cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rare Presentation of Toxoplasma Pneumonitis in the Absence of Neurological Symptoms in an AIDS Patient and Use of Next-Generation Sequencing for Diagnosis.

Toxoplasma gondii is a known cause of encephalitis in human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) patients. Toxoplasma pneumonitis is a manifestation of extracerebral toxoplasmosis and can be clinically indistinguishable from other opportunistic infections including Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) and miliary tuberculosis. In this case report, Toxoplasma pneumonitis and disseminated toxoplasmosis was diagnosed using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assessment. NGS can detect microbial cell-free DNA (cfDNA) circulating in the plasma of over 1,000 pathogens. This case is a rare presentation of Toxoplasma pneumonitis in the absence of neurological symptoms and we discuss the use of NGS of microbial cfDNA and PCR tests that may be utilized for the timely diagnosis of such challenging cases. LEARNING POINTS Next-generation sequencing can help make a correct diagnosis and detect culture-negative opportunistic infections.Recognition of Toxoplasma pneumonitis as a rare presentation of disseminated toxoplasmosis.In cases of Toxoplasma pneumonitis, brain imaging should be conducted to rule out CNS involvement even in the absence of neurological symptoms.
Abstract 2225: Transposable elements are an abundant and pan-cancer source of shared tumor-specific antigens and membrane targets

Transposable elements (TEs) represent close to half of the genome and are generally disregarded in genomic studies due to their silencing in somatic tissues and difficulty in mapping to their repetitive sequences. Recent studies have revealed that epigenetic dysregulation in cancer can unlock the regulatory potential of transposable elements (TEs), and they can play an important role in cancer progression and oncogenesis. One important consequence of this phenomenon is the pervasive activation of TEs9 intrinsic promoters, which leads to generation of thousands of unique transcripts. Many of these transcripts splice into downstream genes and lead to the generation of TE-gene chimeric transcripts. These transcripts can alter the main reading frame of the original transcript to generate unique isoforms of the target gene or generate novel out-of-frame peptides that could be therapeutic targets. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptomes of 11,092 samples from 33 TCGA cancer types and 675 cancer cell lines to comprehensively profile all TE-gene fusion transcripts. Using somatic tissues from FANTOM5 and GTEx, we filtered these transcripts for tumor-specificity and discovered 2,642 tumor-specific TE-gene transcripts that promiscuously occur in nearly all TCGA tumor samples. Computational prediction of reading frames of these transcripts identified 1,202 candidates with the potential to generate tumor-specific TE-derived antigens (TS-TEAs). We further analyzed tumor mass spectrometry data from breast adenocarcinoma and ovarian cancer and confirmed that unique peptide sequences from TS-TEAs could be detected. In addition, we performed HLA-pulldown mass spectrometry and confirmed that TS-TEAs are presented on the cell surface in cancer cell lines. Given that these antigens are highly shared within and across cancer types, we assessed their potential to generate universal antigen-based therapies. Optimal combinations of 5, 10, and 20 TS-TEAs could generate unique peptides that bind to patient-specific HLA alleles for 39.2%, 50.8%, and 60.8% of all TCGA tumors respectively. Lastly, we highlight the tumor-specific membrane proteins transcribed from TE-exapted promoters that can potentially expose novel epitopes on the extracellular surface of cancer cells. These can be valuable targets of CAR-T or alternative antibody-based therapies. In conclusion, we showcase the high prevalence of TE-derived promoter activation in cancer and suggest multiple avenues by which this phenomenon can be targeted therapeutically. Citation Format: Nakul M. Shah, Hyo Sik Jang, Ju Heon Maeng, Shin-Cheng Tzeng, Angela Wu, Changxu Fan, Noah L. Basri, Benjamin Katz, Daofeng Li, Xiaoyun Xing, Bradley S. Evans, Ting Wang. Transposable elements are an abundant and pan-cancer source of shared tumor-specific antigens and membrane targets [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2225.
Production of Proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 Proteome for Drug Discovery

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Its genome encodes two open reading frames for two large proteins, PP1a and PP1ab. Within the two polypeptide stretches, there are two proteases that process the large proteins into 15 discrete proteins essential for the assembly of the virion during its replication. We describe herein the cloning of the genes for these discrete proteins optimized for expression in Escherichia coli, production of the proteins, and their purification to homogeneity. These included all but six: NSP6, which possesses eight transmembrane regions, and five that are small proteins/peptides (E, ORF3b, ORF6, ORF7b, and ORF10). These proteins are intended for experimental validation of small-molecule binders as molecular template hits. The proof of concept was established with the ADP-ribosylhydrolase (ARH) domain of NSP3 in discovery of small-molecule templates that could serve as the basis for further optimization. The hit molecules include one submicromolar and a few low-micromolar binders to the ARH domain. Availability of these proteins in soluble forms opens up the opportunity for discoveries of novel templates with the potential for anti-COVID-19 pharmaceuticals.
Anomalous photo-thermal effects in multi-layered semi-Dirac black phosphorus

The multi-layered potassium-doped black phosphorus (BP) is a gapped semi-Dirac two-dimensional normal insulator (NI), and can be transformed into a time-reversal symmetry broken Chern insulator (CI) through photo-excitation with a high-frequency photon beam. This transition from an NI to CI, modeled within the Floquet theory of periodic perturbations, introduces non-trivial topological features to BP dispersion manifesting in a finite Berry curvature (Ω). We utilize Ω, the dispersion-governed internal momentum-dependent magnetic field, in conjunction with a longitudinal temperature gradient to examine a pair of anomalous thermoelectric effects which pertain to the transverse heat flow in BP in the CI phase in the absence of an external magnetic field. The anomalous variants of the Ettinghausen (EE) and Righi–Leduc effects (RLE) are quantitatively analyzed via their respective coefficients in this work. The strength of anomalous EE and RLE coefficients is found to be a direct outcome of the sum of Berry curvatures over the occupied bands and is shown to drop as the Fermi level (μ) is positioned high in the conduction states or deep in the valence region. In contrast, for a μ placed in the bandgap, much larger values of the coefficients are predicted. The position of μ and the strength of Ω serve as effective regulators for the EE and RLE coefficients. Finally, we point out how beyond the role of Ω and μ, several laboratory accessible methods can be utilized to modulate the EE and RLE coefficients, including an application of strain, variations in dopant concentration, and the energy fluence of incident radiation.
Economic impact payment, human mobility and COVID-19 mitigation in the USA.

This paper studies the effect of the economic impact payment (EIP) on individual contributions to COVID-19 mitigation efforts in the USA, where the mitigation efforts are measured by the reduction of daily human mobility. I empirically estimate the effect of the EIP in April 2020 and use cellphone GPS data of 45 million smartphone devices as a proxy for human mobility across 216,069 Census Block Groups. The results show that when receiving the EIP, households significantly increased “Median Home Dwell Time” by an average of 3–5% (about 26–45 min). The paper highlights this unintended effect of the EIP, namely, that in addition to providing economic assistance, the EIP also helped increase individual contributions to mitigation efforts that slowed COVID-19 virus transmission in early 2020.
Apnea Spells in a Term Neonate.

1. Tara E. Ness, MD, MPH* 2. Brian C. King, MD* 3. Marcia Kukreja, MD* 4. Nathan C. Sundgren, MD, PhD* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX A boy was born at 39 weeks and 4 days of gestation to a 32-year-old gravida 2, para 2 mother via spontaneous vaginal delivery with meconium fluid. Apgar scores were 6 (0 for muscle tone and 0 for skin color) and 9 (1 for skin color) at 1 and 5 minutes, respectively, and he received routine resuscitation in the form of warming, drying, and stimulating. He was admitted to the mother-baby unit for routine newborn care and initiated on ampicillin and gentamicin (after routine blood samples were collected) for maternal chorioamnionitis (elevated maternal heart rate and elevated white blood cell count to 10,460/μL [10.46 × 109/L]). He was noted to have left arm weakness secondary to a presumed shoulder dystocia. Five hours after birth the infant was observed to have 2 apneic events with central cyanosis requiring blow-by oxygen. Vital signs were otherwise normal, and a point-of-care glucose level was normal. The spells lasted approximately 1 to 2 minutes and required moderate stimulation. The infant returned to baseline after the events and had been feeding and voiding normally. It was decided that the infant should be transferred to the NICU for further observation and evaluation. During transport to the unit the patient had another apneic event accompanied by oxygen desaturation to 55% to 60%. All the spells occurred when at rest and were not associated with feeding or changes in heart rate. Between these events, the infant had normal oxygen saturation, and during each event the infant was stimulated and was observed to spontaneously begin breathing again. After arrival at the NICU, head ultrasonography and chest radiography were obtained, the results of both of which …
Does Stigma Moderate the Efficacy of Mental- and Behavioral-Health Interventions? Examining Individual and Contextual Sources of Treatment-Effect Heterogeneity:

In this article, we argue that stigma may be an important, but heretofore underrecognized, source of heterogeneity in treatment effects of mental- and behavioral-health interventions. To support th...
My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys.

My heroes have always been cowboys. This is true (and also the name of a song written by Willie Nelson). Now, however, my heroes are behavior analytic researchers. They have provided the conceptual and empirical floorboards for behavior analysis, my beloved and chosen field. They have inspired, motivated, and vitalized me throughout my career and still do so. I seek them out, strive to emulate them, and consult their astonishing treasure trove of findings with a regularity that sometimes seems obsessive. So, I find myself conflicted now because I am compelled to stand up for behavior analytic practice. The timely and well-conducted study of publication stats on faculty in Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) programs motivated me to do so. In an insidiously oblique way, the study reflects the bias I perceive favoring research over practice in psychology programs across the country. That bias, implicit in most programs, and explicit in many, does not exist in medical school. Students go to medical school to learn to practice medicine, first and foremost. Some go on to research careers but the primary goal, encouraged strongly by the faculty, is the successful practice of medicine. It is quite the reverse in psychology programs, at least in top tier schools. Practice is not frowned upon; it is merely looked upon as a lesser endeavor. The tacit view seems to be that those who can, research and teach, and those who cannot, practice. Ironically, this is the reverse of the longstanding quote, sometimes used against teaching in the colloquial world (“those who can, do, those who cannot, teach”). It may be the case that research faculty are merely trying to accomplish either or both of two goals: replicating themselves or furthering their lines of scientific investigation. Students pursuing research careers can contribute to both goals, students pursuing practice, not so much.
Anpassung der Atmung unter physiologischen und pathologischen Bedingungen

Unter Eupnoe versteht man beim Erwachsenen einen nicht zum Bewustsein kommenden Atem typ mit regelmasig aufeinanderfolgenden, gleich tiefen Atemzugen (etwa 16 Atemzuge/min mit etwa 500 ml Atemzug-Volumen) ohne in- oder exspiratorischen Pausen, wobei die Inspiration aktiv, die Exspiration passiv erfolgt. In allen Situationen, mit erhohtem Sauerstoffbedarf (z. B. Arbeit, Fieber) kommt es zur Hyperpnoe, einer vertieften Atmung mit oder ohne Zunahme der Atemfrequenz. Als Tachypnoe bezeichnet man eine Zunahme der Atemfrequenz, wobei dem Gesunden erst eine verdoppelte Frequenz und/oder Atemtiefe zu Bewustsein kommt. Hyperpnoe mus nicht unbedingt mit Hyperventilation verbunden sein; bei Hyperventilation kommt es zu einer in Relation zum Stoffwechselzustand gesteigerten alveolaren Ventilation mit Absinken des arteriellen PCO2 unter 40 mm Hg. Bei Hypoventilation ist hingegen die alveolare Ventilation im Verhaltnis zu den Stoffwechselerfordernissen zu gering, so das der arterielle PCO2 uber 40 mm Hg ansteigt. Eine besondere Form gesteigerter Atmung ist die sogenannte „Bergsteiger-Atmung“, bei der durch aktive Exspiration unter Ausnutzung eines Teils des exspiratorischen Reservevolumens eine Verringerung der funktionellen Residualkapazitat erzielt wird, wodurch sich das Frischluft/ Residualluft-Verhaltnis (Ventilationskoeffizient) verbessert und die alveolare Ventilation gesteigert wird.
Ideological Distance Among Parties and Macroeconomic Outcomes

This paper attempts to provide a single framework for bridging the separate research programs on opportunistic and partisan business cycles. Ideological distance, the degree of distance between the government and opposition on a left-right ideological spectrum, arguably could provide more leverage in understanding the conditions under which opportunistic and partisan business cycles are prominent. I develop a framework for hypothesizing that the effects of partisan business cycles are stronger when ideological distance is wide and opportunistic business cycles are stronger when ideological distance is narrow. I test these hypotheses on data for GDP growth, unemployment, and inflation from six industrialized democracies with plurality electoral systems. Tests for GDP growth confirm the hypotheses, while tests on unemployment data are partially supportive and the tests on inflation do not confirm the hypotheses.
Urticaria pigmentosa; report of a case of the bullous variety in a newborn infant.

Summary 1. A case of urticaria pigmentosa in an infant is reported. 2. The special features of interest in this case are the presence of the full-blown disease picture at birth and the bullous character of many of the lesions. 3. Attention is called to the absence of cases reported in the recent pediatric literature. For that reason the disease picture and its pathognomonic clinical sign (urtication on stroking of the lesion) are described. 4. The presence of mast cells in abnormal numbers in the corium on histologic examination is pointed out as a characteristic pathologic feature.
Fundamental changes in the LLC: a study in path-divergence and convergence

Issues relating to fundamental changes in LLCs — matters such as amendments to organizational documents, mergers, conversions, domestications, and dissolutions — have received little consideration in the law literature. While they are regular occurrences in the lifecycle of a firm, they are not in front of an LLC’s management or legal counsel every day. Having said that, they are critically important aspects of the law governing LLCs, especially in transformative times. This draft book chapter, written for the forthcoming Research Handbook on Partnerships, LLCs and Alternative Forms of Business Organizations (Robert W. Hillman & Mark J. Loewenstein eds., Edward Elgar Publishing, forthcoming 2015), reviews the current state of fundamental change doctrine in the LLC form in the United States, collects and describes key observations on the current (and continually evolving) U.S. laws governing these important transactions, and draws related summary conclusions.
Urokinase receptor and resistance to targeted anticancer agents.

The urokinase receptor (uPAR) is a GPI-anchored membrane protein, which regulates protease activity at the cell surface and, in collaboration with a system of co-receptors, triggers cell-signaling and regulates gene expression within the cell. In normal tissues, uPAR gene expression is limited; however, in cancer, uPAR is frequently over-expressed and the gene may be amplified. Hypoxia, which often develops in tumors, further increases uPAR expression by cancer cells. uPAR-initiated cell-signaling promotes cancer cell migration, invasion, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stem cell-like properties, survival, and release from states of dormancy. Newly emerging data suggest that the pro-survival cell-signaling activity of uPAR may allow cancer cells to “escape” from the cytotoxic effects of targeted anticancer drugs. Herein, we review the molecular properties of uPAR that are responsible for its activity in cancer cells and its ability to counteract the activity of anticancer drugs.
A Survey of Medical Students’ Use of Nutrition Resources and Perceived Competency in Providing Basic Nutrition Education

Purpose. The aims of this study were to assess where medical students obtain their nutrition information and their self-perceived level of competency in providing basic nutrition education to patients. Methods. A survey was distributed to all first through fourth year medical students at Case Western Reserve University (). For statistical analysis, data was expressed as percentages of total responses and binomial regression was used to answer the study hypotheses. Results. The survey response rate was 47%. Forty-two percent of respondents selected a majority of professional nutrition resources () as their most commonly used nutrition resources, 38% selected a majority of consumer resources (), and 20% selected “I do not use nutrition resources” (). The most popular nutrition resource selected was consumer websites. Seventy percent of respondents reported feeling competent in their ability to provide basic nutrition education to patients (). Conclusion. Medical students seem to feel competent in their ability to give basic nutrition education to patients, but they may be obtaining nutrition information from unreliable consumer-based resources. To help increase the provision of sound nutritional guidance, medical students should be taught to use reliable nutrition resources, as well as the value of referring patients to registered dietitians.
Homeowners? Repeat-Sale Gains, Dual Agency and Repeated Use of the SameAgent

Previous studies of dual agency, where one agent serves both buyer and seller in a transaction, use hedonic models. Repeat-sale methods can test for the price effect of accepting dual agency. Dual agency does not show convincing effects on expected gain, which would occur if there was a systematic bias, or on heteroscedasticity, which would occur if there are large effects that are rare. Earlier researchers could not test for the effect of an owner picking a listing agent who was the earlier selling agent. Consistently positive mean abnormal price gains come from this choice, as well as significant heteroscedasticity.
Mechanism of Gαi-mediated Inhibition of Type V Adenylyl Cyclase

The topology of mammalian adenylyl cyclase reveals an integral membrane protein composed of an alternating series of membrane and cytoplasmic domains (C1 and C2). The stimulatory G protein, Gαs, binds within a cleft in the C2 domain of adenylyl cyclase while Gαi binds within the opposite cleft in the C1domain. The mechanism of these two regulators also appears to be in opposition. Activation of adenylyl cyclase by Gαs or forskolin results in a 100-fold increase in the apparent affinity of the two domains for one another. We show herein that Gαireduces C1/C2 domain interaction and thus formation of the adenylyl cyclase catalytic site. Mutants that increase the affinity of C1 for C2 decrease the ability of Gαi to inhibit the enzyme. In addition, Gαi can influence binding of molecules to the catalytic site, which resides at the C1/C2 interface. Adenylyl cyclase can bind substrate analogs in the presence of Gαi but cannot simultaneously bind Gαi and transition state analogs such as 2′d3′-AMP. Gαi also cannot inhibit the membrane-bound enzyme in the presence of manganese, which increases the affinity of adenylyl cyclase for ATP and substrate analogs. Thus homologous G protein α-subunits promote bidirectional regulation at the domain interface of the pseudosymmetrical adenylyl cyclase enzyme.
Heroin Epidemics Revisited

This paper reviewed heroin use data from the US government's epidemiologic monitoring system for substance abuse. The monitoring system has multiple components, i.e., the Drug Abuse Warning Network of reporting emergency rooms (9), annual surveys of high school and post-high school youth (3, 4), annual National Household Surveys of Substance Abuse (7, 8, 50), Drug Use Forecasting (51), the Community Epidemiology Work Group (52), and law enforcement systems not reviewed here. These monitoring systems should identify any major increase in heroin incidence in this country relatively early. This is important, because the early stages of heroin epidemics are often hidden from society, and the epidemics are already full-blown by the time health and other agencies become aware of the size of the affected population and are required to respond. The hidden or underground nature of heroin epidemics is caused by 1) the need of each user to hide an illegal activity and 2) the delay between the time when heroin is first used and the onset of physical dependence and other adverse consequences, which bring new heroin addicts to the attention of treatment and enforcement systems. Despite an epidemiologic surveillance system which should rapidly identify large-scale heroin spread in this country, our treatment and law enforcement systems are not organized to respond rapidly to contain an epidemic. Substance abuse treatment services are not structured for rapid expansion and contraction based on fluctuating need. Apart from HIV prevention programs, we do not have outreach teams attached to treatment programs that could quickly identify local outbreaks and involve new heroin abusers in treatment (10).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Chronic disease risk among adults with cerebral palsy: the role of premature sarcopoenia, obesity and sedentary behaviour.

Summary Premature declines in function among adults with cerebral palsy (CP) are generally attributed to weakness, spasticity and orthopaedic abnormalities, as well as chronic pain and fatigue. Very little research or clinical attention has been devoted to the confluence and consequences of early muscle wasting and obesity as mediators of secondary comorbidity in this population, and perhaps more importantly, to the role of lifestyle to potentiate these outcomes. At present, there are no national surveillance programmes that monitor chronic health in adults with CP; however, mortality records have demonstrated a greater prevalence of coronary heart disease as compared with the general population. Although by definition, CP is a ‘non-progressive’ condition, secondary factors such as habitual sedentary behaviour, obesity, and premature sarcoepenia may increase the severity of functional impairment throughout adulthood, and lead to cardiometabolic disease, fragility and/or early mortality. Herein we describe the heightened health risk represented in adults with CP, and discuss the hallmark phenotypic features that coincide with ageing, obesity and cardiometabolic disorders. Moreover, we provide discussion regarding the protective role of habitual physical activity to stimulate anti-inflammatory pathways and to ameliorate global risk. Although physical therapeutic modalities are already widely acknowledged as a vital component to improve movement quality in CP, the purpose of this review was to present a compelling case for the value of lifelong physical activity participation for both function and cardiometabolic health preservation.
Test-enhanced learning: analysis of an experience with undergraduate nursing students

This study is based on the evidence that tests can be used as an educational tool to enhance learning, not just as an evaluation tool. There is a growing body of research that shows that participating in repeated testing improves learning, a phenomenon defined as Test-Enhanced Learning. The aim of the present study was to analyse the effect of the use of a test enhanced learning program integrated into a general psychology course for undergraduate nursing students and its interaction with the students’ test anxiety. 161 undergraduate nursing students attending a General Psychology course followed an educational program based on Test-Enhanced Learning methodology. Students were divided into two groups, an experimental group (TEL group) and a control group (Re-study group). TEL students took a multiple-choice test on the lecture topics. The Re-study group just read study material. Testing and re-study occurred at intervals of about a week after each lesson. TEL students received feedback immediately after each test. About two weeks after the end of the lessons, all the students took a final cumulative test on all the topics. Statistical analysis was used to analyse students’ performances. After the administration of the cumulative unit test, all the students took a graded examination. Students in the TEL group performed better than the controls, both in the final cumulative test and in a graded examination. TEL participants experienced better final cumulative test results than students not tested (M TEL = 23.11, M Re-study = 20.47, t(109.86) = −2.57, p < 0.05, r = 0.24). Test-Enhanced Learning program participation has a positive impact on exam performance (βG_Step1 = 0.46, p < 0.001). Finally, the analysis performed shows a slight moderating effect of test anxiety on Test-Enhanced Learning (βGxTA_Step3 = 0.15, p < 0.05). Test-Enhanced Learning can be an effective tool for promoting and enhancing learning. In fact, taking tests after studying produced better long-term retention and then better final test performance than re-reading without testing. Both students in the TEL group and the Re-study group with a high test anxiety level perform less well than colleagues with lower test anxiety. Nevertheless, students with higher test anxiety may obtain more benefits from participating in a Test-Enhanced Learning process than people with lower test anxiety. Further studies on larger and more representative samples are necessary in order to investigate the effect of test anxiety on Test-Enhanced Learning.
Compensation of nonlinear phase jitter in DPSK modulated optical communications systems

A nonlinear phase jitter compensator is demonstrated in a DPSK optical communication system. The compensator emulates a negative nonlinear refractive index, correcting phase impairments caused by the combination of ASE noise and the Kerr effect.
CD4+ Class I-Restricted T Cells Specific for HIV gp160 315-329

Abstract Mature, circulating, αβ T cells express either CD4 or CD8. In the majority of cases, CD4 + T cells recognize Ag in association with class II MHC molecules, while CD8 + T cells recognize Ag in association with class I MHC molecules. In this report we describe CD4 + class I-restricted T cell hybridomas and normal clones specific for the peptide 315-329 of HIV gp160 strain IIIb in association with H-2D d . Two models were formulated to explain how CD4 + class I-restricted T cells could arise. First, they could represent aberrant selection of CD4 + cells on class I MHC molecules in the thymus. Alternatively, they could have been selected normally on class II; in this case the cells would display cross-reactive recognition of 315-329 in association with H-2D d and an unknown Ag in association with class II. To distinguish these models, a second specificity was determined for the T cell clones. The normal clones recognized the class I molecule H-2K k as alloantigen and thus were presumably positively selected in the thymus on class I MHC. CD4 was shown to be functional in these cells in that anti-CD4 mAb inhibited their proliferation; however, both Ag- and Con A-induced responses were inhibited, suggesting that a negative signal was delivered by the anti-CD4 mAb.
Reaction of 4,4′-dimethoxydiphenylmethanimine with carbon disulfide

Abstract The reaction of 4,4′-dimethoxydiphenylmethanimine with carbon disulfide in bromoform was studied at temperatures of 40°, 50°, and 60° in sealed tubes. The products from this reaction are 4,4′-dimethoxythiobenzophenone and 4,4′-dimethoxydiphenylmethaniminium thiocyanate. The proposed mechanism postulates primary attack on the carbon atom of carbon disulfide by the imine nitrogen leading to a resonance stabilized intermediate followed by ring closure with formation of a 4-membered ring, which is unstable and decomposes to form thioketone and isothoicyanic acid. Supporting evidence for the proposed mechanism was drawn from kinetic studies, NMR studies, the effect of copper on the reaction system and the reaction of the benzyl substituted imine N-benzyl-4,4′-dimethoxydiphenylmethanimine (Schonberg's Reagent) with carbon disulfide at 43°. The formation of benzyl isothiocyanate in the system was inferred from the presence of N,N-dibenzylthiourea. The presence of benzyl isothiocyanate in the substituted imine—CS2 system suggests that the initial decomposition product from the four membered ring intermediate in the imine—CS2 system is HNCS. The work suggests that dithiocarbamic acids in oxidizing metallic copper may not react through a dithiocarboxyl group in a classical sense but through a zwitterionic form of the molecule where the hydrogen is attached to the nitrogen stom.
The Isoperoxidases of Pisum sativum

The heterogeneity of the peroxidases in peas was examined by starch gel electrophoresis. Comparisons were made between tall and dwarf cultivars and among organ systems developed in light and darkness. Isoperoxidase bands could be grouped as cathodic, anodic and near-neutral (at pH 9.0) types. The cathodic set stained well with guaiacol oxidation products whereas some anodic bands reacted preferentially with 2,6-dimethoxyphenol. Some near-neutral bands were aceto-carmine positive and may have been organellar. Each organ had a characteristic isozyme pattern, and the band patterns in corresponding organs from different varieties were far more alike than were the patterns in the different organs within each variety. Ontogenetic changes were marked in all 3 organ systems, principally in the cathodic bands. The effect of light on isozymal patterns was quantitative rather than qualitative, possibly influencing the isoperoxidases secondarily via its effect upon organ physiology and development.
Morphactins enhance ethylene-induced leaf abscission

Morphactins were found to resemble other auxin-transport inhibitors in their ability to stimulate leaf abscission in cotton in response to ethylene or Ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid).
Optimized 3-D recovery from 2-D images using sine-wave-structured lightillumination

A common problem in manufacturing design is the accurate rendering of a 3-D object into a digitized 3-D representation. Such a rendering can be used to duplicate or modify existing objects as well as perform quality control and object recognition in automated manufacturing operations. There are several automated ways to retrieve 3-D information. If we limit our discussion to non-destructive computer vision techniques, these techniques include stereo- vision, orthogonal silhouette projection, gray level analysis, focal plane analysis, interferometric analysis, and structured light projection. In this paper we present a sine section structured light technique. This technique requires only one image of a surface area to process the topology, it is insensitive to reflected intensity variations and it can be accomplished with incoherent white light so it is insensitive to phase distortions caused by roughness. The sine section technique projects a sine wave image onto an object and recovers the local slopes (1st order) which are then combined to reconstruct the surface topology. This technique has the advantage over single slit structured light approaches which use position (0 order) information because it uses the entire area of a 2-D image as information for reconstruction. It has the advantage over multiple slits because, locally, it is the narrow-band frequency modulation of a sine wave. This decreases the side loop response. However globally it is a wide-band modulating technique (0 to infinite frequency) so an optimum frequency demodulation technique is developed which yields average slopes in local regions of the illuminated area. The performance of this technique appears to be very robust and insensitive to intensity- variations. It is also compatible with certain single slit projection techniques for 0 order recovery. In addition to this it yields local carrier frequencies which can be used with (2nd level processing) narrow-band phase demodulation techniques to recover higher resolution of surface variation. Results are presented for recovery of a second order surface corrupted by additive colored Gaussian spatial noise. The colored noise is generated with a fractal filter based on a fractal dimension parameter (beta) .
THE REDUCED-RANK GROWTH CURVE MODEL FOR DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS OF LONGITUDINAL DATA

Summary This paper presents a method of discriminant analysis especially suited to longitudinal data. The approach is in the spirit of canonical variate analysis (CVA) and is similarly intended to reduce the dimensionality of multivariate data while retaining information about group differences. A drawback of CVA is that it does not take advantage of special structures that may be anticipated in certain types of data. For longitudinal data, it is often appropriate to specify a growth curve structure (as given, for example, in the model of Potthoff & Roy, 1964). The present paper focuses on this growth curve structure, utilizing it in a model-based approach to discriminant analysis. For this purpose the paper presents an extension of the reduced-rank regression model, referred to as the reduced-rank growth curve (RRGC) model. It estimates discriminant functions via maximum likelihood and gives a procedure for determining dimensionality. This methodology is exploratory only, and is illustrated by a well-known dataset from Grizzle & Allen (1969).
Late complication of thoracic endovascular stent-grafting.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has become increasingly popular for the treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms. Despite their proven efficacy and safety, several complications can occur with TEVAR. We report a case of a 76-year-old woman with a late-term complication after TEVAR related to recurrent thyroid cancer and carotid–subclavian revascularization.
Current histologic preparation methods for Mohs micrographic surgery.

Background. Recently Mohs micrographic surgery, which is widely used for the removal of nonmelanoma skin cancers, has been used to remove lentigo maligna with both rush permanent sections and frozen sections. Several investigators have incorporated the use of immunohistochemical techniques to aid in the interpretation of the specimens. Objective. To determine the current practices of Mohs surgery laboratories, including the use of immunostains and automation of laboratory processes. Methods. A total of 108 laboratories responded to a written questionnaire with 13 items about the types of tumors resected, routine stains performed, average number of slides processed per day, and use of automation and immunostains. Results. Forty-nine percent of the laboratories are completely manual and 51% are automated. The Linistainer automated system, which is the predominant one used, decreased processing time by about 30% and provided an estimated 21–30% improved quality. Automation was associated with the number of slides processed. Immunostaining is performed by a limited number of laboratories which use the technique for basal and squamous cell carcinoma, lentigo maligna, and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. Conclusion. Automation of routine slide preparation with a Linistainer decreased staining variability by providing a consistent environment, and decreased processing time. Most laboratories do not perform immunostaining. The relatively high cost of reagents, lack of a reliable automated process, the additional time to process specimens, and the additional technician and physician time makes the procedure impractical for many laboratories.
Self-aggregation and large-scale control of tropical deep convection : A modeling study

Abstract The Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model version 5 (MM5) is used to investigate whether superclusters represent a mode of self-aggregation of tropical deep convection that occurs spontaneously under horizontally uniform boundary conditions and large-scale forcings. The nonhydrostatic version of MM5 is run with prescribed domain-averaged vertical velocity and periodic boundary conditions in both east–west and north–south directions. Domain-averaged horizontal winds are relaxed to a specified reference wind profile. Two vertical profiles of mean ascent are used. One has an elevated maximum at the upper troposphere and near-zero vertical velocity in the lower troposphere. The other peaks at the midtroposphere, representing the vertical velocity distribution of convective towers only. Simulations with the same initial conditions but two different forcings show significant differences in convective organization. The run with elevated forcing develops l...
Thoughts on the pulmonary blood-gas barrier

The pulmonary blood-gas barrier is an extraordinary structure because of its extreme thinness, immense strength, and enormous area. The essential components of the barrier were determined early in evolution and have been highly conserved. For example, the barriers of the African, Australian, and South American lungfish that date from as much as 400 million years ago have essentially the same structure as in the modern mammal or bird. In the evolution of vertebrates from bony fishes through amphibia, reptiles, and ultimately mammals and birds, changes in the pulmonary circulation occurred to limit the stresses in the blood-gas barrier. Only in mammals and birds is there a complete separation of the pulmonary and systemic circulations, which is essential to protect the extremely thin barrier from the necessary high-vascular pressures. To provide the blood-gas barrier with its required strength, evolution has exploited the high ultimate tensile strength of type IV collagen in basement membrane. Nevertheless, stress failure of the barrier occurs under physiological conditions in galloping Thoroughbred racehorses and also apparently in elite human athletes at maximal exercise. The human blood-gas barrier maintains its integrity during all but the most extreme physiological conditions. However, many pathological conditions cause stress failure. The structure of the blood-gas barrier is apparently continually regulated in response to wall stress, and this regulation is essential to maintain the extreme thinness but adequate strength. The mechanisms of this regulation remain to be elucidated and constitute one of the fundamental problems in lung biology.
Ultra-compact switchable SLO/OCT handheld probe design

Handheld scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems facilitate imaging of young children and subjects that have difficulty fixating. More compact and lightweight probes allow for better portability and increased comfort for the operator of the handheld probe. We describe a very compact, novel SLO and OCT handheld probe design. A single 2D microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner and a custom optical design using a converging beam prior to the scanner permitted significant reduction in the system size. Our design utilized a combination of commercial and custom optics that were optimized in Zemax to achieve near diffraction-limited resolution of 8 μm over a 7° field of view. The handheld probe has a form factor of 7 x 6 x 2.5 cm and a weight of only 94 g, which is over an order of magnitude lighter than prior SLO-OCT handheld probes. Images were acquired from a normal subject with an incident power on the eye under the ANSI limit. With this device, which is the world’s lightest and smallest SLO-OCT system, we were able to visualize parafoveal cone photoreceptors and nerve fiber bundles without the use of adaptive optics.
Damage of Carbon/Epoxy Composite Plates Subjected to Mechanical Impact and Simulated Lightning

Damage is inflicted on carbon-fiber/epoxy composite plates using both simulated lightning strike and mechanical impact in the effort to understand the relative effect of the two damage mechanisms. A methodology is proposed to characterize the damage resistance and tolerance of unconfigured composite plates subjected to lightning strike in a fashion that is consistent with the extensive work previously done on low-velocity impact. Using current and voltage diagnostics, it is possible to extrapolate the amount of electromechanical energy absorbed by the plate during the strike and compare it to that absorbed during a mechanical impact. Damage resistance is characterized by means of ultrasonic C-scans and microscopy, whereas residual strength is measured by means of compression after impact testing. Results show that the energy dissipated in a specimen during the lightning strike is much greater than the strain energy introduced by mechanical impact, and hence a comparison based on energy is not recommended. However, based on the relative threat levels associated with the impact and the lightning strike events, the comparison yields insightful observations on both damage state and residual performance. In general, for the configurations tested, lightning strike damage seems to be less detrimental than the mechanical impact in terms of both damage area and residual strength.
Neural response to reward and depressive symptoms in late childhood to early adolescence

Depression is a major public health concern, and the period from late childhood through early adolescence is a critical time in the development of depressive symptoms. In adults, depression and depressive symptoms are associated with a reduction in the feedback negativity (FN), an ERP component elicited by feedback indicating rewards versus losses. The current study sought to extend these findings to a sample of 64 children aged 8-13, and to examine developmental differences in the FN. Consistent with previous work in adults, higher depressive symptom scores were associated with a blunted FN across the sample. When responses to losses and gains were examined separately, only reduction in the response to monetary gain was associated with increased depressive symptoms. In the current study, the vast majority of children were pre-pubertal, and the FN was unrelated to both age and pubertal development. The FN may be an ideal biomarker for studying changes in reward sensitivity and depression that emerge as children transition through puberty.
Multiple realization in comparative perspective

Arguments for multiple realization depend on the idea that the same kind of function is realized by different kinds of structures. It is important to such arguments that we know the kinds used in the arguments have been individuated properly. In the philosophical literature, though, claims about how to individuate kinds are frequently decided on intuitive grounds. This paper criticizes this way of approaching kinds by considering how practicing researchers think about the matter. I will consider several examples in which the practice of researchers on comparative vision conflicts with the standard account of these issues.
Exposed tyrosine residues of Bacillus subtilis alpha-amylase.

Abstract 1. 1. Alpha-amylase treated with tetranitromethane and digested with trypsin allows the isolation of 4 yellow peptides. 2. 2. Three of these contain 1 mole of nitrotyrosine; the fourth has 2 moles. 3. 3. Thus, there are 5 tyrosines out of 12 if the mol. wt. is accepted as 24,000 (or out of 24 if it is accepted as 48,000) that are modified by this reagent.
Extraocular photoreceptors can entrain the circadian oscillator in the eye ofAplysia

The eye ofAplysia contains a circadian oscillator which can be entrained by cycles of white light (Jacklet, 1969b). Photoreceptors sufficient for entrainment of this oscillator reside within the eye itself (Eskin, 1971). We now report that extraocular photoreceptors can also entrain the ocular oscillator. Our evidence is: TheAplysia nervous system contains several circadian oscillators and several photoreceptors. Functional integrity of the organism requires that these elements be synchronized with one another. A neural, as opposed to hormonal, link is required for coupling the circadian oscillator in the eye to other neural sources of temporal information.
Formation and Electron Diffraction Studies of Ordered 2-D and 3-D Superlattices of Amine-Stabilized Gold Nanocrystals†

Two- and three-dimensional superlattices formed from a family of amine-stabilized gold nanoparticles were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and selected area diffraction studies. The samples were prepared by ligand-exchange reactions between a phosphine-stabilized 1.5 nm precursor and pentadecylamine and exhibit metal core diameters ranging from 1.8 to ∼8 nm. Several of the observed specimens have surprisingly narrow core size dispersity and, as a consequence, form highly organized two- and three-dimensional superlattices. TEM imaging and electron diffraction studies are used to determine both the packing arrangement and the type and degree of order present in these superlattices. Smaller (dCORE ∼ 1.8 nm) nanoparticles form three-dimensional fcc superlattices, a surprising finding in light of the fact that the 1.4 nm precursors have not previously been observed to form such highly ordered superlattices. Narrow dispersity samples of larger nanoparticles (dCORE >5 nm) form organized superlatt...
The isolated cytoplasmic domain of band 3 binds calcium at physiological salt concentration and neutral PH.

Abstract Calcium is known to be a potent but partial intracellular inhibitor of band 3 anion exchange. Here we test the hypothesis that the cytoplasmic domain of band 3 (CDB3) contains a calcium binding site. Calcium binding to CDB3 was monitored by measuring the formation of the Arsenazo III-calcium complex at various constant CDB3 concentrations. These experiments were performed at physiological salt and neutral pH. The calcium-CDB3 dissociation constant was estimated to be ≤ 24 μM. We also found that the Arsenazo III-calcium complex binds to CDB3, while the free dye does not bind. We conclude that CDB3 contains a site which is capable of binding free calcium under physiological conditions. A specific role for this site in inhibition of band 3 anion exchange is suggested, but that role remains to be established.
Dynamic programming models with goal objectives

An extension of dynamic programming models to include goal objectives is described, and illustrative examples are provided.