cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mosquito habitat and dengue risk potential in Kenya: alternative methods to traditional risk mapping techniques

Outbreaks, epidemics and endemic conditions make dengue a disease that has emerged as a major threat in tropical and sub-tropical countries over the past 30 years. Dengue fever creates a growing burden for public health systems and has the potential to affect over 40% of the world population. The problem being investigated is to identify the highest and lowest areas of dengue risk. This paper presents "Similarity Search", a geospatial analysis aimed at identifying these locations within Kenya. Similarity Search develops a risk map by combining environmental susceptibility analysis and geographical information systems, and then compares areas with dengue prevalence to all other locations. Kenya has had outbreaks of dengue during the past 3 years, and we identified areas with the highest susceptibility to dengue infection using bioclimatic variables, elevation and mosquito habitat as input to the model. Comparison of the modelled risk map with the reported dengue epidemic cases obtained from the open source reporting ProMED and Government news reports from 1982-2013 confirmed the high-risk locations that were used as the Similarity Search presence cells. Developing the risk model based upon the bioclimatic variables, elevation and mosquito habitat increased the efficiency and effectiveness of the dengue fever risk mapping process.
Analysis of 3D SPECT image reconstruction and its extension to ultrasonic diffraction tomography

We present a detailed investigation of the theory for image reconstruction in 3D SPECT with uniform attenuation and distance-dependent spatial resolution. In particular, we present an alternative approach for derivation of relationships between the ideal and modified sinograms, and we investigate systematically the implication of the spatial resolution function for these relationships as well as on the ideal-sinogram estimation methods that are developed from these relationships. In our theory, the optical transfer function (OTF) of the resolution function is required to have a specific form. This form is satisfied by the OTF of the 3D Cauchy (or 3D Gaussian) exactly (or approximately). In this work, we develop a formula for converting a general OTF into that specific form so that our theory can be applied. Finally, we point out that the theory developed for SPECT can readily be generalized to 2D ultrasound diffraction tomography.
Design of mixed H2-dissipative observers with stochastic resilience for discrete-time nonlinear systems

Abstract A linear matrix inequality based mixed H2-dissipative type state observer design approach is presented for smooth discrete time nonlinear systems with finite energy disturbances. This observer is designed to maintain H2 type estimation error performance together with either H∞ or a passivity type disturbance reduction performance in case of randomly varying perturbations in its gain. A linear matrix inequality is used at each time instant to find the time-varying gain of the observer. Simulation studies are included to explore the performance in comparison to the extended Kalman filter and a previously proposed constant gain observer counterpart.
Total reaction cross sections in the mass range 45 to 65

Abstract The (p, n) cross sections were measured on targets of 45 Sc, 51 V, 55 Mn, 63 Cu and 65 Cu by activation techniques over the approximate energy range of 3.5 to 6.75 MeV. The proton charged-particle cross sections were measured at 6.75 MeV for the same targets. Neglecting the compound elastic scattering, values of total reaction cross section at an incident bombarding energy of 6.75 MeV were found to be 433±57 mb , 646±43 mb , 505±43 mb , 497±41 mb and 613±29 mb respectively. These values were found to be less than an optical model calculation except for the case of 65 Cu where the measured total reaction cross section is greater than the optical model value.
Initiation of DNA Synthesis and Uptake of T Antigen by Chick Erythrocyte Nuclei in Heterokaryons with SV40-Transformed Human Cells

Nonsynchronized and hydroxyurea (HU)-synchronized SV40-transformed human cells (W98VaD) were fused with chick embryo erythrocytes (CE). The uptake of T antigen by CE nuclei was compared with initiation of chick nuclear DNA synthesis. Uptake of T antigen by CE nuclei occurred at about the same timeafter fusion with asynchronous as with HU-synchronized cells. CE nuclei rapidly became T antigen-positive between 16 h and 28 h after fusion and usually almost all CE nuclei were T antigen-positive by 48 h after fusion. In contrast, initiation of chick nuclear DNA synthesis occurred as a function of timeafter reversal of the HU block, when the host cell nuclei were also synthesizing DNA. Chick nuclear DNA synthesis occurred in many heterokaryons before the CE nuclei became T antigen-positive by immunofluorescence.
An Investigation of the Compatibility of Radiation and Convection Heat Flux Measurements

A method for determining time-resolved absorbed surface heat flux and surface temperature in radiation and convection environments is described. The method is useful for verification of aerodynamic, heat transfer and durability models. A practical heat flux gage fabrication procedure and a simple one-dimensional inverse heat conduction model and calculation procedure are incorporated in this method. The model provides an estimate of the temperature and heat flux gradient in the direction of heat transfer through the gage. This paper discusses several successful time-resolved tests of this method in hostile convective heating and cooling environments.
Common Polymorphisms in the Age of Research Domain Criteria (RDoC): Integration and Translation.

The value of common polymorphisms in guiding clinical psychiatry is limited by the complex polygenic architecture of psychiatric disorders. Common polymorphisms have too small an effect on risk for psychiatric disorders as defined by clinical phenomenology to guide clinical practice. To identify polymorphic effects that are large and reliable enough to serve as biomarkers requires detailed analysis of a polymorphism’s biology across levels of complexity from molecule to cell to circuit and behavior. Emphasis on behavioral domains rather than clinical diagnosis, as proposed in the Research Domain Criteria framework, facilitates the use of mouse models that recapitulate human polymorphisms because effects on equivalent phenotypes can be translated across species and integrated across levels of analysis. A knockin mouse model of a common polymorphism in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF) provides examples of how such a vertically integrated translational approach can identify robust genotype-phenotype relationships that have relevance to psychiatric practice.
Variation in human infraorbital nerve, canal and foramen

Summary In this paper we present a rare case of the infraorbital nerve bifurcating in the base of the orbit, and subsequently passing through two infraorbital canals and exiting by two infraorbital foramina separated from each other by 2 cm in the axial plane and by 1 cm in the sagittal plane.
Factors affecting pentose phosphate pathway activity in human red cells.

Summary. The vibrating reed electrometer and ionization chamber have been adapted for the instantaneous and continuous measurement of pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) activity in human red cells. PPP activity was determined by measuring the conversion of glucose-1-14C to 14CO2. PPP activity was independent of ambient glucose concentration over the range of 50–500 mg % and was stimulated up to 36-, 18- and 6-fold by methylene blue, ascorbic acid and primaquine, respectively. PPP activity was increased 24% and 41% when incubation temperatures were raised to 39°C and 40.5°C, respectively. PPP activity in unstimulated RBC was twice as great in 95% O2 as in 20% O2 and in 10% O2 was only slightly less than in 20% O2. The PPP activity was found to be very pH-dependent. PPP activity in plasma was about twice as great as in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer. Thus, the activity of the PPP in red cells is altered significantly in vitro by incubation conditions designed to mimic various clinical states.
Transfer of Near-Infrared Calibration Model for Determining Fiber Content in Flax: Effects of Transfer Samples and Standardization Procedure

The transfer of a calibration model for determining fiber content in flax stem was accomplished between two near-infrared spectrometers, which are the same brand but which require a standardization. In this paper, three factors, including transfer sample set, spectral type, and standardization method, were investigated to obtain the best standardization result. Twelve standardization files were produced from two sets of the transfer sample (sealed reference standards and a subset of the prediction set), two types of the transfer sample spectra (raw and preprocessed spectra), and three standardization methods (direct standardization (DS), piecewise direct standardization (PDS), and double window piecewise direct standardization (DWPDS)). The efficacy of the model transfer was evaluated based on the root mean square error of prediction, calculated using the independent prediction samples. Results indicated that the standardization using the sealed reference standards was unacceptable, but the standardization using the prediction subset was adequate. The use of the preprocessed spectra of the transfer samples led to the calibration transfers that were successful, especially for the PDS and the DWPDS correction. Finally, standardization using the prediction subset and their preprocessed spectra with DWPDS correction proved to be the best method for transferring the model.
Pain and hyperalgesia after intradermal injection of bradykinin in humans.

Pain and hyperalgesia, the perceptual companions of tissue injury and inflammation, are thought to be in part attributable to the sensitization of primary afferent nociceptors by endogenously released chemicals, such as bradykinin. Bradykinin (0.1 to 10 nmol in 10 µl) evoked a dose-dependent pain, hyperalgesia to heat stimuli, and wheal and flare when injected in a double-blind manner into the volar forearm intradermally. Though hyperalgesia to mechanical stimuli is a conspicuous feature of inflammatory pain, none was measurable for any of the bradykinin doses in response to graded nylon monofilament probes. A second injection of bradykinin (5- or 30-minute intervals) at the same site produced markedly less pain and hyperalgesia to heat stimuli, indicating that the algesic and hyperalgesic effects of bradykinin undergo tachyphylaxis. These findings suggest that bradykinin alone cannot account for all aspects of the hyperalgesia that occurs after inflammation. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1991) 50, 721–729; doi:10.1038/clpt.1991.212
Lethal self-administration of morphine by rats

Abstract This experiment was designed to define further the role of conditioned reinforcers, both behaviorally and electrophysiologically by examining self-administration rates during the development of morphine dependence. Rats which were prepared for electrophysiological recordings had electrical stimulation of a foreleg paired with the intravenous injection of morphine in response to a lever press. Stimulation of the other foreleg was presented randomly. The major experimental finding was that 14 out of 20 rats self-administered lethal doses of morphine. The rats engaged in rapid lever pressing until respiratory convulsions commenced. Many variables were examined in an effort to determine possible causes for this behavior. The only parameter differentiating rats that overdosed from rats that maintained their morphine input was the pulse duration of the foreleg stimulus.
Fixed precision estimator of the offspring mean in branching processes

Abstract For the problem of estimating the offspring mean m of a branching process with immigration, we propose a modification of the sequential estimator of m considered in Sriram et al. (1991, Ann. Statist. ) and study its nonasymptotic and asymptotic properties. In the nonasymptotic setting, it is shown that the modified estimator is unbiased and has bounded mean squared error (MSE) for all m >0, while the estimator in Sriram et al. is biased and a theoretical bound for its MSE is difficult to obtain. The above result is established for the cases of known and unknown offspring variances, separately. In the asymptotic setting, for the case of m ∈(0,1], it is shown that the modified sequential estimator is as efficient as the sequential estimator in Sriram et al. The theoretical results are supported through simulations. Finally, asymptotic normality of the stopping time, for the case of known offspring variance, is also established.
Recursive Prediction of Traffic Conditions with Neural Network Models

This paper presents a recursive traffic flow prediction algorithm using artificial neural networks. The system prediction model is specified based on the understanding of how disturbances in traffic flow are propagated, and the order of the model is determined by correlation analysis. The parameters of the model, on the other hand, can be obtained through nonlinear optimization. Preliminary studies show that this approach can yield reasonably accurate results.
Impaired emotion processing from vocal and facial cues in frontotemporal dementia compared to right hemisphere stroke

To advance our understanding about the emotional and cognitive deficits of patients with frontotemporal dementia with behavioral variant (bvFTD), the current study examined comprehension and expression of emotions from prosodic and facial cues in a 66-year-old woman. The patient diagnosed with bvFTD is compared to six patients with acute right hemisphere stroke. Recognition of emotion from prosodic cues was assessed using an identification task in four conditions with decreasing verbal demands (neutral sentences, language-like pseudo sentences, monosyllables, and asyllabic vowel sounds). Repetition of utterances with emotional connotations and self-generated conversations were analyzed to measure relative changes in mean fundamental frequency (f0), f0 variance, speech rate, and intensity along with the facial musculature pattern. The patient showed a marked deficit in identifying emotions in all four prosody conditions; and she did not show much variation in modulating mean f0, f0 variance, speech rate an...
Multiplexed inkjet functionalization of silicon photonic biosensors

The transformative potential of silicon photonics for chip-scale biosensing is limited primarily by the inability to selectively functionalize and exploit the extraordinary density of integrated optical devices on this platform. Silicon biosensors, such as the microring resonator, can be routinely fabricated to occupy a footprint of less than 50 × 50 µm; however, chemically addressing individual devices has proven to be a significant challenge due to their small size and alignment requirements. Herein, we describe a non-contact piezoelectric (inkjet) method for the rapid and efficient printing of bioactive proteins, glycoproteins and neoglycoconjugates onto a high-density silicon microring resonator biosensor array. This approach demonstrates the scalable fabrication of multiplexed silicon photonic biosensors for lab-on-a-chip applications, and is further applicable to the functionalization of any semiconductor-based biosensor chip.
Effect of retinol and retinoic acid on permeability, electrical resistance and phase transition of lipid bilayers

Abstract Retinol and retinoic acid have been incorporated into the artificial membrane systems, planar bimolecular lipid membranes and liposomes, and their effects on several membrane parameters have been measured. 1. Retinol and retinoic acid increased the permeability of egg lecithin liposomes to K + , I − and glucose when incorporated into the membranes at levels as low as 0.5 membrane mol%. Retinoic acid influenced permeability more than did retinol for each of the solutes tested. 2. Retinol and retinoic acid both decreased the electrical resistance of egg lecithin-planar bimolecular lipid membranes from 0.5 to 8 membrane mol%. Retinoic acid effected a larger change than did retinol. 3. Retinol and retinoic acid increased the permeability of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes to water at 1.0 and 3.0 membrane mol%. A larger effect on water permeability was measured for retinoic acid than for retinol. 4. Retinol and retinoic acid at 1.0 and 3.0 membrane mol% were shown to lower the phase-transition temperature of liposomes composed of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine or dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. Phase-transition temperatures were monitored by abrupt changes in water permeability and liposome size associated with the transition. Retinoic acid lowered the phase-transition temperature of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes more than did retinol, while both retinoids had almost the same effect on dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes.
Ritualized Deposition and Feasting Pits: Bundling of Animal Remains in Mississippi Period Florida

Interactions with the bodies of hunted animals often follow prescriptions pertaining to social relationships among human and non-human persons. Despite this, deposits of archaeological food remains are seldom considered in terms of deliberate placement, instead serving primarily as reflections of preparation and consumption activities. The residues of feasts, in particular, are often highlighted as indexes of special consumption events, although such salient occasions might also be expected to highlight ritualized depositional practices as well. This study reconsiders the archaeological residues of feasts through the vantage of a fauna-filled pit in late Pre-Columbian Florida. Most of the contents of the feature correlate with a large feast, but the structure of the deposit and inclusion of specific elements reflects scrupulous emplacement. Drawing on North American relational ontologies, we explore the idea that this pit feature was created as a deliberate bundle, the result of an intentional act of interment that was concerned with positioning its contents in ways that manifested and shaped various relationships.
Structure of the human palmitoyl-protein thioesterase-2 gene (PPT2) in the major histocompatibility complex on chromosome 6p21.3

Abstract Palmitoyl-protein thioesterase-2 (PPT2) is a homolog of PPT1, the enzyme that is deficient in the lysosomal storage disorder, infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). As a first step toward determining whether mutations in the gene encoding PPT2 ( PPT2 ) are associated with any of the molecularly uncharacterized forms of NCL, we report here the structure and chromosomal localization of human PPT2. PPT2 spans about 10 kb and is composed of nine exons. One major (2.0 kb) and two minor (7.0 and 2.8 kb) mRNAs are transcribed from the gene, and the larger transcripts appear to be messenger RNAs in which PPT2 exons are spliced into a downstream gene encoding a homolog of human latent transforming growth factor-β binding protein (human LTBP). PPT2 is located in the human major histocompatibility class III locus on chromosome 6p21.3, a position that rules out PPT2 as the causative gene in any of the NCLs at defined chromosomal loci. No mutations were detected by SSCP analysis in a preliminary analysis of 12 subjects referred with a suspected diagnosis of infantile NCL who had normal PPT activity. However, five single nucleotide polymorphisms were found in unrelated normal individuals. These polymorphisms (and a microsatellite discovered within PPT2 ) will aid in the further delineation of the possible role of PPT2 in lysosomal storage disorders of unknown etiology.
Adenosine enhances myocardial glucose uptake only in the presence of insulin.

Abstract Better understood in other tissues, the effects of adenosine on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in the heart are poorly understood. Under pentobarbital anesthesia, we instrumented mongrel dogs to obtain general hemodynamics (blood pressure and heart rate), and arterial and coronary sinus blood samples for measuring oxygen and glucose concentrations. An electromagnetic blood flow probe around the circumflex coronary artery allowed determinations of blood flow, and calculation of substrate uptake by the heart (Fick principle). Somatostatin (SRIF) was infused intravenously (0.8 μg/kg/min) along with 0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0, or 10 mU/kg/min regular insulin, and variable quantities of glucose to maintain euglycemia. Concomitant with the SRIF, insulin, and glucose infusions, adenosine was infused in logarithmically increasing rates (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, 10 or 100 μmol/min) for 30 minutes each into the main left coronary arteries. Insulin infusions increased myocardial glucose uptake in a dose-dependent manner. The heart displayed exquisite sensitivity to insulin, with an ED 50 of approximately 14 μU/mL (serum insulin). Adenosine infusions in the absence of insulin (SRIF infusion) increased coronary blood flow, but did not alter myocardial glucose uptake. In the presence of insulin, adenosine increased the maximal value for glucose uptake without changing sensitivity to insulin. These results indicate that adenosine enhances myocardial responsiveness to insulin, with respect to glucose uptake, independent of changes in blood flow. Since glucose can be used for anaerobic metabolism, and adenosine levels are known to increase under situations in which myocardial oxygenation is inadequate, these data have serious implications for conditions such as myocardial ischemia or hypoxia, when glycolytic substrate availability is vital.
Super Yang-Mills theory as a random matrix model.

We generalize the Gervais-Neveu gauge to four-dimensional N=1 superspace. The model describes an N=2 super Yang-Mills theory. All chiral superfields (N=2 matter and ghost multiplets) exactly cancel to all loops. The remaining Hermitian scalar superfield (matrix) has a renormalizable massive propagator and simplified vertices. These properties are associated with N=1 supergraphs describing a superstring theory on a random lattice world sheet. We also consider all possible finite matrix models, and find they have a universal large-color limit. These could describe gravitational strings if the matrix-model coupling is fixed to unity, for exact electric-magnetic self-duality.
The correlation between the proportions of virus-related products and the infectious component during the synthesis of tobacco ringspot virus.

Abstract A time study has suggested that at least one, of two noninfectious components found in tissues of plants infected with tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV), is synthesized concurrently with virus multiplication. Three components found in infected (but not in uninfected) tissues are referred to as top, middle, and bottom components, according to their relative positions after density gradient centrifugation. In purified preparations of a WS-strain from leaves collected 2 1 2 –3 days after inoculation, the amount of middle as compared to the amounts of middle plus bottom components combined varied between 39 and 58% (mean: 46%), based upon ultraviolet absorption at 260 mμ. On the other hand, the amount of middle component in preparations from leaves collected 6 or 7 days after inoculation varied between 17 and 38% of the mixture (mean: 25%). Although the middle component was a smaller proportion of the mixture at 6 or 7 days than at 2 1 2 or 3 days, it had actually increased an average of threefold, while the bottom component (the infectious particle) had increased an average of eightfold. Thus, between 0 and 3 days the middle component increased more rapidly in relation to the bottom component than between 3 and 7 days, when the middle component increased more slowly than the bottom component. In older infections (14 and 21 days after inoculation), the middle component either was a smaller portion of the mixture, or remained approximately the same portion. The direction of the shift in the proportion of noninfectious and infectious particles with time after inoculation was basically the same for a strain of TRSV (ST) that contained, upon purification, a much smaller proportion of middle component than TRSV (WS). Both middle and bottom components of the ST strain increased at a much slower rate than the corresponding middle and bottom components of the WS strain. Our data are consistent with the view that the noninfectious middle component is a product intimately connected with the synthesis of tobacco ringspot virus. The middle component does not appear to be the result of degradation from infectious particles either in vivo or during the course of purification. However, the middle component is not necessarily a precursor of the bottom component. It appears more likely that the middle component is synthesized concurrently with the infectious bottom component and by means of the same pool of protein and nucleic acid subunits.
Cold treatment modifies the photoperiodic flowering response of Lobelia×speciosa

Abstract Lobelia×speciosa Sweet `Compliment Scarlet' was grown under a range of photoperiods and low temperature treatments to determine their effects on flowering. In the first experiment, plants were held at 5°C for 0 or 15 weeks, then grown at 20°C under the following photoperiods: 10, 12, 14, 16, or 24 h of continual light or 9 h with a 4 h night interruption (NI). Non-cooled `Compliment Scarlet' flowered as a qualitative long-day plant (LDP) with a minimum flowering photoperiod of 14 h. Following cold, flowering was quantitative with respect to photoperiod, until ≈14.2 h, when the calculated rate of progress toward flowering reached a plateau. In cooled plants, node number below the inflorescence decreased from 27 to 16 as the photoperiod increased from 10 to 24 h. Cooled plants developed 61–149% more flowers and were ≥17% taller than non-cooled ones under the same photoperiod. To determine the cold duration required for flowering under short days (SD), plants were held at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, or 15 weeks at 5°C then grown at 20°C under SD (9 h photoperiod) or long days (9 h photoperiod with a 4 h NI). Under SD, few plants flowered after ≤6 weeks of cold. As cold treatment increased from 9 to 15 weeks, flowering percentage increased, time to flower decreased from 93 to 64 days, and node count decreased from 24 to 13. Cold treatment did not affect flowering percentage or time under NI, but plants always had more flowers and were taller than reproductive ones under 9 h day lengths. Thus, `Compliment Scarlet', is a qualitative LDP, but an extended cold treatment can partially substitute for the long day (LD) photoperiodic requirement.
Abstract 799: Comprehensive proteomic analysis of cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL We have conducted a comprehensive proteomic analysis of an ovarian cancer cell line (A2780) and its cisplatin resistant daughter line (A2780-CP20) to identify key regulators and signaling pathways that confer cisplatin resistance. Quantitative proteomic profiling was conducted of defined biological compartments including that from global lysates, the nuclear fraction, the phosphoproteome and the secretome. Total cell lysates and nuclear fractions were harvested from A2780 and A2780-CP20 cultured in the presence or absence of cisplatin (3 µM) for 72 h. The secretome fractions were collected from A2780 and A2780-CP20 cultured in serum-free, phenol red-free media in the presence or absence of cisplatin (3 µM) for 24 h. Phosphopeptides were enriched from peptide digests of total lysates of A2780 and A2780-CP20 cultured in the presence or absence of cisplatin (3 µM) for 15 min using TiO2. Sample digests were analyzed by high-resolution LC-MS/MS that resulted in the identification of 2703, 2286, 1815, and 1362 proteins from the global, nuclear, secretome, and phosphoproteome fractions, respectively. Spectral counting was utilized to quantify the relative abundance of proteins identified. Nuclear proteins identified at elevated abundance in the cisplatin resistant A2780-CP20 including an array of chromatin remodeling proteins, such as SATB1, SATB2, coilin, AT-rich interactive domain-containing protein 3A (ARID3A), ARID3B, and ARID3Cwere validated by Western blot and qPCR in A2780/A2780-CP20 as well as other gynecologic cancer cell lines. Modulation of the abundance level of these candidates and the phenotypic impact on cisplatin resistance utilizing shRNA knockdown will be described. Differential proteins selected from the secretome analysis for western blot validation include Fras1-related extracellular matrix protein 2 (FREM2), stanniocalcin-1 (STC1), angio-associated migratory cell protein (AAMP), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (SERPINE1), high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1), and chloride intracellular channel protein 2 (CLIC4), stromelysin-2 (MMP10), interstitial collagenase (MMP2), and CD166 antigen. Validated candidate protein targets from the secretome analysis will be tested by IHC on formalin fixed tissue sections as well as ELISA and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) by mass spectrometry in serum from recurrent and non-recurrent ovarian cancer patients. 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 799. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-799
Theoretical considerations of the sensitivity of quantitative subunit hybridization

The theoretical basis of the quantitative subunit hybridization technique and its ability to measure evolutionary amino acid substitutions is examined. Homospecific:heterospecific enzyme ratios found after subunit reassociation depend upon K1.2, the equilibrium constant for the dissociation of the heterospecific enzyme. It is shown that if this constant is near the geometric mean of the two homospecific enzyme dissociation constants, as it should be in enzymes whose subunits pair isologously, the quantitative subunit hybridization method will not detect most changes in the subunit contact regions of homologous proteins.
Cloning and molecular characterization of the murine macrophage "68-kDa" protein kinase C substrate and its regulation by bacterial lipopolysaccharide.

Abstract We have isolated and characterized a cDNA clone encoding the murine macrophage 68-kDa protein kinase C substrate, which is homologous to the 80- to 87-kDa protein identified by the acronym MARCKS (myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate). The murine MARCKS cDNA clone encodes an acidic protein of 309 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 29,661. Transfection of the murine MARCKS gene into TK-L fibroblasts produced a myristoylated protein kinase C substrate that migrated on SDS/PAGE with an apparent molecular mass of 68 kDa. Peptide mapping studies indicated that MARCKS produced by the transfected gene was indistinguishable from the endogenous murine macrophage protein. Comparison of the murine macrophage sequence with the previously published chicken and bovine brain sequences revealed two conserved domains: an N-terminal membrane-binding domain and a phosphorylation domain that also contains calmodulin and actin binding sites. In murine peritoneal macrophages, bacterial lipopolysaccharide increased MARCKS mRNA levels by greater than 30-fold. Multiple MARCKS transcripts were observed and could be accounted for by differential polyadenylylation and incomplete processing. Genomic Southern blot analysis suggested a single MARCKS gene per haploid genome.
Integrating probabilistic design and rare‐event simulation into the requirements engineering process for high‐reliability systems

Early in a program, engineers must determine requirements for system reliability and availability. We suggest that existing techniques gathered from diverse fields can be incorporated within the framework of systems engineering methodology to accomplish this. Specifically, adopting probabilistic (Monte Carlo) design techniques allows the designer to incorporate uncertainty explicitly into the design process and to improve the designer's understanding of the root causes of failures and how often these might realistically occur. In high-reliability systems in which failure occurs infrequently, rare-event simulation techniques can reduce the computational burden of achieving this understanding. This paper provides an introductory survey of the literature on systems engineering, requirements engineering, Monte Carlo simulation, probabilistic design, and rare-event simulation with the aim of assessing the degree to which these have been integrated in systems design for reliability. This leads naturally to a proposed framework for the fusion of these techniques.
Effect of impact on the grinding media and mill liner in a large semiautogenous mill

Abstract The introduction of large semiautogenous mills to grind larger pieces of ore necessitates the use of large diameter grinding balls. Grinding balls as large as 127 mm (5 in) in diameter are not rare. The increased height of fall of such grinding balls in these larger mills results in severe impact between the grinding balls and also between the grinding balls and the mill liners. The effect of this impact on the mill liner and the 127 mm diameter grinding balls used in a 8.2 m diameter semiautogenous mill were studied. It was observed that the repeated severe impacts resulted in the formation of adiabatic shear bands below the surface of both the mill liner and the grinding balls. Severe impact also resulted in fatigue failure of the mill liners and a phase transformation below the surface of the grinding balls due to the generation of high temperature. In smaller mills, using smaller grinding balls, considerable work hardening was observed beneath the surface of the grinding balls. The extent of the work hardening increased with increase in the ball and mill diameter.
Comparison of the metabolic effects of chlormadinone acetate and conventional contraceptive steroids in man.

ABSTRACT Over a 6-month period, no significant changes in the mean plasma glucose or insulin responses to glucose were observed in 8 nondiabetic or 16 subclinical diabetic women treated with chlormadinone acetate (6-chloro,6-dehydro,17α-acetoxy,pregn-4-ene-3,20-dione),0.5 mg daily. When the glucose tolerance tests (GTT's) of each individual were compared before and after 6 months of chlormadinone acetate treatment, glucose tolerance became abnormal in only 2 subclinical diabetic subjects and deteriorated in 1 other. In addition, we compared the GTT's of 10 subclinical diabetic women treated alternately with conventional contraceptive steroids which contained synthetic estrogens and with chlormadinone acetate. After 2.5 months of treatment with conventional contraceptive steroids 2 of 10 subclinical diabetic subjects had abnormal glucose tolerance, and GTT's deteriorated in 3 others; by contrast, chlormadinone acetate administration for a comparable time in the same subjects produced 1 abnormal and 2 deter...
Myth, Memory, and the Oral Tradition: Cicero in the Trobriands

In nonliterate societies, myths are often linked to specific geographical locations. Using Malinowski's Trobriand material and taking a lead from Cicero's De oratore, it is argued that spatial location functions (1) as a mnemonic device for the recall of a corpus of myth, (2) as a structural marker dividing a corpus into separate thinkable units, and (3) as a means of restricting social change at least temporarily to specific institutions. Malinowski's instrumental theory of myth is contrasted with the cognitive theory advanced by LeviStrauss, and certain didactic functions of myth are also discussed. [myth, memory, oral tradition, social space, Trobriands]
Nutritional Problems of the Acute and Chronic Burn Patient: Relevance to Epidermolysis Bullosa

The hemodynamic response and metabolic needs of the burn patient may provide insights into the changes occurring in patients with epidermolysis bullosa as well as into potential therapeutic interventions.
Redox biology of blood revisited: the role of red blood cells in maintaining circulatory reductive capacity.

There is an increasing recognition of the role of red blood cells (RBCs) in cell signaling above and beyond its oxygen (O2)-carrying function. A recent forum published in the December 2004 issue of Antioxidants & Redox Signaling focused on redox biology of blood and the intricate signaling pathways of RBCs or its free components, i.e., hemoglobin, with the vasculature. The forum provided an up-to-date source of information on this emerging and exciting area of blood biology and the underlying redox chemistry. In the current short review, we have revisited the topic of redox biology of blood and focused on yet another emerging area of research, which deals with the reductive power of blood and the physiological implications. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 7, 1755–1760.
Antecedent Influences on Children's Extrinsic Motivation to Go Online

From a social psychological process framework, this study examines how children's self-esteem influences whether their friends motivate them to go online. Children (ages 8–14; n = 293) completed an online questionnaire. Locus of control orientation is included as mediating the relationship between self-esteem and motivation. Hypotheses were tested using a structural equation model. Results reveal that children with healthy self-esteem perceive themselves as having control of their environments. This positively influences peer-related motivation to go online. Children with lower self-esteem see the world as controlled by others or as the result of luck. This external locus also positively influences peer-related motivation to go online. Girls maintained higher self-esteem, and boys were influenced by external factors.
Presentational Symbolism and the Production of Text

Drawing upon the ideas of Susanne K. Langer and emphasizing noncommunicative aspects of writing, this article presents a theory describing the evolution of text. This article first distinguishes between discursive symbolism—the use of language to describe verifiable outward reality—and presentational symbolism—the production of symbols, often nonverbal, to objectify states of consciousness. It goes on to argue that authors resort to presentational symbolism in order to refresh and replenish their discursive language. Thus text derives in part from preverbal and even preintellectual mental operations. The frequently remarked recursiveness of text production may result from authors' discovering their discursive meanings as they return to the presentational imports from which the meanings arise, much of the whole process of composition growing out of the interaction between these two kinds of mental activity. The article examines the implications of this theory for understanding students' writing behavior an...
Astrocytes regulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis through ephrin-B signaling

Neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus involves activation of quiescent neural stem cells (NSCs) to yield transiently amplifying NSCs, progenitors, and, ultimately, neurons that affect learning and memory. This process is tightly controlled by microenvironmental cues, although a few endogenous factors are known to regulate neuronal differentiation. Astrocytes have been implicated, but their role in juxtacrine (that is, cell-cell contact dependent) signaling in NSC niches has not been investigated. We found that ephrin-B2 presented from rodent hippocampal astrocytes regulated neurogenesis in vivo. Furthermore, clonal analysis in NSC fate-mapping studies revealed a previously unknown role for ephrin-B2 in instructing neuronal differentiation. In addition, ephrin-B2 signaling, transduced by EphB4 receptors on NSCs, activated β-catenin in vitro and in vivo independently of Wnt signaling and upregulated proneural transcription factors. Ephrin-B2(+) astrocytes therefore promote neuronal differentiation of adult NSCs through juxtacrine signaling, findings that advance our understanding of adult neurogenesis and may have future regenerative medicine implications.
An application of nonparametric statistics to the sampling in solids mixing

Abstract Nonparametric statistical tests are employed to analyze the sampling results of solids mixing. These tests can be performed on the data with different kinds of scale of measurement, such as nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio, without knowing the distribution of the population. In this report, nonparametric statistics is introduced and applied to the study of solids mixing through these various test: test of applicability of sampling technique, test of scale-up procedure, test of distribution of solid mixture, test of significance of fraction satisfactory, test of significance of equilibrium state and segregation. An index of segregation is proposed by using the test statistics of the Mann - Whitney test. A nonparametric statistics package written in FORTRAN for the IBM 360 NONPAR was employed to perform the tests.
An interpretation for the solid-phase pressure in slow, fluid-particle flows

On montre que pour l'ecoulement lent d'une suspension diluee une contribution a la pression attachee aux particules dispersees, peut etre calculee a partir de l'inertie du fluide locale
Abstract 2640: HEF1 is an important regulator of mesenchymal and amoeboid invasion in breast cancer.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC In previous studies, the focal adhesion-associated scaffolding protein HEF1, also known as NEDD9, has been implicated as a possible dynamic switch between the mesenchymal and amoeboid migration methods of melanoma cancer cells. Management of this switch provides a possible mechanism of control that could potentially open up new strategies for treatments of metastatic cancers. We have sought to investigate whether HEF1’s involvement in cell migration could also be applied to breast cancer. To monitor the switch between the two methods of migration, we decided to monitor activation of the Rac1 and RhoA proteins of the Rho subfamily of GTPases, which are renowned for their roles in actin cytoskeletal dynamics and have been linked to cancer cell invasion. High levels of active Rac1 result in an elongated cell morphology accompanied by mesenchymal cell movement, whereas high active RhoA levels result in a rounded cell morphology accompanied by amoeboid cell movement. Using a series of GST-tag pulldown experiments, we pulled and quantified amounts of active Rac1 and RhoA from an MDA-MB-231LN human breast cancer cell line grown in both 2D and 3D conditions under a HEF1 shRNA knockdown. Our HEF1-reduced cell line shows a decrease in active Rac1 and an increase in active RhoA compared to a control cell line with normal HEF1 levels. With this data, we aim to further substantiate HEF1 as a relevant key player in the balance between mesenchymal and amoeboid dominance in cancer cells. Citation Format: Brandon Jones, Elena Pugacheva. HEF1 is an important regulator of mesenchymal and amoeboid invasion in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2640. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2640
Mycosis fungoides: the great imitator

A considerable number of reports have documented mycosis fungoides (MF) mimicking other dermatoses, but a comprehensive review has not been published. Our aim was to comprehensively review reports of various dermatoses simulated by MF. Additionally, 2 cases in which MF simulated diseases not previously documented (psoriasis and erythema annulare centrifugum) are presented. A literature search of all case reports of MF cited in the MEDLINE database from 1966 through 2000 plus those in one of the author's (H. Z.) files was performed. A total of 23 reported cases of dermatoses mimicked by MF were found. With the additional 2 dermatoses now presented, this yields a total of at least 25 diseases that can be simulated by MF. In view of the considerable number of dermatoses simulated by MF, the term the great imitator is appropriate for MF.
Improved Estimation of Dermal Pesticide Dose to Agricultural Workers upon Reentry

Agricultural workers reentering fields after pesticide application to engage in hand labor activities are subject to potentially significant dermal exposures to residues on foliage and in soil. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for assessment of post-application exposures were originally described in the 1984 Pesticide Assessment Guidelines Subdivision K which is currently undergoing revision. A successor document will eventually appear as Series 875, Group B Postapplication Exposure Monitoring Test Guidelines. Regulatory protocols found in these documents utilize dislodgeable foliar residues, foliage-to-human-transfer coefficients, and duration of activity to estimate exposure. Dermal absorption factors are then used to estimate dose. However, the experiments from which absorption factors are derived typically involve constant or nearly constant exposures which are not consistent with assumed field exposure conditions. This can lead to inconsistent interpretation and questionable dose esti...
Selective complexation of alkali metal ions using crown ethers derived from calix[4]arenes: a computational investigation of the structural and energetic factors

A systematic analysis of the structural, energetic, and thermodynamic factors involved in alkali metal (i.e., Na+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+) complexation by four calix[4]arene crown-6 ethers in the 1,3-alternate conformation is presented here. The ligands (or hosts) in this work are identical to, or closely related to, the four molecules whose selectivity towards complexing Na+, K+, Rb+, and Cs+ from aqueous solutions was studied experimentally by Casnati et al. (Tetrahedron 60(36):7869–7876, 2004). By dividing the complexation process into three different contributions, namely, the binding energy of the ion to the crown, the elastic energy of the crown, and the solvation effect, it becomes clear that the primary factor that determines ion selectivity in crown-6-ethers is not the size of the crown, as currently believed. All four crown ethers preferentially complex with the smallest ion (Na+) in the gas phase. In the condensed phase, these crown-6 ethers preferentially complex with the larger ions only because the aqueous solvation energies of the alkali metal ions make it thermodynamically less favorable to extract the smaller ions from aqueous solutions. This suggests that the current understanding of the factors influencing the selectivity of metal ion complexation by crown ethers may be in need of revision.
Immunoprecipitation of radiolabeled human thyroid cell proteins by serum from patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.

Characterization of the antigen to thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI), presumably the TSH receptor, remains elusive. We, therefore, attempted immunoprecipitation of the TSI antigen using cultured human thyroid cells radiolabeled to high specific activity by [35S]methionine (all proteins labeled) or by 125I and lactoperoxidase (primarily cell surface proteins labeled). Both techniques produced similar results. Crude membrane preparations from the labeled cells were solubilized in buffer containing 1% Triton and then incubated with TSI-containing or control serum. Immunoglobulin was precipitated with goat antihuman immunoglobulin and subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. About 30 proteins were immunoprecipitated by both normal and control sera. However, only 1 protein (mol wt, ∼320,000) was preferentially selected by TSI-containing serum (6 of 6 tested). This protein was also immunoprecipitated by the majority of sera from patients with Hashimoto’s...