cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Methylation pattern of multiple genes in urine sediment DNA from bladder cancer cases and controls by high throughput quantitative methylation specific PCR (QMSP)

3150 Background: The early diagnosis of bladder cancer and the early detection of recurrence are central to effective treatment, as prognosis is directly related to the stage of disease. Promoter hypermethylation is now recognized as an important and common epigenetic pathway of gene inactivation. Because bladder cancer cells and DNA are shed into the urine, we sought to test the value of a quantitative methylation assay in urine sediment for the detection of bladder cancer. Methods: We examined primary tumor and matched urine DNA for aberrant methylation of nine gene promoters ( APC, ARF, CDH1, GSTP1, MGMT, p16, RAR-β2, Rassf1A and TIMP3 ) from 15 patients with bladder cancer by quantitative fluorogenic real-time PCR. We then tested an additional 160 urine sediment DNA samples (Total 175 urine) from bladder cancer patients of different stages and grades. 94 age-matched patients without any evidence of genitourinary cancer were used as a control. Result: In cases with matched tumor, the promoter methylation pattern found in urine matched the pattern in the primary tumors. 121 of 175(69%) patients with bladder cancer displayed methylation in at least one of four genes ( p16, ARF, MGMT and GSTP1 ), whereas all controls were negative for methylation at the established cut off (100% specificity). When we considered any one of these latter four genes and/or RAR-β2 methylation, the sensitivity and specificity were 82% and 97% respectively (positive likelihood ratio 24.19 and negative likelihood ratio 0.19). Using established cut off values for all the nine genes, 85% sensitivity and 96% specificity was achieved with a positive and negative likelihood ratio of 18.97 and 0.16 respectively. MGMT, ARF , and TIMP3 methylation in urine correlated with primary tumor invasion and metastasis (p= ≤ 0.05, by logistic regression). The risk of death was statistically significantly higher in patients with TIMP3 methylation (hazard ratio [HR] =1.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.14 to 3.4; p= 0.01) than in patients without TIMP3 methylation in urine. Conclusion: Testing a small panel of genes with the QMSP (Quantitative Methylation Specific PCR) assay in urine sediment DNA represents a powerful noninvasive approach for the detection of bladder cancer on a high throughput-automated platform. Methylation patterns in urine may also help predict the natural history of detected disease. Larger cohorts with longitudinal follow up will be required in future studies to define the impact of this technology on detection, prognosis and disease monitoring.
Time Since Infection and Risks of Future Disease for Individuals with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in the United States.

BACKGROUND Risk of tuberculosis (TB) declines over time since Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, but progression to clinical disease is still possible decades later. In the United States, most TB cases result from the progression of latent TB infection acquired over 2 years ago. METHODS We synthesized evidence on TB natural history and incidence trends using a transmission-dynamic model. For the 2020 US population, we estimated average time since infection and annual, cumulative, and remaining lifetime risks of progression to TB, by nativity and age. RESULTS For a newly infected adult with no other risk factors for progression to TB, estimated rates of progression declined from 38 (95% uncertainty interval: 33, 46) to 0.38 (0.32, 0.45) per 1000 person-years between the first and 25th year since infection. Cumulative risk over 25 years from new infection was 7.9% (7.0, 8.9). In 2020, an estimated average age of individuals with prevalent infection was 62 (61, 63) for the US-born population, 55 (54, 55) for non-US-born, and 57 (56, 58) overall. Average risks of developing TB over the remaining lifetime were 1.2% (1.0, 1.4) for US-born, 2.2% (1.8, 2.6) for non-US-born, and 1.9% (1.6, 2.2) for the general population. Risk estimates were higher for younger age groups. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis suggests that, although newly infected individuals face appreciable lifetime TB risks, most US individuals with latent TB infection were infected long ago, and face low future risks of developing TB. Better approaches are needed for identifying recently infected individuals and those with elevated progression risks.
Two-dimensional phonon transport in graphene

Properties of phonons-quanta of the crystal lattice vibrations-in graphene have recently attracted significant attention from the physics and engineering communities. Acoustic phonons are the main heat carriers in graphene near room temperature, while optical phonons are used for counting the number of atomic planes in Raman experiments with few-layer graphene. It was shown both theoretically and experimentally that transport properties of phonons, i.e. energy dispersion and scattering rates, are substantially different in a quasi-two-dimensional system such as graphene compared to the basal planes in graphite or three-dimensional bulk crystals. The unique nature of two-dimensional phonon transport translates into unusual heat conduction in graphene and related materials. In this review, we outline different theoretical approaches developed for phonon transport in graphene, discuss contributions of the in-plane and cross-plane phonon modes, and provide comparison with available experimental thermal conductivity data. Particular attention is given to analysis of recent results for the phonon thermal conductivity of single-layer graphene and few-layer graphene, and the effects of the strain, defects, and isotopes on phonon transport in these systems.
Building Human Security and an Entrepreneurial Middle Class with Natural Resource Partnerships: Propinquity, Behavioral Economics, and Blockchain Game Theory Strategy

A 2500-year history of invasion, conquest, and resistance has left Afghanistan ethnically diverse and culturally rich. And yet, this storied history has bequeathed to the nation’s people a legacy of political fragmentation, economic impoverishment, and in recent times, even some international isolation. The last 40 years of relentless conflict, encompassing two superpower invasions and decades of a smoldering civil war, have placed entire generations of Afghans at risk for posttraumatic stress disorder and have pushed the nation into a cycle of poverty, reduced educational opportunity, and violence. It is the contention of this paper that several academic concepts–the neuroscience principle of propinquity, the scholarly disciplines of behavioral economics and game theory, and the blockchain technology promoted by “Satoshi Nakamoto”—can be woven together into a practical application to create business partnerships, jobs, and an entrepreneurial middle class for Afghanistan, thereby decreasing poverty and the fallout of crime and violence significantly. Based on these principles, a genuinely non-exploitative partnership structure can be built between United States and Afghan interests. The central role of military can be replaced by private sector players, to achieve through human security what could not be achieved through kinetic force. In such a diverse culture, and amidst the difficulties of Afghanistan’s geographical and topographical scenario, military dominance in Afghanistan has always failed, for thousands of years. Yet, that never would have been the true solution anyway. It seldom is. Afghanistan may utilize its vast mineral wealth as a starting place for trade, human security and national security, assisted but unexploited. And done in partnerships rather than as suppliers, they may then begin to extract the wealth of its human resources and find its future as a contributing and secure world citizen. The discussion below will sketch a broad outline of a possible path forward, employing twenty-first century innovative business structure to solve for the underlying long-standing impediments to security and prosperity. Like gravity, applications of these principles are true whenever humans compete for value or security. Anywhere self-interests have vetoed the common good, to the ultimate demise of both, these principles and guidelines that follow will prove useful for building the hope of a nation.
America Has a Shameful Double Standard on Human Rights

The fact that the United States is keen to avoid annoying the Myanmar military, in the hope of getting this nation to join the Indo-Pacific anti-China coalition, should not have stopped the United States and its allies from condemning the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingyas.
Partners in empire: Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur and Queen Elizabeth I

During the late 1500s, the imperial centres of London and Marrakech could not have been more different. Both Queen Elizabeth I (1553–1603) and Sultan Ahmad al-Mansūr (1549–1603) reigned over kingdo...
Synthesis and in vivo stability of new class of Cu-64 complexes as potential bifunctional chelators

1884 Objectives 64Cu-labeled proteins are being developed as PET imaging agents. However, to attach 64Cu to a protein, a bifunctional chelator (BFC) is required to chelate the 64Cu and form a stable complex, protecting the metal from transchelation to endogenous proteins. The major disadvantage of existing BFCs is loss of 64Cu in vivo, resulting in localization of the free radiometal in the liver, intestines, and kidneys. The objective of this study was to evaluate the stability of two 64Cu complexes that were expected to show very little loss of 64Cu in vivo and thus very low non-target tissue uptake. Methods The 64Cu complexes of 4,11-diene imine and 4,11-diene amine were synthesized and characterized. 4,11–diene amine is the reduced version of the 4,11-diene imine ligand. The biodistribution of the 64Cu complexes was evaluated in mice using microPET. Results Despite the fact that the two complexes have the same charge and a very similar structure, the biodistribution of the two complexes is noticeably different: reduction of the imines to form the saturated macrocyclic complex apparently reduces the stability of the 64Cu complex. The 64Cu complex of 4,11-diene imine showed very little uptake in the liver, gut and kidneys and rapid excretion into the bladder whereas the 64Cu complex of 4,11-diene amine showed noticeable uptake in the liver, gut and kidneys and rapid excretion into the bladder by 4 h post-injection. Conclusions The 64Cu-4,11-diene imine showed significantly lower uptake in the liver, gut, and kidneys than 64Cu-4,11-diene amine suggesting that the imine complex is more stable in vivo. 4,11-diene imine may, therefore, be a promising core for the development of a new class of bifunctional chelators for 64Cu. Research Support R01CA094338
Religion and mental health from the protestant perspective

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the relationship of religion and mental health from the protestant perspective. Many churches are defined as “Protestant,” because they are “not Catholic.” The range of religious convictions within that spectrum is significantly broad. Churches within Protestantism may be identified along this theological continuum as fundamental, evangelical, orthodox, mainline, or liberal. Nevertheless, there may, indeed, be some Protestant emphases that could significantly impact mental health. Religious attitudes toward mental health should be no different. The research literature on religion and mental health supports this conclusion. Although higher than average religious maturity has been found to relate to less distress in older Christian women, religion in general has not proven to be a uniformly decisive factor in other mental health research. Traditional Protestants make a similar distinction between spiritual and mental health but for a different reason. Traditional Protestants tend to be acculturated in much of their life experience and tend to not question the bifurcation of culture into religion and mental health. Finally, this chapter has attempted to relate mental health to the Protestant tradition and the implications of these assumptions for understanding counseling and mental health can be considered.
Abstract T P300: Stroke after Aortic Valve Surgery Increases Billing and Length of Stay

Background and Purpose: Aortic valve disease is increasing in prevalence as the population ages. We previously presented a prospective cohort of patients undergoing open surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) and established that stroke is a frequent complication. However, the impact of stroke on the cost and length of hospitalization is not well characterized. Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study of patients ≥ 65 years old undergoing open surgical aortic valve replacement for moderate to severe calcific aortic stenosis at two hospitals in our health system. Subjects were evaluated by neurologists at post-operative days 1, 3, and 7. Hospital billing charges, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), and total hospital length of stay were compared between patients with and without stroke using rank sum. Correlations between stroke severity and hospital billing charges, length of stay in the ICU, and total hospital length of stay were evaluated using Spearman correlation. Results: Complete hospital billing and length of stay data were available for 174 subjects, mean age 76 (standard deviation 6) years, 35% female, 6% non-white. Clinical stroke occurred in 28 (16%), median National Institutes of Stroke Scale (NIHSS) 3, interquartile range (IQR) 1 - 13. In-hospital mortality occurred in 9 (5%). Stroke was associated with increased total hospital billing charges, median $281,012 (IQR $218,754 - $304,031) vs $209,807 (IQR $175,163 - $273,755) for those without stroke, p=0.003. Clinical stroke was also associated with increased length of stay in the ICU, median 3 days (IQR 2 - 5) vs 1 day (IQR 1 - 2), p =0.0006, and total length of stay, 12 days (IQR 9 - 15) vs 10 days (IQR 8 - 13), p=0.01. Clinical stroke severity based on NIHSS was moderately correlated with total hospital billing charges (rho=0.49, p<0.0001), length of stay in the ICU (rho=0.53, p<0.0001), and total hospital length of stay (rho=0.36, p<0.0001). Excluding patients who died in the hospital did not change any of the findings. Conclusions: Clinical stroke complicating valve replacement is associated with increased hospital billing charges, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and total hospital length of stay, all related to stroke severity.
Interval logics and their decision procedures: part I: an interval logic

Abstract We present an interval logic, called future interval logic (FIL), for the specification and verification of concurrent systems. Interval logics allow reasoning to be carried out at the level of time intervals, rather than instants. However, unlike some other interval logics, the primitive objects in our semantic model for FIL are not intervals, but instants. An intervals is formed by identifying its end-points, which are instants satisfying given properties. The logic has an intuitive graphical representation, resembling the back-of-the-envelope timing diagrams that designers often draw to reason about concurrent interacting systems. The logic is designed to be insensitive to finite stuttering (a property that facilitates refinement-based multi-level correctness proofs), and is exactly as expressive as the fragment of propositional temporal logic with “until” but no “next”. As the main result of this paper, we show that FIL is elementarily decidable by reduction to the emptiness problem for Buchi Automata. For most other interval logics the decision problem is at best non-elementary and often undecidable. We cosider an extension of FIL with past operators and show that this extension leads to non-elementariness. In a companion paper, we extend the logic to real-time and investigate the decision problem for that extension.
Obstructive sleep apnea caused by carotid body tumor: case report.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) results from a structural compromise of the upper airway combined with decrease in muscle tone during sleep. Overt upper airway pathology is rare, however a variety of pharyngeal tumors have been well described as a cause of OSA. We describe a case of a mass originating in the carotid body resulting in severe OSA with hypersomnia resistant to positive pressure ventilation. Citation: Smadi T; Raza MA; Woodson BT; Franco RA. Obstructive sleep apnea caused by carotid body tumor: case report. J Clin Sleep Med 2007;3(5):517-518.
Vaping cannabis (marijuana): parallel concerns to e‐cigs?

The proliferation of vaporization ('vaping') as a method for administering cannabis raises many of the same public health issues being debated and investigated in relation to e-cigarettes (e-cigs). Good epidemiological data on the prevalence of vaping cannabis are not yet available, but with current trends towards societal approval of medicinal and recreational use of cannabis, the pros and cons of vaping cannabis warrant study. As with e-cigs, vaping cannabis portends putative health benefits by reducing harm from ingesting toxic smoke. Indeed, vaping is perceived and being sold as a safer way to use cannabis, despite the lack of data on the health effects of chronic vaping. Other perceived benefits include better taste, more efficient and intense effects and greater discretion which allows for use in more places. Unfortunately, these aspects of vaping could prompt an increased likelihood of trying cannabis, earlier age of onset, more positive initial experiences, and more frequent use, thereby increasing the probability of problematic use or addiction. Sales and marketing of vaping devices with no regulatory guidelines, especially related to advertising or product development targeting youth, parallels concerns under debate related to e-cigs and youth. Thus, the quandary of whether or not to promote vaping as a safer method of cannabis administration for those wishing to use cannabis, and how to regulate vaping and vaping devices, necessitates substantial investigation and discussion. Addressing these issues in concert with efforts directed towards e-cigs may save time and energy and result in a more comprehensive and effective public health policy on vaping.
Marine scavenging: Trace metal adsorption by interfacial sediment from MANOP Site H

Abstract The adsorption of thirteen trace metals from seawater was studied on interfacial sediment from MANOP site H. The adsorption data indicate a long (~20 day) equilibration time for most metals, an increase in adsorption with an increase in pH and particle concentration, a dependence of adsorption on total metal concentration at high adsorption densities, and a lack of correlation between metal binding ability and metal hydrolysis in solution. Apparent equilibrium binding constants normalized to the total number of available sites on the solid were determined for metal binding with the interfacial sediment. The binding constants indicate that the affinity sequence for metal interactions with the interfacial sediment is: Pb > Fe > Sn ≳ Co≈ Mn > Cu > Be > Sc ≳ Zn > Ni > Cd ≳ Ba > Cs at pH 7.82 in seawater. A comparison of the binding constants for suspended particles, interfacial sediment, and surface sediment indicate that the composition of particles influences the binding ability of the particles. Biogenic particles tend to bind most metals more strongly than lithogenic or authigenic particles. Based on limited data, there is a strong positive correlation between the measured binding constants and the observed partitioning of metals between sediment and seawater.
On Reducing Data Synchronization in Multiprocessed Loops

In this correspondence we present and prove the correctness of an algorithm for reducing the number of synchronized memory references to shared data elements in multiprocessed loops. Optimizing compilers for shared memory multiprocessors can use this algorithm to reduce synchronization overhead. The algorithm has been implemented as a new module in the multiprocessors version of Parafrase, the restructuring system of the University of Illinois. We present a brief discussion of experiments we performed to asses the effectiveness of this algorithm in reducing the synchronization overhead for the 61 subroutines of EISPACK, a package for computing matrix eigenvectors and eigenvalues.
Pintu terlarang: A disconcerting spatial interpretation of urban dystopia

The main character of the film Pintu terlarang (The forbidden door), Gambir, attains success in the art world by making statues of pregnant women. Part of his creative process is to insert dead foetuses into the wombs of the statues. His troubled soul meets a written request for help by a child he encounters in various places. The journey to find the child leads him to a secret door, revealing a terrifying reality of a dehumanized world. The city, commonly characterized by a sense of vastness, is set in opposition to small, enclosed spaces where individuals converse with their utmost self. The questions explored are: What is the role of space in engendering urban dystopia? In what ways does the selection of different space settings help create a dehumanized world? I argue that urban dystopia is created when the inhabitants of a city return to enclosed spaces in an effort to find an existence. When individuals prefer enclosed spaces and fail to reconstruct existing meanings, tendencies toward dystopia will come forward and city life will degenerate.
The metallomics approach: use of Fe(II) and Cu(II) footprinting to examine metal binding sites on serum albumins

Metal binding to serum albumins is examined by oxidative protein-cleavage chemistry, and relative affinities of multiple metal ions to particular sites on these proteins were identified using a fast and reliable chemical footprinting approach. Fe(ii) and Cu(ii), for example, mediate protein cleavage at their respective binding sites on serum albumins, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and ascorbate. This metal-mediated protein-cleavge reaction is used to evaluate the binding of metal ions, Na(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Al(3+), Cr(3+), Mn(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Zn(2+), Cd(2+), Hg(2+), Pb(2+), and Ce(3+) to albumins, and the relative affinities (selectivities) of the metal ions are rapidly evaluated by examining the extent of inhibition of protein cleavage. Four distinct systems Fe(II)/BSA, Cu(II)/BSA, Fe(II)/HSA and Cu(II)/HSA are examined using the above strategy. This metallomics approach is novel, even though the cleavage of serum albumins by Fe(II)/Cu(II) has been reported previously by this laboratory and many others. The protein cleavage products were analyzed by SDS PAGE, and the intensities of the product bands quantified to evaluate the extent of inhibition of the cleavage and thereby evaluate the relative binding affinities of specific metal ions to particular sites on albumins. The data show that Co(II) and Cr(III) showed the highest degree of inhibition, across the table, followed by Mn(II) and Ce(III). Alakali metal ions and alkaline earth metal ions showed very poor affinity for these metal sites on albumins. Thus, metal binding profiles for particular sites on proteins can be obtained quickly and accurately, using the metallomics approach.
ATRP Synthesis of Thermally Responsive Molecular Brushes from Oligo(ethylene oxide) Methacrylates

Molecular brushes consisting of statistical copolymers of di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (MEO2MA) and tri(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (MEO3MA) were synthesized by grafting from poly(2-(2-bromoisobutyryloxy)ethyl methacrylate (PBIEM) macroinitiators using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) providing copolymers with controlled composition and molecular weights ranging from Mn = 601 500 to 2 731 000 with polydispersity indexes (Mw/Mn) between 1.06 and 1.20. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the brushes increased with the mole fraction of MEO3MA in the side chain, and the hysteresis between the heating and cooling cycles decreased with the length of the side chain. Brush copolymers with different graft density were also prepared, and the average hydrodynamic diameter, measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS), varied with temperature above the LCST, and the maximum diameter of the aggregates increased according to the graft density of side chain along th...
The phage meeting: Classical venue, new momentum.

“Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages” is the longest-running series of molecular biology meetings, originating in the Phage Meetings, which began in 1940. The 58th meeting, held at the Wisconsin Union, Madison, Wisconsin, from 2 to 7 August 2005, attracted more than 300 participants and
Scanning force microscopy of cells and membrane proteins

Recent results on scanning force microscopy of cells and membrane proteins are presented. Whole immune system cells (rat basophil leukemia cells) can be imaged either alive and moving in aqueous medium, frozen, and exposed by freeze fracture (and imaged at -25 degree(s)C), fixed with glutaraldehyde in buffer, or fixed and dried (as if for scanning electron microscopy). Living cells can be stimulated with antigens or drugs and then observed as they move and change shape as a function of time after exposure. In either living or fixed cells it is possible to visualize and map cytoskeletal networks under the cell membrane, and, in living cells, to observe changes in the network with time. Membrane proteins (e.g., the F1 fragment of ATP synthase) can be imaged by simple passive adsorption to freshly cleaved mica. The resolution is about 50 angstroms, which is high enough to identify individual protein molecules, but still too low to distinguish internal structure. Factors which limit resolution and methods that may overcome these limitations are also discussed.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Macro-Level Determinants of Local Government Interaction: How Metropolitan Regions in the United States Compare

Empirical and theoretical research on government competition and collaboration identifies several important macro-level characteristics that can affect these forms of interaction between local gove...
Acts of Charity as Acts of Remembrance in the Book of Tobit

This article argues that charitable acts in the book of Tobit are religious acts of remembrance. On the one hand, the narrative emphasizes the practice of righteousness, the doing of what is true, and the performance of charitable deeds. On the other hand, the remembrance of God is an equally prominent motif in the story. This gives rise to the question of how remembering is linked to acts of charity. The close connection between remembering and almsgiving argues against the commonly held view that the story endorses acts of charity because such acts facilitate social cohesion and mutual support in the Diaspora. Given the theological value the narrative places on almsgiving, the book of Tobit witnesses to the emergence of a horizontal expression of service to God as part of the religious piety in Second Temple Judaism.
Studies on a temperature-sensitive mutant of vaccinia virus strain WR.

Abstract A number of temperature-sensitive mutants of vaccinia virus strain WR have been isolated. Some are more heat labile than wild-type virus and are probably capsid protein mutants. One mutant of a different type, ts 20.165, was investigated in some detail. This mutant has a delayed and decreased rate of DNA replication, as well as a diminished rate of early messenger RNA transcription at the nonpermissive temperature (39°). However, both of these defects, and especially the latter, also operate at the permissive temperature (31°), at which the viral yield is as high as that of wild-type virus. Late functions, such as the transcription of late messenger RNA and switch-off of the synthesis of DNA polymerase, are normal. Temperature-shift experiments confirmed that ts 20.165 is an early function mutant. ts 20.165 virions have associated with them less than one-half of the amount of RNA polymerase associated with wild-type virions. Further, the DNA polymerase coded by the mutant is about twice as heat labile as the enzyme coded by wild-type virus. ts 20.165 virus particles are formed at 39°. These particles have only about 3% of the specific infectivity of particles formed at 31°. They contain, as far as one can tell, a normal amount of DNA and a normal capsid protein complement, and are normal in appearance. However, the yield at 39° has a higher frequency of revertants, on a PFU basis, than the yield at 31°. ts 20.165 recombines with high efficiency with two other ts mutants of vaccinia WR. Complementation is weak, but detectable. It is concluded that ts 20.165 is an early function mutant. The possible nature of its defect is discussed.
Oklahoma Thunderstorms on 29–30 April 1970. Part I: Morphology of a Tornadic Storm

Abstract Data collected at the National Severe Storms Laboratory reveal the mesogamma-scale (2.5–25 km) features of two severe thunderstorms that struck Oklahoma City within 1 h of each other. This paper discusses the surface, upper air and radar data obtained during the passage of the first tornadic storm (F). Companion papers deal with the second storm (G) which exhibited twin tornado cyclones (Parts II and III), and another discusses the environmental conditions which led to the demise of an earlier hailstorm (Part IV). At the surface, the tornadic supercell storms were characterized by mesocyclonic sinks beneath the main updrafts with convergence values greater than 2 × 10−3 s−1 and vorticity about half as large. Lowest pressures preceded the mesocyclones by several kilometers and are believed to be dissociated from the wind centers because of the storms' rapid translational speeds (25–32 m s−1). Highest pressures were found near the rainy cores but not coincident. Middle-tropospheric air descended on...
A General Equilibrium Model of Changing Risk Premia: Theory and Tests

Keywords: Asset pricing theory Reference SFI-PB-ARTICLE-1989-001doi:10.1093/rfs/2.4.467 Record created on 2008-03-12, modified on 2017-05-12
Biochemical correlation of oncogenesis with ontogenesis.

Results on enzyme induction in rat liver and kidney tumors have shown a striking resemblance between the tumors and the perinatal liver and kidney, on the one hand, and a sharp contrast between the tumors and the adult liver and kidney, on the other. Studies on isozyme distribution give similar results. Abnormalities in the responsiveness of enzymes to metabolic modulations and in the induction-repression of isozymes reflect aberrations in the regulatory genes of the tumors. Since the liver and kidney tumors have originated from the adult liver and kidney, respectively, but show biochemical properties akin to those of the perinatal liver and kidney, it seems that during oncogenesis certain regulatory genes must have been so altered that the cell reacquires the control mechanisms prevailing in an early period of the life of the organism. Hence, a reversion of some of the regulatory apparatus in the cancer cell to that in the perinatal stage of development has taken place. This reversion is considered an essential mechanism in carcinogenesis.
Altruism as a motivation to volunteer

Abstract Voluntarism is often explained as ‘doing good works’, in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. Yet research in social psychology and economics generally minimizes altruism as a motivation for volunteering. This paper investigates the existence of an altruistic motive to volunteer. Empirical research based on Backer's (1974) utility interdependence hypothesis provides evidence for an altruistic motive across many types of voluntary activity.
Identification and reconstitution of the nucleoside transporter of CEM human leukemia cells.

Abstract The major nucleoside transporter of the human T leukemia cell line CEM has been identified by photoaffinity labeling with the transport inhibitor nitrobenzylmercaptopurine riboside (NBMPR). The photolabeled protein migrates on SDS-PAGE gels as a broad band with a mean apparent molecular weight (75 000 ± 3000) significantly higher than that reported for the nucleoside transporter in human erythrocytes (55 000) (Young et al. (1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 2202–2208). However, after treatment with endoglycosidase F to remove carbohydrate, the NBMPR-binding protein in CEM cells migrates as a sharp peak with an apparent molecular weight (47 000 ± 3000) identical to that reported for the deglycosylated protein in human erythrocytes (Kwong et al. (1986) Biochem. J. 240, 349–356). It therefore appears that the difference in the apparent molecular weight of the NBMPR-sensitive nucleoside transporter between the CEM cell line and human erythrocytes is a result of differences in glycosylation. The NBMPR-binding protein from CEM cells has been solubilized with 1% octyl glucoside and reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles by a freeze-thaw sonication technique. Optimal reconstitution of uridine transport activity was achieved using a sonication interval of 5 to 10 s and lipid to protein ratios of 60:1 or greater. Under these conditions transport activity in the reconstituted vesicles was proportional to the protein concentration and was inhibited by NBMPR. Omission of lipid or protein, or substitution of a protein extract prepared from a nucleoside transport deficient mutant of the CEM cell line resulted in vesicles with no uridine transport activity. The initial rate of uridine transport, in the vesicles prepared with CEM protein, was saturable with a K m of 103 ± 11 μ M and was inhibited by adenosine, thymidine and cytidine. The K m for uridine and the potency of the other nucleosides as inhibitors of uridine transport (adenosine > thymidine > cytidine) were similar to intact cells. Thus, although the nucleoside transporter of CEM cells has a higher molecular weight than the human erythrocyte transporter, it exhibits typical NBMPR-sensitive nucleoside transport activity both in the intact cell and when reconstituted into phospholipid vesicles.
Structure and Raman spectra of single crystal La2(SO4)3 · 8H2O

Abstract The room temperature polarized Raman spectra of single-crystal La2(SO4)3 · 8H2O have been measured in the range 5–4000 cm−1. The internal and external modes,based on a factor group analysis and comparison with Na2SO4 and La2(SO4)3 · 9H2O, have been assigned. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction study shows that La2(SO403 · 8H2O crystallizes in the monoclinic space group Pn (Z = 2) with cell dimensions a = 6.881(2) A, b = 17.376(4) A, c = 6.923(2) A, and β = 92.34 (2)°. The structure was refined to a final R = 0.033 for 2333 observed reflections.
Neural and endocrine development after chronic tryptophan deficiency in rats: I. Brain monoamine and pituitary responses.

Abstract Caloric restriction and tryptophan deficient diets have been shown to delay aging in the immature laboratory rat. Studies of monoamine levels in the brain of developing female rats fed on these diets show changes in serotonin but not norepinephrine or dopamine levels: in tryptophan-restricted rats serotonin levels were reduced in all brain areas studies, whereas in caloric-restricted animals serotonin levels were increased in the cerebral hemispheres only. Another group of animals, in which growth and maturation was delayed by feeding d,1-parachlorophenylalanine (PCPA) showed decreases in serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine concentrations in all brain regions investigated. All treatments employed to arrest growth and maturation resulted in pituitary alterations manifested by gross, histological and ultrastructural changes. It is postulated that these maturation- and age-retarding treatments delay the development of the central nervous system resulting in postponed maturation of the neuroendocrine axis, with consequent hypoactivity of certain pituitary functions and a resultant delay in the onset of maturation and senescence.
Effect of waste tires and waste tire components on hydrocracking and heteroatom removal reactions using model systems

The effect of waste tires and waste tire components, such as styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), carbon black, and solid residues from waste tire liquefaction, on hydrocracking reactions that occur in coal and waste tire coliquefaction was evaluated using the model compound 4-(1-naphythylmethyl)bibenzyl (NMBB). The reactions were performed thermally and catalytically using slurry phase catalyst precursors including molybdenum naphthenate, iron naphthenate, and other iron precursors. The reaction conditions were 400 °C for 30 min with a H 2 pressure of 8.7 MPa introduced at ambient temperature. Carbon black was active for hydrocracking NMBB and selective for cleaving the naphthyl-methylene bond and resulted in 79.1 + 2.7% hydrocracking while the waste tires themselves, SBR, and untreated solid waste tire residues were not active, yielding between 11.3 ± 2.2 and 32.5 ± 3.1% hydrocracking. However, when the residue from the liquefaction of waste tires was heat-treated and then reacted with NMBB, the treated residue showed substantial activity for promoting hydrocracking. The amount of activity was dependent upon the composition of the residue. The heat-treated carbon black-rich residue yielded 52.9 ± 1.7% hydrocracking while the mineral-rich residue yielded 99.7 ± 2.1%. Higher activity was obtained when the residues were reacted in the presence of molybdenum naphthenate and excess sulfur. In addition, the effect of carbon black and heat-treated residues from waste tires reacted individually and in conjunction with molybdenum naphthenate was examined for heteroatom removal and hydrogenation of dibenzothiophene and 5-methyl-8-(1-methylethyl)-dibenzothiopen-4-ol (MMDH). Carbon black and the heat-treated residues, particularly in conjunction with molybdenum naphthenate and excess sulfur, promoted these reactions. The substituted MMDH was more reactive and responsive to catalytic promotion by these agents than was its unsubstituted analogue, dibenzothiophene.
Electron impact dissociative excitation of O2: 1. Kinetic energy distributions of fast oxygen atoms

[1] The kinetic energy distribution of oxygen atoms resulting from electron impact dissociation of O2 has been measured. A high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet spectrometer was employed for the measurement of the OI(115.2 nm, 130.4 nm, 135.6 nm) fine-structure emission line profiles at 35 eV and 100 eV electron impact energies. The deconvolved line profiles of atomic oxygen reveal the existence of a broad line profile (∼30–40 mA full width at half maximum) produced from a combination of dissociative excitation and dissociative ionization excitation processes. The atomic oxygen kinetic energy distributions at 100 eV electron impact energy spans the energy range from 1 to 10 eV, with a peak value near 1 eV. The excitation functions of OI(115.2 nm, 130.4 nm, 135.6 nm) were measured in the vicinity of threshold, from 14 to 50 eV. The PACS classification is 34.80.Gs (electron scattering-molecular dissociation) and 33.50Dq (molecular spectra-fluorescence).
15-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid stimulates migration of human retinal microvessel endothelium in vitro and neovascularization in vivo.

Abstract We evaluated 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE), a major arachidonic acid product of vascular endothelium and leukocytes, for its effect on neovascularization. In a modified Boyden chamber assay, 15-HETE (10−7 M) sitmulated human retinal microvessel endothelial cell migration by 42 ± 10% (mean ± S.E.M., p in vivo . Concentrations at which the in vivo effects were observed are within the range generated by several cell types and are achievable in human serum. 15-HETE stimulation of human endothelial cell migration in vitro and neovascularization in vivo suggests that it may play a role in vasoproliferative disorders.
Rating of Therapeutic Warmth and Genuineness by Untrained Judges.

Summary.-20 untrained raters rank-ordered typescripts of therapy segments representative of the Truax warmth and genuineness scales on the dimensions of acceptance-rejection and genuineness-falseness. Correlations between untrained raters' ranks and the Truax criteria for warmth were generally posicive and moderately high, with an over-all posicive 7, whereas 7 with genuineness was generally low and negative, with an over-all low positive value. Vocal cues influenced untrained judges' ratings of genuineness more than those of warmth. Verbal sryle influenced raters' iudgments of warmth more than those of genuineness. Comparis3ns were made with previous studies of naive judges' ratings of empathy. Implications for therapeutic practice were discussed. Consistent research evidence has accumulated (Truax & Carkhuff, 1967) in support of the therapeutic conditions of empathy, warmth and genuineness posited by Rogers as faciliczcive of patient change in psychotherapy. Although Parloff (1970) has noced the existence of three inconsistent findings wich group therapy, there have been but cwo reports of such discrepant results in research on individual therapy (Bergin & Jasper, 1969; Feitel, 1968). The conclusion from these srudies cjone by both client-centered and non-client-centered researchers is that patiencs who receive high empathy, warmth, and genuineness are likely to show improved personality functioning, whereas those receiving low levels are likely to show no change or even to deteriorate (Bergin, 1963, 1966). A recent critique of studies using empathy ratings (Chinsky & Rappoport, 1970) has raised serious questions about the factor structure of these variables. A partial explanation of whac is measured by the scales for these constructs (Truax & Carkhuff, 1967) has been offered by Fish (1970), who found that, consistent with the parenthetical speculation of Chinsky and Rappoport (1970), therapists' empathic ability wich patients was significantly related co their empathic style in written descriptions of their own emotional experiences, thereby suggesting that empathy, and by implication, warmth and genuineness may reflect a therapist quality not implied in the definition of these variables in the training manuals for raters (Truax & Carkhuff, 1967). Fish considers this quality a general verbal style of reporting and communicating emotional experiences, yet he cautions t:lat it is still unclear whether being empachic with patients is the result of a certain language style or whether this expressive scyle is the result of one's being empathic.
A Thermodynamic Correlation for the Minimum Miscibility Pressure in CO2 Flooding of Petroleum Reservoirs

A graphic equation-of-state (EOS)-generated correlation for the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) of CO/sub 2//crude-oil displacements is presented, along with a brief review of 17 other MMP correlations. The MMP is estimated as the cricondenbar or first-contact miscibility pressure of the pure or impure CO/sub 2//crude-oil system in which the C/sub 5+/ oil fraction is modeled as a single normal alkane of equivalent molecular weight. The correlation accounts for all the experimentally observed trends in MMP in a consistent manner and is independent of any CO/sub 2//crude-oil data base. A correction is introduced, however, to prevent a predicted increase in the MMP with decreasing temperature at low temperatures for high-molecular-weight oils. The average predicted-MMP/experimental-MMP ratio for 157 CO/sub 2//crude-oil MMP values is 1.09, with a standard deviation of 0.19. Unlike other correlations, specifically those relating MMP with CO/sub 2/ density, a decrease in MMP with temperature at elevated temperatures (>120/sup 0/C (>248/sup 0/F)) is predicted.
Will Using Medicare Data to Rate Doctors Benefit Patients

On 5 December 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that it will make its claims data available to rate health care providers on their quality of care so that consumers can m...
CULTURES OF ORGANIZED TISSUES

An artificial organism, if one may so term it, composed of a complex of tissues, was cultivated for a long period of time. Small fragments of intestine from chick embryos 20 to 21 days old were placed in a suitable medium. The epithelium proliferated and completely covered the fragment of intestine after 4 to 6 days. A small body was thus formed, round or oblong in shape, surrounded by cylindrical epithelium and containing epithelial, connective, and muscle tissues, endothelium, and ameboid cells. After a month's cultivation in vitro, no necrosis had occurred. Therefore, it may be assumed that, through the intestinal epithelium, the medium supplied the intestinal tissue with sufficient nourishment. No uncontrolled proliferation took place after the epithelium bad surrounded the entire fragment. The cultivation of complex tissues will facilitate the study of the interactions of the different cells under various conditions. In some experiments, pure cultures of epithelial cells were grafted into such an "organism" without difficulty. The growth of malignant cells could be studied in the same way. When the "organism" was placed in a fluid medium, the epithelium remained normal but the stroma disappeared. It seems that plasma played an important role in the maintenance of the tissues in their normal condition.
Modality-specific selective attention attenuates multisensory integration

Stimuli occurring in multiple sensory modalities that are temporally synchronous or spatially coincident can be integrated together to enhance perception. Additionally, the semantic content or meaning of a stimulus can influence cross-modal interactions, improving task performance when these stimuli convey semantically congruent or matching information, but impairing performance when they contain non-matching or distracting information. Attention is one mechanism that is known to alter processing of sensory stimuli by enhancing perception of task-relevant information and suppressing perception of task-irrelevant stimuli. It is not known, however, to what extent attention to a single sensory modality can minimize the impact of stimuli in the unattended sensory modality and reduce the integration of stimuli across multiple sensory modalities. Our hypothesis was that modality-specific selective attention would limit processing of stimuli in the unattended sensory modality, resulting in a reduction of performance enhancements produced by semantically matching multisensory stimuli, and a reduction in performance decrements produced by semantically non-matching multisensory stimuli. The results from two experiments utilizing a cued discrimination task demonstrate that selective attention to a single sensory modality prevents the integration of matching multisensory stimuli that is normally observed when attention is divided between sensory modalities. Attention did not reliably alter the amount of distraction caused by non-matching multisensory stimuli on this task; however, these findings highlight a critical role for modality-specific selective attention in modulating multisensory integration.
Developing a Model for Mass Transport of Nitric Oxide in the Lymphatic System

The lymphatic system plays a vital role in maintaining fluid homeostasis. It is responsible for the uptake and return of large particulates and extravasated proteins from interstitial spaces to the venous system. Its dysfunction could result in extracellular edema [1]. It also plays an important role in the immune system and is often the route of metastasis for certain types of cancers.Copyright © 2012 by ASME