cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LC-MS/MS mediated absolute quantification and comparison of bile salt export pump and breast cancer resistance protein in livers and hepatocytes across species.

In the present study, capillary liquid chromatography (LC) nano electrospray ionization quadruple time-of-flight (nano-ESI-Q-TOF) mass spectrometry was utilized to identify the unique proteotypic peptides for liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry (LC−MS/MS) mediated breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2) and bile salt export pump (BSEP/ABCG11) quantification, using insect membrane vesicles overexpressing the proteins. The lower limit of quantification was established to be 31.25 pM and 125 nM for BCRP/ABCG2 and BSEP/ABCG11, respectively. The linearity of standard curves was up to 5000 pM. The accuracy and precision of the LC−MS/MS method were evaluated by adding the known amount of synthetic proteotypic peptide or synthetic surrogate peptide substrates in the membrane protein extracts of livers or hepatocytes. The overall relative error (RE) and coefficient of variation (CV) were below 15.9% and 14.2% for BCRP/ABCG2 quantification or below 15.6% and 6.4% for BSEP/ABCG11, respectively. The ...
Our Scope Expansion to Include Biologics

Chemical compounds with relatively low molecular weights, so-called small molecules in pharmaceutical parlance, have been the mainstay of drug-based therapeutics for many decades. More recently, large molecules, known as biologics, have received increasing attention and have become a large segment of drug research and development. Biologics have become an important segment of marketed drugs and are expected to expand further in the future. Most drug discovery and development organizations have shifted their business objectives over the past few years to emphasize protein-based therapeutic agents, such that they will become a greater proportion of their therapeutic pipelines. This transition, a dramatic shift from small-molecule drugs to high-value biopharmaceuticals, has powered a vibrant biotechnology expansion with the concomitant rise of many biopharma enterprises. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters recognizes this shift in the landscape of drug discovery and development, as well as the important contributions of medicinal chemists to the field of large-molecule therapeutics. Consequently, the journal is extending its welcome to medicinal chemistry-oriented manuscripts associated with molecular entities that are commonly referred to as “biologics”. Some examples include, but are not limited to, medicinal chemistry aspects of antibody–drug conjugates; protein therapeutics; and passive or active immunotherapies. The Editors encourage the submission of manuscripts pertaining to the identification, synthesis, optimization, and biological characterization of large bioactive molecules and drugs, as a complement to our long-standing emphasis on small molecular entities. As such, our advice to prospective authors has been modified accordingly in Instructions for Authors on our Web site.
Neuroprotection from Focal Ischemia by 4-phenyl-1-(4-phenylbutyl) Piperidine (ppbp) Is Dependent on Treatment Duration in Rats

UNLABELLED The IV administration of the potent sigma1-receptor ligand 4-phenyl-1-(4-phenylbutyl)piperidine (PPBP) provides neuroprotection against focal cerebral ischemia. We tested the hypothesis that prolonged, continuous administration of PPBP would provide further neuroprotection in a rat model of transient focal ischemia and reperfusion. Under controlled conditions of normoxia, normocarbia, and normothermia, halothane-anesthetized male Wistar rats were subjected to 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion by the intraluminal occlusion technique. Sixty minutes after the onset of ischemia, rats were randomly assigned to six treatment groups to receive a continuous IV infusion of PPBP (1 micromol . kg(-1). h(-1) for 1, 2, 3, or 4 days or saline for 1 or 4 days. The infarction volume was assessed by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TFC) staining on Day 4 after ischemia in all rats. The TTC-determined infarction volume of the ipsilateral cerebral cortex was smaller in rats treated with PPBP for 1 day (42+/-13 mm3; 10%+/-3% of ipsilateral hemisphere; P < 0.05) (mean+/-SEM) compared with that in corresponding 1-day control rats (124+/-22 mm; 29%+/-5% of ipsilateral hemisphere; P < 0.05) or 4-day control rats (112+/-10 mm; 26%+/-2% of ipsilateral hemisphere; P < 0.05). Cortical infarction volumes in 2-, 3-, and 4-day PPBP-treated rats were not different compared with 1- and 4-day saline-treated controls. These data demonstrate that the sigma1(-receptor ligand PPBP attenuates ischemic injury when administration is initiated 60 min after the onset of focal ischemia but that prolonged continuous treatment with PPBP beyond 24 h provides no neuroprotection. IMPLICATIONS sigma-Ligands decrease infarction size in various animal models when given after the onset of stroke. Prolonged treatment with a potent sigma-ligand is associated with loss of therapeutic efficacy for this compound.
An automated time-frequency approach for ultrasonic monitoring of fastener hole cracks

Abstract Angle beam ultrasonic inspection methods are well established for detection and sizing of fatigue cracks originating from fastener holes, and have recently been applied to in situ monitoring of such cracks using permanently attached transducers. Prior work utilizing a dual angle beam method has demonstrated the efficacy of an energy ratio algorithm for detection and sizing of cracks in open holes. This energy ratio is a measure of how much a crack opens under load, and is the ratio of transmitted energy for the specimen under tensile loading to the energy under no load, normalized by the ratio computed for the undamaged hole. Considered here is an extension of this method which utilizes multiple time and frequency windows of the received signals for computing the energy ratio with the goal of achieving the earliest possible detection of cracking. These windows allow different spatial regions to be selectively interrogated, and windows corresponding to the actual crack geometry should be more effective at detecting the crack. An automated algorithm is developed and implemented to permit multiple time–frequency windows to be effectively analyzed without requiring manual interpretation. Results are shown which indicate that cracking in open holes can be detected significantly earlier in the fatiguing process compared to the previously implemented full-window energy ratio method. Integral to the method is the assumption that there is a significant change in crack closure as a function of load.
Numerical study of the effects of variable fluid property and internal heat generation on flat-plate thermometer

Abstract A numerical study is presented for the steady-state temperature field and the heat transfer characteristics. The results are obtained by solving the highly nonlinear energy equation using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. Two cases including the constant fluid property (CFP) and the variable fluid property (VFP) are discussed. It is found that the values of the temperature field in the VFP case are larger than those in the CFP case. Further, the temperature field is more prominent in the presence of heat sources than in their absence. Numerical results indicate that the wall heat transfer coefficient (or the Nusselt number) in the VFP case is about 35 percent higher than in the CFP case. This suggests further investigation of the effects of the variable fluid property on the heat transfer characteristics.
Brillouin spectroscopy of YAG-derived optical fibers.

We present Brillouin spectroscopy of YAG-derived optical fibers. It is found that the addition of yttria and alumina both tend to raise the acoustic velocity when added to silica, with the change due to yttria being much weaker. The temperature-dependence of the Stokes’s shift in the YAG-derived fibers is also measured, disclosing a lesser temperature dependence than conventional Ge-doped fibers. These fibers are found experimentally to have a substantially larger acoustic attenuation coefficient relative to that of bulk silica, and assuming a photoelastic constant of amorphous YAG similar to that of pure crystalline YAG, a much-reduced Brillouin gain coefficient as a result. A 40 weight percent yttria and alumina fiber has a Brillouin gain coefficient estimated to be roughly one sixth of pure silica. We also show that the addition of Er to the YAG-derived system decreases the acoustic velocity and broadens the Brillouin spectrum.
Catalyst pellet with unsymmetrical shell-progressive deactivation

Abstract Activity factors that delineate the effect of shell-progressive, independent deactivation on global rate are given for slab-like pellets with unequal surface concentrations for both reactor and poisoning species. It is shown that an increase in the global rate can be achieved over the entire lifetime of the catalyst by properly selecting the surface concentration ratio. Use of the asymmetry in single-pellet reactor arrangement should provide more information on catalyst deactivation. The activity factors for partially wetted catalyst pellets, typical in trickle-bed reactors, are also given.
Dexamethasone upregulates the expression of the nuclear cofactor p300 and its interaction with C/EBPβ in cultured myotubes

Muscle wasting during sepsis and other catabolic conditions is, at least in part, mediated by glucocorticoids and is associated with upregulated transcription of multiple genes in the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway. In addition to transcription factors, nuclear cofactors, including p300, regulate gene transcription. We tested the hypothesis that glucocorticoids upregulate the expression of p300 in muscle cells. Treatment of cultured L6 myotubes, a rat skeletal muscle cell line, with dexamethasone resulted in a dose- and time-dependent increase in p300 protein and mRNA levels. Surprisingly, the effect of dexamethasone on p300 levels was not inhibited by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU38486 and RU38486 exerted an agonist effect on p300, increasing its expression. Co-immunoprecipitation showed that treatment of the myotubes with dexamethasone resulted in protein–protein interaction between p300 and C/EBPβ, but not C/EBPδ. The present results suggest that glucocorticoids upregulate the expression of p300 and its interaction with C/EBPβ in skeletal muscle. Increased expression and activity of p300 may be involved in the regulation of gene transcription in glucocorticoid-dependent muscle wasting. J. Cell. Biochem. 94: 1058–1067, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Numerical Simulation of Combustion of Unlike Impinging Jets Near a Wall

Abstract : The combustion of gas-gas hypergolic propellants with MMH (Monomethylhydrazine) as fuel and RFNA (Red fuming nitric acid) as oxidizer are studied numerically for unlike impinging jets near an inclined wall using a detailed chemical reaction mechanism. The current study focuses on quantifying the effect of the inclined wall on the ignition characteristics: namely, contact time/location and ignition delay/location. Furthermore, the effect of wall is assessed with respect to mixing and flame spreading. The baseline three-dimensional simulation results compare two domains, with and without the inclined wall, under the same inlet flow conditions. These results show that the space between the wall surface and injector tips acts as a mixing zone with intensified vorticity and heat release rate. Two-dimensional results for various injection velocities are also presented and are compared with the three-dimensional results.
Progress report on archival storage of color films by a one-step rainbow holographic process

Abstract The application of a one-step rainbow holographic process, utilizing a cylindrical lens technique, to the archival storage of color films is described. Although this technique improves the hologram image resolution, color blur, and speckle noise, it still suffers the same drawbacks. First, the coherent artifact noise and color blur still can not be totally eliminated. Secondly, the technique is still elaborate and expensive, which limits its practical application to the archival storage of color films.
Identification of Position-Independent Robot Parameter Errors Using Special Jacobian Matrices

Common production manipulators are designed to be controlled through the use of a closed-form kinematic solution algorithm. This closed-form solution uses manufacturer-specified nomi nal parameter values to model the given manipulator. These position-independent parameters, link lengths, twists, and off sets are geometrical and do not change as the manipulator is driven. However, manufacturing tolerances or usage may cause the actual parameters to deviate from the nominal robot para meters. In some cases, this deviation may be large and thus may cause the closed-form inversion to yield inaccurate joint value results.To assure proper end-effector positioning, it is important to identify these position-independent error values. The identifi cation algorithm to be presented uses the Denavit-Hartenberg (D-H) parameter notation to model any given M-jointed manip ulator. For the given model, a set of special Jacobian matrices are formulated with respect to the four D-H parameters (J θ, Js, Jα, and Ja). This set...
Tolerance within the sleeve inserts of different surgical guides for guided implant surgery

Objectives Recently, guided implant surgery has been introduced and several studies verified its accuracy. While those studies reported on the accuracy of the entire procedure, this experiment wanted to evaluate the degree of deviation that can occur during the drilling procedure alone, due to the tolerance of the drill in the sleeve insert. Material and methods Drilling was executed in a plexi-glass box with a maximal inclination of the drills within the sleeve insert. Different sleeve inserts, sleeve positions, sleeve heights, sleeve insert heights and diameters were evaluated. Results The two tested sleeve inserts gave a maximum deviation in angulation of 5.2° and a maximum horizontal deviation of 1.3 mm at the implant shoulder and 2.4 mm at the apex for a 13 mm implant. These deviations decreased if the distance of the sleeve above the plexi-glass box became smaller and hand hold sleeve inserts gave less deviation than drill hold sleeve inserts. The deviation increased by longer implant length, larger drill key diameter, shorter sleeves and/or drill key heights. Conclusions For a minimal deviation during the surgery with a stereolithographic guide, it is very important to use the drill in a centric position, parallel to the cylinder. The use of longer drill keys and sleeves are critical for optimal accuracy.
Economists and electorates: The subjective economy of governing party support in Canada

This paper uses newly available Canadian data to address long-standing debates on the rationality of the political economy of party support. We find that the subjective economic variable driving governing party support is sociotropic, not egocentric, and, pace recent American and British studies, prospections do not dominate retrospections. Rather, models using national economic evaluations encompass rivals employing national expectations, personal expectations and perceived trends in personal expectations. Egocentric considerations are not irrelevant; rather, their effects on party support are indirect. We argue that these findings are consistent with an image of voters whose party-support decisions are governed by a ‘rough-and-ready’ rationality appropriate to the information available to them and the politico-economic systems of contemporary Western democracies.
Codes within codes

We prove coding theorems for list codes for compound channels and for codes within codes. The theorems imply corresponding results for what are usually called simply “codes”, which are list codes where one is the maximum decoding list length permitted to the decoder. The Bergmans coding theorem for degraded channels ([4], Theorem 15.2.1) and the positive part of the Wyner-Ziv theorem ([4], Theorem 13.2.1) are easy consequences of our results.
Hierarchical Social Network Analysis Using a Multi-Agent System: A School System Case

The quality of K-12 education has been a major concern in the nation for years. School systems, just like many other social networks, appear to have a hierarchical structure. Understanding this structure could be the key to better evaluating student performance and improving school quality. Many studies have been focusing on detecting hierarchical structure by using hierarchical clustering algorithms. The authors design an interaction-based similarity measure to accomplish hierarchical clustering in order to detect hierarchical structures in social networks e.g. school district networks. This method uses a multi-agent system, for it is based on agent interactions. With the network structure detected, they also built a model, which is based on the MAXQ algorithm, to decompose the funding policy task into subtasks and then evaluate these subtasks by using funding distribution policies from past years and looking for possible relationships between student performances and funding policies. For the experiment, the authors used real school data from Bexar county's 15 school districts in Texas. The first result shows that their interaction-based method is able to generate meaningful clustering and dendrograms for social networks. Additionally the authors' policy evaluation model is able to evaluate funding policies from the past three years in Bexar County and conclude that increasing funding does not necessarily have a positive impact on student performance and it is generally not the case that the more is spent, the better.
Reduction of Numerical Parameter Dependencies in Diesel Spray Models

Numerical grid and time-step-dependencies of Discrete Droplet Lagrangian spray models are identified. The two main sources of grid-dependency are due to errors in predicting the droplet-gas relative velocity, and errors in describing droplet-droplet collision and coalescence processes. For reducing grid-dependency due to the relative velocity effects, gas jet theory is proposed and applied to model diesel sprays. For the time-step dependency, it is identified that the collision sub-model results in drop size variation in the standard spray model. A proposed spray model based on the gas-jet theory is found to improve the time-step independency also along with the mesh independency. The use of both Eulerian (collision mesh) and Lagrangian (radius of influence) collision models along with gas-jet theory is found to provide mesh-independent results.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Post-test analysis of the Deep Space 1 spare flight thruster ion optics

The Deep Space 1 (DSl) spare flight thruster (FT2) was operated for 30,352 hours during the extended life test (ELT). The test was performed to validate the service life of the thruster, study known and identify unknown life limiting modes. Several of the known life limiting modes involve the ion optics system. These include loss of structural integrity for either the screen grid or accelerator grid due to sputter erosion from energetic ions striking the grid, sputter erosion enlargement of the accelerator grid apertures to the point where the accelerator grid power supply can no longer prevent electron backstreaming, unclearable shorting between the grids causes by flakes of sputtered material, and rouge hole formation due to flakes of material defocusing the ion beam. Grid gap decrease, which increases the probability of electron backstreaming and of arcing between the grids, was identified as an additional life limiting mechanism after the test. A combination of accelerator grid aperture enlargement and grid gap decrease resulted in the inability to prevent electron backstreaming at full power at 26,000 hours of the ELT. Through pits had eroded through the accelerator grid webbing and grooves had penetrated through 45% of the grid thickness in the center of the grid. The upstream surface of the screen grid eroded in a chamfered pattern around the holes in the central portion of the grid. Sputter deposited material, from the accelerator grid, adhered to the downstream surface of the screen grid and did not spall to form flakes. Although a small amount of sputter deposited material protruded into the screen grid apertures, no rouge holes were found after the ELT.
Emotion Regulation: Current Status and Future Prospects

One of the fastest growing areas within psychology is the field of emotion regulation. However, enthusiasm for this topic continues to outstrip conceptual clarity, and there remains considerable uncertainty as to what is even meant by “emotion regulation.” The goal of this review is to examine the current status and future prospects of this rapidly growing field. In the first section, I define emotion and emotion regulation and distinguish both from related constructs. In the second section, I use the process model of emotion regulation to selectively review evidence that different regulation strategies have different consequences. In the third section, I introduce the extended process model of emotion regulation; this model considers emotion regulation to be one type of valuation, and distinguishes three emotion regulation stages (identification, selection, implementation). In the final section, I consider five key growth points for the field of emotion regulation.
Why johny can't program: a progress report

We are engaged in teaching technical material, specifically computer science, to a large number of undergraduates (400--500), the majority of whom are non-science majors.Many of these students have trouble learning the course material. We are not here talking about those few students who are affected by such problems as physical handicaps or other specific learning disabilities; non are we concerned with those individuals who exhibit poor study habits or strong preferences for unusual "favored modes of perception" [WEIN]. We are concerned with the significant number of students who, for no apparent reason, have a great deal of difficuly learning elementary computer concepts. Why do some never understand? Why do others, who eventually succeed, take a great deal longer than the majority of our students?This paper is a report on research in progress. Our research at this time is mainly concerned with:(a) Determining, in advance, which students are likely to encounter the severest problems learning computer science;(b) Finding out what there is specifically in the nature of the course material which causes the greatest difficulty for these students; and(c) Developing a methodology for helping students to overcome such learning problems.This paper is organized into 6 major sections.Section I is an introduction to the Natural Sciences 110 course, to the programming language used in this course, and to the major teaching problems we face.Section II is a statement of our goals in this research effort.Section III describes the method by which we are attempting to realize our intended goals.Section IV describes the special recitation sections which are being used to help us monitor the potentially "slower" students.Section V deals with classifying the specific conceptual barriers which we have thus far found to inhibit normal learning in many computer science students.Section VI is 2 statement of the direction which our research will follow in the immediate future.
Just ask! Talking to patients about sexual function

There’s a simple way to overcome the obstacles to discussing sexual concerns with your patients: Simply ask. This helpful review of female sexual dysfunction focuses on lack of sexual desire after menopause, and tells how to make an accurate diagnosis and offer effective treatment and counseling.
Appendix to "Approximation of viscosity solutions of elliptic partial differential equations on minimal grids", by M. Kocan: Approximation to orthogonal bases in\({\Bbb R}^n\) by orthogonal bases with integer coordinates

In the Appendix it is shown that given $N>1$ , an orthogonal basis $\underline{\underline {\varphi_1}},\dots, \underline{\underline{\varphi_n}}$ of ${\Bbb R}^n$ where $n\ge4$ can be approximated by an orthogonal basis $\underline{\underline{a_1}},\dots, \underline{\underline{a_n}}$ with integer components such that the angle between $\underline{\underline{\varphi_i}}$ and $\underline{\underline{a_i}}$ is at most $1/N$ $(i=1,\dots,n)$ , and $\underline{\underline {a_1}},\dots, \underline{\underline{a_n}}$ have norms $\ll N^{2n-4}$ .
On modelling thermal oxidation of Silicon I: Theory

This work focuses on a new mathematical framework to model the process of thermal oxidation in silicon. The mathematical model is derived from the fundamental conservation equations of mechanics. The mass balance law provides the description of the oxidant transport and the Si–SiO2 interface motion, and momentum balance provides the framework to model the displacements and stresses in the bulk and the oxide. The displacements define the geometry of the final oxide structure. The large expansion is treated within a mathematically exact formulation following a split of the deformation gradient. A thermodynamically consistent constitutive equation for silicon dioxide is suggested to represent recent experimental data. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Anisotropic thermal conductivity in mercurous chloride crystals

Thermal-conductivity measurements were made on 10 samples of mercurous chloride prepared with their long (heat-flow) axes in each of three principal crystallographic orientations. The measurements revealed both differences in conductivity between different sample orientations, and differences due to thermal-cycling history. With use of three adjustable parameters, the data were fitted to a phenomenological model based on the standard Callaway and Holland models, with modifications suggested by Slack and by McCurdy et al., to explicitly take account of sound velocity anisotropies. The model is generally successful and shows the role of both anisotropic phonon velocities and anisotropic phonon scattering, in anisotropic thermal conductivity.
Home Satisfaction: Related Health and Psychosocial Variables

In later life, the home plays an increasing role as a site for leisure activities, social interaction, and personal growth. This research examined variables that were hypothesized to relate to home...
Failure in Grade: Do Retained Students Catch Up?.

Abstract This study examines the phenomenon of retention in kindergarten through Grade 8 using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88). Data on 16,623 White, Black, and Hispanic public school students show that boys, minorities, and students from lower socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to be retained. Two subanalyses of the data were conducted. In the first subanalysis, students who were retained in K through 3 were compared with those who were retained in Grades 4 through 8. The second analysis compared students retained in K through 8 with the total sample of nonretainees. Results suggest that the timing of retention is not uniformly associated with superior performance. Retention at any point is associated with less optimal academic and personal-social outcomes. Nonretained students demonstrate higher grades, test scores, and fewer academic, emotional, and behavioral problems than the retained group. Moreover, retention is associated with more negative outcomes f...
59Fe uptake method to differentiate between proliferation-dependent and nondependent cytotoxic agents.

The 24-hr incorporation of 59 Fe into circulating red blood cells was measured in mice 24, 48, 72 and 96 hr after treatment with cytarabine, methotrexate, vinblastine, cyclophosphamide, and busulfan to determine whether these agents acted on proliferating cells or on resting cells. Cytarabine and methotrexate, which are proliferation-dependent agents, reduced 59 Fe uptake 24 and 48 hr but not 72 and 96 hr after drug treatment. On the other hand, cyclophosphamide and busulfan, which are proliferation-nondependent agents, reduced 59 Fe uptake at each of these time periods. Vinblastine, which attacks proliferating cells more sensitively than nonproliferating cells, lowered 59 Fe uptake severely at 24 and 48 hr, slightly at 72 hr, and not at all at 96 hr. When a single dose (75 to 300 mg/kg) of cytarabine was given, no dose-related depression of 59 Fe uptake was found 48 hr after drug treatment but when the same doses were given as three divided doses, dose-related depression of 59 Fe was observed 48 hr after cytarabine. At 72 hr after the administration of three divided doses of 50 mg/kg, no depression of 59 Fe uptake was found but when an initial dose of 50 mg/kg was given 12 hr prior to the three divided doses, 59 Fe incorporation was reduced by 65%. These studies indicate that the 59 Fe uptake method can be used to determine whether the cytotoxic agents act only on proliferating cells or on nonproliferating cells as well.
J4 at Sweet 16: A New Wrinkle?

Compartmental models provide a major source of insight into the information processing functions of single neurons. Over the past 15 years, one of the most widely used neuronal morphologies has been the cell called "j4," a layer 5 pyramidal cell from cat visual cortex originally described in Douglas, Martin, and Whitteridge (1991). The cell has since appeared in at least 28 published compartmental modeling studies, including several in this journal. In recently examining why we could not reproduce certain in vitro data involving the attenuation of signals originating in distal basal dendrites, we discovered that pronounced fluctuations in the diameter measurements of j4 lead to a bottlenecking effect that increases distal input resistances and significantly reduces voltage transfer between distal sites and the cell body. Upon smoothing these diameter fluctuations, bringing j4 more in line with other reconstructions of layer 5 pyramidal neurons, we found that the attenuation of steady-state voltage signals traveling to the cell body Vdistal/Vsoma was reduced by 60% at some locations in some branches (corresponding to a 2.5-fold increase in the voltage response at the soma for the same distal depolarization) and by 30% on average (corresponding to a 45% increase in somatic response). Changes of this magnitude could lead to different outcomes in some types of compartmental modeling studies. A smoothed version of the j4 morphology is available online at http://lnc.usc.edu/j4-smooth/.
Two Cases and Review of the Literature: Primary Percutaneous Angiography and Antiplatelet Management in Patients with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

We report two cases of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) associated with acute coronary artery syndrome highlighting the interventions done in every case along with the medications used during intervention and as outpatient. The first case is that of a woman with ITP exacerbation while on dual antiplatelet therapy and the second case is that of a male presenting with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) while in a thrombocytopenic crisis. In both cases antiplatelet therapy was held and thrombopoietic therapy was initiated before resuming full anticoagulation and coronary intervention. Given the paucity of data on ITP and antiplatelets treatment in the setting of acute coronary syndrome, no strict recommendations can be proposed, but antiplatelets appear to be safe acutely and in the long term in this category of patients as long as few measures are undertaken to minimize the risks of bleeding and thrombosis.
TURBIDIMETRIC METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF LATEX PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION

ABSTRACT A technique for the determination of latex particle size distributions, which uses specific turbidity measurements at various wave lengths, has been developed and shown to be viable. The method yields results which are in agreement with other commonly accepted particle sizing techniques and does not exhibit the multiple solutions reported by other investigators. This report of multiple valued solutions is apparently the result of an incomplete numerical search technique.
Optical Problems at the Palomar Observatory

The great flexibility of the 200-inch mirror required the development of new and elaborate support systems to maintain the figure in all orientations. New methods had, therefore, to be devised for testing the mirror in the telescope while on these supports. The final figuring was done on the mountain on the basis of these tests.To increase the effectiveness of the instrument, corrector lenses were designed by Ross greatly to enlarge the field of the main mirror. Likewise the method of evaporating a reflecting coat of aluminum was developed by Strong to replace the old silvering procedures. Several new optical designs were introduced in the spectrographs to make optimum use of the light collected. These included the use of (1) a composite of four “blazed” gratings to permit a collimator aperture of 12 inches; (2) Schmidt cameras with half-strength corrector plate placed practically in contact with the grating, the light passing through the plate twice (this eliminates many vignetting problems and permits higher speeds and larger fields); and (3) a combination of a quartz aplanatic sphere with a Schmidt camera for the shortest focal-length camera to obtain a much higher speed (F/D = 0.7) than would otherwise have been possible.
Oxygen isotope composition of modern and archaeological otoliths from the estuarine hardhead catfish (Ariopsis felis) and their potential to record low-latitude climate change

Abstract Shells and otoliths (fish “ear bones”) from archaeological deposits of Pine Island, southwest Florida, provide valuable archives of ecological patterns, climate change, and associated human responses. Many remains from these deposits that can be used for climate reconstruction are from estuarine animals. The challenge in using oxygen isotope composition of their carbonate hard parts lies in deconvoluting the effects of temperature and salinity (mixing of fresh- and saltwater, each having different isotopic compositions). Otoliths of the hardhead catfish ( Ariopsis felis , Linneaus, 1766) may provide a record of winter temperature without the complication of salinity variation because this fish spends winter months in waters of marine to near-marine salinities. Hence, δ 18 O WATER can be constrained when employing published temperature equations. Here, we present geochemical data from modern and archaeological otoliths to evaluate whether they preserve winter temperature. A modern catfish was caught near Pine Island Sound and the otoliths (lapilli) removed. Archaeological otoliths from the 2nd/3rd century AD, falling within the Roman Optimum (RO), and the 13th/14th century AD, falling within the Little Ice Age (LIA), were obtained from the Florida Museum's collections. Oxygen isotope compositions were converted to temperature using published temperature equations and assuming + 1‰ for Gulf water. Isotopic compositions for the modern otolith range from −3.55‰ to + 0.29‰, the LIA otolith ranges from −3.92‰ to + 0.52‰, and the RO otolith ranges from −1.80‰ to + 0.84‰. All three otoliths record winter temperature (∼ 20 °C) similar to modern conditions. Calculated summer temperatures for the modern and LIA otoliths (∼ 40 °C) are overestimated and reflect the combined influence of temperature and salinity when catfish inhabit brackish estuarine waters during their reproductive season. In contrast, summer temperature estimates for the RO otolith are similar to modern conditions indicating estuarine water during the summer was close to + 1‰. This result suggests that seasonal rainfall patterns during the time period represented by the RO otolith were different than today, such that the summer wet season was not prevalent.
Heterocycles from wine: synthesis and biological evaluation of salidrosides

Wine is composed of a variety of tannins, of which a sub-class includes salidrosides, which are largely uninvestigated compounds. The first syntheses of galloylated salidrosides are reported in 7 steps from commercially available starting materials through a platform approach. The antimicrobial activity of the salidrosides against Escherichia coli strains is described.
Picosecond excitation and TRANS-CIS isomerization of stilbene in a supersonic jet: Dynamics and spectra

New details of the dynamics and spectroscopy of trans-stilbene are revealed by picosecond excitation of jet-cooled and collisin-free molecules. The fluorescence spectra clearly show the low-frequency torsional modes of the ground state. The time-resolved fluorescence following S_1 excitation exhibit exponential decay times ranging from 2.7 ns to ≈190 ps for excitation wavelengths varying from 3102 A (0 excess energy) to 2850 A (2851 cm^(−1) excess energy). The results indicate that an energy threshold for isomerization occurs at ≈1200 cm^(−1). The redistribution of vibrational energy from the optically excited modes to the ethylene bond torsional modes leading to isomerization is discussed.
Effects of rotation on self-resonant internal gravity waves in the ocean

Abstract The Resonant Triad Model (RTM) developed in ( Ibragimov, 2007 ), is used to study the Thorpe’s problem ( Thorpe, 1997 ) on the existence of self-resonant internal waves, i.e., the waves for which a resonant interaction occurs at second order between the incident and reflected internal waves off slopes. The RTM represents the extension of the McComas and Bretherton’s three wave hydrostatic model ( McComas and Bretherton, 1977 ) which ignores the effects of the earth’s rotation to the case of the non-hydrostatic analytical model involving arbitrarily large number of rotating internal waves with frequencies spanning the range of possible frequencies, i.e., between the maximum of the buoyancy frequency (vertical motion) and a minimum of the inertial frequency (horizontal motion). The present analysis is based on classification of resonant interactions into the sum, middle and difference interaction classes. It is shown in this paper that there exists a certain value of latitude, which is classified as the singular latitude, at which the coalescence of the middle and difference interaction classes occurs. Such coalescence, which apparently had passed unnoticed before, can be used to study the Thorpe’s problem on the existence of self-resonant waves. In particular, it is shown that the value of the bottom slope at which the second-order frequency and wavenumber components of the incident and reflected waves satisfy the internal wave dispersion relation can be approximated by two latitude-dependent parameters in the limiting case when latitude approaches its singular value. Since the existence of a such singular latitude is generic for resonant triad interactions, a question on application of the RTM to the modeling of enhanced mixing in the vicinity of ridges in the ocean arises.
Fever in Ectotherms: Evolutionary Implications

Fever, an elevated thermoregulatory “set-point,” occurs in vertebrates from fishes through mammals in response to infection with appropriate pathogens. The long phylogenetic history of fever supports the hypothesis that fever has an adaptive or beneficial role (i.e., fever is a component of the host's immunological defenses). Besides providing insight into determining the role of fever in disease, ectothermic vertebrates have also served as excellent animal models to specifically answer many questions relating to fever and disease. For example, survival studies using goldfishes, lizards, and newborn mammals which are also virtually ectothermic) have shown that an elevated body temperature increases the survival rate of the infected organism. Furthermore, by using ectotherms it has been possible to demonstrate that the reduction in serum iron which accompanies most infections is not directly attributable to an elevation in body temperature. Nevertheless, a rise in body temperature, coupled with a fall in serum iron, appears to constitute a coordinated host defense mechanism in response to at least some bacterial infections in reptiles and mammals, and perhaps other groups of vertebrates.
A Substituted Hypersensitive Radical Probe for Enzyme-Catalyzed Hydroxylations: Synthesis of Racemic and Enantiomerically Enriched Forms and Application in a Cytochrome P450-Catalyzed Oxidation

The syntheses of racemic and enantiomerically enriched trans-1-methyl-2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)cyclopropane (3) and the possible oxidation products from enzyme-catalyzed hydroxylation of 3 at the methyl group are reported. The important intermediate in the production of 3 was the Weinreb amide of the 2-arylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid which could be prepared in diastereomerically pure form and which also served as an intermediate for production of the cyclic oxidation products of 3. Hydroxylation of 3 by the cytochrome P450 isozyme CYP2B1 gave cyclic and ring-opened products. The product ratios support an insertion mechanism for the enzyme-catalyzed hydroxylation reaction in which minor amounts of rearranged products are produced by radical fragmentation within the transition structure of the insertion and by a competing reaction involving a cationic species. Formation of cationic rearrangement products by a heterolytic fragmentation reaction of a first-formed protonated alcohol product is suggested on...
Minimizing rectal and urinary complications in prostate brachytherapy.

ABSTRACT With any therapy for early prostate cancer, control must be evaluated with a view to toxicities. Brachytherapy may be associated with urethral and rectal toxicity and erectile impotence. Patients with large glands or significant symptoms before treatment are at greatest risk. Long-term toxicity can be minimized by understanding the tolerance of the normal tissues and meticulous placement of the radioactive seeds.
Science, Education, and Technology: New Frontiers for Health

(1998). Science, Education, and Technology: New Frontiers for Health. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition: Vol. 38, No. 5, pp. 397-419.
Co-ordination and control of distributed spacecraft systems using convex optimization techniques

SUMMARY Formation flying of multiple spacecraft is an enabling technology for many future space science missions. However, the co-ordination and control of these instruments poses many difficult design challenges. This paper presents fuel/time-optimal control algorithms for a co-ordination and control architecture that was designed for a fleet of spacecraft. This architecture includes low-level formation-keeping algorithms and a high-level fleet planner that creates trajectories to re-size or re-target the formation. The trajectory and formation-keeping optimization algorithms are based on the solutions of linear and integer programming problems. The result is a very flexible optimization framework that can be used off-line to analyse various aspects of the mission design and in real time as part of an onboard autonomous formation flying control system. The overall control approach is demonstrated using a nonlinear simulation environment that includes realistic measurement noises, disturbances, and actuator nonlinearities. Copyright # 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Long-term cell culture of adult rat liver epithelial cells

Abstract The livers of adult rats were dissociated after collagenase-hyaluronidase perfusion. A high yield of viable cells was obtained and these regularly gave rise to continuous lines of polygonal epithelial cell types.
Normal Puberty and Adolescence

Summary The normal process of puberty and adolescence of girls is characterized by orderly growth. It occurs during a span of years during which, in addition to distinct bodily changes, there are psychological alterations leading to psycho-sexual maturity. The menarche occurs in a setting arranged by an unfolding series of measurable somatic changes, the time of its appearance being a signpost of inestimable value. It is considered to be normal when it appears between the ages of nine and 16. The irregular character of early menstrual cycles is physiologic.
FINDING NORMS OF HADAMARD MULTIPLIERS

Abstract The norm of a matrix B as a Hadamard multiplier is the norm of the map X at X · B , where is the Hadamard or entrywise product of matrices. Watson proposed an algorithm for finding lower bounds for the Hadamard multiplier norm of a matrix. It is shown how Watson's algorithm can be used to give upper bounds as well, which, in many cases, yield the Hadamard multiplier norm to any desired accuracy. A sharp form of Wittstock's decomposition theorem is proved for the special case of Hadamard multiplication.
EFFECT OF QUASI-ORTHOGONAL EMISSION MODES ON THE ROTATION MEASURES OF PULSARS

We report here the discovery of a significant source of systematic error in the determinations of pulsar rotation measures. Conventional analysis of high-sensitivity polarimetric observations of PSR B2016+28 display variation in the rotation measure of ?15 rad m-2 (around the mean value of -34.6 rad m-2) across the pulse profile. Analysis of single pulse data shows that this variation is an artifact of the incoherent superposition of quasi-orthogonal polarization modes along with the frequency dependence of relative strength and/or quasi-orthogonality of the modes. Quasi-orthogonal polarization is common among pulsars, and therefore this effect needs to be taken into account in the interpretation of pulsar rotation measures.
Pyroglutamate and O-Linked Glycan Determine Functional Production of Anti-IL17A and Anti-IL22 Peptide-Antibody Bispecific Genetic Fusions

Protein biosynthesis and extracellular secretion are essential biological processes for therapeutic protein production in mammalian cells, which offer the capacity for correct folding and proper post-translational modifications. In this study, we have generated bispecific therapeutic fusion proteins in mammalian cells by combining a peptide and an antibody into a single open reading frame. A neutralizing peptide directed against interleukin-17A (IL17A) was genetically fused to the N termini of an anti-IL22 antibody, through either the light chain, the heavy chain, or both chains. Although the resulting fusion proteins bound and inhibited IL22 with the same affinity and potency as the unmodified anti-IL22 antibody, the peptide modality in the fusion scaffold was not active in the cell-based assay due to the N-terminal degradation. When a glutamine residue was introduced at the N terminus, which can be cyclized to form pyroglutamate in mammalian cells, the IL17A neutralization activity of the fusion protein was restored. Interestingly, the mass spectroscopic analysis of the purified fusion protein revealed an unexpected O-linked glycosylation modification at threonine 5 of the anti-IL17A peptide. The subsequent removal of this post-translational modification by site-directed mutagenesis drastically enhanced the IL17A binding affinity and neutralization potency for the resulting fusion protein. These results provide direct experimental evidence that post-translational modifications during protein biosynthesis along secretory pathways play critical roles in determining the structure and function of therapeutic proteins produced by mammalian cells. The newly engineered peptide-antibody genetic fusion is promising for therapeutically targeting multiple antigens in a single antibody-like molecule. Background: Protein biosynthesis and secretion are essential biological processes for therapeutic protein production. Results: Generating functional anti-IL17A and anti-IL22 peptide-antibody bispecific therapeutic proteins requires pyroglutamate addition and O-linked glycan removal. Conclusion: Post-translational modifications play critical roles in determining structure and function of therapeutic proteins. Significance: The peptide-antibody genetic fusion is promising for targeting multiple antigens in a single antibody-like molecule.