cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improvement of in vitro ileal dry matter digestibility by non-starch polysaccharide degrading enzymes and phytase is associated with decreased hindgut fermentation

Abstract Efficacy of 11 non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) degrading enzymes (NSP-EZ) was evaluated when added to wheat middlings (WM) or corn distillers dried grains with solubles (cDDGS) using in vitro enzymatic digestion followed by fecal fermentation. For the in vitro enzymatic digestion, NSP-EZ and phytase (10,000 FTU/g) solution were added to WM and cDDGS samples at 20 times of the suppliers’ recommended doses. After enzymatic digestion, the hydrolyzed residues were filtered, dried, and pooled for subsequent inocubation in a buffered mineral solution with feces from pigs fed corn and soybean meal based diets. Gas production during fermentation was measured for 72 h, and its kinetics were analyzed by fitting data to an exponential model. The fermentation residues were filtered, and the supernatant was analyzed for concentration of VFA. Addition of NSP-EZ increased (P > 0.05) digestibility of dry matter (3.2%) and energy (4.2%) and solubilization of glucose and protein in WM, but not in cDDGS. During fermentation, the hydrolysis residue from WM treated with NSP-EZ had less (P
Electronic Patient-Reported Outcome Validation: Disablement in the Physically Active Scale.

Context Determining patient outcomes is essential to quality health care. Administering electronic patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) offers potential advantages, including faster completio...
Ganglion Impar Block

The ganglion impar is involved in sympathetic processing for many pelvic organs and has been implicated in many chronic coccygeal and perineal pain disorders. There have been at least four distinct techniques described to successfully block the ganglion impar – trans-anococcygeal, trans-sacrococcygeal, paramedian, and far lateral entry. Most commonly, fluoroscopy has been utilized to complete a ganglion impar block, but several other imaging modalities have been used as well. There is a lack of randomized controlled studies to properly evaluate its effectiveness for any given indication, but many positive case series and retrospective investigations have demonstrated benefit.
Development and validation of person-centered cut-points for the figure-of-8-walk test of mobility in community-dwelling older adults.

Background The Figure-of-8-Walk test (F8WT) is a performance measure of the motor skill of walking. Unlike walking speed over a straight path, it captures curved path walking, which is essential to real-world activity, but meaningful cut-points have yet to be developed for the F8WT. Methods A secondary analysis of 421 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 80.7 ± 7.8), who participated in a community-based exercise clinical trial, was performed. Area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCC) were calculated using baseline data, with F8WT performance discriminating different self-reported global mobility and balance dichotomies. Cut-points for the F8WT were chosen to optimize sensitivity and specificity. For validation, F8WT cut-points were applied to postintervention F8WT data. Participants were called monthly for 12 months after intervention completion to record self-reported incident falls, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations; risks of the outcomes were compared between those who performed well and poorly on the F8WT. Results F8WT performance times of ≤9.09 seconds and ≤9.27 seconds can discriminate those with excellent (sensitivity = 0.647; specificity = 0.654) and excellent/very good global mobility (sensitivity = 0.649; specificity = 0.648), respectively. A total number of steps ≤17 on the F8WT can discriminate those with excellent/very good/good global balance (sensitivity = 0.646; specificity = 0.608). Compared to those who performed poorly, those who performed well had a lower incidence of negative outcomes: F8WT time ≤9.09 seconds = 46%-59% lower; F8WT time ≤9.27 seconds = 46%-56% lower; F8WT steps ≤17 = 44%-50% lower. Conclusions Clinicians may consider these preliminary cut-points to aid in their clinical decision making, but further study is needed for definitive recommendations.
Mercury geochemistry and microbial diversity in meromictic Glacier Lake, Jamesville, NY

Meromictic lakes are stratified lakes that typically stimulate phototrophic anoxic microbial metabolism, including the transformation of sulphur. Less studied are the transformations of mercury in these environments, and the microorganisms, which mediate these reactions. In order to further an understanding of redox species, mercury and microbial populations in meromictic lakes, we examined the geochemistry and microbiology of Glacier Lake in Jamesville, NY. We found an anoxic transition at a depth of 6 m, followed by active nitrate and sulphate utilization. A chlorophyll a maximum was located at 11 m, coinciding with peaks of several photoautotrophic microbial lineages and total mercury and methyl mercury. Via amplicon sequencing, the microbial population showed pronounced peaks of cyanobacteria at 10 m, Chlorobi at 12 m and Chloroflexi at 14 m. Sulphate-reducing bacteria were also most abundant between 10 and 14 m depth. A functional gene indicating the potential for the production of methyl mercury, hgcA, was detected at several depths in the lake. Our work suggests that in addition to the sulphur cycle, the cycling of mercury may be indirectly coupled with phototrophic processes in Glacier Lake.
Useful or Useless? Principal Perceptions of the Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System:

Principal evaluations can be important tools for improving leadership practice, but evaluations have often described by principals and researchers as unsystematic and lacking timely and actionable ...
Product quality control in hydropurification process by monitoring reactor feed impurities: Dynamic mathematical modeling

Abstract Control of product quality plays a crucial role in petrochemical industries. In this paper, we propose a new strategy to control the quality of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) product. In this approach, the PTA quality is controlled by monitoring the concentration of the main impurity in the hydropurification process, which is 4-carboxybenzaldehyde (4-CBA) in the crude terephthalic acid (CTA) powder. To attain the research objectives, a dynamic dispersion model is developed in the face of catalyst deactivation, considering the vital operating parameters. The CTA powder streams with low and high 4-CBA concentrations can be effectively used through a proper (and controlled) mixing procedure. This strategy can be applied by controlling the ratio of the mass flowrates of the two streams, having high and low concentrations. The positive effect of H2 partial pressure on the system performance can be implemented by a small decrease in reactor temperature. Off-spec PTA powder can be used with the CTA powder having a high 4-CBA concentration. Increasing temperature accelerates the reduction rate of the Pd/C catalyst surface area, leading to an unfavorable sintering phenomenon. The decreased activity of Pd/C catalyst is in good agreement with the normalized ratio of decrease in the surface area of pure Pd with increasing temperature.
Web-based machine learning tool that determines the origin of natural gases

Abstract Investigations on the origin of natural gases traditionally involve manual plotting of values for various geochemical parameters on binary gas genetic diagrams and the comparison of these values with empirically defined gas genetic fields. However, these fields considerably overlap, and the accuracy and uncertainty on the derived origin are not quantified. To overcome these issues, we developed a web-based tool powered by a machine learning model that determines the origin of natural gases. The utilized large global dataset of natural gases (27,852 samples) includes 10,937 samples which we manually interpreted and labeled with one of the five gas origins (thermogenic, primary microbial from CO2 reduction, primary microbial from methyl-type fermentation, secondary microbial, and abiotic). The supervised machine learning model uses random forest algorithm to classify natural gas samples based on four features (geochemical parameters CH4/(C2H6+C3H8), δ13C–CH4, δ2H–CH4 and δ13C–CO2). The model determines the origin of gases in samples with unknown origin accompanied by model accuracy and the confidence score for each possible origin. The model is deployed on the website www.gasorigin.com with a simple user-friendly interface. The incorporation of more data, geochemical parameters (model features) and determination of post-generation processes are the subjects of future developments.
Organizational integration, practice capabilities, and outcomes in clinically complex medicare beneficiaries.

Objective To assess the association between clinical integration and financial integration, quality-focused care delivery processes, and beneficiary utilization and outcomes. Data sources Multiphysician practices in the 2017-2018 National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (response rate 47%) and 2017 Medicare claims data. Study design Cross-sectional study of Medicare beneficiaries attributed to physician practices, focusing on two domains of integration: clinical (coordination of patient services, use of protocols, individual clinician measures, access to information) and financial (financial management and planning across operating units). We examined the association between integration domains, the adoption of quality-focused care delivery processes, beneficiary utilization and health-related outcomes, and price-adjusted spending using linear regression adjusting for practice and beneficiary characteristics, weighting to account for sampling and nonresponse. Data collection/extraction methods 1 604 580 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries aged 66 or older attributed to 2113 practices. Of these, 414 209 beneficiaries were considered clinically complex (frailty or 2 + chronic conditions). Principal findings Financial integration and clinical integration were weakly correlated (correlation coefficient = 0.19). Clinical integration was associated with significantly greater adoption of quality-focused care delivery processes, while financial integration was associated with lower adoption of these processes. Integration was not generally associated with reduced utilization or better beneficiary-level health-related outcomes, but both clinical integration and financial integration were associated with lower spending in both the complex and noncomplex cohorts: (clinical complex cohort: -$2518, [95% CI: -3324, -1712]; clinical noncomplex cohort: -$255 [95% CI: -413, -97]; financial complex cohort: -$997 [95% CI: -$1320, -$679]; and financial noncomplex cohort: -$143 [95% CI: -210, -$76]). Conclusions Higher levels of financial integration were not associated with improved care delivery or with better health-related beneficiary outcomes. Nonfinancial forms of integration deserve greater attention, as practices scoring high in clinical integration are more likely to adopt quality-focused care delivery processes and have greater associated reductions in spending in complex patients.
Do You Need to Travel? Mapping Face-to-Face Communication Objectives to Technology Affordances:

Computer-mediated communications (CMC) can be used as a substitute for face-to-face (FtF) meetings but their effectiveness is highly context dependent. This paper describes a theoretical framework ...
Improving Mandatory Firearms Training For Law Enforcement: An Autoethnographic Analysis of Illinois Law Enforcement Training

This study employs autoethnographic analysis of the author’s experiences in a mandatory police firearms training course in the United States. I first review relevant literature on firearms training as well as autoethnographic methodology. Afterward, I present my experiences and analyze them in the context of literature on police use of force, representative bureaucracy, and accountability. Based on this account, I offer suggestions for improving the course by integrating concepts from the literature on officer decision-making, community-police relations, and group dynamics. I conclude by recommending more course time be devoted to the decision to use force, rather than simple firearm proficiency.
Polarization in Group Interactions

We study the phenomenon of strategic polarization in group interactions. Agents with private preferences choose a public action (e.g., voice opinions), and the mean of their actions represents the group’s realized outcome. They face a trade-off between influencing the group outcome and truth-telling. In equilibrium, agents strategically shade their actions towards the extreme leading to polarization. The group outcome is also more extreme than the mean preference. Compared to a simultaneous actions game, randomized (or exogenous) sequential actions lowers polarization when agents’ preferences are relatively similar. Endogenizing the order of moves always increases polarization, though it is also welfare enhancing.
Out of the mouths of middle school children: I. Developing user-defined controlled vocabularies for subject access in a digital library: Research Articles

Representation and retrieval obstacles within a digital library designed for use by middle school children are presented. Representation of objects is key to retrieval. Tools used to create representations for children's resources, such as controlled vocabularies, need to be more age appropriate. Development of age-appropriate controlled vocabularies requires us to learn more about the ways children interact with systems and form search strategies to represent their information needs. Children's search terms and questions are a rich resource for learning more about their information seeking process, their question state, and their formulation of searches. A method for gathering and using children's own search terms and the benefits of their utilization in developing more age-appropriate controlled vocabularies are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Subcellular Distribution of Pyruvate Carboxylase, Diphosphopyridine Nucleotide and Triphosphopyridine Nucleotide Isocitrate Dehydrogenases, and Malate Enzyme in Rat Brain

Abstract The amount and subcellular distribution in rat brain has been determined for four enzymes related to CO2 fixation. Total activities (micromoles per min per g of brain) found are pyruvate carboxylase, 0.2; malate enzyme, 0.82; TPN isocitrate dehydrogenase, 1.75; DPN isocitrate dehydrogenase, 4.0. Pyruvate carboxylase and DPN isocitrate dehydrogenase are found exclusively in the mitochondria. Malate enzyme is 25% soluble, 75% mitochondrial; TPN isocitrate dehydrogenase is 35% soluble, 65% mitochondrial. As the technique of subcellular fractionation used allows the isolation of intact nerve endings, information concerning the nonuniform distribution of these enzymes in nerve endings, as compared with neuron plus glia, is presented. The relationship to models of compartmentation of amino acids and Krebs cycle intermediates in brain is considered.
Semantic Properties for Lightweight Specification in Knowledgeable Development Environments

Semantic properties are domain-specific specification constructs used to augment an existing language with richer semantics. These properties are taken advantage of in system analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance through the use of documentation and source-code transformation tools. Semantic properties are themselves specified at two levels: loosely with precise natural language, and fo rmally within the problem domain. The refinement relationships between these specification levels, as well as between a semantic property’s use and its realization in program code via tools, is specified with a new formal method for reuse called kind theory.
Interest, Psychology of

In psychology, interest refers to both the psychological state of engagement and a relatively enduring predisposition to reengage particular content (e.g., mathematics) over time. Interest positively influences attention, goal setting, and learning strategies for people of all ages both in and out of school. This article describes characteristics of interest as well as issues of measurement, specifically the need for indicators that account for differences of context, age, and experience. A retrospective case study provides a basis for distinguishing among interest and: motivation, engagement, goals, identity, self-efficacy, self-regulation, attitude, disposition, grit, and mind-set.
Orthogonal moment-based descriptors for pose shape query on 3D point cloud patches

When 3D sensors such as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) are employed in targeting and recognition of human actions from both ground and aerial platforms, the corresponding point clouds of body shape often comprise low-resolution, disjoint, and irregular patches of points resulted from self-occlusions and viewing angle variations. Many existing 3D shape descriptors designed for shape query and retrieval cannot work effectively with these degenerated point clouds because of their dependency on dense and smooth full-body scans. In this paper, a new degeneracy-tolerable, multi-scale 3D shape descriptor based on the discrete orthogonal Tchebichef moment is proposed as an alternative for single-view partial point cloud representation and characterization. To evaluate the effectiveness of our descriptor, named Tchebichef moment shape descriptor (TMSD), in human shape retrieval, we built a multi-subject pose shape baseline to produce simulated LIDAR captures at different viewing angles and conducted experiments of nearest neighbor search and point cloud reconstruction. The query results show that TMSD performs significantly better than the Fourier descriptor and is slightly better than the wavelet descriptor but more flexible to construct. In addition, we proposed a voxelization scheme that can achieve translation, scale, and resolution invariance, which may be less of a concern in the traditional full-body shape analysis but are crucial requirements for meaningful partial point cloud retrievals. New 3D Tchebichef moment shape descriptor for shape query of point cloud patches.New voxelization scheme achieving translation, scale, and resolution invariance.New simulated human pose shape dataset for performance assessment per viewing angle.Demonstrated that native 3D shape analysis is superior to 2D depth image analysis.
Levi's Elevation to the Priesthood in Second Temple Writings

In ancient Israel, the tribe of Levi was deemed to have a special connection with the service of God. Numerous biblical texts speak of the Levites as the priestly tribe or attribute to them certain special functions connected with cultic worship. But why exactly had the Levites been selected for such honors, and how did their selection come about? Several biblical narratives appear to have been designed in order to answer this question. Thus, the selection of the Levites is at one point connected with their zealousness following the Golden Calf incident (Exod 32:25–29), while elsewhere God's choice of the Levites seems to follow as a natural consequence after the death of the Levite Aaron (see Deut 10:8) or, possibly, to be the result of Moses' words in his final blessing of this tribe before his death (Deut 33:8– 10).
Empirical force-field assessment: The interplay between backbone torsions and noncovalent term scaling.

The kinetic and thermodynamic aspects of the helix-coil transition in polyalanine-based peptides have been studied at the ensemble level using a distributed computing network. This study builds on a previous report, which critically assessed the performance of several contemporary force fields in reproducing experimental measurements and elucidated the complex nature of helix-coil systems. Here we consider the effects of modifying backbone torsions and the scaling of noncovalent interactions. Although these elements determine the potential of mean force between atoms separated by three covalent bonds (and thus largely determine the local conformational distributions observed in simulation), we demonstrate that the interplay between these factors is both complex and force field dependent. We quantitatively assess the heliophilicity of several helix-stabilizing potentials as well as the changes in heliophilicity resulting from such modifications, which can “make or break” the accuracy of a given force field, and our findings suggests that future force field development may need to better consider effect that vary with peptide length. This report also serves as an example of the utility of distributed computing in analyzing and improving upon contemporary force fields at the level of absolute ensemble equilibrium, the next step in force field development. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 26: 682–690, 2005
Pressure transmission in liquid films

Abstract When a liquid is subjected to variable pressure small amounts of flow occur because of its compressibility, and in thin clearance spaces between solid boundaries the transmission of a change in pressure may be appreciably delayed by viscous resistance to this flow. The magnitude of this delay is calculated for assumed theoretical conditions of smooth, parallel, and rigid boundary surfaces, and clean liquid having constant viscosity and bulk modulus.Experiments are described in which the sliding of steel blocks in an oil-filled chamber was temporarily stopped by conditions of hydraulic unbalance and friction resulting from delay in the transmission of pressure increments.
Investigation of HBT layout impact on f T doubler performance for 90nm SiGe HBTs

Peak f T of 660GHz is reported for HBT f T doubler designs in IBM 90nm SiGe BiCMOS technology 9HP. This high performance f T doubler utilizes a longer HBT for output stage compared to the input stage HBT (length ratio 2:1) resulting in improved transconductance and lower thermal resistance. The impact of HBT layout on the circuit performance and trade-off between thermal resistance and f T is also investigated. f T doubler circuit can be used as a single transistor in several circuit applications like A/D converters and broadband circuits where higher performance is desired.
Modification of backpropagation networks for complex-valued signal processing in frequency domain

It is pointed out that existing backpropagation networks cannot be used for many signal-processing tasks because the signals are often represented with complex values. A complex-valued learning algorithm is derived for a backpropagation network where one or more of the inputs, outputs, and weight factors are complex-valued. The complex valued backpropagation network is tested with exclusive-OR problems for complex inputs, outputs, and weights. The network shows excellent mapping performance for this problem
The intracellular localization and properties of carnitine acetyltransferase from ram spermatozoa

Abstract Although spermatozoa possess a very active carnitine acetyltransferase, there is no satisfactory explanation for such a high activity. In order to help elucidate possible roles for carnitine acetyltransferase in spermatozoa, we examined the intracellular location and properties of carnitine acetyltransferase from ejaculated ram spermatozoa. The spermatozoa were disrupted by hypotonic treatment with 10 m m phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), followed by mild sonication. The resulting homogenate was separated by sucrose step-gradient centrifugation into soluble, plasma membrane, acrosomal membrane, and mitochondrial fractions. These fractions were characterized by electron microscopy and marker enzyme assays. The particulate fractions were made soluble by treatment with 0.1% deoxycholate and then were assayed for carnitine acetyltransferase activity. Carnitine acetyltransferase activity was found exclusively in the mitochondrial fraction with a specific activity of 0.151 μmol CoASH · min −1 · mg −1 . The apparent K m values for acetyl-CoA and l -carnitine were 1.1 × 10 −5 and 1.3 × 10 −4 m respectively.
X-ray standing-wave determination of surface structure: Au on Si(111).

The structure of Au submonolayers on Si(111) has been investigated as a function of annealing using x-ray standing waves. Au ${L}_{\mathrm{III}}$ photoelectron yields reveal that the Au sites are embedded in the topmost Si(111) planes, the precise position being dependent on the extent of annealing. Standing-wave yields of the Si LVV and KLL Auger electrons were also measured, before and after Au deposition. These results show that the initially contracted Si surface relaxes outwards along with the embedded Au atoms with continued incorporation of Au into the surface.
Effects of Temperature, Pressure, and Carrier Gas on the Cracking of Coal Tar over a Char−Dolomite Mixture and Calcined Dolomite in a Fixed-Bed Reactor

A distillation fraction of a coal-derived liquid (tar) was cracked over a char−dolomite mixture, calcined dolomite, and silicon carbide in a fixed-bed reactor. The char−dolomite mixture (FWC) was produced from Pittsburgh No. 8 coal and dolomite in a Foster Wheeler carbonizer. The experiments were conducted under nitrogen and simulated coal gas (SCG), which was a mixture of CO, CO2, H2S, CH4, N2, and steam, at 1 and 17 atm. The conversion over these materials under nitrogen was much higher at 17 atm than at 1 atm. At higher pressures, tar molecules were trapped in the pores of the bed material and underwent secondary reactions, resulting in the formation of excess char. However, when nitrogen was replaced by SCG, the reactions that induce char formation were suppressed, thus increasing the yield of gaseous products. The analysis of the gaseous products and the spent bed materials for organic and inorganic carbons suggested that the product distribution can be altered by changing the carrier gas, temperatur...
Genetic covariation of the marine fungal symbiont Haloguignardia irritans (Ascomycota, Pezizomycotina) with its algal hosts Cystoseira and Halidrys (Phaeophyceae, Fucales) along the west coast of North America

The fungal endophyte Haloguignardia irritans induces gall formation on the brown algal genera Cystoseira and Halidrys occurring from Oregon to Baja California, Mexico. Here we examine genetic covariation and compare rDNA phylogenies to investigate the coevolutionary histories of H. irritans and its algal hosts. Despite recognition of H. irritans as a single morphological species, internal transcribed spacer rDNA sequences representative of its geographic range are characterized by sequence variation at the intraspecific to intrageneric levels. An assessment of parallel cladogenesis between endophyte and host phylogenies provides evidence for a combination of independent fungal divergence and host jumping, similar to that observed in terrestrial lichens. Our results suggest that reduced gene flow due to geographic isolation is a major contributing factor to more concerted covariation observed at one island site, rather than to differences among algal host species alone. Because geography and its effects on gene flow can create heterogeneous mosaics of coevolution for symbioses in terrestrial environments, our results support the notion that conservation efforts toward the maintenance of genetic diversity in marine environments should likewise consider geographic complexity and its effects on coevolving marine species.
Abstract 5021: Temozolomide-induced conversion of glioma cells into glioma “stem-like” cells with enhanced invasion properties.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Glioblastoma multiforme patients present a poor prognosis due to therapeutic resistance and tumor recurrence after surgical resection. It has been suggested that gliomas are driven by a rare subset of tumor cells, known as cancer stem cells (CSCs). These tumor-initiating cells are considered to be responsible for sustaining long-term tumor growth and disease recurrence. Today, two popular hypotheses try to explain the origin of CSCs: one postulates that CSCs represent an adult stem cell population with tumorigenic alterations, while the second argues that CSCs were once differentiated tumor cells that have re-initiated a self-renewal program. In this study, we first show that exposure to the therapeutic dose of 5 μM (the peak concentration in patient's cerebral spinal fluid) or 50 μM (the concentration in patient's blood) of temozolamide (TMZ), the most commonly used alkylating agent to treat GBM patients, consistently increase the CSC pool over time both in vitro and in vivo. Second, lineage-tracing analysis of genetically tagged glioma cells suggests that TMZ induces a phenotypic shift in the non-CSC population to mimic that of CSCs. These newly formed CSC-like cells co-express markers of pluripotency and stemness (CD133, CD15, Sox-2, Oct-4 and Nestin), a classical characteristic of CSCs. We further show that intracranial implantation of TMZ-treated non-CSC cells in athymic nude mice result in more efficient grafting (100% grafting as compared to 60% for DMSO treated control group). Moreover, these TMZ-treated non-CSC xenografts demonstrate extremely invasive characteristics, which is similar to the CSC enriched xenografts. In addition, they express elevated levels of HIF2α, a critical factor for maintaining the CSC pool. These findings strongly corroborate that chemotherapy-induced selection pressure can facilitate a CSC specific ‘niche’, which may provide the necessary signals to induce an interconversion between differentiated tumor cells and cancer “stem like” cells, leading to a more infiltrative glioma phenotype thereby resulting in therapeutic relapse and may frustrate our attempts to develop effective anti-glioma therapy. Citation Format: Atique U. Ahmed, Brenda Auffinger, Alex Tobias, Bart Thaci, Yu Han, Maciej S. Lesniak. Temozolomide-induced conversion of glioma cells into glioma “stem-like” cells with enhanced invasion properties. [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 5021. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5021
Membrane transport during development in animals

This brief and necessarily incomplete survey of available evidence on the development of transport systems in animal cells reveals a primitive state of knowledge full of interesting possibilities for future development. The assembly of membrane-bound transport systems during embryonic development provides unique opportunities for approaching questions relating to gene expression, the synthesis and insertion of membrane proteins into phospholipid layers, the composition and structure of transport systems and the conditions required for their functioning. It seems plausible to assume that the growth and differentiation of animal cells is regulated, in part at least, by the rate of transport of metabolites and ions across the cell membranes. Therefore the sequence of the expression of transport systems is likely to have a profound effect on subsequent stages of growth and differentiation. Feedback regulation of the synthesis of transport proteins by changes in the intracellular or extracellular concentrations of the transported metabolites or ions [52, 53, 85-87] may be a key element in the regulation of the rate of transport processes during development.
COAGULATION DEFECTS IN OPEN HEART PROCEDURES.

Abstract Coagulation studies were done pre- and post-operatively on 335 patients undergoing open heart surgery utilizing extracorporeal circulation. The patients who had a marked deficiency of factor v or prolongation of the “k” time on thrombelastograms or both postoperatively were the ones more likely to lose the most blood. Possible etiologic factors in a group of patients who had persistent thrombocytopenia are discussed.
Reanalysis of African Elephas recki: implications for time, space and taxonomy

The African Elephas lineage, consisting of E. ekorensis, E. recki, and E. iolensis, is an important faunal component of Plio-Pleistocene African paleontological localities. Species within the lineage have been used as biochronological markers, particularly the intermediate member, E. recki which is divided into five time-successive subspecies. This lineage has been proposed as an example of anagenetic change, with each species and/or subspecies evolving directly into the next with no overlap in time, thus marking its utility for biostratigraphy. Consolidation of the published records of E. recki subspecies indicate that the ranges for all five subspecies overlap. Comparison of dental variation in E. recki to extant elephant species as well as African and Eurasian fossil elephants indicate that the variation in E. recki exceeds that of many other species, with significant variation at the subspecies level as well. The degree of temporal overlap and morphological variation in E. recki suggests that this is not a single species. Morphological characters and measurements were reassessed for their utility in delineating species and subspecies, and a preliminary revision of the sample of specimens attributed to E. recki is discussed. Revision of the African Elephas lineage should be done in conjunction with reanalysis of the other elephantid lineages, and will have important implications for elephantid diversity, evolution and biochronology in the African Plio-Pleistocene.
Overview of Prostate Anatomy, Histology, and Pathology

Abstract The human prostate is heterogeneous with regard to its embryologic origin. The two most prevalent diseases of aging males, benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer (PCa), arise from different zones within the prostate. The biology of PCa is also heterogeneous and even within a single individual there often exist prostate cancers with varying potential to progress and metastasize. Through careful study of the histology and molecular signatures of both the human and mouse-modeled disease, treatment decisions can be tailored to individual cases so as to optimize efficacy and minimize side effects from therapy.
Bringing Advocacy Counseling to Life: The History, Issues, and Human Dramas of Social Justice Work in Counseling.

This article accentuates the human experiences at the heart of social justice work in counseling. The history, counselor attributes, skills, costs, pitfalls, rewards, and ethical issues associated with advocacy counseling are highlighted. This article concludes with a discussion of the personal moral imperatives that inspire social activism and the challenge of discovering a personal advocacy style.
Nuclear forces and nuclear-matter properties

Abstract The saturation properties in nuclear matter of six realistic nucleon-nucleon potentials are examined from the viewpoint of the hole-line expansion of Bethe and Brandow. On-shell uncertainties of nuclear-matter properties are discussed. Off-shell uncertainties are studied with the help of phase-equivalent potentials. The range of off-shell uncertainties due to uncertain knowledge of short-range (≲1 fm) nucleon-nucleon force is found to be 5–10 MeV/A at normal density ( k F = 1.36 fm −1 ). The total l > 0 contribution is estimated to be −1.5 ± 1.5 MeV/A at normal density. The role of tensor force in nuclear saturation is studied. A method for calculating the excitation parameter κ self-consistently but without iteration is described.
An improved wide-range adjustable-speed drive

An adjustable-speed drive using a d-c series generator supplying a d-c series motor is described. It operates well at speeds under 10 rpm as well as at speeds limited only by mechanical considerations. The ratio of maximum to minimum speed is in the order of 100 to 1.
Uncertainty in future soil carbon trends at a central U.S. site under an ensemble of GCM scenario climates

Abstract This study uses DAYCENT model to investigate the sensitivity of soil organic carbon (SOC) at an intensely cultivated site in the U.S. Midwest under an ensemble of scenario climates predicted by IPCC models. The model ensemble includes three IPCC models (Canadian, French, German), three emission scenarios (B1, A1B, A2) and three time periods (late 20th, mid-21st, late 21st century). DAYCENT shows that SOC at the site would decline by 0.3–2.6 kg m−2 (5–35%) depending on the models and scenarios from late 20th to mid-21st century despite a larger increase of future net primary production (NPP) than respiration. The future SOC decrease is mostly attributable to harvest loss. The wide spread in future SOC decline rates are in part because SOC decrease (by respiration) is directly proportional to SOC itself. Any uncertainty in absolute SOC in DAYCENT would translate directly into its trend, unlike other variables such as temperature whose trends are independent of their values themselves, contrasting the reliability of SOC trend with temperature change.
The role of patients' expectations and goals in the behavioral and pharmacological treatment of obesity

The role of patients' expectations and goals in the behavioral and pharmacological treatment of obesity
Bisphenol A and 17β-Estradiol Promote Arrhythmia in the Female Heart via Alteration of Calcium Handling

Background There is wide-spread human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a ubiquitous estrogenic endocrine disruptor that has been implicated as having potentially harmful effects on human heart health. Higher urine BPA concentrations have been shown to be associated with cardiovascular diseases in humans. However, neither the nature nor the mechanism(s) of BPA action on the heart are understood. Methodology/Principal Findings The rapid (<7 min) effects of BPA and 17β-estradiol (E2) in the heart and ventricular myocytes from rodents were investigated in the present study. In isolated ventricular myocytes from young adult females, but not males, physiological concentrations of BPA or E2 (10−9 M) rapidly induced arrhythmogenic triggered activities. The effects of BPA were particularly pronounced when combined with estradiol. Under conditions of catecholamine stimulation, E2 and BPA promoted ventricular arrhythmias in female, but not male, hearts. The cellular mechanism of the female-specific pro-arrhythmic effects of BPA and E2 were investigated. Exposure to E2 and/or BPA rapidly altered myocyte Ca2+ handling; in particular, estrogens markedly increased sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ leak, and increased SR Ca2+ load. Ryanodine (10−7 M) inhibition of SR Ca2+ leak suppressed estrogen-induced triggered activities. The rapid response of female myocytes to estrogens was abolished in an estrogen receptor (ER) β knockout mouse model. Conclusions/Significance Physiologically-relevant concentrations of BPA and E2 promote arrhythmias in a female-specific manner in rat hearts; the pro-arrhythmic actions of estrogens are mediated by ERβ-signaling through alterations of myocyte Ca2+ handling, particularly increases in SR Ca2+ leak. Our study provides the first experimental evidence suggesting that exposure to estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals and the unique sensitivity of female hearts to estrogens may play a role in arrhythmogenesis in the female heart.
A practical guide to the construction of radiometallated bioconjugates for positron emission tomography.

Positron emission tomography (PET) has become a vital imaging modality in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, most notably cancer. A wide array of small molecule PET radiotracers have been developed that employ the short half-life radionuclides 11C, 13N, 15O, and 18F. However, PET radiopharmaceuticals based on biomolecular targeting vectors have been the subject of dramatically increased research in both the laboratory and the clinic. Typically based on antibodies, oligopeptides, or oligonucleotides, these tracers have longer biological half-lives than their small molecule counterparts and thus require labeling with radionuclides with longer, complementary radioactive half-lives, such as the metallic isotopes 64Cu, 68Ga, 86Y, and 89Zr. Each bioconjugate radiopharmaceutical has four component parts: biomolecular vector, radiometal, chelator, and covalent link between chelator and biomolecule. With the exception of the radiometal, a tremendous variety of choices exists for each of these pieces, and a plethora of different chelation, conjugation, and radiometallation strategies have been utilized to create agents ranging from 68Ga-labeled pentapeptides to 89Zr-labeled monoclonal antibodies. Herein, the authors present a practical guide to the construction of radiometal-based PET bioconjugates, in which the design choices and synthetic details of a wide range of biomolecular tracers from the literature are collected in a single reference. In assembling this information, the authors hope both to illuminate the diverse methods employed in the synthesis of these agents and also to create a useful reference for molecular imaging researchers both experienced and new to the field.
Antibody-antigen binding kinetics. A model for multivalency antibodies for large antigen systems.

This work presents a theoretical analysis of the influence of multivalency of antigen on external mass transfer-limited binding kinetics to divalent antibody for biosensor applications to polycyclic-aromatic systems. Both cases are considered wherein the antigen is in solution and the antibody is either covalently or noncovalently attached to a cylindrical fiber-optic biosensor, and the antibody is in solution and the antigen is attached to the surface. Both single-step and dual-step binding processes are considered. The rate of attachment of antigen to antibody (or vice versa) is linear for the valencies (or reaction orders) analyzed in the time frame (100 min) considered. The rate of attainment of saturation levels of antigen or antibody in solution close to the surface is very rapid (within 20 min). An increase in the valency of the antigen in solution has the effect of decreasing the order of reaction (for valency, Ν ≥ 1). An increase in the number of steps increases the order of reaction, as expected. An increase in the valency of the antigen in solution decreases the saturation level of the antigen close to the surface and the rate of antigen attachment to the antibody on the surface for all Damkohler numbers. A decrease in the diffusional limitations decreases the effect of valency (or reaction order) on saturation levels of cs/c0. Nondimensional plots presented in the analysis help extend the analysis to different antigen-antibody systems. An increase in the valency of the antibody in solution has the effect of increasing the order of reaction (for Ν < 2). The effects in this case are reverse to those described earlier. For valency greater than2, the reaction order is dependent on the antigen valency, whether it is in solution or immobilized on the surface. The general analysis presented here should be applicable to most surface reactions that involve ligand-receptor binding wherein multiple-binding sites are involved on either the receptor or the ligand.
Inhibiting caspase-8 after injury reduces hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in the newborn rat.

A broad spectrum caspase inhibitor reduces brain injury. Will a caspase-8 inhibitor provide protection? Seven-day-old rat pups had the right carotid artery ligated, then were subjected to 2.5 h of 8% oxygen. Caspase-8 activity in the right cortex was measured enzymatically. Caspase-8 activity was increased at 12 and 24 h after injury and IETD-CHO, (Ac-Ala-Ala-Val-Ala-Leu-Leu-Pro-Ala-Val-Leu-Leu-Ala-Pro-Ile-Glu-Thr-Asp-CHO, CHO is aldehyde) a cell permeable caspase-8 inhibitor, given by i.c.v. injection after the hypoxic period eliminated this increase with significant effect at 15 and 50 μg/pup (1.7 μmol/kg). Thirty pups were randomly assigned to receive 50 μg/pup of IETD-CHO or vehicle i.c.v. immediately after the hypoxic period. The loss of brain weight in the right hemisphere 22 days after injury was 29±5% in the vehicle-treated animals and 12±5% in the IETD-CHO-treated animals (P<0.05). Inhibiting caspase-8 activity after hypoxic–ischemic brain injury reduces brain injury.
Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hyponatremia in Pregnancy

Hyponatremia is the most commonly encountered electrolyte abnormality. Severe hyponatremia in pregnancy poses diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Pregnancy involves changes in physiology that affect water and sodium homeostasis. Knowledge of these complex physiologic alterations during pregnancy is critical to managing dysnatremias in pregnancy. This teaching case describes a woman with chronic hyponatremia who presented during pregnancy with worsening hyponatremia. She had an activating vasopressin receptor mutation, which was passed on to her child, and her diagnostic workup is described.
Heteropolymer Collapse Theory for Protein Folding in the Pressure-Temperature Plane

We revisit a heteropolymer collapse theory originally introduced to explore how the balance between hydrophobic interactions and configurational entropy determines the thermal stability of globular proteins at ambient pressure. We generalize the theory by introducing a basic statistical mechanical treatment for how pressure impacts the solvent-mediated interactions between hydrophobic amino-acid residues. In particular, we estimate the strength of the hydrophobic interactions using a molecular thermodynamic model for the interfacial free energy between liquid water and a curved hydrophobic solute. The model, which also reproduces many of the distinctive thermodynamic properties of aqueous solutions in bulk and interfacial environments, predicts that the water-solute interfacial free energy is significantly reduced by the application of high hydrostatic pressures. This allows water to penetrate into folded heteropolymers at high pressure and break apart their hydrophobic cores, a scenario suggested earlier by information theory calculations. As a result, folded heteropolymers are predicted to display the kind of closed region of stability in the pressure-temperature plane exhibited by native proteins. We compare predictions of the collapse theory with experimental data for several proteins.
When Social Media Meets Scholarly Publishing

Reputation has always been important in academia, but given the rise of social media, it has become a much more complex topic. Professional reputation, based upon factors like publications, might n...
Hypoxia-induced alterations in protein Kinase Cζ signaling result in augmented fibroblast proliferation

2005;128;582S-583S Chest Dempsey Vijaya Karoor, Sandra J. Walchak, York E. Miller and Edward C. Observed in the Neprilysin Knockout Mouse Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells Role of Rho in the Increased Migration of http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/128/6_suppl/582S.2.full.html services can be found online on the World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and ISSN:0012-3692 ) http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/site/misc/reprints.xhtml ( written permission of the copyright holder. this article or PDF may be reproduced or distributed without the prior Dundee Road, Northbrook, IL 60062. All rights reserved. No part of Copyright2005by the American College of Chest Physicians, 3300 Physicians. It has been published monthly since 1935. is the official journal of the American College of Chest Chest
Selective androgen receptor modulators in preclinical and clinical development

Androgen receptor (AR) plays a critical role in the function of several organs including primary and accessory sexual organs, skeletal muscle, and bone, making it a desirable therapeutic target. Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) bind to the AR and demonstrate osteo- and myo-anabolic activity; however, unlike testosterone and other anabolic steroids, these nonsteroidal agents produce less of a growth effect on prostate and other secondary sexual organs. SARMs provide therapeutic opportunities in a variety of diseases, including muscle wasting associated with burns, cancer, or end-stage renal disease, osteoporosis, frailty, and hypogonadism. This review summarizes the current standing of research and development of SARMs, crystallography of AR with SARMs, plausible mechanisms for their action and the potential therapeutic indications for this emerging class of drugs.