cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical Activity, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

Abstract Background While some studies have indicated that physical activity may protect against benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), others have not. Objective To evaluate the association of physical activity with BPH and LUTS. Design, Setting, and Participants Systematic review and meta-analysis using MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and abstracts from the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association. We selected observational studies that provided empirical data and analyzed abstracted data with random effects models. Measurements BPH, LUTS, and physical activity levels. Results and Limitations Eleven ( n =43 083 men) studies met selection criteria. Eight studies observed inverse, 2 studies null, and 1 study equivocal associations of physical activity with BPH or LUTS. Eight studies ( n =35675) were eligible for pooled analyses. We stratified physical activity levels into light, moderate, and vigorous categories, with a sedentary category for reference. Compared to the sedentary group, the pooled odds ratios for BPH or LUTS were 0.70 (95% CI 0.44–1.13, p =0.14), 0.74 (95% CI 0.60–0.92, p =0.005), and 0.74 (95% CI 0.59–0.92, p =0.006) for men engaging in light, moderate, and heavy physical activity, respectively. Conclusions Physical activity reduces the risks of BPH and LUTS. These findings are consistent with other studies demonstrating that the BPH/LUTS complex is associated with modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular disease and suggest that increased physical activity may prevent or attenuate these conditions.
Trace element concentrations in the dorsal muscle of white suckers and brown bullheads from two acidic Adirondack lakes

Concentrations of 14 elements (Ag, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Tl, V, and Zn) were measured in the dorsal muscle of omnivorous white suckers and brown bullheads, fish likely to ingest sediment while feeding. The fish were collected in two acidic Adirondack lakes known to have elevated concentrations of several of these elements in their surface sediment. Trace element concentrations in the muscle of the white suckers and brown bullheads were compared with government guidelines for edible fish and survey data for concentrations present in commercial species. Only the largest white sucker exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's guidelines for Hg in food of 1 ppm (wet wt). Concentrations of all the other elements measured were at low or innocuous levels in the edible muscle. A significant positive correlation was found between body weight and Hg concentrations in both species. Zinc was negatively correlated for the same parameters in white suckers. With the possible exception of Hg, our results indicate that elevated levels of potentially toxic elements in the surface sediment of the two acidic Adirondack lakes are not reflected in the edible muscle of the omnivorous bottom feeding fish present in these systems.
Full-spectrum hyperspectral fluorescence microscopy with the Image Mapping Spectrometer (IMS)

We present a full-spectrum fluorescence microscope using Image Mapping Spectrometer. The microscope combines three filtering mechanisms - polarization, spatial coherence and datacube filtering by spectral unmixing - to replace traditional filters.
Semelai agricultural patterns: Toward an understanding of variation among indigenous cultures in southern peninsular Malaysia

What were the indigenous agricultural and population patterns in peninsular Malaysia's southern lowlands? What factors produced these patterns? Based on our analysis of ethnographic and historical evidence, as well as aerial photographs taken in 1948 in the Tasek Bera and Sungai Bera watersheds, the Semelai, an Orang Asli group, had a robust and productive subsistence agricultural system emphasising rice but insured by cassava. These photographs, from the P.D.R. Williams-Hunt Collection, provide an unusual record of Semelai agriculture prior to settlement in 1954 and contribute to our knowledge of indigenous economic patterns in the southern lowlands, which have received little ethnographic attention.
Damping of first sound and viscosity of liquid 3He-B near the superfluid transition

Abstract The viscosity of normal fluid component of liquid 3He-B in the vicinity of the superfluid transition temperature has been measured by using the damping of first sound in a cylindrical resonator. The measured reduced viscosity η(T)/η(T)c) is in qualitative agreement with recent theoretical studies and with the results of torsion oscillator experiments.
Humanists, Puritans and the Spiritualized Household

The stress of Elizabethan and early Stuart Puritans on the significance of the family as the fundamental spiritual unit of society has led historians to the apparent but perhaps simplistic conclusion that the origins of this doctrine are to be found in Protestant theology. The concomitants of the doctrine—an exaltation of the marriage relationship, a demand for household religious education and discipline and a slight but noteworthy elevation of the position of women within the household—are therefore attributed to Protestantism and particularly to Protestantism of “the hotter sort.” We are told, for example, that “the Reformation, by reducing the authority of the priest in society, simultaneously elevated the authority of lay heads of households” and that the stress on household religious instruction and discipline “was part of the protestant inheritance.”
On the oxidation of 3,4‐dihydroxyphenethyl alcohol and 3,4‐dihydroxyphenyl glycol by cuticular enzyme(s) from Sarcophaga bullata

The catabolic fate of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl alcohol (DHPA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyl glycol (DHPG) in insect cuticle was determined for the first time using cuticular enzyme(s) from Sarcophaga bullata and compared with mushroom tyrosinase-medicated oxidation. Mushroom tyrosinase converted both DHPA and DHPG to their corresponding quinone derivatives, while cuticular enzyme(s) partly converted DHPA to DHPG. Cuticular enzyme(s)-mediated oxidation of DHPA also accompanied the covalent binding of DHPA to the cuticle. Cuticle-DHPA adducts, upon pronase digestion, released peptides that had bound catechols. 3,4-Dihydroxyphenyl-acetaldehyde, the expected product of side chain desaturation of DHPA, was not formed at all. The presence of N-acetylcysteine, a quinone trap, in the reaction mixture containing DHPA and cuticle resulted in the generation of DHPA-quinone-N-acetylcysteine adduct and total inhibition of DHPG formation. The insect enzyme(s) converted DHPG to its quinone at high substrate concentration and to 2-hydroxy-3′,4′-dihydroxyacetophenone at low concentration. They converted exogenously added DHPA-quinone to DHPG, but acted sluggishly on DHPG-quinone. These results are consistent with the enzymatic transformations of phenoloxidase-generated quinones to quinone methides and subsequent nonenzymatic transformation of the latter to the observed products. Thus, quinone methide formation in insect cuticle seems to be caused by the combined action of two enzymes, phenoloxidase and quinone tautomerase, rather than the action of quinone methide-generating phenoloxidase (Sugumaran: Arch Insect Biochem Physiol 8, 73–88, 1988). It is proposed that DHPA and DHPG in combination can be used effectively to examine the participation of (1) quinone, (2) quinone methide, and (3) dehydro derivative intermediates in the metabolism of 4-alkylcatechols for cuticular sclerotization.
GABA receptor-mediated post-synaptic potentials in the retrohippocampal cortices: regional, laminar and cellular comparisons.

Abstract Inhibitory post-synaptic potentials (IPSPs) were studied in neurons of presubiculum, parasubiculum and medial entorhinal cortex in horizontal slices from rat brains. Isolated IPSPs were evoked by extracellular electrical stimuli in the presence of glutamate receptor antagonists. Cellular morphology was identified using Neurobiotin labeling. IPSPs were compared: (a) across morphological cell types, (b) across laminae within regions, and (c) across regions. IPSPs were visible in stellate and pyramidal cells from layers II, III, and V of all retrohippocampal areas during bath application of glutamate antagonists. Qualitative and quantitative differences in IPSPs were only found when comparing responses by superficial layer II, III cells to responses by deep layer V cells. Responses by stellate and pyramidal cells within the same or adjacent layers did not differ, nor did responses differ from region to region. All cell types exhibited an early hyperpolarizing response. The majority (85%) of superficial layer cells in all regions, regardless of cell shape, exhibited a second hyperpolarizing component. Fewer (50%) deep layer cells exhibited the late peak with similar long latencies. IPSPs were typically larger in superficial layer cells. IPSPs were comprised of GABAA and GABAB (γ-aminobutyric acid) receptor-mediated components. With repetitive stimulation, the peak amplitude of the GABAA receptor-mediated component decreased with successive stimuli, but stabilized during the first five or fewer stimuli to a level that did not vary with stimulation frequency. The GABAB receptor-mediated component also stabilized, but the final amplitude appeared to decrease as the stimulation frequency increased. With high-frequency repetitive stimulation, both components of the IPSP showed summation. We conclude that the most meaningful distinction for IPSPs among retrohippocampal neurons is a laminar distinction, between superficial and deep layer neurons, and not one across cell shape or retrohippocampal subregion. These laminar differences can contribute to synchronous activity by deep layer neurons and restrict the activity of superficial layer neurons.
Primary adenocarcinoma of urinary bladder

We reviewed the clinical course and pathologic findings of 17 patients with adenocarcinoma of the urinary bladder at Massachusetts General Hospital between 1962 and 1978. The 12 men and 5 women were between thirty-eight and eighty-six years old (mean, sixty years). Five patients had urachal adenocarcinoma, 8 had pure adenocarcinoma, and 4 had mixed adenocarcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma. Twelve of 17 patients (71 per cent) had muscle invasion (T2-T3), and none had evidence of regional or distant metastases at initial presentation. The mean follow-up was four years. The treatment modalities included transurethral resection alone in 3 patients, radical cystectomy in 4, simple cystectomy in 2, salvage radical cystectomy in 1, and partial cystectomy in 7, 3 of whom also received radiation therapy. Over-all crude three and five-year survival rates were 60 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively; patients with invasive disease did poorly regardless of treatment modality. Five of 8 patients who died had evidence of metastatic disease, and only 1 patient with invasive disease was alive more than five years. However, 2 of 3 patients with invasive urachal adenocarcinoma who had preoperative radiotherapy plus partial cystectomy are free of disease at thirty-eight and sixty months.
Prenatal sonographic findings associated with sporadic subcortical nodular heterotopia.

Abstract Background: Subcortical nodular heterotopia is a neuronal migration disorder of uncertain etiology. This disorder occurs primarily in females and has a familial X-linked dominant inheritance pattern. The predominant symptom associated with heterotopia is seizures. Case: At 23 weeks’ gestation, prenatal sonography disclosed an isoechoic supratentorial intracranial mass causing right-sided shift of midline structures and compression of the contralateral cerebral ventricle. Serial ultrasound examinations of this mass were significant for the absence of invasion into surrounding structures, gross enlargement of cranial biometric parameters, and hydrocephalus and hydrops fetalis. Neonatal magnetic resonance imaging findings were consistent with gray matter heterotopia and were confirmed as such by brain biopsy. Conclusion: Subcortical nodular heterotopia manifested unique prenatal sonographic findings. This case suggests the possibility of prenatal diagnosis in families at risk for this lesion.
Pulmonary Actinomycosis of Periodontal Origin

A case of pulmonary actinomycosis of periodontal origin is presented. Microbiologic testing including culture and typing of multiple systemic and oral lesions revealed the presence of Actinomyces naeslundii and A viscosus in all sites. In addition, biopsies demonstrating branching filamentous forms and "sulfur granules" were found in exudates from the lungs, submandibular region and left quadrants of the oral cavity. Seeding of tooth-associated materials containing Actinomyces sp into the pulmonary field may have resulted in this case of pulmonary actinomycosis. Therapy of the pulmonary and periodontal infections was completed and the patient is maintaining satisfactory health 18 months later.
A Multivariate Cumulative Damage Shock Model with Block Preventive Maintenance

This paper is concerned with the dependence structure of a multi-component, cumulative damage shock model, in which a system of components is subject to correlated shock damages and group repairs. A component fails when its cumulative damage exceeds a given threshold, and is then replaced by a new component. We incorporate a block maintenance schedule that simultaneously performs imperfect repairs at various components according to a predetermined time table. Using the coupling method, we show that if the multivariate shock damage and imperfect repair processes are, respectively, stochastically larger and smaller, than the multivariate failure process (i.e., the failure counts of various components accumulated over time) is stochastically larger. This result allows us to show that if both correlated shock damages and group imperfect repairs at various components are more orthant (supermodular) dependent, then the failure counts of various components are also more orthant (supermodular) dependent. An appli...
Atypical PKC Phosphorylates PAR-1 Kinases to Regulate Localization and Activity

Abstract The establishment and maintenance of cellular polarity are essential biological processes that must be maintained throughout the lifetime of eukaryotic organisms. The Par-1 protein kinases are key polarity determinants that have been conserved throughout evolution. Par-1 directs anterior-posterior asymmetry in the one-cell C. elegans embryo and the Drosophila oocyte [1]. In mammalian cells, Par-1 may regulate epithelial cell polarity [2]. Relevant substrates of Par-1 in these pathways are just being identified, but it is not yet known how Par-1 itself is regulated. Here, we demonstrate that human Par-1b (hPar-1b) interacts with and is negatively regulated by atypical PKC. hPar-1b is phosphorylated by aPKC on threonine 595, a residue conserved in Par-1 orthologs in mammals, worms, and flies. The equivalent site in hPar-1a, T564, is phosphorylated in vivo and by aPKC in vitro. Importantly, phosphorylation of hPar-1b on T595 negatively regulates the kinase activity and plasma membrane localization of hPar-1b in vivo. This study establishes a novel functional link between two central determinants of cellular polarity, aPKC and Par-1, and suggests a model by which aPKC may regulate Par-1 in polarized cells.
Advice From Prospective Employers on Training BS Statisticians

The time envisioned by H. G. Wells has arrived. Statistical thinking is a necessity for educated citizens. Educational institutions, especially liberal arts institutions, have been rethinking their curriculums and the need for teaching statistical and quantitative thinking skills. The American Statistical Association has initiated work to prepare a set of recommendations for undergraduate education in statistics, both for undergraduate statistics majors and for the statistics component of other degree programs. A three-stage effort began in May of 1999, with a small group of statisticians who met at ASA headquarters in Alexandria, VA. They planned to develop a set of short discussion papers on the important issues in statistics education; these papers would then form the basis of a larger symposium to be held in conjunction with the Joint Statistical Meetings in August 2000. This article, which summarizes advice from prospective employers of BS statisticians, arose from one of the workshop papers. The purpose of this article is threefold:
Simulation of three-dimensional solar wind disturbances and resulting geomagnetic storms

A kinematic method of representing the three-dimensional solar wind flow is devised by taking into account qualitatively the stream-stream interaction which leads to the formation of a shock pair. Solar wind particles move radially away from the Sun, satisfying the frozen-magnetic field condition. The uniqueness of the present approach is that one can incorporate both theoretical and observational results by adjusting the parameters involved and that a self-consistent data set can be simulated. One can then infer the three-dimensional structure of the solar wind which is vital in understanding the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere, and it is for this reason that the present kinematic method is devised. In the first part of this paper, the present kinematic method is described in detail by demonstrating that the following solar wind features can be simulated: (i) Variations of the solar wind quantities (such as the solar wind speed, the density and the IMF vector), associated with the solar rotation, at the Earth; (ii) the solar wind flow pattern in the meridian planes; (iii) the three-dimensional structure of the corotating interaction region (CIR); and (iv) the three-dimensional structure of the warped solar current sheet. In Section 2, the three-dimensional structure of solar wind disturbances are studied by introducing a flare-generated high speed stream into the two-stream model of the solar wind developed in Section 1. The treatment of the stream-stream interaction is generalized to deal with a flare-generated high speed stream, yielding a shock pair. The shock pair causes three-dimensional distortion of the solar current sheet as it propagates outward from the Sun. It is shown that a set of characteristic time variations of the solar wind speed, density, the interplanetary magnetic field magnitude B and angles Θ (theta) and gf (phi) result at the time of the passage at the location of the Earth for a given set of flare conditions. These quantities allow us to compute the solar wind-magnetosphere energy coupling function ɛ. Time variations of the two geomagnetic indices AE and Dst are then estimated from ɛ. The simulated geomagnetic storms are compared with observed ones. In the third part, it is shown that recurrent geomagnetic storms can reasonably be reproduced, if fluctuating components of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) are superposed on the kinematic model of the solar wind developed in the first part. As an example, we simulate the fluctuating components by linearly polarized Alfven waves and by random variations of the IMF angle Θ (theta). Characteristics of the simulated and observed geomagnetic storms are discussed in terms of the simulated and observed AE and Dst indices. If the fluctuating components of the IMF can generally be identified as hydromagnetic waves, they may be an important cause for individual magnetospheric substorms, while the IMF magnitude B and the solar wind speed V modulate partially the intensity of magnetospheric substorms and storms.
Protein activity regulation by conformational entropy

How the interplay between protein structure and internal dynamics regulates protein function is poorly understood. Often, ligand binding, post-translational modifications and mutations modify protein activity in a manner that is not possible to rationalize solely on the basis of structural data. It is likely that changes in the internal motions of proteins have a major role in regulating protein activity, but the nature of their contributions remains elusive, especially in quantitative terms. Here we show that changes in conformational entropy can determine whether protein-ligand interactions will occur, even among protein complexes with identical binding interfaces. We have used NMR spectroscopy to determine the changes in structure and internal dynamics that are elicited by the binding of DNA to several variants of the catabolite activator protein (CAP) that differentially populate the inactive and active DNA-binding domain states. We found that the CAP variants have markedly different affinities for DNA, despite the CAP−DNA-binding interfaces being essentially identical in the various complexes. Combined with thermodynamic data, the results show that conformational entropy changes can inhibit the binding of CAP variants that are structurally poised for optimal DNA binding or can stimulate the binding activity of CAP variants that only transiently populate the DNA-binding-domain active state. Collectively, the data show how changes in fast internal dynamics (conformational entropy) and slow internal dynamics (energetically excited conformational states) can regulate binding activity in a way that cannot be predicted on the basis of the protein's ground-state structure.
Histidine Tagged Protein Recovery from Tobacco Extract by Foam Fractionation

Tobacco plants have the potential to be used for the production of proteins for pharmaceutical applications. This work describes a novel protein recovery strategy where the protein of interest is "tagged" with a histidine sequence, which forms a complex with cobalt ions and surfactant possessing a chelating functionality, such that the protein is recovered in the foamate of a foam fractionation step. His-gus, a histidine-tagged enzyme, was chosen as a model protein to study the feasibility of this strategy. The His-gus is recovered from spiked prefoamed tobacco extract by foam fractionation in the presence of surfactant and cobalt ions with an enrichment of 1.29 and a recovery of 21.5% in terms of an adjusted activity.
Organization design and talent strategies for emerging markets

Today's large emerging markets present a unique challenge for multinational companies: their scale is larger and the global business environment is much more dynamic than ever has been seen before. The challenges of managing the innovation process in these markets that are at early stages of economic development argue for a bifurcated strategy, with one general strategy for developed economy markets and a separate strategy for the large emerging markets. From an organization design perspective, an emerging-markets specific approach is also needed: the mix of products that need to be supported, the scale and complexity of the markets, and the unique challenges around developing and managing local talent together create the need for locally based decision rights and the structures and processes needed to support those decision rights.
From the Icon to Aniconism: Islam and the Image

(2003). From the Icon to Aniconism: Islam and the Image. Museum International: Vol. 55, No. 2, pp. 46-53.
A Bayesian network approach to making inferences in causal maps

Abstract The main goal of this paper is to describe a new graphical structure called ‘Bayesian causal maps’ to represent and analyze domain knowledge of experts. A Bayesian causal map is a causal map, i.e., a network-based representation of an expert’s cognition. It is also a Bayesian network, i.e., a graphical representation of an expert’s knowledge based on probability theory. Bayesian causal maps enhance the capabilities of causal maps in many ways. We describe how the textual analysis procedure for constructing causal maps can be modified to construct Bayesian causal maps, and we illustrate it using a causal map of a marketing expert in the context of a product development decision.
Technical considerations of T-1 carrier transmission via Ku-band domestic satellites

Technical constraints and their solutions for a cost-effective point-to-point Ku-band satellite communications service are examined. The topics covered are: optimization of antenna size (hardware cost versus space segment cost); transponder operating point optimization; choice of forward error correction coding; transmission impairment, such as weather-related phenomena, depolarization, and interference; and system margins and transponder capacity. >
The Effect of Environmental Stimulation upon the Stereotyped Behavior of Autistic Children.

Two groups of three autistic children, equated for chronological age but differing in IQ and performance MA, were observed for 20-minute sessions. Total duration of time subjects engaged in stereotyped behavior was recorded for each minute. During minutes 6--15, subjects were provided with either minimal or high environmental stimulation. High environmental stimulation was found to increase the mean duration of time the low-IQ group engaged in stereotyped behavior but to decrease the duration for the high-IQ group. The theoretical implications are discussed.
Using the Electronic Medical Record to Improve Education in Patients at Risk for Adrenal Insufficiency

Background. Adrenal insufficiency is a life-threatening event. It is recommended that patients with known adrenal insufficiency and their families receive careful and repeated education on sick-day glucocorticoid management. We hypothesized that the electronic medical record (EMR) can be used to improve patient education through automated provider notification. Methods. We established an automated electronic alert in the EMR that triggered in the outpatient endocrine clinic. The alert asked if stress dose education was reviewed at the visit. The response to this alert was evaluated between July 15, 2009 and February 19, 2010. Results. 128 unique patients had visits both prior to and following the implementation of the EMR alert. The alert was acknowledged in 58 unique patient visits. After the alert was implemented, 87/128 (68%) of the patients had documentation in their record that stress dosing was reviewed. In the visit just prior to implementation of the alert, 48/128 (38%) of the patient encounters showed written documentation of stress dose review. Conclusion. This report documents that an automated alert in the EMR can promote improved provider adherence to recommendations regarding ongoing education of patients for stress dosing of glucocorticoids. Whether this translates into better outcomes for patients remains to be seen.
Field Experiments in Selecting the Most Efficient Tag for use in Haddock Studies

Abstract Field experiments made along the coast of Maine including 2,073 tagged haddock and 15.5 per cent recaptures have demonstrated that haddock caught by hook and line can be tagged successfully in water as deep as 30 fathoms. Three types of tags were tested: The modified Petersen disc, the bachelor button, and the internal anchor. The disc tag gave the highest initial returns, but the later recoveries were poorer. The bachelor-button tag appears to be the most efficient because of the value of the more protracted returns in estimating the rate of mortality, but it has certain mechanical defects to be corrected. The internal anchor tag gave the poorest returns owing to the early loss of the outside dangler which greatly reduced its visibility. This tag holds promise if redesigned as it appears to remain with the fish as long or longer than the button type. Returns are shown by size of fish and a break-down of time at liberty is given for each type of tag.
A Field Terminal for Collection and Analysis of Geological and Hydrogeological Data

Having immediate, automated field access to data gathered during geological and hydrogeological investigations can be crucial to definition of the scope and direction of test procedures, as well as to the interpretability of results. A portable, briefcase-sized data collection and analysis instrument has therefore recently been developed. It is capable of operating as a standalone or operator-guided field unit. This terminal is pre-programmed for a number of standard applications, several of which involve BAT® tools, e.g., permeability tests made using the BAT Ground Water Monitoring System. It can, however, be used with a wide range of other tools for controlling data collection during pumping, penetration and pressometer tests, etc. An operator's terminal and independent data collection microcontroller are the major components of this system. Data may be collected from any combination of four ports: an internal, programmable interval timer, a pulser (shaft encoder), and two 14-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) inputs. The latter are primarily used for pressure or resistance transducers. Reading of data may be triggered automatically by the timer and/or pulser, or be performed upon operator command. Many thousands of data points may be stored in the microcontroller, representing one or several tests of any type, intermixed. Via the operator's terminal, any subset of this stored data may be examined, erased, modified or analyzed. A 26-character LCD display and a four-color printer/plotter are used to record data and results of analyses. Data may also be transferred to an external computer for more extensive manipulation. Three examples of how this terminal may be used in the field in connection with site investigations are presented in this paper. They involve (a) measurement of saturated hydraulic conductivity, (b) determination of soil stratigraphy using pore pressure sounding, and (c) water network profiling.
Dynamo theory of the earth's varying magnetic field

Various forms of the dynamo theory are presented in a graphic manner. Each of them depends on a flow pattern of presumably thermal convection in the earth's fluid core. The conducting fluid moves in magnetic fields generated by currents induced by the motion. Each of the flow patterns includes vortices, with helicity induced by the Coriolis force, that twist the magnetic fields in such a way as to regenerate an initial field. Some of them involve also differential rotation, with the parts of the core near the axis rotating more rapidly than the outer parts. Some forms of the theory are more successful than others in accounting qualitatively for the various observed aspects of the field, particularly the westward drifts and the occasional polarity reversals. The thermal energy source may be radioactivity of heat or crystallization at the inner-core surface.
Diacylglycerol acyltransferase activity and triacylglycerol synthesis in germinating castor seed cotyledons

The central importance of storage lipid breakdown in providing carbon and energy during seed germination has been demonstrated by isolating the genes encoding the enzymes involved in FA β-oxidation. In contrast, little is known about the ability of germinating seeds to synthesize TAG. We report that castor cotyledons are capable of TAG synthesis. The rate of incorporation of ricinoleic acid into TAG reached a peak at 7 d after imbibition (DAI) (1.14 nmol/h/mg) and decreased rapidly thereafter, but was sustained at 20 DAI in cotyledons and true leaves. The castor DAG acyltransferase (RcDGAT) mRNA and protein were expressed throughout seed germination at levels considerably enhanced from that in the dormant seed, thus indicating new expression. Significant degradation of the RcDGAT protein was observed after 7 DAI. The DGAT activity was found to be predominantly a function of the level of the intact RcDGAT protein, with the rate of TAG synthesis decreasing as degradation of the RcDGAT protein proceeded. A possible mechanism for the degradation of the RcDGAT protein is discussed. The induction of DGAT mRNA and protein, the capacity for TAG synthesis in vitro and in tissue slices, and the differing TAG composition of dormant seed TAG vs. cotyledonary TAG provide strong circumstantial evidence for active TAG synthesis by cotyledons. However, we have not yet determined the physiological significance of this capability.
Complementary grouping of amino acids based on base-pairing

DNA sequence analysis is at the core of bioinformatics approaches in the study of genomes, genes and proteins. Recent studies revealed that codon (triplet nucleotides) is a useful means to detect patterns of genome sequences and is the basis of amino acids, which in turn translate to proteins. Sixty four codons are commonly grouped into an alphabet of twenty amino acids. Grouping twenty amino acids into reduced alphabets may aid in detecting patterns, modeling and designing proteins, and finding consensus sequences. It can make patterns simply. In this paper, a novel approach is used to generate a reduced alphabet of twenty amino acids. It is based on base-pairing and incorporates physical features of amino acids. The base-pairing is formulated by a complementary tree algorithm. The tree preserves the relationship among four groups of amino acids (nonpolar, polar, basic, and acidic), and yet generates fifteen amino acid groups. The resulting reduced alphabets are tested on alternative splicing patterns, which is the process related to protein functions and an important process for increasing the diversity arising from a single gene, in a genome sequence. The evaluation shows that this grouping is efficient in detecting patterns of genome sequences.
Towards a catheter free status in neurogenic bladder dysfunction: a review of bladder management options in spinal cord injury (SCI).

Towards a catheter free status in neurogenic bladder dysfunction: a review of bladder management options in spinal cord injury (SCI)
Abstract 3023: Decreased neutral endopeptidase expression regulates the autocrine proliferative effects of substance P on cholangiocarcinoma growth

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) originates from the neoplastic transformation of cholangiocytes, which are the epithelial cells that line the bile ducts. CCAs are neuroendocrine tumors and secrete and respond to neuropeptides with alterations in cell proliferation via autocrine pathways. For example, the expression/secretion of neuroendocrine factors such as NPY and serotonin are dysregulated in cholangiocarcinoma, which exert local control on tumor cell proliferation. The neuropeptide substance P (SP) stimulates normal biliary hyperplasia by binding to the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) stimulating ERK1/2 activity. Neutral endopeptidase (NEP) is a metalloprotease that degrades a number of secreted neuropeptides including SP. The AIM of our study was to evaluate the role of NEP in the autocrine regulation of CCA growth by SP. METHODS: The intra- and extra-hepatic CCA lines, Mz-ChA-1, SG231, CCLP, HuCCT-1, HuH-28, and TFK-1, and non-malignant biliary line, H-69, were utilized. We evaluated NK1R, tachykinin 1 (TAC1, gene encoding SP) and NEP expression by qPCR, FACS and immunofluorescence in cell lines and by immunohistochemistry in commercially available CCA tissue arrays. The secretion of SP in all lines was measured by EIA. The dose-dependent effect of SP (10 −6 to 10 −11 M for 48 hrs) on cell growth and SP-induced (10 −7 M) cell growth in the presence/absence of PD98059 (MEK1 inhibitor) was evaluated by MTS proliferation assay. The effect of SP on phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was determined by Western blot in the presence/absence of PD98059. To determine the role of NEP in the regulation of CCA growth, NEP was overexpressed in Mz-ChA-1 cells before evaluating: (i) NEP expression by qPCR and SP secretion by EIA kits; (ii) proliferation by MTS assay; and (iii) expression of Cyclin D1, PCNA and VEGF-A/C (factors regulating CCA growth). RESULTS: All CCA cell lines and human CCA tissue array samples were positive for NK-1R and TAC1. The CCA lines secreted higher levels of SP compared to H69. Correspondingly, NEP expression levels were significantly reduced in CCA lines compared to nonmalignant H69 cells and in human CCA tissue arrays compared to normal bile ducts. SP increased CCA growth (∼60% at 10 −7 M), which was dependent upon ERK1/2 activity. Overexpression of NEP (∼80%, the SP degrading enzyme) in Mz-ChA-1 cells decreased SP secretion and significantly decreased cell growth, which was associated with decreased expression of Cyclin D1, PCNA and VEGF-A/C compared to control transfected Mz-ChA-1. CONCLUSIONS: SP is mitogenic for CCA regulating growth in an autocrine fashion that is associated with decreased NEP expression. Targeting the NEP/SP/NK1R axis may represent a novel therapeutic approach for cholangiocarcinoma. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3023. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3023
Probing the Origin of Enhanced Stability of AlPO4 Nanoparticle Coated LiCoO2 during Cycling to High Voltages: Combined XRD and XPS Studies

“AlPO4”-coated LiCoO2 was shown to exhibit markedly improved capacity retention and reduced impedance growth relative to bare “LiCoO2” upon cycling to 4.7 V. Scanning electron microscopy imaging showed that the surfaces of the cycled bare “LiCoO2” particles remained very smooth whereas there were many newly formed patches distributed on the surfaces of the cycled coated particles. X-ray powder diffraction analyses revealed that select peak broadening was observed for cycled bare electrodes suggesting that structural damage to LixCoO2 was introduced upon cycling. In contrast, no apparent structural changes to LixCoO2 were found for cycled coated electrodes. Pristine and cycled bare and “AlPO4”-coated LiCoO2 electrodes were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. No significant change was detected in the surface chemistry of Co for cycled bare electrodes, but surface LiF and LixPFyOz components were found to considerably increase during cycling, which led to partial surface coverage of LixCoO2. A very ...
Metabolism of galactose in Canna leaves and wheat seedlings.

Abstract The transformation of randomly 14 C-labeled galactose was studied in Canna leaf disks during the course of a 3· hour respiration period in the dark. Introduction of this radioactive sugar into Canna leaf tissue caused a rapid appearance of 14 C-labeled sucrose and 14 C-labeled hexose monophosphates. When the radioactive sucrose was hydrolyzed to its monosaccharide constituents, the activity of the glucose was equal to that of fructose. The major proportion of the radioactive phosphorylated hexoses isolated from Canna leaf tissue, after infiltration of randomly 14 C-labeled galactose was an easily hydrolyzable galactose phosphate, which is probably galactose-1-phosphate. When galactose-1- 14 C was introduced into wheat seedlings and the glucose isolated from the sucrose after 2 hours was degraded to its individual carbon atoms, C-1 contained the major proportion of the activity (72%). C-6 contained practically all the remainder of the label (21%) which may have been produced through randomization with C-1 by a reversal of the glycolytic system in the respiring plant. The other four carbon atoms in the glucose chain possessed very little activity. The data indicate that galactose is converted directly to glucose without prior degradation of the chain, probably through a mechanism involving the enzyme, galactowaldenase.
Stabilization of the no-motion state in the Rayleigh–Bénard problem

Using linear stability theory and numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the critical Rayleigh number for bifurcation from the no-motion (conduction) state to the motion state in the Rayleigh–Benard problem of an infinite fluid layer heated from below and cooled from above can be significantly increased through the use of a feedback controller effectuating small perturbations in the boundary data. The controller consists of sensors which detect deviations in the fluid’s temperature from the motionless, conductive values and then direct actuators to respond to these deviations in such a way as to suppress the naturally occurring flow instabilities. Actuators which modify the boundary’s temperature or velocity are considered. The feedback controller can also be used to control flow patterns and generate complex dynamic behaviour at relatively low Rayleigh numbers.
Student Attitudes Toward Religious Diversity and Implications for Multicultural Competence

In this article we present the findings from a survey of Master of Social Work (MSW) students regarding their attitudes toward religion in social work practice and their feelings of competence when working with clients who are Muslim. Our findings indicated that some students are uncomfortable working with Muslim groups. Interestingly, those students who are minority and non-Christian appear to identify with other oppressed groups and expressed attitudes of greater comfort and tolerance than their White and Christian counterparts. This suggests a need for a more comprehensive view of multicultural practice in social work education perhaps with a focus on cultural humility.
Fused Four-Dimensional Real Division Algebras

Abstract Dickson′s construction obtains the quaternions as pairs of complex numbers with a specific multiplication. We modify his construction to obtain four-dimensional division algebras from pairs of two-dimensional real division algebras and compare this class of algebras to other known classes.
Evidence against Extracellular Exposure of a Highly Immunogenic Region in the C-Terminal Domain of the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus gp41 Transmembrane Protein

The generally accepted model for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein topology includes a single membrane-spanning domain. An alternate model has been proposed which features multiple membrane-spanning domains. Consistent with the alternate model, a high percentage of HIV-1-infected individuals produce unusually robust antibody responses to a region of envelope, the so-called "Kennedy epitope," that in the conventional model should be in the cytoplasm. Here we show analogous, robust antibody responses in simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac239-infected rhesus macaques to a region of SIVmac239 envelope located in the C-terminal domain, which in the conventional model should be inside the cell. Sera from SIV-infected rhesus macaques consistently reacted with overlapping oligopeptides corresponding to a region located within the cytoplasmic domain of gp41 by the generally accepted model, at intensities comparable to those observed for immunodominant areas of the surface component gp120. Rabbit serum raised against this highly immunogenic region (HIR) reacted with SIV envelope in cell surface-staining experiments, as did monoclonal anti-HIR antibodies isolated from an SIVmac239-infected rhesus macaque. However, control experiments demonstrated that this surface staining could be explained in whole or in part by the release of envelope protein from expressing cells into the supernatant and the subsequent attachment to the surfaces of cells in the culture. Serum and monoclonal antibodies directed against the HIR failed to neutralize even the highly neutralization-sensitive strain SIVmac316. Furthermore, a potential N-linked glycosylation site located close to the HIR and postulated to be outside the cell in the alternate model was not glycosylated. An artificially introduced glycosylation site within the HIR was also not utilized for glycosylation. Together, these data support the conventional model of SIV envelope as a type Ia transmembrane protein with a single membrane-spanning domain and without any extracellular loops.
Interference and feature specificity in visual perceptual learning

Perceptual learning (PL) often shows specificity to a trained feature. We investigated whether feature specificity is related to disruption in PL using the texture discrimination task (TDT), which shows learning specificity to background element but not to target element. Learning was disrupted when orientations of background elements were changed in two successive training sessions (interference) but not in a random order from trial to trial (roving). The presentation of target elements seemed to have reversed effect; learning occurred in two-parts training but not with roving. These results suggest that interference in TDT is feature specific while disruption by roving is not.
Zero-Parameter Model of the N − N Potential

We present a theoretical $N\ensuremath{-}N$ potential containing, in addition to the one-pion-exchange contribution, vector-meson-exchange terms and contributions due to the inelastic interactions $N+N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}N+\ensuremath{\Delta}(1236)$ and $N+N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\Delta}(1236)+\ensuremath{\Delta}(1236)$. There are no adjustable parameters in this calculation, which otherwise, however, suffers from most of the usual shortcomings and difficulties of few-particle-exchange models for strong-interaction processes. The vector-meson coupling constants are fixed by electromagnetic form factors and backward vector-meson production data, while the phenomenological constants in the inelastic contributions to the potentials have been fixed by the experimental data on the inelastic reactions themselves. Our results are found to be in qualitative agreement with phenomenological potentials obtained by Reid from the $N\ensuremath{-}N$ scattering data. We also calculate the vector-meson-exchange potentials for all $B\ensuremath{-}B$ and $B\ensuremath{-}\overline{B}$ states with $J\ensuremath{\le}2$. Our results indicate that the $B\ensuremath{-}B$ interaction will contain a short-range repulsion in all states of practical interest aside from the $T=1\ensuremath{\Xi}\ensuremath{-}N$ state which is discussed. We find strong attractions in most of the $\mathrm{SU}(3)$ singlet and octet $B\ensuremath{-}\overline{B}$ states.
Cystic lesions of the pancreas: Selection criteria for operative and nonoperative management in 209 patients

Because of the inability to determine benign from malignant, many have recommended that all cystic lesions of the pancreas be resected. Patients evaluated between January 1995 and December 2000 for the ICD-9 diagnosis of pancreatic cyst (577.2) or benign neoplasm of the pancreas (211.6) were reviewed. Patient, cyst, and treatment characteristics were recorded. Comparisons were made between patients who underwent operative and nonoperative management. Over the 5-year period, 209 patients were evaluated. Nonoperative treatment was initially chosen for 144 patients (69%). In this group the average cyst diameter was 2.5 cm (range 0.5 cm to 13.0 cm), and the median change in diameter during follow-up was zero cm (range 1.5 cm to 4.0 cm). In six patients (4%) changes occurred within the cyst that resulted in resection. None of these patients had a malignant diagnosis. Operative treatment was initially chosen for 65 (31%) of the 209 patients. Malignancy was found in six of the operative patients (6 [9%] of 65). Differences in patient and cyst characteristics between groups included the cyst size, septations, a solid component, and the presence of symptoms. Selected patients with cystic lesions of the pancreas may be safely followed radiographically. Selection criteria identified in this study (symptoms, cyst size, solid component, and septations) and the utilization of new imaging techniques allow the creation of treatment plans for these patients that can be prospectively tested.
Transition to oscillatory convective heat transfer in a fluid-saturated porous medium

The transition from steady to time-periodic motion in the analog of Benard convection in a two-dimensional region of fluid-saturated porous media is studied by means of an eigenfunction expansion and a branch-tracing technique. This method leads to the location of the transition at Rayleigh number 9.9 times that at convection onset. The small-amplitude motion has a period 0.012 times shorter than the thermal diffusion time and comes into existence through a Hopf bifurcation. The structure and time progression of the destabilizing disturbance indicates that the dominant effect is an instability convected by the base flow whose strength is coupled to the steepening thermal boundary layers. The effects of truncation of the expansion on the prediction of the transition and its mechanism are discussed.