cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Successful Treatment of Athletic Pubalgia in a Lacrosse Player with Ultrasound-Guided Needle Tenotomy and Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection: A Case Report

Athletic pubalgia is a syndrome of persistent groin pain due to chronic repetitive trauma or stress involving the pelvic joints and many musculotendinous structures that cross the anterior pelvis. As a result, the differential diagnosis can be complex, but insertional tendinopathies are the most common. This case report describes a novel approach to the treatment of distal rectus abdominis tendinopathies with ultrasound-guided needle tenotomy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection. After injection, the patient returned to pain-free play at his previous level of intensity. This suggests that PRP may be a useful treatment for this diagnosis.
Reversible linear differential equations

Abstract Let ∇ be a meromorphic connection on a vector bundle over a compact Riemann surface Γ. An automorphism σ : Γ → Γ is called a symmetry of ∇ if the pullback bundle and the pullback connection can be identified with ∇. We study the symmetries by means of what we call the Fano group; and, under the hypothesis that ∇ has a unimodular reductive Galois group, we relate the differential Galois group, the Fano group and the symmetries by means of an exact sequence.
High levels of agreement between clinic-based ethyl glucuronide (EtG) immunoassays and laboratory-based mass spectrometry.

AbstractBackground: Immunoassay urine drug screening cups that detect use for two or more days are commonly used in addiction treatment settings. Until recently, there has been no comparable immunoassay test for alcohol use in these settings. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the agreement of a commercially available ethyl glucuronide immunoassay (EtG-I) test conducted at an outpatient addiction clinic and lab-based EtG mass spectrometry (EtG-MS) conducted at a drug testing laboratory at three cut-off levels. High agreement between these two measures would support the usefulness of EtG-I as a clinical tool for monitoring alcohol use. Methods: Forty adults with co-occurring alcohol dependence and serious mental illnesses submitted 1068 urine samples over a 16-week alcohol treatment study. All samples were tested using EtG-I on a benchtop analyzer and 149 were randomly selected for EtG-MS analysis at a local laboratory. Agreement was defined as the number of samples where EtG-I and EtG-MS were...
Raising capital with uncertainty

I study the effect of indirect ties between the firm's scientific advisory board members and the Food and Drug Administration advisory committees on underwriter prestige, underwriting fee, underpricing and the initial offering price range for firms pursuing highly uncertain opportunities. Prestigious underwriters compete to underwrite securities offered by firms connected to the regulator. This result in overpricing even though the underwriter seeks to enforce underpricing. The findings contribute to the Coase-Knight debate about the role of uncertainty for firm boundaries.
Importance of Labyrinth Seal Through-Flow Deflection for Enlarging Clearance Without Increasing Leakage

Increased leakage resistance is important for designing labyrinth seals which are less susceptible to rubbing damage, in that larger knife-radial clearances are permissible. An enhanced understanding of the effect of labyrinth through-flow deflection on labyrinth knife throttle inlet flow skewness, and in turn, leakage resistance is obtained. Specifically, for several configurations, the effect of step height and knife radial clearance on leakage resistance and pertinent flow variables is examined. An experimentally verified Navier-Stokes computer code was utilized for detailed comparisons. Also, appropriate annular orifice measurements were analyzed for a complementary assessment of the potential for increasing leakage resistance from enhanced labyrinth throttle inlet flow skewness.
Genealogy as Critique

This essay explores whether, and how, genealogy might remain critical within anti-foundationalist philosophical contexts. While adherents of genealogy often presume that genealogy simply is inherently critical in any context, adherents of historicized forms of anti-foundationalist philosophy might rightly wonder whether genealogy can continue to serve any critical purpose whatsoever. Is genealogy a form of historical inquiry that can be done away with once a shift has been made towards historicized forms of anti-foundationalist philosophy? Why continue to do genealogies once certain generalizeable insights have been learned from genealogy? This essay argues that there remains a critical role for genealogy, understood as a particular form of historical inquiry, within anti-foundationalist modes of reasoning. By exploring this critical role for genealogy, our understanding of anti-foundationalist modes of reasoning is enriched, and some clarity is gained into the philosophical foundations of genealogical critique.
Salinity Tolerance of 33 Greens‐Type Poa annua Experimental Lines

Current literature suggests Poa annua L. (annual bluegrass) is intolerant to salinity stress. Response of greens-type Poa annua to chronic salinity stress (12 wk at 8.0 dS m -1 ) was evaluated over two greenhouse experiments. Vegetative samples of 33 greens-type P. annua experimental lines were maintained at a 6.4-mm mowing height and irrigated daily with modified Hoagland's solutions possessing salinity levels of 0.7 dS m -1 (nonsaline control) or 8.0 dS m -1 (NaCI treatment, approaching 0.25 strength sea water, approx. 13.5 dS m -1 ). Clipping yield dry weight (CYD) and leaf water content (LWC) were measured weekly. Digital images were collected at the end of weeks 1, 4, 8, and 12 to determine percentage cover (PC) and dark green color index (DGCI). Across all lines, all sample dates, and both experiments, salinity stress significantly reduced PC (30.8%), DGCI (9.3%), CYD (33.9%), and LWC (3.3%) compared with nonsaline controls (a = 0.05), suggesting chronic salinity stress is detrimental to greens-type P. annua quality. However, significant differences in relative PC and relative CYD were observed among lines, indicating that substantial variation in salinity tolerance exists in greens-type P. annua. Numerous greens-types P. annua experimental lines, such as PSU 99-9-21, PSU 01-1-46, and PSU 05-1-14, possess moderate-to-good salinity tolerance and are potentially suitable for use on golf courses with moderate salt problems.
Effect of casein diets on the toxicity of malathion and parathion and their oxygen analogues.

The toxicities of malathion and parathion and their oxygen analogues were investigated in rats fed different levels of dietary protein. Male weanling rats were fed either a 5 or 20% casein diet for 10 days.
The holographic-hole drilling method for residual stress determination

Abstract Holographic-hole drilling is a method developed for the rapid determination of residual stresses from an optical interference fringe pattern. A small diameter blind hole is drilled into a part containing residual stresses, and the displacements caused by localized stress relief are registered by real-time holographic interferometry. The resulting fringe pattern is evaluated to calculate residual stresses, using a simple ‘fringe counting’ method described here. Results of applying the method in laboratory tests to a variety of uniform biaxial states-of-stress from equibiaxial compression to pure shear are shown. Two sample applications of the method, the evaluation of residual stresses at a cold-worked hole and at a weld bead, are also given. Extensions of the method to evaluate stresses non-uniform in depth and/or along the surface are discussed.
Relationship of structure to properties in surfactants. 11. surface and thermodynamic properties of N-dodecyl-pyridinium bromide and chloride

Abstract Surface and thermodynamic properties of well-purified N-dodecylpyridinium bromide and N-dodecylpyridinium chloride in aqueous solution and in solutions of the corresponding sodium halides of 0.1 M and 0.5 M total ionic strength have been measured at 10, 25 and 40°C. Properties measured are critical micelle concentration (cmc), maximum surface excess concentration and minimum area per molecule at the aqueous solution—air interface, efficiency and effectiveness of surface tension reduction, and standard thermodynamic parameters of micellization and of adsorption. N-Dodecylpyridinium bromide is somewhat more surface-active than the corresponding chloride. The difference appears to be due to the greater degree of hydration of the chloride ion compared to the bromide. The entropy factor is the major contributor to the free energy of both micellization and adsorption. Micellization appears to involve more dehydration of the counter-ion than adsorption at the aqueous solution-air interface.
Recombination dynamics and the fitness landscape

Abstract The evolution of a selectively neutral modifier of recombination is studied under different conditions of selection on the major genes. In a finite population a simulation study is carried out in which the phenotype is computed additively from the genotype at twenty genes. The fitness is taken to be a function of the phenotype and we show that when this function is very jagged, low recombination has a strong advantage. When the function is smooth and of the disruptive-selection kind, high recombination may be favored in both finite and very large populations. In a deterministic numerical study of disruptive selection on two loci it is shown that the evolution of recombination depends on the initial frequencies at the selected loci, on the exact shape of selection and on the strength of the selection. In general, when the selection is disruptive and very strong, it is possible to find conditions under which higher recombination will be favored.
Characteristics of Measles Virus Isolated from Patients with SSPE

We have isolated measles virus from brain cell cultures derived from two children less than one year following immunization with a live virus vaccine. Recovery of ‘mature’ measles virus was accomplished only after prolonged serial subcultivation of cells from the patients, or cells from the patient cultured together with BS-C-1 cells or primary human kidney cells. Cell cultures before the 12 th level of subcultivation showed the cytopathology and antigen associated with measles infection but produced no free virus. Isolation of measles virus from earlier passage levels of these cells was accomplished by intracerebral inoculation of newborn hamsters. Characterization studies completed to date have shown that the isolates are antigenically indistinguishable from other strains of measles virus. However, they have a distinctive CPE characterized by extensive syncytial formation and produce very large plaques under agar overlay. In continuous lines of monkey kidney cells they yield a low titer of virus, but grow poorly or not at ail in continuous human cell lines. They are distinguishable from other strains of measles by their resistance to thermal inactivation at 40 °C. Both strains produce fatal, acute encephalitis in baby hamsters. The lack of information regarding viral markers and their stability for vaccine and wild strains of measles, has made it impossible to determine the origin of the isolates on the basis of laboratory studies. This situation stresses the need for continuing emphasis on epidemiologic surveillance of SSPE, as well as laboratory research on measles virus and its markers.
TH‐D‐ValA‐04: Quantitative Evaluation of Cone Beam CT Data Used for Treatment Planning

Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate the consistency of cone beam CT(CBCT) data and the deviation from helical CT if used for calculating dose to heterogeneous material. Methods and Materials: A Gammex RMI 467 tissue characterization phantom was used to generate CT numbers for both the Elekta XVI CBCT and the Picker 5000CT. For both devices, the RMI phantom was positioned using the manufacturer's recommendations. Hounsfield numbers (HU) were obtained using a default window and level and a ROI of 1cm diameter over the center of the rod (insert). The numbers were recorded and a HU vs. electron density correction curve was generated. For the cone beam portion, we used the Elekta XVI CBCT with M10 collimator and no filter. CBCT data, conventional CT data and correction curves were transferred to our CMS XIO treatment planning system. To verify the consistency of CBCT numbers, we added a 1cm of bolus to the phantom and repeated the procedure. A single field treatment plan was generated with heterogeneity and non heterogeneity corrections for CBCT and CT datasets, and for nonbolused and bolused geometries. The Gammex phantom tissue equivalent rods were modified to accept TLD for measurement verification. Results: Calculated doses for treatment plans generated without heterogeneity correction for data sets from CT and CBCT agreed within ∼1%. CBCT numbers for the same insert differed with a small change in setup (ie. adding 1cm bolus). When heterogeneity correction was turned on, a difference of 14% was found between CT and CBCT nonbolused plans. TLD measured doses agreed with those from the calculated CT set. Conclusion: Without heterogeneity correction, the dose calculation with CT and CBCT has excellent agreement suggesting a consistency in contour acquisition. One has to be extremely cautious in using CBCT data for heterogeneity corrections since significant error can occur.
Family Therapy with GLBT Youths: Kite in Flight Revisited

In the past decade, inquiry into sexual identity development has offered a greater understanding of the experiences reported by gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) youths over the life course (Cohler & Hammack, 2007). While previous critiques of sexual development literature have resulted in greater support for many GLBT adolescents, we argue that the increases in acceptance and support afforded many sexual-minority teens are overall contextually dependent. In addition, clinicians working with GLBT youths in various contexts may be ill-equipped to provide the needed resources for this population of youths and families (Burgess, 1999). The Kite in Flight (Parker, Bermudez, & Neustifter, 2008) model is a family therapy approach that has been examined for use with GLBT youths to address the need for more effective therapeutic approaches with this population. Specifically, this article will further explore contextual and environmental influences for use with the Kite in Flight family therapy approa...
Examining the link between program implementation and behavior outcomes in the lifestyle education for activity program (LEAP)

Lifestyle Education for Activity Program (LEAP) was a comprehensive, school-based intervention designed to promote physical activity in high school girls. The intervention focused on changes in instructional practices and the school environment to affect personal, social, and environmental factors related to physical activity. Multiple process evaluation tools and an organizational assessment tool were developed to monitor program implementation from a framework called the LEAP essential elements, which characterized complete and acceptable intervention delivery; secular trends were also monitored. Using process data, LEAP intervention schools were categorized into low- and high-implementing groups and compared with control schools on nine essential elements assessed at the organizational level. The Wilcoxon scores test revealed that low- and high-implementing intervention, and control schools differed significantly on two of nine administrator-reported organizational-level components: having a physical activity team and having a faculty-staff health promotion program. A mixed-model analysis of covariance indicated that, compared to control schools, a greater percentage of girls in high-implementing schools reported engaging in vigorous physical activity. Process evaluation can be used to understand the relationship between level of implementation and successful program outcome.
Female Mate Fidelity in a Lek Mating System and Its Implications for the Evolution of Cooperative Lekking Behavior

AbstractThe extent and importance of female mate fidelity in polygynous mating systems are poorly known. Fidelity may contribute to high variance in male reproductive success when it favors attractive mates or may stabilize social interactions if females are faithful to mating sites rather than males. Using 12 years of data on genetic mate choice in the cooperatively lekking lance-tailed manakin (Chiroxiphia lanceolata), I investigated the frequency of fidelity within and between years, whether females were faithful to individual males or to mating sites across years, and whether fidelity favored attractive males. Mate fidelity occurred in 41.7% of 120 between-year comparisons and was observed for 41.1% of 73 individual females that had the opportunity to mate faithfully. Females were not more likely to mate at prior mating sites when previous mates were replaced. Faithful females mated with the same male in up to four consecutive years but were not disproportionately faithful to attractive partners. Mati...
A device for performing lateral conductance measurements on individual double-stranded DNA molecules

A nanofluidic device is described that is capable of electrically monitoring the driven translocation of DNA molecules through a nanochannel. This is achieved by intersecting a long transport channel with a shorter orthogonal nanochannel. The ionic conductance of this transverse nanochannel is monitored while DNA is electrokinetically driven through the transport channel. When DNA passes the intersection, the transverse conductance is altered, resulting in a transient current response. In 1 M KCl solutions, this was found to be a current enhancement of 5–25%, relative to the baseline transverse ionic current. Two different device geometries were investigated. In one device, the DNA was detected after it was fully inserted into and translocating through the transport nanochannel. In the other device, the DNA was detected while it was in the process of entering the nanochannel. It was found that these two conditions are characterized by different transport dynamics. Simultaneous optical and electrical monit...
Detection of Ice Hydrometeor Alignment Using an Airborne W-band Polarimetric Radar

Abstract This paper presents airborne W-band polarimetric radar measurements at horizontal and vertical incidence on ice clouds using a 95-GHz radar on the University of Wyoming King Air research aircraft. Coincident, in situ measurements from probes on the King Air make it possible to interpret polarimetric results in terms of hydrometeor composition, phase, and orientation. One of the key polarimetric measurements recently added to those possible with the W-band radar data system is the copolar correlation coefficient ρHV. A discussion of the relation between cloud scattering properties and ρHV covers a test for isotropy of the distribution of observed hydrometeors in the plane of polarization and qualitative evaluation of the possible impact of Mie (resonant) scattering on ρHV measurements made at W band. Prior measurements of ρHV at S band and Ku band are compared with the W-band results. The technique used to measure ρHV, including the real-time and postprocessing steps required, is explained, with a...
Abstract 3869: MicroRNA-200b blocks breast cancer lung metastasis in an orthotopic mouse mammary xenograft tumor model.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Triple negative, or basal-like, breast cancer is a highly invasive and metastatic form of breast cancer, and is difficult to treat due to the lack of target therapies. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) refers to a developmental program that converts epithelial cells to mesenchymal cells, therefore enabling cells to migrate and invade. EMT is tightly controlled during development, and recent studies showed that EMT is often reactivated in cancer and plays an important role in cancer invasion and metastasis, and that EMT can also be regulated by microRNAs. MicroRNAs (miRs) are a large family of small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate protein-coding gene expression posttranscriptionally. Although the miR-200 family members have been shown to be able to inhibit EMT, their effects on cancer metastasis continue to be controversial. We aim to investigate the effect of miR-200b on triple negative breast cancer lung metastasis and the underlying mechanism. It was found that stably expressing miR-200b in MDA-MB-231 cells blocked lung metastasis in an orthotopic mouse mammary xenograft tumor model. In vitro studies showed that stably expressing miR-200b significantly reduced triple negative breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, stably expressing miR-200b also decreased tumor growth and angiogenesis in the orthotopic mouse mammary xenograft tumors. These findings suggest that miR-200b blocks breast cancer lung metastasis through its strong inhibitory effect on multiple-steps including proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis. Citation Format: Brock Humphries, Zhishan Wang, Chengfeng Yang. MicroRNA-200b blocks breast cancer lung metastasis in an orthotopic mouse mammary xenograft tumor model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3869. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3869
Fitting the additive model by recursion on dimension

We consider estimation for the homoscedastic additive model for multiple regression. A recursion is proposed in Opsomer (1999), and independently by the authors, for obtaining the estimators that solve the normal equations given by Hastie and Tibshirani (1990). The recursion can be exploited to obtain the asymptotic bias and variance expressions of the estimators for any p > 2 (Opsomer 1999) using repeated application of Opsomer and Ruppert (1997). Opsomer and Ruppert (1997) provide asymptotic bias and variance for the estimators when p = 2. Opsomer (1999) also uses the recursion to provide sufficient conditions for convergence of the backfitting algorithm to a unique solution of the normal equations. However, since explicit expressions for the solution to the normal equations are not given, he states, “The lemma does not provide a practical way of evaluating the existence and uniqueness of the backfitting estimators … ”. In this paper, explicit expressions for the estimators are derived. The explicit sol...
Spinal stiffness increases with axial load: another stabilizing consequence of muscle action

This paper addresses the role of lumbar spinal motion segment stiffness in spinal stability. The stability of the lumbar spine was modelled with loadings of 30 Nm or 60 Nm efforts about each of the three principal axes, together with the partial body weight above the lumbar spine. Two assumptions about motion segment stiffness were made: first the stiffness was represented by an 'equivalent beam' with constant stiffness properties; second the stiffness was updated based on the motion segment axial loading using a relationship determined experimentally from human lumbar spinal specimens tested with 0, 250 and 500 N of axial compressive preload. Two physiologically plausible muscle activation strategies were used in turn for calculating the muscle forces required for equilibrium. Stability analyses provided estimates of the minimum muscle stiffness required for stability. These critical muscle stiffness values decreased when preload effects were used in estimating spinal stiffness in all cases of loadings and muscle activation strategies, indicating that stability increased. These analytical findings emphasize that the spinal stiffness (as well as muscular stiffness) is important in maintaining spinal stability, and that the stiffness-increasing effect of 'preloading' should be taken into account in stability analyses.
Size Tunable Visible Luminescence from Individual Organic Monolayer Stabilized Silicon Nanocrystal Quantum Dots

Quantum confinement in nanostructured silicon can lead to efficient light emission. However, the photoluminescence (PL) lifetimes in nanostructured silicon are typically very long−approximately 3 orders of magnitude longer than those of direct band gap semiconductors. Herein, we show that organic monolayer coated silicon nanocrystals ranging from 1 to 10 nm in diameter emit with nanosecond-scale lifetimes and high quantum yields, making it possible to measure the PL spectra of single Si quantum dots. The Si quantum dots demonstrate stochastic single-step “blinking” behavior and size-dependent PL spectra with line widths approximately only three times greater than those measured for CdSe nanocrystals at room temperature.
Childhood Sexual Trauma of Chemically Dependent WOmen

Abstract The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the incidence and experience of childhood sexual abuse among chemically dependent women. Structured interviews were conducted with 60 recovering chemically dependent women living in a long-term treatment facility; 68% saul they had been recipients of unwanted sexual contacts from perpetrators, such as uncles, brothers, fathers, family friends, neighborhood boys, and strangers. Significant differences between the sexually abused and nonsexually abused chemically dependent women were (1) the abused women were more likely to have family members who were addicted, (2) they were more likely to be African American, (3) they were more likely to have been raped sometime in their life, (4) they began using drugs at an earlier age, and (5) they had been using drugs longer. The issue of childhood sexual abuse in chemically dependent women needs to be assessed and treated if these women are to be able to begin the long road to recovery.
Structure of turbulent bubbly jets—II. Phase property profiles

Abstract This is the second part of a two-part study reporting structure measurements in bubbly turbulent round jets in a still environment. Measurements are compared with three theoretical approaches: (1) locally homogeneous flow analysis, where velocity differences between the phases were neglected; (2) deterministic separated flow analysis, where relative velocity was considered but bubble/turbulence interactions were ignored; and (3) stochastic separated flow analysis, where both relative velocity and bubble/turbulence interactions were considered using random-walk methods. This part of the study considers measurements and predictions of mean and fluctuating phase velocities and mean bubble number intensities at several axial stations. Locally homogeneous flow analysis was not very satisfactory since effects of relative velocity were important for present test conditions. Deterministic separated flow analysis was also ineffective, since neglecting turbulent dispersion caused the width of the bubble-containing region to be underestimated. In contrast, the stochastic separated flow analysis yielded reasonably good predictions.
Un-Eclipsed: an interview with Patricia Burke Brogan

The 8th March 2009 marked the unveiling, in Galway City, of Mick Wilkins's limestone statue ‘Final Journey’, a monument dedicated to the ‘memory of the Magdalen Women’. The base of the statue featu...
Analysis on Stress Characteristics of Rolling Body of Rolling Dryer

Rolling dryer is one kind of dryer device with large output. The characteristic of rolling body has great influence on the output of dryer. In the paper, with the finite element method, the stress distribution of body, bolt hole, man hole and modes of rolling body are obtained by static stress and modal analysis and study of acting loads on rolling body. The results can help to enhance the efficiency of rolling dryer and provide corresponding theoretical supports for the design and manufacture of the machine.
Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndromes

Autoimmune polyglandular syndromes originally defined by Blizzard, Maclaren and Neufeld were classified into three constellations based on the clinical clustering of the various component diseases. Type I and type II are reasonably well circumscribed entities with type III being an ill-defined group. The autoimmune nature of these diseases has been based on the presence of lymphocytic infiltration in the affected gland, organ specific autoantibodies in the serum, cellular immune defects and an association with the HLA DR/DQ genes or immune response genes. Autoantibodies to the various endocrine and non-endocrine tissues not only offer a diagnostic clue to the autoimmune nature of diseases but also can be used to identify asymptomatic individuals who are at risk of developing other component diseases of the syndrome. In this review the clinical and serological spectrum of type I and II APS will be discussed.
Lethal potencies and immunoelectrophoretic profiles of venoms of Vipera bornmulleri and Vipera latifii

Lethality determinations are reported for Vipera bornmulleri and V. latifii. V. latifii venom is significantly more toxic than V. bornmulleri by the i.v. route; by the i.p. and s.c. routes there is little difference between the species. Immunoelectrophoretic profiles indicate close antigenic relationship between venoms of these species and V. palaestinae and Bitis spp.; a more remote relationship with V. russelli and Echis carinatus. Protease activity of V. latifii venom is stronger than that of V. bornmulleri.
A Concurrent (Versus Stage) Model for Conceptualizing and Representing the Counseling Process

The counseling process is presented both conceptually and visually as a collection of activities occurring simultaneously in varying degrees. This concurrent model differs from traditional discrete, sequential-stage representations because it is more complex and less disjointed. The model better represents actual counselor-client interactions, overcoming the shortcomings expressed by others regarding their own models. The concurrent model is more inclusive and integrated, yet flexible, and is discussed as a potential aid for training, supervision, practice, and research. A case example is included, which highlights the utility of the concurrent model in understanding the counseling process.
Speech and Resonance Disorders Related to Cleft Palate and Velopharyngeal Dysfunction: A Guide to Evaluation and Treatment

Children with speech and/or resonance disorders due to structural anomalies present challenges for speech-language pathologists in all settings. The purpose of this article is to provide current, p...
In vivo 7li nmr studies on shift reagent infused rats

Abstract Lithium (Li+) is used widely in the treatment and prophylaxis of bipolar disorder. The mechanism of action remains unknown. There have been many studies of intracellular lithium and its fluxes in the human red blood cells (RBCs) with a view towards understanding the maintenance of Li+ levels inside the cells and the mechanism of Li+ therapeutic action. Such information is valuable for excitable cells such as neurons, the likely site of therapeutic effects, and muscle, the site of common side effects. As intracellular Li+ may be responsible for both muscle irritability and pathological changes in the electrocardiogram, there is a need to discriminate intra‐, and extracellular Li+ components. To date there is no other human cell for which either intracellular Li+ levels or its fluxes have been measured. The muscle tissue with a large concentration of lithium should serve as a suitable model for infusion studies in an in vivo set up. In addition to the intrinsic importance of muscle as a site of sid...
Distinct phosphorylation sites on the β(2)-adrenergic receptor establish a barcode that encodes differential functions of β-arrestin.

Phosphorylation of G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs, which are also known as seven-transmembrane spanning receptors) by GPCR kinases (GRKs) plays essential roles in the regulation of receptor function by promoting interactions of the receptors with β-arrestins. These multifunctional adaptor proteins desensitize GPCRs, by reducing receptor coupling to G proteins and facilitating receptor internalization, and mediate GPCR signaling through β-arrestin–specific pathways. Detailed mapping of the phosphorylation sites on GPCRs targeted by individual GRKs and an understanding of how these sites regulate the specific functional consequences of β-arrestin engagement may aid in the discovery of therapeutic agents targeting individual β-arrestin functions. The β 2 -adrenergic receptor (β 2 AR) has many serine and threonine residues in the carboxyl-terminal tail and the intracellular loops, which are potential sites of phosphorylation. We monitored the phosphorylation of the β 2 AR at specific sites upon stimulation with an agonist that promotes signaling by both G protein–mediated and β-arrestin–mediated pathways or with a biased ligand that promotes signaling only through β-arrestin–mediated events in the presence of the full complement of GRKs or when either GRK2 or GRK6 was depleted. We correlated the specific and distinct patterns of receptor phosphorylation by individual GRKs with the functions of β-arrestins and propose that the distinct phosphorylation patterns established by different GRKs establish a “barcode” that imparts distinct conformations to the recruited β-arrestin, thus regulating its functional activities.
The Chemistry of L-Ascorbic and D-Isoascorbic Acids. 3: Efficient Syntheses of Pure R- and S- 1,2-O-Isopropylidene-1,2,4-Butanetriols1

Abstract Both enantiomers of 1,2-0-isopropylidene-1,2,4-butanetriol were prepared by two different and simple methods starting from readily available L-ascorbic and D-isoascorbic acids.
An anthranilate synthase of the extreme aminase type in a species of blue-green bacteria (algae).

Anthranilate synthase of Agmenellum quadruplicatum, a unicellular species of blue-green bacteria, consists of two nonidentical subunits. A 72,000 dalton protein has aminase activity but is incapable of reaction with glutamine (amido-transferase) unless a second protein (18,000 molecular weight) is present. The small subunit was first detected through its ability to complement a partially purified aminase subunit from Bacillus subtilis to produce a hybrid complex capable of amidotransferase function. Conditions for the function of the heterologous complex were less stringent than for the homologous A. quadruplicatum complex. A reducing agent such as dithiothreitol stabilizes the A. quadruplicatum aminase subunit and is obligatory for amidotransferase function. l-Tryptophan feedback inhibits both the aminase and amidotransferase reactions of anthranilate synthase; Ki values of 6×10−8m for the amidotransferase activity and 2×10−6m for the aminase activity were obtained. The Km value calculated for ammonia (2.2 mm) was more favorable than the Km value for glutamine (13 mm). Likewise, the Vmax of anthranilate was greater with ammonia than with glutamine. Starvation of a tryptophan auxotroph results in a threefold derepression of the aminase subunit, but no corresponding increase in the small 18,000 \(\bar M\) subunit occurs. While microbial anthranilate synthase complexes are remarkably similar overall, the relatively good aminase activity of the A. quadruplicatum enzyme may be of physiological significance in nature.
Continuum limit for some growth models

Abstract We derive a Hamilton–Jacobi equation for the macroscopic evolution of a class of growth models. For the definition of our growth models, we need a uniformly positive bounded continuous function λ : R d × R → R which is uniformly Lipshitz in its last argument, and a nonnegative function v : Z d → Z + with v (0)=0. The space of configurations Γ consist of functions h : Z d → Z such that h ( i )− h ( j )⩽ v ( i − j ), for every pair of sites i,j∈ Z d . We then take a sequence of independent Poisson clocks (p(i,k,·) : (i,k)∈ Z d × Z ) of rates (λ(ei,ek) : (i,k)∈ Z d × Z ) . Initially, we start with a possibly random h ∈ Γ . The function h increases at site i∈ Z d by one unit when the clock at site ( i , h ( i )+1) rings provided that h after the increase is still in Γ . In this way we have a process h ( i , t ) that after a rescaling u e (x,t)=eh([x/e], t e ) is expected to converge to a function u ( x , t ) that solves a Hamilton–Jacobi equation of the form u t + λ ( x , u ) H ( u x )=0. We establish this provided that either λ is identically a constant or the set Γ can be described by some local constraints on the configuration h . When the Hamiltonian H (x,u,p)=λ(x,u)H(p) is not monotone in the u -variable, no uniqueness result is known for the solutions. Our method of derivation leads to a variational expression for the solutions that seems to be new. This variational expression offers a physically relevant candidate for a solution even if the uniqueness for the viscosity solutions fails.
Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and environmental challenges at the ultratrace level—a review

Abstract Since its commercial introduction, the graphite furnace (GF) has enjoyed widespread use as a sensitive and selective ultratrace analytical technique. It possess several attributes which make it almost ideally suited for the various matrices encountered in the analysis of environmental materials. Although the instrumental technique has essentially matured in recent years, significant progress is continuing to be realized in the development of accessory hardware relating to sample introduction and processing. Since the GF can accommodate samples containing from 0% (vapours) to 100% (solids) dissolved solids content, sampling in all physical phases can be addressed using a variety of approaches. Additionally, complex chemical processing can be conveniently accomplished on-line, alleviating the need for extensive clean-room facilities while permitting information on element speciation to be obtained. Examples of conventional solution sample introduction, solid/slurry sampling and vapour generation techniques will be presented, as will sample preparation and separation and concentration strategies for both on- and off-line processing of environmental materials for ultratrace analysis.
Intubation success rates improve for an air medical program after implementing the use of neuromuscular blocking agents

To determine whether the success rate for endotracheal intubation improves after implementing the use of neuromuscular blocking (NMB) agents in an air medical program, this retrospective study analyzed all patients requiring endotracheal intubation at two air medical programs (nurse/paramedic crews) over a 5-year period. Air medical program A, the control group, had employed NMB agents throughout the entire study period. Air medical program B, which did not use NMB agents from July 1, 1989 through June 30, 1992, implemented their use starting July 1, 1992. For program A, the overall intubation success rate was 93.5% (202 successful intubations in 216 patients) and the successful intubations/total attempts ratio was 0.67 (202 of 301). For program B, the overall intubation success rate improved from 66.7% (46 successful intubations in 69 patients) before NMB agent use to 90.5% (57 in 63) after NMB agent use (P = .001). The successful intubations/total attempts ratio increased from 0.36 (51 of 141) prior to NMB agent use to 0.48 (63 of 132) after NMB agent use (P = NS). In comparing the 92 patients who did not receive NMB agents to the 40 patients who did, the intubation success rate increased from 69.6% (64 of 92) to 97.5% (39 of 40) (P < .001) and the successful intubation/total attempts ratio increased from 0.36 (73 of 202) to 0.58 (41 of 71) (P = .007). With the use of NMB agents, program B's overall intubation success rate increased significantly, matching the results of program A.
Adjuvant therapy for rectal cancer--the transatlantic view.

In North America there are two conventional treatments for clinically resectable rectal cancer. First is surgery and, if the tumour is T3 and/or N1–2, this is followed by postoperative combined modality therapy. The second, for patients with ultrasound T3 or clinical T4 disease, is pre-operative combined modality therapy followed by surgery and postoperative chemotherapy. Pre-operative therapy (most commonly combined modality therapy) has gained acceptance as a standard adjuvant therapy. The potential advantages of this approach compared with postoperative therapy include less acute toxicity and enhanced sphincter preservation. Recently completed randomized trials in the US and Germany will provide a definitive answer to this theory. In contrast to the combined modality approach to pre-operative therapy a number of European centres advocate an intensive short course of radiation (5 Gy × 5 followed one week later by surgery). The only randomized trial which has revealed a significant advantage in survival is the Swedish Rectal Cancer Trial. The Dutch CKVO 95–04 TME trial did not confirm a survival advantage and two metanalyses report conflicting results. Due to selection bias, it is not possible accurately to compare the local recurrence and survival results of intensive short course radiation with conventional pre-operative combined modality therapy. The intensive short course radiation approach is not used in North America due to its higher toxicity and lack of sphincter preservation. In the Dutch trial the 5-year local recurrence was 12% with TME and was significantly decreased to 6% with pre-operative radiation. The 5-year local recurrence rate in the 324 patients with stage III disease who underwent a TME alone with negative margins was 20%. Therefore, despite TME surgery, radiation therapy is still a necessary component in the adjuvant management of rectal cancer.
HLA‐C genes and susceptibility to type 1 autoimmune hepatitis

Susceptibility to autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is associated with the HLA A1-B8-DR3 haplotype, DR4 antigen, and, more specifically, the HLA DRB3*0101, DRB1*0301, and DRB1*0401 alleles. Few investigators, however, have examined the HLA C locus in AIH, which warrants detailed study in view of its recently described roles in immunoregulation. Eighty-seven adult, white patients with well-characterized type 1 AIH and 100 controls were studied. HLA C and HLA DRB1 alleles were assigned by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based genotyping. HLA A and B antigens were determined by standard microlymphocytotoxicity assay. Extended haplotypes were constructed according to known patterns of linkage disequilibrium. Only one HLA C locus allele, Cw*0701, which was present in 54% of patients versus 34% of controls (P = .006; relative risk [RR] = 1.54) was associated with AIH. The overall increase in the frequency of the Cw*07 gene (70.1% of patients vs. 54% of controls; P = .024; RR = 1.3) was due entirely to inheritance of the Cw*0701 allele rather than the other Cw*07 alleles, Cw*0702, *0703, and *0704. The RR for Cw*0701 (RR = 1.54) is greater than that for HLA A1 (RR = 1.33) and DRB1*0301 (RR = 1.49), but less than that for HLA-B8 (RR = 1.75). The present findings suggest that the gene or genes conferring susceptibility to AIH lie in the region centromeric to the HLA A locus between HLA C and DRB1. Although linkage disequilibrium with both B8 and DRB1*0301 may account for our finding of an increased frequency of Cw*0701, it is also possible that this allele contributes to disease susceptibility, perhaps by interaction with natural killer cells or cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
Neurobehavioral assessment of chronic low‐level methyl bromide exposure in the rabbit

The research reported here was intended to identify the concentration at which methyl bromide begins to produce neurotoxic effects in the rabbit, a species known to be sensitive to this compound. Rabbits were exposed via inhalation to 27 ppm methyl bromide over a period of 8 mo for a total exposure duration of 900 h. Biweekly neuro‐behavioral tests, consisting of the latency rates of the ulnar and sciatic nerves and the amplitude of the eyeblink reflex of the orbicularis oculi muscle, failed to uncover any untoward consequences of the exposures. The rabbits gained weight and otherwise appeared to be healthy. In contrast to reports available in the literature, these findings suggest that long‐term exposures to methyl bromide, in the present concentration range, are tolerated by this species. Also detailed in this report is the course of recovery of a separate group of rabbits previously given subchronic exposures to 65 ppm methyl bromide. These animals developed severe neuromuscular losses and had impaired...
Mathematical characterization and graphical presentation of the stiffness-temperature-moisture relationship of gliadin

Published data for storage modulus (G′) vs temperature (T) relationships of gliadin at various moisture contents [deGraaf, E. M.; Madeka, H.; Cocero, A. M.; Kokini, J. Biotechnol Prog. 1993, 9, 210–213] were transformed into relative stiffness, R(T, M), vs temperature and moisture relationships, with the former being defined as R(T, M) = G′(T)/G′(-50°C). These relationships could be described by the model R(T, M) = 1/{1 + exp[(T - Tc(M)/a(M)]}, where both Tc(M) and a(M), as has been experimentally confirmed, are in the form of a single-exponential decay term. This model, with the constants of the Tc(M) and a(M) terms incorporated, was also used to create three-dimensional plots of the relative stiffness-temperature-moisture relationship of gliadin at and around its glass tranition, in which the combined effects of moisture and temperature are revealed visually. Although the model applicability is only demonstrated with gliadin data, there is evidence to suggest that it would also be appropriate for other biosolids.
Vanishing of the forward first stokes line in stimulated Brillouin scattering

Abstract It is shown that stimulated Brillouin scattering in the forward direction with nonvanishing frequency shift is inhibited by the frequency and phase matching conditions.
Vav2 is an activator of Cdc42, Rac1, and RhoA.

Vav and Vav2 are members of the Dbl family of proteins that act as guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) for Rho family proteins. Whereas Vav expression is restricted to cells of hematopoietic origin, Vav2 is widely expressed. Although Vav and Vav2 share highly related structural similarities and high sequence identity in their Dbl homology domains, it has been reported that they are active GEFs with distinct substrate specificities toward Rho family members. Whereas Vav displayed GEF activity for Rac1, Cdc42, RhoA, and RhoG, Vav2 was reported to exhibit GEF activity for RhoA, RhoB, and RhoG but not for Rac1 or Cdc42. Consistent with their distinct substrate targets, it was found that constitutively activated versions of Vav and Vav2 caused distinct transformed phenotypes when expressed in NIH 3T3 cells. In contrast to the previous findings, we found that Vav2 can act as a potent GEF for Cdc42, Rac1, and RhoA in vitro. Furthermore, we found that NH2-terminally truncated and activated Vav and Vav2 caused indistinguishable transforming actions in NIH 3T3 cells that required Cdc42, Rac1, and RhoA function. In addition, like Vav and Rac1, we found that Vav2 activated the Jun NH2-terminal kinase cascade and also caused the formation of lamellipodia and membrane ruffles in NIH 3T3 cells. Finally, Vav2-transformed NIH 3T3 cells showed up-regulated levels of Rac-GTP. We conclude that Vav2 and Vav share overlapping downstream targets and are activators of multiple Rho family proteins. Therefore, Vav2 may mediate the same cellular consequences in nonhematopoietic cells as Vav does in hematopoietic cells.
Review of "Techniques for 21st Century Fiction by A. S. Glassner", A. K. Peters, Ltd., Natick, MA 511 pages. ISBN 1-56881-221-3. $35.00.

For centuries, people have enjoyed both stories and games. As a result, a form of entertainment that combines storytelling with game-playing seems a great idea. It has the potential to be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the road to this entertainment form is long and complicated and many difficulties must be overcome. Andrew Glassner, in his new book Interactive Storytelling: Techniques for 21st Century Fiction, does an excellent job identifying these difficulties. He analyzes games and storytelling, and describes the principal problems that developers face in merging these two activities into an interactive form of entertainment.