cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two Caenorhabditis elegans Actin Depolymerizing Factor/Cofilin Proteins, Encoded by the unc-60 Gene, Differentially Regulate Actin Filament Dynamics

The Caenorhabditis elegans unc-60 gene encodes two actin depolymerizing factor/cofilin proteins which are implicated in the regulation of actin filament assembly in body wall muscle. We examined the interaction of recombinant UNC-60A and B proteins with actin and found that they differentially regulate actin filament dynamics. Co-pelleting assays with F-actin showed that UNC-60A depolymerized but did not remain bound to F-actin, whereas UNC-60B bound to but did not depolymerize F-actin. In the pH range of 6.8-8.0, the apparent activities of UNC-60A and B did not change although UNC-60A showed greater actin-depolymerizing activity at higher pH. These activities were further confirmed by a light scattering assay and electron microscopy. The effects of these proteins on actin polymerization were quite different. UNC-60A inhibited polymerization in a concentration-dependent manner. On the other hand, UNC-60B strongly inhibited the nucleation process but accelerated the following elongation step. However, an excess amount of UNC-60B increased the amount of unpolymerized actin. These results indicate that UNC-60A depolymerizes actin filaments and inhibits actin polymerization, whereas UNC-60B strongly binds to F-actin without depolymerizing it and, through binding to G-actin, changes the rate of actin polymerization depending on the UNC-60B:actin ratio. These data suggest that the two UNC-60 isoforms play differential roles in regulating actin filament dynamics in vivo.
H. Thomas Rossby Receives 2009 Maurice Ewing Medal

H. Thomas Rossby was awarded the 2009 Maurice Ewing Medal at the AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony, held on 16 December 2009 in San Francisco, Calif. The medal is for “significant original contributions to the scientific understanding of the processes in the ocean; for the advancement of oceanographic engineering, technology, and instrumentation; or outstanding service to marine science.”
Anticipatory dementia and well-being Lynne Gershenson Hodgson, PhD

This exploratory study examines the relationship between well-being and anticipatory dementia—the fear that normal, age-associated memory change is the harbinger of dementia. The sample is comprise...
Assessing prototypes' role in design

The practice of using prototypes in design processes that involve user participation assumes that it is beneficial to do so-one commonly accepted benefit is that prototyping activities help users generate or articulate design ideas. However, such practice is rarely examined closely. This paper reports primarily on a verbal data analysis conducted to address the assumption that hands-on prototyping necessarily stimulates discussion-I analyze participants' performances with a paper- and computer-based prototype as a means of assessing the prototypes' role in the participatory design-like effort of a community networking project. In doing so, I contrast the two prototypes in terms of the number and kind of utterances participants voiced in response to each.
Increased sensitivity to ethanol in viral free rats compared to non-viral free rats of the same strain and supplier: A technical note

Abstract Adult viral free Sprague-Dawley rats were compared with non-viral free rats of the same strain and supplier for their sleep-time and hypothermic response to an acute injection of ethanol (3.5 g/kg, IP). Viral free animals were found to be significantly more sensitive to the sleep-time and hypothermic properties of ethanol than the non-viral free animals. This increased sensitivity was accompanied by higher blood alcohol concentrations in viral free animals for up to four hours after ethanol injection. These results indicate that animals born and raised in a viral free environment differ markedly in their sensivity to ethanol compared to non-viral free animals derived from the same genetic stock. Such differences may be due to decreased metabolic clearance of ethanol in viral free animals. These findings suggest that the use of viral free animals in developmental, behavioral, pharmacological or toxicological studies of the effects of ethanol may be an important consideration.
Responses of predatory invertebrates to seeding density and plant species richness in experimental tallgrass prairie restorations

a b s t r a c t In recent decades, agricultural producers and non-governmental organizations have restored thousands of hectares of former cropland in the central United States with native grasses and forbs. However, the ability of these grassland restorations to attract predatory invertebrates has not been well docu- mented, even though predators provide an important ecosystem service to agricultural producers by naturally regulating herbivores. This study assessed the effects of plant richness and seeding density on the richness and abundance of surface-dwelling (ants, ground beetles, and spiders) and aboveground (ladybird beetles) predatory invertebrates. In the spring of 2006, twenty-four 55 m × 55 m-plots were planted to six replicates in each of four treatments: high richness (97 species typically planted by The Nature Conservancy), at low and high seeding densities, and low richness (15 species representing a typ- ical Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Reserve Program mix, CP25), at low and high seeding densities. Ants, ground beetles, and spiders were sampled using pitfall traps and ladybird beetles were sampled using sweep netting in 2007-2009. The abundance of ants, ground beetles, and spiders showed no response to seed mix richness or seeding density but there was a significant positive effect of richness on ladybird beetle abundance. Seeding density had a significant positive effect on ground beetle and spider species richness and Shannon-Weaver diversity. These results may be related to differences in the plant species composition and relative amount of grass basal cover among the treatments rather than richness. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Ask, don't search: A social help engine for online social network mobile users

In this paper, we present the architectural details of Odin Help Engine, a novel social search engine that leverages online social networks and sensing data from mobile devices to find targeted answers for subjective queries and recommendation requests. In Odin, users' queries are routed to those connections in their social network who (i) are most likely to help answer the question and (ii) can do so with a high level of confidence. Specifically, we first apply a link-based latent variable model to infer social relationships between users from their social network data to form a strength-weighted relationship graph. We then infer users' expertise by context mining from social network data as well as from their mobile device sensor data. Lastly we apply pagerank-like algorithm that takes both relationship strength and user expertise into account to find a person that is most likely willing to answer the question posted by the user. We present the general design of the architecture and outline a location-related query example for detailed illustration.
Adsorption of food dyes onto chitosan: Optimization process and kinetic

Abstract Adsorption of food dyes acid blue 9 and food yellow 3 onto chitosan was optimized. Chitosan was obtained from shrimp wastes and characterized. A full factorial design was used to analyze the effects of pH, stirring rate and contact time in adsorption capacity. In the optimal conditions, adsorption kinetics was studied and the experimental data were fitted with three kinetic models. The produced chitosan showed good characteristics for dye adsorption. The optimal conditions were: pH 3, 150 rpm and 60 min for acid blue 9 and pH 3, 50 rpm and 60 min for food yellow 3. In these conditions, the adsorption capacities values were 210 mg g−1 and 295 mg g−1 for acid blue 9 and food yellow 3, respectively. The Elovich kinetic model was the best fit for experimental data and it showed the chemical nature of dyes adsorption onto chitosan.
Increased transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) immunoreactivity is independently associated with chronic injury in both consequential and primary radiation enteropathy☆

Abstract Purpose: Radiation enteropathy is characterized by sustained increase in transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) immunoreactivity and connective tissue mast cell (CTMC) hyperplasia that may be responsible for progressive fibrosis and lead to clinical complications. We examined to what extent these chronic molecular and cellular phenomena are associated with acute mucosal breakdown (consequential injury) and/or direct (primary) radiation injury in late-responding compartments. Methods and Materials: Rat small intestine was exposed to 50.4 Gy x-irradiation given either over 18 days (2.8 Gy daily or 5.6 Gy every other day) or 9 days (2.8 Gy twice daily or 5.6 Gy daily). Intestinal complications were recorded and groups of animals were euthanized at 2 and 26 weeks to assess subacute and chronic injury. Histopathologic changes were assessed with a radiation injury scoring system (RIS), total TGF-β immunoreactivity was quantified with computerized image analysis, and CTMC hyperplasia was assessed' in toluidine bluestained sections. Results: TGF-β immunoreactivity and CTMC hyperplasia colocalized in areas of injury and were highly significantly correlated. Increased fraction size and decreased overall treatment time were associated with increased RIS ( p p p = 0.01 and p p = 0.01 and p p p = 0.003). Conclusion: This in vivo study supports in vitro evidence linking increased TGF-β immunoreactivity and mast cell hyperplasia and strongly suggests their involvement in the molecular pathogenesis of both primary and consequential radiation enteropathy.
A reported early-man site adjacent to southern Alaska's continental shelf: A geologic solution to an archeologic enigma

Abstract An extensive ancient archeologic site containing lithic artifacts and associated with mammoth remains was reported at Chinitna Bay, southern Alaska in 1943. The presence of such a site adjacent to the continental shelf at the base of the rugged Aleutian Range suggested that humans may have inhabited the inner shelf environment during the late Pleistocene at times of lowered sea level. Because of the site's potential significance, an interdisciplinary research team relocated and reinvestigated the area in 1978, but failed to find evidence of prehistoric human habitation. Geologic studies and radiocarbon dating indicate that the strata reported at the site are intertidal in origin, very late Holocene in age, and have undergone significant tectonic movement in the recent past. These observations indicate that the previously published observations of the Chinitna Bay site are probably invalid.
Respiration of juvenile pollock, Theragra chalcogramma (Pallas), relative to body size and temperature

Abstract Measurements of oxygen consumption by starved juvenile pollock, Theragra chalcogramma (Pallas), relative to body size and water temperature were determined. Oxygen consumption rates for 6–300 g pollock were described by the equation: log μl O2·h−1 = 12.78 + 0.755 (logg wet wt) at 5.5°C. The temperature range normally experienced by this species in Alaska is 1–12°C. Weight specific oxygen consumption ( V O 2 ) for 40–90 g fish exhibited a linear increase between 1 and 7.5°C described by the equation: V O 2 (μl·g −1 ·h −1 ) = 12.617 + 7.961 (temp. °C). Values for specific V O 2 were similar between 7.5 and 12°C. The estimate for Q10 (1–12°C) was 2.5, similar to other cold-water fish. The daily energy expenditure due to respiration for unfed fish is calculated and compared to other existing estimates.
Predictors of 30-month outcome after perinatal depression: role of proton MRS and socioeconomic factors.

The objective was to determine in infants with perinatal depression whether the relative concentrations of N-acetylaspartate and lactate in the neonatal period are associated with (1) neurodevelopmental outcome at 30 mo of age or (2) deterioration in outcome from age 12 to 30 mo; and to determine whether socioeconomic factors are associated with deterioration in outcome. Thirty-seven term neonates were prospectively studied with single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the basal nuclei and intervascular boundary zones. Thirty-month outcomes were classified as normal [if Mental Development Index of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (MDI) >85 and neuromotor scores (NMS) or=3 at 12 and 30 mo; n = 11], or deteriorated [if normal at 12 mo and abnormal at 30 mo (MDI or=3); n = 11]. Thirty percent (11/37) of our cohort deteriorated between 12 and 30 mo. N-acetylaspartate/choline decreased across the groups ordered as normal, deteriorated, and abnormal [in basal nuclei (p <or= 0.001) and intervascular boundary zones (p = 0.04)], but was not different between the normal and deteriorated groups (p = 0.08). Lactate/choline similarly increased across the groups [in basal nuclei (p = 0.01) and intervascular boundary zones (p = 0.05)]. The odds of deterioration, if normal at 12 mo, increased by a factor of 5.1 (95% confidence interval: 1.3-19.8) with each decrease in one of four household income strata. Infants with perinatal depression are at high risk of developmental deterioration between 12 and 30 mo of age, particularly if in a lower income home or with intermediate values of cerebral metabolites on neonatal proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
A Raman study of the influence of isotopic substitution on the phase change in naphthalene-tetracyanobenzene

Abstract The temperature dependence of the low frequency modes of naphthalene- h 8 and naphthalene- d 8 tetracyanobenzene has been studied by Raman scattering. Abrupt changes in the band parameters occur, indicating the crystals undergo a phase change at 69 K and 62 K respectively, i.e. deuteration of the donor decreased the transition temperature.
Quantum mechanics and the cosmological axion bound

Abstract The evolution of the invisible axion field from the time of Peccei-Quinn symmetry breaking to the present is considered in the explicitly quantum-mechanical formulation of Goldberg. The validity of the usual classical approximation is reaffirmed for all cases of physical interest.
Causes and risk factors for 30-day unplanned readmissions after pediatric spinal deformity surgery.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of a prospective cohort. OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence, risk factors, and causes for 30-day unplanned readmission after pediatric spinal deformity surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The government has targeted 30-day readmissions as a quality of care measure. However, few studies have analyzed readmission in pediatric cohorts. METHODS A multicenter registry designed to collect pediatric surgical outcomes was queried for patients undergoing spinal deformity surgery in 2012. Patients were divided into groups of those with and without an unplanned readmission within 30 days postoperatively. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to compare the cohorts, and to identify variables associated with readmission. RESULTS In total, 75 of 1890 pediatric patients undergoing spinal fusion for deformity had an unplanned 30-day readmission (3.96%). Readmissions were highest in the neuromuscular group (6.83%) and lowest in the idiopathic (2.66%) and infantile (1.31%) cohorts, (P < 0.01). The top reasons for readmission included wound complications (73.3%) and gastrointestinal disturbances (13.3%). In the univariate analysis, increasing surgical complexity, particularly fusions to the pelvis and isolated anterior spinal fusions, as well as increasing medical comorbidity burden were each associated with readmission (P < 0.05 for each). In the subsequent multivariate analysis, isolated anterior spinal fusions (odds ratio, 7.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.32-44.3) structural pulmonary abnormalities (odds ratio, 2.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-5.23) and an American Society of Anesthesiologists class of 3 or 4 (odds ratio, 2.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-4.47) were independently associated with readmission. CONCLUSION The overall rate of 30-day unplanned readmissions after pediatric deformity surgery was low, but not insignificant. Surgeons should consider discharge optimization in the at-risk patient cohorts defined here, and should focus on wound complications and gastrointestinal disturbances to minimize readmissions. Quality reporting metrics should incorporate these risk factors to avoid unduly penalizing surgeons who take on complex cases. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.
Suggestion for a dibaryon resonance in the pp system

Abstract The existence of a diproton resonance is indicated by the energy dependence of Legendre expansion coefficients of P d σ d Ω for pp elastic scattering and the structure appearing in the data of ΔσL = σTot(⇄) − σTot(→). The properties of such a resonance are described.
Modeling of signal--response cascades using decision tree analysis

Motivation: Signal transduction cascades governing cell functional responses to stimulatory cues play crucial roles in cell regulatory systems and represent promising therapeutic targets for complex human diseases. However, mathematical analysis of how cell responses are governed by signaling activities is challenging due to their multivariate and non-linear nature. Diverse computational methods are potentially available, but most are ineffective for protein-level data that is limited in extent and replication. Results: We apply a decision tree approach to analyze the relationship of cell functional response to signaling activity across a spectrum of stimulatory cues. As a specific example, we studied five intracellular signals influencing fibroblast migration under eight conditions: four substratum fibronectin levels and presence versus absence of epidermal growth factor. We propose techniques for preprocessing and extending the experimental measurement set via interpolative modeling in order to gain statistical reliability. For this specific case study, our approach has 70% overall classification accuracy and the decision tree model reveals insights concerning the combined roles of the various signaling activities in governing cell migration speed. We conclude that decision tree methodology may facilitate elucidation of signal--response cascade relationships and generate experimentally testable predictions, which can be used as directions for future experiments. Contact: [email protected]
Efficacy of Various Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy Protocols in Autoimmune and Chronic Inflammatory Disorders

Objective:To determine the efficacy of various intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) protocols used in the treatment of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders.Data Sources:Literature retrieval was accessed through MEDLINE (November 1984–March 2007) and a search was conducted using the term intravenous immunoglobulin. References cited in the selected articles were also reviewed.Study Selection and Data Extraction:Inclusion criteria for studies were (1) English language, (2) randomized controlled trials, (3) defined protocols, (4) a minimum of 15 patients, and (5) objective criteria provided to assess clinical outcomes and course.Data Synthesis:The therapeutic efficacy of IVIG therapy is well established, and defined protocols exist for treatment of Kawasaki disease, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, Guillain–Barre syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, multifocal motor neuropathy, and autoimmune mucocutaneous blistering diseases. In the absence of a defined protocol, studies have de...
Tumor suppressor gene p16/INK4A/CDKN2A-dependent regulation into and out of the cell cycle in a spontaneous canine model of breast cancer†

p16/INK4A/CDKN2A is an important tumor suppressor gene that arrests cell cycle in G1 phase inhibiting binding of CDK4/6 with cyclin D1, leaving the Rb tumor suppressor protein unphosphorylated and E2F bound and inactive. We hypothesized that p16 has a role in exit from cell cycle that becomes defective in cancer cells. Well characterized p16-defective canine mammary cancer cell lines (CMT28, CMT27, and CMT12), derived stably p16-transfected CMT cell clones (CMT27A, CMT27H, CMT28A, and CMT28F), and normal canine fibroblasts (NCF), were used to investigate expression of p16 after serum starvation into quiescence followed by re-feeding to induce cell cycle re-entry. The parental CMT cell lines used lack p16 expression either at the mRNA or protein expression levels, while p27 and other p16-associated proteins, including CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1, and Rb, were expressed. We have successfully demonstrated cell cycle arrest and relatively synchronous cell cycle re-entry in parental CMT12, CMT28 and NCF cells as well as p16 transfected CMT27A, CMT27H, CMT28A, and CMT28F cells and confirmed this by 3H-thymidine incorporation and flow cytometric analysis of cell cycle phase distribution. p16-transfected CMT27A and CMT27H cells exited cell cycle post-serum-starvation in contrast to parental CMT27 cells. NCF, CMT27A, and CMT28F cells expressed upregulated levels of p27 and p16 mRNA, post-serum starvation, as cells exited cell cycle and entered quiescence. Because quiescence and differentiation are associated with increased levels of p27, our data demonstrating that p16 was upregulated along with p27 during quiescence, suggests a potential role for p16 in maintaining these non-proliferative states. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 1355–1363, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
17O NMR studies of the effect of mixed ligands on the bound water in aqueous solutions of amino acids and Co(II)

The effect of mixed ligands on the lifetime and 17O hyperfine coupling constant of water bound to Co2+ in aqueous solutions of proline, glycine and alanine was determined, as a function of pH, by means of 17O NMR. The lifetime of the coordinated water molecules decreased from 4.9 X 10−7 s (for the pure aqueous complex) to 3.5 × 10−8 at pH 8, where more than one complex of proline were present. Smaller changes were measured for the 17O hyperfine coupling constant of water [from - 1.7 × 107 Hz for Co(H2O) to -1.45 × 107 Hz measured at pH 6 in the presence of proline], and the enthalpy of activation of the first-order exchange from the first coordination sphere of Co2+ (from 7.4 ± 0.2 kcal mol−1 for the pure aqueous complex to 6.2 ± 0.4 kcal mol−1 at pH 8 in the presence of proline).
New Approaches to the Study of Political Order in China

Both Xueguang Zhou and Jiang Shigong are interested in the way in which China’s political order actually functions, but for different reasons. Zhou takes how things are—in this case, the way central-local relations work— more or less as a given and seeks to provide an explanation. Jiang, on the other hand, writes precisely because he believes that how China’s political order actually operates has received far too little attention in constitutional scholarship. Zhou focuses on the narrow issue of collusion between different levels of lower-level government when faced with demands from a higherlevel authority. His focus is useful in drawing attention to this ill-understood feature of central-local relations. Yet many of the problems he discusses seem to be less those of collusion as such and more those of ordinary principal-agent conflicts. Jiang calls for less formalism and more realism when analyzing China’s constitutional order. While fully acknowledging the merits of Jiang’s proposed methodology, the comment finds that Jiang’s own approach retains some formalist elements.
The Adaptive Social Behavior Inventory (ASBI): A new assessment of social competence in high-risk three-year-olds.

This article describes a new inventory for preschool social development. Scale construction was undertaken as an ancillary project in a multi-site study of early intervention for high-risk infants. Scale development began with extensive review; piloting was conducted to ensure appropriateness for mothers of varying educational levels. Descriptive and psychometric data on the 30-item inventory are presented for the sample of 545 3-year-olds. The three subscales are Express, Comply, and Disrupt. Intercorrelations among the scales are reported, as well as correlations with other competence variables. Differences are noted for gender and site, but not birthweight. Potential value of the inventory is discussed.
Influences of a future corporate health system on medical education

Corporate attention to problems in health care delivery has grown over the last decade. As this focus by the "purchasers" of medical care increases business and industry influence on health policy decisions, significant changes may come about in the delivery system, and eventually in medical education. Whether the evolving corporate design for health care best serves consumer interests is less clear than how the medical profession and medical educators will fare in the next twenty years.
Coaches, Athletes and Nutrition: Food for Thought

(2005). Coaches, Athletes and Nutrition: Food for Thought. Strategies: Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 9-11.
Controlling postoperative pain with patient-controlled analgesia

Patient-controlled analgesia is an innovative method of pain control that is being used with increasing frequency in postoperative patients. Besides affording patients a sense of control over their pain, the method seems to offer superior pain relief with less sedation compared with traditional methods. Nurses report that valuable patient care time is saved when complicated negotiations among nurses, patients, and physicians regarding pain management are eliminated, and tasks such as signing out and preparing analgesic injections are no longer necessary. A review of the method is presented. (Index Words: Pain; Surgery; Nursing care, postoperative; Analgesia; Intravenous therapy).
Molecular Population Genetics of Male Accessory Gland Proteins in Drosophila

Drosophila seminal proteins have an unusually high rate of molecular sequence evolution, suggesting either a high rate of neutral substitution or rapid adaptive evolution. To further quantify patterns of polymorphism and divergence in genes encoding seminal proteins, also called accessory gland proteins (Acp's), we conducted a sequencing survey of 10 Acp genes in samples of Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans (Acp29AB, Acp32CD, Acp33A, Acp36DE, Acp53Ea, Acp62F, Acp63F, Acp76A, Acp95EF, and Acp98AB). Mean heterozygosity at replacement sites in D. simulans was 0.0074 for Acp genes and 0.0013 for a set of 19 non-Acp genes, and mean melanogaster-simulans divergence at replacement sites was 0.0497 for Acp genes and 0.0107 at non-Acp genes. The elevated divergence of Acp genes is thus accompanied by elevated within-species polymorphism. In addition to the already-reported departures of Acp26A, Acp29AB, and Acp70A from neutrality, our data reject neutrality at Acp29AB and Acp36DE in the direction of excess replacements in interspecific comparisons.
Time‐lapse cinemicrographic studies of cell motility during morphogenesis of the embryonic yolk sac of Fundulus heteroclitus (Pisces: Teleosti)

The active motility of the cells of the yolk sac of the living Fundulus embryo was studied by time-lapse cinemicrography with phase contrast optics. In the teleost, the yolk sac lies peripheral to the body of the embryo proper and consists of a fluid-filled space bounded above by a superficial epithelium, the enveloping layer (EVL), and below by the yolk syncytial layer (YSL). The cell types treated in the present study are the enveloping layer epithelial cell, the stellate cell which lies in a layer flattened on the inner surface of the EVL, the epithelioid deep cell, the yolk sac amoebocyte, the yolk sac endothelial cell and the yolk sac melanoblast. The most actively motile cells examined in the present study are the yolk sac amebocyte and the melanoblast, which emigrates from the embryo proper at stages 19-21. The amoebocytes are compact rounded cells that move very rapidly by the extension of lamellipods with scalloped margins. The amoebocytes wander over the yolk sac in an apparently undirected fashion and invade the embryo proper when they happen to encounter it, moving between cells of the lateral mesoderm. The melanoblasts migrate by the gradual extension of elongated branching processes. Cells are sometimes monopodial, with movement being parallel to the long axis of the cell. Alternatively, movement may be perpendicular to the predominant long axis, with processes being extended alternatively from opposite ends of the cell obliquely forward, so the path described is a zig-zag to either side of the overall direction of movement. Although the melanoblasts show irregularity in their movement, the predominant direction of initial movement is away from the embryo proper. The major yolk sac blood vessels form in situ by the collective activities of presumptive endothelial cells that enclose volumes of the yolk sac space with sheet-like processes from the cell body and from the extensions that connect cells into networks.
Metabolism of the Radioprotective Agent Triammonium 2-Dithiocarbamyl-3-dithiocarbonylthiopropanoate in the Mouse

To determine whether one or both of the sulfur-containing functions of the dithiocarbamate trithiocarbonate (I) of cysteine is responsible for its radioprotective ability, 35S-I was synthesized and its metabolism was studied in mice. The major metabolite was the dithiocarbamate of cystine, which was found in the liver, kidney, and spleen. The protein-bound component was also found in these tissues. Other metabolites found were intact I and possibly cystine in the liver and sulfate in the kidney and spleen. 35S-I was rapidly eliminated, and radioactive compounds which appeared in the urine included the dithiocarbamate, unchanged I, sulfate, and an unidentified substance in small amount.
A simple fast exact density calculation algorithm

VLSI technology is facing an extreme challenge due to the miniaturization and complexity of leading-edge products. Density control is a must step to ensure the yield and performance for the manufacturing smaller, faster and cheaper chips. A fundamental problem in the density control is how to calculate density correctly and efficiently. In this paper, we propose a simple but efficient two-level hierarchical approach to exactly identify the maximum density window for a given layout. Comparing with the latest work [7], the new algorithm shows big runtime reductions on testcases which have a long runtime with [7].
Effective-Lagrangian approach to the theory of pion photoproduction in the Delta (1232) region.

We investigate theoretical uncertainties and model dependence in the extraction of the nucleon-{Delta}(1232) electromagnetic transition amplitudes from the multipole data base. Our starting point is an effective Lagrangian incorporating chiral symmetry, which includes, at the tree level, the pseudovector nucleon Born terms, leading {ital t}-channel vector-meson exchanges, and {ital s}- and {ital u}-channel {Delta} exchanges. We express the nucleon-{Delta} transition magnetic dipole ({ital M}1) and electric quadrupole ({ital E}2) amplitudes in terms of two independent gauge couplings at the {gamma}{ital N}{Delta} vertex, and fit these to various multipole data sets. We find a large sensitivity to the method used in unitarizing the amplitude, and extract the {ital E}2/{ital M}1 ratio (EMR) to be {ital negative}, with a magnitude of around 1.5%. The resonant amplitudes in this work are of interest to the test of topical hadron models inspired by QCD: the sign of the EMR, extracted by us, is in accord with that predicted by most realistic models, and its magnitude lies between the predictions of the quark shell model and the Skyrmion model. Finally, our work provides a phenomenologically satisfying unitary amplitude for pion photoproduction off nucleons, which can be used as a realistic starting point for theoretical studiesmore » of this process in complex nuclei.« less
Genetic imprinting analysis for alcoholism genes using variance components approach

Genomic imprinting, which is also known as the parent-of-origin effect, is a mechanism that only expresses one copy of a gene pair depending upon the parental origin. Although many chromosomal regions in the human genome are likely to be imprinted, imprinting is not accounted for in the usual linkage analysis. In this study, using a variance-components approach with a quantitative phenotype ttth-FP1, we found significant evidence of imprinting at two loci, D7S1790 and D1S1631, on chromosome 1 and chromosome 7, respectively. Our results suggest that allowing for the possibility of imprinting can increase the power to detect linkage for localizing genes for alcoholism.
Teaching principles of shared resource management with the MOSES2 microcomputer operating system environment

Every modern multiprogramming computer operating system must effectively manage and protect resources that are shared among the different user processes that run simultaneously on the system. Resource sharing allows for computation speed-up, data consistency, and data availability. This paper describes a sequence of operating system kernel programming projects and how these projects teach shared resource management through student hands-on design and implementation of resource management constructs. The kernel projects are implemented to run on the Moses2 microcomputer operating system environment simulator, which provides a simulated hardware virtual machine plus a collection of user processes that run on the Moses2 virtual machine to test students' implementations of a variety of kernel services.
Validation of the Hsp70–Bag3 Protein–Protein Interaction as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Cancer

Hsp70 is a stress-inducible molecular chaperone that is required for cancer development at several steps. Targeting the active site of Hsp70 has proven relatively challenging, driving interest in alternative approaches. Hsp70 collaborates with the Bcl2-associated athanogene 3 (Bag3) to promote cell survival through multiple pathways, including FoxM1. Therefore, inhibitors of the Hsp70-Bag3 protein-protein interaction (PPI) may provide a noncanonical way to target this chaperone. We report that JG-98, an allosteric inhibitor of this PPI, indeed has antiproliferative activity (EC50 values between 0.3 and 4 μmol/L) across cancer cell lines from multiple origins. JG-98 destabilized FoxM1 and relieved suppression of downstream effectors, including p21 and p27. On the basis of these findings, JG-98 was evaluated in mice for pharmacokinetics, tolerability, and activity in two xenograft models. The results suggested that the Hsp70-Bag3 interaction may be a promising, new target for anticancer therapy.
Signaling through Itk promotes T helper 2 differentiation via negative regulation of T-bet

The Tec family tyrosine kinase, Itk, is critical for PLC-gamma1 activation downstream of the TCR. Studies of Itk-/- mice have demonstrated a requirement for Itk in Th2 cytokine production and protective immunity to parasitic infections. Here we address the mechanism by which Itk regulates Th2 differentiation. We find that naive Itk-/- CD4+ T cells respond normally to cytokine skewing signals and can differentiate efficiently into either Th1 or Th2 lineage cells. In the absence of skewing cytokines, wild-type CD4+ T cells stimulated with low-avidity ligands preferentially express GATA-3 mRNA and differentiate into Th2 cells. Under these same stimulation conditions, Itk-/- T cells produce large amounts of T-bet mRNA and differentiate into IFN-gamma-producing cells. Furthermore, Itk is upregulated during Th2 differentiation, while Rlk, a related Tec kinase, disappears rapidly from differentiating Th2 cells. Together, these findings provide a molecular explanation for the essential role of Itk in Th2 differentiation.
Identity economics and the brain: uncovering the mechanisms of social conflict.

Social contexts can have dramatic effects on decisions. When individuals recognize each other as coming from the same social group, they can coordinate their actions towards a common goal. Conversely, information about group differences can lead to conflicts both economic and physical. Understanding how social information shapes decision processes is now a core goal both of behavioural economics and neuroeconomics. Here, we describe the foundations for research that combines the theoretical framework from identity economics with the experimental methods of neuroscience. Research at this intersection would fill important gaps in the literature not addressed by current approaches in either of these disciplines, nor within social neuroscience, psychology or other fields. We set forth a simple taxonomy of social contexts based on the information content they provide. And, we highlight the key questions that would be addressed by a new ‘identity neuroeconomics’. Such research could serve as an important and novel link between the social and natural sciences.
Productivity outcomes following endoscopic sinus surgery for recurrent acute rhinosinusitis

Objectives/Hypothesis We sought to evaluate preoperative and postoperative productivity losses and quality of life (QOL) impairment reported by patients with recurrent acute rhinosinusitis (RARS) as compared to patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyposis (CRSsNP). Study Design Prospective, multi-institutional, nested case–control. Methods Participants with RARS (n = 20) and CRSsNP (n = 20) undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) were enrolled as part of a prospective cohort study. For comparison, participants diagnosed with RARS cases were age/gender-matched to control participants diagnosed with CRSsNP using a 1:1 ratio. Results RARS and CRSsNP participants were followed for ∼14 months postoperatively. Productivity losses were reported as the number of days missed from normal productive activities out of the previous 90 days. RARS participants reported similar baseline productivity losses (12.6 ± 27.1 [standard deviation]) as participants with CRSsNP (11.7 ± 20.9; P = .314). Postoperatively, improvement in productivity losses was similar between RARS participants and CRSsNP controls (−6.7 ± 20.0 vs. −9.8 ± 19.1; P = .253). Preoperative and postoperative disease-specific QOL measures (Sino-Nasal Outcomes Test-22 and Rhinosinusitis Disability Index) were similar between the two groups. RARS participants reported a significant decrease in days of previous antibiotic (P = .009) and nasal decongestant (P = .004) use following ESS, whereas participants with CRSsNP reported a significant decrease in antibiotic (P = .002) and oral corticosteroid use (P = .002). Conclusions RARS patients report baseline productivity losses and disease-specific QOL impairment to levels that parallel those with CRSsNP. Patients with RARS report improvement in QOL following ESS in all disease-specific QOL measures and in several medication measures. Productivity losses and postoperative improvements are similar between patients with RARS and CRSsNP. Level of Evidence 3b Laryngoscope, 2015
Optimal Exercise Patterns and Valuation of Employee Stock Options: An Approximate Dynamic Programming Approach

This paper develops a procedure for modeling the optimal exercise patterns and for determining the value of employee stock options. I develop an approximate dynamic programming (ADP) procedure and show how ADP can be used instead of traditional backward dynamic programming to solve the single stock option problem. I show how ADP can be extended to solve a high dimensional problem numerically that allows for a portfolio of heterogeneous options while using a CRRA utility function. I then demonstrate that the exercise of an option depends importantly on the payouts of the previous exercises.
Yeast RNA polymerase III: transcription complexes and RNA synthesis

In this article we review and summarize salient features of the mechanism of transcription by eukaryotic RNA polymerase III, focusing a considerable part of the account on the work of our laboratory, dealing with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but emphasizing properties that are common to all eukaryotic RNA polymerases. The following topics are briefly discussed: promoter structure; transcription factors; internal structure of transcription complexes and DNA-protein interactions; U6 genes; promoter opening and RNA chain elongation; hydrolytic RNA retraction.
Integrated Transmitters and Transceivers for High-End Applications in WDM Optical Networks

Integration platforms initially developed for widely-tunable lasers have recently been extended to single-chip transmitters and transceivers by incorporating optical amplifier-photodiode receivers with these transmitters. Results from these and other InP-based photonic ICs will be presented.
Approach Towards Heteroepitaxial Growth of Functional Molecular Crystals by Vapour Deposition

In order to realize a thin film of organic single crystals, we have been investigating fabrication process using vapour deposition technique. Up to now, highly oriented thin films of 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline(MNA) and 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3-acetamidonitrobenzene(DAN), both of which are promising organic materials for nonlinear optical devices, could be fabricated on a buffed polyimide and on a thermally oxidized silicon wafer, respectively. In the case of MNA films, a series of results by X-ray diffraction and by SEM observation showed weak two-dimensional characteristics suggesting the existence of topographic effects and/or of interaction between MNA molecules and molecular moieties of polyimide substrate. Small optical transmittance of both MNA and DAN thin films are explained in terms of light scattering by grain boundaries and surface roughness.
Trends of Plant Breeding of Oilseeds in the World

In Japan, Many oilseeds are imported from various foreign countries. Recent research of plant breeding in the world has been made by means of customary breeding but also such new biotechnology as tissue culture, genetic technology, and so on. Concrete targets of plant breeding has been as follows. As for soybean, those are yield up, increase in oil and protein contents, improvement of fatty acids composition, and decrease in lipoxygenase activity. As for rapeseed, decrease in erucic acid and glucosinolate, and improvement of fatty acids composition. As for palm, improvement of oil quality, and development of lower tree. As for sunflower and safflower, high oleic oils have been commercially developed. In future, research of plant breeding of oilseeds will be more faster and successful by the application of the advanced biotechnology.
Acetone and Water on TiO2(110): H/D Exchange

Isotopic H/D exchange between coadsorbed acetone and water on the TiO2(110) surface was examined using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) as a function of coverage and two surface pretreatments (O2 oxidation and mild vacuum reduction). Coadsorbed acetone and water interact repulsively on reduced TiO2(110) on the basis of results from the companion paper to this study, with water exerting a greater influence in destabilizing acetone and acetone having only a nominal influence on water. Despite the repulsive interaction between these coadsorbates, about 0.02 monolayers (ML) of a 1 ML d6-acetone on the reduced surface (vacuum annealed at 850 K to a surface oxygen vacancy population of 7%) exhibits H/D exchange with coadsorbed water, with the exchange occurring exclusively in the high-temperature region of the d6-acetone TPD spectrum at ∼340 K. The effect was confirmed with combinations of d0-acetone and D2O. The extent of exchange decreased on the reduced surface for water coverages above ∼0.3 ML due to...
Is the Effect of Thyroid and Thyroxin upon the Metabolic Rate Specific for Vertebrates

The author, while conducting experiments on insect metabolism, measured the metabolic rate of two species of insects under the influence of thyroid and thyroxin feeding. The forms used were the wasp, Polistes pallipes, and the roach, Periplaneta australasiae. Armour's desiccated thyroid was fed mixed with honey. Squibb's thyroxin crystals were also given in a honey mixture. Carbon dioxide output was measured per hour before and after feeding. In most cases of thyroid feeding results were not pronounced enough to be considered of consequence. In one case in which one wasp fed for approximately 4 minutes (a comparatively long time) the basal metabolic rate increased to more than twice normal for the first 2 hours following feeding. After the 4th hour the rate had again returned to normal. The very slight increases and decreases obtained with feeding desiccated thyroid to roaches were not consequential. It was assumed that proportionately a very great amount of desiccated thyroid gland was necessary to produ...
Ornithine decarboxylase induction in cells stimulated to proliferate differs from that in continuously dividing cells.

Ornithine decarboxylase activity increases at least 4–5-fold before DNA synthesis both in synchronous cycling cells and in quiescent cells stimulated to proliferate. The purpose of our experiments was to test whether the transient peaks of ornithine decarboxylase activity in both growth situations were biochemically regulated in a similar manner. We found that the regulation of this particular enzyme activity is distinct in two ways. Firstly, the addition of 2mm-hydroxyurea will block the induction of ornithine decarboxylase in continuously dividing Chinese-hamster ovary cells, while having no effect on ornithine decarboxylase induction in stimulated quiescent cells. Hydroxyurea added after the induction occurs has no effect on the enzyme activity. The apparent half-life of the enzyme is not altered in cells treated with hydroxyurea. Hydroxyurea does not affect the enzyme directly, since incubation of cell homogenates with this drug results in no loss of measurable ornithine decarboxylase activity and hydroxyurea does not markedly alter general RNA- or protein-synthesis rates. The inactivation of ornithine decarboxylase activity by hydroxyurea does not resemble the loss of activity observed with a 90min treatment with spermidine. Thiourea, a less potent inhibitor of ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase, will also inhibit ornithine decarboxylase activity, but to a lesser extent. Secondly, the expression of ornithine decarboxylase in quiescent cells stimulated to proliferate is biphasic as these cells traverse G1 and enter S phase, whereas only one peak of activity is apparent in synchronous cycling G1-phase cells. The time interval between the first peak of ornithine decarboxylase activity and the onset of DNA synthesis is approx. 5h longer in non-dividing cells stimulated to proliferate than in continuously dividing cells. The results suggest that the regulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity is different in the two growth systems in that the induction of ornithine decarboxylase in continuously dividing cells occurs closer in time to DNA synthesis and is dependent on deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates.
Application of SPGA to Large Scale Task Assignment of UCAVs

Genetic algorithm with sequence code is indispensable to solving the typical combinatorial optimization problem of large scale task assignment for UCAVs,but the evolutional efficiency is lower owing to complex operations of traditional crossover and mutation operator.Considering the above deficiency of GA using ordinal strings,this paper proposes a Single Parent Genetic Algorithm(SPGA) that that uses ordinal strings and introduces some particular genetic operators such as gene exchange.Comparison of results comes from SPGA and GA show the efficiency of SPGA.
Treatment of a boy with atypical ego development.

A multifaceted mode of therapeutic action is delineated as the complex neuropsychological and psychogenic factors in the development and functioning of an unusual four-year-old boy became elucidate...