cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypermedia navigation: Profiles of hypermedia users

In this study we explored the use of log files as a window into the process of hypermedia navigation. Although there is a growing body of research addressing theoretical and design issues related to open-ended, non-directive technologies such as hypermedia, relatively few studies have attempted to explain navigational performance. Sixty-six undergraduate students used a multidimensional, computer-based kiosk that could be explored in a nonlinear fashion to find information in response to one of two information-retrieval tasks (simple or complex). Cluster analysis was used to generate performance profiles derived from navigational data captured in log files. Analyses of within-cluster performance profiles, combined with external validation criteria, led to the classification of four different types of navigational performance (models users, disenchanted volunteers, feature explorers, and cyber cartographers). These characterizations were consistent with information-retrieval scores and the external criteria (self-efficacy, perceived utility, and interest). For example, individuals who appeared to take the time to learn the layout of the kiosk also had the highest self-efficacy, while those who used the help screen and watched the most movies had the lowest self-efficacy. Results also demonstrated an interaction between various individual navigational profiles and type of information-retrieval task.
Density-dependent excitation rate for the2p2P3dielectronic satellite line in a laser-produced carbon plasma

The relative intensities of the $2l2{l}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ dielectronic satellite transitions of C v have been measured as functions of electron density and temperature in a laser-produced plasma. The relative intensity of the $2{p}^{2}^{3}P\ensuremath{-}1s2p^{3}P$ transition is observed to vary with electron density in the range 8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{19}$ to 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{20}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. In this density range, the satellite line intensities are consistent with electron collisional population of the $2{p}^{2}^{3}P$ level from the $2s2p^{3}P$ level, both doubly excited. The measured rate coefficient for this collisional transition, inferred from the density dependence of the $2{p}^{2}^{3}P$ spectral radiation, agrees with recently calculated values. In contrast to previous higher-$Z$ experiments, electron collisional population of the $2{p}^{2}^{3}P$ level from the singly excited $1s2p^{3}P$ level is found to be unimportant in this experiment.
A National Clinical Quality Program for Veterans Affairs Catheterization Laboratories (from the Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking Program)

A "learning health care system", as outlined in a recent Institute of Medicine report, harnesses real-time clinical data to continuously measure and improve clinical care. However, most current efforts to understand and improve the quality of care rely on retrospective chart abstractions complied long after the provision of clinical care. To align more closely with the goals of a learning health care system, we present the novel design and initial results of the Veterans Affairs (VA) Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking (CART) program-a national clinical quality program for VA cardiac catheterization laboratories that harnesses real-time clinical data to support clinical care and quality-monitoring efforts. Integrated within the VA electronic health record, the CART program uses a specialized software platform to collect real-time patient and procedural data for all VA patients undergoing coronary procedures in VA catheterization laboratories. The program began in 2005 and currently contains data on 434,967 catheterization laboratory procedures, including 272,097 coronary angiograms and 86,481 percutaneous coronary interventions, performed by 801 clinicians on 246,967 patients. We present the initial data from the CART program and describe 3 quality-monitoring programs that use its unique characteristics-procedural and complications feedback to individual labs, coronary device surveillance, and major adverse event peer review. The VA CART program is a novel approach to electronic health record design that supports clinical care, quality, and safety in VA catheterization laboratories. Its approach holds promise in achieving the goals of a learning health care system.
Deuteration and pressure effects on landau free energy expansion coefficents in RbDXH2-xPO4

Abstract Results are presented for undeuterated, 30% deuterated and 97% deuterated monocrystals of rubidium dihydrogen phosphate (RDP) for which the polarization was measured at various applied fields and accurately controlled temperatures within a degree above the ferroelectric transition temperature. The ferroelectric transition was found to be of second order at all deuterations. Some of these results were presented earlier.1–3
Counterexamples to a minimal circumscription algorithm

A recent paper by Dori and Ben-Bassat presented an algorithm for finding a minimal area k-gon circumscribing a given convex n-gon, where k < n. An infinite class of polygons for which their algorithm fails to find the minimal area circumscribing k-gon is presented.
Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Total Phosphorus (TP) in Three Central Indiana Water Supply Reservoirs

The connection between nutrient input and algal blooms for inland water productivity is well known but not the spatial pattern of water nutrient loading and algae concentration. Remote sensing provides an effective tool to monitor nutrient abundances via the association with algae concentration. Twenty-one field campaigns have been conducted with samples collected under a diverse range of algal bloom conditions for three central Indiana drinking water bodies, e.g., Eagle Creek Reservoir (ECR), Geist Reservoir (GR), and Morse Reservoir (MR) in 2005, 2006, and 2008, which are strongly influenced anthropogenic activities. Total phosphorus (TP) was estimated through hyperspectral remote sensing due to its close association with chlorophyll a (Chl-a), total suspended matter, Secchi disk transparency (SDT), and turbidity. Correlation analysis was performed to determine sensitive spectral variables for TP, Chl-a, and SDT. A hybrid model combining genetic algorithms and partial least square (GA-PLS) was established for remote estimation of TP, Chl-a, and SDT with selected sensitive spectral variables. The result indicates that TP has close association with diagnostic spectral variables with R 2 ranging from 0.55 to 0.72. However, GA-PLS has better performance with an average R 2 of 0.87 for aggregated dataset. GA-PLS was applied to the airborne imaging data (AISA) to map spatial distribution of TP, Chl-a, and SDT for MR and GR. The eutrophic status was evaluated with Carlson trophic state index using TP, Chl-a, and SDT maps derived from AISA images. Mapping results indicated that most MR belongs to mesotrophic (48.6%) and eutrophic (32.7%), while the situation was more severe for GR with 57.8% belongs to eutrophic class, and more than 40% to hypereutrophic class due to the high turbidity resulting from dredging practices.
Parametric study of the regulatory capabilities of rats with rostromedial zona incerta lesions: responsiveness to hypertonic saline and polyethylene glycol.

Abstract Rats with lesions in the dorsomedial zona incerta (ZI): (1) were hypodipsic; (2) drank little or nothing during periods of food deprivation; (3) drank little or nothing after injections of 5 ml of 0.50 M, 0.75 M, 1.0 M or 2.0 M NaCl solutions (some animals displayed delayed responses to the highest dose, 6 and 24 hr after the injection); (4) drank normal quantities of water or saline after 5 ml of 15%, 20%, or 30% PG (half of the animals that had shown absent or severely impaired responses to hypertonic saline; the other half did not drink saline or water in response to any dose of PG except the highest—5 ml of 30%); (5) sharply reduced or abolished sodium appetite; (6) reduced or abolished the feeding response to 2-DG without affecting ad lib food intake. Similar effects on 2-DG eating and sodium appetite (but not on water intake under ad lib or food-deprivation conditions, or on drinking in response to hypertonic saline or PG) were produced by lesions in ventral thalamus or dorsomedial hypothalamus.
Risks of Preparation for Endoscopy

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy are commonly used techniques to evaluate the proximal and distal gastrointestinal tract. Adequate preparation is essential to allow good visualization and complete examination of the mucosa. This article addresses preparation for endoscopy and its associated risks. Suggestions to help minimize risk are provided.
Neuron-like cells in long-term neural crest cultures are not targets of nerve growth factor.

It has been shown previously that a subpopulation of long-term (7-14 days) cultured neural crest cells undergoing differentiation possesses receptors for nerve growth factor (NGF). These cells are likely to be targets of NGF during the early stages of embryonic development. This study was conducted to determine whether cells exhibiting neuron-like characteristics (i.e. process formation, presence of putative neurotransmitters) in neural crest cultures have NGF receptors. This was accomplished by combining 125I-NGF radioautography and immunocytochemistry using antibodies against tyrosine hydroxylase, serotonin, and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. Examination of light microscopic radioautographs revealed that none of the neuron-like cells with tyrosine hydroxylase-like, serotonin-like, or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-like immunoreactivity bound 125I-NGF, and, therefore, do not possess NGF receptors. It is not known whether the lack of NGF receptors on neuron-like cells is due to the early developmental stage of these cells, or is caused by a difference in the microenvironment in vitro as compared to in vivo. The identity of the cultured neural crest cells which do possess NGF receptors remains to be determined.
From angiogenesis to neuropathology

Angiogenesis--the growth of new blood vessels--is a crucial force for shaping the nervous system and protecting it from disease. Recent advances have improved our understanding of how the brain and other tissues grow new blood vessels under normal and pathological conditions. Angiogenesis factors, especially vascular endothelial growth factor, are now known to have roles in the birth of new neurons (neurogenesis), the prevention or mitigation of neuronal injury (neuroprotection), and the pathogenesis of stroke, Alzheimer's disease and motor neuron disease. As our understanding of pathophysiology grows, these developments may point the way towards new molecular and cell-based therapies.
Is premarket identification of hepatotoxic drugs and sensitive patients possible based on high-dimensional ‘omic data?

Idiosyncratic liver toxicity that may lead to post-marketing removal of approved drugs can potentially be explained by the existence of hidden, sensitive subpopulations that are not large enough to affect premarketing toxicity assessments. We consider whether molecular biomarkers of risk and response can be developed to identify sensitive individuals, using classification methods that allow for population heterogeneity represented by characteristics that may not be readily apparent or controlled. If so, drugs that may be hepatotoxic to only a relatively small subpopulation would not be mislabeled as hepatotoxic to the general population and could be prescribed selectively to achieve a maximum health benefit. We outline a possible strategy for identifying individuals who are highly susceptible to drug-related hepatotoxicity and point out the significant challenges.
Effects of Luteinizing Hormone Receptor-Binding Inhibitor on the in Vitro Steroidogenesis by Rat Ovary and Testis

An inhibitor for LH receptor site binding (LHRBI) was tested for its effect on in vitro LH-stimulated progesterone biosynthesis by an ovarian slice preparation from pseudopregnant rats and for its effect on testosterone biosynthesis by a testicular mince preparation. LH-RBI was extracted from pseudopregnant rat ovaries stored at -20 C for 10 weeks or longer after excision. There was a >100% increase of progesterone production in the 2-h incubated control compared to the unincubated control. LH (1.7 μg/ml) further stimulated progesterone production (>100% over the incubated control). LH-RBI preparation in quantities of 10–100 mg tissue equivalent significantly inhibited the LH- and hCG-stimulated progesterone biosynthesis but did not affect basal progesterone biosynthesis. In contrast to the effect on ovarian progesterone biosynthesis, a similar preparation of LH-RBI, alone or in conjunction with LH, significantly stimulated testosterone biosynthesis in the testicular mince preparation. Extracts prepared f...
Mutations in Protein-Binding Hot-Spots on the Hub Protein Smad3 Differentially Affect Its Protein Interactions and Smad3-Regulated Gene Expression

Background Hub proteins are connected through binding interactions to many other proteins. Smad3, a mediator of signal transduction induced by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), serves as a hub protein for over 50 protein-protein interactions. Different cellular responses mediated by Smad3 are the product of cell-type and context dependent Smad3-nucleated protein complexes acting in concert. Our hypothesis is that perturbation of this spectrum of protein complexes by mutation of single protein-binding hot-spots on Smad3 will have distinct consequences on Smad3-mediated responses. Methodology/Principal Findings We mutated 28 amino acids on the surface of the Smad3 MH2 domain and identified 22 Smad3 variants with reduced binding to subsets of 17 Smad3-binding proteins including Smad4, SARA, Ski, Smurf2 and SIP1. Mutations defective in binding to Smad4, e.g., D408H, or defective in nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, e.g., W406A, were compromised in modulating the expression levels of a Smad3-dependent reporter gene or six endogenous Smad3-responsive genes: Mmp9, IL11, Tnfaip6, Fermt1, Olfm2 and Wnt11. However, the Smad3 mutants Y226A, Y297A, W326A, K341A, and E267A had distinct differences on TGF-β signaling. For example, K341A and Y226A both reduced the Smad3-mediated activation of the reporter gene by ∼50% but K341A only reduced the TGF-β inducibilty of Olfm2 in contrast to Y226A which reduced the TGF-β inducibility of all six endogenous genes as severely as the W406A mutation. E267A had increased protein binding but reduced TGF-β inducibility because it caused higher basal levels of expression. Y297A had increased TGF-β inducibility because it caused lower Smad3-induced basal levels of gene expression. Conclusions/Significance Mutations in protein binding hot-spots on Smad3 reduced the binding to different subsets of interacting proteins and caused a range of quantitative changes in the expression of genes induced by Smad3. This approach should be useful for unraveling which Smad3 protein complexes are critical for specific biological responses.
Alteration in axial motoneuronal morphology in the spinal cord injured spastic rat.

Abstract Following spinal cord injury (SCI), exaggerated reflexes and muscle tone emerge that contribute to a general spastic syndrome in humans. At present, the underlying mechanisms involved with the development of spasticity following traumatic spinal cord injury, especially with regard to axial musculature, remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to examine the temporal changes in sacrocaudal motoneuronal morphology following complete transection of the sacral spinal cord and to correlate these changes with the onset and progression of spasticity within the tail musculature. The spinal cords of rats were transected at the upper sacral (S2) level. Animals were behaviorally tested for the onset and progression of spasticity in the tail and at 1, 2, 4, or 12 weeks postinjury were sacrificed. At these time points, the animals demonstrated stage 1, 2, 3, or 4 spastic behavior, respectively. Sacrocaudal motoneurons innervating selected flexor muscles within the tail were retrogradely labeled with cholera toxin β-subunit and neuronal morphology was analyzed using a combination of immunocytochemistry and standard microscopy. Initially over the first 2 weeks postinjury, a transient increase in the lengths of primary and secondary dendrites occurred. However, a progressive decrease in the overall number of dendritic branches was observed between 2 and 12 weeks postinjury, which parallels the time frame for the progressive increase in spastic behavior in the tail musculature. Following spinal cord injury, there is an alteration in the morphology of tail flexor motoneurons, which may be relevant to the development of spasticity within the tail.
Responses of a Traditional Elite to Modernization: Lawyers in Colombia

The lawyer occupies a status unique to cultures derived from Roman tradition or influenced by the West. This status has been one of great prestige and importance since medieval times and nowhere was it more important than in Spain, where possession of a law degree entitled one to greater economic and social perquisites than most other elite roles. Furthermore, the lawyer was perceived as having specific skills fitting him for the art of ruling, and lawyers therefore occupied very powerful policy-making positions. These aspects of social value and political function were later transplanted to Hispanic America.
SO 4 symmetry for classification of dibaryons and baryoniums

ASO4≈SU2,I×SU2,GI symmetry is suggested for the classification of dinucleon \(\mathcal{N}^2 \) and \(\bar {\mathcal{N}}\mathcal{N}\) resonances. Transformation properties of bilinear nucleon fields under theSO4-group have been used as a guide to assign hadrons to irreducible representations. Relevant consequences of the symmetry on hadron physics are discussed.
Risk Factors Associated With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Limited Frequency of an Unidentified Source of Transmission

Risk Factors Associated With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Limited Frequency of an Unidentified Source of Transmission
An epoxy resin and silicone impregnation technique for the preservation of oral pathology teaching specimens

A technique of plastination and its application to the preservation of oral pathology teaching specimens is presented. Advantages of the technique and the methodology are briefly outlined and summarized.
Inhibition of the adenine nucleotide translocator by matrix-localized palmityl-CoA in rat heart mitochondria.

Abstract The activity of the adenine nucleotide translocator in rat heart mitochondria was quantitatively determined by the rate of [14C]ATP transport at 2°C using the carboxyatractyloside inhibitor-stop technique. Linear uptake was obtained for 15 s, and with differing protein concentrations. The effect of matrix long-chain acyl-CoA esters upon the adenine nucleotide translocator activity was determined in these mitochondria. Incubation with palmitylcarnitine produced an increase in matrix long-chain acyl-CoA esters and decreased the velocity of [14C]ATP transport. Mitochondria isolated in the presence of KCN showed elevated levels of long-chain acyl-CoA esters, decreased transportable nucleotides, and very low adenine nucleotide translocator activity. Addition of potassium ferricyanide to these mitochondria caused a reduction in matrix acyl-CoA esters and partially restored adenine nucleotide translocator activity. Potassium ferricyanide also lowered matrix acyl-CoA in freshly isolated mitochondria and increased [14C]ATP transport. These findings show that the level of long-chain acyl-CoA esters within the mitochondrial matrix affects adenine nucleotide translocator activity and regulates mitochondrial activity.
Quadrupole magnetic field-flow fractionation: A novel technique for the characterization of magnetic nanoparticles

Quadrupole magnetic field-flow fractionation (MgFFF) is an analytical separation and characterization technique for nano- and micro-sized magnetic particles. It fractionates particles according to their content of magnetite or other magnetic material. The potential and versatility of MgFFF for separation and characterization of magnetic nanoparticles, such as those used for immunospecific labeling of biological cells for magnetic separation, is demonstrated. A broadly polydisperse sample of dextran-coated magnetite nanoparticles was eluted under programmed field decay conditions, and quantitative data concerning the distribution of magnetite content were determined from the elution profile using a data reduction method.
The inheritance of H-L serotype differences at conjugation in Tetrahymena.

SYNOPSIS. Cells of variety 1, Tetrahymena pyriformis, manifest different immobilization antigens when grown at 15d and 25dC. These differences are partially maintained for a period of growth at an intermediate temperature. Crosses were performed at intermediate temperatures between parental cultures conditioned to high and low temperatures and the antigenic characteristics of their progeny were determined. When conjugation is abortive and paired cells do not complete conjugation, the cells separate and produce clones with distinctive serotypes. When conjugation is completed, however, no systematic differences between exconjugants can be demonstrated. These results differ from those obtained under comparable circumstances in Paramecium aurelia, and fail to support the idea that the cytoplasm plays a significant role in the maintenance of serotypes in Tetrahymena.
Analytic model for the valence-band structure of a strained quantum well.

An analytic model is proposed for the valence-subband structure in a compressively strained quantum well which includes the effects of a finite barrier potential, valence-band anisotropy, and subband nonparabolicity. The solutions obtained for the zone-center effective mass and nonparabolicity factor are valid for both compressive and tensile strain, but the model gives a good approximation to the true band structure only in the case of compressive strain, where the nonparabolicity effects are relatively weak. For moderate compressive strain, the model provides a very fast, accurate representation of the subband structure within a few kT of the valence-band edge, which will be very useful in optoelectronic device design and simulation. The most important limitation to the model is its neglect of the strain-induced coupling to the spin-orbit split-off band, which becomes significant for large strain. Calculations performed on ${\mathrm{In}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$As/GaAs quantum wells predict that both the effective mass and nonparabolicity decrease with increasing quantum-well width or compressive strain.
Edge magnetoplasmons in a two-dimensional electron fluid confined to a half-plane.

The magnetoplasma modes of a two-dimensional electron fluid in a half-plane are studied with a hydrodynamic model. For general screening by parallel grounded planes, the dynamical equations are reduced to a single integral equation, whose smallest positive or negative eigenvalues correspond to anomalous edge modes. Numerical solutions are obtained by expanding in a complete set of Laguerre polynomials.
The lens and cataract: clastogenic responses in epithelial cells of the organ-cultured rat lens.

The epithelial cells of die vertebrate lens have an unique character and a probable involvement in cataract formation, which could be initiated by exogenous stimuli. Individual rat lenses were organ-cultured, and the effects of mitomycin C and gamma rays on sister chromatid exchanges (SCE), chromosomal aberrations, and cellular kinetics assessed in cells from the epithelial monolayer. SCE showed about a 5.5-fold increase over the mitomycin C dose range (0, 17, 83, 170 nM), while chromosomal aberrations increased 38-fold. In cells from untreated lenses, SCE were 1,600 times more frequent than aberrations and at a level consistent with in vivo assessments in other cell types. Gamma rays (up to 4 Gy) had a greater inhibiting effect on cellular progression, while 17 nM mitomycin C and 1 Gy induced similar clastogenic responses. This first demonstration of such changes in lens epithelial cells expands on the cell types available for monitoring potential mutagen-carcinogens. Additionally chromosomal changes resulting from lens cellular challenge could be the basis of later cytopathological changes in the lens, of which cataract is the primary concern to humans. Potential cataractogens warrant monitoring, and the study outlined may aid in this endeavor, as well as contributing to an understanding of cataract etiology.
Controlling COR Competence: BCL-6 Regulates Neurogenesis and Tumor Suppression

In this issue of Cancer Cell, Tiberi and colleagues describe a tumor-suppressor role for BCL6. In the cerebellum, BCL6 is required for the transition from proliferative precursor cell to a more differentiated immature neuron through repressing the expression of Hedgehog effectors, thus controlling a pathway that is aberrantly activated in medulloblastoma.
Elastic Analysis of Flip-Chip Solder Joints Undergoing Thermal Excursions

An elastic analysis is developed to provide estimates of the stresses in area array solder joints during thermal excursions. The analysis provides a rapid quantitative evaluation of the important stresses during elastic deformation, and may serve as a basis for the qualitative understanding of the loading of interconnects during thermal and power cycles.
Threats to the individual.

Abstract The development of large numbers of bio-medical interventions within a relatively brief period of time presents both promise and peril. This paper is a brief comment upon some of the ways in which newly-found technologies threaten certain time-honored values and protections which, in Western culture, have attented individuals and groups. New knowledge and new technical capability sometimes are in conflict and competition with old warrants for intervention and old notions of human well-being. Who will decide whether a given intervention is good or bad, appropriate or inappropriate, full of promise or full of peril? And on what predicates will these assessments be made? Enlarging proficiency in technologic intervention makes control of our species life possible; incremental accomplishment in interventions makes control of our technology necessary.
Influence of feed deprivation on ventilation and gas exchange in broilers: relationship to pulmonary hypertension syndrome

Abstract Fast-growing broiler chickens not uncommonly exhibit elevated pulmonary vascular resistance that leads to pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure. We tested the hypothesis that a distended gastrointestinal tract in these full-fed birds results in an abnormally low tidal volume and minute ventilation that could lead to pulmonary hypoxia, pulmonary arterial vasoconstriction, right ventricular failure, and ascites. Tidal volume, respiratory frequency, heart rate, percentage saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen (HbO2), O2 consumption, and carbon dioxide elimination were measured on fast-growing broiler chickens when full-fed and after 3, 6, and 9 h of feed deprivation. Tidal volume of full-fed birds was not abnormally low despite HbO2 values varying from above 80% to nearly 60%. Importantly, HbO2 was found to be markedly increased in the hypoxemic birds at and beyond a 3-h period without feed, despite a reduction in minute ventilation. This response was not caused by a decrease in O2 consumption. Thus, limitation of gas intake at the mouth was not the cause of the hypoxemia. The data suggest that feed deprivation results in an increase in parabronchial ventilation, possibly from improvement in aerodynamic valving, which would reduce pulmonary hypoxic vasoconstriction and right ventricular failure.
Efficient retrieval of replicated data

Declustering is a common technique used to reduce query response times. Data is declustered over multiple disks and query retrieval can be parallelized. Most of the research on declustering is targeted at spatial range queries and investigates schemes with low additive error. Recently, declustering using replication has been proposed to reduce the additive overhead. Replication significantly reduces retrieval cost of arbitrary queries. In this paper, we propose a disk allocation and retrieval mechanism for arbitrary queries based on design theory. Using the proposed c-copy replicated declustering scheme, $$(c-1)k^{2}+ck$$ buckets can be retrieved using at most k disk accesses. Retrieval algorithm is very efficient and is asymptotically optimal with $$\Theta(|Q|)$$ complexity for a query Q. In addition to the deterministic worst-case bound and efficient retrieval, proposed algorithm handles nonuniform data, high dimensions, supports incremental declustering and has good fault-tolerance property. Experimental results show the feasibility of the algorithm.
Genotoxicity of 2-bromo-3'-chloropropiophenone.

Abstract Impurities are present in any drug substance or drug product. They can be process-related impurities that are not completely removed during purification or are formed due to the degradation of the drug substance over the product shelf-life. Unlike the drug substance, impurities generally do not have beneficial effects and may present a risk without associated benefit. Therefore, their amount should be minimized. 2-Bromo-3′-chloropropiophenone (BCP) is an impurity of bupropion, a second-generation antidepressant and a smoking cessation aid. The United States Pharmacopeia recommends an acceptable level for BCP that is not more than 0.1% of the bupropion. Because exposure to genotoxic impurities even at low levels is of significant concern, it is important to determine whether or not BCP is genotoxic. Therefore, in this study the Ames test and the in vitro micronucleus assay were conducted to evaluate the genotoxicity of BCP. BCP was mutagenic with S9 metabolic activation, increasing the mutant frequencies in a concentration-dependent manner, up to 22- and 145-fold induction over the controls in Salmonella strains TA100 and TA1535, respectively. BCP was also positive in the in vitro micronucleus assay, resulting in up to 3.3- and 5.1-fold increase of micronucleus frequency for treatments in the absence and presence of S9, respectively; and 9.9- and 7.4-fold increase of aneuploidies without and with S9, respectively. The addition of N-acetyl- l -cysteine, an antioxidant, reduced the genotoxicity of BCP in both assays. Further studies showed that BCP treatment resulted in induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the TK6 cells. The results suggest that BCP is mutagenic, clastogenic, and aneugenic, and that these activities are mediated via generation of reactive metabolites.
Brightly Phosphorescent Trinuclear Copper(I) Complexes of Pyrazolates: Substituent Effects on the Supramolecular Structure and Photophysics

Synthetic details, solid-state structures, and photophysical properties of a group of trimeric copper(I) complexes containing pyrazolate ligands are described. The reaction of copper(I) oxide and the fluorinated pyrazoles [3-(CF3)Pz]H, [3-(CF3),5-(Me)Pz]H, and [3-(CF3),5-(Ph)Pz]H leads to the corresponding trinuclear copper(I) pyrazolates, {[3-(CF3)Pz]Cu}3, {[3-(CF3),5-(Me)Pz]Cu}3, and {[3-(CF3),5-(Ph)Pz]Cu}3, respectively, in high yield. The {[3,5-(i-Pr)2Pz]Cu}3 compound was obtained by a reaction between [Cu(CH3CN)4][BF4], [3,5-(i-Pr)2Pz]H, and NEt3. These compounds as well as {[3,5-(Me)2Pz]Cu}3 and {[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]Cu}3 adopt trimeric structures with nine-membered Cu3N6 metallacycles. There are varying degrees and types of intertrimer Cu···Cu interactions. These contacts give rise to zigzag chains in the fluorinated complexes, {[3-(CF3)Pz]Cu}3, {[3-(CF3),5-(Me)Pz]Cu}3, {[3-(CF3),5-(Ph)Pz]Cu}3, and {[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]Cu}3, whereas the nonfluorinated complexes, {[3,5-(Me)2Pz]Cu}3 and {[3,5-(i-Pr)2Pz]Cu}3 form ...
Toutes Directions : Reading the Signs in an Urban Sprawl

In late February of 1986, a week or two before the massive joint celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hassan II's accession to the Moroccan throne and the 10th of his launching of the Green March into the Sahara (the March actually took place in November of 1975, but it was ritually assimilated to Coronation Day for this milestone occasion), the municipal council of a small city in the east-central part of the country issued a decree. Henceforth, the color of all buildings in the city was to be beige: creme, in the French redaction, qehwi, in the Arabic. Paint could be obtained at designated outlets. Compliance with this decree was, as one would expect, very far from complete, and the city, Sefrou, 28 kilometers due south of Fez, of which it is in many ways a miniaturized version, remains in fact more white than anything else, and when not white, pastel. But, as one would not expect (at least I did not), the decree was, among certain sorts of people and in certain sections of the city, immediately and completely obeyed: brightly colored, variegated house facades, some of them masterpieces of design bravura, were painted over during the course of a day or two, into a dun homogeneity-la vie urbaine officielle. Behind this event, trivial in itself and of very uncertain permanency of effect, lies a long and far from trivial story, political and cultural at the same time. The changing shape of the city, its changing class and ethnic composition, the changing relations between it and its hinterland, it and its economic base, it and its governing elites, it and the national power, and most critical of all, the changing, and diversifying, sense of its inhabitants as to what citadinit--that French word that translates so awkwardly into English but so readily, as mudaniyya ("belonging to and in a city," as Mohammed Naciri has put it), into Arabic-really means, were all caught up in a bitter and many-sided debate, a debate about what a proper "Islamic city" ought to be, how it ought to feel, what it ought to look like.' Driven on by the controversies swirling about the assumptions, or supposed such, of "Orientalism," the debate in scholarly circles over "The Islamic City" whether there is such a thing; what, if there is such a thing, is "Islamic" about it; and how much, if there is such a thing and we can isolate what is Islamic about
Family environment, intrusive ideation, and adjustment among renal transplant candidates

Waiting for an organ transplant is a stressful experience frequently associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Little empirical work has examined patients during the stressful period prior to transplantation, particularly among patients waiting for a renal transplant. A large body of research has demonstrated that social and family support variables are associated with psychological adjustment in a variety of medical populations. Little research has examined the mechanism by which social support exerts its effects on psychological well-being. We examined two possible models of the role of intrusive thoughts on the relationship between a supportive family environment and both depression and anxiety in a sample of 75 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) waiting for a kidney transplant. Path analyses provided modest support for a mediational model, showing that intrusive thoughts partly accounted for the relationship between family expressiveness and psychological distress. A moderational model examining the interactive effects of family environment and intrusive thinking on adjustment was not supported.
Regulation of cyclin dependent kinase 6 by microRNA 124 in medulloblastoma

Despite recent advances in treatment medulloblastoma continues to remain a vexing problem. Recently increased expression of cyclin dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) was identified as an adverse prognostic marker in medulloblastoma. Genomic amplification accounts for some, but not all of the CDK6 over-expression. We hypothesized that CDK6 expression is also regulated by microRNAs in medulloblastoma. We identified putative miR sites in the CDK6 including microRNA 124a, a brain enriched microRNA. Expression of miR 124a was significantly decreased in medulloblastoma cells compared to normal adult cerebellum. Functional association between miR 124a and CDK6 in medulloblastoma was established using luciferase assays. Additionally, re-expression of miR 124a in medulloblastoma cells decreased expression of CDK6 protein. Transfection of miR 124 significantly decreases medulloblastoma cell growth but does not alter apoptosis. Furthermore, in patient samples expression of miR 124a is significantly decreased. Our data strongly indicate that CDK6 is regulated by microRNA 124 in medulloblastoma and that miR 124 modulates medulloblastoma cell growth.
Silencing the alarms: innate immune antagonism by rotavirus NSP1 and VP3

The innate immune response involves a broad array of pathogen sensors that stimulate the production of interferons (IFNs) to induce an antiviral state. Rotavirus, a significant cause of childhood gastroenteritis and a member of the Reoviridae family of segmented, double-stranded RNA viruses, encodes at least two direct antagonists of host innate immunity: NSP1 and VP3. NSP1, a putative E3 ubiquitin ligase, mediates the degradation of cellular factors involved in both IFN induction and downstream signaling. VP3, the viral capping enzyme, utilizes a 2H-phosphodiesterase domain to prevent activation of the cellular oligoadenylate synthase (OAS)/RNase L pathway. Computational, molecular, and biochemical studies have provided key insights into the structural and mechanistic basis of innate immune antagonism by NSP1 and VP3 of group A rotaviruses (RVA). Future studies with non-RVA isolates will be essential to understand how other rotavirus species evade host innate immune responses.
Barriers to Implementing Effective Correctional Drug Treatment Programs

During the past several years, a number of aggressive federal and state initiatives have been undertaken to expand substance abuse treatment within correctional settings. These efforts have been fueled by the high rates of substance involvement among offenders and the growing body of research literature suggesting that intensive, prison-based treatment efforts can significantly reduce postprison substance use and recidivism. However, the rapid expansion of these programs increases their vulnerability to common implementation problems that could lead to pessimistic, and erroneous, assumptions about their effectiveness. This article summarizes both the research literature and the experiences of the authors regarding six common barriers to developing effective correctional treatment programs and offers potential solutions for each.
Raman Spectroscopy for the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory: Quantification of Ethanol Concentration in Consumer Alcoholic Beverages and Qualitative Identification of Marine Diesels Using a Miniature Raman Spectrometer

Abstract Raman spectroscopy has steadily gained popularity as a powerful tool in both the analytical lab and the undergraduate classroom. The technique is attractive because it allows for rapid, nondestructive qualitative or quantitative analyses of many analytes with little or no sample preparation requirements. The introduction of less expensive, smaller, and more powerful diode laser excitation sources and the recent availability of rugged, red‐sensitive, charge‐coupled device–based miniature modular spectrometers has prompted the integration of Raman spectroscopy into the undergraduate curriculum. We have evaluated the analytical utility of a small, portable Raman instrument for the qualitative and quantitative analyses of two “real” samples. The experiments in this paper were designed to be used as a laboratory component for undergraduate education and include the quantification of ethanol in consumer alcoholic beverages and the qualitative identification of marine diesel fuels that had been spilled ...
Microbial arsenic: from geocycles to genes and enzymes.

Arsenic compounds have been abundant at near toxic levels in the environment since the origin of life. In response, microbes have evolved mechanisms for arsenic resistance and enzymes that oxidize As(III) to As(V) or reduce As(V) to As(III). Formation and degradation of organoarsenicals, for example methylarsenic compounds, occur. There is a global arsenic geocycle, where microbial metabolism and mobilization (or immobilization) are important processes. Recent progress in studies of the ars operon (conferring resistance to As(III) and As(V)) in many bacterial types (and related systems in Archaea and yeast) and new understanding of arsenite oxidation and arsenate reduction by respiratory-chain-linked enzyme complexes has been substantial. The DNA sequencing and protein crystal structures have established the convergent evolution of three classes of arsenate reductases (that is classes of arsenate reductases are not of common evolutionary origin). Proposed reaction mechanisms in each case involve three cysteine thiols and S–As bond intermediates, so convergent evolution to similar mechanisms has taken place.
Antimicrobial activity of antiseptic-coated orthopaedic devices

Antimicrobial coating of medical devices, including fracture fixation devices, has evolved as a potentially effective method for preventing device-related infections. We examined the in vitro antimicrobial activity of titanium cylinders coated with the antiseptic combination of chlorhexidine and chloroxylenol. The coated devices provided zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans, at baseline and up to 8 weeks after incubation of the coated cylinders in human serum at 37 degrees C. This durable antimicrobial activity was attributed to the relatively slow leaching of chlorhexidine and chloroxylenol from the coated cylinders as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. These results suggest that antiseptic-coated orthopaedic devices may provide broad-spectrum and durable antimicrobial protection against device-related infection.
The physical association of protein kinase C theta with a lipid raft-associated inhibitor of kappa B factor kinase (IKK) complex plays a role in the activation of the NF-kappa B cascade by TCR and CD28.

We investigated the role of protein kinase C θ (PKCθ) in the activation of the NF-κB cascade in primary human CD4 + lymphocytes. Among six or so PKC isoforms expressed in T cells, only PKCθ participates in the assembly of the supramolecular activation clusters at the contact site of the TCR with Ag. Signaling via both the TCR and CD28 is required for optimal activation of the multisubunit IκB kinase (IKK) complex in primary human T lymphocytes; this activation could be inhibited by a Ca 2+ -independent PKC isoform inhibitor, rottlerin. Moreover, endogenous PKCθ physically associates with activated IKK complexes in CD3/CD28-costimulated primary CD4 + T cells. The same set of stimuli also induced relocation of endogenous PKCθ and IKKs to a GM1 ganglioside-enriched, detergent-insoluble membrane compartment in primary T cells. IKKs recruited to these lipid rafts were capable of phosphorylating a recombinant IκBα sustrate. Confocal microscopy further demonstrated that exogenously expressed PKCθ and IKKβ colocalize in the membrane of CD3/CD28-costimulated Jurkat T cells. Constitutively active but not kinase-inactive PKCθ activated IKKβ in Jurkat T cells. Expression of dominant-active PKCθ also had stimulatory effects on the CD28 response element of the IL-2 promoter. Taken together, these data show that the activation of PKCθ by the TCR and CD28 plays an important role in the assembly and activation of IKK complexes in the T cell membrane.
In/fertility among Korea's “comfort women” survivors: A comparative perspective

Synopsis This article explores the social psychological and physiological impact of wartime military sexual slavery on postwar lives of former “comfort women” by analyzing Korean survivors' testimonial narratives of han (long-held bitter resentment) and my multisite ethnographic research findings on the topic. Taking a comparative perspective of a “person-centered anthropology,” it attempts to historicize the experiences of wartime enforced sexual labor and its impact on reproductive capacity in postwar marital lives among some Korean, Filipino, and Dutch survivors. I posit the cumulative number (as well as the degree of roughness) of forced sexual intercourse–operationalized as the length of sexual servitude period–as a crucial factor in affecting the survivors' reproductive successes in postwar marital lives. Other important intervening variables for survivors' in/fertility that I theorize include sexually transmitted diseases, reproductive disruptions, and exceptionally privileged treatment resulting in reduced sexual workload.
Management Options in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a highly lethal cancer that is rarely curable at the time of presentation. Unfortunately, most patients are diagnosed with either metastatic or locally advanced disease, which is not amenable to surgery owing to the high likelihood of incomplete resection. Given the generally poor prognosis with propensity for metastatic failure greater than that for local failure, treatment options are variable, and include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapies, and combinations thereof. This review summarizes the current evidence for definitive management of locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, as well as the role of palliative therapies. Future directions, including the development of predictive biomarkers and novel systemic agents, are also discussed.
Translational control of SV40 T antigen expressed from the adenovirus late promoter

Abstract We have constructed four novel adenovirus-SV40 hybrid viruses that contain the SV40 A gene at different positions downstream from the adenoviral major late promoter, within the region that encodes the second and third segments of the late tripartite RNA leader. The SV40 insert was precisely positioned in preselected regions of the adenoviral genome by using a combination of in vitro and in vivo recombination. As expected, all four recombinants produce equally high levels of SV40-encoded RNA that initiates at the adenovirus late promoter and contains two or three leader segments at the 5′ end. Yet, in spite of this efficient transcription, only one virus, Ad-SVR284, directs the synthesis of high levels of SV40 large T antigen in infected cells; the other recombinants all produce approximately 20-fold less T antigen. This differential expression is, however, not seen in vitro, where equal amounts of hybrid T mRNA direct the synthesis of equal amounts of SV40 T antigen. Thus, some form of translational regulation is present in adenovirus-infected cells that is missing from the in vitro translation reaction.