cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A phylogenomic study of DNA repair genes, proteins, and processes

The ability to recognize and repair abnormal DNA structures is common to all forms of life. Studies in a variety of species have identified an incredible diversity of DNA repair pathways. Documenting and characterizing the similarities and differences in repair between species has important value for understanding the origin and evolution of repair pathways as well as for improving our understanding of phenotypes affected by repair (e.g., mutation rates, lifespan, tumorigenesis, survival in extreme environments). Unfortunately, while repair processes have been studied in quite a few species, the ecological and evolutionary diversity of such studies has been limited. Complete genome sequences can provide potential sources of new information about repair in different species. In this paper, we present a global comparative analysis of DNA repair proteins and processes based upon the analysis of available complete genome sequences. We use a new form of analysis that combines genome sequence information and phylogenetic studies into a composite analysis we refer to as phylogenomics. We use this phylogenomic analysis to study the evolution of repair proteins and processes and to predict the repair phenotypes of those species for which we now know the complete genome sequence.
Cooper’s Ligament (McVay) Repair of Inguinal Hernia

The McVay repair uses autologous tissue to close the floor of the inguinal canal. This repair closes the femoral canal and is thus a good repair to use when a femoral hernia is encountered. This chapter describes the steps in technique and potential pitfalls associated with the use of this repair.
Nonstandard topologies with bases that consist only of standard sets

Let X be an infinite set, D a set of pseudo-metrics on X, EE c *X, and 1 c *D. If p(a,b) is limited (finite) for every a,b G EE and every p G 1, then, for each p G 1, we can define a pseudo-metric p on E by writing p(a, b) =st(p(a, b)). We investigate the conditions under which the topology induced on by {3: p G F} has a basis consisting only of standard sets. This investigation produces a theory with a variety of applications in functional analysis. For example, a specialization of some of our general results will yield such classical compactness theorems as Schauder's theorem, Mazur's theorem, and Gelfand-Philips's theorem.
States’ Positive Obligations with Respect to Human Trafficking: The European Court of Human Rights Breaks New Ground in Rantsev v. Cyprus & Russia

This article analyzes the European Court of Human Rights’ landmark decision in Rantsev v. Cyprus and the consequences it might engender in the field of human trafficking. In this case, the Court expanded its previous definition of slavery - the classic paradigm of the treatment of human beings as items of property law - to also encompass any or all features attached to the right of ownership, situations of absolute control of one person over another induced through force, fear or coercion – the paradigm of human trafficking. It also puts forth a discussion of the past efforts at addressing this problem and develops recommendations based on a holistic human rights-oriented approach to state duties in the field of human trafficking.
Examining the influence of relationship to disability on the motivations of wheelchair basketball spectators

Abstract Participation and interest in disability sport has grown tremendously, resulting in expansion of the responsibilities of promoters of adaptive sport. Prior research has provided insight regarding consumers of disabled sport, although one factor, spectators’ relationship to disability, offers great potential for use of market segmentation practices. This research, conducted at a national wheelchair basketball event, examined differences in motivation between spectators with and without relationships to disability and between those who did or did not identify themselves as having a disability. The results of this research indicate differences in motivating factors among the groups, supporting practitioner use of market segmentation. Keywords: consumer behavior, disability sport marketing, relationship to disability
Dual-Polarization Radar Data Analysis of the Impact of Ground-Based Glaciogenic Seeding on Winter Orographic Clouds. Part II: Convective Clouds

AbstractThis second paper of a two-part series aims to explore the ground-based glaciogenic seeding impact on wintertime orographic clouds using an X-band dual-polarization radar. It focuses on three cases with shallow to moderately deep orographic convection that were observed in January–February of 2012 as part of the AgI Seeding Cloud Impact Investigation (ASCII) project over the Sierra Madre in Wyoming. In each of the storms the bulk upstream Froude number exceeded 1, suggesting unblocked flow. Low-level potential instability was present, explaining orographic convection. The clouds contained little supercooled liquid water on account of the low cloud-base temperature. Ice-crystal photography shows that snow mainly grew by diffusion and aggregation. To examine the seeding effect of silver iodide (AgI), five study areas are defined: two target areas and three control areas. Comparisons are made between the control and target areas as well as between a treated, or seeded, period and an untreated period....
A Win-Win Partnership Between Academia and Public Health Practice

Partnerships are fundamental to successful public health practice, and collaborations between academia and public health practice, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine and the Council on Linkages between academia and public health practice, are vital to ensuring a competent public health workforce. During times of economic crisis, graduate public health nursing students with clinical expertise, people and communication skills, and critical thinking capabilities are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between academia and public health practice. In 2009, 5 registered nurses enrolled in a master of science in nursing program with a focus on public health partnered with public health professionals from the state Department of Public Health to conduct an active surveillance study to understand the increase in vancomycin-resistant enterococci incidences that occurred since 2005. The purpose of this paper is to describe the successes and challenges of the collaboration to provide an insight for those who wish to build similar collaborations. Even in light of the challenges that occurred during this collaboration, faculty should strongly consider developing partnerships with public health practice in order to contribute to important public health surveillance and other functions, and to provide relevant experiences for students.
Hormone-dependent formation of polysomes in mammary cells in vitro.

Abstract The mechanisms by which insulin, hydrocortisone, and prolactin cause cell differentiation and the induction of specific milk proteins in mammary cells were studied further in relation to the formation of ribosomes and their organization into polysomes. Insulin stimulated the formation of ribosomes and their organization into polysomes in mammary epithelial stem cells in vitro. The newly formed ribosomes were largely conserved in the daughter cells after cell division. In cells previously treated with insulin and hydrocortisone, insulin and prolactin acted synergistically to stimulate the formation of new ribosomes and polysome aggregations. The pre-formed and the newly formed ribosomes were equivalent in their distribution among monosomes and polysomes. Synthesis of specific casein proteins was undetectable in the cells formed in vitro until 4 to 6 hours of prolactin stimulation, at which time an increase in polysomal concentration and the initiation of 32P- or 14C-casein synthesis occurred concomitantly. This result is interpreted as the translation of casein messenger RNA in polysomes, an event which is coupled to preceding hormone-mediated increases in transcriptional activity.
Regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress proteins in COS cells transfected with immunoglobulin mu heavy chain cDNA.

The mechanism by which endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress proteins are induced by the accumulation of incompletely assembled or malfolded proteins in the ER is poorly understood. The 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (BiP), one of the ER stress proteins, has often been detected in stable complexes with these accumulated proteins. We have transfected COS cells with an immunoglobulin (Ig) mu heavy chain expression plasmid. Expressed mu-chain accumulated in the cells and formed stable complexes with BiP. As a result, the synthesis of three ER stress proteins, BiP, the 94-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP94/ERp99), and ERp72, was increased as were their mRNA levels. In addition, the degradation rate of BiP was increased, possibly because of its interaction with mu-chain. Cotransfection of the mu-chain plasmid with an Ig lambda light chain expression plasmid resulted in the appearance of mu-chain in the media in a covalent complex with lambda-chain. An intracellular consequence of this was a reduction in the levels of BiP.mu-chain complex, and a diminished stimulation in the synthesis of the ER stress proteins. These results suggest that the BiP.mu-chain complex in the ER may be involved in the signaling pathway for the induction of ER stress proteins and may represent one regulatory mechanism operating in differentiating B-lymphocytes.
The economics of copper smelter pollution control: A transnational example

Abstract A pessimistic appraisal of the recent Mexican-US agreement to limit sulphur dioxide ( SO 2 ) emissions from the Douglas, Nacozari and Cananea smelters is presented. US regulations will close Douglas, but Mexican and international lending agency regulations are inadequate to affect the Mexican smelters. SO 2 production and fixation in both reverberatory and flash furnaces are analysed in terms of the products (acid and gypsum), fixation costs and the problem of their profitable disposal, particularly in Mexico. Relating the costs to Mexican currency exchange rates and economic problems, smelter pollution control reduces the competitive position of Mexican copper production and affects its trade balance, leading to a Mexican reluctance to maintain the agreement.
Defective Virions of Reovirus

Abstract When purified preparations of stock reovirus, type 3, were digested with chymotrypsin, the virions were converted into two different types of particle. These new particles could be separated from each other by isopycnic centrifugation in cesium chloride gradients. One particle banded at a buoyant density of 1.43 g/cm3, the other at a density of 1.415 g/cm3. The former particle is termed the heavy (H) particle, the latter is the light (L) particle. The ratio of H/L particles varied between 0.5 and 0.25 in various purified preparations of virus. In electron micrographs, both H and L particles had the appearance and dimensions of viral cores. H particles were infectious for L cells. When plaques formed by stock virus, or by H particles, were picked and propagated in L cells, the majority of the clones gave rise only to H particles on chymotrypsin digestion. On continued serial passage of the clones, virions containing L particles again appeared in the progeny. The simplest explanation of these results was that stock virus was comprised of two populations of virions. One type of virion which contained H particles was infectious, whereas the other, which contained L particles, was not itself infectious and could replicate only in cells coinfected with an H particle virion. Added weight was given to this hypothesis by two observations. First, a small but definite separation of H and L virions could be achieved by isopycnic centrifugation in a gradient of cesium chloride. Second, L particles and virions containing L particles were both shown to lack the largest of the ten segments of double-stranded ribonucleic acid genome. Thus, L particle virions have defective genomes.
THE QUANTUM G2 LINK INVARIANT

We derive an inductive, combinatorial definition of a polynomial-valued regular isotopy invariant of links and tangled graphs. We show that the invariant equals the Reshetikhin-Turaev invariant corresponding to the exceptional simple Lie algebra G2. It is therefore related to G2 in the same way that the HOMFLY polynomial is related to An and the Kauffman polynomial is related to Bn, Cn, and Dn. We give parallel constructions for the other rank 2 Lie algebras and present some combinatorial conjectures motivated by the new inductive definitions.
MANAGING DEFAULT: SOME EVIDENCE ON HOW FIRMS CHOOSE BETWEEN WORKOUTS AND CHAPTER 11

As more and more U.S. companies default on their debt and file for bankruptcy, financial economists have become increasingly interested in understanding how companies deal with financial distress. In particular, academic concern has focused on whether the costs of resolving default are excessive, and whether the process by which firms recontract with their creditors can be made more efficient. Companies have good reason to be concerned with these issues as well. In 1990, almost $25 billion worth of junk bonds went into default, and 749,956 U.S. firms filed for bankruptcy. The costs of restructuring the balance sheets of troubled companies can be daunting. LTV Corporation, for example, has spent over $150 million on legal and other professional fees since it filed for chapter 11 in 1986. And this figure ignores other, potentially greater, costs of financial distress such as any loss of business occasioned by the bankruptcy. There are two basic methods for reorganizing troubled companies: private workouts and formal bankruptcy. In either case, new financial claims are exchanged for the firm's outstanding debt contract on terms the firm finds more affordable. The net effect of the exchange is either to reduce the level of interest and principal payments, to extend the payment dates, or to substitute equity for debt. The main difference between the two approaches is that, in bankruptcy, this exchange is supervised by the court. Viewed in this light, the workout-bankruptcy choice has an obvious parallel with the decision faced by plaintiffs and defendants over whether to settle out of court or go to trial.
Effect of Prolonged Therapeutic Hypothermia on Intracranial Pressure, Organ Function, and Hospital Outcomes Among Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Background Global cerebral edema (GCE) with subsequent refractory intracranial hypertension complicates some cases of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), and typically is associated with poorer outcome. Treatment options for refractory intracranial pressure (ICP) cases are limited to decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) and targeted temperature management (TTM) with induced hypothermia (32–34 °C). No outcomes comparison between patients treated with either or both forms of refractory ICP therapy exists, and data on the effect of prolonged hypothermia on ICP and organ function among patients with aSAH are limited.
A process control workstation

The design of an efficient and cost-effective software system for a process control workstation is presented. The workstation can operate either in stand-alone mode or as a control module in a distributed control hierarchy. Among its key features is a user-friendly operator interface allowing dynamic and menu-driven definition of all system parameters.
Functional foles of insulin and insulinlike growth factors in preimplantation mouse embryo development

Growth factors are known to play important roles in cellular proliferation and differentiation. However, little information is available concerning their roles in the earliest stages of mammalian development. The effect of physiologic levels of insulin, insulinlike growth factor-I, and insulinlike growth factor II (IGF-I and-II) on DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis in preimplantation stages of the mouse are described in this study. Quantitative studies of the incorporation of labeled thymidine, uridine, and methionine into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material by different developmental stages of preimplantation mouse embryos labeled in vitro, indicate that physiologic levels of insulin stimulated DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis with significant effects observed first at the morula stage of development. In contrast, neither IGF-I nor IGF-II stimulated DNA, RNA, or protein synthesis to a significant degree under the same experimental conditions. These results suggest a functional role for insulin at the earliest stages of mammalian embryogenesis.
Equilibrium configurations of Vlasov plasmas carrying a current component along an external magnetic field.

A model of equilibrium configurations of Vlasov plasmas is considered which represents a combination of the models of Harris (1962) and Nicholson (1963). These plasma configurations carry a current component along an external magnetic field. The considered slab model contains a diamagnetic current and a field-aligned current for an arbitrary ratio of particle pressure to magnetic pressure of the applied constant field. For a fixed pressure ratio and field-aligned current, the model admits a family of equilibrium solutions in which the diamagnetic currents range from zero to a maximum value. The amount of diamagnetic current flowing in a machine depends on the width of the machine, the field-aligned current and other plasma parameters.
The Blob Projection Method for Immersed Boundary Problems

A new finite difference numerical method for modeling the interaction between flexible elastic membranes and an incompressible fluid in a two-dimensional domain is presented. The method differs from existing methods in the way the forces exerted by the membranes on the fluid are modeled. These are described by a collection of regularized point forces, and the velocity field they induce is computed directly on a regular Cartesian grid via a smoothed dipole potential. Comparisons between this method and the immersed boundary method of Peskin and McQueen are presented. The results show that the method proposed here preserves volumes better and has a higher order of convergence.
Leveraging usage similarity for effective retrieval of examples in code repositories

Developers often learn to use APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) by looking at existing examples of API usage. Code repositories contain many instances of such usage of APIs. However, conventional information retrieval techniques fail to perform well in retrieving API usage examples from code repositories. This paper presents Structural Semantic Indexing (SSI), a technique to associate words to source code entities based on similarities of API usage. The heuristic behind this technique is that entities (classes, methods, etc.) that show similar uses of APIs are semantically related because they do similar things. We evaluate the effectiveness of SSI in code retrieval by comparing three SSI based retrieval schemes with two conventional baseline schemes. We evaluate the performance of the retrieval schemes by running a set of 20 candidate queries against a repository containing 222,397 source code entities from 346 jars belonging to the Eclipse framework. The results of the evaluation show that SSI is effective in improving the retrieval of examples in code repositories.
U-Shaped Changes in Behavior: A Dynamic Systems Perspective.

The traditional view of development is stage-like progress toward increasing complexity of form. However, the literature cites many examples in which children do worse before they do better. A major challenge for developmental theory, therefore, is to explain both global progress and apparent regression. In this article, we situate U-shaped development as a special case of the nonlinearity that is characteristic of all developmental process. We use dynamic systems theory to show how behavioral regression can be understood as part of the ordinary mechanisms of change. Examples from our work in infant motor and language development illustrate the ways that U-shaped behavior arises from continuous changes in the collective dynamics of multiple, contingent processes. A central claim is that true regression is not possible because behavior exists continuously in time. Thus the current state of the system always depends on its past history. Instead, the appearance of regression reflects the concept of softly as...
Mixed-Level Fault Coverage Estimation

A Fault coverage estimation technique for mixed-level circuit is described. Observability formulae for combinational multiple-input multiple-output functional block are derived. Special procedures for estimating CMOS circuit transistor fault detection probability are developed, and the implementation of a FAult Coverage Estimation (FACE) system is described.
PECAMI ASSOCIATION WITH TALIN IN HUMAN VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL CELLS. • 291

Our previous work indicated that cytoskeletal association may regulate the redistribution of PECAM1 on the surface of human endothelial cells after treatment with TNFα or IFNγ (Journal of Immunology 154:65826592, 1995). We have, therefore, investigated PECAM1 interactions with cytoskeletal proteins. Immunofluorescence studies indicated that PECAM1 colocalized with cytoskeletal proteins between Factin arrays and the plasma membrane in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) monolayers, Multiple interdigitations and irregularities in the intercellular appearance of PECAM1 were found to correspond with the configuration of the Factin at the cells' perimeters. This pattern of intercellular localization appeared to correspond with staining for alphaactinin, filamin, talin, and vinculin. These cytoskeletal proteins and the actinbinding protein cortactin were all investigated by immunoprecipitation for evidence of biochemical interaction with PECAM1. AntiPECAM1 immunoprecipitates from whole cell lysates of confluent HUVEC monolayers were analyzed by SDSPAGE and immunoblotting. They were found to contain talin. Alphaactinin, cortactin, filamin, and vinculin were not reproducibly identified in these PECAM1 immunoprecipitates. The reverse analysis was also performed in each case. Immunoblot analyses of antialphaactinin, anticortactin, antifilamin, and antivinculin immunoprecipitates from HUVEC lysates were negative for PECAM1. PECAM1 did appear in antitalin immunoprecipitates from confluent, but not subconfluent, HUVEC monolayers. These experiments indicate that PECAM1 may associate with the cytoskeletal protein talin in normal human vascular endothelium. The role of talin in the regulation of the intercellular localization of PECAM1 is under investigation.
Relative Agricultural Prices and Monetary Policy

An imperfect information, rational expectations model of relative price determination is presented. This model provides an econometric specification for testing for a causal relationship between money and the relative prices of agricultural commodities. Test results indicate that variations in the growth rate of the nominal money supply (whether anticipated or unanticipated) have not been an important influence on the average level of prices received by farmers relative to other prices in the economy over the period 1951–85.
Operator product expansions and composite field operators in the general framework of quantum field theory

The short distance behavior of field operator products is analyzed. It is shown that under certain conditions operator product expansions can be derived which give complete information on the short distance behavior and lead to the construction of composite field operators.
Witt rings and orderings of skew fields

While ordered skew fields have been known for a long time, they have received very little attention. One purpose of this paper is to show that studying orderings and associated structures is one way of obtaining information about skew fields which are infinite dimensional over their centers. All of our work is restricted to skew fields of characteristic not equal to 2. Of course, ordered skew fields have characteristic zero since they induce orderings on their centers. The first example of a noncommutative ordered field appears to be due to D. Hilbert in “Grundlagen der Geometrie” 115, $331. The example follows a proof of the fact that if a skew lield D has an archimedean ordering (every positive element of D is less than some rational integer), then D is commutative [15, $321. Another early result of a general nature was proved by A. A. Albert [I 1, based on earlier work of L. Dickson. Albert showed that an ordered skew field which is algebraic over its center must be commutative. We shall generalize this result in the next section. In 1952, T. Szele [28 ] extended to skew fields the basic results of Artin and Schreier on sums of squares [2,3] ( sums of products of squares for skew fields) and a criterion for extension of orderings due to Serre 1271. The second and third sections of our paper are devoted to extending these results and others to “orderings of higher level” in skew fields. Orderings of higher level were recently defined by E. Becker in [4] for commutative fields and appear to be of great importance in extending results for quadratic forms to forms of higher degree. In particular, 2”th powers take the place of squares in the Artin-Schreier theory. In fact, in (5 1 he has extended this to arbitrary even powers, but the valuation theory needed exceeds that which we have developed in Section 3 for skew fields. Section 2 covers the extension to skew
Effects of Age, Gender and Education on Selected Neuropsychological Tests in an Elderly Community Cohort

Objective: To establish population-based data, with special emphasis on the effects of age, gender, and education, for eight, widely used neuropsychological tests in a community-dwelling cohort of normal and cognitively impaired older adults. Design: A population-based observational study. Setting: Examinations were performed in a research clinic by specially trained staff during a 1988–1992 evaluation for osteoporosis. Participants: 1,692 community-dwelling subjects, aged 55 to 94 years, who were members of the Rancho Bernardo Heart and Chronic Disease Study initiated in 1972. The mean age for men was 73.9 years (SD 9.3) and for women, 73.5 (SD 9.1). Outcome measures: Eight neuropsychological tests were used to measure cognitive functions. Analysis of variance and post hoc contrasts were performed to determine the effects of age, gender, education, and their interactions on performance on these tests. Results: Performance on all tests decreased progressively, without leveling off, from the youngest, age 55, to the oldest, age 94. Women performed better on verbal tasks and men on tests of visuospatial, visuoconceptual, and mental control functions. Performances of men on several tests declined more rapidly with advancing age than those of women. Both men and women with some college education performed better on most tests than men and women with high school educations, and the rate of decline with age was sometimes slower in the college-educated group. Only the savings score from the Visual Reproduction Test, which is a measure of rate of forgetting, and the scores of short-term recall derived from the Selective Reminding Test (Buschke-Fuld) were unaffected by educational attainment. Conclusions: In a community-dwelling cohort, including normal and cognitively impaired elderly men and women, advancing age is accompanied by decline in cognitive functions as measured by neuropsychological tests. This decline is slower in women and in college-educated subjects. Two cognitive indices were unaffected by education, and these may be especially useful in cross-cultural studies.
Fatty acids promote the formation of complexes between choline-phosphate cytidylyltransferase and cytidylyltransferase binding protein.

Abstract We previously identified a 112-kDa protein (CTBP) that binds CTP:choline-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (CT) (D. A. Feldman and P. A. Weinhold, 1993, J. Biol. Chem . 268, 3127-3135). In this study we show that fatty acids promote the binding of cytidylyltransferase to CTBP, Gel filtration chromatography separated CTBP from CT in liver cytosol. CTBP was eluted slightly slower than the thyroglobulin standard. The addition of oleate to cytosol followed by incubation at 37°C resulted in the formation of aggregates containing both CT and CTBP. The aggregates eluted in the void volume of the gel filtration column, sedimented to the bottom of glycerol density gradients, and precipitated at concentrations of polyethylene glycol lower than required to precipitate CT and CTBP in untreated cytosol. Immunoprecipitation by CT antibodies of both CT and CTBP in aggregate preparations provided further evidence for the formation of CT-CTBP complexes, A smaller CT-CTBP complex was isolated by glycerol density centrifugation from cytosol incubated with oleate at 4°C. Overall, these results suggest that oleate promotes the binding of CT to CTBP. The results suggest that a dissociable complex is formed at 4°C in the presence of oleate which is polymerized by incubation at 37°C to a large aggregate that is more resistant to dissociation. Complex formation at 37 and 4°C was dose dependent at oleate concentrations between 50 and 200 μM. Complex formation at 4°C was specifically promoted by long-chain, unsaturated fatty acids. These results suggest that CTBP may be involved in the fatty acid-induced translocation of cytidylyltransferase.
Quality of information and energy provisioning (invited paper)

The Quality of Information (QoI) can be evaluated through the effect that the information will have on a system which is of critical interest. Although QoI is often be discussed in the context of sensor networks, this paper addresses QoI in a new and important framework: the management of energy distribution. We consider a system that combines constant power generation by some conventional source, together with renewable energy being generated and stored. The consumer has some fixed contract with the conventional energy source and obtains any excess needed energy from storage. We show that imperfections in the interpretation or delivery of information about the consumer's instantaneous needs can lead to measurable deficiencies in energy provisioning. The results are derived using Energy Packet Networks which are a novel approach to modeling energy systems based on queueing theory.
Lactic acidosis and mitochondrial disorders

Characterization of the biochemical basis of various inherited disorders associated with lactic acidosis has increased dramatically in recent years. These include defects of enzymes of gluconeogenesis, pyruvate oxidation, and electron transport. Clinical manifestations of these disorders show great variation and overlap, frequently involving the central nervous system as well as skeletal and cardiac muscle. Several of these enzymes are large complexes of subunits encoded by multiple genes; the electron transport chain complexes include subunits encoded by both nuclear and mitochondrial genes. This great complexity complicates analysis of specific mutations, despite considerable progress in defining the primary structure of component proteins and their genes. With few exceptions, treatment of disorders associated with congenital lactic acidosis remains unsatisfactory.
Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and cell cycle activity in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease neuropathology.

Abstract Prior studies have shown that cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, an enzyme involved in inflammatory mechanisms as well as neuronal activities, is up-regulated in the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain and may represent a therapeutic target for anti-inflammatory treatments. We report the effect of neuronal overexpression of human (h)COX-2 in a murine model of AD neuropathology. Transgenic mice expressing both the human amyloid precursor protein mutation (APPswe) and the human presenilin (PS1-A246E) mutation, with resultant AD plaque pathology, were crossed with transgenic mice expressing human (h)COX-2 in neurons. At 12 months of age, the APPswe/PS1-A246E/hCOX-2 triple-transgenic mice showed an elevation in the number of phosphorylated retinoblastoma (pRb) tumor suppressor protein and active caspase-3 immunopositive neurons, compared to double APPswe/PS1-A246E or single hCOX-2 transgenic controls. No detectable influence of neuronal hCOX-2 on AD neuropathology was found in the brain of APPswe/PS1-A246E/hCOX-2 triple-transgenic mice, compared to double APPswe/PS1-A246E. In vitro studies revealed that hCOX-2 overexpression in primary cortico-hippocampal neurons derived from the hCOX-2 transgenics accelerates β-amyloid (Aβ)1–42-mediated apoptotic damage which was prevented by the cell cycle dependent (CDK) inhibitor, flavoperidol. The data indicates that COX-2 overexpression causes alteration of neuronal cell cycle in a murine model of AD neuropathology, and provides a rational basis for targeting neuronal COX-2 in therapeutic research aimed at slowing the clinical progression of AD.
Precision laser bending of thin precious metal alloys

Lasers are capable of delivering energy to a metal to induce stresses from the thermal gradient through the material. Under the right conditions these stresses can cause the metal to bend. Experiments were conducted to produce bending in the metal, Neyoro ® G, and samples with a titanium coating on one side. In the experiments, both upward and downward bending was observed. The titanium coated samples showed potential to be more controllable than the uncoated samples.
On the biophysics and kinetics of toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement

Dynamic DNA nanotechnology often uses toehold-mediated strand displacement for controlling reaction kinetics. Although the dependence of strand displacement kinetics on toehold length has been experimentally characterized and phenomenologically modeled, detailed biophysical understanding has remained elusive. Here, we study strand displacement at multiple levels of detail, using an intuitive model of a random walk on a 1D energy landscape, a secondary structure kinetics model with single base-pair steps and a coarse-grained molecular model that incorporates 3D geometric and steric effects. Further, we experimentally investigate the thermodynamics of three-way branch migration. Two factors explain the dependence of strand displacement kinetics on toehold length: (i) the physical process by which a single step of branch migration occurs is significantly slower than the fraying of a single base pair and (ii) initiating branch migration incurs a thermodynamic penalty, not captured by state-of-the-art nearest neighbor models of DNA, due to the additional overhang it engenders at the junction. Our findings are consistent with previously measured or inferred rates for hybridization, fraying and branch migration, and they provide a biophysical explanation of strand displacement kinetics. Our work paves the way for accurate modeling of strand displacement cascades, which would facilitate the simulation and construction of more complex molecular systems.
Evidence for γ-Aminobutyric Acid Modulation of Ovarian Hormonal Effects on Luteinizing Hormone Secretion and Hypothalamic Catecholamine Activity in the Female Rat

Recent evidence suggests that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-containing neurons may inhibit LH release under certain circumstances. The present experiments tested whether GABA agonists block the LH surge induced in ovariectomized rats by estradiol benzoate (EB) plus progesterone (P) treatment and whether these agents affect the concentration and turnover of hypothalamic catecholamines, assessed from the depletion that occurs after synthesis inhibition. Ovariectomized rats received EB, followed 2 days later by P. Simultaneously with P, rats received either saline or one of the GABA agonists, baclofen or muscimol. Other agonist-treated rats received a second injection 4 h later or were additionally treated with the postsynaptic GABA antagonist bicuculline. Additional experiments tested the effects of these agents on LH release in response to exogenous LHRH. The LH surge induced by EB plus P was blocked by administration of either baclofen or muscimol in a dose-dependent manner. Bicuculline did not prevent the e...
Bariatric Surgery Evolution from the Malabsorptive to the Hormonal Era

While bariatric procedures continued to evolve and develop since the 1950s, their classification has not matched this evolution. The procedures are commonly classified into restrictive, malabsorptive, or combined. In this day and age, we recognize different mechanisms of action of the bariatric procedures. This article aims to review and update the old classifications based on our current understanding of the hormonal aspects of the various bariatric procedures and the role of gut hormones in weight loss and treatment of the associated metabolic comorbidities. The article suggests the need for a new classification of the bariatric procedures, based on the mechanism of action, involving the hormonal aspects of the procedure.
High-power and high-responsivity photodiodes for phased array application and their rf diagnosis

High performance photodiodes are essential for photonic insertion into Phased Array Antenna Systems. This paper discusses the RF linearity performance of photodiodes with consideration of thermal effect at high photocurrent, and presents new understandings of both surface-normal and waveguide photodiodes using an equivalent circuit model analysis. The analysis is accompanied by a novel diagnostic technique for robust examination of photodiodes.
Near-optimal focus for Gaussian beam propagation through turbulence: analysis and wave optics simulation results

We recently proposed a metric that incorporates scintillation reduction and beam spread for evaluating the performance of a partially coherent laser beam propagating through atmospheric turbulence. The metric was evaluated relative to other measures such as probability of fade and number of fades and it was verified that the metric can be used to find the parameters for optimal or near-optimal beam performance. In this work, we review the performance metric and develop analytical expressions as a function of the source beam curvature F 0 and other link parameters. The behavior of the metric as a function of F 0 is investigated for different link scenarios. A wave (physical) optics simulation is also implemented and its results compare favorably with the analytical results.
INT reduction as a basis for determining bakers' yeast viability

Summary Two rapid and simple methods for determining the reduction of 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyltetrazolium chloride (INT) to INT-formazan by bakers' yeast were compared. The first method involves counting with a light microscope the number of yeast cells containing INT-formazan crystals. In the second method, INT-formazan is extracted from cells retained on membrane filters, using dimethyl sulphoxide. The INT-formazan is then quantitated by absorption spectrophotometry. Several brands of bakers' yeast of various ages were tested. Results obtained with the two methods were closely correlated. The extraction method is the more rapid and convenient of the two assays investigated and may be used to follow change in activity with time, compare various yeast brands or investigate the effect of various environmental conditions on yeast INT-dehydrogenase activity.
A ‘random steady-state’ model for the pyruvate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase enzyme complexes

The multienzyme complexes, pyruvate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, involved in the central metabolism of Escherichia coli consist of multiple copies of three different enzymes, E1, E2 and E3, that cooperate to channel substrate intermediates between their active sites. The E2 components form the core of the complex, while a mixture of E1 and E3 components binds to the core. We present a random steady-state model to describe catalysis by such multienzyme complexes. At a fast time scale, the model describes the enzyme catalytic mechanisms of substrate channeling at a steady state, by polynomially approximating the analytic solution of a biochemical master equation. At a slower time scale, the structural organization of the different enzymes in the complex and their random binding/unbinding to the core is modeled using methods from equilibrium statistical mechanics. Biologically, the model describes the optimization of catalytic activity by substrate sharing over the entire enzyme complex. The resulting enzymatic models illustrate the random steady state (RSS) for modeling multienzyme complexes in metabolic pathways.
Induction of Pyk-2 Fhosphorylation During Lfa-l/Icam-1-Dependent Homotypic Adhesion of Fresh Human B-Cells

Stimulation with the combination of PDB plus ionomycin induced LFA-l/ICAM-1-dependent homotypic adhesion of tonsil B cells. Adhesion of tonsil B cells in our system induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Pyk-2. Disruption of homotypic adhesion and concomitant inhibition of induction of protein tyrosine phosphorylation was achieved by physical separation of the cells and by treatment with methyl-2,5-dihydroxycinnamate (MDHC), an inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphorylation. These results suggest that protein tyrosine phosphorylation that is associated with homotypic adhesion is mediated by LFA-l/ICAM-1 interactions.
Arsenic speciation in seawater and interstitial waters: The influence of biological-chemical interactions on the chemistry of a trace element1

Four species of arsenic were found in samples of seawater and interstitial water from the northeast Pacific and the continental borderland off southern California: arsenate, arsenite, methylarsonate and dimethylarsinate. All were present in the photic zone, with a good correlation between photosynthetic activity and the concentration of the methylated arsenicals. There is less arsenite in the surface waters than in the deep waters, suggesting biological uptake and transport. A sharp increase of arsenate at the base of the photic zone indicates rapid regeneration of this species. In the deep waters arsenate is dominant, but arsenite is still present in excess of equilibrium concentrations. No arsenic biomethylation was found in the interstitial waters of oxic and anoxic sediments, but arsenite was present there. In Santa Barbara Basin arsenite accounts for 20% of the arsenic in the interstitial water, the highest proportion found. Total arsenic is lower in the interstitial than in the overlying waters, suggesting removal of arsenic into the solid phases by adsorption of coprecipitation. Biological-chemical interactions and the kinetics of redox reactions are important in influencing the speciation of arsenic.
Nitrate removal from groundwater using catalytic reduction

Abstract Nitrate ((NO − 3 ) contamination of groundwater is a major concern throughout intensive agricultural areas (nonpoint source pollution). Current processes (e.g., ion exchange, membrane separation) are not selective for NO − 3 removal. The objective of this study was to develop a catalytic reduction process to selectively remove NO − 3 from groundwater associated with agricultural community. Three catalysts, palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), and rhodium (Rh) on carbon (5–10%) were tested in this study. A l of groundwater sample was amended with 0.5 g catalyst and reacted at different redox potentials (340 to −400 mV) and reaction times (1–6 h). During the catalytic reduction process the pH was maintained around 6.5 by bubbling 5% carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). At a given redox potential and reaction period, samples were analyzed for NO − 3 and NO − 2 (nitrite) with ion chromatography (IC). Initial NO − 3 concentrations ranged between 32 and 41 mg/l. Among the three catalysts, Rh was most effective in removing NO − 3 . Results suggest that Rh catalyst at −400 mV and 6 h reaction time can decrease NO − 3 concentration from 40 to 11.9 mg/l. During the NO − 3 reduction process NO − 2 was not detected. The re-oxidation of formerly reduced samples to 390 mV resulted in no increase in the concentration of NO − 3 . Application of a small flow of current to the catalytic reduction process increased NO − 3 reduction rates significantly. For instance, application of 4.6–6.1 ν to −250 mV and 6 h of reaction time decreased NO − 3 concentration from 40 to 7.9 mg/l. The catalytic reduction process described in this study is useful in removing NO − 3 from groundwater associated with nonpoint source pollution.
ECG’s in de huisartsenpraktijk: melkkoe of paard van Troje?

Waar in Medisch Contact recent nog gepleit werd voor het ‘bewaken van onze grenzen’ omdat huisartsen ‘het afvoerputje van de zorg’ zijn geworden,1,2 tref ik in H&W in diezelfde week een blijmoedig redactioneel over een aankomende serie over het ECG in de huisartsensetting.
Single-Crystal Calcium Hexaboride Nanowires: Synthesis and Characterization

Catalyst-assisted growth of single-crystal calcium hexaboride (CaB6) nanowires was achieved by pyrolysis of diborane (B2H6) over calcium oxide (CaO) powders at 860−900 °C and ∼155 mTorr in a quartz tube furnace. TEM electron diffraction and Raman spectroscopy indicate that the nanowires are single-crystal CaB6 and have a preferred [001] growth direction. Analysis of TEM/EDX/EELS data proves the nanowires consist of CaB6 cores and thin (1−2 nm) amorphous oxide shell material. The CaB6 nanowires have diameters of ∼15−40 nm, and lengths of ∼1−10 μm.
Pharmacological MRI mapping of age-associated changes in basal ganglia circuitry of awake rhesus monkeys.

While the pathophysiological changes induced by the loss of dopamine innervation in the basal ganglia by Parkinson's disease (PD) are well studied, little is known about functional changes in the neural circuitry of this area during normal aging. Here we report the first survey of age-associated changes in the basal ganglia of behaviorally characterized, awake rhesus monkeys, using pharmacological MRI to map responses to dopaminergic stimulation. Apomorphine, a mixed D(1)/D(2) dopamine receptor agonist, evoked little change in the substantia nigra (SN) of aged animals while significantly reducing activation in young adult monkeys. Compared to young animals, both apomorphine and d-amphetamine (which increases synaptic dopamine levels) significantly increased activation of the aged rhesus globus pallidus externa (GPe). In addition, the aged animals showed decreased activity in the putamen in response to d-amphetamine administration. Although the responses in the SN and putamen of the aged monkeys differed from those in animal models of PD, the apomorphine-evoked activation of their GPe corresponded with apomorphine-induced increases in neuronal activity seen in Parkinson's patients and animal models. Given the major role of the GPe in regulating motor behavior, the altered responses in the aged GPe may contribute significantly to the motor slowing and movement dysfunctions characterizing advanced age.