cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radium and other alpha emitters in prostate cancer

223 Radium ( 223 Ra) is the first alpha-emitting therapy proven effective in human cancer. Prospective randomized trials indicate that 223 Ra, which concentrates after intravenous injection in areas of osteoblastic metastatic disease, can prolong survival in bone-dominant castrate resistant prostate cancer patients. Though radium isotopic therapy is conceptually critical to demonstrate that alpha emitters can be safe and effective, 223 Ra has inherent limitations given its restriction to bone metastatic disease. To overcome this limitation, targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is now being actively evaluated in prostate cancer, and other neoplasms. Key to TAT in prostate tumors in current studies is the overexpression of prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a folate hydrolase expressed on the cell surface of malignant adenocarcinomas of the prostate. Using PSMA targeting (small molecules or antibodies), alpha emitting agents such as 225 Actinium ( 225 Ac) or 213 Bismuth ( 213 Bi) can be delivered to PSMA expressing tumors regardless of their metastatic location. Initial results from TAT in prostate cancer are highly promising and rapid development of these agents is anticipated in the years ahead assuming adequacy of isotope availability and appropriate clinical trial design. TAT may be develop as an independent approach, or synergize with a variety of other approaches including external beam radiation, hormonal therapies, chemotherapies, various radiation sensitizers, DNA repair inhibitors, and/or immune modulators. Clinical investigation opportunities in this field will rapidly increase in the years ahead.
Design and analysis of a new GaN-based AC/DC topology for battery charging application

Gallium nitride (GaN) technology reduces switching losses and allows faster device switching speeds. Meanwhile, high frequency (HF) transformers feature reduced weight and size for many applications. In this paper a new GaN-based power supply topology for battery charging applications is designed, simulated, analyzed, and constructed. The proposed topology is designed for 120Vac to 48Vdc/60Vdc conversion, operating at 100 KHz in the 1.3–1.5 kW range. A totem-pole power-factor-correction (TP-PFC) active front-end is utilized to yield close-to-unity power factor (∼0.98) and higher efficiency with reduced harmonic content. This work designs and analyzes a new topology to combine the advantages of GaN TP-PFC and a high-frequency series resonant converter (SRC) with current doubler rectifier (CDR) utilizing the superior switching characteristics of GaN devices and the reduced size and cost of HF transformer. A loss-free resistor model is used to determine keys steady state and the main characteristics of the proposed topology.
Do Morning Classes Improve Student Learning of Microeconomics Principles

This article analyzes the impact of class time on students’ grades by using data from Middle Tennessee State University. The data cover a period of six years and are based on a sample of 5803 individuals who enrolled in 133 sections of principles of microeconomics. To identify the causal impact of class time on students’ grades, I used a bootstrapping method which allowed assigning measures of accuracy to sample estimates. For males, the estimated coefficients were negative and statistically significant at the 10% level, and the coefficients suggested that a male student in an afternoon class could expect to earn a letter grade that is 0.029 points lower than he would have earned by taking the class in the morning. For females, the estimated coefficients were not statistically significant.
XOR-Satisfiability Set Membership Filters

Set membership filters are used as a primary test for whether large sets contain given elements. The most common such filter is the Bloom filter [6]. Most pertinent to this article is the recently introduced Satisfiability (SAT) filter [31]. This article proposes the XOR-Satisfiability filter, a variant of the SAT filter based on random k-XORSAT. Experimental results show that this new filter can be more than \(99\%\) efficient (i.e., achieve the information-theoretic limit) while also having a query speed comparable to the standard Bloom filter, making it practical for use with very large data sets.
A Flawed Search for Bias in the American Bar Association's Ratings of Judicial Nominees: A Critique of the Lindgren/Federalist Society Study

The Article provides a methodological critique of the Lindgren/Federalist study of a data set pertaining to the nominees of the George H.W. Bush and William Jefferson Clinton presidencies. The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that the ABA's ratings of federal judicial nominees were biased. This article identifies and explicates the study's principal flaws and explains their consequences for the conclusion reached by Professor Lindgren.
On-Chip Holographic Microscopy and its Application for Automated Semen Analysis

Despite the rapid pace of progress in optical imaging technologies, lens-based light microscopy still remains relatively complex, bulky, and costly, making its translation difficult for field applications or resource-limited settings. To mitigate these existing challenges, a compact, cost-effective, and yet wide-field lensless imaging platform that utilizes partially coherent light sources has recently been introduced for conducting microanalysis on a chip. In this chapter, we review the fundamental principles of this lensless microscopy platform and its application toward automated semen analysis. Providing a compact, lightweight, and cost-effective imaging architecture, lensless on-chip microscopy enables automated quantification of the count, speed, and the dynamic trajectories of sperm over a large imaging field of view of, for example, 24 mm 2 using amplitude and phase reconstruction images. Such a field-portable automated semen analysis platform running on a wide-field lensless on-chip microscope could be especially important for andrology laboratories, fertility clinics, personal male fertility tests, as well as for field use in veterinary medicine such as in stud farming and animal breeding applications.
The Axioms of Set Theory

Of course there are many versions of set theory, and the inclusion or exclusion of certain axioms is the subject of intensive study. Here we present one of the most standard versions of set theory, adhering closely to the version first set down by Zermelo and Fraenkel.
Using Careless Speech for Careful, Well-Crafted Writing— Whatever Its Style

I me standing in front of you in a button-down white shirt, necktie, and sports jacket. I’ve created this essay from an informal talk at the annual 2013 AEPL conference, and I used formal dress to call attention to something that my readers often forget: my traditional side. My father ran a men’s clothing store with his father, and they sold high quality, well-crafted clothes. That’s the theme here. I’ve not been fighting all these years just to make writing easier; I’ve been fighting to make writing better. I’ve been trying help people break out of the unclear, roundabout, or mashed-potatoes prose they so often produce—the various weaknesses that commonly result when people try to write right. My recent book is about bringing speech to writing (Vernacular Eloquence: What Speech Can Bring to Writing), so it might seem as though it’s a book about overthrowing old fashioned, writerly standards of writing. But it’s not. It’s a book about how to make writing better—more eloquent. In my opening analogy for the book, I say that it represents not just my wild love affair with speech, but also my conviction that I can bring her home to live with me and my wife, writing, and that we’ll all get along just fine. My focus today is not on the excitement of a new love affair; it’s on my commitment to a stable, long term menage a trois. My goal in the book is to show how we can use the resources of careless speech to create high-quality, well-crafted writing—whatever its style.
RhoB GTPase and FTIs in Cancer

RhoB, a member of the Rho family of small GTPases that localizes mainly to endosomes, regulates cytoskeletal actin organization, vesicle trafficking, cell proliferation, and cell survival. In cultured cells, RhoB expression is often low but rapidly upregulated by a variety of stimuli including UV irradiation, growth factors, cytokines, steroids, and toxins. By controlling endosomal trafficking, RhoB influences a number of important oncogenic signaling pathways, including pathways that control Src, Akt/PKB, NF-κB, and Myc. In various types of cancer, RhoB expression is frequently attenuated, especially after malignant progression. Additionally, RhoB plays an important role in facilitating apoptosis of neoplastically transformed cells by farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs), DNA damaging drugs, microtubule disrupting agents, and other cancer therapeutics. Genetic studies of RhoB in mice reinforce the concept of this gene as a cancer suppressor or negative modifier gene; however, recent findings demonstrate that RhoB supports the proliferation and survival of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Ongoing investigations aim at deepening our understanding of the unique functions of RhoB with the goal of exploiting them for therapeutic applications.
Of Mice and Men-The Physiology, Psychology, and Pathology of Overhydration.

The detrimental effects of dehydration, to both mental and physical health, are well-described. The potential adverse consequences of overhydration, however, are less understood. The difficulty for most humans to routinely ingest ≥2 liters (L)—or “eight glasses”—of water per day highlights the likely presence of an inhibitory neural circuit which limits the deleterious consequences of overdrinking in mammals but can be consciously overridden in humans. This review summarizes the existing data obtained from both animal (mostly rodent) and human studies regarding the physiology, psychology, and pathology of overhydration. The physiology section will highlight the molecular strength and significance of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) water channel downregulation, in response to chronic anti-diuretic hormone suppression. Absence of the anti-diuretic hormone, arginine vasopressin (AVP), facilitates copious free water urinary excretion (polyuria) in equal volumes to polydipsia to maintain plasma tonicity within normal physiological limits. The psychology section will highlight reasons why humans and rodents may volitionally overdrink, likely in response to anxiety or social isolation whereas polydipsia triggers mesolimbic reward pathways. Lastly, the potential acute (water intoxication) and chronic (urinary bladder distension, ureter dilation and hydronephrosis) pathologies associated with overhydration will be examined largely from the perspective of human case reports and early animal trials.
Prevention Strategies for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurs primarily in patients who have sustained years of chronic liver injury. Unfortunately, most patients are diagnosed with advanced disease when potentially curative surgical resection or liver transplant is no longer a therapeutic option and medical treatments for HCC are largely ineffective. Consequently, the average 5-year survival for HCC is less than 15%. The global burden of HCC is expected to increase in the coming decades as a result of an increasing population and the global rise of obesity and fatty liver disease as emerging HCC etiologies. Given this context, prevention efforts for HCC are urgently needed to reduce the incidence of this deadly disease. Primary prevention involves avoidance of exposure to risk factors for chronic liver disease, including toxins such as ethanol and certain chemicals, viral hepatitis through vaccination, and overweight or metabolic syndromes via lifestyle modification. National neonatal hepatitis B vaccination and reduced aflatoxin exposure have successfully reduced HCC incidence in traditionally endemic regions such as East Asia. Secondary prevention encompasses mitigation of risk factors in patients with baseline chronic liver disease. Multiple dietary and pharmaceutical agents have been suggested to have preventative potential in retrospective analyses, though few clinical trials have been performed. Finally, tertiary prevention represents interventions to reduce the risk of de novo HCC recurrence after curative resection of primary HCC tumor. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive overview of chemopreventive strategies and discuss future directions.
Special Issue: Digital Marketing and Online Consumer Behavior in China

The special issue titled “Digital Marketing and Online Consumer Behavior in China” was guest edited by Qin Sun, California State University at Northridge, CA, USA. The guest editor did a terrific j...
Comparison of Multiplex Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel and Conventional Stool Testing for Evaluation of Patients With HIV Infection.

Background Gastrointestinal pathogen panels (GPPs) are increasingly used to identify stool pathogens, but their impact in people with HIV (PWH) is unknown. We performed a retrospective cohort study comparing GPP and conventional stool evaluation in PWH. Methods We included all PWH who underwent GPP (Biofire Diagnostics; implemented September 15, 2015) or conventional testing, including stool culture, Clostridium difficile polymerase chain reaction testing, fluorescent smears for Cryptosporidium or Giardia, and ova and parasite exams (OP P < .001) and quicker turnaround time (23.4 vs 71.4 hours; P < .001). The GPP identified 29 potential viral infections that were undetectable by conventional stool tests. Unnecessary anti-infective therapy was avoided in 9 of 11 exclusively viral infections. Exclusively nonpathogenic parasites (n = 13) were detected by conventional stool tests, the majority of which were treated with metronidazole. There were no significant differences in clinical outcomes between groups. Conclusions In PWH, GPP implementation improved antibiotic stewardship through shorter turnaround times and detection of enteric viral pathogens.
Novel cancer stem cell model for human solid tumors: Molecular profiling and tumorigenicity of tumor cell clones expressing developmental markers

5427 The cancer stem cell (CSC) model relies on the existence of a rare subset of cells in a total tumor cell population. They exhibit an exclusive competence for tumor recapitulation in xenograft models and the ability to self-renew analogous to adult organ stem cells resulting in inevitable tumor growth and metastasis. In order to evaluate novel therapeutic treatments against metastatic disease of most solid tumors, as the principal cause of mortality, and to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms driving tumor growth and metastasis, several CSC models have been recently proposed. Here, we established a novel CSC model to dissect heterogeneity of human solid tumors, including glioblastomas, breast cancer and bone sarcomas based on CSCs expressing developmental markers. Single cell suspensions prepared from cell lines, tissues of surgically removed primary tumors, metastatic lesions or xenografts grown in nude mice were analyzed by using the original reporter constructs or flow cytometry for the expression of different developmental markers specific for stem cells in embryonic settings and adult somatic tissues. The markers which showed interclonal heterogeneity for their expression in cell subsets isolated from tumor cell lines and clinical specimens were used for further cloning and clone enrichment by cell sorting. The resulted independent clonal cell subsets were tested for tumorigenicity in nude mice and for molecular profiling by real-time PCR, microarrays, flow cytometry and Western blottings. Eventually, this study allowed us to dissect cancer cell populations for subsets with the highest potential in orthotopic or ectopic engraftment and distant metastasis. At this end, the best ability to engraft in vivo was observed for clonal subsets selected from breast cancer line MDA-MB-231 based on their ability to maintain the reporter fluorescent constructs, as well as to express differentially several markers including CD44high and CD24low. Orthotopic and ectopic tumor xenografts originated from such clonal subsets were able to recapitulate the initial tumor cell population heterogeneity. Several types of cells differing for their potential to maintain the expression of reporter constructs and to express differentially the stem cell developmental markers persisted in xenografts resulted from multiple rounds of orthotopic grafting in nude mice. Their cells exhibited the increased proficiency for tumor and metastases formation. The molecular profiles of clonal xenografts suggested the mechanisms that underlie tumor heterogeneity and metastasis based on CSCs and their progeny. These findings validate our novel CSC model for human solid tumors. They suggest the persistence of rare tumor cells competent to maintain the expression of specific developmental markers which may be not associated with adult tumor tissue specificity.
Perceptual Monocular Depth Estimation

Monocular depth estimation (MDE), which is the task of using a single image to predict scene depths, has gained considerable interest, in large part owing to the popularity of applying deep learning methods to solve “computer vision problems”. Monocular cues provide sufficient data for humans to instantaneously extract an understanding of scene geometries and relative depths, which is evidence of both the processing power of the human visual system and the predictive power of the monocular data. However, developing computational models to predict depth from monocular images remains challenging. Hand-designed MDE features do not perform particularly well, and even current “deep” models are still evolving. Here we propose a novel approach that uses perceptually-relevant natural scene statistics (NSS) features to predict depths from monocular images in a simple, scale-agnostic way that is competitive with state-of-the-art systems. While the statistics of natural photographic images have been successfully used in a variety of image and video processing, analysis, and quality assessment tasks, they have never been applied in a predictive end-to-end deep-learning model for monocular depth. Correspondingly, no previous work has explicitly incorporated perceptual features in a monocular depth-prediction approach. Here we accomplish this by developing a new closed-form bivariate model of image luminances and use features extracted from this model and from other NSS models to drive a novel deep learning framework for predicting depth given a single image.
Fanconi anemia-independent DNA inter-strand crosslink repair in eukaryotes

DNA inter-strand crosslinks (ICLs) are dangerous lesions that can be caused by a variety of endogenous and exogenous bifunctional compounds. Because covalently linking both strands of the double helix locally disrupts DNA replication and transcription, failure to remove even a single ICL can be fatal to the cell. Thus, multiple ICL repair pathways have evolved, with the best studied being the canonical Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway. However, recent research demonstrates that different types of ICLs (e.g., backbone distorting vs. non-distorting) can be discriminated by the cell, which then mounts a specific repair response using the FA pathway or one of a variety of FA-independent ICL repair pathways. This review focuses on the latter, covering current work on the transcription-coupled, base excision, acetaldehyde-induced, and SNM1A/RecQ4 ICL repair pathways and highlighting unanswered questions in the field. Answering these questions will provide mechanistic insight into the various pathways of ICL repair and enable ICL-inducing agents to be more effectively used as chemotherapeutics.
Touchless Respiratory Monitor Preliminary Data and Results

Respiratory rates and tidal volumes in a microgravity environment are crucial measurements for astronauts. Current technology such as respiratory inductance plethysmography (RIP), capnography, spirometry and pulse-oximetry, besides not directly measuring respiration, also suffer from lagging data, drifting values and/or degrees of invasiveness to the patient and health care workers. To overcome these issues, we developed a touchless respiratory monitor that both measures abdominal and chest excursions and changes to respiratory flow. This system incorporates a remote thermal sensor measuring temperature changes of a mask worn by the subject and a LiDAR system measuring the chest and abdomen movements. Initial data was collected on three subjects in an IRB approved study. The data collected includes RIP, Capnometry, Spirometry and Pulse-oximetry as the standards for comparison. A LiDAR puck was aimed at the chest and abdomen of the subject and a thermal sensor at the facial region of the subject while they lay resting in a bed. Direct comparison of the data is performed. Initial data shows high correlation between the RIP and average LiDAR measured tidal volume as well as the tidal volume from spirometer to the LiDAR calculated tidal volume. Thermal sensor respiratory data shows high correlation with the capnometer data. In order to adapt the LiDAR system for a resting astronaut in microgravity to obtain similar results, we would require the use of multiple LiDAR pucks to simultaneously measure both the anterior and posterior of the chest and abdomen.
The impact of nativity on uterine cancer survival in the two public hospitals in Queens, New York

Objectives: We studied uterine cancer patients who presented to the two public hospitals in Queens, New York from 2006 to 2015 with the purpose of examining the relationship between nativity (birthplace) and survival. Methods: A retrospective review of tumor registries was used to identify patients diagnosed with uterine cancer between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2015. Using electronic medical records, data from 260 patients were available for this analysis. Results: The majority of patients were born outside the United States (US) (76.2% versus 23.8%). The majority of US-born patients were BlackBlack (67.7%). Ninety-five patients (36.5%) were born in the Caribbean Islands, 59 in Latin America (22.7%) and 44 in Asia/South Asia (16.9%). Most patients presented with stage I/II disease (69.7%) and stage did not vary significantly by nativity. Endometrioid/mucinous histology (67.8%) was the most common followed by serous/clear cell (17.7%) and uterine sarcomas (11.4%) with no significant difference in histology among nativity groups. Kaplan-Meier estimated survival curves stratified by birthplace demonstrated significant differences in survival distributions among the groups using the log-rank test (P Download : Download high-res image (120KB) Download : Download full-size image Conclusions: A Latin American health paradox was defined for foreign-born Latino patients presenting to the two Public Hospitals of Queens, New York as patients born in Latin America were less likely to die at any given time compared to those born in the United States.
SWIR emissive RosIndolizine dyes with nanoencapsulation in water soluble dendrimers

Shortwave infrared (SWIR) emission has great potential for deep-tissue in vivo biological imaging with high resolution. In this article, the synthesis and characterization of two new xanthene-based RosIndolizine dyes coded PhRosIndz and tolRosIndz is presented. The dyes are characterized via femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy as well as steady-state absorption and emission spectroscopies. The emission of these dyes is shown in the SWIR region with peak emission at 1097 nm. TolRosIndz was encapsulated with an amphiphilic linear dendritic block co-polymer (LDBC) coded 10-PhPCL-G3 with high uptake yield. Further, cellular toxicity was examined in vitro using HEK (human embryonic kidney) cells where a >90% cell viability was observed at practical concentrations of the encapsulated dye which indicates low toxicity and reasonable biocompatibility.
Rapid, modular secondary sphere assembly for enhanced Fe-catalyzed C(sp3)–H oxidation

The inert nature of C(sp3)–H bonds makes their oxidative cleavage a difficult task. While metalloenzymes employ an array of non-covalent interactions to facilitate C(sp3)–H oxidation, this strategy is underexplored in abiotic catalysts due to time-consuming and low-yielding ligand syntheses, which impedes iterative design. To surmount these obstacles, we, herein, have developed a highly modular and rapid synthetic strategy that capitalizes on the efficiency of solid-phase peptide synthesis, which enables the generation of a ligand platform displaying at least four unique residues of varying electronics and sterics in the secondary coordination sphere of a C–H oxidizing Fe catalyst. Modulating the non-covalent interactions in seven variants significantly influences cyclohexane oxidation catalysis, with one variant that boosts the catalytic activity by more than two-fold. To better understand the catalytic trends, we have determined the catalysts’ solution-state structures by 2D NMR spectroscopy, which suggests that peptide conformation can control substrate access and binding. This work demonstrates that (1) tunable, diverse, and complex active sites can be made readily, and (2) these active sites can be optimized to significantly increase catalytic activity.
Lustmord or Liebestod? Death in Ernst Krenek and Oskar Kokoschka's Orpheus und Eurydike

In 1923, Ernst Krenek composed an operatic setting of Orpheus und Eurydike, a drama by painter and occasional playwright Oskar Kokoschka. Because musicologists and opera houses alike have overlooked this work, credit afforded to Krenek for his role in Weimar modernity is often confined to the Zeitoper vein of 1920s European culture: the cosmopolitan, jazz-inspired, contemporary aesthetic of Krenek’s 1927 Jonny Spielt Auf. This article, the first English-language study devoted to Orpheus und Eurydike, explores Krenek’s contribution to another crucial facet of Weimar culture: the Austro-German identity crisis provoked by defeat in World War I and social upheaval. After tracing the opera’s rich genealogy and situating it in the lives of its creators (Alma and Gustav Mahler, among others, influenced Kokoschka's original play), this paper focuses on the drama’s multiple death scenes. Drawing on scholar Maria Tatar’s study of the Weimar obsession with sexually-tinged female death, I argue through score and libretto analysis that Krenek and Kokoschka synthesize aspects of the contemporary Lustmord (sexual murder) trope with elements of the Wagnerian Liebestod (love death) archetype. Rather than reconcile them with their artistic predecessors, however, this synthesis fleshes out the Lustmord latent in any Liebestod. With its first performance in 1926, this opera joined the ranks of “progressive” works by male artists who used aesthetic violence against women to navigate the Weimar identity crisis—in many ways, a crisis of masculinity. Paying Orpheus und Eurydike the attention it deserves underscores Krenek’s seminal but underappreciated role in both the glittering and dark sides of Weimar culture, and reveals just how interrelated those two sides are. Though it retells a well-worn classical myth, this Orpheus is as much an “opera of its time” as Jonny.
Accuracy of WAIS-III — WMS-III Joint Factor Scores When One or More Subtests Is Omitted or an Alternate Subtest Is Employed

Publisher Summary This chapter provides normative-based information on the impact of prorating or subtest substitution when using the joint Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III) and Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III) factor scores. The WAIS-III and WMS-III provide cognitive abilities assessment using 14 subtests. Administration of these subtests should take approximately 75 to 90 minutes in cognitively intact examinees, although substantially longer administration times may be required in clinical populations. Using the data from WAIS-III and WMS-III standardization and available clinical samples, the chapter examines the accuracy of prorated and alternate subtest-based estimates of the factor score and general memory index relative to the standard factor scores. The chapter also provides some selected examples wherein it examines the sensitivity and specificity of the factor scores and of prorated or alternate versions of the factor scores. The chapter concludes with some specific recommendations as well as caveats about interpreting factor scores when derived from prorating or substitution of missing scores with those from alternate subtests.
Binding studies by dialysis equilibrium: A description of an accurate and rapid technique

Abstract A simple equilibrium dialysis technique is described by which 30 binding studies are conducted simultaneously. Through the use of thin layers of solution with good agitation equilibrium is obtained in 6 hr at 4° or 4 hr at 18°. Methods for washing the membranes, drying the membranes with spacers enclosed, and conducting binding studies are reported.
Kinetic processes in Escherichia coli membranes and cells: A laser photolysis study using derivatives of pyrene

Abstract Pyrene and several derivatives of pyrene are used to investigate photo-induced kinetic processes in whole cells and membranes extracted from Escherichia coli . A mutant of E. coli was used which, under appropriate growth conditions, produced a complete or incomplete lipopolysaccharide in the outer membrane. The pyrene derivatives used were: pyrene sulfonic acid, pyrene butyric acid and the ester of pyrene butyric acid and 10-hydroxydecanoic acid. The pyrene chromophore was excited by the ultraviolet pulse from a Q switch, frequency-doubled, ruby laser. The lifetimes of the pyrene fluorescence in the presence of the quenchers O 2 , thallous ion (TI + ), I-and CH 3 NO 2 were measured and tabulated as second order rate constants. For the most part the quenching rate constants were much lower than the corresponding values observed in simple nonviscous solution, e.g. ethanol. This is interpreted as being due to the location of the probe within the membrane. The membrane inhibits the movement of the quenchers to the excited state. Cell membranes containing complete lipopolysaccharide showed significantly lower quenching rates for the probes pyrene and pyrene sulfonic acid than cell membranes with incomplete lipopolysaccharide. From an analysis of the kinetic data it is suggested that pyrene and pyrene sulfonic acid are located near and under lipopolysaccharide and close to membrane proteins. On the other hand, no effect of lipopolysaccharide composition was observed for the probes pyrene butyric acid and pyrene butyroyl decanoic acid. This may suggest that these probes are located primarily in the lipid part of the membrane. A simple model for the outer membrane of E. coli is suggested that accounts for the observed laser-induced kinetic processes.
Retentiveness of methotrexate polyglutamates in cultured L1210 cells : evidence against a role for mediated plasma membrane transport outward

Abstract In the present report, studies are described examining the issue of methotrexate (MTX) polyglutamate retentiveness in cultured L1210 cells. Measurements made in intact L1210 cells showed that the rate of egress of [ 3 H]MTX and [ 3 H]MTX + G1 was different depending upon whether [ 3 H]MTX and its polyglutamates were accumulated intracellularly following biosynthesis during growth (3 hr) in the presence of [ 3 H]MTX or when cells were pulse loaded (5 min) with [ 3 H]MTX or [ 3 H]MTX + G1 just prior to measurement of egress. In the former case, [ 3 H]MTX egressed with a T 1 2 of 15 +- 2 min, while [ 3 H]MTX + G1 egressed with a T 1 2 of 50 ± 9 min . In pulse loaded cells, both [ 3 H]MTX and [ 3 H]MTX + G1 egressed with a T 1 2 of 3.5 +- 0.5 min . The same rapid egress of [ 3 H]MTX and [ 3 H]MTX + G1 seen following pulse loading was also documented in cells grown for 3 hr in the presence of nonradioactive MTX to normalize conditions with respect to the intracellular accumulation of [ 3 H]MTX polyglutamates seen during exposure of cells to [ 3 H]MTX during growth. In light of these results, MTX, MTX + G1, MTX + G2 and MTX + G4 were examined directly as permeants for the outwardly-directed ATP-dependent pump (Schlemmer SR and Sirotnak FM, J Biol Chem 267 : 14746–14752, 1992) mediating most of MTX efflux in intact L1210 cells using inside-out plasma membrane vesicles isolated from these cells. ATP-dependent efflux of [ 3 H]MTX and [ 3 H]MTX + G1 exhibited values for K m of 46–50 μM and values for V max of 102–106 pmol/min/mg protein. As competitive inhibitors of [ 3 H]MTX and [ 3 H]MTX + G1 efflux, MTX + G1 and MTX, respectively, exhibited K i values of 43–47 μM, that is, K m ≈ K i for both permeants. Also, values for K i of 45–48 μM were obtained with MTX + G2 and MTX + G4 as competitive inhibitors of [ 3 H]MTX efflux. From these results, we conclude that MTX and its polyglutamates are equivalent as copermeants for ATP-dependent efflux through the plasma membrane and that retentiveness of MTX polyglutamates is not determined at this level in these cells.
Synergistic metabolism of a broad range of C1 compounds in the marine methylotrophic bacterium HTCC2181

The 1.3 Mbp genome of HTCC2181, a member of the abundant OM43 clade of coastal bacterioplankton, suggested it is an obligate methylotroph. Preliminary experiments demonstrated that methanol and formaldehyde, but not other common C1 compounds such as methylamine, could support growth. Methanol concentrations in seawater are reportedly < 100 nM, suggesting either that the flux of methanol through plankton pools is very rapid, or that methanol may not be the primary growth substrate for HTCC2181. Therefore, we investigated the apparent extreme substrate range restriction of HTCC2181 in greater detail. Growth rate and maximum cell density of HTCC2181 increased with methanol concentration, yielding a K(s) value of 19 µM. In contrast, no growth was observed in the presence of the methylated (C1) compounds, methyl chloride, trimethylamine-oxide (TMAO) or dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) when they were the sole substrates. However, growth rate, maximum cell density and cellular ATP content were significantly enhanced when any of these methylated compounds were provided in the presence of a limiting concentration of methanol. These observations fit a model in which the metabolic intermediate formaldehyde is required for net carbon assimilation, allowing C1 substrates that do not produce a formaldehyde intermediate to be oxidized for energy, but not assimilated into biomass. Rates of methanol and TMAO oxidation and assimilation were measured with (14)C-radiolabelled compounds in cultures of HTCC2181 and seawater microbial communities collected off the Oregon coast. The results indicated that in nature as well as in culture, C1 substrates are partitioned between those that are mainly oxidized to produce energy and those that are assimilated. These findings indicate that the combined fluxes of C1 compounds in coastal systems are sufficient to support significant populations of obligate methyltrophs by a metabolic strategy that involves the synergistic metabolism of multiple C1 compounds.
SU‐E‐T‐487: In VMAT of Spine Stereotactic Radiosurgery a 1 Mm Grid Size Increases Dose Gradient and Lowers Cord Dose Significantly Relative to a 2.5 Mm Grid Size

Purpose: Sharp dose gradients between the target and the spinal cord are critical to achieve dose constraints in spine stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). In this study, the volume averaging effect of grid size (GS) on the dosimetric accuracy of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) spine SRS plans was investigated. Methods: The Eclipse v11.0 Anisotropic Analytical Algorithm (AAA) algorithm was used for dose calculation. Plan qualities of 10 treatment plans were evaluated with GS of 2.5mm (AAA’s default value) and 1mm. All plans were prescribed 18Gy to the 90% isodose line. Parameters used for comparison included the distance between 18Gy and 10Gy isodose levels in the axial plane, maximum cord dose (Dmax, defined as dose to 0.035cc), dose to 10% of the cord (D10%) and 0.35cc of the cord (D0.35cc), film gamma pass rate (3%, 1mm), film line profile through the cord, and calculation time. Paired t-test was used to investigate the statistical significance. Results: The 18Gy−10Gy distance was shorter for all plans with 1mm compared to 2.5mm GS (0.32±0.07mm vs. 0.38±0.07mm, p<0.001). In addition, 1mm GS plans showed lower cord Dmax (11.11±1.74Gy vs. 11.96±1.6Gy, p<0.001), D10% (8.26±1.08Gy vs. 9.11±1.18Gy, p<0.001) and D0.35cc (8.55±1.28Gy vs. 9.43±1.33Gy, p<0.001). Film analysis demonstrated better agreement in the high dose gradient near the cord. Calculation times for 1mm GS plans increased significantly (14:00 vs. 2:30, p<0.001). Conclusion: Due to more accurate dose calculations at the sharp dose gradient near the cord, we recommend the use of 1mm grid size for final dose calculation for VMAT SRS spine plans. This not only leads to more accurate dose gradient calculation near the cord, and lower spinal cord dose, but also, affords more room to balance between the needs of PTV coverage and cord sparing.
Numerical simulation of uniaxial compression of a granular material with wall friction

Computations of uniaxial compression of a granular material in a two-dimensional box (with the top plate moving downward) are presented, including the effects of wall friction. The granular flow equations are solved as a system of conservation laws plus a set of constitutive relations, using a conservative finite difference method. A high quality numerical scheme for propagating the moving top plate is introduced.Compared to the overall uniform compression of the granular material, the effects of friction lead to a greater compression of the material near the top corners and to a lesser compression near the bottom corners of the 2D box. Two flow cells develop in the velocity field of the granular material. The dependence of the flow on a set of dimensionless parameters is discussed. The evolution of a initially inhomogeneous density distribution is also simulated and analyzed.
Integrating individuals with traumatic brain injury into the group process

Abstract This article provides information on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and suggestions for integrating individuals with TBI into the group process.
Chromosome analysis and comparison of the benign cystic and malignant squamous component of an ovarian teratoma

Teratoma, the most common ovarian germ-cell tumor, presumably arises from a single germ cell and is composed of tissues representing all germ layers (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm). Benign cystic teratomas (dermoid cyst) represent over 95% of ovarian teratomas and are comprised of entirely mature adult tissues. When malignant, almost all mature teratomas contain squamous carcinoma. We report for the first time the karyotypic comparison of an ovarian teratoma in a 36-year-old female with tissue separately taken from the benign cystic and malignant squamous components. The malignant squamous component revealed two distinct karyotypic populations: one diploid and the other polyploid. Both, however, demonstrated two common markers. The polyploid population also demonstrated numerous additional abnormalities with multiple copies of chromosome 20. Though many of the chromosomal aberrations were unique to the benign component, several karyotypes showed the same markers noted in the malignant squamous component. The significance of this finding is that it may serve to identify those histologically benign teratomas destined to undergo malignant transformation.
BIAcore: a microchip-based system for analyzing the formation of macromolecular complexes

The formation of macromolecular complexes, for example the complex between an antibody and an antigen, is essential to many biological processes. In order to gain a better insight into the biological processes involved, the formation of complexes is often measured and their interaction kinetics and affinities analyzed. Considerable effort has been expended in developing techniques to measure the formation of complexes, the most promising being electronic microchip-based biosensors. Such analytical systems have come into increasing use recently for the characterization of interactions between biological macromolecules and ligands. One such commercially available system, called BIAcore (Pharmacia Biosensor, Uppsala, Sweden), uses biosensor-based technology and offers a method for rapid analysis of interaction kinetics and affinities. Such systems have the advantage of replacing tedious binding assays utilizing radiolabelled or fluorescent components and potentially unstable cell lines, and can be used where biological activity assays are not available.
The practical arts and culture

Matthew Arnold thought that to be cultured is "to know the best that has been thought and said in the world." Huxley in commenting on that definition remarked that, "It is the criticism of life contained in literatures." But Huxley thought, that "After having learned all that Greek, Roman, and Eastern antiquity have thought and said, and all that modern literatures have to tell us, it is not self-evident that we have laid a sufficiently broad and deep foundation for that criticism of life which constitutes culture." Thoreau, in a more vigorous manner, repudiates the hot-house method of developing culture by exclaiming: "Give me a culture which imparts much muck from the meadows, and deepens the soil-not that which trusts to heating manures, and improved implements and modes of culture only." And so it seems that culture involves a knowing about life, a comprehending criticism of life and a deep-rooted, luxurant, fruitful living of life.
The Moderating Role of Employee Positive Well Being on the Relation Between Job Satisfaction and Job Performance

This research provides further clarification to the age-old quest to better understand the happy/ productive worker thesis. Using data from 109 managers employed by a large (over 5000 employees) customer services organization on the West Coast of the United States, both job satisfaction (r .36, p .01, 95% CI .18 to .52) and psychological well-being (PWB; r .43, p .01, 95% CI .26 to .58) were associated with supervisory performance ratings. Using Fredrickson’s (2001) broaden-and-build model as the theoretical base, the authors found that PWB moderates the relation between job satisfaction and job performance. Consistent with Fredrickson’s model, performance was highest when employees reported high scores on both PWB and job satisfaction. This moderating effect of PWB may account for some of the inconsistent results of previous studies.
Service-leadership competencies for hospitality and tourism management

Abstract Competency models have become useful tools for management development in hospitality and tourism organizations. At the same time, these models provide limited focus on leadership behaviors that facilitate employee service performance and customer satisfaction. The present study seeks to address this issue by developing a “service-leadership” competency model for use in the hospitality and tourism context. The following study reports on the results of interviews with 110 industry managers, which yielded a model of some 100 behaviors in 20 competency areas. These competencies cluster into 3 high order categories, namely business savvy, people savvy and self savvy. The results of the study are discussed in the context of extant research.
Inter- and Intraobserver Reliability in the MRI Measurement of the Tibial Tubercle–Trochlear Groove Distance and Trochlea Dysplasia

Background:The tibial tubercle–trochlear groove (TT-TG) distance and trochlear structure have become important radiographic measurements in the evaluation and management of patients with patellar instability. Many orthopaedic surgeons, however, do not have access to musculoskeletal radiologists and therefore must make such measurements independently.Purpose:To determine the intra- and interobserver reliability in the measurement of the TT-TG distance and the determination of the trochlear dysplasia index (TDI) between musculoskeletal radiologists and orthopaedic surgeons.Study Design:Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was obtained from 63 patients with the clinical diagnosis of patellar instability (instability group) and from 53 patients without patellar instability (control group). Three radiologists and 2 orthopaedic surgeons blinded to the group assignment independently measured the TT-TG distance and determined the TDI. Each MRI was measured on 2 o...
Analysis of interactions between mismatch repair initiation factors and the replication processivity factor PCNA.

In eukaryotes, the DNA replication factor PCNA is loaded onto primer-template junctions to act as a processivity factor for DNA polymerases. Genetic and biochemical studies suggest that PCNA also functions in early steps in mismatch repair (MMR) to facilitate the repair of misincorporation errors generated during DNA replication. These studies have shown that PCNA interacts directly with several MMR components, including MSH3, MSH6, MLH1, and EXO1. At present, little is known about how these interactions contribute to the mismatch repair mechanism. The interaction between MLH1 and PCNA is of particular interest because MLH1-PMS1 is thought to act as a matchmaker to signal mismatch recognition to downstream repair events; in addition, PCNA has been hypothesized to act in strand discrimination steps in MMR. Here, we utilized both genetic and surface plasmon resonance techniques to characterize the MLH1-PMS1–PCNA interaction. These analyses enabled us to determine the stability of the complex (KD=300 nM) and to identify residues (572–579) in MLH1 and PCNA (126,128) that appear important to maintain this stability. We favor a model in which PCNA acts as a scaffold for consecutive protein–protein interactions that allow for the coordination of MMR steps.