cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 3859: Defining groupings of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas by expression patterns of human papillomavirus oncogenes

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL There is considerable clinical interest in the role that human papillomavirus (HPV) plays in the development of oropharyngeal cancers. A variety of assays are currently available to stratify patients based on HPV status prior to treatment. The most frequently utilized are PCR and In Situ hybridization (ISH) to detect the presence of HPV DNA sequences. The increasing clinical interest in determining HPV patient status relates to compelling evidence that a subset of patients with HPV positive tumors have better clinical outcomes. Evidence also suggests that patients with HPV positive tumors should be further divided into groupings based on levels of viral activity and that this may represent additional clinical information necessary to develop appropriate treatment plans. The most frequently applied assay to identify HPV activity in a patient sample is to detect the over-expression of the surrogate protein marker p16 by Immunohistochemisty (IHC), which has been shown to increase expression in response to HPV active infections in oropharyngeal cancer. An alternative technique to quantitatively detect the presence and level of transcriptional activity of HPV in tissue samples is to measure the expression of oncogenes E6 and E7. We have analyzed the fresh frozen tissue samples corresponding to matched tumor, normal and metastatic patient tissues using a quantitative PCR (qPCR) approach to determine the expression of HPV oncogenes and p16 gene expression. We observed that there are three groups of oropharyngeal tumors when grouped by HPV16 E6 and E7 gene expression. The first are the most rare and are tumors that contain no HPV sequences or expression of the E6 and E7 ocogenes. The second are tumors that contain HPV DNA sequences but very low expression of E6 or E7 and the third are tumors that contain HPV DNA sequence and robust expression of E6 and E7. Additionally, we found variable correlation between HPV16 E6 and E7 expression and p16 gene expression, suggesting that factors other than HPV oncogene expression may influence the expression of p16. Our results would indicate that the best assays for quantifying the activity of an HPV infection in oropharyngeal cancers would be those optimized to accurately measure either E6 and E7 transcripts or their protein products directly out of paraffin-embedded tissues. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3859. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3859
Determination of esmolol and metabolite enantiomers within human plasma using chiral column chromatography

A high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of each of esmolol's enantiomers at the 25-1000 ng/ml concentrations observed in human plasma upon intravenous administration of this rapidly metabolized beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agent. Alternatively, a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) UV detection method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of each of the enantiomers for esmolol's metabolite which, in turn, achieve 2.5-50 microg/ml concentrations in human plasma. Utilizing chiral columns, these methods do not require a precolumn asymmetric derivatization step. Linearity in all cases was >0.99. Precision and accuracy at all but the lowest concentrations were within +/-6% for the esmolol enantiomers and within +/-2.5% for the esmolol metabolite enantiomers. These values should be suitable for performing thorough pharmacokinetic studies for all of the stereoisomers of this prototypical soft drug and its corresponding metabolite.
Dietary influences on the formation of dental calculus in rats

Eleven diets were evaluated for their ability to produce dental calculus in albino rats. A diet containing 50 % cornstarch, 32 % nonfat dry milk, 3 % liver powder, 5 % celluflour, 1 % cottonseed oil, 5 % powdered sucrose, 1 % calcium chloride dihydrate, 2.7 % sodium dihydrogen phosphate monohydrate, and 0.3 % magnesium sulfate (Francis and Briner 1969) was remarkably effective. On the basis of a 0–3 calculus scoring system, an average score of 2.36 (S.D. = 0.65) resulted after 4 weeks' exposure to the above diet and, after 8 weeks, the average score was 2.59 (S.D. = 0.56). While it was found that, in general, high cornstarch and milk powder diets were associated with higher calculus scores, no other diet remotely approached the above diet in calculogenicity.
Video-assisted laparoscopic procedures in peritoneal dialysis.

Background Although laparoscopy is commonly adopted for the diagnosis and management of various medical or surgical problems, its use for patients with peritoneal dialysis has seldom been addressed. This retrospective study analyzes the indications and clinical effects of this procedure. Methods: A retrospective chart was drawn up and a videotape review performed for 18 laparoscopic procedures involving 198 patients receiving peritoneal dialysis on a long-term basis at our dialysis unit from May 1992 to June 2002. The clinical and demographic parameters in this study included gender, age, underlying renal diseases, duration of peritoneal dialysis before laparoscopy, indications of laparoscopic intervention, laparoscopic findings, time of operation, laparoscopic procedures, postoperative complications, mortality, and catheter results. Results: A total of 18 laparoscopic procedures were performed in 17 uremia patients, with indications including catheter malfunction in five cases, preimplantation evaluation of peritoneal space in three cases, evaluation of the etiology underlying intractable peritonitis in nine cases, and verification of the cause for dialysate leakage in one case. Four (80%) of the five catheter malfunctions were successfully corrected, including one case of catheter migration and three cases of omental wrapping, whereas correction failed in the remaining case because of severe bowel adhesion. New catheter placement after adhesiolysis was successful in all three cases of preimplantation peritoneal evaluation (100%). Of the nine patients whose peritonitis episodes were evaluated, two were found to have secondary peritonitis, two had fungal peritonitis; one had tuberculous peritonitis and four had bacterial peritonitis. In the case of persistent exit-site dialysate leakage, laparoscopy showed a penetrating injury of the abdominal wall, raising a strong suspicion of iatrogenic injury during the tunneling maneuvers in initial catheter placement. Two conversions to laparotomy were performed: one to repair the penetrating injury and the other to save the life of a patient threatened by severe fungal peritonitis with abdominal cocoon formation. The laparoscopic procedures lasted 20 to 150 min (average, 50 min). Despite one instance of postoperative hydrocele, there was no operative mortality. Conclusions: The analytical results of this study demonstrate that the current video-assisted laparoscopic technique is an effective means for managing several problems related to peritoneal dialysis such as catheter malfunction, preimplantation evaluation, location of the source of the dialysate leak, and assessment of the causes for peritonitis. Thus, this technique should always be considered when the these problems arise.
Individual Feedback Contributions to the Seasonality of Surface Warming

AbstractUsing the climate feedback response analysis method, the authors examine the individual contributions of the CO2 radiative forcing and climate feedbacks to the magnitude, spatial pattern, and seasonality of the transient surface warming response in a 1% yr−1 CO2 increase simulation of the NCAR Community Climate System Model, version 4 (CCSM4).The CO2 forcing and water vapor feedback warm the surface everywhere throughout the year. The tropical warming is predominantly caused by the CO2 forcing and water vapor feedback, while the evaporation feedback reduces the warming. Most feedbacks exhibit noticeable seasonal variations; however, their net effect has little seasonal variation due to compensating effects, which keeps the tropical warming relatively invariant all year long. The polar warming has a pronounced seasonal cycle, with maximum warming in fall/winter and minimum warming in summer. In summer, the large cancelations between the shortwave and longwave cloud feedbacks and between the surface...
A Method for Perfusion of the Leg During Cardiopulmonary Bypass via Femoral Cannulation

Minimally invasive approaches for cardiac operations currently are gaining increasing attention. Some of these approaches require cannulation of the femoral vessels for cardiopulmonary bypass. A potential complication of femoral cannulation is ischemic injury to the lower extremity in some cases that require long bypass times. To minimize this risk we have begun cannulating the common femoral artery distally, as well as proximally. This technique perfuses the leg for the duration of cardiopulmonary bypass, and it can be accomplished with minimal increases in cost and operative time.
Trends in extreme daily precipitation indices in India

We assembled daily precipitation records, initially for 3838 stations, throughout India and ultimately identified 129 stations with reasonably complete records over the period 1910 to 2000. From these daily records, we generated annual time series of seven different indices of extreme precipitation events, including total precipitation, largest 1, 5, and 30 day totals, and the number of daily events above the amount that marks the 90th, 95th, and 97.5th percentiles of all precipitation at each station. Of the 903 different time series (seven variables for 129 stations), 114 had a significant upward trend and 61 had a significant downward trend; overall, 61% of the time series showed an upward trend. The standard regression coefficients showing the strength and sign of the trend were highly correlated across the network. They generally showed increasing values in a contiguous region extending from the northwestern Himalayas in Kashmir through most of the Deccan Plateau in the south and decreasing values in the eastern part of the Gangetic Plain and parts of Uttaranchal. Our results are in general agreement with the prediction from numerical models for an increase in extreme precipitation events in India given the ongoing build-up of greenhouse gases. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society
Brief Psychotherapy with Children and Their Families: The State of the Art

This paper presents a review of the literature on planned brief psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and their families. Existing models of therapy are described and categorized by their most prominent theoretical foundations and methods of intervention into psychodynamic, crisis, family systems, and guidance or educational. Available outcome data are critically discussed. Recommendations for practice are made, based on clinical experience and published research.
Optimality versus variability: effect of fatigue in multi-finger redundant tasks.

We used two methods to address two aspects of multi-finger synergies and their changes after fatigue of the index finger. Analytical inverse optimization (ANIO) was used to identify cost functions and corresponding spaces of optimal solutions over a broad range of task parameters. Analysis within the uncontrolled manifold (UCM) hypothesis was used to quantify co-variation of finger forces across repetitive trials that helped reduce variability of (stabilized) performance variables produced by all the fingers together. Subjects produced steady-state levels of total force and moment of force simultaneously as accurately as possible by pressing with the four fingers of the right hand. Both before and during fatigue, the subjects performed single trials for many force–moment combinations covering a broad range; the data were used for the ANIO analysis. Multiple trials were performed at two force–moment combinations; these data were used for analysis within the UCM hypothesis. Fatigue was induced by 1-min maximal voluntary contraction exercise by the index finger. Principal component (PC) analysis showed that the first two PCs explained over 90% of the total variance both before and during fatigue. Hence, experimental observations formed a plane in the four-dimensional finger force space both before and during fatigue conditions. Based on this finding, quadratic cost functions with linear terms were estimated from the experimental data. The dihedral angle between the plane of optimal solutions and the plane of experimental observations (D ANGLE) was very small (a few degrees); it increased during fatigue. There was an increase in fatigue of the coefficient at the quadratic term for the index finger force balanced by a drop in the coefficients for the ring and middle fingers. Within each finger pair (index–middle and ring–little), the contribution of the “central” fingers to moment production increased during fatigue. An index of antagonist moment production dropped with fatigue. Fatigue led to higher co-variation indices during pronation tasks (index finger is an agonist) but opposite effects during supination tasks. The results suggest that adaptive changes in co-variation indices that help stabilize performance may depend on the role of the fatigued element, agonist or antagonist.
Glucocorticoids increase extracellular [3H]d-aspartate overflow in hippocampal cultures during cyanide-induced ischemia

Abstract Glucocorticoids (GCs), the adrenal steroid hormones secreted during stress, exacerbae neuronal death in the hippocampus during ischemia. Since ischemic brain damage is ascribed to an elevated level of extracellular excitatory amino acids (EAAs), this study was undertaken to investigate the effect of GCs on EAA homeostasis in hippocampal cell cultures during the insult of cyanide exposure. Using d -[2,3-3H]aspartic acid ([3H] d -Asp) as a tracer, we found that corticosterone (CORT, the physiological GC in rats) increased the accumulation of extracellular [3H] d -Asp by 25% in hippocampal cultures during cyanide-induced ischemia. CORT had no effect on the release of [3H] d -Asp. Instead, analysis of [3H] d -Asp uptake kinetics indicates that CORT decreased the maximum uptake rate and the Michaelis constant by 44% and 50%, respectively, in cells treated with cyanide. It is concluded that, during cyanide-induced ischemia, CORT might enhance extracellular overflow of [3H] d -Asp by decreasing its uptake, thereby endangering neurons.
Response properties of inferior colliculus neurons in middle-aged C57BL/6J mice with presbycusis.

Abstract Extracellular recordings were obtained from inferior colliculus (IC) neurons in young (2-month) and middle-aged (7-month; 12- to 13-month) C57BL/6J mice in response to contralateral tone and noise stimuli. An age-related progressive loss of spiral ganglion cells, most pronounced near the cochlear base, was observed in the mice, accompanied by severe high frequency hearing loss manifested as elevation of neuronal thresholds, especially in the ventromedial half of the IC. There was a small age-related increase (2% to 11%) in ‘sluggish’ neurons (auditory, but poorly driven by sound); however, most neurons were well-driven by suprathreshold stimuli. Nine response types were derived from post-stimulus time histograms; they were found in all age groups with little difference in their relative incidence. The percentage of neurons that were spontaneously active increased with age in the central nucleus but not in other subnuclei. Parameters of response areas (range, upper frequency range, best frequency, and rate-best frequency) showed pronounced age differences in the ventromedial half of the IC and minimal differences in the dorsolateral half of the IC. The percentage of neurons with nonmonotonic rate-level functions decreased with age, especially in the IC dorsal cortex.
The Introductory Computer Course: Business Majors' Perceived Importance of Topics

Abstract An introductory computer information systems (CIS) course has the critical role of teaching computer information concepts to business majors. Though the importance of the course is generally acknowledged, the course is ofter perceived by students as difficult and tedious. To design the course effectively and to make it more interesting and relevant to the students, instructors may need to assess the attitudes of the students toward the course topics. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceived importance of each topic relative to the major and class level of the students. One hundred sixty-two business majors in a midwestern university participated in the survey. The study indicates that “hands-on” exercises are considered to be the most important topics in the course. The students in upper level classes rated several topics as less important than did the introductory level students.
Challenging stereotypes and changing attitudes: the effect of a brief programming encounter on adults' attitudes toward programming

Computer programming is now used broadly across many industries, with a diversity of working adults writing programs and interacting with code as part of their jobs. However, negative attitudes toward programming continue to deter many from studying computer science and pursuing careers in technology. To begin understanding adults' attitudes toward computer programming and how we can improve them, we used an educational video game to give 200 adult participants a concrete programming experience via the web, and then collected their self-reported opinions about programming. We found that adults initially had poor attitudes toward programming, believing that it was difficult, boring, and something they generally could not learn. After the online learning experience, their attitudes improved significantly, regardless of gender, population density, or level of education. These results demonstrate that adult attitudes toward programming, while initially negative, can be quickly changed with a brief, positive exposure to programming.
Probing real time gold nanostar formation process using two-photon scattering spectroscopy

Abstract We report the growth mechanisms for the formation of 40 nm star shape gold nanocrystals using real time TEM and in situ two-photon scattering technique. The overall process consists of several intermediate steps and these are: the nucleation process for the formation and accumulation of nanoseeds, Ostwald ripening process for the formation of nanoflower and intraparticle ripening process for the formation of the star sharp nanoparticles via nanocrowns. We demonstrates that the real time shape evolution of intermediate colloidal nanoparticles and their number density change can be fully accessed during the synthesis of star shaped gold nanoparticles using time dependent in situ TPS experiment.
The Emergence of Literacy in Elementary Students with Mild Mental Retardation

The present study was a year-long investigation into the emergence of literacy of 4 elementary students with mild mental retardation (mean CA = 7.8; IQ = 65). The students were immersed in a natural and authentic literacy-rich classroom environment that also incorporated the contextual use of direct skills instruction. Instructional techniques were used to enhance students' understanding of the conventions of written language, comprehension of stories read aloud by adults, word decoding, and emerging “reading” and “writing.” Results indicated that the students who participated in the study made measurable progress toward more conventional forms of literacy when involved in a stimulating, literacy-rich environment that also used direct instruction. Practical applications for classroom use are discussed.
Ion‐Exchange Purification of Proteins Using Magnetic Nanoclusters

Polymer-coated magnetic nanoclusters were used for recovery and purification of proteins from both model systems and cell-free Pichia pastoris fermentation broth. The nanoclusters exhibited extremely high capacity for proteins, up to 900 mg/mL adsorbent, and were recovered by high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) at flow rates of up to 3,600 cm 3 /cm 2 h (flow rates up to 15,000 cm 3 /cm 2 h are possible). The nanoclusters were coated with a primary coating of poly(acrylic acid-co-styrenesulfonic acid-co-vinylsulfonic acid), which allowed both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions with the protein to be used to enhance specificity for targeted products. With this dual mode separation, nearly pure protein could be recovered from complex mixtures, such as fermentation broth, in a few quick steps.
The use of a concave grating in pulsed dye laser cavities

Abstract The concept of using a concave diffraction grating for both beam expansion and spectral dispersion in a pulsed dye laser cavity is introduced. A simple, aberration free design based on a double pass Wadsworth configuration is suggested and its characteristics are discussed.
Facile Synthesis and Polymerization of Ether Substituted Methacrylates.

New difunctional methacrylate monomers containing β heteroatoms have been synthesized from α-hydroxymethylacrylate esters or α-chloromethylacryloyl chloride. These monomers are more reactive than their alkane counterparts (e.g., ethacrylates), giving polymers with molecular weights comparable to poly(itaconate)s. The simple synthetic approach described allows a wide range of difunctionalized acrylate monomers to be produced. Variations in both ester and ether substituents were explored for ease of synthesis and polymerization.
Inert gas permeation through homopolymer membranes

New data are reported for the permeation of inert gases through polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, and silicone and natural rubbers. Additional data are compiled from the literature. The relative solubilities of these gases are practically insensitive to chemical variations in the homopolymer. Hence variations in structure at the glass transition (Tg) and melting (Tm) temperatures that affect diffusion also unambiguously affect permcation. Consequently an equivalence results between permeation at a given temperature for different polymers and permeation at different temperatures for a given polymer. Although the diffusion coefficient changes continuously with temperature, the Arrhenius parameters Do and Ed apparently change discontinuously at Tg and Tm. Their magnitudes and variations with atomic weight reach maxima at about Tg. These data indicate a dependence of the classical correlation between Do and Ed on polymer properties. A perturbed diameter for the permeant, specific for each polymer, is proposed for correlating the Do and Ed data. This correlation makes the changes observed at Tg and Tm more perceptible.
Processing fluency affects subjective claims of recollection.

Previous studies that have used the remember-know paradigm to investigate subjective awareness in memory have shown that fluency manipulations have an impact on \ldknow\rd responses but not on \ldremember\rd responses (e.g., Rajaram, 1993), a finding typically accounted for by invoking inferential processing in judgments of familiarity but not of recollection. However, in light of several researchers’ criticisms of this procedure, as well as findings documenting the influence of processing fluency on various subjective judgments, the present study was conducted in order to investigate whether judgments of recollection might also be subject to inferential processes and not solely the product of conscious retrieval. When the standard remember-know procedure was used (Experiment 1), manipulations of perceptual fluency increased \ldknow\rd responses but had no effect on \ldremember\rd responses, replicating previous findings. However, when an independent ratings method was employed (Higham & Vokey, 2004), manipulations of perceptual fluency (Experiment 2) and conceptual fluency (Experiment 3) reliably increased claims of both familiarity and recollection, suggesting that the conclusion that fluency affects only \ldknow\rd responses may be an artifact of the standard remember-know procedure.
Executing Culture: Musée, Museo, Museum

Description de trois musees dont les projets n'ont pas abouti. Le Musee Regional de Cayenne aurait ete constitue d'une partie consacree aux cultures transplantees et d'une autre consacree a la Guyane d'aujourd'hui. Le Museum de Belize aurait montre Belize aujourd'hui, le peuple et l'environnement naturel, le peuple et la societe, la famille, l'education, les religions et les migrations. Le Museo de America a Madrid aurait comporte des sections sur le regard europeen et les cultures americaines au 16 eme et au 18 eme siecles, une section sur le 20 eme siecle et la communication visuelle aux Ameriques (corps, espace, destinee)
Apomorphine-evoked redistribution of neurokinin-3 receptors in dopaminergic dendrites and neuronal nuclei of the rat ventral tegmental area.

Abstract Mammalian neurokinin-3 (NK 3 ) receptors of the tachykinin family of neuropeptides have been shown to activate dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a midbrain area displaying dopaminergic dysfunctional activity in schizophrenia. The recent finding of NK 3 receptors in VTA neuronal nucleus highlights a new level of neuromodulation, in addition to the traditional tachykinin-induced NK 3 receptor internalization and activation of second messenger signaling pathways. The function of nuclear NK 3 receptors is still unknown. It is also unclear how dopaminergic activation is affecting the NK 3 receptor distribution in the VTA. In the present study, trafficking of the NK 3 receptor in somatodendritic profiles of dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic neurons of the rat VTA was investigated following acute systemic administration of the dopamine D 1 /D 2 receptor agonist apomorphine. VTA sections were dual immunolabeled for the NK 3 receptor (immunogold) and the dopamine synthesizing enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, immunoperoxidase). Electron microscopic quantifications of somatic and dendritic densities of NK 3 immunogold particles with or without TH immunolabeling were compared in vehicle-injected or apomorphine-injected rats. In dopaminergic (TH) neurons, apomorphine evoked a significant increase in NK 3 receptor densities in cytoplasmic and nuclear portions of the soma. These changes were accompanied by a respective decrease and increase in plasmalemmal and cytoplamic NK 3 receptor densities in dopaminergic dendrites. In non-TH neurons, presumably GABAergic neurons of the VTA, the NK 3 receptor densities in somata and dendrites were not significantly altered by apomorphine. The results suggest that dopaminergic receptor activation is inducing a rapid mobilization of NK 3 receptors in VTA dopaminergic neurons. The apomorphine-evoked NK 3 receptors plasticity might reflect dendritic internalization and translocation of NK 3 receptors toward the soma and nucleus. This trafficking is not observed in non-dopaminergic neurons of the VTA. The selective apomorphine-evoked redistribution of VTA NK 3 receptors might have important implications in normal or pathological conditions such as schizophrenia.
Short-Term Exercise Improves β-Cell Function and Insulin Resistance in Older People with Impaired Glucose Tolerance

Background: There is a high prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in the older population. Normal aging is associated with insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion, with greater defects in people with IGT. Short-term exercise has been found to increase insulin sensitivity, but little is known about acute exercise effects on β-cell function in older people with IGT. Methods: We assessed the effects of 7 consecutive days of supervised aerobic exercise (1 h/d at 60–70% heart rate reserve) in 12 sedentary older people with IGT. Screening included oral glucose tolerance test, stress/maximal O2 uptake test, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan. Participants had a frequently sampled iv glucose tolerance test at baseline and 15–20 h after the seventh exercise session. Insulin sensitivity (SI), glucose disappearance constant (Kg, a measure of iv glucose tolerance), acute insulin response to glucose (AIRg), and disposition index (AIRg × SI), a measure of β-cell function in relati...
Synthesis and dielectric analysis of aliphatic poly(carbonate-sulfone)s based on 1,4-bis(3-hydroxypropylsulfonyl) butane

High molecular weight aliphatic poly(carbonate-sulfone) homopolymer (PC-343) and random copolymer (PC-343-10) were synthesized from 1,4-bis(3-hydroxypropylsulfonyl)butane (Diol-343) and a 1/1 molar mixture of Diol-343 and 1,10-decanediol, respectively. As a comparison, an aliphatic polycarbonate homopolymer (PC-10) was prepared from 1,10-decanediol. While PC-10 exhibited a single melting peak during its DSC heating scan, both PC-343 and PC-343-10 exhibited multiple reproducible first-order transitions during DSC heating scans. Both PC-343 and PC-343-10 showed broad reflections in their WAXD diagrams; the crystalline order of PC-343 is higher than that of PC-343-10. Based on the DSC and WAXD results and our discovery on the liquid crystalline behavior of aliphatic poly(carbonate-sulfone)s from 1,3-bis(hydroxypropylsulfonyl)propane, we suggest PC-343 and PC-343-10 are liquid crystalline and the liquid crystalline phase formation is directed by the dipole–dipole interactions between sulfone groups. Films were obtained from these polymers by compression molding and dielectric analyses were conducted on them. One glass transition related dielectric relaxation was observed in PC-343-10. One glass transition related dielectric relaxation and one sub-glass transition related dielectric relaxation were observed in PC-343. The glass transition temperature increases with the increase of sulfone content in the polymers. A dramatic rise in dielectric constant with temperature was observed in PC-343 and PC-343-10 at low frequencies, which is probably due to the sulfone dipole interaction with the electrical field. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Genetic and physiological studies of bacteriophage T5 2. The relationship between phage DNA synthesis and protein synthesis in T5-infected cells

Abstract When Escherichia coli is infected with a mutant of T5 that does not synthesize detectable amounts of phage DNA, the three groups of protein that can be detected in a wild-type infection, namely, pre-early, early, and late, are all synthesized. Furthermore, the times of onset and cessation of their syntheses are essentially the same as in wild-type infections. It appears, therefore, that T5, unlike T-even, does not require replication of its DNA in order to induce synthesis of its late proteins.
Convertible and m-convertible matrices

In this article, we consider the calculation of the permanent of a (0, 1)-matrix using determinants. We investigate when determinants of more than one signing of the original are used to calculate the permanent and we show that non-convertible matrices require at least four different signings. Then, we loosen the restriction that the matrices used to convert the permanent are signings of the original and use this to reduce the number of determinants necessary to convert the permanent of the all 1's matrix by considering a particular partition of the set S n of permutations of {1, … , n}. Finally, we construct a sequence of maximal convertible matrices with a small number of nonzero entries, thus lowering the possible upper bound for the number of nonzero entries of such a matrix, relative to the order.
Human Mitochondrial RNA Polymerase: Evaluation of the Single-Nucleotide-Addition Cycle on Synthetic RNA/DNA Scaffolds

The human mitochondrial RNA polymerase (h-mtRNAP) serves as both the transcriptase for expression and the primase for replication of mitochondrial DNA. As such, the enzyme is of fundamental importance to cellular energy metabolism, and defects in its function may be related to human disease states. Here we describe in vitro analysis of the h-mtRNAP kinetic mechanism for single, correct nucleotide incorporation. This was made possible by the development of efficient methods for expression and purification of h-mtRNAP using a bacterial system and by utilization of assays that rely on simple, synthetic RNA/DNA scaffolds without the need for mitochondrial transcription accessory proteins. We find that h-mtRNAP accomplishes single-nucleotide incorporation by using the same core steps, including conformational change steps before and after chemistry, that are prototypical for most types of nucleic acid polymerases. The polymerase binds to scaffolds via a two-step mechanism consisting of a fast initial-encounter...
Theory of Electron-Spin Resonance in Gapless Superconductors

The transverse dynamic spin susceptibility for conduction electrons in dirty gapless superconductors, in particular, in the vortex state of type-II superconductors, is calculated. It is shown that in the gapless region the dynamic susceptibility consists of two terms, the regular term and the anomalous term. In the low-frequency region of experimental interest, the regular term reduces to the static spin susceptibility, which is determined, for example, by the Knight-shift measurement in superconductors, while the anomalous term has a pole, which is associated with a resonance of the spin of conduction electrons. The resonance linewidth ${T}_{2}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ is determined from the imaginary part of the resonance frequency. It is shown that ${T}_{2}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ behaves quite differently in the superconducting state depending on whether ${T}_{2}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ in the normal state is primarily due to the spin-orbit scattering or due to the exchange scattering from the magnetic impurities.
The character of low frequency (250-40 cm−1) raman bands from organic liquids and their comparison to far infrared absorption

Abstract The low frequency Raman scattering of 28 aromatic compounds has been measured in the liquid phase. There was found to be no correlation between the Raman scattering and the observed low frequency infrared absorption found in these liquids. Attempts to relate the Raman scattering to mass effects and dipole moments failed to show any apparent correlation. The Raman scattering and infrared absorption are interpreted as arising from the formation of a transient complex between two or more molecules. The Raman scattering arises from the symmetrical vibration or translational libration of the complex, while the low frequency infrared absorption is the direct conse- quence of a hindered rotational vibration of the molecule, in this case, the benzene ring in the complex.
Two transcription factors are necessary for iron homeostasis in a salt-dwelling archaeon

Because iron toxicity and deficiency are equally life threatening, maintaining intracellular iron levels within a narrow optimal range is critical for nearly all known organisms. However, regulatory mechanisms that establish homeostasis are not well understood in organisms that dwell in environments at the extremes of pH, temperature, and salinity. Under conditions of limited iron, the extremophile Halobacterium salinarum, a salt-loving archaeon, mounts a specific response to scavenge iron for growth. We have identified and characterized the role of two transcription factors (TFs), Idr1 and Idr2, in regulating this important response. An integrated systems analysis of TF knockout gene expression profiles and genome-wide binding locations in the presence and absence of iron has revealed that these TFs operate collaboratively to maintain iron homeostasis. In the presence of iron, Idr1 and Idr2 bind near each other at 24 loci in the genome, where they are both required to repress some genes. By contrast, Idr1 and Idr2 are both necessary to activate other genes in a putative a feed forward loop. Even at loci bound independently, the two TFs target different genes with similar functions in iron homeostasis. We discuss conserved and unique features of the Idr1-Idr2 system in the context of similar systems in organisms from other domains of life.
Role of peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation in ethanol metabolism.

Abstract The contribution of peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation to ethanol metabolism was examined in deermice hepatocytes. Addition of 1 mM oleate to hepatocytes isolated from fasted alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH)-positive deermice in the presence of 4-methylpyrazole or to hepatocytes from fasted or fed ADH-negative deermice produced only a slight and statistically not significant increase in ethanol oxidation. Lactate (10 mM), which is not a peroxisomal substrate, showed a greater effect on ethanol oxidation. There was also a lack of oleate effect on the oxidation of ethanol by hepatocytes of ADH-positive deermice. Furthermore, in ADH-negative deermice, the catalase inhibitor azide (0.1 mM) did not inhibit the increase in ethanol oxidation by oleate and lactate. The rate of oleate oxidation by hepatocytes from fasted ADH-negative deermice was much lower than that of ethanol. These results indicate that in deermice hepatocytes, peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation does not play major role in ethanol metabolism.
Size-dependent electrochemical oxidation of silver nanoparticles.

Here we quantify the electrochemical oxidation of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) as a function of size by electrostatically attaching Ag NPs synthesized by seed-mediated growth in the presence of citrate (diameter = 8 to 50 nm) to amine-functionalized indium−tin oxide coated glass electrodes (Glass/ITO), obtaining a linear sweep voltammogram from 0.1 V, where Ag0 is stable, up to 1.0 V, and observing the peak potential (Ep) for oxidation of Ag0 to Ag+. Electrostatic attachment to the organic linker presumably removes direct interactions between Ag and ITO and allows control over the total Ag coverage by altering the soaking time. This is important as both metal−electrode interactions and overall Ag coverage can affect Ep. Ep shifts positive from an average of 275 to 382 mV as the Ag NP diameter increases for a constant Ag coverage and under conditions of planar diffusion, suggesting a shift in Ep due to a thermodynamic shift in E0 for the Ag/Ag+ redox couple with size. The negative shift in Ep with decreasing Ag ...
Income incongruity, relative household income, and preterm birth in the Black Women's Health Study.

Abstract Relative income may be a better predictor of health outcomes than absolute income. We examined two measures of relative income—income incongruity and relative household income—in relation to preterm birth in a study of U.S. Black women. Income incongruity is a measure that compares the median household income of an individual's residential area with that of others who have the same level of marital status and education, but who may live in different areas. Relative household income is a measure that compares an individual's household income with the median household income of her residential area. We used data collected biennially (1997–2003) from participants in the Black Women's Health Study: 6257 singleton births were included in the income incongruity analyses and 5182 in the relative household income analyses; 15% of the births were preterm. After adjusting for confounders, we found no overall association of income incongruity or relative household income with preterm birth. For relative household income, but not for income incongruity, there was suggestive evidence that neighborhood composition modified the association with preterm birth: higher relative household income was associated with higher risk of preterm birth in neighborhoods with a high percentage of Black residents, and higher relative household income was associated with lower risk in neighborhoods with a low percentage of Black residents.
Prosody-based topic segmentation for Mandarin broadcast news

Automatic topic segmentation, separation of a discourse stream into its constituent stories or topics, is a necessary preprocessing step for applications such as information retrieval, anaphora resolution, and summarization. While significant progress has been made in this area for text sources and for English audio sources, little work has been done in automatic, acoustic feature-based segmentation of other languages. In this paper, we focus on prosody-based topic segmentation of Mandarin Chinese. As a tone language, Mandarin presents special challenges for applicability of intonation-based techniques, since the pitch contour is also used to establish lexical identity. We demonstrate that intonational cues such as reduction in pitch and intensity at topic boundaries and increase in duration and pause still provide significant contrasts in Mandarin Chinese. We also build a decision tree classifier that, based only on word and local context prosodic information without reference to term similarity, cue phrase, or sentence-level information, achieves boundary classification accuracy of 89--95.8% on a large standard test set.
Cell Damage Evaluation of Thermal Inkjet Printed Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells

Thermal inkjet printing technology has been applied successfully to cell printing. However, there are concerns that printing process may cause cell damages or death. We conducted a comprehensive study of thermal inkjet printed Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells by evaluating cell viability and apoptosis, and possible cell membrane damages. Additionally, we studied the cell concentration of bio-ink and found optimum printing of concentrations around 8 million cells per mL. Printed cell viability was 89% and only 3.5% apoptotic cells were observed after printing. Transient pores were developed in the cell membrane of printed cells. Cells were able to repair these pores within 2 h after printing. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) DNA plasmids were delivered to CHO-S cells by co-printing. The transfection efficiency is above 30%. We conclude that thermal inkjet printing technology can be used for precise cell seeding with minor effects and damages to the printed mammalian cells. The printing process causes transient pores in cell membranes, a process which has promising applications for gene and macroparticles delivery to induce the biocompatibility or growth of engineered tissues.
“We Real Cool”: Toward a Theory of Black Masculine Literacies

A BSTRA C T This article reports findings from an ethnographic study of the literacy practices of a group of 11- to 14-year-old black males who called themselves “the cool kids.” The study is framed using theories that view literacy as a social and cultural practice involving multiple sign-and-symbol systems. Two research questions guided the study: How did coolness relate to literacy among “the cool kids,” and what symbolic patterns helped to shape these relations? The findings describe how race, gender, and pop culture marked the group’s use of language and style and reveal how coolness, as a pop-cultural artifact of black manhood, contributed to the literacy practices of the young men and to the construction of their symbolic selves. These findings contribute to building a theory of black masculine literacies.
ISASS Policy Statement - Cervical Artificial Disc.

Morgan Lorio, MD, FACS, Chair, ISASS Task Force on Coding & Reimbursement The ISASS Task Force reached out to Domagoj Coric, MD to provide a timely summation on cervical disc arthroplasty given his special interest and recent IASP championship of this innovative technology to insure enhanced spine patient access. The ISASS Task Force is pleased with this step towards published ISASS societal policy and applauds Dr. Coric9s effort; if ISASS is to continue to succeed we must continually harness the voluntary talents and energies of our members with gratitude.
Anstaltspsychiatrie in der DDR: Die brandenburgischen Kliniken zwischen, 1945 und 1990 (from the series Schriftenreihe zur Medizin-Geschichte des Landes Brandenburg) by Wolfgang Rose

The historiography of psychiatry in communist East Germany has been, by and large, a highly politicized affair. “Official” (party-loyal) histories within the German Democratic Republic (GDR) were c...
Shortest paths in networks with exponentially distributed arc lengths

This paper develops methods for the exact computation of the distribution of the length of the shortest path from a given source node s to a given sink node t in a directed network in which the arc lengths are independent and exponentially distributed random variables. A continuous time Markov chain with a single absorbing state is constructed from the original network such that the time until absorption into this absorbing state starting from the initial state is equal to the length of the shortest path in the original network. It is shown that the state space of this Markov chain is the set of all minimal (s, t) cuts in the network and that its generator matrix is upper triangular. Algorithms are described for computing the distribution and moments of the length of the shortest path based on this Markov chain representation. Algorithms are also developed for computing the probability that a given (s, t) path is the shortest path in the network and for computing the conditional distribution of the length of a path given that it is the shortest (s, t) path in the network. All algorithms are numerically stable and are illustrated by several numerical examples.
W-band high efficiency InP-based power HEMT with 600 GHz f/sub max/

We have developed 0.1-/spl mu/m gate-length InAlAs-InGaAs-InP power HEMT's with record efficiency and power gain at 94 GHz. A 200 /spl mu/m gate-width device has produced 58 mW output power with 6.4 dB power gain and 33% power-added efficiency. The extrapolated f/sub max/ of 600 GHz is the highest reported to date for any transistor, and smaller, 30-/spl mu/m devices fabricated on the same wafer exhibit excellent noise figure (1.4 dB at 94 GHz), demonstrating the applicability of this technology to multifunction MMICs. >
Androgen Receptor-Independent Function of FoxA1 in Prostate Cancer Metastasis

FoxA1 (FOXA1) is a pioneering transcription factor of the androgen receptor (AR) that is indispensible for the lineage-specific gene expression of the prostate. To date, there have been conflicting reports on the role of FoxA1 in prostate cancer progression and prognosis. With recent discoveries of recurrent FoxA1 mutations in human prostate tumors, comprehensive understanding of FoxA1 function has become very important. Here, through genomic analysis, we reveal that FoxA1 regulates two distinct oncogenic processes via disparate mechanisms. FoxA1 induces cell growth requiring the AR pathway. On the other hand, FoxA1 inhibits cell motility and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through AR-independent mechanism directly opposing the action of AR signaling. Using orthotopic mouse models, we further show that FoxA1 inhibits prostate tumor metastasis in vivo. Concordant with these contradictory effects on tumor progression, FoxA1 expression is slightly upregulated in localized prostate cancer wherein cell proliferation is the main feature, but is remarkably downregulated when the disease progresses to metastatic stage for which cell motility and EMT are essential. Importantly, recently identified FoxA1 mutants have drastically attenuated ability in suppressing cell motility. Taken together, our findings illustrate an AR-independent function of FoxA1 as a metastasis inhibitor and provide a mechanism by which recurrent FoxA1 mutations contribute to prostate cancer progression.