cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Competition between model protocells driven by an encapsulated catalyst

The advent of Darwinian evolution required the emergence of molecular mechanisms for the heritable variation of fitness. One model for such a system involves competing protocell populations, each consisting of a replicating genetic polymer within a replicating vesicle. In this model, each genetic polymer imparts a selective advantage to its protocell by, for example, coding for a catalyst that generates a useful metabolite. Here, we report a partial model of such nascent evolutionary traits in a system that consists of fatty-acid vesicles containing a dipeptide catalyst, which catalyses the formation of a second dipeptide. The newly formed dipeptide binds to vesicle membranes, which imparts enhanced affinity for fatty acids and thus promotes vesicle growth. The catalysed dipeptide synthesis proceeds with higher efficiency in vesicles than in free solution, which further enhances fitness. Our observations suggest that, in a replicating protocell with an RNA genome, ribozyme-catalysed peptide synthesis might have been sufficient to initiate Darwinian evolution.
Intranasal corticosteroids reduce ocular symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis

Objective Clinical data and recent guidelines support the positive effects of intranasal corticosteroids on allergic rhinitis-associated ocular symptoms. This article reviews the epidemiology and pathophysiology of ocular allergy symptoms and efficacy, tolerability, and potential mechanisms of action of intranasal corticosteroids in the treatment of this condition. Data Sources MEDLINE database. Review Methods A search of pertinent literature identified in vitro, preclinical, and clinical data that involve intranasal corticosteroids in ocular-related studies. Searches that used epidemiology, pathophysiology, drug class and specific agents, and other appropriate search terms were conducted. Results Ocular symptoms, common in patients with allergic rhinitis, are associated with reduced quality of life and substantial economic costs. In the conjunctival epithelium, an early, type-1 hypersensitivity reaction occurs after direct allergen exposure. Progression to late-phase response, with recurrence of symptoms and infiltration of inflammatory cells, may occur 4 to 8 hours later and appears to be dose-related. Alteration of nasal ocular reflex pathways may also contribute to ocular symptoms in allergic rhinitis. Clinical data indicate that intranasal corticosteroids significantly reduce total and individual ocular symptoms in subjects with allergic rhinitis. Meta-analyses have found that oral/topical antihistamines are not superior to intranasal corticosteroids in reducing ocular allergy symptoms. Ocular adverse events from intranasal corticosteroids are rare. Conclusion Intranasal corticosteroids are effective and well-tolerated in the treatment of ocular symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis. Additional studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of intranasal corticosteroids on ocular symptoms.
Attitudes of Educated Young Adults Toward Child Rearing.

Investigations related to attitudes about child rearing go back at least as far as Wickman (1928) who found that teachers and mental hygienists differed greatly in their appraisal of certain items of "misconduct" in children. In later years, the Wickman findings were somewhat discredited, as a general reading of the literature in educational psychology will indicate. However, a later investigator (Thompson, 1940) obtained similar results. He found reactions of parents resembled those of teachers more than those of psychologists. Hunter (1957), using Wickman's list, studied teachers of the middle 1950s. He found that most of the 10 problems felt to be the most serious previously were still so rated. The Q-sort has been used to show distributions of certain attitudinal or judgmental variables (Nunnally, 1967; Kornreich, et al.'). Hess and Hink (1959) compared two kinds of Q-sorts, finding no significant difference between forced and free choice. Medinnus (1961) found Q-sort agreement between fathers and mothers to be greater for "real" than for "ideal" behavior.
A global review of rabies vaccines for human use

Rabies is one of the oldest known diseases of mankind, yet it has been only slightly more than 100 years since Pasteur developed the first vaccine for post-exposure treatment. Since this first crude nerve tissue vaccine, numerous other rabies vaccines for human use have been developed and used with varying degrees of effectiveness and safety. When used appropriately, new cell culture vaccines provide nearly 100% protection with a high degree of safety: yet over 40,000 people world-wide die from rabies each year. Several pre- and post-exposure controlled vaccine trials and clinical studies have shown that the purified chick embryo cell (PCEC) vaccine, Rabipur, is as safe and effective as the rabies human diploid cell vaccine (HDCV), which is currently considered the gold standard. Additionally, PCEC vaccine does not result in immune-mediated hypersensitivity reactions following booster doses seen in about 6% of those receiving HDCV boosters following an initial series of HDCV.
ON THE EFFECTS OF DOMESTICATION ON CANINE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR

Abstract Social development and behavior are compared for 4 Eastern timber wolves (C. lupus lycaon) and 4 Alaskan Malamutes (C. familiaris). The two groups were born a year apart, but all were fostered at approximately 10 days of age on the same lactating female wolf, reared jointly by the authors and the foster mother, housed in the same facility, and subjected to the same regimen of maintenance and social contact with adult members of the animal colony. It is suggested that many of the observed group differences can be attributed to selection in domestic dogs for prolongation of juvenile behavior and morphological characteristics. Discussion then focuses on the evolution and ontogeny of ritualized aggression in wolves and the effects of domestication on agonistic behavior in domestic dogs. It is suggested that the disintegration of ritualized aggression in dogs is, in part, a consequence of neotenization. Also implicated in the breakdown of this behavioral system is human provision of food, which relaxes (1) the behavioral consequences of injuries sustained in fighting and (2) the selective advantage enjoyed by group-hunting species who have evolved social systems of population regulation.
Acute rheumatic myocarditis at age 84.

This patient is of interest for three reasons: (1) acute rheumatic myocarditis occurred at the age of 84 years—the oldest age in which such an event has been recorded, (2) the interval between the final and the previous acute rheumatic episode was 70 years—the longest such interval reported, and (3) Aschoff nodules were present in skeletal muscles also, a finding not adequately documented and studied so far.
Effect of micronutrients, phosphorous and chelator to iron ratio on growth, chlorosis and nutrition of apple seedlings

Abstract Apple (Malus domestica) seedlings were exposed to a 2x2x2 factorial arrangement of treatments; phosphate level, micronutrient (Mn, Cu, Zn, Mo and B) level and chelator to Fe ratio level, in solution cultures to assess the effects on growth, development of Fe chlorosis and overall nutrition. Phosphorous was applied at 20 (low) or 400 (high) uM levels, micronutrients at low or high levels and either a 1 to 1 or 10 to 1 ratio of chelator to Fe concentration. After a growth period of 34 days, those seedlings grown under conditions of high chelator to Fe ratio, independent of P or micronutrient level were normal. Under conditions of low chelator to Fe ratio, independent of P level, the high micronutrient level caused chlorosis. Leaf Fe was inversely proportional to the severity of chlorosis. Chlorosis was absent when apple seedling leaf Fe was above 30 ug/g (dry wt. basis). The transport of root Fe to the tops was apparently facilitated when the chelator to Fe ratio was high. Under low chelator to Fe ...
DNA and protein footprinting analysis of the modulation of DNA binding by the N-terminal domain of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae TATA binding protein.

Recombinant full-length Saccharomyces cerevisiae TATA binding protein (TBP) and its isolated C-terminal conserved core domain (TBPc) were prepared with measured high specific DNA-binding activities. Direct, quantitative comparison of TATA box binding by TBP and TBPc reveals greater affinity by TBPc for either of two high-affinity sequences at several different experimental conditions. TBPc associates more rapidly than TBP to TATA box bearing DNA and dissociates more slowly. The structural origins of the thermodynamic and kinetic effects of the N-terminal domain on DNA binding by TBP were explored in comparative studies of TBPc and TBP by “protein footprinting” with hydroxyl radical (·OH) side chain oxidation. Some residues within TBPc and the C-terminal domain of TBP are comparably protected by DNA, consistent with solvent accessibility changes calculated from core domain crystal structures. In contrast, the reactivity of some residues located on the top surface and the DNA-binding saddle of the C-termina...
Africa and the biology of human immunodeficiency virus.

The routine study of biologic variables used for monitoring the "competence" of the immune system has expanded in recent years, partially due to the expansion and monitoring of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Many hospital and commercial laboratories now commonly provide T-lymphocyte subset analyses, and the placement of intradermal antigens for delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) testing is no longer reserved for a panel of control antigens in tuberculin skin testing or for the rare preoperative immune evaluation. Even prior to this expansion, studies in cohorts of gay men 1,2 and intravenous drug abusers, 3,4 two high-risk groups for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, have shown that certain immunologic alterations may be present in these individuals without prior exposure to HIV. It has been proposed that these alterations may be due to previous or repeated exposures to other infectious agents and may influence the infectivity or the pathogenic potential of HIV
Off-pump surgery for anterior vessels in patients with severe dysfunction of the left ventricle.

Abstract Background . Coronary artery revascularization in patients with severe dysfunction of the left ventricle remains a high-risk procedure due its high mortality and morbidity. Off-pump operation seems to be particularly attractive for this patient group. We report our experience with off-pump coronary revascularization in patients with severe dysfunction of the left ventricle. Methods . Between June 1997 and December 1999, 31 patients with left ventricle ejection fraction less than or equal 30% (mean left ventricle ejection fraction 24 ± 12%, range from 12% to 30%) underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. There were 29 men (93.5%) and 2 women (6.5%). The Patients' ages ranged from 55 to 77 years (61 ± 10 years). Results . Mean number of grafts was 2 ± 0.7 (range from 1 to 3). The internal mammary artery was used in 28 patients (90.3%). The hospital survival rate was 93.5%, in the 6-month follow-up the survival was 90%. Conclusions . Off-pump coronary revascularization seems to be an alternative concept for the treatment of patients with severe dysfunction of the left ventricle.
Severe Intimate Partner Violence and Alcohol Use among Female Trauma Patients

BACKGROUND:: The lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among women in the United States is reported to be between 18 and 50%. One-third of female homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner and alcohol is often involved. Despite these figures, 77% of women have never been screened for IPV. Substance abuse in male partners is known to place women at risk. We examined the role of female alcohol use on rates of severe IPV. Our hypotheses were: (1) the prevalence of IPV among women seen in trauma centers is greater than that found in national surveys; (2) alcohol problems among abused women and their partners are greater than those among non-abused women; (3) females and their partners alcohol problems are each independently associated with IPV; and (4) female trauma center patients support domestic violence screening. METHODS:: An in-person survey was administered to 95 consecutive adult female trauma patients admitted to a Level I Trauma Center. The survey included questions about past-year and lifetime severe IPV, female and male partner alcohol use, and willingness to participate in IPV screening and referral. The multivariate associations of female and partner alcohol use with past-year severe IPV were assessed with logistic regression. RESULTS:: Nearly one-half (46.3%) of women reported a lifetime history of severe IPV, with 26% experiencing severe IPV in the past year. Past-year IPV was identified in 59.1% of women screening positive for drinking problems, but in only 12.7% of those screening negative for drinking problems (p = 0.001). Similarly, past-year IPV prevalence was 55.2% when the partner was a problem drinker versus 8.3% when he was not (p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that female problem drinking (odds ratio [OR] = 5.8) and partner problem drinking (OR=8.9) were independent predictors of past-year severe IPV. The majority of women (90.5%) felt that it was appropriate for health care professionals to screen for IPV; 90% of women with a history of IPV thought screening was important and 71% wished a previous healthcare provider had asked them about it. CONCLUSIONS:: Female trauma patients demonstrate a higher prevalence of severe IPV than the general population. IPV rates appear to be related to both female and partner alcohol misuse. Female trauma patients endorsed IPV screening and thus should be screened for alcohol use and IPV in a way that minimizes future violence risk. Further research is needed to elucidate whether intervention for alcohol misuse has an impact on rates of IPV in this population.
Ion channel and striational antibodies define a continuum of autoimmune neuromuscular hyperexcitability.

Neuromuscular hyperexcitability is a characteristic of Isaacs' syndrome. Autoantibodies specific for voltage-gated potassium channels (VGKC) or ganglionic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR) are markers of this disorder. To determine the frequency of these ion channel antibodies and of related neuron- and muscle-specific antibodies in patients with acquired neuromuscular hyperexcitability, we tested serum specimens from 77 affected patients (35 neuromyotonia, 32 cramp-fasciculation syndrome, 5 rippling muscle syndrome, and 5 focal neuromuscular hyperexcitability) and 85 control subjects. Among study patients, 14% had coexisting myasthenia gravis, and 16% had an associated neoplasm. We found that 35% had VGKC antibodies, 12% ganglionic AChR antibodies, 16% muscle AChR antibodies, and 10% striational antibodies. Overall, 55% had serological evidence of neurological autoimmunity compared to 2% of control subjects. Patients with neuromyotonia were more frequently seropositive (71%) than patients with cramp-fasciculation syndrome (31%). We conclude that acquired neuromuscular hyperexcitability consists of a continuum of clinical disorders with a common autoimmune pathogenesis.
Mice lacking the B1 subunit of H+ -ATPase have normal hearing.

Abstract Acid–base homeostasis of endolymph is thought to be essential for normal inner ear function. This assumption was supported by clinical data from individuals affected by autosomal recessive distal renal tubular acidosis with sensorineural hearing loss. This recessive syndrome was recently demonstrated to be due to mutations in the gene encoding the B1 subunit of H+-ATPase (ATP6B1). To examine the potential roles of H+-ATPase B1 subunit in inner ear development and function, we defined its spatial and temporal expression patterns in the developing mouse inner ear and examined the morphologic and physiologic effects of loss of its function. Standard in situ hybridization was used for the expression study with routine morphologic and physiologic assessments of hearing and balance in H+-ATPase B1 subunit (Atp6b1) null mutant mice. Atp6b1 mRNA was first detected at embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5) in the endolymphatic duct epithelia. From E16.5 onward, Atp6b1 was also observed in the presumptive interdental cell layer of the spiral limbus in the cochlea. Auditory brainstem response tests revealed normal hearing in mice lacking Atp6b1. The inner ears of these mice develop normally and show no overt morphological abnormalities. Our data demonstrate that Atp6b1 is not critical for normal inner ear development or normal inner ear function in mice and suggest that other proton-transporting mechanisms or pH buffering systems must allow the mouse inner ear to compensate for lack of normal Atp6b1 activity.
The contribution of cell cycle regulation to endosperm development

Development of the seed endosperm involves several different types of coordinated cell cycle programs: acytokinetic mitosis, which produces a syncytium soon after fertilization; cellularization through the formation of modified phragmoplasts; cell proliferation, in which mitosis is coupled to cell division; and, in certain species like cereal crops, endoreduplication. Understanding the regulation of these programs and their transitions is challenging, but it has the potential to define important links between the cell cycle, cell differentiation and development, as well as provide tools for the manipulation of seed yield. A relatively large number of mutants display endosperm proliferation defects, and connections with known cell cycle genes are beginning to emerge. For example, it is becoming increasingly evident that the master cell cycle regulators, the cyclin-dependent kinases and retinoblastoma-related families, play key roles in the events leading to endosperm formation and development. Recent studies highlight cross-talk between pathways controlling the cell cycle and genomic imprinting.
Risk and Resilience: Adaptations in Changing Times ‐ Edited by Ingrid Schoon

Risk and Resilience: Adaptations in Changing Times. Ingrid Schoon. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2006. 242 pp. ISBN 0-521-83374-4. $90.00 (hardback) In her new book, Ingrid Schoon sheds new insights into a topic long of interest to developmentalists, the link between risk, resilience, and long-term outcomes. The analyses in the book involve two long-term British studies, the 1958 National Child Development Study and the 1970 British Cohort Study. These data are especially valuable in that they provide the opportunity to link childhood circumstances to a range of adulthood outcomes observed decades later. The use of the two cohorts represents a major strength of the work. The first cohort experienced economic downturn after it had entered the labor market and worked for some time. In contrast, the younger cohort entered the labor market at the height of the economic recession. The impact on this cohort's accomplishment and broader outcomes, such as family formation, has been enduring. The book has other strengths. It nicely integrates person-centered empirical trajectories with case studies. A particular strength of the book is the first third, which offers an excellent overview of the large literature on risk and resilience. The author's review highlights fairly nuanced distinctions among relevant constructs, such as different types of protective factors (e.g., "general protective" vs. "protective stabilizing"). The book represents the best of developmental science but also illustrates its problems. In general, the discussion of conceptual issues and theories is far more nuanced than the empirical work. Certain constructs have been refined well past the point where we can differentiate them empirically (e.g., multifinality) given the set of tools currently in use by applied researchers. Some key developmental axioms are not really incorporated at all, such as the transactional nature of the human relationships. That parents might read more to children who are more interested in and more skilled at reading is not really reflected in the empirical analyses. It is striking how often the conceptual discussion uses terms like "reciprocal" or "dyadic" but how little the empirical work captures the full richness of that discussion. Such human agency is essential to key features of the conceptual framework for the analysis, the life course perspective. The explanation for this disjuncture is that the analysis largely relies on linear regression or extensions (such as interaction terms). One can link a nearly innumerable number of factors to successful child outcomes using common sense or existing research. …
Atomic layer-by-layer deposition of platinum on palladium octahedra for enhanced catalysts toward the oxygen reduction reaction.

We systematically evaluated two different approaches to the syntheses of Pd@PtnL (n = 2–5) core–shell octahedra. We initially prepared the core–shell octahedra using a polyol-based route by titrating a Pt(IV) precursor into the growth solution containing Pd octahedral seeds at 200 °C through the use of a syringe pump. The number of Pt atomic layers could be precisely controlled from two to five by increasing the volume of the precursor solution while fixing the amount of seeds. We then demonstrated the synthesis of Pd@PtnL octahedra using a water-based route at 95 °C through the one-shot injection of a Pt(II) precursor. Due to the large difference in reaction temperature, the Pd@PtnL octahedra obtained via the water-based route showed sharper corners than their counterparts obtained through the polyol-based route. When compared to a commercial Pt/C catalyst based upon 3.2 nm Pt particles, the Pd@PtnL octahedra prepared using both methods showed similar remarkable enhancement in terms of activity (both spe...
Opsonins: Their function, identity, and clinical significance

The phagocytic process is composed of four interrelated phases: chemotaxis,opsonization, ingestion, and digestion. The function of opsonins is to react with bacteria and make them more susceptible to ingestion by phagocytes. Opsonization of bacteria may occur by three different mechanisms. First, specific antibody alone may act as an opsonin. Specific antibody may also act as an opsonin in concert with complement, by activating C3 via the classic pathway of C1, C4, and C2. Finally, there is a nonspecific mechanism of opsonization present in nonimmune animals called the heat-labile opsonin system. In the heat-labile opsonin system, 7S immunoglobulin from nonimmune animals activates C3 via an alternate pathway distinct from C1, C4, and C2. These different mechanisms may operate concurrently in vivo, but one mechanism may be favored over another depending on the type of organism, the stage of the infection, and the presence or absence of specific antibody. There are a number of different clinical situations in which an increased susceptibility to infection is associated with decreased serum opsonizing activity. These situations serve to illustrate the important role opsonins play in the host's resistance to infection.
Physiologic upper limit of pore size in the blood-tumor barrier of malignant solid tumors

Background: The existence of large pores in the blood-tumor barrier (BTB) of malignant solid tumor microvasculature makes the blood-tumor barrier more permeable to macromolecules than the endothelial barrier of most normal tissue microvasculature. The BTB of malignant solid tumors growing outside the brain, in peripheral tissues, is more permeable than that of similar tumors growing inside the brain. This has been previously attributed to the larger anatomic sizes of the pores within the BTB of peripheral tumors. Since in the physiological state in vivo a fibrous glycocalyx layer coats the pores of the BTB, it is possible that the effective physiologic pore size in the BTB of brain tumors and peripheral tumors is similar. If this were the case, then the higher permeability of the BTB of peripheral tumor would be attributable to the presence of a greater number of pores in the BTB of peripheral tumors. In this study, we probed in vivo the upper limit of pore size in the BTB of rodent malignant gliomas grown inside the brain, the orthotopic site, as well as outside the brain in temporalis skeletal muscle, the ectopic site. Methods: Generation 5 (G5) through generation 8 (G8) polyamidoamine dendrimers were labeled with gadolinium (Gd)-diethyltriaminepentaacetic acid, an anionic MRI contrast agent. The respective Gd-dendrimer generations were visualized in vitro by scanning transmission electron microscopy. Following intravenous infusion of the respective Gd-dendrimer generations (Gd-G5, N = 6; Gd-G6, N = 6; Gd-G7, N = 5; Gd-G8, N = 5) the blood and tumor tissue pharmacokinetics of the Gd-dendrimer generations were visualized in vivo over 600 to 700 minutes by dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. One additional animal was imaged in each Gd-dendrimer generation group for 175 minutes under continuous anesthesia for the creation of voxel-by-voxel Gd concentration maps.
Microfluorometric size measurements of human and phage DNA correlate with the degree of in vitro cisplatin treatment

The anticancer drug cisplatin is shown to inhibit the proofreading activity of the enzyme T4 polymerase. A microfluorometric assay that can measure the relative sizes of cisplatin treated human and phage DNA, after exposure to T4 polymerase, is described. Using phage DNA size standards, it is shown that the mean integrated fluorescent density (IFD) of fluorophore labeled DNA is linearly correlated with molecular size. Exonuclease digestion by T4 polymerase of cisplatin treated lambda DNA gave fragment sizes whose mean IFD was proportional to the degree of platination. This method of size measurement was then applied to DNA from human carcinoma cells that had been cultured untreated, cisplatin and/or 5-fluorouracil treated. Platination resulted in exonuclease digestion fragments whose mean IFD value was significantly larger than controls (p less than 0.0006). This technique of relative size measurement appears potentially promising for the clinical analysis of altered DNA in cell populations after treatment with cytotoxic agents.
Recent Trends in Maximum and Minimum Temperature Threshold Exceedences in the Northeastern United States

Abstract Changes in the annual number of daily maximum and minimum temperature threshold exceedences between 1951 and 1993 are assessed at a network of 22 primarily rural sites in the northeastern United States. After adjusting the annual time series for changes in observation time and eliminating stations at which nonhomogeneous time series were detected, annual time series of the number of days with maximum temperatures ≤35.0°, 32.2° and 29.4° (95°, 90°, and 85°F); maximum temperatures ≤0.0° −6.7°, and −12.2°C (32°, 20°, and 10°F); minimum temperatures ≥23.8°, 21.1°, and 18.3°C (75°, 70°, and 65°F); and minimum temperatures >−12.2°, −15.0°, and −17.8°C (10°, 5°, and 0°F) are statistically analysed. Overall, a statistically significant trend toward fewer cold minimum temperature threshold execeedences is detected across the region over the period from 1959 to 1993. All stations show a decreasing trend in days with minimum temperatures ≥−15.0°C over this time period, with significant (α = 0.10) trends pre...
How to learn new and interesting things from model systems based on "exotic" biological species.

The famous quip of Monod that “… anything found to be true of E[scherichia] coli must also be true of elephants” reflects the widely held belief that the attention and resources of researchers are most effectively focused on a few wisely chosen “model systems” (1). Considerations such as short generation times, facility of genetic manipulation, and the economics of husbandry have strongly influenced these choices. The first half of the 20th century, dominated by studies of physiology and biochemistry, saw a relative diversity of model systems. In the modern era, the limitations imposed by the availability of precious molecular resources such as antibodies or gene clones (and until very recently, of whole genome sequences) have keenly sharpened the emphasis on a few “mainstream” model systems. For mammals, in addition to the obvious emphasis on human studies, the mouse has emerged as the premier model.
NEAR-CRITICAL NACL-H[SUB]2 O: AN EQUATION OF STATE AND DISCUSSION OF ANOMALOUS PROPERTIES

The system NaCl-H2O near the critical point of pure water shows not only the remarkable properties of any two-component system near the critical point of one component but also an anomalous curvature of the T-x and P-x projections of the critical line in the range below mole fraction 0.0005. An equation of state is presented which is based on the Haar-Gallagher-Kell equation for pure water with a few terms involving the mole fraction of NaCl together with the temperature and density. Parameters in this equation were selected which yield a good representation of the entire vapor-liquid coexistence surface from 250 to 600°C and from the three-phase pressure to the critical pressure (or to the vapor pressure of pure water below its T c). Derivatives of this equation yield densities, enthalpies, and heat capacities which are compared with experimental data. Also, the properties calculated for the vapor near the three-phase line are compared with those predicted by the successive hydration model previously developed for NaCl in steam in equilibrium with solid NaCl. Other related topics are discussed, including the anomalous features noted above.
Landing Limb Posture in Volleyball Athletes with Patellar Tendinopathy: A Pilot Study

The aims of this pilot study were to investigate how a novel sagittal plane kinematic measurement – the lower extremity contact angle (LECA) – relates to the landing dynamics of elite male volleyball athletes with and without patellar tendinopathy. The LECA was defined as the angle between the ground and the line connecting the center of pressure to the L5S1 marker. 18 athletes (9 with patellar tendinopathy and 9 with asymptomatic tendons) completed simulated spike jumps while instrumented for kinetic and kinematic analysis using a force platform and 3D motion analysis system. The patellar tendinopathic group demonstrated a significantly more acute LECA compared to the asymptomatic group (65.3°±2.2° vs. 69.1°±4.5°) and was the only kinematic or kinetic variable measured to discriminate between the 2 groups. The LECA further demonstrated less variability between trials than sagittal plane hip, knee, and ankle kinematics. Additionally, the LECA’s – and not individual joints’ – high correlation with the braking impulse ensures its predictive value for landing dynamics (r=− 0.890). The LECA has the potential to be a valuable tool to help assess jumping athletes in both injury prevention screening and as a variable that, if modified, could help alter the maladaptive behavior observed in symptomatic athletes.
Supporting General Educators' Inclusive Practices:

The article describes a project funded by a state grant and implemented at Southeastern Louisiana University. Project Inclusion provided financial support for general educators willing to participa...
Duplicate publications in the otolaryngology literature.

Objective/Hypothesis: A duplicate publication duplicates other published work by the same author(s). The purpose of the study was to define the extent of this problem within the otolaryngology literature. Study Design: Retrospective review of the literature. Methods: Original articles published in Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Laryngoscope in 1999 were reviewed using the OVID search engine. Titles and abstracts from English articles written by the same first, second, or last author were analyzed, and suspected publications were evaluated. Duplicate publications were classified as dual (identical data set and conclusions) or suspected dual (nearly identical data set and conclusions) publications. Results: Of the 492 articles evaluated, 40 index articles were identified. These led to a total of 42 (8.5%) duplicate articles of which 27 were classified as dual and 15 as suspected dual publications. Approximately half of the duplicate publications were published by authors in the United States (55%). Duplicate articles usually appeared within 12 months of the each other (74%) and failed to cross-reference the earlier publication (83%). Conclusions: Journal editors have become aware of an increase in the number of duplicate publications in the medical literature. The incidence of duplicate publications in the otolaryngology literature appears to be similar to that in other specialties.
Quality assessment of confocal microscopy slide-based systems: instability.

Background: All slide-based fluorescence cytometry detections systems basically include an excitation light source, intermediate optics, and a detection device (CCD or PMT). Occasionally, this equipment becomes unstable, generating unreliable and inferior data. Methods: A number of tests have been devised to evaluate equipment performance and instability. The following four instability tests are described: galvanometer scanning, stage drift, correct wavelength spectral detection, and long-term laser power. Results: Quality assurance tests revealed that a confocal microscope can become unstable in the following parameters, yielding inaccurate data: laser power, PMTs functionality, spectrophotometer accuracy, galvanometer scanning and laser stability, and stage drift. Long-term laser power stability has been observed to vary greatly. Conclusions: Confocal systems can become unstable in the following parameters: long-term laser power, galvanometer scanning, spectrophotometer accuracy, and stage stability. Instability in any of these parameters will affect image quality. Laser power fluctuations result from either a defective Acousto-optic tunable filter or improper heat dissipation. Spectrophotometer instability will generate unreliable spectra data, extra light reflections, and poor image quality. Galvanometer scanning instability yields poor image quality while microscope stage drift results in a sample going out of the plane of focus. With minor modifications, these tests may be applicable to other slide-based systems. © 2006 International Society for Analytical Cytology
Right Outta’ Nowhere: Jean-Luc Nancy, phenomenon and event ex nihilo

This essay proposes to read Jean-Luc Nancy’s references to creation ex nihilo as both an intervention in the French debate concerning eventness, and as a transformative rethinking of the status of phenomenality. Nancy’s position is roughly triangulated relative to key remarks from other thinkers and, above all, its distinctive components (temporality, negativity, spatiality) are elucidated through historical glosses. Articulating the overall architecture of this theory serves to illustrate the Heideggerian access to the event debate. It also deepens aspects only elliptically alluded to in Nancy’s own writing.
STIMULATION OF Bacillus cerus GROWTH BY PROTEIN IN COOKED RICE COMBINATIONS

The addition to cooked rice of beef, chicken or egg proteins or Casamino acids (with B-complex vitamins) resulted in stimulation of growth of B. cereus strain 158/73 at 23 and 43°C. A critical level of 105 cells per g of food was reached by 7–20 hr at 23°C and 3–9 hr at 43°C. The same trend was observed with two other strains. Cooking the rice in water naturally high in minerals or the addition of B-complex distilled water. Addition of starch or glucose to Brain Heart Infusion broth had little effect on growth of three strains of B. cereus under still or shaken conditions.
The Use of Formative Evaluation to Assess Integrated Services for Children: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Child Health Initiative

This article describes the use of formative evaluation in assessing the feasibility of implementing a new service integration effort. The Child Health Initiative, a nine-site, national demonstration project funded in 1991 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sought to implement systemic change through the creation of new mechanisms for spending service dollars more flexibly at the local site. The Child Health Initiative called for developing local child health-monitoring systems, a care coordination mechanism, and a program for decategorizing the myriad of restrictive categorical public programs serving children. Most demonstration communities experienced some degree of success in achieving the first two components, but none was able to implement decategorization during the 3- to 5-year funding period. Key lessons for evaluators include the need for (a) a flexible evaluation design that can sequentially adapt to changes in program implementation, (b) repeated longitudinal data collection measures to document changes over time, (c) avoidance of a premature focus on program outcomes, and (d) methods to establish attribution of outcomes.
Identification and characterization of the protein antigens of Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo.

Abstract We radiolabeled Leptospira proteins with [35S]methionine. Solubilized extracts of radiolabeled L. interrogans serovar hardjo strain hardjoprajitno were analyzed by one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography. We compared the protein profile obtained in this manner to the protein profiles of various [35S]methionine-labeled Leptospira spp. The profiles of the pathogenic L. interrogans strains were very similar but not identical and exhibited no obvious relationship to those of the two nonpathogenic species. We used solubilized, radiolabeled hardjoprajitno extracts and a sensitive radioimmunoprecipitation procedure to identify protein antigens recognized by immunoglobulin G antibodies present in various rabbit anti-hardjo sera. Homologous hyperimmune rabbit serum efficiently precipitated a large subset of proteins, the majority of which were between 30,000 and 66,500 daltons. Radioimmunoprecipitations with sera prepared against each of four recent hardjo isolates cultured from infected cattle produced similar results. Immunoprecipitations done with various radiolabeled Leptospira extracts and anti-hardjoprajitno serum demonstrated that the pathogenic leptospires possessed a number of cross-reactive major and minor protein antigens. By cell fractionation procedures, we found that most of the major protein antigens were present in the outer envelope. These proteins were exposed on the leptospiral cell surface because intact radiolabeled leptospires bound antibodies directed against them.
Human Parainfluenza Virus Type 1 C Proteins Are Nonessential Proteins That Inhibit the Host Interferon and Apoptotic Responses and Are Required for Efficient Replication in Nonhuman Primates

Recombinant human parainfluenza virus type 1 (rHPIV1) was modified to create rHPIV1-P(C−), a virus in which expression of the C proteins (C′, C, Y1, and Y2) was silenced without affecting the amino acid sequence of the P protein. Infectious rHPIV1-P(C−) was readily recovered from cDNA, indicating that the four C proteins were not essential for virus replication. Early during infection in vitro, rHPIV1-P(C−) replicated as efficiently as wild-type (wt) HPIV1, but its titer subsequently decreased coincident with the onset of an extensive cytopathic effect not observed with wt rHPIV1. rHPIV1-P(C−) infection, but not wt rHPIV1 infection, induced caspase 3 activation and nuclear fragmentation in LLC-MK2 cells, identifying the HPIV1 C proteins as inhibitors of apoptosis. In contrast to wt rHPIV1, rHPIV1-P(C−) and rHPIV1-CF170S, a mutant encoding an F170S substitution in C, induced interferon (IFN) and did not inhibit IFN signaling in vitro. However, only rHPIV1-P(C−) induced apoptosis. Thus, the anti-IFN and antiapoptosis activities of HPIV1 were separable: both activities are disabled in rHPIV1-P(C−), whereas only the anti-IFN activity is disabled in rHPIV1-CF170S. In African green monkeys (AGMs), rHPIV1-P(C−) was considerably more attenuated than rHPIV1-CF170S, suggesting that disabling the anti-IFN and antiapoptotic activities of HPIV1 had additive effects on attenuation in vivo. Although rHPIV1-P(C−) protected against challenge with wt HPIV1, its highly restricted replication in AGMs and in primary human airway epithelial cell cultures suggests that it might be overattenuated for use as a vaccine. Thus, the C proteins of HPIV1 are nonessential but have anti-IFN and antiapoptosis activities required for virulence in primates.
Recruiting African American Men for Cancer Screening Studies: Applying a Culturally Based Model

In a study of psychosocial factors related to prostate cancer screening (PCS) of African American men, researchers achieved significant success in recruitment. Key strategies included addressing specific barriers to PCS for African American men and placing recruitment efforts in a conceptual framework that addressed cultural issues (PEN-3 model). To conduct cancer prevention research in the African American community, to engage in health promotion in collaboration with churches, and to recruit African American men, a culturally competent approach that incorporates the values of the community is essential. Implications for addressing specific barriers to recruitment and building partnerships in health promotion research are discussed.
Ctr1 drives intestinal copper absorption and is essential for growth, iron metabolism, and neonatal cardiac function

The trace element copper (Cu) is a cofactor for biochemical functions ranging from energy generation to iron (Fe) acquisition, angiogenesis, and free radical detoxification. While Cu is essential for life, the molecules that mediate dietary Cu uptake have not been identified. Ctr1 is a homotrimeric protein, conserved from yeast to humans, that transports Cu across the plasma membrane with high affinity and specificity. Here we describe the generation of intestinal epithelial cell-specific Ctr1 knockout mice. These mice exhibit striking neonatal defects in Cu accumulation in peripheral tissues, hepatic Fe overload, cardiac hypertrophy, and severe growth and viability defects. Consistent with an intestinal Cu absorption block, the growth and viability defects can be partially rescued by a single postnatal Cu administration, indicative of a critical neonatal metabolic requirement for Cu that is provided by intestinal Ctr1. These studies identify Ctr1 as the major factor driving intestinal Cu absorption in mammals.
3D Metrology Camera

We describe a concept for a metrology system that can simultaneously determine the Cartesian coordinates of thousands of targets and has no moving parts. The system is called the MSTAR3D system and is based on two color interferometry where the conventional photodiode has been replaced with an extremely fast focal plane array. It permits the measurement of the three-dimensional position of multiple targets with a fraction of a millimeter accuracy. In this paper, the concept will be described in detail. Proof of concept measurements have been performed on a candidate camera. The measured parameters have been used in error budgets for performance validation of the concept. It will be shown that a metrology system like MSTAR3D can determine the xyz position with sub-millimeter accuracy. This is sufficient accuracy for most large structure metrology systems and wave front corrections for large radar antennas.
Program evaluation models and related theories: AMEE Guide No. 67

This Guide reviews theories of science that have influenced the development of common educational evaluation models. Educators can be more confident when choosing an appropriate evaluation model if they first consider the model’s theoretical basis against their program’s complexity and their own evaluation needs. Reductionism, system theory, and (most recently) complexity theory have inspired the development of models commonly applied in evaluation studies today. This Guide describes experimental and quasi-experimental models, Kirkpatrick’s four-level model, the Logic Model, and the CIPP (Context/Input/ Process/Product) model in the context of the theories that influenced their development and that limit or support their ability to do what educators need. The goal of this Guide is for educators to become more competent and confident in being able to design educational program evaluations that support intentional program improvement while adequately documenting or describing the changes and outcomes—intended and unintended—associated with their programs.
Translational Medicine and the Value of Biomarker Qualification

The gap between development of exploratory biomarkers and their acceptance in drug development and regulatory review is a hurdle in the development of better therapies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has developed a regulatory process for biomarker qualification to accelerate the process by which new biomarkers are integrated in the development of therapies.
Oscillations of drops falling in a liquid field

Frequencies and amplitudes of oscillations for nineteen pure systems were measured photographically. The period of oscillation was longer than that predicted by Lamb. The discrepancy was not due to wall effects, viscosity, or velocity of fall but to amplitude of oscillation. Modification of previous expressions included an amplitude function which could be experimental or empirical. Oscillations began near the peak velocity, and a vortex trail was necessary for them to take place. Oblate-prolate oscillations did not cause drop breakup, as all systems ceased to oscillate and wobbled randomly below maximum drop size. Oscillations do not decay with time.
Exploring the feasibility of email-mediated interaction in survivors of abuse.

There is a growing use of email-based provision of information, development of health-related skills and interventions; however, use of email to assist women and children experiencing abuse after receiving Protection from Abuse (PFA) court order has not been explored. The specific aim of this research was to test the feasibility of an email device called MIVO for use in interacting with women and children after receiving PFA. This qualitative design used a three-step recruitment, screening and email interaction with mothers and their adolescent child after obtaining informed consent and training in the use of an email device. Sample included six pairs of mother and child (n = 12) who have received a PFA within the past 6 months. Demographic data were gathered using the sociodemographic questionnaire. Qualitative data were gathered using email messages from mother and child pairs. Results showed that email interaction is a feasible and acceptable way of providing support and information to survivors of abuse after their PFA. The following themes in their order and rank of appearance were found in the email interaction between the nurse and survivors: (1) safety issues; (2) job-related issues; (3) school-related issues; (4) parenting-related issues; and (5) health-related issues. Themes identified for the children were school work and friends. Privacy, confidentiality and respect for individual rights are paramount in email interactions. Email interaction is useful in education, screening, safety instructions and follow-up care. Technological devices such as MIVO may have usefulness as an email interaction device among women, their child and a nurse to reduce their risk for further interpersonal violence/abuse and to increase disclosure of abuse. Healthcare providers need to identify technological developments, and through evidence-based research examine their feasibility and adaptability for translation into practice specifically, in caring for survivors of abuse. Language: en