cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adduction to arginine detoxifies aflatoxin B1 by eliminating genotoxicity and altering in vitro toxicokinetic profiles

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a class 1 carcinogen and prominent food contaminant, is highly linked to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and plays a causative role in a large portion of global HCC cases. We have demonstrated that a mixture of common organic acids (citric and phosphoric acid) along with arginine can eliminate >99% of AFB1 in solution as well as on corn kernels and convert it to the AFB2a-Arg adduct, acting as a potential detoxification process for contaminated foods. Evaluation of toxicokinetic changes after AFB2a-Arg formation show that the product is highly stable in biological fluids, is not metabolized by P450 enzymes, is highly plasma protein bound, has low lipid solubility, and has poor intestinal permeability/high intestinal efflux compared to AFB1. Ames' test results show that at mutagenic concentrations of AFB1, AFB2a-Arg does not have any measurable mutagenic effect which was confirmed by DNA adduct identification by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Evaluation in HepG2 and HepaRG cells showed that AFB2a-Arg did not cause any significant decreases in cell viability nor did it increase micronuclei formation when administered at toxic concentrations of AFB1. These results show that conversion of AFB1 to AFB2a-Arg is a potential strategy to detoxify contaminated foods.
Paediatric In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Factors associated with Survival and Neurobehavioural Outcome One Year Later

Abstract Objective To investigate clinical characteristics associated with 12-month survival and neurobehavioural function among children recruited to the Therapeutic Hypothermia after Paediatric Cardiac Arrest In-Hospital trial. Methods Children (n = 329) with in-hospital cardiac arrest who received chest compressions for ≥2 min, were comatose, and required mechanical ventilation after return of circulation were included. Neurobehavioural function was assessed using the Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales, second edition (VABS-II) at baseline (reflecting pre-arrest status) and 12 months post-arrest. Norms for VABS-II are 100 (mean) ±15 (SD). Higher scores indicate better functioning. Outcomes included 12-month survival, 12-month survival with VABS-II decreased by ≤15 points from baseline, and 12-month survival with VABS-II ≥70. Results Asystole as the initial arrest rhythm, administration of >4 adrenaline doses, and higher post-arrest blood lactate concentration were independently associated with lower 12-month survival; an adrenaline dosing interval of 3– Conclusions Cardiac arrest and resuscitation factors are associated with long-term survival and neurobehavioural function among children who are comatose after in-hospital arrest.
High-resolution magnetic resonance spectroscopy using a solid-state spin sensor

Quantum systems that consist of solid-state electronic spins can be sensitive detectors of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals, particularly from very small samples. For example, nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond have been used to record NMR signals from nanometre-scale samples, with sensitivity sufficient to detect the magnetic field produced by a single protein. However, the best reported spectral resolution for NMR of molecules using nitrogen-vacancy centres is about 100 hertz. This is insufficient to resolve the key spectral identifiers of molecular structure that are critical to NMR applications in chemistry, structural biology and materials research, such as scalar couplings (which require a resolution of less than ten hertz) and small chemical shifts (which require a resolution of around one part per million of the nuclear Larmor frequency). Conventional, inductively detected NMR can provide the necessary high spectral resolution, but its limited sensitivity typically requires millimetre-scale samples, precluding applications that involve smaller samples, such as picolitre-volume chemical analysis or correlated optical and NMR microscopy. Here we demonstrate a measurement technique that uses a solid-state spin sensor (a magnetometer) consisting of an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centres in combination with a narrowband synchronized readout protocol to obtain NMR spectral resolution of about one hertz. We use this technique to observe NMR scalar couplings in a micrometre-scale sample volume of approximately ten picolitres. We also use the ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centres to apply NMR to thermally polarized nuclear spins and resolve chemical-shift spectra from small molecules. Our technique enables analytical NMR spectroscopy at the scale of single cells.
Gamow, Guppies, and the Search for GOD

The term physician-scientist is one of those compound words that have been created to unite disparate elements. Our language has others: student-athlete, warrior-statesman, and player-coach. The hyphen is a convenient way to keep the words together, but the hyphen cannot obscure the inherent contradictions that fight within. At that core, physicians and scientists (just like scholars and athletes) are worlds apart. Becoming a physician-scientist demands a union that can take years to forge and is often tenuous and unnerving.
Local and Long Distance Competition: Replacing Regulation with Competition

For more than 60 years, United States telecommunications policy was guided by the Communications Act of 1934. Despite the incredible changes that occurred in the telecommunications sector during this long period, very few changes were made in the law. Indeed, it was the failure of the 1934 Act to provide the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with the necessary guidance in dealing with one of these changes — competitive entry — that forced antitrust authorities to wrest control of the sector from the FCC in the 1980s.1 In 1996, partly in response to controversies created by the resulting AT&T antitrust decree, the Congress passed a new Telecommunications Act that opened all markets to entry, but evidenced a misguided belief in the efficacy of regulation to achieve this result.2 Rather than freeing the entire sector from government regulation, the 1996 Act established a new, more complicated regulatory regime that has created controversy, litigation, and only modest progress.
The isotope ratio C-12/C-13 in Comet Tago-Sato-Kosaka 1969g.

A spectrogram of Comet 1969g obtained with the 200-inch (508-cm) Hale telescope shows a well-developed emission feature at the position of the A-X(1-0) band head of C-12C-13 (4745 A). Using new laboratory data, it is possible to remove the effect of blending with NH2 lines at this wavelength. The corrected value of the intensity of the isotopic band head is used to derive the abundance ratio C-12/C-13 = 100 plus or minus 20 for the comet. The implications of this result for models of comet formation and the early solar system are discussed.
Human-Habitat for Health (H3): Human-habitat Multimodal Interaction for Promoting Health and Well-being in the Internet of Things Era

This paper presents an introduction to the "Human-Habitat for Health (H3): Human-habitat multimodal interaction for promoting health and well-being in the Internet of Things era" workshop, which was held at the 20th ACM International Conference on Multimodal Interaction on October 16th, 2018, in Boulder, CO, USA. The main theme of the workshop focused on the effect of the physical or virtual environment on individual's behavior, well-being, and health. The H3 workshop included keynote speeches that provided an overview and future directions of the field, as well as presentations including position papers and research contributions. The workshop brought together experts from academia and industry spanning a set of multi-disciplinary fields, including computer science, speech and spoken language understanding, construction science, life-sciences, health sciences, and psychology, to discuss their respective views and identify synergistic and converging research directions and solutions.
Feasibility of Automatically Assigning Severity Scores to Web Accessibility Problems

We discuss the potential for automatically prioritizing accessibility issues found by automated test tools in an application, based on 'accessibility impact' to the end user. We examine three influential factors in assessing the severity of an issue: criticality of the affected component, impact of the type of issue, and mitigating effect of the application context. We describe how these factors could be quantified and combined to yield severity measures consistent with those of a human expert, illustrating with a set of accessibility issues found in a real online web task.
Can Buyer Consortiums Improve Supplier Compliance

When suppliers (i.e., contract manufacturers) fail to comply with environmental or safety regulations, several non-governmental agencies and consumer activists put pressure on the buyers (customers) to take necessary actions to improve supplier compliance. Due to concerns over negative image and public boycotts, many buyers conduct costly audits to improve supplier compliance. By considering a common practice that calls for independent audits (i.e., each buyer performs its own audit) as a benchmark, we examine the implications of joint audit mechanism arising from a buyer consortium. Under this mechanism, buyers conduct joint audits by sharing the joint audit cost and impose a collective penalty on the supplier if the supplier fails their joint audit. We evaluate the efficacy of joint audits against the commonly practiced independent audits. Our analysis reveals that the joint audit mechanism is beneficial in two important ways. First, it can make the supplier increase its compliance level in equilibrium. Second, the joint audit mechanism can increase the supply chain profit when the audit cost is below a certain threshold.
Fine particle mass monitoring with low-cost sensors: Corrections and long-term performance evaluation

Low-cost sensors for the measurement of fine particulate matter mass (PM2.5) enable dense networks to increase the spatial resolution of air quality monitoring. However, these sensors are affected ...
Natural resources governance and tax revenue mobilization in sub saharan Africa: The role of EITI

Abstract The resource curse literature suggests that windfall revenues from the exploitation of natural resources have a negative impact on non-resource tax revenues. Consequently, improving governance and transparency in the management of natural resource revenues is considered critical in mitigating the negative outcomes that typify resource-rich countries. This paper investigates whether EITI membership helps countries to offset the negative impact of natural resource dependence on tax revenues in a panel of 31 Sub Saharan African countries with significant natural resource endowments. Using panel fixed effects and dynamic panel GMM econometric methods, results confirm the existence of a negative relationship between revenues from natural resource sectors and tax revenues. Membership to the EITI has had a weak positive effect on non-oil revenue mobilization and only partially offsets the negative impact of natural resources dependence on non-resource tax revenues. These results suggest that while the EITI has had some positive contributions, it is not a panacea for eliminating the tax revenue curse in natural resource rich African countries.
Wishing on a CAR: Understanding the Scope of Intrinsic T-cell Deficits in Patients with Cancer.

Summary: Treatment with chimeric antigen receptor T cells has led to impressive and durable responses in adult and pediatric malignancies refractory to conventional therapy; however, only patients with a handful of cancers have responded thus far and significant disparities exist between the response rates of pediatric and adult patients. A new extensive analysis of pediatric patient T-cell subsets at diagnosis and throughout the patients9 chemotherapy courses in a variety of solid and hematologic malignancies sheds new light on the intrinsic T-cell deficits that may be partly to blame. See related article by Das et al., p. 492.
Seven Easy Steps

I wish that everyone in the room was aware that I'm a doctor and therefore special. I wish they could understand that I'm unaccustomed to waiting.
Nursing Considerations with EGFR Inhibitors in NSCLC

While there has been significant progress in the treatments for lung cancer over the past decade, it remains the leading cause of cancer death as of 2019. The discovery of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation in lung cancer cells has led to treatments with EGFR inhibitors which have yielded results superior to chemotherapy in patients who harbor this mutation. Toxicities with EGFR inhibitors are very different than standard chemotherapy but can be managed with the proper evaluation and treatment.
Role of Wnt signaling in dermatofibroma induction phenomenon

BACKGROUND Dermatofibroma (DF) is a common benign skin neoplasm. Induction above DF lesions, including follicular unit induction, is a frequently observed phenomenon. Wnt signaling is known to be critical in hair follicle morphogenesis. Our study assesses the role of Wnt signaling in DF induction by evaluating intracellular localization of β-catenin in various types of DF induction. METHODS Archived tissue collected between 1 October 1980 and 1 October 2013 was stained per protocol using hematoxylin and eosin and anti-β-catenin monoclonal antibody. Specimens were grouped into categories based on the presence or absence and type of induction. All specimens were scored for nuclear β-catenin localization. RESULTS Of 62 specimens, 42 (68%) showed induction while 20 (32%) showed none. Nuclear β-catenin staining was detected in 23 (55%) of the induction and in none of the no-induction specimens (P-value < 0.001). Types of induction included: 15 (24%) follicular induction, 31 (50%) acanthosis, and 4 (6%) sebaceous induction. For follicular induction, 13 (87%) showed positive nuclear β-catenin staining compared to 11 (35%) for acanthosis and 1 (25%) for sebaceous induction (P-value = 0.002). CONCLUSION Our findings support the hypothesis that DFs promote an ectopic activation of Wnt pathway signaling in follicular induction phenomenon.
Evaluating the Effect of Spacesuit Glove Fit on Functional Tactility Task Performance

As the number of suited operations per mission increases with exploration beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), it is essential that crewmembers conduct suited activities in a manner that enables acceptable performance and minimizes the risk of injury. Currently, knowledge gaps exist in how to define optimal suit fit, how to more effectively incorporate fit into the suit design process, and how fit is related to performance. While it is understood that fit influences suited performance, the relationship between fit and performance has not been quantified. This research effort investigates the effects of spacesuit glove fit on tactile performance. This study adapted functional performance tasks from the literature and developed novel tasks to assess tactile performance. Through these tasks, the hypothesis that static fit (as derived from glove and human anthropometry dimensions) is related to spacesuit glove performance was evaluated. Subjects wore prototype gloves, developed by David Clark Company, Incorporated (DCCI). These gloves are similar to the DCCI Orion Crew Survival System intra-vehicular activity (IVA) gloves that will be utilized on NASA's Orion spacecraft. Participants completed a battery of functional assessment tasks in a glovebox vacuum chamber (4.3 psid). The subject's prescribed fit within the DCCI glove sizing scheme specific to this design was determined using their anthropometry. The subjects then conducted the tasks in gloves one size below their prescribed fit, their prescribed fit size, and gloves one size larger than their prescribed fit in both a pressurized and unpressurized state. To evaluate general tactility, blindfolded subjects attempted to detect bumps of different widths (0.59 in, 0.39 in, 0.20 in) and heights (0.05 in, 0.20 in,0.39 in) while the correct detection was recorded. An operationally-relevant tactility task was also designed. A mock spacecraft control panel was created in consultation with subject matter experts and designed to NASA specification. Blindfolded subjects then actuated a pre-defined sequence of these controls on the switchboard. The accuracy and completion time of the sequence was recorded. It was found that direct measures of static fit derived from hand length and glove length had a significant relationship to performance on the switchboard tactility task. Additionally, it was found that in the unpressurized case, subjects performed significantly better on the switchboard task when wearing the glove size larger than the prescribed fit as compared to small and prescribed fit. This study also reaffirms tactile performance decreases with a spacesuit glove, with larger decrements when the gloves are pressurized versus unpressurized.
Innovative Use of Emergency Medicine Providers in an Urban Setting to Reduce Overutilization of 9-1-1

Abstract Background Emergency Departments (ED) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are relied on to address nonemergent needs causing long ED wait times. Baltimore City EMS provided over 100,000 transports, many for low-acuity medical needs. Objective Minor Definitive Care Now (MDCN) is designed to address low-acuity complaints and decrease ED visits. MDCN provides low-acuity 9-1-1 callers the option of on-scene evaluation and treatment. For patients requiring additional resources, but not needing an ED, an alternate destination is considered. Methods Patients were screened low acuity by EMS personnel and voluntarily enrolled in MDCN. A questionnaire was given to patients after their visit to assess satisfaction. CRISP, a database for hospital visits in Maryland, was reviewed to assess if patients went to the ED after an MDCN visit. Results In 1 year of service, 168 calls were screened, with 144 patients consenting to treatment by the MDCN team. Of enrolled patients: 94 (65%) were treated on the scene, 37 (26%) were transported to an urgent care facility, 1 (0.6%) was transported to their primary care provider for a same-day appointment, and 12 (8.4%) were transported to the ED after further evaluation. Of the 94 patients treated on scene, 3 (3.2%) presented to a local ED in the surrounding area within 72 h. On review, there were no safety issues identified or deficits in the clinical care provided on scene. Conclusion This innovative model of on-scene evaluation and treatment can potentially reduce transports, decrease ED wait times, and reduce costs, in an effective and efficient way.
Ensemble Learning of Numerical Weather Prediction for Improved Wind Ramp Forecasting

Numerical weather predictions used for wind power forecasting might not be updated in a timely manner in practice, due to its high computational complexity and complicated postprocessing. Thus, the accuracy of wind power forecasts could be significantly compromised especially during wind ramp events. This paper presents an innovative method for improving regional wind power ramp forecasting through ensemble learning of numerical weather prediction models, by using real-time weather measurements as the supervisory data. The numerical weather prediction models are combined to minimize the discrepancy between the forecast values and the real-time measurements in the trend of wind ramps, and the weights of the linear combination are calculated through gradient boosting. The proposed method is non-intrusive and could be efficiently carried out online. The proposed method is evaluated on historical ERCOT wind power ramp events, and compared with existing ensemble aggregation method using simple averaging. The results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed method for improving wind power forecasting during wind ramp events.
Abstract 2584: Leukemia latency in the mCG-PML-RARα mouse model is impacted by sex and obesity

Human leukemias have been reported to show sexual dimorphism in both incidence and behavior. However, few studies of this observation have been conducted in animal models. We used the C57BL/6J mouse, genetically engineered to contain the PML-RARA fusion gene at the mouse cathepsin G (mCG) locus, as a model (B6.mCG-PML-RARα) of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) to interrogate the impact of sex and diet variation on disease latency as measured by leukemia-free survival. At 30 days of age, control (WT) and mutant (mCG+/PR) mice were separated by sex and provided with high fat (HF) [57% coconut oil fat] or low fat (LF) [10% coconut oil fat] diets. Mice were followed with serial blood collections and sacrificed when peripheral blood revealed signs of leukemia development including elevated granulocytes (WBC >20 K/μL), anemia (Hb 425 days was observed. In contrast, male mCG+/PR mice fed LF diets showed a reduced MLFS of 360 days of age, indicating a difference in latency of 65 days, thereby demonstrating sexual dimorphism in the appearance of APL. HF diet accelerated the appearance of APL in both female (MLFS = 277 days of age) and male mCG+/PR mice (MLFS = 277 days of age), which also displayed a difference in latency of 65 days. Thus, HF diet accelerated appearance of APL by 148 days in male and 148 days in female mCG+/PR mice. There were no signs of leukemia development in WT mice on either HF or LF diets. There was no splenomegaly observed in WT mice on either HF or LF diets. Thus, although HF diet and obesity accelerate the onset of APL in B6.mCG-PML-RARα mice, sexual dimorphism remains, with females showing extended latency compared to males under conditions of both HF and LF diets. Overall, our studies provide a robust mouse model to study the mechanisms by which sex impacts leukemia latency, as well as demonstrate that obesity accelerates leukemia development without affecting sexual dimorphism. Citation Format: John W. Kincaid, Annie E. Hill-Baskin, Nathan A. Berger. Leukemia latency in the mCG-PML-RARα mouse model is impacted by sex and obesity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 2584.
Utilization and cost of bexarotene in the Medicare population: 2013 to 2017.

Bexarotene is a retinoid X receptor agonist approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for refractory cutaneous T cell lymphoma in 1999. It has previously been identified as an effective but cost-inefficient treatment for CTCL. This study characterizes the prescription trends and point-of-sale costs of bexarotene in order to evaluate its affordability. It was found that total point-of-sale spending on bexarotene increased at an AAGR of 50.61% from $14.1 million in 2013 to $54.7 million in 2017.
Rheological Behavior of a Low Crystallinity Polyolefin-Modified Asphalt Binder for Flexible Pavements

Abstract An asphalt binder (PG 64−22) is modified with a crystallizable copolymer of polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) to enhance its ability to resist rutting in flexible pavements during periods of warm weather. After cooling of binders from the mixing temperature at a controlled rate of 3 °C/min, their microstructure and rheological behavior are characterized. The modified asphalts exhibit two-phase morphology with droplets of a maltene-rich polymer phase less than 50 μm in size dispersed in an asphaltene-rich, continuous phase. X-ray diffraction patterns and optical birefringence microscopy indicate that the PP/PE copolymer segregates from the matrix during cooling, forming a network of interconnected, crystalline fibrils. At temperatures of (50–80) °C, at which rutting is an issue in pavements, addition of PP/PE copolymer substantially increases the rutting factor by a factor of 2–6, depending on temperature and concentration. At temperatures of (―20 to 0) °C, addition of 5 wt.% or less of the PP/PE modifier has a minimal impact on performance based on both s-value and m-value. The modified asphalts are s-controlled, with ΔTc less than about 6.4 °C, suggesting that the PP/PE copolymer is an effective modifier for reducing rutting in flexible pavements.
Defining hierarchical protein interaction networks from spectral analysis of bacterial proteomes

Abstract Cellular phenotypes emerge from a hierarchy of molecular interactions: proteins interact to form complexes, pathways, and phenotypes. We show that hierarchical networks of protein interactions can be extracted from the statistical pattern of proteome variation as measured across thousands of bacteria and that these hierarchies reflect the emergence of complex bacterial phenotypes. We describe the mathematics underlying our statistical approach and validate our results through gene-set enrichment analysis and comparison to existing experimentally-derived hierarchical databases. We demonstrate the biological utility of our unbiased hierarchical models by creating a model of motility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and using it to discover a previously unappreciated genetic effector of twitch-based motility. Overall, our approach, SCALES (Spectral Correlation Analysis of Layered Evolutionary Signals), predicts hierarchies of protein interaction networks describing emergent biological function using only the statistical pattern of bacterial proteome variation.
Geometric Representations of Currents and Distributions

Currents are defined abstractly as dual spaces to differential forms and differential forms are defined abstractly as dual spaces to linear spaces of k-vectors. This double duality makes it sometimes difficult to recognize a specific example as a current or to give a current geometric meaning. Operators on currents are usually defined by dualizing analytic operators on differential forms. We give direct geometric definitions for a large class of currents and their operators. Chainlets are limits of polyhedral chains taken with respect to a norm. Integrals of differential forms over polyhedra have well defined limits to chainlets and a full exterior calculus has been established for chain-let domains. ([H2], [M], [114]) Every chainlet is thus a current. In this paper we specify which currents T correspond uniquely to chainlets, giving such T direct, geometric representation.
Crossover bias in genetic programming

Path length, or search complexity, is an understudied property of trees in genetic programming. Unlike size and depth measures, path length directly measures the balancedness or skewedness of a tree. Here a close relative to path length, called visitation length, is studied. It is shown that a population undergoing standard crossover will introduce a crossover bias in the visitation length. This bias is due to inserting variable length subtrees at various levels of the tree. The crossover bias takes the form of a covariance between the sizes and levels in the trees that form a population. It is conjectured that the crossover bias directly determines the size distribution of trees in genetic programming. Theorems are presented for the one-generation evolution of visitation length both with and without selection. The connection between path length and visitation length is made explicit.
Failure Detection and Isolation using System Structure Knowledge and Eigenvalue Sensitivity

This paper presents the development of a model reference innovations based failure detection and isolation (FDI) scheme. Recently, there has been many researches carried out on failure detection schemes. However, isolation and identification of the failed components is a very important step in FDI and this paper emphasizes this aspect. Eigenvalue sensitivity analysis is introduced to develop an apriori rating for failed component isolation. This rating determines which failures are more influential to system behavior. Application of this FDI scheme to a simple fuel flow control system illustrates its feasibility on failure detection and how failed components can be ranked from least probable to most probable using eigenvalue sensitivity.
Nonconservativity and noncommutativity in locomotion - Geometric mechanics in minimum-perturbation coordinates

Geometric mechanics techniques based on Lie brackets provide high-level characterizations of the motion capabilities of locomoting systems. In particular, they relate the net displacement they experience over cyclic gaits to area integrals of their constraints; plotting these constraints thus provides a visual “landscape” that intuitively captures all available solutions of the system’s dynamic equations. Recently, we have found that choices of system coordinates heavily influence the effectiveness of these approaches. This property appears at first to run counter to the principle that differential geometric structures should be coordinate-invariant. In this paper, we provide a tutorial overview of the Lie bracket techniques, then examine how the coordinate-independent nonholonomy of these systems has a coordinate-dependent separation into nonconservative and noncommutative components that respectively capture how the system constraints vary over the shape and position components of the configuration space. Nonconservative constraint variations can be integrated geometrically via Stokes’ theorem, but noncommutative effects can only be approximated by similar means; therefore choices of coordinates in which the nonholonomy is primarily nonconservative improve the accuracy of the geometric techniques.
Supported Planar Bilayers for Study of the Immunological Synapse

Supported planar bilayers have been used in immunology research for over 25 years, including in the initial demonstrations of MHC-peptide complex functional activity and adhesion molecule activity. More recent modifications of the method have been used to measure two-dimensional affinities and to study the formation of the immunological synapse. This unit covers the incorporation of glycolipid-anchored membrane proteins, 6-histidine-tagged soluble proteins, and monobiotinylated soluble proteins into supported planar bilayers. Reagents developed for the MHC-peptide tetramer staining method (UNIT 17.3) can readily be adapted to presentation on planar bilayers. The unique advantage of this approach is that the proteins presented on the surface of the supported bilayer are laterally mobile. This provides a more physiological presentation of cell-surface molecules and supports visualization of protein rearrangement on the bilayer by live cells.
Detection of bacterial contamination in prestorage culture‐negative apheresis platelets on day of issue with the Pan Genera Detection test

BACKGROUND: Bacterial contamination is currently the most important infectious risk associated with transfusion of platelet (PLT) products. Prestorage culture has reduced but not eliminated this problem. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Eighteen hospitals studied the Pan Genera Detection (PGD) test, a rapid, lateral-flow immunoassay for the detection of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The PGD test was performed on day of issue on apheresis PLTs released by collection centers as culture negative. Confirmatory bacterial culture was performed when PGD tests were repeatedly reactive, with three sites performing culture on all doses studied. RESULTS: PGD tests on nine of 27,620 (1:3069, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1:6711 to 1:1617; or 326 per million, 95% CI 149-618 per million) apheresis PLT doses were repeatedly reactive and verified as bacterially contaminated by confirmatory culture. Bacterial species isolated included coagulase-negative staphylococci (n = 6), Bacillus sp. (n = 2), and Enterococcus faecalis (n = 1). The ages of these contaminated doses were Day 3 (n = 4), Day 4 (n = 2), and Day 5 (n = 3). Two contaminated doses with nonreactive PGD tests were detected among 10,424 doses at hospitals where concurrent culture was performed, and one other was identified via a transfusion reaction investigation. There were 142 PGD false positives (0.51%). CONCLUSIONS: The PGD test detected bacterial contamination in 1:3069 (9 of 27,620) doses released as negative by prestorage culture in PLTs as young as 3 days old. Three contaminated doses, two clinically insignificant, had nonreactive PGD tests, while 0.51% of tests were false positives. Application of this test on day of issue can interdict contaminated units and prevent transfusion reactions.
The First-Year Experience in Community Colleges.

This chapter will examine characteristics of first-year experience programs in community colleges, with specific attention to the extant research about their effectiveness, the ways in which research and program delivery can be integrated, and the unique challenges of delivering FYE programs and conducting research about them in community colleges.
Atrial natriuretic peptide and nitric oxide in children with pulmonary hypertension after surgical repair of congenital heart disease.

Abstract In summary, ANP causes pulmonary vasodilation in some children with pulmonary hypertension secondary to congenital heart disease. In a small group of patients, ANP lowered mean pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance index > 20% without changing systemic vascular resistance index. Inhaled NO is an effective pulmonary vasodilator and is a more selective pulmonary vasodilator than ANP. The utility of ANP may be limited by its nonselective effects as more selective vasodilator agents are available.
Biosynthesis of 4-thiouridine in tRNA in the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis

4-Thiouridine (s(4)U) is a conserved modified nucleotide at position 8 of bacterial and archaeal tRNAs and plays a role in protecting cells from near-UV killing. Escherichia coli employs the following two enzymes for its synthesis: the cysteine desulfurase IscS, which forms a Cys persulfide enzyme adduct from free Cys; and ThiI, which adenylates U8 and transfers sulfur from IscS to form s(4)U. The C-terminal rhodanese-like domain (RLD) of ThiI is responsible for the sulfurtransferase activity. The mechanism of s(4)U biosynthesis in archaea is not known as many archaea lack cysteine desulfurase and an RLD of the putative ThiI. Using the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis, we show that deletion of ThiI (MMP1354) abolished the biosynthesis of s(4)U but not of thiamine. MMP1354 complements an Escherichia coli ΔthiI mutant for s(4)U formation, indicating that MMP1354 is sufficient for sulfur incorporation into s(4)U. In the absence of an RLD, MMP1354 uses Cys(265) and Cys(268) located in the PP-loop pyrophosphatase domain to generate persulfide and disulfide intermediates for sulfur transfer. In vitro assays suggest that S(2-) is a physiologically relevant sulfur donor for s(4)U formation catalyzed by MMP1354 (K(m) for Na(2)S is ∼1 mm). Thus, methanogenic archaea developed a strategy for sulfur incorporation into s(4)U that differs from bacteria; this may be an adaptation to life in sulfide-rich environments.
Heat capacity and thermodynamic functions of nano-TiO2 rutile in relation to bulk-TiO2 rutile

Abstract Several conflicting reports have suggested that the thermodynamic properties of materials change with respect to particle size. To investigate this, we have measured the constant pressure heat capacities of three 7 nm TiO2 rutile samples containing varying amounts of surface-adsorbed water using a combination of adiabatic and semi-adiabatic calorimetric methods. These samples have a high degree of chemical, phase, and size purity determined by rigorous characterization. Molar heat capacities were measured from T = (0.5 to 320) K, and data were fitted to a sum of theoretical functions in the low temperature (T T/K > 75), and a combination of Debye and Einstein functions in the high temperature range (T > 35 K). These fits were used to generate Cp , m ∘ , Δ 0 T S m ∘ , Δ 0 T H m ∘ , and φ m ∘ values at selected temperatures between (0.5 and 300) K for all samples. Standard molar entropies at T = 298.15 K were calculated to be (62.066, 59.422, and 58.035) J · K−1 · mol−1 all with a standard uncertainty of 0.002· Δ 0 T S m ∘ for samples TiO2·0.361H2O, TiO2·0.296H2O, and TiO2·0.244H2O, respectively. These and other thermodynamic values were then corrected for water content to yield bare nano-TiO2 thermodynamic properties at T = 298.15 K, and we show that the resultant thermodynamic properties of anhydrous TiO2 rutile nanoparticles equal those of bulk TiO2 rutile within experimental uncertainty. Thus we show quantitatively that the difference in thermodynamic properties between bulk and nano-TiO2 must be attributed to surface adsorbed water.
The mind as a process

Essentially all behavior is regulated by the brain in response to information received from within the body or from the environment. The tangible structures of the brain serve as devices for processing thoughts and emotions as well as information. Stored among the interacting neural structures are memories of past experiences and responses to them. These intangibles participate in determining the decisions made and the actions performed by the brain's structures. There are valuable studies of the clinical and neurological effects of environmental stimuli, but we need to learn more about the processes that lead to these effects. More definitive correlations could be made between environmental stimuli and the neurological pathways they create by studying individual's real life experiences rather than laboratory simulations alone.
Older Adults' Perceptions of Dr. Kevorkian in Middletown, U.S.A.:

This article focuses upon whether 422 randomly selected older adults believe that Dr. Jack Kevorkian should or should not be prosecuted. The study was conducted by Ball State University's Departmen...
Cobalt(II) and cobalt(III) dipicolinate complexes: solid state, solution, and in vivo insulin-like properties.

The synthesis and characterization of Co(II) and Co(III) 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylate (dipic2-) complexes are reported. Solid-state X-ray characterizations were performed on [Co(H2dipic)(dipic)]·3H2O and [Co(dipic)(μ-dipic)Co(H2O)5]·2H2O. Two coordination modes not previously observed in dipicolinate transition metal complexes were observed in these complexes; one involves metal coordination to the short C−O (CO) bond, and the other involves metal coordination to a protonated oxygen atom. Solution studies, including paramagnetic NMR and UV−vis spectroscopy, were done showing the high stability and low lability of the Co(III) complex, whereas the Co(II) complexes exhibited ligand exchange in the presence of excess ligand. The [Co(dipic)2]2- complex has pH dependent lability and in this regard is most similar to the [VO2dipic]- complex. The [Co(dipic)2]2- was found to be effective in reducing the hyperlipidemia of diabetes using oral administration in drinking water in rats with STZ-induced diabetes. Oral admi...
Effect of fiber orientation on the non-affine deformation of random fiber networks

The study of fiber networks is essential in understanding the mechanical properties of many polymeric and biological materials. These systems deform non-affinely, i.e. the local deformation is different than the applied far-field. The degree of non-affinity increases with decreasing scale of observation. Here, we show that this relationship is a power law with a scaling exponent independent of the type of applied load. Preferential fiber orientation influences non-affinity in a significant way: this parameter generally increases upon increasing orientation. However, some components of non-affinity, such as that associated with the normal strain in the direction of the preferential fiber orientation, decrease. In random networks, the nature of the far-field has little influence on the level of non-affinity. This is not the case in oriented networks.
Lung Volumes: Measurement, Clinical Use, and Coding

Measurement of lung volumes is an integral part of complete pulmonary function testing. Some lung volumes can be measured during spirometry; however, measurement of the residual volume (RV), functional residual capacity (FRC), and total lung capacity (TLC) requires special techniques. FRC is typically measured by one of three methods. Body plethysmography uses Boyle's Law to determine lung volumes, whereas inert gas dilution and nitrogen washout use dilution properties of gases. After determination of FRC, expiratory reserve volume and inspiratory vital capacity are measured, which allows the calculation of the RV and TLC. Lung volumes are commonly used for the diagnosis of restriction. In obstructive lung disease, they are used to assess for hyperinflation. Changes in lung volumes can also be seen in a number of other clinical conditions. Reimbursement for measurement of lung volumes requires knowledge of current procedural terminology (CPT) codes, relevant indications, and an appropriate level of physician supervision. Because of recent efforts to eliminate payment inefficiencies, the 10 previous CPT codes for lung volumes, airway resistance, and diffusing capacity have been bundled into four new CPT codes.
Molecular mechanisms of BK channel activation.

Large conductance, Ca2+-activated potassium (BK) channels are widely expressed throughout the animal kingdom and play important roles in many physiological processes, such as muscle contraction, neural transmission and hearing. These physiological roles derive from the ability of BK channels to be synergistically activated by membrane voltage, intracellular Ca2+ and other ligands. Similar to voltage-gated K+ channels, BK channels possess a pore-gate domain (S5–S6 transmembrane segments) and a voltage-sensor domain (S1–S4). In addition, BK channels contain a large cytoplasmic C-terminal domain that serves as the primary ligand sensor. The voltage sensor and the ligand sensor allosterically control K+ flux through the pore-gate domain in response to various stimuli, thereby linking cellular metabolism and membrane excitability. This review summarizes the current understanding of these structural domains and their mutual interactions in voltage-, Ca2+ - and Mg2+ -dependent activation of the channel.
Highly avid magnetic bead capture: an efficient selection method for de novo protein engineering utilizing yeast surface display.

Protein engineering relies on the selective capture of members of a protein library with desired properties. Yeast surface display technology routinely enables as much as million-fold improvements in binding affinity by alternating rounds of diversification and flow cytometry-based selection. However, flow cytometry is not well suited for isolating de novo binding clones from naive libraries due to limitations in the size of the population that can be analyzed, the minimum binding affinity of clones that can be reliably captured, the amount of target antigen required, and the likelihood of capturing artifactual binders to the reagents. Here, we demonstrate a method for capturing rare clones that maintains the advantages of yeast as the expression host, while avoiding the disadvantages of FACS in isolating de novo binders from naive libraries. The multivalency of yeast surface display is intentionally coupled with multivalent target presentation on magnetic beads-allowing isolation of extremely weak binders from billions of non-binding clones, and requiring far less target antigen for each selection, while minimizing the likelihood of isolating undesirable alternative solutions to the selective pressure. Multivalent surface selection allows 30,000-fold enrichment and almost quantitative capture of micromolar binders in a single pass using less than one microgram of target antigen. We further validate the robust nature of this selection method by isolation of de novo binders against lysozyme as well as its utility in negative selections by isolating binders to streptavidin-biotin that do not cross-react to streptavidin alone.
Less is more: increased gonadotropin use for ovarian stimulation adversely influences clinical pregnancy and live birth after in vitro fertilization

Objective To determine if attempts to maximize oocyte yield during ovarian stimulation translates into improved outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. Design Retrospective study. Setting Academic tertiary care IVF center. Patient(s) 806 de-identified nondonor IVF cycles. Intervention(s) Evaluation of fresh nondonor IVF cycles (n = 806) for the period January 1, 1999, to December 30, 2001. Main Outcome Measure(s) Cycle cancellation, clinical pregnancy, spontaneous miscarriage, and live birth after IVF. Result(s) Advancing age, independent of ovarian reserve status (reflected by early follicular phase FSH and estradiol) augured a worse prognosis for all outcomes. Higher gonadotropin use lowered cycle cancellations but was associated with a statistically significantly reduced likelihood of clinical pregnancy and live birth and a trend toward a higher likelihood for spontaneous miscarriage after IVF. Conclusion(s) Our data add to the accruing literature suggesting adverse influences of excess gonadotropin use on IVF outcomes. Although an aggressive approach to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation results in a statistically significant reduction in cycle cancellations, the excessive use of gonadotropins detrimentally influences live birth after IVF.
A comparison of amplitude-modulated and frequency-modulated ambulatory monitoring systems

Abstract To compare the results of monitoring for ischemia with amplitude-modulated (AM) and frequency-modulated (FM) ambulatory recorders, 22 patients with coronary artery disease were monitored during exercise and during 24 to 48 hours of daily activities. Simultaneous recordings were obtained with Oxford Medilog 4000-II and Medilog MR-35 systems from the same 2 bipolar leads. Each potential ischemic episode was interpreted blindly by 2 investigators. Significant ST depression was strictly defined as ≥1 mm of horizontal or down-sloping ST depression persisting for 0.06 second beyond the J point and lasting ≥1 minute. Of 82 episodes reviewed, 63 (77%) were either positive (37) or negative (26) for ischemia by both systems. However, 17 episodes were interpreted as positive on AM tracings but negative on FM tracings; the converse was true for only 2 episodes (p
Competition for light between velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) and soybean (Glycine max).

Summary: We examined factors affecting conversion of light into dry matter of velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) and soybean (Glycine max) grown in a replacement series near Ames, Iowa, U.S.A. in 1986 and 1987. Velvetleaf was taller than soybean over most of the growing season and had more branches, especially at the top of the canopy. Velvetleaf had greater light interception than soybean in the upper part of the canopy, particularly early and late in the day, although total light interception by canopies of the two species was similar on most sample dates. Velvetleaf had higher light utilization efficiency, or conversion of intercepted light into dry matter, in the middle and later part of the growing season. This combination of traits appears to give velvetleaf an advantage over soybean in competition for light.
SEMANTICS IN LINGUISTIC KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS

This paper looks at the semantics, semantic measures and definitions aimed at the semantics of a Linguistically Represented system of Knowledge (LRK), treated as a semantically closed system. The knowledge is viewed as three complementary subsystems: language of knowledge, knowledge structure, and knowledge operators. The semantics of LRK is contained within the semantic interpretation of the syntactic structures of LRK. To operate and utilize LRK requires that all interfaces, including knowledge itself, be carried out in, and only in, English. The concept of LRK has nothing to do with so-called databases. The concept of a linguistically represented system of knowledge keeps all its content in the form of linguistic structures. LRK systems utilize their own operators for restructuring, extracting, simplification, merging, decomposition, integration, summary and other operations The presented theory examines modifications and substitutions as primary semantic operations. It defines notions, such as, semant...