cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
iEthics

Nike. McDonald’s Apple. These companies and many others invest millions of dollars each year protecting that one thing that distinguishes them in the marketplace – a trademark. A company’s trademark is the symbol that allows consumers to know that they are dealing with a particular company. This article addresses the extent to which some companies will go to obtain and protect a trademark. Specifically, it will address the fight between Cisco and Apple over the iPhone trademark, as both companies took questionable steps in the United States and abroad to obtain rights to the iPhone mark. In addition, the basics of trademark law and ethical theories relevant to trademark law will be addressed.
EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE: IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DUST EXPOSURE ON INTESTINAL BARRIER FUNCTION - FROM THE GUT-LUNG AXIS TO COVID-19.

As countries continue to industrialize, major cities experience diminished air quality, while rural populations also experience poor air quality from sources such as agricultural operations. These exposures to environmental pollution from both rural and populated/industrialized sources have adverse effects on human health. Although respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are the most commonly reported following long-term exposure to particulate matter and hazardous chemicals, gastrointestinal complications have also been associated with the increased risk of lung disease from inhalation of polluted air. The interconnectedness of these organ systems has offered valuable insights into the roles of the immune system and the micro/mycobiota as mediators of communication between the lung and the gut during disease states. A topical example of this relationship is provided by reports of multiple gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), while the rapid transmission and increased risk of COVID-19 has been linked to poor air quality and high levels of particulate matter. In this review, we focus on the mechanistic effects of environmental pollution on disease progression with special emphasis on the gut-lung axis.
A gene-dependent climatoeconomic model of generalized trust

Given the benefits of generalized trust, its determinants receive growing attention in international/cross-cultural management/psychology. This research proposed a gene-dependent climatoeconomic model, integrating multiple types of determinants parsimoniously. Across 53 societies, generalized trust is a multiplicative function not only of climatic demands and wealth (climatoeconomic contextualization), but also of climatic demands, wealth, and the 5-HTTLPR S-allele prevalence (gene-dependent climatoeconomic contextualization), mediated by uncertainty avoidance. The climatoeconomic contextualization is present only in societies possessing a low level of the 5-HTTLPR S-allele prevalence. These findings shed light on trust and international management research as well as interventions and policy making for societal effectiveness.
JP‐1302: a new tool to shed light on the roles of α2C‐adrenoceptors in brain

The discovery of JP-1302 as a selective, high affinity antagonist at the alpha2C-adrenoceptor will enable researchers to probe the functional role and address the therapeutic utility of this potentially highly important adrenoceptor subtype.
Implementation and evaluation of decision trees with range and region splitting

We propose an extension of an entropy-based heuristic for constructing a decision tree from a large database with many numeric attributes. When it comes to handling numeric attributes, conventional methods are inefficient if any numeric attributes are strongly correlated. Our approach offers one solution to this problem. For each pair of numeric attributes with strong correlation, we compute a two-dimensional association rule with respect to these attributes and the objective attribute of the decision tree. In particular, we consider a family {\cal R} of grid-regions in the plane associated with the pair of attributes. For R \in {\cal R}, the data can be split into two classes: data inside R and data outside R. We compute the region R_{opt} \in {\cal R} that minimizes the entropy of the splitting, and add the splitting associated with R_{opt} (for each pair of strongly correlated attributes) to the set of candidate tests in an entropy-based heuristic. We give efficient algorithms for cases in which {\cal R} is (1) x-monotone connected regions, (2) based-monotone regions, (3) rectangles, and (4) rectilinear convex regions. The algorithm has been implemented as a subsystem of SONAR (System for Optimized Numeric Association Rules) developed by the authors. We have confirmed that we can compute the optimal region efficiently. And diverse experiments show that our approach can create compact trees whose accuracy is comparable with or better than that of conventional trees. More importantly, we can grasp non-linear correlation among numeric attributes which could not be found without our region splitting.
Factors influencing the antitumorigenic properties of selenium in mice.

Sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) was administered at 2.0 micrograms selenium (Se) to Swiss ICR mice six times over a 9-day period by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection or by gastric gavage. Survival time was significantly increased in Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT)-bearing mice by 170 and 20%, respectively, compared to controls. In two separate studies, 5.0 micrograms Se as Na2SeO3 or selenodiglutathione (GSSeSG) administered i.p. was more effective in inhibiting EAT propagation in mice than either untreated (control) mice or mice receiving sodium selenide, dimethyl selenide [(CH3)2Se] or seleno-DL-cystine. In another study, EAT cells were preincubated with either 1 or 3 ppm Se as GSSeSG, Na2SeO3, or (CH3)2Se, washed, and reinoculated into mice. Only in mice inoculated with cells pretreated with GSSeSG was a significant increase in survival observed. The observed tumor inhibition was not limited to ascitic tumors since growth of solid Ehrlich tumors was also significantly inhibited by i.p. treatment of Na2SeO3. Following i.p. administration of Na2(75)SeO3, the solid tumors retained more selenium-75 than did blood, lung, kidney, or liver. Supplementation of a torula yeast diet with 2.5 or 5.0 ppm Se as Na2SeO3 also significantly increased the survival time of EAT-bearing mice. These data show that the form and mode of administration of selenium influence the antitumorigenic properties of this trace element. In addition, the data suggest that some intermediate in the normal pathway for selenium detoxification is probably responsible for this trace element's antitumorigenic properties.
Glyoxylate Bypass, Regulation

Introduction Overview The Glyoxylate Bypass Regulation of Transcription Regulation of the Glyoxylate Bypass Operon A Remote Operator for IclR The Role of Integration Host Factor Regulation of iclR Expression Differential Control by IclR Another Role for IclR? IclR Is a Member of a Unique Protein Family Regulation of Protein Phosphorylation Fine Control: The Role of IDH Phosphorylation Structural Basis of the Regulation of IDH Structure and Mechanism of IDH Kinase/ Phosphatase Regulation of the IDH Kinase/Phosphatase Control of Metabolism Growth on Glucose Growth on Acetate Metabolic Transitions Future Directions Bibliography Keywords: bypass; glyoxylate; isocitrate dehydrogenase; isocitrate lyase; kinase; Krebs’ cycle; phosphatase; phosphorylation
The Coexistence of Cystic Fibrosis and Celiac Disease

Two patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who subsequently developed celiac disease (CD) are described. Since organ culture of intestinal mucosa has been used to establish an in vitro model for the study of CD, we utilized this opportunity to determine whether duodenal mucosa obtained from each of these two patients and their immediate families differed in its organ culture behavior from mucosa obtained from patients with CD alone. Additionally, as specific HL-A types are associated with CD, we used HL-A typing to determine whether the two patients with CF-CD differed genetically from patients with CD alone. One of our patients was HL-A8, the most common type associated with CD; the other was HL-A12, as are many of the non-HL-A8 celiac patients. The response in organ culture of the mucosa of these two patients was the same as the response in organ culture of the mucosa from patients with CD alone. These and other data suggest that CD occurring in patients with CF is no different than CD occurring alone.
Metabolism of Steroids in Plant Tissue Cultures

Plant tissue cultures offer a convenient means for the study of the biosynthesis and metabolism of steroids. As such, the number of steroids which have been isolated from plant tissue cultures as well as the number of steroids which have been used as substrates for plant tissue cultures has increased markedly in recent years. As an experimental tool, plant tissue cultures offer great convenience in the addition of precursors and steroidal substrates when investigating biotransformations. However, in using plant tissue cultures one may encounter a situation where one or more of the steroid metabolizing enzymes normally found in intact plants are absent in the corresponding tissue cultures. Such metabolite defects offer both advantages and disadvantages. For example, difficulties are encountered in investigating the biosynthetic pathways of some of the more complex steroids as the cardiac glycosides, due to the absence or existence of low levels of certain of the enzymes intermediate in the biosynthetic pathways. On the contrary, this absence of certain steroid metabolizing enzymes allows the accumulation of products intermediate in the biosynthetic route, facilitating isolation and identification of these products. As such, the potential for achieving large-scale biotransformation of steroids to selected products is enhanced.
Sleep-dependent memory consolidation in healthy aging and mild cognitive impairment.

Sleep quality and architecture as well as sleep’s homeostatic and circadian controls change with healthy aging. Changes include reductions in slow-wave sleep’s (SWS) percent and spectral power in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG), number and amplitude of sleep spindles, rapid eye movement (REM) density and the amplitude of circadian rhythms, as well as a phase advance (moved earlier in time) of the brain’s circadian clock. With mild cognitive impairment (MCI) there are further reductions of sleep quality, SWS, spindles, and percent REM, all of which further diminish, along with a profound disruption of circadian rhythmicity, with the conversion to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sleep disorders may represent risk factors for dementias (e.g., REM Behavior Disorder presages Parkinson’s disease) and sleep disorders are themselves extremely prevalent in neurodegenerative diseases. Working memory , formation of new episodic memories, and processing speed all decline with healthy aging whereas semantic, recognition, and emotional declarative memory are spared. In MCI, episodic and working memory further decline along with declines in semantic memory. In young adults, sleep-dependent memory consolidation (SDC) is widely observed for both declarative and procedural memory tasks. However, with healthy aging, although SDC for declarative memory is preserved, certain procedural tasks, such as motor-sequence learning, do not show SDC. In younger adults, fragmentation of sleep can reduce SDC, and a normative increase in sleep fragmentation may account for reduced SDC with healthy aging. Whereas sleep disorders such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and narcolepsy can impair SDC in the absence of neurodegenerative changes, the incidence of sleep disorders increases both with normal aging and, further, with neurodegenerative disease. Specific features of sleep architecture, such as sleep spindles and SWS are strongly linked to SDC. Diminution of these features with healthy aging and their further decline with MCI may account for concomitant declines in SDC. Notably these same sleep features further markedly decline, in concert with declining cognitive function, with the progression to AD. Therefore, progressive changes in sleep quality, architecture, and neural regulation may constitute a contributing factor to cognitive decline that is seen both with healthy aging and, to a much greater extent, with neurodegenerative disease.
Delirium in the critically ill patient.

Publisher Summary Delirium is an acute and transient brain dysfunction that is characterized by disturbances in consciousness and cognition. Associated features that are not required for the diagnosis of delirium include an abnormal sleep–wake cycle, increased or decreased psychomotor behavior, and emotional disturbances. The chapter outlines the clinical features and epidemiology of delirium. Patients with critical illness are at high risk of morbidity and mortality. These risks only increase with the failure of multiple organ systems. Acute central nervous system dysfunction plays crucial role in the course of critical illness. Appropriate strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of delirium in critically ill patients are outlined in the chapter. Haloperidol and other neuroleptic agents stabilize cerebral function by dopamine blockade and disinhibition of acetylcholine. The risk factors include baseline (host) characteristics, features of acute illness, and iatrogenic (or environmental) factors. Numerous risk factors lead to the development of delirium in critically ill patients and numerous mechanisms are probably initiated or exacerbated by these factors. Future research is needed to understand these complex interactions.
On Deployment and Military Suicide Risk

The study by Reger et al published in JAMA Psychiatry [72(6):561-569] reported that deployment history was not associated with suicide death among military personnel who had deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Their results converge with several previously published studies but contradict findings obtained from other studies, thereby again raising the question about whether deployment is a risk factor for suicide among military personnel.... Language: en
Do Leaders Matter? Natural Experiment and Quantitative Case Study of Indian State Owned Laboratories

Our study is one of the first natural experiments around the role of leaders in the context of firms. Also while most prior natural experiments around leadership in the policy world have exploited the death of the leader, we exploit an alternate exogenous shock – rigid bureaucratic rules that constraint the appointment of leaders to 42 Indian public R&D labs with 12,500 employees. The bureaucratic rules ensure that the timing of leadership change is uncorrelated with observable or unobservable firm level characteristics. This enables us to circumvent the issues related to the use of manager fixed effects in the prior empirical literature. Efforts to incentivize individual employees to file and license patents did not meet with immediate success. However patenting and licensing both increased once leaders at individual labs were replaced.
Resveratrol and pterostilbene epigenetically restore PTEN expression by targeting oncomiRs of the miR-17 family in prostate cancer

In recent years, not only has the role of miRNAs in cancer become increasingly clear but also their utilization as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets has gained ground. Although the importance of dietary stilbenes such as resveratrol and pterostilbene as anti-cancer agents is well recognized, our understanding of their miRNA-targeting capabilities is still limited. In our previous study, we reported that resveratrol downregulates PTEN-targeting members of the oncogenic miR-17 family, which are overexpressed in prostate cancer. This study investigates the resveratrol and pterostilbene induced miRNA-mediated regulation of PTEN in prostate cancer. Here, we show that both compounds decrease the levels of endogenous as well as exogenously expressed miR-17, miR-20a and miR-106b thereby upregulating their target PTEN. Using functional luciferase reporter assays, we demonstrate that ectopically expressed miR-17, miR-20a and miR-106b directly target PTEN 3'UTR to reduce its expression, an effect rescued upon treatment with resveratrol and pterostilbene. Moreover, while stable lentiviral expression of miR-17/106a significantly decreased PTEN mRNA and protein levels and conferred survival advantage to the cells, resveratrol and more so pterostilbene was able to dramatically suppress these effects. Further, pterostilbene through downregulation of miR-17-5p and miR-106a-5p expression both in tumors and systemic circulation, rescued PTEN mRNA and protein levels leading to reduced tumor growth in vivo. Our findings implicate dietary stilbenes as an attractive miRNA-mediated chemopreventive and therapeutic strategy, and circulating miRNAs as potential chemopreventive and predictive biomarkers for clinical development in prostate cancer.
Effects of implicit achievement motivation, expected evaluations, and domain knowledge on creative performance

Summary This paper explores the effect of achievement motivation on creative performance. I also describe how expectations of differing types of evaluations and knowledge of the domain moderate the relationship between implicit achievement motivation and creativity. Results suggest achievement motivation, measured implicitly, is related to creative performance. Additionally, the effect of achievement motivation at the implicit level on creative performance is moderated by expectation of evaluation and domain knowledge in a three-way interaction. The main effect for achievement motivation, assessed at the implicit level, as a predictor of creative performance holds when controlling for other factors previously tested as predictors of creativity, including a self-report assessment achievement motivation. I conclude by discussing the implications of this research and provide suggestions for future research opportunities. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ferromagnetism in Laves-phase WFe2 nanoparticles

While rare-earth based Laves phases are known to exhibit large magnetostriction, the magnetic properties of some binary Laves phases containing transition metals alone are not well known. This is because many of these compounds contain refractory elements that complicate melt processing due to high melting temperatures and extensive phase separation. Here, phase-pure WFe2 nanoclusters, with the hexagonal C14 Laves structure, were deposited via inert gas condensation, allowing for the first known measurement of ferromagnetism in this phase, with MS of 26.4 emu/g (346 emu/cm3) and a KU of 286 kerg/cm3, at 10 K, and a TC of 550 K.
Position and Identification of the Cygnus X-1 Radio Source

THE initial measurements1,2 of the position of the radio source associated with the X-ray source Cygnus X-1 were uncertain by 3 to 5 arc s. The results were consistent with two possible identifications with stars3: the 8.9 mag. BOIb star HDE 226868 (= BD + 34° 3815), and a 15 mag. red star 9 arc s to the north-west of the B star. Because of the apparent normality of the B star and possible signs of peculiarity in the red star3, it was not clear which should be identified with the radio source. Here, we report the resolution of the ambiguity by an accurate determination of the radio position.
Room temperature wafer surface cleaning by in-situ ECR (electron cyclotron resonance) hydrogen plasma for silicon homoepitaxial growth

Abstract A defect-free silicon epitaxial layer was deposited by in-situ electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) hydrogen plasma cleaning at room temperature (25°C) in a multi-chamber chemical vapor deposition (MS-CVD) system with a load lock chamber. ECR hydrogen plasma was used and films were deposited thermally at low temperature (600 °C). Plain-view transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cross-sectional TEM, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry and in-situ emission-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results were presented to demonstrate the efficiency of room-temperature in-situ wafer cleaning processes. Process variables such as microwave power (and gas pressure), cleaning temperature and d.c. bias were investigated, and a.d.c. bias turned out to play a crucial role in low-temperature in-situ cleaning processes. Also, the effect of the in-situ cleaning temperature on cleaning efficiency was investigated and discussed. The results were shown to help understand the mechanism of the low-temperature wafer cleaning process.
Patient education interventions in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: A meta-analytic comparison with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug treatment

Objective. To compare the effects of education interventions and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) treatment on pain and functional disability in patients with osteoarthritis (OA), and on pain, functional disability, and tender joint counts in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. Two meta-analyses were performed: one of controlled trials of patient education interventions and one of placebo-controlled trials of NSAID treatments. Results. Nineteen patient education trials comprised of 32 treatment arms and 28 NSAID trials comprised of 46 treatment arms were included. The weighted average effect size for pain was 0.17 in the education trials and 0.66 in the NSAID trials. The average effect size for functional disability was 0.03 in the education trials and 0.34 in the NSAID trials; effects of education were much larger in RA studies than in OA studies. In RA studies, the average effect size for the tender joint count was 0.34 in the education trials and 0.43 in the NSAID trials. Because most patients in the education trials were being treated with medications, the effect sizes of these trials represent the additional, or marginal, effects of patient education interventions beyond those achieved by medication. Conclusions. Based on this meta-analysis, patient education interventions provide additional benefits that are 20–30% as great as the effects of NSAID treatment for pain relief in OA and RA, 40% as great as NSAID treatment for improvement in functional ability in RA, and 60–80% as great as NSAID treatment in reduction in tender joint counts in RA.
Towards a Synthetic Biology of Calcium-Regulated Cav Channels

Synthetic biology seeks to simplify biological networks and their constitutent molecules into modules amenable to reconfiguration. In this regard, little has yet been achieved for Ca2+ signaling, owing to the seeming irreducible complexity of underlying molecules like CaV channels. In particular, Ca2+ influx through these channels is subject to vital forms of Ca2+ feedback regulation, reliant upon interactions of calmodulin (CaM) with channel elements like the IQ domain (a, black circle). Thwarting simplification, however, has been the utter loss of channel function upon deleting the IQ module (JBC269:1635; JBC275:25436). Here, we report that channels lacking an IQ domain function robustly upon covalent attachment of a single CaM (b). Moreover, the typical Ca2+ regulation of these channels (usually manifest as faster decay of Ca2+ versus Ba2+ current) is absent (c), rendering these channels as a blank regulatory slate. Separately over-expressing the IQ domain strikingly rescues Ca2+ regulation (d), casting the IQ element as a synthetic switch for regulation. These results suggest that CaV channels can be deconstructed into minimal regulatory components, raising the possibility of engineering modular CaV-based Ca2+ signal generators within a synthetic Ca2+ signaling toolkit.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
FATTY ACID CHANGES DURING LARVAL DEVELOPMENT OF Penaeus setiferus

The fatty acid compositions for five stages of development (egg, nauplius, protozoea, mysis, and one-to-two day postlarva) of the shrimp Penaeus setiferus were determined. Of twelve fatty acids identified, the four major fatty acids in the egg and one-to-two day postlarva were 16:1, 16:0, 18:1, and 20:4, and 16:0, 18:1, 20:4 and 22:6, respectively. On a per-unit weight basis, the 16:1, 16:0, 18:1 and 20:4 fatty acids decreased by 83, 47, 44, and 18% respectively from egg to one-to-two day postlarva. However, there was a 66% increase in the amount of 22:6 fatty acid on a per-unit dry weight basis from egg to one-to-two day postlarva. On a per animal basis, the largest increases were obtained for the 16:0, 18:0, 18:1, 20:4 and 22:6 fatty acids from the protozoea to one-to-two day postlarva stages of development. The largest decreases for fatty acids on a per animal basis were obtained for 16:1, 16:0, 18:1, and 18:0 from the egg to nauplius stage. The significance of these results to understanding shrimp larval nutrition is discussed.
Effective elaboration and inferential reasoning.

The present study investigated the effects of several variables on subjects’ abilities to draw inferences from two related premises. Contiguous presentation of the related sentences led to significantly higher inference scores than did noncontiguous presentation. The nature of the initial premise was also manipulated. For some subjects, the initial premise was relatively consistent with subjects’ semantic knowledge, whereas other subjects received initial premises that were somewhat arbitrary with respect to semantic knowledge. Inference scores were significantly higher for subjects who received the more consistent initial premises. This effect persists even when differential memory for the initial premises has been accounted for. The results suggest certain constraints on the nature of the knowledge one must possess in order to make appropriate inferences from material.
ON THE PRESENCE OF A GONADOTROPIC INHIBITING MATERIAL IN HUMAN URINE.

Suitably prepared extracts of urine of men were tested for the presence of an inhibitor of urinary gonadotropin by the augmentation reaction, the ventral prostate weight, and the uterine and the ovarian weight bio-assays in rats. All attempts to demonstrate a gonadotropin inhibitor using these standard assays in the rat were unsuccessful.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Octyl Glucoside Micelles: Dynamic Properties

Dynamic properties of octyl glucoside (OG) micelles were explored using molecular dynamics simulations. Systems studied included individual β-OG micelles containing 10, 20, 27, 34, 50, and 75 lipids; two 20 lipid β-OG micelles; a disperse solution of 27 β-OG; and four molecules of glucose. Calculated 13C NMR T1 relaxation times for the tail carbons of micelle aggregation numbers between 34 and 75 agreed well with experiment; these results are consistent with estimates of the micelle size based on translational diffusion. However, T1's for the headgroup carbons, which couple strongly with the solvent, were too large. This was primarily due to the low viscosity of the TIP3P water model, and subsequent scaling of the relaxation times led to agreement with experiment for the carbons in the glucose ring, but not the exocyclic carbon; the likely reason for the latter discrepancy is a torsional potential barrier that is slightly too high. A detailed analysis of the micelle dynamics revealed shape changes on the ...
The role of receptor/channel activity in neuronal cell migration.

Confocal laser microscopy, in conjunction with carbocyanine dyes and calcium-sensitive fluorescent indicators, was used in slices and explant cultures of developing cerebellum to study cellular mechanisms underlying a motility of neuronal cell migration. The results indicate that a combination of voltage- and ligand-activated ion channels cooperatively regulates Ca2+ influx into the migrating cells. We suggest that molecules, present in the local cellular milieu, affect cell motility by activating specific ion channels and second messengers that influence polymerization of stiff and contractile cytoskeletal proteins. This early interaction between postmitotic neurons and surrounding cells controls the rate of their movements, sculpts their shapes, establishes their positions, and, therefore, indirectly determines their identities to prior formation of synaptic connections. © 1995 John Wiley Sons, Inc.
Studies of substrate requirements, kinetic properties, and competive inhibitors of the enzymes catabolizing TRH in rat brain

Abstract The enzymes catalyzing the breakdown of TRH are soluble and dependent upon active sulfhydryl groups. One of these enzymes is a pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11.8) (apparent molecular weight 60,000 daltons) with a specificity restricted to pyroglutamyl peptide bonds. The second enzyme is a prolyl endopeptidase (apparent molecular weight 70,000 daltons) with a specificity restricted to proline peptide bonds wherein the proline is preceded by an alpha adjacent amino acid possessing a blocked N-terminus. Substrate requirements for this latter enzyme are identical to those reported previously for the TRH deamidase of rat brain, the prolyl endopeptidase of rabbit brain and the post proline cleaving enzyme of rat brain. We conclude that this enzymatic activity variously described as TRH deamidase, post proline cleaving enzyme, and prolyl endopeptidase is that of a single enzyme best denoted as a prolyl endopeptidase (EC 3.4.22.16, proposed). The pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase has aKm for TRH of 45 μM as compared to aKm for TRH of 2400 μM for the prolyl endopeptidase. Total enzymatic activity of the prolyl endopeptidase, however, is approximately 3500 nmol/h/rat brain with the total enzymatic activity of the pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase being approximately 600 nmol/h/rat brain. The 5- to 6-fold higher affinity of the pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase for TRH suggests that of these two catabolic pathways, removal of the N-terminal pyroglutamyl moiety is likely to be the more important pathway for the initial catabolism of TRH in rat brain. Analysis of substrate specificity permitted the synthesis of several effective competitive inhibitors of the two enzymes. Of these, the most effective inhibitors of the pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase wereπ-glu-NH2 (Ki 185 μM) and π-glu-his- OCH3 (Ki 16.5 μM). The most effective inhibitors of the prolyl endopeptidase wereAc-gly-pro-NH2 (Ki 1143 μ M) and Z-gly-pro-NH2 (Ki 442 μM).
Studies on the physiological variation between tropical and temperate zone fiddler crabs of the genus Uca--V. Effect of temperature on tissue respiration.

Abstract 1. 1. The metabolic-temperature curves for the supraoesophageal ganglion (SEG), the heart and muscle tissue from three species of fiddler crabs have been determined. Two of the species, Uca pugilator and U. pugnax are temperate zone species. U. rapax is a tropical zone organism. 2. 2. The tissues from both cold- and warm-acclimated U. pugnax tendend to have a higher metabolic rate than those from cold- and warm-acclimated U. pugilator and U. rapax . 3. 3. The metabolic temperature curves are different for the tissues of each species of crabs. 4. 4. The SEG of all three species showed reverse adaptation to thermal acclimation. The Q 10 values of the SEG were high at the approximate same temperature ranges as has been reported for whole animals. There is no correlation between the Q 10 curves for the other two tissues and the Q 10 curves for the whole animals. 5. 5. At low temperature the Q 10 values for the SEG shifted with acclimation in U. rapax but not in the temperature zone forms. 6. 6. At low temperatures the Q 10 values of the muscle tissue of the two temperate zone crabs shifted with acclimation. This tendecy was not observed in the tropical zone species. 7. 7. Data were analyzed and compared, using the classifications proposed by Precht and Prosser.
The Effect of Litter Size on Fertility in Peromyscus leucopus

The effect of litter size on fertility in Peromyscus leucopus was assessed in each of two (F1 and F2) generations. Individuals in litters of size four were the most fertile, with progressively declining fertilities on either side of this intermediate class. The mean change in relative fitness (Δw/w) was used to measure the intensity of this selection, the values being 0.075 and 0.092, respectively, for the F1 and F2 generations. Parent-offspring regressions of litter size overall were quite low, but were negative for females and positive for males, this disparity being ascribed to the presence of a negative maternal effect. It was concluded that this negative maternal effect, as well as the stabilizing fertility pattern, are significantly contributing to the maintenance of an (optimal) intermediate litter size in this population of mice.
SOURCES OF PSEUDOMONAS ÆRUGINOSA INFECTION IN A RESPIRATORY/SURGICAL INTENSIVE-THERAPY UNIT

Abstract Monitoring of pseudomonas pyocine types from 640 patients and their environment was undertaken in a respiratory/surgical intensive-therapy unit (R.S.I.T.U.) during a nineteen-month period. Forty of fifty-six sputum or throat isolates of pseudomonas were clearly hospital acquired and at least 10 of the 16 patients who had Pseudomonas œruginosa on first culture were suspected of having hospital-acquired organisms. Pyocine types 1 and 10 were the "resident" strains; type-10 outbreaks occurred in clusters. Both types were regularly cultured from only one environmental source (the sinks), even during one to two week intervals during which no patients in the R.S.I.T.U. were colonised with pseudomonas. It is suggested that the sinks provide reservoirs of pseudomonas infection and that the hands of personnel are the vehicles of transmission.
Visit-to-visit and 24-h blood pressure variability: association with endothelial and smooth muscle function in African Americans

Visit-to-visit and 24-h blood pressure variability: association with endothelial and smooth muscle function in African Americans
Efficacy of atorvastatin reload in patients on chronic statin therapy undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

The use of short-term atorvastatin treatment prior to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI ) in statin-naive patients with both stable angina and acute coronary syndromes was demonstrated to reduce periprocedural myocardial infarction in the Atorvastatin for Reduction of Myocardial Damage During Angioplasty (ARMYDA) trials [1, 2]. Whether individuals already treated with statins would also benefit from an enhanced statin bolus (reloading dose) prior to PCI has yet to be determined.
Stabilization of nonlinear systems with uncontrollable linearization

The problem of local stabilization of nonlinear control systems with linearizations that contain uncontrollable modes on the imaginary axis is considered. A methodology of designing a stabilizing control is investigated. It involves the following steps: (1) reduction of the stability problem to the stability of the center manifold system, (2) simplification of the vector field on the center manifold using the theory of normal forms, and (3) finding conditions under which the simplified vector field is asymptotically stable. Three cases of degeneracies in the linearized system are treated, and sufficient conditions for the existence of stabilizing controls are given in each case. A theorem is presented regarding the robustness of the above control strategies. >
Behavioral assessment of the effects of psychotropic medications on demented nursing home residents

The effects of different psychotropic medications were examined for the control of behavior problems associated with dementia in three elderly nursing home residents. A reversal design was used in which the medications were introduced and withdrawn, and their effects were assessed on various resident behaviors using behavioral and motor performance assessments. All medications were effective in decreasing aberrant behaviors, but they also increased sedation in all three subjects. Performance on the motor assessments decreased for all subjects after the introduction of medication and improved after the medication was withdrawn. The results highlight the utility of behavioral assessment strategies for assessing the effects of psychotropic medication on elderly nursing home residents.
Review of the physical basis of laboratory-derived relations for brittle failure and their implications for earthquake occurrence and earthquake nucleation

A laboratory-derived crack growth-based constitutive relation for brittle faulting is developed. The relation consists of two rheologic components, a nonlinear Arrhenius dependence of strain rate on temperature and stress, corresponding to subcritical crack growth, and a linear slip-weakening behavior associated with dilatancy, crack coalescence and supercritical crack growth. The implications of this general behavior for the onset of rapid slip- (earthquake nucleation) are considered. Laboratory observations of static fatigue and time-dependent failure from rock fracture and rock friction experiments are consistent with this simple constitutive description, as are the predictions of rate-and state-dependent equations for the onset of rapid frictional slip between bare rock surfaces.I argue that crack growth is the physical process that controls time-dependent rock fracture and the time-dependent onset of unstable frictional sliding. Some similar and related arguments made in the past 1/2 century in the fields of rock mechanics and earthquake seismology are reviewed. For stressing rates appropriate for the San Andreas fault system, the simple constitutive relation with lab-derived constants predicts a minimum time for nucleation of ~ 1 yr. General predictions are a minimum nucleation patch radius of 0.06 to 0.2 m, and a minimum earthquake moment of 8.5 x 107Nm.
Activities of purine pathway enzymes in gouty human fibroblasts aged in vitro

Abstract The finite life-span of fibroblasts in culture may reflect aging at the cellular level and gout is a clinical condition whose incidence also increases with age. In order to better understand the age-related changes in purine metabolism, activities of purine degrading (adenosine deaminase and 5'-nucleotidase) and reutilizing (adenine phosphoribosyltransferase, hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase and adenosine kinase) enzymes were measured in serially cultured skin fibroblasts from normal subjects and from gouty patients who overproduce uric acid. Serially cultured fibroblasts from gouty overproducers of uric acid displayed increased purine enzyme levels with increasing cell passage while fibroblasts from normal donors showed little change in activity. There was no alteration in relative degrading and reutilizing enzyme levels. The data suggest an increase in the rate of purine turnover in aging gouty fibroblasts compared with normal fibroblasts.
Characterization of solid pulmonary nodules using three-dimensional features

With the development of high-resolution, multirow-detector CT scanners, the prospects for diagnosing and treating lung cancer at an early stage are much improved. However, it is often difficult to determine whether a nodule, especially a small nodule, is malignant from a single CT scan. We developed a computer-aided diagnostic algorithm to distinguish benign from malignant solid nodules based on features that can be extracted from a single CT scan. Our method uses 3D geometric and densitometric moment analysis of a segmented nodule image and surface curvature from a polygonal surface model of the nodule. After excluding features directly related to size, we computed a total of 28 features. Prior to classification, the number of features was reduced through stepwise feature selection. The features are used by two classifiers, k-nearest-neighbors (k-NN) and logistic regression. We used 48 malignant nodules whose status was determined by biopsy or resection, and 55 benign nodules determined to be clinically stable through two years of no change or biopsy. The k-NN classifier achieved a sensitivity of 0.81 with a specificity of 0.76, while the logistic regression classifier achieved a sensitivity of 0.85 and a specificity of 0.80.
Ion-selective polymer-supported reagents: the principle of bifunctionality

Abstract Phosphonic acid ion exchange resins have been synthesized from polystyrene beads and sorption studies with Eu(III) and Fe(III) from acid solutions are reported. The effect of increasing matrix rigidity by crosslinking with 5, 12, and 20% divinylbenzene (DVB) on the extent of complexation is quantified. In a representative example, complexation decreases from 97.7% to 3.60% Eu(III) at a 0.5 h contact time from 10−4 N Eu(NO3)3/0.10 N HNO3 solution as the crosslink level in microporous (i.e., gel) resins changes from 5 to 20% DVB. Complexation at the two crosslink levels decreases to 31.7% and 0.61%, respectively, from 1.00 N HNO3 solution. Macroporosity can increase the level of complexation, but the effect under the present conditions is minimal for 5 and 20% DVB macroporous resins (98.3% and 31.2% Eu(III) from 0.10 N HNO3; 28.8% and 1.26% Eu(III) from 1.00 N HNO3). It is now reported that immobilizing sulfonic acid ligands on to the aromatic rings bearing the phosphonic groups allows the latter to rapidly complex metal ions to levels exceeding 90% from highly acidic solutions. Under the conditions noted above, bifunctional 5 and 20% DVB gel resins complex >99% Eu(III) from 0.10 N HNO3 and 94% Eu(III) from 1.00 N HNO3 solutions. The principle of bifunctionality is thus proposed as an alternative to macroporosity: polymer-supported reagents with enhanced metal ion complexation kinetics require the presence of an access ligand along with a recognition ligand for the targeted selectivity.
EXPRESSION PROFILE OF AN ANDROGEN REGULATED PROSTATE SPECIFIC HOMEOBOX GENE NKX3.1 IN PRIMARY PROSTATE CANCER

Purpose:: NKX3.1, a member of the family of homeobox genes, exhibits prostate tissue specific expression and appears to play a role in mouse prostate development. Rapid induction of NKX3.1 gene expression in response to androgens has also been described. On the basis of the established role of androgens in prostatic growth and differentiation and studies showing an association of aberrant homeobox gene expression with the neoplastic process, we hypothesize that alterations of NKX3.1 gene expression play a role in prostate tumorigenesis.Materials and Methods:: NKX3.1 expression was analyzed in matched, microdissected normal and tumor tissues from 52 primary prostate cancer specimens from radical prostatectomy by semiquantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization and correlated with the clinicopathologic features. NKX3.1 expression was quantified as differential expression between matched tumor and normal tissues and was grouped as overexpression in tumor tissue, reduced expression in tumor tissue and no cha...
Spectral responsivity calibrations of two types of pyroelectric radiometers using three different methods

Spectral responsivity calibrations of two different types of pyroelectric radiometers have been made in the infrared region up to 14 μm in power mode using three different calibration facilities at NIST. One pyroelectric radiometer is a temperature-controlled low noise-equivalent-power (NEP) single-element pyroelectric radiometer with an active area of 5 mm in diameter. The other radiometer is a prototype using the same type of pyroeletric detector with dome-input optics, which was designed to increase absorptance and to minimize spectral structures to obtain a constant spectral responsivity. Three calibration facilities at NIST were used to conduct direct and indirect responsivity calibrations tied to absolute scales in the infrared spectral regime. We report the calibration results for the single-element pyroelectric radiometer using a new Infrared Spectral Comparator Facility (IRSCF) for direct calibration. Also, a combined method using the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometry (FTIS) facility and single wavelength laser tie-points are described to calibrated standard detectors with an indirect approach. For the dome-input pyroelectric radiometer, the results obtained from another direct calibration method using a circular variable filter (CVF) spectrometer and the FTIS are also presented. The inter-comparison of different calibration methods enables us to improve the responsivity uncertainty performed by the different facilities. For both radiometers, consistent results of the spectral power responsivity have been obtained applying different methods from 1.5 μm to 14 μm with responsivity uncertainties between 1 % and 2 % (k = 2). Relevant characterization results, such as spatial uniformity, linearity, and angular dependence of responsivity, are shown. Validation of the spectral responsivity calibrations, uncertainty sources, and improvements for each method will also be discussed.
Common polymorphic transcript variation in human disease

Most human genes are thought to express different transcript isoforms in different cell types; however, the full extent and functional consequences of polymorphic transcript variation (PTV), which differ between individuals within the same cell type, are unknown. Here we show that PTV is widespread in B-cells from two human populations. Tens of thousands of exons were found to be polymorphically expressed in a heritable fashion, and over 1000 of these showed strong correlations with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes in cis. The SNPs associated with PTV display signs of having been subject to recent positive selection in humans, and they are also highly enriched for SNPs implicated by recent genome-wide association studies of four autoimmune diseases. From this disease-association overlap, we infer that PTV is the likely mechanism by which eight common polymorphisms contribute to disease risk. A catalog of PTV will be a valuable resource for interpreting results from future disease-association studies and understanding the spectrum of phenotypic differences among humans.
Claudin-1 and claudin-2 expression is elevated in inflammatory bowel disease and may contribute to early neoplastic transformation

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of developing colorectal adenocarcinoma. The factors that result in IBD-associated carcinogenesis are not understood. We hypothesized that altered expression of intestinal epithelial tight junction proteins might contribute to neoplastic progression. Semiquantitative immunohistochemical staining of human biopsies was used to assess expression of the tight junction proteins claudin-1, claudin-2, claudin-4, and occludin in IBD, IBD-associated dysplasia, acute, self-limited colitis (ASLC), and sporadic adenomas. Claudin-1 and claudin-2 expression was elevated in active IBD, adenomas, and IBD-associated dysplasia, but not ASLC. In contrast, claudin-4 expression was elevated in both active IBD and ASLC. Occludin expression was similar to control in all cases. Importantly, in IBD, claudin-1 and claudin-2 expression correlated positively with inflammatory activity. To investigate mechanisms underlying altered claudin expression, β-catenin activation was assessed as nuclear localization. Like claudin-1 and claudin-2, β-catenin was markedly activated in IBD, sporadic dysplasia, and IBD-associated dysplasia, but was only slightly activated in ASLC. Taken together, these data suggest that β-catenin transcriptional activity is elevated in chronic injury and that this may contribute to increased claudin-1 and claudin-2 expression. We speculate that increased claudin-1 and claudin-2 expression may be involved at early stages of transformation in IBD-associated neoplasia.