cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SARS-CoV-2 in the kidney: bystander or culprit?

A new study examined post-mortem kidney tissue from 63 patients with COVID-19. The results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 has kidney tropism, including the ability to replicate in kidney cells, and that kidney transduction by SARS-CoV-2 is associated with shorter survival time and increased incidence of acute kidney injury.
COVID-19-Associated Glomerular Disease.

Background Studies have documented AKI with high-grade proteinuria in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In some patients, biopsies have revealed collapsing glomerulopathy, a distinct form of glomerular injury that has been associated with other viruses, including HIV. Previous patient reports have described patients of African ancestry who developed nephrotic-range proteinuria and AKI early in the course of disease. Methods In this patient series, we identified six patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), AKI, and nephrotic-range proteinuria. COVID-19 was diagnosed by a positive nasopharyngeal swab RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 infection. We examined biopsy specimens from one transplanted kidney and five native kidneys. Three of the six patients underwent genetic analysis of APOL1, the gene encoding the APOL1 protein, from DNA extracted from peripheral blood. In addition, we purified genomic DNA from paraffin-embedded tissue and performed APOL1 genotype analysis of one of the native biopsies and the donor kidney graft. Results All six patients were of recent African ancestry. They developed COVID-19-associated AKI with podocytopathy, collapsing glomerulopathy, or both. Patients exhibited generally mild respiratory symptoms, and no patient required ventilator support. Genetic testing performed in three patients confirmed high-risk APOL1 genotypes. One APOL1 high-risk patient developed collapsing glomerulopathy in the engrafted kidney, which was transplanted from a donor who carried a low-risk APOL1 genotype; this contradicts current models of APOL1-mediated kidney injury, and suggests that intrinsic renal expression of APOL1 may not be the driver of nephrotoxicity and specifically, of podocyte injury. Conclusions Glomerular disease presenting as proteinuria with or without AKI is an important presentation of COVID-19 infection and may be associated with a high-risk APOL1 genotype.
HANKE: Hierarchical Attention Networks for Knowledge Extraction in Political Science Domain

Extracting structured metadata from unstructured text in different domains is gaining strong attention from multiple research communities. In Political Science, these metadata play a significant role on studying intra and inter-state interactions between political entities. The process of extracting such metadata usually relies on domain specific ontologies and knowledge-based repositories. In particular, Political Scientists regularly use the well-defined ontology CAMEO, which is designed for capturing conflict and mediation relations. Since CAMEO repositories are currently human maintained, the high cost and extensive human effort associated with updating them makes it difficult to include new entries on a regular basis. This paper introduces HANKE: an innovative framework for automatically extracting knowledge representations from unstructured sources, in order to extend CAMEO ontology both in the same domain and towards other related domains in political science. HANKE combines Hierarchical Attention Networks as engine for identifying relevant structures in raw-text and the novel Frequency-Based Ranker approach to obtain a collection of candidate entries for CAMEO’s repositories. To show the efficiency of the proposed framework, we evaluate its performance on capturing existing CAMEO representations in a soft-labelled dataset. We also empirically demonstrate the versatility and superiority of HANKE method by applying it to two case studies related to CAMEO extension on its actual domain and towards organized crime domain.
The Belt Road and Beyond

From 1998 to 2018, China had three political-economic crises, resulting in bureaucratic paralysis. It was at such junctures that China's leadership launched initiatives, like the Western Development Program, that mobilized state and market actors to expedite globalization and revive economic growth. In The Belt Road and Beyond, Min Ye reevaluates the common tendency to attribute China's Belt and Road to individual leaders' strategic ambitions, using state-mobilized globalization as a comparative framework and investigative tool to understand Chinese capitalism. State-mobilized globalization has helped sustain China's high-growth economy and social-political stability, while also sparking some political backlash. In order to succeed in globalization, the author argues, China's state mobilization must readapt to global circumstances. She sheds light on the tactics China used to spring from a crisis-stricken middle economy to a formidable global power, implicating not only China, but also the world.
We Are Not Immune: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Autoimmune Liver Diseases

Autoimmune liver diseases are attributed to a complex interplay of biologic, acquired, and environmental factors. Increased prevalence, later stage at presentation, worse response to standard therapy, and transplant-related disparities have all been reported in racial and ethnic minorities such as Black and Latinx patients with autoimmune liver diseases. While biology and inherited genetic predispositions may partly explain these disparities, definitive and universal genetic variations underlying these differences in outcomes have not been defined. Nonetheless, socioeconomic status, access to health care, environmental and societal factors, and implicit provider bias can all contribute to poor patient outcomes. There remains an unmet need to understand and mitigate the factors contributing to health inequity in autoimmune liver diseases. In this review, we summarize the data on racial and ethnic disparities in presentation, treatment response, and outcomes pertaining to autoimmune liver diseases in minority populations, on the premise that understanding disparities is the first step toward reaching health equity.
Variability Factors of Milk Fat-Protein Concentration Ratio

The milk fat-protein concentration ratio (FPR) may be an important index of cow health and rumen fermentation in diary herds. This is supported by research that indicates FPR may be useful in the diagnosis of negative energy balance and in predicting abomasal displacement. Additionally, FPR will vary by rumen fermentation-acid profile because diets rich in starches and sugars commonly depress milk fat concentration and increase milk protein concentration. This is possibly mediated by rumen hydrogenation of fats to the trans-configuration and the insulin response to propionic acid production. Interpretation of FPR is currently difficult because variability factors are not completely known. The objectives of this report are to describe nonnutritional factors affecting the variability of FPR and improve diagnostic interpretation of FPR in dairy herds.
Percutaneous Rupture of a Symptomatic Facet Joint Synovial Cyst Using 2-Needle Distention.

Objective This case report calls attention to an alternative approach for management of a symptomatic facet joint synovial cyst. We describe a patient with a symptomatic facet joint synovial cyst who failed an attempted percutaneous rupture using a single-needle technique. This patient was subsequently successfully managed with percutaneous rupture using a 2-needle technique. Case Report A 60-year-old woman presented with low back pain, right lower extremity pain, and paresthesias. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a right L5-S1 facet joint cyst, which compressed the right L5 nerve root. Before presentation, the patient failed an attempted single-needle percutaneous rupture. The decision was made to proceed with percutaneous rupture using a 2-needle technique. A 22-gauge needle was inserted into the right L5-S1 facet joint, and a Tuohy needle was inserted directly into the cyst through an interlaminar approach. A solution of methylprednisolone and hyaluronidase was simultaneously injected through both needles, and the cyst was continuously distended until rupture was achieved. Rupture was confirmed by injecting contrast into the facet joint and visualizing a normal epidurogram. The patient reported significant pain relief immediately after the procedure. At 4-month follow-up, the patient reported continued pain relief and denied any radicular symptoms. Conclusions Percutaneous rupture of a symptomatic facet joint synovial cyst using a single-needle technique has been validated as an efficacious form of management. In a select group of patients who fail single-needle percutaneous rupture, a 2-needle approach for percutaneous facet cyst rupture may be considered as an option for management.
An alternate promoter in the glucokinase gene is active in the pancreatic beta cell.

Abstract An alternate promoter in the glucokinase gene is active in the beta cell and produces a glucokinase mRNA which is longer and that has a different leader sequence and translation start site than the hepatic glucokinase mRNA. The glucokinase beta cell promoter is located at least 12 kilobases upstream from the glucokinase hepatic promoter. Transcription from the glucokinase beta cell promoter initiates over a region of 62 bases. The absence of a TATA box homology in the proximal promoter region may account for the diffuse transcriptional initiation. Translation of the beta cell glucokinase mRNA predicts a glucokinase isozyme that is different from the hepatic isozyme by 15 amino acids at the N terminus. The use of alternative promoters apparently enables the glucokinase gene to be regulated by insulin in the liver and by glucose in the beta cell, thus possibly constituting an important feedback control loop for maintaining glucose homeostasis. Alternate RNA splicing of the beta cell glucokinase mRNA predicts at least two beta cell glucokinase isoforms. An alternate splice acceptor site in the 4th exon of the glucokinase gene was identified in two glucokinase cDNAs from rat insulinoma tissue. Use of the alternate splice acceptor site results in a 51-nucleotide in frame deletion in the beta cell glucokinase mRNA and removal of 17 amino acids from a region of the protein situated between the putative glucose and ATP binding domains. Analysis of the pattern of RNA splicing in tissues containing beta cells indicates that the splice acceptor site utilized in producing hepatic glucokinase mRNA is also utilized in the beta cell.
Detecting Errors Before Reaching Them

Any formal method or tool is almost certainly more often applied in situations where the outcome is failure (a counterexample) rather than success (a correctness proof). We present a method for symbolic model checking that can lead to significant time and memory savings for model-checking runs that fail, while occurring only a small overhead for model-checking runs that succeed. Our method discovers an error as soon as it cannot be prevented, which can be long before it actually occurs; for example, the violation of an invariant may become unpreventable many transitions before the invariant is violated.
Sensitivities of zonal mean atmospheric circulation to SST warming in an aqua-planet model

[1] Sensitivities of tropospheric winds and stratospheric Brewer-Dobson Circulation (BDC) to SST warming are explored in an aqua-planet atmospheric general circulation model. The tropospheric zonal wind change is quite sensitive to the location and sign of the gradient of SST perturbations with respect to the climatological jet. For the experiments with low latitude warming, the Hadley cell is intensified in the deep tropics, yet the Hadley cell boundary contracts for narrow meridional extents of warming and expands for broad extents of warming, associated with changes in extratropical eddy-driven winds. Despite the complex changes of tropospheric wave forcing, the strength of the BDC is increased for all the experiments with low latitude warming. For the experiments with high latitude warming, the strength of the BDC decreases only if the warming extending to the subtropics.
Active Transport of Iron in Bacillus megaterium: Role of Secondary Hydroxamic Acids

Kinetics of radioactive iron transport were examined in three strains of Bacillus megaterium. In strain ATCC 19213, which secretes the ferric-chelating secondary hydroxamic acid schizokinen, 59Fe3+ uptake from 59FeCl3 or the ferric hydroxamate Desferal-59Fe3+ was rapid and reached saturation within 3 min. In strain SK11, which does not secrete schizokinen, transport from 59FeCl3 was markedly reduced; the two ferric hydroxamates Desferal-59Fe3+ or schizokinen-59Fe3+ increased both total 59Fe3+ uptake and the 59Fe3+ appearing in a cellular trichloroacetic acid-insoluble fraction, although 10 min was required to reach saturation. Certain characteristics of transport from both ferric hydroxamates and FeCl3 suggest that iron uptake was an active process. The growth-inhibitory effect of aluminum on strain SK11 was probably due to the formation of nonutilizable iron-aluminum complexes which blocked uptake from 59FeCl3. Desferal or schizokinen prevented this blockage. A strain (ARD-1) resistant to the ferric hydroxamate antibiotic A22765 was isolated from strain SK11. Strain ARD-1 failed to grow with Desferal-Fe3+ as an iron source, and it was unable to incorporate 59Fe3+ from this source. Growth and iron uptake in strain ARD-1 were similar to strain SK11 with schizokinen-Fe3+ or the iron salt as sources. It is suggested that the ferric hydroxamates, or the iron they chelate, may be transported by a special system which might be selective for certain ferric hydroxamates. Strain ARD-1 may be unable to recognize both the antibiotic A22765 and the structurally similar chelate Desferal-Fe3+, while retaining its capacity to utilize schizokinen-Fe3+.
Rethinking the Legal Reform Agenda: Will Raising the Standards for Bar Admission Promote or Undermine Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law?

This Article offers a critique of, and alternative to, the American Bar Association's efforts, supported by the United States government, to promote the requirement of a college education in law as prerequisite for becoming a lawyer in developing countries. Using the examples of China, which currently has a far more open system for becoming a legal services provider, and South Africa, which already has a system consistent with the goals of the ABA, the Article argues that more stringent education requirements actually undermine democracy, human rights, and rule of law. In China, where the most significant advocates for human rights under law are peasant lawyers without college degrees, the requirement would directly harm human rights efforts. Moreover, the requirement would dramatically decrease the number of legal services providers in a country with few college graduates, thereby minimizing access to justice and public education on rule of law, while increasing authoritarian government control of the legal profession. In South Africa, the existing requirement of a college degree in law extends the harmful legacy of apartheid in the legal system, delaying the entry of non-whites into a legal profession that is overwhelmingly white, in addition to promoting continuing inequality in a system where the college attendance rates of non-whites are still below the rate for whites. Accordingly, the requirement impedes the realization of democracy and equal justice in the South African legal system, while preventing lawyers from serving the important function of educating the public on human rights and rule of law. As an alternative, the Article suggests the model that the United States employed prior to the 1930s,when entrance into the legal profession was relatively open. As a result of less restrictive admissions standards, lawyers played a key role in promoting equal rights and justice for, and democratic values among, nineteenth and early twentieth century white Americans - most prominently, communities of immigrants from authoritarian nations, while at the same time laying the foundation for efforts to secure formal legal rights for Women and People of Color. Drawing from these examples, the Article proposes that reform advocates abandon efforts to replicate the modern American model in favor of more inclusive education standards no greater than necessary to ensure a threshold level of competence in legal representation. This approach would instill a greater sense of empowerment throughout the legal system and a stronger sense of respect for the law among all members of society.
Collective Choice with Uncertain Domain Moldels

Abstract : When groups of individuals make choices among several alternatives, the most compelling social outcome is the Condorcet winner, namely the alternative beating all others in a pair-wise contest. Obviously the Condorcet winner cannot be overturned if one sub-group proposes another alternative it happens to favor. However, in some cases, and especially with haphazard voting, there will be no clear unique winner, with the outcome consisting of a triple of pair-wise winners that each beat different subsets of the alternatives (i.e. a "top-cycle".) We explore the sensitivity of Condorcet winners to various perturbations in the voting process that lead to top-cycles. Surprisingly, variations in the number of votes for each alternative is much less important than consistency in a voter's view of how alternatives are related. As more and more voter's preference orderings on alternatives depart from a shared model of the domain, then unique Condorcet outcomes become increasingly unlikely.
Prosecuting the Victim: The Legal Impact of the Sexting Trend

A look at the current state of the law as it applies to teenage "sexting," and an analysis of the rationale behind the inapplicability of child pornography laws as a means of prosecuting minors engaged in sexting.
Local ZnCl2 accelerates fracture healing

This study evaluated the effect of local zinc chloride (ZnCl2), an insulin mimetic agent, upon the early and late parameters of fracture healing in rats using a standard femur fracture model. Mechanical testing, radiographic scoring, histomorphometry, qualitative histological scoring, PCNA immunohistochemistry, and local growth factor analysis were performed. Fractures treated with local ZnCl2 possessed significantly increased mechanical properties compared to controls at 4 weeks post fracture. The radiographic scoring analysis showed increased cortical bridging at 4 weeks in the 1.0 (p = 0.0015) and 3.0 (p < 0.0001) mg/kg ZnCl2 treated groups. Histomorphometry of the fracture callus at day 7 showed 177% increase (p = 0.036) in percent cartilage and 133% increase (p = 0.002) in percent mineralized tissue with local ZnCl2 treatment compared to controls. Qualitative histological scoring showed a 2.1× higher value at day 7 in the ZnCl2 treated group compared to control (p = 0.004). Cell proliferation and growth factors, VEGF and IGF-I, within fracture calluses treated with local ZnCl2 were increased at day 7. The results suggest local administration of ZnCl2 increases cell proliferation, causing increased growth factor production which yields improved chondrogenesis and endochondral ossification. Ultimately, these events lead to accelerated fracture healing as early as 4 weeks post fracture. © 2014 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 32:834–841, 2014.
Nonlinear Consequences of Energetic Particle Instabilities

The buildup of the energetic particle population in fusion plasmas is typically slow compared to the growth times of energetic-particle driven instabilities. This feature draws special attention to...
Cooking with the elements: intuitive immersive interfaces for augmented reality environments

The glut of information produced by ubiquitous computing in augmented reality environments requires that the resulting information displays be tailored to the attention of users and mapped directly to the objects and surfaces of the space. This paper proposes a method for designing and implementing ambient information displays combining ambient displays and augmented reality to produce useful intuitive interfaces that are concretely mapped to architectural spaces for the purposes of expanding and enriching the quality and sensuality of user experience.
Sensitive and rapid method for the determination of urinary cotinine in non-smokers: an application for studies assessing exposures to second hand smoke (SHS)

Abstract We describe a sensitive and rapid method to assay urinary cotinine levels among non-smokers using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC–ESI/MS/MS) and its application in studies assessing exposures to second hand smoke (SHS). Cotinine was initially extracted from 1 ml of urine with methylene chloride by using a liquid–liquid extraction Chem Elut™ column. The extracted sample was further separated by using a BetaBasic C18 column (1 mm × 150 mm, 3 μm) with isocratic elution (60:40 acetonitrile and 5 mM ammonium acetate at pH 5), and then examined using a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source in multiple-reaction-monitoring (MRM) mode. The elution of cotinine from the LC column took approximately 2.3 min and the detection of cotinine by ESI/MS/MS provided a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.3 ng/ml. The ESI/MS/MS detection was able to easily distinguish between cotinine and nicotine. This method, validated using a cotinine concentration range from 0.8 to 102.4 ng/ml, was successfully applied in a cross-sectional study examining differences in levels and sources of second hand smoke (SHS) exposure among non-smokers. Self-reported measures of SHS exposure were significantly associated with urinary cotinine levels. This urinary cotinine assay using LC–ESI/MS/MS provides a robust, high throughput and very sensitive method for the evaluation of SHS exposure for use in epidemiologic and clinical research studies.
Molecular Asymmetry of Methadon

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of methadon hydrochloride, isomethadon hydrochloride, and related derivatives are recorded and interpret ed in terms of a molecular asymmetry and a preferred conformation concept.
A laboratory measurement of the Doppler broadened NII λ5005.15 Å emission line-width produced by electron impact excitation of N2

Abstract We have found that the emission line-width of the NII (3p 3 D-3d 3 F°; λ5005.15 A) line of ionized nitrogen is ∼360 mA, when excited by 200 eV electron impact on N 2 . This result implies that an average ion fragment acquires a kinetic energy of ~8 eV in the dissociative excitation process and that ∼8% of the energy of the incident 200 eV electron is converted directly into fragment kinetic energy. Such a large Doppler broadening would make it relatively easy for ground-based measurements to separate the relative contributions of direct excitation of atomic nitrogen and dissociative excitation of N 2 to the source of this emission feature in the earth's upper atmosphere.
Transgenic American elm shows reduced Dutch elm disease symptoms and normal mycorrhizal colonization

The American elm (Ulmus americana L.) was once one of the most common urban trees in eastern North America until Dutch-elm disease (DED), caused by the fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, eliminated most of the mature trees. To enhance DED resistance, Agrobacterium was used to transform American elm with a transgene encoding the synthetic antimicrobial peptide ESF39A, driven by a vascular promoter from American chestnut. Four unique, single-copy transgenic lines were produced and regenerated into whole plants. These lines showed less wilting and significantly less sapwood staining than non-transformed controls after O. novo-ulmi inoculation. Preliminary observations indicated that mycorrhizal colonization was not significantly different between transgenic and wild-type trees. Although the trees tested were too young to ensure stable resistance was achieved, these results indicate that transgenes encoding antimicrobial peptides reduce DED symptoms and therefore hold promise for enhancing pathogen resistance in American elm.
Is hexaamminecobalt(III/II) electron self-exchange spin-forbidden? Analogy to photochemical processes

Abstract The hypothesis that the electron self-exchange reaction of hexaamminecobalt(III/II) is spin-allowed and adiabatic is presented and compared to previous treatments of the reaction which considered it spin-forbidden. The hypothesis is based on the concept that since the reactant and product have the same spin, it is unnecessary to invoke interaction with other spin states to ‘allow’ the reaction. To justify the hypothesis, an analogy is drawn between the cobalt self-exchange reaction and the photochemical processes of triplet-triplet annihilation and triplet-triplet exchange.
Reduced Expression of Cyclin-dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27Kip1 in Feline Lymphoma:

Expression of p27Kip1 was identified in feline lymphoid tissues by immunohistochemistry. In normal lymphoid tissues, p27Kip1 was detected as a distinct nuclear stain in lymphocytes of the follicular mantle zone and interfollicular small lymphocytes, whereas activated lymphoblasts in the germinal center were negative. Lymphoid hyperplasia was similarly immunolabeled but with an expanded mantle zone and marginal zone of p27Kip1-reactive lymphocytes. Both T- and B-cell lymphomas lacked p27Kip1 immunolabel and were determined to be proliferative based on immunohistochemical detection of the Ki-67 antigen. Scattered p27Kip1- immunolabeled lymphocytes were detected throughout the lamina propria of most specimens characterized as lymphoplasmacytic enteritis. The results of this study suggest that the antiproliferative effect of the cell cycle regulator p27Kip1 is abrogated in feline lymphoma, presumably allowing cells to bypass the G1-S checkpoint of the cell cycle.
CloudSat measurements of landfalling hurricanes Gustav and Ike (2008)

[1] The spaceborne 94 GHz radar onboard the CloudSat polar orbiting satellite offers new opportunities in estimating parameters of precipitating cloud systems including hurricanes. CloudSat measurements can resolve the vertical extent of storms and hurricanes, thus providing a view of their complex structure. These measurements can be used to retrieve with high spatial resolution rainfall and ice content parameters in an atmospheric vertical column as the satellite moves over the precipitating systems. Two major Atlantic hurricanes of the 2008 season, Gustav and Ike, were observed by CloudSat near their landfalls on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. CloudSat measurements indicated cloud top heights at around 14–16 km above the ground and extended areas of startiform-like precipitation with estimated rain rates in a range of about 3–12 mm h−1. The radar bright band features observed just below the freezing level were identifiable for most measured reflectivity profiles. Maximum retrieved ice water path values reached about 20,000 g m−2. CloudSat rain rate retrievals over land and water agreed reasonably well with approximately coincident estimates from surface precipitation radars in the areas where measurements from these radars were available and were not contaminated by melting layer returns. Hurricane Gustav remnants observed by CloudSat several days after the landfall were characterized by smaller values of rain rate and ice water path (∼2–3 mm h−1 and 1000–10,000 g m−2, correspondingly). The hurricane parameters retrieved from CloudSat measurements may complement data from other satellite sources, which are traditionally used for hurricane observations.
Consumption and Assimilation of Salmon Net Pen Fouling Debris by the Red Sea Cucumber Parastichopus californicus: Implications for Polyculture

Abstract Fouling debris composed of fish feces, excess fish food, algae, and other particulate organic matter can create environmental problems for aquaculture facilities that rear fish in ocean net pens. Accumulations of organic debris can clog the nets and restrict water circulation which in turn can stress fish. Experiments in which red sea cucumbers Parastichopus californicus were allowed to feed inside floating net pens at a salmon rearing facility in Southeast Alaska showed that sea cucumbers consumed fouling debris and cleared a significant amount of surface area on the nets (P < 0.0001). Sea cucumbers assimilated amino acids and other organic matter from fouling debris two to three times more efficiently than from their natural sediment diet. Muscle development of sea cucumbers consuming fouling debris inside the net pens was also significantly greater than that of sea cucumbers feeding in their natural environment (P < 0.0003). This work suggests that polyculture operations in which commercially important detritivores, like the red sea cucumber, are grown in net pens along with salmon could possibly convert the net from self-fouling to self-cleaning and could turn fouling debris into a marketable product (sea cucumber biomass).
Adiponectin-deficiency exaggerates sepsis-induced microvascular dysfunction in the mouse brain.

Obesity increases circulating cell-endothelial cell interactions; an early marker of inflammation in laboratory model of sepsis, but little is known about the effect of different adipokines. Adiponectin is an anti-inflammatory adipokine secreted by adipocytes. Adiponectin deficiency is implicated in exaggerated proinflammatory phenotype in both obesity and sepsis via increased proinflammatory cytokine expression. However the effect of adiponectin deficiency on circulating cell-endothelial cell interactions in polymicrobial sepsis is unknown. Furthermore although brain dysfunction in septic patients is a known predictor of death, the pathophysiology involved is unknown. In the current study, we examined the effects of adiponectin deficiency on leukocyte (LA) and platelet adhesion (PA) in cerebral microcirculation of septic mice. Adiponectin deficient (Adipoq−/−: Adko) and background strain C57Bl/6 (wild type (WT)) mice were used. Sepsis was induced using cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). We studied LA and PA in the cerebral microcirculation using intravital fluorescent video microscopy (IVM), blood brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction using Evans Blue (EB) leakage method and E-selectin expression using dual radiolabeling technique in different WT and Adko mice with CLP. Adiponectin deficiency significantly exaggerated LA (WT-CLP:201 ± 17; Adko-CLP: ± 53 cells/mm2; P < 0.05) and PA (WT-CLP:125 ± 17; Adko-CLP:188 ± 20 cells/mm2; P < 0.05) in cerebral microcirculation, EB leakage (WT-CLP:10 ± 3.7; Adko-CLP:24 ± 4.3 ng/g × µl plasma; P < 0.05) and E-selectin expression (WT-CLP:0.06 ± 0.11; Adko-CLP:0.44 ± 0.053 ng/g; P < 0.05) in the brain tissue of the mice with CLP. Furthermore, E-selectin monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment attenuated cell adhesion and BBB dysfunction of Adko-CLP mice. Adiponectin deficiency is associated with exaggerated leukocyte and PA in cerebral microcirculation of mice with CLP via modulation of E-selectin expression.
Glomerular intermittence in rats demonstrated by use of a new direct visual technic.

SummaryA new direct visual technic for studying the vascular supply of the rat kidney is described. Photographs of kidneys which demonstrate glomerular intermittence are presented.The valuable technical assistance of Mr. Ernest Whitcomb is gratefully acknowledged, as well as the financial assistance of the Research Committee of the Geo. Wash. Univ. which partially defrayed the cost of this work.
A study of biotin sulfone inhibition of Lactobacillus arabinosus.

Abstract Biotin sulfone competitively inhibits the functioning of biotin in the biosynthesis of aspartic acid, oleic acid, and at least one other metabolite in Lactobacillus arabinosus. Threonine, lysine, and uracil exert a reversing effect on biotin sulfone inhibition in the presence of a moderate concentration of aspartic acid. Higher concentrations of aspartic acid replace partially but not completely the effects of its products: threonine, lysine, and uracil. These results suggest the possibility of the involvement of some of these products in the utilization of biotin, but the possibility of an involvement of biotin in the biosynthesis of some of these products of aspartic acid cannot be excluded.
Cosmology from alpha to omega: Response to reviews

. I gratefully acknowledge and respond here to four reviews of my recent book, Cosmology from Alpha to Omega. Nancey Murphy stresses the importance of showing consistency between Christian theology and natural science through a detailed examination of my recent model of their creative interaction. She suggests how this model can be enhanced by adopting Alasdair MacIntyre's understanding of tradition in order to adjudicate between competing ways of incorporating science into a wider worldview. She urges the inclusion of ethics in my model and predicts that this would successfully challenge the competing naturalist tradition in contemporary society. John F. Haught weighs the alternatives of viewing divine action as objective versus subjective and of divine action at one level in nature or at all levels. He asks whether physics is fundamental to nature, arguing instead that metaphysics should be considered as fundamental. Michael Ruse assesses occasional versus universal divine action, the problems raised to divine action when it is related to quantum mechanics, and the way these relations exacerbate the challenge of natural theodicy. As an alternative he suggests viewing God as outside time and acting through unbroken natural law. Willem B. Drees discusses my use of the bridge metaphor for the relation between theology and science, the implications when science is inspired by theology, the role of contingency and necessity in the anthropic principle/many-worlds debate, and the challenge of cosmology to eschatology with the ensuing problem of theodicy.
A helical turn makes an attractive inhibitor

Comment on Ottersbach et al, page [1284][1] A helical motif embedded in the tertiary structure of the chemokine, macrophage-inflammatory protein 1-α (MIP-1α/CCL3) has been identified as the essential structural determinant conferring hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell proliferation suppression
Diabetic Ketoacidosis in the Pediatric ICU

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a pathophysiologic, life-threatening process that results from uncontrolled diabetes mellitus-induced hyperglycemia, is seen frequently in the pediatric ICU. This article reviews the pathophysiology, management, goals of treatment, and nursing implications of the child who is diagnosed with DKA. Facets particular to the pediatric population are reviewed.
Studies of Collagen Tissue Aging Degradation of Glyceraldehyde-Treated Hide Collagen.

In a previous communication(1) it has been indicated that only those intermediary metabolites which are aldehydes are apparently able to act as tanning agents for hide powder collagen. Tanning in this context has been defined primarily by the relative repression at equivalent equilibrium pH's of the swelling phenomena of metabolite-treated as contrasted to untreated hide powders. As such, one, but only one of the several requisites for tannning ability have been fulfilled (2). In this report are recorded additional data indicating that improved stability of collagen preparations follows interaction with such metabolites.Experimental. Glyceraldehyde - treated American Standard Hide Powder collagen (Frank F. Marshall, Ridgeway, Pa.) was prepared by reacting 15 g aliquots of isoelectric (pH 5.4) hide powder with 500 ml of 0.15M dl-glyceraldehyde in 0.15M phosphate buffers (pH 7.2) at 40°C for one week. (Less than 15% of the hide powder was solubilized by this treatment, whereas virtually all other metabolite...
MspA Nanopores from Subunit Dimers

Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A (MspA) forms an octameric channel and represents the founding member of a new family of pore proteins. Control of subunit stoichiometry is important to tailor MspA for nanotechnological applications. In this study, two MspA monomers were connected by linkers ranging from 17 to 62 amino acids in length. The oligomeric pore proteins were purified from M. smegmatis and were shown to form functional channels in lipid bilayer experiments. These results indicated that the peptide linkers did not prohibit correct folding and localization of MspA. However, expression levels were reduced by 10-fold compared to wild-type MspA. MspA is ideal for nanopore sequencing due to its unique pore geometry and its robustness. To assess the usefulness of MspA made from dimeric subunits for DNA sequencing, we linked two M1-MspA monomers, whose constriction zones were modified to enable DNA translocation. Lipid bilayer experiments demonstrated that this construct also formed functional channels. Voltage gating of MspA pores made from M1 monomers and M1-M1 dimers was identical indicating similar structural and dynamic channel properties. Glucose uptake in M. smegmatis cells lacking porins was restored by expressing the dimeric mspA M1 gene indicating correct folding and localization of M1-M1 pores in their native membrane. Single-stranded DNA hairpins produced identical ionic current blockades in pores made from monomers and subunit dimers demonstrating that M1-M1 pores are suitable for DNA sequencing. This study provides the proof of principle that production of single-chain MspA pores in M. smegmatis is feasible and paves the way for generating MspA pores with altered stoichiometries. Subunit dimers enable better control of the chemical and physical properties of the constriction zone of MspA. This approach will be valuable both in understanding transport across the outer membrane in mycobacteria and in tailoring MspA for nanopore sequencing of DNA.
Altered pattern evoked retinal and cortical potentials associated with human senescence

Physiologically healthy elderly individuals often exhibit visual deficits which result from age-related changes in both the transmission characteristics of the ocular media and the functional properties of the neural elements in the visual pathway. Many of the age-related changes in the optical quality of the ocular media have been identified, but the age-dependent variations in visual neurophysiology have not been clearly delineated. This investigation examined age-related alterations in pattern-specific biopotentials generated in the human retina and visual cortex. Counterphasing (2.0 and 7.5 rps) patterns (7.51, 15′, 30′ and 60′ checks) were used to simultaneously monitor pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PRVEPs). Young visual normals (20–30 years of age) and healthy elderly observers (70–80 years of age) with visual acuity of 20/30 or better were studied. All data were corrected for the effects of senile miosis on retinal illumination. Significant variations in the waveform characteristics of...
On the non-homogeneous stationary Kuramoto—Sivashinsky equation

Abstract In this note we give some explicit estimates for the L ∞ -norm of the periodic solutions of the time-independent non-homogeneous Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation. In particular, we give an estimate of the Michelson’s upper bound of all periodic solutions of the time-independent homogeneous Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation.
Frequency, spacing, and outcome of pregnancies subsequent to primary cesarean childbirth.

A prospective study was conducted to determine the frequency, spacing, and outcome of pregnancies that occur subsequent to primary cesarean childbirth. A cohort of 5513 women, pregnant for the first time and with these pregnancies terminating with a live birth via cesarean childbirth, were followed for 5 years with use of the vital records registration system of the New York State Department of Health. Also followed was a.group of women whose first pregnancy terminated with a live birth via vaginal delivery. The cesarean childbirth study group was found to have had 11% fewer pregnancies terminating during the follow-up period than did the vaginal delivery group. Subsequent live births among the cesarean delivery study group were, on the average, 1 week shorter in gestation and lower in birth weight than those of the vaginal delivery group. However, there was no excess of very low- or low-birth weight infants among the cesarean delivery study group. There was no difference between study groups in the spacing of subsequent pregnancies.
Evolution of the frank vectorcardiogram in normal infants

HE Frank system of electrode placement for vectorcardiographyl combines theoretical accuracy and ease of clinical application. The normal evolution of the vectorcardiogram during infancy and childhood using Grishman’s cube electrode arrangement2 has been reported on by several workers.3-7 Because of the increasing frequency with which the Frank method is applied in children, an attempt was made to determine the changes in the Frank vectorcardiogram associated with growth and to define the normal characteristics in different age periods in infancy.
A METHODOLOGY FOR THE FORMATIVE EVALUATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Various articles have evidenced concern for the type of evaluation information which should be provided the users of new curriculum materials, e.g., Hastings (1966), Joint Committee on Programmed Instruction and Teaching Machines (1966), and Tyler, Gagne, & Scriven (1967). However, Bruner (1966) has lamented that too often evaluation activities occur only after the instructional materials have been completed.
Weight halo effects: individual differences in personality evaluations as a function of weight? §

Abstract The question of whether or not personality halo effects occur for weight for black and white women was examined in two experiments. Experiment 1 used a 2 (race of woman) ×2 (weight of woman) design and personality social desirability measures. Experiment 2 used a 2 (race of woman) ×2 (weight of woman) ×2 (sex of participant) design and the Big-5 dimensions of personality. Weight did not affect personality ratings on the dimensions of the Big-5. Personality halo effects only occur for social desirability aspects of personality. White normal weight women received higher social desirability ratings than white overweight women did. But, social desirability ratings of black women did not differ. These results are discussed in terms of prior research on beauty and weight.
Spatial distribution of intraflagellar transport proteins in vertebrate photoreceptors.

Intraflagellar transport (IFT) of a ∼17S particle containing at least 16 distinct polypeptides is required for the assembly and maintenance of cilia and flagella. Although both genetic and biochemical evidence suggest a role for IFT in vertebrate photoreceptors, the spatial distribution of IFT proteins within photoreceptors remains poorly defined. We have evaluated the distribution of 4 IFT proteins using a combination of immunocytochemistry and rod-specific overexpression of GFP tagged IFT proteins. Endogenous IFT proteins are most highly concentrated within the inner segment, around the basal body, and within the outer segment IFT proteins are localized in discrete particles along the entire length of the axoneme. IFT52-GFP and IFT57-GFP mimicked this pattern in transgenic Xenopus.
Lacunary Statistical Summability

Abstract The sequence x is said to be S θ -convergent to L if for each ϵ > 0, lim r (1/ h r ){the number of k ∈ I r : | x k − L | ≥ ϵ} = 0, where θ = { k r } is an increasing sequnece of integers such that k 0 = 0, h r ≔ k r − k r − 1 → ∞ as r → ∞ and I r ≔ ( k r − 1 , k r ]. In this paper we define the S θ -analog of the Cauchy criterion for convergence and show that tt is equivalent to S θ -convergence. Also, S θ -convergence is compared to other summability methods, and it is shown that the S θ method can not be included by any matrix method. In addition, a Tauberian theorem for S θ -convergence is given.
Plant-derived vaccines: a look back at the highlights and a view to the challenges on the road ahead.

The sobering reality is that each year, 33 million children remain unvaccinated for vaccine-preventable diseases. Universal childhood vaccination would have profound effects on leveling the health inequities in many parts of the world. As an alternative to administration of vaccines by needle and syringe, oral vaccines offer significant logistical advantages, as the polio eradication campaign has demonstrated. Over the past decade, the expression of subunit vaccine antigens in plants has emerged as a convenient, safe and potentially economical platform technology, with the potential to provide a novel biotechnological solution to vaccine production and delivery. As this technology has come of age, many improvements have been made on several fronts, as a growing number of research groups worldwide have extensively investigated plants as factories for vaccine production. This review attempts to highlight some of the achievements over the past 15 years, identify some of the potential problems and discuss the...
The assessment of bioavailability in the presence of nonlinear elimination.

The simultaneous administration of an oral dose and intravenous tracer dose, as a method to determine bioavailability, was examined by means of computer simulation for drugs exhibiting Michaelis-Menten type elimination. A physiological pharmacokinetic model parameterized for man and including first-order absorption and elimination solely from the liver was employed. This tracer method provided good estimates of the true availability, with an error of 6% or less, over a wide range of dosing and dispositional conditions. Poorer estimates were noted when large doses of drugs with very short half-lives were considered. This poor performance was improved by administering the intravenous tracer at some time after the oral dose but an a prioribasis for establishing this time was not apparent. The tracer method, therefore, appears to be a robust means of assessing, in man, oral bioavailability in the presence of Michaelis-Menten type elimination for drugs characterized by the general properties of the physiological model employed and with half-lives in excess of approximately 40 min. These findings together with the statistical power and simplicity of performance of the tracer method indicate that it is a valid technique for the assessment of bioavailability under a wide range of kinetic conditions.
Intraoral spread of Streptococcus mutans in man.

Abstract Streptomycin-resistant strains of Streptococcus mutans were reliably established in 3 subjects by the use of artifical fissures (AF) containing adherent growth of the Strep. mutans strain. The intraoral spread of these implanted Strep. mutans strains was monitored in the subjects while the AF was in situ and for up to 26 weeks after the AF was removed. During the 26 weeks, all tooth surfaces and saliva were repeatedly sampled. The implanted Strep. mutans spread to adjacent and antagonistic teeth only on the side of the dentition where the implantations were made. After establishment of a streptomycin-resistant strain in one subject, a sterile AF was inserted multiple times in the same occlusal surface, on which the implantations had previously been made. The sterile AF was colonized by local spread of Strep. mutans strains, as was shown by the relationship between the percentage of streptomycin-resistant Strep. mutans to total Strep. mutans colony forming units (CFU) counts in the AF and the salivary flora. The streptomycin-resistant Strep. mutans represented 10.5–93.5 per cent of the total Strep. mutans CFUs in the AF, but only 0–1.5 per cent of the Strep. mutans CFUs in the saliva during colonization of the AF. The intraoral establishment and spread of the implanted Strep. mutans seemed favoured by conditions present in subjects with high salivary concentrations of endogenous Strep. mutans strains and high caries experience, as expressed by the high number of filled tooth surfaces.