficient in efficient OR management, while enabling the OR to fulfill its mission in the challenging times ahead.
Klinefelter Syndrome: Awareness and Index of Suspicion

A.H., a 15-year-old boy, presents for an annual health maintenance visit. The child and family have struggled with his speech, language, and learning issues since the age of 3 years. The patient has recently been treated with antidepressants and mood stabilizers because of an uneven temperament ranging from extreme passivity and sadness to outward aggression. He is very tall for his age, has limited upper body strength, and complains of persistent fatigue. This patient exhibits signs and symptoms of a frequently undiagnosed genetic condition. A karyotype reveals a supernumerary X chromosome. A.H. is a male with 47 XXY chromosomes, and the diagnosis of Klinefelter syndrome is confirmed.
Role of T cell subsets in lethal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) directed to class I versus class II H-2 differences. I. L3T4+ cells can either augment or retard GVHD elicited by Lyt-2+ cells in class I different hosts.

Detailed information was sought on the capacity of purified Lyt-2+ cells to mediate lethal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) directed to class I H-2 differences. When B6 Lyt-2+ cells were transferred to irradiated class I-different (B6 x bm 1)F1 mice, three different patterns of lethal GVHD were observed. First, rapid death from hematopoietic failure occurred when Lyt-2+ cells were transferred together with host-type marrow cells; this form of GVHD probably reflected direct destruction of stem cells by Lyt-2+ cytotoxic cells. Second, a pattern of late-onset, chronic GVHD resulting in death only after 4-6 wk occurred when Lyt-2+ cells were supplemented with donor marrow. This syndrome developed in the apparent absence of L3T4+ cells and was observed with either high or low doses of Lyt-2+ cells and with either light or heavy irradiation of the host. Third, an acute form of GVHD resulted when Lyt-2+ cells plus donor marrow cells were supplemented with exogenous help, i.e., by adding small doses of donor L3T4+ cells or injecting the hosts with rIL-2. Although L3T4+ cells potentiated GVHD when injected in small doses, supplementing Lyt-2+ cells with large doses of L3T4+ cells paradoxically led to marked protection; symptoms of GVHD were mild and no deaths occurred.
Mineralization and Growth of Cultured Embryonic Skeletal Tissue in Microgravity

Microgravity provides a unique environment in which to study normal and pathological phenomenon. Very few studies have been done to examine the effects of microgravity on developing skeletal tissue such as growth plate formation and maintenance, elongation of bone primordia, or the mineralization of growth plate cartilage. Embryonic mouse premetatarsal triads were cultured on three space shuttle flights to study cartilage growth, differentiation, and mineralization, in a microgravity environment. The premetatarsal triads that were cultured in microgravity all formed cartilage rods and grew in length. However, the premetatarsal cartilage rods cultured in microgravity grew less in length than the ground control cartilage rods. Terminal chondrocyte differentiation also occurred during culture in microgravity, as well as in the ground controls, and the matrix around the hypertrophied chondrocytes was capable of mineralizing in both groups. The same percentage of premetatarsals mineralized in the microgravity cultures as mineralized in the ground control cultures. In addition, the sizes of the mineralized areas between the two groups were very similar. However, the amount of 45Ca incorporated into the mineralized areas was significantly lower in the microgravity cultures, suggesting that the composition or density of the mineralized regions was compromised in microgravity. There was no significant difference in the amount of 45Ca liberated from prelabeled explants in microgravity or in the ground controls.
LUCI Land Use in Central Indiana Model and the Relationships of Public Infrastructure to Urban Development

Public infrastructure planners must take into account both future urban development patterns and how those patterns might be affected by the proposed infrastructure. This paper describes the Land Use in Central Indiana (LUCI) model, which can serve as a tool to help explain the complex relationship between urban development and the provision of public infrastructure. The LUCI model simulates future urban development for a large region and generates alternative development scenarios incorporating different policy choices and assumptions about future development. These included choices about the provision of public infrastructure and the effects of such infrastructure on urban development. The LUCI model was developed using data on urban development in 1985, 1993 and 2000 derived from satellite images. Central to the LUCI model is an aggregated logit model to predict the probability of vacant land being converted to urban use. The LUCI model is illustrated using scenarios involving different policies for the provision of water and sewer infrastructure. These scenarios demonstrate how different choices about future urban development significantly affect the need for the provision of infrastructure sources.
Fin width scaling for improved short channel control and performance in aggressively scaled channel length SOI finFETs

This work presents SOI finFETs with fin width (Dfin) scaled to sub 15nm. The process flow provides robust Dfin scaling as depicted by the universal electrostatic scaling of the DIBL and sub-threshold swing (SS). The high field long channel mobility drops by ~6% with Dfin scaling, however, DIBL and SS improves by ~1.5X and ~2X, respectively, for 20nm channel length n/pfinFETs. The effective current (Ieff) at fixed Ioff improves by ~20% and ~30% for p and n finFETs, respectively, with Dfin scaling.
COLORIMETRY PART II: IMAGING APPLICATIONS

Colorimetry applied to Imaging, known as device-independent color Imaging, has a historical basis in color television that is useful in Improving the color fidelity of color computer peripherals such as CRT displays and printers.
Disfluency patterns and phonological skills near stuttering onset

Abstract There is a substantial amount of literature reporting the incidence of phonological difficulties to be higher for children who stutter when compared to normally fluent children, suggesting a link between stuttering and phonology. In view of this, the purpose of the investigation was to determine whether, among children who stutter, there are relationships between phonological skills and the initial characteristics of stuttering. That is, close to the onset of stuttering, there are differences in specific stuttering patterns between children who exhibit minimal and moderate phonological deviations in terms of frequency of stuttering and length of stuttering events? Twenty-nine preschool children near the onset of stuttering, ranging in age from 29 to 49 months, with a mean of 39.17 months, were divided into two groups based on the level of phonological ability: minimal phonological deviations and moderate phonological deviations. The children's level of stuttering-like disfluencies was examined. Results revealed no statistically significant differences in the stuttering characteristics of the two groups near onset, calling into the question the nature of the stuttering–phonology link. Learning outcomes: The reader will be able to describe the relation between phonological skills and the initial characteristics of stuttering. More specifically, following the completion of this manuscript, the reader should recognize whether or not, close to the onset of stuttering, there are differences in frequency of stuttering and length of stuttering moments between children who exhibit minimal and moderate phonological deviations.
Lateral surface magnetoplasma modes of type II semiconductor superlattices

Abstract The recently developed theory of superlattice lateral surface magnetoplasmon is extended to type II superlattices consisting of alternating two-dimensional planes of electrons and holes. The magnetoplasmon dispersion relation is calculated by transforming the two coupled integral equations for the a.c. potential into a composite matrix equation. This method can be generalized to study charge density collective excitations in an arbitrary multi-component superlattice.
Analysis of Sampling Procedures for Corn Earworm and Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Peanuts

Relative-density estimates from two insect-sampling devices (sweep-net and shake cloth) were compared with absolute-density estimates for three size classes of the corn earworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and the fall armyworm, Spodaptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in peanuts. Linear regression analysis indicated that medium and large larvae of corn earworm and all size classes of fall armyworm were consistently recovered by both devices (r2 ≥ 0.80). Small corn earworm estimates were poor for both devices (r2 ≤ 0.38).
Concurrent Validity of the Personality Assessment Inventory Borderline Scales in Patients Seeking Dialectical Behavior Therapy

The purpose of this study was to explore the usefulness of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) Borderline full scale (BOR) and subscales in the assessment of patients being evaluated for dialectical behavior therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993). We administered 67 patients both the PAI and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) Structured Clinical Interview for Axis II disorders (SCID-II; First, Spitzer, Gibbon, Williams, & Benjamin, 1997). Point biserial correlations showed a significant relationship between the presence of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and scores on the BOR and Schizophrenia (SCZ) scales. A regression analysis showed that among the BOR subscales, those measuring identity disturbance, self-harming behavior, and negative relationships were significantly related to the total number of SCID-II BPD criteria. Diagnostic efficiency statistics between the BOR scale and the number of SCID-II BPD criteria indicated that a T score cutoff of 65 optimally differentiates patients who do and do not meet criteria for BPD. The relationship between BOR and SCID-II BPD demonstrates the concurrent validity of the PAI and shows its usefulness in this setting.