cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HMGA2 induces chromosomal aberrations and genome instability by interfering with NHEJ

4327 HMGA2 is located on chromosome 12q14.3, which is frequently amplified or subjected to chromosomal rearrangements found in human cancers. However, the detailed mechanism underlying the HMGA2-dysregulated DNA damage response remains unclear. In this report, we demonstrate that HMGA2 confers a deficiency in overall and precise DNA end-joining repair that leads to endogenous DNA damage accumulation. Moreover, HMGA2 expression alone causes spontaneous chromosome aberrations in WI-38 cells. Using photobleaching techniques, we found that HMGA2 expression results in a longer maintained presence of DNA-PKcs at DNA double-strand break (DSB) sites, a phenotype which resembles that of defective DNA-PKcs. At the molecular level, HMGA2 induces prolonged DNA-PKcs-Ser-2056/-Thr-2609 phosphorylation, interacts with Ku80/Ku70 heterodimers, as well as interferes with the recruitment of Ku80/Ku70 to the DNA ends as shown by the double-stranded DNA pulldown assay. Furthermore, we demonstrate that HMGA2 expression enhances the sensitivity toward DNA-damaging agents in wild type CHO cells in a manner similar to that in DNA-PKcs- or Ku80-deficient counterparts. Taken together, we propose a model in which HMGA2 perturbs the spatiotemporal assembly and proper phosphorylation of DNA-PKcs/Ku80/Ku70, resulting in DSB repair deficiency. Taken together, our findings underscore the pivotal role of HMGA2 in tumorigenesis and suggest a novel mechanism for the direct involvement of HMGA2 in promoting genome instability partly through dysregulation of NHEJ repair. Clinically, the elevated expression of HMGA2 in a broad spectrum of cancers can be potentially utilized as a biomarker that reflects a lack of proper DNA damage response. (Supported in part by R01-DE10742 and R01-DE14183 (DKA) and COH Translational Research Laboratory.)
A Novel Bromine-Containing Paroxetine Analogue Provides Mechanistic Clues for Binding Ambiguity at the Central Primary Binding Site of the Serotonin Transporter.

The serotonin transporter (SERT) is the primary target for the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, the structural basis for the extraordinarily high binding affinity of the wi...
Fluid-structure investigation of a squid-inspired swimmer

We propose a novel underwater propulsion system inspired by the jet-propelled locomotion mechanism of squids and other cephalopods. A two-dimensional nonaxisymmetric fluid-structural interaction model is developed to illustrate the physical mechanisms involved in the propulsive performance of this design. The model includes a deformable body with a pressure chamber undergoing periodic inflation and deflation motions enabled by attached springs and a nozzle through which the chamber is refilled and discharged (to form a jet). By using an immersed-boundary algorithm, we numerically investigate the dynamics of this system in the tethered mode. The thrust generation is found to increase with the frequency of body deformation, whereas the efficiency reaches a peak at a certain frequency. Examinations of the surrounding flow field illustrate a combination of vortices shed from the body and the nozzle. The optimal efficiency is reached when the nozzle-generated vortices start to dominate the wake. Our simulations also suggest that steady-state response can only be sustained for a few cycles before the wake is disturbed by a symmetry-breaking instability, which significantly affects the propulsive performance. Special strategies are needed to achieve stable long-distance swimming.
Low Muscle Density is Associated with Deteriorations in Muscle Strength and Physical Functioning in Rheumatoid Arthritis

OBJECTIVE Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with low muscle density due to the accumulation of intramuscular fat. The present study was undertaken to identify predictors of changes in muscle density and to determine whether low muscle density predicted changes in strength and physical function. METHODS Patients with RA, ages 18-70 years, completed whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and peripheral quantitative computed tomography to quantify lean and fat mass indices and muscle density. Dynamometry was used to measure strength at the hand, knee, and lower leg. Disability and physical function were measured with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Assessments were performed at baseline and at follow-up. Regression analyses assessed associations between patient characteristics, muscle density, and deteriorations in strength and function. RESULTS Muscle density was assessed at baseline in 107 patients with RA. Seventy-nine of these patients (74%) returned for a follow-up assessment at a median follow-up time of 2.71 years (interquartile range 2.35-3.57). Factors associated with declines in muscle density included female sex, higher disease activity, smoking, and lower insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels. Greater muscle density Z score at baseline (per 1 SD) was associated with less worsening per year according to HAQ, SPPB, and 4-meter walk time scores and a lower risk of a clinically important worsening in HAQ score (odds ratio [OR] 1.90 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.06, 3.42]; P = 0.03) and walking speed (OR 2.87 [95% CI 1.05, 7.89]; P = 0.04). CONCLUSION Worsening of skeletal muscle density occurred in patients with higher disease activity, in smokers, and in those with lower IGF-1. Low muscle density was associated with worsening of physical function. Interventions addressing reductions in muscle quality might prevent functional decline.
Biosynthesis, Mechanism of Action, and Inhibition of the Enterotoxin Tilimycin Produced by the Opportunistic Pathogen Klebsiella oxytoca.

Tilimycin is an enterotoxin produced by the opportunistic pathogen Klebsiella oxytoca that causes antibiotic-associated hemorrhagic colitis (AAHC). This pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) natural product ...
Perception of body mass index and health issues related to overweight/obesity in an outpatient women's clinic.

A body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 is linked to worse health outcomes. Little is known about women’s awareness of their BMI and their awareness of associations between high BMI and cardiovascular an...
Abstract 14533: Guideline Directed Medical Therapy Optimization Assisted by Telemonitoring for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction Patients: Rationale and Design

Background: Only a small proportion of patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF) receive optimal Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT) despite being eligible based on t...
Rapid and robust parameter inference for binary mergers

The detection rate for compact binary mergers has grown as the sensitivity of the global network of ground based gravitational wave detectors has improved, now reaching the stage where robust automation of the analyses is essential. Automated low-latency algorithms have been developed that send out alerts when candidate signals are detected. The alerts include sky maps to facilitate electromagnetic follow-up observations, along with probabilities that the system might contain a neutron star, and hence be more likely to generate an electromagnetic counterpart. Data quality issues, such as loud noise transients (glitches), can adversely affect the low-latency algorithms, causing false alarms and throwing off parameter estimation. Here a new analysis method is presented that is robust against glitches, and capable of producing fully Bayesian parameter inference, including sky maps and mass estimates, in a matter of minutes. Key elements of the method are wavelet-based de-noising, penalized maximization of the likelihood during the initial search, rapid sky localization using precomputed inner products, and heterodyned likelihoods for full Bayesian inference.
Cost comparison of osteopathic manipulative treatment for patients with chronic low back pain.

CONTEXT Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is the second leading cause of disability in the United States, with significant physical and financial implications. Development of a multifaceted treatment plan that is cost effective and optimizes patients' ability to function on a daily basis is critical. To date, there have been no published prospective studies comparing the cost of osteopathic manipulative treatment to that of standard care for patients with cLBP. OBJECTIVES To contrast the cost for standard of care treatment (SCT) for cLBP with standard of care plus osteopathic manipulative treatment (SCT + OMT). METHODS This prospective, observational study was conducted over the course of 4 months with two groups of patients with a diagnosis of cLBP. Once consent was obtained, patients were assigned to the SCT or the SCT + OMT group based on the specialty practice of their physician. At enrollment and after 4 months of treatment, all patients in both groups completed two questionnaires: the 11 point pain intensity numerical scale (PI-NRS) and the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). Cost data was collected from the electronic medical record of each patient enrolled in the study. Chi-square (χ2Yates) tests for independence using Yates' correction for continuity were performed to compare the results for each group. RESULTS There was a total of 146 patients: 71 (48.6%) in the SCT + OMT group and 75 (51.4%) in the SCT group. The results showed no significant differences between the mean total costs for the SCT + OMT ($831.48 ± $553.59) and SCT ($997.90 ± $1,053.22) groups. However, the utilization of interventional therapies (2; 2.8%) and radiology (4; 5.6%) services were significantly less for the SCT + OMT group than the utilization of interventional (31; 41.3%) and radiology (17; 22.7%) therapies were for the SCT group (p<0.001). Additionally, the patients in the SCT + OMT group were prescribed fewer opioid medications (15; 21.1) than the SCT (37; 49.3%) patients (p.001). Patients in the SCT group were approximately 14.7 times more likely to have received interventional therapies than patients in the SCT + OMT group. Likewise, the patients in the SCT group were approximately four times more likely to have received radiological services. Paired t tests comparing the mean pre- and 4 month self reported pain severity scores on the RMDQ for 68 SCT + OMT patients (9.91 ± 5.88 vs. 6.40 ± 5.24) and 66 SCT patients (11.44 ± 6.10 vs. 8.52 ± 6.14) found highly significant decreases in pain for both group (<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The mean total costs for the SCT and SCT + OMT patients were statistically comparable across 4 months of treatment. SCT + OMT was comparable to SCT alone in reducing pain and improving function in patients with chronic low back pain; however, there was less utilization of opioid analgesics, physical therapy, interventional therapies, radiologic, and diagnostic services for patients in the SCT + OMT group.
Modern Spanish women as agents of change: essays in honor of Maryellen Bieder: edited by Jennifer Smith, Lewisburg, PA, Bucknell University Press, 2018, 248 pp., $34.95 (paperback), ISBN13 978-1684480326

Jennifer Smith's volume Modern Spanish Women as Agents of Change anthologizes eleven essays written in honor of Maryellen Bieder (1942–2018). As Smith recounts, Bieder played an early and instrumen...
Future Trends in Spinal Imaging

Abstract Imaging methods of the spine have greatly expanded since 1895, providing anatomical clarity for diagnosis and treatment of the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral vertebrae. The complex anatomy of the vertebrae and irregular contours and geometry of the spinal elements have influenced the rapid development of more precise imaging modalities. Various advancements to two- and three-dimensional imaging through plain radiographs, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and EOS imaging along with multiple dimensional views of the spine are continuously optimized. Future developments in imaging may improve the assessment of pedicle screw placement and image definition, reduce radiation, and provide autonomous spinal mapping using artificial intelligence.
Self-Understanding: The Capacity for Self-Understanding and Insight into the Self

The capacity for self-understanding is described as the ability to gain insight into the self, which is defined as a center for meaning integration, by monitoring its meaning movements. It involves the process of becoming insightful especially of those habitually lived polar meanings, such as the need for dominance versus the need for surrender, that are lived, but yet are either neglected or suppressed.
Shear-Induced Hemolysis: Species Differences.

The nonphysiological mechanical shear stress in blood-contacting medical devices is one major factor to device-induced blood damage. Animal blood is often used to test device-induced blood damage potential of these devices due to its easy accessibility and low cost. However, the differences in shear-induced blood damage between animals and human have not been well characterized. The purpose of this study was to investigate shear-induced hemolysis of human and three commonly used preclinical evaluation animal species (ovine, porcine, and bovine) under shear conditions encountered in blood-contacting medical devices. Shear-induced hemolysis experiments were conducted using two single-pass blood-shearing devices. Driven by an externally pressurized reservoir, blood single-passes through a small annular gap in the shearing devices where the blood was exposed to a uniform high shear stress. Shear-induced hemolysis at different conditions of exposure time (0.04 to 1.5 s) and shear stress (25 to 320 Pa) was quantified for ovine, porcine, bovine, and human blood, respectively. Within these ranges of shear stress and exposure time, shear-induced hemolysis was less than 2% for the four species. The results showed that the ovine blood was more susceptible to shear-induced injury than the bovine, porcine, and human blood. The response of the porcine and bovine blood to shear was similar to the human blood. The dependence of hemolysis on shear stress level and exposure time was found to fit well the power law functional form for the four species. The coefficients of the power law models for the ovine, porcine, bovine, and human blood were derived.
Activation of gastrin transcription in pancreatic insulinoma cells by a CACC promoter element and a 70-kDa sequence-specific DNA-binding protein

Gastrin gene expression in the pancreatic islets is developmentally regulated and occurs largely during fetal life. Deletional analysis of transiently transfected rat insulinoma cells with gastrin 5'-flanking sequences in luciferase reporter genes demonstrated that the gastrin promoter sequence proximal to -111 base pairs (bp) contains the cis-regulatory elements necessary for maximal transcription. Mutational analysis identified the sequence CCCCACCCCA (-109 to -100 bp) as a positive cis-regulatory element (CACC) located 5' to a previously described negative element (-100 to -90 bp) and E-box positive element at -82 bp. Multimers of the CACC element in a heterologous promoter activated transcription independent of the other cis-regulatory elements. CACC binding proteins were purified from insulinoma cell nuclear extracts by cation exchange and affinity chromatography. Southwestern blot of nuclear extracts identified a 70-kDa CACC-binding protein. Mutational analysis of the CACC element showed a close correlation between DNA binding of this protein and transcriptional activation. Transcriptional activation by multimers of the CACC element in a heterologous promoter was detected in a variety of cell lines but was strongest in those of islet lineage. Likewise, the presence of the 70-kDa CACC-binding protein was found in many cell lines but was most abundant in the insulinoma cells. The CACC-binding protein has not been previously identified among the known pancreatic regulatory factors and may have an important role in the developmental expression of gastrin.
Agent Based Framework for Modeling Operations at Isolated Signalized Intersections

An agent-based model of intersection control is presented. Drivers make payments to movement managers so that they can pass through the intersection. Movement managers collect fees from arriving drivers, receive voluntary contributions from those same drivers, and participate in a bidding process overseen by the municipality which determines which movement mangers get to discharge vehicles. Winning movement managers get to discharge vehicles from their queues for the duration of time associated with the win. A realization of the model is presented to illustrate these ideas. It involves two approaches, arriving drivers, two movement managers, and a municipality. The movement managers control the conflicting one-way traffic streams. They determine what bids to submit given the status of the system at each point in time, recalibrate those strategies based on past experience with their use, forecast the performance of those strategies, take actions based on those analyses, and then repeat the process in each time step as the simulation unfolds.
Private Payer's Status Improves Male Breast Cancer Survival

Survival from male breast cancer is influenced by many factors. This study assessed payer's status effect on survival of male breast cancer patients. This study included 8,828 male breast cancer patients diagnosed between 1998-2006 and followed to 2011 in the National Cancer Data Base. Cox regression was used to investigate the effect of payer's status and other factors on overall survival. Patients had 36.2%, 42.7%, 14.7%, and 6.5% of stage I to IV cancer, respectively. Payer status was private 47.7%, Medicare 42.6%, Medicaid 3.24%, unknown 3.59%, and uninsured 2.95%. Median overall survival (MOS) for all patients was 10.6 years. In multivariate analysis, Direct adjusted MOS was 12.46, 11.89, 9.99, 9.02, and 8.29 years for private, "unknown," Medicare, uninsured, and Medicaid payer's status, respectively. Patients with private and "unknown" payer's status showed a significant difference in survival compared to uninsured patients, while Medicaid and Medicare patients did not. Age, race, stage, grade, income, comorbidity, distance travelled, and diagnosing/treating facility were also significant predictors of survival. Treatment delay and cancer program did not have a significant influence on survival.
Extremely low power transmitter/receiver GaAs MMIC circuits at L band

The authors have developed an enhancement GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) process which is capable of producing very-low-power, highly efficient transmitting/receiving circuits which can be operated from unipolar 3-V batteries. They have demonstrated key circuits such as a surface acoustic wave (SAW) locked oscillator, a variable-gain 180 degrees phase shifter, and a variable-gain power amplifier. The amplifier required a DC current of 4 mA and delivered 4 dBm to 50- Omega loads with greater than 25 dB of gain. The process is capable of producing high-gain devices with low knee voltages of less than 1 V which pinch-off at 0 V. The very low substrate losses and current leaks associated with the process allow design of RF circuits in high-impedance environments. >
Coordinate Suppression of Liver Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase and Fatty Acid Synthetase by Polyunsaturated Fat

Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) suppressed hepatic fatty acid synthesis and the activities of lipogenic enzymes more effectively than did saturated fats. The activity of glycolytic enzymes--glucokinase, phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase--were not affected by PUFA. The absolute rate of liver fatty acid synthesis after meal ingestion was very similar to the maximal activities of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthetase. When PUFA was supplemented to a fat-free diet, the activities of carboxylase and synthetase decreased similarly over 3 days. During the 3 days, the concentration of liver malonyl-CoA (after meal ingestion) did not significantly differ between the fat-free and PUFA dietary treatments. Apparently PUFA feeding caused a coordinate decrease in the utilization and production of malonyl-CoA which resulted in no net change in malonyl-CoA pool size. Thus the mechanism by which PUFA suppresses fatty acid synthesis appears to be by coordinately and specifically reducing the amount of carboxylase and fatty acid synthetase.
Immobilized probe and glass surface chemistry as variables in microarray fabrication

Global gene expression studies with microarrays can offer biological insights never before possible. However, the technology possesses many sources of technical variability that are an obstacle to obtaining high quality data sets. Since spotted microarrays offer design/content flexibility and potential cost savings over commercial systems, we have developed prehybridization quality control strategies for spotted cDNA and oligonucleotide arrays. These approaches utilize a third fluorescent dye (fluorescein) to monitor key fabrication variables, such as print/spot morphology, DNA retention, and background arising from probe redistributed during blocking. Here, our labeled cDNA array platform is used to study, 1) compression of array data using known input ratios of Arabidopsis in vitro transcripts and arrayed serial dilutions of homologous probes; 2) how curing time of in-house poly-L-lysine coated slides impacts probe retention capacity; and 3) the retention characteristics of 13 commercially available surfaces. When array element fluorescein intensity drops below 5,000 RFU/pixel, gene expression measurements become increasingly compressed, thereby validating this value as a prehybridization quality control threshold. We observe that the DNA retention capacity of in-house poly-L-lysine slides decreases rapidly over time (~50% reduction between 3 and 12 weeks post-coating; p < 0.0002) and that there are considerable differences in retention characteristics among commercially available poly-L-lysine and amino silane-coated slides. High DNA retention rates are necessary for accurate gene expression measurements. Therefore, an understanding of the characteristics and optimization of protocols to an array surface are prerequisites to fabrication of high quality arrays.
Analytic variance estimates of Swank and Fano factors.

Purpose: Variance estimates for detector energy resolution metrics can be used as stopping criteria in Monte Carlo simulations for the purpose of ensuring a small uncertainty of those metrics and for the design of variance reduction techniques. Methods: The authors derive an estimate for the variance of two energy resolution metrics, the Swank factor and the Fano factor, in terms of statistical moments that can be accumulated without significant computational overhead. The authors examine the accuracy of these two estimators and demonstrate how the estimates of the coefficient of variation of the Swank and Fano factors behave with data from a Monte Carlo simulation of an indirect x-ray imaging detector. Results: The authors' analyses suggest that the accuracy of their variance estimators is appropriate for estimating the actual variances of the Swank and Fano factors for a variety of distributions of detector outputs. Conclusions: The variance estimators derived in this work provide a computationally convenient way to estimate the error or coefficient of variation of the Swank and Fano factors during Monte Carlo simulations of radiation imaging systems.
A hybrid analytical/simulation modeling approach for planning mass tactical airborne operations

A hybrid analytical/simulation model is developed to plan for mass tactical airborne operations. This automated tool enables the user to properly load aircraft according to the mission and user specifications, so that the minimum amount of time is required to seize all assigned objectives. The first portion is a mathematical model that once solved provides the optimal manifest under "perfect conditions". This analytical model is represented by a transportation network, and optimized using a transportation algorithm. The results of this solution are input to an integrated simulation model that introduces the inherent variability. The simulation returns the expected, best, and worst arrival times, and the build up of power over time. This hybrid approach allows a very large problem to be solved efficiently with a great deal of time savings.
Patterned wafer inspection by high resolution spectral estimation techniques

A new self-reference signal processing technique is proposed for detecting the location of irregularities and defects in a periodic two-dimensional signal or image. Using high-resolution spectral estimation algorithms, the proposed technique first extracts the period and structure of repeated patterns from the image. Then a defect-free reference image for comparison with the actual image is produced. Since the technique acquires all the information needed from a single image (in contrast to most existing methods), there is no need for a database image, a scaling or alignment procedure or any a priori knowledge about the repetition period of the patterns. Potential application fields for the proposed method range from the area of wafer and mask defect inspection, which includes inspection of memory chips, shift registers, switched capacitors, CCD arrays, and LCD displays to other areas that deal with repeated structures, such as crystallography. Some results of applying the proposed technique to real images from microlithography are presented.
Oh, What Dr. Seuss Can Induce: Using Intentionality to Connect Families with Classrooms through Science and Children's Literature.

ABSTRACT In the following article, Dr. Seuss's children's books are creatively integrated with science activities through the creation of take-home activity kits. The kits provide families an opportunity to read at home while connecting the enjoyable experience to science content and skill development through associated activities. The kits should be constructed using easy-reading books and aligned to developmentally appropriate academic science standards. Most importantly, they should be designed in a manner so that all family members are participants rather than expecting the adults to teach the expected outcomes. The activity kits can be completed as stand-alone experiences for interested students, used by students who are ready for an additional challenge, or adapted for an entire classroom of students as part of a teacher's normal curriculum.
The Switch on the RAPper's Necklace…

The biosynthesis and export of LDL receptor-related proteins rely on specialized chaperones in the endoplasmic reticulum. Two recent papers in Molecular Cell by Fisher et al. (2006) and Lee et al. (2006) reveal a novel mechanism by which one of these chaperones, the receptor-associated protein RAP, accomplishes this task.
Evidence for a role of the synaptonemal complex in provision for normal chromosome disjunction at meiosis II in maize

The meiotic behavior of heterozygotes from three different maize pericentric inversion stocks was quantitatively observed at a variety of stages throughout meiosis I and II. With heterozygosity for either of two of these inversions, the usual mode of pairing observed at pachytene involved synapsis of the centromere containing inverted region, and synaptic failure of the centromere region was rarely found. Abnormal chromosome behavior at subsequent meiotic stages was rare in these cases. With heterozygosity for the third inversion, however, homologous synapsis was generally found in the distal regions of the chromosome involved, the inverted region was often non-homologously synapsed, and a substantial frequency of cells apparently showed synaptic failure in the centromere containing inverted region. A substantial frequency of cells at anaphase II in this case contained two lagging monads in the plate region of the spindle. Where cells could be identified as sisters, sister cells showed identical behavior at anaphase II. Findings seem to be most simply explained by the supposition that pachytene synapsis of the centromere region is important to provision for sister centromere association until anaphase II.
Electronic Spectra of Carbonyl Sulfide Sulfur Isotopologues

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS), a relatively inert tropospheric species that photolyzes into CO + S upon reaching the stratosphere, is deemed a significant contributor to background sulfate aerosol. A recent analysis of atmospheric infrared transmittance data has revealed that OC^(34)S is preferentially depleted above ~10 km. We now report that the OC^(34)S absorption band between 200 ≤ λ [nm] ≤ 260 at 298 K is broader and more intense than its OC^(32)S counterpart. This finding is consistent with the faster photolysis of OC^(34)S, and with a time-dependent formulation of electronic spectra. Since OCS photolysis in the lower stratosphere occurs in a spectral range in which its absorption cross-section is unaffected by temperature, we are able to estimate a ^(34)S-enrichment factor ~ (67 ± 7)‰ for this process that is commensurate with the value previously inferred from OC^(34)S/OC^(32)S ratio versus altitude profiles.
Singlet oxygen generation by hematoporphyrin IX, uroporphyrin I and hematoporphyrin derivative at 546 nm in phosphate buffer and in the presence of egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes.

— The quantum yield of singlet oxygen generation (φ) was measured at 546 nm with the p-nitrosodimethylaniline (RNO) method. The results obtained in pH 7.4 phosphate buffer (PB) were: φ(HP) = 0.44 ± 0.05: φ= 0.71 ± 0.07: φ(HpD-A) = 0.06 ± 0.02. The value of φ was constant from 3 to 67 μM, attributed to the dominance of HP dimers; φ (HP) increased to 0.77 ± 0.13 in the presence of small egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes (SUV), attributed to solubilization and monomerization: φ (HpD-A) increased to 0.87 ± 0.17 in the presence of SUV. attributed to monomerization of the impurity porphyrins and unfolding of the covalent dimer constituents. The quantum efficiency of the RNO system (100 μM RNO plus 10 mM histidine) was approximately 0.015 at pH 7.4 and increased significantly at lower pH.
Debating Allison on Transcendental Idealism

People talk about rats deserting a sinking ship, but they don't usually ask where the rats go. Perhaps this is only because the answer is so obvious: of course, most of the rats climb aboard the sounder ships, the ships that ride high in the water despite being laden with rich cargoes of cheese and grain and other things rats love, the ships that bring prosperity to ports like eighteenth-century Konigsberg and firms such as Green & Motherby. By making the insulting comparison - as I am in the course of doing – between us Kant scholars and a horde of noxious vermin, my more or less transparent aim is to mitigate, or at least to distract attention from, the collective immodesty of what I am saying about us. For my point is that, in the past half-century or so, Kant studies has become a very prosperous ship indeed. Its success has even been the chief thing that has buoyed all its sister ships in the fleet of modern philosophy, most of which are also doing very well.
ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOBSATISFACTION AND SEX-ROLE CONFLICT AMONG HISPANIC AND NONHISPANIC WHITE INDIVIDUALS

The study compared sex-role conflict and job satisfaction scores and correlations among a broad sample of 71 Cuban and Central American Hispanic and 120 nonHispanic men and women working in the South Florida area. Analysis showed that the Hispanic respondents had lower satisfaction with pay, supervision, and co-workers, but were similar to nonHispanic white subjects in sex-role conflict and satisfaction with work and promotion. For the Hispanic groups, sex-role conflict was not correlated with any facet of job satisfaction, but for nonHispanic white groups sex-role conflict was correlated with satisfaction with work, pay, promotion, and supervision.
Knowledge Construction and Collective Practice: At the Intersection of Learning, Talk, and Social Configurations in a Computer-Mediated Mathematics Classroom.

In this study I investigated how students' mathematical activities, and thereby their mathematical understandings, change as a function of their participation in different social configurations. I examined how the interplay between 2 social configurations-local investigations at a computer simulation and whole-class discussions-contributes to how 7th-grade students learn probabilistic reasoning. I used 2 case studies to investigate (a) how different forms of participation are linked to different social configurations, and (b) how specific discourse practices and ways of reasoning propagate across the classroom and are adopted by individual students. The analyses suggest that classroom mathematical practices are developed, in part, for the social or communicative purpose of settling disputes and not purely for their rational or cognitive value to individuals. Results also provide insight into how to design and orchestrate classroom practice, particularly computer-mediated inquiry, to foster individual lear...
ANOTHER LOOK AT ECONOMIES OF SIZE IN CATTLE FEEDING

This article is an outgrowth of a study that failed to find any economies of size in total cost of feeding cattle. It examines a number of cattle feeding studies that reportedly found economies of size and explains why the author is not willing to accept their findings. This article is not concerned with the external economies of size that may or may not exist in cattle feeding Cet article est le resultat ďune recherche qui n'a pas reussit a trouver de grands economics dans le prix total de ľengraissement de betail. II examine un certain nombre ďetude sur ľengraissement de betail que rapporterent (dit-on) de grands economies el il explique aussi pourquoi ľauleur n'est pas pret a accepter leurs conclusions. Cet article ne se concerne pas avec les economies de grandeur exterieur quipeuvent ou nepeuventpas exister dans ľengraissement du betail.
Methionine anchoring applied to the solid-phase synthesis of lysine-containing ‘head-to-tail’ cyclic peptides

Lysine-containing ‘head-to-tail’ cyclic peptides can be prepared via a side-chain anchoring solid-phase synthesis strategy. A handle is prepared using a methionine residue, theCα-carboxyl of which forms an, amide with theNe-amine of lysine. Subsequently, the linear peptide sequence is assembled, appropriate deblocking steps are carried out, and on-resin head-to-tail cyclization follows. Optionally, acid-labile protecting groups may be removed while the peptide remains resin-bound. The final cleavage step uses CNBr, and releases the free or protected cyclic peptide into solution.
Magnetic energy determines electron bulk heating

When magnetic field lines interact at the magnetopause—the boundary between the solar magnetic field and the Earth's magnetic field—a process known as magnetic reconnection causes magnetic energy to be converted into kinetic energy and heat. Magnetic reconnection is a collisionless process, and its dynamics are still not fully understood. Past studies of reconnection have produced conflicting findings as to whether, and, if so, how much, reconnection heats electrons. Although reconnection has been found to heat electrons to 10 million kelvins in the Earth's magnetotail, it does not appear to heat electrons in the solar wind.
An optimal sequential procedure for selecting the best bernoulli process—a review

This article describes a new closed adaptive sequential procedure proposed by Bechhofer and Kulkarni for selecting the Bernoulli population which has the largest success probability. It can be used effectively for selecting the production process with the largest proportion of conforming items, and thus is applicable in vendor selection situations. The performance of this procedure is compared to that of the Sobel-Huyett single-stage procedure, and to a curtailed version of the single-stage procedure, all of which guarantee the same probability of a correct selection. Optimal properties of the Bechhofer-Kulkarni procedure are stated; quantitative assessments of important performance characteristics of the procedure are given. These demonstrate conclusively the superiority of the new procedure over that of the competing procedures. Relevant areas of application (including clinical trials) are described. Appropriate literature references are provided.
In Vivo Cardiac Gene Transfer of Kv4.3 Abrogates the Hypertrophic Response in Rats After Aortic Stenosis

Background— Prolongation of the action potential duration (APD) and decreased transient outward K+ current (Ito) have been consistently observed in cardiac hypertrophy. The relation between electrical remodeling and cardiac hypertrophy in vivo is unknown. Methods and Results— We studied rat hearts subjected to pressure overload by surgical ascending aortic stenosis (AS) and simultaneously infected these hearts with an adenovirus carrying either the Kv4.3 gene (Ad.Kv4.3) or the β-galactosidase gene (Ad.β-gal). Ito density was reduced and APD50 was prolonged (P<0.05) in AS rats compared with sham rats. Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 expressions were decreased by 58% and 51%, respectively (P<0.05). AS rats infected with Ad.β-gal developed cardiac hypertrophy compared with sham rats, as assessed by cellular capacitance and heart weight–body weight ratio. Associated with the development of cardiac hypertrophy, the expression of calcineurin and its downstream transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) c1 ...
Surging food prices and global stability.

The article presents information on global food prices in the early 21st century, and the impact they are expected to have on global stability. The rise in average prices for commodities such as wheat, corn and rice are said to be a result of increasing demand by an expanding and upwardly mobile global population, combined with reduced production, particularly in the case of United States corn crops, a third of which have been diverted into the ethanol fuel industry.
Risk Factors for Adolescent Marijuana Use Across Cultures and Across Time

Abstract An integrated analysis of the data from 3 different studies was conducted to examine the early psychosocial predictors of later marijuana use among adolescents. Longitudinal analysis of interview data was performed. The data used in the analysis were derived from (a) a sample of 739 predominantly White adolescents representative of the northeastern United States, (b) a sample of 1,190 minority adolescents from the East Harlem section of New York City, and (c) a sample of 1,374 Colombian adolescents from two cities in Colombia. South America. In 2 of the samples, participants were interviewed in their homes, and in the 3rd study, participants were assessed in school. The predictors included a number of variables from (a) the personality domain, reflecting the adolescents' conventionality and intrapsychic functioning; (b) the family domain, representing the parent-child mutual attachment relationship and parental substance use; (c) the peer domain, reflecting the peer group's delinquency and substa...
Unique gene expression profile associated with an early-onset multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN1)-associated pituitary adenoma.

Context: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is caused by mutations in the menin (MEN1) gene. The mechanism(s) by which MEN1 mutations lead to pituitary tumor formation remain(s) unknown. Objective: The aim of the study was to identify the pediatric MEN1-associated pituitary tumor transcriptome. Patients and Methods: A patient harboring a MEN1 mutation (c.525C>G; p.H139D) who presented with an early-onset mammosomatotroph pituitary adenoma was studied. Microarray analysis was performed in the tumor sample and compared with the profile observed in normal pituitaries and in a sporadic mammosomatotropinoma. Validation of the microarray results was performed using quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemical analysis for selected genes. Results: In the MEN1-associated pituitary adenoma, 59 and 24 genes were found to be significantly up- and down-regulated, respectively. The up-regulated genes included those involved in cell growth and maintenance, apoptosis, growth arrest, and tumorigenesis. More...
The overpartition function modulo small powers of 2

Abstract In a recent paper, Fortin et al. (Jagged Partitions, arXivmath. CO/0310079, 2003) found congruences modulo powers of 2 for the values of the overpartition function p ¯ ( n ) in arithmetic progressions. The moduli for these congruences ranged as high as 64. This note shows that p ¯ ( n ) ≡ 0 ( mod 64 ) for a set of integers of arithmetic density 1.
Civil War Resources on the Internet: An Annotated Bibliography

Historians and those interested in Civil War history will not be disappointed in the large number of Internet sites dealing with ths subject. The vast array of primary and secondary resources related to the Civil War includes the full range from the Abolition movement through Reconstruction (1830s to 1890s). Available materials include the full texts of diaries, letters, government documents of all sorts, maps, images, and even online discussion groups for Civil War topics. Many sites contian the texts of rare materials enabling the present‐day historian to travel virtually to many computerized collections regardless of the distances from his or her computer. The resource list in this article is drawn from Rutgers University’s Web page, Civil War Resources on the Internet: Abolitionism to Reconstruction.
Cryoprecipitate: An autologous substrate for human fetal retinal pigment epithelium.

PURPOSE. To harvest thin membranes from cryoprecipitates isolated from human blood donors and utilize them as substrates for the adhesion of human fetal retinal pigment epithelial (HFRPE) cells. METHODS. Frozen human cryoprecipitates from anonymous blood donors were obtained from the blood bank. Thin cryo-membranes were harvested by their mixture with riboflavin-5-phosphate (R5P) and overnight exposure to ultra-violet light. Sheets of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) were isolated from fetal eyes at 17–22 weeks gestational age. The sheets were subsequently attached to cryo-membranes. The morphology of the cells was examined with phase contrast and electron microscope. Cell proliferation was evaluated by their incorporation of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). Functional viability was assessed by rod outer segment (ROS) phagocytosis. RESULTS. Thin membrane films were made from isolated human cryoprecipitates. Isolated sheets of pure HFRPE cells were attached to the membranes. The cells maintained their cuboi...
Sulfur doped nanocrystalline diamond films as field enhancement based thermionic emitters and their role in energy conversion

Abstract Sulfur doped nanocrystalline diamond films, like other nanostructured carbon films, exhibit electron emission characterized by a spatial non-uniformity of the field enhancement factor. While field emission effects are observed at room temperature, an increase in emitter temperature is accompanied by an amplified emission current with a simultaneous drop in the threshold field. At low extraction fields a fit of the emission current to the Richardson equation indicates a material work function of ∼2.5 eV. The Schottky formula describes thermionic emission at a moderate field and is utilized to determine the work function at an electric field of 0.8 V/μm with a value of ∼1.7 eV and a concurrently reduced Richardson constant. This significant difference in the work function of 2.5 and 1.7 eV for 0.5 and 0.8V/μm, respectively can be attributed to field enhancement effects.
Parametric design study of an aeroelastic flutter energy harvester

This paper investigates a novel mechanism for powering wireless sensors or low power electronics by extracting energy from an ambient fluid flow using a piezoelectric energy harvester driven by aeroelastic flutter vibrations. The energy harvester makes use of a modal convergence flutter instability to generate limit cycle bending oscillations of a cantilevered piezoelectric beam with a small flap connected to its free end by a revolute joint. The critical flow speed at which destabilizing aerodynamic effects cause self-excited vibrations of the structure to emerge is essential to the design of the energy harvester. This value sets the lower bound on the operating wind speed and frequency range of the system. A system of coupled equations that describe the structural, aerodynamic, and electromechanical aspects of the system are used to model the system dynamics. The model uses unsteady aerodynamic modeling to predict the aerodynamic forces and moments acting on the structure and to account for the effects of vortices shed by the flapping wing, while a modal summation technique is used to model the flexible piezoelectric structure. This model is applied to examine the effects on the cut-in wind speed of the system when several design parameters are tuned and the size and mass of the system is held fixed. The effects on the aeroelastic system dynamics and relative sensitivity of the flutter stability boundary are presented and discussed. Experimental wind tunnel results are included to validate the model predictions.
Fundamentals of Spread Spectrum Modulation

Abstract This lecture covers the fundamentals of spread spectrum modulation, which can be defined as any modulation technique that requires a transmission bandwidth much greater than the modulating signal bandwidth, independently of the bandwidth of the modulating signal. After reviewing basic digital modulation techniques, the principal forms of spread spectrum modulation are described. One of the most important components of a spread spectrum system is the spreading code, and several types and their characteristics are described. The most essential operation required at the receiver in a spread spectrum system is the code synchronization, which is usually broken down into the operations of acquisition and tracking. Means for performing these operations are discussed next. Finally, the performance of spread spectrum systems is of fundamental interest and the effect of jamming is considered, both without and with the use of forward error correction coding. The presentation ends with consideration of sprea...
Nε-Acyllysine Derivatives Inhibit Aspartokinase in Brevibacterium lactofermentum

Several Ne-acyllysine derivatives were found to inhibit both aspartokinase and cell growth of Brevibacterium lactofermentum. More than ten carbon chains in the Ne -acyl group were necessary to inhibit the enzyme. In addition, the methylation of the α-amino group was not directly involved in the inhibitory activity, but it was related to inhibition by its effect on enhancing the molecules’ solubility in water. The inhibition of cell growth was not reversed by individual addition of lysine, threonine, or methionine, but was reversed by the simultaneous addition of all three amino acids.
Acute ST segment elevation during exercise stress echocardiography due to severe pulmonary hypertension

A 51-year-old female undergoing an outpatient stress echocardiogram to evaluate atypical chest pain developed acute ST elevation in the anterior precordial leads on electrocardiogram following exercise. Echocardiography revealed a severe rise in pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) with marked right ventricular (RV) enlargement and interventricular septum flattening. Subsequently, cardiac catherization confirmed an exercise-induced elevation in PASP and diagnosed pulmonary arterial hypertension without evidence of coronary artery disease. This case suggests that an acute elevation in pulmonary artery pressure with RV dilation may be a potential cause of acute ST elevation during stress testing.