cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of an unconventional E3 binding surface on the UbcH5 ∼ Ub conjugate recognized by a pathogenic bacterial E3 ligase

Gram-negative bacteria deliver a cadre of virulence factors directly into the cytoplasm of eukaryotic host cells to promote pathogenesis and/or commensalism. Recently, families of virulence proteins have been recognized that function as E3 Ubiquitin-ligases. How these bacterial ligases integrate into the ubiquitin (Ub) signaling pathways of the host and how they differ functionally from endogenous eukaryotic E3s is not known. Here we show that the bacterial E3 SspH2 from S. typhimurium selectively binds the human UbcH5 ∼ Ub conjugate recognizing regions of both UbcH5 and Ub subunits. The surface of the E2 UbcH5 involved in this interaction differs substantially from that defined for other E2/E3 complexes involving eukaryotic E3-ligases. In vitro, SspH2 directs the synthesis of K48-linked poly-Ub chains, suggesting that cellular protein targets of SspH2-catalyzed Ub transfer are destined for proteasomal destruction. Unexpectedly, we found that intermediates in SspH2-directed reactions are activated poly-Ub chains directly tethered to the UbcH5 active site (UbcH5 ∼ Ubn). Rapid generation of UbcH5 ∼ Ubn may allow for bacterially directed modification of eukaryotic target proteins with a completed poly-Ub chain, efficiently tagging host targets for destruction.
Close-coupling calculation of quantum-mechanical probabilities for collision-induced dissociation☆

Abstract A new close-coupling scheme for the numerical calculation of quantum-mechanical probabilities for collision-induced dissociation of a diatomic molecule by an atom is presented. Fully converged preliminary results for a collinear model are given for the first time.
Complex nonlinear oscillations in electrostatically actuated microstructures

In this paper, new nonlinear dynamic properties of electrostatically actuated microstructures [referred to as electrostatic microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)] observed under superharmonic excitations are presented using numerical simulations. Application of a large dc bias (close to the pull-in voltage of the device) is found to bring the device to a nonlinear state. This nonlinear state (referred to as "dc-symmetry breaking") can be clearly observed from the characteristic change in the phase-plot of the device. Once a steady nonlinear state is reached, application of an ac signal at the Mth superharmonic frequency with an amplitude around "ac-symmetry breaking" gives rise to M oscillations per period or M-cycles in the MEM device. "ac-symmetry breaking" can also be observed by a characteristic change in the phase-plot of the device. On further increasing the ac voltage, a period doubling sequence takes place resulting in the formation of 2/sup n/M-cycles in the system at the Mth superharmonic frequency. An interesting chaotic transition (banded chaos) is observed during the period doubling bifurcations. The nonlinear nature of the electrostatic force acting on the MEM device is found to be responsible for the reported observations. The significance of the mechanical and the fluidic nonlinearities is also studied.
Voluntary Running and the Estrous Variation in Food Intake in the Rat

The hypothesis that running in activity wheels competes with feeding and thereby accounts for the estrous Variation in food intake was tested by comparing the food intake of 16 rats given access to wheels and 16 rats not given access to wheels. Contrary to the prediction the estrous variation in food intake appeared in all rats in both conditions. Running did not affect growth in body weight and increased food intake during estrus as well as diestrus.
Photoacid generators for catalytic decomposition of polycarbonate

The photo-activated, acid catalyzed decomposition of polycarbonate was investigated in this study. The impact of the chemical and physical properties of the photoacid generators (PAG) and the ambient atmosphere effect on polycarbonate decomposition were discussed. The photo-patterns resulted from the photoacid catalyzed decomposition of a polycarbonate can be used as a sacrificial placeholder for fabrication of microelectromechanical and microfluidic devices. The effects of acid strength, vapor pressure of the acid, PAG activation process, and ambient conditions (temperature, moisture, and oxygen concentrations) on polymer film decomposition were studied. Several superacids (e.g. triflic and nonaflic based PAGs) were not suitable for decomposition of the polycarbonate because of their high vapor pressures resulting in the high volatility properties. From the decomposition experiments it was found that the nonfluorinated sulfonic acid based PAGs do not posses the superacidity needed for decomposition. Perfluorinated methide and a tetrakis (pentafluoropheyl)borate PAG were effective in the decomposition of polycarbonate films. The combination of two PAGs, one which generates high vapor pressure acid (thus, highly volatile) and the other with a lower vapor pressure acid (thus, less volatile) showed very low residue levels. This is because of the volatility of the generated high vapor pressure acid (usually remaining acid in the film was the cause of the residue left behind) and the remaining nonvolatile low vapor pressure acid was sufficient to decompose the polycarbonate that was not decomposed by the generated high volatile acid. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007
Stability of Deformation of an Elastic Layer

Ericksen [1] proved all universal deformations of isotropic compressible elastic materials to be homogeneous. He also proved inhomogeneous universal deformations possible if the isotropic elastic material is incompressible (cf.Ericksen [2]). Recently, interest has grown in the study of inhomogeneous, not universal deformations of isotropic incompressible elastic materials. The importance of such deformations and the need to study is them discussed in some detail by Rajagopal & Carroll [3].
Signaling pathways activated by α1-adrenergic receptor subtypes in PC12 cells

PC12 cells were used to compare signaling pathways activated by alpha1-adrenergic receptor (AR) subtypes. PC12 cells were transfected with human alpha1A, alpha1B, or alpha1D-ARs, and subclones stably expressing receptor densities in physiological ranges isolated and characterized. Norepinephrine (NE) activated a large number of signaling pathways in transfected cells, including inositol phosphate formation, intracellular calcium, all three arms of the mitogen activated protein kinase pathways, and a number of tyrosine kinases. Activation of mitogen activated protein kinase pathways and tyrosine kinases was not blocked by chelation of intracellular calcium with BAPTA or inhibition of protein kinase C. NE also activated luciferase reporter constructs for seven different transcription factors (AP1, SRE, CRE, NFkappaB, NFAT, Stat, GAS) following transfection into alpha1A-AR expressing PC12 cells. However, similar increases in inositol phosphate formation and intracellular Ca2+ caused by purinergic P2Y2 receptor activation did not activate any of these reporters. Comparison of alpha1-AR subtypes showed that the alpha1A activated all seven reporters, the alpha1B showed smaller effects, while the alpha1D was ineffective. NE caused differentiation of alpha1A, but not alpha1B or alpha1D, -AR expressing PC12 cells similar to that caused by NGF. This NE-induced differentiation was reduced or blocked by all inhibitors tested. We conclude that alpha1-ARs activate many signaling pathways and transcriptional responses in PC12 cells, which are not linearly related to second messenger production, and which may differ for different alpha1-AR subtypes.
Effects of Cooperative Learning on the Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities: An Update of Tateyama-Sniezek’s Review

This article reviews research published from 1990 to 2000 examining effects of cooperative learning strategies on the academic achievement of students with learning disabilities. The literature search is described. Fifteen studies are included in the review and are grouped according to the types of cooperative learning strategies that were examined. Sample characteristics, measures, findings, and effect sizes are reported in a table. Achievement outcomes are mixed. Cooperative learning strategies that incorporate individual accountability and group rewards are more likely to improve achievement of students with disabilities. However, design problems across the studies limit conclusions to be drawn about the efficacy of cooperative learning. More research is needed before it may be viewed as an effective strategy for students with disabilities.
Synthetic multi-component enzyme mixtures for deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass

A high throughput enzyme assay platform, called GENPLAT, was used to guide the development of an optimized mixture of individual purified enzymes from ten “accessory” and six “core” enzymes. Enzyme mixtures were optimized for release of Glu, Xyl, or a combination of the two from corn stover pretreated by ammonia-fiber expansion (AFEX). Assay conditions were a fixed enzyme loading of 15 mg/g glucan, 48 h digestion, and 50 °C. Five of the ten tested accessory proteins enhanced Glu or Xyl yield compared to the core set alone, and five did not. An 11-component mixture containing the core set and five accessory enzymes optimized for Glu released 52.1% of the available Glu, compared to 38.5% with the core set alone. A mixture optimized for Xyl released 39.9% of the Xyl, compared to 26.4% with the core set alone. We predict that there is still considerable opportunity for further improvement of synthetic mixtures. Furthermore, the strategy described here is applicable to the development of more efficient enzyme cocktails for any pretreatment/biomass combination and for detecting enzymes that make a heretofore unrecognized contribution to lignocellulose deconstruction.
Surgical management of acute mechanical defects secondary to myocardial infarction

Abstract Mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction include aneurysm formation and rupture of the left ventricular free wall, interventricular septum and mitral papillary muscle. All of these complications are potentially correctable by operation. Septal perforation and papillary muscle rupture, responsible for 1 to 2 percent and 1 to 5 percent of deaths in fatal myocardial infarction, respectively, have received the greatest surgical attention. Both of these types of myocardial disruption abruptly impose life-threatening hemodynamic compromise during the early postinfarction period. Immediate diagnosis by clinical examination and passage of a flow-directed pulmonary arterial catheter is mandatory, and intensive medical support, including adjunctive use of intraaortic balloon counterpulsation, is usually necessary to permit definitive invasive studies that should be performed without delay. To achieve patient survival, mitral valve replacement is invariably necessary in cases of major papillary muscle trunk rupture. Operative repair is also necessary in the great majority of patients with septal perforation, especially in association with inferior wall infarction. The major determinant of operative outcome is the severity of secondary multisystem failure established preoperatively. Therefore, no delay of surgical intervention in the face of progressive hemodynamic deterioration should be allowed. The interval between tissue disruption and operation does not in itself constitute a significant risk factor. The dismal prognosis of patients treated nonsurgically and the favorable long-term results in operative survivors justify aggressive surgical treatment.
Cobalt Fischer–Tropsch Catalyst Deactivation Modeled Using Generalized Power Law Expressions

Ten sets of deactivation data from five previously reported studies of cobalt Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) catalysts were found to be modeled well using concentration-independent first and second order generalized power law expressions (GPLEs) which predict that activity approaches a non-zero asymptote. Concentration dependencies of reactants and products were generally not addressed in the model regressions, although selected simulations which incorporated CO, H2, and/or H2O concentrations in deactivation rate equations showed very little or no dependence on concentrations of these species. For reaction temperatures in the range of 220–230 °C, pressures of 15–30 bar, and H2/CO ratios of 1.6–2.6, first order and second order deactivation rate constants average 0.12 ± 0.06 and 0.11 ± 0.05 day−1, respectively. Limiting (asymptotic) activities are largely in the range of 30–40 % of initial activity based on the generally superior extrapolations of second order GPLE. This consistency is impressive considering significant differences among catalyst properties and operating conditions in the five studies that apparently involve different mechanisms of deactivation, including sintering, carbon formation, and/or cobalt aluminate formation. Second order models predict significant longevity for cobalt FTS catalysts; for example, based on the 2nd order models, normalized activities for commercial catalysts in two different pilot slurry reactor facilities are projected to be 56 and 45 % of initial activity after 200 days on stream. For two of the previous studies providing data over periods of 40–55 days, it was possible to identify two different causes of deactivation, one rapid (reaching completion in 10–20 days) and one slow (apparently continuing beyond 40–50 days). A method was developed for calculating first and second order model parameters for the two regions of operation. Rapid activity loss (path 1) is observed for either sintering or Co surface aluminate formation, while poisoning/fouling by deposited carbon or coke (path 2) occurs relatively slowly over the entire process run of 40–55 days and is the dominant mechanism after 10–20 days for both sets of data. The results show that simple GPLE models are surprisingly generally useful for predicting activity versus time behavior of supported cobalt FTS catalysts under typical process conditions.
Detection of segmental internal fat by bioelectrical impedance analysis in a biological phantom

Abstract Objective Quantification of internal adipose tissue such as visceral adipose tissue currently relies on expensive, cross-sectional imaging modalities. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that surface impedance, determined by bioimpedance analysis, might be used to predict regional internal fat content change in a phantom model. Methods Fresh hollowed-out cucumbers were used as cylindrical biological phantoms to test this hypothesis. After removal of the seeds, the cucumbers were filled with normal saline, mixture of saline and corn oil, or porcine adipose tissue bathed in saline. Surface resistance and reactance were measured with a bioimpedance analyzer accurate to 0.1 Ω (Quantum 10X, RJL Systems), and impedance was calculated. A linear regression model was used to interpret the association between composition and impedance. Results Surface impedance varied linearly with changes in the relative internal corn oil portions (r– = 0.98). A similar relation was noted with porcine adipose tissue bathed in saline (r2 = 0.95) regardless of the specific position of adipose tissue within the cucumber. Conclusion Surface impedance measured by bioimpedance analysis can detect variations in fat content in the interior of a cylindrical phantom.
Thoracoscopic Resection of Bilateral Metastatic Sarcomas Causing Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Pulmonary metastases from soft tissue sarcomas may present with spontaneous pneumothorax. Metastatectomy via thoracotomy or median sternotomy has been the procedure of choice. We present a patient with bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax secondary to metastatic angiosarcoma where staged video-assisted thoracic surgery using the thoracoscope was used to successfully resect the tumors.
High-Temperature Melting Behavior of Urban Wood Fuel Ash

Ashes from commercial wood fuel blends show wide compositional ranges that in part can be related to an admixed soil component. To evaluate agglomeration potentials and to formulate predictive models, an experimental study was conducted of an urban wood waste fuel ash from an operating power plant in California. The melting relations were investigated from the liquidus at 1276 °C to the near solidus at about 1130 °C. The liquidus phase is melilite composed of a solid solution dominated by akermanite and sodium melilite. A phosphate phase appears at 1207 °C and can be described as a solid solution of calcium phosphate, sodium phosphate, and calcium disilicate. Garnet appears at 1159 °C and is composed of an andradite, pyrope, and grossular solid solution. The alkali metals are partially lost to the atmosphere during the experimental duration. Sodium loss is moderate and dependent on the liquid remaining. Potassium shows very low partitioning into the solid phases and is strongly lost from the slag. The exp...
Water abundance and an EKC for water pollution

Abstract This paper contributes to the literature on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) by determining the effect of water abundance on an EKC for water pollution. Results indicate that water abundance greatly affects the turning point of an EKC.
The influence of preparation conditions on the electrical and optical properties of oxidized indium thin films

Highly conductive indium oxide thin films (ρ=5×10−3 Ω cm) have been prepared by thermal oxidation in an open atmosphere of indium films deposited in vacuum by evaporation. The rate of indium film deposition was high (5 A s−1), and the oxidation has been carried out by exposing the samples to the atmosphere directly at high temperature (500°C) for different times. Structural, optical and electrical properties of these samples were investigated. Films exhibit a (111) preferred orientation, The value of the transmittance coefficient in the visible region of the spectrum was low (50%) but, concerning the electrical properties, an interesting behaviour was observed: at temperatures above room temperature the electrical resistance depends on the sense of the electrical current flow.
Stable isotopes and mercury in a model estuarine fish: Multibasin comparisons with water quality, community structure, and available prey base

Abstract Stable-isotope ratios (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) and mercury in a model predator, and associated prey community assessments were used to make inferences regarding food web relationships and how these relationships are influenced by habitat variability and anthropogenic factors. Although interconnected, the three major basins of the Indian River Lagoon system on the Atlantic coast of Florida comprise noticeably different available habitat types with spatially distinct faunal communities and available prey for spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus , a model predatory fish species. Water quality, degree of urbanization, human population density, and levels of nitrogen enrichment clearly differ between these representative estuarine basins. The differences can influence feeding ecology and therefore result in different mercury concentrations and different stable-isotope signatures of spotted seatrout between basins. Mercury concentrations in spotted seatrout were greatest in Mosquito Lagoon (ML) and least in the Indian River Lagoon proper (IRL), although concentrations were low for all basins. Spotted seatrout from IRL were carbon-depleted and nitrogen-enriched compared with those from the other basins; this suggests either that the fish's primary source of carbon in IRL is an algae- or phytoplankton-based food web or that the pathway through the food web is shorter there. The δ 15 N values of IRL spotted seatrout were greater than those in the Banana River Lagoon or ML, suggesting slightly different trophic positioning of fish in these basins. The greater δ 15 N values in IRL spotted seatrout may also reflect the greater human population density and resultant anthropogenic inputs (e.g., observed higher total nitrogen levels) in IRL compared with the other more pristine basins examined. Understanding species' responses to broad-scale habitat heterogeneity in estuaries and knowing basin-specific differences in stable isotopes, mercury, prey communities, and comprehensive food web relationships will be useful in the future for long-term monitoring of impacts of anthropogenic disturbances and of recovery from restoration efforts.
The Role of Chemokines in Acute Liver Injury

Chemokines are small molecular weight proteins primarily known to drive migration of immune cell populations. In both acute and chronic liver injury, hepatic chemokine expression is induced resulting in inflammatory cell infiltration, angiogenesis, and cell activation and survival. During acute injury, massive parenchymal cell death due to apoptosis and/or necrosis leads to chemokine production by hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, Kupffer cells, hepatic stellate cells, and sinusoidal endothelial cells. The specific chemokine profile expressed during injury is dependent on both the type and course of injury. Hepatotoxicity by acetaminophen for example leads to cellular necrosis and activation of Toll-like receptors while the inciting insult in ischemia reperfusion injury produces reactive oxygen species and subsequent production of pro-inflammatory chemokines. Chemokine expression by these cells generates a chemoattractant gradient promoting infiltration by monocytes/macrophages, NK cells, NKT cells, neutrophils, B cells, and T cells whose activity are highly regulated by the specific chemokine profiles within the liver. Additionally, resident hepatic cells express chemokine receptors both in the normal and injured liver. While the role of these receptors in normal liver has not been well described, during injury, receptor up-regulation, and chemokine engagement leads to cellular survival, proliferation, apoptosis, fibrogenesis, and expression of additional chemokines and growth factors. Hepatic-derived chemokines can therefore function in both paracrine and autocrine fashions further expanding their role in liver disease. More recently it has been appreciated that chemokines can have diverging effects depending on their temporal expression pattern and the type of injury. A better understanding of chemokine/chemokine receptor axes will therefore pave the way for development of novel targeted therapies for the treatment of liver disease.
Sequential Convexification in Reverse Convex and Disjunctive Programming.

This paper is about a property of certain combinatorial structures, called sequential convexifiability, shown by Balas (1974, 1979) to hold for facial disjunctive programs. Sequential convexifiability means that the convex hull of a nonconvex set defined by a collection of constraints can be generated by imposing the constraints one by one, sequentially, and generating each time the convex hull of the resulting set. Here we extend the class of problems considered to disjunctive programs with infinitely many terms, also known as reverse convex programs, and give necessary and sufficient conditions for the solution sets of such problems to be sequentially convexifiable. We point out important classes of problems in addition to facial disjunctive programs (for instance, reverse convex programs with equations only) for which the conditions are always satisfied. Finally, we give examples of disjunctive programs for which the conditions are violated, and so the procedure breaks down.
Detection of microstructure variations in poly α-methyl styrene by density gradient ultracentrifugation

Abstract It has been demonstrated that the various tactic forms of poly α-methyl styrene can be distinguished by measurement of polymer density or partial specific volume. Density gradient ultracentrifugation has been shown to be a useful and sensitive technique for detecting such differences, but the results emphasize the necessity to use the method for comparative rather than absolute determination of the apparent specific volume ν 2 αa . Differences in ν 2 α of 0·0094 cm3/g between atactic and highly syndiotactic poly α-methyl styrene were observed in a benzene—bromoform gradient, but the use of a methyl cyclohexane-1-iodo-octane gradient was marred by excessive preferential adsorption. The variation of ν 2 α with molecular weight for atactic poly α-methyl styrene in toluene could be represented by ν 2 α = 0·880 + 40·1/ M .
A Banach Principle forl

Abstract For 1⩽ p L p Banach Principle relates a.e. convergence of a sequence of operators to the finiteness of a maximal function, and has had many important applications. For p =∞, the classical Banach principle has not been as effective. We give a formulation of an L ∞ Banach principle which can be used to establish a.e. convergence (or divergence) of a sequence of operators on L ∞ .
Cell-specific Expression and Regulation of a Glucokinase Gene Locus Transgene *

Abstract Transgenic mice containing one or more extra copies of the entire glucokinase (GK) gene locus were generated and characterized. The GK transgene, an 83-kilobase pair mouse genomic DNA fragment containing both promoter regions, was expressed and regulated in a cell-specific manner, and rescued GK null lethality when crossed into mice bearing a targeted mutation of the endogenous GK gene. Livers from the transgenic mice had elevated GK mRNA, protein, and activity levels, compared with controls, and the transgene was regulated in liver by dietary manipulations. The amount of GK immunoreactivity in hepatocyte nuclei, where GK binds to the GK regulatory protein, was also increased. Pancreatic islets displayed increased GK immunoreactivity and NAD(P)H responses to glucose, but only when isolated and cultured in 20 mm glucose, as a result of the hypoglycemic phenotype of these mice (Niswender, K. D., Shiota, M., Postic, C., Cherrington, A. D., and Magnuson, M. A. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 22604–22609). Together, these results indicate that the region of the gene from −55 to +28 kilobase pairs (relative to the liver GK transcription start site) contains all the regulatory sequences necessary for expression of both GK isoforms, thereby placing an upper limit on the size of the GK gene locus.
Granulocyte colony stimulating factor in neonatal alloimmune neutropenia: a possible association with induced thrombocytopenia.

Neonatal alloimmune neutropenia (NAIN) is a rare cause of congenital neutropenia seen in <1% of births. Significant morbidity, usually infections, may result from this disease. The pathophysiology of NAIN, mediated by maternal antibodies crossing the placenta to destroy fetal cells expressing paternal antigens, is similar to that of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, as well as Rh/ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn. The use of high-dose granulocyte colony stimulating factor in patients with NAIN may cause a reversible thrombocytopenia in some patients. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2010;54:1014–1016 © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dynamic mechanical behavior of stress-graphitized and boron-doped pyrolytic carbon

Stress graphitizing and boron codeposition effect on dynamic mechanical properties of pyrolytic carbon, noting increase in internal friction and dynamic modulus
Multiple-wavelength synthetic green laser source for speckle reduction

We demonstrate a frequency-converted green laser source simultaneously emitting three spectral lines with nearly equal intensity and ~ 0.5 nm separation, enabling a factor of √3 reduction of speckle contrast in pico-projector applications. The source consists of an external cavity 1060 nm diode laser pump with dual-wavelength reflection provided by a volume Bragg grating and a quasi-periodically poled MgO-doped lithium niobate waveguide engineered to phase-match multiple-wavelength frequency conversion. 62 mW output power and 33% conversion efficiency are demonstrated.
Linear perspective, pictorial depth perception and education among the Baganda.

A positive and significant relationship between the amount of formal education and the use of the linear perspective cue to pictorial depth perception was found among 523 Ss living in Uganda.
Studies on the safety of intrasplenic hepatocyte transplantation: relevance to ex vivo gene therapy and liver repopulation in acute hepatic failure.

ABSTRACT Hepatocytes transplanted into the host liver engraft promptly, retain normal function, and survive indefinitely. Although intrasplenic transplantation is effective in delivering hepatocytes to the liver, to define potentially limiting complications, we studied its safety in normal, cirrhotic, and partial portal vein-ligated rats. In normal rats, portal pressures increased severalfold after hepatocyte transplantation but returned to normal within 3 weeks. In contrast, in portal hypertensive rats with partial portal vein ligation or cirrhosis, portal pressures were either unchanged or increased less after hepatocyte transplantation. However, more transplanted cells migrated to the lungs along with a rise in right atrial pressures in portal hypertensive rats. Further quantitative studies using 111Indium-labeled hepatocytes showed that intrasplenic retention of transplanted hepatocytes was similar in all animal groups. Intrahepatic cell translocation was comparable in normal and cirrhotic rats, where...
Activities of Aromatase and 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase/Δ4-Δ5Isomerase in Whole Organ Cultures of Tissues from Developing Zebra Finches ☆

Abstract The hormonal basis for masculine song development in the zebra finch remains unidentified. To understand how steroids are differentially supplied to the brains of males and females to cause sexually dimorphic development of this behavior, we have studied the steroidogenic capability of zebra finch tissues during early development (1 to 8 days posthatching). Here, we report on the use of cultures of whole gonads, adrenals, and telencephalons to measure the activities of two steroidogenic enzymes: aromatase, the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of androgen to estrogen, and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/Δ4-Δ5isomerase (3β-HSD), the enzyme that converts pregnenolone into progesterone. We also examined the effect of cAMP on aromatase activity in these tissues as this intracellular second messenger has been shown previously to regulate aromatase in both central and peripheral tissues of other species. In untreated cultures, aromatase was detected at the highest levels in male and female telencephalon and in ovary. Dibutyryl (dB)-cAMP had no significant effect on aromatase activity in any tissue. However, after dB-cAMP treatment, estrogens were regularly detected in cultures of whole testes. Although this activity was relatively low when compared to total activity found in other tissues, due to the small size of the testes at this age of development, the specific activity (per milligram of protein) might be high enough to produce some estrogen. Adrenal aromatase was unconfirmed in the presence or absence of cAMP. 3β-HSD activity was undetected in brain but was detected in gonads and adrenals from all birds. There were no significant differences in gonadal or adrenal 3β-HSD activity between males and females. Although these data present the first evidence for testicular aromatase in the zebra finch, they provide no evidence to support a mechanism to generate a greater estrogenic signal in male zebra finches after hatching.
Abstract #3: APP Secretases As Therapeutic Targets for Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease, and post mortem studies show that 30% of TBI fatalities have amyloid- 2 (A 2 ) deposits. Remarkably, these deposits occur less than one day after injury. Not only does A 2 accumulate after TBI, but so do the necessary amyloid precursor protein (APP) enzymes responsible for A 2 production: BACE1 protein ( 2 -secretase) and the gamma-secretase complex protein presenilin-1 (PS-1). In order to understand the role of these secretases in brain trauma, we targeted 2 - and gamma-secretases with genetic knockout (BACE1−/−) and pharmacological inhibition (DAPT treatment) in an experimental model of TBI. We exposed WT and BACE1−/− mice and vehicle- and DAPT-treated C57/Bl6 mice to the controlled cortical impact model of TBI. In this model, an anesthetized animal has a 4 mm craniotomy performed on the central aspect of the left parietal bone. The impounder tip of the pneumatic injury device impacts the cortical surface at a moderate level (8.0 m/s velocity, 2 mm tissue deformation). This model induces both necrotic and apoptotic cell death, causing a brain lesion, and results in the development of behavioral deficits. Exposure to TBI resulted in accumulation of endogenous mouse A 2 within 1 day, with A 2 levels increased by almost 120% at day 3 before normalizing by day 7. As expected, the accumulation of A 2 corresponded with increased protein levels of APP, BACE1, and PS-1. We found that BACE1−/− and DAPT-treated mice had reduced motor deficits and decreased spatial memory impairments following trauma when compared to WT and Vehicle-treated mice. T2-weighted MRI analysis and histological assessment revealed that BACE−/− and DAPT treatment spared large areas of cortex and subcortical white matter tracks, reduced CA1 hippocampal neuron loss, and significantly reduced lesion size by 30% and >70%, respectively. Furthermore, DAPT treatment reduced endogenous A 2 levels by 25% following trauma. These data demonstrate that the APP secretases are important mediators of tissue loss following TBI, and that blocking either 2 - or gamma-secretases can ameliorate motor and cognitive deficits and reduce cell loss following experimental TBI. Thus, modulation of APP secretases may provide novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of TBI.
Regimes in Simple Systems

Abstract Dynamical systems possessing regimes are identified with those where the state space possesses two or more regions such that transitions of the state from either region to the other are rare. Systems with regimes are compared to those where transitions are impossible. A simple one-dimensional system where a variable is defined at N equally spaced points about a latitude circle, once thought not to possess regimes, is found to exhibit them when the external forcing F slightly exceeds its critical value F* for the appearance of chaos. Regimes are detected by examining extended time series of quantities such as total energy. A chain of k* fairly regular waves develops if F < F*, and F* is found to depend mainly upon the wavelength L* = N/k*, being greatest when L* is closest to a preferred length L0. A display of time series demonstrates how the existence and general properties of the regimes depend upon L*. The barotropic vorticity equation, when applied to an elongated rectangular region, exhibits...
Quantification of 5α‐Cholestane‐3β,5,6β‐triol and Other Cholesterol Oxidation Products in Fast Food French Fried Potatoes

Concerns about toxicity of cholesterol oxidation products (COPS) prompted this study. Two restaurants were selected which use animal-vegetable (A/V) shortening for deep-frying. The survey of COPS for 30 days indicated values for total COPS in French fried potatoes were 20 ± 9 ppm to 24 ± 6 ppm. 5α-Cholestane-3β,5,6β-triol (triol) was identified in French fried potatoes from one restaurant. The mean for triol was 9 ± 3 ppm. Triol, 7α-hydroxycholesterol, 7β-hydroxy-cholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol were confirmed by co-chromatography and mass spectrometry. Triol is one of the most potent of angiotoxic COPS. This and other studies suggested French fried potatoes and other deep fried foods cooked in A/V shortening are a major source of COPS.
Electronic-nose for detecting environmental pollutants: signal processing and analog front-end design

Environmental monitoring relies on compact, portable sensor systems capable of detecting pollutants in real-time. An integrated chemical sensor array system is developed for detection and identification of environmental pollutants in diesel and gasoline exhaust fumes. The system consists of a low noise floor analog front-end (AFE) followed by a signal processing stage. In this paper, we present techniques to detect, digitize, denoise and classify a certain set of analytes. The proposed AFE reads out the output of eight conductometric sensors and eight amperometric electrochemical sensors and achieves 91 dB SNR at 23.4 mW quiescent power consumption for all channels. We demonstrate signal denoising using a discrete wavelet transform based technique. Appropriate features are extracted from sensor data, and pattern classification methods are used to identify the analytes. Several existing pattern classification algorithms are used for analyte detection and the comparative results are presented.
Stochastic inversion of facies from seismic data based on sequential simulations and probability perturbation method

ABSTRACTWe presented a new methodology for seismic reservoir characterization that combined advanced geostatistical methods with traditional geophysical models to provide fine-scale reservoir models of facies and reservoir properties, such as porosity and net-to-gross. The methodology we proposed was a stochastic inversion where we simultaneously obtained earth models of facies, rock properties, and elastic attributes. It is based on an iterative process where we generated a set of models of reservoir properties by using sequential simulations, calculated the corresponding elastic attributes through rock-physics relations, computed synthetic seismograms and, finally, compared these synthetic results with the real seismic amplitudes. The optimization is a stochastic technique, the probability perturbation method, that perturbs the probability distribution of the initial realization and allows obtaining a facies model consistent with all available data through a relatively small number of iterations. The pr...
Out-of-body experiences associated with seizures

Alterations of consciousness are critical factors in the diagnosis of epileptic seizures. With these alterations in consciousness, some persons report sensations of separating from the physical body, experiences that may in rare cases resemble spontaneous out-of-body experiences. This study was designed to identify and characterize these out-of-body-like subjective experiences associated with seizure activity. Fifty-five percent of the patients in this study recalled some subjective experience in association with their seizures. Among our sample of 100 patients, 7 reported out-of-body experiences associated with their seizures. We found no differentiating traits that were associated with patients' reports of out-of-body experiences, in terms of either demographics; medical history, including age of onset and duration of seizure disorder, and seizure frequency; seizure characteristics, including localization, lateralization, etiology, and type of seizure, and epilepsy syndrome; or ability to recall any subjective experiences associated with their seizures. Reporting out-of-body experiences in association with seizures did not affect epilepsy-related quality of life. It should be noted that even in those patients who report out-of-body experiences, such sensations are extremely rare events that do not occur routinely with their seizures. Most patients who reported out-of-body experiences described one or two experiences that occurred an indeterminate number of years ago, which precludes the possibility of associating the experience with the particular characteristics of that one seizure or with medications taken or other conditions at the time.
The effect of moderate alcohol intake on serum apolipoproteins A-I and A-II. A controlled study.

High serum concentrations of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I are associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease. To study the effect of alcohol intake on serum apo A-I and A-II concentrations, 24 healthy male drinkers (37.8 ±13.9 mL [1.3 ±0.5 oz] of ethanol per day, mean±SD) were randomized into treatment and control groups after a three-week baseline period. The treatment group abstained from all intake of alcohol for the six weeks following randomization and then reverted to its usual level of intake for a five-week period. The control group continued its usual level of drinking throughout the trial. The concentrations of apo A-I and apo A-II of abstainers decreased significantly compared with the corresponding changes in controls. After drinking was resumed, apo A-I and apo A-II concentrations were significantly increased in the treatment group compared with the corresponding changes in the control group. These results suggest that the association between moderate alcohol intake and reduced risk of coronary heart disease may be mediated in part by increased levels of serum apo A-I or apo A-II, or both. ( JAMA 1985;253:2854-2857)
Attitudinal Gains across Multiple Universities Using the Physics and Everyday Thinking Curriculum.

Instructional techniques based on research in cognitive science and physics education have been used in physics courses to enhance student learning. While dramatic increases in conceptual understanding have been observed, students enrolled in these courses tend to move away from scientistlike views of the discipline and toward novicelike views, as measured by various assessment instruments. It has been proposed that course materials and instruction that explicitly address epistemology, the nature of science, and the nature of learning science will help students develop views more closely aligned with the views of scientists. The Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum has specific goals for helping nonscience majors explicitly reflect on the nature of science and the nature of learning science. We show that in PET courses with small and large enrollments, shifts toward expert responses ranged from $+4%$ to $+16.5%$ on the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey. These results are compared to results from other studies using a variety of similar assessment instruments.
Many irrelevant evils: a response to the Bayesian problem of evil

Robert Bass argues that the evidential problem of evil can be strengthened by the application of a Bayesian conditionalization argument. I argue that, whatever the merits of Bayesian conditionalization arguments, they are unsuccessful in substantiating the evidential problem of evil because the problem of evil doesn’t meet the necessary conditions for applying the formula informatively. I offer two examples to show that a successful application of the Bayesian formula must pass two tests, the competency test and the connection test. I then show that the problem of evil passes neither, and is therefore not strengthened by the Bayesian analysis. I conclude that Bass’s reformulated argument poses no substantive threat to theism.
A 31-year-old woman with a transformed low-grade glioma.

Low-grade gliomas in adults have an incidence of 0.8 to 1.2 per 100 000, and their causes are unknown. Despite their histological classification as low-grade, they cannot be cured by any current treatment mode, and no class I evidence exists to guide initial treatment of these tumors. Median survival ranges between 7.5 years and 10 years, with a 5-year survival probability between 55% and 86%. The prognosis depends on age, World Health Organization (WHO) tumor grade, Karnofsky performance score, cytological type (oligodendroglioma vs astrocytoma), and, potentially, the extent of resection. Oligodendrogliomas with loss of heterozygosity on chromosomes 1p and 19q have a distinctly more favorable prognosis and therapeutic response rate. Low-grade tumors progress to high-grade gliomas with aggressive biological behavior at increasing frequency with advancing age. Ms P is a young woman with a previously treated oligodendroglioma, WHO grade II, with loss of heterozygosity on chromosomes 1p and 19q, which at a third resection had transformed into an oligodendroglioma of WHO grade III. She wants to know her current and future therapeutic options.
Obesity across the lifespan among persons with spina bifida

Purpose. Identify risk factors for obesity across the lifespan for individuals with spina bifida.Methods. Cross sectional chart review study of 203 patients aged 6–58 years. Obesity was based on body mass index. Rates were calculated for children aged 6–11 years; adolescents aged 12–19 years and adults aged > 20 years. Chi-square analyses were used to determine differences in obesity rates among subgroups. An ordered logistic regression model was developed for the three age groups to estimate the probability of a change in BMI classification from normal weight to overweight or overweight to obese, controlling for sex, functional motor level, shunt status and insurance status.Results. Obesity rates for children, adolescents and adults were 18, 8 and 37%, respectively. Obesity rates were higher among adults (χ2 = 27, p < 0.01) and for individuals who were publicly insured (χ2 = 7.2, p < 0.03). The ordered regression model for children demonstrated no independent association between sex, shunt status, functi...
THE METABOLISM OF I131-LABELLED THYROID HORMONES IN THE HYPOPHYSIS AND BRAIN OF THE RABBIT1

The distribution and metabolism of thyroid hormones in the brains and the hypophyses of normal rabbits was determined after intravenous administration of I131-labelled triiodothyronine or thyroxine. Triiodothyronine concentrated in the gray matter of the brain, principally in the region of the paraventricular nucleus and the median eminence, and, more heavily, in the hypophyseal lobes. The pattern of distribution of thyroxine was similar, but concentration was much less intense. Very little activity was detected in the adenohypophysis, although the existence of an extravascular thyroxine space there was determined. Triiodothyronine rapidly left the plasma, but uptake in the tissues was slower, reaching a peak after about two hours. This pattern of concentration in time may have been dependent on the formation of a previously postulated plasma-triiodothyronine complex as a precursor of the tissue triiodothyronine. It resulted in high concentration gradients between tissues and plasma. Levels as high as 75:...
Experimental investigation of beryllium-based multilayer coatings for extreme ultraviolet lithography

The performance of beryllium-based multilayer coatings designed to reflect light of wavelengths near 11 nm, at normal incidence, is presented. These multilayer coatings are of special interest for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). The beryllium-based multilayers investigated were Mo/Be, Ru/Be and a new material combination Mo,CiBe. The highest reflectivity achieved so far is 70% at 11.3 mn with 70 bilayers of Mo/Be. However, even though high reflectivity is very important, there are other parameters to satisfy the requirements for an EUVL production tool. Multilayer stress, thermal stability, radiation stability and long term reflectance stability are of equal or greater importance. An experimental characterization of several coatings was carried out to determine the reflectivity, stress, microstructure, and long term stability of these coatings. Theoretically calculated reflectivities are compared with experimental results for different material pairs; differences between experimental and theoretical reflectivities and bandwidths are addressed. Keywords: Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, reflective coatings, multilayer deposition, beryllium.