cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Latent feature decompositions for integrative analysis of diverse high-throughput genomic data

A general method for regressing a continuous response upon large groups of diverse genetic covariates via dimension reduction is developed and exemplified. It is shown that allowing latent features derived from different covariate groups to interact aids in prediction when interactions subsist among the original covariates. A means of selecting a subset of relevant covariates from the original set is proposed, and a simulation study is performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the procedure for prediction and variable selection. The procedure is applied to a high-dimensional lung cancer data set to model the effects of gene expression, copy number variation, and methylation on a drug response.
A Multilayer Resist for Direct Write Ion Beam Lithography

A focused ion beam of gallium was used to implant into the top layer of a bi-layer structure on a silicon wafer. The structures studied were spin-on glass/organic and electron beam deposited Si/organic. Plasma etch conditions were found which gave substantial etch rate differences between the implanted and non-implanted material. The material was then patterned by dry processing methods. The plasma etch produces a vertical wall 2.0 µm high with a rectangular profile free of debris. The variation in line width along the line is a small fraction of the line width. Or, the line width is constant along the line and is approximately equal to 0.4µm, the spot size of the focused ion beam on the wafer. The variation in line width as a function of implantation dose was determined and shown capable of yielding a reproducible line width. The results are shown to be superior to single resist exposure. Potential applications are presented.
Family involvement is helpful and harmful to patients’ self-care and glycemic control.

Abstract Objective We assessed the relationships between supportive and obstructive family behaviors and patients’ diabetes self-care activities and HbA 1C , and potential interaction effects and differences by demographic characteristics. Methods In a cross-sectional study, 192 adults with type 2 diabetes completed the Diabetes Family Behavior Checklist-II, the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities, and a glycemic control (HbA 1C ) test. Results Participants reported similar rates of supportive and obstructive behaviors that were positively correlated ( rho = 0.61, p β = 0.20 to 0.50, p β = −0.28 to −0.39, p 1C ( β = 0.18, p 1C (interaction β = −0.22, p 1C . Conclusion Involving family members in patients’ diabetes management may impede patients’ self-care and compromise their glycemic control unless family members are taught to avoid obstructive behaviors. Practice implications Our findings endorse interventions that help family members develop actionable plans to support patients’ self-care and train them to communicate productively about diabetes management.
Scale-invariance and self-organized criticality in migmatites of the southern Hualapai Mountains, Arizona

Whether or not melt-flow networks are scale-invariant may have broad implications for the understanding of the development of magmatic systems. Leucosome distributions in natural migmatite samples from the Hualapai Mountains, Arizona, are used to investigate the scaling characteristics of an inferred syndeformational melt-flow network. One-dimensional line and two-dimensional box-counting analyses yield distributions that are consistent with a scale-invariant relationship between the leucosome size and leucosome frequency. We infer from these results that the interactions of anatexis and deformation gave rise to a self-organized critical system in which melt distribution and melt movement were linked over a range of scales (at least millimeter- to meter-scale). We conclude that, even in metatexite migmatites volumetrically dominated by solid phases, melts can play an active role in determining the architecture of the melt-flow network. One implication of the envisioned self-organized critical system is the potential for rapid, large-scale melt coalescence and escape without long-term maintenance of a fully interconnected melt-flow network.
Compositional equivalency of Cry1F corn event TC6275 and conventional corn (Zea mays L.).

Maize (Zea mays L.) plants have been transformed to express a Cry1F insecticidal crystal protein originally isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner. This protein controls lepidopteran pests o...
Visual Acuity Development and Plasticity in the Absence of Sensory Experience

Visual circuits mature and are refined by sensory experience. However, significant gaps remain in our understanding how deprivation influences the development of visual acuity in mice. Here, we perform a longitudinal study assessing the effects of chronic deprivation on the development of the mouse subcortical and cortical visual circuits using a combination of behavioral optomotor testing, in vivo visual evoked responses (VEP) and single-unit cortical recordings. As previously reported, orientation tuning was degraded and onset of ocular dominance plasticity was delayed and remained open in chronically deprived mice. Surprisingly, we found that the development of optomotor threshold and VEP acuity can occur in an experience-independent manner, although at a significantly slower rate. Moreover, monocular deprivation elicited amblyopia only during a discrete period of development in the dark. The rate of recovery of optomotor threshold upon exposure of deprived mice to light confirmed a maturational transition regardless of visual input. Together our results revealed a dissociable developmental trajectory for visual receptive-field properties in dark-reared mice suggesting a differential role for spontaneous activity within thalamocortical and intracortical circuits.
Comprehensive modeling of diode arrays and broad-area devices with applications to lateral index tailoring

A numerical model for calculating the emission characteristics of diode laser arrays and broad-area devices operating well above threshold is discussed. This model uses the beam propagation technique for determining the field intensities for several lateral modes, while simultaneously and self-consistently solving for the two-dimensional current flow through the laser structure and the subsequent carrier diffusion in the active region. The active-region temperature distribution is also computed in a self-consistent manner, based on the flow of heat generated in the active region through the layered device structure to a constant-temperature heat sink. The model is applied by investigating the sensitivity of the lasing modes of a broad-area diode laser to variations in the lateral temperature distribution. >
Observations on the structure of secretory cells associated with aphid cornicles.

Light- and electron-microscopic observations on the cornicles of the rose aphid Macrosiphum rosae are presented, and discussed in relation to conflicting interpretations of cornicle structure and function. Lipid filled cornicle secretory cells occupy the lumen of the cornicle and extend into the abdominal cavity. The aphid is readily induced by mechanical stimuli to release cornicle secretory cells from a pore at the tip of the cornicle. The holocrine secretory cells are disrupted and release their lipid contents on leaving the body. They are enclosed within an acellular membranous sac that is apparently identical in structure with the basal lamina of the epidermis. The ultrastructure and anatomical relationships of the cornicle secretory cells suggest that they are oenocytes invaginated with the epidermal basal lamina, and are not anatomically or embryologically related to fat body.
Restoring infrastructure systems: An integrated network design and scheduling (INDS) problem

We consider the problem of restoring services provided by infrastructure systems after an extreme event disrupts them. This research proposes a novel integrated network design and scheduling problem that models these restoration efforts. In this problem, work groups must be allocated to build nodes and arcs into a network in order to maximize the cumulative weighted flow in the network over a horizon. We develop a novel heuristic dispatching rule that selects the next set of tasks to be processed by the work groups. We further propose families of valid inequalities for an integer programming formulation of the problem, one of which specifically links the network design and scheduling decisions. Our methods are tested on realistic data sets representing the infrastructure systems of New Hanover County, North Carolina in the United States and lower Manhattan in New York City. These results indicate that our methods can be used in both real-time restoration activities and long-term scenario planning activities. Our models are also applied to explore the effects on the restoration activities of aligning them with the goals of an emergency manager and to benchmark existing restoration procedures.
Chemistry of technetium 99m

The detection of a number of impurities in 99m Tc effluents from 99 Mo generators is important for proper use of the generator systems. Their identification is described in this review. Technetium in sulfur colloid is probably present as Tc 2 S 7 . Reduction of the technetium by sodium thiosulfate (before acidification) will interfere with the preparation of this compound. In the labeling of serum albumin with 99m Tc in a zirconium electrolytic cell, the pertechnetate is reduced by the zirconium. Successful serum albumin labeling procedures, with a variety of reducing agents, require acidification of the mixture of albumin and reduced technetium to about pH 2. This is believed to be associated with a number of reversible structural changes in the protein. Evidence for pertechnetate Tc in labeled serum albumin is not convincing. Experiments with 99m Tc at the millimolar level suggest that stannous chloride in excess reduces pertechnetate in DTPA solution to the trivalent state and in citrate solution to the quadrivalent state. The reduced technetium is in the form of a dimer, probably with an oxygen or hydroxyl bridge between two Tc atoms, in renal scanning agents processed on the reduction of pertechnetate in the presence of mannitol or sodium gluconate or sodium glucoheptonate. Quality control of Tc radiopharmaceuticals is a difficult problem. Pitfalls in the use of a single technique such as anion-exchange resins or 85% methanol in paper chromatography are discussed in this review.
Antihypertensive pharmacogenetic effect of fibrinogen-beta variant -455G>A on cardiovascular disease, end-stage renal disease, and mortality: the GenHAT study.

Objective—The FGB gene codes for fibrinogen-beta, a polypeptide of the coagulation factor fibrinogen, which is positively associated with cardiovascular diseases. Studies show ACE inhibitors lower plasma fibrinogen concentrations, whereas diuretics and calcium channel blockers do not. Since carriers of the FGB-455 minor “A” allele have higher levels of fibrinogen while ACE inhibitors lower it, we hypothesize that “A” allele carriers benefit more from antihypertensive treatment with ACE inhibitors than calcium channel blockers or diuretics, relative to “GG” genotype individuals. Methods—The GenHAT study (ancillary to ALLHAT) genotyped hypertensive participants for several hypertension-related candidate genes, making this a post-hoc analysis of a randomized trial. In total, 90.1% of the ALLHAT population was successfully genotyped for FGB-455. We included participants (n=30,076) randomized to one of three antihypertensive medications (lisinopril, amlodipine, chlorthalidone), with two treatment comparisons: lisinopril versus chlorthalidone and lisinopril versus amlodipine. The primary outcome of ALLHAT/GenHAT was coronary heart disease, defined as fatal CHD or non-fatal MI, and secondary outcomes included stroke, heart failure, all-cause mortality and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) with mean follow-up time of 4.9 years. Genotype-by-treatment interactions (pharmacogenetic effects) were tested with Cox regression. Results—Stroke: Common “GG” homozygotes had higher risk on lisinopril versus amlodipine (HR=1.38, p<0.001), while minor “A” allele carriers had slightly lower risk (HR=0.96, p=0.76; pvalue for interaction=0.03). Mortality: “GG” homozygotes had higher risk on lisinopril versus amlodipine (HR=1.12, p=0.02) or chlorthalidone (1.05, p=0.23), while “A” allele carriers had slightly lower risk (HR=0.92, p=0.33 for lisinopril versus amlodipine, HR=0.88, p=0.08 for lisinopril versus chlorthalidone; p-value for interactions 0.04 and 0.03, respectively). ESRD: “GG” homozygotes had higher risk on lisinopril versus chlorthalidone (HR=1.27, p=0.08), while “A” allele carriers had lower risk (HR=0.64, p=0.12; p-value for interaction=0.03). Conclusions—There was evidence of pharmacogenetic effects of FBG-455 on stroke, ESRD and mortality, suggesting that relative to those homozygous for the common allele, variant allele carriers of the FGB gene at position -455 have a better outcome if randomized to lisinopril than chlorthalidone
Characterizing streamflow response of a mountaintop-mined watershed to changing land use

Abstract Mountaintop removal mining is a dominant driver of land use/land cover changes in the Appalachian Region of the eastern United States and is expected to increase in scale in the coming decades. While several studies quantify land use/land cover changes attributed to traditional surface mining and at regional scales, no studies we are aware of focus specifically on mountaintop removal/valley fill mining practices at the watershed scale. Further, despite its scale and extent, its impact on runoff, particularly at larger spatial scales (10 3 km 2 ), is poorly understood due to the complex relationships between climate, land use, and hydrology. To explore the impacts of this practice at broader scales, we estimated land use/land cover changes using Landsat 5 TM imagery over five periods between 1994 and 2010; used a simple rainfall–runoff model to estimate hydrologic response time; and conducted non-parametric trend analyses on annual hydrologic metrics (streamflow, Q / P , response time) for the Big Coal River watershed located in the southern West Virginia coalfields. No statistically significant trends were detected in any of the timeseries. The lack of detectable trends and correlations between land use changes and hydrology at the basin scale are not entirely unexpected due to the history and mosaic of land cover changes that span timescales larger than our study period. Further interannual variation likely overwhelms our ability to detect potential changes using monotonic trend analysis at the annual time scale, particularly in light of strong streamflow seasonality. Future studies therefore should include different methods of change detection applied to different timescales to more appropriately account seasonal and interannual variations. Until the significance of this practice on water resources (quality and quality) are understood, efforts to reduce the environmental problems associated with mountaintop mining will be difficult to achieve.
Controls of Global Snow under a Changed Climate

AbstractThis study assesses the ability of a newly developed high-resolution coupled model from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory to simulate the cold-season hydroclimate in the present climate and examines its response to climate change forcing. Output is assessed from a 280-yr control simulation that is based on 1990 atmospheric composition and an idealized 140-yr future simulation in which atmospheric carbon dioxide increases at 1% yr−1 until doubling in year 70 and then remains constant. When compared with a low-resolution model, the high-resolution model is found to better represent the geographic distribution of snow variables in the present climate. In response to idealized radiative forcing changes, both models produce similar global-scale responses in which global-mean temperature and total precipitation increase while snowfall decreases. Zonally, snowfall tends to decrease in the low to midlatitudes and increase in the mid- to high latitudes. At the regional scale, the high- and low-reso...
Goal Setting for Students and Teachers Six Steps to Success

(2005). Goal Setting for Students and Teachers Six Steps to Success. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 78, No. 3, pp. 123-126.
Longitudinal and concurrent dimensional changes of cellulose aggregate fibrils during sorption stages

Abstract Atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies of the dimensional changes of cellulose microfibril materials, called cellulose aggregate fibrils (approx. 100 µm × 3 µm × 300 nm), exposed to two distinct relative humidities of 80% and 23% for 24 h and then suddenly subjected to 50% RH and 23 °C show that the fibrils are responsive to the surrounding environments in a nonspecific fashion. AFM images (10 µm × 10 µm) of the individual straight cellulose aggregate fibrils were taken as a function of elapsed time during both desorption and adsorption of moisture. The longitudinal distance between discrete natural defects observed on the cellulose aggregate fibrils as well as the width, cross-sectional area, and height of the cellulose aggregate fibril were measured from the AFM images. The length of the cellulose aggregate fibrils was found to have reduced after exposure to either high or low relative humidity, and then placement in ambient conditions. Over time in ambient conditions, the cellulose aggregate fibrils progressively relaxed to their original length during both desorption and adsorption of moisture. However, the relaxation rate during adsorption was faster than that during desorption. The possible explanations for this phenomenon are discussed including the sample preparation method, volume conservation, entropy elasticity, and free volume theory. The changes in the width, height, and cross-sectional area are also discussed.
High-Resolution, Non-Contact Angular Measurement System for PSA/RSA

A non-contact angular measurement system for Pitch Static Attitude (PSA) and Roll Static Attitude (RSA) of hard disk drive sliders is designed and built. Real-time sampling at over 15 KHz is achieved with accuracy of +/−0.05 degrees over a range of approximately 2–3 degrees. Measuring the PSA and RSA is critical for hard drive manufacturers to control and improve the quality and reliability of hard drives. Although the hard drive industry is able to measure the PSA and RSA at the subassembly level at this time, there is no system available that is able to measure PSA/RSA at the final assembly level. This project has successfully demonstrated a methodology that the PSA/RSA can be reliably measured in-situ using a laser and position sensitive detector (PSD) technology. A prototype of the measurement system has been built. This device will allow a continuous measurement between the parked position on the ramp and the loading position just off of the disk surface. This measured data can be used to verify manufacturing processes and reliability data.© 2011 ASME
Analogue median circuit

A new analogue median circuit with a very sharp DC transfer characteristic is described. The configuration is based on a multiple-input current comparator and can be generalised to other rank extractors. A prototype has been fabricated in a 2 µm CMOS technology, and experimental results are presented.
Phenylbutazone‐sodium warfarin binding using a fluorescent probe technique

1-Anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate was used to study the binding of phenylbutazone and sodium warfarin to bovine serum albumin. The protein molecules appeared to have an average of three binding sites for these compounds. The binding constant for phenylbutazone was found to be 2.5 times larger than that for sodium warfarin. Identical binding sites with a different binding affinity between the two drugs indicate a competition for the binding sites between phenylbutazone and sodium warfarin in favor of phenylbutazone. The mechanism of binding for these drugs may be of a hydrophobic nature.
Origin of a single coronary artery from the pulmonary artery

Abstract A case of a single left coronary artery originating from the pulmonary artery is presented. Three similar cases were found in the literature. These four cases are briefly discussed with regard to the anatomy and pathophysiology of the anomaly.
The Anemia of Inflammation/Malignancy: Mechanisms and Management

Anemia is a common complication in patients with inflammatory diseases of many kinds, including cancer. The mechanisms that have captured the most attention include cytokine-mediated changes in both the production of and the response to erythropoietin (Epo), as well as important alterations in iron metabolism. The last is brought about by the relatively recently recognized peptide hormone, hepcidin. The availability of recombinant human Epo and its derivatives (known by class as Erythropoietic Stimulating Agents, ESAs) has dramatically changed anemia management in patients with cancer but, in the process, has raised as many issues as have been answered. This chapter reviews the mechanisms resulting in anemia in inflammation, including cancer, and focuses on the controversies around management with the ESAs and the adjuvant use of iron in anemia management.
Repairing the Sickle Cell mutation. III. Effect of irradiation wavelength on the specificity and type of photoproduct formed by a 3′‐terminal psoralen on a third strand directed to the mutant base pair

Using a psoralen delivery system mediated by a DNA third strand that binds selectively to linear target duplexes immediately downstream from the Sickle Cell beta-globin gene mutation and the comparable wild-type beta-globin gene sequence, the kinetics of formation and yield of psoralen monoadducts and crosslinks with pyrimidine residues at and near the mutant base pair site and its wild-type counterpart were determined. By exploiting irradiation specificities at 300, 365 and 419 nm, it was possible to evaluate the orientation equilibrium of 3'-linked intercalated psoralen and to develop conditions that lead to preferential formation of each type of photoproduct in both the mutant and wild-type sequences. This makes possible the preparation of each type of photoproduct for use as a substrate for DNA repair. In this way, the base pair change(s) that each generates can be established.
Bare English-origin nouns in Spanish: Rates, constraints, and discourse functions

We test the hypothesis that single other-language-origin words are nonce loans (Sankoff, Poplack, & Vanniarajan, 1990) as opposed to code-switches in a corpus-based study of English-origin nouns occurring spontaneously in New Mexican Spanish discourse. The object of study is determinerless nouns, whose status is superficially ambiguous. The study shows that, even with typologically similar languages, variable rule analysis can reveal details of the grammar that constitute conflict sites, even when relative frequencies for variants are similar. Though the rate of bare nouns is identical, their distribution patterns in Spanish and English differ. Linguistic conditioning parallel with the former, and at odds with the latter, shows that the contentious items are loanwords. In information flow terms (Dubois, 1980; Thompson, 1997), it is not lack of grammatical integration but nonreferential uses of nonce-loan nouns to form recipient-language predicates that is manifested in zero determination.We are grateful to Neddy A. Vigil for access to the New Mexico–Colorado Spanish Survey tapes. Mayra Cortes-Torres, Matt Alba, Jens Clegg, and Mark Waltemire helped with data transcription and extraction. This work was supported by a University of New Mexico Research Allocations Committee grant to Torres Cacoullos (#02-01). Work was completed during a postdoctoral fellowship for Torres Cacoullos at the University of Ottawa Sociolinguistics Laboratory, for which we thank Shana Poplack. A preliminary version was presented at NWAV-31, Stanford University, October 2002.
Evaluating the impact of guest speaker postings in online discussions

This study investigated the impact of virtual guest speakers facilitating asynchronous discussions. The setting was an online instructional technology course with 16 graduate students and two guest speakers. The research reports the quantity and level of critical thinking of the students and guests. Each posting was coded for frequency and critical thinking. The results indicate that higher-order thinking occurred and student participation remained high throughout the length of both threaded discussions, regardless of the amount of postings and time spent by the guests. The findings support that guest speakers can be used sparingly in online discussions while still maintaining the quality of the online discussion and frequent, meaningful interactions among students.
Flexible control for program recognition

The author reports on the application of recognition to multiple tasks requiring reverse engineering, such as inspecting, maintaining, and reusing software. This requires a flexible, adaptable recognition architecture. A recognition system based on graph parsing has been developed. It has a flexible, adaptable control structure that can accept advice from external agents. Its flexibility arises from using a chart parsing algorithm. This graph parsing approach is studied to determine what types of advice can enhance its capabilities, performance, and scalability. >
Robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy: excellent intermediate results for those who follow up.

with RN, with the hypothesis that protection of renal function was responsible for the apparent improved outcomes [3,4]. An OS benefit for PN was additionally supported by meta-analyses and two institutional series comparing PN and RN for patients with benign renal masses on final pathology [5–7]. Nevertheless, a randomized controlled trial comparing PN and RN did not observe a survival benefit, and although this trial had its own set of limitations, to date it represents the only level 1 evidence comparing the surgical approaches [8]. Thus we are left with the relative certainty that PN protects renal function compared with RN, whereas the potential impact on survival remains controversial. Therefore, the utilization of PN has remained an important option for patients with a small renal mass. A nephron-sparing treatment approach can be effectively accomplished with a variety of techniques. Open PN, laparoscopic PN, robotic-assisted laparoscopic PN, and laparoscopic or percutaneous ablation each have their inherent pros and cons. In this issue of the Platinum Journal, Khalifeh and colleagues update their experience using robotic-assisted PN, focusing on patients who had a minimum of 2 yr of follow-up [9]. Among 427 patients treated since 2006, 134 (31%) met this inclusion criteria of minimal follow-up and formed the focus of the analyses. Clavien grade 3 complications were rare (<4%). With a mean follow-up of 3 yr, cancer-specific survival was excellent, with only one cancer-related death observed. Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 88 ml/min prior to surgery and diminished slightly to a mean of 80 ml/min when last evaluated postoperatively. The authors concluded that robotic-assisted PN is effective for renal preservation and oncologic control at an intermediate follow-up interval. We believe that this conclusion is valid; however, some important limitations warrant discussion.
Chloroplast transit peptides: structure, function and evolution

It is thought that two to three thousand different proteins are targeted to the chloroplast, and the ‘transit peptides’ that act as chloroplast targeting sequences are probably the largest class of targeting sequences in plants. At a primary structural level, transit peptide sequences are highly divergent in length, composition and organization. An emerging concept suggests that transit peptides contain multiple domains that provide either distinct or overlapping functions. These functions include direct interaction with envelope lipids, chloroplast receptors and the stromal processing peptidase. The genomic organization of transit peptides suggests that these domains might have originated from distinct exons, which were shuffled and streamlined throughout evolution to yield a modern, multifunctional transit peptide. Although still poorly characterized, this evolutionary process could yield transit peptides with different domain organizations. The plasticity of transit peptide design is consistent with the diverse biological functions of chloroplast proteins.
Magellan Mission to Venus: Radar System Design and Operational Challenges

The Magellan radar mission to Venus was launched in May 1989 and placed into orbit around Venus in August 1990. After several weeks of check-out including two complete signal loss events from the spacecraft, the mission began collecting data from the radar instrument in the three modes of synthetic aperture, altimetry, and passive radiometry. The author presents an overview of the mission and shows some results, concentrating on the engineering aspects of the results. He also describes how the many challenges were overcome and the system was adapted to the realities of Venus and the radar system that is being used to map the planet. It is concluded that this mission has presented many lessons learned about not only the design of an imaging and altimetric radar system but also the adaptation of this design to the mission operational constraints.
Timing functions of the cerebellum

This study investigated the effects of different types of neurological deficits on timing functions. The performance of Parkinson, cerebellar, cortical, and peripheral neuropathy patients was compared to age-matched control subjects on two separate measures of timing functions. The first task involved the production of timed intervals in which the subjects attempted to maintain a simple rhythm. The second task measured the subjects' perceptual ability to discriminate between small differences in the duration of two intervals. The primacy of the cerebellum in timing functions was demonstrated by the finding that these were the only patients who showed a deficit in both the production and perception of timing tasks. The cerebellar group was found to have increased variability in performing rhythmic tapping and they were less accurate than the other groups in making perceptual discriminations regarding small differences in duration. Critically, this perceptual deficit appears to be specific to the perception of time since the cerebellar patients were unaffected in a control task measuring the perception of loudness. It is argued that the operation of a timing mechanism can be conceptualized as an isolable component of the motor control system. Furthermore, the results suggest that the domain of the cerebellar timing process is not limited to the motor system, but is employed by other perceptual and cognitive systems when temporally predictive computations are needed.
Effects of inoculum size on the activity of carboxy- and ureido-penicillins and effects of combinations of ureido-penicillins with aminoglycosides against resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Effects of inoculum size on the comparative activity of carbenicillin, ticarcillin, mezlocillin, piperacillin and azlocillin against 20 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa known to be relatively resistant to carbenicillin were studied by using 10(4), 10(5) and 10(6) cfu/ml. Inoculum size markedly affected the susceptibility of Ps. aeruginosa to these antibiotics. An increase in the inoculum size from 10(4) to 10(5) cfu/ml had more effects on the MIC of the ureido-penicillins than the carboxy-penicillins. Mezlocillin, piperacillin and azlocillin with gentamicin or tobramycin showed mainly indifference. Synergism or antagonism were demonstrated against a few strains.
Endothelial and smooth muscle cell conduction in arterioles controlling blood flow.

We performed intracellular recording with Lucifer yellow dye microinjection to investigate the cellular pathway(s) by which constriction and dilation are conducted along the wall of arterioles (dia...
A preliminary cross-cultural study of moral intuitions.

Abstract Hypothetical moral dilemmas have been used to explore the nature of moral intuitions that may reflect a universal moral belief system. Several dimensions have been identified empirically that are important to the resolution of these hypothetical moral dilemmas. These dimensions are unrelated to gender, ethnicity, or other factors that might be expected to influence individuals’ moral intuitions. We explored the generality of these findings by presenting hypothetical dilemmas to a sample of Taiwanese students attending National Taiwan University. Their native language was Chinese, and over half of the students were affiliated with an Eastern religion. Responses to the dilemmas by the Taiwanese students were similar to the responses from several U.S. samples. The same dimensions that were important in the U.S. samples also were important in the Taiwanese sample. These findings support the argument that an evolved human nature influences the resolution of these dilemmas. These evolved tendencies would be those that would enhance inclusive fitness and increase the likelihood of reciprocal altruism and would be expected to enhance the ultimate reproductive success in the environment of evolutionary adaptation.
Simultaneous Monitoring of Peptide Aggregate Distributions, Structure, and Kinetics Using Amide Hydrogen Exchange: Application to Aβ(1–40) Fibrillogenesis

Increasing evidence indicates that soluble aggregates of amyloid beta protein (Abeta) are neurotoxic. However, difficulty in isolating these unstable, dynamic species impedes studies of Abeta and other aggregating peptides and proteins. In this study, hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HX) detected by mass spectrometry (MS) was used to measure Abeta(1-40) aggregate distributions without purification or modification that might alter the aggregate structure or distribution. Different peaks in the mass spectra were assigned to monomer, low molecular weight oligomer, intermediate, and fibril based on HX labeling behavior and complementary assays. After 1 h labeling, the intermediates incorporated approximately ten more deuterons relative to fibrils, indicating a more solvent exposed structure of such intermediates. HX-MS also showed that the intermediate species dissociated much more slowly to monomer than did the very low molecular weight oligomers that were formed at very early times in Abeta aggregation. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements revealed the intermediates were roughly spherical with relatively homogenous diameters of 30-50 nm. Quantitative analysis of the HX mass spectra showed that the amount of intermediate species was correlated with Abeta toxicity patterns reported in a previous study under the same conditions. This study also demonstrates the potential of the HX-MS approach to characterizing complex, multi-component oligomer distributions of aggregating peptides and proteins.
Sex, drugs and sports: prostaglandins, epitestosterone and sexual development.

Summary Amateau and McCarthy's findings published in Nature Neuroscience (June 2004) are noteworthy for suggesting a role for prostaglandins in sexual development. However, evidence suggests that in manipulating PGE2, they unknowingly implicated 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase [E.C. 1.1.1.50], 3(or 17)α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase [E.C. 1.1.1.209] and their respective products, androsterone (ADT) and epitestosterone (EpiT), in the developmental masculinization of sex behavior. EpiT is generally regarded as a hormonally inactive 17α-epimer of testosterone (T). In rats, the kidney is the primary site of EpiT formation, whereas in humans it originates from the gonads, with only a small contribution secreted by the adrenals. Because the ratio of T to EpiT is nearly constant, it is presently used for assessing steroid abuse in competitive sports, where the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) considers a T/EpiT ratio >4 evidence of T doping. Despite its central role in the detection of illict anabolic steroid use, our knowledge of factors effecting EpiT production is poor. Clues in the literature, however, reveal that prostaglandin-mediated processes, such as LHRH release, may influence its production. Antimycotics, NSAIDs, and opioid analgesics used in sports medicine are all known to effect prostaglandin E2 synthesis. Primary PGs are potent inhibitors of ADT oxidation, while indomethacin, a prostaglandin blocker, powerfully inhibits 3α-HSD reduction and ADT oxidation. This is significant because ADT inhibits the oxidation of EpiT, and may modulate its antiandrogenic and neuroprotective effects. It is hypothesized that the T/EpiT ratio is increased by COX-2 inhibitors and opiod analgesics, and decreased by antimycotics that do not impair testosterone biosynthesis. Given the devastating personal and career consequences that may result from false positive drug tests, substantive research on the effects of PGE2 manipulations on EpiT is warranted.
Antinociceptive Effects of Spinal Manipulative Therapy on Nociceptive Behavior of Adult Rats during the Formalin Test

Optimizing pain relief resulting from spinal manipulative therapies, including low velocity variable amplitude spinal manipulation (LVVA-SM), requires determining their mechanisms. Pain models that incorporate simulated spinal manipulative therapy treatments are needed for these studies. The antinociceptive effects of a single LVVA-SM treatment on rat nociceptive behavior during the commonly used formalin test were investigated. Dilute formalin was injected subcutaneously into a plantar hindpaw. Licking behavior was video-recorded for 5 minutes. Ten minutes of LVVA-SM at 20° flexion was administered with a custom-made device at the lumbar (L5) vertebra of isoflurane-anesthetized experimental rats (n = 12) beginning 10 minutes after formalin injection. Hindpaw licking was video-recorded for 60 minutes beginning 5 minutes after LVVA-SM. Control rats (n = 12) underwent the same methods except for LVVA-SM. The mean times spent licking the formalin-injected hindpaw of both groups 1-5 minutes after injection were not different. The mean licking time during the first 20 minutes post-LVVA-SM of experimental rats was significantly less than that of control rats (P < 0.001). The mean licking times of both groups during the second and third 20 minutes post-LVVA-SM were not different. Administration of LVVA-SM had a short-term, remote antinociceptive effect similar to clinical findings. Therefore, mechanistic investigations using this experimental approach are warranted.
Law School Learning Communities: A Community of Learners for the Benefit of All Learners

Learning Communities are quite popular at undergraduate schools. Some schools use Learning Communities to foster a safe learning environment for at-risk students. Other schools use Learning Communities to enhance the academic success and well-being for all students.This article discusses the benefits of applying the Learning Communities concept to law school legal research and writing courses. By identifying ways to enhance confidence and relationship building, and by encouraging cooperative and collaborative learning, Legal Research and Writing Learning Communities may help students feel like they “belong” and can excel in law school.
Real-time scintigraphic assessment of intravenous Radium-223 dichloride administration for patient safety and quality control

1457 Objectives Radium-223 (223Ra) dichloride is approved for intravenous radiotherapy in patients with osseous metastases from castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). There is additional radiation generated by 223Ra which produces photons that can be imaged with conventional gamma cameras. No available studies evaluate real-time and quality imaging during intravenous 223Ra administration to verify systemic circulation and exclude 223Ra extravasation at the injection site. This study evaluated scintigraphic 223Ra imaging of the chest and injection site using a portable gamma camera. Methods A retrospective review was performed for all intravenous 223Ra administrations for CRPC patients which were imaged using a portable gamma camera for the purposes of patient safety and quality control. Dynamic imaging of the chest was performed before, during and after the 223Ra administration to verify systemic circulation, per our standard clinical protocol. After administration and removal of the patient’s intravenous access, an additional 1-minute static image was obtained of the intravenous access site. Results A total of fifteen 223Ra administrations were included. In all cases, dynamic imaging of the chest confirmed systemic administration early during the 1-minute injection period. In addition, region of interest analysis of the chest during injection confirmed that the time to peak 223Ra activity was at least 1 minute. There were no instances of focal 223Ra extravasation at the site of intravenous access. Conclusions Our results verify that systemic 223Ra administrations can be quantified with real-time imaging using a portable gamma camera. This imaging approach can be used to confirm and quantify systemic circulation of 223Ra early during injection and exclude soft tissue extravasation for the purposes of patient safety and quality control.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Introduction

The organization of the MR gamuts is heavily based on the appearance of lesions on T1- and T2-weighted images. For those readers less familiar with magnetic resonance imaging, let me add that a T1-weighted spin echo image is one with a short repetition time (TR) and a short echo delay time (TE) (which are both operator-selectable imaging parameters). (“Short” in the context of TR is less than 500 msec and “short” in the context of TE is ideally less than 20 msec — for a high-field system — or 30 msec for a low or mid field system.) T1-weighted gradient echo images are acquired with flip angles larger than 45° and echo delay times generally less than 10 msec. If the repetition times are less than 200 msec, then either RF or gradient spoiling should be used. Such T1-weighted gradient echo techniques are known as FLASH (Siemens), SPGR (for spoiled GRASS, GE), or RF-Spoiled FAST (Picker).
Noncontact diffuse correlation spectroscopy probe for deep tissue blood flow measurement

A noncontact diffuse correlation spectroscopy probe for deep tissue blood flow measurements has been designed and calibrated against a validated contact probe; flow changes measured concurrently are highly correlated in phantom and real-tissue tests.
Cytomegalovirus infections with reference to isolations from lymph nodes and blood.

SummaryA search for evidence of cy-tomegalovirus (CMV) infection was made in a group of patients with hemolytic anemia associated with lymphadenopathy as well as several other diseases in which CMV infections often occur. A total of 173 specimens from 42 patients with a variety of diseases yielded 9 CMV isolations from 5 of 6 patients exhibiting CMV inclusions. The 5 patients included 1 with autoimmune hemolytic anemia, 1 with acquired hemolytic anemia of the non-immune type, 2 with neonatal hepatitis and 1 with congenital cytomegalic inclusion disease. CMV was isolated from biopsied lymph nodes of both hemolytic anemia patients and variously from blood, urine, liver, lung, and spleen of the 5 patients depending on the condition, time, or the disease of the patient involved.
Nanoscale Catalysts for NMR Signal Enhancement by Reversible Exchange.

Two types of nanoscale catalysts were created to explore NMR signal enhancement via reversible exchange (SABRE) at the interface between heterogeneous and homogeneous conditions. Nanoparticle and polymer comb variants were synthesized by covalently tethering Ir-based organometallic catalysts to support materials composed of TiO2/PMAA (poly(methacrylic acid)) and PVP (polyvinylpyridine), respectively, and characterized by AAS, NMR, and DLS. Following parahydrogen (pH2) gas delivery to mixtures containing one type of “nano-SABRE” catalyst particle, a target substrate, and ethanol, up to ∼(−)40-fold and ∼(−)7-fold 1H NMR signal enhancements were observed for pyridine substrates using the nanoparticle and polymer comb catalysts, respectively, following transfer to high field (9.4 T). These enhancements appear to result from intact particles and not from any catalyst molecules leaching from their supports; unlike the case with homogeneous SABRE catalysts, high-field (in situ) SABRE effects were generally not o...
Lissajous Scanning Fiber-optic Nonlinear Endomicroscope with Precise Position Calibration

Using an acousto-optic modulator that froze beam positions on frames captured by an ordinary CCD camera, we were able to calibrate the Lissajous scanning pattern on a fiber-optic nonlinear endomicroscope quickly and precisely.
Simplicity in the Best Systems Account of Laws of Nature

AbstractThis article discusses the role of simplicity and the notion of a best balance of simplicity and strength within the best systems account (BSA) of laws of nature. The article explores wheth...
Clonazepam associated retinopathy

Purpose To report a case of retinopathy associated with the longterm intake of the antiepileptic drug clonazepam. Methods Case report. Results A 36-year-old woman, with a history of long-term use of the antiepileptic drug clonazepam developed subtle visual disturbances. Funduscopy revealed areas of mild depigmentation of the retinal pigment epithelium throughout the posterior pole bilaterally corresponding to transmission hyperfluorescence on fluorescein angiography. There was no history of any inherited retinal degenerative disease and no other known agent responsible for retinal toxicity had been used. Conclusions The longstanding intake of the antiepileptic drug clonazepam may be associated with the development of toxic retinopathy.
Are Autoimmune Diseases Immunologic Deficiency States

Until now we have been “grasping at straws” in our efforts to develop therapeutic approaches to autoimmune diseases. Such efforts, it is suggested, have been hampered by the assumption that these diseases are sequelae of immunologic hyperactivity. The fifth article of the immunology series presents evidence that autoimmunity in fact results from either selective or generalized immunologic deficiency.
Adaptive nonbinary LDPC coded modulation for optical transport networks

In this invited paper, we describe an adaptive nonbinary LDPC coded modulation scheme suitable for high-speed optical transport networks, which is based on irregular quasi-cyclic-LDPC codes derived from pairwise balanced designs, providing excellent coding gains.
CHAPTER 228 – Reversible Palmitoylation in G-Protein Signaling

Palmitoylation is a covalent lipid modification in which the saturated, 16-carbon fatty acid, palmitate, is linked through a thioester bond to a cysteine. Palmitoylation is often referred to as S-acylation or thioacylation to indicate that radiolabeled fatty acids of varying lengths can be incorporated into a protein. Very few studies have addressed the identity and stoichiometry of the endogenous fatty acid covalently attached to a particular cellular protein. In fact, it is mostly unknown if palmitoylated proteins exist as isoforms with different attached fatty acids, if specific cellular mechanisms exist to dictate a preference for palmitate, or if palmitate is primarily used merely because of its relatively high abundance in cells. Much of the interest in palmitoylation stems from its dynamic nature and the resulting idea that this covalent modification is more than just a static membrane anchor. Numerous studies have demonstrated that palmitoylation is a reversible modification, i.e., attached palmitate often has a much shorter half-life than the protein it modifies. Such reversibility implies the potential for important regulatory roles for palmitoylation. Palmitoylation plays an important role in membrane binding and regulating interactions of signaling proteins. Future challenges include defining cellular pathways and enzymes that regulate reversible palmitoylation, and understanding how changes in a protein's palmitoylation are translated into functional changes inside the cell.