cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The competition and coexistence of mutual and commercial banks in New England, 1870–1914

Scholars have studied the US banking systems of the late nineteenth century, but the presence and influence of mutual savings banks has largely gone unexamined. A new annual database of New England banks shows that mutual savings banks had a significant presence in the postbellum banking system. Mutual savings banks accounted for about 75 % of the region’s total bank deposits and largely avoided financial panics. The banks seemed to have complemented rather than competed with national banks. Mutual savings bank growth was correlated with agriculture and urbanization, whereas national bank growth was correlated with manufacturing. Mutual savings banks also channeled significant funds to national banks through the interbank network.
Characteristics of Precipitating Convective Systems in the South Asian Monsoon

Abstract Eight years of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) data show how convective systems of different types contribute to precipitation of the South Asian monsoon. The main factor determining the amount of precipitation coming from a specific system is its horizontal size. Convective intensity and/or number of embedded convective cells further enhance its precipitation production. The precipitation of the monsoon is concentrated in three mountainous regions: the Himalayas and coastal ranges of western India and Myanmar. Along the western Himalayas, precipitation falls mainly from small, but highly convective systems. Farther east along the foothills, systems are more stratiform. These small and medium systems form during the day, as the monsoon flow is forced upslope. Nighttime cooling leads to downslope flow and triggers medium-sized systems at lower elevations. At the mountainous western coasts of India and Myanmar, small and medium systems are present throughout the ...
Development of chiral and achiral double negative metamaterials in the THz regime

Materials that support strong, tunable magnetic and electric properties in the terahertz (THz) frequency range have a wide range of applications including sue in: security screening, medical imaging, bio-sensing, remote sensing, metrology, and spectroscopy. The main challenge in assembling metamaterials (MTM) aimed at higher frequency applications is the difficulty of the fabrication process. This is because metamaterials are composed of inclusions that are scaled down in size to operate at high frequencies. Consequently, a model of spilt-ring resonator(SRR)/wire MTM is proposed which can create a double-negative (DNG) passband approximately two and a half times higher than those of the conventional SRR/wire structures, by using the same dimensions. Increasing the size of the repeating structure will significantly improve the ease of fabrication when we deal with devices at high frequencies. In this paper, we demonstrate the theoretical design and experimental validations of DNG metamaterials in the THz regime. Furthermore, a novel structure is presented, which demonstrates not only DNG properties but also chirality. The form of handedness sensitive rotation of the polarization state and elliptization of visible light diffracted from the chiral structures are properties attractive to the optoelectronic technologies such as photonic bandgap crystals and microsculptured films.
Upstream migration rates of radio‐tagged adult Chinook salmon in riverine habitats of the Columbia River basin

Upstream migration rates were assessed for 1801 radio-tagged adult spring-summer Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha through 12 unimpounded river reaches in the Columbia River basin from 1997 to 2002. Reaches were 36 to 241 km long (mean= 130km) and included sections of the large Columbia and Snake Rivers and smaller free-flowing tributaries. Median Chinook salmon migration rates ranged from 35 km day -1 in the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Using multivariate analyses, migration date explained the most variance in Chinook salmon migration rates while river discharge, migration year and migration reach were secondary. Both within and between years, Chinook salmon migrated more rapidly as migration date increased and more slowly when discharge was high. Arrival at high elevation spawning grounds at appropriate times and increased metabolic activity and reproductive maturation may explain the greater power of migration date, relative to river discharge, in predicting migration rates of Columbia basin spring-summer Chinook salmon.
Horizontal gene transfers link a human MRSA pathogen to contagious bovine mastitis bacteria.

Background Acquisition of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance by many clinically important bacteria can be traced to horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between related or evolutionarily distant microflora. Comparative genomic analysis has become an important tool for identifying HGT DNA in emerging pathogens. We have adapted the multi-genome alignment tool EvoPrinter to facilitate discovery of HGT DNA sequences within bacterial genomes and within their mobile genetic elements. Principal Findings EvoPrinter analysis of 13 different Staphylococcus aureus genomes revealed that one of the human isolates, the hospital epidemic methicillin-resistant MRSA252 strain, uniquely shares multiple putative HGT DNA sequences with different causative agents of bovine mastitis that are not found in the other human S. aureus isolates. MRSA252 shares over 14 different DNA sequence blocks with the bovine mastitis ET3 S. aureus strain RF122, and many of the HGT DNAs encode virulence factors. EvoPrinter analysis of the MRSA252 chromosome also uncovered virulence-factor encoding HGT events with the genome of Listeria monocytogenes and a Staphylococcus saprophyticus associated plasmid. Both bacteria are also causal agents of contagious bovine mastitis. Conclusions EvoPrinter analysis reveals that the human MRSA252 strain uniquely shares multiple DNA sequence blocks with different causative agents of bovine mastitis, suggesting that HGT events may be occurring between these pathogens. These findings have important implications with regard to animal husbandry practices that inadvertently enhance the contact of human and livestock bacterial pathogens.
Robust implicit EDF: A wireless MAC protocol for collaborative real-time systems

Advances in wireless technology have brought us closer to extensive deployment of distributed real-time embedded systems connected through a wireless channel. The medium-access control (MAC) layer protocol is critical in providing a real-time guarantee. We have devised a real-time wireless MAC protocol, robust implicit earliest deadline first, or RI-EDF. Packets are transmitted according to EDF scheduling rules, offering a protocol that implicitly avoids contention. In the event of a packet loss or a node failure, every node has the opportunity to recover the schedule based on a static recovery priority, offering a protocol that is robust with no central point of failure. We demonstrate in simulations that RI-EDF provides better goodput and lower packet loss than existing protocols like 802.11 PCF and EDCF. In our implementation and distributed control test-bed, we show that RI-EDF provides better throughput than the TinyOS MAC-layer protocol. Overall, RI-EDF provides predictable temporal behavior with minimal impact on node failures, packet losses, and noise in the channel.
Hyperfine interaction, spin polarization, and spin delocalization as probes of donor-bridge-acceptor interactions in exchange-coupled biradicals.

Computations and EPR spectroscopy are used to probe the spin distribution of donor−bridge−acceptor (D−B−A) biradical complexes: TpCum,MeZn(SQ-NN) (1), TpCum,MeZn(SQ-1,4-Ph-NN) (2), TpCum,MeZn(SQ-2,5-TP-NN) (3), and TpCum,MeZn(SQ-2,5-Xyl-NN) (4) (SQ = orthosemiquinone and NN = nitronylnitroxide). These complexes are ground-state analogs of the charge-separated excited states formed in photoinduced electron transfer reactions. The intraligand magnetic exchange interaction (J) in these complexes is mediated by the bridges and has been found to stabilize the triplet ground states of 1 and 2. Detailed spectroscopic and bonding calculations have been used to elucidate the role of the bridge fragment (B) and its conformation relative to donor (SQ) and acceptor (NN) on spin density distributions. The computed results correlate well with experimental nitrogen hyperfine coupling constants.
"I am in School!": African American Male Youth in a Prison/College Hybrid Figured World

Educational programs are seen as a vehicle for improving the educational experiences and life outcomes for youthful offenders. In 1998 North Carolina started the Workplace and Community Transition Youth Offender Program (YOP). The program offers youth post-secondary educational courses. Our study examines 2007–2009 data from YOP youth participating in the program. Using students’ voices our study shows that YOP not only decreases recidivism drastically, but has a personal impact in the youth participants’ lives. YOP provides a space of change that is not prison or a traditional college. The hybrid figured world provides an opportunity for African American male youth to re/author themselves creating new hybrid identities. The youth author themselves as students versus inmates. These new identities and educational competencies have potentially long term benefits for youth offenders and for communities.
“Spheroplasts” Prepared from Euglena gracilis by Proteolysis*

SYNOPSIS. Protoplast-like, osmotically-sensitive bodies were prepared from Euglena gracilis by treatment with a crude preparation of proteolytic enzymes. These spheroplasts were free of pellicles to varying degree as viewed by phase-contrast microscopy and were more easily ruptured than were untreated controls. The spheroplasts retained D-lactate dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase activity, but with altered permeability characteristics.
The Activation of Zebrafish Sperm Cells in a Micromixer

The freshwater fish, Danio rerio (zebrafish), have become widely used as a model organism for vertebrate development, DNA mutation, and human disease studies [1]. Maintaining live colonies of the numerous developed strains of zebrafish under investigation can be prohibitively costly. As such, there is a growing need to catalog their reproductive cells and have them available on demand [2]. Thus cryopreservation of model strain gametes has become an important endeavor, where evaluation of freezing and thawing techniques is currently a bottleneck to these procedures.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Abstract 3566: Altering the expression levels of CRABPII and FABP5 by curcumin sensitizes MDA-MB231 mammary carcinoma cells to retinoic acid mediated growth suppression.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Although great progress has been made in the treatment of breast cancer, drug resistance is a major problem in breast cancer patients, promoting the need to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the disease and identify future targeted therapy. Curcumin, a hydrophobic polyphenol extracted from the plant, Curcuma Longa, has been reported to possess anti-tumorigenic properties in several different cancers. Curcumin has been widely used in combination with other therapies to enhance apoptosis and promote anti-carcinogenic activities. In this study, we explore the effect of curcumin on retinoic acid binding proteins, cellular retinoic acid binding protein II (CRABPII) and fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5). Retinoic acid (RA) can inhibit carcinoma cell growth by activating nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RAR) but enhances cell proliferation and survival by activating a different nuclear receptor, namely PPARβ/δ (peroxisome proliferator activated-protein β/δ). The hormone is either targeted to RAR by CRABPII, or delivered to PPARβ/δ by FABP5. Hence, RA exerts anticarcinogenic activities in cells that express a high CRABPII/FABP5 ratio but facilitates the growth of carcinoma cells in which this ratio is low. We investigated whether curcumin can alter the ratio of CRABPII/FABP5 and promote retinoic acid mediated growth suppression in RA resistant MDA-MB231 mammary carcinoma cells. Using quantititive real-time PCR, we report that 30 μM curcumin suppresses the mRNA level of FABP5 and PPARβ/δ, while concomitantly enhances CRABPII mRNA expression by 3-fold. Additionally, we performed western blot analysis and demonstrated that in addition to the downregulation of FABP5 mRNA,curcumin downregulates the protein expression of FABP5 by approximately 50%. Interestingly, we have observed that curcumin sensitizes MDA-MB231 cells to retinoic acid mediated growth suppression by using MTT assay. The combination of curcumin with RA suppresses mammary carcinoma growth of MDA-MB231 cells by 30-40% in comparison to curcumin alone. Thus, altering the expression level of CRABPII and FABP5 by curcumin diverts the RA signalling from the proliferative FABP5/PPARβ/δ pathway to the growth inhibitory CRABPII/RAR path and sensitizes MDA-MB231 cells to RA-mediated growth suppression. Citation Format: Padmamalini Thulasiraman, Daniel McAndrews. Altering the expression levels of CRABPII and FABP5 by curcumin sensitizes MDA-MB231 mammary carcinoma cells to retinoic acid mediated growth suppression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3566. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3566
Local heat transfer coefficients on the circumference of a tube in a gas fluidized bed

Abstract A heated horizontal heat transfer tube was installed 14.8 cm above the distributor plate in a square fluid bed measuring 30.5 × 30.5 cm. Four different Geldart B sized particle beds were used (sand of two different distributions, an abrasive and glass beads) and the bed was fluidized with cold air. The tube was instrumented with surface thermocouples around half of the tube circumference and with differential pressure ports that can be used to infer bubble presence. Numerical execution of the transient conduction equation for the tube allowed the local time-varying heat transfer coefficient to be extracted. Data confirm the presence of the stagnant zone on top of the tube associated with low superficial velocities. Auto-correlation of thermocouple data revealed bubble frequencies and the cross-correlation of thermal and pressure events confirmed the relationship between the bubbles and the heat transfer events. In keeping with the notion of a “Packet renewal” heat transfer model, the average heat transfer coefficient was found to vary in sympathy with the root-mean square amplitude of the transient heat transfer coefficient.
Self-protection against repeated low probability risks

This paper reports the results of experiments designed to test the effect of experience on preferences for self-protection against low and high probability losses. Subjects gained experience by repeatedly making choices about whether or not to invest in a protective activity and then observing the result of their choice. Half of the subjects faced a low probability risk while the other half faced a higher probability risk with the severity of loss scaled down to hold expected value constant. Protection was more common against the high probability risk. Despite receiving full information about the risks in advance, most subjects made choices in response to prior outcomes. This led to a great deal of experimentation when losses were common (the high probability risk) but very little experimentation when losses were infrequent (the low probability risk).
Helical motion of an S4 voltage sensor revealed by gating pore currents

The mechanism by which the voltage sensors of voltage-gated ion channels move gating charge during the activation process is a subject of active debate. In this issue of Channels, Gamal El-Din et al. probe the movements of the S4 voltage sensor of Shaker K+ channels through clever use of omega gating pore currents generated by paired gating-charge mutations. Their results provide strong support for a sliding helix or helical screw mechanism of gating charge movement.
Integrating Remote Sensing and Ground Methods to Estimate Evapotranspiration

Evapotranspiraton (ET) is the second largest term in the terrestrial water budget after precipitation, and ET is expected to increase with global warming. ET studies are relevant to the plant sciences because over 80% of terrestrial ET is due to transpiration by plants. Remote sensing is the only feasible means for projecting ET over large landscape units. In the past decade or so, new ground and remote sensing tools have dramatically increased our ability to measure ET at the plot scale and to scale it over larger regions. Moisture flux towers and micrometeorological stations have been deployed in numerous natural and agricultural biomes and provide continuous measurements of actual ET or potential ET with an accuracy or uncertainty of 10–30%. These measurements can be scaled to larger landscape units using remotely-sensed vegetation indices (VIs), Land Surface Temperature (LST), and other satellite data. Two types of methods have been developed. Empirical methods use time-series VIs and micrometeorologi...
Alternative approximation concepts for space frame synthesis

A structural synthesis methodology for the minimum mass design of 3-dimensionall frame-truss structures under multiple static loading conditions and subject to limits on displacements, rotations, stresses, local buckling, and element cross-sectional dimensions is presented. A variety of approximation concept options are employed to yield near optimum designs after no more than 10 structural analyses. Available options include: (A) formulation of the nonlinear mathematcal programming problem in either reciprocal section property (RSP) or cross-sectional dimension (CSD) space; (B) two alternative approximate problem structures in each design space; and (C) three distinct assumptions about element end-force variations. Fixed element, design element linking, and temporary constraint deletion features are also included. The solution of each approximate problem, in either its primal or dual form, is obtained using CONMIN, a feasible directions program. The frame-truss synthesis methodology is implemented in the COMPASS computer program and is used to solve a variety of problems. These problems were chosen so that, in addition to exercising the various approximation concepts options, the results could be compared with previously published work.
Hobbes ou la crise de l'état baroque

(1993). Hobbes ou la crise de l'etat baroque. History of European Ideas: Vol. 17, No. 6, pp. 785-786.
Describing the Brushfire Hazard in Southern California

Abstract Brushfires threaten lives, property, and natural resources in Southern California. A geographic information system (GIS) can be a powerful tool for managing the brushfire problem. As a demonstration, digital data and computer-based GIS technology were used to describe the brushfire hazards at two test sites in Southern California. For a test site near Los Angeles, California, digital landscape data describing fire history, rainfall, and topography were registered to a brush fuel type and density map produced from remote sensor data from Landsat. For a test site near Santa Barbara, California, the relationship between dry fuel weight and incoming solar radiation (insolation) was modeled using simulated insolation values derived from digital topographic data. Regression results from a small sample of fuels suggest that about 37 percent of the variation in dry fuel weights can be explained by variations in insolation and that further study using additional landscape data is warranted. Data processin...
SIMPLIFYING RADIOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS: THE UROGRAM AS A MODEL

The diagnostic yield of one and three film urograms was compared with that of complete examinations to determine whether a moderately complex examination could be simplified without loss of important diagnostic information. Although sensitivity was high (88-93%) and was not altered by increasing the complexity of the examination, the definitive disease diagnoses were more accurate with the three film rather than the one film studies. Specificity increased from 69% to 77-80% with the more complex examinations. A strategy based on terminating the examination if the single film urogram is normal with a three-film examination in positive cases might effect considerable savings, both economic and in terms of gonadal radiation dose, without serious diagnostic loss.
American Stroke Association Guideline Policies

To the Editor: Practice guidelines, particularly those originating from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, have come a very long way since the traditional GOBSAT (“good old boys sat at table”) methods of the 1980s. The …
Thermal ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma

Thermal ablation, as a form of minimally invasive therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has become an important treatment modality. Because of the limitations of surgery, the techniques of thermal ablation have become standard therapies for HCC in some situations. This article reviews 4 thermal ablation techniques-radiofrequency (RF) ablation, microwave ablation, laser ablation, and cryoablation. Each of these techniques may have a role in treating HCC, and the mechanisms, equipment, patient selection, results, and complications of each are considered. Furthermore, combined therapies consisting of thermal ablation and adjuvant chemotherapy also show promise for enhancing these techniques. Important areas of research into thermal ablation remain, including improving the ability of ablation to treat larger tumors, determining the indications for each thermal ablation modality, optimizing image guidance, and obtaining good outcome data on the efficacy of these techniques.
Availability of Vaccines for Children Providers in Texas: A County-Level Analysis

s / Annals of Epidemiology 23 (2013) 581e598 590 Results: GEE and REmodels revealedmodest protective effects of training on in-hospital mortality for colectomy (OR1⁄40.79, 95% CI 1⁄4 0.611.02), but not gastrectomy (OR1⁄40.88, 95% CI 1⁄4 0.63-1.22). However, protective effects were more pronounced for high-volume surgeons in highvolume hospitals (vs. low surgeon/hospital volume) (colectomy: OR1⁄40.55, 95% CI 1⁄4 0.47-0.65; gastrectomy: OR1⁄40.46, 95% CI 1⁄4 0.34-.61). Conclusion: Training appears to be less important than surgeon and hospital volume. These findings may have implications for surgical training programs and for regionalization of complex surgical procedures. P39. Availability of Vaccines for Children Providers in Texas: A County-Level Analysis J.M. Eberth, J. Hibbert. University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC Purpose: The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program provides vaccines recommended through the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices free of charge to children who are aged 0-18 and Medicaid-eligible, un/underinsured, or AI/AN. Ensuring equitable access to these services is a public health priority. The purpose of our study was to examine the availability of VFC providers in Texas from a spatial perspective. Methods: We obtained data on the locations of all VFC-registered providers in Texas from the TX Department of State Health Services Immunization Branch and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District in April 2011. Using ArcGIS V10.1, wemapped the locations of all the VFCregistered providers and summarized the results at the county-level. Results: Eighteen counties, mostly in the West or Northwestern part of the state, did not have a registered VFC provider. Several of these counties were spatially contiguous, representing a substantial shortage of the vaccine safety-net for portions of Texas. The range of VFC providers per county was 0549 (Mean 1⁄4 15, Median 1⁄4 5). Conclusion: Our preliminary work indicates several pockets of low availability of VFC providers in West and Northwestern Texas, but adequate availability on the whole. Future work will address the spatial accessibility of these VFC providers, accounting for both the supply and potential demand
Functional properties of individual neuronal branches isolated in situ by laser photoinactivation

The functional properties of an isolated dendritic branch of an identified sensory interneuron in the cricket were studied. The branch responded to wind stimuli directed at the animal and displayed a distinct directional sensitivity to those stimuli. A technique was used that allows a neuron to be specifically lesioned in a semi-intact preparation during intracellular recording. Lesioning was achieved by dye-sensitized photoinactivation with a laser epi-illumination stereomicroscope.
Evolving insights regarding mechanisms for the inhibition of insulin release by norepinephrine and heterotrimeric G proteins

Norepinephrine has for many years been known to have three major effects on the pancreatic β-cell which lead to the inhibition of insulin release. These are activation of K(+) channels to hyperpolarize the cell and prevent the gating of voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels that increase intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) and trigger release; inhibition of adenylyl cyclases, thus preventing the augmentation of stimulated insulin release by cyclic AMP; and a "distal" effect that occurs downstream of increased [Ca(2+)](i) to inhibit exocytosis. All three are mediated by the pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive heterotrimeric Gi and Go proteins. The distal inhibitory effect on exocytosis is now known to be due to the binding of G protein βγ subunits to the synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) on the soluble NSF attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex. Recent studies have uncovered two more actions of norepinephrine on the β-cell: 1) retardation of the refilling of the readily releasable granule pool after it has been discharged, an action that is mediated by Gαi(1) and/or Gαi(2); and 2) inhibition of endocytosis that is mediated by Gz. Of importance also are new findings that Gαo regulates the number of docked granules in the β-cell, and that Gαo(2) maintains a tonic inhibitory influence on secretion. The latter provides another explanation as to why PTX, which blocks the effect of Gαo(2), was initially called "islet activating protein." Finally, there is clear evidence that overexpression of α(2A)-adrenergic receptors in β-cells can cause type 2 diabetes.
Modified system in vitro for the metabolism of 2-acetylaminofluorene.

Abstract The development of a modified system in vitro for the metabolism of 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) is described. The system depends upon utilization of an NADPH-generating system, low amounts of microsomal protein and substrate, and utilization of N -2-hydroxyethylpiperazine- N -2 ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffer. With these modifications, metabolism of 2-AAF in vitro was found to be linear with time and at 30 min formation of N -hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH-2-AAF) represented 30 per cent or greater of the 2-AAF added originally. Differences in 2-AAF metabolism were determined in mice fed different diets. Using this system in vitro , mice on Purina chow metabolized, in vitro , 30 per cent more of the added 2-AAF to N-OH-2-AAF than mice receiving a synthetic diet. Data on the effects of protein concentration, perfusion and sources of NADPH are presented. The modified system is discussed also with respect to its differences from previous 2-AAF systems in vitro .
Calcineurin Inhibition at the Clinical Phase of Prion Disease Reduces Neurodegeneration, Improves Behavioral Alterations and Increases Animal Survival

Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by a long pre-symptomatic phase followed by rapid and progressive clinical phase. Although rare in humans, the unconventional infectious nature of the disease raises the potential for an epidemic. Unfortunately, no treatment is currently available. The hallmark event in prion diseases is the accumulation of a misfolded and infectious form of the prion protein (PrPSc). Previous reports have shown that PrPSc induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and changes in calcium homeostasis in the brain of affected individuals. In this study we show that the calcium-dependent phosphatase Calcineurin (CaN) is hyperactivated both in vitro and in vivo as a result of PrPSc formation. CaN activation mediates prion-induced neurodegeneration, suggesting that inhibition of this phosphatase could be a target for therapy. To test this hypothesis, prion infected wild type mice were treated intra-peritoneally with the CaN inhibitor FK506 at the clinical phase of the disease. Treated animals exhibited reduced severity of the clinical abnormalities and increased survival time compared to vehicle treated controls. Treatment also led to a significant increase in the brain levels of the CaN downstream targets pCREB and pBAD, which paralleled the decrease of CaN activity. Importantly, we observed a lower degree of neurodegeneration in animals treated with the drug as revealed by a higher number of neurons and a lower quantity of degenerating nerve cells. These changes were not dependent on PrPSc formation, since the protein accumulated in the brain to the same levels as in the untreated mice. Our findings contribute to an understanding of the mechanism of neurodegeneration in prion diseases and more importantly may provide a novel strategy for therapy that is beneficial at the clinical phase of the disease.
The role of sulfhydryl groups in oxidative phosphorylation and ion transport by rat liver mitochondria

Abstract The influence of the sulfhydryl reagent 5,5′-dithio-bis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DNTB) on metabolism of liver mitochondria was studied under different experimental conditions. 1. 1. DTNB prevented the stimulation of respiration produced by ADP and inorganic phosphate in the presence of glutamate or succinate but had little effect on 2,4-dinitrophenol-stimulated respiration. 2. 2. The formation of ATP from ADP and phosphate was depressed by DTNB. The inhibition could be reversed by dithiothreitol. 3. 3. The increase in mitochondrial oxygen uptake produced by calcium and phosphate was depressed by DTNB. 4. 4. The uptake of calcium by mitochondria in the presence of ATP and glumate was only partially inhibited by DTNB. In contrast, the stimulatory effect of inorganic phosphate on calcium transport was completely prevented. 5. 5. In the presence of glutamate and no added ATP the uptake of calcium was associated with an entrance of phosphate. DTNB almost abolished the uptake of phosphate and inhibited calcium uptake by about 60%. The decrease in calcium uptake produced by DTNB was equal, mole for mole, to the decrease in phosphate uptake. 6. 6. DTNB completely prevented the extrusion of calcium exhibited by calcium-loaded mitochondria incubated in the presence of inorganic phosphate and a low concentration of magnesium. 7. 7. N-Ethylmaleimide had effects similar to DTNB but in addition severely inhibited 2,4-dinitrophenol-stimulated respiration with glutamate as substrate. 8. 8. It was concluded that a reactive site involving a sulfhydryl group is intimately involved in either the entrance of inorganic phosphate into the mitochondrion or in the formation of a phosphorylated intermediate essential for oxidative phosphorylation and ion transport.
Metabolic alkalosis in cystic fibrosis.

Twin infants with cystic fibrosis presented at age 4 months with failure to thriev,unaccompanied by pulmonary or gastrointestinal abnormalities. Studies revealed a persistent metabolic alkalosis which probably resulted from excessive loss of sodium and chloride in the sweat, as well as from the ingestion of a diet low in these elements. It is suggested that the renal response to hypochloremia and decreased sodium intake was the generation of bicarbonate by the renal tubular cells, with a resultant metabolic alkalosis. The metabolic alkalosis was corrected by the oral administration of sodium chloride.
Quantifying freshwater sustainability through multiscale mapping

We agree with Kanivetsky and Shmagin (Eos, 86(50) 2005) that better accounting of flows comprising the hydrologic cycle is needed and that better quantification of recharge (into groundwater) and discharge (i.e.,streamflow) is important from human and environmental perspectives. However, because these authors promote their approach as being useful in assessing “sustainability” we feel compelled to offer words of caution about its applicability. The authors suggest that the ratio of renewable water supply to water use by humans and the environment is a “key indicator” of sustainability. We think that these authors got it half right. The ratio described above is a useful indicator because it quantifies how much strain a natural system may be experiencing. However, all ecosystem water is not equivalent. The river science literature strongly indicates the need for the full range of natural intra-annual and interannual variation of river flows, along with associated characteristics of timing, duration, frequency, and rate of change, to sustain the biotic integrity of aquatic ecosystems [Postel and Richter, 2003]. In this context, only when an adequate assessment of ecosystem needs is performed and compared to net water availability after subtracting human uses will we know if we are truly managing for sustainability.
Design and experimental characteristics of strained In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As/In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As (x>0.53) HEMTs

Strained In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/ As/In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As (x>0.53) HEMTs (high electron mobility transistors) are studied theoretically and experimentally. A device design procedure is reported that is based on band structure and charge control self-consistent calculations. It predicts the sheet carrier density and electron confinement as a function of doping and thickness of layers. The DC performance at 300 K is presented. Wafer statistics demonstrate improvement of device characteristics with excess indium in the channel (g/sub m,/ /sub intr/=500 and 700 mS/mm for x=0.60 and 0.65). Microwave characterization shows the f/sub T/ improvement (f/sub T/=40 and 45 GHz for x=0.60 and 0.65, respectively) and the R/sub ds/ limitations of the 1- mu m-long-gate HEMTs. >
Mechanisms involved in cataract development following near-ultraviolet radiation of cultured lenses.

Cultured rabbit lenses were irradiated with UV (311 nm peak; 295-340 nm) for 30 to 60 min. The entire spectrum lies in the near-UV, the major ccnponent is UVB, with a minor portion (25%) of UVA, and is henceforth referred to as near-UV(B). Posterior irradiation caused no cataract and no significant ionic imbalances compared to anterior irradiation, which caused opacification and marked changes in sodium and calcium concentrations. Anterior irradiation also resulted in reduced Na/K-ATPase activity in the epithelium. ATPase activity was not immediately inhibited; rather, only after culture was enzyme activity reduced.The concentration of reduced glutathione (GSH) decreased rapidly in the epithelium and more slowly in the underlying lens fibers. Doss of GSH was more rapid and extensive when irradiation occurred in the presence of oxygen. Irradiation under anaerobic conditions resulted in opacification but was considerably less extensive than when irradiation of lenses occurred in the presence of 7% oxygen. N...
Analysis of Timing Failures Due to Random AC Defects in VLSI Modules

This paper presents an analytical model for projecting the yield loss due to random delay defects for modules or VLSI packages containing multiple semiconductor chips. A module to be analyzed is characterized by distribution of path delays. Statistical analysis is applied to obtain the distribution of delays caused by defects in logic circuits of LSI chips. The model uses these two distributions to calculate the probability that a module contains a path that does not meet the system timing requirements. All inputs to the model can be obtained much earlier than the availability of modules for actual testing. Therefore expected module yield loss due to delay defects can be projected before the modules are actually manufactured.
Directional selection and the evolution of breeding date in birds

In many bird species, those pairs that breed earlier in the season have higher reproductive success than those that breed later. Since breeding date is known to be heritable, it is unclear why it does not evolve to an earlier time. Under assumptions outlined by Fisher, a model is developed that shows how breeding date may have considerable additive genetic variance, appear to be under directional selection, and yet not evolve. These results provide a general explanation for a persistent correlation of fitness with a variety of traits in natural populations.
Patterns of End-of-Life Care in Children With Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies Enrolled on a Palliative Care Service.

Abstract Context Pediatric patients with solid tumors can have a significant symptom burden that impacts quality of life (QoL) and end-of-life care needs. Objectives We evaluated outcomes and symptoms in children with solid tumors and compared patterns of end-of-life care after implementation of a dedicated institutional pediatric palliative care (PC) service. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of children with solid tumors treated at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, before and after implementation of the institutional QoL/PC service in January 2007. Patients who died between July 2001 and February 2005 (historical cohort; n = 134) were compared with those who died between January 2007 and January 2012 (QoL/PC cohort; n = 57). Results Median time to first QoL/PC consultation was 17.2 months (range 9–33). At consultation, 60% of children were not receiving or discontinued cancer-directed therapy. Within the QoL/PC cohort, 54 patients had documented symptoms, 94% required intervention for ≥3 symptoms, and 76% received intervention for ≥5 symptoms. Eighty-three percent achieved their preferred place of death. Compared with the historical cohort, the QoL/PC cohort had more end-of-life discussions per patient (median 12 vs. 3; P Conclusion Although children with solid tumor malignancies may have significant symptom burden toward the end of life, positive changes were documented in communication and in places of care and death after implementation of a pediatric PC service.
A general method of polymerase-chain-reaction-enabled protein domain mutagenesis: construction of a human protein S-osteonectin gene.

Abstract Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was employed to construct a mosaic gene consisting of the propeptide region of protein S and the glutamic acid-rich domain of osteonectin. The strategy is straightforward, results in large amounts of material, and is universally applicable for the generation of protein domain chimeras. In some cases 10% dimethyl sulfoxide aided the amplification. Four base CCGC “clamp” sequences adjacent to Bam HI restriction sites at the ends of the PCR products were used to enhance the ligation of products. A hybrid inverse complement oligonucleotide primer composed of sequences containing 20 nucleotides of protein S and 16 nucleotides of osteonectin was used in the first round of PCR. An additional osteonectin sequence was added to the initial amplified product by performing PCR using a second “boot-strap” primer containing 18 nucleotides of osteonectin. Primers used to amplify osteonectin encompassed the 146-amino-acid NH 2 -terminal half of osteonectin. The double-stranded first-round fragments of protein S-osteonectin and osteonectin were subsequently mixed together and one elongation cycle of PCR was performed. Annealing occurred as the result of the 34-base-pair overlap region composed of osteonectin sequence. Taq polymerase was used for elongation with subsequent recombinant DNA synthesis. After elongation, external primers were added to amplify the protein S-osteonectin gene construct. The protocol we have developed allows noncoding and coding segments of DNA to be linked, GC-rich areas of DNA to be amplified, hybridization temperatures to be increased, annealing times to be reduced, and PCR of products to be subcloned.
Host-seeking behavior in the autogenous mosquito Aedes atropalpus

Abstract The absence of host-seeking behavior during the first gonotrophic cycle in Aedes atropalpus is not due to hemolymph-borne factors. The removal of all developing eggs from nulliparous, gravid individuals by ovariectomy did not result in host-seeking. Furthermore, hemolymph transfers from non-host-seeking, nulliparous, gravid females into host-seeking, parous, non-gravid females did not inhibit host-seeking in the recipients. Circumstantial evidence supports the hypothesis that distention inhibits host-seeking during the first gonotrophic cycle in this species. Host-seeking can only be elicited after oviposition of the first egg clutch. Although the frequency of sugar feeding is high, particularly in the parous, non-gravid population, host-seeking is not correlated with the presence of sugar in the crop. Host-seeking and non-host-seeking individuals were equally likely to have recently fed on sugar. The control of host-seeking behavior during the first gonotrophic cycle in Ae. atropalpus is thus very different from that in the anautogenous mosquito Aedes aegypti, in which host-seeking is inhibited by hemolymph-borne factors associated with egg development.
Measuring human-error probabilities in drug preparation: a pilot simulation study

Designing a safe medication process requires the ability to model its reliability using methods such as probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). However, lack of data, especially on human-error probabilities (HEPs), limits its use. To assess whether small-scale simulations could help generate HEP data, a pilot study was conducted among nurses and anaesthetists. It focused on two core activities, namely, the manual preparation of medications and the arithmetic necessary to prepare drugs. Its specific objectives were to evaluate whether HEPs could be high enough to be measurable and to determine whether these HEPs could be sensitive to individuals and task details. These would give some insight into the level of detail required by PRA analysis. Thirty nurse and 28 anaesthetist volunteers were involved in the experiment. Nurses and anaesthetists had to prepare medications for 20 patients and 22 syringes of various drugs, respectively. Both groups had to perform 22 calculations relating to the preparation of drugs. HEPs, distribution of HEPs and dependency of HEPs on individuals and task details were assessed. In the preparation tasks, overall HEP was 3.0% for nurses and 6.5% for anaesthetists. In the arithmetic tasks, overall HEP was 23.8% for nurses and 8.9% for anaesthetists. A statistically significant difference was noted between the two groups. In both preparation and arithmetic tasks, HEPs were dependent on individual nurses but not on individual anaesthetists. In every instance, HEPs were dependent on task details. Our study illustrates that small-scale simulations represent an interesting way of generating HEPs. HEPs are, indeed, in the range of 10−2 and 10−1. But in most cases, HEPs depend heavily on operators and task details. This dependency means that the influence of these parameters must be determined before advanced PRA analysis. There is therefore an urgent need to develop experimental research into assessing this influence by means of randomised controlled trials.
Local properties of the magnetic field in a snowflake divertor

The power-law series for the poloidal magnetic flux function, up to the third-order terms, is presented for the case where two nulls of the poloidal magnetic field are separated by a small distance, as in a snowflake divertor. Distinct from the earlier results, no assumptions about the field symmetry are made. Conditions for the realization of an exact snowflake are expressed in terms of the coefficients of the power series. It is shown that, by a proper choice of the coordinate frame in the poloidal plane, one can obtain efficient similarity solutions for the separatrices and flux surfaces in the divertor region: the whole variety of flux surface shapes can be characterized by a single dimensionless parameter. Transition from a snowflake-minus to a snowflake-plus configuration in the case of no particular symmetry is described. The effect of the finite toroidal current density in the divertor region is assessed for the case of no particular symmetry.
Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF): studies in alcohol preferring and non-preferring rats.

Electroencephalographic (EEG) responses to corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) as well as CRF concentrations in several brain regions were measured in two lines of rats which have been genetically selected for alcohol preferring (P) or non-preferring (NP) behaviors. Fifteen rats were implanted with chronic electrodes and EEG spectra were evaluated following intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of CRF (0.15 nmol) or saline. P rats demonstrated a significantly increased EEG response to CRF in the theta frequency range (ANOVA: PREF × DRUG 4–6 Hz,P<0.03; 6–8 Hz,P<0.05) in frontal cortex. A significantly lower concentration of CRF was found in the P rats in hypothalamus (P<0.02), amygdala (P<0.003), prefrontal cortex (P<0.01), and cingulate cortex (P<0.02). The finding that P rats had an increased response to exogenously administered CRF, taken together with decreased CRF concentrations, suggests that CRF receptors may be up-regulated in these animals. Differences in the regulation of CRF neurons may contribute to the expression of behavioral preference for ethanol consumption in these rat lines.
Image-guided radiosurgery of head and neck cancers.

OBJECTIVES: Radiosurgery precisely delivers a single high dose or a few fractionated doses of radiation to a localized tumor via the stereotactic approach. Some head and neck sites are suitable for radiosurgery since there is minimal or no organ motion. The clinical studies were carried out to determine the accuracy of stereotactic radiosurgery and to demonstrate the effectiveness of radiosurgery in head and neck cancers.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients were treated with either single-dose or fractionated radio-surgery to the tumor. All patients except one with cancer of the lip had received prior treatments including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy for the primary cancers. The dose ranged 12 to 18 Gy for single-dose radiosurgery and 30 Gy in 5 or 6 fractions twice a week for fractionated radiosurgery. Tumor localization was achieved via the stereotactic approach.RESULTS: Accuracy of radiosurgery was within 1.5 mm. Despite the recurrent disease from previous heavy treatments, 9 patients (7...