cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The proximal J kappa germline-transcript promoter facilitates receptor editing through control of ordered recombination.

V(D)J recombination creates antibody light chain diversity by joining a Vκ gene segment with one of four Jκ segments. Two Jκ germline-transcript (GT) promoters control Vκ-Jκ joining, but the mechanisms that govern Jκ choice are unclear. Here, we show in genetargeted mice that the proximal GT promoter helps targeting rearrangements to Jκ1 by preventing premature DNA breaks at Jκ2. Consequently, cells lacking the proximal GT promoter show a biased utilization of downstream Jκ segments, resulting in a diminished potential for receptor editing. Surprisingly, the proximal—in contrast to the distal—GT promoter is transcriptionally inactive prior to Igκ recombination, indicating that its role in Jκ choice is independent of classical promoter function. Removal of the proximal GT promoter increases H3K4me3 levels at Jκ segments, suggesting that this promoter could act as a suppressor of recombination by limiting chromatin accessibility to RAG. Our findings identify the first ciselement critical for Jκ choice and demonstrate that ordered Igκ recombination facilitates receptor editing.
Identification of Two Distinct Hybrid State Intermediates on the Ribosome

High spatial and time resolution single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements have been used to probe the structural and kinetic parameters of transfer RNA (tRNA) movements within the aminoacyl (A) and peptidyl (P) sites of the ribosome. Our investigation of tRNA motions, quantified on wild-type, mutant, and L1-depleted ribosome complexes, reveals a dynamic exchange between three metastable tRNA configurations, one of which is a previously unidentified hybrid state in which only deacylated-tRNA adopts its hybrid (P/E) configuration. This new dynamic information suggests a framework in which the formation of intermediate states in the translocation process is achieved through global conformational rearrangements of the ribosome particle.
In Search of a Role for Carbonation: Is This a Good or Bad Taste?

Since the discovery in the 1800s that the addition of carbon dioxide to water makes it effervescent and pleasant, carbonation has gained popularity for its enjoyable taste and has become an important ingredient of sparkling drinks such as sodas. In recent years, there has been an exponential rise in the consumption of sweetened, carbonated drinks, which has been linked to increasing rates of obesity and increasing prevalence of metabolic diseases.1 Surprisingly, the consumption of diet sodas, which have reduced or zero calories because of the noncaloric sweeteners, is also linked to the risk of obesity and poor health outcomes.2 The question arising then is: What is the culprit for the carbonated drinks-related health issues–the carbonation itself, the sweeteners, or both? In the present issue of Gastroenterology, Di Salle et al3 have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans to examine the brain regions activated in response to naturally or artificially sweetened carbonated beverages to determine the effect of carbonation on the perception of sweetness and whether carbonation differentially affects the perception of natural and artificial sweeteners. This is a critical question to begin to understand where and how chemosensory detection of sweetened drinks affects food intake. Studies relying on fMRI approaches have shown that the brain is capable of distinguishing natural and artificial sweeteners4 and that distinct responses to different sweeteners are influenced by the level of consumption of diet soda.5 The Di Salle group went further and asked whether carbonation directly affects sweetness perception. Carbonation activates different sensory systems, including the gustatory system, and the pathway through which carbonation is tasted and how it differs from other tastes have been recently discovered.6
A Problem in Cartography

(1969). A Problem in Cartography. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 76, No. 10, pp. 1101-1112.
The Green functions of the thirring model

Abstract Gauge transformations of the third kind are defined and used to provide a connection between solutions of the Thirring model obtained by Johnson, Sommerfield and Birula et al. There exists a Yennie-type gauge in which the Green functions are the corresponding free-field ones, as well as a class of gauges for which the Green functions are finite.
Counter-advertising to combat unhealthy food marketing will not be enough commentary on "Can counter-advertising reduce pre-adolescent children's susceptibility to front-of-package promotions on unhealthy foods? Experimental Research.".

Youth-targeted food marketing is ubiquitous (Harris et al., 2009a). Children are marketed to when they watch television and movies, when they play video games, and when they use the Internet. They are advertised to while in school. They see billboards on the street and marketers text them advertisements and offers. Even attending sporting events means exposure to advertisements via event sponsorships. And of course marketers make their final efforts to influence children and their parents at the point-ofpurchase by creating engaging packaging and using in-store promotions (Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2003; Harris et al., 2009a). Unfortunately, there is an imbalance in these marketing messages. The foods most heavily marketed towards children are the less healthy foods (Harris et al., 2009a; Powell et al., 2007; Montgomery and Chester, 2009; Cowburn and Boxer, 2007). This is cause for concern because food marketing has been shown to increase children's preferences for advertised foods, requests made to parents for those foods, and short-term consumption behavior (Cairns et al., 2013; Harris et al., 2009a; Harris et al., 2009b; Institute of Medicine (2005); Roberto et al., 2010). Further, unlike adults, children have difficulty understanding the persuasive intent of advertising (Harris and Graff, 2012; Pomeranz, 2010), and so are unlikely to view it skeptically. From a public health perspective, there are three primary ways to address concerns about child-targeted food marketing. First, the food industry can try to self-regulate, and there have been examples of such efforts. The second approach is through policies that would mandate reductions in child-targeted marketing. The third way is to use counter-advertising strategies to help parents and children defend against advertising messages. The food industry has engaged in some self-regulatory actions, such as creating nutrition standards for foods that can be marketed to children (see Council for Better Business Bureaus; Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity), but many of these efforts have been
Amino acid compositions of the egg-yolk lipoproteins, and a statistical comparison of their amino acid ratios

Abstract The amino acid compositions of α- and β-vitellin and vitellenin, representing, respectively, the protein parts of α- and β-lipovitellin and the low-density fraction of egg yolk, have been determined. As these proteins were quite similar in their amino acid compositions, a statistical examination of the disproportionalities in their amino acid ratios formed the basis of comparison. In addition to a difference in phosphorus content, vitellenin differs from both vitellins in its content of 10 amino acids. The lipovitellins cannot therefore be converted to the low-density fraction containing vitellenin, or vice versa, by a mere loss or gain of lipid. The 2 vitellins differ only in their content of phosphorus and histidine.
External beam versus intraoperative and external beam irradiation for locally advanced pancreatic cancer

One hundred fifty-nine patients with unresectable but localized pancreatic cancer, as defined at exploratory laparotomy, were treated at the Mayo Clinic between February 1974 to April 1985. Postoperative therapy consisted of 4000 to 6000 cGy external beam irradiation (XRT) alone in 122 patients or 4500 to 5500 cGy XRT in combination with an intraoperative electron boost in 37. In addition, 132 (both groups) received 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy. Local control (LC) at 1 year was 82% with XRT + intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) versus 48% with XRT and 66% versus 20% at 2 years respectively (P less than 0.0005). Due to the high incidence of hematogenous and/or peritoneal spread in both groups (abdominal failure in 54 and 56% of patients at risk), the decreased frequency of local progression did not translate into an improved survival. Neither median nor long-term survival of the two treatment groups (XRT versus XRT + IORT) was statistically different (median 12.6 months versus 13.4 months, P = 0.25). With tumor arising in the head of the pancreas, survival at 2 years was 18% as opposed to 0% for other locations (P less than 0.01). On the basis of a Cox multivariate analysis, no other treatment or prognostic factor significantly altered survival. Until the problem with systemic failure (usually abdominal) can be resolved, the median and long-term survival of patients with pancreatic carcinoma is likely to remain unchanged. Since IORT appears to improve local control, we will continue to utilize IORT in phase 1, 2 studies which also attempt to decrease the incidence of abdominal failures. Even with IORT + XRT combinations, the incidence of local progression is excessive and radiation dose modifiers need to be evaluated.
Analysis of an Overtone Band of CH3D at 11 931 cm−1

Abstract The vibrational overtone band of monodeuterated methane (CH3D) at 11 931 cm−1 was recorded by intracavity photoacoustic spectroscopy at 100 K with a resolution limited by Doppler broadening. Although the J and K rotational structures of the parallel band are clearly resolved, rotational perturbations result in an irregular subband structure.
Finding Common Ground in the Study of Child Maltreatment, Youth Violence, and Adult Domestic Violence:

For several decades, we have witnessed a surge in public policies aimed at ending child maltreatment, youth violence, and adult domestic violence. Commensurate with this increased interest has been a growing body of research on each issue’s etiology, affected population, and the public policy and prevention impacts. Even a cursory review of the literature suggests a number of commonalities across these forms of violence. As such, it seems timely and prudent to craft a research framework that facilitates the identification and dissemination of practice and policy innovations that can address all three concerns. This article articulates an overarching framework to guide researchers in better identifying common avenues of study. After summarizing the commonalities found across the three areas, the authors identify crosscutting issues that have particular relevance for advancing our understanding of violence and its effects on personal and social interactions.
Training Observers to Detect Deception: Effects of Self-Monitoring and Rehearsal.

It was predicted that trained observers would detect deception more accurately than untrained observers. More specifically, it was predicted that the highest deception detection accuracy would be found among trained observers judging the veracity of low self-monitors and unrehearsed liars, whereas the lowest detection accuracy would be found among untrained observers judging the veracity of high self-monitors and rehearsed deceivers. It also was hypothesized that the discrepancy between observers‘actual ability to detect deception and their certainty in the accuracy of their judgments would be smaller for trained observers than for untrained observers. Observers trained to detect deception used six behavioral cues based on research by deTurck and Miller (1985): (a) message duration, (b) response latency, (c) adaptors, (d) pauses, (e) nonfluencies, and (f) hand gestures. Results confirmed both hypotheses.
Rapid differentiation of Artemia spp. Populations by thin layer isoelectric focusing

Abstract Artemia spp. of various geographic origins, yearly collection lots, developmental stages, and a binary geographic mixture were analyzed by thin layer polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing (IEF). IEF of geographical Artemia samples yielded unique profiles for each population in the pH range employed. Parthenogenetic populations of Artemia exhibited IEF patterns which were, generally, dominated by fewer proteins; bisexual populations exhibited more evenly distributed, complex protein patterns. There were similarities reflected in IEF profiles of geographically isolated Artemia descended from a common ancestry. Yearly collections of Artemia exhibited no apparent differences in IEF protein patterns. There were differences noted in three developmental stages of Artemia . A binary mixture of geographic populations yielded IEF patterns intermediate to those of the component pure samples.
Are We Really Ready? The Need for National Emergency Preparedness Standards and the Creation of the Cycle of Emergency Planning1

A review of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) policies and recent performance reveals major weaknesses in the nation's preparedness for protecting against and responding to terrorist attacks and natural disasters. Research has shown that the DHS currently lacks national standards for the review and maintenance of emergency plans, the frequency of emergency drills, and the review of results from such drills. This policy proposes the standardization of emergency exercises and the creation of the cycle of emergency planning (CEP), with DHS funding contingent on implementation of these national standards. This article addresses how the implementation of the CEP would provide a method for testing, revising, and maintaining emergency preparedness through review, exercises, and revision. Holding emergency exercises every two years and reviewing their results would help keep plans current and grounded in feasibility. Reviews of emergency plans and capabilities, conducted every five years by a third party, would help maintain objectivity. These exercises and reviews should be used to update and maintain emergency plans as part of the CEP. Enforcing these new standards would remedy the failures in the current emergency preparedness system and improve the general safety and security of the nation.
SURGERY FOR PRIMARY AND METASTATIC COLORECTAL CANCER

Carcinoma of the colon and rectum currently ranks as the second leading cause of death from cancer in the United States. Surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment for colorectal cancer but has inherent limitations imposed by the biology and stage of the tumor and its location. Ultimately, 50% of patients who undergo curative resection develop local, regional, or widespread recurrence. These statistics have remained relatively constant over several decades despite improved methods of early diagnosis and surgical treatment but may change as new multimodality treatment regimens are developed and clinically evaluated. This article summarizes the surgical management of colorectal cancer and discusses issues pertaining to postoperative surveillance and the diagnosis and management of local or widespread cancer recurrence.
A Short Calcium Infusion in the Diagnosis of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

ABSTRACT A brief calcium infusion has been utilized as a provocative test for calcitonin secretion in patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma. One hundred and fifty mg calcium was infused over 5–10 min and plasma samples collected at intervals up to 1 hr for calcitonin measurements. Seven infusions in 4 patients with medullary tumor produced a significant increase of plasma calcitonin over basal concentrations. In one patient with normal (nondiagnostic) basal calcitonin, the calcium infusion produced a diagnostic increase in hormone concentration. The infusions were well tolerated and the plasma calcium increase was less than one milligram. Our results suggest that this short calcium infusion, with calcitonin measurements made before and 10–30 min after the beginning of infusion provides a reliable, convenient, and safe provocative procedure for calcitonin secretion in medullary thyroid carcinoma suspects.
Super hydrophilic thin film nitinol demonstrates reduced platelet adhesion compared with commercially available endograft materials.

Background Thin film nitinol (TFN) is a novel material with which to cover stents for the treatment of a wide range of vascular disease processes. This study aimed to show that TFN, if treated to produce a super hydrophilic surface, significantly reduces platelet adhesion, potentially rendering covered stents more resistant to thrombosis compared to commercially available materials. Materials and Methods TFN was fabricated using a sputter deposition process to produce a 5-μ thin film of uniform thickness. TFN then underwent a surface treatment process to create a super hydrophilic layer. Platelet adhesion studies compared surface treated TFN (S-TFN) to untreated TFN, polytetrafluoroethylene, Dacron, and bulk nitinol. In vivo swine studies examined the placement of an S-TFN covered stent in a 3.5 mm diameter external iliac artery. Angiography confirmed placement, and repeat angiography was performed at 2 wk followed by post mortem histopathology. Results S-TFN significantly reduced platelet adhesion without any evidence of aggregation compared with all materials studied ( P in vivo swine studies demonstrated complete patency of the S-TFN covered stent at 2 wk. Post mortem histopathology showed rapid endothelialization of the S-TFN without excessive neointimal hyperplasia. Conclusions These results demonstrate that S-TFN significantly reduces platelet adhesion and aggregation compared with commercially available endograft materials. Furthermore, the hydrophilic surface may confer thromboresistance in vivo, suggesting that S-TFN is a possible superior material for covering stents.
Incidence and distribution of cancers in adolescents and young adults: Single institution experience in Lebanon

Abstract Background and objectives Cancers of adolescents and young adults are relatively rare and have specific features that range from the types and locations of these tumors to their specific medical, physical, psychological and social needs. Materials and methods A retrospective descriptive study on cancer patients aged between 15 and 25 years at Hotel Dieu de France, Saint Joseph University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon from 2007 to 2011 was conducted to study the incidence and distribution of cancers. Results We identified 205 adolescents and young adults with cancer in Hotel Dieu de France, Saint Joseph University Hospital in Beirut, from 2007 to 2011, which represent 2.9% of all cancers diagnosed in this hospital. Lymphomas (32%), bone tumors (12%), central nervous system (CNS) tumors (13%), leukemia (9%), thyroid cancers (9%), ovarian (5%) and testicular tumors (3%) accounted for more than 80% of all cancers. Thyroid cancers represented 17% of all female cancers in this patient category compared to 1% in males, while the CNS and bone cancer had a higher incidence in males. Conclusions Despite the low incidence of cancers in adolescents and young adults, it is essential to obtain more multicentric national and regional comparative data, which can help to elucidate the incidence and distribution of these cancers.
Cardiovascular disease, selected cardiovascular disease risk factors, and age-related cataracts : The Beaver Dam Eye Study

Purpose To examine the associations of cardiovascular disease and selected cardiovascular disease risk factors with the prevalence of age-related cataract. Methods We conducted a population-based prevalence study of adults aged 43 to 86 years (n = 4,926) in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. An ocular examination including lens photographs, medical history, height and weight measurement, blood testing, and photograph grading was performed according to standard protocols. Results Age and sex influenced most of the relationships between risk variables and cataract. Many relationships apparent in univariate analyses were not significant when controlling for confounders. In multivariate models, higher glycated hemoglobin was significantly and consistently associated with increased risk of nuclear cataract in women. For cortical cataract, higher serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was associated with decreased risk in women. For posterior subcapsular cataract, men with higher ratios of total to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were at increased risk. History of cardiovascular disease was not associated with cataracts in persons with or without diabetes after controlling for additional risk indicators. Conclusions Some risk factors for cardiovascular disease were associated with increased frequency of age-related lens opacities. Age and sex influenced these relationships but did not entirely explain them. Longitudinal follow-up is necessary to determine antecedent-consequent relationships that may suggest causal associations.
Mental Health Nurses' Spiritual Perspectives

Spiritual care has reemerged as a critical concern in nursing care. It is assumed that to provide spiritual care, nurses have a personal spiritual perspective. This study investigates the spiritual perspectives of a convenience sample of 50 mental health nurses employed in a public facility. The nurses' spiritual perspectives were measured using Reed's (1986a) Spiritual Perspective Scale (SPS). Due to the homogeneous nature of the sample and a clustering of SPS scores, the Wilcoxin Signed-Ranks Test was used to evaluate the data. Although no variables were identified as significant contributors to an individual nurse's spiritual perspective, an overall high SPS was found among the mental health nurses surveyed. The mental health nurses' SPS score mean (5.334, SD = .56) was notably higher than found i previous studies using the SPS (Reed, 1986a, 1991).
Progressive decrease in bone density over 10 years of androgen deprivation therapy in patients with prostate cancer.

Abstract Objectives. Several reports suggest an increased incidence of osteoporosis and concomitant fractures in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer. We sought to estimate the longitudinal effects of ADT on loss of bone density in this cross-sectional study. Methods. Hip and spine bone mineral density (BMD) studies were performed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry on 36 patients with prostate cancer. The year 0 cohort (n = 8) consisted of patients who had not yet begun planned ADT. These men were compared to patients receiving ADT who underwent BMD evaluation at year 2 (n = 6), year 4 (n = 7), year 6 (n = 5), year 8 (n = 5), and year 10 (n = 5) of therapy. All BMD values for the patients with prostate cancer were compared to age-matched control subjects. Results. Hip BMD was significantly lower in patients on ADT (mean BMD 0.802 g/cm 2 ) compared with those not on ADT (mean BMD 0.935 g/cm 2 ). Patients at year 0 had hip and spine BMD similar to age-matched control subjects. There was a significant trend for decreased hip BMD with increasing years of ADT ( r = 0.46, P = 0.00008). This relationship was more dramatic when hip BMD at each time point was compared to age-matched control subjects ( r = 0.55, P = 0.5 × 10 −16 ). This bone loss was evident even up to year 10. BMD loss was more dramatic in patients who had undergone surgical castration than those receiving medical ADT ( P = 0.08). Patients on intermittent ADT had similar BMD loss as patients on continuous ADT at year 2 and year 4 but demonstrated less bone loss at year 6 ( P = 0.07) despite equivalently low testosterone levels. Conclusions. There is diminished BMD with increasing duration of ADT. Continuous ADT and surgical castration may be more deleterious than medical therapy, particularly when the medical therapy is given in an intermittent fashion.
Protein Transduction Domain-Containing Microemulsions as Cutaneous Delivery Systems for an Anticancer Agent

In this study, we developed cationic microemulsions containing a protein transduction domain (penetratin) for optimizing paclitaxel localization within the skin. Microemulsions were prepared by mixing a surfactant blend (BRIJ:ethanol:propylene glycol 2:1:1, w/w/w) with monocaprylin (oil phase) at 1.3:1 ratio, and adding water at 30% (ME-30), 43% (ME-43), and 50% (ME-50). Electrical conductivity and viscosity measurements indicated that ME-30 is most likely a bicontinuous system, whereas ME-43 and ME-50 are water continuous. Their irritation potential, studied in bioengineered skin equivalents, decreased as aqueous content increased. Because ME-50 was not stable in the presence of paclitaxel (0.5%), ME-43 was selected for penetratin incorporation (0.4%). The microemulsion containing penetratin (ME-P) displayed zeta potential of +5.2 mV, and promoted a 1.8-fold increase in paclitaxel cutaneous (but not transdermal) delivery compared with the plain ME-43, whereas the enhancement promoted by another cationic microemulsion containing phytosphingosine was 1.3-fold. Compared with myvacet oil, ME-P promoted a larger increase on transepidermal water loss (twofold) than the plain or the phytosphingosine-containing microemulsions (1.5-fold), suggesting that penetratin addition increases the barrier-disrupting and penetration-enhancing effects of microemulsions. The ratio Δcutaneous/Δtransdermal delivery promoted by ME-P was the highest among the formulations, suggesting its potential for drug localization within cutaneous tumor lesions.
Lessons from a kill

During their colonization by Polynesians and later by Europeans, the Hawaiian islands suffered a massive loss of species. All the extinctions are indirectly attributable to human impact. Nonetheless, it has proved extremely difficult to specify which of several possible mechanisms caused each particular extinction. This seems to admit defeat in the battle to understand past extinctions. Such understanding could guide our efforts to protect species that are now threatened with extinction. Will it be easier to understand the causes of future extinctions? Surveys of future extinctions stress habitat destruction as the simple and dominant mechanism. This contrasts to its secondary (and generally confused) role in past extinctions. I argue that this contrast between the complexity of the past and the apparent simplicity of the future arises because extinction mechanisms are inherently synergistic. Once extensive species losses begin, it may be impossible to separate the mechanisms and thus manage an individual species as if its decline had a single cause.
Physostigmine: is there a role for this antidote in pediatric poisonings?

Purpose of review Ingestion of anticholinergic medications is common in pediatrics. Toxicity may result in symptoms such as severe agitation requiring physical restraint. Physostigmine, an antidote for anticholinergic poisoning, could be useful in this situation. Many physicians are hesitant to use physostigmine after case series suggested its use in tricyclic antidepressant overdose was associated with asystole. This paper reviews the anticholinergic toxidrome and pathophysiology, recent literature on the efficacy and toxicity of physostigmine, and its dosing, indications, and contraindications. Recent findings Recent articles suggest that toxicity associated with physostigmine consists mostly of seizures and cardiac arrhythmia, and occurs when used in the absence of anticholinergic symptoms. Despite potential complications, physostigmine has been shown to be useful in cases of confirmed anticholinergic poisoning by controlling agitation and reversing delirium, and appears to be safer and more effective than benzodiazepines in this situation. Summary In the proper clinical situation such as pure anticholinergic overdose with severe symptoms, physostigmine can be beneficial. The potential for side effects is not insignificant, and the antidote should be used with caution in any patient with unknown ingestions or those with cardiac conduction defects. More research is needed, especially involving children, before we will fully understand the indications and toxicities associated with physostigmine.
Association between puberty and features of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background & Aims Physiological changes that occur during puberty might affect pathologic features of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We investigated associations between pubertal development and clinical and histopathologic features of NAFLD. Methods We studied 186 children (age Results After adjusting for other factors, hyperuricemia and low levels of high-density–lipoprotein cholesterol were more prevalent among children who entered puberty with lower levels of quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (P Conclusions Steatosis, portal inflammation, and fibrosis are less severe during or after puberty than before puberty among subjects with NAFLD. Postpubescent individuals have a lower prevalence of borderline steatohepatitis of zone 1 but are more likely to have Mallory–Denk bodies. These findings indicate that puberty affects the pathologic features of NAFLD.
Exobiology and future Mars missions: the search for Mars' earliest biosphere.

The primordial Mars may have possessed a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere, with liquid water common on the surface, similar in many ways to the primordial earth. During this epoch, billions of years ago, the surface of Mars could have been conducive to the origin of life. It is possible that life evolved on Mars to be later eliminated as the atmospheric pressure dropped. Analysis of the surface of Mars for the traces of this early Martian biota could provide many insights into the phenomenon of life and its coupling to planetary evolution.
A ☐ing technique for making moulages of facial defects

Abstract A technique using irreversible hydrocolloid in conjunction with conventional ☐ing method is described for making impressions of facial defects. The technique improves control of impression material without causing distortion of soft tissue adjacent to facial defects.
Resolution of the Nimbus High Resolution Infrared Radiometer.

Nimbus High Resolution IR Radiometer /HRIR/, SHOWING photographic display and analog traces
Mutation of Serine-39 to Threonine in Thermostable Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus Changes Enantiospecificity

The substrate specificity of wild-type and Ser39 → Thr (S39T) secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (SADH) from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus was examined. The S39T mutation increases activity for 2-pro...
On the exact bit error performance of opportunistic network coding in wireless networks

While fully opportunistic network coding is one of the pioneer works to successfully implement network coding in wireless networks, the analytical model of its performance is still not well understood. In particular, the end-to-end average bit error rate of the scheme is still unclear due to the complexity of the scheme. In this paper we provide a generalized model to analyze the performance of regenerative multi-hop wireless ad hoc networks where opportunistic network coding is applied. By using the model, a closed-form expression of the exact average end-to-end bit error rate of the system over Rayleigh fading channels can be derived. The results obtained in our work allow us to have a more complete understanding of the factors that affect performance, especially the error propagation when packets traverse the network.
SU‐GG‐I‐33: Quantitative Imaging of a Gold Nanoparticle Contrast Agent with Dual Energy CT

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of imaging a goldnanoparticlecontrast agent with dual‐energy CT for the detection of vulnerable plaques.Method and Materials: A chest phantom of the thorax was simulated with mixtures of either calcium hydroxyaptatite and water, elemental gold and water, or calcium hydroxyaptatite, elemental gold and water. The range of calcium and gold concentrations were 50 mg/mL to 1000 mg/mL and 0.5 mg/mL to 3.0 mg/mL, respectively. Two cases were considered. The first case was ideal and assumed the volume of the mixture was conserved and there was no interaction between any of the constituent materials. The assumption of volume conservation was relaxed for the second case and the materials were allowed to mix as occurs physically. CTimages were generated at monoenergetic beam energies of 50 keV and 80 keV. A non‐linear dual energy decomposition algorithm was adapted from projection imaging for use in CT. The known densities of calcium hydroxyaptatite and gold were related to the measured low and high energy signals from CT with a nine parameter fit. Measured densities were then calculated from the resultant fit. Results: For the ideal case, the mean percentage error in measuredgold density was −0.25% and the mean percentage error in measuredcalcium hydroxyapatite density was −0.11%. For the physical case, the mean percentage error in measuredgold density was −8.76% and the mean percentage error in measuredcalcium hydroxyapatite density was −3.82%. Conclusion: The results of simulation studies suggest that the density of a goldcontrast agent can be measured in both two material and three material mixtures. The use of a nonlinear decomposition algorithm allowed the density of a goldcontrast agent in a physical mixture to be measured with a mean error of less than 10%.
A Biological Comparison of Tarnished Plant Bug (Hemiptera: Miridae) Populations from Mississippi's Major Agricultural Regions

A laboratory experiment was performed to compare fitness parameters of the tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), populations collected from the Hills and Delta regions of Mississippi. Each population was split into two cohorts to be reared on cotton or artificial diet to make comparisons of food source and region of collection. Each population was maintained separately and allowed to mate. Nymphal survivorship from the F1 generation of each population from each region and food source was compared. Parameters measured included development times to fourth instar, fifth instar and adult, total nymphal survivorship, fecundity, and fertility. Populations collected from the Delta region and reared on cotton developed significantly faster at all life stages than other populations. Tarnished plant bugs from the Hills reared on cotton developed significantly slower than other populations, except those from the Hills reared on artificial diet. Populations reared on diet had significantly higher survivorship than those reared on cotton. Tarnished plant bug populations from the Delta region laid significantly more eggs per female per day than those from the Hills region. Populations reared on cotton also laid significantly more eggs per female per day than those reared on diet. Populations collected in the Delta region laid significantly more viable eggs per female per day than those from the Hills region. Tarnished plant bugs reared on cotton produced significantly more nymphs per female per day than those reared on diet. These data indicate there are differences in several fitness parameters between tarnished plant bug populations from the Hills and Delta regions of Mississippi.
An Awakening Through an Inner-City Immersion Experience

This eight-year longitudinal study deals with the effects of an intense inner-city cultural immersion experience on fifth-year secondary students. Over 250 preservice teachers were given orientations to the inner-city setting and were placed in one of one of two select inner-city high schools. Approximately 30 students took part in the one-week cultural immersion experience. Their assignment was to shadow students and reflect upon their orientation sessions, experiences at the high school, and during after-school activities planned by the instructor. The preservice secondary students wrote a two-page reflection each day and a final reflection addressing their experiences. Utilizing qualitative analysis, the researcher coded responses utilizing qualitative analysis. Findings indicated that the secondary preservice teachers found the experience was enlightening, informative, and gratifying. Findings also have definite implications for schools of education. Preservice teachers should be required to be expose...
Attention and conceptual priming : Limits on the effects of divided attention in the category-exemplar production task

Abstract Prior research indicates that dividing attention during encoding reduces conceptual priming. The present study examines a limitation of this effect. Experiment 1a, in apparent contradiction to earlier research (Mulligan, 1997), found no effect of attentional load on later conceptual priming. Experiments 1b, 2, and 3 indicate that the discrepant results are not due to participant, materials, or power differences among studies, but rather to certain procedural differences. In particular, increased attentional load fails to reduce conceptual priming in the category–exemplar production task only when the categorical structure of the study list is salient (i.e., list items are blocked by category) and when attentional load is manipulated within categories. Experiment 4 indicates that processing earlier examples in the study block under full attention confers immunity to divided attention effects for later examples in the block. In contrast, if the first category members are in a divided-attention condition, then the usual negative effects of divided attention obtain. Experiment 5 verifies that this outcome is not due to within-block serial position effects, which occur for category-cued recall but not category–exemplar production (rendering a new dissociation between matched conceptual explicit and implicit tests). The results are discussed in terms of item-specific and relational encoding processes.
Effects of Logging on Water Temperature, and Dissolved Oxygen in Spawning Beds

Abstract The temperature and dissolved oxygen content of intragravel water were measured in three Oregon coastal streams between June 1968 and June 1969. In 1966, the watershed of one stream had been completely clearcut, and that of a second stream partially clearcut in staggered settings. A third watershed was left unlogged. Clearcut logging resulted in increased temperature of intragravel water in salmon and trout spawning beds and decreased concentrations of dissolved oxygen. The changes were related largely to reduced forest cover over the stream surface and to deposition of fine sediment in the gravel. No serious reduction in survival to emergence of coho salmon occurred along with the observed changes in temperature or dissolved oxygen. A decrease in the resident population of cutthroat trout after logging may have been related to these changes.
Antidepressant drug-induced hypothalamic cooling in syrian hamsters

Antidepressant drugs have been reported to alter the circadian pattern of body temperature, but specific effects on the amplitude or on average body temperature are not consistent, and there have been no specific studies to examine chronic drug effects on brain temperature. To address these issues, hypothalamic temperature (Thy) was monitored telemetrically in hamsters treated with three antidepressant drugs: the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), clorgyline; the 5HT reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine; and the alkali metal, lithium. For comparison, hamsters were also treated with two neuroleptic drugs, chlorpromazine and haloperidol. Each of the three antidepressant drugs, but neither of the neuroleptic drugs, produced a chronic decrease in diurnal (rest-phase) hypothalamic temperature. The Thy-decreasing effect of clorgyline was not prevented by pinealectomy, and Thy decreased more than peritoneal temperature (Tp), thus reducing the temperature difference between the hypothalamus and the peritoneal cavity. Less general effects of the antidepressants were also observed. Clorgyline and fluoxetine, but not lithium, delayed the 24-hour rhythm of Thy. Clorgyline and lithium, but not fluoxetine decreased the average 24-hour Thy. The neuroleptics chlorpromazine and haloperidol decreased the amplitude of the 24-hour Thy rhythm. The fact that chronic antidepressant drugs, but not neuroleptic drugs, decrease Thy is consistent with their different neurotransmitter effects and clinical applications, and raises the possibility that their antidepressant property might be related to their capacity to decrease Thy during sleep.
Pectin as a detoxication mechanism

p RIOR to 1929, very few at tempts had been made to distinguish between available carbohydrate which can be utilized and metabolized, and unavailable carbohydrate. The fo rmer consists of s tarch and soluble sugars sucrose, glucose and fructose. The la t ter is composed chiefly of hemicelluloses and fiber or cellulose. While the chief value of the available carbohydrate resides in its coloric equivalent, very little, i f any, value, aside f rom its ability to form bulk, is att r ibuted to the unavailable carbohydrate. In 1929, the Bri t ish Medical Research Council made available, through the work of R. A. McCance and R. D. Lawrence, tables giving the available carbohydrate values of many frui ts , nuts and vegetables (1). These tables have been fu r the r supplemented by Widdowson and ,McCance (2) and by Bell, Long and Hill (3). While the chief value derived f rom the efforts of these workers lies in focusing the attention of nutri t ional workers on direct methods for determining the physiologically available carbohydrate of common edibles, sight should not be lost of possible values other than caloric tha t may be at t r ibuted to other factors resident in the foods eaten. In this connection, i t is not the purpose of this repor t to direct at tention to the wellestablished values of the various vi tamins and minerals, but rather, to focus interest upon those carbohydrates, the hemicelluloses and cellulose, which have all too bruskly been put aside as of no value at all except for the possible advantage of bulk. The medical world is persistently, although somewhat belatedly, a t tempt ing to check an all too common overindulgence in such foods as spinach and bran. Attention is being called to the spastic or irr i table colon as one of the effects of too much roughage. Cellulose and cell membranes are popularly supposed to add bulk to the feces by vir tue of their indigestibility and thus to counteract constipation by stimulating the wall of the gut to contract. With very high and experimental cellulose diets the bulk of the residue is an important s t imulat ing factor, but with average amounts quanti tat ive considerations show tha t it can be only of minor importance. The average amount of cellulose, insoluble pentosans and cell membrane eaten daily is about 12 g rams (Rubner) . Fully half of this material is digested and never reaches the feces. The remainder is insoluble in water and incapable, therefore, of binding water so tha t this material can only increase the feces by about two per cent, not nearly
Inverse limits of compact spaces

This paper gives conditions under which the inverse limit of a system of compact (but non-Hausdorff) spaces will be non-empty, or compact, or hereditarily compact. The main result (Theorems 3 and 5) is that, if the spaces are compact, T0 and non-empty and the maps are closed and continuous, then the inverse limit is compact and non-empty (and, trivially, T0). Simple examples are given to show that the results are reasonably sharp.
Janus and the Delphi Oracle: Entering the new world of international business research

Abstract Globalization and other dramatic, world-changing developments have all too frequently taken academic researchers by surprise. Within this dynamic, turbulent environment, international business (IB) researchers must comprehend increasingly complex, multicultural, cross-border activities and organizing systems while providing relevant results to the field. To build and sustain relevance, the international research paradigm must expand to incorporate not only the analysis of historical trends and events but also research frameworks and methods geared to investigation of the future. With this expanded research ‘tool kit’, we will be better able to anticipate and address the ‘Big Questions’ confronting global business operations in the twenty-first century. This paper examines the capabilities of the Delphi Method of scientific inquiry as one such tool which is responsive to the challenging demands of our discipline and describes recent innovations that enhance the Delphi's application to international management research. As this paper demonstrates, the Delphi Method is particularly well-suited to emerging research themes that call on IB researchers to interpret intricate sets of entities, activities, and relationships. Based on conclusions drawn from a summary of recent Delphi studies, recommendations are offered for maximizing the benefits of this method for international research.
HPCE as an Analytical Probe for Assessing Irreversible Ligand/Macromolecule Binding Interactions

Abstract High Performance Capillary Electrophoresis (HPCE) is rapidly becoming recognized as a valuable tool for clinical and biomedical analysis. In this paper, we present a novel application of this technique for performing ligand binding analysis for drug/protein systems. Specifically, metabolites of the antiarrhythmic procainamide have been studied with respect to their irreversible binding to hemoglobin and histone proteins. Using Hughes-Klotz analysis, free zone HPCE is shown to give comparable binding constants to FIA-EC. Further, information regarding the nature of the binding interaction is provided by analyzing the electrophoretic profiles associated with the protein complex. Advantages of this format include broad applicability to samples of limited volume and the ability to consider binding of a single ligand to several different macromolecules in a single analysis. Improvements in deleterious wall interactions may ultimately permit independent quantitation of free and bound protein as well as...
Causal relationship between hyperfibrinogenemia, thrombosis, and resistance to thrombolysis in mice

Epidemiologic studies have correlated elevated plasma fibrinogen (hyperfibrinogenemia) with risk of cardiovascular disease and arterial and venous thrombosis. However, it is unknown whether hyperfibrinogenemia is merely a biomarker of the proinflammatory disease state or is a causative mechanism in the etiology. We raised plasma fibrinogen levels in mice via intravenous infusion and induced thrombosis by ferric chloride application to the carotid artery (high shear) or saphenous vein (lower shear); hyperfibrinogenemia significantly shortened the time to occlusion in both models. Using immunohistochemistry, turbidity, confocal microscopy, and elastometry of clots produced in cell and tissue factor-initiated models of thrombosis, we show that hyperfibrinogenemia increased thrombus fibrin content, promoted faster fibrin formation, and increased fibrin network density, strength, and stability. Hyperfibrinogenemia also increased thrombus resistance to tenecteplase-induced thrombolysis in vivo. These data indicate that hyperfibrinogenemia directly promotes thrombosis and thrombolysis resistance and does so via enhanced fibrin formation and stability. These findings strongly suggest a causative role for hyperfibrinogenemia in acute thrombosis and have significant implications for thrombolytic therapy. Plasma fibrinogen levels may be used to identify patients at risk for thrombosis and inform thrombolytic administration for treating acute thrombosis/thromboembolism.
A microcomputer-based instrumentation system for anaerobic wastewater treatment processes

Abstract A microcomputer-based system for monitoring and control of anaerobic wastewater treatment processes is described. Instrumentation includes a gas chromatograph that measures CH4, CO2, H2 and CO concentrations in the gas phase every 2 min, a second gas chromatograph that measures volatile acids (C1C4) every 12 min, and sensors for continuous measurement of temperature, pH, ORP and gas production rate. The H2 and CO detection limits are less than 1 ppm. Nutrient and substrate feed rates can be varied in a pre-programmed manner to allow automated collection of transient—response data. Data are presented for experiments in which a fluidized-bed reactor (for which the main carbon source is butyrate) is subjected to multi-frequency binary variations in feed flow rate.