cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Control of Embryonic Stem Cell Lineage Commitment by Core Promoter Factor, TAF3

Deciphering the molecular basis of pluripotency is fundamental to our understanding of development and embryonic stem cell function. Here, we report that TAF3, a TBP-associated core promoter factor, is highly enriched in ES cells. In this context, TAF3 is required for endoderm lineage differentiation and prevents premature specification of neuroectoderm and mesoderm. In addition to its role in the core promoter recognition complex TFIID, genome-wide binding studies reveal that TAF3 localizes to a subset of chromosomal regions bound by CTCF/cohesin that are selectively associated with genes upregulated by TAF3. Notably, CTCF directly recruits TAF3 to promoter distal sites and TAF3-dependent DNA looping is observed between the promoter distal sites and core promoters occupied by TAF3/CTCF/cohesin. Together, our findings support a new role of TAF3 in mediating long-range chromatin regulatory interactions that safeguard the finely-balanced transcriptional programs underlying pluripotency.
Use Of Screen Rotation In Testing Large Mirrors

An automated microdensitometer is used to obtain a density distribution on a photographic plate. Each density is proportional to a surface departure from ideal at some point on a mirror during its figuring. The departures are obtained by the screen test method developed at Kitt Peak National Observatory, as applied to the 4-meter primary mirror. It is shown that for various screen rotations with the mirror stationary, easily interpreted results are obtained with this density representation. These results are in good agreement with each other. When all the rotated-screen density representations are made on the same photographic plate, one obtains a composite in which areas of greatest agreement are emphasized and areas of scarce surface sampling are complemented.© (1974) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
BEYOND THE BIBLE AND THE CROSS: A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF CHINESE ELDERS' PARTICIPATION IN CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

Mainland Chinese elders constitute a unique group in popular Christian participation and conversion. This work aims to explore the social contexts and cultural facets of Mainland Chinese elders' Christian practice in the United States. Based on face-to-face, in-depth interviews with 20 Mainland Chinese elders as well as participant observation at selected congregational settings, this study suggests that the existing theories on aging and religion as well as religious practice among immigrants are inadequate to explain Chinese elderly immigrants' participation in Christian congregations in the U.S. Instead, social isolation and lack of social support system resulting from immigration and aging process serve as the major drive for the elders to pursue social and cultural recognition from Chinese Christian gatherings. Besides religious services, social service functions of churches and opportunities for fellowship are other factors that explain Chinese elders' church involvement. In conclusion, we argue tha...
Brain Tumors Across the Age Spectrum: Biology, Therapy, and Late Effects

The clinical difference between brain tumors in adults and children is striking. Compared with adults, pediatric tumor types (mostly glial and neuronal) are more sensitive to adjuvant irradiation and chemotherapy. Pediatric tumors more often require craniospinal irradiation based on their propensity to disseminate within the neuraxis. The spectrum of side effects is broader in the child based on age and extent of treatment: radiation therapy brings increased risk of severe long-term sequelae affecting neurologic, endocrine, and cognitive function. In this review of glioma, ependymoma, and medulloblastoma, we highlight the differences between adults and children, including the higher incidence of spinal cord ependymoma and supratentorial high-grade glioma in the adult and a higher incidence of medulloblastoma in the child. With the exception of completely resected low-grade glioma, radiation therapy remains a standard of care for most patients. In some settings, the radiation oncologist should suggest further surgery or additional adjuvant therapy in an effort to optimize local tumor control. An effort is underway to better characterize adult and pediatric brain tumors biologically with an emphasis on improving our understanding of tumor genesis, malignant transformation, and some of the similarities and differences between tumor types and their response to conventional therapy.
The toxicity of kelthane to the grass shrimp (Crangon franciscorum).

The acute toxicity of Kelthane (organochlorine) on grass shrimp (Crangon) was determined by using static bioassay tests. All the specimens were collected from San Pablo Bay, California. Optimum temperature and salinity conditions for maximum Cran$0n survival as determined in previous studies were used in these studies. Kelthane was found toxic to Cran$on; the corresponding concentrations for 24- and 48-hour LC50's were respectively 777 to 2138 and 437 to 832 ppb. These results are in general agreement with values in the literature for other aquatic organisms. Kelthane was also found to have sub-lethal effects on Cran$on. Feeding, molting, and motor control were affected.
Local Peak Enhancement for In-Car Speech Recognition in Noisy Environment

The accuracy of automatic speech recognition in a car is significantly degraded in a very low SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) situation such as “Fan high” or “Window open”. In such cases, speech signals are often buried in broadband noise. Although several existing noise reduction algorithms are known to improve the accuracy, other approaches that can work with them are still required for further improvement. One of the candidates is enhancement of the harmonic structures in human voices. However, most conventional approaches are based on comb filtering, and it is difficult to use them in practical situations, because their assumptions for F0 detection and for voiced/unvoiced detection are not accurate enough in realistic noisy environments. In this paper, we propose a new approach that does not rely on such detection. An observed power spectrum is directly converted into a filter for speech enhancement, by retaining only the local peaks considered to be harmonic structures in the human voice. In our experiments, this approach reduced the word error rate by 17% in realistic automobile environments. Also, it showed further improvement when used with existing noise reduction methods.
Botulinum neurotoxin type A radiolabeled at either the light or the heavy chain.

Abstract Botulinum neurotoxin (NT) has two distinct structural regions called L and H chains (~50 and ~100 kDa, respectively). Although the H chain is responsible for binding of the NT to neuronal cells, it is not known which of the subunits is internalized and therefore responsible for causing the blockage of acetylcholine release in susceptible neuronal cells. In this report we describe for the first time the preparation of type A NT which is selectively radiolabeled at either the L or the H chain subunit. Such NT preparations will be useful as tools for determining the distribution of L and H chains in poisoned neuronal cells and the role that each subunit plays in inducing toxicity. The L and H chains of the NT (~150 kDa) were separated, purified, and then individually radiolabeled by reductive methylation of the lysine residues using [ 3 H]- or [ 14 C]formaldehyde. The labeled L and H chains were reconjugated with the complementary unlabeled L and H chains. Formation of SS and noncovalent bonds between the L and H chains regenerated the ~150 kDa NT. Autoradiographs of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels confirmed that each reconstituted NT preparation was labeled at only one subunit chain. NT selectively labeled at either the L or the H chain had specific radioactivities of ca. 25–30 and 45–55 μCi/μmol, respectively, and toxicity (mouse LD 50 /mg protein) values of 2.2 ± 1.1 × 10 7 and 3.0 ± 1.0 × 10 7 , respectively. A linear increase in the specific radioactivity of L and H chain subunits was observed with increasing concentrations of 3 H- or 14 C-labeled formaldehyde in the reaction mixture and with increasing concentrations of L or H chain in the reaction mixture.
Methodology for developing gate-to-gate Life cycle inventory information

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology evaluates holistically the environmental consequences of a product system or activity, by quantifying the energy and materials used, the wastes released to the environment, and assessing the environmental impacts of those energy, materials and wastes. Despite the international focus on environmental impact and LCA, the quality of the underlying life cycle inventory data is at least as, if not more, important than the more qualitative LCA process. This work presents an option to generate gate-to-gate life cycle information of chemical substances, based on a transparent methodology of chemical engineering process design (an ab initio approach). In the broader concept of a Life Cycle Inventory (LCI), the information of each gate-to-gate module can be linked accordingly in a production chain, including the extraction of raw materials, transportation, disposal, reuse, etc. to provide a full cradle to gate evaluation. The goal of this article is to explain the methodology rather than to provide a tutorial on the techniques used. This methodology aims to help the LCA practitioner to obtain a fair and transparent estimate of LCI data when the information is not readily available from industry or literature. Results of gate-to-gate life cycle information generated using the cited methodology are presented as a case study. It has been our experience that both LCI and LCA information provide valuable means of understanding the net environmental consequence of any technology. The LCI information from this methodology can be used more directly in exploring engineering and chemistry changes to improve manufacturing processes. The LCA information can be used to set broader policy and to look at more macro improvements for the environment.
Restoration of Atlantic sturgeon in the northeastern USA with special emphasis on culture and restocking

Summary Stocks of anadromous Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) on the east coast of the United States are severely depleted due to past over-fishing and habitat loss and degradation. All commercial fisheries for this species are now closed and several state and federal agencies are investigating the use of cultured fish for stock replenishment. A breeding and stocking protocol was developed to address genetic concerns and to provide guidance for culture programs. Several thousand 3-month old cultured fingerling sturgeon were stocked in the Hudson River, New York, in 1994. Based on mark-recapture techniques, juvenile recoveries in 1995 and 1996 indicated that wild production was very weak in that river. In 1996, several thousand cultured and marked yearling sturgeon were stocked in the Nanticoke River in Maryland. Over the next 10 months, these fish grew well and became distributed throughout the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia. The amount of useful information gained from these two examples of using cultured Atlantic sturgeon suggests a broader potential role. Without active intervention, such as a long-term commitment to using cultured fish, some sturgeon stocks on the U. S. Atlantic Coast may be lost.
York Guilds and the Corpus Christi Plays: Unwilling Participants?

Maud Sellers, in 1912, introduced the notion that the York guilds which produced the civic Corpus Christi plays found them to be "an intolerable and vexatious burden." The idea has persisted. However, the picture of guild support for the plays is complex, especially during the period of economic and civic decline which in fact impoverished some guilds and left others with a membership deficit due to the inability to maintain their numbers. York, like other cities, was unable to maintain its population without immigration from outside since the death rate exceeded the birth rate. Pestilence and disease played a part in this with consequences for the plays, including the effect on the personnel available for playing the roles. Other indicators, such as strong support for parish churches, are signs of enthusiasm for efforts to maintain the cultural memory involved in recalling salvation history. The result was a play cycle, albeit not without changes, that continued to be produced over a very long run of two centuries.
Conceptualizing How Couples Talk About Cancer

Scholarship on couple communication about cancer employs variable conceptualizations of communication, and common measurement strategies make questionable assumptions about communication. This study provides a descriptive foundation for a multiple-topic, multidimensional approach to studying couple talk about cancer. Based on interviews with persons treated for cancer in the last 5 years and partners, we identified 16 topics and 5 dimensions of talk. "Talk about cancer" covers a broad range of issues. The frequency, openness, difficulty, and focus of talk vary considerably for different topics and can change over time or differ between partners. Disagreements were rare but highly salient, and satisfaction with talk tended to be high. These findings suggest we move away from abstract, general measures of couple communication and that we develop descriptive advice for couples, rather than simply prescribing "be open."
Generation of dual-wavelength, synchronized, tunable, high energy, femtosecond laser pulses with nearly perfect gaussian spatial profile

Abstract We use self-phase modulation in a single-mode fiber to produce broadband femtosecond laser pulses. Subsequent amplification through two Bethune cells yields high-energy, tunable, pulses synchronized with the output of an amplified colliding-pulse-modelocked (CPM) laser. We routinely obtain tunable 200 μJ pulses of 42 fs (fwhm) duration with a nearly perfect gaussian spatial profile. Although self-phase modulation in a single-mode fiber is widely used in femtosecond laser systems, amplification of a fiber-generated supercontinuum in a Bethune cell amplifier is a new feature which maintains the high-quality spatial profile while providing high gain. This laser system is particularly well suited for high energy dual-wavelength pump=probe experiments and time-resolved four-wave mixing spectroscopy.
THE GRADIENT OF VASCULAR PERMEABILITY : III. THE GRADIENT ALONG THE CAPILLARIES AND VENULES OF FROG SKIN.

A steeply mounting gradient of permeability is demonstrable along the meshwork of capillaries which connects the arterioles and venules of the skin of the frog. The venules incorporated in the meshwork are even more permeable than the capillary meshes giving into them. The presence of the gradient under such differing conditions as exist along frog and mammalian capillaries enables one to rule out certain factors which might be invoked to explain it; and it is not explainable in terms of those influences generally recognized as conditioning exchange between the blood and tissues. Not improbably it results from a structural differentiation along the capillary.
Open circuit stability of underpotentially deposited Pb monolayer on Cu(1 1 1)

Abstract The stability of underpotentially deposited (UPD) Pb layer on Cu(1 1 1) is investigated by conventional electrochemical techniques in perchlorate solution at open circuit potential (OCP). In situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is employed to monitor and ascertain structural and morphological changes at characteristic potentials. A corrosion-like mechanism associated with UPD layer stripping powered by reduction processes is found to operate in the system of interest in absence of potential control. OCP transients suggest strong dependence of the Pb layer stability upon the concentration of oxidizing agents, such as oxygen and/or nitrate ions, present in the solution. It is found that the increase of the oxidizing agent concentration results in a proportional decrease of the Pb UPD layer stripping time at OCP. The concentration of the dissolved oxygen is found to affect the UPD layer behavior in the entire range of underpotentials in accordance with the strong affinity of the Pb2+/Cu(1 1 1) system to the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In contrast to oxygen, nitrate ions appear to play active role only in the potential range positive to the UPD peaks where mostly bare Cu surface is in contact with the solution. Specifically adsorbing Cl− ions are examined as a possible inhibitor of the reduction processes operating in the Pb underpotential range. Concentrations of Cl− ions as low as 1 × 10−4 M are found to stabilize the Pb UPD layer by a factor of 2.5.
Ubiquitin and phosphorylated neurofilament epitopes in ballooned neurons of the extraocular muscle nuclei in a case of Werdnig-Hoffmann disease

The extraocular muscle nuclei in one case of Werdnig-Hoffmann disease were examined immunocytochemically using antibodies against phosphorylated neurofilament (pNF) and ubiquitin (UBQ). The oculomotor and trochlear nuclei showed several chromatolytic ballooned neurons. All ballooned neurons contained epitopes of pNF and UBQ. pNF were present mainly in the periphery of the cell in a ring-like shape and were occasionally seen in the center of some cells. On the other hand, the structures stained by the antibody to UBQ were small vesicles or granules and most of them were aggregated in the center of the cell. These distribution patterns of pNF and UBQ may be unique in Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, since similar patterns were reported in other types of neurons of Werdnig-Hoffmann disease but were not seen in two other motor neuron diseases: classical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with posterior column and spinocerebellar tract involvement.
DO AGE AND SEX INFLUENCE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN RECENT LIFE EVENTS AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS?–A CONTROLLED ENQUIRY

In a consecutive sample of school-aged children attending a routine child psychiatry clinic, four clinical groups were classified based on presenting signs and symptoms, conduct (N = 44), mild emotional (N = 55), severe emotional (N = 32) and somatic (N = 26). The groups were divided by age and sex and comparisons made between the groups and community subjects (N = 76) for the number of children experiencing one or more recent stressful life events. The results indicated that with the possible exception of severe emotional disorders, neither age nor sex substantially influenced the association between events and psychiatric disorder.
Does postoperative drain amylase predict pancreatic fistula after pancreatectomy

Background Previous studies suggest that after pancreatectomy, drain fluid amylase obtained on postoperative day 1 (DFA1) >5,000 U/L correlates with the development of postoperative pancreatic fistula (PF). 1,2 We sought to validate whether DFA1 is a clinically useful predictor of PF and to evaluate whether DFA1 correlates with PF severity. Study Design Using a prospective database, we reviewed records from patients having pancreatectomy between 2010 and 2012. Presence and grade of PF were determined using the consensus guidelines from the International Study Group on Pancreatic Fistula (ISGPF). 1 Results Sixty-three patients who underwent pancreatectomy had a documented DFA1. There were 27 (43%) who developed PF: 2 (7%) were grade A, 18 grade B (67%), and 7 were grade C (26%). Median DFA1 in patients with PF (4,600 U/L, range 32 to 16,900 U/L) was significantly higher than in those without PF (45 U/L, range 2 to 5,840 U/L; p 100 U/L was the only significant predictor of PF when controlling for gland texture, duct size, pathology, and neoadjuvant radiation. There was no statistically significant relationship between DFA1 and PF grade. Conclusions In patients undergoing pancreatic resection, a cutoff DFA1 of 100 U/L resulted in high sensitivity and NPV. Early drain removal may be safe in these patients. Further studies are recommended to validate the role of DFA1 in excluding PF and assisting in management of surgical drains.
A Quantitative In Vitro Fluorescence Imaging Method for Phospholipid Loss from Respirable Mineral Particles

Respirable quartz and kaolin particles were treated with fluorescent-labeled phospholipids to model contact of fibrogenic and nonfibrogenic particles with pulmonary surfactant in the alveolar regions of the lung. Particles were used to challenge rat pulmonary macrophages in vitro at times from 1 d to 10 d. The objective was to develop a quantitative method to track surfactant components that adsorb to respirable particles in the lung or inside cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to image and quantify surfactant remaining on particles internalized by cells. Results indicate that the fluorescent label is removed from quartz particles quickly, with the fluorescence intensity less than 15% of initial value at 3 d, and about 5% at 10 d. In contrast, the kaolin particle-associated fluorescence was still approximately 39% of initial intensity at 3 d, and 10-15% at 10 d. Unchallenged cells showed a background of approximately 5%, and noninternalized particles did not exhibit any loss of fluorescence over the 10-d exposure. The results indicate the method may be useful in label-removal rate studies of respirable particles in vitro, with some cautions and limitations. Results are discussed and compared with similar studies using nonimaging techniques.
Naltrexone and cue exposure with coping and communication skills training for alcoholics: treatment process and 1-year outcomes.

Background: Promising treatments for alcoholics include naltrexone (NTX), cue exposure combined with urge-specific coping skills training (CET), and communication skills training (CST). This study investigated the effects of combining these elements as treatment adjuncts. Methods: A 2 × 2 design investigated the effects of CET combined with CST, as compared with an education and relaxation control treatment, during a 2-week partial hospital program (n= 165) followed by 12 weeks of NTX (50 mg/day) or placebo during aftercare (n= 128). Drinking outcomes were assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months after discharge from the partial hospital. Process measures included urge, self-efficacy (confidence about staying abstinent in risky situations), and self-reported coping skills. Medically eligible alcohol-dependent patients were recruited. Results: Among those compliant with medication on at least 70% of days, those who received NTX had significantly fewer heavy drinking days and fewer drinks on days that they drank than those receiving placebo during the medication phase but not during the subsequent 9 months. CET/CST-condition patients were significantly less likely to report a relapse day and reported fewer heavy drinking days at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups than patients in the control treatment. Interactions of medication with behavioral treatments were not significant. Process measures showed that NTX resulted in lower weekly urge ratings, and those in CET/CST used more of the prescribed coping skills after treatment, reported fewer cue-elicited urges, and reported more self-efficacy in a posttest role-play test. Drinking reductions at 3, 6, and 12 months correlated with more use of coping skills, lower urge, and higher self-efficacy. Conclusions: The results suggest the probable value of keeping alcoholics on NTX for longer periods of time and the importance of increasing compliance with NTX. They also support the earlier promising effects of CET and CST as adjuncts to treatment programs for alcoholics by maintaining treatment gains over at least a year. The value of the urge-specific and general coping skills and of self-efficacy and urge constructs was demonstrated in their association with drinking outcomes.
Personalized pain therapy: basic consideration of an old concept with new scientific basis

In 1914, Crile introduced the concept of individualized or personalized pain therapy as well as demonstrating that good postoperative pain control greatly decreased postoperative mortality. Schweitzer equated severe pain associated with a disease to torture, and in 1953 Bonica clearly elucidated the serious deleterious effects caused by severe acute pain. Nonetheless, the medical profession devotes very little attention to this disease. The majority of medical school’s curricula and graduate medical education have refused to teach the advances made by clinical and basic research in pain medicine, or algology, and misconceptions continue to be perpetuated in spite of new scientific knowledge. A 2009 study, reported that only 32.5% of the Canadian medical students receive an average of 16 h of formal education in algology while the other 67.5% have no formal pain education. During the last 45 years, clinical and basic research has made many discoveries. Most important among them is that pain is a disease in its own right, that it is largely under treated and that genetic differences among people greatly influence the response of individuals to the perception of pain and analgesic therapy. Crile’s clinical observation regarding the need for individualized pain therapy is now strongly supported by the scientific discoveries of genetic heterogeneity and is at the core of present pain therapy. However, pain medicine education is so limited that the research discoveries made in algology are unknown to most physicians and other health care professionals and, in most of the cases, pain is still poorly treated.
Lack of acute d-amphetamine effects on thyrotropin release.

Case reports have suggested that amphetamine abuse causes excessive secretion of thyrotropin (TSH) and thyroxine (T4). Such an amphetamine-induced effect might be noradrenergic-mediated in
Removability of singularities for a class of fully non-linear elliptic equations

In this paper we address the problem of understanding the singularities of the fully non-linear elliptic equation σk(v) = 1. These σk curvature are defined as the symmetric functions of the eigenvalues of the Schouten tensor of a Riemannian metric and appear naturally in conformal geometry, in fact, σ1 is just the scalar curvature.
Zinc and immunoresistance to infection in aging: new biological tools

Infections can cause mortality when the immune system is damaged. The catalytic, structural (in zinc-finger proteins) and regulatory roles of zinc mean that this ion is involved in the maintenance of an effective immune response. Both zinc deficiency and impaired cell-mediated immunity combine during aging to result in increased susceptibility to infection. Dietary supplementation with the recommended daily allowance of zinc for between one and two months decreases the incidence of infection and increases the survival rate following infection in the elderly. This article reviews the biochemical pathways through which zinc might act to increase immunoresistance to infection in the elderly.
Constant surface tension molecular dynamics simulations of lipid bilayers with trehalose

Surface areas and fluctuations evaluated from 50 ns molecular dynamics simulations of fully hydrated dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayers in a 1:2 trehalose:lipid ratio carried out at surface tensions 10, 17 and 25 dyn/cm/leaflet are compared with those of pure bilayers under the same conditions. Trehalose increases the surface area, as consistent with the surface tension lowering observed in simulations at constant area. The system bulk elastic modulus K b = 1.5 ± 0.3 × 1010 dyn/cm2. It is independent of bilayer surface area and trehalose content within statistical error. In contrast, the area elastic modulus K a shows a strong area dependence. At 64 A2/lipid (the experimental surface area), K a = 138 ± 26 dyn/cm for a pure DPPC bilayer and 82 ± 10 dyn/cm for one with trehalose; i.e. trehalose increases fluidity of the bilayer surface at this area per lipid.
A METHOD FOR DETERMINING TOTAL PROTEIN OF ISOLATED CELLULAR ELEMENTS AND CORRESPONDING TRITIUM RADIOACTIVITY

A method is described for the microanalysis of protein, obtained from isolated tissue elements, in the range of 500 µµg-500 mµg. The method entails solubilization of cellular protein with phosphoric acid and heat after extraction of acid-soluble compounds, lipids, and RNA. A procedure for the extraction and recovery of cellular RNA by the use of 40% trichloroacetic acid is presented. The solubilized protein, in the form of a microdroplet, is photomicrographed with monochromatic light at 230 mµ. Total density in the microdroplet is determined from calibrated photographic plates by microdensitometry, and is converted to protein mass by using an experimentally determined average specific absorbance value. A solubilized protein labeled with tritium can be recovered after photomicrography, combusted, and reduced to generate tritiated gas for high-efficiency tritium radiometry. Total protein was analyzed in (a) nerve cells of three different sizes from Deiters' nucleus of the rabbit; and the whole rod cell and rod cell nucleus of the rabbit retina.
Effects of the calciotrophic peptides calcitonin and parathyroid hormone on prostate cancer growth and chemotaxis.

BACKGROUND The most common site of metastases in prostate cancer is the skeleton and occurs in 70–80% of patients with prostate carcinoma. Calciotrophic peptides are important in the growth and development of normal bone matrix. METHODS Three human prostate carcinoma cells lines, DU-145, PC-3, and LNCaP, were exposed to varying concentrations of parathyroid hormone (PTH) or calcitonin (CT). Cell proliferation and chemotaxis were assessed. RESULTS Proliferation increased in LNCaP cells in a dose-dependent manner following treatment with PTH. Proliferation was not altered in PC-3 cells in response to PTH. Proliferation was decreased in DU-145 and PC-3 cells and increased in LNCaP cells after treatment with CT. Cell chemotaxis was increased in the presence of PTH in DU-145 and PC-3 cells compared to vehicle-treated controls. CONCLUSIONS The combined proliferation and chemotaxis data suggest that PTH has a dual role in prostate carcinoma resulting in an increase in the number and migration of selected prostate cancer cells. With CT, chemotaxis was unchanged in the DU-145 and PC-3 cells and significantly elevated in the LNCaP cell line. The calciotrophic hormones, PTH and CT, may play an integral role in the regulation of prostate cell growth and metastases. Prostate 30:183–187, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Lessons learned in content architecture harmonization and metadata models

Purpose – This paper aims to review key content, architecture, and metadata model decisions and strategies in creation of a publication portal (on DVD to start), based on a 30+ year series of flagship reports from the World Bank.Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes and analyzes key considerations and aspects of the project, including content architecture, content analysis, DTD selection, retrospective conversion, vendor management, design of metadata architectures, use of automated profiling methods, user‐information behavior, and search architectures supporting complex content architectures. It includes the challenges of applying an institutionally based taxonomy required to express subject‐matter responsibilities and relationships within the World Bank.Findings – The team learned that the metadata behavior and architecture (inheritance, relationships, variations) are more complex than simple links between parent and child objects. The project also reinforced the importance of comprehensive ...
Is cancer triggered by altered signalling of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are the central regulators of stimulatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters that control the synthesis and release of growth, angiogenic and neurotrophic factors in cancer cells, the cancer microenvironment and distant organs. Data discussed in this Review suggests that smoking and possibly other environmental and lifestyle factors increase the function of nAChRs that stimulate cancer cells and reduce the function of nAChRs that inhibit cancer cells. This novel paradigm necessitates the development of marker-guided cancer intervention strategies that aim to restore the balance between nAChR-mediated stimulatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters and their downstream effectors.
INTERLEUKIN-6 SECRETION BY BACTERIAL LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-STIMULATED BOVINE ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES IN VITRO

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pluripotent cytokine that may play a role in pulmonary defense against bacterial pathogens. We have quantitated the response of bovine alveolar macrophages (bAM) to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS; E. coli 055: B5) in vitro using the IL-6 sensitive 7TD1 cell line. Bacteria LPS in the absence of serum induced IL-6 secretion from bAM (1 x 10(6) ml-1) over a range of LPS concentrations from 10 ng ml-1 to 10 micrograms ml-1. This resulted in IL-6 levels ranging from approximately 5 to over 200 U ml-1.IL-6 secretion by from approximately 5 to over 200 U ml-1.IL-6 secretion by LPS-stimulated bAM was increased by 24 h poststimulation, and continued to increase up to 72 h after stimulation. Fetal bovine serum (FBS, 1% vol/vol; 320 micrograms ml-1) enhanced IL-6 secretion from macrophages in the presence of LPS by approximately 10-fold compared with LPS alone. A bovine serum fraction (1 microgram ml-1 protein) prepared using ion-exchange chromatography also markedly enhanced IL-6 secretion versus LPS alone. The stimulatory effect of IL-6-like activity in the bAM supernatants was neutralized by an anti-human IL-6 polyclonal antibody. Northern blot analysis revealed increased IL-6 mRNA at 2 h poststimulation with LPS + FBS, peak levels at 4 h, and levels were decreased by 6 h poststimulation. Results suggest that IL-6 is secreted by bovine alveolar macrophages, and that bacterial LPS and serum components synergize to produce this response.
Meconium Obstruction in the Very Low Birth Weight Premature Infant

To the Editor. I congratulate Garza-Cox et al for their article “Meconium Obstruction in the Very Low Birth Weight Premature Infant,” which appeared in the July issue of Pediatrics .1 This syndrome is still not well understood by many neonatologists and pediatric surgeons, often leading to undertreatment and overtreatment of these fragile …
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

While avoiding relativism, Rorty claims that: (1) truth is just for a time and a place; (2) ‘truth’ and ‘rationality’ are indexed to a community's standards of warranted assertibility; and (3) there is nothing more to be said about truth and rationality than is contained, in a community's procedures for evaluating claims. He makes these assertions because he believes that the cautionary uses of ‘true’ and ‘rational’ crucially depend upon the endorsing uses of these terms. I argue that Rorty is wrong in this belief and that the principle of charity assures us that in their cautionary uses ‘true’ and ‘rational’ are independent of any idiosyncracies associated with any community's current standards of justification.
On product nonlinearities in stochastic differential equations

The author's methods for solution of stochastic differential equations shown elsewhere to be applicable for nonlinear cases including polynomial, exponential, and trigonometric terms, is shown to be applicable to product nonlinearities as well.
The Economic Crisis of 2008 and Its Substantive Implications for Public Affairs

This article examines the intellectually and pragmatic challenges posed by the economic crisis of 2008 on public administration and public policy. It will be argued that we need to confront 5 major challenges that will,hopefully, provoke a more lively debate in the field about the substantive implications of this economic crisis. While these 5 challenges are hardly exhaustive, such challenges may force us to ask different questions that could elevate and enrich the intellectual enterprise we aspire to be.
One-sided L1 approximation by splines with fixed knots

Abstract We prove that the best one-sided L 1 approximation by splines with fixed knots to a differentiable function is unique. Uniqueness need not hold for continuous functions.
Effects of supernatants of polymorphonuclear neutrophils recruited by different inflammatory substances on mitogen responses of lymphocytes.

Two different substances, glycogen and thioglycollate, were used to recruit early peritoneal exudate cells (4 h). In the acute phase of the inflammatory response the cellular infiltrate is large, and the predominant cell (>95%) is the polymorphonuclear neutrophil. Supernatant had differing effects on lymphocyte responses to the mitogens PHA and LPS, also carried out in serum-free media, depending on recruiting substance and time of culture. While glycogen-recruited PMN supernatant (GPMN-S) always enhanced splenocyte responses to PHA, thioglycollate-recruited cells (TPMN-S) did not produce an enhancing factor until the cells had been in culture for 24 h. Whereas GPMN-S enhanced the splenocyte response to LPS only after 1 or 4 h of culture, TPMN-S failed to have any significant effect. Thymocyte responses to PHA were facilitated by all supernatants. Dilution of the soluble PMN factors resulted in a suppressive effect on splenocyte responses to both PHA and LPS, regardless of whether PMN were recruited by the thioglycollate or glycogen or of the time of cell incubation. These results indicate that PMN-rich cell populations of different types of activity are recruited by glycogen and thioglycollate and that these cells produce factors capable of potentiating, enhancing, or suppressing responses to T- or B-cell mitogens by normal syngeneic lymphocytes.
Discussion of “Does the Identity of Engagement Partner Matter? An Analysis of Audit Partner Reporting Decisions”

The authors of this provocative study apply commonly used audit quality surrogate measures to a large and unique set of financial and other data on statutory audits of small private companies in Sweden. The paper has received unparalleled attention by the financial press and the PCAOB for its presumed support for regulatory intervention in standards for U.S. public company audits. In this Discussant Comment, I review the paper's content, analyze its predictive validity, and discuss its multiple implications plus, following Conference instructions, I provide constructive suggestions for improvements. Based on predictive validity analysis, I conclude that engagement partner assignment strategy is an important and acknowledged omitted variable that affects the study's internal validity via both the independent variable (partner's prior performance measure) and the dependent variable (borrower's cost of debt capital). The omission also affects construct validities and, if audit firms are applying a plausible assignment strategy, then interpretation of the study's main results would be reversed. Finally, the lack of a standards intervention noted by the authors and the extreme size and other differences between audits of Swedish private companies and U.S. public companies impair external validity and generalization to the U.S. intervention. As to improvements, I suggest that the authors (i) ask Swedish lenders to validate their presumed use of partner performance ratings in determining a borrower's interest rate, and (ii) ask Swedish Big 4 audit firms to provide a few internal partner performance ratings for comparison with the external performance measures used in the study. This two-pronged, multimethod approach might confirm or deny critical assumptions underlying the present study and may substantively inform standards setters, evidence-based standards, and fellow researchers about the validity of commonly applied surrogates for audit quality and the study's stated conclusion.
Repletion of Atypical Protein Kinase C following RNA Interference-mediated Depletion Restores Insulin-stimulated Glucose Transport

The role of atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) in insulin-stimulated glucose transport in myocytes and adipocytes is controversial. Whereas studies involving the use of adenovirally mediated expression of kinase-inactive aPKC in L6 myocytes and 3T3/L1 and human adipocytes, and data from knock-out of aPKC in adipocytes derived from mouse embryonic stem cells and subsequently derived adipocytes, suggest that aPKCs are required for insulin-stimulated glucose transport, recent findings in studies of aPKC knockdown by small interfering RNA (RNAi) in 3T3/L1 adipocytes are conflicting. Moreover, there are no reports of aPKC knockdown in myocytes, wherein insulin effects on glucose transport are particularly relevant for understanding whole body glucose disposal. Presently, we exploited the fact that L6 myotubes and 3T3/L1 adipocytes have substantially different (30% nonhomology) major aPKCs, viz. PKC-ζ in L6 myotubes and PKC-λ in 3T3/L1 adipocytes, that nevertheless can function interchangeably for glucose transport. Accordingly, in L6 myotubes, RNAi-targeting PKC-ζ, but not PKC-λ, markedly depleted aPKC and concomitantly inhibited insulin-stimulated glucose transport; more importantly, these depleting/inhibitory effects were rescued by adenovirally mediated expression of PKC-λ. Conversely, in 3T3/L1 adipocytes, RNAi constructs targeting PKC-λ, but not PKC-ζ, markedly depleted aPKC and concomitantly inhibited insulin-stimulated glucose transport; here again, these depleting/inhibitory effects were rescued by adenovirally mediated expression of PKC-ζ. These findings in knockdown and, more convincingly, rescue studies, strongly support the hypothesis that aPKCs are required for insulin-stimulated glucose transport in myocytes and adipocytes.
Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method for determining the methanol and acetic acid contents of pectin using headspace solid-phase microextraction and stable isotope dilution

A simple, fast, and direct procedure was developed for the simultaneous determination of the methanol and acetic acid present as esters in the plant cell wall polysaccharide pectin. After base-hydrolysis of esters and acidification of pectin samples, headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was performed using a Carboxen-PDMS fiber assembly. Methanol and acetic acid were separated by gas chromatography with a Chrompak PoraPlot Q capillary column and detected using electron impact mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring. Stable deuterated isotopomers (d3-methanol and d3-acetic acid) were used as internal standards and for constructing calibration curves, providing accurate and absolute quantification of analytes. The methanol and acetic acid contents in 1 mg quantities of fruit and vegetable pectins were readily quantified by this procedure.
Cues intrinsic to the spinal cord determine the pattern and timing of primary afferent growth.

Abstract We have used organotypic cultures of embryonic rat spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) to study the development of central projections of primary sensory afferent axons that express calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). In vivo, small- and medium-diameter CGRP-positive primary afferents terminate in laminae I, II, and V of the spinal cord and do not enter the ventral horn. A similar pattern of CGRP-positive axonal projections was observed in spinal cord slices of Day 16 embryos (E16) maintained in culture for 6 days. Both intact and dissociated DRG neurons showed the same pattern of central arborization, indicating that complex intercellular interactions between DRG neurons are not required for laminar specific targeting. Furthermore, targeting to the dorsal horn and avoidance of the ventral horn was observed in isolated dorsal and ventral hemicords, suggesting that separate mechanisms mediate the avoidance of CGRP-positive axons from the ventral horn and the elaboration of the afferent arbors within the dorsal horn. CGRP-positive afferents can grow into the dorsal horn only during a brief time window. Cultures of age-matched (isochronic) DRG and spinal cord from E14, E16, and E18 animals showed the characteristic pattern of CGRP-positive axon arborization, while cultures from E20 and neonatal animals did not. Heterochronic cultures indicate that it is the age of the spinal cord, and not the age of the DRG, that determines the ability of the CGRP-positive afferents to arborize within the dorsal horn. Together these results demonstrate that cues intrinsic to the spinal cord can direct sensory projections to appropriate locations in the spinal cord.
Some inadequacies of finite element models as simulators of two-dimensional circulation.

Abstract Although a number of papers have appeared which proclaim success in using finite element models to simulate two-dimensional surface flow, the models used typically rely on excessive numerical damping for their applications. The origin of this damping is demonstrated in the current paper and difficulties one might encounter in applying these models are discussed.
The open-negative tuberculous patient.

SUMMARY Evidence indicates that the open-negative tuberculous patient usually can be treated medically with prolonged administration of isoniazid, and without resection. Clinical results have been excellent and the relapse rate is amazingly low (only one patient in this group of 60 patients).
Antilymphoid antibody preconditioning and tacrolimus monotherapy for pediatric kidney transplantation.

Objective Heavy post-transplant immunosuppression may contribute to long-term immunosuppression dependence by subverting tolerogenic mechanisms; thus, we sought to determine if this undesirable consequence could be mitigated by pretransplant lymphoid depletion and minimalistic post-transplant monotherapy. Study design Lymphoid depletion in 17 unselected pediatric recipients of live (n = 14) or deceased donor kidneys (n = 3) was accomplished with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) (n = 8) or alemtuzumab (n = 9). Tacrolimus was begun post-transplantation with subsequent lengthening of intervals between doses (spaced weaning). Maintenance immunosuppression, morbidity, graft function, and patient/graft survival were collated. Results Steroids were added temporarily to treat rejection in two patients (both ATG subgroup) or to treat hemolytic anemia in two others. After 16 to 31 months (mean 22), patient and graft survival was 100% and 94%, respectively. The only graft loss was in a nonweaned noncompliant recipient. In the other 16, serum creatinine was 0.85 ± 0.35 mg/dL and creatinine clearance was 90.8 ± 22.1 mL/1.73 m2. All 16 patients are on monotherapy (15 tacrolimus, one sirolimus), and 14 receive every other day or 3 times per week doses. There were no wound or other infections. Two patients developed insulin-dependent diabetes. Conclusion The strategy of lymphoid depletion and minimum post-transplant immunosuppression appears safe and effective for pediatric kidney recipients.
Volumetric properties of gas mixtures at low temperatures and high pressures by the Burnett method: The hydrogen‐methane system

A Burnett type of apparatus for the study of the volumetric behavior of gases at low temperatures and high pressures was constructed. The apparatus was used to study the volumetric behavior of methane and four mixtures of hydrogen and methane from +50° to −200°F. and pressures as high as 7,000 lb./sq. in. The experimental data were used to obtain the second virial coefficients for pure methane and for the mixtures. The results of approximately 600 experimental points were used to obtain a table of compressibility factors for methane and the mixtures at even increments of pressure and temperture.
Regulatory science needs for neonates: a call for neonatal community collaboration and innovation.

Neonates have long been a vulnerable population to unstudied therapies, starting as early as the late nineteenth century with Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup, a purported remedy for teething that contained alcohol and morphine sulfate, causing numerous infant deaths (1). In 1959, Gray baby syndrome was first reported in infants receiving large doses of chloramphenicol as a broad spectrum antibacterial agent (2), and in 1983, Mulhall et al. (3) noted the altered pharmacokinetics (PK) of chloramphenicol in neonates and young infants resulting in elevated serum levels and some toxic effects.