cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia revisited: Comparison between 2007 and 2017 prospective cohorts at a medical center in Taiwan.

Summary Background Community onset K. pneumoniae bacteremia (KPB) is a major problem in Taiwan for decades. We aimed to revisit the role of virulent genotype K1/K2 and possible predisposing factors, compared to our published 2007 cohort. Methods All adult patients with monomicrobial KPB during 2017 at a medical center in Taiwan were prospectively enrolled. We genotyped the major K types of K. pneumoniae strains, and analyzed the role of prior use of antibiotic or proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Results A total of 213 cases were enrolled. Compared to our previous 2007 study (n = 231), there was a higher percentage of patients with community onset bacteremia (75% vs. 60%, p = 0.003). The overall mortality rate was lower in 2017 (23% vs. 32%, p = 0.02), while the rates of antimicrobial resistance (all classes) were higher in 2017. There were 40 cases of liver abscesses in 2017 (19%), with an overall mortality rate of 7.5%. The prevalence of K1 was similar (16% in 2017 vs. 19% in 2007), but the prevalence of K2 decreased significantly (7% in 2017 vs. 17% in 2007, p = 0.001). After excluding 39 cases without data of recent medication use, 48 of 174 (28%) of patients had received a PPI within 90 days. Patients with recent PPI use had more complicated underlying illnesses, higher antimicrobial resistance, and higher in-hospital mortality, but was negatively associated with liver abscess (4% vs. 24%, p = 0.002). Of patients with community-acquired bacteremia, 51% used antibiotics within 90 days. After excluding 37 patients received antibiotics within 14 days before the detection of bacteremia, patient with antibiotic use within 15–90 days had higher Pittsburgh bacteremia scores (4.5 vs. 2.7, p = 0.04), creatinine levels, and frequency of recent surgery, but was not associated with liver abscess (21% vs. 31%, p = 0.33). Discussion In summary, after a decade, community onset KPB is still prevalent (1.3 case per 1000 emergency department visit). K1 remains to be the dominant genotype. The association of prior ampicillin/amoxicillin or PPIs use for liver abscess is not confirmed.
Breast Cancer Epigenetics: Biomarkers and Therapeutic Potential

In this chapter, we review the central roles that epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modifications, and nucleosome positioning, play in governing gene expression and how their dysregulation contributes to carcinogenesis. Dramatic improvements in high-throughput DNA sequencing, so-called next-generation technologies, have driven a veritable revolution in the large-scale assessment of cellular “epigenomes.” We also review several reports that have profiled epigenomic differences between normal tissue and diverse types of breast tumors, emphasizing how they inform our understanding of disease complexity and the utility of epigenetic-based therapies for breast cancer treatment. Finally, we discuss a methodology that interrogates multiple epigenetic as well as genetic features at the single-molecule level and how it may be utilized to increase our understanding of intratumoral heterogeneity.
Mystical Love in Confessions X: An Inquiry on the Name of the Divine

“God ” is, in the first place, a name. Before being a person or Being, the name “God” could be anything imaginable. “What’s in a name?”, “Who is the one that we love and how could we finally give account to it?” Such are the questions this paper will try to answer. This study will conduct a reading based largely on Augustine’s Confessions X, and will be dissected into two smaller parts. In the first part, I will propose the possibility of applying a mystical approach to address this issue. Then I will examine how the saint travels across his memory in search for God, as a demonstration of the mystical journey into love.
An epigenomic shift in amygdala marks the transition to maternal behaviors in alloparenting virgin female mice

ABSTRACT In many species, adults care for young offspring that are not their own, a phenomenon called alloparenting. However, most nonparental adults must be sensitized by repeated or extended exposures to newborns before they will robustly display parental-like behaviors. To capture neurogenomic events underlying the transition to active parental caring behaviors, we analyzed brain gene expression and chromatin profiles of virgin female mice co-housed with mothers during pregnancy and after birth. After an initial display of antagonistic behaviors and a surge of defense-related gene expression, we observed a dramatic shift in the chromatin landscape specifically in amygdala of the pup-exposed virgin females, accompanied by a dampening of anxiety-related gene expression. This epigenetic shift coincided with hypothalamic expression of the oxytocin gene and the emergence of behaviors and gene expression patterns classically associated with maternal care. The results outline a neurogenomic program associated with dramatic behavioral changes and suggest molecular networks relevant to human postpartum mental health.
Temperature-dependent model of helium bubble expansion and bursting in tungsten

Abstract Continuum-scale models that can reliably predict the behavior of helium in tungsten are of interest to the fusion community due to the projected impact of these materials on fusion reactor operation. We perform molecular dynamics simulations of spherical helium bubbles of various sizes in tungsten at different temperatures and depths with the goal of determining a mathematical model of the pressure and density at which the bubbles initially expand or burst as a function of depth, size, temperature, and surface orientation. The bubbles are small enough that their loop-punching pressures cannot be accurately predicted with continuum mechanics, and their expansion behavior is important, as it appears to cause many of the features observed on helium-irradiated tungsten surfaces. We vary the temperature, bubble size, bubble depth, and surface orientation in each case, recording the bubble pressure and density that result in bubble expansion. An exponential function with three adjustable parameters is found to fit the results well; the parameters that best fit our results are provided.
Profiling of histone H3 trimethylation and distinct epigenetic pattern of chromosome Y in the transformed bronchial epithelial cells induced by consecutive arsenic treatment

Abstract Environmental arsenic is a known human carcinogen that is associated with cancers in lung, liver, skin, breast, bladder, kidney, prostate, etc. However, the underpinnings of malignant transformation of the normal cells in response to environmental arsenic exposure remain poorly understood, in part due to mixed signaling pathways elicited by arsenic, especially the inorganic trivalent arsenic (As 3+). In the present report we profiled the trimethylation status of histone H3 through global chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) in the As 3+ -induced transformed cells and found an overall gain of active methylation of histone H3, the trimethylation of lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4me3), along with a diminished enrichment of the repressive marker H3K27me3 in the genome in the transformed cells relative to the control cells. Many oncogenic genes responsible for cell proliferation and selfrenewal of the cancer stem-like cells are enriched with H3K4me3 along with a reduced level of H3K27me3 and/or H3K9me3. In contrast, some genes encoding proteins with tumor suppressor-like activity showed reduced enrichment of the active marker, H3K4me3, but elevated levels of the repressive markers, H3K27me3 and H3K9me3. These data, thus, suggest that the carcinogenicity of As 3+ is achieved through regulating histone methylations that define the chromatin configuration and gene expression dynamics of the genome and the cell fate decision.
Cryoablation for presumed atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia in pediatric patients.

Background: Little data exist on the outcomes of cryoablation for the treatment of presumptive atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) in a pediatric population. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients undergoing cryoablation from January 2006 to October 2010 for presumed AVNRT at the Children's Hospital Colorado. Inclusion criteria were age ≤ 18, normal heart structure, no prior ablation procedures, documented narrow complex tachycardia, and no inducible tachycardia or other tachycardia mechanisms during electrophysiology study. Results: Thirteen patients underwent cryoablation for presumed AVNRT. Cryoablation catheter tip size varied from 4 to 8 mm with a median of eight cryoablation lesions. Isoproterenol was utilized preablation in 54% and none postablation. Procedural endpoints, per written report, were loss of sustained slow pathway, change in Wenckebach cycle length, and no specific endpoint. Procedural endpoints, per measured data, were a decrease in patients exhibiting sustained slow pathway conduction. Maximum atrial-His (AH) interval with atrial overdrive pacing was reduced from 266 ms preablation to 167 ms postablation, p = 0.006. The number of patients with an AH jump was reduced from 6 to 2. After follow-up of 13.8 ± 14.3 months, 23% (3/13) had documented tachycardia recurrence. No statistical significance was determined when comparing electrophysiology testing parameters pre- and postablation among the group with recurrence versus the group without recurrence. Conclusions: Cryoablation can be considered as a safe alternative to radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of presumed AVNRT among pediatric patients, albeit with a recurrence rate of 23%. (PACE 2012; 35:1319–1325)
Working to Awaken

“Social justice” has become a contentious term. To most of us it means nondiscrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. But to many of us it also means the elimination of gross poverty and the practices that support it. It is the emphasis on the elimination of poverty that leads some critics to equate social justice with socialism.
One-neutron halo of 19C.

We have measured the longitudinal momentum distribution of ${}^{18}\mathrm{C}$, ${}^{17}\mathrm{C}$, and ${}^{16}\mathrm{C}$ after the one-neutron breakup of $^{19}C$, ${}^{18}\mathrm{C}$, and ${}^{17}\mathrm{C}$, respectively, using the A1200 fragment separator as an energy-loss spectrometer. The observed narrow width of $44.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5.9\mathrm{MeV}/c$ for the ${}^{18}\mathrm{C}$ fragments indicates that ${}^{19}\mathrm{C}$ is a new example of a one-neutron halo, so far the heaviest ever observed. The consequences of the obtained results on the structure of the three isotopes ${}^{19,18,17}\mathrm{C}$ are discussed together with shell-model calculations.
Elevated ascitic fluid fibronectin concentration: A non-specific finding

Summary Ascitic fluid fibronectin concentration was measured in 111 specimens by laser nephelometry. Sterile, portal hypertension-related fluid fibronectin concentration (24 ± 14 μ g/ml) was significantly lower than the concentration in infected, portal hypertension-related ascites (49 ± 44 μ g/ml, P μ g/ml, P μ g/ml, P μ g/ml, P 75 μ g/ml, was 0% for sterile, portal hypertension-related ascites, 28% for infected, portal hypertension-related ascites, 89% for peritoneal carcinomatosis, 20% for massive liver metastases-related ascites, and 72% for ascites of other types. Ascitic fluid fibronectin concentration correlated in a linear fashion with ascitic fluid total protein ( r = 0.81, P
Exposing the Third Reich: Colonel Truman Smith in Hitler's Germany. By Henry G. Gole. (Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2013. Pp. xiv, 415. $40.00.)

This study is a thoughtful biography of Colonel Truman Smith, who built his career and retirement around assessing German military capabilities from the early Weimar era through the 1950s. Yet the ...
Clinical relevance of echocardiogram in patients with cerebral palsy undergoing posterior spinal fusion.

Summary Background Spinal deformity is one of the secondary musculoskeletal problems that occur with cerebral palsy (CP). Of the co morbidities associated with CP and spinal deformity, cardiac function is of theoretical concern. Objective The goal of our study was to determine the clinical relevance of routine preoperative cardiology evaluation via echocardiogram for patients with CP presenting for posterior spine fusion (PSF) surgery. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of CP patients presenting for scoliosis surgery. The data collected for each patient included: age, sex, height, weight, Cobb angle, and medical history. All patients had a preoperative cardiac evaluation. Results Seventy-two patients were included. The mean age was 13.6 ± 3.4 years. Left ventricular systolic function was normal in all patients; the mean shortening fraction was 39.3 ± 6.2%. No patient had more than mild insufficiency of either the semilunar or atrioventricular valve. One patient was diagnosed with aortic root dilation as well as aortic valve insufficiency. All patients had PSF surgery without changes in anesthetic or surgical plans, and no patient experienced complications attributable to a cardiac origin. Conclusion The results suggest that routine preoperative cardiology evaluation via echocardiogram for children with CP in the absence of clinical history or physical examination findings suggestive of cardiac disease is not necessary.
The Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor ARNO mediates the activation of ARF and phospholipase D by insulin

Phospholipase D (PLD) is involved in many signaling pathways. In most systems, the activity of PLD is primarily regulated by the members of the ADP-Ribosylation Factor (ARF) family of GTPases, but the mechanism of activation of PLD and ARF by extracellular signals has not been fully established. Here we tested the hypothesis that ARF-guanine nucleotide exchange factors (ARF-GEFs) of the cytohesin/ARNO family mediate the activation of ARF and PLD by insulin. Wild type ARNO transiently transfected in HIRcB cells was translocated to the plasma membrane in an insulin-dependent manner and promoted the translocation of ARF to the membranes. ARNO mutants: ΔCC-ARNO and CC-ARNO were partially translocated to the membranes while ΔPH-ARNO and PH-ARNO could not be translocated to the membranes. Sec7 domain mutants of ARNO did not facilitate the ARF translocation. Overexpression of wild type ARNO significantly increased insulin-stimulated PLD activity, and mutations in the Sec7 and PH domains, or deletion of the PH or CC domains inhibited the effects of insulin. Small ARF-GEFs of the cytohesin/ARNO family mediate the activation of ARF and PLD by the insulin receptor.
Estimation of gastric residence time of the heidelberg capsule in humans: Effect of varying food composition

In animal and human studies, the gastric emptying of large (greater than 1 mm) indigestible solids is due to the activity of the interdigestive migrating myoelectric complex. The gastric residence time (GRT) of an orally administered, nondigestible, pH-sensitive, radiotelemetric device (Heidelberg capsule) was evaluated in three studies in healthy volunteers. In 6 subjects, the GRT of the Heidelberg capsule was compared with the half-emptying time (t1/2) of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid labeled with technetium 99m after a 4-ml/kg liquid fatty meal. The mean (+/-SD) GRT (4.3 +/- 1.4 h) was significantly (p less than 0.001) longer than the mean t1/2 (1.1 +/- 0.3 h); the GRT was prolonged compared with the t1/2 in each subject. In a randomized, crossover trial in 10 subjects, frequent feeding caused a dramatic prolongation in mean GRT of the capsule compared with the fasting state (greater than 14.5 vs. 0.5 h, p less than 0.005). In another crossover study in 6 subjects, the GRT of the capsule was evaluated after an overnight fast, a standard breakfast including solid food, and a liquid meal (i.e., 200 ml of diluted light cream). The mean GRT was 2.6 +/- 0.9 h after the liquid meal vs. 1.2 +/- 0.8 h after fasting (p less than 0.025). The mean GRT after the breakfast was 4.8 +/- 1.5 h, which was significantly greater than that after fasting (p less than 0.001) and after the liquid meal (p less than 0.01). These data suggest that the GRT of the Heidelberg capsule is a marker of the interdigestive migrating myoelectric complex in humans, the interdigestive migrating myoelectric complex can be markedly delayed by frequent feedings with solids, and the interdigestive migrating myoelectric complex is delayed by both liquid and solid meals.
Food Restriction and Cholesterol Metabolism. Effect on Cholesterol Metabolism of Limiting the Time Food Is Accessible

How does omission of meals fit into a weight-reducing regimen which includes decreasing cholesterol deposition?
The clinical application of roentgen pelvimetry and a study of the results in 1,100 white women

Abstract Within the past decade the application of roentgen techniques to the study of the female bony pelvis has resulted in a definite revision of our views concerning the conformation of this structure and its relation to the process of childbirth. As a result of roentgen studies in adolescents and adults, we now possess certain knowledge of pelvic variations and this information permits their adequate description and ready identification. A comprehension of this newer knowledge is of importance to the obstetrician, for he will find advantages in applying it to many of his clinical problems. It is the purpose of this paper to endeavor to clarify the subject, to review its more important aspects and to survey certain data obtained from the study of a comparatively large group of primiparous patients in whom a roentgen survey of the pelvis has been made.
Semantically-enriched 3D models for common-sense knowledge

We identify and connect a set of physical properties to 3D models to create a richly-annotated 3D model dataset with data on physical sizes, static support, attachment surfaces, material compositions, and weights. To collect these physical property priors, we leverage observations of 3D models within 3D scenes and information from images and text. By augmenting 3D models with these properties we create a semantically rich, multi-layered dataset of common indoor objects. We demonstrate the usefulness of these annotations for improving 3D scene synthesis systems, enabling faceted semantic queries into 3D model datasets, and reasoning about how objects can be manipulated by people using weight and static friction estimates.
Abstract 206: Depletion of ovarian cancer initiating cells by a monoclonal antibody against ROR1

ROR1 is a type I orphan-receptor tyrosine-kinase-like surface protein that is expressed during embryogenesis and by various cancer cells, but not on normal adult tissues. Its expression is associated with less-well-differentiated tumors with high metastatic potential (Zhang et al Am J Pathol, 2012, PMCID 3509760; Cui et al Cancer Res, 2013, PMCID 3832210). We evaluated the expression of ROR1 in human ovarian cancers and examined the activity of newly developed anti-ROR1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs, e.g. UC-961) found to have activity against ROR1-expressing breast cancer cell lines and B-cell leukemias. We examined primary human ovarian cancer cells engrafted into immune-deficient NOD/scid mice (PDX) for human ROR1 expression and for phenotypic and functional characteristics of cancer-stem cells (CSC). In each tumor specimen, we observed different proportions of ROR1-expressing cells. Expression of ROR1 associated with markers of CSC, such as aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1). Moreover, the ROR1+ cells from any given PDX sample had a greater capacity to form spheroids in vitro and to engraft immune-deficient mice than did ROR1-negative cells isolated from the same tumor population. Treatment of ovarian cancer cells with the anti-ROR1 mAb UC-961, but not control IgG, reproducibly impaired their ability to form spheroids, and to engraft into immune-deficient NOD/scid mice. In subsequent studies, we isolated ALDH1+ and ALDH1- cells from the same PDX samples. As noted in prior studies (Ginestier et al Cell Stem Cell, 2007, PMCID 2423808), ALDH1+ cells engrafted more effectively than ALDH1- cells. However, treatment of ovarian cancer cells with the UC-961 mAb abrogated the difference in the capacity of ALDH1+ versus ALDH1- cells to engraft NOD/scid mice. Analysis of the few tumors that did develop in mice engrafted with UC-961-treated, but not control IgG-treated, tumor cells revealed that, compared to the original PDX tumor sample, these tumors had lower proportions of ALDH1+ cells and reduced expression of the polycomb ring finger oncogene, BMI1, and changed the expression level of markers associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (e.g. E-Cadherin and vimentin). Collectively, these studies indicate that expression of ROR1 is associated with CSC and that anti-ROR1 mAbs such as UC-961 can interfere with CSC function and self-renewal, suggesting that such biologics may be useful in the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer. Citation Format: Suping Zhang, Bing Cui, Hsien Lai, Grace Liu, Christina Wu, George Widhopf, Rongrong Wu, Fitzgerlad Lao, Richard Schwab, Dennis Carson, Thomas J. Kipps. Depletion of ovarian cancer initiating cells by a monoclonal antibody against ROR1. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 206. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-206
Demonstration of functional oxytocin receptors in human breast Hs578T cells and their up-regulation through a protein kinase C-dependent pathway

Oxytocin (OT) receptors (OTRs) have been demonstrated in a number of human breast tumors and tumor cells, but it was not clear whether the receptors were functional. We examined the regulation and function of OTR in a tumor cell line, Hs578T, derived from human breast. These cells expressed moderate levels of OTR when cultured in 10% FBS, as demonstrated by RT-PCR and binding analyses. Serum deprivation resulted in the loss of OTRs, with no effect on cell viability. Restoration of serum and addition of 1 microM dexamethasone (DEX) increased OTR levels by about 9-fold. Up-regulation was blocked by the addition of phospholipase C and PKC inhibitors. Serum/DEX treatment also increased steady state OTR messenger RNA levels. OT increased intracellular Ca2+ in a time- and dose-responsive manner, and the effects of OT were lost when OTRs were down-regulated by serum starvation. Serum/DEX up-regulation of OTR restored the responsiveness to OT. OT also stimulated ERK-2 (extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase) phosphorylation and PGE2 synthesis in Hs578T cells. In addition to showing that OTRs in the breast tumor cells are functional, these studies show that Hs578T cells can be used to study molecular regulation of OTR gene expression and intracellular signaling pathways stimulated by OT.
Circular dichroism study of supramolecular assemblies of guanosine 5'-monophosphate.

Concentration and temperature dependent studies of the circular dichroism of dianionic guanosine 5’-monophosphate (5’-GMP), where the cation was Na + , K + , or Rb + ion, were done to obtain information regarding the nature of the self-assembled 5’-GMP species in aqueous solution, including G-quartets and other structures. Concentrations in the 0.05 M – 0.85 M range and temperatures in the 5–50 °C range were used. At the highest concentrations and 5 °C, Na2(5’GMP) and K2(5’-GMP) formed a cholesteric phase, but Rb2(5’-GMP) did not. Evidence for antiparallel base stacking (stacked with opposite polarity; head to head) was observed for Rb2(5’GMP), but not for the Na + or K + salts. This structure, believed to be G-quartets, had a melting temperature of 15 °C and dissociated into a second associated species as the temperature increased. The latter was present to the greatest extent at ~40 °C and it is characterized by a prominent negative CD band at 306 nm, which may be indicative of an X-DNA type of structure (an expanded G-quartet) or base-stacked monomers or dimers. The same negative band appeared at 310 nm in the CD spectra of K2(5’-GMP) and Na2(5’-GMP), but was much less intense in the latter case. K2(5’-GMP) also formed a non-cholesteric phase containing at least two different species, one more stable at low temperatures and the other more stable at higher temperatures, similar to Rb2(5’-GMP). 1 H NMR spectroscopy was used to assist in the interpretation of the CD spectra.
A Novel Synthesis of Computational Approaches Enables Optimization of Grasp Quality of Tendon-Driven Hands

We propose a complete methodology to find the full set of feasible grasp wrenches and the corresponding wrench-direction-independent grasp quality for a tendon-driven hand with arbitrary design parameters. Monte Carlo simulations on two representative designs combined with multiple linear regression identified the parameters with the greatest potential to increase this grasp metric. This synthesis of computational approaches now enables the systematic design, evaluation, and optimization of tendon-driven hands.
Synthesis and Evaluation of Macrocyclic Transition State Analogue Inhibitors for α-Chymotrypsin

Lactams 1 and 2 are readily formed from acyclic precursors in the presence of trypsin and chymotrypsin, respectively, identifying the macrocyclic ring system as a potential motif for constrained transition state analogue inhibitors of the serine peptidases. Ketone 3 was synthesized and shown to be a modest inhibitor of chymotrypsin (Ki = 220 μM), albeit 4-fold more potent than the acyclic hydroxy acid 25 (Ki = 1.5 mM as a mixture of epimers). A precursor (31) to the amino boronic acid 4 was also prepared; although this derivative was a potent inhibitor of chymotrypsin (Ki = 130 nM) by virtue of the boronic acid moiety, it showed no advantage over the des-amino analogue 32 (Ki = 120 nM), which is not capable of cyclizing.
Primary Care and Equity in Health: The Importance to Effectiveness and Equity of Responsiveness to Peoples' Needs

A consensus exists that health systems undergirded by primary health care principles achieve better health and greater equity in health than systems with a specialty care orientation. Primary Health Care (as a set of principles and policies) and Primary Care (as a set of clinical functions) are now sufficiently well understood to define their components and facilitate measurement and evaluation. A key component is recognition, by the health system and by clinical practitioners, of the health related needs and problems of populations and patients, respectively. While “patient-centered” is touted as an important goal, there is little agreement on what it is, how it should be achieved, or how it is related to population health services. This paper reviews evidence for the benefits of primary care-oriented health systems and shows how “patient-focus” and “problem recognition” are key to successful primary health care. I argue for focusing on meeting peoples' needs, as expressed by them, rather than by profess...
Organization of unesterified cholesterol in high density lipoproteins probed by filipin

The initial rate of filipin association with unesterified cholesterol in high density lipoproteins (HDL) was measured by stopped-flow spectrophotometry to assess the roles played by apolipoproteins and phospholipids in modulating the surface exposure of cholesterol. The initial rate of filipin-unesterified cholesterol association was enhanced upon hydrolysis of the glycerophospholipids of human HDL3 by phospholipase A2. Rate enhancements were also observed following trypsin-catalyzed hydrolysis of apolipoprotein A-I in canine HDL and of apolipoproteins A-I and A-II in human HDL3. However, the initial rate of filipin-unesterified cholesterol association was not altered upon incubation of HDL3 with polymorphonuclear cells, which causes hydrolysis of apolipoprotein A-II but leaves apolipoprotein A-I intact. These results are consistent with the general structural model of HDL in which unesterified cholesterol, apolipoproteins and glycerophospholipids are presumed to be localized at the surface of the HDL particle. From these studies and from results indicating that the initial rate of filipin-unesterified association was enhanced in canine HDL hybrids in which 50% of the apolipoprotein A-I had been replaced by apolipoprotein A-II, we also conclude that apolipoprotein A-I in HDL is in closer proximity to unesterified cholesterol than apolipoprotein A-II. Thus, it appears that rapid kinetic measurements of filipin-cholesterol association may be useful in assessing the organization of unesterified cholesterol in serum lipoproteins.
"Classic" myelin basic proteins are expressed in lymphoid tissue macrophages.

"Classic" myelin basic proteins (MBPs) are demonstrated in lymph nodes of SJL mice by western blot and RT-PCR. Interestingly, expression of these "classic" MBPs was increased during the late relapsing phase of adoptive experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). When splenocytes from SJL mice were separated into macrophage versus B lymphocyte-enriched populations, intact MBP isoforms were demonstrated in the macrophage-enriched population while undetectable in the B lymphocyte-enriched population. RT-PCR demonstrated "classic" MBP transcripts in splenic macrophages, as well as in a macrophage cell line (RAW). The expression of "classic" MBPs in lymphoid tissue macrophages raises the possibility that MBP-specific T cells may be exposed to autoantigen outside the central nervous system (CNS).
Weighting for Period Perspective in Samples of the Homeless

For some sample-based studies of the homeless, it may be relevant to adopt a period perspective, in which analyses focus on the mix of persons who experience homelessness at least once during some period of time, not just the mix of persons at a point in time. Period perspective presumably can be enhanced by weights that account for the intermittent nature of homelessness, but such weighting invites implementation problems related to calculation, specifying the weighting model, measurement, and especially weight disparity. Some of these problems can be mitigated by a sample design that assures independence between selection and individual respondent behavior, but remaining difficulties, particularly weight variability, raise questions about how weighting should be used in this context.
PROPERTIES OF THE TRIANGULAR LATTICE GAS WITH REPULSIVE INTERACTIONS

The triangular lattice gas with repulsive nearest-neighbour interactions serves as a model for some adsorbed systems. We have applied renormalization-group methods to this model and obtained its phase diagram which is compared to that of He4 adsorbed on grafoil. Calculated values of the specific heat, with no adjustable parameters, agree remarkably well with experiment near the critical temperature and below.
Identification and synthesis of Trinorcadalene Phytoalexins formed by Hibiscus cannabinus in honour of Professor G. H. Neil Towers 75th birthday

Abstract Two trinorcadalene phytoalexins, hibiscanal (2,8-dihydroxy-4,7-dimethoxy-6-methyl-1-naphthaldehyde) and o -hibiscanone (3,8-dimethyl-1,2-naphthoquinone), were isolated and identified from stem stele of kenaf ( Hibiscus cannabinus ) inoculated with the fungal pathogen Verticillium dahliae . o -Hibiscanone also was synthesized. The ED 50 values of hibiscanal and o -hibiscanone against V. dahliae were 25.83 and 1.18 μ g\ml, respectively. o -Hibiscanone killed all propagules of V. dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum at 8 μ g\ml and 12 μ g\ml, respectively. o -Hibiscanone is more toxic to V. dahliae than desoxyhemigossypol, the most toxic phytoalexin known in cotton ( Gossypium species), or mansonone C (3,8-dimethyl-5-isopropyl-1,2-naphthoquinone) which has been isolated from other malvaceous species. The implications of these findings for the genetic engineering of cotton phytoalexins is discussed.
Mice with Mitochondrial Complex I Deficiency Develop a Fatal Encephalomyopathy

To study effects of mitochondrial complex I (CI, NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) deficiency, we inactivated the Ndufs4 gene, which encodes an 18 kDa subunit of the 45-protein CI complex. Although small, Ndufs4 knockout (KO) mice appeared healthy until approximately 5 weeks of age, when ataxic signs began, progressing to death at approximately 7 weeks. KO mice manifested encephalomyopathy including a retarded growth rate, lethargy, loss of motor skill, blindness, and elevated serum lactate. CI activity in submitochondrial particles from KO mice was undetectable by spectrophotometric assays. However, CI-driven oxygen consumption by intact tissue was about half that of controls. Native gel electrophoresis revealed reduced levels of intact CI. These data suggest that CI fails to assemble properly or is unstable without NDUFS4. KO muscle has normal morphology but low NADH dehydrogenase activity and subsarcolemmal aggregates of mitochondria. Nonetheless, total oxygen consumption and muscle ATP and phosphocreatine concentrations measured in vivo were within normal parameters.
What bothers caregivers of stroke victims

Caregivers of brain-impaired persons report that the caregiving experience often is stressful to them. The caregiving stress model has been based primarily on stress associated with caring for persons with Alzheimer's disease. Relatively little information is available on stressors for caregivers of stroke victims, however, who could be expected to have different stressors based on the different underlying pathology. Caregivers of persons with stroke therefore were asked to respond to the Brain Impairment Behavior Inventory (BIBI) and the companion Brain Impairment Behavior Bother Scale (BIBBS) and to list the three most important stressors for them. The behaviors of the persons with stroke which were most stressful for this sample of caregivers were irritability, dependence with resulting caregiver confinement and immature behavior. Nursing interventions targeted toward alleviating the stress caused by these behaviors could include investigation of treatable causes of brain dysfunction, a search for triggers for irritability and bad temper, and use of community-based support systems such as stroke clubs.
An Essential Methionine Residue Involved in Substrate Binding by Phosphofructokinases

Abstract An alignment of all PPi-dependent phosphofructokinases and all allosteric ATP-dependent PFKs shows relatively few residues that are fully conserved. One residue that is conserved is a methionine residue that appears from the crystal structure of Escherichia coli PFK to be interacting with fructose 6-P. Very conservative substitutions for this methionine with leucine or isoleucine by site-directed mutagenesis of E. coli ATP-PFK and Entamoeba histolytica PPi-PFK produced profound decreases either in the apparent affinity for fructose 6-P or in maximal velocity, or both. Methionine provides a highly specific interaction with fructose 6-P for binding and for transition state stabilization.
Using pair approximations to predict takeover dynamics in spatially structured populations

The topological properties of a network directly impact the flow of information through a system. For example, in natural populations, the network of inter-individual contacts affects the rate of flow of infectious disease. Similarly, in evolutionary systems, the topological properties of the underlying population structure affect the rate of flow of genetic information, and thus affect selective pressure. One commonly employed method for quantifying the influence of the population structure on selective pressure is through the analysis of takeover time. In this study, we reformulate takeover time analysis in terms of the well-known Susceptible-Infectious-Susceptible (SIS) model of disease spread. We then adapt an analytical technique, called the pair approximation, to provide a general model of takeover dynamics. We compare the results of this model to simulation data on a total of six regular population structures and discuss the strengths and limitations of the approximation.
Membrane-to-cytosol redistribution of ECF sigma factor AlgU and conversion to mucoidy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from cystic fibrosis patients

The conversion to mucoid phenotype in Pseudomonas aeruginosa during chronic infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) is due to mutations in the algU mucABCD gene cluster. This cluster encodes an extreme stress response system conserved in Gram-negative bacteria. The system includes an ECF sigma factor, AlgU (sigmaE), an inner membrane protein, MucA, which inhibits AlgU activity, and MucB, a periplasmic protein that negatively controls AlgU. In this work, we investigated whether and how these factor interact to transduce signals between different cellular compartments. The mutation mucADeltaG440, which renders a large fraction of P. aeruginosa CF isolates mucoid, did not abrogate AlgU-MucA interactions, although it eliminated MucA-MucB interactions in the yeast two-hybrid system. The mucADeltaG440 truncation of the periplasmic C-terminal tail of MucA destabilized the molecule resulting in low or undetectable steady-state levels in P. aeruginosa. Somewhat reduced levels of MucA were also seen in cells with inactivated mucB or with the mucACF53 allele carrying the missense P184S mutation, which mildly affected interactions with MucB. The events downstream from MucA destabilization were also investigated. AlgU was found to associate with inner membranes in mucA+ cells. In mutants destabilizing MucA, a limited redistribution of AlgU from the membrane to the cytosol was observed. The redistribution was spontaneous in mucADeltaG440 cells, while in mucB and mucACF53 mutants it required additional signals. Despite a large reduction in MucA levels in mucADeltaG440 cells, only a small fraction of AlgU was redistributed to the cytosol and a significant portion of this sigma factor remained membrane bound and behaved as a peripheral inner membrane protein. The fraction of AlgU that depended on MucA for association with the membrane also brought RNA polymerase into this compartment. These results are consistent with a model in which MucB-MucA-AlgU-RNA polymerase interactions at the membrane allow transduction of potentially lethal stress signals with both rapid reaction times of the preassembled complexes and efficient resupply at the membrane from the prebound components.
Fission-track evidence of the cenozoic thermal history of the Idaho batholith

Abstract Apatite and zircon fission-track data are combined with published KAr biotite dates from the Idaho batholith to outline the Cenozoic thermal history of central Idaho. Apatite apparent ages reveal that parts of the batholith have been at temperatures below 100 ° C for over 50 Ma, suggesting that much of the batholith has remained at shallow crustal levels throughout Cenozoic time. Eocene plutonism and attendant hydrothermal circulation resulted in thermal resetting of apatite and zircon dates from near the plutons. Concordant zircon and biotite dates indicate that hydrothermal systems associated with Eocene plutonism operated at shallow crustal levels, so that cooling occurred rapidly as geothermal activity waned. The calculated depth to the 105 ° C apatite annealing isotherm suggests that as much as 3 km of erosion has occurred in deep canyons during the last 10 Ma, presumably associated with final erosion of the batholith following the establishment of drainage at low elevation along the Snake River Plain.
Steric-model for activation of muscle thin filaments

The structural basis of thin filament-linked regulation of muscle contraction is not yet understood. Here we have used electron microscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction to observe the effects of Ca2+ and myosin head binding on thin filament structure, especially on the position of tropomyosin. Thin filaments isolated in EGTA were treated with Ca2+ or myosin heads (S-1) and negatively stained. Tropomyosin strands were directly visualized in electron micrographs, and distinct EGTA, Ca2+ and S-1-dependent positions were apparent in reconstructions. By fitting reconstructions to the atomic model of F-actin, clusters of amino acids on actin lying beneath tropomyosin were defined under each set of conditions. In the presence of Ca2+, tropomyosin moved 25° away from its low Ca2+ position, exposing most, but not all, of the previously blocked myosin-binding sites. Saturation of filaments with myosin heads produced a further 10° shift in tropomyosin position, thereby exposing the entire myosin-binding site. Our results thus suggest that full switching-on of thin filaments by reversal of steric-blocking requires both Ca2+ and the binding of myosin heads, acting in sequence. By using filaments which were partially decorated with heads, tropomyosin movement was shown to be cooperative, and the size of the actin-tropomyosin cooperative unit was estimated directly. Our results provide direct structural support for previous models of thin filament activation based on kinetics of actin-myosin interaction.
Parents' Adoption of Social Communication Intervention Strategies: Families Including Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Who Are Minimally Verbal.

Notably absent from the intervention literature are parent training programs targeting school-aged children with autism who have limited communication skills (Tager-Flusberg and Kasari in Autism Res 6:468-478, 2013). Sixty-one children with autism age 5-8 with minimal spontaneous communication received a 6-month social communication intervention including parent training. Parent-child play interactions were coded for parents' strategy implementation and children's time jointly engaged (Adamson et al. in J Autism Dev Disord 39:84-96, 2009). Parents mastered an average of 70% of the strategies. Further analyses indicated some gains in implementation occurred from mere observation of sessions, while the greatest gains occurred in the first month of active coaching and workshops. Children's joint engagement was associated with parents' implementation success across time demonstrating parents' implementation was relevant to children's social engagement.
Enculturation of Korean American Adolescents Within Familial and Cultural Contexts: The Mediating Role of Ethnic Identity*

The purpose of the present study was to test a socialization model in which ethnic identity mediated the relationship between 3 domains of family processes and 1 key aspect of enculturation: native language fluency. Data from a sample of 112 Korean American adolescents living in the Midwest revealed that adolescent ethnic identity partially mediated the influence of family cohesion on their Korean language fluency. Findings suggest that ethnic identity may serve as a mechanism through which family relations influence adolescents' native language fluency. Implications for adolescent and family adaptation are discussed within an ecological framework, including potential strategies for strengthening ethnic identity.
Mental Imagery in Career Counseling and Life Planning: A Review of Research and Intervention Methods

The use of imagery in career counseling and life planning continues to increase just as the use of imagery in counseling and psychotherapy increases. The rationale for using imagery in career counseling and life planning is the same as in counseling and psychotherapy: It allows the client and counselor to bring into awareness unconscious material that is already influencing choices and makes this material usable in future planning. Imagey also allows the client to try on alternative roles. Several studies are cited that indicate that the imagery components of daydreams and fantasies are useful tools for career exploration and life planning when they are accessible to clients and properly processed. Relevant counseling applications and research studies are cited. Some recent tools for eliciting and processing these daydreams and fantasies are presented, and limits as well as benefits of techniques are discussed.
Serotonin-containing terminals synapse on septohippocampal neurons in the rat.

Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] is thought to be involved in mnemonic functions and dysfunctions possibly by directly contacting neurons in the medicl septal and diagonal band nuclei (i.e., the septal complex) that project to the hippocampal formation. However, there is no cellular substrate for this modulation. Thus, we examined the ultrastructure and synaptic association of 5-HT-containing terminals in relation to septohippocampal neurons in the septal complex of the rat brain. Projection neurons were identified by retrograde transport of wheat germ agglutinated apo-horseradish perodidase conjugated to colloidal gold particles (WANG) following an injection into the ventral hippocampal formation of uneashetized adult rats. After a 1 day survival, setions through the septal complex were labeled with antibodies to 5-HT immunoreactivity (5-HT-I) were observed in close proximity to neurons containing retogardely transported WAHG. By electron microscopy, 5-HT-I immunoreacitity (5-HT-I) were observed in close proximity to neurons containing retrogadely transported WAHG. By electron microscopy, 5-HT-I was found exclusively in axons and axon terminals. Axons were primarily unmyelinated. Terminals with 5-HT-I were 0.35–1.2 μm in diameter and contained numerous small, clear vesicles and 0–4 large, dense-core vesicles. The 5-HT-labeled terminals: (1) contacted perikarya and dendrites (220 of 349); (2) were closely apposed to other terminals (25 of 349); or (3) had no neuronal contacts in the plane of section analyzed (104 of 349). The 5-HT-labeled terminals formed exclusively symmetric synases on perikarya; some of these perikarya as well as some large dendrites similarly contacted by the 5-HT-labeled terminals also contained WAHG affiliated with lysosomes and multivesicular and “sequestration” bodies in the cytoplasm. However, the majority of terminals with 5-HT-I formed contacts on the shafts of small unlabeled dendrites (69% of 220); most of these were characterized as either asymmetric synapses or appositions not separated by astrocytes in the plane of section analyzed. We conclude that 5-HT-containing terminals in the rat septal complex: (1) directly modulate septohippocampal and other neurons through symmetric (potentially inhibitory) synapses on soma and proximal dendrites; and (2) form primarily asymmetric (potentially excitatory) synapses with distal (small) dendrites from neurons of unidentified origin. These findings suggest that serotonin may affect learning and memory through modulation of septal efferents to the hippocampal formation and may have direct relevance to the neuropathological basis for Alzheimer's disease. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Oxygen adsorption on a single-grain, quasicrystal surface

Abstract Oxygen adsorbs on the five-fold surface of Al 70 Pd 21 Mn 9 . A chemisorbed phase, possibly in or below the surface plane, serves as a precursor to oxidation of Al. This chemisorbed phase destroys the quasiperiodicity of the surface. The major features of oxygen adsorption and oxidation are similar in the temperature range 105–500 K, but are different at 870 K, where Al segregates strongly to the surface. We postulate that Al segregation is driven by the exothermicity of its oxide, which is higher than that of the other constituents of this alloy. At all temperatures, the oxide layer is passivating (under the conditions of these experiments), is quite thin ( ⪅ 10 A ) and is thermally stable (at least upon heating to 870 K). The oxidation characteristics of this quasicrystal are broadly similar to those of its major constituent, Al, with the possible exception of the oxygen sticking coefficient.
P03-019 - Anakinra for sweet syndrome treatment

Sweet syndrome (SS) is a rare autoinflamamtory neutrophilic dermatosis, sometimes associated with hematologic malignancies. We describe two cases of SS related to hematologic diseases successfully treated with an interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist (Anakinra).