cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calcitonin gene-related peptide stimulates intracellular cAMP via a protein kinase C-controlled mechanism in human ocular ciliary epithelial cells.

Abstract Calcitonin gene-related peptides I and II (CGRP I and II) were found to stimulate cAMP levels by ∼4–6 fold in human nonpigmented ciliary epithelial cells with half-maximal effective concentrations of 20×10 10 and 3×10 −10 M, respectively. Prior exposure of cells to 6×10 −7 M phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate for 15 min resulted in a 40–50% inhibition of CGRP II-dependent cAMP stimulation. Phorbol didecanoate and dioctanyolglycerol also effectively inhibited, whereas 4c phorbol didecanoate, an ineffective activator of protein kinase C, had no effect. Staurosporine, a protein kinase C inhibitor, blocked the inhibition of cAMP formation by phorbol esters. cAMP stimulation by forskolin or cholera toxin was not inhibited by phorbol esters, suggesting that neither a GS protein nor adenylyl cyclase is the site of inhibition by protein kinase C. These data therefore suggest that CGRP receptors are required for inhibition of adenylate cyclase by protein kinase C.
Empathy in electrodermal responsive and nonresponsive patients with schizophrenia

Skin conductance response (SCR) to emotion-evoking stimuli has in previous studies suggested the existence of two subgroups of schizophrenia patients. One is characterized by absent SCR and the other by heightened or non-habituating SCR. These subgroups have also been shown to differ in symptoms, prognosis and social integration. The present project compared social cognition in the two subgroups. SCR from 28 patients with schizophrenia and 24 matched healthy controls was measured while they watched emotion-evoking and neutral video tapes. Assessments of symptoms, neurocognition, social cognition, and social function were also performed. Event related potentials (ERP) were recorded in response to pictures of people experiencing pain or not. Subjects were divided into “SCR non-responder” and “SCR responder” groups based on SCR frequency. Schizophrenia SCR responders had significantly higher self-reported personal distress in response to others in distress and lower P300 ERP responses to others in pain than schizophrenia SCR non-responders and healthy controls. SCR responsiveness is a potential marker of subgroups of patients with schizophrenia that differ in pathophysiology, function and prognosis.
Establishment and Maintenance of Socially Learned Conditioned Reinforcement in Young Children: Elimination of the Role of Adults and View of Peers' Faces.

Prior research has demonstrated the establishment of reinforcers for learning and maintenance with young children as a function of social learning where a peer and an adult experimenter were present. The presence of an adult experimenter was eliminated in the present study to test if the effect produced in the prior studies would occur with only the peers present. Neutral stimuli, metal washers, were first demonstrated not to reinforce maintenance of responding nor learning compared to primary reinforcers determined by pre-intervention functional analyses with three 4-year-old children with slight language delays. In the intervention, washers were delivered mechanically to a peer confederate in the participants’ view as the participants and peers completed a performance task side by side. For several brief sessions, peers received washers via an opaque chute into a transparent plastic cup on the desk in view of the participants for responding, while participants, who also responded, did not receive washers. After the target students demonstrated extinction or criterion for termination of the procedure was reached, we returned to pre-intervention assessments, and participants responded equally under washer and primary reinforcers with effects comparable to prior experiments where the experimenter was present. Washers also maintained reinforcement effects 6 to 10 weeks later in classroom instruction.
Enterohepatic circulation and biliary secretion of 5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy[14C]carbaryl glucuronide in the rat

Abstract Intestinal absorption (enterohepatic circulation) and biliary secretion of 14 C from a metabolite of carbaryl isolated from rat bile, 5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy[ 14 C]carbaryl glucuronide, and its aglycone were observed: Lincomycin and kanamycin sulfate were also given to rats to determine the effect of an altered intestinal microflora on the above processes. Net absorption of 14 C from the glucuronide occurred in the small intestine and cecum of control rats (68.5%); 10% of the infused 14 C was secreted in the bile. Antibiotic treatment affected the site of absorption and the biliary secretion of 14 C from the glucuronide since net 14 C absorption occurred only in the small intestine of antibiotic-treated rats (32.5%) and biliary secretion accounted for less than 1% of the infused 14 C. The site of absorption of 14 C from the aglycone and biliary secretion of 14 C (17%, control rats; 14%, antibiotic-treated rats) were not affected by antibiotic treatment. Carbon-14 from the aglycone was absorbed primarily in the small intestine (89.3%, control rats; 84.2%, antibiotic-treated rats). The results indicate that the intestinal microflora influence the enterohepatic circulation and biliary secretion of the glucuronic acid conjugate of 5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxycarbaryl.
Alterations in gastric secretion of rats induced by a potassium deficient diet.

SummaryThe concentration of free HCl was found to be significantly decreased in the gastric juice of rats eating a potassium deficient diet. Total 4-hour secretion of free HCl, chloride, potassium, magnesium and pepsin was also significantly decreased but secretion rates of phosphorus, sodium and calcium were not altered.
A biodegradable composite scaffold for cell transplantation.

Abstract Cell transplantation is rapidly becoming a therapeutic option to treat disease and injury. However, standard techniques for cell seeding on non-woven polymer meshes or within gels may not be suitable for immediate implantation or surgical manipulations of freshly isolated cells. Therefore, a biodegradable composite system was developed as a way to rapidly entrap cells within a support of predefined shape to potentially facilitate cell delivery into a target site (e.g. meniscal tears in the avascular zone). The composite construct consisted of freshly isolated cells, in this case pig chondrocytes, entrapped in a fibrin gel phase and dispersed throughout the void volume of a polyglycolic acid (PGA) non-woven mesh. Composites were cultured for up to 4 weeks. In vitro degradation of fibrin gel was evaluated via gel-entrapped urokinase. At 28 days in culture, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content per cell in the composite scaffolds was 2.6 times that of the PGA-only cell construct group and 88% that of native pig cartilage. Total collagen content per cell in the composite scaffolds was not significantly different from the PGA-only cell construct group ( P >0.02) and represented 40% of the value determined for native cartilage. Varying the concentration of entrapped urokinase could effect controlled degradation of fibrin gel.
Two Roadmaps, One Destination: The Economic Progress Paradigm in Teacher Education Accountability in Georgia and Missouri

The current accountability conversation in teacher education is the direct result of the policy paradigms that shape our understandings of schooling and reform. The authors present cases from Georgia and Missouri illustrating how these policy paradigms have resulted in outcomes-based accountability initiatives for teacher education. Specifically, the authors discuss the procedures these states are using to connect P–12 teacher performance with teacher preparation programs. The authors conclude that the impact of these reform initiatives have the potential to turn teacher education into an individualistic, economic good.
A Simple Transposition Procedure for Complicated Strabismus

We combined a recession or resection of recti muscles with a vertical or horizontal transposition to correct a complicated paralytic ocular deviation in eight patients. The transposed muscles were reattached to the globe parallel to the spiral of Tillaux and adjacent to the paralyzed muscle. Postoperatively, seven patients demonstrated fusion in the primary position or required a slight head turn to fuse. There were no surgical complications, and no patient developed symptomatic cyclotropia, diplopia, or anterior segment ischemia.
Online Government Resources for Financial Literacy

Freely accessible federal government websites provide children, parents, educators, young adults, adults, and seniors—even non-native English speakers—a wealth of information on financial topics as diverse as saving, budgeting, credit, paying for college, investing, purchasing a home, and end-of-life financial decisions. Libraries of all kinds could collaborate with a variety of community leaders and groups to educate their respective constituents in making informed financial decisions. This article presents and describes some of the many federal websites of use over a typical person's lifetime and offers suggestions for promoting these sources to various audiences.
Host participation in bacteriophage lambda head assembly.

Abstract Mutants of Escherichia coli , called groE , specifically block assembly of bacteriophage λ heads. When groE bacteria are infected by wild type λ, phage adsorption, DNA injection and replication, tail assembly, and cell lysis are all normal. No active heads are formed, however, and head related “monsters” are seen in lysates. These monsters are similar to the structures seen on infection of wild-type cells by phage defective in genes B or C . We have isolated mutants of λ which can overcome the block in groE hosts and have mapped these mutants. All groE mutations can be compensated for by mutation of phage gene E (hence the name groE ). Gene E codes for the major structural subunit of the phage head. Some groE mutants, called groE B, can be compensated by mutation in either gene E or in gene B . Gene B is another head gene. During normal head assembly the protein encoded by phage head gene B or C appears to be converted to a lower molecular weight form, h3, which is found in phage. The appearance of h3 protein in fast sedimenting head related structures requires the host groE function. We suggest that the proteins encoded by phage genes E , B and C , and the bacterial component defined by groE mutations act together at an early stage in head assembly.
Implicit Arguments in Sentence Processing

Abstract Some arguments of verbs appear to be represented semantically even when they are not expressed in a sentence. We investigated a particular example of this phenomenon, short verbal passives (e.g., The game show′s wheel was spun ), where intuition suggests that our understanding includes an implicit agent (e.g., the agent of the spinning event). In order to test the hypothesis that an implicit agent was present in short passives, short passive, full passive, active declarative and intransitive clauses were followed by rationale clauses (e.g., ... to win a prize and lots of cash ), which are only felicitous when the clause that they modify provides an agent. In a word-by-word, stop-making-sense task, rationale clauses were difficult to process after intransitives only when the subject noun phrase was not a good agent for the event in the rationale clause (Experiment 1). Rationale clauses following short passives with the same explicit propositional content (i.e., the same subject and main verb) as intransitives with poor agents were considerably easier (Experiment 2). Moreover, rationale clauses were no more difficult to process after short passives than after full passive or active clauses that provided a semantically appropriate agent for the rationale clause (Experiment 3). Experiment 4 demonstrated that the stop-making-sense task was sensitive to small differences among simple bridging inferences. The results are interpreted as evidence that implicit agents are routinely encoded.
Expression of cathepsin G-like and α1-antichymotrypsin-like proteins in reactive astrocytes

The central nervous system (CNS) of many different species responds to diverse neurologic injuries with an activation of astrocytes. Yet, the exact function of this reactive astrocytosis is unknown. In this report, mouse astrocytes were activated in vivo by focal penetrating brain injury. Reactive astrocytes were stained with antibodies raised against the serine protease cathepsin G (cat.G), the serine protease inhibitor α1-antichymotrypsin (ACT), or the astrocytic marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Reactive astrocytes expressing both cat.G-like and ACT-like antigens were found around cerebral would margins between 18 h and 13 days after neural lesions. The injury-induced immunostaining was unaltered by 900 rads of total body irradiation, suggesting that the astroglial reaction was relatively independent of bone marrow-derived cells. The in vivo immunostaining was complemented with biochemical assays on cultured primary astrocytes. A synthetic peptide was used as a substrate in combination with specific inhibitors to identify a proteolytic activity within astroglial lysates and culture supernatants that closely resembles cat.G. This activity increased substantially upon stimulation of astrocytes with dibutyryl cyclic AMP and was neutralized by antibodies raised against cat.G. In a separate report, it was shown that astrocytes also contain an ACT-like inhibitory activity38. The production of ACT- and cat.G-like antigens and activities by activated astrocytes should allow these cells to participate in a number of important biologic processes. Many of these processes may benefit the CNS by assisting in early wound repair. However, astroglial proteases and their inhibitors could also contribute to the pathogenesis of certain neurologic diseases.
Aptorchis glandularis N. Sp. (Digenea: Plagiorchioidea) From the Northwestern Red-Faced Turtle, Emydura australis, (Pleurodira: Chelidae) in the Kimberley, Western Australia

Aptorchis glandularis n. sp. is described from the intestine of the northwestern red-faced turtle, Emydura australis (Pleurodira: Chelidae), in the Kimberley, Western Australia. This digenean is morphologically most similar to Aptorchis aequalis but can be differentiated readily from the latter species by the presence of ventral glands arranged in 3 rows. This feature is unique among plagiorhioidean digeneans and resembles the glands observed in some monostome digeneans in Notocotylidae and Microscaphidiidae. Comparison of approximately 2,600 bases of ribosomal DNA (partial 18S, complete ITS1+5.8S+ITS2, partial 28S), obtained from all 5 known Aptorchis species, strongly supports the status of Aptorchis glandularis n. sp. as a new species. Phylogenetic analysis of these sequence data demonstrates 2 strongly supported clades (A. pearsoni + A. megacetabulus) and (A. aequalis + A. glandularis n. sp.), with A. megapharynx representing a separate lineage. This is the first report of an endoparasite from Emydura...
How Much Is Too Much?: Exploring Life Cycle Assessment Information in Environmental Marketing Communication

The communication of corporate environmental messages has a history of mixed results, at best. We emphasize in this article the complexities asso ciated with environmental information and its subsequent communication, and explore the concepts of process credibility, temporal relevance, and noise as potential impediments to environmental communication perfor mance. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) information is presented as holding some promise by which improved communication effectiveness of environ mental/sustainable claims may materialize. Following the scandals of Enron, Tyco, Adelphia, HealthSouth and others, an increasing emphasis has been placed on corporate accountability, meaningful disclosure, and transparency in reporting. While these issues are often discussed in a financial context, they also pertain to the environ mental and social performance of companies. Both public and private organizations have begun to recognize environmental communication as an important management tool that can assist in establishing and maintaining good relations with stakeholder groups.
ADJUSTMENT OF RATES USING MULTIPLICATIVE MODELS

By the conception of an underlying multiplicative model for cross-classified data, a statistical method for the adjustment of rates is suggested. This method rests upon the multiplicative definition of interaction in cross-classifications and can lead to results different from those obtained from the more usual methods (e.g., Kitagawa, 1964). Comparisons with alternative approaches are made, and illustrative applications to data are provided.
The G Protein-Coupled Taste Receptor T1R1/T1R3 Regulates mTORC1 and Autophagy

Cells continually assess their energy and nutrient state to maintain growth and survival and engage necessary homeostatic mechanisms. Cell-autonomous responses to the fed state require the surveillance of the availability of amino acids and other nutrients. The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) integrates information on nutrient and amino acid availability to support protein synthesis and cell growth. We identify the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) T1R1/T1R3 as a direct sensor of the fed state and amino acid availability. Knocking down this receptor, which is found in most tissues, reduces the ability of amino acids to signal to mTORC1. Interfering with this receptor alters localization of mTORC1, downregulates expression of pathway inhibitors, upregulates key amino acid transporters, blocks translation initiation, and induces autophagy. These findings reveal a mechanism for communicating amino acid availability through a GPCR to mTORC1 in mammals.
A Novel NF-κB-inducing Kinase-MAPK Signaling Pathway Up-regulates NF-κB Activity in Melanoma Cells

Constitutive activation of NF-kappa B is an emerging hallmark of various types of tumors including breast, colon, pancreatic, ovarian, and melanoma. In melanoma cells, the basal expression of the CXC chemokine, CXCL1, is constitutively up-regulated. This up-regulation can be attributed in part to constitutive activation of NF-kappa B. Previous studies have shown an elevated basal I kappa B kinase (IKK) activity in Hs294T melanoma cells, which leads to an increased rate of I kappa B phosphorylation and degradation. This increase in I kappa B-alpha phosphorylation and degradation leads to an approximately 19-fold higher nuclear localization of NF-kappa B. However, the upstream IKK kinase activity is up-regulated by only about 2-fold and cannot account for the observed increase in NF-kappa B activity. We now demonstrate that NF-kappa B-inducing kinase (NIK) is highly expressed in melanoma cells, and IKK-associated NIK activity is enhanced in these cells compared with the normal cells. Kinase-dead NIK blocked constitutive NF-kappa B or CXCL1 promoter activity in Hs294T melanoma cells, but not in control normal human epidermal melanocytes. Transient overexpression of wild type NIK results in increased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), which is inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner by PD98059, an inhibitor of p42/44 MAPK. Moreover, the NF-kappa B promoter activity decreased with overexpression of dominant negative ERK expression constructs, and EMSA analyses further support the hypothesis that ERK acts upstream of NF-kappa B and regulates the NF-kappa B DNA binding activity. Taken together, our data implicate involvement of I kappa B kinase and MAPK signaling cascades in NIK-induced constitutive activation of NF-kappa B.
The Effect of Topical Fluocinonide Ointment on Phototherapy of Psoriasis

The effect of fluocinonide ointment and 5% crude coal tar on clearance of plaque-type psoriasis vulgaris by phototherapy was studied in 25 hospitalized patients using the bilateral comparison technique. All treated areas received ultraviolet radiation from Westinghouse fluorescent FS-40 bulbs (290-400 nm) in doses calculated to produce a minimal delayed erythema. The topically applied compounds (fluocinonide ointment, 5% Crude coal tar, white petrolatum) were applied individually or in combination. In nearly all comparisons clearance of psoriatic plaques was obtained after the same number of ultraviolet exposures, although many (8 of 14) of the areas treated with fluocinonide ointment had an accelerated early response. It thus appears that although the use of topical corticosteroids may enhance the early therapeutic response of psoriatic plaques it does not hasten the clearance of these plaques.
Is there a predisposition to malignancy when leukopenia is sustained during 6-mercaptopurine treatment of inflammatory bowel disease?

Is there a predisposition to malignancy when leukopenia is sustained during 6-mercaptopurine treatment of inflammatory bowel disease?
Investing abroad and investing at home: complements or substitutes?

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to assess whether outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and home country capital investment are substitutes or complements.Design/methodology/approach – Case studies of 22 Canadian multinational companies (MNCs) were carried out, and the qualitative and quantitative information from the case studies was used to evaluate whether OFDI and home country capital investment were substitutes or complements for the sample MNCs over the period 2000‐2010.Findings – Two primary strategic motives were identified for the OFDI undertaken by the sample MNCs: market‐seeking; and resource‐seeking. Across the sample, domestic investment was typically a poor strategic alternative to OFDI. Furthermore, OFDI promoted faster revenue growth for the MNCs which stimulated increased domestic investment in later time periods. Hence, OFDI and domestic capital investment are complements in the longer run.Practical implications – Home country government policies that directly or indirectly disc...
Favorable outcome after composite valve-graft replacement in patients older than 65 years.

Background. Concomitant surgical replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta is an ideal treatment for aortic root aneurysms, but there may be hesitation in its use in older patients, despite their known increased risk of rupture. This study was conducted to examine our results in 84 patients older than 65 years undergoing elective aortic root resection with composite valve-graft replacement. Methods. Eighty-four patients older than 65 years were operated on between June 1987 and August 1998. Median age was 74 years (range, 66 to 89 years), and 57 patients were men. Seventeen patients were undergoing reoperation. Aortic insufficiency was present in 70 patients. Forty-seven patients received a conduit using a bioprosthesis, whereas in 37 a mechanical valved conduit (St. Jude) was used. The ascending aorta alone was replaced in 23 patients; 50 had hemi-arch replacement, and in 11 the entire aortic arch was replaced. Results. Hospital mortality was 8.3% (7 of 84). Sixteen late deaths (19%) were noted during a median follow-up of 3.2 years (range, 0 to 10 years). Only one late death was aorta-related. The incidence of thrombotic or hemorrhagic complications was 2.1/100 patient-years, with equal frequency for both mechanical and bioprosthetic valves. Conclusions. We conclude that composite valve-graft replacement in elderly patients results in a low operative mortality, yields excellent long-term survival, and averts fatal aneurysm rupture in this high-risk population.
Laparoscopic colectomy for apparently benign colorectal neoplasia: A word of caution

Endoscopically unresectable apparently benign colorectal polyps are considered by some surgeons as ideal for their early laparoscopic colectomy experience. Our hypotheses were: (1) a substantial fraction of patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy for apparently benign colorectal neoplasia will have adenocarcinoma on final pathology; and (2) in our practice, we perform an adequate laparoscopic oncological resection for apparently benign polyps as evidenced by margin status and nodal retrieval. Data from a consecutive series of patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy (on an intention-to-treat basis) for endoscopically unresectable neoplasms with benign preoperative histology were retrieved from a prospective database and supplemented by chart review. The study population consisted of 63 patients (mean age 67, mean body mass index 29). Two out of 63 cases (3%) were converted to laparotomy because of extensive adhesions (n = 1) and equipment failure (n = 1). Colectomy type: right/transverse (n = 49, 78%); left/anterior resection (n = 10, 16%); subtotal (n = 4, 6%). Invasive adenocarcinoma was found on histological analysis of the colectomy specimen in 14 out of 63 cases (22%), standard error of the proportion 0.052. Staging of the 14 cancers were I (n = 6, 43%), II (n = 3, 21%), III ( = 4, 29%), and IV (n = 1, 7%). The median nodal harvest was 12 and all resection margins were free of neoplasm. Neither dysplasia on endoscopic biopsy nor lesion diameter was predictive of adenocarcinoma. Eight out of 23 (35%) patients with dysplasia on endoscopic biopsy had adenocarcinoma on final pathology versus 6/40 (15%) with no dysplasia (p = 0.114, Fisher’s exact test). Mean diameter of benign tumors was 3.2 cm (range 0.5–10.0cm) versus 3.9cm (range 1.5–7.5cm) for adenocarcinomas (p = 0.189, t - test). A substantial fraction of endoscopically unresectable colorectal neoplasms with benign histology on initial biopsy will harbor invasive adenocarcinoma, some of advanced stage. This finding supports the practice of performing oncological resection for all patients with endoscopically unresectable neoplasms of the colorectum. The inexperienced laparoscopic colectomist should approach these cases with caution.
Thermoelastic behavior of structurally disordered interface materials: Homogeneous versus inhomogeneous effects

The effects of homogeneous (temperature-induced) and inhomogeneous (interface-induced) structural disorder on the thermoelastic properties of interface materials are explored by molecular-dynamics simulation. The interface systems considered are superlattices composed of high-angle twist grain boundaries on the (100) plane of a fcc metal at various modulation wavelengths and temperatures. For comparison, the thermoelastic behavior of a perfect fcc crystal is also investigated at the same temperatures. By allowing thermal expansion in some cases, and not in other cases, the explicit effects of the thermal expansion on the elastic properties are explored. We find competing thermal effects of the atomic-level disordering on one hand and the consequent volume expansion on the other. We conclude that atomic-level structural disorder, be it homogeneous or inhomogeneous, can lead to elastic stiffening, provided that the related volume expansions do not dominate the elastic behavior and result in a softening.
Characterization of advanced composite materials for structural design

Our preliminary characterization of advanced composite materials has been conducted simultaneously with the development of large-scale primary and secondary aircraft structures. We have demonstrated significant advantages over metal structure on a one-to-one basis. Our efficiency levels gained to date demonstrate that we have extracted about fifty percent of the maximum potential advantage. Recovery of the remaining efficiency will result from understanding material characteristics and development of advanced design concepts. We will develop and demonstrate a summary format for viewing the structural response of monolithic metals and polymers and then document the observed responses of advanced composites within the format. Our data show that the addition of high-modulus fibers into a polymeric matrix produces a physically distinct material with substantial advantage over unreinforced polymers. The unique properties of composite materials yield a significant advantage in physical properties and in design. Full advantage of material orientation has yet to be developed in a practical design but through examples we can illustrate the potential. We develop two examples: (1) stress concentration control through buffer stripping and (2) fracture control through buffer stripping. The impact of composite material characteristics as aircraft materials and design methods is also reviewed.
The bipolar spin transistor. A novel solid state device taking its first steps

The spin transistor is a trilayer, three terminal device similar in some ways to a semiconductor bipolar transistor. Although the physical principles of operation are different, the language of semiconductor physics is borrowed to facilitate the description. The emitter and collector layers of the spin transistor are ferromagnetic films characterized by a magnetization that lies in the plane of the films and has an externally manipulated direction. The base layer is a nonmagnetic metal, such as gold, copper or silver. One could fabricate an array of elements as a nonvolatile random access memory (NRAM). The magnetization orientation of all the emitter films is initially set by application (and subsequent removal) of a large magnetic field. The magnetization of the collector films is manipulated by sending currents through an over-layed array of write wires. >
Vibrational circular dichroism of overtone and combination bands

Abstract Vibrational circular dischroism (VCD) is reported in overtone and combination bands of chiral molecules in solution.
The role of antitumor antibiotics in current oncologic practice.

The antitumor antibiotics are a heterogeneous group of antineoplastic agents which share a common origin as fermentation products of microbial cultures. This brief review of selected agents will emphasize those agents that play a major role in current oncologic practice in the U.S.A. We are indebted to our Japanese colleagues for their vital role in the preclinical and clinical development of several of the agents in widespread use today. In the course of this discussion, we will present specific points to aid the future development in this important area. Table 1 lists the agents to be described and the areas in which they have exhibited a major impact in clinical practice.
Application of Electrochemical Biosensors for Detection of Food Pathogenic Bacteria

Current practices for preventing microbial diseases rely upon careful control of various kinds of pathogenic bacteria in food safety and environmental monitoring. The main disadvantages of conventional bacterial detection methods are the multistep procedure and long time requirements. This article gives an overview of alternative electrochemical biosensors for detection of pathogenic bacteria in the food industry. Focus has been on new microbial metabolism-based, antibody-based and DNA-based biosensors. The underlying principles and applications of these biosensors are discussed. Recent developments in flow-injection biosensor systems with an electrochemical detection are also presented.
The Endosomal Protein CHARGED MULTIVESICULAR BODY PROTEIN1 Regulates the Autophagic Turnover of Plastids in Arabidopsis

Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT)-III proteins mediate membrane remodeling and the release of endosomal intraluminal vesicles into multivesicular bodies. Here, we show that the ESCRT-III subunit paralogs CHARGED MULTIVESICULAR BODY PROTEIN1 (CHMP1A) and CHMP1B are required for autophagic degradation of plastid proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana. Similar to autophagy mutants, chmp1a chmp1b (chmp1) plants hyperaccumulated plastid components, including proteins involved in plastid division. The autophagy machinery directed the release of bodies containing plastid material into the cytoplasm, whereas CHMP1A and B were required for delivery of these bodies to the vacuole. Autophagy was upregulated in chmp1 as indicated by an increase in vacuolar green fluorescent protein (GFP) cleavage from the autophagic reporter GFP-ATG8. However, autophagic degradation of the stromal cargo RECA-GFP was drastically reduced in the chmp1 plants upon starvation, suggesting that CHMP1 mediates the efficient delivery of autophagic plastid cargo to the vacuole. Consistent with the compromised degradation of plastid proteins, chmp1 plastids show severe morphological defects and aberrant division. We propose that CHMP1 plays a direct role in the autophagic turnover of plastid constituents.
Neuroprotection against ischemia by metabolic inhibition revisited. A comparison of hypothermia, a pharmacologic cocktail and magnesium plus mexiletine.

: Previous studies have suggested that metabolic inhibition is neuroprotective, but little evidence has been provided to support this proposal. Using the in vitro rabbit retina preparation as an established model of the central nervous system (CNS), we measured the rate of glucose utilization and lactate production, and the light-evoked compound action potentials (CAPs) as indices of neuronal energy metabolism and electrophysiologic function, respectively. We examined the effect of three (3) treatments options: hypothermia (i.e., 33°C and 30°C), a six-member pharmacologic “cocktail” (tetrodotoxin (0.1 μM), 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (20 μM), 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (1 mM), amiloride (1 mM), magnesium (10 mM) and lithium (10 mM)) and the combination of magnesium (Mg2+ 1 mM) and mexiletine (Mex, 300 μM) on in vitro rabbit retinas, to see if there is a correlation between neuronal energy metabolism during ischemia (simulated by the reduction of oxygen from 95% to 15% and glucose from 6 mM to 1 mM), and the subsequent recovery of function. Hypothermia and the “cocktail” significantly inhibited both the rate of glucose utilization and lactate production, whereas Mg2+ and/or Mex showed only a nonsignificant tendency toward a reduction, compared to control retinas. Recovery of light-evoked CAPs was significantly improved in hypothermia- and cocktail-treated retinas, as well as with retinas exposed to the combination of Mg2+ plus Mex, but not with Mg2+ or Mex alone, relative to control retinas. A linear regression analysis of the % recovery of function versus the % reduction in the rate of glucose utilization during ischemia showed a significant correlation ( r2= 0.80 , correlation coefficient = 0.9 , p < 0.05 ) between these two parameters. This and other data discussed provide convincing evidence that there is a correlation between metabolic inhibition, achieved during ischemia, and neuroprotection.
Crystal-Bound vs Surface-Bound Thiols on Nanocrystals

The use of thiol ligands as a sulfur source for nanocrystal synthesis has recently come en vogue, as the products are often high quality. A comparative study was performed of dodecanethiol-capped Cu2S prepared with elemental sulfur and thiol sulfur reagents. XPS and TGA-MS provide evidence for differing binding modes of the capping thiols. Under conditions where the thiol acts only as a ligand, the capping thiols are “surface-bound” and bond to surface cations in low coordination number sites. In contrast, when thiols are used as a sulfur source, “crystal-bound” thiols result that sit in high coordination sites and are the terminal S layer of the crystal. A 1H NMR study shows suppressed surface reactivity and ligand exchange with crystal-bound thiols, which could limit further application of the particles. To address the challenge and opportunity of nonlabile ligands, dodecyl-3-mercaptopropanoate, a molecule possessing both a thiol and an ester, was used as the sulfur source for the synthesis of Cu2S and ...
Impaired expression of long-term potentiation in hippocampal slices 4 and 48 h following mild fluid-percussion brain injury in vivo.

Abstract The effect of fluid percussion brain injury on hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) was investigated in hippocampal slices in vitro. Mild to moderate (1.7–2.1 atm) lateral fluid percussion head injury or sham operation was produced in rats 4 or 48 h prior to harvesting brain slices from the ipsilateral hippocampus. Field excitatory post-synaptic potentials (fEPSPs) were recorded in stratum radiatum of hippocampal subfield CA1 in response to electrical stimulation of the Schaffer collaterals. The initial slope of fEPSPs was used to investigate changes in synaptic strength prior to and following 100 or 200 Hz (1 s) tetanic stimulation. TBI significantly inhibited expression of LTP in hippocampal slices in vitro. Post-tetanus fEPSP slopes increased more than 100% in hippocampal slices from sham-operated animals but less than 50% in slices from rats following TBI. The data suggest that changes in functional synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus may contribute to cognitive disorders associated with TBI (traumatic brain injury). The data also indicate that TBI-induced effects on hippocampal LTP are robust and may be investigated in the hippocampal slice preparation in vitro.
Positional behavior of Pan troglodytes in the Mahale Mountains and Gombe Stream National Parks, Tanzania.

The positional behavior of habituated adult chimpanzees and baboons was observed for 784 hr in a year-long study. Comparisons between species were made to establish the distinctiveness of chimpanzee positional behavior and habitat use. Brachiation (sensu stricto, i.e., hand-over-hand suspensory locomotion) was observed in low frequencies among chimpanzees, and its significance for chimpanzee anatomy is judged slight. Although no significant differences were found between sympatric baboons and chimpan- zees in the proportion of time spent in the terminal branches, or in the mean diameter of weight-bearing strata, chimpanzees exhibited evidence of a termi- nal branch adaptation in that they, unlike baboons, used postures among smaller supporting strata different from those used among larger supports. Among chimpanzees, unimanual arm-hanging was most common among the smallest strata and was associated with smaller mean and median support diameter than other postures. Unimanual arm-hanging was the only common behavior among chimpanzees that usually involved complete abduction of the humerus. A number of behaviors often subsumed under the label "quadruman- ous climbing" were distinguished in this study. Compared to baboons and other cercopithecoids, chimpanzees did not show increased frequencies of large-stratum vertical climbing, and their vertical climbing did not involve significant humeral abduction. Arm-hanging (i.e., unimanual suspension) and vertical climbing distinguish chimpanzee positional behavior from that of monkeys.
Approximate solutions by utilizing hill functions

Abstract Almost any success in the application of the Ritz method depends on the proper choice of coordinate functions. In this paper hill functions, which are constructed in different orders on the basis of the Legendre polynomials, are used -as coordinate functions. For boundary conditions other than free ones, artificial spring parameters are introduced of necessity at boundary and hill functions are used without stipulating prescribed boundary conditions in advance. Two one-dimensional model problems with various end conditions are employed to illustrate the method. Results obtained here compare very nicely with exact solutions in the literature. It is, in general, found that even with lower order hill functions and coarse mesh the method still yields satisfactory results.
A novel glycoprotein in the olfactory and pituitary systems of larval and adult lampreys

A novel homodimeric glycoprotein was isolated and characterized from the pituitaries of adult sea lampreys, Petromyzon marinus, modern representatives of the earliest vertebrates. The monomer consists of 121 amino-acid residues in a sequence that has no resemblance to any known pituitary hormone. Whereas this protein is localized in most cells of the rostral pars distalis of adult lampreys, we have chosen to name it, nasohypophysial factor (NHF), because it first appears in the olfactory system of developing larval lampreys. Not only may NHF be a new pituitary hormone but a useful probe for examining the ontogenetic and phylogenetic relationships of the pituitary and olfactory systems in vertebrates.
Effects of variable winds on biological productivity on continental shelves in coastal upwelling systems

The production and distribution of biological material in wind-driven coastal upwelling systems are of global importance, yet they remain poorly understood. Production is frequently presumed to be proportional to upwelling rate, yet high winds can lead to advective losses from continental shelves, where many species at higher trophic levels reside. An idealized mixed-layer conveyor (MLC) model of biological production from constant upwelling winds demonstrated previously that the amount of new production available to shelf species increased with upwelling at low winds, but declined at high winds [Botsford, L.W., Lawrence, C.A., Dever, E.P., Hastings, A., Largier, J., 2003. Wind strength and biological productivity in upwelling systems: an idealized study. Fisheries Oceanography 12, 245–259]. Here we analyze the response of this model to time-varying winds for parameter values and observed winds from the Wind Events and Shelf Transport (WEST) study region. We compare this response to the conventional view that the results of upwelling are proportional to upwelled volume. Most new production per volume upwelled available to shelf species occurs following rapid increases in shelf transit time due to decreases in wind (i.e. relaxations). However, on synoptic, event time-scales shelf production is positively correlated with upwelling rate. This is primarily due to the effect of synchronous periods of low values in these time series, paradoxically due to wind relaxations. On inter-annual time-scales, computing model production from wind forcing from 20 previous years shows that these synchronous periods of low values have little effect on correlations between upwelling and production. Comparison of model production from 20 years of wind data over a range of shelf widths shows that upwelling rate will predict biological production well only in locations where cross-shelf transit times are greater than the time required for phytoplankton or zooplankton production. For stronger mean winds (narrower shelves), annual production falls below the peak of constant wind prediction [Botsford et al., 2003. Wind strength and biological productivity in upwelling systems: an idealized study. Fisheries Oceanography 12, 245–259], then as winds increase further (shelves become narrower) production does not decline as steeply as the constant wind prediction. r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Automated measurement of polarized bidirectional reflectance

An Automated Bidirectional Reflection Acquisition Measurement System (ABRAMS) has been constructed to facilitate measurement of bidirectional reflectance from soil and vegetative samples in the laboratory. The system illuminates a sample with linearly-polarized laser light, lambda = 632.8 nm, and measures the like- and cross-polarized scattered intensities over half a hemisphere. System design and polarized bidirectional reflectance measurements from a soil sample and SiO2 spherical particles are discussed in this work. It is shown that polarization information in the plane of incidence is useful for identifying certain scattering mechanisms associated with soil reflectance. This is because the like-polarized intensity, Ivv, is influenced by single-scattered light and the cross-polarized intensity, IHv, is strongly influenced by multiple-scattered light. For example, comparable levels of Ivv and IHv indicated that the reflectance of soils, is dominated by significant multiple scattering because single scattering causes minimal depolarization in the plane of incidence.
Proton scattering to the 32− state of 207Pb☆

Abstract The inelastic scattering of 20.2 MeV protons to the 3 2 − state of 207Pb (Q = 0.97 MeV) is analyzed using an antisymmetrized Distorted Wave approximation using central, tensor and core polarization interactions.
Entropy and sorting

We reconsider the old problem of sorting under partial information, and give polynomial time algorithms for the following tasks.(1) Given a partial order P, find (adaptively) a sequence of comparisons (questions of the form, “is x
Persistence and Heterogeneity in Habitat Selection Studies Using Radio Telemetry

Les deplacements d'animaux a travers leurs differents types d'habitats peuvent etre suivis a l'aide de radio-transmetteurs individuels. McCracken et al. (1998) ont propose un modele de selections multinomiales independantes (IMS) afin d'analyser les sequences de visites aux differentes classes d'habitats qui sont ainsi recueillies. Cette approche presente deux limitations: (i) des correlations temporelles sont susceptibles de fausser la mesure de la variabilite.; et (ii) les individus qui composent la population d'etude peuvent presenter des comportements de selection heterogenes. Nous proposons deux extensions a un parametre de l'IMS pour prendre en compte ces deux possibilites. Un modele a chaine de Markov autorise la prolongation des sejours dans l'habitat anterieur. L'heterogeneite est modelisee en supposant que les comportements de selection sont definis par une distribution de Dirichlet dont les animaux observes fournissent un echantillon. Nous montrons que la prolongation des sejours et l'heterogeneite des comportements sont observables dans l'etude des deplacements d'ours de McCracken et al. (1998). Des simulations etablissent que la mesure de la precision iles estimateurs peut etre serieusement biaisee quand le modele ignore la presence de correlations temporelles ou d'heterogeneite.
Review article: the abdominal compartment syndrome.

Summary Background The term abdominal compartment syndrome refers to hypoperfusion and ischaemia of intra-abdominal viscera and structures caused by raised intra-abdominal pressure. It occurs most commonly following major trauma and complex surgical procedures, but can also occur in their absence. Definitive treatment is decompression at laparotomy. Prevention and recognition of abdominal compartment syndrome are crucial to avoid additional morbidity and mortality. Postinjury abdominal compartment syndrome continues to complicate current resuscitation methods and new strategies for resuscitating critically ill patients need to be explored in addition to more accurate monitoring of intra-abdominal pressure. Aim To examine the published literature regarding the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of the abdominal compartment syndrome. Methods A comprehensive review of the literature was undertaken. Results This syndrome is an important complication of major trauma and surgery as well as being recognized in critically-ill medical patients. It requires prompt recognition with a view to decompression at laparotomy. Conclusions The abdominal compartment syndrome is an important complication of trauma, surgery and resuscitation. Key to its management are its prompt recognition and abdominal decompression.