cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Allosterism Within GPCR Oligomers: Back to Symmetry

The Monod-Wyman-Changeux (MWC) model provided the most influential interpretation of allosterism within the frame of a symmetric oligomeric structure of regulatory enzymes. The initial studies of allosteric properties of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) departed from these classical concepts of allosterism, considering GPCR monomers as main functional units. However, the phenomenon of GPCR homo- and heteromerization is becoming widely accepted. A new concept is that the pentameric structure constituted by one GPCR homodimer and one heterotrimeric G protein provides a main functional symmetric unit and oligomeric entities can be viewed as multiples of dimers. GPCR heteromerization opens up the possibility of allosteric interactions between different orthosteric ligands. Furthermore, the same properties of allosteric ligands demonstrated when considering GPCR as putative monomeric entities, mainly saturability, ability to separately alter the affinity and efficacy of the orthosteric ligand, probe dependence and functional selectivity, are also demonstrable with interactions between orthosteric ligands within the GPCR heteromer. A GPCR heterotetramer constituted by two molecularly different homodimers coupled to their cognate G protein and to adenylyl cyclase seems to constitute a common structure of a GPCR heteromer. Recent studies indicate that the canonical Gs-Gi interaction at the adenylyl cyclase level is a specific property of the GPCR heterotetramer. The evidence for GPCR oligomerization and the elucidation of symmetrical minimal functional units of GPCR homomers and heteromers, brings back the classical concepts of allosterism and promotes oligomerization and allosterism within GPCR oligomers as necessary elements in the research of GPCR physiology and pharmacology.
Relationship of Glucose Variability With Glycated Hemoglobin and Daily Mean Glucose: A Post Hoc Analysis of Data From 5 Phase 3 Studies:

Background:The association of glucose variability (GV) with other glycemic measures is emerging as a topic of interest. The aim of this analysis is to study the correlation between GV and measures ...
PAPILLARY MUSCLE RUPTURE AFTER MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION WITH NON-OBSTRUCTIVE CORONARY ARTERIES

Papillary muscle rupture is a known complication of myocardial infarction. However, patients infrequently present with papillary muscle rupture after myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA). A 68-year-old woman with a history of hypertension and possible interstitial
Liberalism in the Middle East: Prospects and Mechanisms of Change

In the aftermath of September 11th , the importance of spreading liberalism to the Middle East has moved to the center of the Western policy agenda. This paper considers the potential for liberalism in the Middle East region, as well as mechanisms for generating sustainable change toward this end. The main message is one of cautious optimism. While there is potential for liberalism in the Middle East, it is unclear that the current means used to export these institutions - reconstruction via military occupation - are adequate to achieve the desired end. A commitment to markets and free trade in ideas, beliefs, institutions and cultural products is explored as an alternative means of exporting liberal values, ideas and institutions.
CENTRAL NEURAL SUBSTRATES FOR OSMOREGULATION IN THE MAMMAL

Publisher Summary preoptic periventricular tissue surrounding the anterior ventral part of the third ventricle (AV3V) is a necessary component in osmotic modulation of thirst and vasopressin release, probably as a receptive or integrative area before divergence of effector pathways for thirst, antidiuretic, and pressor responses. The neural substrate for osmoregulation may be contrasted to the neural substrate mediating central responses to angiotensin both anatomically and functionally. While the AV3V region is sensitive to both angiotensin and osmotic stimuli, lesion experiments suggest that the critical neural substrates do not overlap completely. Functionally, angiotensin and osmotic sensitive neural substrates may be discriminated on the basis of sodium preference as compared to ad lib preference, angiotensin increases while osmotic stimuli decrease sodium preference. These neural substrates may also be distinguished on the basis of estrogen modulation since drinking and pressor responses to angiotensin but not osmotic stimuli are reversibly decremented in female rats after central estrogen administration.
Liquid Crystalline Colloids of Nanoparticles: Preparation, Properties, and Applications

Abstract Nanoparticle/liquid crystal colloidal dispersions are a new, rapidly developing, and exciting frontier of soft matter science and technological progress. This is both because of the dramatic changes in liquid crystal characteristics caused by adding nanoparticles and because of the limited understanding of the structure and interactions of the components of such composite systems. In this review, we summarize the basic science and applications of various nanoparticles, 1–100 nm in diameter, dispersed in liquid crystals. The historical development of this area of science is divided into two main periods. The first period, from the early 1970s until the year 2000, covers the structural organization and the interaction of passive nanoparticles (mostly dielectric) dispersed in liquid crystals. This period initiated the development of novel electro-optic effects and devices based on the properties of such composites. The second period covers progress during the first decade of the millennium. It is a Renaissance era in the development of liquid crystalline nanocolloids when the power of nanoscale was demonstrated to the full extent. Active nanoparticles, mostly ferroelectric, ferromagnetic, and ferroic, added to liquid crystals, shared their intrinsic properties with the liquid crystal host, and allowed for the creation of unprecedented materials with astonishing applications. These active particles generate ultrahigh electric and/or magnetic fields within the liquid crystal host, which, combined with their small size, produces a uniquely exciting and largely unexplored system of composite materials which exhibit novel collective particle–host interactions and which promise a variety of exotic electro-magneto-optic and other applications. These internally generated fields, larger than any macroscopic field that can be applied, serve both to spatially organize the particles and to couple the particle system to the liquid crystal thus enabling the liquid crystal ordering to affect the collective particle order. Although we have made an effort to review liquid crystalline/nanocolloids research as broadly as possible, many great results are omitted from this chapter. We hope this review will be an invitation to further explore this unique and exiting collection of knowledge.
Autonomic (Parasympathetic and Sympathetic) Assessment

The clinical ramifications of the differences between P&S monitoring and HRV alone are explored as the differences pertain to the Autonomic Assessment itself. Through this, the format, justification, and contraindication of the clinical autonomic assessment are discussed. The six phases of the clinical autonomic assessment are based on the Ewing challenges, including rest, deep breathing, Valsalva, head-up postural change (standing), and the intervening baselines. The resting phase (initial baseline) enables the patient to be their own control allowing for results on the first assessment. The assessment fulfills the American Diabetes Association’s recommended tests to assess autonomic function, including blood pressure and EKG responses to the Ewing challenges. The unique to P&S monitoring finding of parasympathetic excess (PE) in response to Valsalva or stand is introduced with its clinical implications.
Restoration increases bee abundance and richness but not pollination in remnant and post-agricultural woodlands

Human land use, including agriculture, is a leading contributor to declining biodiversity worldwide and can leave long‐lasting legacies on ecosystems after cessation. Ecological restoration is an approach to mitigate these impacts. However, little is known about how animal communities and plant–animal interactions respond to the combined effects of land‐use legacies and restoration. We investigated how restoration and agricultural history affect bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) communities and pollination function. In 27 paired remnant (no history of agriculture) and post‐agricultural longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) woodlands, we established 4–10 1‐ha plots (126 total) and experimentally restored half of them, while the other half were left as unrestored controls. Restoration was accomplished through canopy thinning which reinstates open savanna‐like conditions. We collected bees in each plot using a combination of bowl trapping and standardized netting transects. Thinning increased bee abundance by 169% and bee richness by 110%, but agricultural land use had no effect on these variables. Bee community composition was affected by restoration and was marginally affected by agricultural history. To measure pollination function, we conducted a sentinel plant experiment in which potted black mustard (Brassica nigra L.) plants were placed out in a subset of these sites (n = 10) and either bagged to exclude pollinators or left open for pollinator access. Then, we measured fruit and seed set of sentinel plants to compare pollination function among the restoration and land‐use history treatments. Seed set and fruit set of sentinel plants were higher in open than bagged plants, indicating that this model system effectively measured pollination, but we found no differences in pollination based on restoration or agricultural history. These results indicate that although pollinator communities may show clear responses to restoration that are largely independent of prior land‐use impacts, this does not necessarily translate into differences in pollination function after restoration.
The invisibility of racism: on the reception of Giovanni Vento’s Il Nero and Antonio Campobasso’s Nero di Puglia, 1967-1982

This essay explores attitudes towards home-grown anti-black racism in Italy from the 1960s to the early1980s by focusing on the reception of Giovanni Vento’s Il Nero, a 1965 film that depicts the everyday lives of two biracial Italians born at the end of the Second World War from encounters between Italian women and non-white Allied soldiers, and of Antonio Campobasso’s Nero di Puglia, a partly autobiographical book by one of these biracial Italians, published in 1980. Campobasso’s powerful text, which denounced the hypocrisies of the Republic, received some acknowledgement in the intellectual community, but the lenses that the cultural critics used to interpret the text impeded a foregrounding of the racism that the book denounced. Giovanni Vento’s innovative film, on the other hand, did not even reach the commercial circuit and was also interpreted in leftist circles through a political and aesthetic paradigm that downplayed the specificity of anti-black racism. The article invites a reflection on the legacy that these attitudes have had in shaping the limited sensitivity to racism in contemporary Italy.
Why Are We Doing This? Enhancing Curriculum with Career Readiness Toolkit

BRIEF SESSION DESCRIPTION: University Career Services has created a comprehensive toolkit for faculty to enhance courses with career readiness components such as: learning support activities, assessments and rubrics, and educational materials. This session will demonstrate how to select the right tools to create customized connections between your course learning outcomes and the competencies that employers demand of successful candidates. It will also provide the language to share with your students to empower them to articulate the skills they develop through your existing course assignments. Participants will be able to effectively communicate to students the connections between their existing course content with career readiness skills employers seek to help prepare students for the job market regardless of discipline. ______________________________________________________________ FULL ABSTRACT: This session will demonstrate to faculty ways to use the toolkit to make career-relevant skills developed within their courses clearer to students, and to help students market themselves as career-ready using knowledge gained through academic experience. "Translating your learning into skills for the job search" is a hands-on workshop-style set of activities that encourages students to identify the career-relevant skills they have been developing and demonstrating in class. Students are also guided through the process of articulating these skills in resume and during job interview. Participants will be able to use provided (and tested) activities, effective strategies and templates that you can implement today to facilitate students’ connections between their academic experience and their career goals.
[Journal First] Do Automated Program Repair Techniques Repair Hard and Important Bugs?

The full version of this article is: Manish Motwani, Sandhya Sankaranarayanan, Rene Just, and Yuriy Brun, "Do Automated Program Repair Techniques Repair Hard and Important Bugs?" in Empirical Software Engineering, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10664-017-9550-0
The pre-mRNA splicing and transcription factor Tat-SF1 is a functional partner of the spliceosome SF3b1 subunit via a U2AF homology motif interface.

The transcription elongation and pre-mRNA splicing factor Tat-SF1 associates with the U2 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) of the spliceosome. However, the direct binding partner and underlying interactions mediating the Tat-SF1–U2 snRNP association remain unknown. Here, we identified SF3b1 as a Tat-SF1–interacting subunit of the U2 snRNP. Our 1.1 A resolution crystal structure revealed that Tat-SF1 contains a U2AF homology motif (UHM) protein–protein interaction module. We demonstrated that Tat-SF1 preferentially and directly binds the SF3b1 subunit compared with other U2AF ligand motif (ULM)-containing splicing factors, and further established that SF3b1 association depends on the integrity of the Tat-SF1 UHM. We next compared the Tat-SF1–binding affinities for each of the five known SF3b1 ULMs and then determined the structures of representative high- and low-affinity SF3b1 ULM complexes with the Tat-SF1 UHM at 1.9 A and 2.1 A resolutions, respectively. These structures revealed a canonical UHM–ULM interface, comprising a Tat-SF1 binding pocket for a ULM tryptophan (SF3b1 Trp338) and electrostatic interactions with a basic ULM tail. Importantly, we found that SF3b1 regulates Tat-SF1 levels and that these two factors influence expression of overlapping representative transcripts, consistent with a functional partnership of Tat-SF1 and SF3b1. Altogether, these results define a new molecular interface of the Tat-SF1–U2 snRNP complex for gene regulation.
Synthesis and Target Identification of a Novel Electrophilic Warhead, 2-Chloromethylquinoline

Despite its power in identifying highly potent ligands for select protein targets, conventional medicinal chemistry is limited by its low throughput and lack of proteomic selectivity information. We seek to develop a chemoproteomic approach for discovering covalent ligands for protein targets in an unbiased, high-throughput manner. Tripartite probe compounds composed of a heterocyclic core, an electrophilic "warhead", and an alkyne tag have been designed and synthesized for covalently labeling and identifying targets in cells. We have developed a novel condensation reaction to prepare 2-chloromethylquinoline (2-CMQ), an electrophilic heterocycle. These chloromethylquinolines potently and covalently bind to a number of cellular protein targets, including prostaglandin E synthase 2 (PTGES2), a critical regulator of cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, inflammation, and immune surveillance. The 2-CMQs that we have developed here are novel PTGES2 binders that have the potential to serve as therapies for the treatment of human diseases such as inflammation.
Eosinophil cytolysis on Immunoglobulin G is associated with microtubule formation and suppression of rho‐associated protein kinase signalling

Background The presence of eosinophils in the airway is associated with asthma severity and risk of exacerbations. Cell-free eosinophil granules are found in tissues in eosinophilic diseases, including asthma. This suggests that eosinophils have lysed and released cellular content, likely harming tissues. Objective The present study explores the mechanism of CD32- and αMs2 integrin-dependent eosinophil cytolysis of IL3-primed blood eosinophils seeded on heat-aggregated immunoglobulin G (HA-IgG). Methods Cytoskeletal events and signalling pathways potentially involved in cytolysis were assessed using inhibitors. The level of activation of the identified events and pathways involved in cytolysis was measured. In addition, the links between these identified pathways and changes in degranulation (exocytosis) and adhesion were analysed. Results Cytolysis of IL3-primed eosinophils was dependent on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and downstream phosphorylation of p-38 MAPK. In addition, formation of microtubule (MT) arrays was necessary for cytolysis and was accompanied by changes in MT dynamics as measured by phosphorylation status of stathmin and microtubule-associated protein 4 (MAP4), the latter of which was regulated by ROS production. Reduced ROCK signalling preceded cytolysis, which was associated with eosinophil adhesion and reduced migration. Conclusion and clinical relevance In this CD32- and αMs2 integrin-dependent adhesion model, lysing eosinophils exhibit reduced migration and ROCK signalling, as well as both MT dynamic changes and p-38 phosphorylation downstream of ROS production. We propose that interfering with these pathways would modulate eosinophil cytolysis and subsequent eosinophil-driven tissue damage.
Incorporating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Training into a Residency Program

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients experience vast health care disparities. Numerous government and professional organizations have attempted to address these disparities by calling for improvement in LGBT health and increased research endeavors. Despite these initiatives, residents still receive inadequate education and training in LGBT health. Here, the authors review these shortcomings and provide a framework for how to improve resident education and training in LGBT health. They describe methods of curricular enhancements and departmental/institutional climate optimization to improve resident competency. Finally, they discuss how LGBT-competent physicians can publicize their expertise and improve overall LGBT health care delivery.
Electrocatalytic cleavage of lignin model dimers using ruthenium supported on activated carbon cloth

Biomass lignin is the largest natural source of renewable aromatic compounds, creating an opportunity for its use as a feedstock provided that deconstruction and upgrading methods become available. Valorization of lignin is challenging because its complex structure is naturally recalcitrant to biological degradation. Deconstruction of this amorphous cross-linked polymer requires cleavage of aryl ether bonds, which account for more than half of the linkages between lignin's phenylpropanoid building blocks. High temperature cracking of lignin is possible via pyrolysis, but linkages such as 4-O-5 bonds are resistant to thermal degradation. Electrocatalytic hydrogenation offers a mild alternative; operated at low temperature and atmospheric pressure, it cleaves ether bonds while saturating aromatic rings with in situ generated hydrogen. To investigate the use of catalytic ruthenium supported on activated carbon cloth to cleave 4-O-5 bonds, model compounds that exhibit this linkage were selected, including 3-phenoxyphenol, 4-phenoxyphenol, 3-phenoxyanisole, and 3-phenoxytoluene. The two phenols, 3-phenoxyphenol and 4-phenoxyphenol, were cleaved and hydrogenated to form cyclohexanol. 3-Phenoxyanisole and 3-phenoxytoluene were also cleaved but with lower conversion rates and cyclohexanol yields. Alkaline electrolyte solutions showed the highest cyclohexanol yields for both substrates. Increasing substrate concentrations from 10 mM to 40 mM increased faradaic efficiency to 25%, while decreasing current density from 100 mA (33.33 mA cm−2) to 20 mA (6.67 mA cm−2) greatly improved the faradaic efficiency to 96%.
Topological mechanics of knots and tangles

Knots play a fundamental role in the dynamics of biological and physical systems, from DNA to turbulent plasmas, as well as in climbing, weaving, sailing, and surgery. Despite having been studied for centuries, the subtle interplay between topology and mechanics in elastic knots remains poorly understood. Here, we combined optomechanical experiments with theory and simulations to analyze knotted fibers that change their color under mechanical deformations. Exploiting an analogy with long-range ferromagnetic spin systems, we identified simple topological counting rules to predict the relative mechanical stability of knots and tangles, in agreement with simulations and experiments for commonly used climbing and sailing bends. Our results highlight the importance of twist and writhe in unknotting processes, providing guidance for the control of systems with complex entanglements.
Life in Epidemics: Infections Change, Front-Line Docs Remain the Same.

Physicians working in the era of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) have proven as heroic as those who faced acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) a generation ago.
The N-linked glycan structures of HSP96 are a determinant of its biochemical function

4780 Autologous HSP96 is being evaluated as a multivalent peptide cancer vaccine. The ability of HSP96 to act as a peptide chaperone forms the basis for its use as a multivalent biological cancer vaccine. Internalization of HSP96/peptide complex occurs through cell surface receptors, such as CD91 resulting in cross presentation of cancer specific antigenic peptides and elicitation of tumor specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). HSP96 is a glycoprotein containing two known N-linked glycan structures and four more potential N-linked glycosylation sites. However, the role of these glycosyl moieties, if any, on the structure and function of HSP96 is currently unknown. We discovered that purified HSP96, from various human and rat prostate tumors have significant differences in glycosylation patterns which is correlated with cell specific phenotype and removal of glycosyl moieties modulates peptide binding affinity. We demonstrated these effects using glycosylated and unglycosylated purified HSP96 and VSV-8 peptide (RGYVYQGL). These results for the first time implicate glycans as signatorial elements of tissue derived HSP96 that modulate its peptide chaperoning and binding ability. Other functions of HSP96 such as the integral ATPase activity and cell surface receptor mediated endocytosis may also be dependent on glycan structures. These studies are intended to define the structural components that determine the pleomorphic functions of HSP96 based cancer vaccines.
Modeling Tubercular ESX-1 Secretion Using Mycobacterium marinum.

SUMMARY Pathogenic mycobacteria cause chronic and acute diseases ranging from human tuberculosis (TB) to nontubercular infections. Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes both acute and chronic human tuberculosis. Environmentally acquired nontubercular mycobacteria (NTM) cause chronic disease in humans and animals. Not surprisingly, NTM and M. tuberculosis often use shared molecular mechanisms to survive within the host. The ESX-1 system is a specialized secretion system that is essential for virulence and is functionally conserved between M. tuberculosis and Mycobacterium marinum. M. marinum is an NTM found in both salt water and freshwater that is often used to study mycobacterial virulence. Since the discovery of the secretion system in 2003, the use of both M. tuberculosis and M. marinum has defined the conserved molecular mechanisms underlying protein secretion and the lytic and regulatory activities of the ESX-1 system. Here, we review the trajectory of the field, including key discoveries regarding the ESX-1 system. We highlight the contributions of M. marinum studies and the conserved and unique aspects of the ESX-1 secretion system.
C4 photosynthesis and climate through the lens of optimality

Abstract CO2, temperature, water availability and light intensity were all potential selective pressures to propel the initial evolution and global expansion of C4 photosynthesis over the last 30 million years. To tease apart how the primary selective pressures varied along this evolutionary trajectory, we coupled photosynthesis and hydraulics models while optimizing photosynthesis over stomatal resistance and leaf/fine-root allocation. We further examined the importance of resource (e.g. nitrogen) reallocation from the dark to the light reactions during and after the initial formation of C4 syndrome. We show here that the primary selective pressures—all acting upon photorespiration in C3 progenitors—changed through the course of C4 evolution. The higher stomatal resistance and leaf-to-root allocation ratio enabled by the C4 carbon-concentrating mechanism led to a C4 advantage without any change in hydraulic properties, but selection on nitrogen reallocation varied. Water limitation was the primary driver for the initial evolution of C4 25-32 million years ago, and could positively select for C4 evolution with atmospheric CO2 as high as 600 ppm. Under these high CO2 conditions, nitrogen reallocation was necessary. Low CO2 and light intensity, but not nitrogen reallocation, were the primary drivers during the global radiation of C4 5-10 MYA. Finally, our results suggest that identifying the predominate selective pressures at the time C4 first evolved within a lineage should help explain current biogeographical distributions. Statement of authorship: HZ, BH and EA conceptualized the study. HZ and EA built the model, HZ and BH put the idea in a general evolutionary context, HZ performed the modeling work and analyzed output data. HZ wrote the first draft, BH and EA contributed substantially to revisions. Significance Statement C4 photosynthesis pathway had evolved more than 60 times independently across the terrestrial plants through mid-Oligocene (~30 MYA) and diversified at late Miocene (5 to 10 MYA). We use an optimal physiology model to examine the primary selective pressures along the evolutionary history. Water limitation was the primary driver for C4 evolution from the initial evolutionary events 25-32 MYA until CO2 became low enough to, along with light intensity, drive the global radiation of C4 5-10 MYA. This modeling framework can be used to investigate evolution of other physiological traits (e.g. N reallocation, hydraulics) after the initial formation of C4 syndrome, which contributed to further increasing productivity of C4 in historical and current environmental conditions.
Combined influence of valence and statistical learning on the control of attention: Evidence for independent sources of bias

Abstract Selection history exerts a powerful influence on the control of attention. Stimuli signalling reward and punishment capture attention even when physically non-salient and task-irrelevant. Repeated presentation of a salient distractor at a particular location generates learned suppression, resulting in reduced attentional processing at that location. A debate in the field concerns whether different components of selection history influence attention via a common underlying mechanism of learning-dependent control or via distinct, independent mechanisms. We probed this question with a particular focus on reward/punishment history and learned suppression. Participants were trained to suppress a particular location (high probability distractor location) and associate colours with reward or no outcome (no-reward). In a subsequent task, reward and no-reward distractors appeared in all locations equally often. In a separate experiment, we replaced reward with electric shocks. Reward and shock distractors captured attention more strongly than no-reward and no-shock distractors irrespective of their location. Distractors appearing in the high probability location showed reduced capture irrespective of their type. The results imply that reward and punishment learning and learned suppression have independent influences on the attentional system.
Role of oxide at interface between organic layer and silicon substrate in hybrid solar cells

Degradation in PEDOT:PSS-silicon hybrid heterojunction solar cells is centered at the organic–silicon interface characterized by an s-shaped JV curve. The effects of interfacial silicon oxide and the degradation of PEDOT:PSS films on solar cell performance were simulated and fit to experimental results and found to be good predictors of JV performance and the development of s-shapes. Transmission line measurement (TLM) studies showed the Ag-PEDOT:PSS interface remains ohmic over 5 weeks and has a contact resistivity < 0.1ohm cm2 over 10 days. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the interfacial silicon oxide develops rapidly after fabrication with high amounts of suboxide defects that grows and chemically saturates to the native oxide thickness (1.5 nm) and composition as the devices age. Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) was used to investigate the buried organic–silicon interface and showed that doping in the PEDOT:PSS backbone decreases and the PEDOT:PSS-silicon band alignment does not change measurably as the devices age.
Epigenetic mechanisms of drug addiction vulnerability

Abstract Drug addiction is characterized by abnormal and often persistent changes in gene expression throughout the limbic circuitry of the brain. Over the past decade, epigenetic mechanisms, such as alterations in histone posttranslational modifications and DNA methylation, have been suggested to play key roles in the orchestration of dynamic and long-lasting transcriptional and behavioral responses to drugs of abuse. Numerous environmental factors that are known to enhance an individual’s vulnerability to drug addiction have similarly been demonstrated to promote persistent changes in neuronal chromatin function in the brain. Here, we will attempt to shed light on the epigenetic mechanisms contributing to addiction vulnerability, with the hope that current and future studies will aid in the development of improved strategies for the prevention and treatment of this devastating psychiatric disease.
The psychophysiology of self-awareness : rediscovering the lost art of body sense

Embodied self-awareness is the practice and science of our ability to feel our movements, sensations, and emotions. As infants, before we can speak or conceptualize, we learn to move toward what makes us feel good and away from what makes us feel bad. Our ability to continue to develop and cultivate awareness of such body-based feelings and understanding is essential for learning how to successfully navigate in the physical and social world, as well as for avoiding injury and stress. Embodied self-awareness is made possible by neuromotor and neurohormonal pathways between the brain and the rest of the body, pathways that serve the function of using information about body state to maintain optimal health and well being. When these pathways become compromised, primarily as a result of physical injury or psychological stress and trauma, we lose our ability to monitor and regulate our basic body functions. This book explains the neurological basis of embodied self-awareness, how to enhance self-awareness, and how to regain it after injury or trauma.
Spinal cord infarction initially treated as transverse myelitis

Spinal cord infarction is rare in children. Most described cases are in association with aortic surgery or arterial hy- potension. In children, infarction can be confused with the more common disorder transverse myelitis as the magnetic resonance imaging findings and clinical presentation are often similar. We describe here a case of spontaneous spinal cord infarct initially treated as transverse myelitis.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: MANAGEMENT OF VENTRICULAR SEPTAL DEFECT

Intelligent management of a ventricular septal defect necessitates full analysis of the size of the defect, the shunt across it and the status of the pulmonary vasculature. Only patients with moderate or large defects with appreciably increased pulmonary blood flow deserve surgery. Those with small left-to-right shunts, with or without pulmonary vascular disease, should be managed medically.
Establishing the GCOOS Regional Association's data portal

The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association (GCOOS-RA) received two multi-year NOAA grants to develop regional data systems supportive of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). One grant provides modest support to ten sub-regional observatories to modify their existing data systems to allow them to become stand-alone interoperable IOOS data nodes. The other grant supports the establishment of a regional data portal. The following describes the evolution and current status of the GCOOS-RA's data portal and some of the challenges encountered by the developers.
Performance Analysis of Generalized Selective Packet Discarding Schemes

Selective packet discarding schemes have been mostly developed and analyzed in the context of ATM networks. However, similar schemes could be applied to non-ATM or more general networks. The analysis of selective packet discarding schemes in a general packet switching environment has been limited to the basic dropping schemes, i.e., Partial Packet Discard (PPD) and Early Packet Discard (EPD), and for only the single traffic source case. In this paper, we extend the mathematical analysis of PPD and EPD for multiple sources and include simulation results to verify the analytical results. Finally, to place the performance of the generalized EPD and PPD in the context of other packet dropping schemes, we also provide simulation results of the Drop from Front (DfF), and preemptive Partial Packet Discard (pPPD) schemes.
An Empirical Investigation Of The Persistence Of Stock And Bond Return Seasonality

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the persistence of seasonality in stock and bond returns using data from 1926 to 1992. This study finds evidence of seasonality in stock returns during the 1926-92 period. Dividing the data into sub-periods yields the following results: there was no evidence of stock market seasonality from 1926 to 1940, seasonality increased between 1941 and 1975 and then diminished slightly from 1976 to 1992. Specifically, the average January return was found to be significantly different than the average return in the other eleven months of the year. Seasonality was found in the high-quality end of the corporate bond market during the 1966-78 period, but there was no evidence of seasonality in the government bond market.
A Clustering Approach for Assessing the Antecedents to New Product Development Process Outcomes

This exploratory study examines the interrelationships between the stages of the new product development process and key factors that affect NPD process metrics. Factors affecting NPD process metrics as identified in the literature include external and internal integration, and levels of complexity and specialization. This study discusses three commonly process metrics: quality, profitability, and speed to market.
THEORY BUILDING IN THE OM/SCM FIELD: POINTING TO THE FUTURE BY LOOKING AT THE PAST

We examine select theoretical papers from the Journal of Supply Chain Management (JSCM) and Journal of Operations Management (JOM) over a time period of the last 10 years. Our study reveals good theory-building practices. We find that the authors delineate a clear boundary around the operations management and supply chain management (OM/SCM) issue of their theoretical consideration. They build on existing theoretical perspectives but also advance the existing body of literature by proposing new constructs that can have a broader appeal. Multiple theoretical perspectives are integrated to explain an OM/SCM issue. Some of these perspectives can involve theoretically opposing or orthogonal concepts. By doing so, the authors often challenge the underlying theoretical conception of a dominant paradigm.
Differences in schedules of regression of transport systems during reticulocyte maturation

Abstract Based on a description of the difference in the transport characteristics for amino acids of a reticulocyte-rich population of young blood cells and the mature erythrocyte, the schedule of these changes during maturation has been studied during an interval of 17 days after administering phenylhydrazine to rabbits. All amino acid transport activities studied tended to reach their maxima several days after the peak in the reticulocyte count, and during an interval when the reticulocyte morphology was being lost rapidly. Subsequently, different schedules were followed for the regression of otherwise discernible transport activities. The activity for alanine was lost most rapidly; a Na+-dependent component of the uptake of α,γ-diaminobutyric acid, which was, however, not inhibitable by alanine or glycine, appeared to be lost about as rapidly. A Na+-independent transport of lysine, which applied also to other cationic amino acids, regressed much more slowly, and was to a considerable degree retained at maturity. The uptake of glycine was also lost slowly, a kinetic complexity persisting throughout. The complexity may mean that two glycine transport systems are present. Support for this view was not obtained either by the test of analogues for differential inhibition of the two components or by the finding of any difference in the rate of regression during reticulocyte maturation.
Phase transitions. Catching crystals at birth

Protein crystallization is more an art than a science, yet it is vital for determining protein structure. A study of the protein apoferritin provides the first observations of the earliest stages of crystallization, known as nucleation.
Effectiveness of a Community Research Registry to Recruit Minority and Underserved Adults for Health Research

Inclusion of racial and ethnic groups in health research studies is important for equitable participation opportunities (10) and to ensure generalizability. Recruiting underserved, “hard-to-reach” minority populations has been and continues to be a challenge (1, 2). Individual-level barriers to participation include mistrust of the medical system and poor awareness of participation opportunities (3, 4), especially among African-Americans (2, 5). Less is known about Hispanic populations, particularly Spanish-speakers (10). We hypothesized low participation by minority populations may be minimized by establishing a registry of community members willing to be invited for research. Through NIH funding, the UT Southwestern Center for Translational Medicine and the Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center supported recruitment of community members attending health fairs and cultural events into a registry. Our systematic outreach at community events and factors associated with joining the registry has been previously described (6). Here, we report recruitment outcomes (successful contact, interest, and participation), including whether outcomes varied by race/ethnicity.
The efficacy and safety of intramuscularly administered 15(S) 15 methyl prostaglandin E2 methyl ester for induction of artificial abortion.

Abstract The practicability of an intramuscular dose schedule of 10 μg of 15(S) 15 methyl prostaglandin E 2 methyl ester [15(S) Me PGE 2 ] administered every 4 hours was evaluated in 42 subjects from 7 to 20 menstrual weeks' gestation. Half of the subjects served as controls (Group I) and half of the subjects (Group II) were treated with a medication regimen of prochlorperazine, acetylsalicylic acid, diphenoxylate hydrochloride, and atropine sulfate to evaluate the regimen's effects. Although the 15(S) Me PGE 2 dose schedule appeared to be effective (74 per cent aborted in 24 hours and 95 per cent aborted within 48 hours in a mean time of 18.9 hours), Group I (control) subjects frequently had side effects: 62 per cent had emesis, 86 per cent had diarrhea, 76 per cent had shivering, and 76 per cent had fever (>100° F.). Fewer Group II (medicated) subjects had side effects: 43 per cent had emesis, 19 per cent had diarrhea, 52 per cent had shivering, and 43 per cent had fever. The medication regimen did not appear to interfere with the abortifacient or oxytocic effects of the 15(S) Me PGE 2 dose schedule, since Group I and Group II subjects had similar cumulative abortion rates, mean abortion times, and uterine activity. Although this 15(S) Me PGE 2 dose schedule is effective in first-trimester patients, it is probably less satisfactory than the conventional method of vacuum aspiration. While intramuscularly administered 15(S) Me PGE 2 with medications to attenuate side effects may be practicable for inducing midtrimester abortion, especially between 12 and 16 weeks' gestation, large controlled comparative studies of the intramuscular 15(S) Me PGE 2 method and other experimental and conventional methods will be necessary to determine the most satisfactory method of performing midtrimester abortions.
Morphologies of planar polyelectrolyte brushes in a poor solvent: molecular dynamics simulations and scaling analysis.

Using molecular dynamics simulations and scaling analysis, we study the effect of the solvent quality for the polymer backbone, the strength of the electrostatic interactions, the chain degree of polymerization, and the brush grafting density on conformations of the planar polyelectrolyte brushes in salt-free solutions. Polyelectrolyte brush forms: (1) vertically oriented cylindrical aggregates (bundles of chains), (2) maze-like aggregate structures, or (3) thin polymeric layer covering a substrate. These different brush morphologies appear as a result of the fine interplay between electrostatic and short-range monomer−monomer interactions. The brush thickness shows nonmonotonic dependence on the value of the Bjerrum length. It first increases with the increasing value of the Bjerrum length, and then it begins to decrease. This behavior is a result of counterion condensation within a brush volume.
Control of robotic arm manipulator with haptic feedback using programmable system on chip

Programmable system on chip (PSoC) is used to control six degree of freedom robotic arm manipulator with haptic or force feedback system. Polar coordinates system is used to cover three dimensional space by robotic arm manipulator. Primarily use of this system is in intelligent industrial manufacturing, gaming industry and most importantly robots assisted surgery. Master-slave control topology is used along with 2-way feedback. PSoC is used to monitor state of force sensors and digital encoders mounted on robotic manipulator. Along with monitoring it also used to manipulate these values according to 2-way feedback between master-slave control topology. Experimental results representing force feedback are shown in the graphical userinterface.
Glutathione S-Transferase π1 Promotes Tumorigenicity in HCT116 Human Colon Cancer Cells

GSTP1 is a member of the glutathione S-transferase enzyme superfamily, which catalyzes the conjugation of electrophiles with glutathione in the process of detoxification. GSTP1 is widely overexpressed in colorectal cancer, from aberrant crypt foci to advanced carcinomas. Increased expression of GSTP1 is associated with multidrug resistance and a worse clinical prognosis. However, GSTP1-null mice have an increased risk of tumor formation. Thus, the biological function of GSTP1 in colorectal cancer biology remains speculative. In an effort to gain further insights into the role of GSTP1 in tumorigenesis, we disrupted the GSTP1 gene in HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells using targeted homologous recombination. We find that loss of GSTP1 resulted in impaired clonogenic survival and proliferation. Specifically, under growth-limiting conditions, (a) GSTP1 protected HCT116 cells from oxidative stress and associated apoptosis and (b) promoted mitogen-activated protein kinase-extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase-mediated G1-S cell cycle progression. In vivo, GSTP1 was critical for engraftment and growth of HCT116 tumor xenografts. These studies directly show that GSTP1 promotes clonogenic survival and proliferation in HCT116 human colon cancer cells.
Production of nuclei in neutron unbound states via primary fragmentation of 48Ca

Abstract The method of sequential neutron decay spectroscopy beginning with a primary beam of 60 MeV/nucleon 48Ca was investigated as a potential tool to measure unbound resonances in neutron-rich nuclei. Neutrons were measured in coincidence with fragments, and unbound resonances were observed for 10Li, 12,13Be, and 23O. The method is currently limited to resonances with small decay energies ( E decay ≲ 100 keV ) in lighter ( Z ⩽ 10 ) nuclei, and the possibility of extending it to heavier, more neutron-rich nuclei will be discussed.
Composition of corn steep water during experimental steeping

To understand better the process of steeping and the potential uses of corn steep water, the composition of corn steep water was analyzed and compared at various times during steeping under four defined experimental conditions. Of particular interest were the analyses of corn steep water for bacterial flora, carbohydrates, amino acids, polypeptides, fatty acids, lactic acid and other organic compounds, hydrolytic enzymes, myo-inositol phosphates, heavy metals, and inorganic ions. The experimental model compares favorably with the industrial process, especially with respect to the high bacterial numbers in the steep water with the newest corn. Keywords: Corn steep water; compositional analysis; steeping
PHOTOINITIATED POLYMERIZATION OF ACRYLAMIDE AND METHACRYLAMIDE

Abstract A dilatometric technique was used to obtain kinetic data for UV-photoinitiated polymerization of acrylamide and methacrylamide. In this study, benzoinmethylether was the initiator. Two mixed-solvent systems, 30% acetic acid in water (for both monomers) and 40% methanol in water (for acrylamide only) were examined. In all three systems the rate of polymerization varies with the monomer concentration to the 1.4 to 1.5 power and to the initiator concentration to the 0.4 to 0.8 power. Energies of activation are very low, less than 1.5 kcal/mol. Molecular weights estimated from viscosity measurements support the idea that chain transfer to monomer is important in the case of methacrylamide.
First detection of the Cs symmetric isomer of carbon hexaoxide (CO6) at 10 K

Abstract Carbon oxides of the form CO n ( n = 2–8) have long been known as important molecules in atmospheric and solid state chemical reactions. Here, we report on the first infrared spectroscopic detection of the cyclic ( C s ) isomer of carbon hexaoxide ( 12 C 16 O 6 ) via its ν 1 vibrational mode centered around 1876 cm −1 under matrix isolation conditions; the identification of the 12 C 18 O 6 , 13 C 16 O 6 , and 13 C 18 O 6 , isotopologues supported by ab initio calculations confirm the assignments. We also discuss possible formation routes of this molecule.
A comparison of viral fitness and virulence between emergent adenovirus 14p1 and prototype adenovirus 14p strains.

Background Epidemiological studies from the last decade have suggested that the morbidity and mortality associated with a newly emergent strain of human adenovirus (HAdV-14p1) is greater than other, more prevalent, adenovirus strains. Recent molecular analysis identified very minor genetic differences in HAdV-14p1 compared to prototype HAdV-14p. No studies have evaluated how these differences may affect virulence.