cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clip Ligation of Midsegment M1 Artery Aneurysm through a Lateral Supraorbital Approach: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Lenticulostriate middle cerebral artery (MCA) aneurysms are rare and often involve perforating vessels, making endovascular treatment difficult. When projecting superiorly, aneurysm rupture can likely cause intraparenchymal hemorrhage in basal ganglia. Consequently, surgical clip ligation requires control not to aggressively elevate the frontal lobe to avoid intraoperative injury. We report a case of a growing right midsegment MCA aneurysm treated with clip ligation via a lateral supraorbital approach (LSO). The patient is a 71-year-old female found to have a 4 mm × 3 mm right M1 aneurysm in 2014 on workup for headaches. Subsequent imaging demonstrated aneurysm growth to 6 mm × 3.1 mm with peaked-dome appearance. The growth and location of the aneurysm led us to recommend open surgical treatment; the patient provided informed written consent to proceed. We performed a standard right-sided LSO approach. 1 Microdissection was performed to split the sylvian fissure distally and then proximally to expose the MCA on either side of the aneurysm. Dissecting the aneurysm revealed a perforating artery at the proximal neck. Using minimal frontal lobe dynamic retraction, microsurgical clip ligation was performed. We ensured the clip was placed in line with the MCA trunk to avoid kinking the parent artery and subsequent stroke. Intraoperative micro-Doppler and indocyanine green injection confirmed the patency of vasculature. Postoperative angiogram confirmed complete aneurysm ligation. The patient clinically did well and was discharged home on postoperative day 2. Our video demonstrates safe and effective surgical treatment of a rare aneurysm 2 through a small LSO craniotomy approach ( Video 1 ).
Introducing STEM to 7 th Grade Girls using SeaPerch and Scratch

This Innovative Practice Full Paper discusses a STEM academy that used SeaPerch and Scratch as engaging hands-on approaches to teach seventh grade middle school girls engineering skills, scientific principles, and programming concepts to increase their knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Adding diversity to the STEM workforce and increasing enrollment in STEM degrees is critical for fulfilling the needs of our modern economy. Today, many organizations/institutions are preparing future workers for the modern workforce by implementing summer camps/academies to engage students in STEM disciplines at a young age. Exposing young students to the critical thinking and reasoning skills that are intrinsic to STEM disciplines can help to alleviate or even combat the decline of students in STEM careers. We have developed an academy to demonstrate STEM concepts to 7th grade girls. Our STEM academy differs from others in several ways: First, it was for 7th grade girls only, creating a non-competitive social learning opportunity, to improve female participation. Second, we hired female instructors and invited female professionals from local industries to assist the academy by serving as mentors and role models for the participants. Third, it introduced STEM concepts and principles to the girls. Fourth, it adopted social learning, e.g., buddy system, to help the girls to learn better. A formal assessment of the 2018 academy found that the academy’s participants experienced a significant increase in knowledge and interest in STEM. This paper describes the organization, coordination, content, and assessment of the STEM academy. It describes how the academy was organized and taught, which includes a brief description of the instructional materials, the concepts taught in each hands-on session, how the academy was assessed, the assessment results, the first-year experience of conducting the STEM academy, and lessons learned. This paper provides all the information needed for others to host similar academies and motivate the effort to increase female participation in STEM careers.
Machine Learning and the Future of Cardiovascular Care: JACC State-of-the-Art Review

The role of physicians has always been to synthesize the data available to them to identify diagnostic patterns that guide treatment and follow response. Today, increasingly sophisticated machine learning algorithms may grow to support clinical experts in some of these tasks. Machine learning has the potential to benefit patients and cardiologists, but only if clinicians take an active role in bringing these new algorithms into practice. The aim of this review is to introduce clinicians who are not data science experts to key concepts in machine learning that will allow them to better understand the field and evaluate new literature and developments. The current published data in machine learning for cardiovascular disease is then summarized, using both a bibliometric survey, with code publicly available to enable similar analysis for any research topic of interest, and select case studies. Finally, several ways that clinicians can and must be involved in this emerging field are presented.
Medullary Fixation in Multiple Injuries

Summary 1. The use of medullary fixation has been outlined for treatment of multiple injuries. 2. Its use in various bones has been illustrated with reports of typical cases of fractures in the bones in which it is felt to be of greatest advantage, namely, the femur, forearm, tibia, and humerus in that order. 3. It is felt that medullary fixation is a method of broad applicability and should be the method of choice for fractures of most long bones.
Synaptophysin Regulates Fusion Pores and Exocytosis Mode in Chromaffin Cells.

Synaptophysin (syp) is a major integral membrane protein of secretory vesicles. Previous work has demonstrated functions for syp in synaptic vesicle cycling, endocytosis, and synaptic plasticity, but the role of syp in the process of membrane fusion during Ca2+-triggered exocytosis remains poorly understood. Furthermore, although syp resides on both large dense-core and small synaptic vesicles, its role in dense-core vesicle function has received less attention compared with synaptic vesicle function. To explore the role of syp in membrane fusion and dense-core vesicle function, we used amperometry to measure catecholamine release from single vesicles in male and female mouse chromaffin cells with altered levels of syp and the related tetraspanner protein synaptogyrin (syg). Knocking out syp slightly reduced the frequency of vesicle fusion events below wild-type (WT) levels, but knocking out both syp and syg reduced the frequency 2-fold. Knocking out both proteins stabilized initial fusion pores, promoted fusion pore closure (kiss-and-run), and reduced late-stage fusion pore expansion. Introduction of a syp construct lacking its C-terminal dynamin-binding domain in syp knock-outs (KOs) increased the duration and fraction of kiss-and-run events, increased total catecholamine release per event, and reduced late-stage fusion pore expansion. These results demonstrated that syp and syg regulate dense-core vesicle function at multiple stages to initiate fusion, control the choice of mode between full-fusion and kiss-and-run, and influence the dynamics of both initial and late-stage fusion pores. The transmembrane domain (TMD) influences small initial fusion pores, and the C-terminal domain influences large late-stage fusion pores, possibly through an interaction with dynamin. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The secretory vesicle protein synaptophysin (syp) is known to function in synaptic vesicle cycling, but its roles in dense-core vesicle functions, and in controlling membrane fusion during Ca2+-triggered exocytosis remain unclear. The present study used amperometry recording of catecholamine release from endocrine cells to assess the impact of syp and related proteins on membrane fusion. A detailed analysis of amperometric spikes arising from the exocytosis of single vesicles showed that these proteins influence fusion pores at multiple stages and control the choice between kiss-and-run and full-fusion. Experiments with a syp construct lacking its C terminus indicated that the transmembrane domain (TMD) influences the initial fusion pore, while the C-terminal domain influences later stages after fusion pore expansion.
Welcome and introduction

Welcome to the 2021 SPIE Smart Structure/Nondestructive Evaluation (SS/NDE) Conference Nondestructive Characterization and Monitoring of Advanced Materials, Aerospace, Civil Infrastructure, and Transportation XV (SSN07)! On behalf of conference co-chairs Dr. H. Felix Wu (U.S. Department of Energy), Professor Peter Shull (Penn State), and Dr. Andrew Gyekenyesi (Ohio Aerospace Institute) and our Program Committee members, I thank you for joining us in this exciting annual event and sharing your cutting-edge research with the colleagues from around the world.
Sex-Differences in Traumatic Brain Injury in the Absence of Tau in Drosophila

Traumatic brain injuries, a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, are caused by a severe impact to the head that impairs physiological and psychological function. In addition to severity, type and brain area affected, brain injury outcome is also influenced by the biological sex of the patient. Traumatic brain injury triggers accumulation of Tau protein and the subsequent development of Tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease and Chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Recent studies report differences in Tau network connections between healthy males and females, but the possible role of Tau in sex-dependent outcome to brain injury is unclear. Thus, we aimed to determine if Tau ablation would alleviate sex dependent outcomes in injured flies. We first assessed motor function and survival in tau knock-out flies and observed sex-differences in climbing ability, but no change in locomotor activity in either sex post-injury. Sex differences in survival time were also observed in injured tau deficient flies with a dramatically higher percent of female death within 24 h than males. Additionally, 3′mRNA-Seq studies in isolated fly brains found that tau deficient males show more gene transcript changes than females post-injury. Our results suggest that sex differences in TBI outcome and recovery are not dependent on the presence of Tau in Drosophila.
The reduction of tetraalkylammonium ions on metal electrodes: Cathodic corrosion and “tetraalkylammonium-metals”

On montre qu'une serie de metaux solides sont corrodes cathodiquement en presence d'ions tetraalkylammonium et que les produits formes par corrosion pourraient etre des electrocatalyseurs actifs
Corporate Social Performance and Attractiveness as an Employer to Different Job Seeking Populations

This study investigates the hypothesis that the advantage corporate social performance (CSP) yields in attracting human resources depends on the degree of job choice possessed by the job seeking population. Results indicate that organizational CSP is positively related to employer attractiveness for job seekers with high levels of job choice but not related for populations with low levels suggesting advantages to firms with high levels of CSP in the ability to attract the most qualified employees.
Rational Design of AIDS Vaccines

Development of an effective vaccine against HIV has posed significant challenges to the scientific community. Lack of knowledge about the molecular pathogenesis of this disease, and the absence of naturally occurring, protective immune responses, which is attributed in large part to the diversity of the viral envelope and multiple escape mechanisms, have made it difficult to design successful candidates. Recent studies of the envelope have suggested that it is possible to enhance immunogenicity of the envelope by improving the breadth of the neutralizing antibody response and by stimulating cell-mediated immunity. This relies on an understanding of the structure of HIV Env and the use of site-specific mutation to create novel immunogens. Based on structural and functional data, our lab has developed DNA and adenoviral vectors which express envelope proteins containing alterations to regions in the variable loop to better control tropism and improve immunogenicity. These modified HIV genetic vaccine candidates have been tested in combination with Gag, Pol, and Nef immunogens, and shown to improve the potency of cellular and humoral immune responses in primates. An initial Phase I trial (VRC 004) dose escalation study to test a DNA vaccine composed of a 4-plasmid combination of clade B gag/pol/nef with clades A, B, and C envelope was recently completed in 50 healthy adults in the U.S. CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses were detected in the majority of vaccinees using IFN-(ELISpot) and flow cytometric detection of intracellular IL-2 or IFN-γ. HIV-specific antibody response was detected in about one third of vaccinees. Combination modality regimens using a DNA vaccine prime followed by a viral vector boost have shown promise in nonhuman primate models of HIV infection. Phase I clinical trials to test the safety and immunogenicity of an adenoviral vaccine expressing proteins similar to the DNA, and a DNA prime, adenoviral boost regimen are in progress. The initial adenoviral vector vaccine uses an Ad5 serotype vector. However, pre-existing immunity can mitigate the efficacy, so alternate serotypes and modifications to the adenoviral fiber regions are being explored. from 2005 International Meeting of The Institute of Human Virology Baltimore, USA, 29 August – 2 September 2005
Microelectronics process engineering program at SJSU

At present, there is a need for engineers with CMOS processing knowledge, statistical process control (SPC) skills, and the ability to work in an interdisciplinary team environment and assume leadership roles. San Jose State University are developing an interdisciplinary lab-based microelectronics process engineering program that introduces SPC and DOE to students in a microelectronics manufacturing environment. At the heart of the program are three courses, each of which is imagined to be a division of a fictitious semiconductor fabrication company (Spartan Semiconductor Services, Inc., or S3i). The divisions are: Digital NMOS division (MatE/EE129: Introduction to IC Fabrication), Thin Film Research Division (MatE/ChE 166: Advanced Thin Film Processes) and CMOS Division and SPC task force (MatE/EE 167: Microelectronics Manufacturing Methods). Several unique features of the program are its introduction of SPC in a microelectronics manufacturing environment, the inclusion of design of experiments (DOE) topics, and the faculty-faculty, faculty-student and student-student interaction among the three courses (divisions). Ultimately, we are trying to provide a learning environment that will allow our students to be immediately productive in an IC production facility, to be able to communicate with IC process engineers, and to be prepared for graduate school programs.
Constraints on shear velocity in the cratonic upper mantle from Rayleigh wave phase velocity

Seismic models provide constraints on the thermal and chemical properties of the cratonic upper mantle. Depth profiles of shear velocity from global and regional studies contain positive velocity gradients in the uppermost mantle and often lack a low-velocity zone, features that are difficult to reconcile with the temperature structures inferred from surface heat-flow data and mantle-xenolith thermobarometry. Furthermore, the magnitude and shape of the velocity profiles vary between different studies, impacting the inferences drawn about mantle temperature and composition. In this study, forward modeling is used to identify the suite of one-dimensional shear-velocity profiles that are consistent with phase-velocity observations made for Rayleigh waves traversing Precambrian cratons. Two approaches to the generation of 1-D models are considered. First, depth profiles of shear velocity are predicted from thermal models of the cratonic upper mantle that correspond to a range of assumed values of mantle potential temperature, surface heat flow, and radiogenic heat production in the lithosphere. Second, shear velocity depth profiles are randomly generated. In both cases, Rayleigh wave phase velocity is calculated from the Earth models, and acceptable models are identified on the basis of comparison to observed phase velocity. The results show that it is difficult but not impossible to find acceptable Earth models that contain a low-velocity zone in the upper mantle, and that temperature structures that are consistent with constraints from mantle xenoliths yield phase-velocity predictions lower than observed. For most acceptable randomly generated Earth models, shear velocity merges with the global average at approximately 300 km. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy in small cell carcinoma of the lung

Twenty-eight patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung were studied for their response to combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy, frequency of bone marrow metastases, and clinically evident hormonal syndromes. Seventeen of 19 evaluable patients who received cyclic monthly courses of high-dose cyclophosphamide and vincristine had objective responses. Five of seven patients treated with procarbazine from day 14-28 of the cycle had progressive disease. Methotrexate (0.75-1.0 mg/kg) administered on day 21 only or days 21 and 28 after cyclophosphamide and vincristine proved to be superior as a single agent with 6 of 14 patients responding and 8 of 14 showing no progression of disease. Radiation therapy to the primary tumor was effective in all dose schedules, but appeared superior when 3200 rads given in 10 doses over 12 days (1401 rets) was administered at the completion of the second course of chemotherapy. Ten of 24 patients had bone marrow metastases at the time of the initial diagnosis: and bone marrow aspiration should be used as a staging procedure. Six of 28 patients had clinical or laboratory evidence of hormonal or neurologic abnormalities.
Disaccharide compositional analysis of heparin and heparan sulfate using capillary zone electrophoresis.

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was used to separate eight commercial disaccharide standards of the structure delta UA2X(1----4)-D-GlcNY6X (where delta UA is 4-deoxy-alpha-L-threo-hex-4-enopyranosyluronic acid, GlcN is 2-deoxy-2-aminoglucopyranose, S is sulfate, Ac is acetate, X may be S, and Y is S or Ac). These eight disaccharides had been prepared from heparin, heparan sulfate, and derivatized heparins. A similar CZE method was recently reported for the analysis of eight chondroitin and dermatan sulfate disaccharides (A. Al-Hakim and R.J. Linhardt, Anal. Biochem. 195, 68-73, 1991). Two of the standard heparin/heparan sulfate disaccharides, having an identical charge of -2, delta UA2S(1----4)-D-GlcNAc and delta UA(1----4)-D-GlcNS, were not fully resolved using standard sodium borate/boric acid buffer. This buffer had proven effective in separating chondroitin/dermatan sulfate disaccharides of identical charge. Resolution of these two heparin/heparan sulfate disaccharides could be improved by extending the capillary length, preparing the buffer in 2H2O, or eliminating boric acid. Baseline resolution was achieved in sodium dodecyl sulfate in the absence of buffer. The structure and purity of each of the eight new commercial heparin/heparan sulfate disaccharide standards were confirmed using fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry and high-field 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Heparin and heparan sulfate were then depolymerized using heparinase (EC 4.2.2.7), heparin lyase II (EC 4.2.2.-), heparinitase (EC 4.2.2.8), and a combination of all three enzymes. CZE analysis of the products formed provided a disaccharide composition of each glycosaminoglycan. As little as 50 fmol of disaccharide could be detected by ultraviolet absorbance.
Low-probability transmission of neocortical and entorhinal impulses through the perirhinal cortex.

One model of episodic memory posits that during slow-wave sleep (SWS), the synchronized discharges of hippocampal neurons in relation to sharp waves “replay” activity patterns that occurred during ...
Luminescence enhancement in CeF3/ZnO nanocomposites for radiation detection

Abstract ZnO nanoparticles have a strong photoluminescence but weak scintillation luminescence which is an issue for their applications in radiation detection and dosimetry. To enhance their luminescence, ZnO nanoparticles were made into nanocomposites with CeF 3 nanoparticles. As a result of energy transfer from CeF 3 nanoparticles in the composites, the photoluminescence of ZnO nanoparticles is enhanced 30 times and their X-ray luminescence is enhanced 4 times. The combination of CeF 3 and ZnO nanoparticles makes CeF 3 /ZnO nanocomposites promising scintillators for radiation detection.
Trap Capture of Three Economically Important Fruit Fly Species (Diptera: Tephritidae): Evaluation of a Solid Formulation Containing Multiple Male Lures in a Hawaiian Coffee Field

Invasive fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) pose a global threat to agriculture through direct damage to food crops and the accompanying trade restrictions that often result. Early detection is vital to controlling fruit flies, because it increases the probability of limiting the growth and spread of the invasive population and thus may greatly reduce the monetary costs required for eradication or suppression. Male-specific lures are an important component of fruit fly detection, and three such lures are used widely: trimedlure (TML), cue lure (CL), and methyl eugenol (ME), attractive to Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann); melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett); and oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), respectively. In California, Florida, and Texas, the two Bactrocera lures are applied to separate species-specific traps as liquids (with a small amount of the insecticide naled added), whereas TML is delivered as a solid plug in another set of traps. Thus, the detection protocol involves considerable handling time as well as potential contact with a pesticide. The purpose of this study was to compare trap capture between liquid male lures and "trilure" wafers that contain TML, ME, raspberry ketone (RK, the hydroxy equivalent of CL), and the toxicant DDVP embedded within a solid matrix. Field studies were conducted in a Hawaiian coffee (Coffea arabica L.) field where the three aforementioned species co-occur, showed that the wafer captured at least as many flies as the liquid baits for all three species. This same result was obtained in comparisons using both fresh and aged (6-wk) baits. Moreover, the wafers performed as well as the single-lure traps in an ancillary experiment in which TML plugs were substituted for liquid TML. Additional experiments demonstrated explicitly that the presence of ME and RK had no effect on captures of C. capitata males and similarly that the presence of TML had no effect on the capture of B. cucurbitae or B. dorsalis males.
Combined Stopped-Flow and Electrophysiological Experiments Suggest Direct Sodium Channel Inhibition by Model Fluorobenzene Anesthetics

General anesthetics are often proposed to affect membrane properties through interactions with the lipid bilayer. Though recent studies have shown that inhaled anesthetics can interact more specifically with certain membrane proteins such as ion channels. For example, volatile anesthetics inhibit voltage-gated sodium channels to reduce neurotransmitter release. Fluorobenzenes (FBs), once considered for clinical use, were abandoned due to their flammability and toxicity but are still valuable model anesthetics for investigating the molecular mechanisms of anesthetics. We examined the properties of four FB compounds, 1,2-DiFB, 1,4-DiFB, 1,3,5-TriFB and HexaFB on lipid bilayer and sodium channel function at equipotent clinically relevant concentrations. Effects on lipid bilayer properties were tested using a gramicidin channel based stopped-flow fluorescence assay for lipid bilayer perturbation; effects on sodium channel function were tested using whole-cell voltage-clamp electrophysiology on neuronal cells (ND7/23). The stopped-flow results showed that all four FBs minimally affected lipid bilayer properties, whereas the sodium channels were strongly inhibited by all four anesthetics. Inhibition of peak sodium current was voltage-dependent as a pre-pulse to a voltage at which half the channels were in the fast inactivated state (V1/2) revealed strong inhibition compared to a pre-pulse to a voltage at which the majority of the channels were in the resting state (V0). The FBs produce a left-shift in the voltage of half-maximal inactivation (V1/2, also known as h∞ or availability), with 1,2-DiFB showing the greatest and HexaFB the least shift; these changes are comparable to those observed with modern inhaled anesthetics such as isoflurane. Together these results suggest that these compounds alter sodium channel function through direct interactions with the channels, though we cannot exclude that membrane effects may become involved at high, supra-pharmacological concentrations.
Selected reference sources in disability studies: an annotated bibliography

Purpose – This paper aims to provide an overview of reference sources in the discipline of disability studies to aid academic and larger public libraries in their collection building efforts. Each discussed source is annotated, offering information on the title’s model for viewing disability, scope, structure and audience. Design/methodology/approach – Reference titles in disability studies were located through searches in WorldCat, then evaluated, selected and carefully annotated. Resources included in this annotated bibliography are those that move beyond the medical model of disability, exploring disability rather as a social construct. Also, works with interdisciplinary focus were preferred during selection. Findings – There is a variety of recently published reference resources in disability studies, including companions, encyclopedias, handbooks and series, that would potentially represent good additions to collections in academic and public libraries. Seven of these are annotated in this study. Originality/value – Post-medical disability studies target a broad range of audiences: sociologists, arts and humanities scholars, activists, people with disabilities, individuals without disabilities and medical practitioners and caretakers. Given this broad audience appeal, it can be argued that any academic library or large public library will benefit from setting up or updating its collections on this relatively new discipline of study. The resources annotated in this study assist interested libraries in this endeavor.
The Role of Aesthetic Considerations in a Narrative Based Approach to Nature Conservation

The claim presented here is that aesthetic considerations are an essential part of place narrative, and are thus essential to ethical environmental decision-making. Holland’s narrative-based approach to nature conservation is taken as a starting point from which an argument is developed to show how his approach can be extended to include the aesthetic. Aesthetic experience of place is important because it gives us knowledge by acquaintance of the place, because it gives meaning to our relationship to the place, and because it reveals and gives insight to meaningful relationships within the place. The narrative approach allows these experiences and meanings, which are problematic to other approaches, to be captured and included in environmental decision-making.
Obesity Medications and the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

Obesity is a chronic disease and requires ongoing treatment. Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity and improves with weight loss. Diets of 800 kcal/d induce twice the weight loss induced by weight loss medications. The strength of weight loss medication, which should be used with diet and a lifestyle change program, is the maintenance of weight loss. Sibutramine and orlistat are the only two medications approved for the long-term treatment of obesity. Orlistat gives a reduction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in excess of that expected with weight loss, and the drop in blood pressure expected with weight loss is not seen with sibutramine. Except in newly diagnosed patients with diabetes subjects, patients with diabetes lose half the weight of subjects who do not have diabetes when treated with weight loss medications. Metformin and, to a lesser extent, acarbose cause weight loss, making them attractive choices for the treatment of obese type 2 diabetic subjects. Repaglinide appears to be...
A Normative Pragmatic Perspective on Appealing to Emotions in Argumentation

Is appealing to emotions in argumentation ever legitimate and, if so, what is the best way to analyze and evaluate such appeals? After overviewing a normative pragmatic perspective on appealing to emotions in argumentation, I present answers to these questions from pragma-dialectical, informal logical, and rhetorical perspectives, and note positions shared and supplemented by a normative pragmatic perspective. A normative pragmatic perspective holds that appealing to emotions in argumentation may be relevant and non-manipulative; and that emotional appeals may be analyzed as strategies that create pragmatic reasons and assessed by the standard of formal propriety or reasonability under the circumstances. I illustrate the explanatory power of the perspective by analyzing and evaluating some argumentation from Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” I conclude that a normative pragmatic perspective offers a more complete account of appealing to emotions in argumentation than a pragma-dialectial, informal logical, or rhetorical perspective alone, identifies a range of norms available to arguers, and explains why appealing to emotions may be legitimate in particular cases of argumentation.
Antiluteinizing hormone: acute influence on steroid and gonadotropin levels and follicular development in the pregnant hamster.

Pregnant hamsters were injected at 0900 h on day 4 or 8 (day 1 of pregnancy = sperm-positive) with 0.1 ml of either normal horse serum (NHS) or equine antibovine LH (ALH) and decapitated 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 h later. Serum was saved for RIA of FSH, PRL, progesterone (P), testosterone (T), and estradiol (E2). Corpora lutea (CL) and nonluteal ovary (NLO) were saved for steroid determinations, and one ovary was saved for histology. Regardless of the day of treatment, ALH induced an immediate decline within 1 h in the serum and luteal E2 concentrations without altering T. At 24 h after ALH, levels of T and P in CL and sera were lower than NHS controls. In NLO, T and E2 declined simultaneously within 1 h after ALH without changing P. Within the next 3–6 h, P in NLO declined to half that of NHS pregnant controls and all antral follicles showed initial signs of atresia. Collectively, these results indicate that, after LH deprivation, the initial hormonal change is a concomitant decrease of E2 in serum, CL, an...
Calorimetric investigations of crystalline 3′,5′‐cyclic nucleotides

Differential enthalpic analysis of a series of 3′,5′-cyclic nucleotides indicates that homolytic cleavage of the six-membered phosphate ring occurs either immediately prior to or concurrent with decomposition of the crystal lattice. Homolysis is followed by a rapid polymerization to yield oligonucleotides. The enthalpies of these reactions have, with the exception of guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic phosphate, almost identical values of 25 kcal/mole. The anomalous case is attributed to a more stabilized phosphate ring as a result of hydrogen bonding through the two position of the purine ring. The pair of overlapping exothermic peaks observed in each of the thermograms for cAMP and cIMP is related to the presence of two conformational arrangements within the unit cell of each compound.
Small Bowel Bleeding.

The management of patients with small bowel bleeding remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. In most gastrointestinal bleeding episodes, the source of hemorrhage is localized to either the upper gastrointestinal tract or colon; however, in about 5% of cases, upper endoscopy and colonoscopy are nondiagnostic, and the small intestine is the site of bleeding. Patients with suspected small bowel source of bleeding may present with either occult blood loss or recurrent overt gastrointestinal hemorrhage requiring frequent blood transfusions and hospitalizations. Knowing the etiology and site of hemorrhage is essential prior to initiating appropriate therapy. The most common causes of small bowel bleeding are vascular ectasia, tumors, ulcerative diseases, and Meckel’s diverticula. For patients with severe obscure bleeding, push enteroscopy with a 220- to 250-cm enteroscope is strongly recommended. This procedure provides not only a thorough examination for diagnosis, but also allows for biopsy, tattooing, and hemostasis of lesions. If enteroscopy is nondiagnostic, capsule endoscopy is recommended. A diagnostic capsule endoscopy will direct appropriate medical, endoscopic, or surgical intervention, depending on whether the lesion is single or multiple, and whether the patient is a surgical candidate for intraoperative enteroscopy. Intraoperative enteroscopy should be strongly considered in patients with recurrent bleeding and a nondiagnostic evaluation. Laparoscopy and intraoperative enteroscopy is highly recommended in young patients (< 50 years of age) because there is an increased frequency of small bowel tumors and Meckel’s diverticulum which are amenable to surgical therapy.
2-Octyl-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin 2-oxide labelled with tritium in the octyl and aryl moieties

2-Octyl-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin 2-oxide (octyl-BDPO) was labelled with tritium in the 7,8-octyl and 6-BDPO positions at specific activities of 38 and 16 Ci/mmol, respectively, by catalytic reductions of the corresponding olefin and bromo precursors with tritium gas. This potent mechanism-based inhibitor for neuropathy target esterase (NTE) (I50 = 0.25 nM) and delayed neurotoxicant (active in hens at 3 mg/kg) was designed to determine phosphorylated NTE which retains the octyl label and differentiate aging with or without intramolecular group transfer (“alkylation”) reactions at the NTE active site from the fate of the aryl label.
Splice variants of mIAP1 have an enhanced ability to inhibit apoptosis.

Abstract c-IAP1 is a member of the Inhibitor of Apoptosis protein family. Functions ascribed to c-IAP1 include inhibition of apoptosis and activation of NF-κB. Herein, we show that murine c-IAP1 (mIAP1) undergoes alterative splicing, generating two truncated proteins; one that lacks the CARD and RING domains (mIAP1-ΔCARDΔRING) and the other that lacks only the CARD domain (mIAP1-ΔCARD). mIAP1-ΔCARDΔRING mRNA is expressed at 2–3% of the levels of full-length mIAP1 (FL-mIAP1) in mouse tissues, yet it encodes a protein that accumulates at 50-fold higher levels than the FL-mIAP1 in cultured cells. This protein has an enhanced ability to inhibit Bax-induced apoptosis, but does not activate an NF-κB reporter. In contrast to mIAP1-ΔCARDΔRING, the mIAP1-ΔCARD mRNA displays distinct tissue variation, ranging from 5% to 15% of the FL-mIAP1 mRNA levels and its levels increase in the mammary gland during involution. This isoform also has enhanced anti-apoptotic activity, but diminished NF-κB activation. In summary, mIAP1 is alternatively spliced, generating protein isoforms with distinct functional characteristics.
Influence Digraphs Induced by Time-Stamped Graphs (Extended Abstract)

Abstract A time-stamped graph is an undirected graph with a real number on each edge. Vertex u influences vertex v if there is an increasing path from u to v . The induced influence digraph of a time-stamped graph is the directed graph that records the influences. In this paper we study the realizability problem: Given a parameter value, does there exist a time-stamped graph whose induced influence digraph has the given parameter value? In particular, we solve this problem when the parameter is the number of arcs. Moreover, if the candidates for the time-stamped graphs are restricted to trees, then every realizable value can be achieved by a tree homeomorphic to K 2 or K 1,3 . A number of other questions are also explored. The full version of this paper is submitted to a referreed journal.
Thermodynamic properties of HoCo3 hydrides

Abstract Hydrogen desorption isotherms were measured in the system HoCo x H x . for 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 4.1 at temperatures of 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80°C. Pressure plateaus on the isotherms indicate the existence of two hydride phases in addition to the terminal hydrogen-saturated metal α phase. Both hydrides exhibit a wide range of solid solution. The β phase extends from x = 0.95 to x = 1.72, while the 7 phase extends from x = 3.15 to at least x = 4.10. The α phase is very narrow. At 20°C the plateau pressures are 6.49 and 121 Torr, and the heats of absorption are −11.28 and −9.26 kcal (mol H 2 ) −1 . From the temperature dependences of the isotherms, the partial molar heats and entropies of absorption and the heats and entropies of formation were calculated as functions of x .
Tropomodulin 3 Binds to Actin Monomers

Regulation of the actin cytoskeleton by filament capping proteins is critical to myriad dynamic cellular functions. The ability of these proteins to bind both filaments as well as monomers is often central to their cellular functions. The ubiquitous pointed end capping protein Tmod3 (tropomodulin 3) acts as a negative regulator of cell migration, yet mechanisms behind its cellular functions are not understood. Analysis of Tmod3 effects on kinetics of actin polymerization and steady state monomer levels revealed that Tmod3, unlike previously characterized tropomodulins, sequesters actin monomers with an affinity similar to its affinity for capping pointed ends. Furthermore, Tmod3 is found bound to actin in high speed supernatant cytosolic extracts, suggesting that Tmod3 can bind to monomers in the context of other cytosolic monomer binding proteins. The Tmod3-actin complex can be efficiently cross-linked with 1-ethyl-3-(dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide/N-hydroxylsulfosuccinimide in a 1:1 complex. Subsequent tryptic digestion and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry revealed two binding interfaces on actin, one distinct from other actin monomer binding proteins, and two potential binding sites in Tmod3, which are independent of the previously characterized leucine-rich repeat structure involved in pointed end capping. These data suggest that the Tmod3 isoform may regulate actin dynamics differently in cells than the previously described tropomodulin isoforms.
A fossil hominoid proximal femur from Kikorongo Crater, southwestern Uganda

The external morphology of a fragmentary right proximal femur from southwestern Uganda is described here. Discovered in the Kikorongo Crater of Queen Elizabeth National Park in 1961, this specimen was informally assigned to Homo sapiens (although never described) and tentatively dated to the late Pleistocene. However, because aspects of the external morphology of the femur align the fossil with the African great apes, we suggest that the Kikorongo femur may be the first postcranial fossil of the genus Pan. Like the African apes, the Kikorongo specimen lacks both an obturator externus groove and an intertrochanteric line. It has a short femoral neck with a circular cross section, and a narrow and deep superior notch. Using resampling statistics and discriminant function analysis, the Kikorongo femur clustered with the genus Pan, as opposed to Gorilla or Homo. However, if the specimen is from Pan, it would be large for this taxon. Furthermore, features that clearly distinguish the external morphology of Plio-Pleistocene hominin proximal femora from African ape femora, such as the shape of the femoral neck in cross section and femoral neck length, have converged in Holocene humans and African apes. Unfortunately, the internal morphology of the femoral neck of the Kikorongo fossil was not discernable. Although we hypothesize that the Kikorongo femur is from the genus Pan, there is such variability in the proximal femora of modern humans that, although it would be an unusual human, it remains possible that this fossil represents H. sapiens.
Chemistry and the next generation science standards

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) describe what all students should know about science and engineering, and be able to do by the time they leave high school. The NGSS are based on learning progressions of core ideas in the discipline, crosscutting concepts across disciplines, and the practices that will allow students to use their disciplinary knowledge in meaningful ways. As states adopt the NGSS, significant changes will be required in all areas of science education, including the development of new curricula and assessments. Support for both pre- and inservice teachers will be crucial, and perhaps less obviously, so will changes in the way chemistry is taught at the college level. The Next Generation Science Standards logo is ©Copyright 2013 and reprinted here with permission of Achieve, Inc., with all rights reserved.
Fractal basin boundaries and homoclinic orbits for periodic motion in a two-well potential.

A fractal-looking basin boundary for forced periodic motions of a particle in a two-well potential is observed in numerical simulation. The fractal structure seems to be correlated with the appearance of homoclinic orbits in the Poincar\'e map as calculated by Holmes using the method of Melnikov. Below this critical forcing amplitude the basin boundary appears to be smooth and nonfractal. This example raises questions about predictability in nonchaotic dynamics of nonlinear systems.
Studies on the mechanism of 1,3-butadiene-induced leukemogenesis: the potential role of endogenous murine leukemia virus.

Previous studies have revealed marked differences in the incidence of leukemia between rats and mice exposed to 1,3-butadiene that do not appear to be readily explained on the basis of pharmacokine...
Constitutive Modeling of High Temperature Uniaxial Creep-Fatigue and Creep-Ratcheting Responses of Alloy 617

Inconel Alloy 617 is a high temperature creep and corrosion resistant alloy and is a leading candidate for use in Intermediate Heat Exchangers (IHX) of the Next Generation Nuclear Plants (NGNP). The IHX of the NGNP is expected to experience operating temperatures in the range of 800 degrees - 950 degrees C, which is in the creep regime of Alloy 617. A broad set of uniaxial, low-cycle fatigue, fatigue-creep, ratcheting, and ratcheting-creep experiments are conducted in order to study the fatigue and ratcheting responses, and their interactions with the creep response at high temperatures. A unified constitutive model developed at North Carolina State University is used to simulate these experimental responses. The model is developed based on the Chaboche viscoplastic model framework. It includes cyclic hardening/softening, strain rate dependence, strain range dependence, static and dynamic recovery modeling features. For simulation of the alloy 617 responses, new techniques of model parameter determination are developed for optimized simulations. This paper compares the experimental responses and model simulations for demonstrating the strengths and shortcomings of the model.
EFFECTS OF ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IN HUMANS

In experimental animals, exposure to UV-B radiation produces selective alterations of immune function which are mainly in the form of suppression of normal immune responses. This immune suppression is important in the development of nonmelanoma skin cancer, may influence the development and course of infectious disease and possibly protects against autoimmune reactions. The evidence that this form of immune suppression occurs in humans is less compelling and very incomplete. The wavelengths of radiation most affected by a depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer are those known to be most immunosuppressive in animals and it is likely that such depletion will increase any suppressive effect of sunlight on immunity in humans. In addition to establishing whether or not UV-B radiation can cause suppression of immune function in humans, studies are required to determine if melanin can provide protection against such suppression, the role of this suppression in the pathogenesis of skin cancer, the development of infectious disease and vaccine effectiveness, and the capacity for humans to develop adaptive, protective mechanisms which may limit damage from continued exposure to UV-B radiation.
Presence of Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) in Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest, Wisconsin, and Characterization of Strain W97F51

Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmidt, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner; babesiosis, caused by Babesia microti Franca; and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum Bakken & Dumler have been reported in Wisconsin, mainly in the endemic areas of the northwestern part of the state. People exposed to blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis Say, from this region can potentially contract one or all of these diseases concurrently. Within the past several years, there have been cases of Lyme disease reported from southeastern Wisconsin, an area that contains deer, mice, and similar vegetation found at regions with high endemicity. However, past white-tailed deer surveys suggested no existence of I. scapularis in southeastern Wisconsin. However, in 1996, we identified questing adult I. scapularis in the southernmost part of the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest, Walworth County. To determine whether an established population of I. scapularis exists in this region, we performed a detailed survey of the abundance of host-seeking I. scapularis adults and the presence and abundance of subadults feeding on white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus Rafinesque. We also tested for possible infections of B. burgdorferi, Ba. microti, and A. phagocytophilum in ticks and B. burgdorferi harbored by mice. In 1997 and 1998, a total of 249 P. leucopus mice and 118 questing adult I. scapularis ticks, in addition to 157 larvae and seven nymphs feeding on mice, were collected and their locations were recorded from the Nordic trails of the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest. Only one P. leucopus and its attached engorged I. scapularis nymph were infected with B. burgdorferi, whereas none of the engorged larvae attached to mice were infected. However, 4.2% of questing adult I. scapularis were infected with B. burgdorferi. The abundance of questing adult I. scapularis was 1.6 ticks per hour. The prevalence of subadult ticks on mice was 27%, with a mean intensity on infested mice of 2.0. I. scapularis adults were not infected with either Ba. microti or A. phagocytophilum. A unique strain of B. burgdorferi s.l. (W97F51) was discovered, showing 33 nucleotide substitutions and one codon insertion in a 567-bp fragment of the OspB gene, compared with Borrelia bissettii (strain Ca389). The sequences of ospA, ospB, ospC,fla, and rrs genes and the rrf-rrl intergenic spacer region were compared between W97F51 and other B. burgdorferi s.l. species. Although W97F51 was most genetically related to B. bissettii, the genetic identity of W97F51 was less than that of B. bissettii conspecifics. This study documents the existence of an established population of I. scapularis and the presence of B. burgdorferi with a novel strain in southeastern Wisconsin.
The high cost of terminal care: Balancing conflicting goals

If the medical establishment fails to develop rational, realistic strategies for managing patients with advanced cancer, then non-physicians will make the decisions.