cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of 5'-nucleotidase activity of human leukemic cells after fractionation: implications for cancer and aging.

Previous studies reported that 5'-nucleotidase activity was undetectable or at much lower levels in the homogenate of human chronic lymphocytic leukemic (CCL) cells than in normal lymphocytes. In the present study, 5'-nucleotidase specific activity in acute myelocytic leukemia (AML), which varied in a range from undetectable to 1.4 (nmoles/min.mg protein), was enhanced by cell fractionation, from undetectable in the homogenate, up to 18.8 +/- 1.2, 6.4 +/- 0.7 and 0.68 +/- 0.12 in plasma membranes, microsomes, and cytosol fraction, respectively. In a further fractionation of the cytosol of various leukemic cells with ammonium sulfate, 5'-nucleotidase specific activity increased up to 14-fold in the 60% (NH4)2SO4 fraction, with a recovery of 1266 +/- 115%. These data suggest that 5'-nucleotidase activity in fractionated leukemic cells is higher than reported previously and that the sum of 5'-nucleotidase activity in subcellular compartments is higher than that detected in the homogenate. Furthermore, even when 5'-nucleotidase was undetectable in a homogenate, it became detectable in the plasma membranes, suggesting that its ecto-enzyme function is still active in leukemic cells. The undetectable or low 5'-nucleotidase in the homogenate is indicative of (1) the enzyme itself being in an inactive form but becoming active after the fractionations, or (2) the presence of a factor(s) that prevents the enzyme from being detected but that is separated from the enzyme by the fractionations. In both cases, the rate of nucleotide catabolism by inactive 5'-nucleotidase in rapidly proliferating leukemic cells should be slower than when the enzyme is active. The present finding is consistent with our previous findings that during normal cell aging the high 5'-nucleotidase activity is associated with senescent non-proliferating cells but low or undetectable activity with rapidly proliferating immortal cells. The implications of 5'-nucleotidase for DNA synthesis in aging and cancer are discussed.
Topographically-induced mesoscale motions in antitriptically balanced barotropic flow

The dynamic processes within a steady viscous incompressible barotropic fluid interacting with an isolated mesoscale obstacle are studied. The topography is allowed to disrupt a variety of antitriptically balanced background states. Localized forcing and damping results when the mean balanced state is upset. A mesoscale antitriptic pressure gradient of a trough (ridge) is shown to enhance lee side confluence if positioned just upstream (downstream) of the topographical center. Repositioning the trough (ridge) downstream (upstream) yields solutions similar to those obtained with an enhanced frictional drag. Comparisons are made against solutions obtained from calculations with constant frictional drag under mesoscale flow conditions, i.e., the Rossby number is near unity. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0870.1986.tb00469.x
Male Adolescent Rites of Passage: Positive Visions of Multiple Developmental Pathways

Unlike the separation-based, stereotyped views of boys' developmental movement into adulthood, this paper will argue that there are more modern and relational models, as well as multiple pathways, for young males to journey through such rites of passage. Indeed, it will be suggested and supported by both qualitative and quantitative data that the more classic models depend on a "boy code" of traumatic separation from mother and the feminine, a process that is not only negative rather than positive in its developmental trajectory, but also likely to create a premature traumatic separation, leaving boys at risk for emotional maladjustment, everyday sadness, increased incidence of depression and the potential for violence toward the self, suicide, as well as violence toward others. More-positive visions and versions of male rites of passage will be posited and described. The definition of emotional "resilience" during this significant period will be re-addressed as one of "healthy vulnerability," sustained through connection to loving adults, rather than a classic belief in stoicism and release from relational ties. Attachment theory will be brought to bear and the desperate yearnings of adolescent males not only for connection to adult mentors, but also for non-romanticized friendships with adolescent females, will be discussed. Finally, the understanding and substitution of these new, more positive, developmental pathways will be linked to the prevention of violence.
Estimating permanent and transitory income elasticities of education spending from panel data

Abstract We use a twenty-one year panel of data to examine the role of past income and aid, and expectations of future income, in regressions explaining state and local education spending. We show that simple estimates of the elasticity of spending with respect to financial resources are not robust to specification changes because the variables are non-stationary over time, causing inconsistent estimation of model parameters. Estimation in first differences (or equivalently, in growth rates) solves the time-series problems and produces robust estimates of the model's parameters. We then show that current spending by states responds to changes in expected future income. This explains why using fixed effects in simpler models reduces estimated income elasticities; fixed effects partially capture permanent income effects on spending. Estimates of lagged income are significant when used in models that do not explicitly model the expectations process, but present and past aid both have no effect on education spending. Models with structural assumptions about expected income produce estimates very similar to simpler models which include lagged information on income as a control variable. We conclude with recommendations for estimating models when only cross-section data or only short panels are available.
Modifications of human βA1/βA3-crystallins include S-methylation, glutathiolation, and truncation

Disulfide bonding of lens crystallins contributes to the aggregation and insolubilization of these proteins that leads to cataract. A high concentration of reduced glutathione is believed to be key in preventing oxidation of crystallin sulfhydryls to form disulfide bonds. This protective role is decreased in aged lenses because of lower glutathione levels, especially in the nucleus. We recently found that human γ-crystallins undergo S-methylation at exposed cysteine residues, a reaction that may prevent disulfide bonding. We report here that βA1/A3-crystallins are also methylated at specific cysteine residues and are the most heavily methylated of the human lens crystallins. Among the methylated sites, Cys 64, Cys 99, and Cys 167 of βA1-crystallin, methylation at Cys 99 is highest. Cys 64 and Cys 99 are also glutathiolated, even in a newborn lens. These post-translational modifications of the exposed cysteines may be important for maintaining the crystallin structure required for lens transparency. Previously unreported N-terminal truncations were also found.
Electrochemistry of Nickel and Copper β-Octahalogeno-meso-tetraarylporphyrins. Evidence for Important Role Played by Saddling-Induced Metal(dx2-y2)−Porphyrin(“a2u”) Orbital Interactions

This is an electrochemical study of the Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes of a series of β-octahalogeno-meso-tetrakis(p-X-phenyl)porphyrins, M[Y8T(p-X-P)P] (M = Ni, Cu; Y = Cl, Br; X = CH3, H, F, Br, COOMe, CF3, NO2). We have analyzed the oxidation and reduction potentials by means of the Hammett equation. The Ni and Cu series exhibit significant differences in electrochemical behavior in terms of the absolute values of the redox potentials and substituent effects. DFT calculations suggest that these differences may be ascribed to differences in saddling-induced metal(dx2-y2)−porphyrin(a2u) orbital interaction between the Ni and Cu porphyrins.
Isotone relations and the fixed point property for posets

A strengthened form of the fixed point property for posets is presented, in which isotone functions are replaced by more general isotone relations. For finite posets, this 'relational fixed point property' turns out to be equivalent to dismantlability. But an example shows that not every infinite poset with the relational fixed point property is dismantlable. Applications to quotients and direct products are given.
A New School of Ocean Technology at the Marine Institute

The oceans have always played a significant role in the economy of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The traditional fishing activities have broadened over the years to now include marine transportation, recreation, ocean observation and science and offshore oil & gas activity. While the types of activity have broadened, the need for training to work safely and effectively in the ocean environment has remained consistently important throughout the years. That driver led to the creation of the Marine Institute in St. John's over forty years ago. The Marine Institute has grown significantly over the years and in 1992, it was incorporated within the structure of Memorial University. The Marine Institute now stands as North America's most comprehensive institute dedicated to education, training, applied research and industrial support in ocean industries. The Marine Institute is now poised to make another significant leap as it establishes a new School of Ocean Technology to complement the existing Schools of Maritime Studies and Fisheries. This paper will describe how, through a realignment of existing programs and expertise, coupled with the establishment of new programs and resources, the School of Ocean Technology will be developed to become a focal point for education, training, and applied research and development in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Modeling the long-term frequency distribution of regional ozone concentrations using synthetic meteorology.

A new method is developed to generate the meteorological input fields required for use with photochemical airshed models that seek to predict the effect of pollutant emissions on the long-term frequency distribution of peak O_3 concentrations. Instead of using meteorological fields derived from interpolation of direct weather observations, this method uses synthetically generated meteorological data. These synthetic meteorological fields are created by first constructing a semi-Markov process that generates a time series of large-scale synoptic weather conditions that statistically resemble the occurrence and persistence of synoptic weather patterns during specific months of the year. Then for each day within each synoptic weather category, local weather variables indicative of the meteorological potential for ozone formation are drawn from the approximated joint distribution of the summation of three pressure gradients across the airshed and the 850 mb temperature measured in the early morning. The synthetic initial conditions are combined with boundary values that are extracted from historical days that match the chosen synoptic class, temperature, and pressure gradient values as closely as possible for use in a prognostic mesoscale meteorological model. The prognostic mesoscale meteorological model generates the meteorological input fields necessary for the photochemical airshed model. The airshed model driven by synthetically generated meteorological data is executed for a 31 day period that statistically resembles weather during the month of August in Southern California using pollutant emissions data from the year 1987. The procedure produced a frequency of occurrence of peak 8 h average ozone concentrations that compared well both to that produced by the deterministic model as well as to the O_3 concentrations observed over the August months of the years 1984−1990.
Relationship between patient reports of urinary incontinence symptoms and quality of life measures.

Abstract Objective: To determine if patient reports of urinary incontinence symptoms can predict quality of life as measured by the short forms of the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire and the Urogenital Distress Inventory, two standardized, disease-specific instruments. Methods: Telephone surveys were conducted of 384 community dwelling incontinent women, aged 60 years and older, who admitted to at least one episode of incontinence per week during the previous 3 months. Subjects were asked if they considered the incontinence a problem, as well as questions regarding volume and frequency of voids and urine loss. Each subject completed both standardized quality of life questionnaires. Responses to incontinence symptom questions were correlated with the standardized measures. Results: The question, “Do you consider this accidental loss of urine a problem that interferes with your day-to-day activities or bothers you in other ways?” was the best predictor of the subject’s responses to both quality-of-life measures, with a correlation coefficient of 0.69 for the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire and 0.67 for the Urogenital Distress Inventory. The patients’ symptoms that best correlated with both quality of life measures and the report of bothersome incontinence were frequent episodes of incontinence (0.40–0.58), greater amounts of urine loss (0.26–0.54), and more frequent voids (0.24–0.41). Conclusion: Primary care practitioners may screen for problematic incontinence by asking if patients’ incontinence is bothersome to them and by obtaining simple historic information on voiding and leaking patterns. These questions may provide an efficient tool to detect bothersome incontinence in older women.
DNA synthesis in a Chlorella-like alga following infection with the virus PBCV-1

Infection of the unicellular, eukaryotic Chlorella-like alga NC64A by the large dsDNA virus, PBCV-1, resulted in a threefold increase in total DNA by 4 hr post infection. Viral infection rapidly inhibited host DNA synthesis which was followed by the degradation of the host chloroplast and nuclear DNA. Viral DNA synthesis began 30 to 40 min after infection and was dependent on de novo protein synthesis. Thus, the virus does not carry all of the components required to form a functional viral DNA polymerase into the cell.
Clofibrate-induced low density lipoprotein elevation therapeutic implications and treatment by colestipol resin☆

Abstract Plasma lipid and lipoprotein responses to clofibrate were assessed in fifteen hypertriglyceridemic patients for the purpose of ascertaining low-density lipoprotein (LDL) changes. Subjects were grouped into either Type IV (11) or IIB (4) subgroups according to initial LDL level. Clofibrate was without effect on LDL in the IIB group, but consistent, often large, elevations were noted in Type IV cases (mean increase, 37.6%, P In the IIB subgroup, addition of the bile-acid sequestrant, colestipol, lowered LDL (27.8%, P P P > 0.05). Significant LDL elevations induced by clofibrate in three of six subjects were restored to initial levels. In both groups, triglycerides and very-low density lipoproteins (VLDL) were not affected. The efficacy of colestipol in reducing LDL levels, expressed as either absolute or percentage reductions, increased as a function of increasing post-clofibrate LDL concentration ( r = 0.84, P The reported ineffectiveness of clofibrate on mortality and morbidity in patients with established coronary heart disease might be related to elevations and infrequent reductions of LDL. From the perspective of lipoprotein lowering, the combination with colestipol appears more favorable.
Measurement of Importance in a Student Satisfaction Questionnaire: Comparison of the Direct and Indirect Methods for Establishing Attribute Importance:

Student dissatisfaction with certain aspects of college has been linked to attrition. Some developers of satisfaction surveys contend that in addition to satisfaction ratings, the questionnaire should contain an importance scale because dissatisfaction with the less important aspects of college is not as problematic as dissatisfaction with the more important aspects. Critics of importance ratings argue that they are unnecessary because respondents implicitly consider the importance of an attribute when formulating their satisfaction judgment. It may be possible to keep the length of the questionnaire shorter and still infer the importance of the attributes by examining the correlations between attributes and the measure of overall satisfaction. The attributes with the higher correlations with overall satisfaction are thought to be more important than attributes with low correlations with overall satisfaction. Questions remain about whether the relationship between importance and satisfaction exists and whether it is linear or non-linear in nature. The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) the type of relationship that exists between satisfaction and importance in a student satisfaction survey; and 2) the interchangeability of the direct and the inferred means of assessing attribute importance. It was found that in a student satisfaction survey, the relationship between satisfaction and importance is nonlinear. Attributes with very high or very low satisfaction are rated as more important than attributes with middle levels of satisfaction. The direct method of measuring importance was compared to three indirect methods (i.e., based on satisfaction). The three
Identification of Active Site Residues in the “GyrA” Half of Yeast DNA Topoisomerase II

Site-directed mutagenesis was carried out at 10 highly conserved polar residues within the C-terminal half of yeast DNA topoisomerase II, which corresponds to the A subunit of bacterial DNA gyrase, to identify amino acid side chains that augment the active site tyrosine Tyr-782 in the breakage and rejoining of DNA strands. Complementation tests show that alanine substitution at Arg-690, Asp-697, Lys-700, Arg-704, or Arg-781, but not at His-735, His-736, Glu-738, Gln-750, or Asn-828, inactivates the enzyme in vivo. Measurements of DNA relaxation and cleavage by purified mutant enzymes show that these activities are abolished in the R690A mutant and are much reduced in the mutants D697A, K700A, R704A, and R781A. When a Y782F polypeptide with a phenylalanine substituting for the active site tyrosine was expressed in cells that also express the R690A polypeptide, the resulting heterodimeric yeast DNA topoisomerase II was found to nick plasmid DNA. Thus in a dimeric wild-type enzyme, Tyr-782 in one protomer and Arg-690 in the other cooperate intrans in the catalysis of DNA cleavage. For the residues D697A, K700A, R704A, and R781A, their locations in the crystal structures of type II DNA topoisomerase fragments suggest that Arg-781 and Lys-700 might be involved in anchoring the 5′ and 3′ sides of the broken DNA, respectively, and the roles of Asp-697 and Arg-704 are probably less direct.
Pricing Mortgage-Backed Securities: Integrating Optimal Call and Empirical Models of Prepayment

Residential mortgage borrowers frequently appear to behave suboptimally with respect to their mortgage prepayment options. Many borrowers fail to exercise even well-into-the-money options while others prepay when the call option is out-of-the-money. To account for these apparently suboptimal prepayments, the recent trend in mortgage-backed securities research has been away from optimal call valuation models, in which the decision to exercise is determined endoge-nously, in favor of models in which prepayment behavior is exogenously specified based on empirical estimation. This paper develops a rational model of mortgage prepayment which incorporates both types of “non-optimal” prepayment and retains endogenous call. This enables the model to disentangle and compare the separate effects of the interest rate call, impeded by transaction costs, and of non-interest-rate driven prepayment. In addition, by recognizing heterogenous borrower transaction costs, the model presents a way to account more precisely for the varying prepayment lags associated with well-into-the-money call options and to account for the phenomenon of “burnout” within a mortgage pool. The paper includes an empirical test of the unbiasedness of the integrated pricing model by comparing simulated prices from our theoretical model to observed prices on traded Fannie Mae and GNMA securities.
Alcohol dehydrogenase 2*3 affects alterations in offspring facial morphology associated with maternal ethanol intake in pregnancy.

Background: Ethanol intake during pregnancy alters offspring facial morphology. However, significant variation that may be due to genetic diversity in ethanol metabolizing enzymes occurs. The alcohol dehydrogenase 1B*3 (ADH1B*3) allele is protective for offspring developmental outcome after maternal alcohol drinking in pregnancy and may explain the spectrum of facial morphology. Methods: Faces of infants with known ADH1B genotype, whose mothers’ADH1B genotypes and ethanol intake were determined during pregnancy, were photographed using uniform procedures. Photographs were scanned and the inner canthal distance, palpebral fissure length, and distance from the bridge of the nose to the bottom of the upper lip were measured by an investigator who was blinded to genotype and ethanol exposure. Results: Among 247 photographed infants, each facial measurement varied >2-fold. Median absolute ethanol daily intake was 0.5 oz among mothers who reported drinking in the periconceptional period (N= 173) and 0.17 oz among mothers who reported drinking before the first prenatal visit (N= 62). Controlling for the amount of maternal ethanol intake just before the first prenatal visit and infant sex, the three-way interaction among the absence of a maternal and offspring ADH1B*3 allele and the presence of ethanol consumption just before the first prenatal visit was associated with smaller facial measurements (p= 0.002, MANCOVA). Conclusions: These are the first observations of a significant gene–environment interaction explaining variation in facial morphology associated with ethanol use in pregnancy. This positive effect of ADH1B*3 is consistent with its known positive effect on offspring birth weight and developmental outcome after in utero ethanol exposure.
Idiopathic hypercalciuria and bone health

Calcium is an important participant in many physiologic processes including coagulation, cell membrane transfer, hormone release, neuromuscular activation, and myocardial contraction. The body cooperates in a sophisticated web of hormonally mediated interactions to maintain stable extracellular calcium levels. Calcium is vital for skeletal mineralization, and perturbations in extracellular calcium may be corrected at the expense of bone strength and integrity. The aim of this review is to delineate our current understanding of idiopathic hypercalciuria in the context of bone health, specifically its definition, etiology, epidemiology, laboratory evaluation, and potential therapeutic management.
Parasitic arthropods of sympatric meadow voles and white-footed mice at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

Abstract : Twelve species of parasitic arthropods (one sucking louse, two fleas, one tick, and eight mites) wire recovered from 51 meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus (Ord); whereas nine species (one sucking louse, one bot, three fleas, one tick, and three mites) were collected from 48 white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus (Rafinesque), live-trapped on the grounds of Fort Detrick, Frederick County, Md., during 1990 and 1991. The most commonly collected arthropods from M. pennsylvanicus were the fur mite, Listrophorus mexicanus Fain (approx. 2,720 specimens); the tropical rat mite, Ornithonyssus bacoti (Hirst) (987); the laelapid mites, Laelaps kochi Oudemans (733) and Androlaelaps fahrenholzi (Berlese) (322); the sucking louse, Hoplopleura acanthopus (Burmeister) (121); the tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (47); and the chigger mite, Neotrombicula whartoni (Ewing) (45). Arthropod densities were lower on P. leucopus, from which the most frequently recorded species were the sucking louse, Hoplopleura hesperomydis (Osborn) (98 specimens); the fleas, Epitedia wenmanni (Rothschild) (85) and Orchopeas leucopus (Baker) (61); and the mite, A. fahrenholzi (83). Although six species of arthropods parasitized both species of rodents, only two of these, A. fahrenholzi and D. variabilis, were relatively common on both hosts. Therefore, although the habitats of both host species partially overlap, their associated parasitic arthropods remain principally host specific. The potential significance of these findings with respect to vector- borne disease transmission is discussed.... Arthropoda, Parasites, Small mammals, Maryland.
Social Attachments in Autistic Children

Social responses of young autistic children to separation from and reunion with their caregivers did not differ from the social responses to similar situations of young mentally retarded nonautistic children. Most autistic children directed more social behaviors to their caregivers than to strangers and increased their preferential behavior after separation. Individual differences in social responses were not associated with the level of representational skills shown by the autistic children.
Functional assays are mandatory for a correct prediction of immunotoxic properties of compounds in vitro.

An increasing aim in safety assessment of chemicals and drugs is to reduce, refine and replace animal testing, especially in the context of the new system for the registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals (REACH). Regarding immunosuppression, most methods are based on mitogen stimulation assays. To our knowledge the in vitro antibody response (Mishell–Dutton culture) has never been considered as an alternative to the existing animal tests nor has its potential of correctly predicting different immunosuppressant compounds been analyzed. Therefore, we designed a study comprising seven immunosuppressant and four negative compounds and compared the results to data obtained from rat mitogen stimulation experiments (analysis of proliferation, TNFα and IFNγ release). The in vitro antibody response showed a high sensitivity and specificity. It is a promising assay for the prediction of immunosuppressive properties of chemicals and drugs, whereas the results from rat spleen cell mitogen stimulation assays were rather poor in respect thereof. Mitogen stimulation assays are restricted to certain cell types and the chosen endpoints, while any compound-induced alteration is likely to be detected in a functional assay like the in vitro antibody response, when several immunocompetent cells have to cooperate to result in the humoral response analyzed.
Control of iron nitride layers growth kinetics in the binary Fe-N system

This study is within the framework of a research program dedicated to defining the optimal conditions for the nitriding of iron and steels at atmospheric pressure by using various mixtures, NH3-N2-H2 and NH3-Ar. After studying the mechanisms of phase formation and mass transfer at the gas-solid interface, a mathematical model is developed in order to predict the nitrogen transfer rate in the solid, the nitride layer growth rate, and the nitrogen concentration profiles. In order to validate the model and to show its possibilities, it is compared with thermogravimetric experiments, analyses, and metallurgical observations (X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and electron microprobe anal-ysis). The results obtained allow us to demonstrate the sound correlation between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions. By applying the model to the iron-nitrogen binary system, when the e/γ/α configuration referred to the Fe-N phase diagram is formed, we have experimentally determined the effective diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in the e phase. The latter is constant for a composition of the e nitride between 8 and 9.5 wt pct nitrogen. All the results obtained show that it is possible, by means of dynamic gas flow regulation, to eliminate the incubation period and to control the thickness, composition, and structure of the compound layer at the beginning of the treatment.
Preferential blood flow to brainstem during generalized seizures in the newborn marmoset monkey

Abstract The effect of generalized seizures on local cerebral blood flow was studied autoradiographically in 21 immature marmoset monkeys, using either [ 123 I]- or [ 131 I]isopropyliodoamphetamine. Generalized convulsions were induced in ketamine-anesthetized and awake monkeys with bicuculline and continued for 4–59 min. During convulsions in marmosets less than 3 weeks of age, there was a striking rearrangement of blood flow in favor of the brainstem pontomedullary region. The ratios of blood flow in pons-medulla to blood flow in cerebral cortex, putamen, ventroposterior thalamic nuclei, lateral geniculate nuclei, cerebellum and hemispheric white matter increased1/12 to 2 timescompared to controls. In seizure animals 4–8 weeks of age, the redistribution of blood flow to brainstem did not occur. Although metabolic acidosis developed after 30 min of bicuculline-induced seizures, mean arterial blood pressure, temperature, arterial pO 2 and pCO 2 did not differ significantly from controls, indicating that hypoxemia, hypercapnia and hypotension cannot explain the altered cerebral blood flow pattern. The redistribution phenomenon could be explained by more hronounced vasodilatation in brainstem than many other brain regions during generalized seizures in newborn monkeys. Lack of significant vasodilatation in forebrain structures such as cerebral cortex could contribute to neuronal damage by limiting substrate supply at a time of increased metabolic activity.
An Overview of Methods for Developing Bioenergetic and Life History Models for Rare and Endangered Species

Abstract Many fish species are at risk to some degree, and conservation efforts are planned or underway to preserve sensitive populations. For many imperiled species, models could serve as useful tools for researchers and managers as they seek to understand individual growth, quantify predator-prey dynamics, and identify critical sources of mortality. Development and application of models for rare species however, has been constrained by small population sizes, difficulty in obtaining sampling permits, limited opportunities for funding, and regulations on how endangered species can be used in laboratory studies. Bioenergetic and life history models should help with endangered species-recovery planning since these types of models have been used successfully in the last 25 years to address management problems for many commercially and recreationally important fish species. In this paper we discuss five approaches to developing models and parameters for rare species. Borrowing model functions and parameters ...
THROUGH AIR DRYING UNDER COMMERCIAL CONDITIONS

A mathematical model describing the convective heat and mass transfer during through air drying of paper under commercial air temperature and flow conditions is reported. The model takes into accou...
Isolation from Penicillium gilmanii of a substance that causes leucocytosis in rabbits.

SummaryA compound, chromatographi-cally homogeneous, was isolated from the metabolic products of P. gilmanii. This compound when injected into rabbits in quantities of from 0.001 μg to 10 μg per kg causes a leucocytosis without a concurrent increase in body temperature. The material is not toxic to mice when injected in milligram quantities. Preliminary analysis suggests a minimum molecular formula of C18H29-31NO9. The compound is apparently an enol, hence the name Leucogenenol is suggested for the compound.
Saturation intensity for ultrashort-pulse X-ray laser schemes

Analytic expressions are obtained for the saturation intensity in X-ray laser schemes based on short-pulse high-intensity drivers. For field-ionized plasma schemes, the specific mean saturation intensityJsat is time independent and depends only on atomic transition probabilities, level degeneracies, and transition energies. The analytic expression is found to be in good agreement with a detailed numerical calculation. Integrating over space and frequency gives a saturation intensityIsat of order 2 × 1011 W/cm2 for lasing in Li-like Ne at 98 A. The low input energy requirements for this scheme (< 1 J), associated with using a confocal geometry, give energy efficiencies of order 10−6 and greater. For inner-shell photo-ionization schemes, an accurate expression for a time-dependent saturation intensity is obtained. This scheme is calculated to have high saturation intensities,Isat ≈ 1013 W/cm2, at short wavelengths (5–15 A). The requirement of a line focus geometry leads to higher input energies (≥5 J) and the short duration of lasing (≤50 fs) results in lower energy efficiencies (≈ 10−7). Repetition rates are important in determining appropriate applications for both schemes.
Varying degrees of susceptibility of inbred strains of rats to N-2-fluorenyldiacetamide hepatic carcinogenesis☆

Marshall, Buffalo, ACI, and Fischer strains of male rats 12 weeks of age ingested 0.025% N-2-fluorenyldiacetamide in a semisynthetic diet. Fischer and ACI strain male rats were most susceptible to the development of carcinomas and cirrhosis of the liver and also had the highest incidence of metastases. There were more carcinomas per liver, larger carcinomas, more poorly differentiated and undifferentiated carcinomas, as well as more advanced cirrhosis. Buffalo strain male rats were susceptible, but less so, to hepatic carcinogenesis and cirrhosis. Rats of that strain had hepatic carcinomas that were fewer in number per liver, not as large in size, and better differentiated, i.e., well differentiated. By contrast, Marshall strain male rats were the least susceptible to hepatic carcinogenesis and cirrhosis.
Contrast-enhanced MRI with new biodegradable macromolecular Gd(III) complexes in tumor-bearing mice.

The structures of polydisulfide-based biodegradable macromolecular Gd(III) complexes were modified to improve their in vivo retention time and MRI contrast enhancement. Steric hindrance was introduced around the disulfide bonds to control their access to free thiols in order to alter the degradation rate of the copolymers. Two new macromolecular agents, (Gd-DTPA)-cystine copolymers (GDCP) and (Gd-DTPA)-cystine diethyl ester copolymers (GDCEP), were prepared. Both agents were readily degraded in vitro and in vivo by the disulfide-thiol exchange reaction, but at a slow rate. The introduction of COOH and COOEt groups slowed down the degradation of the copolymers in the incubation with 15 μM cysteine. Metabolic degradation products were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry in the urine samples from rats injected with the agents. The T1 relaxivity (r1) was 5.43 mM−1s−1 for GDCP, and 5.86 mM−1s−1 for GDCEP, respectively, at 3T. MRI contrast enhancement of both agents was studied in nude mice bearing MDA-BM-231 human breast carcinoma xenografts, on a Siemens Trio 3T scanner. The modified agents resulted in more significant contrast enhancement in the blood pool and tumor periphery than (Gd-DTPA)-cystamine copolymers (GDCC) and a low-molecular-weight control agent, Gd-(DTPA-BMA), at a dose of 0.1 mmol-Gd/kg. The results demonstrate that the structural modification of the biodegradable macromolecular Gd(III) complexes resulted in a relatively slow degradation of the macromolecules and significantly improved in vivo contrast enhancement. The modified agents show promise for use in investigations of blood pool and cancer by contrast-enhanced (CE) MRI. Magn Reson Med 53:835–842, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Co-overexpression of Janus kinase 2 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5a promotes differentiation of mammary cancer cells through reversal of epithelial–mesenchymal transition

Signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) 5 appears to play a vital role in prolactin (PRL)-induced cell differentiation and normal mammary gland development. We previously showed that PRL-activated Stat5a induced expression of E-cadherin-beta-catenin complex in vitro and in xenotransplant tumors in vivo led to inhibition of breast cancer invasion. In the present study, we show that human breast cancer cells co-overexpressing Stat5a and its tyrosine kinase (Jak) 2 cultured in three-dimensional (3D) Matrigel culture demonstrate changes consistent with induction of mesenchymal-epithelial redifferentiation. Jak2 and Stat5a-co-overexpressing cells treated with cocktail (PRL, dexamethasone, and insulin), effectively reverse epithelial-mesenchymal transition by stimulating 3D organoids more reminiscent of the acinar growth of normal mammary epithelial cells, compared with cells overexpressing only Stat5a or Jak2. In contrast, dominant-negative dominant-negative-Stat5 blocks 3D organoid formation, causing cells to grow in layers instead. Hyperactivation of Jak2 and Stat5a in T-47D cells induces alveolar-like structures, mamospheres, with marked lumen formation through central apoptosis and restores a polarized epithelial phenotype. However, Jak2 and Stat5a overexpression in BT-20 cells induces partially differentiated 3D organoids with no central lumen, but effectively re-expresses estrogen receptor alpha. Jak2 and Stat5a-induced 3D differentiated organoids are accompanied by increased expression of E-cadherin, zonula occludens-1, and cytokeratins 8 and 18, and decreased levels of vimentin and Snail, indicating a shift from a mesenchymal phenotype toward an epithelial phenotype. Collectively, Jak2 and Stat5a co-overexpression cooperatively reverses epithelial-mesenchymal transition and promotes differentiation in human breast cancer cells, which may provide a mechanism to explain the invasive suppressor role of PRL-activated Stat5a in mammary cancer cells.
Effect of surface oxygen containing groups on the catalytic activity of multi-walled carbon nanotube supported Pt catalyst

Abstract Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) supported platinum catalysts were employed to study the support functionalization on their catalytic performances. The MWNT were subjected to HNO 3 functionalization, in which oxygen containing groups (OCGs) were introduced to improve Pt dispersion. The MWNT supports were characterized by nitrogen physisorption and NEXAFS, and the Pt supported on differently functionalized MWNT characterized by X-ray absorption, TEM and both hydrogen and CO chemisorption. Compared to the as received MWNT supports, Pt dispersion is improved on the HNO 3 treated MWNT supports, but the turnover frequency (TOF) of aqueous phase reforming decreases by half. The TOF can be recovered by removing the OCGs via high temperature annealing. To further investigate the OCGs effect, different probe reactions, including both steam reforming and liquid phase reforming of hydrocarbon oxygenates and dehydrogenation of alkanes in the liquid and gas phases, have been performed on the MWNT supported catalysts with different OCGs. A comparison of these reaction results suggests that OCGs are only detrimental to reactions in a binary mixture with two components of different hydrophilicity due to their competitive adsorption on the catalyst supports.
Quantitative accuracy of HRRT lIST-MODE reconstructions: Effect of low statistics

Previous studies showed that iterative image reconstruction algorithms may produce overestimations of activity in low-activity regions in low-count frames. The purpose of this study was (1) to evaluate the quantitative accuracy of the MOLAR list-mode iterative reconstruction method in the context of ligand-receptor PET studies in low counts, and (2) to determine the minimum noise equivalent counts (NEC) per frame to avoid bias. Evaluation of clinical data was performed for 4 tracers using dynamic brain PET studies. True activity was estimated from high-statistics frames (300s) and ROI analysis was performed to evaluate bias in low-activity regions in short acquisition frames (10–30s) from matching times. Bias in the ROI mean values was analyzed as function of NEC. In addition, accuracy was assessed using Hoffman phantom data and simulated list mode data based on human data, but without scatter and randoms. Unlike previous results, small biases of −3±3% for low statistics region across the 4 tracers were found for NEC ≫100K in each frame. Very similar results were found in the phantom and simulation data. We conclude that the MOLAR iterative reconstruction method provides accurate results even in very low-count frames. This improved performance may be attributed to some of the unique characteristics of MOLAR including randoms estimation from singles, iterative estimation of scatter within the algorithm, component-based normalization, and incorporation of a line-spread function model in the reconstruction.
UV-enhanced virus reactivation in mammalian cells: effects of metabolic inhibitors.

—The induction process of UV-enhanced reactivation of UV-irradiated herpes simplex virus was investigated in CV-1 monkey kidney cells. A protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide (0.5–5 μg/m/), present in the culture medium For 24 h between cell irradiation and virus infection decreased the enhanced virus survival normally found in UV-irradiated cultures. The enhanced virus reactivation became essentially resistant to the addition of cycloheximide by 6–8 h after cell irradiation, indicating that the cycloheximide-sensitive process necessary for enhanced reactivation was complete by that time. Since cycloheximide not only inhibits protein synthesis, but DNA synthesis as well, we investigated the effect of a DNA synthesis inhibitor, hydroxyurea. Hydroxyurea did not decrease UV-enhanced virus survival, but resulted in enhanced virus survival even in unirradiated cells. Therefore, the cycloheximide-caused inhibition of UV-enhanced reactivation did not arise from inhibition of DNA synthesis. The combined results indicate that (1) UV-enhanced virus reactivation in monkey kidney cells requires de novo protein synthesis during the first 6–8 h after cell irradiation and that (2) DNA synthesis inhibition may be the initiating event.
Electronic arms and legs: Meeting the bionic challenge: Though still far from creating a six-million-dollar man, the progress of electronic prosthesis technology is nothing short of a biotechnical wonder

Progress in limb replacement, namely, the development of electronic prostheses, is described. The problems with closed-loop systems are discussed, and electromyographic knees are highlighted.
Compositional patterning in coherent and dislocated alloy nanocrystals

Abstract Variations in the distribution of the alloy components can significantly influence the electronic properties of self-organized alloy nanocrystals. Using a combination of finite element and quadratic programming optimization methods, we have developed an efficient numerical technique to compute the equilibrium composition profiles in coherent and dislocated nanocrystals. We show that the variations in composition profiles arise due to the competition between chemical mixing effects and the relaxation of composition-dependent mismatch strain as well as strain due to dislocations. We find that the composition profiles in these crystals depend strongly on morphological features such as the slopes and curvatures of their surfaces and the presence of corners, edges and dislocations at the nanocrystal–substrate interface. This approach provides the means for a quantitative description of the factors controlling equilibrium composition profiles in various coherent and dislocated self-organized alloy systems.
Dynamic radioisotope bone imaging as a noninvasive indicator of canine tibial blood flow.

The relative values of dynamic and static bone imaging with hydroxymethylenediphosphonate technetium /sup 99m/ (/sup 99m/Tc HDP) as an indicator of bone blood flow was investigated in the tibia of mature dogs. The dynamic bone scan consisted of 60 1-s images formed after the intravenous injection of /sup 99m/Tc HDP, and the static bone scan was a 45-min uptake image. Blood flow to the tibia was determined by using radioactively labeled microspheres. Studies were carried out in control dogs, in dogs in which blood flow was increased in one leg with ATP, and in dogs in which blood flow was decreased in one leg with norepinephrine. A significant linear relationship between the dynamic scan values and bone blood flow was found at a wide range of blood flow rates. When blood flow increased by more than 50%, the effects of diffusion limitation were seen in the static scans: increase in tracer uptake was disproportionately small for a significant increase in blood flow. There is no method currently available for estimating bone blood flow by a noninvasive technique. The method described here may be useful for providing a semiquantitative measure of bone blood flow. This improved versatility of bone imaging maymore » have a role in the management of osteomyelitis or complicated fractures, or in assessing the viability of vascularized bone grafts.« less
Biochemical Characterization of P4-ATPase Mutations Identified in Patients with Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis *

Mutations in the P4-ATPase ATP8B1 cause the inherited liver disease progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis. Several of these mutations are located in conserved regions of the transmembrane domain associated with substrate binding and transport. Assays for P4-ATPase-mediated transport in living yeast cells were developed and used to characterize the specificity and kinetic parameters of this transport. Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis mutations were introduced into the yeast plasma membrane P4-ATPase Dnf2p, and the effect of these mutations on its catalysis of phospholipid transport were determined. The results of these measurements have implications for the basis of the disease and for the mechanism of phospholipid transit through the enzyme during the reaction cycle.
“Come Almost Home”: Human Rights and the Return of Minor Subjects

This article seeks to reconceptualize the conventional distinction between the moral responsibilities of humanitarianism and the juridical claims of human rights by describing a more radical understanding of ethical responsibility, what Emmanuel Levinas describes as a “being for the Other.” This ethical perspective can revitalize a human rights politics that prepares us for the arrival of the subject of human rights (in contrast to the administered object of victimhood) and the articulation of her demand for the right to rights. Distinguishing notions of charitable humanitarianism from the ethical responsibility that a human rights politics might entail, the article outlines the difficult relations and necessary risks involved in granting personhood to desiring others. Moreover, it demonstrates that minor literatures can offer a crucial staging of the form and meaning of such responsibility and protection within a transnational frame of vulnerability, violence, and justice, by serving as countersite to na...