cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structure of nevanimibe-bound tetrameric human ACAT1

Cholesterol is an essential component of mammalian cell membranes, constituting up to 50% of plasma membrane lipids. By contrast, it accounts for only 5% of lipids in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)1. The ER enzyme sterol O-acyltransferase 1 (also named acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase, ACAT1) transfers a long-chain fatty acid to cholesterol to form cholesteryl esters that coalesce into cytosolic lipid droplets. Under conditions of cholesterol overload, ACAT1 maintains the low cholesterol concentration of the ER and thereby has an essential role in cholesterol homeostasis2,3. ACAT1 has also been implicated in Alzheimer's disease4, atherosclerosis5 and cancers6. Here we report a cryo-electron microscopy structure of human ACAT1 in complex with nevanimibe7, an inhibitor that is in clinical trials for the treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The ACAT1 holoenzyme is a tetramer that consists of two homodimers. Each monomer contains nine transmembrane helices (TMs), six of which (TM4-TM9) form a cavity that accommodates nevanimibe and an endogenous acyl-coenzyme A. This cavity also contains a histidine that has previously been identified as essential for catalytic activity8. Our structural data and biochemical analyses provide a physical model to explain the process of cholesterol esterification, as well as details of the interaction between nevanimibe and ACAT1, which may help to accelerate the development of ACAT1 inhibitors to treat related diseases.
Combining clinical and polygenic risk improves stroke prediction among individuals with atrial fibrillation

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with a five-fold increased risk of ischemic stroke. A portion of this risk is heritable, however current risk stratification tools (CHA2DS2-VASc) don’t include family history or genetic risk. We hypothesized that we could improve ischemic stroke prediction in patients with AF by incorporating polygenic risk scores (PRS). Objectives To construct and test a PRS to predict ischemic stroke in patients with AF, both independently and integrated with clinical risk factors. Methods Using data from the largest available GWAS in Europeans, we combined over half a million genetic variants to construct a PRS to predict ischemic stroke in patients with AF. We externally validated this PRS in independent data from the UK Biobank (UK Biobank), both independently and integrated with clinical risk factors. Results The integrated PRS and clinical risk factors risk tool had the greatest predictive ability. Compared with the currently recommended risk tool (CHA2DS2-VASc), the integrated tool significantly improved net reclassification (NRI: 2.3% (95%CI: 1.3% to 3.0%)), and fit (χ2 P =0.002). Using this improved tool, >115,000 people with AF would have improved risk classification in the US. Independently, PRS was a significant predictor of ischemic stroke in patients with AF prospectively (Hazard Ratio: 1.13 per 1 SD (95%CI: 1.06 to 1.23))). Lastly, polygenic risk scores were uncorrelated with clinical risk factors (Pearson’s correlation coefficient: −0.018). Conclusions In patients with AF, there appears to be a significant association between PRS and risk of ischemic stroke. The greatest predictive ability was found with the integration of PRS and clinical risk factors, however the prediction of stroke remains challenging.
SWELL1-LRRC8 complex regulates skeletal muscle cell size, intracellular signalling, adiposity and glucose metabolism

Maintenance of skeletal muscle is beneficial in obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Mechanical stimulation can regulate skeletal muscle differentiation, growth and metabolism, however the molecular mechanosensor remains unknown. Here, we show that SWELL1 (LRRC8a) functionally encodes a swell-activated anion channel that regulates PI3K-AKT, ERK1/2, mTOR signaling, muscle differentiation, myoblast fusion, cellular oxygen consumption, and glycolysis in skeletal muscle cells. SWELL1 over-expression in SWELL1 KO myotubes boosts PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling to supra-normal levels and fully rescues myotube formation. Skeletal muscle targeted SWELL1 KO mice have smaller myofibers, generate less force ex vivo, and exhibit reduced exercise endurance, associated with increased adiposity under basal conditions, and glucose intolerance and insulin resistance when raised on a high-fat diet, compared to WT mice. These results reveal that the SWELL1-LRRC8 complex regulates insulin-PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling in skeletal muscle to influence skeletal muscle differentiation in vitro and skeletal myofiber size, muscle function, adiposity and systemic metabolism in vivo.
Intellectual Property Protection and Financial Markets: Patenting versus Secrecy

Firms rely on patenting and trade secrecy to protect their intellectual property. We study how changes in the trade-off between patenting and secrecy affect firms’ stock liquidity and financing outcomes. We show that an international trade agreement (TRIPS) that strengthened patent protection led to a 10.2% increase in patenting, accompanied by a 14.0%–27.1% improvement in stock liquidity for firms in patent-reliant industries. This in turn allows the affected firms to increase equity financing by 1.9% and reduce leverage by 5.9%. Our results suggest that policies that promote use of patenting over secrecy can reduce informational frictions in equity markets.
Expansion of Internal Hyphal Growth in Fusarium Head Blight–Infected Grains Contributes to the Elevated Mycotoxin Production During the Malting Process

Fusarium head blight (FHB) and the occurrence of mycotoxins is the largest food safety threat to malting and brewing grains. Worldwide surveys of commercial beers have reported that the trichothece...
The politics of Black and Brown solidarities: race, space, and hip-hop cultural production in Los Angeles

Conceptualizations of Latinidad range from those emphasizing ethnicity and whiteness to those questioning the category's utility for capturing the diversity of diasporas from dozens of countries. T...
Analysis of Evolved Response Thresholds for Decentralized Dynamic Task Allocation.

We investigate the application of a multi-objective genetic algorithm to the problem of task allocation in a self-organizing, decentralized, threshold-based swarm. Each agent in our system is capable of performing four tasks with a response threshold for each, and we seek to assign response threshold values to all of the agents a swarm such that the collective behavior of the swarm is optimized. Random assignment of threshold values according to a uniform distribution is known to be effective; however, this method does not consider features of particular problem instances. Dynamic response thresholds have some flexibility to address problem specific features through real-time adaptivity, often improving swarm performance. In this work, we use a multi-objective genetic algorithm to evolve response thresholds for a simulated swarm engaged in a dynamic task allocation problem: two-dimensional collective tracking. We show that evolved thresholds not only outperform uniformly distributed thresholds and dynamic thresholds but achieve nearly optimal performance on a variety of tracking problem instances (target paths). More importantly, we demonstrate that thresholds evolved for one of several problem instances generalize to all other problem instances eliminating the need to evolve new thresholds for each problem to be solved. We analyze the properties that allow these paths to serve as universal training instances and show that they are quite natural.
Robotic Suprarenal Cavectomy Without Reconstruction in Renal Cell Carcinoma With Inferior Vena Cava Thrombosis

Abstract Introduction: Inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis occurs in <10% of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients.1,2 Up to 25% of these cases will require IVC interruption, yet caval replacement is...
Electro-Optical Performance of Liquid Crystal Materials Modified by Ions and Nanoparticles

Nanoparticle-induced ionic processes can be used to improve electro-optics of liquid crystals. The ion trapping effect can enable a DC driving of liquid crystals while ion generation is promising for the development of smart windows.
Health Education Specialists: Professional Practice During a Pandemic.

Authors conducted survey research on Health Education Specialists' (HES) involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (n = 1,837) completed questions on COVID-19 work and job responsibilities, use of the NCHEC Areas of Responsibility and Competencies in addressing the pandemic, education and training, work with populations at risk, and volunteer work related to COVID-19. The majority of respondents reported some work, either professional or personal associated with the pandemic, and the majority felt prepared to do this work, although it caused additional work responsibilities with no additional pay. Many had to work from home during the pandemic, using technology to accomplish their tasks. Most reported conducting education and prevention and designing and implementing communication strategies regarding the pandemic. Those with MCHES certification were more likely to use the NCHEC competencies in their work and more likely to perform listed COVID-19 activities, with the exception of contact tracing and direct care to COVID-19 patients, which were more likely conducted by CHES certified HES. Results of this study show the significant level of involvement of HES in the COVID-19 pandemic in a variety of roles and capacities, despite a challenging political landscape during the time the survey was administered. Many HES reported volunteer work in addition to their paid work, including donating money, distributing food, or making masks. Finally, HES welcomed more training on COVID-19 and use of technology. Results of the study may be used to document the roles of HES during the COVID-19 pandemic and to make recommendations for future emergency preparedness efforts.
Social Science Methodology: A Criterial Framework

This book offers a one-volume introduction to social science methodology, relevant to the disciplines of anthropology, economics, history, political science, psychology, and sociology. It is written for beginning students, long-time practitioners and methodologists, and applies to work conducted in qualitative and quantitative styles. It synthesizes the vast and diverse field of methodology in a way that is clear, concise, and comprehensive. While offering a handy overview of the subject, the book is also an argument about how we should conceptualize methodological problems. Tasks and criteria, the author argues - not fixed rules of procedure - best describe the search for methodological adequacy. Thinking about methodology through this lens provides a new framework for understanding work in the social sciences.
Probabilistic Program Modeling for High-Precision Anomaly Classification

The trend constantly being observed in the evolution of advanced modern exploits is their growing sophistication in stealthy attacks. Code-reuse attacks such as return-oriented programming allow intruders to execute mal-intended instruction sequences on a victim machine without injecting external code. We introduce a new anomaly-based detection technique that probabilistically models and learns a program's control flows for high-precision behavioral reasoning and monitoring. Our prototype in Linux is named STILO, which stands for STatically InitiaLized markOv. Experimental evaluation involves real-world code-reuse exploits and over 4,000 testcases from server and utility programs. STILO achieves up to 28-fold of improvement in detection accuracy over the state-of-the-art HMM-based anomaly detection. Our findings suggest that the probabilistic modeling of program dependences provides a significant source of behavior information for building high-precision models for real-time system monitoring.
Geomorphology: Rain revs the crustal conveyor

It is intuitive, but evidence that high levels of precipitation increase erosion rates has been elusive. The ages of exposed porphyry copper deposits reveal that rocks emplaced at depth travel to the surface faster where precipitation rates are high.
Pairing-Sensitive Silencing, Polycomb Group Response Elements, and Transposon Homing in Drosophila

Regulatory DNA from a diverse group of Drosophila genes causes silencing of the linked reporter gene mini-white in the P-element vector CaSpeR. This silencing can occur in flies heterozygous for the P-element construct but is often enhanced in flies homozygous for the construct. In Drosophila, somatic chromosomes are paired and this pairing is important for the enhancement of silencing in most cases. Thus, this type of silencing has been called pairing-sensitive silencing. Many of the DNA fragments that cause pairing-sensitive silencing are regulatory elements required for the activity of the Polycomb group of transcriptional repressors (Polycomb group response elements, PREs). However, some PREs do not appear to cause pairing-sensitive silencing, and some fragments of DNA that cause pairing-sensitive silencing do not appear to act as PREs. I suggest that many PREs are composite elements of sites important for silencing and sites important for "pairing" or bringing together distant DNA elements. Both activities may be required for PRE function. In a related phenomenon, fragments of DNA included within P-element vectors can cause those transposons to insert in the genome near the parent gene of the included DNA (transposon homing). I suggest that DNA fragments that cause transposon homing or pairing-sensitive silencing are bound by protein complexes that can interact to bring together distant DNA fragments.
Apoptosis Induced by Anthracycline Antibiotics in P388 Parent and Multidrug-resistant Cells

The effect of the topoisomerase II inhibitor doxorubicin and its noncross-resistant analogue annamycin on DNA degradation and programmed cell death was examined in murine leukemia P388 cells. P388 parental cells exposed to various concentrations of doxorubicin and annamycin for 24 h displayed dose-dependent DNA cleavage: at 1 µm, both doxorubicin and annamycin were effective in inducing DNA breakdown, but at 10 µm, the effect was markedly decreased or totally absent. In multidrug-resistant P388/Dox cells, doxorubicin did not cause DNA cleavage, while 10 µm annamycin had a significant effect. By agarose gel analysis, drug-induced DNA fragmentation showed the characteristic pattern of internucleosomal ladder. Morphologically, P388 cells treated with 1 µm doxorubicin or annamycin for 24 h showed a reduction in cell volume and condensation of nuclear structures. Similar changes were observed in P388/Dox cells exposed to 10 µm annamycin for 24 h but not in cells exposed to 10 µm doxorubicin. Time course studies demonstrated that DNA fragmentation was detected 12 h after incubation with 1 µm doxorubicin or annamycin, while loss of membrane integrity appeared at 24 h, thus indicating that DNA degradation was a preceding event. DNA fragmentaton caused by doxorubicin and annamycin was inhibited by the RNA synthesis inhibitor actinomycin D, the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide, and the endonuclease inhibitor aurintricarboxylic acid. Drug-induced cell death was partially prevented by cycloheximide and aurintricarboxylic acid, thus suggesting that the apoptotic process caused by these drugs requires gene expression, synthesis of new proteins, and activation of endogenous nucleases. In contrast, DNA cleavage was not affected by incubating cells with 1 mm ethylene glycol-bis(2-aminoethyl ether)- N,N,N′,N′ -tetraacetic acid, thus indicating that intracellular calcium depletion does not affect anthracycline-induced apoptosis. The results obtained demonstrate that the cell killing effect of anthracyclines is mediated, at least in part, by the induction of apoptosis.
Optimal Second Best Taxation of Addictive Goods

In this paper we derive conditions under which optimal tax rates for addictive goods exceed tax rates for non-addictive consumption goods in an environment where exogenous government spending cannot be nanced with lump sum taxes. Standard static models that consider revenue raising and externalities predict taxing addictive goods at a rate far in excess of that observed in the data. In contrast, our results indicate that, given reasonable parameter values for the strengths of tolerance for the addictive good, homogeneity of the addiction function and the elasticity of substitution, the tax rates are likely to be smaller than the ones implied by the static case. This is the case because high current tax rates on addictive goods tend to reduce future tax revenues, by making households less addicted in the future. Finally, we consider features of addictive goods such as complementarity to leisure that, while unrelated to addiction itself, are nonetheless common among some addictive goods. In general, such e ects are weaker in our dynamic setting since if taxing addictive goods has strong positive revenue e ects today, then taxing goods has a strong o setting e ect on future tax revenues.
DNA substrates for studying replication mechanisms: synthetic replication forks.

Publisher Summary The chapter describes two types of synthetic replication forks. The applications listed are based on the study of T7 DNA replication, with modifications these synthetic replication forks are used in the study of other DNA replication models. The preformed replication fork is a circular duplex DNA with a protruding 5'-single-stranded tail that supports concurrent leading and lagging strand synthesis in the presence of a processive DNA polymerase, a primase, and a helicase. The DNA polymerase binds to the 3'-hydroxyl terminus, whereas the helicase-primase complex assembles on the 5' tail. The preformed replication fork was used in the study of DNA replication in the bacteriophage T7, T4, and Escherichia coli systems using the respective replication proteins. At the T7 DNA replication fork four proteins account for the basic reactions, which are (1) T7 gene 5 protein, the DNA polymerase; (2) thioredoxin, a processivity factor provided by E. coli , and (3) the two products of T7 gene 4, a helicase of 56 kDa and a primase of 63 kDa. The minifork is a helicase substrate that has been optimized for the T7 gene 4 protein. After binding to the 5'-singlestranded DNA tail, T7 gene 4 protein unwinds the duplex DNA. In the presence of primase recognition sequences and ATP/CTP, the primase activity of the T7 gene 4 protein catalyzes the synthesis of tetraribonucleotide primers. This assay enables the study of the effect of primer synthesis on the helicase activity of the gene 4 protein. With a modified DNA substrate depending on the requirements for enzymatic activity of the respective helicase, the minifork assay could be used in other DNA replication systems.
STARK SHIFTS WITHIN THE (1s2s)$sup 3$S$sub 1$ STATE OF He.

We have measured the relative Stark shift between the ${m}_{J}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1$ and the ${m}_{J}=0$ Zeeman sublevels of the $2^{3}S_{1}$ metastable state in helium. This shift should be zero in the $L\ensuremath{-}S$ coupling limit. The shifts is (1.27 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}.04) \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$ Hz/${(\mathrm{V}/\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m})}^{2}$, and decreases the normal magnetic field splitting between the ${m}_{J}=+1$ and the ${m}_{J}=0$ sublevels.
Immune Intervention in AIDS

This chapter reviews concepts and strategies that are being considered for the development of effective immune interventions for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. It is likely that the development of effective immune-based interventions for the treatment of HIV infection will be greatly facilitated by an improved understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of the immunopathogenesis of AIDS. An important challenge for future research efforts will be to discover ways of modulating the host immune response so its beneficial aspects are enhanced without simultaneously increasing its deleterious aspects. Similarly, any attempt to use immunosuppression as an approach to abrogation of the deleterious indirect consequences of HIV infection will need to be done in a way that does not also compromise the beneficial aspects of immunemediated control of HIV replication. The idea of therapeutic vaccination of HIVinfected individuals dates back to the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and clinical trials aimed at augmenting anti-HIV cellular immune responses in infected patients by immunization with the recombinant HIV envelope glycoproteins gp120 and gp160 were first performed in the early 1990s. Recent studies of prophylactic DNA vaccine in macaque models of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection have shown that DNA vaccines, in combination with cytokines (e.g., interleukin-2 [IL-2]) or followed by boosting with recombinant viral vectors (e.g., an attenuated strain of vaccinia virus known as modified vaccinia Ankara), can induce potent anti-HIV CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses and enable substantial control of SIV viremia following experimental challenge with virulent virus strains.
A note on the accuracy of computed ground displacements from strong-motion accelerograms

In this paper the accuracy of routine methods for processing strong-motion earthquake accelerograms (Trifunac, 1971, 1972; Hudson et al., 1971) has been tested by comparing displacement curves computed from the twice-integrated accelerograph recordings with displacement curves computed from displacement-meter measurements. The displacement meters have transducers with natural periods typically several seconds long. Agreement is found to be very good, suggesting that the methods used for routine processing of strong-motion accelerograms are quite accurate.
Vertical Vibration of Machine Foundations

The paper presents the results of an analytical study of vertical vibrations of massive strip foundations excited by constant-force or rotating-mass type oscillators and placed on the surface of a linearly hysteretic soil layer on rock. A semianalytical method based on a direct solution of the wave equations in terms of displacements and accounting for the exact physical conditions at the rough layer interfaces and the soil surface is briefly presented. The results shown illustrate the importance of the layer depth, the rock compliance and the foundation mass on the dynamic vertical response of the foundation.
The carboxyl terminus of myosin binding protein C (MyBP-C, C-protein) specifies incorporation into the A-band of striated muscle

Myosin binding protein-C (MyBP-C), also known as C-protein, is a major constituent of the thick filaments of vertebrate striated muscles. The protein, approximately 130 kDa, consists of a series of 10 globular motifs (numbered I to X) each of approximately 90–100 amino acids, bearing resemblance to the C2-set of immunoglobins (Ig C2) and to the fibronectin type III (FnIII) motifs. Using pure preparations of myosin and MyBP-C, it has been demonstrated that the major myosin binding domain of MyBP-C resides within the C-terminal Ig C2 motif (motif X). However, in the context of the in vivo thick filament, it is uncertain if the latter domain is sufficient to target MyBP-C correctly to the A-band or if other regions of the molecule are required for this process. To answer this question, cultures of skeletal muscle myoblasts were transfected with expression plasmids encoding seven truncation mutants of MyBP-C, and their targeting to the A-band investigated by immunofluorescence microscopy. To distinguish the recombinant proteins from endogenous MyBP-C, a myc epitope was inserted at each amino terminus. Recombinant MyBP-C exhibited an identical distribution in the sarcomere to that of native MyBP-C; i.e. it was found exclusively in the C-zone of the A-band. A mutant encoding the C-terminal 372 amino acids, but lacking motifs I-VI (termed delta 1–6), also targeted correctly to the A-band. This fragment, which is composed of two Ig C2 and two FnIII motifs, was the minimal protein fragment required for correct A-band incorporation. Larger amino-terminal deletions or deletion of motif X, the myosin binding domain, abolished all localization to the A-band. One construct (delta 10) lacking only motif X strongly inhibited myofibril assembly. We conclude that the myosin binding domain of MyBP-C, although essential, is not sufficient for correct incorporation into the A-band and that motifs VII to IX are required for this process. The data suggest a topological model in which MyBP-C is associated with the thick filament through its C terminus.
Effects of prenatal antiandrogen treatment on masculinization and defeminization of guinea pigs

Gonadectomized (gdx) guinea pigs which had received the antiandrogen flutamide prenatally were tested for female-typical and male-typical sexual behavior in adulthood. In tests for lordosis behavior, gdx males and females were injected with estradiol benzoate and progesterone. Prenatally flutamide-treated females showed a longer mean lordosis response than control females. This was true whether they were given either a high or a low dose of EB. No male ever showed a lordosis response. In tests for male-typical sexual behavior, gdx adult males were treated with testosterone propionate and tested with stimulus females. The prenatally flutamide-treated males showed significantly decreased levels of ejaculation, a lower intromission rate and a decreased percentage of mounts which included pelvic thrusts, when compared to control males. Mount rate and rate of pericopulatory behavior did not differ between the flutamide and control males. The fact that prenatal administration of flutamide increased female-typical behavior in adult females suggests that the female guinea pig is normally partially defeminized by androgens in utero. The male guinea pig appears to be resilient to attempts to block defeminization with prenatal antiandrogens. However, some aspects of masculinization can be blocked.
Evidence of exploitative competition among young stages of the wolf spider Schizocosa ocreata.

Previous research by many investigators has demonstrated food limitation in both web-building and wandering spiders. Field experiments have tested for exploitative competition for prey in web-building, but not wandering species. As a first step to examining the question of whether spiders without webs exhibit exploitative competition, we manipulated densities of young stages of a common wolf spider, Schizocos ocreata, and measured (1) spider growth rate and (2) numbers of Collembola, a potential prey organism. Replicate populations of recently hatched S. ocreata were established in 1-m2 fenced plots at four levels: 0×, 0.25×, 1× and 4× natural density. Increasing spider density had a negative effect on spider growth rate, defined as increase in weight or cephalothorax width. Early in the experiment spider density had a weak negative effect on Collembola numbers [p(F)=0.08]. Taken together, this probable response by Collembola and the clear effect of spider density on growth rate constitute the first experimental evidence of intraspecific exploitative competition for prey in a species of wandering spider. We discuss (1) the strength of this evidence given the constraints of the experiment's design, and (2) the implications of the strong convergence in spider densities that had occurred after 2.5 months.
Synchronous thermal wave IR video imaging for nondestructive evaluation

We describe a system for real-time processing of infrared video images in synchronism with the time-dependence of the target object's temperature. The system can either be used either with periodic or pulsed heating of the target. With periodic heating, the system operates as if it were a collection of lock-in amplifiers, one for each of the quarter of the million pixels of the image. With pulsed heating, it operates as if it consisted of a similar number of box-car averagers. In both cases, the signal-to-noise ratio and temperature sensitivity of the infrared camera are improved. The technique lends itself to a wide spectrum of NDE applications.
SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITY AND KINETIC MECHANISM OF THE INSECT SULFOTRANSFERASE, RETINOL DEHYDRATASE

Spodoptera frugiperda retinol dehydratase catalyzes the conversion of retinol to the retro-retinoid anhydroretinol. It shares sequence homology with the family of mammalian cytosolic sulfotransferases and provides the first link between sulfotransferases and retinol metabolism. In this study the enzymatic properties of retinol dehydratase were examined using bacterially expressed protein. We show that retinol dehydratase can catalyze the transfer of the sulfonate moiety to small phenolic compounds and exhibits many functional similarities to the mammalian cytosolic sulfotransferases. The bisubstrate reaction that it catalyzes between retinol and the universal sulfonate donor 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphosulfate seems to involve ternary complex formation and to proceed via a Random Bi Bi mechanism. In addition to the low nanomolar Km value for free retinol, retinol dehydratase is strongly inhibited by retinol metabolites, suggesting a preference for retinoids. Conversely, a number of tested mammalian cytosolic sulfotransferases do not utilize retinol, indicating that retinol is not a general substrate for sulfotransferases.
REGULATORY WATER QUALITY MONITORING: A SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE

: Regulatory water quality monitoring has evolved to the point where it is a rather complex system encompassing many monitoring purposes and involving many monitoring activities. Lack of a system's perspective of regulatory monitoring hinders the development of effective and efficient monitoring programs to support water quality management. In this paper the regulatory water quality monitoring system is examined in a total systems context. The purposes of regulatory monitoring are reviewed and categorized according to their legal evolution. The activities of regulatory monitoring are categorized and organized into a system which follows the flow of information through the monitoring program. The monitoring purposes and activities are combined to form a monitoring system matrix - a framework within which the total regulatory water quality monitoring system is defined. The matrix, by defining the regulatory monitoring system and clarifying many interactions within the system, provides a basis upon which a more thorough approach to managing, evaluating, and eventually optimizing regulatory monitoring can be developed.
Asymmetric and cross-sectional effects of inflation on stock returns under varying monetary conditions

This study examines the relationship between returns on portfolios, comprised of stocks of various size and book values, and changes in inflation. The relationship is evaluated in the context of positive and negative changes in expected and unexpected inflation, and expansionary and contractionary monetary policy conditions. Results from the panel estimation procedure show that inflation has a strong asymmetric impact on stock returns, and this may explain why simply summing up inflation shocks, as in previous studies, could lead to misleading conclusions. This article concludes that the nature of this asymmetric relationship is complex and contingent on several factors including the state of the monetary policy, whether one is examining expected or unexpected inflation shocks, and the size and book values of the stocks. In general, a positive shock to expected and unexpected inflation has a favourable impact on stock returns during monetary expansion, but not during monetary tightening.
Is it time for a blood pressure measurement "bundle"?

The poor reliability of clinic-based blood pressure (BP) measurements is not news to any practicing primary care provider (PCP). Many studies have documented significant differences between BP values measured in the context of a clinic visit, a research study, at home, and using ambulatory monitors.1–3 For this very reason, some PCPs habitually repeat the BP measurements provided by their staff, something they wouldn’t necessarily consider for more reliable primary care measures like a patient’s body weight.
Smoke-Cued Emergence in Plant Species of Ponderosa Pine Forests: Contrasting Greenhouse and Field Results

Smoke-cued seed germination and emergence is common in some frequent-fire ecosystems, but this process is little studied in frequent-fire conifer forests of the southwestern United States. To assess whether aqueous smoke promotes plant emergence in frequent-fire ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests in northern Arizona, I conducted three experiments at different scales (seed, seed bank, and plant community) in both greenhouse and field settings. In the first greenhouse experiment, aqueous smoke significantly increased (P < 0.05) emergence of seeds of 13 % of 61 assayed species. Five of eight (63 %) Penstemon species exhibited significant increases ranging from two- to ten-fold. In the second greenhouse experiment, aqueous smoke increased emergent density by 67 % and species richness by 60 % in soil seed bank samples collected from nine sites that had undergone tree thinning. Contrary to these greenhouse experiments, spraying aqueous smoke on 0.05 ha field plots at nine sites in the third experiment had no effect on plant species cover, richness, or composition relative to control plots 15 mo after treatment. Many factors, such as time since fire or interactions with other cues, could have contributed to this lack of response. While aqueous smoke appears promising for some applications such as enhancing seed germination for plant production, its potential for promoting emergence in field settings is currently uncertain.
On the Tilt and Twist of Solar Active Regions

Tilt and twist are two measurable characteristics of solar active regions that can give us information about subsurface physical processes associated with the creation and subsequent evolution of magnetic flux tubes inside the Sun. Using Mees Solar Observatory active region vector magnetograms and Mount Wilson Observatory full-disk longitudinal magnetograms, we measure the magnetic twist and tilt angles of 368 bipolar active regions. In addition to two well-known phenomena, Joy's law and the hemispheric helicity rule, this data set also shows a lesser known twist-tilt relationship, which is the focus of this study. We find that those regions that closely follow Joy's law do not show any twist-tilt dependence. The dispersion in tilt angles and the dispersion in twist are also found to be uncorrelated with each other. Both of these results are predicted consequences of convective buffeting of initially untwisted and unwrithed flux tubes through the Σ-effect. However, we find that regions that strongly depart from Joy's law show significantly larger than average twist and very strong twist-tilt dependence—suggesting that the twist-tilt relationship in these regions is due to the kinking of flux tubes that are initially highly twisted, but not strongly writhed. This implies that some mechanism other than the Σ-effect (e.g., the solar dynamo itself or the process of buoyancy instability and flux tube formation) is responsible for imparting the initial twist (at the base of the solar convection zone) to the flux tubes that subsequently become kink-unstable.
An analysis of 8305 cases of carcinoid tumors.

BACKGROUND Carcinoid tumors are unusual and most reports are anecdotal or limited in number. A series of 2837 cases was published in 1975. No recent large series is available. METHODS The authors evaluated 5468 cases identified by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 1973 to 1991 together with 2837 carcinoid cases previously registered by 2 earlier NCI programs. To the authors' knowledge, the 8305 carcinoid tumors analyzed represent the largest current epidemiology series to date. RESULTS The most frequent sites for carcinoids were the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (73.7%) and the bronchopulmonary system (25.1%). Within the GI tract, most occurred in the small bowel (28.7%), appendix (18.9%), and rectum (12.6%). For all sites, age-adjusted incidence rates were highest in African American males (2.12 per 100,000 population per year). Associated noncarcinoid tumors were frequent in conjunction with small intestinal (16.6%), appendiceal (14.6%), and colonic carcinoids (13.1%). The highest percentage of nonlocalized lesions were noted for pancreatic (76.1%), colonic (71.2%), and small intestinal carcinoids (70.7%) and this corresponded to their poor 5-year survival rates (34.1%, 41.6%, and 55.4%, respectively). The best 5-year survival rates were recorded for appendiceal (85.9%), bronchopulmonary (76.6%), and rectal carcinoids (72.2%). These exhibited invasive growth or metastatic spread in only 35.4%, 27.2%, and 14.2% of cases, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Carcinoids appear to have increased in incidence in the past 20 years. In part, this may be due to different surgical rules of the various registries, improved diagnostic technology, and increased awareness. A cumulative analysis of all types of carcinoid tumors in the SEER group indicates that in 45.3% metastases are already evident at the time of diagnosis. The overall 5-year survival rate of all carcinoid tumors regardless of site was 50.4% ± 6.4%. Cancer 1997; 79:813-29. © 1997 American Cancer Society.
Direct selection of Saccharomyces cerevisiae resistant to the antibiotic G418 following transformation with a DNA vector carrying the kanamycin-resistance gene of Tn903

We have developed a new procedure for selecting yeast transformants without the need for complementing auxotrophic markers. The procedure is based on resistance to antibiotic G418 imparted to transformants by recombinant DNA vectors. We constructed several Escherichia coli-yeast shuttle vectors containing the kanamycin (G418)-resistance gene of Tn903, plus several yeast genes making dual selections possible. The efficiency for selecting G418-resistant transformants was dependent upon several factors including the composition of the growth medium and the time at which G418 selective pressure was administered. Media which contained levels of salts found in yeast nitrogen base rendered cells partially to completely resistant to G418 and could not be used for selecting G418-resistant transformants. On the other hand, untransformed cells remained sensitive to G418 when grown on YEPD medium thus allowing selection of G418-resistant transformants. A lag phase of 12 to 18 h, following growth at 30 degrees C, was required prior to administration of G418 to achieve maximal transformation frequency. Transformation frequencies ranged from 100 to 700 per micrograms of DNA and varied with the vector and strain used. The kanamycin gene imparted resistance to G418 in either the episomally or chromosomally integrated state. The gene was highly stable in the integrated state, even without selective pressure. The utility of the procedure was demonstrated by selecting transformants of four different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and by cloning autonomous replication sequences (ARS) from the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis. We believe that this or related procedures could be used to develop transformation systems for many eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells for which no transformation procedure is available.
Plasmodium inui: Serologic relationships of Asian isolates

Abstract Serologic cross-reactions between 15 different isolates of Plasmodium inui were determined using the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) technique. Ten of the isolates came from a variety of host and geographic backgrounds in West Malaysia. Two isolates from Taiwan and single isolates from the Celebes, the Philippines, and South India completed the group of parasites under investigation. There were statistically significant differences between each pair of isolates of P. inui included in the study which suggests that there were corresponding antigenic differences. The IFA test may have future value in the separation of the many biological variants which compose widely distributed species of Plasmodium. The technique may also be useful in determining the relationships among different geographical isolates of the same species in studies on malaria parasite evolution.
EEG Evolution in Sturge-Weber Syndrome

Summary The EEG in Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) was theorized over 50 years ago as changing over time from normality to focal asymmetry to lastly epileptiform. We sought to validate these findings in a larger cohort today. Children with confirmed SWS and routine EEG at our center were evaluated retrospectively. An EEG score (0–3) was created and linked to patient current age, overall neurologic function, and seizure frequency. Eighty-one EEGs from 44 patients with SWS (mean age 2.0 years (range: 0.2–37.9 years)) were evaluated and assigned an EEG score. The mean age for patients with an EEG score of 0–1 (normal or focal slowing) was 3.2 years (SEM 0.6), whereas those with an EEG score of 2–3 (focal sharp waves or frequent spike-wave bursts) was 8.7 years (SEM 1.7) ( p =0.006). There was no correlation between the EEG score and either the SWS overall neuroscore or seizure subscore (measuring frequency). The EEG in patients with SWS does appear to evolve over time, becoming more abnormal with more frequent epileptiform activity, as suspected in smaller studies decades ago. This progressive change, however, did not correlate with the child's neurologic function or seizure frequency.
Mining Domain Knowledge [Requirements]

Basic data-mining skills can be useful for processing domain documents early during requirements engineering. An example from the electronic-healthcare-records domain shows how. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/tHvi3pHEP8c is an audio podcast in which author Jane Cleland-Huang provides an audio recording of the Requirements column, in which she discusses how basic data-mining skills can be useful for processing domain documents early during requirements engineering.
Evaluation of recurrence in gastric adenocarcinoma patients.

The usefulness of recurrence as a measure of response in cooperative clinical trials is evaluated. Problems associated with obtaining valid recurrence data are discussed. Some of these are: obtaining autopsies and biopsies on each case, incomplete follow-up information arising from irregular examinations or relocations of patients, attendance of numerous physicians and difficulties inherent in follow-up data forms. In a review of complete records of 10 gastric adenocarcinoma patients by 8 noted authorities in the field, sufficient disagreement existed in their evaluation to indicate that the use of recurrence as a response variable in data of clinical trials is open to serious question. A method of refining recurrence decisions into 3 categories is discussed, which may be sufficiently reliable in the use of comparative studies. Applying this new method to 39 cases, recurrence rates were obtained for the 3 categories. The rates for the first 5 years ranged from 50% to 91%.
Wetting of CVD carbon films by polar and nonpolar liquids and implications for carbon nanopipes.

The handling, dispersion, manipulation, and functionalization of carbon nanotubes and nanopipes often require the use of solvents. Therefore, a good understanding of the wetting properties of the carbon nanotubes is needed. Such knowledge is also essential for the design of nanotube-based nanofluidic devices, which hold the promise of revolutionizing chemical analysis, separation, drug delivery, filtration, and sensing. In this work, we investigated the wetting behavior of individual nanopipes produced by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of carbon in porous alumina templates and of thin carbon films produced by the same technique. The carbon pipes and films have the same chemistry and structure as determined by Raman and infrared spectroscopies and, when similarly treated, demonstrate the same qualitative wetting behavior, as determined by optical microscopy. Thus, measurements conducted on the carbon film surface are relevant to the nanopipes. In the case of the nanopipes, filling with various liquids...
Trace and minor elements in Green River oil shale (Colorado, U.S.A.), concentrated by differential density centrifugation

Abstract A combination of separatory and analytical techniques was used to investigate the chemistry of 3 major elements and 9 trace elements in fine-grained Colorado oil shale. The separatory procedure involved low-temperature ashing, followed by high-speed centrifugation in a liquid density-gradient column. The density gradient ranged from 2.0 to 2.9 g cm−3. Application of this combination of techniques to four samples of oil shale demonstrates the feasibility of separating micrometer-size mineral grains held tightly by carbonates and organic matter. We have defined the “maximum enrichment factor” as being the ratio of the maximum observed concentration of an element in a given density fraction of ashed sample to the concentration of the same element in the bulk ashed sample. Resulting values of the maximum enrichment factors range from 1.2 to 12 for various elements. Hierarchial cluster dendrograms reveal different mineralogical residences for the elemental groupings of: Ca-Fe-Mn; Cu-Pb-Ni; As-Zn; and Mo-F-K-Fe. Fluorine is concentrated in the 2.4- and 2.5-g-cm−3 fractions, in association with illite.
Inhibition of insulin secretion by serotonin and dopamine: species variation.

Serotonin and dopamine are potent inhibitors of insulin secretion in the in vitro golden hamster pancreas system. In the present studies, the effects of serotonin and dopamine on insulin secretion in several species were investigated. In vivo glucose-stimulated insulin release was inhibited in white rabbits by constant infusion of serotonin (25 μg/min), and in white mice by an intravenous bolus of serotonin (0.25 mg). Whereas 5 × 10-5M serotonin inhibited glucosemediated insulin release from golden hamster pancreas in vitro, 2 × 10-3M serotonin was required to inhibit insulin release from pieces of rabbit or mouse pancreas. In contrast, all three species had a similar in vitro sensitivity to the inhibition of insulin secretion by dopamine. Histochemical studies have shown that adrenergic nerves of golden hamster islets contain large amounts of norepinephrine, but none is visible in islets of albino rabbits and mice. To determine if the increased susceptibility of the hamster pancreas to inhibition of insu...
Heterolytic CH Activation with a Cyclometalated Platinum(II) 6-Phenyl-4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2-Bipyridine Complex

The more electron-rich, thermally, air, and protic stable, cyclometalated Pt(II)(NNC) trifluoroacetate complex (3) (NNC = κ^3-6-phenyl-4,4‘-di-tert-butyl-2,2‘-bipyridine) was synthesized with the expectation that it would be less susceptible to H_2O inhibition than the Pt(bpym)(TFA)_2 system (bpym = κ^2-2,2‘-bipyrimidine) for the catalytic oxidation of hydrocarbons. Complex 3 was found to catalyze the H/D exchange between benzene and trifluoroacetic acid via CH activation but at a rate slower than the Pt(bpym) complex. Experimental and theoretical studies show that while the use of the more electron-rich NNC ligand motif lowered the ΔH for substrate coordination relative to the Pt(bpym) system, a larger increase in the barrier for CH cleavage led to an increase in the overall barrier for CH activation.
Magnetic resonance imaging finding of empty sella in obesity related idiopathic intracranial hypertension is associated with enlarged sella turcica

Introduction Empty sella in MRI is an important finding associated with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). This study assesses the sensitivity and reproducibility of several morphological measures of the sella and pituitary gland to indentify the measure that best differentiates IIH from controls. Additionally, the study assesses reversal in gland compression following treatment.