cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinicopathologic study of 61 patients with ependymoma including MIB-1 immunohistochemistry

Predicting behavior based on histologic appearance has been problematic in ependymomas. Sixty-one patients with ependymoma (excluding subependymoma and myxopapillary ependymoma) were studied. The patients included 36 men and ranged in age from 1.5 to 74 years (median, 33 years). The most common clinical presentations included headache (n = 19), weakness (n = 18), nausea/vomiting (n = 12), and gait disturbance (n = 10). Location included spinal cord (n = 24), fourth ventricle (n = 21), lateral ventricle (n = 8), and third ventricle (n = 5). Initial surgery included a gross total resection of tumor in 22 patients and subtotal resection or biopsy in the remaining patients. Thirty-five patients were known to have been treated with adjuvant radiation therapy and 13 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy. At last known follow-up, 20 patients were alive with no evidence of tumor (median, 66.5 months), 17 patients were alive with residual tumor (median, 14 months), and 12 patients died of tumor (median, 27.5 months). Two additional patients are alive with tumor status not known, two cases are current, and two patients were lost to follow-up. The additional six patients died either shortly after surgery or of surgical complications. Sixteen of 18 patients had at least one tumor recurrence at median 28.5 months. Fifty-one tumors had a predominantly glial pattern and 10 had a mixed glial-epithelial pattern. Of histologic features examined, patients with tumor recurrence or who died of tumor more frequently had observable mitotic figures, vascular proliferation, necrosis, and foci of increased cellularity. Eight of 18 recurrent tumors were classified as high grade ependymomas (anaplastic/malignant). Of patients who died of tumor, 4 of 12 had histologically high grade tumors versus 5 of 39 of the remaining tumors. MIB-1 immunostaining (marker of cell proliferation) was performed on 50 tumors. MIB-1 labeling indices (% positive tumor cell nuclei) ranged from 0.1 to 34.0 (median, 1.1). A higher percentage of patients with recurrent tumor (6 of 13, 46%) or who died of tumor (3 of 10, 30%) had MIB-1 indices ≥4.0 versus the remaining patients (8 of 33, 24%). The conclusions are as follows: (1) histologic appearance and MIB-1 indices were not reliably predictive of tumor behavior, probably due in part to tumor heterogeneity; (2) tumors with two or more of the following features:identifiable mitotic figures, hypercellularity, vascular proliferation, and necrosis were more likely to behave in an aggressive manner; and (3) elevated MIB-1 labeling indices (≥4.0 in this study) were encountered in a higher percentage of fatal and recurrent tumors than in nonfatal or nonrecurrent tumors.
Training periodic sequences using Fourier series error criterion

Training a network to learn a set of periodic input/output sequences effectively makes the network learn a mapping between amplitudes and phases in Fourier space. The spectral backpropagation (SBP) training algorithm is a different way of doing this task. It measures the Fourier series components of the output error sequences and minimizes the total spectral energy as an adaptation criterion. This approach can train not only the weights but also time delays associated with the interconnects. Furthermore, the cells can have finite bandwidth via a first-order low-pass filter. Having adaptable time delays gives the SBP algorithm a powerful way to control the phase characteristics of the network.
Escherichia coli 3′-terminal 16S rRNA sequence modulated fidelity during translation

The ribosome is a central component of the protein synthetic apparatus. Although progress has been made in characterizing the functional role of many of the ribosomal proteins, the properties of ribosomal RNA and its role in ribosome structure and function are not well understood. To investigate the working properties of the highly conserved 3'-end of 16S rRNA, a site-specific deletion was made directly within the 16S rRNA molecule. The terminal deletion did not impair in vitro 30S subunit assembly, but the particles produced lost translational fidelity in an in vitro translation system primed with natural mRNA.
Carbon Dioxide in the Seawater under the Arctic Ice

THE oceans act as both sources and sinks for the carbon dioxide in the air. A partial pressure of CO2 in the water is established which depends on its physical, chemical and biological properties. Carbon dioxide in the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean was measured by Keeling et al.1, who found high concentrations relative to the atmospheric CO2 in a broad belt near the equator. At higher latitudes in the Central Pacific Ocean, concentrations were nearly in equilibrium with the atmosphere, or slightly lower. In order to interpret the role of CO2 in the surface waters of the world's oceans, and its effects on the atmosphere, it is necessary to extend these observations into the polar seas.
Charles lyell, geologic change and Causes now in operation

Charles Lyell's philosophy of science required uniformity of law, kind and degree as a priori methodological assumptions. Lyell adhered to a philosophy of science most authoritatively articulated in his time by the astronomer John F. W. Herschel. His strict interpretation of Herschel's version of the verae causae doctrine necessitated uniformity of kind and uniformity of degree. These methodological assumptions placed severe constraints on Lyell, which he loosened by using what William Whewell termed the method of gradation to extend "now" into the remote geologic past. Lyell believed that known processes operating at present intensities could effect enormous changes either when summed over long periods of time or when acting in unique situations. He clearly recognized the concept of recurrence interval and allowed the intensity of "causes now in operation" to vary to almost any degree so long as the variation was cyclic, not directional. Lyell may have been wrong in assuming uniformity of degree, but he ...
“Coherent Arbitrariness”: Stable Demand Curves Without Stable Preferences

In six experiments we show that initial valuations of familiar products and simple hedonic experiences are strongly influenced by arbitrary “anchors” (sometimes derived from a person’s social security number). Because subsequent valuations are also coherent with respect to salient differences in perceived quality or quantity of these products and experiences, the entire pattern of valuations can easily create an illusion of order, as if it is being generated by stable underlying preferences. The experiments show that this combination of coherent arbitrariness (1) cannot be interpreted as a rational response to information, (2) does not decrease as a result of experience with a good, (3) is not necessarily reduced by market forces, and (4) is not unique to cash prices. The results imply that demand curves estimated from market data need not reveal true consumer preferences, in any normatively significant sense of the term.
Attitudes of college students towards computers: A comparative study in the United States and the Middle East

Abstract The trend towards global computer-based systems and concerns about the issues associated with transborder data flows raise the need for an understanding of the perceptions and attitudes towards computers of people in different countries. This paper describes computer attitudes of college students from two geographic areas — the United States and Kuwait. The 20-statement Computer Attitude Scale (CAS; Nickell & Pinto, 1986) was used to collect responses of the students. Two hundred eighty-six students from a private university in the United States and 130 students from the University of Kuwait participated in the study. Scores on the CAS were found to be significantly different between students from the two countries. Scores were also found to be related to certain cultural and background characteristics of students in each country.
On mechanosensation, acto/myosin interaction, and hypertrophy.

Current concepts of mechanosensation are general and applicable to almost every cell type. However, striated muscle cells are distinguished by their ability to generate strong forces via actin/myosin interaction, and this process is fine-tuned for optimum contractility. This aspect, unique for actively contracting cells, may be defined as “sensing of the magnitude and dynamics of contractility,” as opposed to the well-known concepts of the “perception of extracellular mechanical stimuli.” The acto/myosin interaction, by producing changes in ATP, ADP, Pi, and force on a millisecond timescale, may be regarded as a novel and previously unappreciated mechanosensory mechanism. In addition, sarcomeric mechanosensory structures, such as the Z-disc, are directly linked to autophagy, survival, and cell death–related pathways. One emerging example is telethonin and its ability to interfere with p53 metabolism and hence apoptosis (mechanoptosis). In this article, we introduce contractility per se as an important mechanosensory mechanism, and we differentiate extracellular from intracellular mechanosensory effects.
Interactions between hemoglobin and organic phosphates investigated with 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and ultrafiltration.

Abstract 1. 1.|The chemical shifts (σ) of the phosphates of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were determined by phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance ( 31P NMR ) spectroscopy and were found to be displaced downfield following the addition of hemoglobin (3 mM) to a solution of either diphosphoglycerate (5 mM) or ATP (1 mM). 2. 2.|The binding of these compounds to hemoglobin was also determined by membrane ultrafiltration. A direct relationship was observed between the change in chemical shift (Δσ) of the 2-p and 3-p of diphosphoglycerate and the percent diphosphoglycerate bound, when the latter was varied by altering pH, oxygenation state, or total diphosphoglycerate concentration. 3. 3.|In comparable studies with ATP binding, a linear relationship between the Δσ values of the γ -, β -, and α-P of ATP and the percent ATP bound was not observed when the data from all of the experiments were plotted. NMR signals were not detectible in deoxyhemoglobin solutions containing 1 mM ATP but were seen in solutions containing 3.8mM ATP. 4. 4.|The results indicate that 31P NMR spectroscopy is a promising tool for investigating organic phosphate interactions with hemoglobin.
A Hierarchical Molecular Phylogeny within the Genus Daphnia

The nucleotide sequences of two mitochondrial DNA regions were used to determine phylogenetic relationships in the genus Daphnia (water fleas), a group for which systematics are historically unstable. A portion of the small ribosomal RNA was used to reconstruct higher-level relationships among species, while a portion of the more rapidly evolving control region was used to reconstruct lower-level relationships among populations. Two unexpected results were obtained. First, the subgeneric status of Ctenodaphnia falls into uncertainty on the basis of the failure of the 12S rRNA sequences to support these species as comprising an outgroup to the remainder of Daphnia species. Second, the high similarity of 12S rRNA sequences of Daphnia pulex and Daphnia pulicaria samples, coupled with the dual paraphyly of these samples as reconstructed from control-region analysis, suggests that they are two clonotype constellations within the same species complex. A combination of a variety of ecological influences has apparently resulted in the evolution of sets of Daphnia genotypes that are genetically cohesive despite their phenotypic divergence.
The basic trypsin inhibitor of bovine pancreas. X. Two-step preparation procedure.

Abstract The method of preparation of basic pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (Kunitz) starting with the mother liquor remaining after the crystallization of trypsin (fraction E of Kunitz) has been simplified to two essential steps. In the first step the dialyzed material is passed through a Dowex 1-X2 column at pH 10. The material that passed through is composed predominantly of trypsin-trypsin inhibitor complex, which is readily crystallizable. In the second step the material from Step 1 is passed through Sephadex G-50 at pH 1.7. This separates trypsin (partially autolyzed as well as active) from the inhibitor. The latter crystallizes readily.
An inexpensive, high performance plotter interface for a laboratory-based minicomputer

Abstract Using the common logic approach of construction which will support several additional interfaces, an inexpensive, high performance interface for a TTL compatible digital plotter has been implemented. The use of this interface with a Data General Corporation NOVA 1200 computer is reported, and the design modifications necessary for operation with Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-8 computers are described.
Medical Problems Associated with Addiction to Opioid Drugs

Opioid drugs include opium and all its mixtures, its derivatives, and related synthetic compounds. They are all narcotics and they produce drug addiction of the same general variety. The important phenomena of tolerance, physical dependence and emotional dependence are responsible for many of the medical problems associated with their use. Medical disorders are especially common among heroin addicts, since heroin is only obtainable illegally and at high expense, and it is usually administered intravenously by the addict himself or a fellow addict. Medical disorders commonly seen among addicts include serum hepatitis, venereal diseases, malnutrition, skin infections with residual scars, superficial venous thrombosis, abscess formation of the skin and of internal organs, amenorrhea, fungus diseases of the skin, respiratory diseases (pneumonia, tuberculosis, bronchial asthma), psychosomatic disorders, periodontal disease and dental caries.
Imaging of Coronary Artery Anomalies

Abstract Coronary artery anomalies (CAA) are uncommon congenital variations in coronary anatomy, occurring in 0.2% to 1.2% of the general population, the majority of which are detected incidentally and have little clinical significance. A minority of CAA, primarily due to an interarterial course, is clinically significant, and may present with symptoms of myocardial ischemia, malignant ventricular arrhythmias, and even sudden cardiac death. Until recently, CAA were primarily detected at catheter coronary angiography. With recent advances in multidetector computed tomography (CT) technology and the use of electrocardiographic gating, coronary CT angiography provides an exquisite omnidimensional display of the anomalous coronary arteries and their relation to the adjacent structures noninvasively, and is the diagnostic test of choice. Understanding CAA morphology and clinical significance of CAA is important for establishing a diagnosis, and is essential for appropriate patient management and treatment planning.
Condensation of vapor in the presence of a noncondensable gas at low pressures

Abstract Satisfactory agreement of the theoretical and experimental results of the condensation phenomenon at low pressures and densities has not been achieved up to the present time [1]. One influence is the presence of noncondensable gases. The general tendency in the modelling of the condensation process is to improve the theoretical models with the aid of the Boltzmann equation set for the vapor/gas mixtures, resulting in the use of simplified mathematical forms of the equation. Another possible technique to solve the problem is to provide a computer analog with an approximate relationship to the real flow which models the physical processes included in condensation without direct reference to the Boltzmann equation. This technique is employed by the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. In this work the condensation of a monatomic metal vapor at low pressures and densities is studied in the presence of a noncondensable gas with different partial pressures. A direct simulation Monte Carlo technique similar to that used with pure vapor has been used to study the effect of a noncondensable gas on the condensation mass flux to the surface of condensation.
Na+/H+ exchange is increased in sickle cell anemia and young normal red cells.

Red cell volume regulation is important in sickle cell anemia because the rate and extent of HbS polymerization are strongly dependent on initial hemoglobin concentration. We have demonstrated that volume-sensitive K:Cl cotransport is highly active in SS whole blood and is capable of increasing MCHC. We now report that Na+/H+ exchange (Na/H EXC), which is capable of decreasing the MCHC of erythrocytes with pHi less than 7.2, is also very active in the blood of patients homozygous for HbS. The activity of Na/H EXC (maximum rate) was determined by measuring net Na+ influx (mmol/liter cell.hr = FU) driven by an outward H+ gradient in oxygenated, acid-loaded (pHi6.0), DIDS-treated SS cells. The Na/H EXC activity was 33 +/- 3 FU (mean +/- SE) (n = 19) in AA whites, 37 +/- 8 FU (n = 8) in AA blacks, and 85 +/- 15 FU (n = 14) in SS patients (P less than 0.005). Separation of SS cells into four density-defined fractions by density gradient revealed mean values of Na/H EXC four to five times higher in reticulocytes (SS1), discocytes (SS2) and dense discocytes (SS3), than in the fraction containing irreversibly sickled cells and dense discocytes (SS4). In contrast to K:Cl cotransport, which dramatically decreases after reticulocyte maturation, Na/H EXC persists well after reticulocyte maturation. In density-defined, normal AA red cells, Na/H EXC decreased monotonically as cell density increased. In SS and AA red cells, the magnitude of stimulation of Na/H EXC by cell shrinkage varied from individual to individual.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Monitoring American Marten on the East-side of the North Cascades of Washington

Abstract We used track plates to monitor American Marten (Martes americana) over 2 field seasons in 2003 and 2004 to test the efficacy of applying this technique to Late-Successional Reserves on the east side of the North Cascades. We stratified our sample area into wet and dry late-successional forest habitats in order to account for differences in habitat structure, disturbance regimes, and forest management strategies. We detected no Marten during either year in the dry-forest habitats. In the wet-forest habitats, detection rates were 0.29 in 2003 and 0.73 in 2004. The latency to detection in the wet-forest habitats was 5.5 d (s = 3.1) in 2003 and 5.6 d (s = 3.8) in 2004. The corrected probability of detection at a survey unit in the wet-forest habitat was 0.26 in 2003 and 0.42 in 2004. We then used the variability from our 2 sample years to estimate sample size requirements for different levels of power to detect changes in our abundance indices. Our study indicates that conservation efforts for the A...
Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy of Mott-Hubbard States on the 6H-SiC(0001) √3 × √3 Surface

Scanning tunneling spectra have been measured on the 6H-SiC(0001)√3 × √3 surface for both pand n-type material. With the use of exceptionally low tunnel currents, the tunneling spectra reveal distinct bands of empty and filled states, separated by 2.0 eV. The states are located at the same spatial position, thereby supporting a silicon adatom model which predicts a Mott-Hubbard type density of states. Silicon carbide is a wide bandgap semiconductor with properties that make it useful in high temperature electronics and other areas. SiC crystals exist with various stacking arrangements of the atomic planes; of particular interest are the cubic 3C polytype and hexagonal 4H and 6H polytypes. Much work has been done on characterizing the 6H-SiC (0001) surface as a surface suitable for epitaxy and device development. Several workers have studied the atomic structure of the surface using the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) [1,2]. A set of reconstructions of the Si terminated (0001) surface has been discovered, one of which, the √3 × √3, has evoked much experimental [3-5] and theoretical [6-9] interest. Theoretically, the lowest energy model for this reconstruction consists of Si adatoms at T4 positions on a Si terminated bulk crystal. Here, three of the Si adatom bonding orbitals are backbonded to Si atoms. The fourth bonding orbital extends into vacuum with only one electron in it. Local density functional calculations for this structural model [6,8] predict a half-filled, and hence metallic band arising from the dangling bond. More refined computations [7] performed after the photoemission [4] and inverse photoemission [5] spectra became available, employed a two-dimensional Hubbard model. These calculations indicate that the energy levels of this surface consist of a filled and an empty band, separated by a Hubbard gap of U=1.6 eV, thus producing a semiconducting density of states (DOS). Such a surface would have at each site a single localized electron, forming a 2-D system of spins which can take two values on a triangular lattice. This problem is of great theoretical interest because such systems can be frustrated and form 2-D spin glasses. This structure has been questioned in the literature, and several alternatives have been proposed [1,3,10,11] but experimental results to date are unable to distinguish between these models. Photoemission spectroscopy (PES) experiments on n-type 6H-SiC (0001) wafers which show a √3 × √3 low energy electron diffraction (LEED) pattern reveal a fully-filled band 1.2 eV below the Fermi level [4]. Inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) [5] on the same surface shows an empty surface state 1.1 eV above the Fermi level. Both these results are in moderate agreement with recent theoretical predictions of a Mott-Hubbard ground state for this surface [7]
A Recombinant Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Expressing Two Additional Copies of gK Is More Pathogenic than Wild-Type Virus in Two Different Strains of Mice

The effect of glycoprotein K (gK) overexpression on herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in two different strains of mice was evaluated using a recombinant HSV-1 virus that expresses two additional copies of the gK gene in place of the latency-associated transcript (LAT). This mutant virus (HSV-gK3) expressed higher levels of gK than either the wild-type McKrae virus or the parental dLAT2903 virus both in vitro (in cultured cells) and in vivo (in infected mouse corneas and trigeminal ganglia [TG] of BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice). gK transcripts were detected in the TG of both HSV-gK3-infected mouse strains on day 30 postinfection (p.i.), while gB transcripts were detected only in the TG of the HSV-gK3-infected C57BL/6 mice, a finding that suggests that increased gK levels promote chronic infection. C57BL/6 mice infected with HSV-gK3 also contained free virus in their TG on day 30 p.i. Both HSV-gK3-infected mouse strains had significantly higher corneal scarring (CS) than did McKrae-infected mice. T-cell depletion studies in C57BL/6 mice suggested that this CS enhancement in the HSV-gK3-infected mice was mediated by a CD8+ T-cell response. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that increased gK levels promote eye disease and chronic infection in infected mice.
Vaccination of cattle against bovine schistosomosis: current status and future prospects: a review

Bovine schistosomosis, caused by Schistosoma bovis, constitutes a serious veterinary problem in many parts of the world. The vaccination approaches for the control of bovine schistosomosis include the use of irradiation-attenuated S. bovis cercarial or schistosomular vaccines, S. bovis adult worms or whole-egg antigens and defined antigen vaccine. Irradiated S. bovis cercarial or schistosomular vaccines provide partial protection against S. bovis intkction. However, this type of vaccine requires live infectious cercariae or viable schistosomula for induction of protection. Unfortunately, experimental immunizations with dead schistosome antigens have been largely unsuccessful. The surge of new techniques in cellular immunology and molecular biology has made possible the development of potential candidate vaccine antigens from various species of schistosomes including S. bovis. The efficiency of these vaccines has been evaluated in experimentally infected calves. These vaccines will probably replace the irradiated S. bovis vaccines. A broad-spectrum antischistosome vaccine which can kill a variety of human and animal schistosome species is yet to be produced.
Trade Weiss‐Rosmarin: Rebel with a cause

A German‐born immigrant Jewish woman with a doctorate, a facile tongue, and a new husband, embarked on the road to magazine publishing with the only independent magazine of Jewish ideas in America in 1935. It quickly became the highly critical, creative but controversial publication of intellectuals, covering the whole spectrum of American‐Jewish life. The focus of Jewish survival in an assimilationist milieu, events of historic import in this century, and the role of Jewish women are analyzed. Trude Weiss, reared in an assimilationist German household, earned the title of “rebel” at an early age. She studied with Martin Buber and Franz Rosenzweig at the famous Jewish institution for “enlightened” education, the Lehrhaus. She also came under the influence of Bertha Pappenheim (who was a patient of Freud), and others involved in the German feminist movement. She and her rabbi‐Ph.D. husband began a school of adult education for Jewish women in New York City. Soon they added a newsletter, which grew into a m...
On the gamut of colors seen through birefringent airplane windows.

Colors in birefringent airplane windows seen through polarizing filters are not especially pure nor are all colors equally probable. This is a consequence of the shape of transmission vs wavelength for a retarder–polarizer combination illuminated by partially polarized skylight. Although transmission can have a single peak in the blue or green, a peak in the red is accompanied by one in the blue. This and the general blueness of skylight are why the purest colors seen in airplane windows are greens, yellowish-greens, and purples (mixtures of red and blue). Purer colors and a wider gamut are obtained for birefringent sheets interposed between dichroic polarizing filters and illuminated by tungsten light.
The Global City-Whose Social Construct is it Anyway?: A Comment on White

Debates on "the global city" have begun to take on a recognizable, if not formulaic , character-poised somewhere on a conceptual and epistemological borderland where positivism, structuralism, and essentialism meet. The effort by James W. White to position himself within this borderland, while lively and engaging, fails to move beyond the prevailing parameters of these debates. In considering White's effort to distinguish his approach to "global city" formation and its consequences from the prevailing view articulated most fully by John Friedmann( 1986, 1995) and Saskia Sassen (1991), I will try to show (a) how similar these approaches are to each other at a meta-theoretical level and (b) how their shared tendency to focus the debate around positivist taxonomies, urban hierarchies constructed on the basis of these taxonomies, and empirical efforts to "map" (or in White's case even to formally "model") the "real" causes and consequences of "global cities" leads to both sides in this debate overlooking the fact that the world cities debate takes place within a wider public discourse on "globalization," which is itself a political project of powerful social forces -not something to be measured by the scientific tools of objective social scientists.
Non-equilibrium Modeling of the Fe XVII 3C/3D Line Ratio in an Intense X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Excited Plasma

Recent measurements using an X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) and an Electron Beam Ion Trap at the Linac Coherent Light Source facility highlighted large discrepancies between the observed and theoretical values for the Fe xvii 3C/3D line intensity ratio. This result raised the question of whether the theoretical oscillator strengths may be significantly in error, due to insufficiencies in the atomic structure calculations. We present time-dependent spectral modeling of this experiment and show that non-equilibrium effects can dramatically reduce the predicted 3C/3D line intensity ratio, compared with that obtained by simply taking the ratio of oscillator strengths. Once these non-equilibrium effects are accounted for, the measured line intensity ratio can be used to determine a revised value for the 3C/3D oscillator strength ratio, giving a range from 3.0 to 3.5. We also provide a framework to narrow this range further, if more precise information about the pulse parameters can be determined. We discuss the implications of the new results for the use of Fe xvii spectral features as astrophysical diagnostics and investigate the importance of time-dependent effects in interpreting XFEL-excited plasmas.
Sequence-dependent repair of synthetic AP sites in 15-mer and 35-mer oligonucleotides: role of thermodynamic stability imposed by neighbor bases.

We previously reported that 15-mer oligonucleotides with a central 1, N(6)-epsilonA were cleaved by alkylpurine-DNA N-glycosylase as a function of T(m), modulated by neighbor bases [Hang, B., Sagi, J., and Singer, B. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 33406-33413]. This type of investigation has now been extended to cleavage by Escherichia coli endonuclease IV of a centrally placed synthetic AP site using both 15-mer and 35-mer duplexes. In 15-mers, the triplet sequences adjunct to the central AP site greatly affected the thermodynamic stability. The repair rate paralleled the thermal stability since endonuclease IV requires a double-stranded substrate. When the AP site-containing duplexes were 35-mers, there was also a general correlation between the thermostability and cleavage efficiency. However, the difference in the cleavage rates between different sequences was much less than with the 15-mers. Since the 35-mers were more than 96% annealed, this difference presumably results from local stability and structure adjacent to the AP site. These results suggest that under enzyme limiting conditions or overproduction of AP sites, sequence-dependent differential repair could occur in vivo.
Physiological and behavioral consequences of postnatal maternal stress in rats

Abstract To investigate the effects of maternal stress on the offspring, independent groups of lactating rats were subjected to ether anesthesia and jugular venipuncture on Day 3, 6, or 9 post partum, or to shock on Day 3 post partum. At weaning, 162 pups from the litters of these and control mothers were used to assess adrenocortical activity either immediately upon removal from the nest or after 15 min exposure to a novel environment. In addition, 33 males and 33 females were weaned and tested as adults in an avoidance learning situation. Plasma corticosterone levels, both before and after novelty, were significantly higher in the weanling offspring of all treated mothers when compared with those of non-treated mothers. In adulthood the offspring of mothers stressed 3 days post partum were significantly different from all other groups and showed poorer avoidance learning.
Heat transfer from moving fibers in melt spinning process

The purpose of this study is to develop a steady-state thermal model for melt spinning of polyester fiber by incorporating the radial heat conduction inside the fiber and the combined effect of radiation and convection at the boundary. The governing equations are obtained from the energy, mass, and momentum balances coupling with the rheological properties of the fibers. The effects of drag, surface tension, gravity, and inertia force are also taken into consideration in the analysis. The velocity profile, temperature profile, and the variation of cross-sectional area of the filament along the axial direction are solved by employing a finite-difference scheme.
Temporal relationships between Ca2+ store mobilization and Ca2+ entry in an exocrine cell.

Consideration of the principal current models for agonist-induced activation of Ca2+ entry in electrically non-excitable cells suggests that it may be possible to distinguish between them on the basis of predicted differences in the temporal relationship(s) between intracellular Ca2+ release and the activation of Ca2+ entry. Measurements of changes in [Ca2+]i and Mn2+ quench in individual exocrine cells from the avian nasal gland indicate that, whereas Ins(1,4,5)P3-induced release of intracellular Ca2+ occurs within 3–5 s, the increase in Mn2+ quench is delayed by some 20–30 s. Mn2+ quench rate is similarly increased by thapsigargin, and is blocked by SK&F 96365, indicating that the increased Mn2+ quench observed genuinely reflects agonist-enhanced activity of the divalent cation entry pathway normally traversed by Ca2+. Additional experiments indicate that the observed delay is not due to inhibition of this pathway by elevated [Ca2+]i. Furthermore, the delay cannot be explained by the time required for Ins(1,3,4,5)P4 generation, which is essentially maximal within 10 s of agonist addition. It is concluded that the observed delay in the activation of the Ca2+ entry pathway is best explained by ‘capacitative’ models where increased entry requires the generation, and transmission to the plasma membrane, of an unknown messenger as a direct result of the depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores.
The Invasion of Japan: Alternative to the Bomb

While scholars and non-scholars alike have debated the ethics of dropping the atomic bomb for more than half a century, rarely have they questioned the decision not to invade Japan as a means of ending World War II. Widely held beliefs about the strength of Japanese forces and the projected loss of American lives have justified the course of action taken by the United States. John Ray Skates, how ever, argues that the invasion plan, code named Operation DOWNFALL, has never been adequately studied to draw such a conclusion. In The Invasion of Japan, he remedies that oversight and, in doing so, disputes many myths that have grown up around the invasion strategy. Beginning with a brief overview of DOWNFALL, Skates analyzes the evolution of the invasion plan. He describes in detail the two phases of the plan, Operations OLYMPIC and CORONET; he assesses the strength of Japanese defenses; and discusses other topics that would influence an invasion - redeployment from Europe, Allied participation in the invasion, and the possible use of special weapons, especially gas. Among other revisionist findings, his research reveals a weaker state of Japanese preparedness than historians have commonly presumed and he demonstrates that the joint chiefs never objectively compared the bombing and the invasion. Significantly, Skates finds no evidence suggesting that military strategists projected casualty figures as high as those cited after the bomb's use. Rather than attributing the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the supposed shortcomings of the invasion plan, Skates contends that the Allied policy of unconditional surrender was at the heart of the decision to drop the atomic bomb.
High glucose enhances HIV entry into T cells through upregulation of CXCR4

It is well known that patients with HIV are prone to diabetes mellitus because of the side effects of HARRT. However, whether high glucose affects the HIV infection of T cells is not clear. Recent studies have shown that upregulation of GLUT-1 renders T cells susceptible to HIV infection. We hypothesized that hyperglycemia has the potential to increase HIV infection by enhancing its entry into immune cells. The effect of high glucose on HIV entry into T cells (Jurkat cells and PBMCs) and the mechanisms involved were investigated. High glucose significantly enhanced HIV entry, which was associated with increased T-cell expression of CXCR4. However, T cells with silenced HIF-1α displayed attenuated expression of CXCR4, whereas T cells with silenced CXCR4 showed decreased HIV entry in a high-glucose milieu. On the one hand, high glucose stimulated T-cell ROS generation, and H(2)O(2) at low concentrations enhanced the entry of HIV into T cells. On the other hand, inhibition of ROS not only attenuated high-glucose-mediated T-cell expression of CXCR4 and HIF-1α but also mitigated T-cell HIV entry in a high-glucose milieu. In our study, high glucose enhanced HIV entry into T cells by increasing expression of CXCR4 and HIF-1α.
Treating Hypertension in the Very Elderly

Objective:To review the evidence for strict blood pressure (BP) management in the very elderly, defined as patients aged 80 years and older.Data Sources:A literature search was performed using PubMed (1950 through November 2010) for the MeSH terms hypertension and elderly; subterms of identified MeSH terms (le. explosion) for the elderly were also searched. A broader search was conducted of PubMed articles published in the past 4 years. Searches were conducted for additional primary literature referenced in identified articles; an updated Cochrane Database review was also performed,Study Selection And Data Extraction:All identified studies that specifically included very elderly patients and BP were reviewed.Data Synthesis:The BP goal established in the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) is less than 140/90 mm Hg, regardless of age, unless a compelling indication exists. Although evidence suggests that lowering ...
Concurrent Myelodysplasia and Lymphoproliferation: a Disorder of the True Pluripotential Stem Cell?

SUMMARY The lymphoproliferative disorders and the myelodysplastic syndromes are thought to result from the clonal expansion of a single abnormal precursor cell. Seven patients who were found to have concurrent myelodysplasia and lymphoproliferation are described. In all cases myelodysplasia and lymphoproliferation were diagnosed simultaneously or myelodysplasia preceded overt lymphoproliferation by a brief interval. Thus, myelodysplasia in these patients was not related to treatment given for a lymphoproliferative disorder. Stem cell theory is reviewed with special reference to evidence for an adult human stem cell common to both haemopoietic and lymphoid cell lines (CFU-L-M). The presence of concurrent myelodysplasia and lymphoproliferation in these seven patients may be the result of the clonal expansion of an abnormal pluripotential stem cell. It may be possible in some cases to achieve remission of the lymphoproliferative disorder with return of normal haematopoiesis if residual normal stem cells are present and repopulate the marrow following cytotoxic therapy.
The NMR Solution Structure of Intestinal Fatty Acid-binding Protein Complexed with Palmitate: Application of a Novel Distance Geometry Algorithm

The three-dimensional solution structure of rat intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) complexed with palmitate has been determined using multidimensional triple-resonance NMR methods. The structure is based on 3889 conformational restraints derived mostly from 3-D 13C- and 15N-resolved nuclear Overhauser (NOESY) experiments. The 3-D NOESY data for this 15.4 kDa complex contained an average of nine possible interpretations per cross-peak. To circumvent this ambiguity, an eight-stage iterative procedure was employed to gradually interpret and introduce unambiguous distance restraints during subsequent rounds of structure calculations. The first stage of this procedure relied critically upon an initial structural model based on the consensus 1H/13C chemical shift-derived secondary structure and a set of symmetry-checked restraints derived from the 3-D 13C-resolved NOESY spectrum. The structures were calculated using DISTGEOM, a program that implements a novel distance geometry algorithm with pairwise Gaussian metrization. A central feature of this algorithm is the use of an iteratively optimized Gaussian distribution for the selection of trial distances, which overcomes the tendency of metrization to produce crushed structures. In addition, this algorithm randomly selects pairwise elements of the distance matrix, which results in an improved sampling of conformational space for a given computational effort. The final family of 20 distance geometry/simulated annealing structures exhibited an average pairwise C(alpha) root-mean-square deviation of 0.98 A, and their stereochemical quality, as assessed by PROCHECK, was comparable to that of 2.5 A X-ray crystal structures. The NMR structure was compared with the X-ray crystal structure of the same ligand/protein complex and was found to be essentially identical within the precision of the results. The NMR structure was also compared with that of the palmitate complex with bovine heart FABP, which shares 30% sequence identity with rat I-FABP. The overall folds were the same, but differences were noted with respect to the presence or absence of apparent conformational heterogeneity and the location and conformation of the bound fatty acid.
Building community and retention among first-year students: engineering First-Year Interest Groups (eFIGSs)

During the fall semesters of 2005 and 2006, two sections of a basic communication course for first-year engineering students were part of a First-year Interest Group (FIG); that is, forty students in two sections of EPD155 Basic Communication course were also in two other courses: an engineering design course and a math or chemistry course. While FIGs had proven to help students make smooth transitions from high school to college in other settings, this was the first time engineering faculty at UW-Madison had participated. Research from other institutions and departments showed that FIGs were learning communities that provided (1) students with opportunities to integrate learning through intense intellectual and social coherence and engagement (2) curricular and environmental experiences that enhance students' ability to connect socially and academically with the university (3) intentional and substantive interaction among peers and faculty. Nationally, results of students' participation in FIGs experiences showed higher retention rates, higher grade point averages, higher levels of academic integration and institutional commitment, more informal interaction with faculty outside of class, higher levels of interaction with peers, higher levels of integration of course information, greater gains in communication skills, and high student satisfaction, especially out-of-state students and students of color. Engineering faculty recognized eFIGs as opportunities to address retention in engineering, a concern nationally; at UW-Madison, the retention rate is 60% for first-year students who start in engineering according to the most recent data available. The faculty hypothesized that students in an eFIG would have a unique opportunity to create an effective learning community and, therefore, they further hypothesized that they would make informed decisions about engineering and persist at the university at a higher rate that those students who did not participate in an eFIG. Designing learning experiences for students in the linked courses provided a creative opportunity described in this paper. Authentic assessments included an introductory essay at the beginning of the semester, a reflective essay at the end of the semester, a real-world design project and presentation, an online survey using the Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG), the traditional course evaluation, and a focus group discussion a semester later. Preliminary results show that students were satisfied with their first-year experience and were still pursuing engineering career plans; the retention rate is 80%. A longitudinal study continues.
Effect of Weak Acids on Amino Acid Transport by Penicillium chrysogenum: Evidence for a Proton or Charge Gradient as the Driving Force

A variety of weak acids at and below their pKa are potent inhibitors of transport in Penicillium chrysogenum. The effective compounds include sorbate, benzoate, and propionate (common antifungal agents), indoleacetate (a plant hormone), acetylsalicylate (aspirin), hexachlorophene, and a yellow pigment produced by the mycelia under nutrient-deficient conditions, as well as the classical uncouplers 2,4-dinitrophenol, p-nitrophenol, and azide. The results suggest that a proton gradient or charge gradient is involved in energizing membrane transport in P. chrysogenum. The unionized form of the weak acids could discharge the gradient by diffusing through the membrane and ionizing when they reach an interior compartment of higher pH. Experiments with 2,4-dinitrophenol and p-nitrophenol established that the ionized species are not absorbed by the mycelium to any great extent. The transport inhibitors also caused a decrease in cellular adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) levels, but there was no constant correlation between inhibition of transport and suppression of cellular ATP. A decrease in aeration of the mycelial suspension had the same effect on transport and ATP levels as the addition of a weak organic acid. The effects on transport rates and ATP levels were reversible. The instantaneous inhibition of [14C]l-leucine transport by NH4− (and vice-versa) in nitrogen-starved mycelia at pH values of 7 or below can be explained by competition for a common energy-coupling system. The inhibition is not observed in carbon-starved mycelia in which the NH4+ transport system is absent or inactive (but the general amino acid transport is fully active), or in iodoacetate-treated mycelia in which the NH4+ transport system has been differentially inactivated. At pH values greater than 7.0, NH3 and HPO42− inhibit transport, presumably by discharging the membrane proton or charge gradient. Aniline counteracts the inhibitory effect of NH3 and HPO42− possibly by acting as a proton reservoir or buffer within the membrane.
Activation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Expression by Gardnerella vaginalis

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is associated with an increased rate of sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1, and Gardnerella vaginalis is frequently isolated from the genital tracts of women with BV. G. vaginalis lysates were found to significantly stimulate HIV expression in monocytoid cells. Stimulation was significantly higher when lysates were heated at 100 degrees C for 5 min but was reduced by treatment with lysozyme or protease. G. vaginalis lysates also activated HIV expression in certain T cell lines. G. vaginalis lysates activated HIV long-terminal repeat transcription in HIV-infected cells and increased NF-kappaB binding activity, indicating an effect by G. vaginalis on HIV transcription. The activation of HIV production by G. vaginalis suggests that genital tract infection with G. vaginalis increases the risk of HIV transmission by increasing HIV expression in the genital tract. This may explain, at least in part, the increased rate of HIV transmission in women with BV.
Factors associated with willingness to use the contraceptive vaginal ring

Abstract Introduction The objective of this study was to examine factors associated with willingness to use the contraceptive vaginal ring among college students. Material and Methods We electronically surveyed a random sample of female undergraduates. Factors associated with willingness to use the contraceptive vaginal ring were evaluated using a logistic regression model. Results Six hundred ninety-one women answered the survey. Willingness to use the contraceptive vaginal ring was positively associated with willingness to use the contraceptive patch, being employed at least 20 h/week, acceptability of a monthly contraceptive, acceptability of self-insertion, acceptability of feeling ring during intercourse and concern over potential hormonal side effects. Willingness to use the contraceptive vaginal ring was negatively associated with current use of oral contraceptives. Discussion Busy lifestyle and acceptance of its characteristics were associated with willingness to use the contraceptive vaginal ring. Counseling should focus on addressing women's concerns about vaginal administration and side effects.