cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antilisterial and Antibiofilm Activities of Pediocin and LAP Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles

In this study, we synthesized and assessed the antilisterial and antibiofilm properties of a novel gold nanocomposite, functionalized with antimicrobial peptide, Pediocin AcH and Listeria adhesion protein (LAP) for targeted inactivation of L. monocytogenes. The gold nanoparticle (GNP) and the gold nanocomposites (GNP-Pediocin-LAP) were characterized using spectroscopic and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and their effect on human enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells were assessed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)-based cytotoxicity and inhibition of Listeria adhesion assay. The antilisterial and antibiofilm activities of nanocomposites on L. monocytogenes were determined by a plating method. TEM image analysis indicated that the size of GNP and the gold nanoconjugates to be about 20 nm and 40 nm, respectively; and spectroscopy indicated the successful loading of proteins onto citrate-stabilized GNPs. Gold nanocomposites were non-toxic and significantly reduced L. monocytogenes adhesion to Caco-2 cells. Relative to the GNP-Pediocin conjugate, the GNP-Pediocin-LAP conjugate showed 11.1% higher zone of inhibition in agar diffusion assay, and higher reduction (1.5 log10 CFU/mL) in L. monocytogenes counts. Same preparation also showed 24% and 31% more reduction in Listeria counts in biofilms after 24 h and 48 h of incubation, respectively. Nanocomposites were also highly effective in decontamination of L. monocytogenes on a miniature industrial conveyor system. Altogether, co-action of Pediocin and the LAP functionalized on GNP (GNP-Pediocin-LAP), demonstrated higher antilisterial and antibiofilm activities compared to the Pediocin functionalized GNP or Pediocin alone suggesting GNP can provide a platform to load multiple proteins for surface decontamination of L. monocytogenes in industrial settings.
The Role of Color and Texture Features in Glaucoma Detection

Glaucoma is considered as a neurodegenerative disease and one of the leading cause for vision loss. A computer aided diagnostic tool for glaucoma detection is of primary importance in early detection. This paper presents a novel computer based automated glaucoma detection method. Unlike the present state-of-art approaches, the proposed method eliminates the segmentation of retinal structures and extracts color and texture features from the blood vessel in-painted fundus images. Blood vessels are considered as noisy pixels and are eliminated prior to feature extraction. The color and texture features provide information which is clinically significant for characterization of retinal fundus images as glaucoma and healthy. The proposed approach achieved an accuracy of 94.7% with Artificial Neural Network (ANN) classifier and 92% with Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier.
High School Football and the Athletic-Market Economy: Recruiting, Producing, and Manufacturing Talent

There are two cultural narratives often purported within the American sports cultures of basketball and football. First, those participating within these sports are African American athletes from p...
Shift: A Dynamics Engine for Simulation and Motion Visualization of Complex Mechanisms and Robotic Systems

This paper describes the Shift dynamics engine, a new general purpose software for rigid body dynamic simulation of complex mechanisms and robotic systems. The underlying structure and algorithms of the software are described together with its input file format and other system features. The file format uses a hierarchical organizational structure which facilitates model reuse and allows for rapidly building complex models from simpler models. The software is extensible via force modules that can support feeding back external forces into a model such as from springs, dampers, tire models and PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) controllers. The capabilities of Shift are illustrated by simulating a passenger vehicle rolling with 51 joints and 45 bodies, including an appropriate tire model.
Competing factors in grain boundary loop shrinkage: Two-dimensional hard sphere colloidal crystals.

A grain boundary (GB) loop in a two-dimensional solid is the boundary of a domain or grain whose lattice orientation is mismatched with its uniform surroundings. Understanding the factors that influence the rate at which the interior of a GB loop relaxes to the orientation of its surroundings is an important step toward control and predictability of grain coarsening in general. Recent computational and experimental studies looking at the rate of GB loop shrinkage in two-dimensional colloidal hard sphere solids have uncovered contradictory trends: in experiments, GB loops with low misorientation angles shrank the fastest, while in simulations, they persisted the longest. In this study, the computational system’s behavior is brought into qualitative agreement with the experimental results through increasing the lateral packing pressure, decreasing the domain size, and mimicking the experimental protocol used to form the GB loop. Small GB loops with the same misorientation, but displaying either a hexagonal or starlike grain shape depending on the orientation of their six dislocations, are shown to differ in their rates of shrinkage by two orders of magnitude. The evidence suggests that both the barrier to generating new dislocations as well as the pattern of dislocations formed by different GB loop preparation methods will determine which trend is observed.A grain boundary (GB) loop in a two-dimensional solid is the boundary of a domain or grain whose lattice orientation is mismatched with its uniform surroundings. Understanding the factors that influence the rate at which the interior of a GB loop relaxes to the orientation of its surroundings is an important step toward control and predictability of grain coarsening in general. Recent computational and experimental studies looking at the rate of GB loop shrinkage in two-dimensional colloidal hard sphere solids have uncovered contradictory trends: in experiments, GB loops with low misorientation angles shrank the fastest, while in simulations, they persisted the longest. In this study, the computational system’s behavior is brought into qualitative agreement with the experimental results through increasing the lateral packing pressure, decreasing the domain size, and mimicking the experimental protocol used to form the GB loop. Small GB loops with the same misorientation, but displaying either a hexagonal ...
Why are we still using opioids for osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a common debilitating condition affecting a substantial portion of the population and is an accepted consequence of ageing and overuse. Whilst surgical interventions are a definitive approach, most cases are managed medically with analgesia. Pharmacological therapies have included acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opiates. Although significant controversies exist in the use of opioids for chronic musculoskeletal pain, many leading guidelines continue to recommend its use despite increasing evidence to suggest an increase in addiction, morbidity and mortality. With the opiate crisis growing, we re-examine the role opiates have in this chronic condition and current data, and briefly evaluate alternative therapies.
Approaching mindful multicultural case formulation: Rogers, Yalom, and existential phenomenology

Narrow or restricted case formulation considerations can limit therapeutic effectiveness, limit the lived base of evidence guiding psychotherapy, and contribute to psychotherapist microaggressions....
Ethanol and Cannabinoids Regulate Zebrafish GABAergic Neuron Development and Behavior in a Sonic Hedgehog and Fibroblast Growth Factor-Dependent Mechanism.

Background Ethanol (EtOH) has diverse effects on nervous system development, which includes development and survival of GABAergic neurons in a sonic hedgehog (Shh) and fibroblast growth factor (Fgf)-dependent mechanism. Cannabinoids also function as inhibitors of Shh signaling, raising the possibility that EtOH and cannabinoids may interact to broadly disrupt neuronal function during brain development. Methods Zebrafish embryos were exposed to a range of EtOH and/or cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) agonist concentrations at specific developmental stages, in the absence or presence of morpholino oligonucleotides that disrupt shh expression. In situ hybridization was employed to analyze glutamic acid decarboxylase (gad1) gene expression as a marker of GABAergic neuron differentiation, and zebrafish behavior was analyzed using the novel tank diving test as a measure of risk-taking behavior. Results Combined acute subthreshold EtOH and CB1R agonist exposure results in a marked reduction in gad1 mRNA expression in zebrafish forebrain. Consistent with the EtOH and cannabinoid effects on Shh signaling, fgf8 mRNA overexpression rescues the EtOH- and cannabinoid-induced decrease in gad1 gene expression and also prevents the changes in behavior induced by EtOH and cannabinoids. Conclusions These studies provide evidence that forebrain GABAergic neuron development and zebrafish risk-taking behavior are sensitive to both EtOH and cannabinoid exposure in a Shh- and Fgf-dependent mechanism, and provide additional evidence that a signaling pathway involving Shh and Fgf crosstalk is a critical target of EtOH and cannabinoids in FASD.
Analgesics, Narcotic Antagonists, and Drugs Used to Treat Arthritis

Abstract This book is intended as a guide to help the clinician determine where a visual problem is a drug-induced ocular side effect. We continually review spontaneous case reports from the National Registry of Drug-Induced Ocular Side Effects, the World Health Organization, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the world literature. We have attempted to classify a suspected adverse event with our impression to causality (i.e. certain, probable, unlikely, conditional/unclassified). This chapter discusses analgesics, narcotic antagonists, and drugs used to treat arthritis including drugs used to treat gout, antirheumatic drugs, mild analgesics, narcotic antagonists, and strong analgesics.
Shivering mice reveal their evolution

![Graphic][1] Living at high altitude pushes the physiology of the mammals that choose to live there to its limits, yet many species rise to the challenge. Some populations of deer mice can be found at 4300 m, where the extreme habitat requires them to cope with low levels of oxygen in the
Asymptotic properties of mixing length closures for turbulent pipe flow

Turbulence is investigated as the Reynolds number approaches infinity for the flow of an incompressible fluid through straight pipes with a circular cross section under the assumptions that the continuum hypothesis holds, the pipe wall is smooth, and the mixing length closure constructed by Cantwell [“A universal velocity profile for smooth wall pipe flow,” J. Fluid Mech. 878, 834–874 (2019)] is sufficiently accurate to allow the extrapolation to Reynolds numbers beyond the range of the Princeton superpipe data used as a foundation for the closure model. Two sets of scales are introduced to set up two sets of dimensionless equations and two Reynolds numbers for the near wall region (Re, inner scaling) and the center part of the pipe flow (Rτ, outer scaling). It is shown analytically that the turbulent flow asymptotically approaches a two-layer structure: The core of the pipe flow becomes uniform with constant mean velocity and zero shear stress in the outer scaling and the near wall region (inner scaling) with the mean velocity satisfying the law of the wall and non-zero shear stress. The core part of the flow pushes, as Rτ → ∞, the near wall layer to the boundary restricting it to a cylindrical subdomain with zero volume.
Prrs and the North American Swine Trade: A Trade Barrier Analysis

The partial equilibrium model links the infection risk from imported products to a premium, which compensates the importing country for the risk incurred by allowing imports from infected countries. The model is applied to the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Mexican live swine imports. The premium is sensitive to the expected loss from a PRRS outbreak and to the magnitude of the risk. As the risk or severity of PRRS rises, so does the level of the barrier. If swine imports are categorized and appropriate restrictions applied, an acceptable level of disease protection can be achieved while improving national welfare.
Pandemics: Historically Slow "Learning Curve" Leading to Biomedical Informatics and Vaccine Breakthroughs.

Background: The worldwide tragedy of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic vividly demonstrates just how inadequate mitigation and control of the spread of infectious diseases can be when faced with a new microorganism with unknown pathogenic effects. Responses by governments in charge of public health, and all other involved organizations, have proved largely wanting. Data infrastructure and the information and communication systems needed to deal with the pandemic have likewise not been up to the task. Nevertheless, after a year of the worldwide outbreak, hope arises from this being the first major pandemic event in history where genomic and related biosciences – relying on biomedical informatics – have been essential in decoding the viral sequence data and producing the mRNA and other biotechnologies that unexpectedly rapidly have led to investigation, design, development, and testing of useful vaccines. Medical informatics may also help support public health actions and clinical interventions - but scalability and impact will depend on overcoming ingrained human shortcomings to deal with complex socio-economic, political, and technological disruptions together with the many ethical challenges presented by pandemics. Objectives: The principal goal is to review the history of biomedical information and healthcare practices related to past pandemics in order to illustrate just how exceptional and dependent on biomedical informatics are the recent scientific insights into human immune responses to viral infection, which are enabling rapid antiviral vaccine development and clinical management of severe cases – despite the many societal challenges ahead. Methods: This paper briefly reviews some of the key historical antecedents leading up to modern insights into epidemic and pandemic processes with their biomedical and healthcare information intended to guide practitioners, agencies, and the lay public in today’s ongoing pandemic events. Conclusions: Poor scientific understanding and excessively slow learning about infectious disease processes and mitigating behaviors have stymied effective treatment until the present time. Advances in insights about immune systems, genomes, proteomes, and all the other -omes, became a reality thanks to the key sequencing technologies and biomedical informatics that enabled the Human Genome Project, and only now, 20 years later, are having an impact in ameliorating devastating zoonotic infectious pandemics, including the present SARS-CoV-2 event through unprecedently rapid vaccine development. In the future these advances will hopefully also enable more targeted prevention and treatment of disease. However, past and present shortcomings of most of the COVID-19 pandemic responses illustrate just how difficult it is to persuade enough people – and especially political leaders – to adopt societally beneficial risk-avoidance behaviors and policies, even as these become better understood.
Association of Infant Feeding Methods and Excess Weight from Birth to Age 6.

Objective: To examine the associations between human milk feeding method (at the breast versus bottle) and measures of child adiposity during the first 6 years of life. Study Design: Women 12 month...
Estimating energy storage size for Nuclear-Renewable hybrid energy systems using data-driven stochastic emulators

Abstract The increased electricity production from renewable energy sources, such as wind, in recent years has contributed to an increase in grid variability. This creates the need for clean, reliable, and flexible back-up electricity generation to complement the renewables and match the grid demand. Nuclear power is a clean, reliable energy source for back-up energy generation but cannot be operated in a manner flexible enough to compensate for the high uncertainties in renewable energy production. To maintain the grid stability with clean energy production and limited operational flexibility of nuclear power, appropriately sized energy storage solutions are needed. Typically, such integrated energy systems are modeled using deterministic methods which are not suitable to accommodate fluctuating energy production and safety constraints on nuclear power plants. This work developed a continuous-time stochastic model for integrating wind and nuclear power with energy storage. The model was then demonstrated for an isolated microgrid using the yearly demand and wind generation data, with nuclear and wind energy as the only power generation sources. Multiple scenarios were analyzed with varying wind penetrations and nuclear flexibility limitations, and the energy storage sizes and their utilization fractions were calculated for three different energy storage types. Without the implementation of energy storage, the required nuclear power capacity should be above the average grid load, and most of the wind power is wasted. By implementing energy storage and using nuclear as a constant base-load, the wind power can account for a larger fraction of the grid, however the storage size requirements are large and utilization fractions are small. If the nuclear power is allowed to operate with greater flexibility than current ramp rate limitations, the storage requirement decreases and storage utilization increases. Of the three storage types analyzed, thermal storage is found to be lowest in size requirement with the highest utilization factors for all scenarios.
The third cosmological paradigm

I begin by briefly discussing the first two cosmological paradigms, the hot big-bang model and $\Lambda$CDM. In discussing the third paradigm, I focus on the issues it must address, what its aspirations should be, and how it might be initiated. I end with a brief history of my collaborations with Frank Wilczek.
Organic analogues of diluted magnetic semiconductors: bridging quantum chemistry to condensed matter physics

The selective coupling between polarized photons and electronic states in materials enables polarization-resolved spectroscopy studies of exchange interactions, spin dynamics, and collective magnetic behavior of conduction electrons in semiconductors. Here we report on Magnetic Circular Dichroism (MCD) studies of magnetic properties of electrons in crystalline thin films of small molecule organic semiconductors. Specifically, the focus was on the magnetic exchange interaction properties of d-shell ions (Cu2+, Co2+ and Mn2+) metal phthalocyanine (Pc) thin films that one may think of as organic analogues of diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS). These films were deposited in-house using a recently developed pen-writing method that results in crystalline films with macroscopic long range ordering and improved electronic properties, ideally suited for spectroscopy techniques. Our experiments reveal that, in analogy to DMS, the extended π-orbitals of the Pc molecule mediate the spin exchange between highly localized d-like unpaired spins. We established that exchange mechanisms involve different electronic states in each species and/or hybridization between d-like orbitals and certain delocalized π-orbitals. Unprecedented 25T MCD and PL conducted in the unique 25T Split Florida HELIX magnet at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) will prove useful in probing these exchange interactions.
Chapter 3 – Conditional Probability and Conditional Expectation

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on conditional probability and conditional expectation, which are important concepts in probability theory. In calculating probabilities and expectations, when some partial information is available, the desired probabilities and expectations are conditional ones. On the other hand, in calculating a desired probability or expectation, it is often extremely useful to first condition on some appropriate random variable. If X and Y have a joint probability density function f(x, y), then the conditional probability density function of X, given that Y = y, is defined for all values of y such that fY(y) > 0 by fX |Y (x | y) =.
Hemoglobin Switching in Sheep and Goats: III. CELL-FREE INITIATION OF SHEEP GLOBIN SYNTHESIS

Abstract Initiation of sheep globin synthesis was studied to determine if a unique initiation mechanism might be a control point for hemoglobin A to C switching. Polysomes from the reticulocytes of anemic adult sheep direct cell-free synthesis of sheep α-, βb-, and/or βc-globin chains. The first two amino acids on the NH2 terminus of these three globins are valine-leucine, methionine-leucine, and proline-asparagine, respectively. The initiator tRNA, methionyl-tRNAf, donates [35S]methionine to the βb chain but not to the α or βc. When methionine on the initiator tRNA is formylated, formyl[35S]methionine is donated to all three globins. α-, βb-, and βc-Globins with an NH2-terminal formylmethionine were isolated from the cell-free reaction by carboxymethylcellulose chromatography and subjected to deformylation and proteolytic digestion. [35S]Methionine on formylmethionine α-globin is released as free methionine, methionine-valine, or methionine-valine-leucine (as determined by electrophoresis and chromatography). Similarly, the [35S]methionine on formylmethionine βb-globin is released as methionine-leucine. Conditions were not found which would cleave a dipeptide from the formylmethionine βc chain, so the globin was labeled with [3H]proline, [3H]asparagine, or [3H]lysine in addition to [35S]methionine and subjected to automated Edman degradation. The data show that the initial sequence of formylmethionine βc is methionine-proline-asparaginelysine. We conclude that methionyl-tRNAf initiates all three globin chains but that this methionine is subsequently cleaved from the α and βc chains. We infer that βa globin is initiated in a manner similar to βb because their NH2-terminal sequences are identical. Thus, the mechanism of sheep globin initiation is similar to that of rabbit and human globin initiation; this conclusion suggests a pretranslational control for hemoglobin switching in the sheep.
Knowledge and clinical practice regarding folic acid among obstetrician-gynecologists

Abstract Objective: To assess obstetrician-gynecologists’ knowledge of and clinical practice concerning folate. Methods: We mailed surveys on nutrition during pregnancy to the 230 ACOG Fellows who are members of the Collaborative Ambulatory Research Network and to a random sample of 800 Fellows who are not members of the Network. Our results focus on questions concerning folate. Results: We analyzed 488 surveys (a 47.4% response rate). Approximately two thirds of respondents screen their pregnant patients for folate intake. Fewer (53%) screen their nonpregnant patients of childbearing age. Those who screened their patients for folate intake were more likely to counsel pregnant patients about diet. They also were more likely to believe that nutritional counseling would improve pregnancy outcomes (70.0% versus 56.5%) and overall patient health (77.5% versus 66.5%). Most Fellows were aware that macrocytic anemia was a manifestation of folate deficiency (90.4%) and that folic acid supplementation during preconception and the early prenatal period helps protect against neural tube defects (96.5%). They were aware that alcoholics (91.4%), smokers (61.3%), and lactating women (53.5%) are at increased risk of folate deficiency. They were less aware of other consequences of low folate intake, such as increased serum homocysteine (20.3%). Respondents who screen their pregnant patients for folate intake correctly answered more of the knowledge questions about folate than physicians who do not screen. Conclusion: Obstetrician-gynecologists are generally aware of the link between folate intake and neural tube defects, but are less aware of other aspects of folate metabolism.
Evidence for a Carboxyl Group at the Active Center of Bovine Carboxypeptidase B

Abstract Bovine carboxypeptidase B has been alkylated at the active center by α-N-bromoacetyl-d-arginine-5-14C. The enzyme was treated at pH 7.0 with a 40-fold molar excess of the reagent. Subsequent fractionation of the reaction mixture on Sephadex G-25 and l-leucyl-d-arginine-Sepharose 4B columns has shown that inactivation is accompanied by incorporation of 1.09 moles of alkylating agent per mole of enzyme. Amino acid analyses of acid and basic hydrolysates of inactivated protein were identical with those of the native enzyme except for the presence of 1 extra residue of arginine. No amino acid was present in lower amounts nor were any new ninhydrin-positive peaks observed. Treatment with 2 m hydroxylamine at pH 9.0 partially reactivated the alkylated enzyme with the concomitant release of 1 equivalent of a 14C-labeled compound and the incorporation of 1 equivalent of hydroxamic acid. The radioactive compound was hydrolyzed in acid to release glycolic acid and arginine at a ratio of 0.94:1.00 and co-chromatographed with synthetically prepared α-N-glycolyl-d-arginine-5-14C on Dowex 50-X4. These results suggest that a carboxyl group of carboxypeptidase B is alkylated by α-N-bromoacetyl-d-arginine-5-14C.
INTERACTION AMONG C, R AND Vp IN THE CONTROL OF THE Bz GLUCOSYLTRANSFERASE DURING ENDOSPERM DEVELOPMENT IN MAIZE

ABSTRACT The enzyme UPD glucose: flavonoid 3-0-glucosyltransferase (UFGT), involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis, is controlled by at least four genes ( Bz, C, R and Vp ) in the maize endosperm. Bz is the structural gene for the enzyme. Early in endosperm development, the enzyme is present in an uninduced low level that is independent of C, R and Vp , and dependent solely on Bz . Beginning at about the fourth week of development, C, R and Vp interact with each other to induce high levels of UFGT. The enzyme accumulates thereafter in normal endosperms, reaching its highest level at maturity. The nature of the developmental signal (s) controlled by C, R and Vp is discussed.
Power Factor Correction: A New Industrial Energy Management Program Setup

Power factor (PF) correction is a highly effective means of increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy costs. This effective utilization of power allows for an increase in efficiency. In addition, and as power consumption is reduced, power factor correction increases power quality, which is beneficial to the equipment itself and to the environment by reducing the amount of pollutants that are emitted into the atmosphere. In a previous work, we presented and described energy balance software (see first reference in references section). Here is a new package that offers an easy way to account for energy bills, working equipment, and their energy operating characteristics. Among the equipment considered are: lighting, air conditioning, refrigeration compressors, air compressors, motors, and others. The electric energy consumed by all pieces of equipment is balanced against the energy bills (last 12 months). The corresponding energy costs, graphs, pie-charts, and free format reports are automatically generated, showing paths and trends of energy consumption. A "recommendations" section allows for a quick, but beyond-the-back-of-the-envelop calculation, initial analysis of potential energy improvement projects associated with current equipment, and / or for the installation of new ones. Due to the increasing interest in PF, we have addressed it in two key areas: energy bills, or total PF, and recommendations for PF, for savings in any particular piece(s) of equipment. Among the many features is a typical power factor triangle environment with the demand, PF, total power, reactive power, associated efficiency reduction, including different voltages, current intensities, and phases. The option provides size of capacitors and where they should be located, allowing for a variety of potential choices and their cost-effectiveness. As an output, an information verification chart is displayed and a final "power factor savings" printable chart containing location, equipment, and all the variables described, is shown. Operating cost, total savings, simple payback, and return on investment are also displayed. In this work we briefly describe the industrial energy management (IEM) program and present a case study on power factor. This provides insight into the versatility, faster data entry, balancing process, graphical display, recommendations, and many other features of the software. In addition, we further demonstrate the value of the energy balance approach, and the many options for PF and other energy saving projects.
Correlates of the Multidimensional Construct of Hypnotizability: Paranormal Belief, Fantasy Proneness, Magical Ideation, and Dissociation

Hypnotizability is a multifaceted construct that may relate to multiple aspects of personality and beliefs. This study sought to address 4 known correlates of hypnotizability to aid in its understanding. Eighty undergraduates completed the Magical Ideation Scale (MIS), the Creative Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ), the Australian Sheep-Goat Scale (ASGS), and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and then were administered the Creative Imagination Scale (CIS). All 5 scales were significantly correlated. Participants higher in hypnotizability scored higher on the CEQ and the MIS. The findings demonstrate the influence of fantasy proneness and magical thinking on hypnotizability and support the theory that hypnotizability is a complex interaction of multiple traits.
Effect of Polyoxin D on Chitin Synthesis and Septum Formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The normal sequence of cell separation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae begins with the formation of a primary septum, presumably consisting of chitin, on which secondary septa are later deposited. In the presence of the antibiotic polyoxin D, a potent inhibitor of chitin synthetase, pairs of abnormal cells of two different types were observed by phase-contrast microscopy: the “exploded pair,” consisting of two lysed cells from which the cytoplasm had been extruded at the cell junction, and the “refringent pair,” consisting of two highly refractile cells joined by a thin bridge. Thus, in both cases the septal region appears to be affected. Observations with the electron microscope showed that the primary chitin septum was not formed in either of these cell types, and as a consequence secondary septa of varying thicknesses were laid down in an abnormal pattern. With [ 3 H]glucose as carbon source the incorporation of tritium into the chitin of abnormal cells was inhibited about 90%, whereas the labeling of mannan was normal and that of glucan somewhat reduced. The effective concentrations of polyoxin D (0.1 to 1 mg/ml) were much greater than those required to inhibit chitin synthesis in vitro. Dimethylsulfoxide and amphotericin B, both known to increase cell permeability, enhanced the action of the antibiotic. Images
Polyethylene glycol modification ofCandida rugosa lipase

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was covalently attached to lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) fromCandida rugosa yielding a modified lipase of higher specific activity in hydrolytic and synthetic reactions in organic solvents. PEG of molecular weights 5000 and 1900 solubilized the lipase in selected organic solvents, but PEG of molecular weight 750 was too small to accomplish this completely. The modified lipase was 10 times more stable in water than native lipase, but was less stable in benzene. The selectivity of the modified lipase was also altered to favor reaction with oleic versus stearic acid.
Nordesferriferrithiocin. Comparative Coordination Chemistry of a Prospective Therapeutic Iron Chelating Agent(1).

Nordesferriferrithiocin, NDFFTH(2), is a derivative of the siderophore desferriferrithiocin, DFFTH(2), in which the methyl group is substituted by a hydrogen atom. Both compounds show high oral activity as possible drugs for the treatment of iron overload. While DFFTH(2) is significantly toxic, NDFFTH(2) exhibits a lower toxicity and offers a much better therapeutic window than other orally active iron chelators. In this study, complexes of DFFTH(2) and NDFFTH(2) with various trivalent metals have been synthesized and characterized. Five isomers (the maximum possible) have been observed in the case of [Co(DFFT)(2)](-) in solution, as proved by (1)H-NMR measurements. Although normally labile, complexes of Al(3+) ([Al(DFFT)(2)](-)) have been separated by HPLC. In general, DFFTH(2) forms kinetically inert complexes whereas complexes of NDFFTH(2) tend to isomerize quickly in solution, as indicated by CD spectroscopy of separated HPLC fractions of [Cr(NDFFT)(2)](-). The most stable isomers of the aluminum complexes of both ligands have been characterized by X-ray crystallography; K[Al(DFFT)(2)] crystallizes from methanol/diethyl ether in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2 with a = 11.238(3) A, b = 31.719(11) A, c = 7.684(2) A, V = 2739.2(24) A(3), and Z = 4. This isomer has the mer-(N,O-Lambda)(S,S) configuration, while K[Al(NDFFT)(2)] crystallizes from methanol/diethyl ether in the space group P6(1) (a = 21.269(8) A, c = 9.643(3) A, V = 3777.8(42) A(3), Z = 6) and has the same coordination geometry. The solution thermodynamics of the Al(3+), Ga(3+), and Fe(3+) complexes have been studied by spectrophotometric titration. The stability constants (log K) are 23.6(1), 29.2(3), and 31.04(3), respectively, for the DFFTH(2) complexes and 22.0(1), 27.8(2), and 29.09(3), respectively, for the NDFFTH(2) complexes. Cyclic voltammograms of both iron complexes have been recorded in water at a carbon disk working electrode and in DMF at a graphite working electrode. The reduction waves measured in DMF indicate no reversibility whereas in water a quasi-reversible reduction is observed. The reduction potentials (E(1/2)'s) in water are -166 mV for [Fe(DFFT)(2)](-) and -97 mV for [Fe(NDFFT)(2)](-) versus NHE. These potentials are well in the range for biological reductants, which makes possible an in vivo reduction mechanism for the iron removal from the siderophore.
Fluorescence-based detection of short DNA sequences under non-denaturing conditions

The ability of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) to open up duplex DNA in a highly sequence-specific manner makes it possible to detect short DNA sequences on the background of or within genomic DNA under non-denaturing conditions. To do so, chosen marker sites in double-stranded DNA are locally opened by a pair of PNA openers, thus transforming one strand within the target region (20-30 bp) into the single-stranded form. Onto this accessible DNA sequence a circular oligonucleotide probe is assembled, which serves as a template for rolling circle amplification (RCA). Both homogeneous and heterogeneous assay formats are investigated, as are different formats for fluorescence-based amplicon detection. Our recent data with immobilized analytes suggest that marker sequences in plasmid and bacterial chromosomal DNA can be successfully detected.
C24H14 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the pyrolysis of catechol

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) of the C24H14 isomer class, some of which are potent mutagens and carcinogens, are produced during the burning of solid fuels. For a clearer understanding of the formation of PAH, pyrolysis experiments have been performed in an isothermal laminar-flow reactor with the model fuel catechol (ortho-dihydroxybenzene)–a phenol-type compound representative of structural entities in complex solid fuels like coal, wood, and biomass. The catechol pyrolysis experiments are conducted at 1000°C and at a residence time of 0.3 s. The pyrolysis products are analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-visible absorbance detection and mass spectrometric detection. Product analysis reveals that the C24H14 PAH products of catechol pyrolysis belong to three structural classes: perylene benzologues, fluoranthene benzologues and pyrene benzologues. The 12 C24H14 PAH identified in the present study are: benzo[b]perylene, naphtho[1,2-b]fluoranthene, naphtho[1,2-k]fluoran...
Rater bias in performance ratings: Superior, self-, and peer ratings.

Leniency errors, halo effects, and differential dimensionality were explored in an analysis of superior, self-, and peer performance ratings of 107 managerial and 76 professional employees in a medium-sized manufacturing location, representing 95% of the managerial and professional staff. Self-ratin
Electrical properties of Ca1-xAlx metallic glasses

Abstract Measurements of the electrical resistivity, ϱ, from room temperature to 1.1 K and room temperature structure factors are reported for the simple metal metallic glasses Ca 1- x Al x for values of x between 0.2 and 0.45. Room temperature values of ϱ range from 135 to 380 μΩ cm, and the temperature coefficient of resistivity is negative for all of these alloys over this entire temperature range.
Transient Nonlinear Infrared Spectroscopy of Ubiquitin Unfolding Dynamics

We have structurally resolved the nanosecond to millisecond unfolding of ubiquitin with transient amide I two dimensional infrared (2D IR) and dispersed vibrational echo (DVE) spectroscopy following variable temperature jumps. 2D IR and DVE, a measurement related to the 2D IR spectrum projected onto the ω3 axis, are nonlinear techniques capable of measuring secondary structure content with picosecond time resolution. The equilibrium 2D IR spectrum reveals features resulting from delocalized β-sheet vibrations with dipoles oriented parallel (ν‖) and perpendicular (ν⊥) to the strands. Transient 2D IR spectra show a blue shift of the ν⊥ vibration and disappearance of a cross peak between ν⊥ and ν‖ over μs to ms time scales. Diagonal peak intensities and homogeneous linewidths also indicate the melting away of sheet structure and the concomitant increased mobility of β-strand amide groups. These changes reflect the sequential unfolding of the β-sheet beginning with the labile strands III-V and followed by strands I-II. This pathway is confirmed through transient DVE of ubiquitin mutants, in which local mutations affect the timescales assigned to specific structures. The free energy landscape is evaluated through comparison of experiment and 2D IR spectra calculated from molecular dynamics simulations of ubiquitin unfolding using a structure-based model. The separation of timescales, stretched exponential relaxation, and probe-dependent response are consistent with the observation of μs downhill unfolding of a sub-ensemble that is prepared at the transition state followed by ms activated unfolding kinetics. The downhill unfolding is characterized through temperature jumps initiated and ending at variable temperatures. The increased downhill unfolding amplitudes and slowing timescales that accompany increases in temperature indicate that multiple unfolding pathways become accessible at higher temperatures.
Laparotomy findings in lymphangiogram-staged I and II non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

Ninety patients with Stage 1 or 11, including extranodal (E), presentations of non-Hodkin's lymphoma were investigated by laparotomy, either for the definitive staging of patients with peripheral presentations or for diagnosis of abdominal disease. Sixty-eight patients had staging laparotomies after extensive work-up, which included lymphangiography and bone marrow biopsy. The remaining 22 patients had laparotomies for diagnosis of abdominal symptoms or for management of unrelated surgical problems, with lyphoma being found incidentally. The incidence of positive abdominal findings in the 68 patients who had staging laparotomies depended on histologic subtype. In nodular lymphoma patients, abdominal disease was found in 17 of 28 (61%) and in diffuse lymphoma patients, in 9 of 40 (22.5%). For patients with nodular lymphomas upstaged by laparotomy, the positive findings tended to cluster around an axis consisting of the celiac, porta-hepatic, para-aortic, and root of the mesentery lymph nodes. In addition, 64% of these patients had splenic involvement. For the diffuse lymphomas upstaged by laparotomy, the distribution of positive findings was similar to that of the nodular lymphoma group; however, only 1 patient had splenic involvement. By contrast, in approximately half of the diffuse lymphoma patients who had laparotomies for diagnosis, the gastrointestinal tract was found to be involved in addition to the previously cited lymph nodes. Cancer 452778-2786, 1980.
The stability of the demand for money: The case of the corporate sector

Abstract Although there is general consensus on the determinants of the demand for money, the empirical performance of such money-demand equations has been unstable and poor in forecasting. In this study, the demand for money is empirically investigated on a disaggregated basis, by major sector, using Flow of Funds data, 1955i–1976iv. The results indicate that the empirical difficulties are specific to the corporate sector, that the problems in the corporate sector emerged during the later 1960s, and that foreign economic activity has become an important component in explaining holdings of cash by the corporate sector.
Climate Change Sensitivity Analysis for Two California Watersheds: Addendum to Downscaled Climate and Streamflow Study of the Southwestern United States

ADDENDUM: In the December 1999 JAWRA Special Issue on Water Resources and Climate Change, Miller et al., presented an overview of downscaled climate and streamfiow study of the southwestern United States. This manuscript included an initial sensitivity study of a doubled atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration on western U.S. precipitation and streamflow. In the published manuscript, Figure 12a shows the mean annual precipitation for 1981 to 1984 and Figure 15 shows the mean annual precipitation difference between the downscaled control simulation and the 2°CO2 projection. Both Figure 12a and Figure 15 are in units of mm/month. These units are incorrect, the correct units are mm/year. An additional California watershed is included here, as is more analysis of the streamflow result due to climate change.
In vitro production of β-very low density lipoproteins and small, dense low density lipoproteins in mildly hypertriglyceridemic plasma: role of activities of lecithin:cholester acyltransferase, cholesterylester transfer proteins and lipoprotein lipase

As a model for the formation of beta-very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and small, dense LDL by the intraplasma metabolic activities in vivo, lipoproteins in fresh plasma were interacted in vitro with endogenous lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and cholesterylester transfer proteins (CETP) and subsequently with purified lipoprotein lipase (LpL). The LCAT and CETP reactions in a mildly hypertriglyceridemic (HTG) plasma at 37 degrees C for 18 h resulted in (1) esterification of about 45% plasma unesterified cholesterol (UC), (2) a marked increase in cholesterylester (CE) (+129%) and a decrease in triglyceride (TG) (-45%) in VLDL, and (3) a marked increase of TG (+ 341%) with a small net decrease of CE (-3.6%) in LDL, causing a significant alteration in the TG/CE of VLDL (from 8.0 to 1.9) and of LDL (from 0.20 to 0.93). The LDL in LCAT and CETP-reacted plasma is larger and more buoyant than that in control plasma. In vitro lipolysis of control and LCAT and CETP-reacted plasma by LpL, which hydrolyzed >90% of VLDL-TG and about 50-60% of LDL-TG, converted most of VLDL in control plasma (>85%) but less than half (40%) of VLDL in LCAT and CETP-reacted plasma into the IDL-LDL density fraction and transformed the large, buoyant LDL in the LCAT and CETP-reacted plasma into particles smaller and denser than those in the control plasma. The remnants that accumulated in the VLDL density region of the postlipolysis LCAT and CETP-reacted plasma contained apo B-100 and E but little or no detectable apo Cs and consisted of particles having pre-beta and beta-electrophoretic mobilities. The inhibition of LCAT during incubation of plasma, which lessened the extent of alteration in VLDL and LDL core lipids, increased the extent of lipolytic removal of VLDL from the VLDL density region but lowered the extent of alteration in the size and density of LDL. The LCAT, CETP and/or LpL-mediated alterations in the density of LDL in normolipidemic fasting plasma were less pronounced than that in mildly HTG plasma, but they became highly pronounced upon increase of its TG-rich lipoprotein level by the addition of preisolated VLDL or by the induction of postprandial lipemia. Although the effect of LCAT, CETP and LpL reactions in non-circulating plasma in vitro may be different from that in vivo, the above data suggests that the plasma TG-rich lipoprotein level and the extent of intraplasma LCAT, CETP, LpL and likely hepatic lipase (HL) reactions in vivo may play a role in determining the LDL phenotype.
The composition and development of cell walls of Fucus embryos.

Changes in the structure and composition of cell walls of Fucus gardneri Silva were related to embryo development. Results of histochemical treatments of walls from embryos of different ages were compared with those of differential extractions and electronmicroscopic examinations of isolated walls. At 24 h after fertilization alginic acid, fucoidin and cellulose were structural constituents of the embryo wall. The distribution of alginic acid and cellulose was uniform over the cell walls of embryos of any age, but fucoidin was concentrated at the rhizoid end of cell walls isolated from germinated embryos. Evidence is presented for the presence of sulfated xylogalactofucoglucuronan and β,1-3 glucan in the embryo cell-wall. Electron micrographs of untreated and differentially extracted cell walls showed that alginic acid comprised the fibrillar material and fucoidin comprised the amorphous material of the wall.
Coherent Acoustic Phonons in a Semiconductor Quantum Dot

Coherent acoustic phonons in PbS quantum dots are observed using femtosecond optical techniques. This is the first observation of coherent acoustic phonons in a semiconductor quantum dot; the phonons are generated through the deformation-potential coupling to the quantum-dot exciton. The acoustic modes are weakly damped, and we also find extremely weak coupling ( $S\ensuremath{\sim}0.01$) to the optical modes. These conclusions have important consequences for the vibronic nature of the exciton transition in the quantum dot and its dephasing.
Diet and histophysiology of the alimentary canal of Lumbricillus lineatus (Oligochaeta, Enchytraeidae)

Lumbricillus lineatus selectively ingests masses of organic and inorganic interstitial particles from a sand-clay substratum in the upper littoral zone. Particle-masses are ingested, passed along the esophagus and into the anterior intestine where the pH becomes acid. A- and C-esterases, acid β-galactosidase, acid phosphatase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase are present in the epithelium, while the rotating food masses are surrounded by a membrane of sulphated, acid glycoprotein. These enzymes, with the exception of acid phosphatase and the addition of aminopeptidase M, are also present in the epithelia of the mid and posterior intestinal regions where the pH is alkaline. The cells in the ventral wall of the mid intestinal region contain high concentrations of alkaline phosphatase, acid β-galactosidase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase. The food consists of absorbed organics and bacteria with absorption and intracellular digestion occurring along the intestine, particularly in the mid ventral region.