cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental Ethanol Ingestion: Sleep Variables and Metabolites of Dopamine and Serotonin in the Cerebrospinal Fluid

Many previous investigators have reported the effects of ethanol on sleep. Yules, et al. (1966, 1967), Knowles and Laverty (1968), and Rundell, et al. (1972) have demonstrated that acute doses of ethanol given to normal subjects cause a decrease in rapid eye movement sleep followed by a compensatory increase, or rebound, during withdrawal. Ethanol also increases the amount of beta activity (16–18 Hz) in the sleep EEG, and causes an increase in both the heart and respiration rates. In clinical observations made on alcoholics following heavy drinking periods by Gross et al. (1966), and Greenberg and Pearlman (1967), and in experimental ethanol ingestion studies done by Johnson (1971) and Gross et al. (1971), profound effects on both rapid eye movement sleep and slow wave sleep were noted. In addition, Allen et al. (1971) have noted that REM sleep is fragmented and stage three and four sleep decreased for many weeks after abstinence began.
The Wedge - A Controller Design Experiment

Abstract This is a report of an undergraduate research project. In this project, a wedge is designed and constructed to demonstrate the concept of feedback control. The goal of this project is to balance this wedge on its edge. Various mechanisms of generating balancing torque are first studied and one of them is adopted in our final design. A LQ with observer control law is implemented in an Intel 8088 based computer. The wedge is completely self-contained. All of its components (computer, batteries, etc.) arc housed inside the wedge.
Initial Cast Correction as a Predictor of Treatment Outcome Success for Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis.

BACKGROUND Cast treatment for infantile idiopathic scoliosis patients ultimately corrects deformity in varying amounts. As the reasons for these differential outcomes are not fully elucidated, the aim of this study was to identify clinical and radiographic variables correlated with better cast correction. METHODS Patients in the Children's Spine Study Group and Growing Spine Study Group registries who underwent cast treatment for idiopathic scoliosis between 2005 and 2013 with 1-year minimum follow-up were included. Data including major curve and rib-vertebra angle difference before cast, initial in-cast application, after cast treatment, and at most recent follow-up were collected. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with lower major curves at most recent follow-up. RESULTS A total of 68 patients were identified and followed for a mean of 2.5 (range, 1.1 to 5.4) years after cast treatment. Cast treatment lasted an average of 16.7 months, with a median of 6 cast applications (range, 2 to 19). Twenty-five subjects (37%) had a most recent major curve 15 degrees (unresolved). Multivariable linear regression determined that younger age (P=0.02), smaller precast major curve (P<0.001), and greater percent major curve correction in initial cast (P=0.006) were associated with smaller major curve at most recent follow-up. Multivariable logistic regression determined that success patients were younger than unresolved patients (average age, 1.4 vs. 2.1 y; P=0.003), and had smaller in-cast major curves after initial cast application (average, 18 vs. 27 degrees; P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS Infantile idiopathic scoliosis patients casted at an earlier age, with smaller major curves, and greater percent major curve correction in initial cast have the best prognosis. Patients' percent major curve correction, which may represent curve flexibility and/or cast quality, is a predictor of treatment success when age and precast major curve are also taken into account. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III-retrospective study.
Contrast enhanced ultrasound guided biopsies of liver lesions not visualized on standard B-mode ultrasound—preliminary experience

Background: To assess the technical success of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) guided biopsies of liver lesions poorly visualized on B-mode ultrasound. Methods: Patients were selected during the procedure based on the real-time clinical scenario of unsatisfactory B-mode ultrasound lesion visualization and all patients would have otherwise undergone CT guided liver lesion biopsy. A total of 26 patients underwent CEUS guided biopsy and were included in this retrospective analysis. The review of the patients’ files included demographic information, lesion characteristics on imaging, procedural details and pathology outcome. Technical success was defined as concordance between the radiological findings, pathology report and clinical follow-up—demonstrating lack of need for re-biopsy or re-biopsy with identical pathological results. Patients with less than 2 months follow-up were excluded from the study. Results: CEUS guided liver biopsy was successful in 23 out of 26 patients (88.5%). The average procedure time was 30.7±12.3 minutes and the average lesion size was 2.2±1.7 cm. The majority of lesions (80.8%) were hypoenhancing on the delayed phase of CEUS. The mean number of samples taken from each lesion per procedure was 3.2 (±1.7). Conclusions: CEUS guidance biopsies of focal liver lesions (FLL) that were difficult to visualize on B-mode ultrasound demonstrated high success rate and may be an evolving image guidance modality in selected patients to avoid CT guided procedures.
American Stroke Month: The Role of the Professional Stroke Community.

The past year has been an exciting one for the stroke field. In 2017 and early 2018, we saw the results of clinical trials demonstrating the benefits of mechanical thrombectomy in selected patients with large vessel occlusion up to 24 hours after stroke,1,2 data suggesting a benefit in stroke prevention by closing patent foramen ovale in some patients,3 and the publication of new American Heart Association (AHA)/American Stroke Association (ASA) guidelines on acute stroke4 and the definition and management of high blood pressure.5 These critical advances have the potential to improve public health by reducing the incidence, mortality, and morbidity of stroke. All of the consequences of this critical work, however, can only reach their full potential through public awareness and education: prevention and treatment can only succeed if they reach the public and our patients. While the AHA has focused on fighting stroke since the 1950s, the American Stroke Association (ASA) was created as a division of the AHA 20 years ago to amplify its efforts to educate the public and healthcare providers about stroke prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. The ASA is, in essence, the public-facing arm of the AHA’s stroke efforts. The mission of the ASA is to accelerate the implementation of science into practice by providing a link between the high quality, crucial research published in Stroke and similar journals, and the public. Essential to this link is a clear, consistent message that is directed at the level of public understanding. For example, the ASA likes to say “stroke is preventable, treatable, and beatable,” which provides a simple way to combine into a single statement its three core messages around prevention, acute treatment and intervention, and rehabilitation and recovery after stroke. One of the year’s main events for the ASA is …
Common goals for the science and practice of behavior analysis: a response to critchfield.

In his scholarly and thoughtful article, “Interesting Times: Practice, Science, and Professional Associations in Behavior Analysis,” Critchfield (2011) discussed the science–practice frictions to be expected in any professional organization that attempts to combine these interests. He suggested that the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) focus on its original science-advancement mission, including practice, but leave practitioner guild issues such as licensure to the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA). I concur. However, as Critchfield stated, ABAI can continue to offer much of interest to practitioners. In this response, I suggest that keeping our science–practice union as strong as possible would benefit all behavior analysts. I also describe relations between two major ecology and environmental science associations that may offer instructive parallels. Behavior analysis as a field is based not in a content area but on functional scientific principles, primarily those of operant and respondent learning. These principles encompass great breadth in both science and practice (a challenge in itself for behavior-analytic associations). Although these principles are increasingly being taught and incorporated in all relevant fields of science and practice, full acceptance is still distant. Therein lies an important common challenge.
Development of novel anti-inflammatory agents: a pharmacologic perspective on leukotrienes and their receptors.

Inflammation is the body’s response to injury. Participation by a variety of cells and endogenous molecules make it a complex physiologic, and often times pathologic, event. Leukotrienes have been well documented to play a significant role, both as mediators of the acute inflammatory response and as contributors to the chronicity of the disorder. Research has concentrated in 3 main areas, understanding interactions of leukotrienes with complementary cell surface receptors, development of inhibitors of their synthesis, and discovery of receptor antagonists that block their pharmacologic effect. The following represents our view of this area with a bias toward medicinal chemistry, pharmacologic, and clinical studies related to our own research interests.
Improving long-term fuel treatment effectiveness in the National Forest System through quantitative prioritization

Abstract Predicting the efficacy of fuel treatments aimed at reducing high severity fire in dry-mixed conifer forests in the western US is a challenging problem that has been addressed in a variety of ways using both field observations and wildfire simulation models. One way to describe the efficacy of fuel treatments is to quantify how often wildfires are expected to intersect areas prioritized for treatment. In real landscapes treatments are static, restricted to a small portion of the landscape and against a background of stochastic fire and dynamic vegetation, thus the likelihood of fire encountering a treatment during the period treatments remain effective is small. In this paper we simulate a wide range of different treatment prioritization schemes using the forest landscape simulation model Envision to examine 50 years of fire-treatment interactions and forest succession. We first reviewed 47 fuel management projects in Oregon, USA to build prioritization schemes that addressed different fuel management objectives. We then simulated different priority schemes in the 18 planning areas of the Deschutes National Forest in central Oregon and measured potential fire-treatment interactions over time. Simulated annual area burned was used to calculate the success odds for each priority scheme and planning area. Out of the ten metrics considered only three had higher success odds than a random prioritization of planning areas. Spatial allocation of projects based on burn probability and transmitted wildfire had the highest success odds among the tested metrics. However, success odds declined sharply as desired success levels increased suggesting that fuel management goals need to be tempered to consider the stochastic nature of wildfire. Meeting long-term multiple management goals over time can benefit from consideration of short- and long-term tradeoffs from different treatment prioritization schemes. Our work contributes towards a better framing of both management and public expectations regarding the performance of fuel treatments programs.
Pomalidomide Alters Pancreatic Macrophage Populations to Generate an Immune-Responsive Environment at Precancerous and Cancerous Lesions

During development of pancreatic cancer, alternatively activated macrophages contribute to fibrogenesis, pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) lesion growth, and generation of an immunosuppressive environment. Here, we show that the immunomodulatory agent pomalidomide depletes pancreatic lesion areas of alternatively activated macrophage populations. Pomalidomide treatment resulted in downregulation of interferon regulatory factor 4, a transcription factor for M2 macrophage polarization. Pomalidomide-induced absence of alternatively activated macrophages led to a decrease in fibrosis at PanIN lesions and in syngeneic tumors; this was due to generation of an inflammatory, immune-responsive environment with increased expression of IL1α and presence of activated (IFNγ-positive) CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell populations. Our results indicate that pomalidomide could be used to decrease fibrogenesis in pancreatic cancer and may be ideal as a combination treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs or other immunotherapies. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings reveal new insights into how macrophage populations within the pancreatic cancer microenvironment can be modulated, providing the means to turn the microenvironment from immunosuppressive to immune-responsive.
Contact-implicit trajectory optimization using variational integrators:

Contact constraints arise naturally in many robot planning problems. In recent years, a variety of contact-implicit trajectory optimization algorithms have been developed that avoid the pitfalls of...
Gender differences among Veterans with alcohol use disorder nationally in the Veterans Health Administration

Alcohol use among women is increasing relative to men but no study has compared rates and characteristics of women with alcohol use disorder (AUD) to men among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) service users. To compare male and female VHA service users on rates of AUD, and among those with AUD, on sociodemographic characteristics, medical and physical comorbidities, and service and medication use national VHA data from fiscal year (FY) 2012 were used to identify Veterans diagnosed with AUD. Bivariate analyses evaluate gender differences in: sociodemographic characteristics; comorbid medical and psychiatric diagnoses; service use and psychotropic prescription fills. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression was used to identify a parsimonious set of differences. About 13,797 of all 349,430 women served by VHA in FY 2012 (3.94%) were diagnosed with AUD as compared to 331,407 of 5,102,877 men (6.50%) for a risk ratio of 0.608 for AUD among women. Women were younger, more likely to have served in recent Middle East conflicts and had more comorbid psychiatric and substance use diagnoses than men. They filled fewer psychotropic prescriptions (after taking greater number of psychiatric diagnoses in to account), but were more likely to fill a prescription for naltrexone than men. Women had fewer comorbid medical diagnoses than men. Women Veterans with an AUD have higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities than men, highlighting the need for better integration of treatment for AUD and comorbid psychiatric conditions, and suggesting different pathways and potential interventions for AUD in women.
A Keyframe-based Continuous Visual SLAM for RGB-D Cameras via Nonparametric Joint Geometric and Appearance Representation.

This paper reports on a robust RGB-D SLAM system that performs well in scarcely textured and structured environments. We present a novel keyframe-based continuous visual odometry that builds on the recently developed continuous sensor registration framework. A joint geometric and appearance representation is the result of transforming the RGB-D images into functions that live in a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS). We solve both registration and keyframe selection problems via the inner product structure available in the RKHS. We also extend the proposed keyframe-based odometry method to a SLAM system using indirect ORB loop-closure constraints. The experimental evaluations using publicly available RGB-D benchmarks show that the developed keyframe selection technique using continuous visual odometry outperforms its robust dense (and direct) visual odometry equivalent. In addition, the developed SLAM system has better generalization across different training and validation sequences; it is robust to the lack of texture and structure in the scene; and shows comparable performance with the state-of-the-art SLAM systems.
Spatial Comparisons of Mechanosensory Information Govern the Grooming Sequence in Drosophila

Animals integrate information from different sensory modalities, body parts, and time points to inform behavioral choice, but the relevant sensory comparisons and the underlying neural circuits are still largely unknown. We use the grooming behavior of Drosophila melanogaster as a model to investigate the sensory comparisons that govern a motor sequence. Flies perform grooming movements spontaneously, but when covered with dust, they clean their bodies following an anterior-to-posterior sequence. After investigating different sensory modalities that could detect dust, we focus on mechanosensory bristle neurons, whose optogenetic activation induces a similar sequence. Computational modeling predicts that higher sensory input strength to the head will cause anterior grooming to occur first. We test this prediction using an optogenetic competition assay whereby two targeted light beams independently activate mechanosensory bristle neurons on different body parts. We find that the initial choice of grooming movement is determined by the ratio of sensory inputs to different body parts. In dust-covered flies, sensory inputs change as a result of successful cleaning movements. Simulations from our model suggest that this change results in sequence progression. One possibility is that flies perform frequent comparisons between anterior and posterior sensory inputs, and the changing ratios drive different behavior choices. Alternatively, flies may track the temporal change in sensory input to a given body part to measure cleaning effectiveness. The first hypothesis is supported by our optogenetic competition experiments: iterative spatial comparisons of sensory inputs between body parts is essential for organizing grooming movements in sequence.
Topoisomerase 3β knockout mice show transcriptional and behavioural impairments associated with neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity

Topoisomerase 3β (Top3β) is the only dual-activity topoisomerase in animals that can change topology for both DNA and RNA, and facilitate transcription on DNA and translation on mRNAs. Top3β mutations have been linked to schizophrenia, autism, epilepsy, and cognitive impairment. Here we show that Top3β knockout mice exhibit behavioural phenotypes related to psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment. The mice also display impairments in hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. Notably, the brains of the mutant mice exhibit impaired global neuronal activity-dependent transcription in response to fear conditioning stress, and the affected genes include many with known neuronal functions. Our data suggest that Top3β is essential for normal brain function, and that defective neuronal activity-dependent transcription may be a mechanism by which Top3β deletion causes cognitive impairment and psychiatric disorders.
Working With Diversity in the Spanish Heritage Language Classroom: A Critical Perspective

espanolEste articulo reflexiona sobre la nocion de diversidad y sus implicaciones para el aula de espanol como lengua de herencia (SHL por sus siglas en ingles). Al hacerlo, sigo propuestas sobre la educacion SHL, multilinguismo, multiculturalismo y sociolinguistica que proponen un acercamiento critico, dinamico e historico a la diversidad. Explico la relevancia de tal enfoque para el aula SHL y las nuevas posibilidades pedagogicas que aporta a nuestro trabajo. El objetivo final es proporcionar a los docentes herramientas conceptuales para generar entornos de aprendizaje inclusivos donde todos —estudiantes de herencia y lenguas extranjeras, junto con los docentes, participemos en debates criticos sobre nuestro lugar en la diversidad actual y como todos participamos en la construccion del futuro de la lengua espanola en nuestras comunidades. EnglishThis article reflects on the notion of diversity and its implications for the Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) classroom. In doing so, I follow proposals on SHL education, multilingualism, multiculturalism and sociolinguistics that call for a critical, dynamic and historical perspective on diversity. I elaborate on the relevance of such approch for the SHL classroom, and the new pedagogical possibilities it brings to our work. The final goal is to provide teachers with conceptual tools to generate inclusive learning environments where we all —heritage and foreign language learners, along with teachers— engage in critical discussions about our place in today’s diversity, and how we are all contributing to the future of the Spanish language in our communities.
The Practice and Complications of Midline Catheters: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE Midline catheters are considered "midway" regarding vascular access. The objective of this systematic review was to explore the current practice, dwell time, and complication rates of midline catheters. DESIGN Systematic review. SETTING Search on four databases, PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Embase, were conducted for English language articles published after the year 2000. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS A total of 987 articles were identified, of which 31 manuscripts met the inclusion criteria and were selected for review. Quality assurance was performed based on the Newcastle-Ottawa score. Average dwell time and complication rates were calculated for studies involving adult patients and adjusted for sample size. This analysis included data from the placement of 18,972 midline catheters across five countries. Aside from two randomized control trials, most of the studies analyzed were cohort studies. One pediatric and two neonatal studies were included. The average dwell time was 16.3 days (n = 4,412). The adjusted mean infection rate was 0.28/1,000 catheter days, with 64% of studies not reporting any infection with midline catheter. The failure rate of midline catheters was 12.5%. Adjusted average rates of other significant complications included the following: deep vein thrombosis (4.1%), dislodgement (5.0%), occlusion (3.8%), phlebitis (3.4%), and infiltration (1.9%). CONCLUSIONS The dwell times and failure rates of midline catheters compare favorably against published data on other types of catheters. Their infection rates are also lower than the reported rates of central venous catheters; however, they have a higher rate of mechanical complications. Active surveillance of infections due to midline catheters is recommended. More data are needed from pediatric and neonatal populations.
Assessment of Quadriceps Corticomotor and Spinal-Reflexive Excitability in Individuals with a History of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Differences in the excitability of motor generating neural pathways are reported following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) that is associated with quadriceps dysfunction and theorized to prevent the full recovery of muscle function. The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to compare quadriceps neural excitability between the involved ACLR limb, the uninvolved limb, and uninjured controls, and to determine at what time intervals these differences are present after surgery. We conducted a search of PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Embase, and Web of Science, and extracted measures assessing difference of quadriceps spinal-reflexive, corticospinal, and intracortical excitability from studies that compared (1) involved limb to the uninvolved limb, (2) involved limb to a control limb, or (3) uninvolved limb to a control limb. We stratified time at 24 months, since this represents a period of heightened risk for reinjury. A modified Downs and Black checklist and Egger’s test were used to determine the methodological quality of individual studies and risk of bias between studies. Fourteen studies comprising 611 participants (371 individuals with a history of ACLR; median time from surgery: 31.5 months; range 0.5–221.1 months) were included in the review. Overall, the involved (g = 0.60, 95% CI [0.24, 0.96]) and uninvolved (g = 0.49, 95% CI [0.00, 0.98]) limbs exhibited greater motor threshold (MT) in comparison to uninjured controls. Motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitudes were greater in the uninvolved limb in comparison to uninjured controls (g = 0.31, 95% CI [0.03, 0.59]). Lesser intracortical inhibition was exhibited in the uninvolved limb compared to uninjured controls (g = 0.54, 95% CI [0.14, 0.93]). When stratified by time from surgery, MEP amplitudes were greater in the uninvolved limb compared to uninjured controls (g = 0.33, 95% CI [0.03, 0.63]) within the first 24 months after surgery. When evaluated more than 24 months after surgery, the involved limb exhibited greater Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) compared to uninjured controls (g = 0.38, 95% CI [0.00, 0.77]). MT were greater in the involved limb (g = 0.93, 95% CI [− 0.01, 1.88]) and uninvolved limb (g = 0.57, 95% CI [0.13, 1.02]) compared to uninjured controls. MEP amplitudes in the involved limb were lesser compared to uninjured controls when evaluated more than 24 months after ACLR (g = -1.11, 95% CI [− 2.03, − 0.20]). The available evidence supports that there are neural excitability differences within the corticospinal tract in individuals with ACLR when compared to uninjured controls. Future research should focus further on longitudinal assessments of neural excitability prior to and following ACLR. Identifying interventions aimed to facilitate corticospinal excitability after ACLR appears to be warranted to improve quadriceps function. Registered through PROSPERO CRD42020158714.
Ultrasound Elastographic Measurement of Rigor Mortis in an Animal Model: A Feasibility Study for Improved Time-of-Death Estimates in Forensic Investigations.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to assess the feasibility of 2D shear wave ultrasound elastography to quantitatively measure changes of rigor mortis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Muscle stiffness ...
Short-term mechanical strength prediction of ultra-high performance concrete using noncontact synthetic aperture radar imaging

In recent decades, the use of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has been widely accepted by the construction industry for buildings and bridges. The exceptional properties of UHPC on strength (18 ksi 35 ksi) and durability (freeze-thaw resistance, abrasion resistance, chloride ion penetration resistance) have made it a popular construction material for durable and sustainable civil infrastructure systems. The objective of this paper is to investigate the shortterm mechanical strength development of UHPC specimens using a noncontact synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging sensor. UHPC cubes and cylinders were designed and manufactured for nondestructive strength monitoring and kinematic and rheological characterization. Change in moisture content and distribution inside UHPC cylinders was monitored by a laboratory 10-GHz SAR imaging sensor inside a microwave anechoic chamber at UMass Lowell. Hydraulic permeability of UHPC specimens was measured by their bulk electrical resistivity using a concrete resistivity meter (ASTM C1876). The rate of water uptake (absorption or sorptivity) was characterized by an apparatus used to measure the water absorption rate of both the concrete surface and interior concrete (ASTM C1585). Early stage shrinkage behavior of UHPC specimens during the first seven days was also measured using a shrinkage cone. Level of cement hydration in UHPC specimens was quantified by the loss of free water inside UHPC and remotely measured by the SAR imaging sensor. Mechanical strength development in UHPC specimens was monitored by following ASTM C109/C109M. From our preliminary result, it is found that change in SAR amplitude and amplitude distribution can be correlated to the level of strength development.
Mouse modeling for anxiety disorders in older adults

Anxiety disorders are common in older adults and are strongly associated with increased risk for numerous age-related conditions. Preclinical mechanistic data are needed to identify more specific therapeutic targets for treating and preventing these disorders. Mice serve as excellent preclinical models as they have been used extensively in aging studies, and behavioral tests have been developed. A panel of tests would capture the important clinical aspects of apathy, anxiety, and psychomotor behavior and allow longitudinal testing strategies in a rigorous and minimally stressful manner.
Biochemical Determinants of Cell Adhesion

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses essentially on the biochemistry of cell surface components implicated as the mediators of cell–cell or cell–substrate adhesion. During the past decade, a considerable amount of evidence has been found depicting the importance of cell surface glycoproteins and high molecular weight proteoglycans as the mediators of cell-to-cell and cell-to-substrate adhesion. This evidence is reviewed in the chapter for a wide variety of eukaryotic cell systems, from yeast and sponge cells, as perhaps the simplest, to the much more complex avian and mammalian embryonic cell systems. The emphasis is on a critical analysis of the biochemistry of these determinants. Initial considerations that cellular adhesion resulted from nonspecific interactions via the neutralization of negative charge on cell surfaces or Van der Waals' forces acting over broad areas of surface membrane have now been replaced with the models of cellular adhesion featuring the interaction of specific cell surface proteins and polysaccharides. These models, derived particularly from studies on cell–cell adhesion in simple eukaryotic cells or cell-substrate adhesion in mammalian and avian cells, are based on accumulating experimental evidence and emphasize a specificity of interaction analogous to that of enzyme–substrate, antigen–antibody, and lectin–polysaccharide interactions. There is also suggestive evidence that simple eukaryotic cells adhere by the mechanisms that are biochemically simpler than those found in the much more complex avian and mammalian cells.
Purification and Properties of Clostridium botulinum Type F Toxin

Abstract Clostridium botulinum type F toxin of proteolytic Langeland strain was purified. Toxin in whole cultures was precipitated with (NH4)2SO4. Extract of the precipitate was successively chromatographed on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose at pH 6.0, O-(carboxymethyl) cellulose at pH 4.9, Sephadex G-200 at pH 8.1, quaternary aminoethyl-Sephadex at pH 4.9, and finally diethylaminoethyl-cellulose at pH 8.1. The procedure recovered 14% of the toxin assayed in the starting culture. The toxin was homogeneous by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, double gel diffusion serology, and isoelectric focusing. Purified toxin had a molecular weight of 150,000 by gel filtration and 155,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Specific toxicity was 9.6 × 106 mean lethal doses per absorbancy (278 nm) unit. Sub-units of 105,000 and 56,000 molecular weight are found when purified toxin is treated with a disulfide reducing agent and electrophoresed on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Reciprocal cross neutralizations were demonstrated when purified type F and E toxins were reacted with antitoxins which were obtained with immunizing toxoids prepared with purified toxins.
Cytoskeletal proteins of the cell surface in Tetrahymena: II. Turnover of major proteins

Abstract The turnover of surface membrane-associated cytoskeletal proteins has been studied in Tetrahymena. These proteins undergo rapid turnover and appear to be in equilibrium with precursor pools within the cytosol. Carefully controlled pulse-chase experiments, alone and in combination with cycloheximide, have shown that labeled proteins accumulated in the cytoskeleton after they were no longer being synthesized within the cell. The movement of subunits from the cytoskeleton to the cytosol was also demonstrated using tubulin isolated from these two compartments within the cell.
Working the Night Shift: Gender and the Global Economy

The global mainstream media characterizes the IT sector, and transnational call centers in particular, as catalysts for social change in India. Yet, the emergence of this industry is not shifting patriarchal relations of power in a significant way due to social and spatial constraints on women’s mobility in the urban nightscape. Specific to call center employment, mobility is important because it requires night shift workers. For a woman in India to be out at this hour is generally considered improper and unsafe. However, women are participating in this industry and corporate strategies, such as the use of private shuttle vans to transport women to and from work in the middle of the night, reflect the ways in which both the industry and its female employees negotiate a presence in the public sphere. Based on exploratory research conducted in Mumbai, India in January, 2005, I argue that the insertion of women into the urban nightscape, via the night shift requirements of the global economy, is met with covert resistance. Although there are no visible barriers such as “men only” signs written into public space, women’s bodies continue to be marked as a site of transgression.
Potential of spalting moderate value wood species in Peru

This study was performed to determine if several moderately utilised Peruvian hardwoods had potential for spalting applications. Authors applied a modified decay jar methodology with six native Peruvian woods and three fungi, with a period of incubation of 6 weeks. Results showed that Nigrospora sphaerica and marupa (Simarouba amara) showed the highest significant internal pigmentation (black), followed by congona (Brosimum alicastrum) and zapote (Matisia cordata) tested with Cladosporium herbarum. No spalting occurred on woods with darker sapwood.
The femoral head notch

A notch-like defect at the vertex of the proximal femoral ossification center is a normal variant in children. This has often been mistaken for Legg-Perthes disease. This sharply defined defect is distinct from the irregular epiphyseal ossification patterns common in other areas.
Fourier representation method for electronic structures of linear polymers

The Fourier representation method described in the previous paper of this series is used to make electronic structure calculations for a linear chain of equally spaced hydrogen atoms. The electronic wavefunction is assumed to be a determinant of doubly-occupied crystal orbitals of modulated-plane-wave type, built from one 1s Slater-type orbital of screening parameter ζ centered on each atom. The energy is calculated from the electrostatic zero-order Hamiltonian with exact evaluation of all Coulomb and exchange contributions, and is optimized with respect to the lattice spacing and ζ value. Good agreement with work by others is noted, indicating a near-equivalence of modulated-plane-wave and tight-binding wavefunctions for this half-filled-valence-band system. The linear chain is calculated to be far more stable than cubic three-dimensional hydrogen crystals. This fact sheds light on the unusually large calculated nearest-neighbor distances in the cubic crystals, and is related to a suggestion that under certain conditions the most stable structure for solid atomic hydrogen may be of lower symmetry than cubic.
Neuronotrophic activity in brain wounds of the developing rat. Correlation with implant survival in the wound cavity.

Abstract Neuronotrophic activity accumulates in a wound cavity created in the entorhinal/occipital cortex of developing rats. These trophic factors support the survival of neurons in monolayer cultures of chick embryo spinal cord, ciliary ganglion, sympathetic ganglion and dorsal root ganglion, as well as of mouse dorsal root ganglion. Trophic activity was very low both in non-injured brain tissue and in the wound cavity 1 day post-lesion, but it increased 15- to 300-fold during the subsequent 2–5 days. Together with the trophic activity in the wound fluid were other substances which interfered with the survival of spinal cord neurons. The neuronotrophic factors appeared to be proteins immunologically distinct from mouse submaxillary nerve growth factor. Fragments of rat embryo corpus striatum placed in the cortical wound cavity immediately after its formation showed very poor subsequent survival and no innervation of the host hippocampus. However, if implantation was delayed by 3 or 6 days with respect to the time at which the receiving cavity was made, the survival was greatly improved and innervation of the host took place. The time course for the accumulation of the trophic factors in the cavity paralleled the delay leading to increased survival of brain grafts. It is suggested that the neuronotrophic activity accumulating in the wound cavity during the delay period may be responsible for the increased survival of the implants.
“Ganchulinas” and “Rainbowli” Colors: Young Multilingual Children Play with Language in Head Start Classroom

The purpose of this ethnographic case study was to study the language development of 4-year-old emergent bilinguals in a bilingual (Spanish/English) Head Start classroom with flexible language practices. Data were collected throughout the 10-month school year by visiting the classroom 2–3 times per week. Data include: field notes (observations and detailed notes of children language practices); transcriptions of interviews with teachers, families and administrators; and artifacts of children’s work. The data were analyzed by examining shifts and patterns in the children’s language practices over the year and the ways in which they negotiated language with others. Interviews with teachers, families and administrators provide insight into the language ideologies of the classroom, school and community. This paper highlights the language practices of two children to demonstrate the ways in which hybrid language practices, fostered by the teachers, created a classroom environment that allowed children to draw from their full linguistic repertoire to develop and engage with the curriculum.
Effect of recombinant human erythropoietin on renal function in humans

Effect of recombinant human erythropoietin on renal function in humans. To assess the effect of recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) treatment on renal function, the slopes of the regression lines of the reciprocal of serum creatinine versus time were compared in 26 patients with renal insufficiency (serum creatinine ranged from 2.3 to 11.7 mg/dl) followed for a period of 2.7 to 24 months. Ten patients received r-HuEPO and the anemia was corrected (Group I). Sixteen patients did not receive r-HuEPO. Ten of them were anemic (Group II) and six had normal hematocrits (Group III). All study groups were matched for age, diagnosis and degree of renal insufficiency. All cohorts were followed prospectively (Period B, from the first day of the study to the time of data analysis or dialysis and transplantation); renal function was also examined retrospectively (Period A, from the first day of the study to the time of first renal function measurement). Hematocrit was lowest in Group II control patients, 27%, highest in the Group III control subjects, 43%, and intermediate in Group I EPO-treated patients, 36%. Serum creatinine uniformly increased in all three groups of patients. The rate of progression, as measured by the slopes of the reciprocal of serum creatinine versus time, however, was similar in all three groups of subjects and during both periods. The mean slopes for Group I patients before and after r-HuEPO were, respectively, -0.0058 and -0.0054, that of the control cohorts with low and normal hematocrit during period B were -0.0063 and -0.0010, respectively. Thus, it appeared that neither r-HuEPO administration nor a normal hematocrit accelerated the deterioration of renal function in these patients with renal insufficiency.
Pink-eyed dilution alleles affect negative surface charges of mouse spermatozoa

Abnormal spermiogenesis in sterile pink-eyed dilution mutants results in spermatozoa with bizarre sperm heads. The spermatozoa of normal mice bind colloidal iron hydroxide (CIH) along the length of the tail, yet the spermatozoa of pink-eyed sterile mice show a great reduction in ability to bind CIH. This implies a loss of negative surface charges. The group(s) responsible for the charges are sensitive to methylation but resistant to neuraminidase treatment, even after deacetylation with alkaline treatment. The membrane components containing the negatively charged groups may be neuraminidase-resistant forms of gangliosides.
Structure and function in rhodopsin: Mapping light-dependent changes in distance between residue 316 in helix 8 and residues in the sequence 60-75, covering the cytoplasmic end of helices TM1 and TM2 and their connection loop CL1

Double-spin-labeled mutants of rhodopsin were prepared containing a nitroxide side chain at position 316 in the cytoplasmic surface helix H8, and a second nitroxide in the sequence of residues 60−75, which includes the cytoplasmic loop CL1 and cytoplasmic ends of helices TM1 and TM2. Magnetic dipole−dipole interactions between the spins were analyzed to provide interspin distance distributions in both the dark and photoactivated states of rhodopsin. In the dark state in solutions of dodecyl maltoside, the interspin distances are found to be consistent with structural models of the nitroxide side chain and rhodopsin, both derived from crystallography. Photoactivation of rhodopsin shows a pattern of increases in internitroxide distance between the reference, position 316 in H8, and residues in CL1 and TM2 that suggests an outward displacement of TM2 relative to H8 by ≈3 A.
A mathematical model of glioblastoma tumor spheroid invasion in a three-dimensional in vitro experiment.

Glioblastoma, the most malignant form of brain cancer, is responsible for 23% of primary brain tumors and has extremely poor outcome. Confounding the clinical management of glioblastomas is the extreme local invasiveness of these cancer cells. The mechanisms that govern invasion are poorly understood. To gain insight into glioblastoma invasion, we conducted experiments on the patterns of growth and dispersion of U87 glioblastoma tumor spheroids in a three-dimensional collagen gel. We studied two different cell lines, one with a mutation to the EGFR (U87ΔEGFR) that is associated with increased malignancy, and one with an endogenous (wild-type) receptor (U87WT). We developed a continuum mathematical model of the dispersion behaviors with the aim of identifying and characterizing discrete cellular mechanisms underlying invasive cell motility. The mathematical model quantitatively reproduces the experimental data, and indicates that the U87WT invasive cells have a stronger directional motility bias away from the spheroid center as well as a faster rate of cell shedding compared to the U87ΔEGFR cells. The model suggests that differences in tumor cell dispersion may be due to differences in the chemical factors produced by cells, differences in how the two cell lines remodel the gel, or different cell-cell adhesion characteristics.
Resonant Structure in Near-Threshold Electron Excitation of Krypton

Using a monochromator-analyzer combination, electron-excitation functions of the lowest-lying clectronic states of krypton have been obtained at a scattering angle of 45 deg in the near-threshold region (9-14 eV). All excitation functions display a complex resonant structure. Additional data have been obtained on elastic scattenng at 45 deg to provide further infonnation on the resonances. In addition to the /sup 4/p/sup 5/5/sup s/sup 2/ J = 3/2, 1/2 resonance doublet, a number of narrow resonances appear below about 12 eV in both the excitation data and elastic scattering which correlate in energy with recent measurements on transmission by Sanche and Schulz. Broad resonant structure is found in a number of the excitation curves and the excitation process in the near- threshold region appears to be dominated by resonant effects. An analysis of the elastic-scattering data on the 4p/sup 5/5s/sup 2/ doublet is pre sented and resonance parameters obtained compared with theory. A comparison of the narrow resonant structure data with optical absorption data on Rb I obtained by Beutler indicates that the narrow resonances in the l0.5-l2-eV region are probably due to levels of the 4p/sup 5/5s4d configuration. (auth)
Sociology in Hollywood Films

Close examination of 32 Hollywood films released between 1915 and 2006 shows that sociology is often portrayed as a discipline that focuses on the useless, the trivial, and the obscure. Undergraduate students of sociology are sometimes presented as academically untalented and weakly motivated, but at other times as thoughtful and capable of good work. Graduate students are depicted as flawed researchers who are more interested in romance than the completion of their degrees. The movies acknowledge the expertise of sociologists but also suggest they sometimes reach incorrect conclusions, snoop into behavior that should remain private, and fail to maintain appropriate distance from their subjects. Sociologists occasionally appear in brief classroom scenes that contain little of substance; they are as likely to be depicted as advisers or administrators as they are to be depicted as teachers. The sources of cinematic portrayals of sociology and their influence on popular attitudes require further research.
The development and application of kinematic icon and inactive-joint concepts in automated mechanism sketching

Mise au point d'une methode pour le dessin automatique de mecanismes articules utilisant la notion d'icones cinematiques (type de liaison) et de joints non actifs (articulations dont les coordonnees ne sont pas immediatement definies)
Life Revisited (Parallels in Death Experiences)

Raymond A. Moody in his book, Life After Life, reports on his interviews with people who have experienced temporary clinical death. He points to the presence of certain features that are shared in most cases. The author of this essay investigates canonical literature and other writings of religious movements and folklore for parallels in the descriptions of death experiences. His findings are that these phenonmena manifest themselves universally and that they appear to be part of the experience of the human race.
Valence and excited dipole-bound states of polar diatomic anions: LiH−, LiF−, LiCl−, NaH−, NaF−, NaCl−, BeO−, and MgO−

Abstract Valence and excited states of the anions formed by the polar molecules LiH, LiF, LiCl, NaH, NaF, NaCl, BeO, and MgO are calculated by the recently developed electron-attachment equation-of-motion coupled-cluster (EA-EOMCC) method. The LiH − , NaH − , and LiF − anions are found to possess two excited dipole-bound states and the LiCl − , NaF − , NaCl − , BeO − , and MgO − anions have three excited dipole-bound states. The critical values of the dipole moment required to sustain the first, second, etc., excited state appears to be specific for each class of polar molecules.
The Role of Psychology Departments in Supporting Secondary School Teachers of Psychology

Providing continuing education for secondary school teachers may be more important to the improvement of high school psychology than are changes in teacher preparation and certification. The special role that college and university departments of psychology can play in providing this education and supporting these teachers is illustrated in a brief history of one department's work with teachers in North Carolina.
Endovascular Treatment of Carotid-Cavernous Fistulas

Endovascular management has become the treatment of choice for carotid-cavernous fistulas regardless of the fistula type. The endovascular method offers numerous options that render it capable of treating each fistula type by choosing an adequate technique. This advantage along with the advancement in the field has led to fewer complications with higher success rate.