cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chapter 1: I Haven't Begun Yet and I Already Feel Lost

The Legal Writing Companion is a practical, helpful guide for the new legal writer, designed to address common problems and demonstrate how and why to make effective choices to solve them. The book is intended as an assigned supplement to a Legal Research and Writing textbook or as a handbook for students working independently to strengthen their legal writing. Based on the authors’ combined thirty years of experience teaching legal research and writing, the book addresses the novice legal writer and offers specific tools for moving forward from the very first day of class (e.g., Problem: I’m Intimidated by Legal Writing) to polishing a final written work product (e.g., Problem: I’m Having Trouble with Tone). Organized by eight common “problem” areas, the book uses two fictional case files (one common law, one statutory) to work through a series of problems and includes samples of both strong and weak writing choices. Chapters 1–3 identify and discuss common challenges during the prewriting stage, including the transition to writing a full first draft. Chapters 4–6 focus on writing and explaining legal rules, applying law to facts, and organizing legal analysis. Chapter 7 discusses problems and solutions related to the smaller components of legal writing, and Chapter 8 troubleshoots common polishing errors, from overuse of legalese to common citation problems. The Appendices feature complete annotated memos that pull together the themes presented in the text and show multiple models of successful finished products. The second edition includes advice from a current law student about how best to use the book.
Selenoproteins of the Human Prostate: Unusual Properties and Role in Cancer Etiology

The prostate is an important organ for the maintenance of sperm health with prostate cancer being a common disease for which there is a critical need to distinguish indolent from aggressive disease. Several selenium-containing proteins have been implicated in prostate cancer risk or outcome due to either enzyme function, the reduced levels of these proteins being associated with cancer recurrence after prostatectomy or their corresponding genes containing single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with increased risk. Moreover, experimental data obtained from the manipulation of either cultured cells or animal models have indicated that some of these proteins are contributing mechanistically to prostate cancer incidence or progression. Among these are selenocysteine-containing proteins selenoprotein P (SELENOP), glutathione peroxidase (GPX1), and selenoprotein 15 (SELENOF); and the selenium-associated protein selenium-binding protein 1 (SBP1). Genotyping of some of the genes for these proteins has identified functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms that are associated with prostate cancer risk and the direct quantification of these proteins in human prostate tissues has not only revealed associations to clinical outcomes but have also identified unique properties that are different from what is observed in other tissue types. The location of GPX1 in the nucleus and SELENOF in the plasma membrane of prostate epithelial cells indicates that these proteins may have functions in normal prostate tissue that are distinct from that of the other tissue types.
Are Clostridioides difficile infections being overdiagnosed in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients

Background Because both diarrhea due to other causes and gastrointestinal colonization with toxigenic Clostridioides difficile are common in HSCT, there is a possibility of false-positive diagnoses of C difficile infections (CDI). Methods We estimated the probability of a patient being colonized by toxigenic C difficile by testing non-diarrheal surveillance stools from 223 HSCT recipients and the probability that a specimen submitted for C difficile testing was not CDI by determining the number of clinical tests that returned negative from this cohort. The number of expected false-positive CDI was estimated using these probabilities and compared with observed clinical test results. Results The expected false-positive and the observed numbers of positive clinical results were similar. The 20 patients diagnosed with CDI were also similar to 142 patients with diarrhea and C difficile-negative stools in number of stools on day of testing, associated symptoms, and the recorded number of days to formed stools. C difficile colonization was most commonly detected during the first week and CDI during the second. Retrospective analysis of 837 patients showed that 18 stools were submitted for each diagnosis of CDI. Ribotyping of the surveillance samples showed 17 ribotypes. Conclusions Although several assumptions could impact the accuracy of our false-positive CDI estimates, it appears that many HSCT recipients diagnosed with CDI may actually represent colonized status and an alternative cause of diarrhea. Diagnostic stewardship, including limiting CDI diagnoses to patients with positive toxin and restricting stool submissions to patients with more severe symptoms, may decrease the number of false-positive diagnoses.
Isobutyl nitrite liberates nitric oxide which is not responsible for the immunotoxicity of the inhalant.

Isobutyl nitrite is representative of a group of inhalants abused primarily by male homosexuals and adolescents. These inhalants are vasodilators and relax smooth muscles, similar to the effects of exposure to nitric oxide (NO). Epidemiological studies have identified heavy nitrite abuse as an independent risk factor for seropositivity for human immunodeficiency virus (1,2) and for Kaposi’s sarcoma in AIDS patients (3,4). A co-factor role of nitrite inhalants might be through immunosuppression. We have developed a mouse model of nitrite inhalation, in which groups of mice are exposed to isobutyl nitrite in an inhalation chamber for 45 min/day for 14 days. One day after the last exposure, the mice have severely depressed cell-mediated immunity (5,6) and T-dependent antibody induction (7). It has been hypothesized (8) that the inhalants produced their immunotoxicity by liberating nitric oxide (NO). In the present study, we showed that isobutyl nitrite liberated NO, but that the liberated NO did not cause the immunosuppression associated with isobutyl nitrite.
Mapping three-dimensional variation in leaf mass per area with imaging spectroscopy and lidar in a temperate broadleaf forest

Abstract Imaging spectroscopy is a valuable tool for mapping canopy foliar traits in forested ecosystems at landscape and larger scales. Most efforts to date have involved two-dimensional mapping of traits, typically representing top-of-canopy conditions. However, traits and their associated biological functions vary through the canopy vertical profile, such that incorporating information about vertical patterns may improve modeling of ecosystem processes like primary productivity. In 2016 and 2017, we collected extensive field data in forests in Domain 5 (Great Lakes) of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) to characterize the vertical variation in leaf mass per area (LMA), an important foliar trait related to plant growth and defense. Fieldwork was coincident with NEON Airborne Observation Platform (AOP) overflights which collected imaging spectroscopy and lidar data. Using imaging spectroscopy to map top-of-canopy LMA and lidar to model vertical gradients of transmittance, we developed a method to map three-dimensional patterns in LMA in temperate broadleaf forests. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to estimate top-of-canopy LMA (R2: 0.57, RMSE 10.8 g m−2), which, along with lidar-derived metrics of light transmittance and height, was used in a multilevel regression to model within-canopy LMA (R2: 0.78, RMSE 8.3 g m−2). The coupled models accurately estimated LMA throughout the canopy without taking into account species composition (R2 = 0.82, RMSE: 8.5 g m−2).
The role of event rate, temporal expectancy, and sensory modality in continuous performance of children and adults

This study explored developmental differences in the effects of event rate, temporal expectancy, and sensory modality on continuous performance. Children (ages 7–8 years) and college-aged adults completed visual and auditory continuous performance tasks (CPTs) that were equated at an intermediate (20 events/min) rate using the perceptual sensitivity index (d’) and then were compared at faster (40 events/min) and slower (10 events/min) rates to determine the influence of event rate on continuous performance of children and adults. To investigate the effects of temporal expectancy, 20% of the critical signals and neutral events occurred early or late relative to the regular rhythm of the task. The findings (a) suggest that event rate influences continuous performance differently for children and adults, (b) highlight the role of temporal expectancy in continuous performance, and (c) reveal differences in the effects of event rate and temporal expectancy on visual and auditory continuous performance.
Dabigatran Reversal With Idarucizumab in 2 Patients With Portal Vein Thrombosis Undergoing Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

There are limited data to guide the use of anticoagulation in cirrhotic patients prior to liver transplantation especially when using direct oral anticoagulants. In this article, we present 2 cases. The first is a 42-year-old male with cirrhosis complicated by portal vein thrombosis (PVT) treated with dabigatran who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation without complication. The second case is a 65-year-old man with alcoholic cirrhosis complicated by PVT treated with dabigatran who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation and required reoperation for surgical bleeding. Both patients were treated with dabigatran's reversal agent idarucizumab prior to incision. In this case series, we discuss the treatment of cirrhotic patients with various anticoagulants, considerations for anticoagulant selection and reversal prior to liver transplant, and questions for future investigation.
WAVE Project: Sport Nutrition Education Resources

The WAVE~Ripples for Change: Obesity Prevention in Active Youth (WAVE) project’s primary objective is to prevent unhealthy weight gain among high school athletes through healthy eating and reduced sedentary time. Educators are familiar with the myriad of challenges in presenting nutrition, diet, and physical activity information to high school students. WAVE uses adolescent athletes’ interest in sport to draw them into the topic of sport nutrition and healthy eating; helping them apply the knowledge and skills they learned in class, on the field, and in their lives. WAVE developed and field-tested an after-school program for high school athletes that includes 7 sport nutrition lessons (30 to 45 minutes each) and 3 team-building, family and consumer sciences life-skill workshops. WAVE also developed a cloud-based data management system to support the tracking of learner profiles, survey administration, big data visualization, and automated health report generation.
Simplifications of Short-Run Production Function and Derivation of Corresponding Total Variable Cost Function.

This paper derives all the formulae of interest of a short-run production function. For a perfectly competitive firm, this paper derives real profit maximizing labor, output, and real operating profit. For a given nominal wage rate of labor, it derives the corresponding total variable cost function. This paper finds that the outputs corresponding to the point of inflection and Stage I do not correspond with the outputs that minimize the marginal cost and the average variable costs respectively. All the derived formulae are either directly or indirectly in terms of marginal product function maximizing labor.
Activation of inactive phosphorylase dimer and monomer from human platelets with magnesium adenosine triphosphate.

Abstract In human platelets, the activity of total phosphorylase could be increased appreciably following incubation with MgATP at 37° for 1 hour or overnight dialysis against MgATP at 4°. The total phosphorylase activity of a 4,000 x g homogenate increased 11-fold following MgATP activation. A 105,000 x g particulate fraction when assayed for phosphorylase activity in the presence of 1 mm AMP was inactive. Following treatment with MgATP at 37° for 1 hour, the fraction gained considerable activity. Sucrose gradient analysis of a 27,000 x g charcoal-treated platelet extract revealed the presence of inactive phosphorylase species with apparent molecular weights of dimer and monomer. These were converted to phosphorylase a as well as phosphorylase b following incubation with MgATP.
Tomographic Reconstruction Using Information-Weighted Spline Smoothing

The conventional method for tomographic image reconstruction, convolution backprojection (CBP), attempts to reduce the effects of measurement noise by radial smoothing with a spatially-invariant filter. Spatially-invariant smoothing is suboptimal when the measurement statistics are nonstationary, and often leads to a choice between oversmoothing or streak artifacts. In this paper, we describe a nonstationary sinogram smoothing method that accounts for the relative variances between different detector measurements and for the finite width of tomographic detectors. The method is based on an information-weighted smoothing spline, where the weights are determined from the calibration factors and from the measurements themselves. This weighting diminishes the influence of high variance measurements, such as detectors with relatively poor efficiency, which is shown to reduce streak artifacts. Simulations of emission and transmission tomography applications demonstrate qualitatively improved image noise structure and quantitative improvements in the tradeoffs between bias and variance.
Complementary expressions of transcripts encoding GAD67 and GABAA receptor alpha 4, beta 1, and gamma 1 subunits in the proliferative zone of the embryonic rat central nervous system

The developmental stage at which nerve cells initially express specific neurotransmitters and their corresponding receptors remains elusive. In the present study, the distribution patterns of transcripts for the GABA-synthesizing enzyme, glutamate decarboxylase (GAD67), and specific GABAA receptor subunits were examined in the proliferative zone of the rat central nervous system using in situ hybridization. In order to define the DNA synthetic zone of the germinal matrix, tissue sections were taken from embryos whose mothers had been injected with 5-bromo-2′- deoxyuridine (BrdU) and had survived for 1 hr. BrdU immunocytochemistry was used to locate the relative position of BrdU-immunoreactive nuclei within the ventricular zone (VZ). At embryonic day (E) 15 in the alar plate of the lumbar spinal cord, and at E17 and E20 in the dorsomedial sector of the neocortex, densely packed BrdU-immunoreactive nuclei were consistently detected in lateral portions of the inner half of the germinal matrix, indicating that the inner half of the germinal matrix corresponded to the VZ, while the outer half corresponded to the transitional (TZ) or subventricular zone (SV). In situ hybridization in tissue sections adjacent to BrdU-immunoreacted ones showed that the transcripts for GABAA receptor alpha 3, beta 3, and gamma 2 subunits were found exclusively in the mantle zone, while those for alpha 4, beta 1, and gamma 1 subunits were predominantly detected in the inner half of the germinal matrix (i.e., VZ). Furthermore, in the E15 germinal matrix of the lumbar spinal cord, cells exhibiting alpha 4 subunit mRNA were much more abundant in the receding intermediate plate, which contains mostly postmitotic cells, than in the alar plate comprised of many DNA-synthesizing cells, strongly suggesting that only those cells completing final cell division expressed the subunit mRNAs. In clear contrast, GAD67 mRNA was abundant in the outer half of the germinal matrix (i.e., TZ or SV), and in the intermediate zone as well. Immunocytochemical staining of E17 neocortex with anti-GABA antibody revealed a well defined band of GABA-immunoreactive cells and processes in the SV and occasional positive cells in the VZ. It appears that cells in the proliferative zone may express GABA at the migratory stage, whereas cells in the VZ may express mRNAs for GABAA receptor alpha 4, beta 1, and gamma 1 subunits at the premigratory stage, just after completing cell division.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
In pursuit of the high-resolution structure of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) has been studied extensively for well over four decades because of its important physiological roles and medical relevance. A large body of data from biochemical and biophysical studies are now available. The structural information, which is needed to integrate existing data to address the mechanism and function of nAChRs, started to emerge in recent years. Structural studies of acetylcholine binding proteins (AChBPs) have greatly facilitated the study of nAChRs. The recently determined crystal structures of the prokaryotic homologues of nAChRs will probably have similar impact over time. However, a direct structural model of nAChRs at high resolution will be important for mechanistic studies and drug development. Here we will review some of the recent efforts in this area and use the high-resolution structure of the extracellular domains of nAChR α1 to illustrate the potential insights one may gain at higher resolution.
Probabilistic model validation problems with H/sub /spl infin// type uncertainties

A mixed deterministic/probabilistic model validation problem is investigated in this paper, which consists in an additive uncertain model with uncertainty characterized by the H/sub /spl infin// norm, and time-domain experimental data corrupted by a Gaussian noise sequence. Our aim is to compute the probability for such an uncertain model to be invalidated by the data, and our main results are bounds on this probability that are computable based on the statistics of chi-square random variables.
Evaluación y clasificación en grupos empleando relaciones de preferencia borrosas

La presente propuesta trata el problema de obtener decisiones de consenso en grupo en situaciones de clasificacion o evaluacion, un tipo especial de problemas de clasificacion multiparticipante donde se define una preferencia ordinal en el conjunto de categorias. Los problemas de clasificacion y evaluacion en grupo se transforman en un problema de ranking en grupo mucho mas estudiado. Siguiendo las ideas de los metodos ELECTRE, las preferencias de los miembros del grupo se agregan en una relacion de preferencia borrosa, que modela de la heuristica natural usada por grupos para tomar decisiones razonables. En este modelo, los efectos de veto combinados con reglas de mayoria son considerados como herramientas para reflejar los principios basicos de democracia y respeto a minorias importantes.
The combined effects of dietary protein and fat intake during the promotion phase of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced breast cancer in rats

A 3 X 3 factorial experiment was conducted to examine the effects of dietary protein (8, 16 or 32% of energy from casein) and dietary fat (12, 24 or 48% of energy from corn oil) on the promotion phase of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced breast carcinogenesis in rats. A purified diet with protein and fat supplying 16 and 24% of energy, respectively, was fed to 360 rats. After 4 wk each rat received DMBA (20 mg/kg) via gastric intubation. Forty rats were then randomly assigned to each of the nine dietary treatments for 28 wk. We observed no effects of protein or interactions between protein and fat on mammary tumorigenesis. At necropsy, rats fed diets containing 12, 24 and 48% of energy from corn oil following DMBA administration showed tumor prevalences of 53, 60 and 70% with 109, 127 and 140 total tumors, respectively. Linear logistic statistical modeling indicated that each doubling of dietary fat concentration multiplied the odds of finding a tumor of any histologic type at necropsy by 1.52. Dietary fat had no significant effects on the prevalence of adenomas or fibroadenomas, whereas those fed corn oil at 12, 24 and 48% of dietary energy showed adenocarcinoma prevalences of 34, 41 and 52% with total adenocarcinoma counts of 66, 75 and 96, respectively. Our results suggest that increasing dietary fat enhanced the promotion of DMBA-induced breast carcinogenesis over a wide range of protein intake.
THE INNOCENT(FUNCTIONAL) CARDIAC MURMUR IN CHILDREN

THE DEVELOPMENT of modern cardiac surgical techniques is one of the great milestones in medicine. Its ramifications have been wide and deep. In its wake of many curative and palliative procedures for congenital and acquired heart disease, there is a renewed interest in the significance of the cardiac murmur. In former years the murmur was merely noted. Today, it is pursued until its etiology is firmly established with the hope that the final investigation will lead to remedial or palliative surgery. Many times the murmur turns out to be a functional one. This has prompted the physician to pose questions concerning the incidence and characteristics of the innocent or functional systolic murmur, especially in children. The answer is not readily obtained. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE The accepted definition1 has been listed as, "Innocent (functional) murmurs are usually systolic in time, more often faint than of moderate intensity and usually blowing in quality. They are often inconstant and vary in intensity with change in posture. The commonest is a systolic murmur at the pulmonic area, which is usually best heard with the patient supine and during expiration. An apical systolic murmur is also common. Such murmurs are unaccompanied by any evidence of structural disease such as an enlargement of the heart, abnormal cardiac silhouette on roentgenologic examination or an abnormal electrocardiogram." It is the author9s opinion that this general definition is not specifically descriptive for children; the commonest functional murmur in children is not located in the pulmonic area, it is not blowing, and further, an innocent apical systolic murmur is uncommon.
Efficient multimedia encryption via entropy codec design

Efficient encryption algorithms are essential to multimedia data security, since the data size is large and real-time processing is often required. After discussing limitations of previous work on multimedia encryption, we propose a novel methodology for confidentiality, which turns entropy coders into encryption ciphers by using multiple statistical models. The choice of statistical models and the order in which they are applied are kept secret as the key Two encryption schemes are constructed by applying this methodology to the Huffman coder and the QM coder. It is shown that security is achieved without sacrificing the compression performance and the computational speed. The schemes can be applied to most modern compression systems such as MPEG audio, MPEG video and JPEG/JPEG2000 image compression.
The Vision for a New Diagnostic Paradigm

Dr. Diamandis raises concerns about the technical feasibility and biological validity of using mass spectroscopy to profile serum proteomic biomarker patterns. Scientific skepticism and debate are essential to the progress of science. However, the pipeline of approved new markers is drying up (1)(2). Currently, serum proteomic pattern analysis has the potential to discover useful biomarkers faster than any existing technology. Ultimately, the deciding factor for any new diagnostic technology is true patient benefit. Serum mass spectroscopic proteomic pattern diagnostics is a rapidly expanding field of study. Since our initial publication (3) showing the feasibility for ovarian cancer detection, other laboratories have confirmed and extended this concept (4)(5)(6)(7)(8). The growing excitement for this new approach goes far beyond the adoption of mass spectroscopy as a diagnostic instrument. Indeed, mass spectroscopy is well established as a routine clinical diagnostic tool. It has been successfully used for many years for neonatal metabolic disorder screening, where the sensitivity and reproducibility of this technology are comparable to those of other clinical assay methods (9)(10). The true scientific goal of serum proteomic pattern analysis is improved biomarker discovery. There is a great need to discover novel biomarkers and translate them to routine clinical use (1). Conventional differential display technologies (gene arrays, two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and others), followed by antibody production, validation, and ELISA testing, are inherently costly and laborious with long cycle times between discovery and clinical implementation. The paucity of new Food and Drug Administration-approved or even “homebrew”-based analytes is driving investigators to break out of this cycle. Mass spectroscopic serum proteomic pattern analysis can sort through tens of thousands of potential biomarkers in the time it takes to read this sentence. The general hypothesis is that patterns of low-molecular-mass biomarkers in …
Nucleotide sequence and expression of a Pseudomonas savastanoi cytokinin biosynthetic gene: homotogy with Agrobacterium tumefaciens tmr and tzs loci

Abstract The nucleotide sequence of a Pseudomonas trans-zeatin producing gene (ptz) from the pCK1 plasmid of Pseudomonas syringae pv. savastanoi strain 1006 has been determined. This gene confers upon E. coli the ability to synthesize and secrete several cytokinins including trans-zeatin, iso-pentenyladenine and their respective N9-ribosyl derivatives. Sequence analysis indicates an open reading frame encoding a protein of 234 amino acids with a molecular weight of 26,816. Significant sequence homology is found between ptz and both the tzs and tmr genes from Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The results suggest a close relationship between the cytokinin biosynthetic pathways in P. savastanoi and A. tumefaciens.
The Jesse Jackson Phenomenon: The Crisis of Purpose in Afro-American Politics

Controversial analysis of the Jackson campaign by a black scholar who argues that candidacy hurt development of viable black political movement. Political Science.
Establishing long-term permafrost observatories for active-layer and permafrost investigations in Alaska: 1977–2002

Twenty-five years ago a programme was initiated to establish a statewide system of permafrost observatories that included boreholes drilled for the express purpose of investigating the effects of changes in climate on continuous and discontinuous permafrost. A total of 22 permafrost observatories have been established with boreholes 15 to 80 m in depth. These sites are primarily along a north-south transect of Alaska paralleling the Alyeska oil pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Glennallen and are visited and serviced annually. There are seven additional borehole sites with holes 15 to 80 m in depth that are visited occasionally. The sites are in undisturbed locations with nearly uniform conditions in a wide variety of environmental settings except for a few, purposefully placed in disturbed areas (e.g. farm field, burn, etc.). Proximity to meteorological stations with long weather records has allowed reconstruction of past active-layer and permafrost conditions using calibrated site-specific models. The sites have been used to document a recent warming trend in permafrost and active-layer temperatures and to investigate the characteristics of the permafrost and active layer and processes that occur in them. Recommendations are made for establishing future observatories. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reconnaissance Sensor Concepts For The 3-51ÂµmSpectral Window

The evolution of large (488 x 512 pixel) platinum silicide area imager detectors has made conceptually viable similarly large buttable TDI (Time Delay and Integration) detectors for use in wide area coverage airborne recon-naissance. We treat here with the evolution of a sensor "rear end" design which makes practical the development of an efficient and operationally flexible reconnaissance camera for use in the 3-5 micrometer spectral "window".
Role of Direct Effects of IFN-γ on T Cells in the Regulation of CD8 T Cell Homeostasis

It is well recognized that IFN-gamma plays a critical role in the control of CD8 T cell expansion and contraction during immune responses to several intracellular pathogens. However, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the regulation of T cell fate by IFN-gamma is sorely incomplete. Specifically, it is unclear whether regulation of CD8 T cell homeostasis occurs by a T cell intrinsic IFN-gamma pathway. In this study, we have determined the role of the direct effects of IFN-gamma on T cells in regulating the expansion, contraction, and memory phases of the polyclonal CD8 T cell response to an acute viral infection. Using two complementary approaches we demonstrate that the direct effects of IFN-gamma suppress IL-7R expression on Ag-specific effector CD8 T cells, but clonal expansion or deletion of activated CD8 T cells in vivo can occur in the apparent absence of IFN-gammaR signaling in T cells. These findings have clarified fundamental features of control of T cell homeostasis by IFN-gamma in the context of CD8 T cell memory and protective immunity.
Cerberus functions as a BMP agonist to synergistically induce nodal expression during left-right axis determination in the chick embryo.

Left-sided expression of Nodal in the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) during early embryogenesis is a crucial step in establishing the left–right (L–R) axis in vertebrates. In the chick, it was suggested that chick Cerberus (cCer), a Cerberus/Dan family member, induces Nodal expression by antagonizing bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) activity in the left LPM. In contrast, it has also been shown that BMPs positively regulate Nodal expression in the left LPM in the chick embryo. Thus, it is still unclear how the bilaterally expressed BMPs induce Nodal expression only in the left LPM. In this study, we demonstrate that BMP signaling is necessary and sufficient for the induction of Nodal expression in the chick LPM where the type I BMP receptor-IB (BMPR-IB) likely mediates this induction. Tissue grafting experiments indicate the existence of a Nodal inductive factor in the left LPM rather than the presence of a Nodal inhibitory factor in the right LPM. We demonstrate that cCer functions as a BMP agonist instead of antagonist, being able to enhance BMP signaling in cell culture. This conclusion is further supported by the immunoprecipitation assays that provide convincing biochemical evidence for a direct interaction between cCer and BMP receptor. Because cCer is expressed restrictedly in the left LPM, BMPs and cCer appear to act synergistically to activate Nodal expression in the left LPM in the chick. Developmental Dynamics 237:3613–3623, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Fundamental thermo-mechanical property modeling of triglyceride-based thermosetting resins

The glass transition temperature (Tg) of acrylated triglycerides was clearly a function of the level of acrylation of triglyceride-based polymers and was modeled using simple empirical relationships. We began by calculating the distribution of unsaturation sites in plant oils. We assumed a binomial distribution of chemical functionality that was added to these unsaturation sites to calculate the distribution of epoxides, acrylates, and reacted acrylates to predict the crosslink density, thermal softening, and dynamic mechanical behavior. The glass transition temperatures of n-acrylated triglycerides were used as the relaxation temperatures of acrylated oils with a broad distribution of functionality for prediction of the modulus as a function of temperature. Essentially, the percent drop in the elastic modulus is equal to the percentage of n-acrylated triglycerides in the acrylated oil with Tg less than that of the ambient temperature. The tan (δ) was also accurately predicted based on the percentage change of n-functional triglycerides as the temperature changes from one relaxation temperature to the next. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Structure and metal binding properties of ZnuA, a periplasmic zinc transporter from Escherichia coli

ZnuA is the periplasmic Zn2+-binding protein associated with the high-affinity ATP-binding cassette ZnuABC transporter from Escherichia coli. Although several structures of ZnuA and its homologs have been determined, details regarding metal ion stoichiometry, affinity, and specificity as well as the mechanism of metal uptake and transfer remain unclear. The crystal structures of E. coli ZnuA (Eco-ZnuA) in the apo, Zn2+-bound, and Co2+-bound forms have been determined. ZnZnuA binds at least two metal ions. The first, observed previously in other structures, is coordinated tetrahedrally by Glu59, His60, His143, and His207. Replacement of Zn2+ with Co2+ results in almost identical coordination geometry at this site. The second metal binding site involves His224 and several yet to be identified residues from the His-rich loop that is unique to Zn2+ periplasmic metal binding receptors. Electron paramagnetic resonance and X-ray absorption spectroscopic data on CoZnuA provide additional insight into possible residues involved in this second site. The second site is also detected by metal analysis and circular dichroism (CD) titrations. Eco-ZnuA binds Zn2+ (estimated Kd < 20 nM), Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Cu+, and Cd2+, but not Mn2+. Finally, conformational changes upon metal binding observed in the crystal structures together with fluorescence and CD data indicate that only Zn2+ substantially stabilizes ZnuA and might facilitate recognition of ZnuB and subsequent metal transfer.
Appropriateness of out-of-hours CT head scans

Ravindran et al. present a very compelling retrospective study evaluating the efficacy, or appropriateness, of “out-ofhours” head computed tomography (CT) in a general district hospital of the United Kingdom. They assessed whether urgent CT scans of the head performed between the hours of 1700 and 0900 were appropriate based on a change in the patients’ management or based on whether the ordering of the scans adhered to stated guidelines. In their study spanning 4 months, 121 patients were studied with 66% of the scans being performed between the hours of 1700 and 2200. In 80% of the patients, there was a change in management or disposition, with only 17% of these changes occurring after 0830 the following day. The authors concluded that a substantial portion of these scans were appropriate and led to a change in the patient’s immediate care. In this study, the authors recognize and begin to address the dissonance that seems to be occurring in the UK with regards to a substantial increase in the number of out-ofhours head CT scans needed to provide excellent patient care and a relatively limited resource, namely trained radiologists that would be available to read these scans during the out-of-hours period. The legitimate and likely factors that may explain the rise in the need for out-ofhours CT and the concomitant growing strain that this puts on the UK’s radiology services are pointed out throughout the manuscript. This study does indeed indicate that the majority of urgent studies ordered (80%) affected the patient’s immediate treatment and disposition. Interestingly, more than half of these studies were performed between 1700 and 2200 hours. Although the authors provide justification for the use of out-of-hours head CT scans in their hospital, it is unclear whether there might be a need for greater latitude in ordering out-of-hours CT scans in the setting of suspected acute cerebral ischemia or subarachnoid hemorrhage. Although lacking in sufficient statistical analyses, this study brings to light the need for a more careful evaluation of the UK’s criteria for ordering out-of-hours head CT that will hopefully result in a resolution in the perceived dissonance between the possible increased need for out-of-hours head CT and the experienced radiologists needed to accurately interpret them. Such studies may be of great benefit in helping other countries develop evidence-based criteria to determine indications for imaging.
Regulation of Transcription by Ubiquitination without Proteolysis

Abstract Polyubiquitination of proteins by Cdc34/SCF complexes targets them for degradation by the 26S proteasome. The essential F-box protein Met30 is the substrate recognition subunit of the ubiquitin ligase SCF Met30 . The critical target of SCF Met30 is the transcription factor Met4, as deletion of MET4 suppresses the lethality of met30 mutants. Surprisingly, Met4 is a relatively stable protein and its abundance is not influenced by Met30. However, transcriptional repression of Met4 target genes correlates with Cdc34 /SCF Met30 -dependent ubiquitination of Met4. Functionally, ubiquitinated Met4 associates with target promoters but fails to form functional transcription complexes. Our data reveal a novel proteolysis-independent function for Cdc34/SCF and indicate that ubiquitination of transcription factors can be utilized to directly regulate their activities.
Disability, music education and the epistemology of interdisciplinarity

A fully realized disability studies (DS) of music is interdisciplinary, qualitative and accessible through common discourse, without jargon, disciplinary codes, or numerology. It embraces DS’s social model theory, where ‘disability’ is the social construction of ‘impairment,’ analogous to the relationship between ‘gender’ and ‘sex.’ The interdisciplinary transcendence of forms and norms of individual fields is a scholarly/political stance consistent with liberatory DS goals. The recent emergence of music DS, with few precedents from traditional musicology/theory, has mandated greater interdisciplinarity, employing the full range of social and somatic scholarship, as well as popular culture references. The most critical issues in music DS are in education, beyond music‐specific concerns, and best expressed qualitatively as individual and group narratives. The often covertly quantitative nature of music theory is outed as oppressive to people with disabilities and contrasted with the liberatory power of sha...
Oxidation and Antioxidant Action in Rubber Vulcanizates

Abstract The variation of rate of oxygen absorption in the constant rate stage with oxygen concentration involves both a square-root and a first-power term for most rubber vulcanizates, although the latter term may be negligible in some cases. A mechanism of oxidation and antioxidant action has been postulated which is consistent with the observed behavior, and which indicates that the antioxidant may function in at least four ways, some beneficial and some harmful. Direct oxygen attack on the antioxidant may produce radicals capable of initiating oxidation chains. Initiation by this mechanism appears to be more important with amine antioxidants than with phenols. The antioxidant may participate in the propagation stage by a chain-transfer mechanism. While this effect alone for a typical antioxidant would probably have only a small effect on the over-all rate of oxidation, it might also affect in a favorable way the secondary reactions which determine changes in physical properties. Amines also appear to ...
Regulation of matrix metalloproteinases following cellular transformation

During progression towards malignancy, many tumor cells display changes in their repertoire of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs). The recent finding that many members of the MMPs are regulated by protooncogenes may explain the frequent observation of changes in MMP gene expression during progression of many tumor types. While studies involving enzymatic assays of MMPs are usually confined to one or a few MMPs, reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) permitted the analysis of seven members of the MMP family and two members of the TIMP family in several normal and transformed cell lines. RT-PCR permitted us to confirm the observation that MMP-9 is activated following transformation and also to observe the previously unreported activation of MMP-7 in SV40-transformed cells. It has previously been found that MMP-1, -2, -3, -8, and -9 are upregulated by phorbol esters; we have found that MMP-10 is also upregulated by phorbol esters. The phorbol ester upregulation of MMP-1, -3, and -10 was found to be abolished in cells transformed by SV40 virus. Several studies have shown that MMP-1 is upregulated by an integrin-mediated signal transduction pathway. This study demonstrates that MMP-3 and MMP-10 are also regulated by integrin-mediated signal transduction and that upregulation by this pathway is abolished following SV40 transformation. In summary, the more global view of MMP expression afforded by RT-PCR indicates that MMP-1, -3, and -10 are regulated by both integrin-mediated signal transduction and phorbol esters. While fibroblasts and transformed bone cells express several members of the MMP gene family, several other cell types do not express MMPs. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Continuing education for health professionals allied with medicine in patient care

Continuing education (CE) faces several challenges: (a) providing appropriate programs for allied health professionals whose diverse roles are spread across the broad spectrum of health care delivery; (b) helping these health professionals to maximize their potential contributions in the changing health care delivery system; and (c) facilitating research on the effectiveness of collaborative approaches to patient care.
A Review of Michael Tomz's Reputation and International Cooperation: Sovereign Debt across Three Centuries

Repudiation and expropriation pose obstacles to the international mobility of capital and thereby to efficient international allocation of resources. Tomz discusses the deter- minants of lending in the face of the threat of repudiation. Using history, he argues that debtor countries have sought a reputation for compliance with loan agreements to access future loans and that military or trade sanctions have been unimportant in sustaining lending. He discusses when and why banks have been more active as lenders relative to bondholders. This article situates Tomz's concerns in the broad themes of thought on obstacles to capital mobility and evaluates his arguments.
Current Approaches to the Use of Sirolimus In Renal Transplantation

Sirolimus, a macrolide with immunosuppressive properties, was introduced into clinical practice a decade ago. The optimal use of this drug remains controversial: It displays a wide range of organ and tissue toxicities owing to the critical role of its therapeutic site- the kinase mammalian target of rapamycin-in the signal transduction pathways of numerous cytokines, growth factors, hormones, and nutrients. However, it displays unique, recognized benefits for renal transplant recipients: synergistic interactions with cyclosporine and possibly tacrolimus, allowing marked reduction in exposure to the calcineurin inhibitor; reduction in the frequency of posttransplant malignancies, particularly lymphomas, Kaposi sarcomas, and hypernephromas; and modest nephrotoxicity in comparison with calcineurin inhibitors. Because of its inhibitory effects on endothelial and smooth muscle cell proliferation, sirolimus may be a useful tool to dampen chronic vasculo-obliterative processes that attenuate graft survival. With increasing experience with the drug, the true potential of sirolimus will be realized to be a critical element in the immunosuppressive matrix.
Centralized vs. decentralized computer assisted instruction systems

This discussion deals with a qualitative comparison of two configuration alternatives in the design and implementation of a Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) System. With CAI in its infancy and in a necessarily experimental stage, there is little available data upon which to develop quantitative support for the opinions expressed herein. In this respect, CAI bears a definite kinship with "time-sharing" systems. It can in fact be strongly argued that CAI is essentially a special form of the "time-sharing" system. At this stage of CAI development we are still dealing with "guesstimates" of mass storage requirements for course material, quantity of course material required to reside "on-line" at a given time and tolerable response times in the interaction among student, student terminal, and terminal controllers.
cGMP-induced presynaptic depression and postsynaptic facilitation at glutamatergic synapses in visual cortex

The mechanisms by which the intracellular messenger cGMP can modulate synaptic efficacy remain poorly understood. Here we report that cGMP, acting through cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), has multiple rapid and reversible effects on synaptic transmission in slices and cultures of rodent visual cortex. Extracellular application of the membrane permeable cGMP analog 8-bromoguanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cGMP) and the PKG specific activator beta-phenyl-1,N2-etheno-8-bromoguanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate sp-isomer (Sp-8-Br-PET-cGMPS) reduced stimulus-evoked EPSPs in slices. In cortical cultures, both analogs reduced the frequency of spontaneous EPSCs, but not their amplitude. In both slices and cultures, intracellular perfusion of the postsynaptic neurons with a pseudosubstrate inhibitory peptide specific for PKG had no effect on the reduction in EPSPs and EPSCs, indicating that the inhibition occurred at presynaptic sites. Whole-cell calcium currents in cultured cortical neurons were also reduced by both analogs, which may account for the effect on synaptic release. To determine whether cGMP was also acting at postsynaptic sites, we applied exogenous kainate/AMPA and NMDA to the recorded cells directly. cGMP and its analogs showed little effect on the postsynaptic kainate/AMPA responses but produced a dramatic enhancement of NMDA responses. cGMP-induced NMDA potentiation was prevented by the specific PKG inhibitory peptide infused into the postsynaptic cell. In summary, cGMP, acting through PKG, had depressive presynaptic and facilitatory postsynaptic actions at excitatory synapses in the visual cortex. We suggest that these opposing actions may be useful for altering the balance of synaptic inputs to cortical neurons in ways that enhance signals important for synaptic facilitation and neuronal plasticity.
Developmental Changes in the Luteinizing Hormone Secretory Pattern in Peripubertal Female Rhesus Monkeys: Comparisons between Gonadally Intact and Ovariectomized Animals*

Developmental changes in LH release patterns were observed longitudinally in female rhesus monkeys at 10– 65 months of age. The average ages of menarche and first ovulation in this experiment (n = 14) were 31.1 ± 2.6 and 47.0 ± 2.6 months (mean ± SE), respectively. To assess the ovarian influence on developmental changes in LH, data were simultaneously obtained from neonatally ovariectomized animals at similar ages. The estimation of circulating LH was made with RIA as well as biological assay. During the prepubertal period (10–20 months of age), basal LH was very low, and there was no circadian fluctuation of LH in gonadally intact monkeys. During the early pubertal stage (20–30 months of age), before menarche, basal LH levels started to increase, and a circadian LH rhythm (nocturnal increases) appeared. At the midpubertal stage (30–50 months of age), a period between menarche and first ovulation, basal LH levels further increased, and the circadian LH rhythm was maximal. At the late pubertal stage (50–6...