cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biochemical Analysis of Coronavirus Spike Glycoprotein Conformational Intermediates during Membrane Fusion.

A fusion protein expressed on the surface of enveloped viruses mediates fusion of the viral and cellular membranes to facilitate virus infection. Pre- and postfusion structures of viral fusion proteins have been characterized, but conformational changes between them remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the intermediate conformation of the murine coronavirus fusion protein, called the spike protein, which must be cleaved by a cellular protease following receptor binding. Western blot analysis of protease digestion products revealed that two subunits (67 and 69 kDa) are produced from a single spike protein (180 kDa). These two subunits were considered to be by-products derived from conformational changes and were useful for probing the intermediate conformation of the spike protein. Interaction with a heptad repeat (HR) peptide revealed that these subunits adopt packed and unpacked conformations, respectively, and two-dimensional electrophoresis revealed a trimeric assembly. Based on biochemical observations, we propose an asymmetric trimer model for the intermediate structure of the spike protein. Receptor binding induces the membrane-binding potential of the trimer, in which at least one HR motif forms a packed-hairpin structure, while membrane fusion subunits are covered by the receptor-binding subunit, thereby preventing the spike protein from forming the typical homotrimeric prehairpin structure predicted by the current model of class I viral fusion protein. Subsequent proteolysis induces simultaneous packing of the remaining unpacked HRs upon assembly of three HRs at the central axis to generate a six-helix bundle. Our model proposes a key mechanism for membrane fusion of enveloped viruses.IMPORTANCE Recent studies using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) revealed the mechanism underlying activation of viral fusion protein at the priming stage. However, characterizing the subsequent triggering stage underpinning transition from pre- to postfusion structures is difficult because single-particle cryoEM excludes unstable structures that appear as heterogeneous shapes. Therefore, population-based biochemical analysis is needed to capture features of unstable proteins. Here, we analyzed protease digestion products of a coronavirus fusion protein during activation; their sizes appear to be affected directly by the conformational state. We propose a model for the viral fusion protein in the intermediate state, which involves a compact structure and conformational changes that overcome steric hindrance within the three fusion protein subunits.
Critical incidents in the development of (multi)ethnic-racial identity: Experiences of individuals with mixed ethnic-racial backgrounds in the U.S.:

Secure ethnic-racial identity (ERI) is tied to well-being, especially for minority individuals; however, there is still little consensus on the key processes and optimal outcomes of various multiet...
Exploring Evocative Places and their Characteristics

The main goal of this article is to study how people describe emotions related to places and to improve understanding of evocative places, their locations and characteristics as described by the ci...
An Information Theoretical Model Of Internet Of Things System In Smart City Setting

In this paper we will describe an information theoretical model of an Internet of Things system functioning in a smart city setting. Our approach builds on three previous investigations. A security architecture for the Internet of Things [1], an information theoretical modeling approach [2], and a survey of smart city fundamentals [5]. In this paper, we propose to apply least action principle (LAP) model to find the optimal distribution of IoT security provider nodes (IoTSSP). That will help to build a self-adaptive system. This work has two main parts. The first part is IoT security provider nodes (IoTSSP), which was designed by Dos Santos and his team [1]. IoTSSP nodes were architecture-based on Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS). IoTSSP nodes have two main functions. The first function is delegation of the handshaking process. The second function is session transfer ticket. In the LAP model the maximum independent set is used. The LAP will play a significant role in finding better ways to distribute IoTSSP nodes.
The floating shoulder

The floating shoulder is a rare injury to the shoulder girdle, often a result of high-energy blunt trauma resulting in ipsilateral scapular neck and clavicle fractures. Management can be difficult due to a high rate of associated injuries in these patients. Ideal treatment is controversial, as the literature is unclear on the best approach. Nonoperative treatment can yield good results in minimally displaced fractures, while surgical stabilization often has good outcomes in those that are significantly displaced. This chapter will review the pertinent anatomy and literature regarding floating shoulder injuries.
Opioid Alternative Medication and Clinical Dilemmas

Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons for patients to seek medical care. There are numerous ways in which this pain can be addressed through medication. Chronic pain is difficult to treat as conditions that can cause pain are not uniform and cases are not always responsive to specific treatments. Currently, there is great interest in providing pharmaceutical analgesia without the use of opioid medications. Generally, pain can be divided into nociceptive and neuropathic. Within those categories, certain medications remain first line and have been shown to be effective with multiple studies. There are other less-established options that can be used as alternatives or adjuncts. The aim of this chapter is to provide examples of treatment options that have been supported by research and evidence, as well as to highlight options that are emerging.
Cross-Country Differences in Personal Protection Equipment Use

Why does the use of personal protection equipment (PPE) differ across countries? I develop a simple model and then offer several hypotheses. While the primary objective is to explain cross-country differences, the model suggests potential reasons for within-country and time-series variation, as well.
A Metamodel-Based Analysis of the Sensitivity and Uncertainty of the Response of Chesapeake Bay Salinity and Circulation to Projected Climate Change

Numerical models are often used to simulate estuarine physics and water quality under scenarios of future climate conditions. However, representing the wide range of uncertainty about future climate often requires an infeasible number of computationally expensive model simulations. Here, we develop and test a computationally inexpensive statistical model, or metamodel, as a surrogate for numerical model simulations. We show that a metamodel fit using only 12 numerical model simulations of Chesapeake Bay can accurately predict the early summer mean salinity, stratification, and circulation simulated by the numerical model given the input sea level, winter–spring streamflow, and tidal amplitude along the shelf. We then use this metamodel to simulate summer salinity and circulation under sampled probability distributions of projected future mean sea level, streamflow, and tidal amplitudes. The simulations from the metamodel show that future salinity, stratification, and circulation are all likely to be higher than present-day averages. We also use the metamodel to quantify how uncertainty about the model inputs transfers to uncertainty in the output and find that the model projections of salinity and stratification are highly sensitive to uncertainty about future tidal amplitudes along the shelf. This study shows that metamodels are a promising approach for robustly estimating the impacts of future climate change on estuaries.
Whole-blood dysregulation of actin-cytoskeleton pathway in adult spinal muscular atrophy patients.

Objective Recent advances in therapeutics have improved prognosis for severely affected spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1 and 2 patients, while the best method of treatment for SMA type 3 patients with later onset of disease is unknown. To better characterize the SMA type 3 population and provide potential therapeutic targets, we aimed to understand gene expression differences in whole blood of SMA type 3 patients (n = 31) and age- and gender-matched controls (n = 34). Methods We performed the first large-scale whole blood transcriptomic screen with L1000, a rapid, high-throughput gene expression profiling technology that uses 978 landmark genes to capture a representation of the transcriptome and predict expression of 9196 additional genes. Results The primary downregulated KEGG pathway in adult SMA type 3 patients was "Regulation of Actin Cytoskeleton," and downregulated expression of key genes in this pathway, including ROCK1, RHOA, and ACTB, was confirmed in the same whole blood samples using RT-qPCR. SMA type 3 patient-derived fibroblasts had lower expression of these genes compared to control fibroblasts from unaffected first-degree relatives. Overexpression of SMN levels using an AAV vector in fibroblasts did not normalize ROCK1, RHOA, and ACTB mRNA expression, indicating the involvement of additional genes in cytoskeleton dynamic regulation. Interpretation Our findings from whole blood and patient-derived fibroblasts suggest SMA type 3 patients have decreased expression of actin cytoskeleton regulators. These observations provide new insights and potential therapeutic targets for SMA patients with longstanding denervation and secondary musculoskeletal pathophysiology.
Making Citizenship, Becoming Citizens: How Sikh Punjabis Shaped the Exclusionary Politics of Belonging

In the decade after 9/11, many Sikh community organizations worked to neutralize public fear around a visible Sikh identity in response to rising anti-Sikh hate crimes. With the 2012 Oak Creek gurd...
Sentinel Lymph Nodes

One of the most important prognostic factors in breast cancer is the involvement of regional lymph nodes. Until recently, axillary lymph node dissection was the standard of care in the primary surgical management of breast cancer. However, it has been replaced with sentinel lymph node biopsy or dissection (SLND). Several studies have shown that SLND identifies the most likely involved lymph nodes, in fact accurately reflecting the status of axillary lymph nodes in over 90% of the cases. In addition, clinical trials have demonstrated that patients who undergo SLND are less likely to suffer from complications, such as lymphedema, neuropathy and other functional deficiencies and often do not require hospital stay, thus reducing cost and anxiety. The current practice is to perform SLND in all breast cancer patients with clinically negative axilla. If sentinel nodes are positive, then the patients are offered a completion axillary clearing.
A Curriculum Crosswalk of the Core Entrustable Professional Activities for New Pharmacy Graduates.

Objective. To cross reference the core entrustable professional activities (EPAs) to a complete set of educational guidance documents for the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum to create a map for pharmacy educators. Methods. The Mapping EPAs Task Force consisted of nine members who first worked independently and then together in small working groups to map five assigned educational guidance documents (eg, Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education [CAPE] Outcomes, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education [ACPE] Standards 1-4, and the Essential Elements for Core Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences [APPEs]) to the Core Entrustable Professional Activities for New Pharmacy Graduates. Four working groups completed the mapping process during phases 1 and 2, which was followed by an independent quality assurance review and consensus in phase 3. Results. All 15 core EPA statements were mapped to one or more of the educational documents. One item from the CAPE Outcomes could not be mapped to a core EPA statement. The first five EPA statements mapped directly to the five elements of the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process: collect, assess, plan, implement, and follow-up: monitor and evaluate. Conclusion. This comprehensive EPA map is the first curriculum crosswalk that encompasses a complete set of educational guidance documents including the Essential Elements for Core APPEs for the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. If adopted by the Academy, this curriculum crosswalk will provide pharmacy schools with a common interpretation of important educational guidance documents; serve as the foundation for curricular development, revision, and assessment; and ensure student pharmacists are prepared to enter the pharmacy profession.
The Effects of Virtual Simulation on Undergraduate Nursing Students' Mental Health Literacy: A Prospective Cohort Study.

This prospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of virtual simulation on nursing education by measuring undergraduate nursing students' mental health literacy. Students' beliefs about the helpfulness of specific interventions for managing depression and schizophrenia were compared between the simulation cohort (n = 149) and the non-simulation cohort (n = 150) from a school of nursing in the U.S. Students in the simulation cohort showed significant increase in knowledge and acceptance of available treatment options for managing depression and schizophrenia over a one-year period. The finding supports the use of virtual simulation in undergraduate mental health nursing education with active faculty engagement.
Shortfall portfolio selection: a bootstrap and k-fold analysis

This paper empirically compares the sampling properties and out-of-sample performance of several reputed shortfall-based portfolio selection rules by applying the bootstrap and k-fold cross validat...
Persistence of Foodborne Pathogens on Farmers' Market Fomites.

ABSTRACT The number of farmers' markets registered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has seen a significant increase, jumping from 1,755 in 1994 to 8,771 in 2019. Although previous studies have investigated the microbial profile of produce obtained from farmers' markets, literature exploring microbial (bacteria and virus) persistence on a variety of different farmers' market fomites over a 2-month period is limited. The objective of the current study was to investigate the persistence of key foodborne pathogens (Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and MS2 bacteriophage) on these fomites by using a microbiological viability assay. The MS2 bacteriophage was quantified by using a host E. coli strain, and PFU were identified. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare the persistence rates of foodborne pathogens on cardboard, plastic, tablecloth, molded pulp fiber, and wicker baskets used to store, transport, and display produce at farmers' markets. In general, molded pulp fiber, plastic, and wicker surface materials supported the persistence of foodborne pathogens the most, with Salmonella and S. aureus demonstrating the highest log concentrations over the longest period of time. Additionally, E. coli strains also persisted for a significant period of time on all fomites, with the exception of tablecloth. The results suggest that foodborne pathogens on these fomites pose a high risk of cross-contamination, particularly if the fomites cannot be washed, rinsed, and sanitized effectively (e.g., cardboard). The results highlight the need to avoid using porous, single-use storage containers, such as cardboard, molded pulp fiber, and wicker containers for extended periods of time and suggest the use of easily cleanable materials, such as plastic containers. HIGHLIGHTS
Correctional Law Commentary: Recent Developments in Federal Supervised Release

This commentary reviews the developments in supervised release that have occurred over the last ten years, particularly in two areas. First, it provides a brief overview of supervised release and presents new data on trends in the imposition of supervised release. Second, it briefly summarizes some important changes to conditions of supervision, in part in response to concerns expressed by sentencing judges over the last several years. It then examines the recent Supreme Court decision in US v. Haymond, and assesses its initial impact on supervised release revocation.
Comment on Bergenstal et al. Glucose Management Indicator (GMI): A New Term for Estimating A1C From Continuous Glucose Monitoring. Diabetes Care 2018;41:2275-2280.

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is well established in the clinical community as an indicator of diabetes management, where prolonged elevated HbA1c indicates suboptimal control of blood glucose levels and predicts long-term diabetes complications (1). Laboratory-based and point-of-care assays for determining HbA1c from blood samples are routinely used in clinical practice for assessing the effectiveness of blood glucose control and for the diagnosis of diabetes per guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (2). Devices that are used to measure HbA1c are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that these devices are safe and effective for their intended use. With advances in diabetes technology, especially with regard to the wider adoption of modern continuous glucose …
Perceptions of legal legitimacy in veterans treatment courts: A test of a modified version of procedural justice theory.

OBJECTIVE Perceptions of the legitimacy of a society's legal system help explain individual responses to courts and legal actors. Normative considerations such as fair and respectful treatment as well as social identification have demonstrated the ability to enhance perceived legal legitimacy and future cooperation. Veterans treatment courts (VTCs) are a rapidly disseminating and understudied intervention. Their targeting of a socially esteemed group presents an interesting venue to explore normative theories of justice. The present study tested a modified version of Tyler's theory of procedural justice in this setting. HYPOTHESES We hypothesized that procedural justice, social bonds, and receipt of gratitude for military service would be positively associated with veteran identity and legal legitimacy. We further hypothesized that participants' identification as veterans would mediate the relationships between the three independent variables and legitimacy. METHOD A cross-sectional survey design was used with a convenience sample (N = 191) of participants in two VTCs. Analyses controlled for race, ethnicity, recidivism risk, and combat exposure. RESULTS Perceptions of procedural justice, social bonds, and receipt of gratitude were positively associated with veteran identity and perceptions of legal legitimacy. Further, veteran identity was found to be a significant mediator between the first three constructs and legal legitimacy. CONCLUSIONS The results support the importance of procedural justice in explaining perceptions of legal legitimacy in a novel context that is rapidly proliferating and understudied and has unique social identity considerations. The addition of gratitude and veteran identity to Tyler's model raises implications for VTC practice and further inquiry. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Evolution of maternal and early zygotic transcript regulation across Drosophila

The complements of mRNAs in early embryonic development are crucial for setting up developmental trajectories in animals. The earliest stages of development are regulated by mRNAs deposited into the egg by the mother, until the zygote can become competent to transcribe its own genome. Previously, we showed that the set of maternally deposited and early transcribed zygotic mRNAs in Drosophila are generally conserved across species, but with some notable variation. We also showed that a majority of regulators of these two types of transcripts are shared. In this study, we examine the differences in regulatory motifs associated with maternal deposition and early zygotic transcription across species of Drosophila. For maternal transcripts, while the regulators are mostly conserved, we find the Drosophila pseudoobscura species subgroup appears to contain numerous novel regulatory motifs unique to these species. These novel motifs are enriched in transposable elements exclusive to this group. As this species group had been previously identified as having the largest divergence in early embryonic transcripts given their divergence time, this change in regulation may be responsible. However, transcripts that are present at the maternal stage only in these species are equally enriched in novel (group-specific) and conserved binding sites, so the novel regulation is not the sole cause of regulatory divergence in these species. At the zygotic stage, we observe a wide variety of species-specific motifs. Additionally, at both stages we observe motifs conserved across species having different effects on gene expression in different species, and regulating different sets of genes in different species. By examining changes in motif content across species, we find that changes in motif content alone is generally insufficient to drive gene expression changes across species.
DESENSITIZATION OF ß-ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS BY ß-ADRENERGIC AGONISTS

Abstract Exposure of frog erythrocytes to s-adrenergic agonists in vivo or in vitro produces selective desensitization of the membrane adenylate cyclase to catecholamine stimulation. Basal, fluoride and PGE1 sensitive enzyme activity remain unaltered. Desensitization is accompanied by a fall in the number of s-adrenergic receptors which can be measured with the ligand (-)[3H]dihydroalprenolol in the erythrocyte membranes. These phenomena can be reproduced in an entirely cell-free system, isolated frog erythrocyte plasma membranes. Studies are presented which suggest that a major mechanism of desensitization may be an agonist-induced conformational alteration in the s-receptors. Guanine nucleotides appear to be capable of reversing or preventing these alterations.
On the variances of occupation times of conditioned Brownian motion

We extend some bounds on the variance of the lifetime of two– dimensional Brownian motion, conditioned to exit a planar domain at a given point, to certain domains in higher dimensions. We also give a short “analytic” proof of some existing results.
A Baseline Methodology for Word Sense Disambiguation

This paper describes a methodology for supervised word sense disambiguation that relies on standard machine learning algorithms to induce classifiers from sense-tagged training examples where the context in which ambiguous words occur are represented by simple lexical features. This constitutes a baseline approach since it produces classifiers based on easy to identify features that result in accurate disambiguation across a variety of languages. This paper reviews several systems based on this methodology that participated in the Spanish and English lexical sample tasks of the SENSEVAL-2 comparative exercise among word sense disambiguation systems. These systems fared much better than standard baselines, and were within seven to ten percentage points of accuracy of the mostly highly ranked systems.
The World Bank's Perspective on African Higher Education

In it's report "Accelerating Catch-Up: Tertiary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa", the World Bank places education at the fore of African development priorities. This represents a shift in viewpoint from higher education as luxury to higher education as necessity. While this can be seen as progress, the report still contains gaps in data and may indicate a need for increased attention to this changing sector.
X-Ray Spectroscopy of Ultra-Thin Oxide/Oxide Heteroepitaxial Films: A Case Study of Single-Nanometer VO2/TiO2

Epitaxial ultra-thin oxide films can support large percent level strains well beyond their bulk counterparts, thereby enabling strain-engineering in oxides that can tailor various phenomena. At these reduced dimensions (typically < 10 nm), contributions from the substrate can dwarf the signal from the epilayer, making it difficult to distinguish the properties of the epilayer from the bulk. This is especially true for oxide on oxide systems. Here, we have employed a combination of hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) and angular soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to study epitaxial VO2/TiO2 (100) films ranging from 7.5 to 1 nm. We observe a low-temperature (300 K) insulating phase with evidence of vanadium-vanadium (V-V) dimers and a high-temperature (400 K) metallic phase absent of V-V dimers irrespective of film thickness. Our results confirm that the metal insulator transition can exist at atomic dimensions and that biaxial strain can still be used to control the temperature of its transition when the interfaces are atomically sharp. More generally, our case study highlights the benefits of using non-destructive XAS and HAXPES to extract out information regarding the interfacial quality of the epilayers and spectroscopic signatures associated with exotic phenomena at these dimensions.
Partially reliable transport service

An analytic model is presented for a partially reliable transport protocol based on retransmissions. The model illustrates tradeoffs between two QoS parameters (delay and throughput), and various levels of reliability. The model predicts that the use of a reliable transport service when an application only needs a partially reliable one causes considerable throughput decreases and delay increases in lossy networks. On the other hand, over lossy networks, an unreliable transport service is unable to respect an application's loss tolerance. In lossy environments, partially reliable transport service avoids the extra cost of a reliable transport service, and, simultaneously, guarantees the minimal reliability that an application requires. A retransmission-based partially reliable transport service can be provided through either sender-based or receiver-based loss detection and recovery. Results show that both techniques provide almost identical reliability and delay. However, a sender-based approach provides better throughput than a receiver-based approach at high acknowledge loss rates.
NP, PB1, and PB2 Viral Genes Contribute to Altered Replication of H5N1 Avian Influenza Viruses in Chickens

The virulence determinants for highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are considered multigenic, although the best characterized virulence factor is the hemagglutinin (HA) cleavage site. The capability of influenza viruses to reassort gene segments is one potential way for new viruses to emerge with different virulence characteristics. To evaluate the role of other gene segments in virulence, we used reverse genetics to generate two H5N1 recombinant viruses with differing pathogenicity in chickens. Single-gene reassortants were used to determine which viral genes contribute to the altered virulence. Exchange of the PB1, PB2, and NP genes impacted replication of the reassortant viruses while also affecting the expression of specific host genes. Disruption of the parental virus' functional polymerase complexes by exchanging PB1 or PB2 genes decreased viral replication in tissues and consequently the pathogenicity of the viruses. In contrast, exchanging the NP gene greatly increased viral replication and expanded tissue tropism, thus resulting in decreased mean death times. Infection with the NP reassortant virus also resulted in the upregulation of gamma interferon and inducible nitric oxide synthase gene expression. In addition to the impact of PB1, PB2, and NP on viral replication, the HA, NS, and M genes also contributed to the pathogenesis of the reassortant viruses. While the pathogenesis of AIVs in chickens is clearly dependent on the interaction of multiple gene products, we have shown that single-gene reassortment events are sufficient to alter the virulence of AIVs in chickens.
Multiple resonant boundary contour system

ABSTRACT Artificial vision algorithms suffer from the multiple ambiguities present in natural imagery. Biological vision exhibits a robust adaptability in the presence of such ambiguities. The Multiple Resonant Boundary Contour System (MRBCS) is animage processing algorithm modeled on the Boundary Contour System1 (BCS), a neural model of natural vision which has been confirmed by its ability to explain and predict numerous psychophysical illusions. Interesting properties of natural visual processing mechanisms are revealed through simulation using natural imagery. 2. INTRODUCTION Attempts to implement artificial vision are plagued by the multiple ambiguities inherent in natural imagery. There are extraneous pieces of information that must be removed, and missing pieces that must be restored, in order to provide a reliablegeometrical representation ready for robust recognition algorithms. Each ambiguity can be handled using discrete processingmodules, and the image processing literature provides a wide range of techniques to achieve this end. For instance: image
Tissue type plasminogen activator as a marker for functional zones, within the human prostate gland.

The cellular distribution of tissue plasminogen activator in the prostate central zone, prostate peripheral zone, and seminal vesicle was studied by using immunohistochemistry. Samples of these three regions were taken from 20 radical prostatectomy specimens. Sixteen of 18 central zone samples showed positive staining of 20–90% of the epithelial cells. All 15 peripheral zone samples were negative, and only three of 14 seminal vesicles showed positive staining, which was present in less than 5% of cells. The distribution of tissue plasminogen activator within the prostate was the same as that previously reported for pepsinogen II. This suggests that the central zone of the prostate may be the selective site of origin for proteolytic enzymes in seminal fluid.
Micro-organizational control of photochemical oxidations: Rose bengal and derivatives (XV)

Abstract we define a microheterogeneous photo-oxidation to be a photosensitized oxidation reaction whose efficiency is enhanced beyond that of diffusion control by the covalent bonding of a sensitizer to a ligand. The ligand is responsible for enhancing the local concentration of a specific substrate susceptible to reaction with an excited state derived from the proximate sensitizer. We illustrate the principle with several applications in singlet oxygen processes.
Phase locking lasers via phase-conjugate-coupled multimode optical fibers

Abstract The combined properties of phase conjugation and optical fibers offer a novel solution to some problems associated with laser phase locking. Multimode optical fibers provide a propagation path that is simple to align and relatively insensitive to environmental disturbances. Double phase conjugation compensates for modal dispersion, diffusion, and polarization scrambling and leads to mode-matched coupling between two multilongitudinal-mode helium-neon lasers. Phase locking and spectral line narrowing are reported.
Secondhand Smoke and Nicotine Exposure: A Brief Review

Secondhand tobacco smoke exposure is linked to a number of adverse health outcomes. This paper reviews published studies examining nicotine levels related to exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. Twenty-two field studies measuring biological levels of nicotine associated with secondhand tobacco smoke exposure were evaluated. Positive associations between self-reported and/or objective measures of secondhand tobacco smoke exposure and concentrations of nicotine and/or biomarkers of nicotine in the body were frequently reported. Two studies indicated that nicotine exposure from secondhand tobacco smoke can engender plasma nicotine concentrations that are equivalent to levels produced by tobacco smoking and that are associated with nicotine-induced changes in behavior. Future research should examine whether nicotine exposure from secondhand tobacco smoke has functional effects on neurobiological and behavioral processes associated with tobacco use.
(3-Aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine End-capped Poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol)-based Multilayer Films for Gene Delivery

Biodegradable polyelectrolyte surfaces for gene delivery were created through electrospinning of biodegradable polycations combined with iterative solution-based multilayer coating. Poly(β-amino ester) (PBAE) poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol) end-capped with 1-(3-aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine was utilized because of its ability to electrostatically interact with anionic molecules like DNA, its biodegradability, and its low cytotoxicity. A new DNA release system was developed for sustained release of DNA over 24 h, accompanied by high exogenous gene expression in primary human glioblastoma (GB) cells. Electrospinning a different PBAE, poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4,4′-trimethylenedipiperidine), and its combination with polyelectrolyte 1-(3-aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine end-capped poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol)-based multilayers are promising for DNA release and intracellular delivery from a surface.
A Developmental Phonological Short-Term Memory Deficit: A Case Study

A developmental case of phonological short-term memory deficit was studied in a highly educated subject. The subject, BS, who had obtained a Ph.D. in molecular biology, demonstrated striking deficits on some short-term memory tasks, particularly for auditorily presented nonword lists. With visual presentation and with meaningful words, he often scored at a normal level. The results indicate a deficit in retaining phonological information but an ability to use visual, lexical, and semantic information to boost recall. Despite this phonological short-term memory deficit, BS scored at a normal level on a syntactic comprehension test and on reading of nonwords. He was impaired, however, on repeated list learning, learning of foreign vocabulary, and transcribing dictated materials. The implications of these results for models of short-term memory and the uses of phonological retention in cognitive processing are discussed.
Anodic 1,2- and 1,4-addition products from methyl eugenol as predicted by the EECrCp mechanism

Abstract Anodic oxidation of 1,2-dimethoxy-4-allylbenzene (methyl eugenol) under a variety of constant current conditions in methanolic sodium hydroxide affords the 1,2- and 1,4-methanol addition products expected from the EEC r C p mechanism. These results differ markedly from those recently reported. 1
Fractal filtering of channel data.

Abstract The fractal dimension of subsets of time series data can be used to modulate the extent of filtering to which the data is subjected. In general, such fractal filtering makes it possible to retain large transient shifts in baseline with very little decrease in amplitude, while the baseline noise itself is markedly reduced (Strahle, W.C. (1988) Electron. Lett. 24, 1248–1249). The fractal filter concept is readily applicable to single channel data in which there are numerous opening/closing events and flickering. Using a simple recursive filter of the form: Y n = w · Y n−1 + (1 − w)X n , where X n is the data, Y n the filtered result, and w is a weighting factor, 0 , we adjusted w as a function of the fractal dimension ( D ) for data subsets. Linear and ogive functions of D were used to modify w . Of these, the ogive function: w = [1 + p (1.5−D) ] −1 (where p affects the amount of filtering), is most useful for removing extraneous noise while retaining opening/closing events.
The Influence of Marriage on Community College Student Achievement in Specific Programs of Study.

This study reveals and confirms earlier work regarding the positive influence of marriage on the scholastic achievement of community college students. It was found that marital status was an important predictor of community college graduating Q.P.A. in the following programs of study: Business Administration General, Business Administration Transfer, Executive Secretarial, and Nursing Education. Specifically, being a married woman appeared to place students in these programs at an academic advantage. It is suggested that researchers should look more closely at what marriage does to enhance a student's performance at the community college level.
The Use of Cardiopulmonary Bypass for the Repair of Atrioseptal Defects and Pulmonary Stenosis

1. Extracorporeal circulation with the pump oxygenator has been used for the repair of 31 atrioseptal defects with one mortality. Of these, 16 presented complicated lesions which probably could not have been corrected using a hypothermic technique. In all lesions a complete repair was meticulously effected without difficulty. To eliminate unnecessary periods of cardiopulmonary bypass, the lesions were assessed by a preliminary blind digital exploration. 2. In several cases, although the major defect was palpated by the blind exploration, multiple smaller lesions were not recognized until inspected visually. This, we believe to be responsible for the persistent postoperative arterialization of the right atrium reported by those using closed and semi-closed techniques. 3. In all cases the repair was effected in the beating heart, without arrest. 4. It is believed that congenital pulmonary valvular stenosis, too, is best repaired under direct vision, using extracorporeal circulation. The stenotic valve is supported by either two or three commissures. When the repair is effected under vision, the fused commissures can be incised accurately and meticulously, with the creation of a functioning tricuspid valve. In addition, the right ventricular outflow tract can be explored. 5. Eight uncomplicated pulmonary valvular stenoses have been corrected without mortality. A ninth, associated with an interventricular septal defect, and a tenth, associated with transposed right upper lobe veins, were also corrected without mortality.
Amino acid labeling patterns in the efferent innervation of the cochlea: An electron microscopic autoradiographic study

Light microscopic autoradiography and electron microscopic autoradiography were used to study the distribution of label in the cochlear efferents following in vivo incubation with tritiated amino acids. Two basic patterns of labeling were observed. These patterns correspond closely to the lateral and medial superior olivary complex (SOC) olivocochlear systems identified by Warr and Guinan ('79, Brain Res. 173:152-155). Our electron microscopic observations suggest that, at least in the gerbil, the complete separation of outer hair cell (OHC) versus inner hair cell (IHC) efferent innervation proposed by these investigators based upon light microscopic data does not occur. Rather, our data suggest that while the lateral SOC system supplies endings only to the region under the IHC, the medial SOC system may supply endings beneath both the IHCs and OHCs.
Cloning and characterization of a cold-active xylanase enzyme from an environmental DNA library

There is a great interest in xylanases due to the wide variety of industrial applications for these enzymes. We cloned a xylanase gene (xyn8) from an environmental genomic DNA library. The encoded enzyme was predicted to be 399 amino acids with a molecular weight of 45.9 kD. The enzyme was categorized as a glycosyl hydrolase family 8 member based on sequence analysis of the putative catalytic domain. The purified enzyme was thermolabile, had an activity temperature optimum of 20°C on native xylan substrate, and retained significant activity at lower temperatures. At 4°C, the apparent K m was 3.7 mg/ml, and the apparent k cat was 123/s.
Horizontal and Vertical Dimensions of Individualism and Collectivism: A Theoretical and Measurement Refinement

In developing a new scale, this article makes theoretical and measurement distinctions between vertical and horizontal individualism and collectivism. Vertical collectivism includes perceiving the selfas a part (or an aspect) of a collective and accepting inequalities within the collective. Horizontal collectivism includes perceiving the self as a part of the collective, but seeing all members of the collective as the same; thus equality is stressed. Vertical individualism includes the conception of an autonomous individual and acceptance of inequality. Horizontal individualism includes the conception of an autonomous individual and emphasis on equality. Measurement of these constructs is preferable theoretically and empirically (better internal consistency) to either of the more general constructs of individualism and collectivism or the constituent elements of these constructs, such as self-reliance, hedonism, family integrity, and so on. The usefulness of these theoretical distinctions is demonstrated ...
Expression of HSP70 Induced in CHO Cells by 45.0" C Hyperthermia Is Cell Cycle Associated and DNA Synthesis Dependent

In response to a heat shock, the synthesis of heat shock proteins with a molecular weight of 72 kD (hsp72) is induced. To determine whether hsp72 expression in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells is cell cycle associated, flow cytometry was used to measure DNA content and heat shock protein levels simultaneously. After 10 min at 45.0 degrees C and incubation at 37 degrees C for several hours, hsp72 was induced to a high level in early S phase. Inhibitors of DNA synthesis, aphidicolin, and 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (araC), suppressed the induction of hsp72 but did not inhibit it completely. Hsp73 (constitutive hsp70) was also induced by heat shock, but the induction was uniform through the cell cycle and it was not suppressed by araC.
The spatial QRS and T vector in 178 normal middle-aged men; body weight, height, relationship of QRS and T and preliminary standards.

From the means and standard deviations of the coordinates of the spatial QRS and T vectors in 178 normal middle-aged men, preliminary normal range limits were calculated for the total group, three positional subgroups, and three relative body weight groups. The superiority of spatial vector analysis over analysis of the scalar electrocardiogram made it possible for the first time to investigate meaningful correlations between electrocardiographic variables, such as the relationship between the magnitude of QRS and T vectors. The relationship between fundamental constitutional variables and spatial vectors was also investigated as background necessary for the diagnostic use of spatial vectors.
Weber, irrationality, and social order

what the people or organizations who constitute the nodes of the network do to the flow to transform it as it impinges on them, what their inter pretation is of that flow for their personal situation, what conditions there are in the environment of the link (or the people in it), and what changes are going on under those conditions.55 The book under review is a welcome addition to the rapidly growing works on interorganizational relations. The book is small in size, but it has not affected the quality. Each chapter is well documented and, at the end, there is a subject index. Students in sociology may find it useful in their research study.
Minisum hierarchical location-allocation problems on a network: A survey

In practice, the systems that provide services/products generally consist of two or more levels of facilities. At present, only a few of these systems have been modelled and solved. However, the limited research published in this area is scattered in various journals and is not easily accessible. Our objective in this article is to provide a brief survey of the minisumk-hierarchical location-allocation problems on a network.
Abstract 2849: A functional promoter variant (rs2075533 C>T) inTNFSF8 involved in apoptosis contributes to decreased risk of lung cancer — a finding from Texas lung cancer genome-wide association study

Although genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of lung cancer have identified several significant variants associated with risk of lung cancer, few variants in known biological pathways involved in the etiology of lung cancer have been yet implicated. In this study, we further explored the variants in the extrinsic apoptosis pathway, a fundamental pathway in lung cancer etiology, in 1,154 lung cancer cases and 1,137 cancer-free controls, all being ever-smokers, from the Texas lung cancer (TLC) GWAS (using the Illumina Human370 chip, in which 611 tagSNPs in 41 genes in the apoptosis extrinsic pathway were included. An association analysis using Plink1.06 showed that 10 of these 611 SNPs were associated with risk of lung cancer with a p value −2 . Among the tagSNPs with the smallest p values, we selected the TNFSF8 gene for further analysis. To search for the tagged functional SNPs, we applied MACH1.0 to impute 52 additional SNPs in the 48-kb region around TNFSF8 based on the genotypes of 10 tagSNPs from the TLC-GWAS database and the genotypes in the same region from the Hapmap database. With further SNP function prediction analyses using SNPinfo and TFSEARCH bioinformatics software, we found that a SNP, −861 C>T (rs2075533), located in the promoter region of TNFSF8 may be a functional SNP. In subsequent functional validation by the luciferase transfection assay, the T allele of this SNP significantly decreased expression of the luciferase reporter constructs by 5-10 fold in all H1299, Hela and HCT116 cell lines tested, compared with the C allele. Our findings implicated a possible novel role of TNFSF8 in the development of lung cancer. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether TNFSF8 rs2075533 alone or in combination with other SNPs contribute to the risk of lung cancer. (Supported by NIH grants R01CA131274, CA055769, CA127219, and R01ES011740) Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2849.
The “State” of Persons with Disabilities in India

AbstractAmong countries with comparable levels of income, India has one of the more progressive disability policy frameworks. However, people with disabilities in India are still subject to multiple disadvantages. This paper focuses on state-level variations in outcomes for people with disabilities to provide an explanation for the contrast between the liberal laws on paper and the challenges faced by people with disabilities in practice. Using average monthly per-capita expenditure as an indicator of economic well-being, instrumental-variable Wald estimator results indicate that households with members with disabilities have expenditures that are 14% lower compared with households with able members. This effect is most pronounced among families with male adults and children with disabilities, and in states that are relatively poor, relatively more urban, those that experience extremes in annual rainfall and temperature, and those that have low to medium levels of inequality.
Effect of mineralocorticoid agonists and antagonists on binding of 3H-aldosterone to adrenalectomized rat kidney plasma membranes

Abstract Binding of 3H-aldosterone to plasma membranes of adrenalectomized rat kidney has been demonstrated in vivo and in vitro . Steroids with mineralocorticoid activity, deoxycorticosterone or 9-α-fluorohydrocortisone (agonists), or aldosterone antagonists (spironolactone, progesterone) markedly reduced the binding of 3H-aldosterone to renal plasma membranes. Steroids without agonist or antagonist properties (testosterone, 17-β-estradiol) were not effective. The 3H-aldosterone-membrane complex was resistent to solubilization and subsequent chromatography employing Sephadex G-25. These experiments indicate that binding of 3H-aldosterone to adrenalectomized rat kidney plasma membranes may be involved in the cellular mode of action of aldosterone.