cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transcriptome and Proteome Analyses of TNFAIP8 Knockdown Cancer Cells Reveal New Insights into Molecular Determinants of Cell Survival and Tumor Progression

Tumor necrosis factor-α-inducible protein 8 (TNFAIP8) is the first discovered oncogenic and an anti-apoptotic member of a conserved TNFAIP8 or TIPE family of proteins. TNFAIP8 mRNA is induced by NF-kB, and overexpression of TNFAIP8 has been correlated with poor prognosis in many cancers. Downregulation of TNFAIP8 expression has been associated with decreased pulmonary colonization of human tumor cells, and enhanced sensitivities of tumor xenografts to radiation and docetaxel. Here we have investigated the effects of depletion of TNFAIP8 on the mRNA, microRNA and protein expression profiles in prostate and breast cancers and melanoma. Depending on the tumor cell type, knockdown of TNFAIP8 was found to be associated with increased mRNA expression of several antiproliferative and apoptotic genes (e.g., IL-24, FAT3, LPHN2, EPHA3) and fatty acid oxidation gene ACADL, and decreased mRNA levels of oncogenes (e.g., NFAT5, MALAT1, MET, FOXA1, KRAS, S100P, OSTF1) and glutamate transporter gene SLC1A1. TNFAIP8 knockdown cells also exhibited decreased expression of multiple onco-proteins (e.g., PIK3CA, SRC, EGFR, IL5, ABL1, GAP43), and increased expression of the orphan nuclear receptor NR4A1 and alpha 1 adaptin subunit of the adaptor-related protein complex 2 AP2 critical to clathrin-mediated endocytosis. TNFAIP8-centric molecules were found to be predominately implicated in the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) signaling pathway, and cancer and development signaling networks. Thus TNFAIP8 seems to regulate the cell survival and cancer progression processes in a multifaceted manner. Future validation of the molecules identified in this study is likely to lead to new subset of molecules and functional determinants of cancer cell survival and progression.
MULTIPLE EVANESCENT WHITE DOT SYNDROME WITH CENTRAL VISUAL LOSS.

Purpose To report the clinical case of a 64-year-old man who developed several features of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) but with central visual loss that persisted because of significant structural macular disease. Methods A case report was generated by a review of the clinical course and imaging investigations of one patient, along with review of the literature. Results A 64-year-old man noted decreased vision in the right eye for 2 weeks, associated with a central scotoma with shimmering, gauze effect of the vision. He had a good vision with normal ophthalmic examinations in the past. Ophthalmic examination revealed acuity of 20/400 with central scotoma and trace pupillary defect in the right eye, normal anterior segment, no evidence of intraocular inflammation, and fundus findings of unilateral MEWDS associated with a central zone of macular pigmentary atrophy. Autofluorescence imaging revealed reflectance changes of MEWDS as well as prominent central hypofluorescence and a zone of hyperfluorescence in inferior macula. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography identified mild disruptions of outer retina in the regions of the MEWDS lesions and disorganization of the outer retina in the macular region overlying a shallow irregular retinal pigment epithelial detachment. The choroid demonstrated increased thickness compared with the fellow eye with suggestions of dilated outer vessels/pachyvessels. Fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography revealed window defects and staining and hypocyanescence, respectively, of the central macular lesion. The MEWDS lesions resolved without evolution to chorioretinal scars, and the central vision and lesions did not benefit from a systemic steroid course or intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy. Conclusion This case illustrates an unusual presentation of MEWDS characterized by unilateral retinal disease presenting with symptoms and signs of profound central macular dysfunction. The clinical course did not evolve into other inflammatory retinal phenotypes, such as multifocal choroiditis or AZOOR (acute zonal occult outer retinopathy) that can sometimes develop MEWDS-like features or central disease. The central structural disease resembles some features of the pachychoroid clinical spectrum, which may have represented a superimposed diagnosis unrelated to the inflammatory phenotype.
Implementation of the zero-padding interpolation technique to improve angular resolution of X-ray tomographic acquisition system

This paper suggests the implementation of an algorithm that improves the X-ray tomographic reconstruction quality of a parallel acquisition geometry by adding virtual projections to the reconstruction process in order to increase the angular resolution of the measuring device, as in the case of CT scanners. The suggested method is based on an estimated calculation of virtual projections using the zero-padding properties. The obtained results show a significant reduction of the noise effect on the reconstructed image and a remarkable quality improvement despite the use of a rudimentary tomographic device.
Managing crises, one text at a time

Crisis Text Line CTO Jason Bennett shares his insight on the technology behind this helpline using text to reach people in need of counseling during times of crisis.
Trajectory of Weight Patterns in Urban Youth Throughout Their Stay in a Juvenile Justice System

Incarceration is associated with health risks including overweight and obesity. This study explored obesity rates and weight gain in incarcerated youth by tracking weight trajectory during continuo...
E-Liquid Autofluorescence Can Be Used as a Marker of Vaping Deposition and Third-Hand Vape Exposure

In the past 5 years, e-cigarette use has been increasing rapidly, particularly in youth and young adults. Due to the novelty of e-cigarettes (e-cigs) and e-cigarette liquids (e-liquids), research on their chemo-physical properties is still in its infancy. Here, we describe a previously unknown and potentially useful property of e-liquids, namely their autofluorescence. We performed an emission scan at 9 excitation wavelengths common to fluorescent microscopy and found (i) that autofluorescence differs widely between e-liquids, (ii) that e-liquids are most fluorescent in the UV range (between 350 and 405 nm) and (iii) fluorescence intensity wanes as the emission wavelength increases. Furthermore, we used the autofluorescence of e-liquids as a marker for tracking e-cig aerosol deposition in the laboratory. Using linear regression analysis, we were able to quantify the deposition of a “vaped” e-liquid onto hard surfaces. Using this technique, we found that every 70 mL puff of an e-cigarette deposited 0.019% e-liquid (v/v) in a controlled environment. Finally, we vaped a surface in the laboratory and used our method to detect e-cig aerosol third-hand exposure. In conclusion, our data suggest that e-cigarette autofluorescence can be used as a marker of e-cigarette deposition.
Influence of timing of surgery on perioperative morbidity after neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer.

754Background: Timing of surgery following completion of neoadjuvant therapy (NT) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) has important implications for treatment response. However, it was recent...
ADAMTS13: von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the structural chemistry and the biological aspects of ADAMTS13. The only known substrate for ADAMTS13 is von Willebrand factor (VWF) and the peptide bond cleaved is the Tyrl605–Metl606 bond within the A2 domain (numbered from the initiating methionine). The N-terminal sequence of ADAMTS13 was determined by sequential Edman degradation and a complete sequence of ADAMTS13 was deduced indirectly from its cDNA. Assays for ADAMTS13 include (1) reduction in polymer size of VWF; (2) appearance of the 140 and 176 kDa cleavage products or their disulfide-linked homodimers (200 kDa and 350 kDa, respectively); (3) cleavage of VWF fragment III to 140 kDA and 65 kDa fragments; (4) decreased binding of cleaved VWF to collagen; and (5) a two-site immunoradiometric assay using antibodies that recognize epitopes on both sides of the cleavage site. ADAMTS13 is not inhibited by iodoacetamide, N -ethylmaleimide, DFP, PMSF, aprotinin, leupeptin, tosylphenylalanyl chloromethane or tosyl-lysyl chloromethane; it is partially inhibited by the diazomethanes Z-Phe-Phe-CHN 2 and Z-Val-Val-Tyr-CHN 2 .
Elemental Analysis of Fine-Grained Basalt Sources from the Samoan Island of Tutuila: Applications of Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) and Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) Toward an Intra-Island Provenance Study

Over the past 20 years, elemental analysis of basalt artifacts and sources has been an integral component in the archaeological investigation of pre-contact interaction within Polynesia. In this time, the Samoan island of Tutuila has been well documented as a significant source of fine-grained basalt in the West Polynesia–Fiji interaction sphere. Since 2004, the chemical characterization of basalt sources and artifacts from Tutuila has been a primary focus of archaeometric research for the Texas A&M Anthropology Department in cooperation with the Elemental Analysis Laboratory (EAL) at the Texas A&M Center for Chemical Characterization and Analysis. The following chapter discusses recent attempts to determine the efficacy of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) toward the provenance study of basalt procurement sites on the island of Tutuila, American Samoa.
Assessing Potential Oligomerization Reaction Mechanisms of Isoprene Epoxydiols on Secondary Organic Aerosol.

Extensive studies of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation have identified isoprene epoxydiol (IEPOX) intermediates as key species in the formation of isoprene-derived SOA. Recent work has sugg...
Changes in Electronic Health Record Use Time and Documentation over the Course of a Decade.

Purpose With the current wide adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by ophthalmologists, there are widespread concerns about the amount of time spent using the EHR. The goal of this study was to examine how the amount of time spent using EHRs as well as related documentation behaviors changed 1 decade after EHR adoption. Design Single-center cohort study. Participants Six hundred eighty-five thousand three hundred sixty-one office visits with 70 ophthalmology providers. Methods We calculated time spent using the EHR associated with each individual office visit using EHR audit logs and determined chart closure times and progress note length from secondary EHR data. We tracked and modeled how these metrics changed from 2006 to 2016 with linear mixed models. Main Outcome Measures Minutes spent using the EHR associated with an office visit, chart closure time in hours from the office visit check-in time, and progress note length in characters. Results Median EHR time per office visit in 2006 was 4.2 minutes (interquartile range [IQR], 3.5 minutes), and increased to 6.4 minutes (IQR, 4.5 minutes) in 2016. Median chart closure time was 2.8 hours (IQR, 21.3 hours) in 2006 and decreased to 2.3 hours (IQR, 18.5 hours) in 2016. In 2006, median note length was 1530 characters (IQR, 1435 characters) and increased to 3838 characters (IQR, 2668.3 characters) in 2016. Linear mixed models found EHR time per office visit was 31.9±0.2% (P Conclusions After 1 decade of use, providers spend more time using the EHR for an office visit, generate longer notes, and close the chart faster. These changes are likely to represent increased time and documentation pressure for providers. Electronic health record redesign and new documentation regulations may help to address these issues.
An Introduction: Is My Patient Immunocompromised? How Do I Interpret History and Physical Examination Findings in the Immunocompromised Patient? What Does the Work-Up Look Like for an Immunocompromised Patient? What Are the Unique Risks and Potential Pitfalls?

Patients who are immunocompromised are at risk for serious intra-abdominal pathology compared to their age-matched counterparts. Furthermore, they may not manifest typical signs and symptoms of severe illness until late in the disease course. The emergency medicine provider needs to maintain a high index of suspicion of serious pathology in these patients.
The Trinity in Qur’anic Idiom: Q 4.171 and the Christian Arabic Presentation of the Trinity as God, his Word, and his Spirit

ABSTRACTSince the early centuries of Islam, the Qur’an’s deep imprint on Arabophone Christians has been evident, not only in their evocation of qur’anic language, but also in their creative employm...
Polyphosphate Functions In Vivo as Iron Chelator and Fenton Inhibitor

Maintaining cellular iron homeostasis is critical for organismal survival. Whereas iron depletion negatively affects the many metabolic pathways that depend on the activity of iron-containing enzymes, any excess of iron can cause the rapid formation of highly toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) through Fenton chemistry. Although several cellular iron chelators have been identified, little is known about if and how organisms can prevent the Fenton reaction. By studying the effects of cisplatin, a commonly used anticancer drug and effective antimicrobial, we discovered that cisplatin elicits severe iron stress and oxidative DNA damage in bacteria. We found that both of these effects are successfully prevented by polyphosphate (polyP), an abundant polymer consisting solely of covalently linked inorganic phosphates. Subsequent in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that polyP provides a crucial iron reservoir under non-stress conditions, and effectively complexes free iron and blocks ROS formation during iron stress. These results demonstrate that polyP, a universally conserved biomolecule, plays a hitherto unrecognized role as an iron chelator and an inhibitor of the Fenton reaction.
Soft Tissue: A Possible Source of Pain Pre and Post Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.

Study Design:Case studies.Objectives:To demonstrate that muscle generated pain (MGP) may be a cause of pain in patients who have undergone minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS).Methods:A physical...
Ocean acidification disrupts the orientation of postlarval Caribbean spiny lobsters

Anthropogenic inputs into coastal ecosystems are causing more frequent environmental fluctuations and reducing seawater pH. One such ecosystem is Florida Bay, an important nursery for the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus. Although adult crustaceans are often resilient to reduced seawater pH, earlier ontogenetic stages can be physiologically limited in their tolerance to ocean acidification on shorter time scales. We used a Y-maze chamber to test whether reduced-pH seawater altered the orientation of spiny lobster pueruli toward chemical cues produced by Laurencia spp. macroalgae, a known settlement cue for the species. We tested the hypothesis that pueruli conditioned in reduced-pH seawater would be less responsive to Laurencia spp. chemical cues than pueruli in ambient-pH seawater by comparing the proportion of individuals that moved to the cue side of the chamber with the proportion that moved to the side with no cue. We also recorded the amount of time (sec) before a response was observed. Pueruli conditioned in reduced-pH seawater were less responsive and failed to select the Laurencia cue. Our results suggest that episodic acidification of coastal waters might limit the ability of pueruli to locate settlement habitats, increasing postsettlement mortality.
Challenges and New Directions in Securing Spectrum Access Systems

The spectrum access system (SAS) is being deployed as a key component of the emerging spectrum sharing paradigm to address the spectrum crunch facing the U.S. wireless industry. Ensuring security and privacy of this system against potential attacks is a task of paramount importance. In this article, we first introduce the SAS system, describing its three-tier access model, its functional architecture, and the spectrum management protocol. We then provide a comprehensive analysis of a variety of security and privacy attacks that an SAS is vulnerable to, and discuss their countermeasures. We identify key challenges, formalize threat models, and organize the discussion of SAS security into four categories: 1) SAS server security and privacy; 2) citizens broadband radio service device security; 3) security of environment sensing capability; and 4) communication protocol security. Finally, we suggest future research directions for spectrum management security.
Racial/ethnic disparities in early-onset colorectal cancer: implications for a racial/ethnic-specific screening strategy.

INTRODUCTION Early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) is a public health concern. Starting screening at 45 years has been considered, but there is discrepancy in the recommendations. Racial disparities in EO-CRC incidence and survival are reported; however, racial/ethnic differences in EO-CRC features that could inform a racial/ethnic-tailored CRC screening strategy have not been reported. We compared features and survival among Non-Hispanic White (NHW), Non-Hispanic Black (NHB), and Hispanics with EO-CRC. METHODS CRC patients from SEER 1973-2010 database were identified, and EO-CRC was defined as CRC at <50 years. Clinical/pathological features and survival were compared between NHW, NHB, and Hispanics. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) predictors were assessed in a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS Of 166,416 patients with CRC, 16,545 (9.9%) had EO-CRC. The EO-CRC frequencies in NHB and Hispanics were higher than NHW (12.7% vs. 16.5% vs. 8.7%, p < 0.001). EO-CRC in NHB presents more frequently in females, with well/moderately differentiated, stage IV, and is less likely to present in locations targetable by sigmoidoscopy than NHW (54.6% vs. 67.7% OR:1.7, 95% p < 0.001). 5-year CSS was lower in NHB (59.4% vs. 72.8%, HR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.54-1.82) and Hispanics (66.4% vs. 72.8%, HR: 1.3; 95% CI: 1.16-1.39) than NHW. A regression model among patients with EO-CRC showed that being NHB or Hispanic were independent predictors for cancer-specific mortality, after adjusting for gender, grade, stage, and surgery. CONCLUSION EO-CRC is more likely in NHB and Hispanics. Racial disparities in clinical/pathological features and CSS between NHB and NHW/Hispanics were evidenced. A racial/ethnic specific screening strategy could be considered as an alternative for patients younger than 50 years.
Barnett Baron: An Appreciation

Dr. Barnett Baron, a long-time member of Alliance's editorial board and for decades a pivotal figure in the development of and support for philanthropy and civil society in Asia, passed away on 8 December 2015.
A Reduction in Health Care Expenditures Linked to Mental Health Service Use Among Adults With Chronic Physical Conditions.

Objective: The aim was to examine the impact of receipt of mental health services on health care expenditures for U.S. adults with major chronic physical conditions. Methods: Medical Expenditure Pa...
Anycast In context: a tale of two systems

Anycast is used to serve content including web pages and DNS, and anycast deployments are growing. However, prior work examining root DNS suggests anycast deployments incur significant inflation, with users often routed to suboptimal sites. We reassess anycast performance, first extending prior analysis on inflation in the root DNS. We show that inflation is very common in root DNS, affecting more than 95\% of users. However, we then show root DNS latency \emph{hardly matters} to users because caching is so effective. These findings lead us to question: is inflation inherent to anycast, or can inflation be limited when it matters? To answer this question, we consider Microsoft's anycast CDN serving latency-sensitive content. Here, latency matters orders of magnitude more than for root DNS. Perhaps because of this need, only 35\% of CDN users experience any inflation, and the amount they experience is smaller than root DNS. We show that CDN anycast latency has little inflation due to extensive peering and engineering. These results suggest prior claims of anycast inefficiency reflect experiments on a single application rather than anycast's technical potential, and they demonstrate the importance of context when measuring system performance.
Detection of Colorado Tick Fever Virusin Dermacentor Andersoni

Colorado tick fever virus is a double stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus transmitted by Rocky mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni), which can be found at high elevations in a number of western states including Montana. Although Colorado tick fever often presents as flu-like symptoms that are usually not life threatening, twenty percent of those infected are hospitalized. Little is known about the evolution of CTFV. The reference strain, Florio, has been sequenced, but this particular strain was isolated in Colorado in 1943. We hypothesize that isolates collected in Montana would have novel mutations because of the geographic distance and time between them and the reference strain. Ninety-seven ticks were collected in a previous SURF project this summer, mostly from Maud S. Canyon. RNA was extracted from crushed ticks and reverse transcribed. PCR successfully amplified CTFV cDNA from a positive control, but none have been detected in the tick samples to date. In contrast, using primers for a tick actin gene, PCR resulted in an amplicon of the expected size. This would suggest that the nucleic acids were collected from the tick. While no positive results for CTFV in the ticks have been obtained, there is reason to believe that the protocols developed are working. Our results are inconsistent with other studies that have found the virus in 21% of ticks sampled in Wyoming.
The 3'-Jα Region of the TCRα Locus Bears Gene Regulatory Activity in Thymic and Peripheral T Cells.

Much progress has been made in understanding the important cis-mediated controls on mouse TCRα gene function, including identification of the Eα enhancer and TCRα locus control region (LCR). Nevertheless, previous data have suggested that other cis-regulatory elements may reside in the locus outside of the Eα/LCR. Based on prior findings, we hypothesized the existence of gene regulatory elements in a 3.9-kb region 5’ of the Cα exons. Using DNase hypersensitivity assays and TCRα BAC reporter transgenes in mice, we detected gene regulatory activity within this 3.9-kb region. This region is active in both thymic and peripheral T cells, and selectively affects upstream, but not downstream, gene expression. Together, these data indicate the existence of a novel cis-acting regulatory complex that contributes to TCRα transgene expression in vivo. The active chromatin sites we discovered within this region would remain in the locus after TCRα gene rearrangement, and thus may contribute to endogenous TCRα gene activity, particularly in peripheral T cells, where the Eα element has been found to be inactive.
Repeat Radiosurgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Background Repeat Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is an established option for patients whose pain has recurred after the initial procedure, with reported success rates varying from 68% to 95%. Predictive factors for response to the repeat GKRS are ill-defined. Objective This cohort study aimed to report the outcomes and factors predictive of success for patients who have undergone repeated GKRS for trigeminal neuralgia at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Methods Between 1999 and 2013, 152 patients underwent repeat GKRS at Wake Forest, 125 of whom were available for long-term follow-up. A retrospective chart review and telephone interviews were conducted to determine background medical history, dosimetric data, outcomes, and adverse effects of the procedure. Results Eighty-four percent of patients achieved at least Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) IIIb pain relief, with 46% achieving BNI I. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year rates of BNI I pain relief were 63%, 50%, and 37%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year rates of BNI IIIb or better pain relief were 74%, 59%, and 46%, respectively. One patient experienced bothersome numbness and 2 patients developed anesthesia dolorosa. The dominant predictive factors for pain relief were facial numbness after the first GKRS and a positive pain response to the first GKRS. Conclusion Repeat GKRS is an effective method of treating recurrent trigeminal neuralgia. Patients who have facial numbness after the first treatment and a positive pain response to the first GKRS are significantly more likely to respond well to the second treatment.
A family of distributed deadlock avoidance protocols and their reachable state spaces

We study resource management in distributed systems. Incorrect handling of resources may lead to deadlocks, missed deadlines, priority inversions, and other forms of incorrect behavior or degraded performance. While in centralized systems deadlock avoidance is commonly used to ensure correct and efficient resource allocation, distributed deadlock avoidance is harder, and general solutions are considered impractical due to the high communication overhead. However, solutions that use only operations on local data exist if some static information about the possible sequences of remote invocations is known. We present a family of efficient distributed deadlock avoidance algorithms that subsumes previously known solutions as special instances. Even though different protocols within the family allow different levels of concurrency and consequently fewer or more executions, we prove that they all have the same set of reachable states, expressed by a global invariant. This result enables: (1) a design principle: the use of different protocols at different sites does not compromise deadlock avoidance; (2) a proof principle: any resource allocation protocol that preserves the global invariant and whose allocation decisions are at least as liberal as those of the least liberal in the family, guarantees absence of deadlock.
A WAY WITH WORDS: A Unique Approach to Literacy and Career Development:

This article describes a unique collaboration between the Career Center at the University of Missouri–Columbia, Columbia Public Schools and the community. A WAY WITH WORDS is an “America Reads” community literacy program that has enriched the educational experience of graduate, undergraduate and K–5 students since 1996. Teams of undergraduate volunteers led by graduate students in Counseling Psychology and Educational Leadership (ELPA) tutor local children in an effort to increase literacy. The teams interact and communicate with children, parents, teachers and principals as they serve during school and in after-school programs that they co create with school administrators and community members. Tremendous opportunities exist for learning about socio-economically and increasing ethnically diverse communities. During a biweekly seminar, team leaders lead career exploration activities that focus on mentoring, multicultural issues and team building. The program seeks to cultivate civic responsibility as an aspect of career development through communication, relatedness and reflection.
Using Voxel-Based Morphometry to Examine Atrophy-Behavior Correlates in Alzheimer's Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia

Computational Morphometry With the advent of more sophisticated computer and medical imaging technology, computational morphometry of MRI images has become a standard tool in the statistical analysis of differences in brain structure between two groups of subjects. This comparative work represents an important advance in the diagnostic armamentarium for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), where no definitive diagnostic tests are available. This preliminary report describes morphometric analyses of MRI datasets of AD and FTD patients, and relates these to clinical measures. We will begin this paper by describing voxel based morphometry (VBM), a powerful, quantitative tool for analyzing structural brain images. We then describe our implementation of a fully automated, user-independent algorithm for morphometric analysis of structural MRI data.
Report of the Committee on the Encouragement of Intra-Collegiate and Recreative Sports

(1914). Report of the Committee on the Encouragement of Intra-Collegiate and Recreative Sports. American Physical Education Review: Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 352-369.
On Improving the Computational Efficiency in Problems Involving One-and Two-Dimensional Periodicity

The use of Levin's u-transform is shown to accelerate the summation of slowly convergent series. The transform works effectively on alternating as well as monotonic series. The usefulness of the transform is illustrated by its application to the very slowly converging free-space periodic Green's function series involving single and double infinite summation. Numerical results are presented for the cases in which the series have the slowest convergence.
Remote sensing for water quality and biological measurements in coastal waters

Recent remote sensing experiments in the United States' coastal waters indicate that certain biological and water quality parameters have distinctive spectral characteristics. Data outputs from remote sensors, to date, include: (1) high resolution measurements to determine concentrations and distributions of total suspended particulates, temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a, and phytoplankton color group associations from airborne and/or satellite platforms, and (2) low resolution measurements of total suspended solids, temperature, ocean color, and possibly chlorophyll from satellite platforms. A summary of platforms, sensors and parameters measured is given. Remote sensing, especially when combined with conventional oceanographic research methods, can be useful in such high priority research areas as estuarine and continental shelf sediment transport dynamics, transport and fate of marine pollutants, marine phytoplankton dynamics, and ocean fronts.
Pathophysiology and treatment of gram-negative sepsis

The pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and complications of gram-negative bacterial sepsis are described, and the implications for therapy are reviewed. The sepsis syndrome is a clinically defined condition that involves the physiologic alterations and clinical consequences of the presence of microorganisms or their toxins in the bloodstream or tissues. Gram-negative bacteria produce sepsis and septic shock via the release of the cell-wall component known as endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide). The lipid A moiety, common to gram-negative bacteria, is immunogenic and appears to account for many of the biologic effects of endotoxin. A variety of mediators, including tumor-necrosis factor, are released in response to endotoxin, with resultant diverse effects on host tissues, including organ dysfunction and shock. Adequate treatment requires prompt recognition of infection, especially endotoxemia and sepsis, and the early institution of appropriate therapy. Corticosteroids offer little benefit, and the efficacy of naloxone and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs has not been determined. Although suitable antimicrobial therapy is necessary to eliminate the offending organisms, antimicrobial agents do not inhibit the effects of the bacterial toxins that are present in sepsis. The outcome of sepsis may be favorably influenced in the future by the use of newer methods of detection and newer treatment modalities, including monoclonal antibodies directed against endotoxin or inhibitors of inflammatory mediators.
Omega-3 fatty acid therapy reduces triglycerides and interleukin-6 in hypertriglyeridemic HIV patients.

Objectives Cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis are common in HIV-infected patients and residual systemic inflammation is thought to contribute to both of these disorders. We performed a randomized placebo-controlled trial of omega-3-acid (O3A) ethyl esters in HIV-infected patients with hypertriglyceridaemia, hypothesizing that O3A would decrease serum levels of triglycerides, markers of systemic inflammation, and markers of bone turnover. Methods HIV-infected patients (n = 48 recruited at three sites) with CD4 count >200 cells/μL, suppressed viral load, and triglycerides >200 mg/dL were randomized to placebo or 3.6 g/d of O3A. Fasting lipid profiles and markers of inflammation and bone turnover were assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment. Results Baseline HIV status, lipid profile, bone metabolism and cardiovascular risk factors were similar between the groups. Inflammatory markers were similar between the treatment groups at baseline, except for interleukin (IL)-6 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, which were higher in the O3A group. The concentration of triglycerides in patients receiving O3A decreased by a median (interquartile range (IQR)) of −34 (−149, 9.5) mg/dL vs. a median increase of 46.5 (−51, 123) mg/dL in the placebo group (P = 0.01). The median percentage change in IL-6 was greater in the O3A group compared with the placebo group [−39% (−63, 12%) vs. 29% (10, 177%), respectively; P = 0.006]. Similar results were observed for TNF-α, but not other inflammatory or bone turnover markers. Conclusions O3A ethyl esters decreased the concentrations of triglycerides, IL-6 and TNF-α in patients with well-controlled HIV infection and hypertriglyceridaemia. Larger studies are required to confirm these findings and investigate their clinical significance.
Regulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity by neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are widely expressed throughout the central nervous system and participate in a variety of physiological functions. Recent advances have revealed roles of nAChRs in the regulation of synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity, particularly in the hippocampus and midbrain dopamine centers. In general, activation of nAChRs causes membrane depolarization and directly and indirectly increases the intracellular calcium concentration. Thus, when nAChRs are expressed on presynaptic membranes their activation generally increases the probability of neurotransmitter release. When expressed on postsynaptic membranes, nAChR-initiated calcium signals and depolarization activate intracellular signaling mechanisms and gene transcription. Together, the presynaptic and postsynaptic effects of nAChRs generate and facilitate the induction of long-term changes in synaptic transmission. The direction of hippocampal nAChR-mediated synaptic plasticity - either potentiation or depression - depends on the timing of nAChR activation relative to coincident presynaptic and postsynaptic electrical activity, and also depends on the location of cholinergic stimulation within the local network. Therapeutic activation of nAChRs may prove efficacious in the treatment of neuropathologies where synaptic transmission is compromised, as in Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
Landscape ecology and biogeography

The growing recognition that spatial scale and heterogeneity affect ecological processes has focused heightened attention over the last decade on principles from the field of landscape ecology. Landscape ecologists, drawing on principles from a diverse array of disciplines and fields, including physical and human geography, focus explicitly on the interrelation between landscape structure (i.e., pattern) and landscape function (i.e., processes). In this article, I discuss the application of landscape ecological principles to a specific and pressing issue: nature reserve design and functioning. To do so, I outline and review five landscape ecological themes with relevance to reserve design and management: reserve distribution, reserve shape, landscape corridor design and functioning, boundary dynamics, and reserve functioning. I particularly stress: 1) the role that landscape ecological theories may have in integrating existing principles from applied biogeography and population biology, and 2) the unique ...
Developing a Theoretical Perspective and Methods about Interior Space and Society

This paper documents three investigations of the connections among human values, behavior, and space in residential settings. In Stage I, a feminist theoretical perspective and the method of content analysis were joined in an examination of house plans to determine links between women's changing roles and noticeable changes in house plans. In Stage II, a more general sociological theoretical perspective of gender was combined with three-dimensional scale models and interviewing to examine more directly the interaction of personal values, behavior, and spatial preferences. Because the findings of Stage II provided research hypotheses but failed fully to explain the reciprocal interaction between people and space, the theoretical perspective and method were refined for a more detailed Stage III study. In that stage theoretical perspectives and research methods were merged for exploring social and spatial issues in domestic space. The aim of this paper is to explain the cyclical process of imaging, presenting, testing, and refining necessary for the formulation of theory and corresponding methods.
Investigation of Various Genotype Characteristics for Inosine Accumulation in Escherichia coli W3110

For the derivation of an inosine-overproducing strain from the wild type microorganism, it is known that the addition of an adenine requirement, removal of purine nucleoside hydrolyzing activity, removal of the feedback inhibition, and repression of key enzymes in the purine nucleotides biosynthetic pathway are essential. Thus, the disruption of purA (adenine requirement), deoD (removal of purine nucleosides phosphorylase activity), purR (derepression of the regulation of purine nucleotides biosynthetic pathway), and the insensitivity of the feedback inhibition of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) amidotransferase by adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) and guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GMP) were done in the Escherichia coli strain W3110, and then the inosine productivity was estimated. In the case of using a plasmid harboring the PRPP amidotransferase gene (purF) that encoded a desensitized PRPP amidotransferase, purF disrupted mutants were used as the host strains. It was found that the innovation of the four genotypes brought about a small amount of inosine accumulation. Furthermore, an adenine auxotrophic mutant of E. coli showed inappropriate adenine use because its growth could not respond efficiently to the concentration of adenine added. As the presence of adenosine deaminase is well known in E. coli and it is thought to be involved in adenine use, a mutant disrupted adenosine deaminase gene (add) was constructed and tested. The mutant, which is deficient in purF, purA, deoD, purR, and add genes, and harboring the desensitized purF as a plasmid, accumulated about 1 g of inosine per liter. Although we investigated the effects of purR disruption and purF gene improvement, unexpectedly an increase in the inosine productivity could not be found with this mutant.
Componential analysis of analogical-reasoning performance of high and low achievers

The present study sought to assess analogical reasoning in high-and low-achieving students at the high school level and to determine whether analogical reasoning was related to academic achievement. An instrument designed to assess the processes underlying analogical reasoning was administered to 54 students in the ninth grade. Subtests of the Metropolitan Achievement Test and a Quality Point Average were used to record student academic achievement. The results revealed that high achievers performed better than low achievers on all types of analogical-reasoning processes. In addition, performance was better when the task required two rather than three or five analogical-reasoning processes. Moreover, performance on each set of analogical-reasoning processes was related to both students past and current academic performance. The results are discussed in terms of the diagnostic and prescriptive potential of tests using a componential approach.
Locus of Control, Job Satisfaction, and Job Complexity: The Role of Perceived Race Discrimination

Scores on perceptions of racial discrimination, locus of control, job satisfaction, and job complexity in a national sample of 3,054 indicated that perceived racial discrimination is associated wit...
Statistical Mechanics of Hard‐Particle Systems

The concept of the equivalence of a hard particle (depending on the number of dimensions: hard sphere, disk, or rod, with no attractive interaction) of diameter a in a system of hard particles, and a spherical cavity of radius at least a, is extended to define distribution functions, γn(r1, ···rn), for sets of n cavities in a hard‐particle system. A new theorem, relating the excess chemical potential of a hard‐particle system to the distribution function of two cavities at zero separation, γ2(r12)|τ12–0, as well as corresponding theorems for higher‐order distributions, are derived. The theorems for γ2(r12) and γ3(r1, r2, r3), and some simple physical arguments are used to obtain an approximation to the exact Born–Green–Yvon equation for γ2(r12), the “pair stress approximation” (PSA). The resulting simple equation of state yields very good approximate values for the fourth and fifth virial coefficients for hard disks, and for the fourth virial coefficient for hard spheres. The corresponding zero‐separation...
31P NMR of diisopropyl phosphoryl α-chymotrypsin and catechol cyclic phosphate α-chymotrypsin. Direct observation of two conformational isomers

Summary Two peaks separated by ca 2 PPM are observed in the 31 P NMR spectrum of diisopropyl phosphoryl α-chymotrypsin. The ratio of intensities of the two peaks is dependent upon the pH of the solution, and the two signals are assigned to two slowly interconverting conformational isomers of the enzyme complex. The 31 P NMR spectrum of the catechol cyclic phosphate α-chymotrypsin complex shows that the phosphate ester has reacted with the enzyme with opening of the five-membered phosphate ring.
Kinetics and mechanism of divalent-metal ion catalyzed hydrolysis of a β-ketoimine

Abstract The kinetics of acid hydrolysis of a quadridentate β-ketoimine, bisacetylacetoneethylenediimine (H 2 Ch), in the presence of divalent-metal ions have been measured at constant pH by a titrimetric procedure, using 50 per cent ( v v ) dioxane-water solutions at 30°. Divalent metal ions studied included: copper, nickel, beryllium, and magnesium ions. Pseudo-first-order rate constants, k obs ., are shown to vary with the ratio C M C H2Ch , and two limiting cases are established. The first, (k′ obs ) attained as the ratio approaches unity, appears to correspond to the rate of hydrolysis of the pure metal-chelate compound; the other limiting rate (k obs ) is taken to be the rate of hydrolysis in the absence of metal ions. The ratio K' obs. /K obs. is evaluated, and correlations with formation constants and the electronegativity of the metal are considered.
Block-diagonalization and f -electron effects in tight-binding theory

We extend a tight-binding total energy method to include f electrons, and apply it to the study of the structural and elastic properties of a range of elements from Be to U. We find that the tight-binding parameters are as accurate and transferable for f-electron systems as they are for d-electron systems. In both cases we have found it essential to take great care in constraining the fitting procedure by using a block-diagonalization procedure, which we describe in detail.
One-stage Meningomyelocele Closure and Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Placement

At the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, New York, New York, we observed that 13 myelodysplasia neonates with birth head circumferences below the 90th percentile all had ventriculomegaly on preoperative computed tomograms. All 13 infants later required shunting for hydrocephalus. On the basis of this finding, we then began performing a one-stage procedure of meningomyelocele closure and shunt insertion in all myelodysplasia neonates who had ventriculomegaly on preoperative computed tomograms regardless of whether their head circumference was enlarged. Seventeen of 24 additional patients have had the one-stage procedure; four of the remaining seven have required later shunting. One shunt infection (6%) was encountered. Three of the 17 patients having a shunt procedure at the time of meningomyelocele closure and one patient requiring a shunt at a later procedure required biventricular shunting (Figure) before their hydrocephalus was controlled. We conclude that neonatal head circumference does not predict hydrocephalus in myelodysplastic neonates, but that ventriculomegaly on preoperative computed tomograms identifies those affected neonates who will require shunting. (Surg Neurol 27: 233–236, 1987)
Donors, Ideologues, and Bureaucrats: Government Objectives and the Performance of the Nonprofit Sector

Ideologically driven managers of non profits prefer to deal with donors whose ideologies match their own. Bureaucratic managers prefer to control large organizations. In this paper, we model the goverment's interest in nonprofit service provision and how it leads goverment toprefer larger firms then pure ideologues will choose, and smaller firms then pure bureaucrates choose. We explore the effect of population growth on the optimal than pure bureaucrates choose. We explore the effects of population growth on the optimal size of nonprofit organizations from the goverment's point of view, and review policy tools available to goverment to influence the attrictiveness of the nonprofit sector to managers with varying degrees of ideological and beureaucratic motivation.
Stuffed Cabbage in the Old New School Cafeteria

The purpose of this lecture is to celebrate the memory of Aron Gurwitsch by examining and enlarging the domain of phenomenological clarification of some elements of what Gurwitsch called the ’’logic of reality.‘‘ Chief among those elements are the nature of the taken-for-grantedness of our existential belief, the difference between presentive and non-presentive indices of reality and the ground for the self-illumination of the ’’world of working.‘‘
Analog Computer Studies of Periodic Breathing

A classical clinical experiment, in which periodic breathing is induced in a normal subject by hyperventilation, has been successfully simulated on the high speed analog computer. The model, together with its underlying theory, is presented. Its applications to the study of individuals who experience persistent periodic (Cheyne-Stokes) breathing is indicated.
Population dynamics of the murine lymphokine activated killer system: precursor frequency and kinetics of maturation and renewal

The proliferation kinetics and population renewal of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2)-induced murine lymphokine activated killers (LAK) arising from splenic precursors was studied. Extensive proliferation has been shown to accompany the de novo generation of LAK cytotoxicity. In this report, a thymidine ‘hot pulse’ suicide technique was employed to examine the sensitivity of LAK progenitors during various time periods following culture initiation. Hot pulse during the first 24 hr of culture resulted in a 30–35% reduction in lytic activity when assayed on day 5. Pulse periods between days 1 and 4 resulted in almost complete inhibition (90–95%) of lytic function when assayed on day 5. Proliferation of LAK progenitors was documented by limiting dilution analysis comparison of splenic precursors and functionally mature LAK cultures. These studies showed a 75- to 80-fold enrichment of LAK progenitors after 3 days culture in rIL-2. By flow cytometric cell cycle analysis, we demonstrated that the number of cells in the S/G2/M phase increased with the length of rIL-2 culture and represented approximately 40% of the cells by day 4. Finally, we used the rate of decay of lytic activity following irradiation as a factor to define the mean life span of a cytotoxic effector in the absence of cellular input. An exponential decrease to approximately 50% of controls was observed within 8–9 hr after irradiation. Taken together, these results suggest that the LAK system is highly dynamic and requires continuous cellular proliferation for its maintenance.