cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A HIGH PRESSURE METHOD OF BITUMEN EXTRACTION FROM ASPHALT PAVEMENT

ABSTRACT A new. less costly method of extracting bitumen from asphalt pavament mixtures has been developed which gives bitumen contents essentially the same as those obtained by the currently used centrifuge method. The preferred solvent is cyclohexane (although cyclopentane may be used) at high temperatures and pressures. The new method uses these non-chlorinated solvents at high temperatures and pressures (but sub-critical) to dissolve and extract asphalt from the mix in a stainless steel extractor vessel. Although these solvents are less hazardous to the health of the laboratory personnel than chlorinated solvents, they can be a fire hazard unless reasonable precautions are exercised
Mechanisms of survival of nematode parasites with emphasis on hypobiosis.

Abstract Mechanisms involved in parasitic nematode survival must be considered with reference to their host and environmental interrelationships since these interrelationhips ultimately influence any parasite adaptations aimed at survival. The most important of the potential environmental constraints are climatic, particularly temperature and humidity, and these can drastically influence larval development and survival. One of the major host factors influencing successful parasite survival is the availability of suitable (susceptible) new hosts to the infective stages of the parasite at the appropriate time for transmission to be achieved. Other host factors that influence parasite survival are those that affect the entrance, establishment and reproduction of the parasite within its new host; mainly problems of acclimatization to a parasitic way of life as well as the countering or adaptation to a variety of host resistance factors, both molecular and cellular, by the parasite. Finally in order for life cycles to be completed, the parasite must evolve means whereby its larval forms can leave the host so that eventual transmission to a new host can be accomplished. In this paper a number of adaptations which enable the parasite to overcome these constraints are discussed. These include such things as larval resistance to environmental effects, the utilization of intermediate hosts or vectors for transmission, seasonally-increased fecundity rates, anti-host immunity stratagems and hypobiosis. This latter phenomenon, hypobiosis or prolonged but temporarily arrested larval development, represents one of the most useful of life cycle adaptations to ensure parasite adaption enables the parasite to synchronize its life cycle to changing environmental or survival and appears to be widespread among parasitic nematodes. Among its benefits, this host conditions. It can thus be of major importance in ensuring survival of the parasite during periods of environmental adversity when conditions for transmission are poor and survival of free-living forms may be minimal. It also enables the parasite to have available large numbers of infective forms at points in the host reproductive cycle which coincide with the production of the susceptible neonates thereby greatly facilitating transmission. Additionally, with certain species of nematodes, occurring as it does at times of the year when the numbers of infective stages may be high while host resources may be limited, oscillations in parasite biomass can be avoided. It thus serves as a highly adaptive mechanism for regulating populations of adult worms, lessening stress on the host and favoring parasite survival as a result.
The Rapid, At-Line Determination of Starch Content in Sucrose–Starch Blends Using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy; A Process Analytical Technology Initiative:

A near infrared (NIR) reflectance spectroscopic method was developed for the rapid determination of starch content in the excipient material sucrose special powder, 4.6% starch. It was previously determined that the variability of starch content in individual bags within each delivery of this material was high. This required appropriate sample selection to provide a controlled content of starch before use in the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, an NIR method was developed to reduce long laboratory testing time and to facilitate testing of the starch content of the material at-line in the receiving warehouse, [standard error of prediction (SEP) N I R = 0.16% compared with 0.15% for the laboratory method]. Another important feature of the NIR starch model was its use as an at-line tool for in-house blending of sucrose-starch blends to determine blend homogeneity. In one particular application, a sucrose-starch blend, known to contain low starch levels, was spiked with commercially available starch and blended. The NIR method was used to make rapid decisions on content uniformity and the results obtained were in close agreement with laboratory assay data (mean starch content using the NIR method 4.5% compared with 4.6% for the laboratory method).
Interaction of norepinephrine with cerebrocortical activity evoked by stimulation of somatosensory afferent pathways in the rat

Abstract This study investigated the action of norepinephrine (NE) on transmission of information through somatosensory cortical neuronal circuits. In the forelimb region of rat somatosensory cortex (SI), single-unit responses to natural stimulation (foot tap) of afferent pathways were recorded before, during, and after microiontophoretic application of NE. Actions of NE were quantitatively assessed by computer-based analysis of poststimulus time histograms. Overall, NE was found to enhance both excitatory and inhibitory responses generated by the afferent synaptic input. In 78% of the cells tested, low doses of NE differentially suppressed background discharge more than stimulus-bound excitation such that the signal to noise ratio was enhanced approximately twofold. Evoked spiking in 12 cells was quantitatively increased above control values during NE administration. In 82% of the units examined, NE augmented stimulus-bound inhibition and postexcitatory suppression of activity. Potentiation of inhibition was observed in 5 cells at doses of NE which caused little or no depression of spontaneous activity. These observed effects on neuronal responsiveness to afferent synaptic input often persisted for several minutes after termination of NE iontophoresis. Such modulatory actions of NE were demonstrated for cells situated throughout the vertical extent of the cortex. These results suggest that low amounts of NE may facilitate transfer of afferent information within the cerebral cortical circuitry and are consistent with a modulatory role rather than a specific information transfer function for NE.
Ectopic mediastinal goiter successfully managed via cervical approach: Case report and review of the literature

Background Ectopic mediastinal goiter is a rare entity that presents diagnostic and treatment challenges to the clinician. Methods A case of primary ectopic mediastinal goiter is presented and use of a cervical approach for excision is described herein. Additionally, precedent literature highlighting surgical treatment approaches is reviewed. Results The distinction between primary and secondary ectopic mediastinal goiter is significant as this indicates the vascular supply to the ectopic mass. Previous authors suggested open thoracic procedures for all primary mediastinal goiters to safely divide intrathoracic vascular supply, but favorably positioned anterior mediastinal goiter may be safely removed via cervical approach. This is the second case of primary ectopic mediastinal goiter successfully resected via cervical approach. Conclusion Select cases of primary mediastinal goiter may be amenable to excision via cervical approach, avoiding potential complications of open thoracic procedures. Additionally, CT-guided biopsy is an effective tool in preoperative diagnosis of anterior mediastinal masses. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2013
Prognostic significance of rectocele, intussusception, and abnormal perineal descent in biofeedback treatment for constipated patients with paradoxical puborectalis contraction.

PURPOSE: The findings of paradoxical puborectalis contraction, rectocele, sigmoidocele, intussusception, and abnormal perineal descent often coexist in constipated patients, as noted by defecographic study. Moreover, some of these conditions are often found in asymptomatic patients. Biofeedback is the treatment of choice for constipated patients with paradoxical puborectalis contraction; the main determinant of successful biofeedback is patient compliance. The significance of coexistent and highly prevalent variants, such as rectocele, intussusception, sigmoidocele, or abnormal perineal descent, on the success of biofeedback is unknown. This review was designed to assess whether these coexisting defecographic findings have any prognostic significance for the outcome of biofeedback. METHODS: From July 1988 to December 1996, 209 constipated patients with paradoxical puborectalis contraction underwent biofeedback treatment after defecography. A total of 173 patients (120 females) who had more than one biofeedback session after defecography formed the study group. Defecographic findings included concomitant rectoceles, 40 (23 percent); evidence of circumferential intussusception, 17 (10 percent); sigmoidocele, 13 (8 percent); and abnormal perineal descent, 109 (63 percent). RESULTS: Whereas 65 patients failed to complete the course of biofeedback therapy, 108( 62.4 percent) patients completed the course of biofeedback and were discharged by the therapist. Within the completed group 59 (55 percent) improved, and 49 (45 percent) patients failed biofeedback therapy. In the improved group 14 (23.7 percent) had a rectocele, 5 (8.5 percent) had intussusception, 5( 8.5 percent) had a sigmoidocele, and 37 (62.7 percent) had abnormal perineal descent. In the failure group 9 (18.4 percent) had a rectocele, 5 (10.2 percent) had an intussusception, 2 (4.1 percent) had a sigmoidocele, and 31 (63.3 percent) had abnormal perineal descent (P=not significant). The success of biofeedback was then analyzed relative to the number of coexisting conditions. Specifically, the outcome in patients with paradoxical puborectalis contraction alone and with one, two, and three other defecographic findings were compared. No statistically significant difference was found among these four groups. CONCLUSION: Although other defecographic findings frequently coexist with paradoxical puborectalis contraction, none of the concomitant findings adversely affected the outcome of biofeedback treatment. Therefore, biofeedback can be recommended to patients with coexistent defecographic findings, with expectation of success in over 50 percent of individuals who complete the course of therapy.
Sampling representative phrase sets for text entry experiments: a procedure and public resource

Text entry experiments evaluating the effectiveness of various input techniques often employ a procedure whereby users are prompted with natural language phrases which they are instructed to enter as stimuli. For experimental validity, it is desirable to control the stimuli and present text that is representative of a target task, domain or language. MacKenzie and Soukoreff (2001) manually selected a set of 500 phrases for text entry experiments. To demonstrate representativeness, they correlated the distribution of single letters in their phrase set to a relatively small (by current standards) corpus of English prior to 1966, which may not reflect the style of text input today. In this paper, we ground the notion of representativeness in terms of information theory and propose a procedure for sampling representative phrases from any large corpus so that researchers can curate their own stimuli. We then describe the characteristics of phrase sets we generated using the procedure for email and social media (Facebook and Twitter). The phrase sets and code for the procedure are publicly available for download.
A Versatile Composite Gel Column for the Electrophoretic Separation of Ribonucleic Acid Molecules

Abstract A composite gel column system containing 2.4% acry I amide, 0.14% N,n1-methylene bisacrylamide, 0.6% agarose and 15% glycerol as a component has been developed for the electrophoretlc separation of all kinds of ribonucleic acid molecules extracted from eucaryotlc cells. The separations achieved In this composite gel are due to the sieving of RNA molecules of various sizes with similar charge. As a result of the addition of glycerol the polymerization time of the composite gel is extended and the gel has increased mechanical stability. These stable gels can be sliced at room temperature for such procedures as measuring radioactivity or extraction. Their suitability for staining and absorbance scanning is not altered.
Increasing the autonomy of wireless sensor node by effective use of both DPM and DVFS methods

The use of ubiquitous computing devices like Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has increased with an exponential growth in recent years, due its low-cost, portability, easy deployment, self-organization. Since WSNs are battery-powered devices, thus main challenge faced by designers is reduction of energy consumption in WSNs. This paper presents an effective implementation of Dynamic Power Manager (DPM) and Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) technics to increase the autonomy of wireless sensor node by reducing dynamic power dissipation. Simulation with the application of hazardous gas detection using Capnet-PE tool indicates significant energy-saving, which allows us to evaluate and validate our approach for WSN.
Clinical Characteristics of Fatal Pulmonary Embolism in a Referral Hospital

Objective To determine the clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients who died of pulmonary embolism, confirmed by evaluative autopsy. Design We retrospectively analyzed a series of autopsy cases of pulmonary embolism at a tertiarycare center for the period Jan. 1, 1985, through Dec. 31, 1989. Material and Methods The medical and autopsy records of all hospitalized patients with autopsyproven fatal pulmonary embolism were reviewed. Cases of tumor emboli, fat emboli, and contributory-only thromboembolic disease were excluded from the study. Specific symptoms and signs, diagnostic studies, and prophylactic measures were noted. Results Among 2,427 autopsies performed during the 5-year study period, death in 92 (3.8%) was clinically and pathologically judged to be caused by pulmonary embolism. No risk factors were noted in only 11 patients (12 %). Prophylaxis against thromboembolism was used in 46%. Classic symptoms were often absent: dyspnea was present in only 59%, chest pain in only 17%, and hemoptysis in 30/0. Pulmonary embolism was considered in 49% of the 92 patients and was correctly assigned as the cause of death on the death certificate or in the medical records in 32%. Testing for venous thromboembolic disease was performed in 22%. Comorbidity was present in most patients: 54% had guarded or poor prognoses independent of pulmonary embolism. Conclusion The usual signs and symptoms associated with pulmonary embolism did not adequately identify most of our patients who died of pulmonary embolism. The reasons included the absence of these signs and symptoms, inability to communicate (for example, sedated or comatose patient), sudden death from acute massive pulmonary embolism, and presence of comorbid factors.
Mourning the Loss of the Idealized Child

Fantasies about the ideal child are likely common to all parents. Most of these fantasies exist in the realm of unformulated experience (Stern, 1997), yet they impact how we parent. They affect our expectations of the self as parent and one's child. Disillusionment is part of this process as it contributes to the process whereby the parent comes to terms with who their child is as a unique individual. Thus, inherent in this process is mourning as a parent accepts characteristics in one's child that may not meet a parent's “ideal” expectations. The parent needs to be able to cope with this experience and still maintain trust and belief that the child will be able to “be okay” and have a satisfactory life even though the child may try different ways of being than the parent would want. This is a normal process of parenting, yet what happens when the disillusionment is so large that the parent becomes too anxious and worried, for example, when the child has a disability, be it emotional, intellectual, or phy...
FEMINIST PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SERVICE OF WOMEN: STAYING ENGAGED WITHOUT GETTING MARRIED

This article, based on the 2005 Society for the Psychology of Women Presidential Address, presents a definition of feminism and evaluates feminist psychology and its current challenges through that lens. The principal theme is the tension between feminist psychology's engagement with the discipline and its ability to critique and alter both the discipline and the world. The article includes an analysis of the original 52 demands presented by women activists to the APA's Council of Representatives in 1970. Those demands are evaluated both in terms of progress and lack of achievement, as well as in terms of the limitations of the professional women's movement reflected in those original demands. The lack of success in achieving demands associated with structural change is highlighted. A framework for future feminist work that might achieve transformational change is offered.
Letter by Shang et al Regarding Article, “High-Resolution Magnetic Resonance Wall Imaging Findings of Moyamoya Disease”

Our group read the study by Ryoo et al1 with great interest. They applied a vessel wall high-resolution MRI technique and were able to distinguish the vessel wall enhancement pattern in Moyamoya disease (MMD) from intracranial atherosclerotic disease. Concentric or focal eccentric enhancement of the internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery was observed in patients with MMD or patients with symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic disease, respectively. Authors proposed that the concentric enhancement in MMD could represent the hyperproliferation of vessel wall components, whereas the focal eccentric enhancement in intracranial atherosclerotic disease could represent atherosclerotic plaques. We agree that different vessel wall enhancement patterns could represent distinct underlying pathology in various intracranial artery diseases. A more in-depth discussion elucidating the patterns and mechanisms of enhancement may be of interest. It …
Model catalysts which simulate penicillinase II. Mechanism of hydrolysis of penicillins catalyzed by catechol

Studies have been made of the rates of loss of benzylpenicillin and methicillin from solutions containing catechol. The dependence upon pH of the specific rate constants for these hydrolyses catalyzed by monocatecholate ion is nonlinear, demonstrating the presence of metastable intermediates in the reaction pathway. The rates of penicillin loss at the higher pH's studied are faster than the rates of acid formation in the same systems indicating the presence of a covalent intermediate, probably catechol monopenicilloate. Analogy of this mechanism to that of hydrolyses of penicillins catalyzed by 3, 6-bis(dimethylaminomethyl)catechol and by penicillinase is discussed.
Discriminant scorecard for diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with acute leukemia.

Abstract Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, a serious opportunistic infection in adult patients with acute leukemia, is difficult to diagnose antemortem. To identify patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis without reliance on invasive diagnostic procedures, a discriminant scorecard for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis based on clinical parameters was evaluated in a three-phase study. In phase I, the records of 62 patients, including 15 with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, were reviewed. Eleven clinical parameters distinguished patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis from control subjects. These parameters were combined into a discriminant scorecard. In phase II, the discriminant scorecard was validated by a blinded, retrospective review of 94 consecutive admissions. The discriminant scorecard score was highly associated with the clinical outcome (p
Excretion of malondialdehyde, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone and methyl ethyl ketone in the urine of rats given an acute dose of malondialdehyde

A high pressure liquid chromatographic system (HPLC) has recently been developed for the simultaneous detection of malondialdehyde (MDA), formaldehyde (FA), acetaldehyde (ACT) and acetone (ACON). We have examined the urinary excretion of these four lipid metabolites in the urine of rats following the acute oral administration of MDA (158 mg/kg body weight). During the first 12 h, increases in the urinary excretion of MDA and ACT of approximately 192- and 70-fold, respectively, were observed. The urinary excretion of both MDA and ACT decreased thereafter. An increase in FA excretion was observed only 12-24 h after MDA administration. A significant decrease in ACON relative to control values was observed 12-48 h after MDA treatment. Two new peaks were present in the HPLC chromatograms of urine samples 0-24 h after MDA administration. Both peaks were shown to be due to methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) which appears to be formed as a result of MDA metabolism. The results demonstrate that orally administered MDA is rapidly excreted in the urine, and alters the metabolism and excretion of other lipid metabolites.
Luminescence and picosecond photoinduced absorption of polyaniline

Abstract The photoluminescence and photoinduced absorption are reported for leucoemeraldine and emeraldine forms of polyaniline in the picosecond to nanosecond time domain. The importance of bond vibration, charge tunneling and ring rotations in varying relaxation processes is determined. The temperature dependence of the photoluminescence decay time of the leucoemeraldine base dissolved in N -methyl pyrrolidinone is reported. The decay time decreases as the temperature increases. From the Arrhenius plot, the activation energy is estimated to be ∼0.1 eV. These data suggest that backbone vibrations dominate this photoluminescence decay mechanism. From the comparison of the result to that of the monomer, aniline, it is concluded that a polaron-exciton confined in the basic unit including a ring and adjacent nitrogen atoms is responsible for the photoluminescence. The picosecond photoinduced absorption of emeraldine base films optically pumped at 2.1 eV and probed at 1.5 eV and 2.9 eV is compared with the previously measured picosecond photoinduced bleaching probed at 2.0 eV. While all three of them show initial fast decay, the photoinduced absorption at 1.5 eV does not show a substantial residue on the nanosecond time scale. This is in contrast to the photoinduced bleaching at 2.0 eV and 2.9 eV photoinduced absorption, for which more than half of the signal remains even after a few nanoseconds. Preliminary measurements of emeraldine base films at a probe energy of 2.9 eV indicate that the decay slows down when the temperature is lowered. For emeraldine base in N -methyl pyrrolidinone solution, this long-lived tail in picosecond photoinduced absorption disappears. These data strongly suggest the importance of the ring-torsion or interchain processes in the excitation decay mechanism of the 2.9 eV photoinduced (polaron) absorption.
Orthotopic urinary diversion after cystectomy for bladder cancer: implications for cancer control and patterns of disease recurrence.

ABSTRACTPurpose: The impact of orthotopic urinary diversion on the quality of cystectomy and ensuing cancer control has not been adequately studied. We analyzed our experience with this clinical problem.Materials and Methods: The records of 214 patients who underwent cystectomy and orthotopic diversion for bladder cancer were retrospectively evaluated and compared with those of 269 treated with an ileal conduit. Analyzed end points included overall and cancer specific survival. We specifically assessed the patterns of relapse and their association with pathological findings at cystectomy in the neobladder group.Results: No cancer specific survival difference was identified in the neobladder and ileal conduit cohorts when adjusting for pathological stage. Patterns of relapse in 62 of the 214 patients with a neobladder (29%) included local recurrence in 23 (11%), distant recurrence in 19 (9%), and combined local and distant recurrence in 18 (8%). Urethral recurrence was rare (2%). Of 10 patients (4.6%) diag...
Varicella-Zoster Virus ORF61 Deletion Mutants Replicate in Cell Culture, but a Mutant with Stop Codons in ORF61 Reverts to Wild-Type Virus

Abstract Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) ORF61 encodes a phosphoprotein that transactivates VZV promoters. Transfection of cells with cosmid DNAs, including a cosmid with a large deletion in ORF61, resulted in a VZV ORF61 deletion mutant that was impaired for growth in vitro and could be partially complemented by growth in neuroblastoma or osteosarcoma cell lines. Cells infected with the VZV ORF61 deletion mutant expressed normal levels of an immediate-early VZV protein, but had reduced levels of a late protein and showed abnormal syncytia. Carboxy terminal truncation mutants of VZV ORF61 protein have a transrepressing phenotype and inhibit the infectivity of cotransfected wild-type viral DNA. Transfection of cells with cosmid DNAs, including a cosmid with stop codons that should result in an ORF61 truncation mutant expressing a transrepressing protein that retains the RING finger domain, resulted in a viral genome which reverted back to the wild-type sequence. BAL-31 exonuclease was used to produce deletions at the site of the stop codons in ORF61 of the cosmid, resulting in loss of the RING finger domain. Transfection of tissue culture cells with the ORF61 BAL-31 deletion mutants and other cosmid DNAs yielded viable viruses. Thus, while deletion mutants lacking the RING finger domain of ORF61 replicate in cell culture, a mutant with stop codons that retains this domain could not be propagated and reverted to wild-type virus.
The quasi-Laguerre iteration

The quasi-Laguerre iteration has been successfully established, by the same authors, in the spirit of Laguerre's iteration for solving the eigenvalues of symmetric tridiagonal matrices. The improvement in efficiency over Laguerre's iteration is drastic. This paper supplements the theoretical background of this new iteration, including the proofs of the convergence properties.
Infrared study of triruthenium dodecacarbonyl interactions with gold

Abstract We present here a study of the interaction of triruthenium dodecacarbonyl Ru 3 (CO) 12 with gold surfaces using time-evolved and temperature-programmed infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and STM. Ru 3 (CO) 12 exhibits drastically different adsorption/desorption behavior on high-index surfaces of gold in comparison to the smooth Au(111) surface. On the smooth Au(111) surface, the adsorption of Ru 3 (CO) 12 at 200 K is observed to be molecular and reversible with the molecule's Ru 3 -plane oriented essentially perpendicular to the surface in the first and second layer. In the multilayer (> 3 ML), the molecule is oriented parallel (or moderately inclined) to the surface. On high-index gold surfaces, prepared by partial annealing of rough gold films, the molecules dissociate. Vibrational spectra reveal dissociation of carbonyl to Ru and CO at elevated temperature (> 250 K) with the formation of CO covered Ru-islands and the subsequent desorption of CO from Ru-islands. Increasing amounts of CO observed with increasing surface roughness demonstrate that the rate of Ru 3 (CO) 12 dissociation is related directly to the surface roughness of the gold surface. STM images reveal at low coverage the formation of 2-D islands of carbonyl fragments with lateral sizes of 1 to 1.5 nm and at higher coverage the formation of larger 3-D islands of 1 to 3 layers and lateral sizes above 10 nm.
The suprachiasmatic nucleus and intergeniculate leaflet of Arvicanthis niloticus, a diurnal murid rodent from East Africa

Little is known about the neural substrates controlling circadian rhythms in day-active compared to night-active mammals primarily because of the lack of a suitable diurnal rodent with which to address the issue. The murid rodent, Arvicanthis niloticus, was recently shown to exhibit a predominantly diurnal pattern of activity and body temperature, and may be suitable for research on the neural mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms. This paper describes, in A. niloticus, the anatomy of two neural structures that play important roles in the control of circadian rhythms, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and the intergeniculate leaflet (IGL). Immunohistochemical techniques were used to examine the distribution of neuroactive peptides in the SCN and IGL, and retinal projections to these structures were traced with anterograde transport of the beta subunit of cholera toxin. In A. niloticus, distinct subdivisions of the SCN contained cell bodies with immunoreactive (IR) vasopressin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, gastrin-releasing peptide, and corticotropin-releasing factor. The SCN did not contain cell bodies with met-enkephalin-IR and substance P-IR, but did contain fibers with substance P-IR and neuropeptide Y-IR. Retinal fibers were present throughout the SCN, but were most densely concentrated along its ventral edge, particularly in the contralateral SCN. Retinal fibers also extended to a variety of hypothalamic regions outside the SCN, including the supraoptic nucleus and the subparaventricular region. The IGL contained cells with neuropeptide Y-IR and enkephalin-IR cells. Retinal fibers projected to both the ipsilateral and contralateral IGL. The anatomy of the SCN and IGL were compared and contrasted with that previously described for other nocturnal and diurnal species.
Allozyme and microsatellite data reveal small clone size and high genetic diversity in aspen in the southern Cascade Mountains

Abstract The most widely distributed tree in North America, quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides, Michx.), reproduces sexually via seed and clonally via suckers. The size of aspen clones varies geographically, generally smaller in the east and large in the arid Intermountain West. In order to describe clone size and genetic structure of aspen in the southern Cascade Mountains, 864 stems from six sites were assayed at 15 isozyme and 6 microsatellite loci. Although isozymes reveal significantly lower levels of allelic richness (P
Cross-reactions of HL-A antibodies. V. Relationship between the human HL-A11 and chimpanzee ChW-11 specificities.

In direct cross-species typing, the chimpanzee ChW-11 and human HL-A11 leukocyte groups seem identical since ChW-11 antisera detect HL-A11 on human cells and human HL-A11 sera recognize the ChW-11 specificity on chimpanzee cells. However, when using quantitative platelet absorption and pH gradient elution it was possible to distinguish these specificities serologically; homologous antigen-antibody binding avidities were greater than those between species. The use of quantitative absorption followed by cross-species typing is discussed also as a means of identifying heterogeneity among certain leukocyte specificities. These techniques were used to characterize cross-reacting chimpanzee leukocyte specificities, ChW-11 and ChW-111, which appear to form part of the chimpanzee “LA-like segregant series” and to compare these specificities with the human HL-A11 determinant(s).
Anaerobic metabolism in the roots of seedlings of the invasive exotic Lepidium latifolium

Lepidium latifolium is an invasive exotic crucifer that is widely distributed in riparian zones and wetlands. In this study, anoxic carbohydrate metabolism and post-anoxic injury in the roots of L. latifolium seedlings were examined. A significant increase in the activity of the fermentative enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in roots occurred under anoxia and increased with the duration of anaerobic treatment during 7 days. However, pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) and cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activity was maintained at relatively stable levels under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Soluble protein concentration in anoxic roots was two to three times that in aerobic roots throughout 7 days of anoxia. The concentration of the fermentation product ethanol in roots was two times greater under anoxia than under aerobic conditions. The concentration of lactate was much smaller than that of ethanol, but the trend was similar to that of ethanol. There was no significant difference in the concentration of malate between aerobic and anaerobic conditions for 9 days. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in roots was two to three times higher under anoxia than under aerobic conditions throughout 7 days, but this increase in SOD activity decreased slightly with the duration of anoxia. Compared with aerobic conditions, the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), an indicator of free radical damage, increased by two to three times under anoxia. Two days after L. latifolium seedlings were returned to aerobic conditions, the concentrations of ethanol and MDA in roots were still significantly higher under the previously anoxic treatment than under continuously aerobic conditions, while no significant difference in enzyme activities or in concentrations of lactate and malate was found between treatments. The metabolism of L. latifolium roots under anoxia is characterized by the concurrent activity of both fermentative pathways and aerobic metabolism. Roots of L. latifolium have metabolically adaptive strategies to anoxia, but there is evidence of oxidative stress under anoxia and of post-anoxic injury from free radicals upon re-exposure to air. Results suggest that L. latifolium exhibit a mixture of characteristics typical of hydrophytic, facultative, and anoxia intolerant species.
Protein transport in the connecting cilium of a photoreceptor cell: Modeling the effects of bidirectional protein transitions between the diffusion-driven and motor-driven kinetic states

Physics of protein transport through the connecting cilium (CC) of a photoreceptor cell is a long-standing question in cellular biology. There is evidence implicating both molecular motor-driven and diffusion-driven modes of intracellular transport. Based on available experimental clues, this paper develops a new model for intraflagellar transport (IFT) of proteins synthesized in the inner segment and transported through the CC to the outer segment of a photoreceptor cell. The model accounts for the competition between two modes of protein transport: molecular motor-driven transport and diffusion. The obtained solutions made it possible to calculate how the number of protein molecules transported through the CC at a given time depends on their diffusivity. Modeling results were compared with published experimental estimates, and conclusions about possible contributions of diffusion to IFT were made.
Value Creation in Public Enterprises: An Empirical Analysis of Coordinated Organizational Changes in the Veterans Health Administration

As part of a federal government initiative to increase efficiency and quality, in 1996 the United States Veterans Health Administration (VHA) radically restructured its organizational design and management processes. This study uses 1992–1998 clinical, workload, and financial data to examine the effect of this reform on performance. Several previous government attempts to introduce private sector management practices, such as management by objectives (MBO) or program planning and budgeting system (PPBS), have been largely unsuccessful. In contrast to prior reforms, the current restructuring introduced coordinated changes in the VHA organizational structure, performance measurement, and reward systems. Our results document that, following the reorganization, the VHA cost per patient declined significantly and various quality measures improved. Our analysis suggests that reduction in excess capacity and the more intense use of remaining capacity are among the primary explanations for the VHA achieving the o...
The heme environment of mouse neuroglobin: histidine imidazole plane orientations obtained from solution NMR and EPR spectroscopy as compared with X-ray crystallography

The 1H NMR chemical shifts of the heme methyl groups of the ferriheme complex of metneuroglobin (Du et al. in J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125:8080-8081, 2003) predict orientations of the axial histidine ligands (Shokhirev and Walker in J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. 3:581-594, 1998) that are not consistent with the X-ray data (Vallone et al. in Proteins Struct. Funct. Bioinf. 56:85-94, 2004), and the EPR spectrum (Vinck et al. in J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126:4516-4517, 2004) is only marginally consistent with these data. The reasons for these inconsistencies appear to be rooted in the high degree of aqueous solution exposure of the heme group and the fact that there are no strong hydrogen-bond acceptors for the histidine imidazole N-H protons provided by the protein. Similar inconsistencies may exist for other water-soluble heme proteins, and 1H NMR spectroscopy provides a simple means to verify whether the solution structure of the heme center is the same as or different from that in the crystalline state.
Home Care for Children on Respirators

The use of sophisticated medical technology has made it possible for increasing numbers of children to survive the acute effects of extreme prematurity, neurologic diseases, severe trauma, and cong...
Educational material about genetic tests: does it provide key information for patients and practitioners?

Genetic testing for common conditions will be used increasingly in primary care, but resources for patient counseling are decreasing. It is also necessary that primary care practitioners be better equipped to do basic genetic counseling. Therefore, the quality of informational materials for practitioners and patients is important. It was unknown how often key elements recommended by policy groups were actually included in such material. It was our aim to determine the content of printed informational material for practitioners and patients on genetic testing. We performed (1) a telephone survey of organizations in the United States that developed genetic tests or services and (2) a content analysis of pamphlets obtained from these organizations to determine the presence of 10 critical elements necessary to evaluate the appropriateness and performance of the tests. Almost 95% (169/178) of organizations responded to our survey; 131/169 (78%) reported using informational materials. We analyzed 115 pamphlets collected from 125/131 (95%) organizations. Elements least frequently included in the pamphlets were risks and benefits, patient rights, and intended use or purpose of the test. Most frequently included were descriptions of the conditions detected by the test, and the appropriate patients for testing. Nearly one half of the pamphlets included some statement about the accuracy of the test, but most of these did not specify whether their statements referred to sensitivity, specificity, or predictive value. Overall, pamphlets tended to contain information that would aid in determining a patient's eligibility for a genetic test, but did not contain sufficient information about the tests themselves. Our results suggest that several critical elements need to be added to enhance informed choices by patients and physicians. Am. J. Med. Genet. 73:314–320, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
THE SUBCELLULAR LOCALIZATION OF TRITIUM AFTER INCUBATION OF HOMOGENATES OF RAT BRAIN WITH 3H-NOREPINEPHRINE.

Abstract Density gradient centrifugation of rat brain homogenates, after their incubation at 37° with 3 H-norepinephrine (NE) revealed an uneven distribution of tritium among the five discrete fractions obtained. The bulk (76 per cent) of the tritium was found in the upper two fractions ( A and B ) : the fraction lying between 0.29 and 0.88 M sucrose ( B ) contained 46 per cent of the total tritium in the gradient. Pretreatment of the animal with reserpine, or incubation with 3 H-NE at 4°, decreased the percentage of tritium in fraction B to approximately 36 per cent. The percentage distribution of tritium was uninfluenced by a fifty-fold increase in the quantity of 3 H-NE added to the incubation medium. In contrast, the absolute amount of tritium in B bore a linear relationship to the concentration of added amine. The simultaneous addition of both nonisotopic NE and 3 H-NE to the incubation medium decreased the tritium content of fraction B ; the decrease was roughly proportional to the amount of nonisotopic NE present. Since over 80 per cent of the tritium in fractions A and B could be accounted for by unchanged norepinephrine, it is suggested that in this study the distribution of tritium in brain homogenates may accurately reflect that of endogenous catecholamine in intact neural structures.
Effect of fluoroacetates on methanogenesis in samples from selected methanogenic environments

Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is an atmospheric decomposition product of a new generation of refrigerants that will replace current ozone-depleting CFCs. The effect of trifluoroacetic acid on microbial methanogenesis was assessed using environmental samples from four distinct methanogenic systems: the anaerobic digestor, the rumen, freshwater sediments, and marine sediments. TFA exhibited no toxcity, as evidenced by the rate of methanogenesis, at concentrations up to 10 mM. [1- 14 C]TFA was used to test for biodegradation (release of 14 CO 2 ) in methanogenic marine sediments. No significant release of 14 CO 2 was observed. As a control, the toxic monofluoroacetate (MFA), which is not an atmospheric degradation product of CFC replacements, was found to inhibit methanogenesis in freshwater and anaerobic digestor samples at or above concentrations of 0.1 mM. We conclude that TFA is inert in these methanogenic systems and there is no evident toxicity to either the methanogenic or fermentative populations.
Technological progress and optimal supply price

Abstract This article presents an analysis of the firm's optimal product-price decision as a joint process with optimal production planning. The production decision is formulated as a dynamic optimization problem over an infinite horizon under conditions of profit maximization and rational expectation given a set of market and technical-progress information. The problem is solved to obtain the time paths of shadow prices of capital and labor services. These shadow prices of factors are combined to construct the time path of the optimal supply price. Sensitivity analysis are conducted on the optimal supply price to isolate the variational effects of technical progress and labor turnover rate. The results are stated as propositions.
Sexual dimorphism and human tooth size differences

Abstract Current male/female differences in tooth size are due to the male/female differences in body bulk that exist in any given human population. These differences are residues of the sexual dimorphism that was maintained for adaptive reasons during the Middle Pleistocene. Late in the Pleistocene the development of food processing techniques led to the reduction of both male and female dental dimensions. Dental sexual dimorphism, however, was maintained until the very end of the Pleistocene when the hunting of large game animals by crude techniques was replaced by a focus on great numbers of small game caught by more sophisticated means and by an increasing utilization of plant foods. The subsequent reduction in dimorphism represents the actions of the Probable Mutation Effect operating under conditions of relaxed selection. The conclusion offered is that the smallest degree of sexual dimorphism visible in the modern world is to be found among those populations that are separated by the greatest interval of time from precursors who depended for their survival on a Pleistocene big game hunting mode of subsistence.
Abstract LB-260: Identification of DTYMK and CHEK1 as therapeutic targets in LKB1 mutant non-small cell lung cancer

The LKB1 tumor suppressor encodes a key metabolic sensor that integrates cell growth and metabolism. LKB1 is mutationally inactivated in multiple adult malignancies, including >20% of lung cancers, often simultaneously with activating KRAS mutations. LKB1 mutations are an important predictor of poor outcome and resistance to current therapeutic approaches. We employed an integrative approach to define novel therapeutic targets in Lkb1 mutant lung cancers. Matched cell lines from genetically engineered mouse models of cancer driven by activated Kras alone or in combination with Lkb1 deletion, were employed in high-throughput RNAi, kinase inhibitor, and metabolite screens. These screens identified knockdown of either Dtymk (deoxythymidylate kinase) or Chek1 (checkpoint kinase 1) as synthetically lethal with Lkb1 deficiency in both mouse and human lung cancer cell lines, and revealed that Lkb1 inactivation conferred marked sensitivity to treatment with CHEK1 inhibitors. Lkb1 deficient cells had a distinct metabolic profile, characterized by striking decreases in multiple nucleotide metabolites. Knockdown of DTYMK inhibited dTTP biosynthesis and, consequently, DNA synthesis, and knockdown of CHEK1 caused accumulation of DNA damage. We hypothesize that Lkb1 loss enhances dependence on these enzymes due to broad defects in nucleotide metabolism. Our studies support the development of therapies target DTYMK and CHEK1 in LKB1 mutant non-small cell lung cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-260. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-260
Structureless magnetic monopoles in an expanding spacetime

A model consisting of anSO(3) gauge field interacting with an isovector Higgs field in the background geometry of a Robertson-Walker spacetime is examined. The gauge field and field tensors are parametrized by the Higgs field directionality and a gauge field structure function. Two simple, but exact, solutions of the field equations are obtained which represent structureless magnetic monopoles in an expanding spacetime. There is anSO(3)-symmetric solution with a «color» magnetic field, along with a broken-symmetric solution corresponding to the point particle limit of a ’t Hooft-Polyakov monopole. The former solution represents a generalization of a type of solution previously studied within the context of a Minkowski spacetime. Within the context of an expanding spacetime each solution possesses a magnetic field which, on a spherical comoving surface, depends upon the cosmic scale factora(t), but not the curvature constantk.