cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Retrovirus integrase : identification of a potential leucine zipper motif

The secondary structure of the retrovirus integration protein (IN) was predicted from seven inferred retrovirus IN sequences. The IN sequences were aligned by computer and the phylogenetic relationships between them were determined. The secondary structure of the aligned IN sequences was predicted by two consensus prediction methods. The predicted secondary structural patterns from the two consensus prediction schemes were compared with and superimposed on a composite structural profile of hydropathic/chain flexibility/amphipathic indexes with each index profile being calculated independently for the aligned IN sequences. The use of this composite structural profile not only enhanced the prediction accuracy but also helped in defining the surface loop regions which would be otherwise unpredictable by the use of consensus prediction methods alone. An amphipathic helix was identified by these united structural prediction-chain property profiles. Helical wheel analysis gave the amphipathic helix a coiled-coil like pattern which was similar to the leucine zipper discovered for some eukaryotic gene regulatory proteins. The proposed amphipathic helix may play an essential role in defining the biological properties of IN.
163 ROLE OF THE RENIN-ALDOSTERONE SYSTEM IN HYPERTENSION COARCTATION OF THE AORTA

The role of the renin-aldosterone system in the etiology of hypertension due to coarctation of the aorta was evaluated in pre-operative adolescents hospitalized in the Pediatric Clinical Research Center. Five patients aged 12-20 years were studied. Blood pressure was 146/82 to 170/115 in 4 patients and 130/84 mm Hg in a 12 year old. Variable sodium (Na) diets were administered during hospitalization. Patients received normal Na (100-150 meq/day), low Na (10 meq/day), and high Na (250 meq/day) diets for a minimum of 3 days/diet. Potassium (K) intake was maintained at 50 meq/day. Daily 24-hour urinary aldosterone (aldo), Na, and K excretions were obtained. Plasma renin activity (PRA) was measured at rest and after ambulation. Patients received no medication. All were in K balance and had normal serum K. The aldo response to changes in dietary Na was qualitatively and quantitatively normal when compared to the nomogram of New et al. The response of PRA to differential Na diets was also qualitatively normal. However, PRA was more variable than previously reported in adults. In some patients, the response of PRA to ambulation and/or low Na diet was higher than reported adult standards. The significance of this response requires further evaluation. We conclude that the renin-aldosterone system was intact in these hypertensive adolescents with coarctation of the aorta.
Retention of messenger activity of RNA phage RNA following RPC-5 chromatography

Abstract RNA from bacteriophages MS2 and Qβ can be chromatographed on reverse-phase-chromatography-5 (RPC-5) columns and, subsequent to the chromatography, the RNAs retain their messenger activity and direct the initiation of their respective gene products in approximately the proper relative proportions. Further, MS2 RNA chromatographs as a discrete peak even in the presence of bulk Escherichia coli RNA on these columns. Pulse-labeled E. coli RNA is spread throughout the fractions of an RPC-5 column separation, suggesting that individual bacterial messenger RNA species could be fractionated in this manner. These results indicate that RPC-5 column chromatography is a potentially useful procedure as a method for fractionating and purifying mRNA.
Analysis of RNA from Alzheimer's Disease Post-mortem Brain Tissues.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a uniquely human, age-related central nervous system (CNS) disorder for which there is no adequate experimental model. While well over 100 transgenic murine models of AD (TgAD) have been developed that recapitulate many of the neuropathological features of AD, key pathological features of AD such as progressive neuronal atrophy, neuron cell loss, and neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) formation have not been observed in any TgAD model to date. To more completely analyze and understand the neuropathology, altered neuro-inflammatory and innate-immune signaling pathways, and the complex molecular-genetics and epigenetics of AD, it is therefore necessary to rigorously examine short post-mortem interval (PMI) human brain tissues to gain a deeper and more thorough insight into the neuropathological mechanisms that characterize the AD process. This perspective-methods paper will highlight some important recent findings on the utilization of short PMI tissues in sporadic (idiopathic; of unknown origin) AD research with focus on the extraction and quantification of RNA, and in particular microRNA (miRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) and analytical strategies, drawing on the authors’ combined 125 years of laboratory experience into this investigative research area. We sincerely hope that new investigators in the field of “gene expression analysis in neurological disease” will benefit from the observations presented here and incorporate these recent findings and observations into their future experimental planning and design.
Dose-dependent effects on tissue distribution and metabolism of dimethylarsinic acid in the mouse after intravenous administration.

Abstract Most mammals methylate inorganic arsenic to dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). This organic arsenical causes organ-specific toxicity and is a multi-organ tumor promoter. The objective of this study was to examine whether dose could affect the distribution and metabolism of DMA. Female B6C3F1 mice (3–4/time point) were administered 1.11 or 111 mg/kg of DMA (1 μCi of [14C] or unlabeled) intravenously and killed serially (5–480 min). Blood was separated into plasma and red blood cell fractions and liver, kidney and lung were removed, weighed and homogenized. Tissue samples were oxidized and analyzed for DMA-derived radioactivity. Blood and several organs of the non-radioactive DMA-treated animals were digested in acid and analyzed by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrophotometry for DMA and metabolites. Concentration–time profiles showed a biexponential decrease of DMA-derived radioactivity in all tissues examined. Kidney had the highest concentration (1–20% dose/gm) of radioactivity of all tissues up to 60 min post-administration. Concentration of radioactivity was greater in plasma than red blood cells at 5 and 15 min and then was similar for the remaining time points. A dose-dependent effect on the concentration of radioactivity was observed in the lung. The retention of radioactivity in the lung was altered compared with liver and kidney, with a much longer t 1 2 β and a disproportionate increase in area under the curve with increased dose. No methylated or demethylated products of DMA were detected in blood or any organ up to 8 h post-exposure. The dose-dependent distribution of DMA in the lung may have a role in the toxic effects DMA elicits in this organ.
g-Tensor determination from single-crystal ESR data

Abstract A general method is presented for extraction of the g tensor from single-crystal electron spin resonance data. This method does not depend on knowledge of crystal morphology or on the presence of crystallographic symmetry. The g values are obtained from rotations around three arbitrarily chosen but accurately known axes.
On the Interpretation of the High Resolution NMR Spectra of Solid Fatty Acids - the Role of Impurities

Abstract 1H NMR evidence is presented for stearic acid (C17 H35COOH) doped with H2O or stearyl alcohol which shows that the recently reported hish resolution spectra of solid long-chain fatty acids may be interpreted solely in terms of the impurity content of the materials without recourse to “monomeric” postulates.
On the use of the gonosomatic index

Abstract 1. 1. Using data collected from two teleostean fish species the assumptions of the gonosomatic index (GSI) were examined primarily by regression analysis and analysis of covariance. 2. 2. Standard length of the fish and standard length cubed can have a higher degree of correlation with ovarian weight as compared to body weight. Therefore, an ovarian weight-body weight ratio is not always the best way of expressing a gonadal index. 3. 3. When ovarian weight is regressed on some expression of body size, intercepts of the regression equations have a non-zero intercept. Furthermore, intercepts of regression equations from fish in different ovarian development stages are not always statistically homogenous. These findings are inconsistent with the GSI assumption of a zero intercept. 4. 4. The relationship of ovarian weight to body size changes with the stage of oocyte development. Thus, the GSI is an inaccurate means of comparing gonadal activity between experimental groups. 5. 5. When independent and dependent variables are subjected to log transformations, the relationship of ovarian weight to body size is less likely to vary with stage of oocyte development. Thus, expressing ovarian weight as an exponential function of some measure of body size may provide a more appropriate gonadal index. 6. 6. The analyses presented disclose that the GSI is not an accurate indicator of gonadal activity.
Temperature Fluctuations Accompanying Water Movement through Porous Media.

Temperature measurements were made at localized sites in bentonite, kaolinite, and small glass beads during infiltration. The temperature of the medium was observed to rise gradually and then to drop sharply as the infiltrating water approached and reached the measurement site. Temperature fluctuations were observed to be about 9°C for bentonite, 4°C for kaolinite, and 0.1°C for the glass beads.
Base-base mismatches. Thermodynamics of double helix formation for dCA3XA3G + dCT3YT3G (X, Y = A,C,G,T).

Thermodynamic parameters for double strand formation have been measured for the sixteen double helices of the sequence dCA3XA3G.dCT3YT3G, with each of the bases A, C, G and T at the positions labelled X and Y. The results are analyzed in terms of nearest-neighbors and are compared with thermodynamic parameters for RNA secondary structure. At room temperature the sequence (Formula: see text) is more stable than (Formula: see text) and is similar in stability to (Formula: see text) and (Formula: see text) are least stable. At higher temperatures the sequences containing a G.C base pair become more stable than those containing only A.T. All molecules containing mismatches are destabilized with respect to those with only Watson-Crick pairing, but there is a wide range of destabilization. At room temperature the most stable mismatches are those containing guanine (G.T, G.G, G.A); the least stable contain cytosine (C.A, C.C). At higher temperatures pyrimidine-pyrimidine mismatches become the least stable.
Effect of time of day on intraindividual variability in ambulatory blood pressure

The aim of this study was to determine whether intraindividual blood pressure (BP) variability, measured by noninvasive ambulatory monitoring, differs between the active (daytime) and inactive (nighttime) periods of the day. We obtained ambulatory BP recordings in 143 healthy adults (95 men, 48 women) from Rochester, Minnesota. Readings were obtained every 10 min for a 24-h period. We calculated the standard deviation of each individual's BP readings about the means for the active period and for the inactive period as measures of intraindividual BP variability. In men, mean within-individual standard deviations for both systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were significantly greater during the inactive period than during the active period (for SBP: 10.3 +/- 2.1 v 11.9 +/- 2.7, P < .0001; for DBP: 8.8 +/- 2.0 v 9.7 +/- 2.5, P = .0027). In women, the mean within-individual standard deviation for SBP did not differ significantly between the active and inactive periods (9.7 +/- 2.2 v 10.3 +/- 2.4, P = 0.225) but for DBP was significantly greater during the inactive period than during the active period (8.1 +/- 2.0 v 9.2 +/- 2.3, P = .020). Statistically significant predictors of intraindividual BP variability included measures of age and body size, metabolic traits, neuroendocrine traits, erythrocyte cation traits, and renal function traits. This study demonstrates that intraindividual BP variability, as measured by noninvasive ambulatory monitoring, is as great or greater during the inactive period as during the active period of the day.
Ion channels as pharmacologic receptors: the chirality of drug interactions.

Ion channels are pharmocologic receptors and as such exhibit stereoselective interactions with drugs. Ion channels are conformationally mobile transmembrane proteins existing in a number of open and closed states. Drug interactions with these different states may differ quantitatively and qualitatively. Stereoselectivity may not be a constant factor and may change according to channel state as determined by stimulus mode or experimental conditions. Selected examples are cited for Na+ and Ca2+ channels. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cataract surgery in allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients with graft-versus-host disease

Abstract Purpose To study the outcomes of cataract surgery in allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients with documented graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and to elucidate the concomitant ocular surface problems often encountered in these patients. Setting W.K. Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Methods This retrospective study comprised 12 cataract surgeries in 7 patients with GVHD) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. In particular, visual acuity improvement, surgical complications, and problems associated with concomitant ocular surface disease were reviewed. Results The mean visual acuity improved significantly from 20/46 (logMAR 0.32) preoperatively to 20/21 (logMAR 0.02) postoperatively (P Conclusion With aggressive management of dry eyes and other ocular surface problems, cataract surgery had excellent outcomes in patients with GVHD.
Regulation of GLUT4 mRNA stability by tumor necrosis factor-alpha: alterations in both protein binding to the 3' untranslated region and initiation of translation.

Abstract Previous studies from our laboratory have demonstrated that exposure of the 3T3-L1 adipocytes to TNF resulted in a 50% decrease in the half-life of the GLUT4 mRNA from 9.5h (control) to 4.5h (treated cells) (1). In the current study we report that coincident with the alteration of the half-life of the message, TNF treatment resulted in an increase in the binding of a protein to the proximal 200 bases of the 3′UTR. In addition the distribution of GLUT4 mRNA in polysome profiles was altered such that message accumulated as a 40S preinitiation complex, consistent with an attenuation of initiation. In summary, our data suggest that enhanced decay of the GLUT4 mRNA may occur through a mechanism involving accumulation of a 40s preinitiation complex which correlates with increased protein binding to the 3′UTR.
Space applications of high temperature superconductivity: The High Temperature Superconductivity Space Experiment (HTSSE)

Abstract The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is exploring the feasibility of deploying high temperature superconducting electrical and electronic devices and components in military systems, especially in space. The initial High Temperature Superconductivity Space Experiment (HTSSE-I) will demonstrate that High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) technology is sufficiently robust to survive the space environment and that it has the potential to significantly improved military systems. The devices for this mission have been procured, tested, space qualified and integrated into a space package which was shipped from NRL for on-orbit mission which is scheduled for 1993. The second HTSSE program began in 1991 when contracts were awarded for the procurement of a variety of advanced devices and subsystems based on HTS technology. Two versions of each component in space qualified packages will be delivered to NRL for electrical verification, space qualification, and integration with cryogenic refrigerators and the necessary ambient temperature electronics into a payload which will be in orbit late in 1996. This paper will describe the properties of superconductivity which may impact communications and surveillance systems and describe how HTS can be employed beneficially in operational electronic systems.
An open access database for Himalayan environmental management

Environmental management in the Himalayas requires creation of a database with collaborative public sharing of data Himalayan Journal of Sciences Vol.4(6) 2007 p.7-8
Impaired and spared cholinergic functions in the hippocampus after lesions of the medial septum/vertical limb of the diagonal band with 192 IgG-saporin

To lesion the cholinergic input to the hippocampus, rats received injections of 192 IgG-saporin into the medial septum/vertical limb of the diagonal band (MS/VDB). The lesions produced near-total loss of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-positive neurons in the MS/VDB. The loss was accompanied, however, by only partial decreases (to 40% of control levels) in acetylcholine (ACh) release in the hippocampus. Moreover, ACh release in the hippocampus increased when lesioned and control rats were tested on a spontaneous alternation task, indicating that there was significant residual cholinergic function in the hippocampus. The lesions were sufficient to impair spontaneous alternation scores. However, this impairment could be reversed by either systemic or intra-hippocampal injections of the indirect cholinergic agonist, physostigmine, providing additional evidence of residual and effective cholinergic functions in the hippocampus of lesioned rats. Moreover, systemic injections of physostigmine at doses that produced mild tremors in control rats led to more severe tremors in the lesioned rats, suggesting upregulation of cholinergic mechanisms after saporin lesions, likely in brain areas other than the hippocampus. Thus, these findings provide evidence for decreases in cholinergic input to the hippocampus accompanied by deficits on a spontaneous alternation tasks. The findings also provide evidence for considerable residual cholinergic input to the hippocampus after saporin lesions of the MS/VDB. Together, the results suggest that 192 IgG-saporin lesions of the MS/VDB, using methods often employed, do not fully remove septohippocampal cholinergic input to the hippocampus but are nonetheless sufficient to produce impairments on a task impaired by hippocampal lesions.
Historical biogeography and speciation in the Neotropical highlands: Molecular phylogenetics of the jay genus Cyanolyca

Abstract Phylogenetic relationships were studied in the genus Cyanolyca , an assemblage of jays distributed from Mexico south to Bolivia. Given its fragmented distribution along the humid forests of the Neotropics, the genus Cyanolyca is a model group for exploring hypotheses on biogeography and speciation. Phylogenetic analyses were based on two mitochondrial and three nuclear loci; taxon sampling includes all species in the genus and most subspecies. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analyses produced trees that were congruent and highly robust at both terminal and deep nodes of the phylogeny. Cyanolyca comprises two major clades: one contains the Mesoamerican “dwarf” jays, and the other consists of two main groups— C. cucullata + C. pulchra and the “core” South American species. Prior hypotheses of relationships were explored statistically using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian approaches. Dispersal-Vicariance analysis revealed the importance of the Northern Andes as a major center for biological diversification, and the effects of dispersal across the Panamanian Land Bridge in the composition of South American and Mesoamerican avifaunas. Phylogenetic patterns are highly congruent with an allopatric mode of speciation. Implications of these results are discussed in the context of the biogeography of Neotropical montane forests.
Isolation of Beta-hemolytic Streptococci from the Respiratory Tract: Serotypic Distribution and Clinical Significance

Isolates of beta-hemolytic streptococci obtained from respiratory tract specimens were studied for determination of their serogroup, and Patients' charts were reviewed for the clinical significance of these respiratory isolates. Fifteen of 69 patients were considered to have definite respiratory infection. Thirteen of these 15 patients had Group B beta-hemolytic streptococci. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated concomitantly with Group B streptococci (GBS) in 34% of cases, but rarely was it isolated with other beta-hemolytic streptococci. Sero-groups of beta-hemolytic streptococci were compared with respect to the patient's underlying disease, age, and clinical outcome. Patients who had GBS isolated from sputum were elderly (mean age, 68.1 years) and were older than patients with other beta-hemolytic isolates (mean age, 56 years). Patients with Group B streptococci were more likely to have cerebrovascular disease, whereas patients with Group C, G, and F were more likely to have malignancy, particularly of the head and neck.
Catabolism and Deactivation of the Lipid-Derived Hormone Jasmonoyl-Isoleucine

The oxylipin hormone jasmonate controls myriad processes involved in plant growth, development, and immune function. The discovery of jasmonoyl-l-isoleucine (JA-Ile) as the major bioactive form of the hormone highlights the need to understand biochemical and cell biological processes underlying JA-Ile homeostasis. Among the major metabolic control points governing the accumulation of JA-Ile in plant tissues are the availability of jasmonic acid, the immediate precursor of JA-Ile, and oxidative enzymes involved in catabolism and deactivation of the hormone. Recent studies indicate that JA-Ile turnover is mediated by a ω-oxidation pathway involving members of the CYP94 family of cytochromes P450. This discovery opens new opportunities to genetically manipulate JA-Ile levels for enhanced resistance to environmental stress, and further highlights ω-oxidation as a conserved pathway for catabolism of lipid-derived signals in plants and animals. Functional characterization of the full complement of CYP94 P450s promises to reveal new pathways for jasmonate metabolism and provide insight into the evolution of oxylipin signaling in land plants.
Coupling agent and glass fibers in polyester mortar

This study investigates the influence of aggregates, glass fibers and a coupling agent on the compressive and flexural (three-point and four-point bending) behavior of a polyester mortar. Particle size of fine aggregates (quartz and limestone) varied from 0.1 to 5 mm (0.004 to 0.2 inch) and the glass fiber content was varied up to 6% by weight of mortar. A silane was introduced into the polyester mortar by pretreating the aggregates and the glass fibers. The mechanical properties of mortar were studied at room temperature. The test results indicate that the selection of aggregate type, size and distribution is very important. Silane treated aggregate systems showed more than 66% increase in compressive strength and 35% increase in flexural strength when compared to the untreated systems. Addition of glass fibers enhances the strength and toughness of the polyester mortar, and silane treatment of glass fibers helps to further enhance these properties. Flexural (three-point bending)-to-compressive strength ratio varied from 0.28 to 0.35 for unreinforced system and from 0.26 to 0.54 for the reinforced system. The mortar with only 14% polyester and 86% aggregates (by weight) and a coupling agent had a compressive strength of 103 MPa (15,000 psi) which is 94% of the polyester polymer strength. A stress-strain relationship is proposed to represent the complete stress-strain response under compression and flexural loading. Also, a method is proposed to quantify the failure patterns.
Three dimensional conformal radiotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer : low risk of chronic rectal morbidity observed in a large series of patients

Purpose : Three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT) may provide a technique to increase the dose delivered to target tissues while sparing uninvolved normal structures. To evaluate the role of 3D treatment in reducing the treatment toxicity, we analyzed the chronic rectal morbidity observed in a large group of patients undergoing radiotherapy for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials : From 1987 through 1992, 721 prostate cancer patients were treated with 3D CRT at the University of Michigan or Providence Hospital. All had axial computed tomography (CT) specifically for RT planning, multiple structures contoured on the axial images, and beam's-eye-view conformal beams edited to provide 3D dose coverage. Using current American Joint Commission (AJCC) staging, 537 patients had T1-T2 tumors, 123 had T3-T4 tumors, and 60 were treated postprostatectomy. Pelvic lymph nodes were treated in 462 patients. Prostate boosts were delivered with four-field axial, six-field axial, or four-field oblique, nonaxial fields. The median dose was 68.40 Gy (range 59.4-80.4). Median follow-up was 20.4 months ; 175 were followed more than 3 years. All complications have been graded conservatively using the RTOG system. Results : Using a Cox proportional hazard's model, patient age, T-stage, prescribed dose, pelvic treatment, and boost technique were analyzed. The factor most strongly related to risk of morbidity was dose (p = 0.05) ; however, the boost technique was also related : the four-field oblique field had the lowest relative risk. Most episodes of rectal morbidity have been mild : 82 Grade 1 or 2. There have been only 14 more serious complications including 12 Grade 3 and 2 Grade 4. The actuarial risk of a Grade 3 or 4 complication is 3% at 3 and 5 years. Conclusions : A very small proportion of patients treated with 3D CRT had significant rectal morbidity related to RT, supporting the use of conformal treatment planning and dose delivery as a mechanism to minimize complications in the treatment of prostate cancer.
Curvature effects in alloy dissolution

An elemental metal can dissolve at kink sites at low over potentials producing no new interfacial area. When an ideal solid solution alloy undergoes selective dissolution, this situation is not possible owing to atomic-scale disorder. Dissolution of the less noble constituent can proceed only by injection of regions of negative curvature into the solid surface, which increases the interfacial area. The authors present a thermodynamic analysis which accounts for these capillary effects in alloy dissolution. The phenomenon of the critical potential for macroscopic selective dissolution is analyzed in terms of a kinetic roughening transition. This transition results from a competition between curvature-dependent dissolution and surface diffusion. An expression for the critical potential as a function of alloy composition is developed. The dealloying threshold corresponds to a critical composition on the line of critical potentials defining the roughening transition.
Preparation of methylcyclopentane-1-d1

The title compound has been prepared in 70% yield by the reaction between 1-chloro-1-methylcyclopentane and deuterotributylstannane, without solvent. Small amounts (0.7–3.5%) of unreacted starting material remained after the reaction and were removed by solvolytic HCl elimination with water or aqueous sodium hydroxide, followed by oxidation with potassium permanganate or bromine addition at low temperature, which form products of low volatility. Small amounts of a by-product, deuterobutane, resulting from the cleavage of the carbon-tin bond in the reactant were also observed in the product. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conceptualizing Media Enjoyment as Attitude: Implications for Mass Media Effects Research

Despite its popularity in mass media effects research, the concept of media enjoyment has yet to be clearly explicated or theoretically integrated into media effects theories. In this analysis, the authors begin to address these limitations by first reviewing terms that have been used to capture the concept of media enjoyment, considering their underlying common features. The authors then introduce a tripartite model of media enjoyment-as-attitude and examine how past research meshes with this perspective. Finally, they consider how enjoyment-as-attitude predicts volitional and spontaneous behavioral outcomes in terms of both media exposure and content-influenced action (e.g., imitation) from 3 theoretical perspectives (uses and gratifications, social cognitive theory, and cultivation). In this way, the article sheds light on how the concept of enjoyment might help to elaborate the understanding of those theoretical processes and, conversely, how extant theoretical perspectives might inform the study of media enjoyment.
Surface atomic and electronic structure of cassiterite SnO2 (110).

Using a tight-binding, total-energy model, we have calculated relaxed surface atomic positions, surface-state energies, and densities of states for the reduced and stoichiometric (110) surfaces of rutile-structure tin dioxide (cassiterite). Both relaxed surfaces display a small rumple of the top atomic layer and smaller counter-rumples of the subsurface layers. The surface-state energy lowering caused by the relaxation is small because of the surface topology, which forbids bond-length-conserving motions of the surface atoms. The density of states for the reduced surface agrees qualitatively with photoemission data that indicate the absence of surface states in the fundamental gap of the material.
Differences in the Incidence of Hepatitis B and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infections among Injecting Drug Users

Both hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 seroconversions have been considered as outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of needle exchange programs. To assess the relationship between incident HBV and HIV infections among injecting drug users (IDUs), seroconversions were prospectively studied among a cohort of 240 HBV- and HIV-seronegative IDUs. The incidence of HBV seroconversion declined from 24.41/100 person-years in 1988 to 0 seroconversions in 1992. In contrast, HIV seroconversion rates varied little from the overall rate of 3.29/100 person-years. HBV seroconversion predicted subsequent HIV seroconversion among male IDUs (relative incidence [RI] = 4.23) but not among female IDUs (RI = 0.86). Because of different transmission dynamics, HBV seroconversion probably has limited utility as a surrogate outcome measure for incident HIV. However, HBV seroconversion itself is an appropriate and important outcome measure for evaluation of prevention programs among IDUs.
On polynomial cases of the unichain classification problem for Markov Decision Processes

The Unichain classification problem detects whether a finite state and action MDP is unichain under all deterministic policies. This problem is NP-hard. This paper provides polynomial algorithms for this problem when there is a state that is either recurrent under all deterministic policies or absorbing under some action.
Crop surveys from multiband satellite photography using digital techniques

Crop surveys from multiband and multibase satellite photography during Apollo 9 mission, using statistical multispectral pattern recognition digital techniques
The Journal of General Physiology on PubMed Central.

![Graphic][1] The Rockefeller University Press is pleased to announce that, as of December, 2007, all of the content of The Journal of General Physiology will be deposited in PubMed Central. The content will be mirrored on the UK PubMed Central website, and will be freely available to
Y-79 retinoblastoma cells: isolation and characterization of clonal lineages.

Abstract Y-79 cells are generally undifferentiated, but can be induced to express characteristics of various retinal cell types. Since specific changes occur in only low percentages of cells, it has not been clear whether different agents select different lineages, or if the same cells are differentially responsive. In order to answer this question, we isolated 16 clonal lineages and characterized their responses to various treatment regimes. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (4 m m ) had little effect on cell viability, but treatment with butyrate (1 m m ), caused mortality ranging from 20 to 84%. Laminin (100 μg ml−1) did not decrease cell growth, and in some cases increased it. The frequency of attachment to a laminin-coated substrate also varied between clones. Comparison of the results for each clone, under all these conditions, indicated that the parental Y-79 line contains at least two different cell types. On the other hand, no obvious differences were found between clones in the morphological changes induced by different agents, evidencing the very plastic nature of Y-79 cells.
High-dose chemotherapy: how resistant is breast cancer?

Abstract This report reviews clinical experience with high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell support in breast cancer and attempts to integrate clinical and molecular biological observations into a model of drug resistance. Despite the remarkable initial chemosensitivity of breast cancer, the majority of patients with advanced breast cancer die of their disease. In trials to date, high-dose chemotherapy has not been able to overcome primary drug resistance and patients with disease progression during induction therapy benefit little from further high-dose therapy. On the other hand, high-dose chemotherapy produces improved objective response rates compared with standard-dose chemotherapy due to converting some partial responses achieved by standard-dose induction therapy to complete response. This suggests that high-dose chemotherapy may overcome partial clinical drug resistance and may result in a more complete elimination of chemosensitive cells. Whether increased complete response rates will translate into higher cure rates and increased overall survival remains to be unequivocally demonstrated. There are multiple clinical patterns of drug failure including continued growth during chemotherapy, partial response followed by a period of stable disease, initial complete response with subsequent recurrence within a few months or after several years. Different mechanisms of drug resistance may operate at different stages of the disease and predispose patients to different clinical patterns of failure. A model of clonal progression of cancer is proposed that could explain several intriguing features of clinical drug resistance. We hypothesize that drug-sensitivity is an acquired characteristic of neoplastic cells and that a ‘physiological drug-resistant' state may precede drug sensitivity at early stages of neoplastic transformation. Some recurrences may, in this context, represent progression of physiologically drug-resistant clones to sensitivity and subsequently to ‘pathologic resistance' to chemotherapy. Optimal therapy to delay or prevent recurrence may differ depending on the stage and biology of the tumor and may include combinations of cytotoxic drugs and chemopreventive agents to arrest progression of early physiologically drug-resistant neoplastic stem cells.
Assessment of factors that contribute to decreased quality of life in Gynecologic Oncology Group ovarian cancer trials.

Recently, von Gruenigen et al. published a study to assess which specific Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Ovarian (FACT-O; a 12-item subscale for ovarian cancer) quality of life (QoL) items...
Effects of Imposed Salinity Gradients on Dissimilatory Arsenate Reduction, Sulfate Reduction, and Other Microbial Processes in Sediments from Two California Soda Lakes

Salinity effects on microbial community structure and on potential rates of arsenate reduction, arsenite oxidation, sulfate reduction, denitrification, and methanogenesis were examined in sediment slurries from two California soda lakes. We conducted experiments with Mono Lake and Searles Lake sediments over a wide range of salt concentrations (25 to 346 g liter−1). With the exception of sulfate reduction, rates of all processes demonstrated an inverse relationship to total salinity. However, each of these processes persisted at low but detectable rates at salt saturation. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of partial 16S rRNA genes amplified from As(V) reduction slurries revealed that distinct microbial populations grew at low (25 to 50 g liter−1), intermediate (100 to 200 g liter−1), and high (>300 g liter−1) salinity. At intermediate and high salinities, a close relative of a cultivated As-respiring halophile was present. These results suggest that organisms adapted to more dilute conditions can remain viable at high salinity and rapidly repopulate the lake during periods of rising lake level. In contrast to As reduction, sulfate reduction in Mono Lake slurries was undetectable at salt saturation. Furthermore, sulfate reduction was excluded from Searles Lake sediments at any salinity despite the presence of abundant sulfate. Sulfate reduction occurred in Searles Lake sediment slurries only following inoculation with Mono Lake sediment, indicating the absence of sulfate-reducing flora. Experiments with borate-amended Mono Lake slurries suggest that the notably high (0.46 molal) concentration of borate in the Searles Lake brine was responsible for the exclusion of sulfate reducers from that ecosystem.
Education research: changing practice. Residents' adoption of the atraumatic lumbar puncture needle.

Background: The atraumatic needle is recommended over the cutting needle to prevent complications related to lumbar puncture and to reduce costs to the health care system. However, very few practicing neurologists use the atraumatic needle, which in turn limits the teaching of its use to neurology residents. Despite this, neurology residents may be able to adopt the atraumatic needle for lumbar punctures. Methods: Residents at one neurology residency program were given didactic sessions regarding the atraumatic needle and the opportunity to practice using a lumbar puncture simulator. After the first time a resident performed a lumbar puncture with the atraumatic needle, he or she was asked to complete an electronic survey. Results: The reported mean number of lumbar punctures performed using the cutting needle prior to the study was 25. Eleven residents (92%) who used the atraumatic needle said they would use it again for future lumbar punctures. The most common reasons cited for wanting to continue to use the atraumatic needle were to prevent post–lumbar puncture headaches, to choose the cost-effective option, and to stay up-to-date with changes in practice. Conclusion: Neurology residents can successfully adopt the atraumatic needle as standard of care for lumbar punctures.
Elementary proofs of infinitely many congruences for 8-cores

Using a very elementary argument, we prove the congruences\(\begin{gathered} a_8 (81n + 21) \equiv 0(\bmod 2){\text{ and}} \hfill \\ a_8 (81n + 75) \equiv 0(\bmod 2) \hfill \\ \end{gathered} \) where a8(n) is the number of 8-core partitions of n. We also exhibit two infinite families of congruences modulo 2 for 8-cores.
Detecting riboSNitches with RNA folding algorithms: a genome-wide benchmark

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) secondary structure prediction continues to be a significant challenge, in particular when attempting to model sequences with less rigidly defined structures, such as messenger and non-coding RNAs. Crucial to interpreting RNA structures as they pertain to individual phenotypes is the ability to detect RNAs with large structural disparities caused by a single nucleotide variant (SNV) or riboSNitches. A recently published human genomewide parallel analysis of RNA structure (PARS) study identified a large number of riboSNitches as well as non-riboSNitches, providing an unprecedented set of RNA sequences against which to benchmark structure prediction algorithms. Here we evaluate 11 different RNA folding algorithms’ riboSNitch prediction performance on these data. We find that recent algorithms designed specifically to predict the effects of SNVs on RNA structure, in particular remuRNA, RNAsnp and SNPfold, perform best on the most rigorously validated subsets of the benchmark data. In addition, our benchmark indicates that general structure prediction algorithms (e.g. RNAfold and RNAstructure) have overall better performance if base pairing probabilities are considered rather than minimum free energy calculations. Although overall aggregate algorithmic performance on the full set of riboSNitches is relatively low, significant improvement is possible if the highest confidence predictions are evaluated independently.
Bone and muscle: Interactions beyond mechanical

The musculoskeletal system is significantly more complex than portrayed by traditional reductionist approaches that have focused on and studied the components of this system separately. While bone and skeletal muscle are the two largest tissues within this system, this system also includes tendons, ligaments, cartilage, joints and other connective tissues along with vascular and nervous tissues. Because the main function of this system is locomotion, the mechanical interaction among the major players of this system is essential for the many shapes and forms observed in vertebrates and even in invertebrates. Thus, it is logical that the mechanical coupling theories of musculoskeletal development exert a dominant influence on our understanding of the biology of the musculoskeletal system, because these relationships are relatively easy to observe, measure, and perturb. Certainly much less recognized is the molecular and biochemical interaction among the individual players of the musculoskeletal system. In this brief review article, we first introduce some of the key reasons why the mechanical coupling theory has dominated our view of bone-muscle interactions followed by summarizing evidence for the secretory nature of bones and muscles. Finally, a number of highly physiological questions that cannot be answered by the mechanical theories alone will be raised along with different lines of evidence that support both a genetic and a biochemical communication between bones and muscles. It is hoped that these discussions will stimulate new insights into this fertile and promising new way of defining the relationships between these closely related tissues. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for biochemical communication between bone and muscle is important not only from a basic research perspective but also as a means to identify potential new therapies for bone and muscle diseases, especially for when they co-exist. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Muscle Bone Interactions".
Spontaneous Splenic Rupture Caused by Babesia microti Infection

Babesiosis has not been previously associated with spontaneous splenic rupture. We describe an otherwise healthy 61-year-old man with symptomatic babesiosis whose spleen ruptured during hospitalization. Although this complication is rare, practitioners who commonly treat patients with babesiosis should be aware of its potential occurrence.
Interactive feature extraction and tracking by utilizing region coherency

The ability to extract and follow time-varying flow features in volume data generated from large-scale numerical simulations enables scientists to effectively see and validate modeled phenomena and processes. Extracted features often take much less storage space and computing resources to visualize. Most feature extraction and tracking methods first identify features of interest in each time step independently, then correspond these features in consecutive time steps of the data. Since these methods handle each time step separately, they do not use the coherency of the feature along the time dimension in the extraction process. In this paper, we present a prediction-correction method that uses a prediction step to make the best guess of the feature region in the subsequent time step, followed by growing and shrinking the border of the predicted region to coherently extract the actual feature of interest. This method makes use of the temporal-space coherency of the data to accelerate the extraction process while implicitly solving the tedious correspondence problem that previous methods focus on. Our method is low cost with very little storage overhead, and thus facilitates interactive or runtime extraction and visualization, unlike previous methods which were largely suited for batch-mode processing due to high computational cost.
Sigma-1 Receptor Antagonism Restores Injury-Induced Decrease of Voltage-Gated Ca2+ Current in Sensory Neurons

Sigma-1 receptor (σ1R), an endoplasmic reticulum–chaperone protein, can modulate painful response after peripheral nerve injury. We have demonstrated that voltage-gated calcium current is inhibited in axotomized sensory neurons. We examined whether σ1R contributes to the sensory dysfunction of voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) after peripheral nerve injury through electrophysiological approach in dissociated rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Animals received either skin incision (Control) or spinal nerve ligation (SNL). Both σ1R agonists, (+)pentazocine (PTZ) and DTG [1,3-di-(2-tolyl)guanidine], dose dependently inhibited calcium current (ICa) with Ba2+ as charge carrier in control sensory neurons. The inhibitory effect of σ1R agonists on ICa was blocked by σ1R antagonist, BD1063 (1-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]-4-m​ethylpiperazine dihydrochloride) or BD1047 (N-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]-N-m​ethyl-2-(dimethylamino)ethylamine dihydrobromide). PTZ and DTG showed similar effect on ICa in axotomized fifth DRG neurons (SNL L5). Both PTZ and DTG shifted the voltage-dependent activation and steady-state inactivation of VGCC to the left and accelerated VGCC inactivation rate in both Control and axotomized L5 SNL DRG neurons. The σ1R antagonist, BD1063 (10 μM), increases ICa in SNL L5 neurons but had no effect on Control and noninjured fourth lumbar neurons in SNL rats. Together, the findings suggest that activation of σR1 decreases ICa in sensory neurons and may play a pivotal role in pain generation.
Further issues in neurolinguistic preconditions

This response to continuing commentary addresses brain-hand relationships in Cebus apella (as introduced in West-ergaard's commentary), the evolutionary and acquisition parallels between music and language (suggested by Lynch), and the potential behavioral linguistic consequences of the evolutionary neurobiology in Australopithecus africanus and Homo habilis (discussed by Tobias). Finally, we reiterate the importance of well informed, multidisciplinary approaches to the study of the emergence of human species-specific cognition, especially linguistic capacity.
Daily and alternate day supplementation of urea or soybean meal to ruminants consuming low-quality cool-season forage: II. Effects on ruminal fermentation $,$$,%

Abstract Five ruminally cannulated steers (initial BW=464±26 kg) consuming low-quality forage (5% CP; 78% NDF; DM basis) were used in an incomplete 5×4 Latin square with four 18-d periods to determine the influence of supplemental N source and supplementation frequency (SF) on ruminal fermentation dynamics. Treatments, arranged as a 2×2 factorial with a negative control, consisted of urea or soybean meal (SBM) supplements offered daily (D) or alternate days (2D) plus an unsupplemented treatment (CON). Urea supplements were provided to meet 100% of the degradable intake protein requirement while SBM supplements were provided on an isonitrogenous basis. All supplemented treatments received an equal quantity of supplemental N over a 2-d period. Ruminal indigestible acid detergent fiber (IADF) passage rate was increased with supplementation (P≤0.03) on the days when D and 2D supplements were provided, as well as when only D supplements were provided. In contrast, ruminal liquid fill and dilution rate were not affected by supplementation, N source, or SF on the days when D and 2D supplements were provided (P≥0.24). However, when only D supplements were offered, ruminal liquid dilution rate was greater (P=0.03) for SBM supplemented steers compared with cohorts receiving supplemental urea, whereas ruminal liquid fill was greater (P=0.03) for steers fed urea supplements. Nitrogen supplementation increased (P