cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polyethyleneimine precipitation versus anion exchange chromatography in fractionating recombinant β-glucuronidase from transgenic tobacco extract

Tobacco has been studied as a possible host for the production of recombinant proteins. In this report, recombinant beta-glucuronidase (rGUS) was used as a model protein to study the feasibility of using polyethyleneimine (PEI) precipitation to fractionate acidic recombinant proteins from transgenic tobacco. Results showed that rGUS was preferentially precipitated when the PEI dosage was beyond 200mg PEI/g total protein. At 700-800 mg PEI/g total protein, nearly 100% rGUS was precipitated with less than 40% native tobacco proteins co-precipitated. Approximately 85-90% of the rGUS activity could be recovered from the precipitation pellet for an enrichment ratio of 2.7-3.4. As a comparison, anion exchange chromatography (AEX) yielded similar results to PEI precipitation with 66-90% rGUS activity recovered and an enrichment ratio of 1.8-3.1. The rGUS was further purified by an additional hydrophobic interaction chromatographic (HIC) step after precipitation or AEX. Similar results in terms of rGUS activity recovered and enrichment were obtained. The major interfering protein at the end of all purification steps is most likely the Fraction 1 protein ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco). The presence of this protein is likely the cause for the varying and somewhat low enrichment ratios, but it may be later removed via a size-exclusion chromatography step. PEI precipitation offers the advantage of allowing significant sample concentration prior to subsequent purification techniques such as chromatography and is much less expensive than chromatographic methods as well. Through direct comparison, this study shows that PEI may be used as an initial fractionation step in replacement of AEX to facilitate the purification of acidic recombinant proteins from transgenic tobacco.
A proposed structure for displayed information to minimize search time through a data base

Minimum user search time is selected as a relative measure of efficiency for evaluation of data base classification structures. For two common structures with similar characteristics, a “table of contents” format and a “decision tree” format, a visual search time formula is derived. The optimal shape for a data base classification structure is shown to be narrow: three to five information items to be selected at each successive level of the structure, with as many levels as necessary for the data base size. This shape is compared with those of classification structures commonly in use and, based on search time parameters developed, recommendations for librarians and other information classifiers are made.
Effectively closed sets and enumerations

An effectively closed set, or \({\Pi^{0}_{1}}\) class, may viewed as the set of infinite paths through a computable tree. A numbering, or enumeration, is a map from ω onto a countable collection of objects. One numbering is reducible to another if equality holds after the second is composed with a computable function. Many commonly used numberings of \({\Pi^{0}_{1}}\) classes are shown to be mutually reducible via a computable permutation. Computable injective numberings are given for the family of \({\Pi^{0}_{1}}\) classes and for the subclasses of decidable and of homogeneous \({\Pi^{0}_{1}}\) classes. However no computable numberings exist for small or thin classes. No computable numbering of trees exists that includes all computable trees without dead ends.
Identification of Tablet Formulations Inside Blister Packages by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Near-infrared spectroscopy was evaluated as a method for nondestructively discriminating tablets containing an active drug from two placebo tablet formulations inside blister-packaged clinical supplies without removing the tablets from the blind study tablet cards. A custom sampling device was constructed to allow the spectra of individual tablets to be collected. Spectra of 165 tables were acquired over the wavelength range of 400 to 2500 nm. These tablets were of two different sizes and three formulations. The second derivatives of the spectra were calculated and randomly divided into two groups, each containing approximately half the samples. A factor-based library/model was constructed with the use of the second-derivative spectra from one of the groups over the wavelength range from 1600 to 2500 nm. The model was then validated by predicting the identity of the tablets in the remaining group. The identity and formulation of all the tablets were correctly predicted. This model was then used to confirm the identity of thousands of clinical trial samples. Apart from being nondestructive, the NIR method is less labor and time intensive than the previously used TLC assay.
Joule heating and winds due to geomagnetic disturbances

Abstract A self-consistent theoretical model of the dynamical processes occurring in the Earth's upper atmosphere has been developed based on magnetohydrodynamic concepts. The May 1967 geomagnetic storm data recorded at College, Alaska, have been used in the resulting set of non-linear, partial differential magnetohydrodynamic equations, to calculate variations due to the storm in the amount of Joule heating and the winds at an altitude of approximately 140 km as a function of time. It is assumed that initially (1) the vertical wind velocity is zero everywhere, and (2) the horizontal pressure gradient is balanced by the Coriolis force where the background vertical pressure gradient is computed using the 1964 Jacchia model atmosphere. A finite difference numerical integration scheme is used to obtain a numerical solution of the set of governing equations. Presented here are the vertical and horizontal wind speeds, and amount of Joule heating as a function of time during the period of the geomagnetic storm.
The relationship between interest-occupation congruence and job satisfaction

Abstract Previous research on the relationship between interest-occupation congruence and job satisfaction has produced mixed results. This 6-year longitudinal study examined the relationship between congruence and intrinsic job satisfaction for a national sample of 1688 young adults. A modest, statistically significant relationship was found. The congruence-satisfaction relationship was more pronounced for a subsample of young adults meeting screens developed for three variables (interest clarity, career salience, and value placed on interesting work) suspected of clouding the congruence-satisfaction relationship.
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Districting Formats, and the Election of African Americans

This research note examines the relationship between districting format and the racial makeup of Georgia county commissions from 1981 to 1991. As Section 2 of the 1982 Voting Rights Act was implemented, the relationship between the racial composition of the electorate and the racial makeup of the commission strengthened appreciably in single-member district and mixed systems but not in at-large electoral systems. The relationship between racial makeup of the electorate and of the governing body is at times weaker in single-member countries than was observed in single-member cities in the 1970s and is weaker in at-large counties than has been observed in cities. In part, the differences may be attributable to an improved measure of African American political influence used in this study.
A Rorschach study of personality development in identical and fraternal twins.

Summary To determine whether identical twins show greater resemblances in their general personality make-up than fraternals, seven pairs of identical and eight pairs of fraternal twins were studied using the Rorschach Inkblot test. The results of the inter-twin correlations, on the various Rorschach categories indicated clearly striking similarity or resemblance in identical twins, but no similarity in the case of fraternal twins. This study also clearly demonstrated the usefulness of the Rorschach technique for the study of personality.
Library and information science (LIS) as we see it: An overview at the state and country level from 1965–2010

This study is motivated to explore and visualize the dynamic citation impact at the state and country level. We present several information visualization approaches, including cartograms and global citation maps, to understand the citation impact distribution in library and information science (LIS). We find that the citation impact in LIS is highly skewed towards North American and European countries. Through the dynamic analysis, states such as GEORGIA and FLORIDA, countries such as CHINA and SOUTH KOREA are becoming more impactful.
Parental origin of de novo chromosome 9 deletions in del(9p) syndrome

Parental origin of de novo deletions in the short arm of chromosome 9 in patients with a clinical diagnosis of del(9p) syndrome was assessed in 13 patients using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of highly polymorphic dinucleotide repeat microsatellite markers located in the putative deleted region. The deletion was found to be of paternal origin in 9 cases and of maternal origin in the remaining 4 cases, suggesting that the molecular event resulting in the deletion occurs in both male and female gametogenesis and that genomic imprinting does not appear to play a role in the pathogenesis of del(9p) syndrome.
Analysis of saturation transfer electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of a spin-labeled integral membrane protein, band 3, in terms of the uniaxial rotational diffusion model

Algorithms have been developed for the calculation of saturation transfer electron paramagnetic resonance (ST-EPR) spectra of a nitroxide spin-label assuming uniaxial rotational diffusion, a model that is frequently used to describe the global rotational dynamics of large integral membrane proteins. One algorithm explicitly includes terms describing Zeeman overmodulation effects, whereas the second more rapid algorithm treats these effects approximately using modified electron spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times. Simulations are presented to demonstrate the sensitivity of X-band ST-EPR spectra to the rate of uniaxial rotational diffusion and the orientation of the nitroxide probe with respect to the diffusion axis. Results obtained by using the algorithms presented, which are based on the transition-rate formalism, are in close agreement with those obtained by using an eigenfunction expansion approach. The effects of various approximations used in the simulation algorithms are considered in detail. Optimizing the transition-rate formalism to model uniaxial rotational diffusion results in over an order of magnitude reduction in computation time while allowing treatment of nonaxial A- and g-tensors. The algorithms presented here are used to perform nonlinear least-squares analyses of ST-EPR spectra of the anion exchange protein of the human erythrocyte membrane, band 3, which has been affinity spin-labeled with a recently developed dihydrostilbene disulfonate derivative, [15N,2H13]-SL-H2DADS-MAL. These results suggest that all copies of band 3 present in intact erythrocytes undergo rotational diffusion about the membrane normal axis at a rate consistent with a band 3 dimer.
Recovery and identification of anaerobes in veterinary medicine: A 2-year experience

Abstract The examination of 300 specimens over a 2-year period in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory (1975–1977) revealed that of the specimens yielding bacteria, 56.3% contained anaerobes while 71.8% yielded facultative bacteria. Of the total specimens 26.6% proved to be sterile and 4.6% were unsuitable. The anaerobes which were isolated with the highest frequency from diseased animals belonged to the following genera: Clostridium , 46.0%; Bacteroides 15.1%; Fusobacterium , 14.3%; Actinomyces , 11.1%; and Propionibacterium , 5.6%. The culture method used in this study was based upon reducible solid media for primary isolation. Its efficiency compared favorably with what is commonly accepted as an effective recovery rate for anaerobes. However, the relative proportion of anaerobic genera obtained from veterinary clinical specimens was in direct contrast with specimens obtained in medical diagnostic laboratories. Because of this difference and the kinds of anaerobes most frequently encountered in veterinary medicine, it is believed that the culture method used in this study is more suitable to veterinary medicine than other methods more commonly employed in medical diagnostic laboratories.
Risk of subsequent dementia diagnoses does not vary by types of adjuvant chemotherapy in older women with breast cancer.

Objective Little is known about long-term cognitive side effects of adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. We thus examined incidence of dementia diagnoses in older women diagnosed with breast cancer, stratified by types of chemotherapy regimen. Methods We identified patients with incident dementia diagnoses through Medicare claims linked to the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) tumor registry data. The study population (n = 6,932) consisted of women at least 68 years of age, who were diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer from 1994 through 2002 in one of the SEER areas and received chemotherapy as part of their cancer treatment. Excluded were women with a diagnosis of dementia within the 3 years prior to their cancer diagnosis. Results Our sample comprised mostly white women. The mean age was 74. Fifty-seven percent were estrogen receptor positive. Over 70% had no comorbidity. The use of taxol and anthracycline-based treatments increased from mid-1990s to early 2000. Increasing age at cancer diagnosis, Black ethnicity, living in a census tract with lower level of education, and increasing number of comorbidities were associated with new claims of dementia diagnoses after chemotherapy. There was no significant association between types of chemotherapy agents and risk of subsequent dementia diagnoses. Conclusion No association was found between types of adjuvant chemotherapy agents for breast cancer and risk of new dementia diagnoses. Our findings suggest that concerns about post-chemotherapy dementia should not be a major factor in determining type of adjuvant chemotherapy regimen to prescribe for older women with breast cancer.
Bird in hand: How experience makes nature

It is almost a truism that nature is social, but by what means is nature made social at the level of the interactional encounter? While the transformation of society/nature relationships is often approached through the problematic of distance, and at the scale of macro-historical transformation, this article uses a conflict between American birdwatchers and ornithologists over scientific “collecting” (literally, the killing of birds) to examine the processes through which individuals come to know nature, and come to know it so differently. With John Dewey’s (1958 [1925]) “experience” as the unit of analysis, I trace changes in each group’s experience with birds over the past century; the phenomenology of the resulting encounters; and the understanding that emerges from each in order to understand (1) how, empirically, these two very different loves of birds are formed, and (2) knowledge of nature as an affective sensibility shaped by experiences of closeness.
By searching processively RecA protein pairs DNA molecules that share a limited stretch of homology

RecA protein promotes homologous pairing by a reaction in which the protein first binds stoichiometrically to single-stranded DNA in a slow presynaptic step, and then conjoins single-stranded and duplex DNA, thereby forming a ternary complex. RecA protein did not pair molecules that shared only 30 bp homology, but, with full efficiency, it paired circular single-stranded and linear duplex molecules in which homology was limited to 151 bp at one end of the duplex DNA. The initial rate of the pairing reaction was directly related to the length of the heterologous part of the duplex DNA, which we varied from 0 to 3060 base pairs. Since interactions involving the heterologous part of a molecule speed the location of a small homologous region, we conclude that RecA protein promotes homologous alignment by a processive mechanism involving relative motion of conjoined molecules within the ternary complex.
SMALL SPLIT NaI(Tl) ANNULUS-Ge(Li) SPECTROMETER FOR COINCIDENCE-- ANTICOINCIDENCE WITH IN-BEAM GAMMAS.

Abstract A small gamma-ray spectroscopy system useful for in-beam spectroscopy is described. The system consists of a small Ge(Li) central detector surrounded by a 12.7 cm o.d. by 2.5 cm i.d. by 14.0 cm long NaI(Tl) annulus split into quadrants. The system can be operated as an anti-Compton spectrometer, in which case the Compton continuum is reduced by a factor of 3 to 6. Approximate calculations of the expected Compton reduction factor were made and the results compared to experiment. In addition, the system can be used as a three-crystal pair spectrometer. Results are presented.
The effects of pregabalin on sleep disturbance symptoms among individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome

Abstract Objectives Sleep disturbances are common in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the effects of pregabalin on sleep in patients with FM. Methods Analyses were based on two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of pregabalin (300mg, 450mg, and 600mg daily) in adult FM patients. Sleep outcomes included the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Sleep Scale and a daily diary assessment of sleep quality. Treatment effects were evaluated using analysis of covariance. Clinically important differences (CID) in the Sleep Quality Diary and MOS Sleep Disturbance scores were estimated using mixed-effects models of changes in scores as a function of patients' global impressions of change. Mediation modeling was used to quantify the direct treatment effects on sleep in contrast to indirect influence of the treatment on sleep via pain. Results A total of 748 and 745 patients were randomized in the respective studies. Patients were predominantly Caucasian females, average age 48–50 years, on average had FM for 9–10 years, and experienced moderate to severe baseline pain. Pregabalin significantly improved the Sleep Quality Diary ( P P P P Conclusions These data demonstrate improvement in FM-related sleep dysfunction with pregabalin therapy. The majority of this benefit was a direct effect of pregabalin on the patients' insomnia, while the remainder occurred through the drug's analgesic activity.
Effects of cGMP on L-type calcium current of adult and newborn rabbit ventricular cells

Objective: Cyclic GMP has been shown to be in some respects an inhibitory modulator of heart function. Various studies on the modulation of cardiac L-type calcium current ( ICa ) by cGMP in different species show inconsistency and the role of cGMP remains unclear and controversial. The present study was focused on the differences in the modulation of basal ICa by cGMP in adult and newborn rabbit ventricular cells. Methods: Enzymatically isolated adult and newborn (1–4-day-old) rabbit ventricular myocytes were used to measure ICa under whole-cell voltage clamp conditions with internal perfusion of isolated cells. Results: We have shown that in adult ventricular cells, the intracellular perfusion of 8BrcGMP did not produce any effect on basal ICa , while intracellular perfusion of 8BrcGMP or 8CPT-cGMP in newborn ventricular cells significantly and reversibly increased basal ICa without changing the voltage dependence for activation of ICa . Both methylene blue and LY-83583 (which inhibit guanylyl cyclase and thus lower cGMP levels), in adult ventricular cells, failed to produce any significant effect on basal ICa , while in newborn ventricular cells the application of methylene blue or LY-83583 produced irreversible inhibition of basal ICa . Similarly, KT-5823, an inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase, also inhibited basal ICa in newborn ventricular cells but not in adult ventricular cells. However, extracellular application of methylene blue during the intracellular perfusion of 8BrcGMP was unable to inhibit ICa . Extracellular application of nitrosoglutathione which releases nitric oxide produced a significant increase in ICa in newborn but not in adult ventricular cells. Intracellular application of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor peptide blocked the stimulatory effect of cAMP but not of 8CPT-cGMP, while the stimulatory effect of nitrosoglutathione on ICa was not blocked by the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor (isobutylmethyl-xanthine). Conclusions: We propose that, for newborn rabbit ventricular cells, cGMP plays a crucial role in maintaining basal ICa by a mechanism mediated via protein-kinase-G-dependent phosphorylation of calcium channels or some associated protein.
Neonatal diethylstilbestrol treatment: response of prolactin to dopamine or estradiol in adult mice.

The effects of neonatal diethylstilbestrol (DES) treatment on pituitary PRL response to dopamine (DA) inhibition or estrogen stimulation were studied in C3H/MTV+ mice at 10 weeks, 5 months and 8 months of age using synthesis and release of [3H]PRL by the pituitary as endpoints. In the DA study, anterior pituitaries from ovariectomized or intact, neonatally hormone-treated mice were incubated for 6 h in the presence or absence of DA. In the estrogen study, serum and anterior pituitaries were obtained from ovariectomized neonatally hormone-treated mice injected with oil or 17β-estradiol for 7 days before death. Neonatal treatment of mice with 2.5 μg/ day DES altered basal [3H]PRL synthesis and release as well as circulating PRL concentrations. The results of analysis of variance indicated a significant interaction between the effects of neonatal hormone treatment and DA treatment on [3H]PRL release. Neonatal DES treatment did not alter the response of pituitary PRL to estrogen treatment at the ages examined...
Structure-activity relationship and molecular mechanisms of ethyl 2-amino-4-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-6-phenyl-4h-chromene-3-carboxylate (sha 14-1) and its analogues.

Rapid development of multiple drug resistance against current therapies is a major barrier in the treatment of cancer. Therefore, anticancer agents that can overcome acquired drug resistance in cancer cells are of great importance. Previously, we have demonstrated that ethyl 2-amino-4-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-6-phenyl-4H-chromene-3-carboxylate (5a, sHA 14-1), a stable analogue of ethyl 2-amino-6-bromo-4-(1-cyano-2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-4H-chromene-3-carboxylate (6, HA 14-1), mitigates drug resistance and synergizes with a variety of cancer therapies in leukemia cells. Structure−activity relationship (SAR) studies of 5a guided the development of ethyl 2-amino-6-(3′,5′-dimethoxyphenyl)-4-(2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-4H-chromene-3-carboxylate (5q, CXL017), a compound with low micromolar cytotoxicity against a wide-range of hematologic and solid tumor cells. More excitingly, our studies of 5q in camptothecin (CCRF-CEM/C2) and mitoxantrone (HL-60/MX2) resistant cancer cells highlight its ability to selectively kill drug-re...
Changes in proximate and fatty acid composition of fillets from channel catfish during a two-year growth period.

Abstract Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were reared for 2 years on practical feeds with and without a topdressing of oil (50% animal, 50% vegetable). Visceral fat, fillet fat, and whole-body protein increased and moisture percentage decreased as fish size and age increased. Slopes of regression lines for these variables differed significantly between treatments. Fatty acid profiles of fillets showed essentially linear trends toward decreasing saturation and increasing unsaturation with increasing size and age of fish. Within the unsaturated fatty acids, monene levels increased, and diene and triene levels decreased. Topdressing with oil did not affect these trends. Although dietary lipid composition is a major influence on fatty acid composition in channel catfish, this study indicates that fish size and age also significantly influence fatty acid profiles.
Syphilis: Issues for the 1990's

Syphilis is a chronic sexually transmitted bacterial infection that has been recognized for centuries in both developed and developing nations. The chronic nature of the infection, the sexual mode of transmission, the severe tertiary manifestations, and the potential infectivity for the fetus have long been recognized as features of this disease. Despite many decades of research effort, syphilis is a disease that continues to puzzle modern clinicians with its myriad clinical disguises, to frustrate public health officials with its periodic reemergence, and to intrigue scientists with its unusual natural history and mechanisms of pathogenesis. Important new issues concerning syphilis have emerged in the past several years that ensure that syphilis will continue to be an important disease for clinical, basic, and social scientists in the 1990s.
Comparison of short- and medium-term results between laparoscopically assisted and totally laparoscopic right hemicolectomy: a case-control study

Background This study aimed to compare the short- and medium-term results obtained by totally laparoscopic right colectomy (TL) with those obtained by laparoscopically assisted right colectomy (LAC) for the treatment of right colon cancer.
A Truncated Test for Choosing the Better of Two Binomial Populations

Abstract It is shown that a test suggested by Bechhofer, Kiefer, and Sobel [1], for selecting the better of two binomial populations, can be formulated and solved when a maximum number of tests is specified. It is assumed that the probability of correctly selecting the better population is specified to be better than P* when the difference in success probabilities exceeds a specified Δ*. The populations are sampled equally and it is assumed that the trial ends either when the difference in the number of successes exceeds a calculated value of s, or when N tests have been made, whichever is sooner.
User services and operations

An informal panel session to discuss the impact of organizational proximity on the quality and quantity of user services. The panel shall investigate the problems of user services staff development and intra-data center working relationships. The panel will examine the difference (if any) on the actual user services support available to the "end user."
Kinetics of primer-dependent polynucleotide phosphorylase synthetic reactions.

The kinetics of a model for the primer-dependent, polynucleotide phosphorylase-catalyzed synthesis of oligo- and polynucleotides is developed. Numerical solutions are presented which correspond to a wide variety of possible reaction conditions. The model seems capable of explaining the types of behavior which have been experimentally observed for polynucleotide phosphorylase reactions. The most unusual of these is the presence of a transient intermediate of high molecular weight polynucleotide chains which is subsequently degraded to an equilibrium mixture of short oligonucleotides. Methods of estimating the time of occurrence and maximum size of the polymer are discussed. Analytical solutions are developed for the concentrations of free enzyme and unreacted nucleoside diphosphate. In conjunction with equilibrium data these may permit the rate constants required by the model to be determined.
Visual discrimination of color, pattern, and form in the Japanese quail Coturnix coturnix japonica

Although a number of recent studies (Bartlett & Liebermann, 1960; Farris, 1964; Reese & Reese, 1962; Thompson, Loomis, & Loomis, 1965) suggest that Japanese quail make excellent Ss for the behavioral laboratory, there are no parametric data on instrumental discrimination learning with this species. This study assessed the acquisition of three commonly used simultaneous discriminations; color, pattern, and form, using Coturnix quail as Ss. The results showed, (a) form to be the most difficult to discriminate, followed by pattern, then color, and (b) little relationship between error trials, or total trials to the criterion required for acquisition, on the three stimulus dimensions.
Evaluation of Methods for the Quantitation of Cysteines in Proteins

Several methods for the quantitation of cysteines in proteins have been evaluated and compared. Titration of protein sulfhydryl groups with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoate) (DTNB) under carefully controlled conditions has extended the detection limits of this method with high accuracy and reproducibility. Results are reported for a variety of enzymes containing a range of total cysteines with different degrees of solvent accessibility and reactivity. A papain amplification assay has also been examined, in which reactivation of the disulfide-blocked active site cysteine of papain can be achieved by a coupled reaction with protein sulfhydryl groups. Detection of sulfhydryls by this amplification assay can be extended, by increasing the enzyme assay times, to achieve over a 40-fold increase in sensitivity over the improved DTNB titration method. Alternatively, titration of enzyme cysteinyl residues with either bromobimane or a maleimide derivative of naphthopyranones has the advantage that a fluorescent product results upon modification of the sulfhydryl group. Reaction of bromobimane with several different enzymes results in nonspecific background fluorescence that limits the detection range of this method unless the products are separated. In contrast, low background fluorescence and high quantum yields with maleimide naphthopyranoses has allowed detection of protein cysteinyl residues with very high sensitivities.
Dynamic decoupling of multiply connected MDOF secondary systems

Abstract New algorithms are presented for approximately calculating the changes in frequencies and responses of a primary system due to decoupling of a multiply connected MDOF secondary system. The algorithms yield accurate results in the range of interest of decoupling.
Factors affecting the survival of Bradyrhizobium applied in liquid cultures to soya bean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seeds

Aims: To determine the impact of medium composition, bacterial strain, trehalose accumulation, and relative humidity during seed storage on the survival of Bradyrhizobium japonicum on soya bean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seeds. Methods and Results: Bacteria in liquid cultures were applied to seeds, and the number of survivors was quantified after 2, 24, 48, or 96 h. Addition of yeast extract to a defined medium increased on-seed survival 50- to 80-fold. Addition of 40 mmol l−1 of NaCl to the medium doubled or tripled the accumulation of trehalose in cells and increased survival several fold, and the addition of both salt and trehalose had an additive effect. There was a threefold difference among strains in survival, and survival of the various strains was significantly correlated with differences in the accumulation of trehalose. The correlation between trehalose accumulation by bacteria and survival was also highly significant in other experiments. Studies in controlled humidity environments showed 100-fold or more differences in survival. Conclusions: The consistently significant correlation of trehalose content of cells with survival on seed suggests that trehalose is an important component of the survival mechanisms. When some of the factors (salt and trehalose in the medium plus humidity control) were studied in combination, several 100-fold increases in survival of bacteria on seeds were recorded. Significance and Impact of the Study: It is possible by manipulation of several parameters – strain selection, salt and trehalose content of the medium, control of relative humidity – to achieve substantial improvements in survival of Bradyrhizobium on soya bean seeds.
Integrated crystalline silicon and silicon nitride photonic devices on plastic substrates

Fully integrated photonic devices based on single-crystal silicon and silicon nitride including ring resonators and grating couplers have been successfully transferred to flexible plastic substrate with one hundred percent yield and uncompromised performance.
Differences in internal structure and nerve terminals of the slow and twitch muscle fibers in the cat superior oblique.

Measurements of nerve fiber size in the trochlear nerve indicate that many small nerve fibers are present which could serve as the small nerve motor supply for innervation of the slow muscle fibers in the superior oblique of the cat. Twitch and slow muscle fibers in the superior oblique muscle of the cat have been examined in the electron microscope. In twitch fibers, triads consisting of the transverse tubule and dilated sacs of the sarcoplasmic reticulum occur at the level of junction of A and I bands. In the slow fibers, the sarcoplasmic reticulum is reduced in amount and the transverse tubular system is completely absent. The junctional folds of the postsynaptic membrane of the muscle fiber under the nerve terminal of a twitch fiber are present, although not extensive; in slow fibers, these postjunctional sarcolemmal folds are essentially absent. Some physiological implications of these differences in fine structure of twitch and slow fibers and their respective nerve terminals are discussed.
Passive margin earthquakes: Reviewing knowledge and challenges

Earthquakes like the August 2011 magnitude 5.8 Mineral, Va., temblor that occur on “passive” continental margins surprise people because they expect earthquakes to occur only on plate boundaries. But, in fact, large and damaging intraplate earthquakes occur fairly regularly on passive margins around the world. For instance, in North America the magnitude ˜7 Charleston earthquake shook South Carolina in 1886, causing severe damage and about 60 deaths, and the 1929 magnitude 7.2 earthquake on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland caused a tsunami, a large landslide, and 28 fatalities. Although they are fairly common, these earthquakes are not well studied, and their specific geologic settings and causes are unclear.
Energy‐Level Scheme for Nd3+ in CaWO4

The free ion parameters obtained from a least‐squares fit to the six lowest free ion levels of Nd3+ in CaWO4, neglecting configuration mixing, are (in cm−1): E1 = 4859.7, E2 = 24.78, E3 = 482.0, and ζ = 873.8. The rms deviation of this fit was 21. Crystal‐field parameters appropriate to S4 symmetry were fit to the structure of the 4I9/2 and 4I11/2 levels. Intermediate coupling wavefunctions obtained from the free ion fit were used. J−J mixing between the 4I9/2 and 4I11/2 states was considered. The crystal‐field parameter values found are (in cm−1): B02 = 514.2, B04 = −1040.0, B06 = − 60.0, B44 = − 1071.6, B46 = − 980.0, B4′4 = 16.4, and B4′6 = 13.1. The rms deviation of this fit was 9.5. We calculate the ground‐state g values to be g‖ = 1.633 and g⊥ = 2.621. The corresponding experimental values are 2.035 and 2.537. By changing the Bmn we can get a better g‐value fit, namely, 2.025 and 2.593.
The use of vascular access ports in nonanesthetized green iguanas (iguana iguana) to collect baseline arterial blood gas parameters.

The green iguana, Iguana iguana, is used as a model in reptile anesthesia research because of its size, availability, and the body of knowledge characterizing its physiology. Arterial blood gas values in nonanesthetized green iguanas have not been determined because of the technical difficulty involved. Vascular access port (VAP) placement to facilitate blood sampling has been described in other species, but not lacertilians. This abstract describes the technique for placement of VAPs and the values for arterial blood gas parameters in seven 1 kg adult green iguanas. Using sterile technique, a 1.5 cm incision was made on the lateral side of the neck. Blunt dissection ventral to the external jugular vein revealed the internal and external carotid arteries near their bifurcation. The catheter was inserted into the internal carotid artery and then guided to the common carotid artery. The other end of the catheter was tunneled below the skin to a subcutaneous location, caudal-dorsal to the iSPSilateral scapula. The skin was closed and the port was flushed twice a week with heparinized saline. Post-operatively, the VAPs were well tolerated by the iguanas. Difficulties included port disconnection (n = 1), inability to aspirate blood after a few weeks (n = 2), and infection (n = 1). The iguanas were breathing room air prior to and during blood collection. From the five functional VAPs, the blood pH, PCO2, PO2, HCO-3, and BE (measured at 37 °C) were 7.45 ± 0.06; 37.5 ± 7.0 mm Hg, 99.0 ±16.6 mm Hg, 25.4 ± 2.5 mmol L–1, and 1.5 ±2.4 mmol L–1 respectively (mean ± SD). VAPs can be successfully used to facilitate collection of arterial blood gas samples in green iguanas. These values are similar to those reported for most mammalian species. This technique should facilitate research in anesthesiology and respiratory physiology of iguanas and other lacertilians.
Management of dysplastic nevi: A survey of fellows of the American Academy of dermatology

Abstract Background: Opinions concerning the significance of dysplastic nevi and their management vary among dermatologists. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess how fellows of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) perceive and manage dysplastic nevi. Methods: Questionnaires were sent to 1216 fellows of the AAD; 456 questionnaires were returned. Results: Almost all respondents (98%) accept the dysplastic nevus, or atypical mole, as an entity. Seventy-five percent of respondents perform follow-up total cutaneous examinations on all their patients with dysplastic nevi, and another 22% on some of them; 86% usually intend to do total removals when they perform biopsies of dysplastic nevi; 75% use margins of 2 mm or less when removing dysplastic nevi; 49% order baseline total-cutaneous photographs of some or all of their patients with multiple dysplastic nevi, although only 12% do so routinely; 67% prefer to re-excise dysplastic nevi when margins are positive, some using histologic atypia as a criterion; 60% recommend an ophthalmologic examination for at least some of their patients with many dysplastic nevi, although only 3% do so routinely; 12% always recommend cutaneous examinations of blood relatives of their patients with dysplastic nevi and another 81% recommend such examinations for at least some of their patients with dysplastic nevi; 23% use dermoscopy; 99% recommend self-examination; almost 100% recommend sunscreen use and 93%, sun avoidance. Conclusion: Most respondents, in agreement with the literature, accept the concept that patients with dysplastic nevi are at increased risk for melanoma and that methods for prevention and early detection of melanomas are appropriate for these patients. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2002;46:674-82.)
Surface geometry and strain energy effects in the failure of a (Ni, Pt)Al/EB-PVD thermal barrier coating

Abstract Thermal cycling tests were conducted on a commercial yttria-stabilized zirconia electron beam-physical vapor deposited thermal barrier coating (TBC) on a platinum aluminide (β-(Ni, Pt)Al) bond coat. Surprisingly, the longest life sample lasted 10 times longer than the shortest life sample. Two distinct mechanisms have been found responsible for the observed damage initiation and progression at the thermally grown oxide (TGO)/bond coat interface. The first mechanism leads to localized debonding at the TGO/bond coat interface due to increasing out-of-plane tensile stresses at ridges that form along bond coat grain boundaries. The second mechanism is driven by cyclic plasticity of the bond coat that leads to cavity formation at the TGO/bond coat interface. The primary finding of this work is that the first mechanism, involving tensile stress at ridge tops, is life limiting. Based on this mechanism, it is demonstrated that the variation in bond coat ridge aspect ratio can explain the unusual 10× variation in observed sample life. It is proposed that ridge top spallation leads to debonds of sufficient size to result in unstable fracture driven by the strain energy stored in the TGO. The criticality of the flaw created by local debonding is supported by experimental determination of the strain energy available in the TGO through measurement of TGO stress and thickness combined with published fracture mechanics solutions of the relevant flaw geometry.
Modeling of two-phase transport in the diffusion media of polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Abstract A three-dimensional model of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) is developed to investigate multiphase flows, species transport, and electrochemical processes in fuel cells and their interactions. This two-phase model consists of conservation principles of mass, momentum, species concentration and charges, and elucidates the key physicochemical mechanisms in the constituent components of PEFCs that govern cell performance. Efforts are made to formulate two-phase transport in the anode diffusion media and its coupling with cathode flooding as well as the interaction between single- and two-phase flows. Numerical simulations are carried out to investigate multiphase flow, electrochemical activity, and transport phenomena and the intrinsic couplings of these processes inside a fuel cell at low humidity. The results indicate that multiphase flows may exist in both anode and cathode diffusion media at low-humidity operation, and two-phase flow emerges near the outlet for co-flow configuration while is present in the middle of the fuel cell for counter-flow one. The validated numerical tools can be applied to investigate vital issues related to anode performance and degradation arising from flooding for PEFCs.
Baboon and cotton-top tamarin B2m cDNA sequences and the evolution of primate β2-microglobulin

Abstract Nonhuman primates represent phylogenetic intermediates for studying the divergence of human and murine β 2 Ms. We report the nucleotide sequences of B 2 m cDNA clones from a baboon cell line, 26CB-1 ( Papio hamadryas ); primates: Cercopithecoida), and a cotton-top tamarin cell line, 1605L ( Saguinus oedipus ; primates: Ceboidea). The baboon and tamarin B 2 m sequences indicate a very slow rate of B 2 m evolution in primates relative to that in murid rodents. Phenotypic evolution of β 2 M has also been very conservative in primates, with only 9–14 substitutions separating baboon or tamarin β 2 Ms from those of humans or orangutans. Analyses of silent and amino-acid-altering nucleotide substitutions provide evidence that negative selection has acted to limit variability in β strands of primate β 2 Ms, while positive selection has promoted diversity in non-β-strand regions of murine β 2 Ms. No evidence for the action of selection upon β 2 M residues that contact the class I heavy chain was found in primates or mice. The finding that different selective forces have operated upon primate and murine β 2 Ms suggests that β 2 M may have evolved to serve distinct functions in primates and mice.
Dry Bean Protein Functionality

Dry beans are an important source of proteins, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and certain minerals and vitamins in the human food supply. Among dry beans, Phaseolus beans are cultivated and consumed in the greatest quantity on a worldwide basis. Typically, most dry beans contain 15 to 25% protein on a dry weight basis (dwb). Water-soluble albumins and salt-soluble globulins, respectively, account for up to 10 to 30% and 45 to 70% of the total proteins (dwb). Dry bean albumins are typically composed of several different proteins, including lectins and enzyme inhibitors. A single 7S globulin dominates dry bean salt soluble fraction (globulins) and may account for up to 50 to 55% of the total proteins in the dry beans (dwb). Most dry bean proteins are deficient in sulfur amino acids, methionine, and cysteine, and therefore are of lower nutritional quality when compared with the animal proteins. Despite this limitation, dry beans make a significant contribution to the human dietary protein intake. In bean-based foods, dry bean proteins also serve additional functions that may include surface activity, hydration, and hydration-related properties, structure, and certain organoleptic properties. This article is intended to provide an overview of dry bean protein functionality with emphases on nutritional quality and hydration-related properties.
Nonpalpable testes: is there a relationship between ultrasonographic and operative findings?

Background Ultrasonography (US) as a diagnostic tool in the work-up of boys with nonpalpable testes (NPT) is still controversial.
Omega-3 fatty acid concentrates in the treatment of moderate hypertriglyceridemia.

Background: Moderate hypertriglyceridemia is fairly common, and elevated triglycerides are a risk factor for coronary heart disease. The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA have been shown to lower tri...
Microarray Databases I

Microarray analyses, in particular for pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis, have been extensively performed. Today, these data are so extensive that meta-analyses of microarray experiments for pancreatic diseases have begun to emerge. Thus, there is a large amount of data, derived from this methodology, which can help curious individuals develop, for instance, novel markers and assays of pancreatic diseases based upon the data deposited in these databases without the great expenses of generating the initial microarray experiment. Following, we provide a few sites that together constitute the first part of a small series of ‘Pancreatology and the Web’ articles on this topic.
Randomized controlled trial of an automated problem list with improved sensitivity.

Abstract Purpose To improve the completeness and timeliness of an electronic problem list, we have developed a system using Natural Language Processing (NLP) to automatically extract potential medical problems from clinical, free-text documents; these problems are then proposed for inclusion in an electronic problem list management application. Methods A prospective randomized controlled evaluation of the Automatic Problem List (APL) system in an intensive care unit and in a cardiovascular surgery unit is reported here. A total of 247 patients were enrolled: 76 in an initial control phase and 171 in the randomized controlled trial that followed. During this latter phase, patients were randomly assigned to a control or an intervention group. All patients had their documents analyzed by the system, but the medical problems discovered were only proposed in the problem list for intervention patients. We measured the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, likelihood ratios and the timeliness of the problem lists. Results Our system significantly increased the sensitivity of the problem lists in the intensive care unit, from about 9% to 41%, and even 77% if problems automatically proposed but not acknowledged by users were also considered. Timeliness of addition of problems to the list was greatly improved, with a time between a problem's first mention in a clinical document and its addition to the problem list reduced from about 6 days to less than 2 days. No significant effect was observed in the cardiovascular surgery unit.
New core and sealer materials for root canal obturation and retrofilling.

A new endodontic obturation and retrofilling material has been invented to satisfy Grossman’s requirements for an ideal material. Methylene blue dye leakage studies were carried out to compare the new material with conventional products, for both obturation and retrofilling. The experimental material when used in root canal obturation had a mean apical leakage of 0.49 ± 0.27 mm, compared with 3.75 ± 2.81 mm for the conventional material (p < 0.01, t test). Retrofilling leakage was not significantly different from that of a glass-ionomer (p < 0.01, t test) but was substantially lower than that of MTA and Super EBA (p < 0.01, Chi-square test). It was concluded that leakage in root canal obturation was reduced by an order of magnitude and in retrofilling was significantly better than clinically advocated materials. It was inferred that the adhesion mechanism used has contributed to the reduction in leakage.