cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of the epigenetic toolbox to contextualize common variants associated with schizophrenia risk .

Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric disorder with a complex genetic architecture and limited understanding of its neuropathology, reflected by the lack of diagnostic measures and effective pharmacological treatments. Geneticists have recently identified more than 145 risk loci comprising hundreds of common variants of small effect sizes, most of which lie in noncoding genomic regions. This review will discuss how the epigenetic toolbox can be applied to contextualize genetic findings in schizophrenia. Progress in next-generation sequencing, along with increasing methodological complexity, has led to the compilation of genome-wide maps of DNA methylation, histone modifications, RNA expression, and more. Integration of chromatin conformation datasets is one of the latest efforts in deciphering schizophrenia risk, allowing the identification of genes in contact with regulatory variants across 100s of kilobases. Large-scale multiomics studies will facilitate the prioritization of putative causal risk variants and gene networks that contribute to schizophrenia etiology, informing clinical diagnostics and treatment downstream. .
Soil biotic and abiotic conditions negate invasive species performance in native habitat

Most studies on plant invasion consider the enemy release hypothesis when analyzing native habitats. However, the lower performance of invasive species in the native habitats can be the result of unfavorable soil conditions in the native habitats. While soil biotic and abiotic factors have a potential to restrict the growth of invasive species in their native habitats, our understanding of belowground environment of invasive species in their native habitats is very limited. In this study, we analyzed soil characteristics associated with an exotic invasive plant, Old World Climbing Fern (Lygodium microphyllum), in its native habitat in Australia and the recipient habitat in South Florida. Rhizosphere soil samples from both habitats were analyzed for soil physical, chemical and biological characteristics. Soil characteristics in the recipient habitats were significantly different compared to those in the native habitats. Soil samples from the native habitat had low soil pH, and high concentrations of elements such as aluminum and zinc which are phytotoxic in acidic soil environments. Additionally, mycorrhizal fungi spores were more diverse in the recipient habitat in Florida compared to the native habitat in Australia. Overall, our results indicate that growth of an invasive plant in its native habitats could be restricted by the toxic effects associated with strong soil acidity. Results from this study indicate that invasive plants not only escape from their natural herbivores but also from toxic soil environment in their native habitats.
Feasibility study of a new attached multi-loop CO2 heat pipe for bridge deck de-icing using geothermal energy

Abstract Heated bridge using CO2 heat pipe with geothermal energy as its heating source is a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional chemical de-icers, which corrode the bridges and pollute the environment. However, in previous studies, the heat pipe was embedded in the bridge deck for heating and is only applicable to new bridges. In this study, a new attached multi-loop heat pipe system was developed to be used with ground heat exchangers for heating existing bridges. The heat pipe system, using CO2 as the heat transfer fluid, consists of an evaporator pipe and a manifold pipe with five pipe branches. A parametric study was first conducted on the system in a freezer box at controlled freezing temperatures to determine the optimum CO2 pressure and pipe inclination angle. Then the optimized heat pipe system was attached to the bottom surface of a concrete slab and covered with fiberglass and geofoam insulation. A water bath capable of supplying hot water similar to that from the ground heat exchanger was connected to the evaporator pipe as the heating source. The slab was heated at two freezing temperatures of −3.89 °C and −6.67 °C with the water bath temperature ranging from 25 to 45 °C. A 1-D heat transfer model using a finite difference method (FDM) was developed for the heat transfer analyses of the concrete slab. The average convective heat transfer coefficient (h value) of each test was back-calculated from the FDM model. Results show that an average 28.3% of the supplied heat energy was transferred to the slab surface, and the surface heat flux ranged from 92.8 to 140.3 W/m2. Compared with previous studies, the new CO2 heat pipe is feasible and efficient as a heating system attached to existing bridge decks for de-icing.
Managing Photophobia with the Utilisation of Smart Light Bulbs

Photophobia can affect a person’s quality of life. We present a case of idiopathic photophobia that was successfully managed with smart light bulbs that allowed the patient to participate in daily ...
An Open-Source EDA Flow for Asynchronous Logic

Editor’s note: This article presents an open-source EDA flow for digital asynchronous circuits, capable of supporting many different families of asynchronous circuit families from logic synthesis all the way down to GDSII. — Sherief Reda, Brown University — Leon Stock, IBM — Pierre-Emmanuel Gaillardon, University of Utah
Community Practice Issues in the 21st Century

ABSTRACT Community practice has developed an increasing array of models and skills in response to environmental stimuli and the development of social work practice. The beginning of the 21st Century is a period of rapid and complex change. This paper identifies key factors, as well as challenges facing community practice advocates. This paper proposes that many models of community practice, often operating simultaneously and in conscious and close relationship to empowerment-oriented, new social movements, will be necessary to advance social justice values and the interests of oppressed populations in the coming decades. Finally, this paper raises special challenges in this environment for empowerment-oriented practitioners.
Cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans contribute to intracellular lipid accumulation in adipocytes.

Background Transport of fatty acids within the cytosol of adipocytes and their subsequent assimilation into lipid droplets has been thoroughly investigated; however, the mechanism by which fatty acids are transported across the plasma membrane from the extracellular environment remains unclear. Since triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins represent an abundant source of fatty acids for adipocyte utilization, we have investigated the expression levels of cell surface lipoprotein receptors and their functional contributions toward intracellular lipid accumulation; these include very low density lipoprotein receptor (VLDL-R), low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP), and heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG).
Model Development for Active Surge Control/Rotating Stall Avoidance in Aircraft Gas Turbine Engines

The focus of this paper is on the development of models for use in the design of active surge control/rotating stall avoidance systems in aircraft gas turbine engines. Model development is illustrated for the case of a single-spool, centrifugal compressor, turbojet engine currently housed within the LICCHUS experimental facility at Georgia Tech. This engine is equipped with high bandwidth fuel flow, nozzle area, and compressor discharge bleed area servos. The model developed for this engine is based on engine component steady state performance maps and unsteady quasi one-dimensional flow equations. The latter are rigorously developed herein. Special attention is paid to the assumptions underlying the model development, particularly those pertaining to the unsteady flow aspects of the model and its dynamic order. The resulting model has three control inputs, three states, and incorporates the dynamic linkage of the compressor and turbine through the spool. The three states are compressor mass flow, plenum pressure, and spool speed. Simulation results are given for the model which indicate that the model is capable of predicting and modeling surge phenomena. Because of its quasi one-dimensional nature, the model is not capable of predicting and modeling rotating stall per se. However, the model is capable of predicting and modeling the state of rotating stall as a condition of steady, greatly reduced, annulus-averaged compressor mass flow rate, and thus is adequate for the design of rotating stall avoidance systems. Additional simulation results are given which show the response of the model to the various control inputs.
Ethical issues in treating children : ethics

Children are not autonomous and therefore their parents are required to make health-care decisions for them. The standard used is that of the 'best interests' of the child. Increasingly children's views are being taken seriously in health-care-related decision making, depending on their age and maturity and the gravity of the decision to be made. The Children's Act (Act 38 of 2005) has lowered the age of consent to 12 years for medical therapy and HIV testing. If the child refuses medical treatment or an intervention that is of limited effectiveness, especially if that therapy or intervention also carries significant risk or severe side-effects, and the parents agree, then the doctor should respect the decision. However, if the intervention is in the child's best interests, the doctor may override the child and parents' decision.
An Efficient Dynamic and Distributed Cryptographic Accumulator

We show how to use the RSA one-way accumulator to realize an efficient and dynamic authenticated dictionary, where untrusted directories provide cryptographically verifiable answers to membership queries on a set maintained by a trusted source. Our accumulator-based scheme for authenticated dictionaries supports efficient incremental updates of the underlying set by insertions and deletions of elements. Also, the user can optimally verify in constant time the authenticity of the answer provided by a directory with a simple and practical algorithm. This work has applications to certificate revocation in public key infrastructure and end-to-end integrity of data collections published by third parties on the Internet.
Evaluating hypotheses on the origin and diversification of the ringneck snake Diadophis punctatus (Colubridae: Dipsadinae)

Close affinities recognized between taxa in Mexico and the contiguous USA have led to a variety of biogeographical scenarios. One such hypothesis suggests that species that occur in both countries have an origin in central Mexico followed by dispersal into the USA. This study expands upon previous phylogeographical work of the ringneck snake Diadophis punctatus by incorporating new data from previously unsampled areas appropriate to critically assess hypotheses regarding a Mexican origin for this species. Maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony analyses inferred a derived position for the lineage from southern Mexico with constraint tests for alternate evolutionary hypotheses resulting in significantly worse likelihood values. Ancestral area reconstructions inferred an origin for D. punctatus in the south-eastern USA followed by a south-east to north-east then westward directionality of historical migration. The position within the phylogeny and date estimate for the south-western + Mexico clade suggests a recent invasion into central Mexico with expansion into the Nearctic/Neotropic transition zone. The extensive lineage diversity inferred from the mtDNA suggests that the genus is a complex of cryptic species whose conservational status should be re-evaluated on both the national and regional levels. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 158, 629–640.
Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay: The International Court of Justice Recognizes Environmental Impact Assessment as a Duty under International Law

On April 20, 2010, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced its judgment in a high-stakes environmental dispute between Argentina and Uruguay, concerning Uruguay’s authorization for pulp mills on the banks of the Uruguay River, which forms the international boundary between the two countries. This judgment is a significant step forward in the ICJ’s jurisprudence on environmental law and on shared watercourses. The Court recognized environmental impact assessment as a practice that has become an obligation of general international law in these situations. This Insight highlights some points of particular interest in the judgment of the Court and discusses the multiple advocacy strategies used by both parties.
Profligate biotin synthesis in α-proteobacteria – a developing or degenerating regulatory system?

Biotin (vitamin H) is a key enzyme cofactor required in all three domains of life. Although this cofactor was discovered over 70 years ago and has long been recognized as an essential nutrient for animals, our knowledge of the strategies bacteria use to sense biotin demand is very limited. The paradigm mechanism is that of Escherichia coli in which BirA protein, the prototypical bi-functional biotin protein ligase, both covalently attaches biotin to the acceptor proteins of central metabolism and represses transcription of the biotin biosynthetic pathway in response to biotin demand. However, in other bacteria the biotin protein ligase lacks a DNA-binding domain which raises the question of how these bacteria regulate the synthesis of biotin, an energetically expensive molecule. A bioinformatic study by Rodionov and Gelfand identified a protein termed BioR in α-proteobacteria and predicted that BioR would have the biotin operon regulatory role that in most other bacteria is fulfilled by the BirA DNA-binding domain. We have now tested this prediction in the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens. As predicted the A. tumefaciens biotin protein ligase is a fully functional ligase that has no role in regulation of biotin synthesis whereas BioR represses transcription of the biotin synthesis genes. Moreover, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, BioR binds the predicted operator site, which is located downstream of the mapped transcription start site. qPCR measurements indicated that deletion of BioR resulted in a c. 15-fold increase of bio operon transcription in the presence of high biotin levels. Effective repression of a plasmid-borne bioB-lacZ reporter was seen only upon the overproduction of BioR. In contrast to E. coli and Bacillus subtilis where biotin synthesis is tightly controlled, A. tumefaciens synthesizes much more biotin than needed for modification of the biotin-requiring enzymes. Protein-bound biotin constitutes only about 0.5% of the total biotin, most of which is found in the culture medium. To the best of our knowledge, A. tumefaciens represents the first example of profligate biotin synthesis by a wild type bacterium.
Predicting performance from test scores using backpropagation and counterpropagation

Two neural networks for general mapping problems, backpropagation and counterpropagation, are trained to predict students' grades in Calculus I from placement test responses. The effect of the number of hidden units is investigated. The benefit of including topological structure on the cluster units of a counterpropagation net is illustrated. Noisy data sets are used to train the backpropagation net to improve the ability of the net to generalize. >
THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF CONTESTABILITY THEORY

Contes tability theory suggests that threat of entry may prevent monopolistic pricing e ven in a concentrated market because, if exit from the market is easy, monopolis tic pricing would induce hit and run entry. This paper shows that, despite easy exit, hit and run entry is unprofitable if incumbents' price responses are suffi ciently rapid. Only market data (not experimental) can reveal whetherresponses are sufficiently rapid; available evidence indicates they are. Another version o f contestability theory stresses threat of entry through long-term contracts. Th is threat, too, is shown to be unlikely to check monopolistic pricing. Copyright 1986 by Royal Economic Society.
Meeting PETE Students in Their World: Tracking Physical Activity through Technology

Considering that physical education teacher candidates use technology as a part of their everyday life, perhaps physical education teacher education professionals should engage candidates through the use of such technology in ways that are pedagogically sound. One piece of technology that could be considered a reasonable place to start is an activity-tracking device.
A finite diagram theory for Yang-Mills fields

A static Yang-Mills field with finite energy has a «bubble» source functionr−1dδ(r−L)/dr. Based on this bubble source, we obtain a diagram theory of Yang-Mills fields, which is defined by rules for Feynman diagrams. These rules cannot be derived in the usual framework. They are obtained in analogy with Feynman’s space-time approach. Nevertheless, the diagram theory is covariant and free from divergences. The unitarity of the finite diagram theory, together with its independence of the gauge parameter ξ, is substantiated by calculations up to and including the two-loop level.
Structured model specification with a supportive simulation architecture

Recent emphasis in structured software development has resulted in a greater awareness of an orderly methodology for problem solving. This disciplined approach is adapted for model specification. Through the use of structured software techniques and a Model Specification Language (MSL) a complex distributed computer system model is derived and documented. The model specification is supported by a discrete event simulation architecture which directly reflects the model structure.
Biotransformation of drugs.

During the past several years it has become generally accepted that the incidence of adverse reactions to drugs in patients increase with age (1–3). However, the reasons for the increased incidence are frequently obscure and often differ with the drug. Sometimes the increased incidence appears to be related to physiological changes that alter the responsiveness of action sites in tissues, whereas at other times it appears to be related to changes in pharmacokinetic factors that govern the concentration of the drug at the action sites. It seems likely, however, that the increased incidence is due to a combination of both of these kinds of changes that occur with age and it is frequently not evident which kind is the most important in any given instance.
Literacy Narratives as Sponsors of Literacy: Past Contributions and New Directions for Literacy-Sponsorship Research.

In this article, I review influential contributions made by writing-studies researchers to the research literature on literacy sponsorship. Through this review, I show how subsequent studies have reiterated three basic assumptions of Deborah Brandt's pioneering oral-history project. However, I also demonstrate that later writing-studies research on literacy sponsorship has tended to narrow Brandt's expansive notion of literacy sponsors to denote people exclusively. I link this trend to subsequent studies' greater reliance on personal narratives as evidence sources. This genre typically concentrates power of influence in human actors. In this way, I propose that the rhetoric of literacy narratives “sponsors,” or enables and constrains, the literacy-related experiences of researchers as well as study participants, and of teachers as well as students. Moreover, I suggest that future literacy-sponsorship studies might attend particularly to the affective force of narrative rhetoric, or literacy narratives' po...
Exercise is Medicine

Physical inactivity is the most significant lifestyle risk factor of the 21st century. It is associated with increased morbidity affecting every major organ system, increased mortality risk, and significant economic cost. Exercise has clear benefit in certain conditions, both for disease prevention and disease treatment. In this paper, we review the recent evidence of the effect exercise has on various organ systems, osteoarthritis and low back pain, cancers, and mortality, and also propose strategy for implementing actionable plans toward healthier living through exercise.
Fatty acid synthase expression in endometrial carcinoma: correlation with cell proliferation and hormone receptors.

BACKGROUND Fatty acid synthase (FAS), a biosynthetic enzyme, normally functions in the liver to convert dietary carbohydrate to fat, but it is minimally expressed in most other normal adult tissues. FAS is expressed at markedly elevated levels in subsets of human breast, ovarian, and prostate carcinomas that are associated with poor prognoses. During the menstrual cycle, the expression of FAS in the human endometrium is closely linked to the expression of the proliferation antigen Ki-67, estrogen receptor (ER), and progesterone receptor (PR). METHODS This study reports the expression patterns of these antigens in 35 endometrial carcinomas as determined by immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS All cases demonstrated a close direct correlation between FAS and Ki-67 expression. Average FAS expression levels were correlated with tumor grade. Twenty-five carcinomas that were positive for ER and PR showed close correlation in expression of FAS, Ki-67, and hormone receptors. Individual tumors displayed varying degrees of heterogeneity of expression. A few well-differentiated carcinomas showed very low expression of all four antigens, similar to the antigenic profile of secretory endometrium. Nine high grade carcinomas that were negative for ER and PR also showed close correlation in expression of FAS and Ki-67 with uniformly high expression. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest the following hypothesis: In hormone-dependent endometrial cells, FAS expression is part of the estrogen-driven cellular response that leads to proliferation; however, its linkage to proliferation is such that FAS expression is maintained in proliferating cells in endometrial carcinomas that acquire hormone independence. The use of these four antibodies as a panel may increase the diagnostic utility of ER and PR immunohistochemistry for tumor classification and prediction of the responsiveness of tumors to hormonal therapy. Cancer 1998;83:528-537. © 1998 American Cancer Society.
Electronically Controlled Mechanical Seal for Aerospace Applications -- Part 1: Design, Analysis, and Steady State Tests

An electronically-controlled mechanial seal, for use as the purge gas seal in a liquid oxygen turbopump, has been designed, analyzed, and built. The thickness of the lubricating film between the faces is controlled by adjusting the coning of the carbon face. This is done by applying a voltage across a piezoelectric element to which the carbon face is bound. Steady state tests have shown that the leakage rate (and film thickness) can be adjusted over a substantial range, utilizing the available range of voltage.
Defining the role of albumin infusion in cirrhosis-associated hyponatremia

The presence of negatively charged, impermeant proteins in the plasma space alters the distribution of diffusible ions in the plasma and interstitial fluid (ISF) compartments to preserve electroneutrality and is known as Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium. In patients with hypoalbuminemia due to underlying cirrhosis, the decrease in the plasma water albumin concentration ([Alb-]pw) would be expected to result in a decrease in the plasma water sodium concentration ([Na+]pw) due to an alteration in the distribution of Na+ between the plasma and ISF. In addition, cirrhosis-associated hyponatremia may be due to the renal diluting defect resulting from the intravascular volume depletion due to gastrointestinal losses and overdiuresis and/or decreased effective circulatory volume secondary to splanchnic vasodilatation. Therefore, albumin infusion may result in correction of the hyponatremia in cirrhotic patients either by modulating the Gibbs-Donnan effect due to hypoalbuminemia or by restoring intravascular volume in patients with intravascular volume depletion due to gastrointestinal losses and overdiuresis. However, the differential role of albumin infusion in modulating the [Na+]pw in these patients has not previously been analyzed quantitatively. In the present study, we developed an in vitro assay system to examine for the first time the quantitative effect of changes in albumin concentration on the distribution of Na+ between two compartments separated by a membrane that allows the free diffusion of Na+. Our findings demonstrated that changes in [Alb-]pw are linearly related to changes in [Na+]pw as predicted by Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium. However, based on our findings, we predict that the improvement in cirrhosis-associated hyponatremia due to intravascular volume depletion results predominantly from the restoration of intravascular volume rather than alterations in Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium.
Facework in Japan and the United States

Abstract The present study examined the relationship between cultural variability and facework strategies. Responses to the individualism-collectivism items, strategy items, and face concern items were factor analyzed. Data were collected from university students in Japan and the United States. Results indicated that there are two dimensions regarding individualism-collectivism —a low versus high collectivism continuum and a low versus high individualism continuum. Japanese respondents reported more collectivistic tendencies and more individualistic tendencies than U.S. respondents. North Americans reported using more antisocial, self-presentation, self-attribution, and hint strategies than Japanese respondents. Japanese respondents reported using more indirect facework strategies than North American respondents. Males reported using more antisocial, order, and self-presentation strategies than females. Finally, the covariates of social face concern and pride/status influenced the antisocial factor. Pride/status influenced the hint, order, self-presentation, and indirect factors. This study serves as the first step in developing a typology that can be used to compare facework in various cultures.
Spectral radiation involved in protoreactivation of ultraviolet-irradiated cultures of micro-organisms

Abstract Cultures of E. coli irradiated by ultraviolet energy of λ2537 can be partially reactivated by visible blue light from λ4500 to λ3800. Reactivation becomes most evident in the long-wave ultraviolet in the region of λ3650 or the so-called “black light” band of the mercury spectrum. These results are primarily qualitative. The use of color filters to isolate various bands of tungsten spectra in addition to obtaining monochromatic energy by means of a quartz spectrograph tend to place the region of maximal photoreactivity between λ3500 and λ4500. Simultaneous irradiation of air-borne respiratory micro-organisms with λ2537 ultraviolet and with visible light and near-ultraviolet energy from 4500° K fluorescent tubes showed no significant or measurable reactivation by the latter, even though the illumination was much higher than that generally prevailing indoors.
Amino acid acceptor activity of enzymically altered soluble RNA from Escherichia coli

1. 1. Some amino acid acceptor functions of Escherichia coli s-RNA were shown to be quite resistant to Bacillus subtilis RNAase or RNAase T1 in the presence of Mg2+, whereas these functions were susceptible to bovine pancreatic RNAase under the same incubation conditions (RNAase, polyribonucleotide 2-oligonucleotidotransferase (cyclizing), EC 2.7.7.16). 2. 2. The resistance of individual amino acid s-RNA's for B. subtilis RNAase varied with different amino acids. The s-RNA's interacting with alanine, glycine, histidine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, valine and leucine were quite resistant to B. subtilis RNAase whereas the amino acid acceptor function of s-RNA specific for other amino acids such as arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, serine, threonine and tryptophan was rather sensitive to this RNAase. RNAase T1 gave results similar to those obtained with B. subtilis RNAase except that phenylalanine acceptor activity was inactivated. 3. 3. Specific activities for certain amino acyl RNA's were increased 2–3 times by treatment with B. subtilis RNAase. The base composition of a partially digested s-RNA differed from the original s-RNA in that it contained less guanine and adenine but more cytosine. The slope of the thermal denaturation curve, measured in the presence of Mg2+, was lower for resistant s-RNA than that of the undigested s-RNA. 4. 4. Partially digested s-RNA's were eluted from a column of methylated albumin of different salt concentration than untreated s-RNA's suggesting that relatively small alterations could be made in resistant s-RNA's without complete loss of acceptor activity for the two amino acids, phenylalanine and leucine.
A case study of an emerging community-based early hearing detection and intervention program: part I. Parents' compliance.

Purpose This is the first of a 2-part series of articles that describe and assess an emerging community-based early hearing detection and intervention program. This study investigated parents’ compliance for accessing services for their infants at 5 levels in the process from referrals through subsequent follow-up during a 3-year period. Compliance was defined as parents’ follow-through with professionals’ recommendations and appointments for their infants’ hearing health care. Method Investigators retrospectively reviewed the charts of 51 infants who were referred from a regional hospital’s newborn hearing screening program to a private practice office and were seen from March 2000 to February 2003. Results Compliance was 100% for initial hospital inpatient screening and for outpatient rescreening but decreased throughout the referral process. All of the parents of babies with hearing loss complied, and their infants were diagnosed by age 3 months and received audiologic or otologic intervention by age 6...
Effects of antibodies to glucosyltransferase on soluble and insolubilized enzymes.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown that glucosyl-transferase enzymes (Gtfs) of Streptococcus mutans adsorbed to saliva coated hydroxyapatite (sHA) have distinct properties from the same enzymes in solution. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects on enzyme activity of polyclonal antibodies raised to Gtfs in a soluble form and bound to sHA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antiserum was raised in six New Zealand White rabbits using the purified glucosyl-transferase enzymes (Gtfs) of S. mutans, GtfB, GtfC, or GtfD as soluble antigens or adsorbed to hydroxyapatite (HA, insolubilized). The antisera were examined for their ability to react to these Gtfs and Gtf from Streptococcus sanguis (GtfSs) in Western blot formats as well as inhibit enzyme activity in solution and insolubilized. RESULTS: Antibodies raised against GtfB or GtfC detected all Gtf enzymes examined in Western blots; antibodies raised to GtfD reacted strongly to GtfD and GtfSs, poorly to GtfC, and was non-reactive with GtfB. Antibodies to GtfB or GtfC inhibited activity of GtfB and GtfC in solution by 90% or more. Enzyme activity adsorbed to sHA was inhibited from 70% to 80% by the same antisera. These same antibodies possessed no specific effect on the activities of either GtfD or GtfSs. Antibodies raised to the GtfD enzyme inhibited activity of GtfD (80% to 90% inhibition) and GtfSs activity (50% to 80%) in solution. In contrast the GtfD antibodies had no effect on the activity of either GtfB or GtfC enzymes in solution. Modest inhibitory effects were noted on GtfC and GtfSs enzymes bound to sHA, but no inhibition was observed for sHA-bound GtfB or GtfD. CONCLUSION: These data show that some antibodies effective against enzymes in solution may have significantly lesser inhibitory effects against the same enzymes insolubilized. Further, presentation of Gtf antigen immobilized to HA has only a minor influence on the production of antibodies inhibitory to Gtf activity.
The effect of volume expansion on sodium reabsorption in the diluting segment of the dog kidney.

The effect of volume expansion on sodium reabsorption in the diluting segment of the dog kidney.Micropuncture studies disclose that extracellular volume expansion (ECV) inhibits sodium reabsorption in the proximal tubule.Clearance studies, using free-water clearance (C H 2 O ) as an index of sodium reabsorption in the diluting segment, indicate that distal sodium reabsorption is also suppressed.The use of C H 2 O as an index of sodium reabsorption requires complete suppression of antidiuretic hormone (ADH).Previous clearance studies were performed with initial urine osmolarity somewhat high; they were therefore repeated with more complete water diuresis.C H 2 O +C Na was used as an index of delivery of filtrate to the diluting segment.Infusions of hypotonic saline or hypotonic mannitol were used to increase distal delivery.After chronic massive volume expansion by pre-treatment of dogs for one week with deoxycorticosterone acetate and salt, C H 2 O at any given rate of delivery was the same following hypotonic saline infusion as was observed in control dogs without prior volume expansion.Hypotonic mannitol also produced the same as C H 2 O at any given rate of delivery, although volume expansion was minimal.These experiments fail to disclose any inhibitory effect of volume expansion on sodium reabsorption in the diluting segment.The incomplete sodium reabsorption at high rates of distal delivery could represent partial saturation of the distal transport system.
Emotions in the workplace: the neglect of organizational behavior

This paper addresses itself to a long-neglected topic in organizational behavior: emotions in the workplace. Possible reasons for this neglect are presented, as well as emerging reasons for its consideration. It is proposed that the workplace is a rich arena for the manifestation of human emotions, both positive and negative. An examination of emotions in the workplace has both a theoretical and practical appeal, and may serve to help bridge the scientist–practitioner gap. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heat Capacity Studes on Magnetite

Abstract Single crystals of magnetite were grown and annealed under a controlled oxygen atmosphere to produce homogeneous, single phase samples. Heat capacity studies revealed a single, sharp first order heat capacity transition at the Verwey transition, no anomaly at 10 K, and an entropy of transition of ΔS = R In 2 per mole of Fe3O4.
Genetic determination of the α-galactosidase developmental program in mice

The expression of alpha-galactosidase in liver, heart, and brain during postembryonic development has been examined in several inbred mouse strains. In most strains, the developmental patterns of alpha-galactosidase are coordinate with those of two other acid hydrolases, beta-glucuronidase and beta-galactosidase. Certain inbred mouse strains, including members of the C57-C58 family, have a tissue-specific alteration in the temporal expression of alpha-galactosidase activity. This alteration shows additive inheritance and appears to be controlled by a single genetic locus. The altered developmental expression of the enzyme is not accompanied by any discernible change in its physical properties.
Prisoner's Dilemmas, Cooperative Norms, and Codes of Business Ethics

Prisoner's dilemmas can lead rational people to interact in ways that lead to persistent inefficiencies. These dilemmas create a problem for institutional designers to solve: devise institutions that realign individual incentives to achieve collectively rational outcomes. I will argue that we do not always want to eliminate misalignments between individual incentives and efficient outcomes. Sometimes we want to preserve prisoner's dilemmas, even when we know that they systematically will lead to inefficiencies. No doubt, prisoner's dilemmas can create problems, but they also create opportunities to practice the cooperative norms that make market institutions possible in the first place. An ethical market culture, I argue, benefits from the presence of prisoner's dilemmas. I first consider standard approaches for solving prisoner's dilemmas. I then argue for the value of prisoner's dilemmas. Finally, I show the significance of this argument for advocating codes of business ethics.
Melaleuca quinquenervia dominated forests in Florida: analyses of natural-enemy impacts on stand dynamics

Melaleuca quinquenervia (melaleuca) is a native of Australia but has become an invasive plant in Florida, USA. We conducted a long-term demographic study of melaleuca in three sections (central, transitional, and peripheral) of monoculture stands located in Florida, and quantified absolute density, diameter at breast height and basal area of trees by section at three sites. Additionally, we monitored the impacts of natural enemy (insects and fungi) on melaleuca populations which became apparent after 2001. Both absolute density and basal area, from before (1997–2001) and after noticeable natural-enemy impact (2002–2005), were compared. Prior to the natural-enemy impact, absolute density of melaleuca trees declined primarily due to self-thinning and associated losses of small trees, but diameter at breast height increased, as did the basal area. Later during the period when natural enemies prevailed, absolute density declined at a significantly greater rate across all sections but was highest at the periphery. The decrease in mean absolute density and basal area/ha of melaleuca during the natural-enemy impacted period coincided with the increased incidence of the populations of plant-feeding insects and fungi. The mean diameter at breast height continued to increase in all sections of the stands throughout the study period. An increasing trend in basal area prior to natural-enemy impact was reversed after increase in natural-enemy abundance and noticeable impact in all three sections of the stands. These findings lend support to a growing body of literature that implicates natural enemies as increasingly important density-independent regulators of M. quinquenervia populations.
Radiative mean life the 2s2p3 3D0 term in CI using beam-foil excitation☆

Abstract The radiative mean life of the 2s2p3 3D0 term in CI has been measured to be 7.3 ± 0.2 nsec. This result, of higher precision than previous measurements, is compared with a theoretical calculation which includes configuration interaction.
Constructing a Transit Origin-Destination Table Using the Uncertainty Maximization Concept

An origin-destination (O-D) table contains information essential for making decisions about the operation and management of a transit system, such as determining the schedule, train composition, and fare structure. The table needs to be updated frequently. However, the collection of O-D data is time-consuming, costly, and cumbersome. This paper proposes a method that produces an O-D table on the basis of generally available data: passenger boarding and alighting counts at individual stations and the analyst's knowledge, either qualitative or quantitative, about the values for some station pairs; for example, the number of trips (i, j) is approximately 100 or the number of trips (i, j) is much greater than the number of trips (m, n) (where i, j, m, and n are stops). The method applies the entropy maximization principle, in which the values for the O-D pairs whose information is not available are maximally unbiased and the available information is used as a constraint in the optimization problem. The unique...
Abstract 2122: Androgen decreases proliferation of thyroid cancer cells

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA The incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States has significantly increased over the past decade, with over 60,220 cases predicted for 2013. While premenopausal women have an approximately four fold higher incidence of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) than men, once diagnosed, PTC in men exhibits increased aggressiveness and results in poorer clinical outcomes. These paradoxical observations led us to investigate the role that androgens and/or androgen receptors play in PTC. Analysis of AR expression in 24 PTC patient tissue samples indicated a 5.97 fold reduction in AR expression compared to matched, normal tissue (P<0.0001). To more fully investigate the function of androgen/AR in thyroid cells in a more controlled experimental system, the AR cDNA (pSG5-AR) was subcloned into the pcDNA3.1+ expression vector and stably transfected into 8505C anaplastic/PTC cells. Addition of DHT to the 8505C-transfected clone, 84E7, resulted in AR translocation into the nucleus and a 48% reduction in proliferation (p=0.01) at 72 hours, as well as a shift in the cell cycle toward G1 arrest during the same time period. Transcription profiling using RNA-Seq and gene ontology analysis revealed significant changes in the process of cell proliferation (p=2.47e-24) possibly due to significant changes in CDK1A/p21 (up 3.42 fold), RhoB (up 50 fold), Jun (down 1.7 fold), SCF (down 3.31 fold) and NFKBIA (up 2.36). Additionally, expression levels of other cell cycle proteins, including CDK6 and multiple MCMs were also significantly reduced when AR was activated by DHT. FKBP5, the immunophilin which negatively regulates proliferation and is thought to play various roles in the neoplastic process, was up-regulated by androgen ∼8 fold and ∼4 fold on the mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Collectively, these data provide a molecular basis for the decreased proliferation noted. Further, these data suggest that the expression of androgen/AR in thyroid cells plays a protective, anti-proliferative role in normal thyroid tissue that is lost in neoplastic transformation resulting in dysregulation of cell cycle genes normally under negative AR control. The expression levels of AR, as well as available androgens, may play a role in the etiology of PTC, the differential incidence of the disease, as well as the different clinical presentations and outcomes between women and men. Citation Format: Melanie Elizabeth MacEwan, Timmy O'Connell, Hong Zhao, Codrin Iacob, Nina Suslina, Augustine Moscatello, Edward Shin, Raj Tiwari, Zbigniew Darzynkiewicz, Jan Geliebter. Androgen decreases proliferation of thyroid cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2122. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2122
Bruton's tyrosine kinase-mediated interleukin-2 gene activation in mast cells. Dependence on the c-Jun N-terminal kinase activation pathway.

Abstract Cross-linking of the high affinity IgE receptor (FceRI) on mast cells induces secretion of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-2, through transcriptional activation of cytokine genes. Previously, defects in the gene coding for Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) were shown to result in defective cytokine production in mast cells, and thereby mice carrying btk mutations exhibited diminished anaphylactic reactions in response to IgE and antigen. In this study, we provide evidence that the transcription factors involved in the IL-2 gene expression in T cells are also required for maximal activation of the IL-2 gene in FceRI-stimulated mast cells. Among them, AP-1 (Jun/Fos) and NF-AT were identified as candidate transcription factors that are regulated by Btk. Consistent with our previous data indicating that Btk regulates stress-activated protein kinases, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), c-Jun and other JNK-regulatable transcription factors are activated by FceRI cross-linking in a Btk-dependent manner. Further, FceRI-induced IL-2 gene activation is dependent on c-Jun and a component, SEK1, of its upstream activation pathway. Collectively, these data demonstrate that Btk regulates the transcription of the IL-2 gene through the JNK-regulatable transcription factors in FceRI-stimulated mast cells.
Abstract C60: Exposure of low doses of quercetin on DNA oxidation in Pectobacterium carotovorum KD 100 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV 3103.

Oxidative stress may be a key factor in the onset of certain diseases, including cancer. Oxy-radicals play important roles in the initiation, promotion, and progression of carcinogenesis. During the course of DNA excision and repair of oxidized, deaminated or alkylated bases apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) or abasic sites are formed. The flavonoid quercetin was investigated for its ability to inhibit the oxidation of plasmid from Pectobacterium carotovorum KD 100 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV 3103 using the Fenton's chemistry. Utilizing a Colorimetric Assay Kit (Oxford Biomedical Research #FR09, Oxford, MI) for DNA damage quantification, AP sites were measured for plasmid following incubation with low doses of quercetin (1, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 µM) or without for 12 or 24 hr. With the increasing concentrations of quercetin the number of AP sites in each sample significantly decreased more for Pectobacterium carotovorum KD 100 compared to Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV 3103 in a time- and dose-dependent manner in comparison to their respective controls for the 12 and 24 hr incubation periods. The differences in decrease in AP sites can be linked to structural differences between the two bacterial strains and/or decreased oxidation for each sample with increased quercetin aliquots. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C60. Citation Format: William Y. Boadi, Damitea Johnson, Korsi Dumenyo. Exposure of low doses of quercetin on DNA oxidation in Pectobacterium carotovorum KD 100 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV 3103. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C60.
The association between cheese consumption and cardiovascular risk factors among adults.

Background Although current dietary guidelines recommend limiting foods high in fat and saturated fat, such as high-fat dairy, the effect of cheese consumption on body composition and cardiovascular risk factors is largely unknown. Methods Participants from a US population-based survey, NHANES III, aged 25–75 years who completed a food frequency questionnaire and had measures of body composition and cardiovascular risk factors were included (n = 10 872). Linear regression was used to compare anthropometrics, blood lipids, blood pressure and blood glucose across categories of cheese consumption (combined full and low-fat). Results In women, more frequent cheese consumption was associated with higher HDL-C and lower LDL-C (p for trend, < 0.05). However, in men, more frequent cheese consumption was associated with a higher body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, HDL-C and LDL-C, and diastolic blood pressure (p for trend, < 0.05). Men consuming 30 + servings/month had significantly higher BMI, waist circumference, and diastolic blood pressure compared to nonconsumers (P < 0.05). Conclusions More frequent cheese consumption was associated with less favourable body composition and cardiovascular risk profile in men, but with a more favourable cardiovascular risk profile in women. However, the type of cheese consumed by men and women may have differed resulting in opposing trends on body composition and cardiovascular risk factors.