cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional aspects of the human salivary cystatins in the oral environment.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the cysteine protease inhibitory properties of the human salivary cystatins S, SA and SN in order to identify potential in vivo target cysteine proteases which may include those involved in periodontal tissue destruction. In addition, the potential role of the salivary cystatins with respect to the tooth mineral balance and pellicle formation was also investigated. METHODS: Salivary cystatins S major, S minor, SA, SA T (a truncated form of SA) and SN were purified from human submandibular sublingual saliva. Sensitive fluorometric assays were used to test the inhibitory action of each purified form of salivary cystatin against a variety of cysteine proteases and to determine whether pH affected their inhibitory activity towards the well-characterized cysteine protease papain. Their potential role in the mineral balance of the tooth was assessed by the measurement of calcium binding and the rate of binding to carbonated apatite (CAP). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Salivary cystatin SN was found to inhibit the human lysosomal cathepsins B, H and L and salivary cystatin SA was found to inhibit human lysosomal cathepsin L in vitro. These proteases are involved in periodontal tissue destruction and these data suggest that salivary cystatins SA and SN are involved in the control of the proteolytic events in vivo. Salivary cystatin S was not an inhibitor of the cysteine proteases tested suggesting that its primary role is not as a cysteine protease inhibitor. However, S was able to bind more calcium and bind more rapidly to CAP than SA or SN, suggesting that its primary role in the oral environment is likely to be the involvement with the mineral balance of the tooth.
Creating Two-Dimensional Patterned Substrates for Protein and Cell Confinement

Microcontact printing provides a rapid, highly reproducible method for the creation of well-defined patterned substrates.(1) While microcontact printing can be employed to directly print a large number of molecules, including proteins,(2) DNA,(3) and silanes,(4) the formation of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) from long chain alkane thiols on gold provides a simple way to confine proteins and cells to specific patterns containing adhesive and resistant regions. This confinement can be used to control cell morphology and is useful for examining a variety of questions in protein and cell biology. Here, we describe a general method for the creation of well-defined protein patterns for cellular studies.(5) This process involves three steps: the production of a patterned master using photolithography, the creation of a PDMS stamp, and microcontact printing of a gold-coated substrate. Once patterned, these cell culture substrates are capable of confining proteins and/or cells (primary cells or cell lines) to the pattern. The use of self-assembled monolayer chemistry allows for precise control over the patterned protein/cell adhesive regions and non-adhesive regions; this cannot be achieved using direct protein stamping. Hexadecanethiol, the long chain alkane thiol used in the microcontact printing step, produces a hydrophobic surface that readily adsorbs protein from solution. The glycol-terminated thiol, used for backfilling the non-printed regions of the substrate, creates a monolayer that is resistant to protein adsorption and therefore cell growth.(6) These thiol monomers produce highly structured monolayers that precisely define regions of the substrate that can support protein adsorption and cell growth. As a result, these substrates are useful for a wide variety of applications from the study of intercellular behavior(7) to the creation of microelectronics.(8) While other types of monolayer chemistry have been used for cell culture studies, including work from our group using trichlorosilanes to create patterns directly on glass substrates,(9) patterned monolayers formed from alkane thiols on gold are straight-forward to prepare. Moreover, the monomers used for monolayer preparation are commercially available, stable, and do not require storage or handling under inert atmosphere. Patterned substrates prepared from alkane thiols can also be recycled and reused several times, maintaining cell confinement.(10).
SELF‐SUFFICIENCY IN JAPANESE AGRICULTURE: TELESCOPING AND RECONCILING THE FOOD SECURITY‐EFFICIENCY DILEMMA

As a public policy objective in Japan, food security shifted from one that had near consensus support after World War 11 to one that caused deep political divisions among a variety of groups and political actors. Japan continues to reconcile levels of commodity self-sufficiency with a variety of domestic public policy issues and external conditions that work for and against the goal of this industrialized nation feeding itself.
Molecular characterization of a prokaryotic polypeptide sequence that catalyzes Au crystal formation

The gold crystal-forming E. coli polypeptide sequence, MHGKTQATSGTIQS, is one of several polypeptide sequences that interacts with gold interfaces and catalyzes the formation of Au crystals in solution, with nucleated Au crystals preferentially featuring the (111) interface. To date, there have been no experimental studies which explore the structure of E. coli-expressed gold binding proteins or the binding of Au(III) ions by these polypeptides. In this present report, multidisciplinary approaches were applied to the 42-AA gold binding protein-1 (GBP-1/42) and to a model polypeptide representing the 14-AA integral repeat of this protein (GBP-1/14). CD and NMR spectroscopy indicate that neither the integral repeat nor the GBP-1 protein adopt folded structures in the apo form or in the presence of Au(III) ions; the integral repeat adopts a random coil-extended structure conformation [i.e., (MHGKTQA)random coil–(TSGTIQS)extended] and the GBP-1 protein appears to be similarly structured. These features are inconsistent with a templating structure. Mass spectrometry experiments indicate that the integral repeat binds up to two Au(III) ions per polypeptide molecule, and 1H NMR ROESY experiments pinpoint the interaction of Au(III) within two sites: the -QAT- region of the integral repeat MHGKTQATSGTIQS sequence, and, at the negatively charged C-terminus of this sequence. Collectively, our findings support the hypothesis that GBP-1 does not catalyze Au crystal formation via a templating mechanism; rather, the open, unfolded structure of this protein, combined with the presence of accessible proton donor/acceptor amino acids (Ser, Thr, Lys, Gln, His) most likely play a role in Au crystal formation in solution and may also explain the interactive nature of this polypeptide with Au interfaces.
The Mound-Building Ant, Formica Exsectoides F., Associated with Tree-Hoppers

Since this common mound builder of the Eastern States is very active all through the warm months and puts forth great energy in the building of its large earth nests, it is of interest to inquire into the nature of the food that keeps it going and tides it over the winter in a semitorpid state in which the food eaten in summer seems the basis for continued life. Near Baltimore in the special region elsewhere described this ant feeds upon offall and earthworms, etc. to some slight extent; but its chief food is got from other insects; either directly by capture or finding of living or dead beetles, flies, bees, bugs, and especially the larvae of Lepidoptera, or indirectly by utilization of the honey-dew given forth by insects that suck the sap from trees. The protein food got from insects seems small in amount as compared with the chief diet of honeydew which is largely carbohydrate.
Migration and international relations: cooperation and control in the European Community.

In this article I have developed a political-economic framework for understanding international migration in postwar Europe and the United States. The author begins by reviewing four theories of international relations and gives a short critique of their main assumptions. He "finds that international migration reveals a contradiction between the main economic purpose of the postwar international order--to promote exchange--and the national perquisites of sovereignty and citizenship." (EXCERPT)
Metal functionalization of carbon nanotubes for enhanced sintered powder wicks

Abstract Phase change cooling schemes involving passive heat spreading devices, such as heat pipes and vapor chambers, are widely adopted for thermal management of high heat-flux technologies. In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are fabricated on a 200 μm thick sintered copper powder wick layer using microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. A physical vapor deposition process is used to coat the CNTs with a varying thickness of copper to promote surface wetting with the working fluid, water. Thermal performance of the bare sintered copper powder sample (without CNTs) and the copper-functionalized CNT-coated sintered copper powder wick samples is compared using an experimental facility that simulates the capillary fluid feeding conditions of a vapor chamber. A notable reduction in the boiling incipience superheat is observed for the nanostructured samples. Additionally, nanostructured samples having a thicker copper coating provided a considerable increase in dryout heat flux, supporting heat fluxes up to 457 W/cm 2 from a 5 mm × 5 mm heat input area, while maintaining lower surface superheat temperatures compared to a bare sintered powder sample; this enhancement is attributed primarily to the improved surface wettability. Dynamic contact angle measurements are conducted to quantitatively compare the surface wetting trends for varying copper coating thicknesses and confirm the increase in hydrophilicity with increasing coating thickness.
How safe are nanotubes and other nanofilaments

(2003). How safe are nanotubes and other nanofilaments? Materials Research Innovations: Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 192-194.
From cilia to cyst.

Nephronophthisis is the most common inherited cause of renal failure in children. Two new studies add to the growing body of literature that suggests that cilial dysfunction may underlie all forms of cystic renal disease.
3D Path Planning for Flying/Crawling Robots

World modeling and path planning techniques for a mobile robot that can navigate through a three dimensional world are developed. A crystal map (an extension of the 2D meadow map representation) serves as the world model. A free-space decomposition algorithm is described that produces this representation. Four variations of the A* search technique are applied to the crystal map producing paths for a robot that can fly and/or crawl through the modeled world. Path improvement strategies are also described. Simulation studies indicate the feasibility of these methods.
Phosphorus-Containing Poly(Arylene Ether)S as Second Order Nonlinear Optical Materials

Poly(arylene ether)s can be designed to be amorphous, optically clear materials with excellent hydrolytic and thermal stability as well as good electrical, mechanical and fire resistant properties. As a result, the use of these macromolecules in second order nonlinear optical (NLO) applications are being investigated. Typically, polymeric systems with doped chromophores result in a signigicant decrease in Tg. Methods were investigated to functionalize the polymer backbone with NLO chromophores, resulting in increased Tg.
Regulation of the Dlx3 Homeobox Gene upon Differentiation of Mouse Keratinocytes

The Distal-less Dlx3 homeodomain gene is expressed in terminally differentiated murine epidermal cells, and there is evidence to support an essential role as a transcriptional regulator of the terminal differentiation process in these cells. In an attempt to determine the factors that induce Dlx3 gene expression, we have cloned the 1.2-kilobase pair proximal region of murine gene and analyzed its cis-regulatory elements and potential trans-acting factors. The proximal region of the Dlx3 gene has a canonical TATA box and CCAAT box, and the transcription start site was located 205 base pairs upstream from the initiation of translation site. Serial deletion analysis showed that the region between −84 and −34 confers the maximal promoter activity both in undifferentiated and differentiated primary mouse keratinocytes. Gel retardation assays and mutational analysis demonstrated that the transcriptional regulator NF-Y (also referred to as CBF) binds to a CCAAT box motif within this region and is responsible for the majority of the Dlx3 promoter activity. In addition, an Sp1-binding site was located immediately upstream of transcription start site that acts as a positive regulatory element of the Dlx3 promoter, independent of the CCAAT box motif. Importantly, elements residing between +30 to +60 of the Dlx3 gene are responsible for the Ca2+-dependent induction of Dlx3 during keratinocyte differentiation.
The ion-current-ratio method in Knudsen-cell mass spectrometry : binary mixtures with stoichiometric intermediate phases

The ion-current-ratio method for determining standard Gibbs free energies of phase formation from Knudsen-cell mass spectrometry has been developed for two-phase regions in binary mixtures with stoichiometric intermediate phases. Equations have been derived which apply generally, and the method has been applied specifically to the vanadium-rich portion of (vanadium + phosphorus). Results are compared with those obtained by mass-loss Knudsen effusion. Agreement for V3P(s) and V2P(s) is well within experimental uncertainties.
Meteorological influences on stemflow generation across diameter size classes of two morphologically distinct deciduous species

Many tree species have been shown to funnel substantial rainfall to their stem base as stemflow flux, given a favorable stand structure and storm conditions. As stemflow is a spatially concentrated flux, prior studies have shown its impact on ecohydrological and biogeochemical processes can be significant. Less work has been performed examining stemflow variability from meteorological conditions compared to canopy structural traits. As such, this study performs multiple regressions: (1) to examine stemflow variability due to event-based rainfall amount, intensity, mean wind speeds, and vapor pressure deficit; (2) across three diameter size classes (10–20, 21–40, and >41 cm DBH); and (3) for two common tree species in the northeastern USA of contrasting canopy morphology—Liriodendron tulipifera L. (yellow poplar) versus Fagus grandifolia Ehrh. (American beech). On the whole, multiple regression results yielded significant positive correlations with stemflow for rainfall amount, intensity, and mean wind speed and a significant negative correlation for vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Tree size altered stemflow-meteorological condition relationships, where larger trees strengthened indirect stemflow-VPD and direct stemflow-rainfall and stemflow-intensity associations. Canopies of rougher bark and lower branch angle (represented by L. tulipifera) enhanced correlations for nearly all meteorological conditions via greater stemflow residence time (and longer exposure to meteorological conditions). Multiple regressions performed on leafless canopy stemflow resulted in an inverse relationship with wind speeds, likely decoupling stemflow sheltered solely on bark surfaces from VPD influences. Leaf presence generally increased direct stemflow associations with rainfall intensity, yet diminished stemflow-rainfall relationships. F. grandifolia canopies (exemplifying structures of smoother bark and greater branch angle) strengthened differences in stemflow associations with rainfall/mean wind speed between leaf states. These findings are placed in a conceptual interception loss path analysis, which shows the potential to alter common interception loss estimates in high stemflow stands.
Biochemical Pathways for Microvascular Complications of Diabetes Mellitus

OBJECTIVE:To review the current biochemical theories on how diabetes contributes to microvascular disease.DATA SOURCES:MEDLINE search (1980–June 2003) and bibliographies of articles obtained on this topic.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:Articles identified from the data sources were evaluated and those deemed relevant to this review were incorporated.DATA SYNTHESIS:The prevailing biochemical theories on how diabetes leads to microvascular disease include increased polyol (sorbitol/aldose reductase) pathway flux, production of advanced glycation end-products, generation of reactive oxygen species, and activation of diacylglycerol and protein kinase C isoforms. These pathways contribute to endothelial damage and dysfunction and may alter gene functioning.CONCLUSIONS:Each pathway, via varied and often overlapping mechanisms, contributes to altered microvascular function that leads to the development of retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy, the major microvascular complications associated with diabetes.
Principal Component Analysis of the Solar Magnetic Field I: The Axisymmetric Field at the Photosphere

A principal component analysis, or proper orthogonal decomposition, of the axisymmetric magnetic field at the photosphere is carried out to find an optimal representation of the observed solar cycle. The 22-year periodic field requires just two modes. NSO Kitt Peak synoptic maps for Carrington rotations 1664–2007 were reduced by taking both the mean and the median field over longitude to produce two sequences of functions of sine latitude spanning 25.7 years. The lowest modes of each are determined by the polar fields. The mean field is most efficient at representing the periodic field, but the median field is more efficient at representing the evolution of the diffuse field patterns.
Minimal regions in the Arabidopsis PISTILLATA promoter responsive to the APETALA3/PISTILLATA feedback control do not contain a CArG box

PISTILLATA (PI) is a floral homeotic B function gene in Arabidopsis and together with the other B function gene, APETALA3 (AP3), is involved in specifying petal and stamen identities. The expression of PI and AP3 is under similar developmental control. The initiation of AP3 and PI expression is at least partly caused by the floral meristem identity gene LEAFY, but the maintenance of AP3 and PI expression involves an autoregulatory loop requiring the activity of both genes. PI and AP3 are MADS domain proteins that form, and appear to function as, a heterodimer. AP3/PI binds in vitro to a sequence motif, CC(A/T)6GG, a MADS domain protein consensus binding site also known as the CArG box. We identified a 481-bp PI promoter region that confers both the initiation and the maintenance of PI expression patterns. We further dissected the promoter and identified minimal regions responsible for the AP3/PI-dependent expression. No CArG box is present in these minimal regions, suggesting that either AP3/PI does not bind directly to the PI promoter for the maintenance control, or that it requires additional factors to bind to the PI promoter. Our results suggest that the mechanisms of regulation of the two B function genes, AP3 and PI, are different, because CArG boxes are present in the AP3 promoter and are necessary for the AP3 feedback control.
New Deformations of Group Algebras of Coxeter Groups, II

We define new deformations of group algebras of Coxeter groups W and of subgroups of even elements in them by deforming the braid relations. We show that these deformations are algebraically flat if and only if they are formally flat, and that this happens if and only if the group W has no finite parabolic subgroups of rank 3. We explain the connection of our deformations with the Hecke algebras of orbifolds defined by the first author and with generalized double affine Hecke algebras defined by the authors and A. Oblomkov.
Clones in the chick diencephalon contain multiple cell types and siblings are widely dispersed

The thalamus, hypothalamus and epithalamus of the vertebrate central nervous system are derived from the embryonic diencephalon. These regions of the nervous system function as major relays between the telencephalon and more caudal regions of the brain. Early in development, the diencephalon morphologically comprises distinct units known as neuromeres or prosomeres. As development proceeds, multiple nuclei, the functional and anatomical units of the diencephalon, derive from the neuromeres. It was of interest to determine whether progenitors in the diencephalon give rise to daughters that cross nuclear or neuromeric boundaries. To this end, a highly complex retroviral library was used to infect diencephalic progenitors. Retrovirally marked clones were found to contain neurons, glia and occasionally radial glia. The majority of clones dispersed in all directions, resulting in sibling cells populating multiple nuclei within the diencephalon. In addition, several distinctive patterns of dispersion were observed. These included clones with siblings distributed bilaterally across the third ventricle, clones that originated in the lateral ventricle, clones that crossed neuromeric boundaries, and clones that crossed major boundaries of the developing nervous system, such as the diencephalon and mesencephalon. These findings demonstrate that progenitor cells in the diencephalon are multipotent and that their daughters can become widely dispersed.
A Genomic Approach to Identify Novel Progesterone Receptor Regulated Pathways in the Uterus during Implantation

The cellular actions of steroid hormone progesterone (P) are mediated via its nuclear receptors, which regulate the expression of specific target genes. The identity of gene networks that are regulated by the P receptors (PRs) in the uterus at various stages of the reproductive cycle and pregnancy, however, remain largely unknown. In this study, we have used oligonucleotide microarrays to identify mRNAs whose expression in the pregnant mouse uterus is modulated by RU486, a well-characterized PR antagonist, which is also an effective inhibitor of implantation. We found that, in response to RU486, expression of mRNAs corresponding to 78 known genes was down-regulated at least 2-fold in the preimplantation mouse uterus. The PR regulation of several of these genes was ascertained by administering P to ovariectomized wild-type and PR knockout (PRKO) mice. Detailed spatio-temporal analysis of these genes in the pregnant uterus indicated that their expression in the epithelium and stroma could be correlated with the expression of PR in those cell types. Furthermore, time-course studies suggested that many of these genes are likely primary targets of PR regulation. We also identified 70 known genes that were up-regulated at least 2-fold in the pregnant uterus in response to RU486. Interestingly, initial examination of a number of RU486-inducible genes reveals that their uterine expression is also regulated by estrogen. The identification of several novel PR-regulated gene pathways in the reproductive tract is an important step toward understanding how P regulates the physiological events leading to implantation.
Striatal Mechanisms Underlying Movement, Reinforcement, and Punishment

Direct and indirect pathway striatal neurons are known to exert opposing control over motor output. In this review, we discuss a hypothetical extension of this framework, in which direct pathway striatal neurons also mediate reinforcement and reward, and indirect pathway neurons mediate punishment and aversion.
Fractional wettability effects on two-and three-fluid capillary pressure-saturation relations

Studies of the relation between capillary pressure (Pc) and fluid saturation (S) for porous media containing oil-water or air-oil-water, often assume that the medium is strongly water-wet. Natural porous media, however, are composed of a variety of mineral constituents; such media are typically composed of water- and oil-wet fractions. This study reports on two- and three-fluid Pc-S data for media of different fractions of water- and oil-wet sands. The oil-water capillary pressure, defined as the oil minus the water pressure, was measured during drainage (primary and main curves) as well as imbibition (main curve only) of water. A decrease in oil-water pressure was observed as the oil-wet fraction increased in two-fluid media, q-he pressure became negative during imbibition of water for relatively oil-wet media. The Pc-S data could be adequately described by modifying the van Genuchten model for water retention. The observed differences between primary and main drainage curves were partly attributed to the effect of initial saturation. In three-fluid systems with fractional wettability, the observed dependency of capillary pressures on fluid saturations suggested that there was no continuous intermediate phase --even for a relatively low oil-wet fraction (25%). The oil-water and air-water capillary pressures decreased, at a particular water saturation, as the fraction of oil-wet sand increased. The water pressure is greater when water acts as the intermediate fluid than when it is the wetting fluid. The oil pressure, and hence the air-oil capillary pressure, was relatively insensitive to whether oil acted as wetting or intermediate fluid. There is a need to model three-fluid Pc-S curves that account for different wetting and intermediate fluids.
Nanometer Analysis of Cell Spreading on Matrix-Coated Surfaces Reveals Two Distinct Cell States and STEPs

When mouse embryonic fibroblasts in suspension contact a matrix-coated surface, they rapidly adhere and spread. Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy of dye-loaded fibroblasts to quantify cell-substrate contact, we found that increasing the surface matrix density resulted in faster spreading initiation whereas lamellipodial dynamics during spreading were unaltered. After spreading initiation, most cells spread in an anisotropic manner through stochastic, transient extension periods (STEPs) with ;30 STEPs over 10 min to reach an area of 1300 mm 2 6 300 mm 2 . A second mode of spreading, increased in serum-deprived cells, lacked STEPs and spread in a rapid, isotropic manner for 1-4 min. This isotropic mode was characterized by a high rate of area increase, 340 mm 2 /min with 78% of the cell edge extending. Anisotropic cells spread slower via STEPs, 126 mm 2 /min with 34% of the edge extending. During the initial 2-4 min of fast, isotropic spreading, centripetal flow of actin was low (0.8 mm/min) whereas in anisotropic cells it was high from early times (4.7 mm/min). After initial isotropic spreading, rearward actin movement increased and isotropic cells displayed STEPs similar to anisotropic cells. Thus, the two cell states display dramatically different spreading whereas long-term motility is based on STEPs.
End-stage renal disease after liver transplantation in patients with pre-transplant chronic kidney disease.

Renal dysfunction prior to liver transplantation has a marked impact on post-transplant kidney outcomes. Aim The aim of this study was to assess post-transplant renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) receiving orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) alone. Methods Retrospective review of 40 OLT recipients with pre-transplant CKD (serum creatinine ≥2 mg/dL for at least three months) at the University of Pennsylvania from February 2002 to July 2010. Primary outcome was estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) up to three years post-transplant. Secondary outcomes included incidence of stage 4 CKD (eGFR < 30 mL/min), need for renal replacement therapy (RRT), meeting criteria for kidney transplant listing (eGFR ≤ 20 mL/min), and mortality. Results Median patient age was 56.5 yr and 48% patients had pre-transplant diabetes. Median serum creatinine at transplant was 2.7 mg/dL (eGFR = 24 mL/min). Median eGFR at one, two, and three yr post-transplant was 35, 34, and 37 mL/min, respectively. Twelve patients (30%) required RRT at a median of 1.21 yr post-transplant and 16 (40%) achieved an eGFR ≤ 20 mL/min at 1.09 yr post-transplant. Mortality was 35% at a median of 1.60 years post-transplant. Conclusions OLT recipients with pre-transplant CKD have a substantial burden of post-transplant renal dysfunction and high short-term mortality, questioning the rationale for OLT alone in this population.
Wideband polarimetric radar imaging

Summary form only given. The relationship of the polarization dependence of the corresponding radar cross-section matrices in the frequency domain with that of the target eigen-resonance maps is demonstrated, leading to the concept of polarimetric wavelets, which offers a useful interpretative tool for polarimetric UWB (ultrawideband) target versus clutter discrimination and analysis. Utilizing available sets of multiband continuous wave spectral polarimetric scattering matrix data sets in the (30) 300 MHz to 3 (30) GHz region, the authors demonstrated the relevance of a 'polarimetric extension' of the UWB impulse radar approach with the specific aim of identifying the important wide-ranging applications of future UWB (non-carrier frequency) polarimetric impulsive radar (POL-RAD) synthetic aperture radar (POL-SAR), and inverse synthetic aperture radar ISAR (POLISAR) systems not only to low-radar cross section-target analysis but even more so to under-burden (foliage/poorly conductive media) penetration for detecting hidden conducting objects (tanks, mines, etc.) in wide area site/environmental security monitoring. >
Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome: exfoliative toxin A (ETA) induces serine protease activity when combined with A431 cells

Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome is the term used for a spectrum of primarily neonatal blistering skin diseases caused by the exfoliative toxins, ETA and ETB, of Staphylococcus aureus. Despite 25 y of research, the toxins' mechanism of action is still poorly understood, although evidence suggests that they may act as serine proteases. In this study, 0.1 mg purified ETA isolated from a baby with pemphigus neonatorum was incubated with A431 cells (a human squamous cell line) at 37 degrees C for 8, 24 and 48 h and the supernatant tested for protease activity using azocasein as a non-specific substrate. Phosphate-buffered saline was also incubated as negative control. Incubation of ETA with A431 cells for 48 h resulted in a four-fold increase in supernatant azocaseinolytic activity compared with buffer and cells, ETA alone and buffer alone (p < 0.001). Furthermore, this proteolytic activity was inhibited by PMSF (p < 0.001), a specific serine protease inhibitor. These results provide further evidence for the role of the exfoliative toxins as serine proteases. Furthermore, the A431 cell assay provides a simpler, quicker, cheaper and more acceptable alternative to neonatal mouse epidermis to study the mechanism of action of the exfoliative toxins.
Interoperable internet scale security framework for RFID networks

It is estimated that over 3 billion radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have been deployed through 2007. Most tags are used in supply chains where the electronic product code (EPC) and associated business event data are transmitted through RFID networks. Security and privacy issues are critically important in RFID networks because EPC data and their associated business events are valuable assets. Companies need to share these data with restricted business partners and, under some conditions, such as product recall, more widely with regulators and non business partners. At present, no security or privacy framework has been chosen as an EPCglobal standard due to the difficulty of sharing information between parties who have no direct business relationships and hence no business rules for sharing these data. To date, no security schemes have been deployed that can support multiple identity techniques and interchangeable complex business rules, as required by RFID networks. In this paper, we propose an Interoperable Internet Scale Security framework (IISS) for RFID networks. IISS performs authentication and authorization based on an aggregation of business rules, enterprise information, and RFID tag information. IISS provides a protocol for several authentication schemes and identity techniques detailed here. It also provides an engine for reasoning over business rules across domains. Moreover, IISS is able to resolve provenance information of RFID tags, which can identify the track of a particular piece of EPC data. We describe the IISS framework and the ontologies to model the information in IISS. We also discuss how the IISS framework can be developed for access control in RFID enabled supply chains.
Should users be entitled to use and control the devices of their choice on networks

Much of the research on an Internet of Things assumes that users will be able to connect devices without consent by or interference from their service providers. However, in cable and satellite television networks, cellular networks, and some broadband Internet networks, the service provider often only allows use of set-top boxes, smart phones, and residential gateways obtained directly from the provider. The ability of a provider to implement such restrictions is limited by communications law. We review how communications law in the United States currently addresses the right of a user to connect devices of their choice. We propose a set of user and service provider rights that should guide development of new legal principles. We identify the pertinent network architectural principles, and propose concepts that can be used to create a new legal framework for device attachment to telephone networks, video networks, cellular networks, and the Internet. We illustrate how this legal framework, combined with standardized interfaces and protocols, can ensure an open network that supports innovation in devices.
Convergences in Course of Illness and Treatments of the Epilepsies and Recurrent Affective Disorders

The failure to achieve and maintain remission is a critical problem for a high percentage of patients with epilepsy and the primary affective disorders. Early illness onset and delayed initiation of treatment may contribute to primary treatment resistance or that associated with loss of efficacy (tolerance phenomenon). Neurobiological data and principles drawn from the amygdala kinding model of seizure progression are reviewed for their heuristic value in conceptualizing molecular mechanisms of illness progression and its prevention with pharmacological agents in the epilepsies and, indirectly, the recurrent affective disorders. Caveats in the use of this model and convergences and divergences in its predictive validity for seizures and affective disorders are noted.
Prospective Study of Zinc Intake and the Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Abstract PURPOSE: Zinc is found in high concentrations in the retina and is hypothesized to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Any long-term benefit associated with dietary zinc intake has not been evaluated. METHODS: We followed 66,572 women and 37,636 men who were ⩾ 50 years old and had no diagnosis of AMD or cancer. Zinc intake from food, multivitamins, and supplements was assessed with a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire at baseline (in 1984 for women and in 1986 for men) and repeated during follow-up (twice for women, once for men). RESULTS: During 10 years of follow-up for women and 8 years of follow-up for men, we confirmed 384 incident cases of AMD (195 cases of the early form and 189 cases of the late form) associated with a visual acuity loss of 20/30 or worse. After multivariate adjustment for potential risk factors, the pooled relative risk was 1.13 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82 to 1.57; p-value, test for trend, 0.74) among participants in the highest quintile of total zinc intake (energy-adjusted median; 25.5 mg/day for women and 40.1 mg/day for men) compared with those in the lowest quintile (energy-adjusted median; 8.5 mg/day for women and 9.9 mg/day for men). The relative risk for highest compared with lowest quintile was 1.04 (95% CI, 0.59 to 1.83; p-value, test for trend, 0.54) for zinc intake from food. Subjects who took zinc supplements had a pooled multivariate relative risk of 1.04 (95% CI, 0.75 to 1.45). CONCLUSIONS: In these two large prospective studies, moderate zinc intake, either in food or in supplements, was not associated with a reduced risk of AMD.
Willingness-To-Accept Versus Willingness-To-Pay Measures of Value: Implications for Rent Control, Eminent Domain, and Zoning

Recent work suggests that individuals'willingness-to-accept (WA) measures of value differ from their willingness-to-pay (WP) measures of value. This divergence has been attributed to some combination of wealth and "endowment" effects. Because WA is always higher than WP, market-supported distributions across individuals that are efficient based on the WP criterion may not be efficient when using a WA criterion. The purpose of this article is to offer a positive explanation, one based on a WA measure of value, for government intervention in land-use situations. The authors achieve this with simple analysis that looks at both the divergences between a given individual's WA and WP measure of value and the different WA valuations across individuals. Significantly, they find instances in which government intervention with no efficiency basis under a WP efficiency criterion may be efficient if the standard is changed to a WA-based efficiency criterion instead.
Patterning the dorsal longitudinal flight muscles (DLM) of Drosophila: insights from the ablation of larval scaffolds

The six Dorsal Longitudinal flight Muscles (DLMs) of Drosophila develop from three larval muscles that persist into metamorphosis and serve as scaffolds for the formation of the adult fibers. We have examined the effect of muscle scaffold ablation on the development of DLMs during metamorphosis. Using markers that are specific to muscle and myoblasts we show that in response to the ablation, myoblasts which would normally fuse with the larval muscle, fuse with each other instead, to generate the adult fibers in the appropriate regions of the thorax. The development of these de novo DLMs is delayed and is reflected in the delayed expression of erect wing, a transcription factor thought to control differentiation events associated with myoblast fusion. The newly arising muscles express the appropriate adult-specific Actin isoform (88F), indicating that they have the correct muscle identity. However, there are frequent errors in the number of muscle fibers generated. Ablation of the larval scaffolds for the DLMs has revealed an underlying potential of the DLM myoblasts to initiate de novo myogenesis in a manner that resembles the mode of formation of the Dorso-Ventral Muscles, DVMs, which are the other group of indirect flight muscles. Therefore, it appears that the use of larval scaffolds is a superimposition on a commonly used mechanism of myogenesis in Drosophila. Our results show that the role of the persistent larval muscles in muscle patterning involves the partitioning of DLM myoblasts, and in doing so, they regulate formation of the correct number of DLM fibers.
Coordination of platinum therapeutic agents to met-rich motifs of human copper transport protein1.

Platinum therapeutic agents are widely used in the treatment of several forms of cancer. Various mechanisms for the transport of the drugs have been proposed including passive diffusion across the cellular membrane and active transport viaproteins. The copper transport protein Ctr1 is responsible for high affinity copper uptake but has also been implicated in the transport of cisplatin into cells. Human hCtr1 contains two methionine-rich Mets motifs on its extracellular N-terminus that are potential platinum-binding sites: the first one encompasses residues 7–14 with amino acid sequence Met-Gly-Met-Ser-Tyr-Met-Asp-Ser and the second one spans residues 39–46 with sequence Met-Met-Met-Met-Pro-Met-Thr-Phe. In these studies, we use liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to compare the binding interactions between cisplatin, carboplatin and oxaliplatin with synthetic peptides corresponding to hCtr1 Mets motifs. The interactions of cisplatin and carboplatin with Met-rich motifs that contain three or more methionines result in removal of the carrier ligands of both platinum complexes. In contrast, oxaliplatin retains its cyclohexyldiamine ligand upon platinum coordination to the peptide.
Book Review Overcoming Body Image Disturbance: A Programme for People with Eating Disorders By Lorraine Bell and Jenny Rushforth (2008)

Routledge, London Paperback, ISBN 978-0-415-42330-4, ZAR 393 160 pages40 Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2008, 20(2): 133–134
Differentiation of Upper and Lower Urinary Tract Infections: How and When?

The principal purpose of differentiating upper and lower urinary tract infections is to prevent renal damage by determining which patients require long-term antibiotic treatment and follow-up. This article takes a critical look at the method now in use for differentiation of these infections. Special attention is given to the problems of locating a urinary tract infection in a child, both because this is exceptionally difficult in this population and because kidney infections in children carry a high risk of permanent damage including renal failure and hypertension.
Efficacy of a Health-Related Facebook Social Network Site on Health-Seeking Behaviors

The current study was designed to determine the impact of a health-related Facebook fan page on health-seeking actions, thoughts, and behaviors. Ninety Get Up and Do Something (GUADS) fans who were...
Options for Using Test Data to Update Failure Stress

In structural design, failure stresses are obtained from coupon tests and then used to predict failure under combined loads in structural elements. These tests are used to update the failure envelope of structural elements. In determining the failure stress of a single structural element, it is a common practice to replicate element tests and then use the lowest test result as a measure of conservativeness. This practice is equivalent to adding a knockdo wn factor to the stress allowable -one that is quite variable. Instead we propose using the average test result with an explicit knockdown factor and show that the variability is reduced and with it the likelihood of unconservative estimate of the failure s tress. In addition, since failure theories are getting ever more accurate, it may not be reasonable to toss out analytical predictions and rely entirely on test results, which are subject to experimental error and variability. Instead, if the designer has some measure of confidence in the analytical predictions, Bayesian updating may further narrow down variability and decrease the chance of unconservative estimates of failure stresses. We demonstrate the gains associated with Bayesian updating for the case where the designer has only upper and lower bounds on the error in the analytical predictions. Examples with uniform and lognormal distributions of test results are used to compare the worst -test approach to the two alternatives with explicit knockdown fa ctors. Both approaches yield large reductions in the likelihood of unconservative estimates of the failure stresses. The average approach reduced this likelihood by about a factor of two while the Bayesian approach by up to an order of magnitude (from 12.5 % to 1%). We also examine scenarios where estimates of error and variability are substantially off. We show that even then there are still substantial reductions in likelihood of unconservative estimates of failure stresses. Remarkably, the underestimate o f variability also results in about 2% higher average of estimated failure stresses. Thus, we are able to simultaneously use higher average stress allowables (leading to lower weight) and reduce the likelihood of unconservative estimates!
Cocaine Hydrolases Designed from Butyrylcholinesterase

Accelerated cocaine metabolism producing biologically inactive metabolites via a route similar to the principal cocaine-metabolizing pathway, i.e., cocaine hydrolysis catalyzed by human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in plasma, is recognized as an ideal approach to therapeutic treatment of cocaine overdose and addiction. Unfortunately, the catalytic efficiency of wild-type BChE against naturally occurring, biologically active (−)-cocaine is too low to be effective. Unique computational enzyme redesign strategies and approaches have been developed and employed to rationally design and discover a variety of BChE mutants with at least 1,000-fold improved catalytic efficiency compared to the wild-type BChE against (−)-cocaine. These highly efficient mutants of BChE are recognized as the true CocHs. In vivo studies revealed that these CocHs were potent for accelerating cocaine metabolism, detoxifying cocaine, and eliminating abuse-related physiological effects of cocaine. Hence, these CocHs are promising therapeutic candidates for the treatment of cocaine overdose and addiction. In addition to their therapeutic potential for cocaine abuse, these CocHs may also be used as therapeutic agents for the treatment of aggression and obesity and as promising organophosphorus nerve agent bioscavengers. The first true CocH (i.e., CocH1) is currently under clinical trial phase II for cocaine addiction treatment. Compared to CocH1, the most recently designed and discovered CocH forms have not only significantly higher catalytic efficiency against (−)-cocaine but also significantly longer biological half-lives.
Losing the Lost Island

Gaunilo’s Lost Island Objection to Anselm’s Ontological Argument aims to show that if Anselm’s argument can establish the existence of a greatest conceivable being then a very similar argument can establish the existence of a greatest conceivable island. The challenge for the defender of Anselm is to identify the relevant disanalogy between Anselm’s argument and Gaunilo’s, in order to explain why Anselm’s can succeed while Gaunilo’s fails. In this essay I take up this challenge. Reflection on the differences between the nature of islands and the nature of being yields the relevant disanalogy.
CHAPTER 190 – Adenylyl Cyclases

In recent years the biochemical characterization of adenylyl cyclases (ACs) has been the subject of intense research. Through structural and functional approaches, researchers have gained a firm understanding of how ACs are regulated and even elucidated the mechanism of catalysis. Moreover, improvements in biochemical approaches have allowed scientists to study the function of AC at cellular and even atomic detail. The following few pages will place emphasis on the mammalian forms of AC but highlight some differences in the ACs from other genera. This chapter summarizes current understanding of the mechanism of regulation of ACs, summarizes the catalytic mechanism, and discuses the physiological roles this regulation plays in the function of AC.