cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHRONIC THERAPEUTIC MORPHINE ADMINISTRATION ALTERS SMALL INTESTINAL MOTOR PATTERNS AND GASTROANAL TRANSIT IN PRETERM INFANTS † 1812

Morphine is commonly used to sedate very preterm infants who require ventilator support; however these infants are often given enteral feedings shortly after extubation. Since the small intestine is densely populated with opioid receptors, the purpose of this study was to assess whether exposure to morphine altered small intestinal motor patterns or gastroanal transit in 65 infants who had received morphine for 3 days or more. Using low compliance continuous perfusion manometry we assessed intestinal motor activity on the day enteral feedings were begun. Each infant was also given 2ml of carmine red intragastrically to assess gastroanal transit. This evaluation was done 1-10 days after the last dose of morphine had been given. Motor patterns significantly differed between babies who had initiated feedings <72 hrs compared to those who had begun feedings 72 hrs or more following the last dose of morphine (mean ± SEM; unpaired t-test):Table In addition, the overall duration of small intestinal motor quiescence and gastroanal transit time were significantly inversely related to the hours that had elapsed between the last dose of morphine and the time of the first enteral feedings (r = - 0.33 and r = -0.31, both p<0.01), while the overall duration of phasic cluster activity was significantly related to the hours that had elapsed between the last dose of morphine and the initiation of feedings (r = 0.32, p<0.01). We conclude that the chronic therapeutic use of morphine has a significant effect on small intestinal motor patterns and transit time in the preterm infant. We speculate these effects may result in decreased absorption of enteral nutrients until those intestinal motor effects resolve.
Consensus Report on Gastric Emptying: What's Needed to Prevent Tarnishing a Gold Standard?

This editorial is to call to the attention of the nuclear medicine community a new consensus report that establishes a standardized methodology for performing gastric-emptying studies. This consensus was achieved after a series of meetings jointly sponsored by the SNM Gastroenterology Council and
History of the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Tumors and Preface to the 20th Anniversary Journal of Neuro-Oncology Special Issue

The Joint Section on Tumors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) was formed in 1984, at the suggestion of Dr. Edward R. Laws, Jr. and with Dr. Mark Rosenblum as the first Section Chair. The Joint Section on Tumors is the first professional organization devoted to the study and treatment of brain tumors. Its initial goals were to ‘assist in the education of neurosurgeons in neuro-oncology and to serve as a resource [to the AANS and CNS] and other national groups on the clinical treatment of and research into nervous system tumors’. During its 20-year history, the Section has facilitated both open and invited talks at the neurosurgical national meetings, conducted its own Satellite Symposia, and instituted multiple awards and grants. Members have conducted research surveys and national practice pattern studies, and have collected and disseminated information on clinical protocols, research funding opportunities, and fellowships in neurosurgical oncology. Guidelines for brain tumor treatment and for neuro-oncology fellowships for surgeons have been written by Section committees. Studies presented orally at Section meetings, 1999–2002, had a remarkably high rate of full publication compared to other meetings – 73% actuarial at 4 years after presentation. Finally, nationwide in-hospital mortality rates for craniotomy for malignant glioma have fallen from 8 to 2% during the Section’s existence. These data suggest that the Section’s goals of educating all surgeons in neurosurgical oncology are being successfully met. A bibliography of secondary sources on the history of brain tumor surgery is appended.
Synthesis of 3-methylcholanthrene

Abstract A novel synthesis of 3-methylcholanthrene is described which is operationally sipmler than the method in current use and is potentially applicable to the synthesis ofa wide range of other polycyclic hydrocarbons and their cracinogenic metabolites.
Control of a Vibrating String using Impedance Matching

The problem of adding damping to a vibrating string considered. An approach novel to the control community is used to define the time optimal control for this system. This approach treats the string as a waveguide and oscillations as a result of reflections at discontinuities -- namely the end points. Through the appropriate choice of the controller, the energy in the string can be completely absorbed by the control, eliminating reflections and likewise oscillations. In this paper, the characteristic impedance of a string is defined. It is shown that by choosing the control to be a damper of like impedance, all oscillations decay as quickly as possible. A finite element model of a string is used to verify the results.
A Methodology for Quantitatively Characterizing the Dispersion of Nanostructures in Polymers and Composites

We seek to provide a metric for quantifying the degree of dispersion of nanostructures, such as carbon nanotubes in polymeric and other matrices, motivated by the technological importance of nanostructure-based composites. Our proposed measure of dispersion uses a quadrat-based sampling algorithm and a metric d(P| | Q), to correlate randomness to the dispersion. This allows a quantitative comparison of the given distribution (say, P) to a preferred distribution or pattern (say, Q). We provide examples from our own studies and those from the literature on the application of the metric.
Corporate Political Strategy:An Examination of the Relation between Political Expenditures, Environmental Performance, and Environmental Disclosure

Two fundamental business ethics issues that repeatedly surface in the academic literature relate to business’s role in the development of public policy [Suarez, S. L.: 2000, Does Business Learn? (The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI); Roberts, R. W. and D. D. Bobek: 2004, Accounting, Organizations and Society 29(5–6), 565–590] and its role in responsibly managing the natural environment [Newton, L.: 2005, Business Ethics and the Natural Environment (Blackwell Publishing, Oxford)]. When studied together, researchers often examine if, and how, corporations influence environmental policy decisions. Drawing from literatures on␣corporate political activity, corporate social and environmental performance, and corporate environmental disclosure, we develop and empirically examine two research questions concerning the relations between corporate political expenditures, environmental performance, and environmental disclosure. The questions are: (1) Do corporations that are poorer environmental performers spend more on political activities than their better-performing counterparts? (2) Is there an association between corporations’ spending on political activities and the extent of their financial report environmental disclosures? We investigated these questions through analyses of data we gathered on a sample consisting of 119 U.S. environmentally sensitive firms for the 2001–2002 election cycle. After controlling for firm size and specific industry effects, our tests reveal a significant, inverse relationship between firm environmental performance and political spending. This is consistent with the notion that U.S. firms with relatively poorer environmental performance records engage more intensely in corporate political activities as part of their overall strategic management of their relationship with the state. In addition, a significant and positive association between the amount of political spending and the extent of environmental disclosure suggests that environmental disclosure and political spending are both proactive, complementary tactics to strategically manage public policy pressure. If corporations’ strategies are intentionally designed to unreasonably limit their environmental responsibilities or to misrepresent firm environmental performance, then we argue that these activities reflect a significant lapse in ethical conduct.
Accumulation of Polyene Precursors of Neurosporene in Mutant Strains of Rhodopseudomonas spheroides

JENSEN et al. have proposed that the biosynthesis of carotenoid pigments in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas spheroides proceeds by the following sequence of reactions1,2: Mutant strains have been known for several years which do not form spheroidene or spheroidenone but accumulate precursors in the biosynthetic pathway. One of these mutants, strain Ga, accumulates neurosporene and chloroxanthin (hydroxyneurosporene)3; a second, strain uv-33, accumulates phytoene4.
Synthesis and crystal structures of Ni(II), Cu(II) and μ-oxo-Fe(III) complexes of a salen type ligand: Mononuclear versus multinuclear complex formation

Abstract The nickel, copper and iron complexes of bis(salicylidene)-meso-1,2-diphenylethylendiaminato (mdpSal2−) and their propensity to form multinuclear complexes similar to those observed for Co(mdpSal) are reported. The syntheses of the primary compounds were carried out with M(OAc)2·xH2O (M = Fe, Ni or Cu) and mdpSalH2 in methanol. The Ni and Cu reactions resulted in the isolation of mononuclear Ni(mdpSal) (1) and Cu(mdpSal) (2) complexes. Both species 1 and 2 adopt approximate square planar geometries in the monoclinic space group P21/n and are iso-structural to the previously reported Co(mdpSal). Although structurally similar, neither 1 nor 2 exhibit comparable reactivity as reported for the cobalt analogue of mdpSal−2 in forming multinuclear complexes. The iron reaction yielded a μ-oxo species [Fe(mdpSal)]2O (3) in which each iron center is oxidized to +3 and ligated to one mdpSal2− ligand frame with each iron center adopting distorted square pyramid geometry. In addition, Co(Salophen) (4) (SalophenH2 = N,N′-bis(salicylidene)-1,2-phenylenediamine) has been synthesized and its reactivity assessed and compared to Co(mdpSal). Complexes 1–3 have been characterized by X-ray crystallography as well as UV–Vis and IR spectroscopy. A detailed comparison of the structural and spectral characteristics of the iso-structural complexes 1 and 2 with Co(mdpSal) are presented along with a discussion of factors that contributed to the unique reactivity observed for [Co(mdpSal)].
Ablation of the area postrema causes exaggerated consumption of preferred foods in the rat

Summary The area postrema (AP) is a hindbrain circumventricular organ (CVO) with apparent chemoreceptive function. The AP has demonstrated neural and vascular connections with the nucleus of the solitary tract (SOL), a structure which receives the primary visceral afferents from the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. The anatomical structure and connections of the AP suggest a potential role for this CVO in the control of feeding behavior. We have found that rats with surgically produced AP lesions consumed the same amounts of pelleted food ad libitum as control rats. Lesioned and control rats also consumed equal amounts of lab chow after 21 h food deprivation. However, when presented with a preferred food (instant breakfast or cookies), AP-lesioned rats consumed at least double the amount consumed by control rats. It is possible that AP lesions impair sensitivity to satiety cues. However, lesioned rats did decrease their instant breakfast intake in response to cholecystokinin injections or gastric preloads. Furthermore, overingestion by AP-lesioned rats occurred only in response to preferred (highly palatable) foods and not in response to lab chow. Lesioned rats rejected quinine-adulterated instant breakfast at the same adulterant concentration as controls. Therefore, the lesioned rats do not suffer from ageusia or from enhanced responsiveness to bitter taste. Rather, the selective overeating by AP-lesioned rats may reflect an enhanced behavioral response to the sensory qualities of normally preferred foods. The close association of the AP with the SOL provides a neuroanatomical avenue by which a putative AP-chemoreceptor could alter the quality or intensity of information arriving via the taste afferents. Such tuning of gustatory mechanisms could be an important component of ingestive control.
dNTP binding site in rat DNA polymerase beta revealed by controlled proteolysis and azido photoprobe cross-linking.

Mild proteolysis of rat DNA polymerase beta (beta-pol) generates an N-terminal 8 kDa domain and a C-terminal 31 kDa domain; the 31 kDa domain is degraded to 6 and 27 kDa fragments by further proteolysis [Kumar, A., Widen, S.G., Williams, K.R., Kedar, P., Karpel, R.L., & Wilson S.H. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 2124-2131]. In the present study, we found that more vigorous trypsin digestion of the 27 kDa fragment of beta-pol produces 10 and 12 kDa subdomains. Thus, rat beta-pol has four distinct proteolytic fragments of 8, 6, 10, and 12 kDa, extending from the N-terminus to the C-terminus, respectively. To map the location of the dNTP binding site(s), intact beta-pol was photoaffinity labeled with 8-azido-ATP or 5-azido-dUTP in presence or absence of competitor dNTP (dATP). The labeled enzyme was subjected to controlled proteolysis, and the resulting labeled peptides were separated and sequenced. Competition with dATP showed that three regions of beta-pol in solution combine to form the dNTP binding pocket as follows: residues 4-40 of the 8 kDa domain; residues 142-206 of the 10 kDa subdomain; and residues 263-280 of the 12 kDa subdomain (alpha-helices M and N). These results are discussed in light of the recent crystal structure of dATP bound to rat beta-pol.
Calculation of electronic density of states using a self-consistent cluster-Bethe-lattice method

Abstract The electronic density of states for a periodic crystal is calculated by embedding a cluster of atoms in a Bethe-lattice medium. The structure of the Bethe-lattice Hamiltonian is determined by self-consistency requirements. The results for the density of states using this self-consistent cluster-Bethe-lattice method show excellent agreement with the exact density of states and significant improvement over previous calculations using the cluster-Bethe-lattice approach.
Classification of mitotic figures with convolutional neural networks and seeded blob features

Background: The mitotic figure recognition contest at the 2012 International Conference on Pattern Recognition (ICPR) challenges a system to identify all mitotic figures in a region of interest of hematoxylin and eosin stained tissue, using each of three scanners (Aperio, Hamamatsu, and multispectral). Methods: Our approach combines manually designed nuclear features with the learned features extracted by convolutional neural networks (CNN). The nuclear features capture color, texture, and shape information of segmented regions around a nucleus. The use of a CNN handles the variety of appearances of mitotic figures and decreases sensitivity to the manually crafted features and thresholds. Results : On the test set provided by the contest, the trained system achieves F1 scores up to 0.659 on color scanners and 0.589 on multispectral scanner. Conclusions : We demonstrate a powerful technique combining segmentation-based features with CNN, identifying the majority of mitotic figures with a fair precision. Further, we show that the approach accommodates information from the additional focal planes and spectral bands from a multi-spectral scanner without major redesign.
Korea’s Global City Structural and Political Implications of Seoul’s Ascendance in the Global Urban Hierarchy

Seoul, South Korea has risen remarkably in the global hierarchy of cities since the mid-1970s, and arguably it is now among an elite group of about 15 of the most globally central cities in the world. While it is increasingly the object of urban studies research, few efforts have specifically focused on linking social structural changes within the city to its increasingly intense participation in the global economy. The globalization and world cities perspective suggests that as cities achieve global prominence, they should experience certain social structural transformations, some of which are problematic, such as increasing polarization and marginalization. But critics of this view argue that the ‘globalizationists’ ignore the role of the state, which, to them, has a more profound influence over urban transformations. This article surveys some of the research and data on Seoul’s recent social transformation and compares these changes to the expectations of the globalization perspective and to the counte...
Fabricating non-photodefinable polymer microstructures for micro-total-analysis

Fabrication of non-photodefinable polymer materials into microstructures is one of the major challenges for development of functional biomedical microchips. In this paper, we describe a vacuum-assisted microfluidic approach for patterning polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microstructures on a solid substrate of a different material. The results show that liquid prepolymer driven by the vacuum-induced differential pressure can fill microchannels at a greatly enhanced rate than that driven by capillary forces. This allows fast patterning of liquid prepolymer into small structures before the polymer becomes too viscous to flow. This approach also eliminates the diffusion of liquid prepolymer into undesired regions. Discrete polymer microstructures can thus be successfully fabricated on a solid substrate. The effectiveness of the fabrication method is demonstrated by creating helical structures, suspended microbridges, and double-layered structures. The characteristic dimensions of the demonstrated structures are less than 10 μm. This approach is expected to facilitate the use of these non-photodefinable polymer microstructures, into miniaturized systems for micro-total-analysis.
Surgical bypass for intracranial aneurysms: navigating around a changing paradigm.

p f c n t d t n n T he treatment of giant and complex aneurysms often involves redirection of flow and removal of the aneurysm from circulation. In their study, Zhu et al. review their xperience with complex internal carotid aneurysms and reorted outcomes for patients treated with parent vessel occluion (PVO) alone or with intracranial bypass. Zhu et al. retrospecively reviewed their experience in treating 49 patients with omplex aneurysms over a 7-year period. The investigators used n institutionally standardized protocol of balloon-test occlusion BTO) with computed tomographic perfusion to evaluate the eed for extracranial-intracranial bypass before deconstructive arent vessel occlusion (PVO). With a follow-up range of 5 to 12 onths, 10 patients “passed” BTO and underwent direct interal carotid artery (ICA) sacrifice with no ischemic-related compliations; 39 patients underwent bypass after “failing” BTO, with follow-up range of 3 to 64 months. Graft patency was high 90.7% of all bypasses). In the bypass group, complications ncluded 5 occurrences of minor hemispheric ischemia, from hich all but 1 recovered, 1 intracranial hematoma requiring vacuation, and 4 episodes of graft occlusion. Overall Glasgow utcome Scale values were high; 74% achieved a score of 5 at ast follow-up.
Introduction to the OR Forum Article: “A Glimpse at An Operation Analyst’s World War II Work: ‘Report on the Combat Performance of the Remote Control Turrets of B-29 Aircraft'”

Comment on “A Glimpse at An Operation Analyst’s World War II Work: ‘Report on the Combat Performance of the Remote Control Turrets of B-29 Aircraft”' by Alex E. S. Green, Deborah S. Green, and Richard L. Francis
Evaluating technical communication faculty: some empirically-based criteria and guidelines

Etude des conditions de travail et des objectifs atteints par un groupe temoin de 24 membres de la faculte de communication technique de l'Universite. L'ensemble fournit, sur une base empirique, des criteres d'evaluation de ce qu'on peut attendre de ce type d'organisme
Continuing Professional Education among Educators: Predictors of Participation in Learning Activities

The intent of this study was to identify those skills and characteristics that successfully predict involvement in professional development among educators. Two hundred and fifty-six professionally-defined educators were administered the Characteristics of Lifelong Learners in the Professions (CLLP) Scale. Following principal component analysis of the scale items, the four extracted factors and a set of sociodemographic variables were subjected to multiple regression analysis to predict the amount of time spent by the respondents in learning activities during the previous year. Two lifelong learning factors (Self-Motivated Learning and External Motivation) and one sociodemographic variable (Education Level) predicted one-sixth of the variance devoted by respondents to professional learning activities. Results of this study are compared to previous research findings focusing on lifelong learning among two other groups of professionals, namely, human service providers and pharmacists.
Treatment of Symptomatic Focal Nodular Hyperplasia with Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation

The authors report a case of a 21-year-old woman taking oral contraceptives for severe dysmenorrhea who presented with a hepatic mass and worsening right upper quadrant pain. The oral contraceptives could not be discontinued because of her pelvic symptoms, necessitating treatment of the liver lesion for symptomatic relief. Computed tomography and percutaneous biopsy demonstrated the mass to be focal nodular hyperplasia. The patient opted for radiofrequency ablation rather than surgical enucleation for symptomatic relief. The ablation proved to be a safe and effective alternative to surgery to treat the benign tumor, and permitted more aggressive therapy of the dysmenorrhea.
Clinical Technique: Endoscopic Oophorectomy in the Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus): The Future of Preventative Sterilizations

Abstract Laparoscopic surgery is entrenched within human medicine and offers many advantages over traditional laparotomy procedures. Such techniques have filtered down into veterinary medicine, with some practitioners now routinely performing endoscopic oophorectomy in dogs. However, until the recent development of miniature laparoscopy instruments for human pediatrics, such procedures were not possible in small exotic mammals. By combining the commonly used 2.7-mm endoscopic system with 3-mm instruments, laparoscopic surgery has now become a reality in exotic mammal practice. This article summarizes the required equipment and the surgical approach to performing endoscopic oophorectomy in pet rabbits, and serves as a useful model for endosurgery in small exotic mammals.
CYTOCHEMICAL DEMONSTRATION OF AMINOPEPTIDASE ACTIVITY IN BLOOD PLATELETS.

A NUMBER of enzymes have been identified biochemically in platelets1 and several of these have been localized cytochemically1,2 as well. Aminopeptidase activity also can be demonstrated in platelets by an adaptation of Burstone's histochemical method3,4.
Control of Single Neutral Atoms for Cavity QED

Individual atoms are deterministically loaded into a high finesse optical cavity using an optical lattice. With cavity-assisted cooling, long interaction times of the atoms with the cavity field are achieved.
Robust topology optimization of structures with uncertainties in stiffness - Application to truss structures

A computational strategy is proposed for robust structural topology optimization in the presence of uncertainties with known second order statistics. The strategy combines deterministic topology optimization techniques with a perturbation method for the quantification of uncertainties associated with structural stiffness, such as uncertain material properties and/or structure geometry. The use of perturbation transforms the problem of topology optimization under uncertainty to an augmented deterministic topology optimization problem. This in turn leads to significant computational savings when compared with Monte Carlo-based optimization algorithms which involve multiple formations and inversions of the global stiffness matrix. Examples from truss structures are presented to show the importance of including the effect of controlling the variability in the final design. It is also shown that results obtained from the proposed method are in excellent agreement with those obtained from a Monte Carlo-based optimization algorithm.
On an Actual Virtual Servo-Mechanism for Guessing Bad News: A Single Case Conjecture

A conversation analytic treatment of a single episode of talk-in-interaction is used to sketch a mechanism for steering recipients of bad news to better guesses of what the news is. The account of the mechanism makes use of the notion of “preferred/dispreferred response” and distinguishes different usages of that notion. The results of the exploration are used to recommend an approach to specialized contexts in which bad news is communicated, as well as an approach to “specialized” talk more generally.
MS-25GAMMA KNIFE RADIOSURGERY FOR VESTIBULAR SCHWANNOMA: ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY AND OUTCOMES.

OBJECTIVE: To assess and improve quality and outcomes for vestibular schwannoma cases treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery and determine if a novel assessment of tumor and necrosis volumes correlate with outcomes. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review assessing patients with vestibular schwannoma treated with 12-13Gy from July 2009 to July 2013. A volumetric analysis was performed on a subset of patients. Pre-treatment and follow up MRIs were imported into a medical imaging software (Mimics, Materialise, Belgium). The tumor volume was computed as the volume enclosed by the tumor border, while the volume of necrosis was defined by the voxels within the tumor border that had a grayscale value smaller than the tumor segmentation threshold. RESULTS: 83 vestibular schwannomas in 83 patients were treated. 26 patients had been previously treated or lost to follow up. 57 patients were eligible for evaluation of toxicity. Median follow-up was 1.8 years. There were no documented recurrences. 49% of evaluable patients had preservation of useful hearing, Gardner Robertson Score (GRS) 1-2. Less then 5% of patients developed new vertigo, facial or trigeminal nerve complaints. Volumetric analysis of 24 patients with median follow up of 3.1 years revealed larger median necrosis volumes to be associated with a worse GRS, with necrosis volumes decreasing over time in patients with preserved hearing. Patients without vertigo at last follow up had smaller volumes of necrosis that also decreased over time. CONCLUSION: Our institution's experience with gamma knife radiosurgery for vestibular schwannoma demonstrates tumor control and toxicity results similar to previously published series. Prior studies on gamma knife radiosurgery for these tumors have correlated toxicity with tumor size, radiation dosage, and tumor location. Our novel approach for assessment of tumor and necrosis volumes may provide a new tool for predicting functional outcomes and merits further study.
Wavelet applications to the Petrov--Galerkin method for Hammerstein equations

The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, we develop the Petrov-Galerkin method and the iterated Petrov-Galerkin method for a class of nonlinear Hammerstein equations. Alpert [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 24 (1993) 246] established a class of wavelet basis and applied it to approximate solutions of the Fredholm second kind integral equations by the Galerkin method. He then demonstrated an advantage of a wavelet basis application to such equations by showing that the corresponding linear system is sparse. The second purpose of this paper is to study how this advantage of the sparsity can be extended to nonlinear Hammerstein equations.
Influence of gonadectomy on the antinociceptive effects of opioids in male and female rats.

Abstract Rationale. Sex differences in the antinociceptive effects of opioids have been reported in a variety of nociceptive assays, and it has been postulated that these differences are mediated by gonadal hormones. Objectives. The present study examined the influence of gonadectomy on opioid antinociception in male and female rats. Methods. In a warm-water, tail-withdrawal procedure, the antinociceptive effects of the high-efficacy µ opioids etorphine and morphine; the low-efficacy µ opioids buprenorphine and dezocine; and the low-efficacy, mixed-action opioids butorphanol and nalbuphine were examined in intact and gonadectomized rats of the F344 and Sprague Dawley (SD) strains. Results. The opioids examined were generally more potent in producing an antinociceptive effect in intact males than intact females, with larger sex differences observed with the less-effective opioids. In F344 males, gonadectomy produced small decreases in the potency of etorphine and morphine, and large decreases in the potency of buprenorphine, dezocine, butorphanol, and nalbuphine. Similar effects were obtained in SD males, with gonadectomy decreasing the potency of each of the opioids tested. In F344 females, gonadectomy produced small increases in the potency of etorphine and large increases in the potency of buprenorphine, dezocine, butorphanol, and nalbuphine. A similar effect was obtained in SD females, as gonadectomy increased the potency of etorphine, morphine, and buprenorphine. In both sexes, gonadectomy had a greater effect in F344 than SD rats. Conclusions. These findings suggest that gonadectomy decreases opioid antinociception in male rats and increases opioid antinociception in female rats. Additionally, the influence of gonadectomy on opioid antinociception appears to be determined by the relative effectiveness of the opioid tested and the rodent strain used.
A yeast display immunoprecipitation method for efficient isolation and characterization of antigens

Yeast antibody display has found a wide variety of applications including antibody affinity maturation, epitope mapping, and library screening. Here we report a yeast display immunoprecipitation (YDIP) technique that employs yeast cells displaying single-chain antibody fragments (scFv) on their surface as affinity capture reagents to isolate and characterize antigens. We show that displayed single-chain antibody fragments are active in a variety of detergent solutions commonly used for immunoprecipitation and that the antigen-antibody interaction can be accurately quantified by YDIP coupled with flow cytometry. The YDIP method has also been optimized so that it is compatible with commonly used protein characterization tools such as Western blotting, silver staining, and mass spectrometry. From complex protein mixtures, we have used YDIP to isolate, analyze and sequence both soluble and plasma membrane antigens using tandem mass spectrometry. In the case of the membrane antigen, YDIP coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was successful in identifying neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) as the antigen for an antibody previously selected as binding to the plasma membranes of brain endothelial cells. The presented method therefore has potential to facilitate antibody-antigen characterization.
Quantitative proteomic and microarray analysis of the archaeon Methanosarcina acetivorans grown with acetate versus methanol.

Methanosarcina acetivorans strain C2A is an acetate- and methanol-utilizing methane-producing organism for which the genome, the largest yet sequenced among the Archaea, reveals extensive physiological diversity. LC linear ion trap-FTICR mass spectrometry was employed to analyze acetate- vs methanol-grown cells metabolically labeled with 14N vs 15N, respectively, to obtain quantitative protein abundance ratios. DNA microarray analyses of acetate- vs methanol-grown cells was also performed to determine gene expression ratios. The combined approaches were highly complementary, extending the physiological understanding of growth and methanogenesis. Of the 1081 proteins detected, 255 were ≥3-fold differentially abundant. DNA microarray analysis revealed 410 genes that were ≥2.5-fold differentially expressed of 1972 genes with detected expression. The ratios of differentially abundant proteins were in good agreement with expression ratios of the encoding genes. Taken together, the results suggest several novel...
Malate dehydrogenase isozymes in the longnose dace, Rhinichthys cataractae.

The interspecies homology of dace supernatant (A2, AB, B2) and mitochondrial (C2) malate dehydrogenase isozymes has been established through cell fractionation and tissue distribution studies. Isolated supernatant malate dehydrogenase (s-MDH) isozymes show significant differences in Michaelis constants for oxaloacetate and in pH optima. Shifts in s-MDH isozyme pH optima with temperature may result in immediate compensation for increase in ectotherm body pH with decrease in temperature, but duplicate s-MDH isozymes are probably maintained through selection for tissue specific regulation of metabolism.
458: Maternal long-term cardiovascular function in an animal model of preeclampsia

PREECLAMPSIA EGLE BYTAUTIENE, FANGXIAN LU, ESTHER TAMAYO, ANCIZAR BETANCOURT, GARY D.V. HANKINS, GARLAND D. ANDERSON, MONICA LONGO, GEORGE R. SAADE, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Galveston, Texas OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological studies suggest that preeclampsia is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the mothers later in life. Our aim was to evaluate the long-term effects of preeclampsia on vascular function in well characterized mouse model of preeclampsia induced by sFlt-1 over-expression. STUDY DESIGN: CD-1 mice at day 8 of gestation were injected via the tail vein with adenovirus carrying Flt1 (AdsFlt1, 109 PFU/100 muL), or the murine IgG2alphaFc fragment as virus control (AdmFc, 109 PFU/100 muL), or saline (100 muL). The mothers were investigated 6-8 months after delivery. Blood pressure (BP) was recorded in the conscious unrestrained animals by telemetry thru a catheter inserted into the aortic arch. The mice were then sacrificed, their carotid arteries were mounted in a wire myograph for isometric tension recording. The vascular relaxant properties were evaluated using acetylcholine, sodium nitroprusside, and isoproterenol. The contractile vascular properties were investigated using phenilephrine, thromboxane A2 mimetic, and serotonin. RESULTS: sFlt-1 levels at 6-8 months postpartum had returned to normal levels and was comparable between the 3 groups. There was no statistically significant difference in BP between the postpartum mice treated during pregnancy with AdsFlt1, AdmFc, or saline. No differences between the groups were observed in the vascular reactivity as well.
Endogenous myelin basic protein-serum factors (MBP-SFS) and anti-MBP antibodies in a patient with post-herpes simplex virus acute disseminated encephalomyelitis

Abstract The measurement of myelin basic protein serum factors (MBP-SFs) and anti-MBP antibodies in specimens from a patient with post-herpes simplex acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADE) is described. Transitory appearance of high affinity anti-MBP antibodies in the absence of detectable MBP-SFs was observed. This pattern was similar to that found previously in acute multiple sclerosis and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that a possible normal role of MBP-SFs is as neuroautotolerogens, preventing autoreactive lymphocyte clones from damaging myelin.
The construction of regional economic indicators by principal components

This paper presents a method for constructing time-series indexes of general business activity. The results from eight New Mexico series are used to illustrate the technique. Typically, in constructing such indexes the designer is concerned first with the selection of a set of time series and then with the weights needed to combine the series into one overall index. Often the series and the weights are selected so that the various sectors of the economy are included in some proportionately representative way as measured by employment or income generated by the sectors. However, in the factor analytic approach the collection of n available series is regarded as a set of n original scale vectors, and the time series data over i periods providei n-tuples in this original test space. The index number problem parallels closely the problem of determining mental abilities from multiple test measurements... the problem which gave rise to factor analysis historically. The problem in measurement (constructing an index) of mental ability is one of finding a set of weights for a linear combination of original test vectors which will produce maximum variance in the resulting index. If one invokes a single factor model, the result of this criterion is Hotelling's irrincipal component. The coefficients, or loadings for the principal component, define a linear transformation of the original scales that produces maximum discrimination among the i values of the index. 2 In mental measurement the i values of the index represent the amount of a common intelleetive factor possessed by the various individuals. We may choose to call this factor "general intelligence." In the time-series index problem these values represent the standing of each time period with respect to a common factor reflected in varying degrees by the different time series. We may choose to call this factor the "general level of economic activity." We may want to entertain the possibility that the general level of economic activity is comprised of several separate factors. In this case the principal component becomes the first and most important factor. Principal components analysis will define a second factor or dimension (orthogonal to the first) that maximizes the incrementally explained variance. That is, the index defined as a weighted sum of the first and second factor scores (in standardized units) 3
Volume of fat body and ovarian development in adult houseflies irradiated as pupae or adults.

Abstract When the anterior one-third, the posterior two-thirds, or the whole body of 24- to 36-hr-old pupae of both sexes of Musca domestica L. were irradiated with 1800 rad. of X-radiation, the volumes of pupal and adult fat body in adults did not differ in the controls and in anteriorly irradiated flies within each age and sex. Similarly, the volumes of fat body did not differ within each age and sex when the whole body or posterior two-thirds were irradiated. Control males and females did not retain pupal fat body 96 hr post-emergence whereas irradiated males and females retained an average of 30 per cent of their pupal fat body at 96 hr postemergence and formed an average of one-third as much adult fat body as controls. However, adults of both sexes irradiated 1·5 hr post-emergence with 2250 rad. did not retain pupal fat body at 96 hr post-emergence. Irradiated adult females contained as much as 2·7 times more adult fat body than control females but irradiated males had a slight decrease in adult fat body compared with control males. Females contained significantly more total fat body (pupal plus adult fat body) than males.
Serum and urinary levels of reproductive hormones associated with the estrous cycle in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Concentrations of estradiol-17β (E2), progesterone (Po), and luteinizing hormone (LH) in serum and estrone glucuronide (E1G) and pregnanediol glucuronide (PdG) in urine were determined by direct radioimmunoassay in five yearling and three adult female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from 14 October to 20 December 1985. Elevated levels of LH were recorded before the first estrus of the breeding season and immediately preceding or during behavioral estrus. Urinary E1G and PdG concentrations were poorly correlated with serum levels of E2 and Po, respectively. Serum Po levels prior to the first estrus of the breeding season indicate that pubertal yearlings experience silent ovulations and suggest that silent ovulations may be important in the transition from adolescence to cycling adult in white-tailed deer. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Glycosaminoglycan profiles of myxomatous mitral leaflets and chordae parallel the severity of mechanical alterations.

Abstract Objectives This biochemical study compared the extracellular matrix of normal mitral valves and myxomatous mitral valves with either unileaflet prolapse (ULP) or bileaflet prolapse (BLP). Background Myxomatous mitral valves are weaker and more extensible than normal valves, and myxomatous chordae are more mechanically compromised than leaflets. Despite histological evidence that glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) accumulate in myxomatous valves, previous biochemical analyses have not adequately examined the different GAG classes. Methods Leaflets and chordae from myxomatous valves (n = 41 ULP, 31 BLP) and normal valves (n = 27) were dried, dissolved, and assayed for deoxyribonucleic acid, collagen, and total GAGs. Specific GAG classes were analyzed with selective enzyme digestions and fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis. Results Biochemical changes were more pronounced in chordae than in leaflets. Myxomatous leaflets and chordae had 3% to 9% more water content and 30% to 150% higher GAG concentrations than normal. Collagen concentration was slightly elevated in the myxomatous valves. Chordae from ULP had 62% more GAGs than those from BLP, primarily from elevated levels of hyaluronan and chondroitin-6-sulfate. Conclusions The GAG classes elevated in the myxomatous chordae are associated with matrix microstructure and elastic fiber deficiencies and may influence the hydration-related “floppy” nature of these tissues. These abnormalities may be related to the reported mechanical weakness of myxomatous chordae. The biochemical differences between ULP and BLP confirm previous mechanical and echocardiographic distinctions.
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) somatic embryogenesis from isolated scutellum: Days post anthesis, days of spike storage, and sucrose concentration affect efficiency

To improve the efficiency of somatic embryogenesis of isolated scutella from commercial wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, two factorial experiments were conducted to examine effects of days post anthesis (DPA), days of spike storage (DSS) at 4°C, and sucrose concentrations (SC) on the percentage of scutella producing mature embryos and the number of mature embryos produced per responsive scutellum. In the first experiment, scutella isolated from spikes collected at 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 DPA and stored at 4°C for 7, 10, 13, and 16d were placed on embryo induction medium [Murashige and Skoog plus 9.96 μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 110 mg l−1 casamino acids], incubated in darkness for 12–14 d and then under light for 2 wk. The interaction of DPA × DSS significantly affected the percentage of scutella producing mature embryos, while only DPA affected the number of mature embryos per responsive scutellum. In the second experiment, scutella isolated from spikes collected at 12 DPA and stored for 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19d were placed on embryo induction medium containing 2, 3, 4, and 5% sucrose. The interaction of DSS × SC significantly affected both the percentage of scutella producing mature embryos and the number of mature embryos per responsive scutellum. In general, DPA/DSS/SC combinations, 12/17/3, 12/18/3, and 12/19/2, yielded the numerically highest embryogenesis efficiencies.
Design and evaluation of C++ open multi-methods

Multiple dispatch-the selection of a function to be invoked based on the dynamic type of two or more arguments-is a solution to several classical problems in object-oriented programming. Open multi-methods generalize multiple dispatch towards open-class extensions, which improve separation of concerns and provisions for retroactive design. We present the rationale, design, implementation, performance, programming guidelines, and experiences of working with a language feature, called open multi-methods, for C++. Our open multi-methods support both repeated and virtual inheritance. Our call resolution rules generalize both virtual function dispatch and overload resolution semantics. After using all information from argument types, these rules can resolve further ambiguities by using covariant return types. Care was taken to integrate open multi-methods with existing C++ language features and rules. We describe a model implementation and compare its performance and space requirements to existing open multi-method extensions and work-around techniques for C++. Compared to these techniques, our approach is simpler to use, catches more user mistakes, and resolves more ambiguities through link-time analysis, is comparable in memory usage, and runs significantly faster. In particular, the runtime cost of calling an open multi-method is constant and less than the cost of a double dispatch (two virtual function calls). Finally, we provide a sketch of a design for open multi-methods in the presence of dynamic loading and linking of libraries.
Studies on Avian Erythrocyte Metabolism. XIII. Changing Organic Phosphate Composition in Age-Dependent Density Populations of Chicken Erythrocytes

Abstract These studies were performed to determine whether the erythrocytes (RBC's) of chickens are able to alter the concentrations of organic phosphates, particularly inositol pentakis (dihydrogen phosphate ) (inositol-P5 ), in response to anemia. Acute anemia with 33.5% reticulocytes (retics) in the peripheral blood of 4-month-old White Leghorn cockerels was produced after two successive days of controlled bleeding. Five populations of RBC's were prepared from blood of these anemic birds based upon age-dependent density by angle rotor centrifugation. The relative increase in age of Fraction 1 (younger cells) through Fraction 5 (oldest cells) was verified by increased hemoglobin concentration and decreased retic count and cell volume. The acid aqueous-soluble phosphates from each RBC fraction were extracted, fractionated by ion exchange column chromatography, and the concentration of inorganic phosphate (Pi), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and inositol-P5 quantitated by wet-ash phosphate analysis. Determination of Pi, ATP, and inositol-P5 in Fraction 1 (younger cells, 7.4% retics) from the initial (Day 1) blood withdrawn gave 4.3, 5.7, and 18.6 jumoles Pi/ml RBC, respectively. On Day 4 of controlled-bleeding, Pi, ATP, and inositol-P5 concentrations in Fraction 1 (95.1% retics) were 12.7, 10.6, and 12.3 μmoles Pi/ml RBC, respectively. On Day 11, after 1 week recovery from controlled-bleeding, the values for Pi, ATP, and inositol-P5 in Fraction 1 (37.7% retics) were 5.0, 5.4, and 19.0 μmoles Pi/ml RBC, respectively, which were similar to the values before bleeding. It appears that retics entering the circulation contain approximately 60% of the level of inositol-P5 in the mature RBC and that synthesis and final accumulation of inositol-P5 occurs during maturation of retics in circulation. No cell fraction had a concentration of inositol-P5 greater than that of normal mature RBC's. The concentration of 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate (2,3-P2-glycerate) was measured enzymatically on each cell fraction and no concentration greater than .2 μmoles/ml RBC was found. The molar ratio of inositol-P5 to hemoglobin in the five density fractions from blood on Day 1 of controlled-bleeding ranged between .81 and .88; the enriched retic population (Fraction 1, Day 4) had a ratio of .64. Our results indicate that inositol-P5 concentrations are not readily altered in response to acute anemia and that its regulation of hemoglobin function in birds is not as adaptable to changing needs of the organism as is the 2,3-P2-glycerate regulation of oxygen binding and delivery in the mammalian system.