cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interleukin-11-induced heat shock protein 25 confers intestinal epithelial-specific cytoprotection from oxidant stress.

Abstract Background & Aims: The mechanisms of interleukin-11 (IL-11) cytoprotection in intestinal epithelial injury are largely unknown. IL-11 protects barrier integrity during oxidant stress, a common endpoint of numerous types of intestinal injury including ischemia and immune-mediated inflammation. Because heat shock proteins (hsp) are cytoprotective in intestinal epithelia, we hypothesized that IL-11-conferred cytoprotection is mediated by inducible hsps. Methods: IL-11 receptor (IL-11R) activation was determined using phospho-specific antibodies to STAT3. IL-11 induction of hsp72 and hsp25 was determined by immunoblot in IEC-18 crypt and young adult mouse colon colonic epithelial cells. Epithelial resistance to oxidant injury by monochloramine was determined by 51 Cr release. Stable hsp anti-sense IEC-18 cell clones were obtained by electroporation and hygromycin B selection. The IL-11 effect on hsp25 distribution was characterized by analysis of Triton ×-100 insoluble fractions, 2-D isoelectric focusing gels, and confocal microscopy. Results: IL-11R signaling was detected in all cells under study. IL-11 induces hsp25 in an intestinal epithelial-specific manner that significantly preserves cellular viability in the presence of monochloramine. This effect was significantly reversed in intestinal epithelia stably expressing anti-sense to hsp25. IL-11 induced a shift of hsp25 to Triton ×-100 insoluble fractions containing cytoskeletal elements, which was not associated with altered hsp25 phosphorylation. The shift was not paralleled by increased hsp25 co-localization with F-actin by confocal microscopy. Conclusions: The induction of hsp25 by IL-11 confers epithelial-specific cytoprotection that is independent of phosphorylation-dependent co-localization of hsp25 to F-actin, thereby contributing to the protective effects of IL-11 in models of intestinal epithelial injury.
Analysis of alkylpyrrole autoxidation products by high-performance liquid chromatography with thermospray mass spectrometry and UV photodiode-array detection

A method employing high-performance liquid chromatography with thermospray mass spectrometry (TSP-MS) and photodiode-array detection was developed and applied to the analysis of autoxidation products of 2,5-dimethyl-N-alkylpyrroles in aqueous solution under air or 18O2. Numerous oxidation products were separated, characterized and categorized, primarily as (1) non-polar oligomers without incorporated oxygen, and (2) polar, oxygen-containing monomers. Kinetic studies showed that oligomerization was the dominant autoxidation pathway, with production of unstable dimers and trimers and, ultimately, a high-molecular-mass sediment. TSP-MS together with UV and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectral data revealed that both the dimer and trimer contained a novel methylene bridge. These results suggest that this method is suitable for the analysis of alkylpyrrole autoxidation products that may be relevant to hexane neuropathy and products that are responsible for the instability of fuels in storage.
The Arabidopsis Mitochondria-Localized Pentatricopeptide Repeat Protein PGN Functions in Defense against Necrotrophic Fungi and Abiotic Stress Tolerance

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins (PPRPs) are encoded by a large gene family in Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ), and their functions are largely unknown. The few studied PPRPs are implicated in different developmental processes through their function in RNA metabolism and posttranscriptional regulation in plant organelles. Here, we studied the functions of Arabidopsis PENTATRICOPEPTIDE REPEAT PROTEIN FOR GERMINATION ON NaCl ( PGN ) in plant defense and abiotic stress responses. Inactivation of PGN results in susceptibility to necrotrophic fungal pathogens as well as hypersensitivity to abscisic acid (ABA), glucose, and salinity. Interestingly, ectopic expression of PGN results in the same phenotypes as the pgn null allele, indicating that a tight regulation of the PGN transcript is required for normal function. Loss of PGN function dramatically enhanced reactive oxygen species accumulation in seedlings in response to salt stress. Inhibition of ABA synthesis and signaling partially alleviates the glucose sensitivity of pgn , suggesting that the mutant accumulates high endogenous ABA. Accordingly, induction of NCED3 , encoding the rate-limiting enzyme in stress-induced ABA biosynthesis, is significantly higher in pgn , and the mutant has higher basal ABA levels, which may underlie its phenotypes. The pgn mutant has altered expression of other ABA-related genes as well as mitochondria-associated transcripts, most notably elevated levels of ABI4 and ALTERNATIVE OXIDASE1a , which are known for their roles in retrograde signaling induced by changes in or inhibition of mitochondrial function. These data, coupled with its mitochondrial localization, suggest that PGN functions in regulation of reactive oxygen species homeostasis in mitochondria during abiotic and biotic stress responses, likely through involvement in retrograde signaling.
Cyclin-dependent kinase antagonizes promyelocytic leukemia zinc-finger through phosphorylation.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia is associated with chromosomal translocations that involve the RARα gene and several distinct loci producing a variety of fusion proteins. One such fusion partner is promyelocytic leukemia zinc-finger gene (PLZF), a member of the POK (POZ and Kruppel) family of transcriptional repressors that is a key developmental regulator, stem cell maintenance factor and tumor suppressor. Overexpression of PLZF has been shown to induce cell cycle arrest at the G1 to S transition and repress the expression of key pro-proliferative genes such as CCNA2 and MYC. However, given this data suggesting an important growth inhibitory role for PLZF, relatively little is known regarding regulation of its activity. Here we show that the main cyclin-dependent kinase involved at the G1 to S transition (CDK2) phosphorylates PLZF at two consensus sites found within PEST domains present in the hinge region of the protein. This phosphorylation triggers the ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of PLZF, which impairs PLZF transcriptional repression ability and antagonizes its growth inhibitory effects. This critical mechanism of PLZF regulation may thus be relevant for cell cycle progression during the development and the pathogenesis of human cancer.
Light-Matter Interface for Quantum Information

We describe some recent investigations of the use of cold atomic ensembles as an interface for quantum information processing.
Renormalization group for canted magnets.

We use renormalization-group techniques to investigate a model of O(n)/O(n-m) symmetry breaking in 4-\ensuremath{\varepsilon} dimensions. The model describes n-component spin systems in which varying levels of frustration indexed by m\ensuremath{\le}n give rise to canted ground states. The order parameter for these magnets is a reference frame with m orthogonal axes. The model contains the triangular antiferromagnet as a special case. We compute fixed points and critical exponents to scrO(\ensuremath{\varepsilon}) from the renormalization-group recursion relations. We find that a second-order phase transition with O(n)/O(n-m) symmetry breaking occurs for restricted values of m and n. Higher levels of frustration are shown to drive the transition to first order. Finally, we explore a closely related model of U(n)/U(n-m) symmetry breaking, wherein similar results are found.
Surface and void tortuosities for a random fiber bed : overlapping, parallel cylinders of several radii

Abstract Membrane resistance is often an important consideration in the use of immobilized liquid films for the separation of liquid and gas mixtures. The interaction of the diffusing solute with the membrane microporous support structure provides the physical basis for the membrane transport resistance. A calculation is presented of the diffusive transport resistance across a liquid immobilized within a two-dimensional random model support structure made up of overlapping fibers. Resulting tortuosities are compared with measured values taken from recent literature.
Reflection and Transmission of Electromagnetic Waves by a Moving Dielectric Slab. II. Parallel Polarization

The reflection and transmission of a plane wave, with its electric vector polarized in the plane of incidence, by a moving dielectric slab are investigated theoretically. Two cases of the movement are considered: (a) the dielectric slab moves parallel to the interface, (b) the dielectric slab moves perpendicular to the interface. It is shown that, in general, the reflection and transmission coefficients for an incident plane wave with its electric vector polarized in the plane of incidence are different from those for an incident plane wave with its electric vector polarized normal to the plane of incidence, except for case (b) for normally incident waves. Detailed results on the reflection and transmission coefficients for case (a) for normally incident waves are given and discussed.
Interface engineering via compatibilization in HDPE composite reinforced with sodium borosilicate hollow glass microspheres

In the present study dealing with hollow-sphere filled polymers, sodium borosilicate hollow glass microspheres (HGM) with the crushing strength of 30,000 psi were used as filler in high density polyethylene (HDPE). HGM remained intact in HDPE matrix with no sign of crushing during the compounding and injection molding operation. Polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride (PE-g-MAH) used as compatibilizer resulted in nano sized needle like structure in the HGM HDPE interfacial region that resulted in enhanced mechanical properties of HDPE HGM composites.
Nonmonotonic d x 2 − y 2 superconducting gap in electron-doped Pr 0.89 La Ce 0.11 Cu O 4 : Evidence of coexisting antiferromagnetism and superconductivity?

Recent experiments on ${\mathrm{Pr}}_{0.89}\mathrm{La}{\mathrm{Ce}}_{0.11}\mathrm{Cu}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ observe an anisotropic spin-correlation gap and a nonmonotonic superconducting (SC) gap, which we analyze within the framework of a $t\text{\ensuremath{-}}{t}^{\ensuremath{'}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{t}^{\ensuremath{''}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{t}^{\ensuremath{'''}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{t}^{\mathit{iv}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}U$ model with a ${d}_{{x}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{y}^{2}}$ pairing interaction including a third-harmonic contribution. By introducing a realistic broadening of the quasiparticle spectrum to reflect small-angle scattering, our computations explain the experimental observations, especially the presence of a maximum in the leading-edge gap in the vicinity of the hot spots. Our analysis suggests that the material behaves like a two-band superconductor with the $d$-wave third harmonic acting as the interband pairing gap, and that the antiferromagnetic and SC orders coexist in a uniform phase.
Dihydropicrotoxinin binding sites in mammalian brain : Interaction with convulsant and depressant benzodiazepines

Summary The specific binding of [3H]α-dihydropicrotoxinin to rat brain membranes was inhibited competitively and potently (IC50 ≅ 100nM) by a convulsant benzodiazepine drug, RO5-3663. This compound did not inhibit high affinity flunitrazepam binding to the same tissue under similar conditions, and its reported pharmacological activity as an antagonist of GABAergic synaptic transmission, which resembles that of picrotoxinin, appears to involve the picrotoxinin binding sites. Other benzodiazepines such as diazepam, in micromolar concentrations, inhibited picrotoxinin binding in a stereospecific and chemically specific manner. However, the order of potency of a series of depressant benzodiazepines did not correlate well with pharmacological activities nor with reported activities for displacement of high affinity benzodiazepine ‘receptor’ binding sites (although heterogeneity of both picrotoxinin and benzodiazepine binding site populations may make difficult such comparisons). A comparison of benzodiazepine-displaceable benzodiazepine binding and benzodiazepine-displaceable picrotoxinin binding for different brain regions and subcellular fractions revealed a very similar though not identical distribution of these two classes of drug receptor, again suggesting that the two are not identical. Both classes of drug binding site also showed a very similar distribution to sodium-independent GABA receptor binding sites, which is consistent with other evidence that at least part of these 3 receptor types may be found at least sometimes coupled together in the postsynaptic membrane GABA receptor-ionophore complex.
Antiemetic therapy for high-dose chemotherapy with transplantation: report of a retrospective analysis of a 5-HT3 regimen and literature review

The goal of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of 5-HT3 receptor antagonist regimens in the transplant setting through a retrospective analysis of clinic patients and a review of the literature. A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of an antiemetic regimen in 24 patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy with bone marrow transplantation. The antiemetic agent used in 96% of the patients was single-agent ondansetron 0.15 mg/kg as a continuous infusion every 12 h starting on the first day of chemotherapy. Efficacy or failure was defined by the need for administration of rescue antiemetics, as documented by nurses' notes and pharmacy records. Overall, 23 (96%) patients experienced antiemetic failure within the first 3 days. Rescue antiemetics yielded improved control of nausea and vomiting in 16 of 23 (70%) patients. These data demonstrate poor antiemetic efficacy of single-agent, continuous-infusion ondansetron in a small group of patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy with bone marrow transplantation. These data are considered in the context of a thorough literature review that shows the limitations of previously reported antiemetic studies in this setting, potential pharmacokinetic interactions, and also highlights the utilization of combination therapy, administered orally or intravenously, to improve efficacy and tolerability of antiemetic therapy. A number of recent investigations suggest that appropriate doses of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists with phenothiazine and corticosteroids can improve the safety and efficacy of antiemetic regimens in patients undergoing transplantation.
Relationships between Indices of Neuroticism, Attitudes toward and Concepts of Death, and Religiosity

Young and middle-aged adults (79 men and 132 women) filled out a questionnaire which measured their fear of death, neuroticism (guilt-proneness, ego strength, impulsivity, and free-floating anxiety scales from the 16 PF), religiosity, and frequency of thinking about, denial of, and concept of death. Fear of death was associated with denial of death and denial of dying but not with free-floating anxiety, suggesting that fear of death is not a neurotic but a very specific fear. Guilt-prone individuals feared death more, thought about it more, and believed it to be more unnatural. This suggests that guilt-prone individuals may anticipate death as punishment. Those with low ego-strength feared death less if older, but independently of age they thought about it more frequently. Fear of death was much more strongly associated with religiosity and concept of death than any of these variables with the personality traits measured; so it seems that early religious socialization may be more influential for fear of d...
Tax and Pension Reform in the Czech Republic-Implications for Growth and Debt Sustainability

The Czech Republic has embarked on an ambitious tax reform and expenditure package to bring the deficit sustainably below 3 percent, and intends to reduce the deficit to 1 percent of GDP by 2012. To address the long-term fiscal challenge due to population aging, pension reform proposals are also being considered. In this paper we assess the macroeconomic effects of these measures using the Global Fiscal Model. The tax reform package will achieve a more efficient tax system. If implemented successfully with the intended expenditure savings measures, debt is projected to improve markedly while output would expand. Fiscal sustainability will not be restored, however, even if further measures to bring the deficit to 1 percent of GDP by 2012. Instead, raising the retirement age and prefunding future aging costs would be needed to keep debt below 60 percent of GDP through 2050.
A Slide Rule to Determine the Axis of the Electrocardiogram

A slide rule for determining the electrical axis of the electrocardiogram is presented. The device is a modification of the Dieuaide Chart. Construction of the slide rule and method of using it are described. Its use permits a very rapid calculation of the axis in degrees.
Synthesis of the ABC ring system of Azaspiracid. 2. A systematic study into the effect of C(16) and C(17) substitution on bis-spirocyclization.

A systematic study into the effect of C16 and C17 substitution on the stereochemical outcome of bis-spirocyclization to form the ABC ring system of azaspiracid is disclosed. Successful construction of the natural 10R,13R bis-spirocyclic stereochemistry has been accomplished on the C16 benzyloxy-containing precursor.
Age-related apoptotic responses to stretch-induced hypertrophy in quail slow-tonic skeletal muscle

In the present study, we examined the responses of apoptosis and apoptotic regulatory factors to muscle hypertrophy induced by stretch overload in quail slow-tonic muscles. The wings from one side ...
Fluorinated and ring-substituted bisbenzimidazole copper complexes for ethylene/acrylate copolymerization

Bisbenzimidazole copper dichloride complexes (CuBBIMs), when activated with methylaluminoxane, catalyze the random copolymerization of ethylene with acrylates to produce highly linear functional copolymers. To probe the sensitivity of the copolymerization to the catalyst structure, a series of CuBBIM catalysts with various steric, electronic, and geometric ligand characteristics was prepared, including CuBBIMs having benzimidazole ring substituents and ligand backbones of various lengths. Four different acrylates were also evaluated as comonomers (t-butyl acrylate, methyl acrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, and methyl methacrylate). Although no obvious ligand-based influences on copolymerization were identified, the structure of the acrylate comonomer was found to exert significant effects. Copolymers prepared with t-butyl methacrylate comonomer exhibited the highest ethylene contents (31–63%), whereas those prepared with methyl acrylate contained only minor amounts of ethylene (<15%). Copolymerizations carried out at lowered acrylate feed levels generally had increased ethylene contents but showed smaller yields, lowered molecular weights, and increased branching. Unusual ketoester structures were also observed in the methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate containing copolymers, suggesting that the acrylate ester group size may be an important controlling factor for copolymerization. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1817–1840, 2006
Thiouracil in the treatment of hyperthyroidism complicating pregnancy and its effect on the human fetal thyroid.

THIOURACIL has been in use for the past 4 years. Astwood (1) has reported its use in four pregnant patients without untoward results. Palmer (15) treated 3 pregnant women,one of whom delivered a normal child. Eaton (4) has reported 2 cases in which thiouracil was used. One of these was the only case in which the child's thyroid was enlarged at delivery and remained so for several months after birth, but the child was otherwise normal. Vogt (17) treated one pregnant patient with thiouracil; although she herself developed a marked enlargement of the thyroid, the child was normal. Only a few experimental papers have been published, including that of Goldsmith et al. (7) who recorded that newborn rats whose mothers had been treated daily with thiourea were both normal in weight and in external appearance as compared with the controls. He noted that the thyroid was slightly increased in weight and there was active hyperplasia characterized by high columnar epithelium with a limited amount of stainable colloid....
Oblique chest views as a routine part of skeletal surveys performed for possible physical abuse--is this practice worthwhile?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of oblique chest views in the diagnosis of rib fractures when used as a routine part of the skeletal survey performed for possible physical abuse. METHODS: Oblique chest views have been part of the routine skeletal survey protocol at Primary Children's Medical Center since October 2002. Dictated radiology reports since that time were reviewed, and all cases with rib fractures documented were chosen for study. For each chosen case two pediatric radiologists identified and recorded rib fractures using only the PA and lateral chest radiographs (standard two-view chest series) from the skeletal survey for each case. In a separate session they identified and recorded rib fractures using the PA, lateral, right oblique, and left oblique radiographs (four-view chest series) from the skeletal survey for each case. The results were compared. RESULTS: Twenty-two cases with rib fractures were identified. Interpretation of the four-view chest series was different than interpretation of the two-view chest series in 12 of the 22 cases (54%). Overall, the four-view chest series differed significantly in the number of rib fractures diagnosed compared with the two-view chest series (p=.02, Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test) adding 19 rib fractures and excluding 6 rib fractures. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that use of the four-view chest series adds information to that obtained from the two-view chest series and increases the accuracy of diagnosing rib fractures in cases of possible physical abuse. Addition of oblique chest views to the routine protocol for skeletal surveys performed for possible physical abuse is recommended. Language: en
Importance of bound-free correlation effects for vibrational excitation of molecules by electron impact: A sensitivity analysis.

One of the most interesting, important, and problematic components of interaction potentials for electron-atom and -molecule scattering arises from many-body effects in the near-target region. Such ``core-polarization'' effects are of particular concern for vibrational-excitation calculations, where these short-range bound-free correlation and nonadiabatic velocity-dependent effects have remained resistant to rigorous treatment, being represented instead by approximations or model potentials. In order to provide guidance for assessing such potentials and insight into the nature of these many-electron effects, we have investigated the sensitivity to core polarization of total, momentum-transfer, rotational-excitation, and vibrational-excitation e-${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ cross sections. The sensitivity analysis for the latter cross section also comments on a long-standing, severe discrepancy [most recently documented in S. J. Buckman et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 65, 3253 (1990)] between cross sections determined in various crossed-beam experiments and by transport analysis of swarm data for this simplest electron--neutral-molecule system.
Purine- and Pyrimidine-specific Antibodies: Precipitation with Denatured Deoxyribonucleic Acid

ANTIBODIES capable of reacting with thermally denatured DNA can be elicited by immunization with antigens prepared by coupling purine and pyrimidine derivatives to proteins1–3. In this way antibodies specific for the purinoyl moiety1, for 5-acetyluracil2 and for the five major bases3 of DNA and RNA have recently been produced. Their reaction with thermally denatured DNA was demonstrated by means of a quantitative complement-fixation test, but initial attempts to obtain precipitation reactions with them were unsuccessful. We now offer evidence that precipitation reactions can occur between purine- and pyrimidine-specific antibodies and denatured DNA.
Penile reconstruction, phallic construction, and urethral reconstruction

Penile reconstruction, phallic construction, and urethral reconstruction require tissue transfer in the majority of cases. This article discusses the techniques of tissue transfer and presents illustrative cases of penile reconstruction, total phallic construction, and urethral reconstruction. The modified forearm flaps for penile reconstruction, the ulnar forearm flap as used for total phallic construction, and the dartos fascial flap and penile skin islands for urethral reconstruction are illustrated. Graft onlay techniques also are shown.
Fast optical imaging of frontal cortex during active and passive oddball tasks

This study used the high spatial and temporal resolution of the event-related optical signal (EROS) to investigate the timing of neuronal activity in frontal cortex during auditory target detection and passive oddball tasks. Activation in right middle frontal gyrus (MFG) peaked approximately 350 ms following rare target tones. This corresponded closely to the latency of the simultaneously recorded electrical P3 component. In addition, we found activation in left lateral MFG peaking at approximately 130 ms following tone onset for conditions that may have required response inhibition. These results correspond with activation patterns observed in similar fMRI studies, but provide temporal tags for the activated locations. These data may help bridge the gap between electrophysiological and hemodynamic measures of target detection and contribute to our understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of brain activity during target processing.
Preparing Future Faculty for Teaching Engineering Design

This paper reports on a new core course that has been developed for the recently established Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). The course is focused on preparing future engineering faculty members to teach engineering design as well as how to function more effectively in industry design environments. Material related to theories of student learning and appropriate pedagogical approaches to teaching an open-ended subject such as engineering design are included. Having successfully completed this course, students are able to describe engineering design process and compare and contrast design across engineering and non-engineering disciplines. Students develop a syllabus for a design course in their own discipline, including assignments and projects. They also learn about effective project management and are able to characterize and demonstrate effective means of teaching/coaching/mentoring of various design projects. As future educators, students are able to describe the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) requirements for design courses (Capstone, etc.), describe and demonstrate various theories of learning and pedagogy, and are able to navigate the course design and approval process. Descriptions of student mentoring of K-12 design teams in the FIRST LEGO® League competition are also provided.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Novel use of a supraclavicular transverse cervical artery customised perforator flap: a paediatric emergency.

Summary Perforation of the piriform fossa is a rare, potentially life-threatening paediatric emergency. Prompt diagnosis and early operative intervention is key to patient survival, yet restoring aerodigestive continuity can pose a significant reconstructive challenge. A seven-month old baby girl presented to an emergency department acutely unwell with a twenty-four-hour history of haemoptysis, cough and worsening respiratory distress. A contrast swallow demonstrated extension of contrast into the retropharyngeal region necessitating immediate surgical intervention. A 3.0 cm × 1.0 cm perforation within the left posterolateral piriform fossa was identified. The defect was repaired with a supraclavicular transverse cervical artery customised perforator flap. This was inset into the piriform fossa luminal defect as a life-saving procedure. Following a stormy post-operative course, the child was discharged home on day 28 of admission and admitted electively 6 weeks later for division of flap pedicle. This case highlights the novel use of this fasciocutaneous island flap to reconstruct an extensive, potentially fatal, piriform fossa defect in an acute paediatric setting. This simple flap design offers timely mobilisation, reliable blood supply, adequate tenuity and surface area, to reconstruct this extensive defect as a life-saving intervention in a profoundly septic child.
Neuronal migration is transiently delayed by prenatal exposure to intermittent hypoxia.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal neurodevelopment is influenced by a variety of external factors, although the mechanisms responsible are poorly understood. Prenatal hypoxia, from physiological or chemical sources, can have no discernible effect, or can result in a broad spectrum of abnormalities. METHODS: To mimic some of the maternal effects of smoking, we developed a model that investigates the effects of intermittent hypoxia (IH), with or without concurrent nicotine in timed pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats. RESULTS: We found no significant differences between litter sizes or birthweight of pups from any treatment group, but animals exposed to IH (with or without nicotine) showed long term diminished body weights. Animals subjected to IH consistently showed a transient delay in neuronal migration early in the postpartum period, which was amplified by concurrent nicotine administration. We observed increased c-Abl protein levels in animals from the IH treatment groups. Multiple proteins involved in the intricate control of neuronal migration were also altered in response to this treatment, primarily the downstream targets of c-Abl: Cdk5, p25, and the cytoskeletal elements neurofilament H and F-actin and catalase. Catalase activity and protein levels, already elevated in response to IH, were further amplified by simultaneous nicotine exposure. CONCLUSIONS: This new model provides a novel system for investigating the effects of low grade IH in the developing brain and suggests that concurrent nicotine further aggravates many of the deleterious effects of IH. We also describe IH as a previously unreported mechanism for c-Abl expression. Birth Defects Res B, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Erythropoiesis in Sickle Cell Anaemia during Acute Infection and Crisis

Erythropoiesis was evaluated in 37 patients with sickle cell anaemia, 26 of them children under 12 years of age. Mean haemoglobin, haematocrit, reticulocyte, and erythropoietin levels were similar for 11 who were asymptomatic, 11 with infections, and 12 in vaso-occlusive crisis. Mean haemoglobin, haematocrit, and reticulocyte values were significantly lower and the mean erythropoietin level significantly higher for three patients in aplastic crisis. Reticulocyte counts reflected erythropoietic activity during the asymptomatic state but were variable during infection and crisis. No erythropoietic inhibitory activity was found in any of the four clinical states. It has been suggested that erythropoietin production decreases during infection. Patients in this study responded appropriately to stress, showing no decrease in erythropoietic activity during acute infection or crisis.
Photodynamic therapy of pigmented choroidal melanomas of greater than 3- mm thickness

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of photodynamic therapy in the destruction of experimental pigmented choroidal melanomas ≤ 3 mm in thickness using a liposomal preparation of benzoporphyrin derivative, verteporfin. Methods: Pigmented choroidal tumors were established in 32 New Zealand albino rabbit eyes. Animals were treated with daily injections of cyclosporine, and tumor growth was followed by serial fundus examinations and ultrasonography. When a tumor exceeded 3 mm in thickness (tumor height ranged from 3.1–4.6 mm), the authors administered benzoporphyrin derivative intravenously (1 mg/kg) and irradiated the tumor at 692nm through an argon-pumped dye laser at different total light doses ranging from 60 to 120 J/cm 2 . Control animals were treated with light or benzoporphyrin derivative only. Each animal then was followed-up for 4 to 6 weeks by fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, and ultrasonography. Results: All animals treated with benzoporphyrin derivative and light at fluences of ≤80 J/cm 2 showed complete tumor arrest. In contrast, both control groups showed continuous tumor growth in all animals with tumors filling most of the vitreous cavity by 3 weeks. Histologic examination results of tumors treated with dye plus light immediately after treatment showed prominent vascular closure. No vascular changes were noted in the control eye treated with light or dye alone. Examination results of the eyes that showed tumor regression after a 4week follow-up period showed tumor necrosis and extensive infiltration of mononuclear cells and pigment-laden macrophages at the tumor site. Conclusion: These data suggest that photodynamic therapy may have a role in the management of pigmented choroidal melanomas.
Quality of life in inflammatory bowel disease: background and definitions.

Defining and measuring quality of life is a relatively new dimension of health care for many clinicians. The traditional method of evaluating clinical status and response to treatment has been to look at disease-specific symptoms, global assessments (e.g., impressions of the good, better, or worse condition of a patient), days missed at school, and a variety of disease activity scores. These impressions and techniques may or may not reflect how patients are functioning day to day and how they feel about the illness. To address these issues, health-related quality of life questionnaires have been developed to measure the functional effect of an illness and its treatment on a patient, as perceived by the patient. There are four broad domains that are considered part of a health-related quality-of-life questionnaire: I) physical and occupational function, 2) psychologic state, 3) social interaction, and 4) somatic sensation. In the case of children, the perception of parents or caretakers may be added to complete the picture. Significant social and psychiatric problems have been described in children with IBD, including absenteeism from school, depression, suicide. and major disruption of family patterns. To understand fully the impact of inflammatory bowel disease and its treatment on patient and family function requires one or more quality-of-life instruments that are sensitive to the full range of symptoms, growth and development, and response (including side effects) to many new therapies.
Personality in Children

This special issue is about the importance of personality in children. The articles focus on areas that are increasingly being investigated which highlight how personality is related to important developmental adjustment patterns. Examples of both person-level typologies and variable-centered analyses show how important it is to consider individual differences in children when describing development over the life span.
Inheritance of slow rusting of spring wheat by Puccinia recondita f.sp. tritici and host parasite relationships

Inheritance of the slow-rusting character was studied in F 5 progenies from spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars Thatcher, Marquis and Lee crossed in all combinations without reciprocals. The cultivars and their progenies were evaluated for slow-rusting in 1975 in a natural epidemic of Puccinia recondita Rob. ex Desm. f.sp. tritici Eriks. & Henn., races UN2 and UN17. Slow-rusting differed significantly among the parents and the progeny of each cross. The progeny of each cross formed a normal distribution. Narrow sense heritability was 55% for Marquis × Thatcher, 77% for Lee × Marquis, and 87% for Lee × Thatcher. Between 3 and 21 genes were estimated to affect slow-rusting, the particular number depending on the cross. A few lines rusted slowly with both stem and leaf rusts, but most rusted slowly with only one of the fungi. There was no significant difference in the germination of urediniospores of P. recondita f.sp. tritici or the formation of appressoria due to slow or fast-rusting character of the wheats in the greenhouse. The pathogen penetrated more frequently and grew more profusely in flag leaves of wheats that rusted rapidly than those that rusted slowly.
The Comprehension Strategies of Second Language Readers

Think-aloud protocols, a version of verbal report in which participants state their thoughts and behaviors, have become increasingly popular as a means of studying the comprehension processes of native English speakers. The study reported in this article used think-alouds to examine the comprehension strategies used by college-level students-both native speakers of English and nonnative speakers--enrolled in remedial reading classes as they read material from a college textbook. "Poor" readers (those who had failed the college's reading proficiency test) were chosen for study because they are the ones at whom college remedial reading programs are aimed. Furthermore, their use of comprehension strategies has not attained the degree of automaticity found in fluent readers. Thus, they may be more aware of how they solve the problems they encounter as they read. Some of the strategies used by the ESL and native-speaking readers in the study are described. Strategy use is related to measures of memory and comprehension and to academic performance, and implications for teaching are discussed. The thoughts that wander or rush through the minds of readers, the searches and struggles for meaning, the reflections and associations, are hidden from the outside observer. Yet this struggle and search for control are the core of reading comprehension. For teachers, knowledge of the components and management of this internal process is extremely important. Without it, educators must resort to designing reading programs based on intuitions and guesses about students' problems. Without it, classroom teachers are left commiserating with Eskey (1973), who described the "maddening experience of having a student who appears to understand every sentence and yet cannot answer the simplest question about a passage as a whole" (p. 177). Knowledge about the process, not just the product of reading, is needed if we are to move
Development of a fluorescence quenching assay to measure the fraction of organic carbon present in self-assembled gels in seawater

Abstract The dissolved organic carbon pool (DOC) is among the largest reservoir of reduced carbon on our planet. The demonstration that DOC polymers remain in assembly/dispersion equilibrium forming microscopic hydrogels has a broad range of critical implications. Previous studies estimate that ∼ 10% of DOC could be assembled as gels, yielding values of ∼ 7 × 1016 g of organic carbon present as microscopic hotspots of high substrate concentration. This huge mass of reduced carbon emphasizes the need to develop reliable methods to systematically investigate the budget of self-assembled marine gels (SAG), and their role in biogeochemical cycling. However, a quantitative method to measure SAG in seawater has not been available. Here we present the validation of a simple assay to measure the mass of organic carbon assembled as microgels in native seawater. This method is based on the ratio of Chlortetracycline (CTC) fluorescence quenching between Ca bound to non-assembled organic molecules and molecules assembled as microgels. This assay can be readily implemented on board using a low cost fluorometer and provisions to measure TOC.
Common k‐space acquisition: A method to improve myocardial grid‐tag contrast

A current limitation of many myocardial tag acquisitions employing SPAMM encoding is the relatively rapid loss of tag contrast over the cardiac cycle. Acquisition schemes that apply line tags produce prolonged tag contrast compared with directly excited grid tags. However, a grid-tag series can be generated by combining two orthogonal line-tag series. To be time efficient, each line-tag series can be acquired with the read gradient oriented perpendicular to the line-tag direction. There are several disadvantages associated with this approach, including the requirement to avoid signal fold-over and that fat shift artifacts appear in different directions in each line-tag series. Presented here is a method of applying separate line tags that does not require interchanging the read and phase encoding gradients and does not extend the scan time compared with a conventional grid-tag acquisition. Additionally, the means of generating grid tags results in a doubling of the tag contrast to noise ratio compared a line-tag set. Computer simulations are presented along with phantom and volunteer scans.
The transient-state kinetics of L-glutamate dehydrogenase. pH-dependence of the burst rate parameters.

Abstract The pH dependence of the initial transient velocity of NADPH production during the burst phase of the oxidative deamination of l -glutamate by l glutamate dehydrogenase ( l -glutamate: NAD(P) + oxidoreductase (deaminating), EC 1.4.1.3) and NADP + has been measured by stopped-flow spectrophotometry. These studies provide evidence that the entire pH dependence below pH 8.26 arises from reaction steps contributing to V of the burst with an apparent p K a of 8.1 ± 0.1 . The data are consistent with a model in which the formation of the first enzyme-coenzyme-substrate ternary complex on the reaction path equilibrates rapidly and in which the pH-dependent steps are mechanistically close to and may include the catalytic hydrogen transfer itself. At pH 8.87, there is evidence that l -glutamate binds less tightly to the enzyme and to the enzyme-NADP + complex than at lower pH values.
Enhancing the value of psychiatric consultation

Abstract A study of a developing psychiatric consultation service found shortcomings in the amount of experience of those who performed the consultations, in the timing of the consultations (not prompt enough), and in the tone, legibility, and organization of the reports provided by the consultants, as well as in follow-up of patients. Steps to resolve these problems have resulted in increased use of the consultation service and an improvement in the quality of psychiatric referrals.
Dynamic slicing of computer programs

Abstract Program slicing is a useful tool in program debugging [25, 26]. Dynamic slicing introduced in this paper differs from the original static slicing in that it is defined on the basis of a computation. A dynamic program slice is an executable part of the original program that preserves part of the program's behavior for a specific input with respect to a subset of selected variables, rather than for all possible computations. As a result, the size of a slice can be significantly reduced. Moreover, the approach allows us to treat array elements and fields in dynamic records as individual variables. This leads to a further reduction of the slice size.
Covariance-Based Realization Algorithm for the Identification of Aeroelastic Dynamics

Anovel subspace system identificationmethod based on covariance estimates and inspired by classical realization techniques is presented that constructs system estimates frommeasured input–output data. The resulting algorithm allows for the identification of parametric systemmodels from data sets of large signal dimension and is applicable to data perturbed by colored noise and acquired in closed-loop operation due to the unbiased estimation of crosscovariance functions, even in low signal-to-noise conditions. The algorithm is applied to data measured onboard an F/A-18. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm in efficiently computing accurate, unbiased linear dynamic models from large data sets of high-dimensional signal sets obtained from aircraft in flight.
Measurement of mechanical impacts created by rotary, slapper, and sway blueberry mechanical harvesters

Blueberry mechanical harvesters cause bruise damage to the fruit. The goal of this study was to test a custom-made sensor (berry impact recording device) to measure the quality and magnitude of mechanical impacts created by three major types of commercial blueberry mechanical harvesters (rotary, slapper, and sway). The sensor was mounted on blueberry bushes (cultivated) and harvested at standard operating conditions such that the sensor was detached and experienced the impact forces typically found during a mechanical harvesting process. The data collected by the sensor revealed that the slapper and sway harvesters generated not only larger number but also higher magnitude impacts than the rotary. Our analyses suggest that these disparities were mostly caused by different agitating mechanisms, contacting surface materials, and designs between the three harvesters. Results indicated that most impacts lasted 5-7ms in all three harvesters. The distribution of the impacts showed that 90% of impacts from the rotary were less than 190g and 90% of impacts from the slapper and sway were less than 250g. Corresponding measures were identified to reduce potential bruise damage in the harvesters. The information could be useful to select harvesters that create the least impacts and to improve current mechanical harvester designs.
Sequential Decision Making under Uncertain Future Preferences

We present a model of sequential decision making under uncertain future preferences, assuming that the evolution of the trade-off weight vector is constrained by set inclusion. We consider different mechanisms for selecting the next trade-off weight vector: a mechanism working against the decision maker DM M, a mechanism trying to aid the DM B, and briefly a probabilistic mechanism P. Piecewise linear, convex upper and lower bounds on the optimal value function are determined for mechanisms M and B. Conditions are given that guarantee that the optimal value function is piecewise linear and convex for all three mechanisms. Procedures for computing these bounds and determining associated strategies are presented. A hypothetical situation involving an individual seeking promotion is used to illustrate the model and the numerical techniques.
Complications of NewColorIris implantation in phakic eyes: a review.

Purpose To provide a literature review of implant related complications from bilateral NewColorIris implantation (Kahn Medical Devices, Panama City, Panama). Methods A PubMed search of peer-reviewed ophthalmology journals for complications related to NewColorIris implants was performed. Results Including a recent case published by the authors, a total of nine patients (18 eyes) with management of complications such as endothelial cell loss, elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), corneal edema, anterior chamber inflammation, decreased visual acuity, and cataract formation were reviewed. Conclusions Sight-threatening complications including corneal decompensation, IOP elevation, uveitis, and hyphema have been described after NewColorIris implantation.