cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modification of the Lowry procedure for the analysis of proteolipid protein.

Abstract A modification of the Lowry procedure is described for the rapid and reliable analysis of proteolipid protein. The procedure involves the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate to dissolve the lipid-containing protein samples or to maintain the water-soluble apoprotein in solution. All steps in the analysis are carried out at room temperature. Chymotrypsin and Versatol are more suitable standards for proteolipid protein than is bovine serum albumin. The method has been applied to the analysis of myelin proteins.
Analysis of a β-helical region in the p55 domain of Helicobacter pylori vacuolating toxin

Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the human stomach and contributes to the development of gastric cancer and peptic ulcer disease. VacA, a toxin secreted by H. pylori, is comprised of two domains, designated p33 and p55. Analysis of the crystal structure of the p55 domain indicated that its structure is predominantly a right-handed parallel β-helix, which is a characteristic of autotransporter passenger domains. Substitution mutations of specific amino acids within the p33 domain abrogate VacA activity, but thus far, it has been difficult to identify small inactivating mutations within the p55 domain. Therefore, we hypothesized that large portions of the p55 domain might be non-essential for vacuolating toxin activity. To test this hypothesis, we introduced eight deletion mutations (each corresponding to a single coil within a β-helical segment spanning VacA amino acids 433-628) into the H. pylori chromosomal vacA gene. All eight of the mutant VacA proteins were expressed by the corresponding H. pylori mutant strains and underwent proteolytic processing to yield ~85 kDa passenger domains. Three mutant proteins (VacA Δ484-504, Δ511-536, and Δ517-544) were secreted and induced vacuolation of mammalian cells, which indicated that these β-helical coils were dispensable for vacuolating toxin activity. One mutant protein (VacA Δ433-461) exhibited reduced vacuolating toxin activity compared to wild-type VacA. Other mutant proteins, including those containing deletions near the carboxy-terminal end of the β-helical region (amino acids Val559-Asn628), exhibited marked defects in secretion and increased susceptibility to proteolytic cleavage by trypsin, which suggested that these proteins were misfolded. These results indicate that within the β-helical segment of the VacA p55 domain, there are regions of plasticity that tolerate alterations without detrimental effects on protein secretion or activity, as well as a carboxy-terminal region in which similar alterations result in protein misfolding and impaired secretion. We propose that non-essential β-helical coils and a carboxy-terminal β-helical segment required for proper protein folding and secretion are features shared by numerous autotransporter passenger domains.
Relationships between marital satisfaction, resources, and power strategies

A study was conducted to determine usefulness of the Falbo and Peplau model for understanding the power strategies and marital satisfaction of 42 nonstudent married couples. In addition, this study examined the impact of imbalanced resources on power strategy use and marital satisfaction. Overall, the results supported the hypothesis that people who see themselves as Equal Partners are more satisfied with their relationship than Traditional Partners. The results also indicated that Equal Partners reported using fewer strategies overall in trying to get their way. Thus, the greater use of power strategies may be associated with being in an imbalanced resource relationship, such as a traditional marriage. Furthermore, the results of this study supported the expectation that marital dissatisfaction is associated with the use of indirect strategies. Although husbands and wives overall were not found to differ in their power strategy use, there was a suggestion that traditional wives used more power strategies, regardless of type, than traditional husbands.
Application of satellite data for three-dimensional monitoring of PM2.5 formation and transport in San Joaquin Valley, California

High resolution (5x5 km2 horizontal resolution) retrievals of aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments aboard NASA's Aqua and Terra satellite platforms have been examined. These data products have been compared to coincident, hourly measurements of ground-based PM-2.5 routinely obtained by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJV APCD) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) and to airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) aerosol scattering measurements obtained by NASA in July 2003 in San Joaquin Valley (SJV). Comparison of MODIS AOD to ground based PM-2.5 measurement shows significant improvement for the higher resolution MODIS AOD. Lidar aerosol scattering measurements correspond well to MODIS AOD during a variety of atmospheric conditions, and throughout the SJV. Future lidar measurements are proposed to establish a high resolution vertical link between satellite and ground-based measurements during the winter. With the data from these two episodes, we plan to characterize the horizontal, vertical, and temporal distribution of PM-2.5 in SJV and evaluate the need for future intensive ground-based measurement and modeling studies in SJV.
High efficiency, small-area bends in low index contrast waveguides

Dramatic reductions in bend and beamsplitter size for low index contrast waveguides can be achieved with properly designed single or multiple air interfaces. Micro-genetic algorithm optimization is a useful tool for the design of such structures.
A m-Benzyne to o-Benzyne Conversion through a 1,2-Shift of a Phenyl Group

Pyrolysis of two differently labeled versions of 3-phenylphthalic anhydride shows that a m-benzyne can form the related o-benzyne through shift of a phenyl group. The highest energy point in the process is the transition structure for a reverse carbon−hydrogen insertion in an intermediate benzopentalene. With the minor addition of an intermediate alkyne formed through a Roger Brown rearrangement, the original mechanism for formation of acenaphthalene accommodates the labeling results.
ANALYZING STATE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS FOR BEGINNING TEACHER INDUCTION: A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK

This study developed a framework for evaluating beginning teacher induction policies and programs. This framework consists of three main categories: 1) Legislation and Funding, 2) State, District, and Union Roles, and 3) Program Components. Comparison of these three categories reveals 1) the differences in priority states currently place on beginning teacher induction, 2) the extent of shared responsibilities between state and school districts on overseeing and evaluating the beginning teacher induction program, and 3) the extent of alignment between the beginning teacher induction program and state standards, between eligibility criteria and compensation for beginning teachers, and between the incentives used to attract qualified mentor teachers and the specified qualifications of these mentor teachers. Application of this framework to the current policy guidelines of sixteen heterogeneous states in terms of state activities in educational initiatives found that funded mandatory policies on beginning teacher induction: a) are less fragmented, b) have a stronger state role, c) are heterogeneous in their program features, d) have a narrower definition of what constitutes a beginning teacher, and e) generally provide stronger incentives for mentor teachers to participate.
Aqueous starch-oil dispersions prepared by steam jet cooking. starch films at the oil-water interface

Abstract Starch–oil composites were prepared by passing aqueous mixtures of starch and soybean oil (100 : 40, by weight) through a steam jet cooker operating under excess steam conditions. Dilution of jet cooked dispersions with a 20-fold excess of water reduced the viscosity and caused a lipophilic fraction with low specific gravity to separate from the dispersion. This fraction could be collected and washed with water without coalescence of oil droplets. Microscopy showed that this fraction was comprised of oil droplets surrounded by thin films of starch at the oil–water interface. The most detailed view of these spherical starch films was obtained by scanning electron microscopy, after isolating films by ethanol precipitation and critical point drying. Films prepared from normal food grade cornstarch, waxy cornstarch and high amylose cornstarch were compared. Interfacial starch films were observed not only when aqueous mixtures of starch and soybean oil were co-jet cooked, but also when starch solutions were first jet cooked and then blended with soybean oil in a separate step. Starch films were also observed with lipophilic materials other than soybean oil, for example, mineral oil, paraffin wax and α-tocopherol. We have considered the question of why these starch films are spontaneously formed at the droplet interface, despite the fact that starch is not surface active and no surface active materials are used during the preparation. A reasonable explanation is provided by the known thermodynamic properties of aqueous polymer solutions at interfaces. Formation of a layer of polymer at an oil–water interface (prewetting) occurs when adsorption of polymer leads to a reduction in interfacial tension and when the solvent for the polymer is relatively poor.
Spin-Förster transfer in optically excited quantum dots

The mechanisms of energy and spin transfer in quantum dot pairs coupled via the Coulomb interaction are studied. Exciton transfer can be resonant or phonon-assisted. In both cases, the transfer rates strongly depend on the resonance conditions. The spin selection rules in the transfer process come from the exchange and spin-orbit interactions. The character of energy dissipation in spin transfer is different than that in the traditional spin currents. The spin-dependent photon cross-correlation functions reflect the exciton transfer process. In addition, a mathematical method to calculate F\"orster transfer in crystalline nanostructures beyond the dipole-dipole approximation is described.
Rhetoric is the Home of the Transcendent: Ernesto Grassi's Response to Heidegger's Attack on Humanism

We are still far from pondering the essence of action decidedly enough. We view action only as effecting an effect. Its effectiveness and reality is assessed according to its utility. Yet, the esse...
Treatment of Cerebral Vasospasm by Topical Application of Lidocaine

This paper reports the treatment of cerebral vasospasm by topical application of lidocaine in 3 patients with ruptured aneurysm. Each case had shown vasospasm of the smooth narrowing type on preoperative angiogram performed on the 9th day after the subarachnoid hemorrhage attack. Direct aneurysmal operation was carried out on the 9th day in I case and on the 10th day in 2 cases. After clipping of the aneurysm, subarachnoid clot was removed and cottonoids soaked in 1-4% of lidocaine was applied over the spastic arteries. After 10-15 minutes, the vessels showed marked dilatation in each instance. Postoperative angiograms also showed relief of the spasm of the arteries which had been in contact with lidocaine during the operation. Pharmacological basis of spasmolytic action of lidocaine and its indication for clinical use are discussed.
Peeling Back the Layers: Vidalia Onions and the Making of a Global Agribusiness

In Depression-era South Georgia, truck farmers experimenting with onion planting found that their crop emerged unusually sweet, due to the region’s climate and particular soil content. But what gave Vidalia onions a unique flavor—their low sulfur and high water content—also rendered them nearly impossible to market, as the vegetable spoiled much quicker than regular onions. In their seventy-year quest to overcome the onion’s natural limitations, Georgia growers would transform their formerly insular region into a hub of global supermarket capitalism. As onion acreage skyrocketed with the advent of controlled atmosphere storage, growers recruited thousands of Latin American workers. Then, when storage techniques proved imperfect, industry leaders contracted with growers across Central and South America to produce sweet onions for sale during Georgia’s off-season. In striking contrast to the Vidalia onion’s branding as a “down-home” southern crop, the vegetable’s history reveals the contradictions in our modern food system.
The stress at which dislocations multiply in well-annealed metal crystals

Abstract It is shown that the stress, σM at which dislocations first multiply in pure, annealed, f.c.c. crystals should show a minimum at a dislocation density p of about 5 × 103cm/cm3. When ξ is greater than this, σM is controlled by the distance between dislocation nodes in the crystals, and consequently σM decreases as ρ decreases. When ρ is smaller than this, σM is controlled by the distance between jogs and this distance is shown to decrease, causing σM to increase, as ρ decreases. The minimum in σM should occur at about 10 g/mm2 in Cu, Ag and Au. A statistical approach is used, in which the distribution of segment lengths between nodes is calculated. The probability that a segment, or part of a segment, lies entirely in a slip plane which also contains its Burgers vector (and thus is able to glide conservatively) is considered. From this, the length of a glissile segment, and thus the multiplication stress, are calculated.
En bloc heterotopic auxiliary liver and bilateral renal transplant in a patient with homozygous protein C deficiency

An 8-year-old girl with homozygous protein C deficiency who had undergone maintenance dialysis since birth because of renal veins with thrombosis was treated with an en bloc heterotopic auxiliary liver and bilateral renal transplantation. The reconstitution of protein C activity by auxiliary liver transplantation facilitated successful renal transplantation.
The front door to meckel's cave: an anteromedial corridor via expanded endoscopic endonasal approach- technical considerations and clinical series.

OBJECTIVE: Tumors within Meckel's cave are challenging and often require complex approaches. In this report, an expanded endoscopic endonasal approach is reported as a substitute for or complement to other surgical options for the treatment of various tumors within this region. METHODS: A database of more than 900 patients who underwent the expanded endoscopic endonasal approach at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center from 1998 to March of 2008 were reviewed. From these, only patients who had an endoscopic endonasal approach to Meckel's cave were considered. The technique uses the maxillary sinus and the pterygopalatine fossa as part of the working corridor. Infraorbital/V 2 and the vidian neurovascular bundles are used as surgical landmarks. The quadrangular space is opened, which is bound by the internal carotid artery medially and inferiorly, V 2 laterally, and the abducens nerve superiorly. This offers direct access to the anteroinferomedial segment of Meckel's cave, which can be extended through the petrous bone to reach the cerebellopontine angle. RESULTS: Forty patients underwent an endoscopic endonasal approach to Meckel's cave. The most frequent abnormalities encountered were adenoid cystic carcinoma, meningioma, and schwannomas. Meckel's cave and surrounding structures were accessed adequately in all patients. Five patients developed a new facial numbness in at least 1 segment of the trigeminal nerve, but the deficit was permanent in only 2. Two patients had a transient Vlth cranial nerve palsy. Nine patients (30%) showed improvement of preoperative deficits on Cranial Nerves III to VI. CONCLUSION: In selected patients, the expanded endoscopic endonasal approach to the quadrangular space provides adequate exposure of Meckel's cave and its vicinity, with low morbidity.
Carbon-Bearing Fluids at Nanoscale Interfaces

The behaviour of fluids at mineral surfaces or in confined geometries (pores, fractures) typically differs from their bulk behaviour in many ways due to the effects of large internal surfaces and geometrical confinement. We summarize research performed on C-O-H fluids at nanoscale interfaces in materials of interest to the earth and material sciences (e.g., silica, alumina, zeolites, clays, rocks, etc.), emphasizing those techniques that assess microstructural modification and/or dynamical behaviour such as gravimetric analysis, small-angle (SANS) neutron scattering, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations will be described that provide atomistic characterization of interfacial and confined fluid behaviour as well as aid in the interpretation of the neutron scattering results.
Dynamic and risk-aware network access management

Traditional network security technologies such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems usually work according to a static ruleset only. We believe that a better approach to network security can be achieved if we use quantified levels of risk as an input. In this paper, we describe a dynamic access control architecture which uses risk to determine whether to allow or deny access by a source connection into the network. A simulation of our architecture shows favorable and promising results.
Endotoxin-mediated necrosis and regression of established tumours in the mouse. A correlative study of quantitative changes in blood flow and ultrastructural morphology.

The fractional distribution of cardia output was measured in tumour-bearing mice treated with 50 μg intravenous endotoxin, and correlated with ultrastructural changes in tumour morphology. The proportion of the cardiac output going to the tumour decreased to less than 50% of its original value by 2 h and to 10%–30% by 6 h after giving endotoxin. Because endotoxin decreases absolute cardiac output, the actual perfusion of the tumour will be considerably less than these figures suggest. The decrease in perfusion correlated closely with changes in vascular morphology. Venous congestion on the tumour edge started within 1 h of giving endotoxin and by 3 h, endothelial damage and platelet aggregates were visible. At this time, all cells, tumour, connective tissue and infiltrate in the tumour centre were dead or damaged. By 24–48 h a conspicuous infiltrate of neutrophils and macrophages was present on the edge of the tumour and many of these cells were closely related to tumour cells. We suggest that the haemorrhagic necrosis may be caused by vascular obstruction leading to hypoxia and that the subsequent regression is mediated by activated macrophages and perhaps by neutrophils.
Lactational performance of high producing dairy cows fed diets containing salmon meal and urea.

Abstract Thirty Holstein cows were used in a 12-wk trial to study the effects of salmon meal and urea on lactational performance. Two experimental diets, one containing 5.6% salmon meal and the other 5.2% salmon meal plus .42% urea, were compared with a soybean meal control diet. Salmon meal and urea replaced a portion of the soybean meal. Dietary undegraded intake protein levels (expressed as percentage of CP) were 28.8, 35.6, and 32.4% for soybean meal, salmon meal, and salmon meal plus urea Total mixed diets (average 17.3% CP, 17.6% ADF) consisting of 60% concentrate mixture and 40% bromegrass silage (DM basis) were fed twice daily. Total DMI was lower with salmon meal compared with soybean meal (20.2 versus 22.2 kg/d); salmon meal plus urea (21.2 kg/d) was intermediate. Actual milk production was similar for all diets (average 41.1 kg/d). Percentage milk fat and 4% FCM yield were lower with salmon meal (2.56%, 31.6 kg/d) and salmon meal plus urea (2.50%, 31.4 kg/d) than with soybean meal (3.03%, 35.9 kg/d). Gross efficiency (weight FCM/weight DMI) was higher for soybean meal than for salmon meal and salmon meal plus urea. Acetate:propionate tended to be higher with the soybean meal diet. The use of a high oil fish meal to provide a source of rumen undegraded intake protein, alone or in combination with urea, resulted in a decrease in milk fat percentage and yield without any beneficial effects on milk production or lactational efficiency.
Coordinating conservation: global networking for species survival

The Species Survival Commission (SSC) of IUCN—the World Conservation Union is the largest, most comprehensive and diverse professional conservation network in existence today. It brings together over 6000 volunteers from more than 160 countries to contribute to the conservation of biological diversity by developing and executing programmes to study, save, restore, and manage wisely species and their habitats. The SSC is organized primarily along taxonomic lines, with members distributed in 96 Specialist Groups focusing on distinct groups of species. These groups are a source of the most current and expert information on the conservation status and priorities for action for species in the wild. As such, they provide an invaluable resource in setting priorities for captive propagation and in linking ex situ actions. In addition, the SSC has five disciplinary Specialist Groups that provide expertise to both the zoo community and field conservationists in areas such as reintroductions, veterinary medicine, captive breeding as a conservation tool, and the impact of invasive species on native flora and fauna. The effectiveness of the SSC is greatly enhanced by the close connections within its network between zoo professionals, academic scientists, field conservationists, and managers of natural resources. Challenges to the SSC currently include better information management, organization at the national level, and extending coverage in areas such as marine biodiversity.
Templated xerogels as platforms for biomolecule-less biomolecule sensors.

We report on a new sensor strategy that we have termed protein imprinted xerogels with integrated emission sites (PIXIES). The PIXIES platform is completely self-contained, and it achieves analyte recognition without a biorecognition element (e.g., antibody). The PIXIES relies upon sol-gel-derived xerogels, molecular imprinting, and the selective installation of a luminescent reporter molecule directly within the molecularly imprint site. In operation the templated xerogel selectively recognizes the target analyte, the analyte binds to the template site, and binding causes a change in the physicochemical properties within the template site that are sensed and reported by the luminescent probe molecule. We report the PIXIES analytical figures of merit for and compare these results to a standard ELISA. For human interleukin-1 the PIXIES-based sensor elements exhibited the following analytical figures of merit: (i) approximately 2 pg/mL detection limits; (ii) 85 selectivity; (iv) 95% reversibility after more than 25 cycles; and (vi) >85% recoveries on spiked samples.
Do Variable Rates of Alcohol Drinking Alter the Ability to Use Transdermal Alcohol Monitors to Estimate Peak Breath Alcohol and Total Number of Drinks

BACKGROUND: Transdermal alcohol monitoring is a noninvasive method that continuously gathers transdermal alcohol concentrations (TAC) in real time; thus, its use is becoming increasingly more common in alcohol research. In previous studies, we developed models that use TAC data to estimate peak breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) and standard units consumed when the rate of consumption was tightly controlled. METHODS: Twenty-two healthy participants aged 21 to 52 who reported consuming alcohol on 1 to 4 days per week were recruited from the community. The final study sample included 11 men and 8 women. Both TAC and BrAC were monitored while each participant drank 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 beers in the laboratory on 5 separate days. In contrast to previous studies, a self-paced alcohol administration procedure was used. RESULTS: While there was considerable variation in the times it took to consume each beer, key TAC parameters were not affected by pace of drinking. TAC data were then used in combination with the previously derived equations and estimated peak BrAC and standard units of alcohol consumed. CONCLUSIONS: Transdermal alcohol monitoring can be used to reliably estimate peak BrAC and standard number of units consumed regardless of the rate of consumption, further demonstrating its usefulness in clinical research. Language: en
Transfer of serial information from short-term memory to long-term memory: Toward the locus of the repetition effect

Using a modification of Hebb’s paradigm, a series of 12 digits recurred on every third trial with previously recalled digits and previously missed digits either repeated or changed. The results implied that the transfer of serial information from short-term memory to long-term memory is all-or-none rather than continuous: Changing vs repeating previously missed digits had no effect; the repetition of previously recalled digits was necessary and sufficient to increase recall.
Spanish Diplomacy and English Recusancy in Early Elizabethan England

Reformation governments devoted considerable assets toward monitoring the activities of their wayward subjects who went into exile. Monarchs also provided resources for exiles seeking their support; the "Elizabethan Exiles" who sought refuge at the court of Philip II, and urged the king to undertake a conquest of England on behalf of the faith, are merely among the most famous. However, an even greater task was to provide spiritual, financial and even martial support for those who sought to go into exile, or else could not or would not go into exile. This task largely fell on the shoulders of the diplomatic representatives maintained at foreign courts. For English would-be exiles and recusants, their most likely source of support lay in the form of the Spanish ambassador; all of Philip's representatives offered money and moral encouragement to their coreligionists to varying degrees. There were many instances, especially in the early years of Elizabeth's reign, in which the Spanish ambassadors networked w...
Physiological, biochemical, and mathematical studies of micro‐aerobic continuous ethanol fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. III: Mathematical model of cellular energetics and catabolism

Mathematical models of the catabolic pathways, the utilization and waste of ATP, and the factors affecting yeast growth in a micro-aerobic chemostat are presented. The models incorporate the intracellular metabolite and enzyme activity assays performed in Part II to explain the unusual macroscopic chemostat behaviors reported in Part I. The catabolic model successfully predicts a maximum in the specific ethanol productivity as a function of the intracellular ATP concentration. The ATP balance model enables the prediction of the intracellular ATP concentration and the ATP yield for given dissolved oxygen concentrations. Finally, in the context of a growth model, singularity theory provides a framework to explain the transition observed in Part I between hysteresis and the monotonic biomass versus oxygenation profiles in response to changes in the nutrient composition. The models serve to organize data and to concretely express proposed metabolic mechanisms and cause-effect hypotheses. The model is only applicable to the micro-aerobic and excess glucose conditions encountered in this study.
Molecular differences among neurons reveal an organization of human visual cortex.

Abstract Monoclonal antibody Cat-301 recognizes a cell-surface proteoglycan on subsets of neurons in several areas of the cat and macaque monkey central nervous system. In striate and extrastriate visual cortex of the macaque, the distribution of Cat-301-positive neurons demonstrates features of cellular organization that correlate with previously described functional subdivisions. Here we show that Cat-301 recognizes an antigen in human cortex that is closely related, if not identical, to the antigen in laboratory animals. Further, we use Cat-301 to demonstrate an organization of molecularly defined neurons in primary and secondary visual cortex (cortical areas V1 and V2) of the human. The organization demonstrated with Cat-301 in human area V1 correlates with the organization of ocular dominance columns demonstrated by cytochrome oxidase histochemistry. The organization demonstrated with Cat-301 in human area V2 correlates with the thick stripes of the cytochrome oxidase pattern. The present observations provide evidence for a visual pathway in human cortex homologous to the magnocellular pathway in macaque, a pathway involved in processing the low-contrast, achromatic, and moving components of visual stimuli.
Conformal transformation matrix for fields

Abstract It is shown that the generic conformal transformation matrix for Lorentz-covariant fields is given explicitly by the form S 0 ( a , x ) = exp[ f ( a , x ) a μ x ν M μν ], where M μν denotes the matrix generators of the SL (2, C) representation associated with Lorentz transformations and f ( a , x ) is a universal scalar-invariant function of the conformal transformation parameters a = ( a 0 , a 1 , a 2 , a 3 ) and space-time coordinates x = ( x 0 , x 1 , x 2 , x 3 ).
Stress-resolved and cockroach-friendly piezoelectric sensors

We investigate effects of bending stress on piezoelectric properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a polymer sensor. The sensor was designed and fabricated into a special size and shape so that it can be attached to small insects, such as the American cockroach (Periplaneta Americana) to measure the insects' locomotion. The performance of the sensor is studied using a controlled linear stage to buckle the sensor mimicking the bending of the sensor due to the leg movements of cockroaches. For comparison, a roach robot was used for multi-leg study. Results indicate that buckling motion of the sensor produce an output that is different from regular stretching effect. The sensor-generated charge depends on the localized stress distribution and dipole alignment. This paper discusses the methods of characterization of piezoelectricity useful for insect applications.
Final Results from the AVONEX(R) (Intramuscular Interferon Beta-1a) Pregnancy Exposure Registry (P06.191)

Objective: To prospectively record and analyze pregnancy outcomes in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were exposed to intramuscular interferon beta-1a (IM IFNβ-1a) within approximately 1 week of conception or during the first trimester of pregnancy. Background The onset of MS typically occurs between the ages of 20 and 40 years, affecting women during their reproductive years. Many MS patients are treated with disease-modifying therapy (DMT), but published information on the effects of DMT on pregnancy is limited. In addition to routine surveillance of spontaneous reports, a formal pregnancy registry was created in January 2003 to prospectively evaluate the effect of IM IFNβ-1a on pregnancy outcomes. Design/Methods: The AVONEX Pregnancy Exposure Registry is an observational prospective study conducted in the United States. Information on IM IFNβ-1a use during pregnancy, potential confounding factors, and pregnancy outcomes is collected at months 4–5 of pregnancy and weeks 8–12 post-delivery in order to detect any evidence of teratogenic effects or increased risk of spontaneous loss in pregnancies exposed to IM IFNβ-1a. Birth defect cases include targeted follow-up and adjudication by a birth defect evaluator. An advisory committee of external experts monitors and reviews all pregnancy outcome data. Results: As of May 16, 2011, 307 patients had been enrolled in the registry, and recruitment was completed; 298 cases with outcomes were available, including 261 live births and 30 spontaneous abortions. Twenty-seven outcomes resulted in defects. Final results, including the advisory committee9s interpretation of the data, will be presented. Conclusions: The most recent advisory committee review took place in October 2009, when approximately 75% of the pregnancy outcomes were available. At that time it was concluded that the registry data did not suggest any effect of IM IFNβ-1a exposure on pregnancy outcomes. Now that the registry is fully accrued, we will present results from the complete data set. Supported by: Biogen Idec Inc. Disclosure: Dr. Richman has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec as employees.Dr. Richman holds stock and/or options in Biogen Idec, which sponsored research in which Dr. Richman was involved as an investigator. Ms. Wallace has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec as an employee. Dr. Liu has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec as an employee.Dr. Liu holds stock and/or stock options in Biogen Idec Inc. Dr. Sperling has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec as an employee. Dr. Sperling holds stock and/or stock options in Biogen Idec.
X-efficiency, rent-seeking and social costs: Reply

Contrary to their claim, Naughton and Frantz fail to disprove the fundamental difference in the social costs of rent-seeking and X-inefficiency identified in our paper. Nor have they shown that our measure of the social costs is incorrect. What they have done is introduce, in an ex post fashion, fixed costs for X-inefficiency. But they fail to provide any explanation of why the inefficiency should take the fixed cost form or why there should be unrecoverable sunk costs. Quite aside from the issue of dissipation, Naughton and Frantz also argue that the level of rent-seeking cost is inherently vague, a contention with which we disagree.
Isotope effect of mercury diffusion in air.

Identifying and reducing impacts from mercury sources in the environment remains a considerable challenge and requires process based models to quantify mercury stocks and flows. The stable isotope composition of mercury in environmental samples can help address this challenge by serving as a tracer of specific sources and processes. Mercury isotope variations are small and result only from isotope fractionation during transport, equilibrium, and transformation processes. Because these processes occur in both industrial and environmental settings, knowledge of their associated isotope effects is required to interpret mercury isotope data. To improve the mechanistic modeling of mercury isotope effects during gas phase diffusion, an experimental program tested the applicability of kinetic gas theory. Gas-phase elemental mercury diffusion through small bore needles from finite sources demonstrated mass dependent diffusivities leading to isotope fractionation described by a Rayleigh distillation model. The mea...
Nursing Roles within a Stroke Telemedicine Network

Time sensitive acute stroke treatments and the growing shortage of vascular neurologists compound to create a gap in the delivery of care to meet the American Stroke Association guidelines in underserviced regions. Audio/video consultation (telemedicine), which has been evolving since the late 1990’s, is a putative solution. While telemedicine can serve as a valuable facilitative tool, the telestroke consultation is only one piece of a complex collaboration between hub and spoke environments and clinical personnel. The growing use of telemedicine in stroke offers more opportunities for all nurses to participate in the continuum of cerebrovascular disease care. A review of this collaboration will include but will not be limited to: algorithms of the acute stroke evaluation, hub and spoke staff meetings, stroke education for spoke staff, and patient follow-up post acute treatment. Our team’s telemedicine experience, utilizing research, education, and clinical practice, will be described.
Benign meningioma with a short latency period following irradiation.

Abstract Meningiomas have been reported following radiation of the head, usually with a long latent interval between exposure and the diagnosis of the new tumor. We report a benign meningioma resected approximately 3 1 2 years after radiation therapy for a glioma, which represents an unusually short latent interval between radiation and new tumor growth
Margin control in open radical prostatectomy: What are the real outcomes?

The complete surgical removal of the prostate gland remains a technically challenging procedure utilizing any surgical technique. As with laparoscopic techniques, open radical retropubic prostatectomy techniques have been modified and continue to evolve but biological risk factors influence outcomes as well. A positive surgical margin, regardless of number or location, is an independent predictor of not only disease recurrence but also for receiving secondary treatment. Further research is needed to examine methods to continue to improve outcomes. Follow-up and possible adjuvant therapy needs to be individualized as the optimal timing and treatment modality continue to evolve.
Temporal Patterns in Rates of Community Change during Succession

Abstract: While ecological dogma holds that rates of community change decrease over the course of succession, this idea has yet to be tested systematically across a wide variety of successional sequences. Here, I review and define several measures of community change rates for species presence‐absence data and test for temporal patterns therein using data acquired from 16 studies comprising 62 successional sequences. Community types include plant secondary and primary succession as well as succession of arthropods on defaunated mangrove islands and carcasses. Rates of species gain generally decline through time, whereas rates of species loss display no systematic temporal trends. As a result, percent community turnover generally declines while species richness increases—both in a decelerating manner. Although communities with relatively minor abiotic and dispersal limitations (e.g., plant secondary successional communities) exhibit rapidly declining rates of change, limitations arising from harsh abiotic ...
An unusual case of multilocular cystic nephroma with prominent renal pelvis involvement treated with nephron sparing techniques.

Multilocular cystic nephroma is an unusual entity of uncertain etiology that typically arises from the renal parenchyma and is often treated with nephrectomy.1 We report a case of multilocular cystic nephroma with prominent renal pelvis extension that was successfully treated with nephron sparing techniques. CASE REPORT A 53-year-old man presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain and postprandial nausea. Medical history included left nephrolithiasis and bilateral simple renal cysts, and physical examination was unremarkable. Urinalysis revealed microscopic hematuria and urine cytology was negative. Biochemical parameters and renal function were normal. Ultrasound demonstrated cholelithiasis, left simple renal cysts and a large complex cystic mass in the mid portion of the right kidney with extension into the right renal pelvis and right hydronephrosis. Computerized tomography verified a 6.5 cm. complex cystic mass in the right kidney with prominent extension into the renal pelvis (see figure). A right retrograde pyelogram revealed a large tongue-like filling defect in the renal pelvis. Right ureteroscopy demonstrated a multilocular cystic structure arising from the renal pelvis. Abdominal exploration and cholecystectomy were completed through an anterior subcostal approach. The portion of the multilocular cyst arising from the renal parenchyma was unroofed and hemostasis was obtained with running mattress sutures. A pyelotomy was made and the large multilocular lesion protruding into the renal pelvis was removed. The remaining portion of the right kidney was spared. Pathological examination
Site-Specific Incorporation of p-Propargyloxyphenylalanine in a Cell-Free Environment for Direct Protein−Protein Click Conjugation

The tyrosine analog p-propargyloxyphenylalanine (pPa), like tyrosine, has limited water solubility. It has been postulated that this limited solubility has contributed to reduced cellular uptake of pPa and thus reduced in vivo incorporation of pPa into proteins. Using a cell-free protein synthesis system (CFPS) to circumvent cellular uptake, pPa has been incorporated site-specifically into proteins with high specificity at yields up to 27 times greater than the highest previously reported yield. The alkyne group present on proteins incorporated with pPa provides a reactive residue for site-specific bioconjugation with the copper(I)-catalyzed azide−alkyne [3 + 2] cycloaddition (CuAAC). Previously, incorporation of another CuAAC-compatible unnatural amino acid p-azido-l-phenylalanine (pAz) was demonstrated with CFPS. However, incorporation of pPa may be preferred over pAz due to the instability of the pAz’s aryl-azido moiety upon UV or near-UV light exposure. Also, the ability to incorporate site-specifical...
Using latent semantic indexing for multilanguage information retrieval

In this paper, a method for indexing cross-language databases for conceptual query matching is presented. Two languages (Greek and English) are combined by appending a small portion of documents from one language to the identical documents in the other language. The proposed merging strategy duplicates less than 7% of the entire database (made up of different translations of the Gospels). Previous strategies duplicated up to 34% of the initial database in order to perform the merger. The proposed method retrieves a larger number of relevant documents for both languages with higher cosine rankings when Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is employed. Using the proposed merge strategies, LSI is shown to be effective in retrieving documents from either language (Greek or English) without requiring any translation of a user's query. An effective Bible search product needs to allow the use of natural language for searching (queries). LSI enables the user to form queries with using natural expressions in the user's own native language. The merging strategy proposed in this study enables LSI to retrieve relevant documents effectively using a minimum of the database in a foreign language.
Establishment, persistence and dominance of Corallina (Rhodophyta) in algal turf

The dominance of Corallina thalli in an intertidal algal assemblage was examined by a series of algal removal experiments to test the hypothesis that other tam are competitively excluded from rock substrate. An alternate explanation, that environmental factors seasonally filter out taxa leaving Corallina as the only alga adapted for year to year survival, was considered. Development of vegetation on patches of naturally exposed bare rock was monitored and compared with manipulated surfaces. Thalli of several species were selectively removed from exposed surfaces and intact turf;. changes in tam occupying primary substrate were recorded over more than three years. No significant differences in mean percent cover for Corallina, Lithothrix, bare rock, or algal crusts were found among treatments. Except for initial growth of colonizing species, abundances of other species dad not increase in the absence of Corallina. Large amounts of rock remained bare or intermittently covered by transient populations of short-lived algae. Data from single quad-rats, where individual clumps of Lithothrix were followed from month to month, indicated that the continued presence of this co-occurring and often abundant species depended on turnover of short-lived thalli rather than persistence of the same clumps. No interactions were found among the several categories of species that appeared after rock substrate was cleared. Most species were the same ones that grew, epiphytically in intact turf at the same time. In control quadrats Corallina maintained 59-95% cover while slowly increasing on surfaces earlier exposed. I predict that Corallina species will regain their dominance in the absence of competitors for primary substrate if the slowly spreading basal crusts remain undisturbed. Morphological and life history characteristics are identified that adapt Corallina to its dominant role in this habitat.
Microstructural Characterization of Graded‐Index Antireflective Films

The miscrostructure of graded-index antirefection (GIAR) films was characterized using transmission and scanning electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and replication. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray scattering results agree for the entire coarsening history of the phase-separated substrate borosilicate glass. The complexity of the replication process and the metallization used for scanning electron microscopy caused the effective resolution limits for GIAR films to be much larger than the inherent resolution limits for each instrumentation.
Modulation of the Ca2+ channel voltage sensor and excitation-contraction coupling by silver.

Ag+ (0.5–10 microM) is known to produce a transient contraction of intact frog skeletal muscle fibers followed by complete inhibition of excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling. We have carried out physiological and biochemical experiments to investigate the basis of this effect. Dihydropyridine (DHP) Ca2+ channel blockers, which inhibit the voltage sensor of the Ca2+ channel, completely inhibit Ag+ contractions. Removal of extracellular Ca2+, or blockade of Ca2+ entry with cadmium, does not inhibit Ag+ contractions. Activation of the Ca2+ channel's voltage sensor with the Ca2+ channel agonists Bay K 8644 or with perchlorate, potentiates the Ag(+)-induced contraction. Ag+ binds to the partially purified rabbit skeletal muscle Ca2+ channel and inhibits DHP binding (IC50 = 1.1 microM) and sulfhydryl (SH) reactivity (IC50 = 0.11 microM) over the concentration range where it inhibits E-C coupling. Oxidation of free SH groups by H2O2 or their reaction with DTNB prevents Ag+ contractions, while DTT reduction of oxidized SH groups restores Ag+ contractions. These results suggest that Ag+ binds to critical SH groups on the DHP receptor Ca2+ channel, resulting in modification of the channel's voltage sensor and the failure of E-C coupling.
Biosensor-controlled gene therapy/drug delivery with nanoparticles for nanomedicine

Nanomedicine involves cell-by-cell regenerative medicine, either repairing cells one at a time or triggering apoptotic pathways in cells that are not repairable. Multilayered nanoparticle systems are being constructed for the targeted delivery of gene therapy to single cells. Cleavable shells containing targeting, biosensing, and gene therapeutic molecules are being constructed to direct nanoparticles to desired intracellular targets. Therapeutic gene sequences are controlled by biosensor-activated control switches to provide the proper amount of gene therapy on a single cell basis. The central idea is to set up gene therapy "nanofactories" inside single living cells. Molecular biosensors linked to these genes control their expression. Gene delivery is started in response to a biosensor detected problem; gene delivery is halted when the cell response indicates that more gene therapy is not needed. Cell targeting of nanoparticles, both nanocrystals and nanocapsules, has been tested by a combination of fluorescent tracking dyes, fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Intracellular targeting has been tested by confocal microscopy. Successful gene delivery has been visualized by use of GFP reporter sequences. DNA tethering techniques were used to increase the level of expression of these genes. Integrated nanomedical systems are being designed, constructed, and tested in-vitro, ex-vivo, and in small animals. While still in its infancy, nanomedicine represents a paradigm shift in thinking-from destruction of injured cells by surgery, radiation, chemotherapy to cell-by-cell repair within an organ and destruction of non-repairable cells by natural apoptosis.