cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial Actions of Human and Macaque Sperm Associated Antigen (SPAG) 11 Isoforms: influence of the N-terminal peptide

In addition to their role in sperm maturation, recent evidence has indicated that epididymal proteins have a role in male reproductive tract innate immunity. Herein we demonstrate that human and macaque epididymal protein isoforms in the SPAG (sperm associated antigen) 11 family, full length SPAG11C, K and L exhibit potent antibacterial activity against E. coli. Analysis of activities of the N- and C-terminal domains revealed that the human N-terminal peptide is bactericidal, while the C-terminal domains that contain the defensin-like 6 cysteine array in SPAG11C and partial arrays in SPAG11K and SPAG11L, lack antibacterial activity. The N-terminal peptide does not appear to contain all the determinants of activity since full-length human SPAG11C is more active than the isolated N-terminal peptide and since sulfhydryl reduction and alkylation, which would affect primarily the C-terminal peptides, completely abolished activities of the whole proteins. These results suggest that the structure conferred by the disulfide bonds in human SPAG11C contributes to the antibacterial activity of the whole molecule. The activities of the N-terminal peptide and of full length human SPAG11C were somewhat reduced in increasing NaCl concentrations. In contrast, the antibacterial activities of full length macaque SPAG11C, K and L were unaffected by the presence of NaCl suggesting a mechanism in the macaque that is less dependent upon electrostatic interactions. SPAG11C, K and L disrupted E. coli membranes but had no effect on erythrocyte membranes. Inhibition of E. coli RNA, DNA and protein synthesis by nonlethal concentrations of SPAG11 isoforms indicated an additional mechanism of bacterial killing.
Contrasting catalytic and allosteric mechanisms for phosphoglycerate dehydrogenases.

d-3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenases (PGDH) exist with at least three different structural motifs and the enzymes from different species display distinctly different mechanisms. In many species, particularly bacteria, the catalytic activity is regulated allosterically through binding of l-serine to a distinct structural domain, termed the ACT domain. Some species, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, contain an additional domain, called the “allosteric substrate binding” or ASB domain, that functions as a co-domain in the regulation of catalytic activity. That is, both substrate and effector function synergistically in the regulation of activity to give the enzyme some interesting properties that may have physiological relevance for the persistent state of tuberculosis. Both enzymes function through a V-type regulatory mechanism and, in the Escherichia coli enzyme, it has been demonstrated that this results from a dead-end complex that decreases the concentration of active species rather than a decrease in the velocity of the active species. This review compares and contrasts what we know about these enzymes and provides additional insight into their mechanism of allosteric regulation.
Site-Specific PEGylation of Hemoglobin at Cys-93(β): Correlation between the Colligative Properties of the PEGylated Protein and the Length of the Conjugated PEG Chain

Increasing the molecular size of acellular hemoglobin (Hb) has been proposed as an approach to reduce its undesirable vasoactive properties. The finding that bovine Hb surface decorated with about 10 copies of PEG5K per tetramer is vasoactive provides support for this concept. The PEGylated bovine Hb has a strikingly larger molecular radius than HbA (1). The colligative properties of the PEGylated bovine Hb are distinct from those of HbA and even polymerized Hb, suggesting a role for the colligative properties of PEGylated Hb in neutralizing the vasoactivity of acellular Hb. To correlate the colligative properties of surface-decorated Hb with the mass of the PEG attached and also its vasoactivity, we have developed a new maleimide-based protocol for the site-specific conjugation of PEG to Hb, taking advantage of the unusually high reactivity of Cys-93(β) of oxy HbA and the high reactivity of the maleimide to protein thiols. PEG chains of 5, 10, and 20 kDa have been functionalized at one of their hydroxyl ...
Organizational Dramas and Dramatic Stagings about them

Introducing theater into a class on organizational behavior sheds new light on the joys, dilemmas, conflicts, and aspirations that humans experience at work. That is, experiencing a live dramatic performance about others' lives has the potential to personally move and to motivate students (and faculty) to consider work-related issues in different and novel ways. This article provides an understanding of how to incorporate theater into an organizational behavior class by exploring the theoretical underpinnings of such efforts, depicting one specific case, and identifying ways in which faculty can adopt this approach in their classes.
High-Pressure-High-Temperature Treatment of Gem Diamonds

Annealing of gem-quality diamonds at very high pressures (above 5 GPa) and temperatures (above ∼1800°C) can produce significant changes in their color. Treatment under these high-pressure-high-temperature (HPHT) conditions affects certain optically active defects and their absorptions in the visible spectrum. In the jewelry industry, laboratory-treated diamonds are valued much less than those of natural color. Polished diamonds are carefully examined at gemological laboratories to determine the “origin of color” as part of an overall assessment of their quality. Currently, the recognition of HPHT-treated diamonds involves the determination of various visual properties (such as color and features seen under magnification), as well as characterization by several spectroscopic techniques. HPHT-treated diamonds were introduced into the jewelry trade in the late 1990s, and despite progress in their recognition, their identification remains a challenge. While some detection methodologies have been established, the large number of diamonds requiring testing with sophisticated analytical instrumentation poses a logistical problem for gemological laboratories.
NASA Targeted for Flat Budget for Fiscal 2012

[1] The Obama administration's proposed $18.72 billion budget for NASA for fiscal year (FY) 2012, which begins 1 October, would represent overall flat funding for the agency compared with the FY 2010 budget, the most recent full-year budget approved by Congress. However, continuing budget resolutions to fund the federal government through the end of the current fiscal year, 2011, add uncertainty to current and future NASA budgets. In addition, while some members of Congress have indicated their overall support for NASA, they are also looking for ways to trim the agency's FY 2012 budget as it wends its way through the legislative branch. “Those in Congress have to speak forcefully on the need for our country to continue to invest in science,” Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), ranking member of the House of Representatives' Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, said at a 3 March hearing, a few weeks after the budget proposal was released. “You have, from the chairman and myself and other members of the committee, lots of support for the work that NASA is doing now and work for the future.”
Nucleotide sequence of cDNA encoding the precursor of the 23 kDa photosystem II protein of tomato

Photosystem II (PSII) in higher plants is a multiprotein transmembrane complex residing in the thylakoids of chloroplasts. Oxygen evolution activity of inside-out thylakoid vesicles is inhibited by treatment with 250 mM NaC1, which releases water-soluble polypeptides of 17 and 23 kDa from PSII [1]. Rebinding of the purified 23 kDa protein restores activity; this observation first implicated the 23 kDa protein as a component of the oxygen-evolving complex. The cDNA encoding the 23 kDa PSII protein from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) was isolated from a cDNA library probed with the corresponding cDNA from mustard (Sinapis alba) (Fig. 1). The amino acid sequence of the mature protein is 86~o identical to that for tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) [2], also a member of the Solanaceae family. The mustard and spinach (Spinacia oIeracea) proteins share, respectively, 85 To and 81 ~o sequence identity with the tomato protein [ 3, 4]. Acknowledgements
Destination risk perceptions among U.S. residents for London as the host city of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games

Abstract Risks associated with the Olympic Games have been studied; however, there is lack of research that examines prospective tourists' perceptions of a host city in terms of destination risk. To examine prospective tourists' destination risk perceptions for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, a survey of 4000 American residents was conducted. Overall, U.S. residents perceived the host city to be safe. Hierarchical regression revealed that demographic factors were drivers of the intention to travel to an Olympic Games host city. While controlling for demographics, past experience traveling to a host city and attending an Olympic Games affected the likelihood to travel. Three destination risk perception items were drivers of the intention to travel to a host city, when controlling for demographics and past experience. Lastly, when controlling for all the independent variables, travel risk type index was a driver of the intention to travel to an Olympic Games host city.
El cine de Pedro Almodóvar: de óptico a háptico, de gay a ‘new queer’

This essay addresses the shift in Pedro Almodovar’s cinema from an attempt in his early films to deconstruct the hegemonic cinematic gaze through an inversion of traditional gender roles, to an effort to reproduce a tactile visuality that characterizes his later works. Both the destruction of scopophilia in his first (pink) pe­riod, and the hapticity of his blue period, correspond to two different moments of resistance in the hegemony of the heterosexual male gaze. This evolution parallels an epistemological shift towards a new reconfigura­tion of sexual identities. By abandoning his early essentialist discourse, which was based on playfully rigid gender categories (i.e. homosexuality vs. heterosexuality) and which sought to subvert the heteronormative status quo, Almodovar embraces a new antiessentialism that points towards a more complex destabilization of identities. He overcomes gender binarism through his “pan-sexualization”: the crossing of gender divi­sions and the positioning of sexual identities within ambivalent contexts, moving toward the indeterminacy of the new queer.
Silurian paleoclimate data from fluid inclusions in the Salina Group halite Michigan Basin

The Silurian Salina Group of the Michigan Basin consists of halite, carbonates, and shales. The halite was probably deposited when seawater became restricted over what is now southern Michigan. The halite consists of: (1) beds containing only chevrons, and (2) beds composed of chevron and cumulate crystals. This indicates shallow depositional waters. The primary fluid inclusions along growth bands in these crystals are well preserved and unaltered. These cubic, all-liquid inclusions, ranging in size from >1 to 150 μm, represent Silurian surface waters.
The relationship between handedness and risk of multiple sclerosis

BackgroundLeft-handedness has been studied as a marker for in-utero exposure to sex steroid hormones, and an increased risk of autoimmune and immune disorders among left-handed individuals has been suggested.ObjectiveThis study examines the relationship between hand preference and risk of multiple sclerosis, a presumed autoimmune disorder of unknown etiology.MethodsThe study population comprised participants in the Nurses’ Health Study, an ongoing prospective cohort study of 121,701 female nurses in the United States with followup from 1976 to 2002. The nurses were asked to report their natural hand preference (right, left, ambidextrous, forced to change).ResultsDuring followup 210 incident cases with multiple sclerosis were confirmed. A 62% increased risk of multiple sclerosis was observed among women who were naturally left handed as compared to those who were naturally right handed (95% CI: 1.04–2.53).ConclusionsThis study suggests a modest increase in risk of multiple sclerosis among left-handed women...
Tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke in clinical practice: a meta-analysis of safety data.

Background and Purpose— Concerns persist regarding the safety of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Numerous case series of clinical experience with tPA have been published that provide additional data on the safety of thrombolytic therapy. Methods— This is a meta-analysis of 15 published, open-label studies that broadly followed approved indications and guidelines for tPA use in nonselective patient populations. Results— In 2639 treated patients, the symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage rate was 5.2% (95% confidence interval, 4.3 to 6.0), slightly lower than the 6.4% rate in the treated group of the randomized, placebo-controlled National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) trial. The mean total death rate (13.4%) and proportion of subjects achieving a very favorable outcome (37.1%) were comparable to the NINDS trial results. Protocol deviations were reported in 19.8%. Comparing across studies showed that the mortality rate was correlated with the per...
E-019 Flow Diversion in the Setting of Subarachnoid Haemorrhage

Objective Flow diverters are increasingly used for treatment of intracranial aneurysms. In previous series, the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) was used essentially for the treatment of unruptured aneurysms. Little is known about the use of the PED in ruptured aneurysms. We assess the safety and efficacy of the PED in the largest series of acutely ruptured aneurysms to date. Methods A total of 20 patients with freshly ruptured aneurysms were treated with the PED between May 2011 and September 2013. Patients were loaded with aspirin and clopidogrel 8 h before the procedure. Platelet function was closely monitored throughout hospitalization using P2Y12 assays. Data on procedural safety was prospectively collected. Results Mean aneurysm size was 6.6 mm. Fifteen aneurysms (75%) arose from the anterior circulation. The number of PEDs used was 1.0 per aneurysm. Treatment was staged (initial coiling followed by coiling 1–2 weeks later) in 4 patients (20%). Adjunctive coiling was used in 6 cases (30%). There was only 1 complication (5%) in the series; this was a fatal intraoperative aneurysm dome rupture that occurred during adjunctive coil deployment. At the latest follow-up (mean, 6.1 months), all but one aneurysm were completely occluded. No aneurysm required further treatment. All except one patient (95%) achieved a favorable outcome (mRS 0–2). Conclusion In this study, treatment of ruptured aneurysms with the PED was associated with low complication rates, high aneurysm occlusion rates, and excellent clinical outcomes. These findings suggest that the PED is a safe and effective alternative for ruptured aneurysms non amenable to conventional endovascular techniques or surgical clipping. A staged approach that entails initial aneurysm coiling followed by coiling 1–2 weeks later appears to be an adequate strategy in this setting. Disclosures N. Chalouhi: None. M. Zanaty: None. D. Hasan: None. S. Tjoumarkis: None. R. Rosenwasser: None. P. Jabbour: None.
Characterization of polypeptides made in vitro from bacteriophage lambda DNA

Abstract Polypeptides made in an in vitro DNA-dependent protein-synthesizing system from the linear DNAs of different mutants and hybrids of bacteriophage λ were examined. The [35S]methionine-labeled products were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis and by two-dimensional fingerprinting of their tryptic peptides. Analysis of promoter mutants (sex1 and x13), of amber mutants in gene N, of deletion mutants (λb2, λdb30-7 nin5), and of substitution derivatives (λi434, λi21 hy5) permitted us to assign many peptides to definite portions of λ DNA. Similar analysis of purified DNA fragments, produced by digestion of λ DNA with endonuclease RI (Yoshimori, 1971), made it possible to examine independently the products controlled by different promoters. The results suggest that most of the coupled polypeptide synthesis arises from early regions of λ DNA in vitro. Effects of repressor and of the transcription termination factor rho were also tested. Both were found to efficiently reduce the over-all level of coupled translation, and with a specificity that helped characterize some gene products. The use of bacterial components from λ-infected or uninfected cells resulted in the same pattern of polypeptides. No difference was detected when circular instead of linear DNA molecules were used as template.
Temperature- and pH-sensitive terpolymers for modulated delivery of streptokinase

Controlled release devices were designed which respond to changes in pH and temperature by reversibly swelling and deswelling to control release of streptokinase. Copolymer hydrogels composed of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and methacrylic acid (MAA) as well as terpolymer hydrogels containing NIPAAm, acrylic acid (AA), and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were synthesized. Hydrogels containing NIPAAm display a change in swelling behavior across the lower critical solubility temperature of PNIPAAm, whereas hydrogels with MAA and AA swelled only at high pH values due to the ionization of carboxylic pendant groups. HEMA was chosen as a third component to add mechanical strength and integrity to the hydrogel. Pulsatile pH- and temperature-dependent swelling studies were performed to determine the extent and rate at which the hydrogels swell in response to changing conditions. Results showed that increasing the NIPAAm concentration in the copolymers or terpolymers resulted in a higher degree of temperature...
Floor-Supply Displacement Ventilation in a Small Office

This paper presents a study of the performance of a floor-supply displacement ventilation system using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The experiment was carried out in a full-scale environmental chamber with a floor-supply system to obtain reliable flow information for the validation of a CFD program. The validated program was used further to evaluate the performance of the floor-supply displacement ventilation system with different air change rates, diffuser numbers, furniture arrangement, and cooling loads. The evaluation criteria are thermal comfort level and indoor air quality.
The Challenge of Causality A Commentary on “Human Resource Systems in Kenya”

The relationship between human resource systems and organizational performance is a timely topic. Because the authors use a framework of their own devising, comparison of this study with others is ...
Intracranial complications of paranasal sinusitis: A combined institutional review

Intracranial complications of paranasal sinusitis constitute true surgical and medical emergencies. The charts of all patients (n = 649) admitted for acute or chronic sinusitis to the University of Minnesota Hospital and to the University of Michigan Medical Center during a 13-year period (1975 to 1988) were retrospectively reviewed to determine the incidence of complications. The clinical presentation, bacteriology, involved sinuses, influencing host factors, white blood cell count on presentation, length of hospitalization, and postinterventional complications are presented. Twenty-four patients with intracranial complications from paranasal sinusitis are studied for an incidence of 3.7%. Aggressive medical and semi-emergent surgical intervention are required to prevent excessive morbidity and/or mortality. Intracranial complications included subdural empyema, frontal lobe abscesses, intrahemispheric abscesses, cavernous and superior sagittal sinus thrombosis, and osteomyelitis.
A model of multimodal fusion for medical applications

ABSTRACT Content-based image retrieval has been applied to many different biomedical applications 1 . In almost all cases, retrievals involve a single query image of a particular modality and retrieved images are from this same modality. For example, one system may retrieve color images from eye exams, while another retrieves fMRI images of the brain. Yet real patients often have had tests from multiple different modalities, and retrievals based on more than one modality could provide information that single modality searches fail to see. In this paper, we show medical image retrieval for two different single modalities and propose a model for multimodal fusion that will lead to improved capabilities for physicians and biomedical researchers. We describe a graphical user interface for multimodal retrieval that is being tested by real biomedical researchers in several different fields. Keywords: content-based retrieval, multimodality data, biomedical imaging, fusion 1. INTRODUCTION The term CBIR (content-based image retrieval) designates the retrieval of images based on their visual similarity to a user-supplied query image or to a set of user-specified image features. CBIR has been, and can be widely used in many areas, such as photograph archives, medical diagnosis, the military, retail catalogs, and remote sensing systems. Common methods for extracting content from images usually make use of color, texture and shape features. There are many CBIR systems that have been developed for use in industry, such as the IBM QBIC system
Caloric Intake During the Perioperative Period and Growth Failure in Infants With Congenital Heart Disease

Infants with congenital heart disease have impaired weight gain during the first several months of life. Efforts have focused on improving weight gain and nutritional status during the first months of life. Close examination of the data suggests that the immediate postoperative period is problematic. Etiology of this early growth failure should be identified to develop effective interventions. This is a retrospective study of neonates who underwent modified systemic–to–pulmonary artery shunt, including Norwood palliation, at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta between January 2009 and July 2011. We analyzed growth from time of surgical intervention to hospital discharge. Measures of calculated weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ score) were performed using the World Health Organization’s Anthro Software (version 3.2.2, January 2011; WHO, Geneva, Switzerland). Seventy-three patients were identified. Eight patients did not meet inclusion criteria. Complete data were collected on the remaining 65 patients. Median caloric intake patients received was 50.4 [interquartile range (IQR) 41.6 to 63.6] calories/kg/day while exclusively on parental nutrition. At hospital discharge, the median WAZ score was −2.0 (IQR −2.7 to −1.2) representing an overall median WAZ score decrease of −1.3 (IQR −1.7 to −0.7) from time of shunt palliation to hospital discharge. Despite studies showing poor weight gain in infants with congenital heart disease after neonatal palliation, this study reports the impact of hospital-based nutritional practices on weight gain in infants during the immediate postoperative period. Our data demonstrate that actual caloric intake during the cardiac intensive care unit stay is substantially below what is recommended.
Removal of alcohols, amines, and aliphatic acids in aqueous solution by NS‐100 membrane

Removal of alcohols, amines, and aliphatic acids in single-solute aqueous solution in the concentration range from 0.001 to 0.01M have been studied using the NS-100 membrane. All the tests were conducted at 600 psig, 25°C, and a flow rate of 0.30 gpm. The mechanism of solute separation by the NS-100 membrane differs from that of the cellulose acetate membrane. There was no significant correlation between the removal and the hydrogen bonding ability of the organic solute. Instead, for a given organic solute, its removal increases with the increases in the degree of crosslinkage of the skin layer of NS-100 membrane, and is proportional to its degree of ionization (or degree of dissociation). For organic compounds having a same functional group, the removal of a compound increases with the increase in molecular weight and/or molecular branching. All of these are attributable to the relative nonpolarity and the anion exchanger characteristics of the membrane as well as to the steric resistance for the solute to permeate through the membrane.
Relation of agoraphobics health locus of control orientation to severity of agoraphobia.

77 agoraphobics and 77 nonagoraphobics completed the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale in a true-false response format. The agoraphobics scored high on subscales of both internal and chance health locus of control. The agoraphobics were classified into four levels (severe, moderate, mild, and cured) assessed by self-report, which indicated severe agoraphobics were more oriented toward a chance health locus of control than were those at other levels.
Low-noise self-referenced CMOS oscillator

A new low-noise CMOS oscillator architecture is presented. The oscillator comprises of a loop formed by a switched capacitor integrator which sets the control voltage to a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). The VCO output provides a clock for the integrator, thus closing the feedback loop. Phase noise reduction is obtained by suppressing the VCO noise by the feedback loop. Design considerations and simulation results supporting the architecture are presented.
Forward Genetics by Genome Sequencing Reveals That Rapid Cyanide Release Deters Insect Herbivory of Sorghum bicolor

Whole genome sequencing has allowed rapid progress in the application of forward genetics in model species. In this study, we demonstrated an application of next-generation sequencing for forward genetics in a complex crop genome. We sequenced an ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutant of Sorghum bicolor defective in hydrogen cyanide release and identified the causal mutation. A workflow identified the causal polymorphism relative to the reference BTx623 genome by integrating data from single nucleotide polymorphism identification, prior information about candidate gene(s) implicated in cyanogenesis, mutation spectra, and polymorphisms likely to affect phenotypic changes. A point mutation resulting in a premature stop codon in the coding sequence of dhurrinase2, which encodes a protein involved in the dhurrin catabolic pathway, was responsible for the acyanogenic phenotype. Cyanogenic glucosides are not cyanogenic compounds but their cyanohydrins derivatives do release cyanide. The mutant accumulated the glucoside, dhurrin, but failed to efficiently release cyanide upon tissue disruption. Thus, we tested the effects of cyanide release on insect herbivory in a genetic background in which accumulation of cyanogenic glucoside is unchanged. Insect preference choice experiments and herbivory measurements demonstrate a deterrent effect of cyanide release capacity, even in the presence of wild-type levels of cyanogenic glucoside accumulation. Our gene cloning method substantiates the value of (1) a sequenced genome, (2) a strongly penetrant and easily measurable phenotype, and (3) a workflow to pinpoint a causal mutation in crop genomes and accelerate in the discovery of gene function in the postgenomic era.
Intrasellar abscess following transspehnoidal surgery

Abstract BACKGROUND Intrasellar abscess following transsphenoidal surgery has been described only twice in the English language medical literature. Overall mortality associated with intrasellar abscesses is 51%, while mortality in reported cases not treated surgically is 100%. METHODS Two cases of intrasellar abscess following uncomplicated transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary pathology are reported. The incidence, radiographic features, clinical presentations, and treatment of intrasellar abscesses are discussed. RESULTS Both patients described underwent uncomplicated transsphenoidal procedures for treatment of a primary pituitary lesion. Neither developed postoperative CSF rhinorrhea, and initial recovery was uneventful. The first patient presented with new symptoms several weeks after transsphenoidal surgery; the second patient almost two years postoperatively. The first displayed signs of an expanding sellar mass, requiring transsphenoidal drainage and postoperative antibiotics. The second presented with recurrent meningitis without discernible CSF leak, and was treated with transnasal endoscopic drainage in conjunction with antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSIONS The high mortality associated with intrasellar abscess mandates its inclusion in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with symptoms of meningitis or an expanding sellar mass after transsphenoidal intervention. Although antibiotic therapy is an important adjunct, surgical drainage is required for definitive treatment.
The interaction of Cryptococcus neoformans with primary rat lung cell cultures

Conditions under which Cryptococcus neoformans adhered to and was internalized by primary lung epithelial cell cultures were studied. Adherence was affected by the yeast culture age, glucose concentration and growth temperature. Formalin or heat treatment did not affect yeast adherence. Trypsin treatment, however, inhibited adherence.
Elimination of Pink White Discoloration in Stored Eggs from Hens Fed Treated Cottonseed Meal or Sterculic Acid

Abstract COTTONSEED and its by-products are implicated in the discoloration of eggs in two ways: (1) gossypol produced olive or chocolate-brown yolks described by Schaible, Moore and Moore (1934) and Swensen, Fieger and Upp (1942); and (2) salmon colored yolks and pink whites associated with cottonseed meal feeding as reported by Sherwood (1928, 1931). Discoloration of egg albumin with the feeding of cottonseed meal to hens has been thought to be due to the passage of iron from the yolk into the white, followed by a reaction with conalbumin causing a pink discoloration of the albumin. Passage of conalbumin into the yolk also appears to cause the salmon yolk color (Schaible and Bandemer, 1946a, b). A weakened vitelline membrane may be the fundamental defect in eggs associated with cottonseed meal feeding (Sherwood, 1928; Almquist and Lorenz, 1932; Schaible, Bandemer and Davidson, 1946). The effect of pH on the development of “cottonseed…
Salvage of local recurrence after primary thermal ablation for small renal masses.

The management of renal tumors has evolved rapidly over the last two decades, with the ascendance of nephron-sparing surgery (NSS), largely spurred by the increased incidental detection of small renal masses (SRMs) and evidence that preservation of renal parenchyma reduces the risk of chronic kidney disease. The field of NSS itself has advanced beyond the standard of open partial nephrectomy, with the application of minimally invasive techniques, such as laparoscopy and thermal ablation. Energy-based ablative therapies, which include cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation, are associated with reduced morbidity and represent a nascent but promising alternative to surgical extirpation in the treatment of SRMs. However, thermal ablation is associated with a higher rate of local tumor recurrence when compared with surgical excision, indicating that salvage therapy will be a necessity for some patients. With recent studies indicating that surgical excision of previously ablated kidneys can be complicated by ...
Course Delivery: Keystones of Effective Special Education Teacher Preparation.

In this review of the literature, the authors examined studies investigating course delivery methods for preparing special education teachers. Ultimately, 17 studies were reviewed using a constant ...
In Pursuit of the English: Hybridity and the Local in Doris Lessing's First Urban Text

The narrator of In Pursuit of the English brings a postcolonial, hybrid and feminist standpoint to her “ethnography” of the Notting Hill district of London in this semi-autobiographical account of Lessing's arrival in London from Rhodesia in 1949. “Doris”, as the narrator is known, says she is pursuing two “grails”: “England” and “the Working-Class”, but she has to give up both universalist concepts of England as an “imagined community” and the socialist cosmopolitanism of an undifferentiated working class. She instead discovers the local cosmopolitanism of the neighbourhood of Notting Hill and learns from her female friends how to centre herself in one district and navigate paths through the city. As she travels through the district of Notting Hill, she brings her experience of Africa into her observations of her new space and uses that hybrid and feminist vision to map the neighbourhood and create a snapshot of a culture of London in the 1940s and 1950s.
Tolerable Limits of Voltage Fluctuations Produced by Magnets Pulsed Directly from Alternating Current Power Lines

Switching magnets, for time sharing of beam lines, can be pulsed directly from the ac power line if it does not cause objectionable line voltage fluctuations (flicker). Switching circuits, which are less expensive and more reliable than conventional magnet power supplies are often all that are needed. Of particular interest for beam lines of the Zero Gradient Synchrotron (ZGS) was a test to determine the permissible attenuation of 1 cycle of the 60 Hz power line every 2 s. Other tests included multiple cycle attenuation at different repetition rates and square wave modulation of the ac power line. Thresholds of perception and the distribution of opinions on the flicker disturbance as functions of voltage attenuation were determined for viewing TV and reading by incandescent light. The results of these tests are reported and can be used to calculate the permissible magnitude of pulsed current in a given ac power system.
Blueberry supplemented diet reverses age-related decline in hippocampal HSP70 neuroprotection

Dietary supplementation with antioxidant rich foods can decrease the level of oxidative stress in brain regions and can ameliorate age-related deficits in neuronal and behavioral functions. We examined whether short-term supplementation with blueberries might enhance the brain's ability to generate a heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) mediated neuroprotective response to stress. Hippocampal (HC) regions from young and old rats fed either a control or a supplemented diet for 10 weeks were subjected to an in vitro inflammatory challenge (LPS) and then examined for levels of HSP70 at various times post LPS (30, 90 and 240 min). While baseline levels of HSP70 did not differ among the various groups compared to young control diet rats, increases in HSP70 protein levels in response to an in vitro LPS challenge were significantly less in old as compared to young control diet rats at the 30, 90 and 240 min time points. However, it appeared that the blueberry diet completely restored the HSP70 response to LPS in the old rats at the 90 and 240 min times. This suggests that a short-term blueberry (BB) intervention may result in improved HSP70-mediated protection against a number of neurodegenerative processes in the brain. Results are discussed in terms of the multiplicity of the effects of the BB supplementation which appear to range from antioxidant/anti-inflammatory activity to signaling.
Invited Editorial: A Natural-Resource-Based View of the Firm Fifteen Years After

The authors revisit Hart’s natural-resource-based view (NRBV) of the firm and summarize progress that has been made in testing elements of that theory and reevaluate the NRBV in light of a number of important developments that have emerged in recent years in both the resource-based view literature and in research on sustainable enterprise. First, the authors consider how the NRBV can both benefit from recent work in dynamic capabilities and can itself inform such work. Second, they review recent research in the areas of clean technology and business at the base of the pyramid and suggest how the NRBV can help inform research on the resources and capabilities needed to enter and succeed in these domains.
Market-Based Government and the Decline of Organizational Ethics:

This article discusses ethical challenges posed by market-based government and the degree to which contracting enhances or diminishes government’s ability to ensure that organizations that deliver public services adhere to ethical practices and public values, such as lawfulness, transparency, and accountability. A case study of an organization—Blackwater (now, Xe)—vividly illustrates the considerable difficulty in achieving ethical organizations when so many basic functions are outsourced, with few or ineffective regulatory controls, to private organizations. Because some of these challenges can perhaps best be addressed at the organizational level, we conclude by proposing a typology of organizational ethics in matrix form, according to the organization’s relative standing on the two dimensions of compliance and social responsibility.
Low-storage Runge--Kutta methods for stochastic differential equations

Runge-Kutta methods that require only two memory locations per variable and have strong local order @c=1.5 for non-commutative systems of stochastic differential equations driven by one Wiener process are devised in this paper. A first step in the derivation is to extend existing deterministic methods to the commutative stochastic case, for which higher accuracy is also obtained. Numerical results are presented to validate the approach.
The Influence of Dilution Rate, Temperature, and Influent Substrate Concentration on the Efficiency of Steady‐State Biomass Production in Continuous Microbial Culture

The efficiency of steady-state biomass production was defined as the ratio of the biomass produced at steady state to the biomass that would be produced if influent substrate were completely and permanently incorporated. The scope of analysis was confined to microbial growth processes described by a Monod reaction mechanism. A thermo-kinetic analysis of this mechanism with coefficient values estimated from experimental data showed: (table; see text) (1) As the dilution rate was increased, the efficiency passed through a single peak. Raising the temperature did not markedly change the peak efficiency, but did broaden and shift the peak toward higher dilution rates. In contrast, elevating the influent substrate concentration significantly improved the peak efficiency while still broadening and shifting the peak toward higher dilution rates. (2) As the temperature was raised, the efficiency also showed a single peak. Increasing the dilution rate did not significantly alter the peak value or breadth, but did shift the peak to higher temperatures. In contrast, elevating the influent substrate concentration substantially improved the peak efficiency and caused the peak to shift toward lower temperatures without broadening. (3) As the influent substrate concentration was elevated, the peak efficiency improved and asymptotically approached unity. These results suggested that relatively high influent substrate concentrations, low temperatures, and moderate dilution rates would be needed to optimize the efficiency of steady-state biomass production by Monod processes with coefficient values similar to those used in this paper.
Analysis of self-assembly and apatite binding properties of amelogenin proteins lacking the hydrophilic C-terminal.

Abstract Amelogenins, the major protein component of the mineralizing enamel extracellular matrix are critical for normal enamel formation as documented in the linkage studies of a group of inherited disorders, with defective enamel formation, called Amelogenesis imperfecta . Recent cases of Amelogenesis imperfecta include mutations that resulted in truncated amelogenin protein lacking the hydrophilic C-terminal amino acids. Current advances in knowledge on amelogenin structure, nanospheres assembly and their effects on crystal growth have supported the hypothesis that amelogenin nanospheres provide the organized microstructure for the initiation and modulated growth of enamel apatite crystals. In order to evaluate the function of the conserved hydrophilic C-terminal telopeptide during enamel biomineralization, the present study was designed to analyze the self-assembly and apatite binding behavior of amelogenin proteins and their isoforms lacking the hydrophilic C-terminal. We applied dynamic light scattering to investigate the size distribution of amelogenin nanospheres formed by a series of native and recombinant proteins. In addition, the apatite binding properties of these amelogenins were examined using commercially available hydroxyapatite crystals. Amelogenins lacking the carboxy-terminal (native P161 and recombinant rM166) formed larger nanospheres than those formed by their full-length precursors: native P173 and recombinant rM179. These data suggest that after removal of the hydrophilic carboxy-terminal segment further association of the nanospheres takes place through hydrophobic interactions. The affinity of amelogenins lacking the carboxy-terminal regions to apatite crystals was significantly lower than their parent amelogenins. These structure–functional analyses suggest that the hydrophilic carboxy-terminal plays critical functional roles in mineralization of enamel and that the lack of this segment causes abnormal mineralization.
Genetic models for the clearance of apoptotic cells

The immunogenic potential of nuclear antigens exposed during apoptosis, together with considerable animal data suggesting that impaired apoptotic clearance can result in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like autoimmunity, has lent support to the idea that self-immunization with apoptotic debris is a key driving mechanism in lupus. The multiple roles of complement receptors, diverse scavenger receptors, and intermediate proteins that bind to and opsonize apoptotic cells indicate a complex web of interactions leading to the clearance of apoptotic debris. Disturbances in parts of this system may lead to lupus or to lupus exacerbations. Therapy directed toward augmenting clearance and decreasing concomitant inflammation may lead to improved management of SLE.
Bluetongue and equine viral arteritis viruses as models of virus-induced fetal injury and abortion

A number of viruses have the capacity to cross the placenta and infect the fetus to cause, among other potential outcomes, developmental defects (teratogenesis), fetal death and abortion. Bluetongue virus (BTV) infection of fetal ruminants provides an excellent model for the study of virus-induced teratogenesis. This model has shown that only viruses modified by passage in cell culture, such as modified live virus vaccine strains, readily cross the ruminant placenta, and that the timing of fetal infection determines the outcome. Thus, cerebral malformations only occur after fetal infection at critical stages during development and the precise timing of fetal BTV infection determines the severity of the malformation present at birth. Fetal BTV infection also can result in fetal death, followed by abortion or resorption, growth retardation, or no obvious abnormalities, depending on age of the conceptus at infection. Equine arteritis virus (EAV) infection of the equine fetus causes fetal death and abortion but not teratogenesis. These two fetal viral infections are useful not only for the study of teratogenesis and fetal disease, but also to further characterize and compare the complex process that is responsible for normal induction of parturition in ruminants and horses.
Apatite, phosphorus and titanium in eclogitic garnet from the upper mantle

The existence of apatite exsolution lamellae in garnet supports earlier suggestions that garnet is a major repository for P in the mantle, and that P is strongly coupled to Na+Ti. The bulk P content (∼250 ppm) of mantle eclogites is unexpectedly similar to estimates for the P content (130–220 ppm) of the upper mantle; both rocks are depleted relative to chondrites and to ocean floor basalts. Eclogites have either equilibrated with the mantle at large, or have undergone secondary melting, and based on P contents are unlikely to have had subducted protoliths.
Does Mother Nature really prefer rare species or are log‐left‐skewed SADs a sampling artefact?

Intensively sampled species abundance distributions (SADs) show left-skew on a log scale. That is, there are too many rare species to fit a lognormal distribution. I propose that this log-left-skew might be a sampling artefact. Monte Carlo simulations show that taking progressively larger samples from a log-unskewed distribution (such as the lognormal) causes log-skew to decrease asymptotically (move towards −∞) until it reaches the level of the underlying distribution (zero in this case). In contrast, accumulating certain types of repeated small samples results in a log-skew that becomes progressively more log-left-skewed to a level well beyond the underlying distribution. These repeated samples correspond to samples from the same site over many years or from many sites in 1 year. Data from empirical datasets show that log-skew generally goes from positive (right-skewed) to negative (left-skewed) as the number of temporally or spatially replicated samples increases. This suggests caution when interpreting log-left-skew as a pattern that needs biological interpretation.
Chordopoxvirus protein F12 implicated in enveloped virion morphogenesis is an inactivated DNA polymerase

Through the course of their evolution, viruses with large genomes have acquired numerous host genes, most of which perform function in virus reproduction in a manner that is related to their original activities in the cells, but some are exapted for new roles. Here we report the unexpected finding that protein F12, which is conserved among the chordopoxviruses and is implicated in the morphogenesis of enveloped intracellular virions, is a derived DNA polymerase, possibly of bacteriophage origin, in which the polymerase domain and probably the exonuclease domain have been inactivated. Thus, F12 appears to present a rare example of a drastic, exaptive functional change in virus evolution. Reviewers: This article was reviewed by Frank Eisenhaber and Juergen Brosius. For complete reviews, go the Reviewers’ Reports section.
Activity Patterns, Diet, and Shelter Site Use for Two Species of Moray Eels, Gymnothorax moringa and Gymnothorax vicinus, in Belize

Abstract Activity patterns, diet, and shelter site use were compared between two species of moray eels, the spotted moray, Gymnothorax moringa, and the purplemouth moray, Gymnothorax vicinus, in the shallow backreef habitat of the Belize Barrier Reef. We tracked eels tagged with acoustic transmitter tags, analyzed stomach contents, and surveyed shelter sites in a 150-m by 250-m survey area of patch reefs and coral rubble. The study site supported primarily subadult to early adult eels (379–947 mm TL). We made 490 G. moringa and 344 G. vicinus sightings in 74 census days. Shelter site use was similar for both species. Gymnothorax moringa left shelters nearly twice as often as G. vicinus (62.5% of nights vs 36.4%). Both species moved primarily at night and ranged less than 10 m to approximately 100 m from shelter for periods less than 1 h to more than 9 h. Forays were mainly in the open grassbed away from patch reefs, rubble, or other shelter. Gymnothorax moringa fed nearly twice as often as G. vicinus (39....