cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trace Element Analysis of Human Hair

Trace element analysis of hair has met a considerable interest in nutritional sciences, in clinical and in forensic medicine. 25 years ago, Swedish and British scientists attracted attention by the finding of high arsenic concentrations in consecutive hair sections of emperor Napoleon’s hair (Smith et al. 1962). They suspected that Napoleon died from a chronic arsenic intoxication induced over a period of at least 4 months. Another startling example of hair analyses in environmental history is derived from a bird, from the goshawk which lives on small seed eating birds (Thomson 1977). Johnels and Westermark determined the mercury content of feathers over a period of one hundred years back to 1860’s mainly based on museum exhibits of female goshawks. They found a constant level from the year 1863 to 1946 of about 2.2 µg/g. Up to 1966 a dramatical increase was found with a mean value of 29 µg/g. This increase was explained by the use of methylmercury compounds as fungicides for seeds in the period from 1940 to 1966. When the application of methylmercury was prohibited in 1966 the mercury contents of the feathers quickly decreased to the previous level.
A serious matter with character-taxon matrices

Knowing the structure and branching order of the evolutionary tree is essential to many studies of the evolutionary process and the history of life. Most attempts to reconstruct evolutionary trees are based on rectangular matrices, in which coded states are assigned for each character and each taxon under study. Everyone who has tried to infer the pattern of evolution from such character-taxon matrices is confronted with a great deal of “noise” and uncertainty. Often, there are multiple “most parsimonious trees” (those requiring the fewest evolutionary steps), which often differ significantly in topology; and many nodes in such trees are poorly supported; that is, there are contradictions and inconsistencies in the data. Some of this noise arises for reasons well known to phylogeneticists. Character states may arise multiple times, evolve in parallel, or reverse (homoplasy); taxa vary insufficiently among themselves; and diversification may be so rapid that data are insufficient to detect the order of branching. Polytomies are regarded as a nuisance rather than as real information. Characters may be coded inappropriately, so that there are too many redundancies, inapplicable character states, and multistate characters, as well as dependence among characters. Moreover, it is highly debatable whether evolution is parsimonious, and there are conflicts about how to establish the polarity of characters (primitive vs. derived). (For reviews and discussion see Sober 1988; Huelsenbeck and Crandall 1997.)
A biochemical and biophysical model of G-quadruplex DNA recognition by positive coactivator of transcription 4.

DNA sequences that are guanine-rich have received considerable attention because of their potential to fold into a secondary, four-stranded DNA structure termed G-quadruplex (G4), which has been implicated in genomic instability and some human diseases. We have previously identified positive coactivator of transcription (PC4), a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein, as a novel G4 interactor. Here, to expand on these previous observations, we biochemically and biophysically characterized the interaction between PC4 and G4DNA. PC4 can bind alternative G4DNA topologies with a low nanomolar Kd value of ∼2 nm, similar to that observed for ssDNA. In consideration of the different structural features between G4DNA and ssDNA, these binding data indicated that PC4 can interact with G4DNA in a manner distinct from ssDNA. The stoichiometry of the PC4-G4 complex was 1:1 for PC4 dimer:G4 substrate. PC4 did not enhance the rate of folding of G4DNA, and formation of the PC4-G4DNA complex did not result in unfolding of the G4DNA structure. We assembled a G4DNA structure flanked by duplex DNA. We find that PC4 can interact with this G4DNA, as well as the complementary C-rich strand. Molecular docking simulations and DNA footprinting experiments suggest a model where a PC4 dimer accommodates the DNA with one monomer on the G4 strand and the second monomer bound to the C-rich strand. Collectively, these data provide a novel mode of PC4 binding to a DNA secondary structure that remains within the framework of the model for binding to ssDNA. Additionally, consideration of the PC4-G4DNA interaction could provide insight into the biological functions of PC4, which remain incompletely understood.
Treatment of Gummy Smile of Multifactorial Etiology: A Case Report.

Introduction: This case report describes the management of a patient diagnosed with excessive gingival display caused by altered passive eruption and hyperactive lip. Treatment for this patient was staged and included esthetic crown lengthening and a subsequent lip repositioning procedure.Case Presentation: A 17-year-old female was referred for assessment of a “gummy smile.” The patient reported a history of mouth breathing and a sports injury causing a non-vital tooth #9, which had been temporarily restored. After periodontal evaluation, the patient was diagnosed with plaque-induced gingivitis and excessive gingival display due to hyperactive lip and altered passive eruption. After initial therapy, an esthetic crown lengthening procedure was performed on the maxillary anterior sextant, resulting in ideal maxillary anterior crown contours. Six weeks after esthetic crown lengthening, the patient was treated for hyperactive lip by a modified lip repositioning surgery. Subsequently, the patient received a pe...
Gait deficiencies associated with peripheral artery disease are different than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective Previous studies have indicated that patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), display significant differences in their kinetic and kinematic gait characteristics when compared to healthy, aged-matched controls. The ability of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to ambulate is also limited. These limitations are likely due to pathology-driven muscle morphology and physiology alterations establish in PAD and COP, respectively. Gait changes in PAD were compared to gait changes due to COPD to further understand how altered limb muscle due to disease can alter walking patterns. Both groups were independently compared to healthy controls. It was hypothesized that both patients with PAD and COPD would demonstrate similar differences in gait when compared to healthy controls.
Elastic monumentality? The Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial and counterpublic historical space

ABSTRACTCan blatantly racist-nationalist imageries that are literally carved into stone be recast as inclusionary? Can it be ‘re-seen’ without being remodeled? By whose eyes and under what conditions? This essay examines the uneven development of the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial in the United States. It questions how the impulse to memorialize in the aftermath of war and then re-memorialize relates to conflicts over the legacies of US slavery and the Civil War. Increasingly, these struggles over representations of divisive histories are waged alongside a growing heritage tourist industry and in the context ongoing racial conflict.
Animal Communication: Honesty and Deception

From our own human experience, we know that dishonesty such as exaggerating or lying can sometimes pay off. Animals may also be tempted to cheat by producing signals that mislead receivers into making decisions that benefit the sender. However, if a signal’s dishonest use increases sufficiently, receivers will be selected to ignore it, and the signaling system will collapse. The problem of signal honesty has become one of the most important issues in current studies of animal communication systems. This article reviews the history of evolutionary thinking about the question of whether animal signals provide reliable information, summarizes the signaling game-theoretic models that have described the conditions under which largely honest signals can persist, and presents some of the better examples of both highly reliable signals and cheating.
DEM Extensions: Flexible Substrate Models

In certain applications, because the substrate is fragile, knowledge of the induced stresses is important in order to control the process.
Monoamines and Seizures in Genetically Epilepsy-Prone Rats: Inferences from Precursor Availability

Norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin have the potential to modulate seizure thresholds, seizure severity and other manifestations of seizure activity in non-epileptic animals (1–6). Noradrenergic influences appear to be anticonvulsant in several animal models including the genetically epilepsy-prone rat (7), electroshock seizures in non-epileptic rats (1), cobalt-induced seizures in rats (4), and the genetically epileptic baboon (8). Moreover, dopaminergic deficiencies or noradrenergic excesses may be determinants of seizure predisposition in the DBA/2J mouse (3, 9, 7) and tottering mouse (7, 10). In addition, at least some evidence supports the concept that abnormalities in noradrenergic and/or dopaminergic transmission may contribute to the epileptic state of humans as they do in some animal modes of epilepsy (11). The characteristics which make the genetically epilepsy-prone rat (GEPR) an excellent model for certain forms of human epilepsy have been reviewed elsewhere (12–14).
Magnetic channeling of radiatively driven hot-star winds

Massive, hot, luminous stars have strong stellar winds driven by line‐scattering of the star’s continuum radiation. Spectropolarimetric observations have detected substantial large‐scale dipole magnetic fields for several hot stars. This paper discusses our recent efforts to carry out MHD simulations of the effect of magnetic fields in channeling and confining the wind outflow, with particular emphasis on the “Magnetically Confined Wind Shock” (MCWS) paradigm for explaining the relatively hard X‐ray emission observed by the Chandra X‐ray observatory for magnetic hot stars like Theta 1 Ori C. We also examine the effect of magnetic fields on the wind from a rotating star, showing that this can spin‐up the outflowing material, but does not readily form a Keplerian “Magnetically Torqued Disk”. We further describe a new “Rigidly Rotating Magnetosphere”(RRM) model that has proven highly successful in reproducing the rotational modulated Balmer emission seen in magnetic Bp stars like sigma Ori C. We conclude wit...
Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Discrepancies within Three Computerized Pre-Admission Medication Lists.

Inaccurate records of pre-admission medication exposure have been identified as a major source of medication error. Authors collected records of patients’ pre-admission medications: 1) the most recent outpatient medication list (“EMR”), 2) the medication list recorded by admitting providers (“H&P”), and 3) a list generated by a medication reconciliation process conducted by nursing staff (“PAML”). Forty-eight sets of pre-admission records composed of 1087 medication entries were compared to a reference standard generated by trained study staff conducting an independent interview. Sensitivity was greatest for PAML (85%), compared to EMR (76%) and H&P (76%) sources. However, positive predictive value was greatest for the H&P source at 96% vs 88% and 91% for PAML and EMR sources respectively. Potentially harmful medication discrepancies were found within all lists. The authors concluded no single list was sufficiently accurate to avoid serious medication errors.
Abstract WMP34: Association Between Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm and Downstream Stroke

Introduction: Case reports suggest that unruptured intracranial aneurysms may serve as a nidus for thrombus formation and downstream embolic stroke. However, few data exist to support an associatio...
Approaches for identifying U.S. medicare fraud in provider claims data

Quality and affordable healthcare is an important aspect in people's lives, particularly as they age. The rising elderly population in the United States (U.S.), with increasing number of chronic diseases, implies continuing healthcare later in life and the need for programs, such as U.S. Medicare, to help with associated medical expenses. Unfortunately, due to healthcare fraud, these programs are being adversely affected draining resources and reducing quality and accessibility of necessary healthcare services. The detection of fraud is critical in being able to identify and, subsequently, stop these perpetrators. The application of machine learning methods and data mining strategies can be leveraged to improve current fraud detection processes and reduce the resources needed to find and investigate possible fraudulent activities. In this paper, we employ an approach to predict a physician's expected specialty based on the type and number of procedures performed. From this approach, we generate a baseline model, comparing Logistic Regression and Multinomial Naive Bayes, in order to test and assess several new approaches to improve the detection of U.S. Medicare Part B provider fraud. Our results indicate that our proposed improvement strategies (specialty grouping, class removal, and class isolation), applied to different medical specialties, have mixed results over the selected Logistic Regression baseline model's fraud detection performance. Through our work, we demonstrate that improvements to current detection methods can be effective in identifying potential fraud.
Cardiovascular Events after New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Adults with CKD: Results from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained arrhythmia in CKD, is associated with poor clinical outcomes in both patients without CKD and patients with dialysis-treated ESRD. However, less is known about AF-associated outcomes in patients with CKD who do not require dialysis. Methods To prospectively examine the association of new-onset AF with subsequent risks of cardiovascular disease events and death among adults with CKD, we studied participants enrolled in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study who did not have AF at baseline. Outcomes included heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, and death occurring after diagnosis of AF. We used Cox regression models and marginal structural models to examine the association of incident AF with subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease events and death, adjusting for patient characteristics, laboratory values, and medication use. Results Among 3080 participants, 323 (10.5%) developed incident AF during a mean 6.1 years of follow-up. Compared with participants who did not develop AF, those who did had higher adjusted rates of heart failure (hazard ratio [HR], 5.17; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 3.89 to 6.87), myocardial infarction (HR, 3.64; 95% CI, 2.50 to 5.31), stroke (HR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.50 to 4.74), and death (HR, 3.30; 95% CI, 2.65 to 4.12). These associations remained robust with additional adjustment for biomarkers of inflammation, cardiac stress, and mineral metabolism; left ventricular mass; ejection fraction; and left atrial diameter. Conclusions Incident AF is independently associated with two- to five-fold increased rates of developing subsequent heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, or death in adults with CKD. These findings have important implications for cardiovascular risk reduction.
Belief control strategies for interactions over weak graphs

In diffusion social learning over weakly-connected graphs, it has been shown that influential agents end up shaping the beliefs of non-influential agents. In this paper, we analyse this control mechanism more closely and reveal some critical properties. In particular, we characterize the set of beliefs that can be imposed on non-influential agents (i.e., the set of attainable beliefs) and how the graph topology of these latter agents helps resist manipulation but only to a certain degree. We also derive a design procedure that allows influential agents to drive the beliefs of non-influential agents to desirable attainable states. We illustrate the results with two examples.
Public Opinion on Criminal Records and Employment: A Test of Competing Theoretical Models:

Much prior research has examined the sources of individuals’ attitudes toward the application of punishment via the justice system. Some findings from this literature suggest that punitive attitude...
Laser Weldability of AlSi 10 Mg Alloy Produced by Selective Laser Melting: Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior

Selective laser melting (SLM) allows 3D complex parts to be produced with integrated functionalities but does not permit to realize large dimension parts, as the building chamber volume of commercial SLM systems is limited. Therefore, the possibility of joining SLM-built parts by welding appears as extremely valuable. In this work, laser weldability of SLMed AlSi10Mg parts has been investigated. The cooling rates induced by the welding process are lower than the ones of SLM; therefore, typical eutectic silicon network of SLM-built parts appears broken in both the melted zone and part of the heat-affected zone, as confirmed by calorimetric measurement. This microstructural evolution caused a local decrease of hardness from 132 HV to 73 HV and a reduction of ductility caused by porosity formation in the weld bead. Moreover, the thermal treatment, performed at 320°C, can limit the gap of tensile response among welded bead and base SLM material.
Toward a Collectivist National Defense

Most philosophers writing on the ethics of war endorse “reductivist individualism,” a view that holds both that killing in war is subject to the very same principles of ordinary morality (reductivism); and that morality concerns individuals and their rights, and does not treat collectives as having any special status (individualism). I argue that this commitment to individualism poses problems for this view in the case of national defense. More specifically, I argue that the main strategies for defending individualist approaches to national defense either fail by their own lights or yield deeply counterintuitive implications. I then offer the foundations for a collectivist approach. I argue that such an approach must do justice to the collective goods that properly constituted states make possible and protect through certain acts of defensive war; and that any such picture of national defense must make room for some form of national partiality.
Child Face Age-Progression via Deep Feature Aging.

Given a gallery of face images of missing children, state-of-the-art face recognition systems fall short in identifying a child (probe) recovered at a later age. We propose a feature aging module that can age-progress deep face features output by a face matcher. In addition, the feature aging module guides age-progression in the image space such that synthesized aged faces can be utilized to enhance longitudinal face recognition performance of any face matcher without requiring any explicit training. For time lapses larger than 10 years (the missing child is found after 10 or more years), the proposed age-progression module improves the closed-set identification accuracy of FaceNet from 16.53% to 21.44% and CosFace from 60.72% to 66.12% on a child celebrity dataset, namely ITWCC. The proposed method also outperforms state-of-the-art approaches with a rank-1 identification rate of 95.91%, compared to 94.91%, on a public aging dataset, FG-NET, and 99.58%, compared to 99.50%, on CACD-VS. These results suggest that aging face features enhances the ability to identify young children who are possible victims of child trafficking or abduction.
Evaluation of prescribing practices of denosumab and zoledronic acid in breast and prostate cancer patients at University of Chicago Medicine.

e24144Background: Zoledronic acid (ZA) and denosumab are both bone-modifying agents (BMAs) approved for use in patients with bone metastases with breast or prostate cancer as well as patients who a...
“Our One Great Hope”: The Interdependence of the Woman’s Relief Corps and the Grand Army of the Republic:

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) played a critical role in the lives of many Union veterans after the Civil War. Its efforts were supported by its women’s auxiliary, the Woman’s Relief Corps (W...
Box C/D Small Nucleolar Ribonucleoproteins Regulate Mitochondrial Surveillance and Innate Immunity

Abstract Monitoring of mitochondrial functions is crucial for organismal survival. This task is performed by mitochondrial surveillance or quality control pathways, which are activated by signals originating from mitochondria and relayed to the nucleus (retrograde response) to start the transcription of protective genes. In Caenorhabditis elegans, several systems exist, including the UPRmt, MAPKmt, and the ESRE pathway. These pathways are highly conserved and their loss results in compromised survival following mitochondrial stress. In this study, we found a novel interaction between the box C/D snoRNA core proteins (snoRNPs) and mitochondrial surveillance and innate immunity pathways. We showed that C/D snoRNPs are required for the full expressions of UPRmt and ESRE upon stress. Meanwhile, we found that the loss of C/D snoRNPs increased immune responses. Understanding the “molecular switch” mechanisms of interplay between these pathways may be important for understanding of multifactorial processes, including response to infection or aging.
Redox Properties of The Nitrogenase Component Proteins from Azotobacter Vinelandii

Nitrogenase is a two component enzyme system that is responsible for the six-electron reduction of N2 into ammonia known as biological nitrogen fixation. Both components comprising the nitrogenase system are redox active, iron-sulfur containing proteins with similar characteristics independent of their biological source. The smaller of the two proteins, the iron protein (Av2) contains one Fe4S4 center while the larger protein, the MoFe protein (Avl) contains a fairly complex array of metal sulfur clusters including one which uniquely contains both Fe and Mo. An understanding of the functioning of these proteins in the catalytic cycle of N2 reduction is the objective of much research carried out in various laboratories throughout the world (Burgess, 1984). Although much has been learned about the nitrogenase proteins, there are still many gaps in our knowledge and many incomplete and contradictory results reported which require extension and reevaluation.
Conceptualizing rigor and its implications for education in the era of the Common Core

AbstractThe adoption of Common Core State Standards in the USA by 46 states and the District of Columbia has provided several new foci for K-12 instruction, not the least of which is the reading and understanding of complex text, a higher order thinking process. Closely associated with this is the notion of rigor, the focus of the present study. As educators who work with administrators and teachers across the country, we have noticed that while there exists a general concern about rigor, there is not a coherent understanding of what it is. As such, there is a need to establish a common understanding of rigor that is useful for school-based personnel. Additionally, we propose that it’s important for educators to regularly measure and track rigor as one part of a larger dashboard of quality indicators which can inform school leaders on the educational health of their school.
INFORMATION GAMES IN THE QUEST FOR MINDSHARE

The rapid growth and great popularity of Internet sites that specialize in providingintangible services in the form of information and community services gives rise to new forms ofcompetition. Information Web sites such as www.how2.com and community sites such aswww.iVillage.com provide free "content" and rely on advertising and hosting revenues togenerate income. The competition between content sites in the same market niche is intense andonly a few companies are likely to survive. In this paper, we examine anumber of competitive models or "information games" that provide insights into the nature of thiscompetition. The models capture differences between the type and maturity of the markets anddifferences in the behavioral assumptions about the nature of consumer demand for content.While these markets often have a "winner-takes-all" nature, we find a number of situations inwhich more than one player can survive at equilibrium.
Detonation Chemistry Studies of Energetic Materials Using Laboratory Scale Samples

We describe an apparatus by which the detonation products of an explosive can be identified and whose relative concentrations can be determined quantitatively. These measurements can be made on products that have been formed in less than one microsecond after the passage of the detonation wave. The technique is based on the rapid quenching of chemical reactions by virtue of the free expansion of the products into vacuum. Of course, products that have been formed over a longer period of time and under different pressure/temperature conditions can also be studied. Time resolved molecular-beam mass spectrometry is used, so that whether detonation occurred or not in forming the products can be determined. We describe optical techniques, principally Schlieren photographs, that also confirm detonation. We report measurements made on six standard explosives, PETN, RDX, HMX, HNS, TNT and TATB, and one research explosive, nitric oxide. For none of the standard explosives do we measure product distributions that agree with model predictions based on equilibrium assumptions. A computer model of the free expansion is described briefly and its importance to the interpretation of the data is emphasized.
Gonadectomy before puberty Increases the number of neurons and glia in the medial prefrontal cortex of female, but not male, rats

The human prefrontal cortex, important for executive functions, loses gray matter throughout the adolescent period. In rats, our laboratory demonstrated that a loss of neurons between adolescence and adulthood partially underlies the loss of volume, and this loss is greater in females than males. Here, we examine whether being deprived of gonadal hormones before puberty through adulthood influences the number of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Prior to puberty, the testes or ovaries were removed in male and female rats. In adulthood, the number of neurons and glia in the mPFC were quantified using unbiased stereology, and the volume of the frontal white matter was measured. Prepubertal ovariectomy resulted in a higher number of neurons and glia and a larger volume of white matter compared to sham control littermates. Castrated males were not different from sham males on any measure. Thus ovarian hormones secreted after puberty influence the cellular composition of the medial prefrontal cortex.
Dynamic Factor Analysis of Worldviews/Religious Beliefs and Well-Being among Older Adults

Intraindividual patterns of time-lagged relationships among self-reports of worldviews/religious beliefs, self-concept, and physical and psychological well-being were investigated. Participants were older adults (mean age = 77 years) who were measured weekly covering a total of 25 weeks. Dynamic Factor Models were fitted to multivariate repeated measures data pooled over subsets of participants. The results showed significant time-lagged cross-factor relationships suggesting that worldviews/religious beliefs had a significant direct effect on self-concept and physical health over 2 weeks. For each factor series, there were substantial autoregressive effects indicating persisting effects of factors on themselves over 1 or 2 weeks. A link between worldviews/religious beliefs and physical health was found in the time-lagged structure of within-person variability. The findings underscore the need to study both intraindividual change and interindividual differences in intraindividual variability to obtain a better understanding of behavior and behavioral development.
Codling Moth: Mating Behavior in the Laboratory

Mating behavior of codling moths, Laspeyresia pomonella (L.), in the laboratory was influenced by both the ratio of males to females and by the number (density) of moths present. When there were more females than males, each male mated more often than when the ratio was 1:1. Conversely, when there were more males than females, females mated more often than when the ratio was 1:1. Most females (75 to 92%) emerged and mated the same evening (day 1). If the female received a large spermatophore, sexual activity terminated for 42 to 63% of the females, depending on sex ratio; but 37% of the females mated again on the 2nd to 7th day. A significant increase in mating occurred on the 6th and 7th days, near the end of the female's life span. When receptive females were available, males mated once daily for 3-5 days, depending on ratio and density. Virgin females mated at any age. Copulation of virgin moths usually lasted 40 min; subsequent matings were longer and the size of the spermatophore was reduced. Males usually needed a period in excess of 12 h after mating to produce a 2nd spermatophore. Sexual activity was density dependent: at modernate density (5-10 pair/cage), nearly all males and females were sexually active the first day following eclosion.
Low power, biologically benign NIR light triggers polymer disassembly.

Near infrared (NIR) irradiation can penetrate up to 10 cm deep into tissues and be remotely applied with high spatial and temporal precision. Despite its potential for various medical and biological applications, there is a dearth of biomaterials that are responsive at this wavelength region. Herein we report a polymeric material that is able to disassemble in response to biologically benign levels of NIR irradiation upon two-photon absorption. The design relies on the photolysis of the multiple pendant 4-bromo7-hydroxycoumarin protecting groups to trigger a cascade of cyclization and rearrangement reactions leading to the degradation of the polymer backbone. The new material undergoes a 50% Mw loss after 25 s of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation by single photon absorption and 21 min of NIR irradiation via two-photon absorption. Most importantly, even NIR irradiation at a biologically benign laser power is sufficient to cause significant polymer disassembly. Furthermore, this material is well tolerated by cel...
Combined therapy for obese type 2 diabetes: suppertime mixed insulin with daytime sulfonylurea.

Combined insulin and sulfonylurea therapy for type 2 diabetes may improve the effectiveness of a single injection of insulin, thereby postponing the need for multiple injections. This concept was tested in 21 obese subjects imperfectly controlled by 20 mg of glyburide daily in a double masked, placebo-controlled, parallel design, 16-week protocol. Premixed 70% NPH/30% Regular insulin was taken before supper, and the dosage was adjusted weekly by an algorithm seeking nearly normal fasting glycemia. Eleven subjects using insulin plus 10 mg glyburide before breakfast had lower mean fasting glucose at 10–16 weeks than 10 subjects using insulin with placebo (mean ± SEM; 5.9 ± 0.3 versus 7.5 ± 0.7 mmol/L; p < 0.05), and had a greater decrement of glycosylated hemoglobin from baseline values (1.3 ± 0.1 versus 0.8 ± 0.2% Al, p < 0.05). After 16 weeks the combined therapy group used half as much insulin as the insulin-only group (50 ± 5 versus 101 ± 13 units/d; p < 0.01). Fasting serum free insulin values increased 58% from baseline after insulin therapy in the insulin-only group (p < 0.05) but did not increase with combined therapy. Weight gain was similar in the two groups. These data support this form of combined therapy as one option for treating obese persons with type 2 diabetes no longer responsive to oral therapy alone.
Comparison of the reaction of N-ethylmaleimide with myosin and heavy meromyosin subfragment 1

Abstract Myosin reacted at low ionic strength with NEM forms an actomyosin which is Ca ++ insensitive. With HMM S-1 the reaction with NEM causes a marked loss of the actin activated ATPase activity and the Ca ++ sensitivity is reduced but not eliminated. The presence of actin during the sulfhydryl reaction does not significantly alter this result. HMM S-1 prepared from myosin previously desensitized by NEM regains Ca ++ sensitivity. These results indicate that the conformations of myosin and HMM S-1 are different and could reflect a difference between insoluble (filamentous) myosin and myosin, or its fragments, in solution.
Tumor necrosis factor-α mediated activation of signal transduction cascades and transcription factors in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

We have previously demonstrated that exposure of fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes to TNF results in an activation of at least two separate signal transduction pathways: 1. the sphingomyelinase leading to generation of ceramide and 2. the proliferative and cell growth regulating p44/42 MAP kinase cascade. In the current study we extend those observations and examine the ability of both TNF and ceramide to activate the stress/cytokine activated p38 MAPK, the JNK and JAK-STAT pathways. Interestingly, the p38 MAP kinase was observed to be constitutively active and its phosphorylation status (activation) was not altered with either TNF or ceramide treatment. Analysis of the JNK and JAK-STAT pathways also demonstrated an absence of TNF-induced activation. Similar results were obtained when the adipocytes were treated with a cell permeable analog of ceramide. However, the adipocytes were observed to respond to TNF with a rapid alteration in the GSH-GSSG equilibrium in a manner consistent with a cellular response to an oxidative stress. This response may mediate the TNF-induced metabolic disturbances observed in the adipose cell.
Scheduling of computer programs for optimal machine utilization

This paper discusses the problem of developing schedules for the execution of computer programs in a batch oriented multiprogramming environment. An approximate approach to the problem is developed by heuristically reducing the dimensionality of the problem to a sequential optimization problem. The superiority of this heuristic criterion over five other commonly used criteria is shown. A numerical example is given.
Information science and technology developments within the National Biological Information Infrastructure

Abstract Whether your vantage point is that of an office window or a national park, your view undoubtedly encompasses a rich diversity of life forms, all carefully studied or managed by some scientist, resource manager, or planner. A few simple calculations-the number of species, their interrelationships, and the many researchers studying them-and you can easily see the tremendous challenges that the resulting biological data presents to the information and computer science communities. Biological information varies in format and content: it may pertain to a particular species or an entire ecosystem; it can contain land use characteristics, and geospatially referenced information. The complexity and uniqueness of each individual species or ecosystem do not easily lend themselves to today's computer science tools and applications. To address the challenges that the biological enterprise presents, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) (http://www.nbii.gov) was established in 1993 on the ...
Multiple Glycogen-binding Sites in Eukaryotic Glycogen Synthase Are Required for High Catalytic Efficiency toward Glycogen

Glycogen synthase is a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of glycogen and has an essential role in glucose homeostasis. The three-dimensional structures of yeast glycogen synthase (Gsy2p) complexed with maltooctaose identified four conserved maltodextrin-binding sites distributed across the surface of the enzyme. Site-1 is positioned on the N-terminal domain, site-2 and site-3 are present on the C-terminal domain, and site-4 is located in an interdomain cleft adjacent to the active site. Mutation of these surface sites decreased glycogen binding and catalytic efficiency toward glycogen. Mutations within site-1 and site-2 reduced the Vmax/S0.5 for glycogen by 40- and 70-fold, respectively. Combined mutation of site-1 and site-2 decreased the Vmax/S0.5 for glycogen by >3000-fold. Consistent with the in vitro data, glycogen accumulation in glycogen synthase-deficient yeast cells (Δgsy1-gsy2) transformed with the site-1, site-2, combined site-1/site-2, or site-4 mutant form of Gsy2p was decreased by up to 40-fold. In contrast to the glycogen results, the ability to utilize maltooctaose as an in vitro substrate was unaffected in the site-2 mutant, moderately affected in the site-1 mutant, and almost completely abolished in the site-4 mutant. These data show that the ability to utilize maltooctaose as a substrate can be independent of the ability to utilize glycogen. Our data support the hypothesis that site-1 and site-2 provide a “toehold mechanism,” keeping glycogen synthase tightly associated with the glycogen particle, whereas site-4 is more closely associated with positioning of the nonreducing end during catalysis.
Sensitivity Study of Modified Micromechanics Relations for Composite Materials

Simple modified rule of mixture relations to determine the elastic properties of a composite ply are taken from the literature and studied. Fiber properties are back calculated for AS1 fibers. Plots are given to emphasize the sensitivity of the ply proper ties to perturbations in each of the constituent material properties. Particular attention is paid to ply transverse modulus.
Varicella-zoster Virus Retrobulbar Optic Neuritis in a Patient With Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Purpose To determine the cause of bilateral retrobulbar optic neuritis followed by progressive outer retinal necrosis in a patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Methods Extensive ophthalmologic, neurologic, infectious disease, rheumatologic, and radiologic examinations were performed. Results Cerebrospinal fluid samples taken after the onset of bilateral retrobulbar optic neuritis and before the development of clinical progressive outer retinal necrosis disclosed varicella-zoster virus from polymerase chain reaction and viral culture. Conclusion Ophthalmologists and neurologists should consider varicella-zoster virus optic neuritis as a potential precursor of progressive outer retinal necrosis and as a cause of retrobulbar optic neuritis in patients infected with HIV.
Objective Bayesian analysis of spatial data with measurement error

The author shows how geostatistical data that contain measurement errors can be analyzed objectively by a Bayesian approach using Gaussian random fields. He proposes a reference prior and two versions of Jeffreys' prior for the model parameters. He studies the propriety and the existence of moments for the resulting posteriors. He also establishes the existence of the mean and variance of the predictive distributions based on these default priors. His reference prior derives from a representation of the integrated likelihood that is particularly convenient for computation and analysis. He further shows that these default priors are not very sensitive to some aspects of the design and model, and that they have good frequentist properties. Finally, he uses a data set of carbon/nitrogen ratios from an agricultural field to illustrate his approach. Analyse bayesienne objective de donnees spatiaies entachees d'erreurs de mesures L'auteur montre comment des donnees geostatistiques entachees d'erreurs de mesure peuvent ětre analysees objectivement par une approche bayesienne a l'aide de champs aleatoires gaussiens. II propose une loi a priori de reference et deux versions de la loi de Jeffreys pour les parametres du modele. II etudie l'integrabilite et l'existence des moments des lois a posteriori correspondantes. II demontre aussi l'existen-ce de l'esperance et de la variance des lois previsionnelles deduites de ces lois a priori objectives. Sa loi a priori de reference decoule d'une representation de la vraisemblance integree qui est tres commode aux fins de calcul et d'analyse. II montre par ailleurs que ces lois a priori sont plutǒt insensibles a certaines caracte-ristiques du plan d'experience et du modele, en plus de bien se comporter au plan frequentiste. Enfin, il se sert de donnees sur le rapport carbone/azote d'une terre agricole pour illustrer son propos.
A cytochemical study of lipids in sows' ovaries during the estrous cycle.

THE present study concerns the lipids in sows’ ovaries, investigated by a group of cytochemical tests which characterizes steroid-producing cells. Earlier, Dempsey and Bassett (1943) and MacKay and Robinson (1947) employed similar tests to investigate the ovaries of rats and of humans. Sows’ ovaries are readily available, and Corner’s (1921) measurements of the relative sizes of their follicles and corpora lutea during the several phases of the estrous cycle permit one to date the ovaries without recourse to vaginal smears. The sow, like the human, has a long reproductive cycle (21 days) with a typical luteal phase, and its ovary also contains relatively little interstitial tissue. By the study of a suitably large number of specimens from different phases of the cycle, it was hoped that the sites of hormone production as well as the periods of most active secretion could be ascertained. materials and methods Determination of the stage of the cycle.
NSF/ANSI Standard 49 Certification Testing of Biosafety Cabinets

NSF International maintains NSF/ANSI Standard 49 Class II (laminar flow) biosafety cabinetry and also certifies that biosafety cabinets conform to the requirements of the standard. More than 20 tes...
Pharmacokinetics of netilmicin in premature infants

The pharmacokinetics of netilmicin were studied in 12 premature infants with proven or presumed sepsis during the first month of life. Eleven of 12 patients received netilmicin 2.5 mg/kg intravenously every 12 h while one 770-gram birth weight infant received 2.5 mg/kg every 18 h. Mean steady-state peak and trough concentrations were 8.9 µg/ml and 2.8 µg/ml, respectively. Of twelve patients, 11 had trough serum concentration above 2 µg/ml and four had trough serum concentrations above 3 µg/ml. Mean total body clearance of netilmicin was 0.84 ml/min/kg. The mean clearance of 0.72 ml/min/kg was substantially lower in patients with a mean postnatal age of 2.7 days than the clearance of 1.10 ml/min/kg in patients with a mean postnatal age of 23 days. The mean apparent volume of distribution was 0.63 l/kg; and the mean elimination half-life was 8.6 h. A three-fold interpatient variation in pharmacokinetic parameters was seen. These data suggest the need for careful monitoring of netilmicin serum concentration in premature infants.
Visual acuity vs letter contrast sensitivity in retinitis pigmentosa

This study examined the quantitative relationship between foveal visual acuity and contrast sensitivity for large-letter optotypes in a group of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), in order to assess more completely the extent of foveal vision loss in this group of hereditary retinal dystrophies. High-contrast visual acuity and large-letter contrast sensitivity were measured with a computer-based testing system and with commercially available letter charts (Lighthouse Distance Visual Acuity Test; Pelli-Robson Contrast Sensitivity Chart). Findings from 20 patients with typical RP or Usher syndrome were compared with those from 15 age-similar control subjects with normal vision. On both the computer-based test and the chart tests, the patients with RP showed approximately equal reductions in visual acuity and large-letter contrast sensitivity. However, intersubject controls was greater for contrast sensitivity than for visual acuity on both test protocols. As a result, the patients with RP required a greater reduction in contrast sensitivity than in acuity to exceed the normal range, indicating that visual acuity was the more sensitive index of the loss of foveal visual function.
Increased Expression of Angiogenic Genes in the Brains of Mouse Meg3-Null Embryos

Maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) is a noncoding RNA highly expressed in the normal human brain and pituitary. Expression of MEG3 is lost in gonadotroph-derived clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas. Meg3 knockout mice were generated to identify targets and potential functions of this gene in embryonic development and tumorigenesis. Gene expression profiles were compared in the brains of Meg3-null embryos and wild-type littermate controls using microarray analysis. Microarray data were analyzed with GeneSifter, which uses Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways and Gene Ontology classifications to identify signaling cascades and functional categories of interest within the dataset. Differences were found in signaling pathways and ontologies related to angiogenesis between wild-type and knockout embryos. Quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistological staining showed increased expression of some Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor pathway genes and increased cortical microvessel density in the Meg3-null embryos. In conclusion, Meg3 may play an important role in control of vascularization in the brain and may function as a tumor suppressor in part by inhibiting angiogenesis.
9.1: Terahertz backward-wave oscillator slow-wave circuits

We have been exploring several slow-wave circuits for terahertz frequency backward-oscillators that are suitable for microfabrication. The circuits include folded waveguide circuits based on either rectangular or photonic crystal waveguides, as well as interdigital lines microfabricated either on substrates, suspended micron-scale membranes, or with entirely free-standing interdigital fingers. Beginning with numerical design studies, fabrication process development and hot circuit tests have followed when appropriate. The calculated interaction impedances, used to compare circuits, range from on-order-of one to several kiloohms. The free-standing interdigital lines seem to hold the most near-term promise, with testing underway.
Glycosaminoglycans and Epithelial Organ Formation

The concept that extracellular matrix materials are involved in the morphogeuetic process is supported by substantial indirect evidence. Essential morphogenetically active materials are obscure with regard to their nature, their mode of action, and whether they are causally involved in tissue interactions. Studies are presented indicating that glycosaminoglycans are components of embryonic epithelial basal laminae, and that materials within the basal lamina which are, at least in part, glycosaminoglycan are required for establishing and maintaining braching epithelial morphogenesis. The tissue of origin and molecular nature of basal laminar glycosaminoglycan are described and speculations are made regarding its possible mode of action in the context of a model for branching morphogenesis.
Do Reserve Portfolios Respond to Exchange Rate Changes Using a Portfolio Re-balancing Strategy? An Econometric Study Using Cofer Data

This paper tests whether reserve portfolios respond to exchange rate changes with a portfolio re-balancing strategy, which requires the purchase of depreciating currencies and sale of appreciating ones. The paper finds empirical support for the strategy, in particular that dollar depreciation/appreciation results in re-balancing switches vis-a-vis the other major reserve currency, the euro; valuation changes in the minor currencies tend to result in switches among themselves. The finding implies that currency diversifications in response to exchange rate changes have thus far tended to be stabilizing for exchange markets; it also helps explain the relative stability of reserve currency shares.