cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Probing compartment-specific sphingolipids with targeted bacterial sphingomyelinases and ceramidases

Sphingolipids contribute to the regulation of cell and tissue homeostasis, and disorders of sphingolipid metabolism lead to diseases such as inflammation, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Sphingolipid metabolic pathways involve an array of enzymes that reside in specific subcellular organelles, resulting in the formation of many diverse sphingolipids with distinct molecular species based on the diversity of the ceramide (Cer) structure. In order to probe compartment-specific metabolism of sphingolipids in this study, we analyzed the Cer and SM species preferentially produced in the inner plasma membrane (PM), Golgi apparatus, ER, mitochondria, nucleus, and cytoplasm by using compartmentally targeted bacterial SMases and ceramidases. The results showed that the length of the acyl chain of Cer becomes longer according to the progress of Cer from synthesis in the ER to the Golgi apparatus, then to the PM. These findings suggest that each organelle shows different properties of SM-derived Cers consistent with its emerging distinct functions in vitro and in vivo.
The effect of maternal employment on Mormon and non-Mormon adolescents

The relationship between maternal employment and familial relations was investigated in two groups of adolescents. Samples of Mormon and non-Mormon adolescents whose mothers either worked full-time or were nonemployed were compared on a series of questionnaire items designed to assess general family climate and quality of relationships with parents. Results indicated that both sons and daughters from Mormon families where the mother was not employed full-time reported a closer relationship with their fathers.
Improving galaxy clustering measurements with deep learning: analysis of the DECaLS DR7 data

Robust measurements of cosmological parameters from galaxy surveys rely on our understanding of systematic effects that impact the observed galaxy density field. In this paper we present, validate, and implement the idea of adopting the systematics mitigation method of Artificial Neural Networks for modeling the relationship between the target galaxy density field and various observational realities including but not limited to Galactic extinction, seeing, and stellar density. Our method by construction allows a wide class of models and alleviates over-training by performing k-fold cross-validation and dimensionality reduction via backward feature elimination. By permuting the choice of the training, validation, and test sets, we construct a selection mask for the entire footprint. We apply our method on the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) Emission Line Galaxies (ELGs) selection from the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS) Data Release 7 and show that the spurious large-scale contamination due to imaging systematics can be significantly reduced by up-weighting the observed galaxy density using the selection mask from the neural network and that our method is more effective than the conventional linear and quadratic polynomial functions. We perform extensive analyses on simulated mock datasets with and without systematic effects. Our analyses indicate that our methodology is more robust to overfitting compared to the conventional methods. This method can be utilized in the catalog generation of future spectroscopic galaxy surveys such as eBOSS and Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to better mitigate observational systematics.
Secure communication systems using synchronized Lorenz strange attractor on reconfigurable hardware

This paper utilizes a synchronized Lorenz chaotic drive/response system, which uses Haar filtering and appropriate thresholding in order to detect a transmitted random binary message. Using the Lorenz chaotic attractor to obscure the message, the transmission is passed through an Additive White Gaussian (AWG) channel to successfully retrieve the original binary random data. The detection mechanism employs the Haar Wavelet Transform in combating the channel noise. A communication technique using Chaotic Parameter Modulation (CPM) is simulated in Matlab and prototyped on a reconfigurable hardware platform from Xilinx.
Hydrogel Microdomain Encapsulation of Stable Functionalized Silver Nanoparticles for SERS pH and Urea Sensing

Conceptual and commercial examples of implantable sensors have been limited to a relatively small number of target analytes, with a strong focus on glucose monitoring. Recently, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) pH sensors were demonstrated to track acid-producing enzymatic reactions targeting specific analytes. We show here that SERS pH tracking in the basic regime is also possible, and can be used to monitor urea concentration. To accomplish this, we developed a hydrogel consisting of polyelectrolyte multilayer microcapsules containing a SERS-sensitive pH reporter (4-mercapopyridine capped silver nanoparticles modified with bovine serum albumin). This pH sensing material exhibited a sensitive Raman scattering response to a wide range of pH from 6.5-9.7. By incorporating urease into the hydrogel matrix, the new sensor was capable of distinguishing urea concentrations of 0, 0.1, 1, and 10 mM. We also found that bovine serum albumin (BSA) prevented severe aggregation of the nanoparticle-based pH sensor, which improved sensing range and sensitivity. Furthermore, BSA safeguarded the pH sensor during the encapsulation procedure. Together, the combination of materials represents a novel approach to enabling optical sensing of reactions that generate pH changes in the basic range.
Parametric modeling and simulation of Low temperature energy storage for cold-climate multi-family residences using a geothermal heat pump system with integrated phase change material storage tank

Abstract A novel geothermal heat pump (GHP) system with an integrated low- to moderate-temperature salt hydrate phase change material (PCM) storage tank for buildings in cold climates is proposed in this study. The purpose of the PCM storage tank is to dampen peak heating loads and to remove annual ground thermal load imbalances on the ground heat exchanger (GHX) to assist in achieving an optimally-sized GHX. As heat is extracted from the closed-loop system by heat pumps in heating mode, a significant portion of this heat is used to solidify a salt hydrate PCM. This heat of fusion is later released back into the heat transfer fluid, storing it in the PCM tank and GHX for later diurnal and seasonal use. To examine the merits of the proposed concept, electric utility meter data on 15-minute time intervals were mined from an actual apartment building and used to estimate space heating, cooling, and hot water heating loads. Those data were used in an hourly, dynamic 20-year life-cycle simulation model in TRNSYS to design an optimum combination of GHX and PCM storage, where each component was sized to balance the annual ground thermal loads. The system simulation results show significant potential for GHX size reduction with a PCM storage tank, but the system is quite sensitive to the PCM melt temperature due to significant hysteretic nature of the salt hydrate PCM heating and cooling curves. We also find that there is no unique optimum unless other factors are considered such as installation cost and physical constraints; many combinations of GHX size and PCM mass are capable of achieving the design goal with similar annual electric energy consumption. For the cases examined here, a PCM melt temperature of 27 °C yields the most favorable economic results, and a preliminary economic analysis suggests that with typical drilling cost and PCM tank cost values, the GHX size can be reduced by over 50 %.
Catalog and Online Retailing: Effects of Signals of Quality and Need for Cognition: An Abstract

Shopping through direct-to-consumer channels has been found to be appealing to consumers who like the convenience of in-home/office shopping. The use of direct channels to shop for non-digital products (i.e., material products that can best be assessed for quality through tactile inspection) has been shown to be most rewarding to consumers with high levels of confidence in their ability to make product decisions without physical tangible experience. However, for direct channel retailers using multiple shopping modes, some important challenges have been in projecting distinctive images and identifying appropriate target markets. In particular, retailers dealing with print catalog- and online-shopping modes have had difficulty in designing programs, in part, because of a lack of research on the effects of cues of quality and the role of personality traits and consumer’ motivations in processing shopping modes.
Forced guided waves in linearly elastic plates (II) - A modified normal-mode expansion method

The classical normal-mode expansion method developed by Auld and Kino in 1973 has been used widely by numerous researchers and practitioners to study forced guided waves in plates and layered media, including both elastic and electromagnetic waves. However, it was shown in Part I of this study that, although this method gives the correct solution when applied to horizontally polarized shear waves and electromagnetic waves, it does not yield the correct elastodynamic solution when applied to Lamb waves. To address this shortcoming, we develop in this paper a modified normal-mode expansion method that yields the correct elastodynamic solution in that the solution satisfies all the elastodynamic governing equations and the boundary conditions for forced Lamb waves in a plate. The efficacy of the modified normal-mode expansion method is further confirmed by comparing its solution with the finite element solution. Further, it is showed that when applied to horizontally polarized shear waves, the modified normal-mode expansion method yields numerically the same result as that of the classical normal-mode expansion method. However, the modified normal-mode expansion solution converges much faster.
Flavor-solvent reaction products in electronic cigarette liquids activate respiratory irritant receptors and elicit cytotoxic metabolic responses in airway epithelial cell

Manufacturers claim that E-cigarettes are inherently safe since they vaporize a defined set of chemicals. It is assumed that e-liquids vaporized by E-cigarettes are chemically stable, however, potential reaction pathways suggests that reactions may occur during production and storage. Using a combination of gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and NMR, we observed that flavor aldehydes such as vanillin (vanilla flavor) and benzaldehyde (berry / fruit flavor) rapidly undergo chemical reactions with the E-liquid solvents PG and VG after mixing. The chemical adducts formed, named aldehyde PG/VG acetals, are carried over into the aerosol and are stable at physiological conditions. Toxicological tests reveal that these compounds activate the sensory irritant receptors TRPV1 and TRPA1, involved in triggering cough, secretions and cardiovascular reflexes to irritant inhalation. The aldehyde acetals activate these receptors more robustly and potently than the parent aldehydes. Comparison of the cytotoxic effects of parent aldehydes and acetals in cultured bronchial epithelial cells demonstrate that acetals induce cell death at lower concentrations. Analysis of mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis reveal that flavor aldehyde acetals suppress mitochondrial oxygen consumption and ATP production. These findings suggest that electronic cigarettes release unstable chemical mixtures containing a large variety of chemical products with unexpected toxicological properties. Thorough risk assessment is required by regulators to identify and mitigate toxicological threats to e-cigarette users.
Developing technologies for biological experiments in deep space

In light of an upcoming series of missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) through NASA’s Artemis program and the potential establishment of bases on the Moon and Mars, the effects of the deep space environment on biology need to be examined and protective countermeasures need to be developed. Even though many biological experiments have been performed in space since the 1960s, most of them have occurred in LEO and for only short periods of time. These LEO missions have studied many biological phenomena in a variety of model organisms, as well as utilized a broad range of technologies. Given the constraints of the deep space environment, however, future deep space biological missions will be limited to microbial organisms using miniaturized technologies. Small satellites like CubeSats are capable of querying relevant space environments using novel instruments and biosensors. CubeSats also provide a low-cost alternative to more complex and larger missions, and require minimal crew support, if any. Several have been deployed in LEO, but the next iteration of biological CubeSats will go farther. BioSentinel will be the first interplanetary CubeSat and the first biological study NASA has sent beyond Earth’s magnetosphere in 50 years. BioSentinel is an autonomous free-flyer platform able to support biology and to investigate the effects of radiation on a model organism in interplanetary deep space. The BioSensor payload contained within the free-flyer is also an adaptable instrument that can perform biologically relevant measurements with different microorganisms and in multiple space environments, including the ISS, lunar gateway, and on the surface of the Moon. Nanosatellites like BioSentinel can be used to study the effects of both reduced gravity and space radiation and can house different organisms or biosensors to answer specific scientific questions. Utilizing these biosensors will allow us to better understand the effects of the space environment on biology so humanity may return safely to deep space and venture farther than ever before.
The I-READI Quality and Safety Framework: A Health System’s Response to Airway Complications in Mechanically Ventilated Patients with Covid-19

A team at the University of Pennsylvania Health System devised the I-READI conceptual framework — for Integration, Root Cause Analysis, Evidence Review, Adaptation, Dissemination, and Implementatio...
Incidence and Etiologic of surgical site Infections among surgery patient in India: A literature review

SSI is a major cause of Morbidity, longer postoperative hospitalization, complication, and patients. Despite Modernization, SSI remains a major cause of patients’ dissatisfaction we can learn from existing Literature. We have lots of information which could be summarized all over, Internal (caused by patients body) external (caused by an outside source) has been discussed the variance in protocols and practice has been observed.Use and choice of antibiotics and multivitamins are discussed. How to detected and control Community Acquired
Bantam regulates the adult sleep circuit in Drosophila

Sleep is a highly conserved feature of animal life characterized by dramatic changes in behavior, neural physiology and gene expression. The gene regulatory factors responsible for these sleep-dependent changes remain largely unknown. microRNAs are post-transcriptional modulators of gene expression which have been implicated in sleep regulation. Our previous screen identified 25 sleep-regulating microRNAs in Drosophila melanogaster, including the developmental regulator bantam (ban). Here we show that ban promotes early nighttime sleep through a population of glutamatergic neurons- the {gamma}5{beta}'2a/{beta}'2mp/{beta}'2mp_bilateral Mushroom Body Output Neurons (MBONs). We found that knockdown of ban in these neurons led to a reduction in early night sleep. The {gamma}5{beta}'2a/{beta}'2mp/{beta}'2mp_bilateral MBONs were previously shown to be wake-promoting, suggesting that ban acts to inhibit these neurons. GCaMP calcium imaging revealed that bantam inhibits the neural activity of the {gamma}5{beta}'2a/{beta}'2mp/{beta}'2mp_bilateral MBONs during the night but not the day. Blocking synaptic transmission in the {gamma}5{beta}'2a/{beta}'2mp/{beta}'2mp_bilateral MBONs rescued the effect of ban knockdown on sleep. Together these results suggest that ban promotes night sleep via the inhibition of the {gamma}5{beta}'2a/{beta}'2mp/{beta}'2mp_bilateral MBONs. RNAseq further revealed that bantam negatively regulates the wake-promoting mRNAs Kelch and CCHamide-2 receptor in the {gamma}5{beta}'2a/{beta}'2mp/{beta}'2mp_bilateral MBONs. These experiments establish bantam as an active regulator of sleep and neural activity within the fly brain.
Professional ethics and decision making in perinatology.

Abstract Objective We describe the essential elements of professional ethics in perinatology and explain how professional ethics in perinatology should guide decision making with pregnant patients and with parents. Findings Professional ethics in perinatology draws on two ethical principles, beneficence and respect for patient autonomy, the ethical concept of the fetus as a patient, and the best interests of the child standard and the concept of parental permission. Counseling about intrapartum management should be based on the ethical concept of the fetus as a patient and on the role of the pregnant patient as the ultimate decision maker. Counseling about setting ethically justified limits on perinatal clinical management should be based on four specified concepts of futility, but not on quality-of-life futility. Counseling about innovation and research should emphasize that investigation clinical management is an experiment. Conclusion Professional ethics in perinatology is an essential component of perinatal practice, innovation, and research
Experimental Research and Procedures

There are two fundamental types of research: (1) Therapeutic (clinical) experimentation, which is research aimed at benefiting the person on whom an experimental procedure is tried by mitigating an actual problem suffered by that person. (2) Nontherapeutic (nonclinical) experimentation, which is not intended to benefit the subject directly in terms of the specific problem the experiment addresses. It is often assumed that nontherapeutic experimentation conveys no benefit to the subject, or the benefit is lost sight of in discussion, because the experimental problem is not one the subject shares. Thus testing the saliva of healthy parents and babies exhibiting no genetic defect or risk for myotonic muscular dystrophy, in order to develop procedures for testing for muscular dystrophy in families at risk, conveys no possible therapeutic benefit to those without muscular dystrophy. But this is only one possible way of categorizing experimentation and it narrowly limits justification of clinical experimentation to studies carried out to determine the side-effects of the experimental therapy, the prognosis for the problem if untreated, the risk-taking attitudes of the subject, or the possible benefits if successful.
SU-E-J-197: Investigation of Microsoft Kinect 2.0 Depth Resolution for Patient Motion Tracking

Purpose: Investigate the use of the Kinect 2.0 for patient motion tracking during radiotherapy by studying spatial and depth resolution capabilities. Methods: Using code written in C#, depth map data was abstracted from the Kinect to create an initial depth map template indicative of the initial position of an object to be compared to the depth map of the object over time. To test this process, simple setup was created in which two objects were imaged: a 40 cm × 40 cm board covered in non reflective material and a 15 cm × 26 cm textbook with a slightly reflective, glossy cover. Each object, imaged and measured separately, was placed on a movable platform with object to camera distance measured. The object was then moved a specified amount to ascertain whether the Kinect’s depth camera would visualize the difference in position of the object. Results: Initial investigations have shown the Kinect depth resolution is dependent on the object to camera distance. Measurements indicate that movements as small as 1 mm can be visualized for objects as close as 50 cm away. This depth resolution decreases linearly with object to camera distance. At 4 m, the depth resolution had decreased tomore » observe a minimum movement of 1 cm. Conclusion: The improved resolution and advanced hardware of the Kinect 2.0 allows for increase of depth resolution over the Kinect 1.0. Although obvious that the depth resolution should decrease with increasing distance from an object given the decrease in number of pixels representing said object, the depth resolution at large distances indicates its usefulness in a clinical setting.« less
The role of fungi and invertebrates in litter decomposition in mitigated and reference wetlands

Abstract Wetland plant litter decomposition influences many wetland processes and is itself driven by a complex web of interacting parameters. Invertebrates and fungi make up one portion of that web by processing organic material; however, their role is poorly understood. To explore invertebrate and fungal influence on plant litter decomposition rate, we measured the decomposition of litter in three mitigated (created wetlands) and three reference wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands of West Virginia, USA. Litter decomposition rates and most invertebrate metrics were not statistically different between mitigated and reference wetlands; only oligochaetes (worms) and the functional feeding group (FFG) collector/gatherers had numbers that were statistically higher in mitigated wetlands. Invertebrate metrics were able to explain 25% (FFG) to 31% (taxonomic groups) of variance during the first phase of decomposition (
Laser temperature jump for the study of early events in protein folding

Publisher Summary The laser temperature jump instrument can effectively be used to initiate and observe the fast events in protein/peptide folding and unfolding, as well as those events that extend out to several milliseconds. This chapter describes a nanosecond laser temperature-jump instrument with time resolution suitable for investigations of the early events in protein and peptide folding/unfolding, as well as kinetic events that occur out to 1–2 milliseconds. As an example of the capabilities of the instrument described, some results are presented on the kinetics of the helix-coil transition of a synthetic, 21-residue α-helical peptide. The peptide has a fluorescent probe, 4-methylaminobenzoic acid (MABA), covalently attached to the N-terminus, giving the structure MABAAAAAA(AAARA) 3 A-CONH 2 , where A is alanine and R is arginine. The carbonyl oxygen of MABA forms a hydrogen bond with the amide NH of residue four only in the helical conformation, dramatically affecting the fluorescence intensity. The equilibrium properties of the peptide have been characterized by circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopies. The quantum yields from the fluorescence spectra of MABA-peptide within the thermally induced helix-coil transition are shown in the chapter for temperatures between −3.5°C and 65°C.
Information Environment and the Cost of Equity Capital

This paper evaluates empirical proxies used to assess whether increased information risk increases the implied equity cost of capital (COC). Prior theory and empirical work offer mixed predictions and evidence on whether information risk is priced. I use principal component analysis (PCA) to aggregate previously used information risk indicators into three constructs: (1) Information Asymmetry, (2) Uncertainty, and (3) Value Relevance. Uncertainty has a significant positive relation with the COC, Asymmetry has a significant negative relation, and Value Relevance has no relation. In addition, the relation between Asymmetry and the COC is sensitive to the use of alternative COC measures. I find that indicators that ex-ante load on the same construct produce ex-post conflicting estimates on the COC. Overall, the results suggest that the choice of the proxy for information risk and the choice of COC measure can affect the inference from tests of whether increased information risk increases the COC.
Introduction: Constitutional Conflict and Development: Perspectives from South Asia and Africa

This Introduction was written for an eponymous joint program held on January 4, 2014, and hosted by the Section on Africa and the Section of Law & South Asian Studies, both of the Association of American Law Schools.
Identical Amino Acid Substitutions in the Repression Domain of Auxin/Indole-3-Acetic Acid Proteins Have Contrasting Effects on Auxin Signaling

Auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) proteins function as repressors of auxin response gene expression when auxin concentrations in a cell are low. At elevated auxin concentrations, these repressors are destroyed via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, resulting in derepression/activation of auxin response genes. Most Aux/IAA repressors contain four conserved domains, with one of these being an active, portable repression domain (domain I) and a second being an auxin-dependent instability domain (domain II). Here, we have analyzed the effects of amino acid substitutions in the repression domain of selected Aux/IAA proteins. We show that stabilized versions of Aux/IAA proteins with amino acid substitutions in domain I display contrasting phenotypes when expressed in transformed Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants. An alanine-for-leucine substitution in the LxLxL (where L is leucine and x is another amino acid) repression domain of IAA3, IAA6, or IAA19 confers enhanced auxin response gene expression and "high-auxin" phenotypes when expressed from the 35S or IAA19 promoter (as tested with IAA19) in transformed Arabidopsis plants. In marked contrast, a single alanine-for-leucine substitution in domain I of IAA12 or IAA17 confers repression of auxin response genes and "low-auxin" phenotypes. These results point to intrinsic differences in the repression domain(s) of IAA proteins and suggest that some IAA proteins have stronger or more complex repression domains than others.
Phonon wave interference and thermal bandgap materials

Thermal vibrations in materials can be controlled via interference (in a similar way to light propagating in layered structures) to produce a thermal bandgap, an approach promising for thermoelectric applications.
Acquiring Academic Language Practices in Prison in Aztlán: Fake It Until You Make It

This study explores schooling in prison for young Chicano bilingual men as they work toward their GED. Using Gee's notion of “mushfaking,” the study focuses on the experiences of two young men, Benny and Flaco, who partially acquire, use, value, and believe in the power of academic register Discourses for “sounding smart” in a social context that call for mushfaking those Discourses. Mushfaking was defined as the temporary use of social practices that provided access to academic vocabulary and language practices of others and participation in an imagined community of high school subjects associated with “sounding smart.” Mushfaking allowed Benny and Flaco to keep their identity affinities as bilingual Chicano young men while they developed the knowledge and practices to get by in school and eventually to take the GED exam. Both Benny and Flaco passed the exam and earned their GEDs in prison by mushfaking academic language practices.
Expert judgment in risk analysis and management: process, context, and pitfalls

The regulation and management of hazardous industrial activities increasingly rely on formal expert judgment processes to provide wisdom in areas of science and technology where traditional "good science" is, in practice, unable to supply unambiguous "facts." Expert judgment has always played a significant, if often unrecognized, role in analysis; however, recent trends are to make it formal, explicit, and documented so it can be identified and reviewed by others. We propose four categories of expert judgment and present three case studies which illustrate some of the pitfalls commonly encountered in its use. We conclude that there will be an expanding policy role for formal expert judgment and that the openness, transparency, and documentation that it requires have implications for enhanced public involvement in scientific and technical affairs.
Hormones and the lung. II. Immunohistochemical localization of thyroid hormone binding in type II pulmonary epithelial cells clonally-derived from adult rat lung.

The type II pulmonary epithelial cell is the recognized site of surfactant synthesis and storage. Results of recent studies indicate that the thyroid hormones, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), may be important regulators of surfactant production and/or release. Direct and indirect immunofluorescence techniques were used in an attempt to demonstrate binding of T3 and T4 in monolayer cultures of isolated type II cells. These cultured epithelial cells are clonally-derived from adult rat lung, retain a diploid karyotype through 35 population doublings in vitro, contain granular inclusions (lamellar bodies) in the perinuclear cytoplasm, and synthesize phosphatidylcholine via the CDP-choline pathway. In isolated type II cells, either of two fluorescent patterns was observed: (a) nuclear fluorescence accompanied by a reticular perinuclear network; or (b) diffuse cytoplasmic accumulations with concentrations around perinuclear cytoplasmic inclusions. Ultrastructurally these inclusions had the typical appearance of lamellar bodies. Histochemical studies demonstratedthat these inclusions contained surfactant-associated nonspecific esterases and stained with Nile blue hydrochloride. The positive reactions with these two recognized markers for pulmonary surfactant indicate that these inclusions are indeed lamellar bodies, the putative sites of surfactant synthesis and/or storage. These findings suggest that the type II pulmonary epithelial cell contains specific binding sites for thyroid hormones, and support the hypothesis that thyroid hormones are regulators of surfactant metabolism.
Bayesian quantile regression for parametric nonlinear mixed effects models

We propose quantile regression (QR) in the Bayesian framework for a class of nonlinear mixed effects models with a known, parametric model form for longitudinal data. Estimation of the regression quantiles is based on a likelihood-based approach using the asymmetric Laplace density. Posterior computations are carried out via Gibbs sampling and the adaptive rejection Metropolis algorithm. To assess the performance of the Bayesian QR estimator, we compare it with the mean regression estimator using real and simulated data. Results show that the Bayesian QR estimator provides a fuller examination of the shape of the conditional distribution of the response variable. Our approach is proposed for parametric nonlinear mixed effects models, and therefore may not be generalized to models without a given model form.
Qualitative deferoxamine color test for iron ingestion.

types of galactosemia in infants screened at birth, J Med Gen 10:27, 1973. 4. Levy HL, Sepe S J, Walton DS, Shih VE, Hammersen G, Houghton S, and Beutler E: Galactose-l-phosphate uridyl transferase deficiency due to Duarte/galactosemia combined variation: Clinical and biochemical studies, J I~DIATR 92:390, 1978. 5. Beutler E, and Mitchell M: New rapid method for estimation of red cell galactose-l-phosphate uridyl transferase activity, J Lab Clin Med 72:527, 1968. Ng W, Bergren WR, Fields M, and Donnell GN: An improved electrophoretic procedure for galactose-l-phosphate uridyl transferase: demonstration of multiple activity bands with the Duarte variant, Biochem Biophys Res Commun 37:354, 1969.
Ca 2+ -SENSING RECEPTOR MUTATIONS IN SPORADIC HYPOPARATHYROIDISM. • 507

Missense mutations of the Ca2+-sensing receptor (CSR) gene have been identified in 4 families with autosomal dominant hypoparathyroidism and in one child with sporadic hypoparathyroidism. To cause the phenotype, these mutations must activate the CSR, since the receptor negatively regulates parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. We showed previously that patients with CSR mutations, while hypocalcemic, manifested greater hypercalciuria than did patients with other causes of hypoparathyroidism, apparently because the CSR negatively regulates Ca2+ resorption from the glomerular filtrate. Thus, we hypothesized that this disproportionate hypercalciuria could be used to distinguish sporadic hypoparathyroidism due to de novo CSR mutations from hypoparathyroidism due to other causes. To test this hypothesis, we studied two unrelated female patients with no family history of hypoparathyroidism, both of whom had hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, low serum PTH, and disproportionate hypercalciuria. Patient A presented with mild symptoms of hypocalcemia at age 18, whereas patient B was severely symptomatic from infancy. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of PCR-amplified genomic DNA showed heteroduplex bands in exon 6 for patient A and in exon 2 for patient B. In patient A, direct sequencing of the PCR product identified a T2318G base-pair substitution encoding a Leu to Arg change at residue 773 of the fifth transmembrane domain. Patient B showed a C354A substitution encoding an Asn to Lys change at residue 118 in the N-terminal extracellular domain. Family studies suggested that both mutations arose de novo. We conclude that 1) mutations of the CSR gene cause sporadic as well as familial hypoparathyroidism, 2) phenotypic severity varies greatly depending on the specific mutation, and 3) levels of 24h Ca2+ excretion can identify hypoparathyroid patients with CSR gene mutations, which has implications for genetic counseling, prognosis, and therapy.
Nearest-neighbor statistics for packings of hard spheres and disks

The probability of finding a nearest neighbor at some radial distance from a given particle in a system of interacting particles is of fundamental importance in a host of fields in the physical as well as biological sciences. A procedure is developed to obtain analytical expressions for nearest-neighbor probability functions for random isotropic packings of hard D-dimensional spheres that are accurate for all densities, i.e., up to the random close-packing fraction. Using these results, the mean nearest-neighbor distance \ensuremath{\lambda} as a function of the packing fraction is computed for such many-body systems and compared to rigorous bounds on \ensuremath{\lambda} derived here. Our theoretical results are found to be in excellent agreement with available computer-simulation data.
Purification of Clostridium botulinum type a toxin

Abstract The neurotoxin of Clostridium botulinum Type A has been isolated and purified from a liquid culture. The toxin is homogeneuous by anion and cation exchange chromatography, gel filtration, isoelectric focusing and Ouchterlony gel diffusion technique. The specific toxicity of the purified toxin is 10 · 107 minimum lethal doses/1.0 A 278 nm , the molecular weight is 150 000 by gel filtration method and the iso-electric point is pH 6.1. This preparation could not be distinguished from the α fraction isolated from the crystalline toxin. Results presented here failed to confirm the claim of Gerwing et al.5 that a toxin of 12 200 mol. wt. can be isolated from the liquid culture of this organism.
Message amplification phenotyping (MAPPing) — principles, practice and potential

Message amplification phenotyping (MAPPing) is a sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technique for the rapid determination of the mRNA phenotype of small numbers of cells. Isolated mRNA is reverse-transcribed (RT) into DNA, and then the DNA fragments corresponding to proteins or genes of interest are specifically amplified by PCR. The technique, also called RT-PCR, has wide application in biology and medicine, and comparison with bioassays demonstrates that MAPPing saves significant time and material. The technique should be applicable to analyse mRNAs of virtually any tissue or cell type.
An examination of the effects of procedural safeguards on intentions to anonymously report fraud

SUMMARY: The Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX, Sec. 301) requires audit committees of public companies to establish procedures for employee anonymous reporting of concerns regarding questionable accounting, internal control, or auditing matters. Audit committees have great flexibility in their implementation of this requirement. To address this issue, this paper reports the results of two experimental studies. Our first experimental study examines whether an anonymous hotline possessing stronger procedural safeguards, including external administration and related procedural safeguards, increases fraud‐related reporting intentions in comparison with one possessing weaker procedural safeguards, including internal administration. Respondents' intentions to report a fraudulent act were greater under the weaker safeguards condition as compared with the stronger safeguards condition. These results were not anticipated, and an ancillary study was conducted examining internal versus external anonymous hotline admi...
Effect of ventilation by high-frequency oscillation on lung and chest wall mechanics in the dog.

High-frequency oscillation (HFO) has been shown to be effective in maintaining gas exchange, but the effects of high-frequency, small-volume ventilation on the mechanical properties of the respiratory system are unknown. A volume displacement plethysmograph was used to study lung volumes and static pressure-volume (PV) curves during HFO in pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs. During long-term studies, adequate gas exchange was maintained with a stroke volume of 2.5 ml/kg and frequencies between 15 and 30 Hz. The effect of 5–7 hours of HFO on lung and chest wall mechanics was studied in 8 dogs. In another 8 dogs the relationship of volume history and respiratory muscle tone to occlusion airway pressure and lung volume during short-term HFO was investigated. With prolonged HFO, a small but significant decrease in total lung capacity occurred by 5 hours and the static respiratory system PV curve shifted slightly to the right. These changes were reversed by muscle paralysis and may be explained by a change in respiratory muscle tone. Static lung compliance and the hysteresis ratio (an index of tissue properties) remained unchanged. The relationship of occlusion airway pressure and lung volume during short-term HFO was dependent on the lung volume history and was influenced by respiratory muscle tone only at low airway pressures. These findings suggest that during prolonged HFO a small increase in chest wall stiffness may result. However, occlusion airway pressure and lung volume at the onset of HFO are mainly dependent on the volume history of the lung.
Hierarchical modeling of Phase Change memory for reliable design

As CMOS based memory devices near their end, memory technologies, such as Phase Change Random Access Memory (PRAM), have emerged as viable alternatives. This work develops a hierarchical modeling framework that connects the unique device physics of PRAM with its circuit and state transition properties. Such an approach enables design exploration at various levels in order to optimize the performance and yield. By providing a complete set of compact models, it supports SPICE simulation of PRAM in the presence of process variations and temporal degradation. Furthermore, this work proposes a new metric, State Transition Curve (STC) that supports the assessment of other performance metrics (e.g., power, speed, yield, etc.), helping gain valuable insights on PRAM reliability.
Muscle weakness, paralysis, and atrophy after human cervical spinal cord injury

Muscle weakness and failure of central motor drive were assessed in triceps brachii muscles of individuals with chronic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) and able-bodied controls. Electrical stimuli were applied to the radial nerve during rest and during triceps submaximal and maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs). The mean forces and integrated EMGs generated by SCI subjects during MVCs were significantly less than those produced by controls (P < 0.01), with 74 and 71% of muscles generating <10% control force and EMG, respectively. There was an inverse linear relationship between the evoked and voluntary forces (n = 32 muscles of SCI subjects) which, when extrapolated to zero evoked force, also showed significant whole muscle weakness for SCI compared to control subjects (P < 0. 01). Severe muscle atrophy was revealed which might reflect disuse and/or muscle denervation subsequent to motoneuron loss. Many triceps muscles of SCI subjects showed no force occlusion (n = 41) or were impossible to stimulate selectively (n = 61). Force was always evoked when the radial nerve was stimulated during MVCs of SCI subjects. The force elicited by single magnetic shocks applied to the motor cortex at Cz' during voluntary contractions of SCI subjects was also inversely related to the voluntary triceps force exerted (n = 18), but usually no force could be elicited during MVCs. Thus central motor drive was probably maximal to these muscles, and the force evoked during MVCs by below-lesion stimulation must come from activation of paralyzed muscle. SCI subjects also had significantly longer mean central nervous system (CNS) conduction times to triceps (P < 0.01) suggesting that the measured deficits reflect CNS rather than peripheral nervous system factors. Thus, the weak voluntary strength of these partially paralyzed muscles is not due to submaximal excitation of higher CNS centers, but results mainly from reduction of this input to triceps motoneurons.
The Amino Acid Content and Availability of Different Strains of Grain Sorghum to the Chick

Abstract GRAIN sorghum is becoming increasingly important to the broiler industry in the United States. The widespread production of this feedstuff and the use of computer formulation in the poultry industry has made it necessary that more information relative to its amino acid content and availability be obtained. At present there is a considerable amount of conflicting information relative to the nutritive value of the various hybrids. Chang and Fuller (1964), and Fuller et al. (1966) reported that grain sorghum with high tannin content had reduced feeding value. They also reported that grain sorghum varieties which had a brown seed color and open heads were characteristically high in tannin and had reduced feeding values. Stephenson et al. (1968) and Damron et al. (1968) found that the seed coat color and tightness of the heads were not good indices on which to grade nutrient value. Several of the hybrids which had the…
On self-organization in MANETs

The dynamic nature and network complexity of MANETs requires self organization to reduce the administrative need and complexity in network installation, maintenance, and management. We first show several network functions of MANETs that can be designed in a self-organized way, including topology control and the construction of connected dominating sets (CDS). An in-depth study of a self-organized scheme for CDS construction and the use of CDS for efficient broadcast in MANETs is presented. This scheme selects a small subset of nodes locally to form a forward node set to carry out the broadcast process. Various design options and trade-offs are also discussed. Finally, we show that our design coincidentally meets the Prehofer and Bettstetter's four design paradigms recently proposed for developing a self-organized network function.
Energy landscape along an enzymatic reaction trajectory: hinges or cracks?

Are the most dynamically flexible regions around the equilibrium structure of an enzyme the same regions involved in the transition state for rate limiting processes involved in the enzymatic reaction? Kern and‐coworkers “Wolf‐Watz et al., 2004; Henzler‐Wildman et al., 2007a, 2007b… have shown that insights about functionally relevant motions that determine the overall enzyme turnover rate can be obtained by investigating conformational dynamics around the equilibrium basin of the enzyme adenylate kinase. An allosteric change in protein structure turns out to be the controlling process. In this commentary we compare results of this study with earlier predictions of the route by which the enzyme undergoes its conformational change. These predictions are based on the idea that the energy surface for the protein is determined by the end structures of the conformational change. A key issue is whether the protein moves by specific hinges or whether it “cracks” and accesses partially unfolded states during its ...
Preliminary evidence for a fourth allele at the phosphohexose isomerase (Phi) locus of horse erythrocytes.

Summary. A fourth allele at the horse erythrocyte phosphohexose isomerase (Phi) locus was proposed to account for phenotypes observed after starch gel electrophoresis and enzymatic staining of red cell lysates from American Saddlebred and Tennessee Walking Horse breeds. The gene was rare, having an estimated frequency of 0.009 in 949 Saddlebreds tested.
Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Increases β-Cell Mass and Improves Glucose Tolerance

Background & Aims: Pancreatic β-cell mass increases in response to increased demand for insulin, but the factors involved are largely unknown. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a growth factor that plays a role in the development and survival of the enteric nervous system. We investigated the role of GDNF in regulating β-cell survival. Methods: Studies were performed using the β-TC-6 pancreatic β-cell line, isolated mouse pancreatic β cells, and in vivo in transgenic mice that overexpress GDNF in pancreatic glia. GDNF receptor family α1 and c-Ret receptor expression were assessed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence microscopy. Apoptosis was evaluated by assessing caspase-3 cleavage. Phosphoinositol-3-kinase signaling pathway was analyzed by Akt phosphorylation. Glucose homeostasis was assessed by performing intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests. Insulin sensitivity was assessed using intraperitoneal injection of insulin. Results: We demonstrate the presence of receptors for GDNF, GFRα1, and c-Ret on β cells. GDNF promoted β-cell survival and proliferation and protected them from thapsigargin-induced apoptosis ( P P P Conclusions: We demonstrate that over expression of GDNF in pancreatic glia improves glucose tolerance and that GDNF may be a therapeutic target for improving β-cell mass.
Comments on the Moon's Magnetism

Various lines of evidence indicate that permanent magnetization of lunar rocks, acquired during the early history of the Moon, is responsible for the weak (tens of gammas) and patchy magnetic field found at the surface of the Moon. It would be necessary to invoke a core dynamo (with all its important implications) in order to account for the inducing fieldB of not less than 103 γ in which lunar rocks acquired their stable permanent magnetization if no other source ofB can be found. In this connection we point out that the magnetic effects of high-velocity meteoroid impacts have not yet been ruled out. Indeed, according to rough calculations these effects might not be negligible and detailed studies would be worth carrying out. Shock waves followed by rarefaction waves would spread out into the body of the Moon from the area of impact, first demagnetizing any material shock-heated above the Curie temperature and then, as the material cools rapidly during the passage of the rarefaction wave, re-magnetizing the material to an intensity determined by the background fieldB. The main source ofB would be the pulse of electric current generated by magneto-hydrodynamic interaction between the electrically-conducting ejecta from the explosion and the weak ambient interplanetary magnetic field. This ‘impact dynamo’ hypothesis also has possible implications concerning the magnetism of meteorites.