cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cyclic AMP- and Cyclic GMP-dependent Protein Kinases Differ in Their Regulation of Cyclic AMP Response Element-dependent Gene Transcription

Abstract The ability of cGMP-dependent protein kinases (cGKs) to activate cAMP response element (CRE)-dependent gene transcription was compared with that of cAMP-dependent protein kinases (cAKs). Although both the type Iβ cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGKIβ) and the type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAKII) phosphorylated the cytoplasmic substrate VASP (vasodilator- and A kinase-stimulatedphosphoprotein) to a similar extent, cyclic nucleotide regulation of CRE-dependent transcription was at least 10-fold higher in cAKII-transfected cells than in cGKIβ-transfected cells. Overexpression of each kinase in mammalian cells resulted in a cytoplasmic localization of the unactivated enzyme. As reported previously, the catalytic (C) subunit of cAKII translocated to the nucleus following activation by 8-bromo-cyclic AMP. However, cGKIβ did not translocate to the nucleus upon activation by 8-bromo-cyclic GMP. Replacement of an autophosphorylated serine (Ser79) of cGKIβ with an aspartic acid resulted in a mutant kinase with constitutive kinase activity in vitroand in vivo. The cGKIβS79D mutant localized to the cytoplasm and was only a weak activator of CRE-dependent gene transcription. However, an amino-terminal deletion mutant of cGKIβ was found in the nucleus as well as the cytoplasm and was a strong activator of CRE-dependent gene transcription. These data suggest that the inability of cGKs to translocate to the nucleus is responsible for the differential ability of cAKs and cGKs to activate CRE-dependent gene transcription and that nuclear redistribution of cGKs is not required for NO/cGMP regulation of gene transcription.
Rat alkaline phosphatase: the identification of a new allele.

Caracterisation d'un phenotype de l'alkaline phosphatase du rein de rat et relation avec le systeme Akp-1
Crystal structures of two syn bent tetraalkylhydrazines, their radical cations, and a dication

Abstract The crystal structures of 2,7-diazatetracyclo[6.2.2.23,6.02.7]tetradec-4-ene, 2, its cation radical nitrate salt 2+, NO3-, 2,7-diazatetracyclo[6.2.2.23,6.03,7]tetradecane, 3, its dication dihexafluorophosphate salt 32+(PF6-)2, and a low quality structure of the monocation radical tosylate salt of 3 are reported and compared with MNDO calculations of these structures. Cations 2+ and 3+ are found to be significantly syn bent at nitrogen, and the dication 32+ has a longer N-N distance than its azo analogue, 2,3-diazabicyclo [2.2.2]oct-2-ene (11).
Questions About Jews’ Loyalty from the 19th Century to the 21st: Response to the Sklare Lecture

Prof. Morton Weinfeld’s exceedingly thought-provoking Sklare lecture begins with Napoleon convening a group of Jewish notables in 1806 and inquiring whether they are really loyal to France, and ends (almost) with Mort himself asking a group of Jewish Canadian leaders whether, should Israel and Canada compete for the Olympic gold medal in soccer, they would root for Canada or for Israel, and why. Two questions about Jews’ loyalty to their country of residence—the first at one of the most momentous occasions in the history of Western European Jews’ fight for emancipation, the second a casual ice-breaker intended to relax the respondents at the beginning of their interviews. The Jews of Canada are not fighting for emancipation, they are speaking from positions of comfort in a society that has wholeheartedly accepted them. But the casual question turned out to be anything but casual, in the minds of most of those asked. Many suffered consternation and discomfort; they refused to declare a clear preference; they seemingly thought they were facing ‘‘a serious challenge to their presumed loyalty.’’ Mort was very surprised. What was going on? Had the long history of Jews’ loyalty being questioned left so indelible a mark on the minds of the interviewees that even a casual question could provoke a seemingly disproportionate and visceral response? Mort uses the two questions as the occasion for a disquisition on loyalty, not just Jewish loyalty to Canada, or even Jewish loyalty in general, but on loyalty much more broadly and deeply conceived. He challenges us to expand our inquiries in three different directions. First, he dares us to move beyond our understandable focus on Jews to consider more broadly the circumstances under which the loyalty
Mexican American Adolescents’ Cultural Orientation, Externalizing Behavior and Academic Engagement: The Role of Traditional Cultural Values

This study of 598 7th grade students of Mexican origin examined the role of traditional cultural values as a mediator of the effects of immigrant status, Mexican cultural orientation and Anglo cultural orientation on adolescent externalizing behavior and academic engagement. Immigrant status of adolescents and their maternal caregivers uniquely predicted increased Mexican cultural orientation and decreased Anglo cultural orientation, and both Mexican and Anglo cultural orientation related positively to adolescents’ endorsement of traditional cultural values. Endorsement of traditional cultural values related, in turn, to decreased externalizing behaviors and increased academic engagement and these findings were replicated across adolescent and teacher report of these two outcomes. Tests of mediation provided further evidence to support these pathways. Findings support the central importance of traditional cultural values as a protective resource that explains why immigrant youth exhibit fewer externalizing problems and increased academic engagement when compared to their second and third generation peers.
Extensions of Discrete Spaces

. A simple method is developed that embeds an H-closed space as the remainder of an H-closed extension of a discrete space; one of the many generated extensions will have the same cardinality, weight, density, and character as the original space. Also, an example of an H-closed space (an extension of a discrete space) is constructed in which the number of H-closed subspaces is less than the number of H-sets.
Multiple signaling pathways activate the chicken progesterone receptor.

We have previously reported that treatment of CV1 cells, transiently transfected with DNA encoding the chicken progesterone receptor (cPR) and a reporter plasmid PREtkCAT, with either 8-Br-cAMP or okadaic acid resulted in ligand-independent transcriptional activation of the cPR. The surprising finding that cPR can be activated in the absence of hormone has been followed by numerous studies from other laboratories examining the effects of modulators of kinases and phosphatases on the activity of other steroid receptors. These studies have yielded mixed results: ligand-independent activation has been observed in some cases, but not in others. In order to determine whether the ligand-independent activation of cPR was restricted to a specific reporter and cell type and to better characterize this phenomenon, the studies in this report were undertaken. Using both the original reporter, PREtkCAT, and a simpler reporter, GRE2E1bCAT, we found that ligand-independent activation of the cPR can be induced in both CV...
Screening microorganisms for utilization of furfural and possible intermediates in its degradative pathway

A variety of microorganisms were screened for their ability to utilize furfural and possible intermediates in its degradative pathway. Compounds tested included furfural, furfuryl alcohol, 2-furoic acid, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, di- and tetra-hydrofurans, 1,5-pentanediol and 1,4-butanediol. The objective of the research was to determine whether microbial strains might be found that degraded furfuryl via diols. If so, then it might be possible to block the metabolic pathway at the appropriate point allowing accumulation of diol(s). A promising bacterial strain was identified that could utilize furfural, some of its derivatives and diols, which is a candidate for further studies.
Is colder better? Exploring the feasibility of liquid-helium-cooled optics

Both simulations and recent experiments conducted at the Advanced Photon Source showed that the performance of liquid-nitrogen-cooled single-silicon crystal monochromators can degrade in a very rapid nonlinear fashion as the power and for power density is increased. As a further step towards improving the performance of silicon optics, we propose cooling with liquid helium, which dramatically improves the thermal properties of silicon beyond that of liquid nitrogen and brings the performance of single silicon-crystal-based synchrotrons radiation optics up to the ultimate limit. The benefits of liquid helium cooling as well as some of the associated technical challenges will be discussed, and results of thermal and structural finite elements simulations comparing the performance of silicon monochromators cooled with liquid nitrogen and helium will be given.
Strengths-Based Case Management: Individuals' Perspectives on Strengths and the Case Manager Relationship

Strengths-based practice in social work has a strong theoretical foundation as an effective helping strategy that builds on a person's successes. Although there is growing empirical evidence informing outcomes associated with strengths-based approaches, missing from the literature is an understanding of how individuals who receive these services view their experiences. Qualitative data collection methods were used to gather individuals' experiences of participating in strengths-based case management implemented in a substance abuse aftercare program. The research questions that guided the study were "What are individuals' perceptions of strengths-based case management?" and "How do those perceptions compare and contrast to the key principles of strengths-based case management?" The emerging themes centered on individuals' responses to a focus on strengths (acceptance of strengths; holding on to strengths and deficits simultaneously; and initial mistrust of the approach) and to the relationship with the case manager (acceptance of the relationship; guilt when success is not achieved; and not needing the relationship). Implications for social work practice are discussed.
MP3 compression and transmission of infrasonic sensor array signals and task-specific metrics for distortion evaluation

Infrasonic sensor arrays are very useful for detecting natural and man-made events. This paper describes part of an ongoing project for compressing and transmitting a set of infrasonic signals that need to be delivered to a remote location for decompression and processing. The project also deals with the evaluation of the effect of the compression distortion on the signals by the use of task-specific distortion metrics. We evaluate the effectiveness of the scheme using one hour worth of signals that were collected during a Space Shuttle launch using a small array of 4 microphones. The approach described here is to combine the 4 signals/channels using a transmultiplexer and to use an off-the-shelf audio compression method, namely the popular MP3 method which is based on subband coding. The transmultiplexer is a 5-channel Cosine-Modulated filterbank from which only the first 4 channels are used.. The codec used in this study is the readily available LAME software package which allows one to choose the output bits per second rate and to turn off the psychoacoustic model. To use an audio coder, the combined signal is first converted to 16 bits per sample and then associated with a 16 KHz. sampling frequency. In the application considered, the microphone signals are used to compute time evolving quantities including: average spectral coherence, beamforming, and phase velocity. These same quantities are used as task-specific metrics that reveal the distortion caused by the application of the MP3 compressor so that the user can evaluate distortion tolerances. From visual evaluation of these metrics we conclude that a compression ratio between 6.4:1 and 8:1 produces negligible distortion in the three task-specific metrics. The beamforming metric is the most sensitive to the compression distortion.
Probability bounds on downtimes

In this article we consider obtaining probability distributions for total downtime incurred for n units when we have only partial moment information about the downtime distribution per individual failure. Extremal distributions based upon the Markov-Krein Theorem for Chebychev systems of functions and maximum entropy of distributions are presented.
Effects of complete and supplemental diets and organic pond fertilization on production of Macrobrachium rosenbergii and associated benthic macroinvertebrate populations

Growth and population characteristics of freshwater prawns, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, fed either a complete diet, a supplemental diet (with fish meal replaced and vitamin and mineral supplements deleted), or the supplemental diet with an adjunct organic pond fertilization regime were examined. Effects of these treatments on potential forage organisms (benthic macroinvertebrates) were also evaluated. Juvenile prawns averaging 0.46 ± 0.49 g were stocked into nine 0.02 ha earthen ponds at 39 520 ha−1. Treatments were evaluated in triplicate ponds. There were significant differences (P 0.05) between regression lines for prawns fed the complete diet and those fed the supplemental diet with an organic pond fertilization regime. At harvest, yield, survival, individual weight, and feed conversion averaged 943 kg ha−1, 76%, 31 g, and 3.9, respectively over the three treatments. Deletion of vitamin and mineral supplements and replacement of fish meal in prawn diets was associated with a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in total benthic macroinvertebrate populations, possibly due to increased predatory pressure by prawns. In ponds in which prawns were fed the supplemental diet, organic fertilization resulted in a significant increase (P < 0.05) in total benthic macroinvertebrates and a 15% increase in average prawn weight at harvest. Results indicate that prawns may increase predation when essential nutrients are deleted from prepared diets and that the supply of potential forage organisms may be increased by organic fertilization.
A programmable and implantable microsystem for multimodal processing of ensemble neural recordings

Conditioning raw neural signals recorded through microelectrode arrays implanted in the brain is an important first step before information extraction can take place. This paper reports on the design and implementation of a programmable and fully implantable microsystem that fulfills this purpose. The system design builds on our earlier work that relies on a sparse representation of the neural signals to combat the limited telemetry bandwidth when wireless communication with the external world is sought. The system has a multimodal processing capability to support a wide range of scenarios in real experimental conditions. A transmission link with rate-dependent compression and spike sorting strategy is shown to preserve information fidelity. At 32 channels sampled at 25 kHz, the power consumption of the system is 5.19 mW and has been implemented on a 5mm×5mm nano-FPGA, bringing its performance within the implantable power-size constraints for clinical applications.
Relaxation model for extended magnetohydrodynamics: Comparison to magnetohydrodynamics for dense Z-pinches

It is shown that the two-fluid model under a generalized Ohm’s law formulation and the resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) can both be described as relaxation systems. In the relaxation model, the under-resolved stiff source terms constrain the dynamics of a set of hyperbolic equations to give the correct asymptotic solution. When applied to the collisional two-fluid model, the relaxation of fast time scales associated with displacement current and finite electron mass allows for a natural transition from a system where Ohm’s law determines the current density to a system where Ohm’s law determines the electric field. This result is used to derive novel algorithms, which allow for multiscale simulation of low and high frequency extended-MHD physics. This relaxation formulation offers an efficient way to implicitly advance the Hall term and naturally simulate a plasma-vacuum interface without invoking phenomenological models. The relaxation model is implemented as an extended-MHD code, which is used to analyze pulsed power loads such as wire arrays and ablating foils. Two-dimensional simulations of pulsed power loads are compared for extended-MHD and MHD. For these simulations, it is also shown that the relaxation model properly recovers the resistive-MHD limit.
A new approach to glucose control in type 2 diabetes: the role of kidney sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibition.

Hyperglycemia is a defining characteristic of type 2 diabetes mellitus and is a major risk factor associated with the development of many microvascular complications. There are numerous therapies currently available to treat hyperglycemia, but glycemic control rates remain poor. One potential reason is the decline in s-cell function over time, which decreases the effectiveness of therapies that rely on insulin action. The kidney occupies a central position in the control of glucose homeostasis by its role in gluconeogenesis and by regulating glucose excretion. Under normal conditions, glucose filtered by the kidney is virtually totally reabsorbed in the proximal tubule by the sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2). Inhibition of SGLT2 is an attractive, insulin-independent target for increasing glucose excretion in the setting of hyperglycemia. A number of SGLT2 inhibitors have been synthesized, and results from preclinical studies have shown that they increase glucose excretion and normalize plasma glucose in diabetic models. Initial clinical data are promising and suggest that SGLT2 inhibitors may be a new therapeutic option for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Responsiveness and initiative: Two aspects of social competence

Responsiveness and initiating were examined as separate aspects of social competence across 6 and 12 months of age in two contexts for medically high risk (HR; n = 89) and low risk (LR; n = 123) preterm and full-term (FT; n = 128) infants. Compared to FT infants, HR infants showed global problems with initiating while LR infants had greater initiating difficulties in the more attentionally demanding toy play context.
Amphiphilic networks. XIV

The synthesis and characterization of novel amphiphilic networks based on dimethylacrylamide and crosslinked by methacrylate telechelic three-arm star polyisobutylene (O(PIB-MA) 3 ) are reported. The networks are characterized by two M c 's and possess homogeneous' and heterogeneous crosslinks. The networks swell both in water and n-heptane which indicates a cocontinuous hydrophobic-hydrophilic microarchitecture. Water-swollen networks exhibit higher tensile strengths and elongations, than those made previously with linear MA-PIB-MA's of similar overall compositions (i.e., ∼1.0 versus ∼0.5 Mpa, and ∼300% versus ∼200%, respectively). The enhanced mechanical properties of the new networks are being exploited in biomedical applications.
A no-go theorem for direct collapse black holes without a strong ultraviolet background.

Explaining the existence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) larger than � 10 9 M⊙ at redshifts z & 6 remains an open theoretical question. One possibility is th at gas collapsing rapidly in pristine atomic cooling halos (Tvir & 10 4 K) produces 10 4 10 6 M⊙ black holes. Previous studies have shown that the formation of such a black hole requires a strong UV background to prevent molecular hydrogen cooling and gas fragmentation. Recently it has been proposed that a high UV background may not be required for halos that accrete material extremely rapidly or for halos where gas cooling is delayed due to a high baryon-dark matter streaming velocity. In this work, we point out that building up a halo with Tvir & 10 4 K before molecular cooling becomes efficient is not sufficient fo r forming a direct collapse black hole (DCBH). Though molecular hydrogen formation may be delayed, it will eventually form at high densities leading to efficient cooling and fragmenta tion. The only obvious way that molecular cooling could be avoided in the absence of strong UV radiation, is for gas to reach high enough density to cause collisional dissociation of molecular hydrogen (� 10 4 cm −3 ) before cooling occurs. However, we argue that the minimum core entropy, set by the entropy of the intergalactic medium (IGM) when it decouples from the CMB, prevents this from occurring for realistic halo masses. This is confirmed by hydrodyn amical cosmological simulations without radiative cooling. We explain the maximum density versus halo mass in these simulations with simple entropy arguments. The low densities found suggest that DCBH formation indeed requires a strong UV background.
Temperature-Dependent Model for Postdiapause Development and Spring Emergence of the European Corn Borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), in North Carolina

Parameters were estimated for a temperature-dependent model of postdiapause development and spring emergence of the overwintering generation of European corn borer (ECB) in North Carolina. Controlled-temperature studies examined ECB postdiapause development at several-constant temperatures: 13.7, 15, 17.2, 18, 19.2, 22, 25, 30, 32, and 35 ± 1°C. From these data, development rate vs. temperature curves were constructed and incorporated into a model predicting ECB spring emergence for 10, 50, and 90% of the overwintered generation. The model was validated by using temperature data and blacklight trap records from four counties in eastern North Carolina. The model provided good prediction at all percentiles of emergence, but there was a tendency toward early predictions at the 90% level.
Repair of Facial Fractures in the Iraq War Combat Theater

Manuel A. Lopez, MD; Jonathan L. Arnholt, MD Objective: To determine the safety of definitive in-theater facial fracture repair on American military personnel wounded during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients with head and neck trauma treated at the 322nd Expeditionary Medical Group/Air Force Theater Hospital, Balad Air Base, Iraq, from May 7, 2005, through September 18, 2005, was performed. This study focused on the outcomes of wounded American military personnel whose facial fractures were definitively repaired in theater. The criteria used to determine candidacy for definitive in-theater facial fracture repair on American military personnel were (1) the fracture site was exposed through either a soft tissue wound or because of an adjacent surgical approach, (2) treatment would not delay evacuation from theater, and (3) treatment would allow the military member to remain in theater. Results: From May 2005 to September 2005, 207 patients were taken to the operating room and required 388 procedures. A total of 175 patients (85%) were operated on for traumatic injuries, and 52 of these patients required open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of a facial fracture. Of the 52 patients who underwent an ORIF, 17 were American military personnel. Of the 17 American patients who were definitively treated for their facial fractures in theater, 16 were contacted and/or followed up on the global military medical database. None of these patients developed an Acinetobacter baumannii infection or had a complication caused by the definitive in-theater ORIF. The range of follow-up was 2 months to 11 months, with a mean of 8.3 months. Conclusions: Definitive repair of facial fractures with ORIF on American military personnel in theater is advised when the aforementioned criteria are observed. An otolaryngologist is a crucial member of the head and neck trauma team.
Automatic implementation of Prony analysis for electromechanical mode identification from phasor measurements

Small signal stability problems are one of the major threats to grid stability and reliability. Prony analysis has been successfully applied on ringdown data to monitor electromechanical modes of a power system using phasor measurement unit (PMU) data. To facilitate an on-line application of mode estimation, this paper develops a recursive algorithm for implementing Prony analysis and propose an oscillation detection method to detect ringdown data in real time. By automatically detecting ringdown data, the proposed method helps to guarantee that Prony analysis is properly and timely applied on the ringdown data. Thus, the mode estimation results can be performed reliably and timely. The proposed method is tested using Monte Carlo simulations based on a 17-machine model and is shown to be able to properly identify the oscillation data for on-line application of Prony analysis.
Gaze-enhanced speech recognition

This work demonstrates through simulations and experimental work the potential of eye-gaze data to improve speech-recognition results. Multimodal interfaces, where users see information on a display and use their voice to control an interaction, are of growing importance as mobile phones and tablets grow in popularity. We demonstrate an improvement in speech-recognition performance, as measured by word error rate, by rescoring the output from a large-vocabulary speech-recognition system. We use eye-gaze data as a spotlight and collect bigram word statistics near to where the user looks in time and space. We see a 25% relative reduction in the word-error rate over a generic language model, and approximately a 10% reduction in errors over a strong, page-specific baseline language model.
Asymptotically stable invariant manifold for coupled nonlinear parabolic-hyperbolic partial differential equations

Abstract This article considers a coupled system of nonlinear parabolic and hyperbolic partial differential equations which arises in the study of wave phenomena which are heat generating or temperature related. Under appropriate conditions, for example high thermal diffusivity, it is proved that there exists an invariant manifold for the full system of equations. The asymptotic stability of the invariant manifold is also considered. Moreover, it is shown that an equilibrium which is asymptotically stable for flows on the invariant manifold will be asymptotically stable for the full system.
Effect of Different Protein Levels Fed During the Prebreeder Period on Performance of Turkey Breeder Hens

Abstract An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of prebreeder protein intake on subsequent reproductive performance and to examine body weight, feed consumption, and body composition changes due to aging in Large White turkey breeder hens. One hundred twenty-nine Hybrid Large White turkey breeder hens were fed either 12, 15, or 18% CP diets (2,882 kcal ME/kg) during the prebreeder period from 24 to 32 wk of age. All hens were photostimulated with 15.5 h light/day and fed a standard 16% protein breeder ration from 32 to 55 wk of age. Prebreeder protein intake increased linearly as dietary protein increased. Treatments did not affect body weight, body composition, egg production, feed consumption, fertility, hatch of fertile eggs, or percentages of early or late dead. Body weight increased from 24 to 55 wk in a cubic response to age. Percentage of carcass moisture decreased, whereas percentage of carcass fat increased from 24 to 55 wk in a quadratic response to age. Prebreeder and breeder feed consumption were not significantly affected by treatment or age. This experiment is evidence that a 12% protein prebreeder ration is adequate for subsequent reproductive performance; observed effects of age on body characteristics agree with published data.
Investigation of soft upsets in MOS memories with a microbeam

Abstract Ion microbeam, of either 2.5 μm or 20 μm diameter, have been used to investigate single event soft upsets in MOS memory microcircuits. Specifically, to demonstrate the usefulness of the technique, the larger beam was first used to study the energy dependence of the upset rate of 16K dynamic random access memories for 4 He ions in the range from 1.9 to 2.9 MeV and to study the upset sensitivities of various parts of the microcircuit. The smaller diameter beam was used to localize the sensitive microcircuit parts still further. It was found that sense amplifiers appeared to be more sensitive to upsets by 3 MeV 4 He impacts than cells or bit lines. It was also found that bit lines can transmit electrical disturbances caused by 4 He impacts.
Parallel and Supercomputing in the Practice of Management Science

The performance of von Neumann serial computers improved by a factor of 106 between 1955 and 1990. Within the next decade we expect to see similar improvements delivered by parallel supercomputers. As this new technology matures, it shifts from being a research topic to being a fundamental tool for scientific, engineering, and business applications. Multiprocessor systems that once cost several million dollars and were found only in government laboratories are now very affordable. They have proliferated in academia, high-technology industries, and business. This new technology has also penetrated the practice of management science. Parallel and supercomputers could change the way management scientists apply the tools of their trade and influence the decision-making process.
Lipid rafts and malaria parasite infection of erythrocytes (Review)

Infection of human erythrocytes by the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, results in complex membrane sorting and signaling events in the mature erythrocyte. These events appear to rely heavily on proteins resident in erythrocyte lipid rafts. Over the past five years, we and others have undertaken a comprehensive characterization of major proteins present in erythrocyte detergent-resistant membrane lipid rafts and determined which of these proteins traffic to the host-derived membrane that bounds the intraerythrocytic parasite. The data suggest that raft association is necessary but not sufficient for vacuolar recruitment, and that there is likely a mechanism of active uptake of a subset of erythrocyte detergent-resistant membrane proteins. Of the ten internalized proteins, few have been evaluated for a role in malarial entry. The β2-adrenergic receptor and heterotrimeric G protein Gs signaling pathway proteins regulate invasion. The implications of these differences are discussed. In addition, the...
A nitric oxide production bioassay for interferon-γ

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), produced by stimulated T lymphocytes and natural killer cells, has an antitumor and antiviral activity by inhibition of cell growth, immunomodulation, and/or activation of macrophages. Although several IFN-gamma assays have been used, there are no simple, inexpensive, and specific assays. We have developed a new bioassay for IFN-gamma which measures the concentration of nitric oxide (NO) generated by a macrophage cell line RAW264.7 stimulated with IFN-gamma. NO production, determined by nitrite (NO2-) accumulation in culture medium, was linear at IFN-gamma concentrations between 0 and 10 U/ml and logarithmically linear between 2 and 100 U/ml, when RAW cells (1 x 10(5) cells/200 microliters/well in 96 well plate) were incubated with murine recombinant IFN-gamma for 24 h. The new assay has a high sensitivity with the detection limit of 0.1-0.2 ng/ml IFN-gamma, which is similar to that of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and antiviral assays. Other cytokines such as IFN-alpha, IFN-beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-2, and IL-6, either alone or in combination did not produce NO from RAW264.7. Exogenous NO2-, NO3- or NO2- plus NO3- did not interfere with the IFN-gamma-induced NO formation as well as NO2- measurement. The IFN-gamma bioactivity, measured by the RAW264.7 bioassay, expressed from the transfected human ovarian tumor cells was closely correlated with the levels of IFN-gamma protein concentration measured by the ELISA. Therefore, our new method can be applicable for monitoring IFN-gamma gene expression and accumulation in culture medium for IFN-gamma therapy.
Foreign Direct Investment and Relative Wages: Evidence from MexicoAS Maquiladoras

In this paper, we examine the increase in the relative wages of skilled workers in Mexico during the 1980s. We argue that rising wage inequality in Mexico is linked to capital inflows from abroad. The effect of these capital inflows, which correspond to an increase in outsourcing by multinationals from the United States and other Northern countries, is to shift production in Mexico towards relatively skill-intensive goods thereby increasing the relative demand for skilled labor. We study the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the share of skilled labor in total wages in Mexico using state-level data on two-digit industries from the Industrial Census for the period 1975 to 1988. We measure the state- level growth in FDI using data on the regional activities of foreign- owned assembly plants. We find that growth in FDI is positively correlated with the relative demand for skilled labor. In the regions where FDI has been most concentrated, growth in FDI can account for over 50 percent of the increase in the skilled labor share of total wages that occurred during the late 1980s.
Argonne intense pulsed neutron source used to solve the molecular structure of a novel organometallic complex

The single-crystal structure of Mn(CO)(3)(C(7)H(11)) is the first to be solved by direct methods based on time-of-flight neutron diffraction data obtained at the Argonne Intense Pulsed Neutron Source. The molecule contains an unusual three-center, two-electron manganese-hydrogen-carbon interaction.
Isolated-Chromophore and Exciton-State Photophysics in C-Phycocyanin Trimers

We have employed femtosecond pump−probe spectroscopy to examine the photophysics of C-phycocyanin, a photosynthetic light-harvesting protein located in the rods of the phycobilisome in cyanobacteria. The experiments were intended to focus on the photophysics of the paired α84 and β84 phycocyanobilin chromophores that are present in C-phycocyanin's C3-symmetric trimeric aggregation state. The time-resolved pump−probe absorption-difference spectrum exhibits initially narrow photobleaching/stimulated-emission holes that broaden on the 200 fs time scale but shift 250 cm-1 to lower energy on the ∼50 fs time scale. The line broadening arises primarily from intramolecular vibrational redistribution, as observed previously in preparations of the α subunit (J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 14198−14205), which contains only one phycocyanobilin chromophore. The pump−probe anisotropy in C-phycocyanin trimers exhibits decay components on the 20−60 and ∼700 fs time scales when the probe beam is centered on the 640 nm region, ...
The significance of monoisotopic and carbon-13 isobars for the identification of a 19-component dodecapeptide library by positive ion electrospray Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

Harnessing the ultra high resolution capabilities of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) and positive ion electrospray, we have demonstrated the significance and utility of cumulative mass defect high resolution mass separation stable isotope distribution, exact mass measurement and elemental formula as a means of simultaneously identifying 19 components of the dodecapeptide library Ac-ANKISYQS[X]STE-NH2. With an instrument resolution of 275 000 (average), isobaric multiplets attributed to monoisotopic and carbon-13 components of peptides: Ac ∼ SLS ∼ NH2; Ac ∼ SNS ∼ NH2; Ac ∼ SOS ∼ NH2; Ac ∼ SDS ∼ NH2; within the mass window of 1380–1385 Da, and Ac ∼ SQS ∼ NH2; Ac ∼ SKS ∼ NH2; Ac ∼ SES ∼ NH2; Ac ∼ SMS ∼ NH2, within the mass window 1395–1400 Da, were mass resolved, accurately mass measured and identified from the computed molecular formulas. This experimental procedure enabled the separation of monoisotopic and carbon-13 isobars yielding enhanced selectivity and specificity and serves to illustrate the significance of monoisotopic and carbon-13 isobars in final product analysis. Chromatographic separation (HPLC) was of limited utility except for monitoring the overall extent of reaction and apparent product distribution. Positive ion electrospray-FTICR-MS and fast atom bombardment (FAB) MS were used to assess final product quality and apparent component distribution. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluating the Potential of Cognitive Rehabilitation with Mixed Reality

We describe the development and use of a mixed reality (MR) testbed to evaluate potential scenarios that may alleviate performance deficits in subjects who may be experiencing cognitive deficiencies, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The system blends real world sensory data with synthetic enhancements in the visual and aural domains. It captures user actions (movement, view direction, environment interaction, and task performance) and psychophysical states (engagement, workload, and skin conductivity) during an MR-enabled experience in order to determine task performance in the context of a variety of stimuli (visual and aural distracters in time-constrained activities). The goal is to discover triggers that affect stress levels and task performance in order to develop individualized plans for personal improvement.
Treatment of vitamin b(12)-deficiency anemia: oral versus parenteral therapy.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the use of oral cyanocobalamin therapy in the treatment of cobalamin (vitamin B12)–deficient anemia.DATA SOURCES:Primary and review articles were identified by MEDLINE search (1966–May 2000) and through secondary sources.DATA SYNTHESIS:Cobalamin-deficient anemia is among the most common diagnoses in older populations. Cobalamin-deficient anemia may be diagnosed as pernicious anemia, resulting from the lack of intrinsic factor required for cobalamin absorption or as protein malabsorption from the inability to displace cobalamin from protein food sources. Several studies provide evidence that daily oral cyanocobalamin as opposed to monthly parenteral formulations may adequately treat both types of cobalamin-deficient anemias.CONCLUSIONS:Daily oral cyanocobalamin at doses of 1000–2000 μg can be used for treatment in most cobalamin-deficient patients who can tolerate oral supplementation. There are inadequate data at the present time to support the use of oral cyanocobalamin replacement ...
Tuberculosis burden in households of patients with multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis: a retrospective cohort study

Summary Background Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis have emerged as major global health threats. WHO recommends contact investigation in close contacts of patients with MDR and XDR tuberculosis. We aimed to assess the burden of tuberculosis disease in household contacts of such patients. Methods We undertook a retrospective cohort study of household contacts of patients treated for MDR or XDR tuberculosis in Lima, Peru, in 1996–2003. The primary outcome was active tuberculosis in household contacts at the time the index patient began MDR tuberculosis treatment and during the 4-year follow-up. We examined whether the occurrence of active tuberculosis in the household contacts differed by resistance pattern of the index patient: either MDR or XDR tuberculosis. Findings 693 households of index patients with MDR tuberculosis were enrolled in the study. In 48 households, the Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolate from the index patient was XDR. Of the 4503 household contacts, 117 (2·60%) had active tuberculosis at the time the index patient began MDR tuberculosis treatment—there was no difference in prevalence between XDR and MDR tuberculosis households. During the 4-year follow-up, 242 contacts developed active tuberculosis—the frequency of active tuberculosis was nearly two times higher in contacts of patients with XDR tuberculosis than it was in contacts of patients with MDR tuberculosis (hazard ratio 1·88, 95% CI 1·10–3·21). In the 359 contacts with active tuberculosis, 142 (40%) had had isolates tested for resistance against first-line drugs, of whom 129 (90·9%, 95% CI 85·0–94·6) had MDR tuberculosis. Interpretation In view of the high risk of disease recorded in household contacts of patients with MDR or XDR tuberculosis, tuberculosis programmes should implement systematic household contact investigations for all patients identified as having MDR or XDR tuberculosis. If shown to have active tuberculosis, these household contacts should be suspected as having MDR tuberculosis until proven otherwise. Funding The Charles H Hood Foundation, the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Bypass specialists operate together

New experiments show that different combinations of translesion DNA polymerases act to bypass lesions in mammalian cells, depending on the type of DNA damage. Bypass of most lesions tested was dependent on REV3L (polz) and at least one additional DNA polymerase. The data fit a model whereby DNA polymerases work sequentially to bypass adducts in DNA. Mammalian genomes encode 15 different DNA polymerases. Why are there so many? One reason, it appears, is that some of these are specialized to allow bypass of particular types of damaged bases in DNA. Although endogenous and environmentally induced DNA damage is primarily removed by DNA repair mechanisms (including nucleotide excision repair, base excision repair, mismatch repair, and various forms of strand break repair), some damage may remain, which can block progression of the normal DNA replication machinery. Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) enables cells to tolerate damaged DNA without repairing it. The most-studied TLS enzymes from human and mouse cells belong to the ‘Y family’ of DNA polymerases, and include POLH (polZ), POLI (poli), POLK (polk), and REV1. These DNA polymerases are able to insert bases opposite DNA lesions at the expense of low-fidelity mutagenic replication. These enzymes also have low processivity, incorporating only a few nucleotides before dissociating from the template–a characteristic that may help allow a higher fidelity replicative polymerase to take over as soon as possible. It has been recognized for some time that polz, an enzyme in the ‘B family’ of DNA polymerases, is an exceptionally important player in TLS. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, DNA polymerase z (polz) has the catalytic subunit Rev3 and an auxiliary subunit Rev7. Yeast rev3 mutants show moderate UV sensitivity and a frequency
Absorption coefficients in highly transparent solids: barothermal theory for cylindrical configurations

The development of highly transparent solids requires improved methods to measure very low absorption coefficients at laser wavelengths. For the case in which a laser beam passes through a weakly absorbing solid that is surrounded by a confined, nonabsorbing gas, the temperature profiles in the solid and the temperature and pressure profiles in the gas have been calculated. Our calculations suggest that sufficient heat transfers from the solid into the gas to produce an easily detected pressure rise in the gas.
OPTIMUM SAMPLE SIZE AND CLOZE TEST LENGTH IN READABILITY MEASUREMENT

This article presents a convenient means of estimating the number of subjects and number of items required to attain various levels of precision in readability experiments involving cloze tests. Cloze tests are being used with increasing frequency as measures of the relative comprehension difficulties of passages of written language. A cloze test used for this purpose is made by replacing every nth word in a passage with an underlined blank of a standard length. Subjects are instructed to write in each blank the word they think was deleted. The mean proportion of correct responses is taken as a measure of the comprehension difficulty ot the passage. The tests are then used to determine if experimental alterations made in the passage change the difficulty of the passage.
A connection control strategy for bursty sources in broadband packet networks

This paper proposes an admission strategy for connection-oriented services at the access node of a broadband integrated packet network based on asynchronous transfer mode. Based on an estimate of the probability of cell loss and in the absence of buffering, we determine the number of sources from different classes of bursty traffic which can be accepted. The parameters which are used to describe the traffic sources are average bit rate and peak bit rate. We will evaluate the cell loss estimate for homogeneous and heterogeneous cases. Furthermore, we will examine the variation of this estimate as the average to peak ratio changes. The estimate is an upper bound for the probability of cell loss. Based on this upper bound simple and robust allocation of resources to bursty sources can be developed. The proposed strategy can be implemented using simple computations or via a look-up table to determine admission or denial of an incoming call and therefore allocating the required capacity. The procedure results in efficient use of the bandwidth, ensuring the desired service quality for connection-oriented services and results in proactive control of network congestion.
Discriminative stimulus properties of 3-substituent rimonabant analogs

DISCRIMINATIVE STIMULUS PROPERTIES OF 3-SUBSTITUENT RIMONABANT ANALOGS By David Matthew Walentiny, M.S. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Major Director: Jenny L. Wiley, Ph.D. Professor Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology Cannabinoid agonists (e.g., THC) dose-dependently decrease locomotor activity and body temperature and produce antinociception and catalepsy. Drugs that produce this tetrad of effects within a limited dose range are likely to function as CB1 receptor agonists. A structure activity relationship study from our laboratory investigating analogs of the CB1 antagonist rimonabant revealed that certain alterations in the 3-substituent of rimonabant’s pyrazole core conferred agonist-like properties in the tetrad. Interestingly, these effects were present in CB1 -/mice, and were not reversed by rimonabant in wild-type mice. The present study evaluated two novel 3-substituent rimonabant analogs, O-6629 and O-6658 in the tetrad and drug discrimination, a preclinical model of drug subjective effects that possesses a high degree of pharmacological specificity. Drugs that elicit cannabinergic psychoactive effects in humans are likely to produce THC-like operant responding in animals trained to discriminate between the interoceptive stimuli produced by THC relative to vehicle. O-6629 and O-6658 decreased locomotor activity and body temperature and produced catalepsy. O-6629, but not O-6658 produced significant antinociception. However, these drugs differed from THC in regard to the magnitude of tetrad effects observed. These analogs also failed to elicit THC-like discriminative stimulus effects, nor did they antagonize THC’s discriminative stimulus in mice discriminating 5.6 mg/kg THC from vehicle. Finally, mice were trained to discriminate 5.6 mg/kg O-6629 from vehicle. O-6658 produced full substitution for O6629, whereas the cannabinoid agonists THC and anandamide did not. O-6629’s discriminative stimulus failed to generalize to rimonabant, cocaine or morphine, whereas WIN 55,212-2 and nicotine evoked partial substitution. These results suggest that these analogs might exert their pharmacological properties through a novel cannabinoid receptor, as has been proposed for WIN 55,212-2 and anandamide. Additionally, O-6629’s discriminative stimulus may involve nicotinic acetylcholine or dopaminergic components. Future directions include determining whether the partial substitution observed with nicotine was mediated through a nicotinic mechanism. Tests with chlorpromazine, an antipsychotic that is a false positive in the tetrad, and diazepam, which produces partial substitution for THC’s discriminative stimulus through a GABAergic mechanism are also planned.