cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
α-Synuclein Deposition in Sympathetic Nerve Fibers in Genetic Forms of Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND Cytoplasmic inclusions of α-synuclein (α-syn) in brainstem neurons are characteristic of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). PD also entails α-syn buildup in sympathetic nerves. Among genetic forms of PD, the relative extents of sympathetic intraneuronal accumulation of α-syn have not been reported. OBJECTIVE This cross-sectional observational study compared magnitudes of intraneuronal deposition of α-syn in common and rare genetic forms of PD. METHODS α-Syn deposition was quantified by the α-syn-tyrosine hydroxylase colocalization index in C2 cervical skin biopsies from 65 subjects. These included 30 subjects with pathogenic mutations in SNCA (n = 3), PRKN [biallelic (n = 7) and monoallelic (n = 3)], LRRK2 (n = 7), GBA (n = 7), or PARK7/DJ1 [biallelic (n = 1) and monoallelic (n = 2)]. Twenty-five of the mutation carriers had PD and five did not. Data were also analyzed from 19 patients with idiopathic PD and 16 control participants. RESULTS α-Syn deposition varied as a function of genotype (F = 16.7, P < 0.0001). It was above the control range in 100% of subjects with SNCA mutations, 100% with LRRK2 mutations, 95% with idiopathic PD, 83% with GBA mutations, and 0% with biallelic PRKN mutations. α-Syn deposition in the biallelic PRKN group was significantly higher than in the control group. In addition, patients with biallelic PRKN mutations had higher α-syn deposition than their unaffected siblings. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with SNCA, DJ-1, LRRK2, or GBA mutations have substantial intraneuronal α-syn deposition in sympathetic noradrenergic nerves in skin biopsies, whereas those with biallelic PRKN mutations do not. Biallelic PRKN patients may have mildly increased α-syn deposition compared with control subjects. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Thermomechanical Microstructural Predictions of Fracture Nucleation of Zircaloy-4 Alloys with δ and ε Hydride Distributions

A crystalline dislocation-density formulation that was incorporated with a non-linear finite-element (FE) method was utilized to understand and to predict the thermo-mechanical behavior of an hexagonal closest packed (h.c.p.) zircaloy system with hydrides with either face centered cubic (f.c.c.) or body centered cubic (b.c.c.) hydrides. This formulation was then used with a recently developed fracture methodology that is adapted for finite inelastic strains and multiphase crystalline systems to understand how different microstructurally-based fracture modes nucleate and propagate. The interrelated microstructural characteristics of the different crystalline hydride and matrix phases with the necessary orientation relationships (ORs) have been represented, such that a detailed physical understanding of fracture nucleation and propagation can be predicted for the simultaneous thermo-mechanical failure modes of hydride populations and the matrix. The effects of volume fraction, morphology, crystalline structure, and orientation and distribution of the hydrides on simultaneous and multiple fracture modes were investigated for radial, circumferential, and mixed distributions. Another key aspect was accounting for temperatures changes due to the effects of thermal conduction and dissipated plastic work and their collective effects on fracture. For hydrided aggregates subjected to high temperatures, thermal softening resulted in higher ductility due to increased dislocation-density activity, which led to higher shear strain accumulation and inhibited crack nucleation and growth. The predictions provide validated insights of why circumferential hydrides are more fracture resistant than radial hydrides for different volume fractions and thermo-mechanical loading conditions.
Determination of Protein Crosslinking with Bootstrap Pattern Selection and Near-Infrared Spectrophotometry

The migration of formaldehyde from a polyethylene glycol (PEG) fill into the gelatin shell of a soft elastic capsule was observed using near-infrared (IWIR) spectrophotometry. Bootstrap pattern selection (BPS) modeling was employed to analyze the spectra of the empty capsules. Suitable correlation was confirmed ( = 0, 988) when actual concentrations of formaldehyde in the PEG fill of the capsules were regressed against the values from NIR spectra of the emptied and washed capsules.
Separation and Identification of Some Organic Phosphates in Honey by Column and Paper Chromatography

SUMMARYPartial separation and tentative identification of the organic phosphates present in the phosphate fraction of honey have been accomplished by using a silica gel column and several paper chromatographic procedures. The organic phosphates identified were glucose 6- phosphate, 2- or 3-phosphoglyceric acid and α or β-glycerophosphate. Inorganic phosphate was also found. One organic phosphate was not identified.
Calcium as a potential physiological regulator of integrin-mediated cell adhesion.

αvβ1 and αvβ3 are two related members of the integrin family of cell surface receptors both of which interact with their ligands through the Arg-Gly-Asp recognition sequence, αvβ1 and αvβ3 share the same cation-binding subunit, αv, suggesting a similar cation requirement for both integrins. Instead, we observed that Ca2+ exerts different effects on their binding function. The attachment of αvβ3-loaded liposomes to vitronectin and the αvβ3-mediated adhesion of U 251 cells to an Arg-Gly-Asp-containing peptide was supported equally well by Ca2+ and Mg2+. However, IMR 32 cells which bind to Arg-Gly-Asp-containing peptides through αvβ1 adhered in Mg2+ but not in Ca2+. In agreement, Ca2+ did not support the attachment of αvβ1-loaded liposomes to the macromolecular ligand fibronectin or the binding of αvβ1 to Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-Pro-Lys-Sepharose in affinity chromatography experiments. Furthermore, in the presence of a constant Mg2+ concentration, Ca2+ had opposite effects on the two receptors in that it inhibited the αvβ1-mediated adhesion of IMR 32 cells to the peptide substrate while enhancing αvβ3-mediated adhesion of U251 cells. The Ca2+ effects occurred at physiological cation concentrations and therefore, our data suggest a physiological role for Ca2+ as a regulator of integrin function and indicate a possible involvement of the β subunits in cation binding.
Falls among the elderly: a review of the methods and conclusions of epidemiologic studies

This paper summarizes the medical literature relevant to falls sustained by the elderly to highlight what is known about the magnitude of the problem, to identify those aged at risk, and to ascertain the risk factors for falling. While searching for general trends in the literature, the analysis concentrates on several characteristics of such studies, including the study populations, the measurement of risk factors, the measurement of outcome, and the systematic biases involved. Possible mechanisms are suggested for use of the profound influence of pre-existing disease in the elderly as a predictor of falling and subsequent injury. On the basis of this analysis of the literature, suggestions are made about avenues for future research that would answer more definitively the questions remaining about falls among the elderly.
Arachidonic acid metabolism in isolated pancreatic islets: II. The effects of glucose and of inhibitors of arachidonate metabolism on insulin secretion and metabolite synthesis

Isolated pancreatic islets from the rat incubated with 28 mM glucose have been found to secrete more insulin and to synthesize greater amounts of arachidonate lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase products than islets incubated with 3 mM glucose. This effect was not apparent in studies examining metabolism of radiolabeled arachidonate and was revealed only when the metabolites were quantitated with mass spectrometric measurements. That the glucose-induced synthesis of arachidonate metabolites may participate in insulin secretion was suggested by studies with inhibitors of arachidonate metabolism. Eicosa 5,8,11,14 tetrynoic acid (ETYA) suppressed glucose-induced insulin secretion by 63-74% at a concentration (20 microM) which inhibited the synthesis of arachidonate lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase products by 90%. Indomethacin (10 microM) completely prevented islet synthesis of cyclooxygenase products but did not influence glucose-induced insulin secretion. Although indomethacin did not inhibit the conversion of exogenous, 3H-labeled arachidonate to [3H]12-HETE, it did significantly inhibit (41-72%) the synthesis of 12-HETE from endogenous precursor. This is presumed to reflect indirect effects of indomethacin on hydrolysis of arachidonate from phospholipids, as recently reported in platelets. These studies constitute the first demonstration that glucose stimulates the synthesis of a lipoxygenase product (12-HETE) from endogenous arachidonate by isolated islets, and that suppression of 12-HETE synthesis with ETYA reduces glucose-induced insulin secretion from isolated islets.
Synthesis of diterpenoid acids—VIII : Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and conformations of some lactones of octa- and decahydro-8-hydroxynaphthoic acids

Abstract The NMR spectra of 11 lactones (1a–7d) are described. The width of the peak due to the C8 proton has been related to the stereochemistry of the decalin ring junction. The following conformations are proposed: ring B in 4–6 is a twist; ring B of 7a–7d is a chair; and in 1a–3 the C8O bond is axial and probably ring A is a twist and ring B a chair.
Meriwether Lewis, the Air Force, and the Surge: The Problem of Constitutional Settlement

This essay, presented as the Higgins Lecture at Lewis & Clark Law School, addresses the issue of the settlement of constitutional authority in areas where judicial intervention is unlikely. Prompted by debates over the constitutionality of congressional efforts to limit the "surge" of forces in Iraq, the question addressed is the development of constitutional division of authority between the President and Congress through the process of institutional accommodation. The essay places the debates over the surge in the context of other constitutional conflicts that also defined the roles of the political branches in areas relatively immune from judicial pronouncements.
Observations on rapidly reacting hemoglobin.

Abstract The time course of appearance of quickly reacting hemoglobin at pH 7 in dilute solutions (l10 µm in heme) was studied by means of a stopped flow-flash apparatus. When the flash is fired as soon as possible after the reaction of human deoxyhemoglobin with carbon monoxide or immediately after dilution of a concentrated human carbon monoxide hemoglobin solution, little of the quickly reacting form is present; the amount of quickly reacting material increases with time and reaches its final value in a few seconds. The results may be due to dissociation of ligand bound hemoglobin.
A Model for Signal Generation in Silicon Target Camera Tubes

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a model for signal generation in silicon target camera tubes. The operation of a camera tube cannot be described simply as the convolution of the input charge image and the readout electron beam because of the charge replacement function of the beam. The model was implemented using a FORTRAN program on the same computer that services the camera tube laboratory. For reasons of efficiency, the function f (VT) was approximated using the ERF function. The model was used to calculate the point spread functions that would be generated by a camera tube in response to point source inputs of varying amplitudes placed on one of the diodes. Despite its simplicity, the model described in the chapter has been found to be one that is accurate in predicting tube outputs for a wide range of input and scan conditions.
Adult autoinflammatory disease frequency and our diagnostic experience in an adult autoinflammatory clinic

Abstract Objective Systemic autoinflammatory diseases (SAIDs) mainly include monogenic hereditary periodic fever syndromes, and NOD2-associated AID (NAID) is a polygenic SAID. Our aim was to study the disease frequency and report our diagnostic experience. Methods A total of 266 adult patients with clinical phenotypes suspicious for SAIDs were studied at the Cleveland Clinic between November 2009 and February 2015. All patients were genotyped for NOD2 mutations or periodic fever syndrome panel. The definite diagnosis of each disease was deemed to be present if both clinical phenotypes and genetic confirmation were met. Results Of the 266 patients, 79 (29.7%) were diagnostic of SAIDs, including 54 cases of NAID, 13 familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), 6 tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS), 5 cryopyrin-associated periodic disease (CAPS), and 1 hyper IgD periodic syndrome (HIDS). NOD2 genotyping had a higher concordance rate with the clinical phenotype for the diagnosis of NAID. Of 29 patients, 13 (44.8%) were clinically suspicious for FMF and had positive genetic testing. Of 66 patients, 6 (9%) were tested positive for TRAPS. Out of 23 patients, 5 (21.7%) were tested positive for CAPS. Only 1 patient tested positive for HIDS. The concordance between the working clinical diagnosis and positive genetic testing varied among the SAIDs. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that NAID and FMF are relatively common in adults. TRAPS and HIDS are extremely rare, and the concordance between the working clinical diagnosis and positive genetic testing is considerably disproportional for TRAPS. Ordering of genetic testing for SAIDs should highly consider both the disease frequency and stringent phenotypes.
Building Communities, Not Audiences: The Future of the Arts in the United States

Every arts organization seems to have someone in charge of marketing, whose role it is to build audiences, irreverently known as getting “butts-in-the seats.” The title of this book immediately points the reader toward a different and exciting vision, one which the author develops in such a compelling voice that I finally had to stop reading it at bedtime!
Kinetic turbidimetric method for the immunochemical quantification of immunoglobulins, including samples with excess antigen

Here we describe a kinetic approach for quantification of the immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) in all regions of the immunoprecipitin curve. We use centrifugal mixing and report results for maximum-velocity, two-point, and multipoint curve-fitting methods as well as the use of rate coefficients obtained from the curve-fitting process to differentiate among regions of excess antibody, equivalence, and excess antigen. We show that it is possible to quantify each immunoglobulin over a concentration range from a large excess of antibody to moderate excesses of antigen with a single set of measurements made on a single dilution of each sample. Results for standard additions of the immunoglobulins to pooled sera have relative standard deviations (coefficients of variation) in the range of 1% to 3%, with analytical recoveries in the range of 95% to 106%. Correlations among determined and reported values in individual sera are quite good, with slopes ranging from 0.86 to 1.03 and no intercepts differing from zero by more than two standard deviation units. Concentrations quantified in 14 pathological sera by the proposed method correlated well with concentrations quantified by a fluorescence immunoassay method.
Ultrastructure and fluid flow physiology of fetal trabecular meshwork cells.

Purpose: To assess the ultrastructural and fluid flow characteristics of cultured trabecular meshwork (TM) cells derived from fetal sources. Methods: Fetal eyes were carefully dissected to isolate the developing TM tissue for culture. Immunostaining was used to assess the expression of the junction-associated proteins zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and occludin. Fetal and adult TM cells were grown to confluence on permeable membranes for both flow and ultrastructural studies. Fluid flow resistance was measured by permeation of horseradish peroxidase (hrp) activity and hydraulic conductivity (HC) experiments. The effects of dexamethasone (Dex) on permeability and HC were also evaluated. Results: ZO-1 and occludin are expressed in the TM region of tissue sections and at cell borders in cultured fetal and adult TM cells. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that cultured TM cells possessed numerous mitochondria, electron-dense bodies, surface microvilli, and adherens and gap junctions. The permeation of ...
Surface-wave potential for triggering tectonic (nonvolcanic) tremor

Source processes commonly posed to explain instances of remote dynamic triggering of tectonic (nonvolcanic) tremor by surface waves include frictional failure and various modes of fluid activation. The relative potential for Love- and Rayleigh-wave dynamic stresses to trigger tectonic tremor through failure on critically stressed thrust and vertical strike-slip faults under the Coulomb–Griffith failure criteria as a function of incidence angle is anticorrelated over the 15- to 30-km-depth range that hosts tectonic tremor. Love-wave potential is high for strike-parallel incidence on low-angle reverse faults and null for strike-normal incidence; the opposite holds for Rayleigh waves. Love-wave potential is high for both strike-parallel and strike-normal incidence on vertical, strike-slip faults and minimal for ∼45° incidence angles. The opposite holds for Rayleigh waves. This pattern is consistent with documented instances of tremor triggered by Love waves incident on the Cascadia megathrust and the San Andreas fault (SAF) in central California resulting from shear failure on weak faults (apparent friction, μ *≤0.2). However, documented instances of tremor triggered by surface waves with strike-parallel incidence along the Nankai megathrust beneath Shikoku, Japan, is associated primarily with Rayleigh waves. This is consistent with the tremor bursts resulting from mixed-mode failure (crack opening and shear failure) facilitated by near-lithostatic ambient pore pressure, low differential stress, with a moderate friction coefficient ( μ ∼0.6) on the Nankai subduction interface. Rayleigh-wave dilatational stress is relatively weak at tectonic tremor source depths and seems unlikely to contribute significantly to the triggering process, except perhaps for an indirect role on the SAF in sustaining tremor into the Rayleigh-wave coda that was initially triggered by Love waves.
How practitioners can systematically use empirical evidence in treatment selection.

Contemporary concerns with “empirically supported treatments” emphasize the differences in outcomes that are associated with reliably delivered treatments, representing different models and theories. This approach often fails to address the fact that there is no consensus among scientists about whether there are enough differences between and among treatments to make this effort productive. There is a considerable body of data that suggests that all treatments produce very similar effects. This article reviews these viewpoints and presents a third position, suggesting that identifying common and differential principles of change may be more productive than focusing on the relative value of different theoretical models. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 58: 1199–1212, 2002.
Augmentation Cystoplasty and Risk of Neoplasia: Fact, Fiction and Controversy

Purpose: We determined if ileal/colonic bladder augmentation performed in patients with congenital bladder abnormalities is an independent risk factor for bladder malignancy.Materials and Methods: We reviewed a registry of patients with bladder dysfunction due to neurological abnormalities, exstrophy and posterior urethral valves. Individuals treated with augmentation cystoplasty were matched (1:1) to a control group treated with intermittent catheterization based on etiology of bladder dysfunction, gender and age (± 2 years).Results: We evaluated 153 patients with an ileal/colonic cystoplasty and a matched control population. There was no difference (p = 0.54) in the incidence of bladder cancer in patients with augmentation cystoplasty (7 patients [4.6%]) vs controls (4 [2.6%]). In addition, there was no difference between the 2 groups regarding age at diagnosis (51 vs 49.5 years, p >0.7), stage (3.4 vs 3.8, p >0.5), mortality rate (5 of 7 [71%] vs 4 of 4 [100%], p >0.4) or median survival (18 vs 17 mont...
The consequences of terrorism: Disentangling the effects of personal and national threat

The events of 11 September 2001 have led to a higher perceived risk of terrorism in the United States. A better understanding of the political consequences of 9/11 requires a more complete accounting of the nature and consequences of perceived threat. Here, the distinction between perceived personal and national risks is examined in terms of two competing hypotheses: (1) The personal threat of terrorism has a pervasive influence even on national decisions and perceptions, in line with its highly arousing nature. (2) The effects of personal threat are highly circumscribed and overshadowed by the impact of perceived national threat, consistent with findings on the meager impact of self–interest and other personal concerns on public opinion. A survey of 1,221 residents of Long Island and Queens, New York, explored the degree to which personal and national threat affect perceptions of the consequences of, and possible solutions to, terrorism. As expected, there was a clear distinction between perceived personal and national threat, although the two are related. Perceived personal threat did not influence the perceived economic consequences of terrorism, although it had a narrow effect on personal behaviors designed to minimize risk. Overall, the findings imply that the effects of personal threat are circumscribed, consistent with past research on the limited personal basis of political judgments. However, the tests of these hypotheses were constrained by a limited set of dependent variables that included national consequences but not policy solutions designed to limit terrorism.
DETERMINATION OF CHROMIUM AND CAESIUM IN HUMAN CATARACTOUS LENSES

The concentration of chromium and caesium in totally opaque (mature) cataractous lenses has been determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis and gamma spectrometry. The presence of these trace-elements in the human lens has to our knowledge not been investigated so far. Both elements under study are of known biological importance. Chromium is an essential trace-element necessary for the maintenance of normal glucose metabolism. Moreover it is considered to rank among those elements, the increased level of which contributes to environmental pollution. Caesium is a biologically important trace-element due to its relationship with potassium, as has been demonstrated in a variety of biochemical and physiological processes. The concentration of these elements was determined in cataractous lenses from fifty-one patients with senile cataract and has been correlated with age and sex.
Reduction and The Future of Sociology

The reductionist position of Homans and Skinner has generated substantial debate among sociologists over the past two decades. Mitch of the debate can be resolved by examining the issues in light of the history of science. A historical analysis suggests that modern sociology has little to lose—and something to gain—by reevaluating its traditional stance on reduction.
Preserving the Lifesaving Power of Antimicrobial Agents

AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT MEDICINES EVER DIScovered, antimicrobial agents have saved millions of lives and improved the outcomes for countless patients since these drugs were introduced in the early 1930s. However, the effectiveness of these lifesaving resources is at risk. Many medical advances that physicians and patients take for granted—including cancer treatment, surgery, transplantation, and neonatal care—are endangered by increasing antibiotic resistance and a distressing decline in the antibiotic research and development pipeline. Antibiotic-resistant infections have been estimated to cost the US health care system more than $20 billion annually and result in more than 8 million additional days in the hospital. Drug resistance is both a public health and national security threat. Virtually all of the antibioticresistant pathogens that exist naturally today can be bioengineered through forced mutation or cloning, and existing pathogens could be genetically manipulated to make them resistant to currently available antibiotics. As underscored by recent reports of infections caused by strains of gramnegative bacteria producing the New Delhi metallo-betalactamase (NDM-1) enzyme, which confers multidrug resistance, antibiotic resistance is also a growing global public health threat. Addressing this complex problem is a high priority. Overcoming the impending public health crisis will require comprehensive, multipronged strategies to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms and spur the development of new antibiotics.
Contributions of l

From a comparison between the binding energies obtained in few-body systems for potentials operating first on relative S states only, and then on all orbitals we deduce the contribution of the l\ensuremath{\ne}0 orbitals to the binding energy generated by local potentials. By a comparison of the exact solution of the Schr\"odinger equation to the one obtained from an integro-differential equation approach where only two-body correlations are taken into account one deduces the contribution of the N-body correlations (Ng2).
Biosynthesis of mycobacterial lipids by polyketide synthases and beyond

Over a decade ago, the analysis of the complete sequence of the genome of the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed an unexpectedly high number of open reading frames encoding proteins with homology to polyketide synthases (PKSs). PKSs form a large family of fascinating multifunctional enzymes best known for their involvement in the biosynthesis of hundreds of polyketide natural products with diverse biological activities. The surprising polyketide biosynthesis capacity of M. tuberculosis has been investigated since its initial inference from genome analysis. This investigation has been based on the genes found in M. tuberculosis or their orthologs found in other Mycobacterium species. Today, the majority of the PKS-encoding genes of M. tuberculosis have been linked to specific biosynthetic pathways required for the production of unique lipids or glycolipid conjugates that are critical for virulence and/or components of the extraordinarily complex mycobacterial cell envelope. This review provides a synopsis of the most relevant studies in the field and an overview of our current understanding of the involvement of PKSs and several other polyketide production pathway-associated proteins in critical biosynthetic pathways of M. tuberculosis and other mycobacteria. In addition, the most relevant studies on PKS-containing biosynthetic pathways leading to production of metabolites from mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis are reviewed.
Origins of Nonlinearity in Davenport-Schinzel Sequences

A generalized Davenport-Schinzel sequence is one over a finite alphabet that excludes subsequences isomorphic to a fixed forbidden subsequence. The fundamental problem in this area is bounding the maximum length of such sequences. Following Klazar, we let $\mathrm{Ex}(\sigma,n)$ be the maximum length of a sequence over an $n$-letter alphabet excluding subsequences isomorphic to $\sigma$. It has been proved that for every $\sigma$, $\mathrm{Ex}(\sigma,n)$ is either linear or very close to linear. In particular it is $O(n2^{\alpha(n)^{O(1)}})$, where $\alpha$ is the inverse-Ackermann function and $O(1)$ depends on $\sigma$. In much the same way that the complete graphs $K_5$ and $K_{3,3}$ represent the minimal causes of nonplanarity, there must exist a set $\Phi_{Nonlin}$ of minimal nonlinear forbidden subsequences. Very little is known about the size or membership of $\Phi_{Nonlin}$. In this paper we construct an infinite antichain of nonlinear forbidden subsequences which, we argue, strongly supports the conjecture that $\Phi_{Nonlin}$ is itself infinite. Perhaps the most novel contribution of this paper is a succinct, humanly readable code for expressing the structure of forbidden subsequences.
Chronic morphine treatment differentiates T helper cells to Th2 effector cells by modulating transcription factors GATA 3 and T-bet.

Abstract Chronic morphine treatment in animal models has been shown to alter a number of immune parameters including suppression of cellular immunity. T helper cell differentiation into Th2 effector cell may be a major contributing factor to impaired cellular immunity following chronic drug abuse. We had previously shown that chronic morphine treatment in vivo and in vitro decreases IL-2 and IFNγ (Th1) protein levels and increases IL-4 and IL-5 (Th2) protein levels in a time-dependent manner. In addition in this paper, we show that chronic morphine treatment resulted in a decrease in IFNγ and IL-2 mRNA and an increase in IL-4 and IL-5 mRNA accumulation in murine splenocytes. Furthermore, chronic morphine treatment inhibited IFNγ promoter activity and increased IL-4 promoter activity in respective promoter transfected primary T cells. In addition, we also demonstrate that chronic morphine treatment resulted in an increase in GATA 3 binding to DNA consensus elements in electromobility shift assays and an increase in GATA 3 protein and mRNA levels. In contrast, chronic morphine treatment resulted in a decrease in T-bet mRNA levels. From these data, we conclude that chronic morphine treatment differentiates T helper cell to Th2 effector cells by modulating key master switches that results in committing T helper cell to a Th2 phenotype.
Adenine nucleotides regulate Ca2+ transport in brain mitochondria.

Adenine nucleotides (ADP>ATP) greatly enhance Ca2+ uptake and retention in rat brain mitochondria. In the presence of both spermine and ADP, brain mitochondria sequester Ca2+ down to cellular free Ca2+ levels, suggesting a role for mitochondria in modulating Ca2+ cycles in brain cells. Analysis of the effects of various inhibitors on Ca2+ uptake and efflux suggest that locking the ADP/ATP translocator in its M-state stimulates electrogenic Ca2+ uptake and, to a lesser extent, inhibits Ca2+ efflux. It is suggested that this effect is due to a modulation of the surface charge on the M-side which enhances Ca2+ dissociation from the carriers.
Sequential Patterns of Music Instruction and Learning to Use Them

Three experiments examined the effects of instruction, teaching practica, feedback from the course instructor, and videotaped self-observation on undergraduates' use of complete sequential patterns and sequential-pattern components. The complete sequential pattern is a teacher/student interaction sequence that follows the cyclical pattern of a teacher presentation of a task to be learned, followed by student interaction with the task and teacher, and then specific praise and corrective feedback related to the task. This model has undergone continuous refinement, has been found to be present in music settings, and is preferred by music teachers. There were significant increases (p < .01) in subjects' use of complete sequential patterns as defined in each experiment, feedback, and in approvals and their specificity.
The Shark in the Vitrine: Experiencing our Practice From the Inside Out With Transdisciplinary Lenses

The Scholars of Studying Teaching Collaborative engaged a dozen faculty members from 12 specializations and 4 colleges at a large public university in a 2-year teaching and research project with the goal of learning about and enacting a self-study of professional practice. Participants were selected from various disciplines to provoke alternative perspectives in whole group and critical friend teams. While we each conducted a self-study, we also designed and enacted a meta-study to assess our professional development within the context of the collaborative. We analyze the potential of engaging in collective self-study and report how the methodological challenges initiated transformational learning that bridged theory and praxis. Learning the self-study methodology was complex, but such concentration multiplied the impact of both personal and professional transformation. The study benefits faculty from a broad range of disciplines, at diverse stages in their academic careers, and working at every level of ...
Balint groups for general practitioners: Are they worthwhile?

Objectives: To assess the value of Balint groups run by psychiatrists for general practitionersMethods: Doctors associated with 2 Divisions of General Practice in Adelaide, South Australia were invited to attend a meeting regarding the formation of Balint groups. Measurements of effectiveness of the 2 resulting monthly groups were made over the next 6 months, using the following parameters:Results: Two thirds of general practitioners indicating interest in attending Balint Groups participated on a regular basis. Regular attenders indicated at the focus group that their objectives were satisfied and that they wished to continue. Results of the questionnaires have been tabulated and will be presented, with discussion focusing on those factors found to be valuable and work-enhancing.Take-up rates of those attending initial meetingAttendance rates of those agreeing to participateFocus group at completionChange over time on measures of stress and occupational functioning, including: Depression, Anxiety, Stress...
Simultaneous solution of process and molecular design problems using an algebraic approach

Abstract Traditionally process design and molecular design problems have been treated as two separate problems, with little or no feedback between them. Introduction of the property integration framework has allowed for simultaneous representation of processes and products from a property perspective and hence established a link between molecular and process design. The simultaneous approach involves solving two reverse problems. The first reverse problem identifies the input molecules’ property targets corresponding to the desired process performance. The second reverse problem is the reverse of a property prediction problem, which identifies the molecular structures that match the targets identified in the first problem. Group contribution methods (GCM) are used to form molecular property operators and these help in tracking properties. Earlier contributions in this area have tried to include higher order estimation of GCM for solving the molecular design problem. In this work, the accuracy of property prediction is enhanced by improving the techniques to enumerate higher order groups. Incorporation of these higher order enumeration techniques increases the efficiency of property prediction and thus the range of applicability of group contribution methods to molecular design problems. This method of generation enables the identification of structural isomers to some extent as it puts a check on the possibility of nonexistence of each higher order group in each combination. Property operator based techniques are used to track properties in both process and molecular design problems. The developed algorithm solves the set of inequality expressions of process and molecular design problems simultaneously to identify the molecules that meet the process performance and environmental restrictions defined in terms of properties. Since the algorithm should be able to solve for any number of properties, an algebraic approach is used to generate possible molecules within the required property range. This contribution will use a case study to highlight the principles of the developed methodology.
A one-dimensional transient model of electrical field flow fractionation

A well-developed classical theory is available for constant-voltage electrical field flow fractionation (EFFF). Recent experimental research, however, has demonstrated that pulsed fields may enhance retention in some cases. A generalized mathematical approach is presented for the prediction of retention ratios for any field type, pulsed or constant. The methodology is applied and demonstrated for a square wave protocol. Complex concentration profiles arise wherein particles are focused either towards the walls or into the channel center. The computational results indicate that pulsation can either increase retention time or decrease retention time by manipulating the effective electric field and suggest that separation resolution may also be improved.
Energy metabolism and expression of uncoupling proteins 1, 2, and 3 after 21 days of recovery from intracerebroventricular mouse leptin in rats.

Abstract Animals tend to maintain a lower body weight for an extended period after leptin administration has ended. This may be due to an enhancement of metabolic rate that persists after treatment withdrawal. Our objectives were to determine the period of leptin influence, when injected intracerebroventricularly (icv), on food intake, body weight, and energy expenditure. Additionally, the relationship between expressions of UCP1, UCP2, and UCP3 in different adipose tissues and heat production (HP) was assessed. Twenty-four adult male Sprague–Dawley rats were injected intracerebroventricularly with either 10 μg mouse leptin or 10 μl vehicle once per day for 4 days. At 24 h after the last injection, one group was killed while the other was placed in calorimetry chambers and monitored for 21 days of recovery. Leptin-injected rats exhibited an overshoot of food intake and respiratory quotient (RQ) during recovery, but body weight remained significantly lower up to 6 days. HP decreased in both groups over time but remained higher in the leptin group through recovery. However, retained energy (RE) was significantly greater than control for about 8 days. Overall, UCP expression was reduced at the end of recovery in parallel with the decline in HP. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) was the most responsive to leptin administration by dramatically changing UCP1 and UCP3 mRNA levels. Our data show that leptin has extended effects on energy expenditure but relieves control on food intake and RQ after treatment withdrawal. This translated into a reduced positive energy balance that slowed body weight recovery.
Modeling the Psychosocial Effects of Terror or Natural Disasters for Response Preparation

Protecting human health provides the crux of any response to a catastrophic event, such as a bio-attack or an influenza pandemic. In the event of a disaster, people's anxiety and perceptions of risk influence the amount of response efforts required to mitigate the threat. Their behavior may accumulate and become collective social anxiety. In this study, we use differential dynamics to model the potential psychosocial impacts of a disaster on the affected population. In particular, we model how individuals respond to a disaster event, as well as the population-level collective psychosocial impacts. We then explore how such psychosocial impacts may challenge the effectiveness of response efforts or social productivity. Applying the proposed model to examine the potential psychosocial effects of SARS on health care professionals demonstrates the great effectiveness of the proposed model. The proposed model therefore can be used as a framework for quick assessments of the psychological effects of a terror or ...
Long targeting arms do not increase the efficiency of homologous recombination in the β-globin locus of murine embryonic stem cells

The correction of mutant beta-globin genes has long been a therapeutic goal for patients with beta-thalassemia or hemoglobinopathies. The use of homologous recombination (HR) to achieve this goal is an attractive approach because it eliminates the need to include regulatory sequences in the therapeutic construct, and it eliminates mutagenesis induced by random integration. However, HR is a very inefficient process for gene correction, and its efficiency is probably locus dependent. The length of targeting arms is thought to be a determinant of targeting efficiency, so we compared the ability of standard (8-kb) versus very long (16-, 24-, and 110-kb) regions of homology to correct a mutant murine beta-globin gene in embryonic stem cells. Increasing the length of the targeting sequences did not increase the efficiency of HR in this locus, suggesting that alternative approaches will be required to improve the efficiency of this approach for globin gene correction.
Laryngeal function in wind instrumentalists: The woodwinds

Summary Utilizing fiberoptic laryngoscopy, we describe the dynamics of laryngeal action in woodwind instrumentalists. This laryngeal function included patterns of vocal fold motion and changes in laryngeal postures which vary with the type of instrument, muscial style of playing, and individual differences of performers.
The molecular basis for complexation of adriamycin with flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide

Abstract The interaction of Adriamycin with FMN or FAD was characterized using proton nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shift, linewidth, and T1 relaxation rate measurements. Adriamycin produced saturable, concentration-dependent upfield shifts of the proton signals of both FMN and FAD. Differential changes in the magnitude of the upfield chemical shifts of the various proton signals of the flavin nucleotides in the presence of Adriamycin were also observed. The greatest change in chemical shift produced by Adriamycin occurred for the overlapping H-6, H-9 proton signals of the isoalloxazine ring of FMN followed by the 8α, 7α methyl group and aliphatic side chain signals, respectively. Qualitatively similar results were observed for FAD where changes in chemical shift in the presence of Adriamycin were such that H-6 > H-9 > 8α,7α-CH3 > adenosine H-8 > adenosine H-1′. Concomitant with the Adriamycin-induced changes in chemical shift were increases in the linewidth ( ν 1 2 ) and longitudinal relaxation rate, T1−1. Variable temperature studies demonstrated the reversibility of Adriamycin-flavin nucleotide interaction and the presence of rapid exchange between free and complexed species. These results suggest complex formation between Adriamycin and FMN or FAD via π-π ring stacking interactions occurring between the anthracycline ring of Adriamycin and the isoalloxazine ring of the flavins. Analysis of spectroscopic changes revealed the predominance of 1:1 stoichiometry of complex formation and allowed estimation of association constants and thermodynamic parameters. The results indicate that Adriamycin is effective in forming specific complexes with each flavin nucleotide and with comparable association constants.
High Extinction, Broadband, and Low Loss Planar Waveguide Polarizers

A technique for making high extinction and broadband polarizers in a low loss planar waveguide platform is presented and characterized. Extinction greater than 78 dB is obtained with low loss for the desired polarization. OCIS codes: (130.0130) Integrated Optics; (130.5440) Polarization-selective devices; (230.7390) Waveguides, planar.
Higher harmonics flow measurement of charged hadrons and electrons in wide kinematic range with PHENIX VTX tracker

Abstract The silicon vertex tracker (VTX) was installed into the PHENIX experiment in 2010 and it successfully collected approximately 5 billion events of Au + Au collisions at 200 GeV in the 2011 RHIC run. The main function of the VTX is separation of heavy flavor hadrons, charm and bottom, with a measurement of Distance of Closest Approach (DCA) of single electrons from heavy flavor decays. By identifying electrons with PHENIX central detectors, the azimuthal anisotropy of electrons from heavy flavor decays can be determined over a broad p T range. In this paper, we will present measurement results on v 2 and v 3 of charged hadrons, and v 2 of single electron from charm decay.
Semianalytical differential quadrature solution for free vibration analysis of rectangular plates

In this paper, the analysis of the titled problem is based on classical thin plate theory, and its numerical solution is carried out by a semianalytical differential quadrature method. The thin rectangular plates considered herein are simply supported on two opposite edges. The boundary conditions at the other two edges may be quite general, and between these two edges the plates may have varying thickness. However, the results contained in this paper are for plates that are elastically restrained against rotation at these edges and have linearly tapered thickness. On the basis of comparison with the available results in the published literature, it is believed that this solution method guarantees high numerical accuracy for the problem. Moreover, the computation times involved in the evaluation of free vibration characteristics are sufficiently small indicating that the solution method may possibly be further developed for the real-time analysis and design of vibrating plate systems.
Pathogen detection using engineered bacteriophages

Bacteriophages, or phages, are bacterial viruses that can infect a broad or narrow range of host organisms. Knowing the host range of a phage allows it to be exploited in targeting various pathogens. Applying phages for the identification of microorganisms related to food and waterborne pathogens and pathogens of clinical significance to humans and animals has a long history, and there has to some extent been a recent revival in these applications as phages have become more extensively integrated into novel detection, identification, and monitoring technologies. Biotechnological and genetic engineering strategies applied to phages are responsible for some of these new methods, but even natural unmodified phages are widely applicable when paired with appropriate innovative detector platforms. This review highlights the use of phages as pathogen detector interfaces to provide the reader with an up-to-date inventory of phage-based biodetection strategies.
Response of wheat cultivars to different soil nitrogen and moisture regimes: III. Leaf water content, conductance, and photosynthesis 1

Abstract Two greenhouse studies were conducted with contrasting patterns of soil water availability and nitrogen (N) supply to extend our knowledge of the combined effect of these environmental factors on cultivar response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Several parameters of water relations and photosynthesis were measured. Results showed that at the beginning of stem elongation and before imposing water stress, the low N treatment decreased leaf conductance and carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange rate (CER). This effect was more significant in the case of the cultivar Nesma than the other cultivars. Leaf conductance was a much better indicator of CER than chlorophyll content. Overall, water stress decreased leaf conductance. Under mild stress, Nesma and Merchouch 8 behaved similarly, but Nesma was more sensitive to water stress. Increased N decreased CER under water stress but tended to have no effect on chlorophyll concentration. Under well watered conditions, N application helped the plants maintain greate...
Electronic effects in dienetricarbonyliron derivatives I. the relation between 7(CO) and hammett's σp

Abstract The synthesis and spectral properties of a variety of para-substituted 1-phenyl-1,3-butadienes and their tricarbonyliron complexes are recorded. The CO stretching frequencies in the IR spectra are found to be linearly related to σp of the para-substituent. The effect is related to the degree of dπPπ bonding from the metal to the CO group.