cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Caldicellulosiruptor bescii regulates pilus expression in response to the polysaccharide, xylan

ABSTRACT Biological hydrolysis of cellulose above 70°C involves microorganisms that secrete free enzymes, and deploy separate protein systems to adhere to their substrate. Strongly cellulolytic Caldicellulosiruptor bescii is one such extreme thermophile, which deploys modular, multi-functional carbohydrate acting enzymes to deconstruct plant biomass. Additionally, C. bescii also encodes for non-catalytic carbohydrate binding proteins, which likely evolved as a mechanism to compete against other heterotrophs in carbon limited biotopes that these bacteria inhabit. Analysis of the Caldicellulosiruptor pangenome identified a type IV pilus (T4P) locus encoded upstream of the tāpirins, that is encoded for by all Caldicellulosiruptor species. In this study, we sought to determine if the C. bescii T4P plays a role in attachment to plant polysaccharides. The major C. bescii pilin (CbPilA) was identified by the presence of pilin-like protein domains, paired with transcriptomics and proteomics data. Using immuno-dot blots, we determined that the plant polysaccharide, xylan, induced production of CbPilA 10 to 14-fold higher than glucomannan or xylose. Furthermore, we are able to demonstrate that recombinant CbPilA directly interacts with xylan, and cellulose at elevated temperatures. Localization of CbPilA at the cell surface was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy. Lastly, a direct role for CbPilA in cell adhesion was demonstrated using recombinant CbPilA or anti-CbPilA antibodies to reduce C. bescii cell adhesion to xylan and crystalline cellulose up to 4.5 and 2-fold, respectively. Based on these observations, we propose that CbPilA and by extension, the T4P, plays a role in Caldicellulosiruptor cell attachment to plant biomass. IMPORTANCE Most microorganisms are capable of attaching to surfaces in part to persist in their environment. Here, we describe that the thermophilic, plant degrading bacterium, Caldicellulosiruptor bescii, uses type IV pili to attach to carbohydrates found in plant biomass. This ability is likely key to survival in environments where carbon sources are limiting, allowing C. bescii to compete against other plant degrading microorganisms. Interestingly, the carbohydrate that induced the highest expression of pilin protein was xylan, a hemicellulose that is not the majority polysaccharide in plant biomass. Not only do we demonstrate a direct interaction of the pilin with the polysaccharides, but also that cell attachment to polysaccharides can be disrupted by the addition of recombinant pilin and notably by antibody neutralization of the native pilin. This mechanism mirrors those recently described in pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria, and further supports the ancient origins of type IV pilus systems.
Middle School Students: Active Learning Activities for Stroke Education and Healthy Lifestyles

The objective of this study is to determine whether a school-based program that allows middle school students to actively take responsibility of their learning can act as an effective intervention to promote stroke awareness and healthy lifestyle. Middle school students in grades 6, 7, and 8 (ages 11–14) were divided into small groups and participated in a series of interactive learning activities, centered on motivating middle school kids to learn and recognize signs and symptoms of stroke and to learn healthy lifestyle choices. A total of 127 sixth, 113 seventh, and 98 eighth grade students participated in the intervention program. ANOVA found a significant difference in the baseline knowledge of all stroke and healthy life parameters evaluated in the pre-and post-intervention between the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Post-hoc analysis revealed a significant change in the performance (P < 0.001) from pre to the post-intervention for all grade levels. A school-based intervention program that allows middle school students to actively learn how to recognize the signs of a stroke and to identify healthy lifestyle choices can significantly change knowledge from baseline and act as an effective tool to promote stroke and healthy lifestyle education.
Variability in the thermo-mechanical behavior of structural aluminum

Abstract The nominal performance of structural aluminum alloys at elevated temperature has been thoroughly investigated in the past. Although it is well known that the performance of a given material specimen will differ from the nominal behavior, the extent of this variability has not been quantitied to date. This limits the ability to perform reliability and performance-based design and analysis for aluminum structures subjected to high temperatures (e.g. in structural fire engineering). This work presents an experimental investigation of the variability in the stress-strain behavior of AA 6061-T651 (as a model ductile aluminum alloy). We performed steady-state tensile tests on nine different batches of nominally identical material sourced from different suppliers/manufacturers at six different temperatures (20 °C, 100 °C, 150 °C, 200 °C, 250 °C, and 300 °C) under two different geometries to induce uniaxial tension and plane strain stress states in the gauge section. The results are investigated statistically to illustrate variability in the salient features of the stress-strain behavior of the material ranging from nonlinear elastic behavior to strain localization and ductile fracture. Some observations on material performance and its variability are made along the way. Overall, it is illustrated that variations between batches of material can be quite large and – especially as it relates to strain localization, necking, and material failure – variations can be very large even within a fixed batch of material. To encourage data of this nature to be expanded and integrated into research and practice to improve structural design and investigations, the full searchable dataset are publicly available [1] with experimental details published concurrently through Data in Brief [2].
Endovascular preoperative embolization for temporomandibular joint replacement surgery.

Background and purposeThis retrospective study evaluates the safety and effectiveness of preoperative endovascular embolization in patients who underwent temporomandibular joint (TMJ) replacement s...
The New History of Nostalgia

Nostalgia has become a hot topic in contemporary scholarship in the social sciences. Long overlooked in studies in the history of social psychology, the nature and social role of nostalgia has bela...
A BIM-based simulation framework for fire safety management and investigation of the critical factors affecting human evacuation performance

Abstract Fire hazards are a big threat to human life and property safety. The U.S. fire statistics reveal that, in 2017 alone, 1,319,500 fires caused 3400 deaths and 14,670 injuries, which resulted in a loss of $23 billion [1]. Effective evacuation planning in densely occupied buildings should be primarily put in place if both the number of injuries/fatalities and the level of property loss are to be minimized. However, it is not realistic, and is unethical to study human evacuation performance under a burning building. For this reason, computational tools tend to be the best approach for simulating fire growth as well as human response to fire hazards. This study aims to develop a BIM-based simulation framework that implements the Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) and agent-based modeling (ABM) for simulating fire growth and evacuation performance for different building layout scenarios. An experimental implementation is conducted to validate the proposed framework, which verified the benefits of (1) using BIM to offer a platform for conducting simulation design and visualizing the simulation results of (a) hazardous fire zones and (b) effective escape routes; (2) simulating fire growth using the FDS tool; (3) developing an agent-based model that accounts for the critical factors affecting evacuation performance; and (4) applying a statistical analysis for investigating the effects of influential parameters from the proposed model. As a result, the simulation outputs can be used to optimize the building design and to investigate the influential factors on human evacuation efficiency. The proposed framework contributes to building fire safety management by enabling to minimize both injuries/fatalities and property loss.
Intersections of Ageing, Gender and Sexualities: Multidisciplinary International Perspectives

Intersectionality is more easily invoked that it is operationalized. As Toni Calasanti describes in the second chapter of Intersections of Ageing, Gender and Sexualities: Multidisciplinary Internat...
Enhancing the Ethylene Yield over Hybrid Adsorbent Catalyst Materials in CO₂-Assisted Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethane by Tuning Catalyst Support Properties

CO2 emissions remediation has become of paramount importance due to the climate change issue. Combined CO2 capture and utilization has been considered as one of the promising technological solution...
Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome epidemiology.

Abstract Objective Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a condition with heterogeneous features (ie, age at presentation, severity, food triggers, comorbidities) and is not as rare as initially believed. In the last few years, the first population-based epidemiologic study, few prospective birth cohort evaluating FPIES prevalence, and several larger (>100 patients) studies have been published, making epidemiologic estimation more reliable. In this review, we report on the available data on the epidemiology of FPIES. Data Sources PubMed review using the following words: FPIES, epidemiology, and prevalence. Study Selections The review focused on the population-based epidemiologic study, few prospective birth cohort evaluating FPIES prevalence, and several larger (>100 patients) studies. Results We identified 8 population or cohort studies. Conclusion FPIES is not rare in both children and adults and may affect as many as 900,000 people in the United States alone. Most children and adult with FPIES seem to react to 1 to 2 foods; however, they may need further diet restriction owing to high level of comorbidity with immunoglobulin E–mediated food allergies and eosinophilic esophagitis. Globally, cow's milk, rice/oat, and seafood seem to be the most common triggers.
Surface characterization and methane activation on SnOx/Cu2O/Cu(111) inverse oxide/metal catalysts.

To activate methane at low or medium temperatures is a difficult task and a pre-requisite for the conversion of this light alkane into high value chemicals. Herein, we report the preparation and characterizations of novel SnOx/Cu2O/Cu(111) interfaces that enable low-temperature methane activation. Scanning tunneling microscopy identified small, well-dispersed SnOx nanoclusters on the Cu2O/Cu(111) substrate with an average size of 8 A, and such morphology was sustained up to 450 K in UHV annealing. Ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that hydrocarbon species (CHx groups), the product of methane activation, were formed on SnOx/Cu2O/Cu(111) at a temperature as low as 300 K. An essential role of the SnOx–Cu2O interface was evinced by the SnOx coverage dependence. Systems with a small amount of tin oxide, 0.1–0.2 ML coverage, produced the highest concentration of adsorbed CHx groups. Calculations based on density functional theory showed a drastic reduction in the activation barrier for C–H bond cleavage when going from Cu2O/Cu(111) to SnOx/Cu2O/Cu(111). On the supported SnOx, the dissociation of methane was highly exothermic (ΔE ∼ −35 kcal mol−1) and the calculated barrier for activation (∼20 kcal mol−1) could be overcome at 300–500 K, target temperatures for the conversion of methane to high value chemicals.
Serologic Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination in Patients With Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background and aims Patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) have an increased risk of COVID-19, primarily attributed to the use of immunosuppressive drugs such as glucocorticoids, which may attenuate the response to vaccines. This meta-analysis aims to assess the serologic response to COVID-19 vaccination in patients with IMIDs. Methods Electronic databases were searched on August 1, 2021 for observational studies. Data including reference population, medications, vaccination, and proportion of patients achieving a serologic response were extracted. Results Twenty-five observational studies (5360 patients) were included for analyses. A majority of the studies used mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2, mRNA-1273) with a small number of studies including other types of vaccines (AZD1222, Coronavac, BBV152, Ad26.COV2.S). Serologic response after a single (6 studies) and two doses (17 studies) of mRNA vaccine were 73.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 65.7-79.5) and 83.4% (95%CI 76.8-88.4), respectively. On meta-regression, anti-CD20 therapy was associated with lower response rates (P Conclusions Our meta-analysis demonstrated that patients with IMIDs have a reduced response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. These results suggest that IMID patients receiving mRNA vaccines should complete the vaccine series without delay and support the strategy of providing a 3rd dose of the vaccine.
Asthma Management Disparities: A Photovoice Investigation with African American Youth.

Disparities in asthma management are a burden on African American youth. The objective of this study is to describe and compare the discourses of asthma management disparities (AMDs) in African American adolescents in Seattle to existing youth-related asthma policies in Washington State. Adolescents participated in a three-session photovoice project and presented their phototexts to the Washington State asthma planning committee. Critical discourse analysis methodology was used to analyze adolescent phototexts and the State asthma plan. We found that the State plan did not address AMD in African American adolescents. Adolescents discussed more topics on AMD than the State plan presented, and they introduced new topics concerning residential mobility, poor nutrition, inadequate athletic opportunities, and schools with stairs. Current health policy may be constraining effective responses to asthma disparities in youth. School nursing leadership can use photovoice to advance youth voice in transforming struc...
Chapter 14. Antineoplastic Agents

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an overview of antineoplastic agents. Isophosphamide, an analog of cyclophosphamide, inhibits Lewis lung carcinoma, Ehrlich ascites sarcoma, and Yoshida sarcoma. Isophosphamide generates the cytotoxic aldehyde acrolein in vitro and the latter is proposed as a component of a universal cell-growth regulatory system. Clinically, it is active in oat cell tumors of the lung, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and lymphomas. Toxicities of both compounds are similar; they cause cardiovascular alterations in rhesus monkeys with isophosphamide being twice as potent. The hypotension and bradycardia observed after administration of these compounds may be due to a direct nonspecific cardiac depression in conjunction with possible histamine release. Bis(4-methanesulfonoxybutyl) ether and many related δ-oxygen substituted butyl ethers are effective inhibitors of the Walker rat carcinoma. Phenesterin, an alkylating cholesterol ester, is at least as effective as cyclophosphamide and about three times that of chlorambucil. The drug is more effective when given orally rather than sc or ip administration. Mode of decomposition of DIC [5-(3,3-Dimeth∼l-1-triazeno)imidazole-4-carboxamide] was studied in Bacillus subtilis and in mammalian cell cultures. In the presence of light, DIC decomposed into dimethylamine and 5-diazoimidazole-4-carboxamide, the latter enters the cells and interacts with nucleic acids in an obscure manner.
Psychometric Characteristics of the Revised Procrastination Inventory

The Procrastination Inventory developed for use with doctoral students in clinical psychology was modified for use with ABD students and doctoral graduates in a College of Education. The original Procrastination Inventory contained 43 items with 11 subscales. The structure of the revised measure was analyzed both through factor and Rasch analyses and three subscales that were more generalized were found instead of the eleven originally posited. The three subscales were: (1) procrastination, 20 items, alpha = .88, (2) perfectionism, 9 items, alpha = .64, and (3) graduate school comfort, 6 items, alpha = .59. Eight items were deleted after Rasch and factor analyses, resulting in a 35-item scale. Validity was demonstrated by the measure's ability to predict dissertation completion and through correlations with related measures. The Procrastination Inventory is useful in the study of attrition from doctoral programs, particularly at the dissertation stage.
Purification and properties of adenosine kinase from human tumor cells of type H. Ep. No. 2.

Abstract Adenosine kinase, purified 175-fold from human tumor cells in culture, was free of adenosine deaminase and adenosine monophosphate kinase activities. A nucleoside triphosphate was required for the phosphorylation of adenosine or of 6-methylthiopurine ribonucleoside. Either adenosine triphosphate, inosine triphosphate, or guanosine triphosphate satisfied this requirement, and dATP substituted to a smaller extent. The phosphorylation of adenosine required no added divalent cation, but Mg++ or Mn++ greatly stimulated the phosphorylation of 6-methylthiopurine ribonucleoside; Ca++ or Co++ were less effective in this regard. The pH optima were 6.2 to 6.8 for adenosine as substrate and 6.8 for 6-methylthiopurine ribonucleoside; the Km for adenosme was 1.8 x 10-6 m, and that for 6-methylthiopurine ribonucleoside was 5.0 x 10-5 m. The enzyme did not catalyze phosphorylation of inosine or guanosine; but under the conditions used, it phosphorylated several derivatives and analogues of adenosine to a greater extent than adenosine itself. The well phosphorylated compounds included analogues of adenosine in which (a) -H, -Cl, -SCH3, -OCH3, -NHCH3, -N(CH3)2, or -CH3 replaced the amino group; (b) pyrazole, pyrrole, or triazole rings replaced the imidazole ring; (c) -CH3 or =O substituted for -H in position 1; and (d) -F substituted for-H in position 2. Replacement of the ribofuranosyl group by arabinofuranosyl, xylofuranosyl, or deoxyribosyl groups resulted in compounds that were either poorly or not at all phosphorylated. 6-Mercaptopurine ribonucleoside, 6,6'-dithiobis(9-β-d-ribofuranosylpurine), and 2-fluoro-6-mercaptopurine ribonucleoside, compounds which were not themselves phosphorylated, inhibited the phosphorylation of both adenosine and 6-methylthiopurine ribonucleoside.
A Cross‐Cultural Comparison of Studies of Obedience Using the Milgram Paradigm: A Review

This report presents cross-cultural comparisons of studies on obedience to authority using the classic Milgram paradigm, which provide answers to the following questions: 1. Overall, does the level of obedience found in the United States differ from that found in other countries? 2. Is the nature or pattern of sex differences in obedience the same or different in the United States and elsewhere? 3. How does Milgram’s “agentic state” conceptualization – that destructive obedience presupposes a shift in responsibility from the perpetrator to the authority – fare cross-culturally?
Experienced Entrepreneurial Founders and Venture Capital Funding

Using a novel dataset of 149 early stage start-up firms, I empirically examine how prior entrepreneurial founding experience affects the timing and valuation of venture capital (VC) funding. Such founding experience results in both enhanced skill in building current start-ups and in improved social capital that can be used to, for example, recruit executive officers. The results suggest that entrepreneurs differ in accumulated human and social resources, which in turn have measurable effects on VC timing and valuation. The results are accentuated for entrepreneurs with financially successful prior founding experience. The study concludes with implications for academics and managers.
Finding optimal control strategies for invasive species: a density‐structured model for Spartina alterniflora

Summary 1 There are very few general guidelines available to improve the process of eradicating invasive species. We addressed the basic question of whether it is more efficient to prioritize the removal of outliers or core populations of an invasive grass, Spartina alterniflora. 2 We used a structured model in which the population of the invasive species is partitioned into different classes based on local conspecific density in order to investigate density-based eradication strategies. 3 The Spartina population at a Pacific coast estuary in Washington state, USA, is subject to an Allee effect: at low density plants produce fewer propagules than in high-density coalesced meadows. Plants at low density, however, are able to spread faster vegetatively. We used a genetic algorithm to find the optimal division of resources between removal of high-density and low-density plants. We explored the consequences of the Allee effect, contrasting financial budgets available for control operations and the inclusion of seedling control in addition to the control of mature plants. 4 We found that the optimal strategy was dependent on the annual budget available for control. At low and medium budgets, it was necessary to remove the low-density plants first to achieve eradication, but if more money was available then the optimal strategy was to prioritize high-density areas. 5 Without an Allee effect the optimal strategy would always be to prioritize the removal of fast-growing, low-density sub-populations. Seedling control did not change the optimal strategy but did, in some cases, reduce the cost of eradication. 6 Synthesis and applications. Given the uncertainty in future budgets allocated for control of invasive Spartina, we recommend a strategy that prioritizes the removal of low-density subpopulations of S. alterniflora over high-density subpopulations. The Allee effect in this system is not sufficiently strong to outweigh the importance of the rapid vegetative spread of the plants at low density.
AUDIO RECORDING OF HOUSEHOLD INTERVIEWS TO ENSURE DATA QUALITY

The use of audio recording technology in the collection of quantitative household survey data in developing countries offers many benefits at a low cost. The benefits include ensuring that interviews take place, training and supervision of enumerators, assuring data quality, secure data storage, and easy data sharing, among others. This paper describes the use of audio recording by a research project that collected household level data in rural western Kenya in 2011–2012. I discuss the benefits of audio recording, both anticipated and encountered, as well as the costs and the applicability of this method in other research settings. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of septal cholinergic neurons in culture: plating density and glial cells modulate effects of NGF on survival, fiber growth, and expression of transmitter-specific enzymes

To characterize the role of NGF in the development of forebrain cholinergic neurons, we established primary cell culture systems to grow these cells under controlled in vitro conditions. Cultures of dissociated cells were prepared from the septal area of fetal (E17) rats, which contained part of the group of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. Cultures were treated either with NGF (100 ng/ml) or with an antiserum against NGF (1:500 dilution). To assess the influence of non-neuronal cells, 2 types of high-density cultures were prepared: mixed neuronal-glial cultures and pure neuronal cultures. Cholinergic neurons were identified using choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunocytochemistry and AChE cytochemistry. Receptors for NGF (NGF-R) were located immunocytochemically using monoclonal antibodies against rat NGF-R. We report that, first, NGF-R are exclusively localized on cholinergic neurons in septal cultures. All neurons labeled with antibodies against NGF-R also contained AChE. Twenty-one percent of all AChE-positive neurons were not stained in NGF-R immunocytochemistry (AChE has earlier been shown to be colocalized with ChAT in septal cultures). Second, NGF treatment increases and anti-NGF treatment reduces the number of AChE-positive neurons in cultures of low plating density, suggesting that NGF promotes survival of septal cholinergic neurons in these cultures. In cultures of high plating density, NGF increased the number of NGF-R and ChAT-positive neurons without affecting the number of AChE-positive neurons in these cultures. These results suggest that exogenous NGF is not required for survival of cholinergic neurons in high-density cultures but stimulates the expression of ChAT and NGF-R. Third, NGF stimulates fiber growth of septal cholinergic neurons, as assessed by computerized image analysis of AChE-positive neurons. Fourth, NGF specifically increases ChAT and AChE activities in septal cultures. These NGF-mediated increases in enzyme activities are more pronounced when neurons are grown together with glial cells. In pure neuronal cultures, NGF increased ChAT and AChE activities by 101 and 16%, and in mixed neuronal-glial cultures by 318 and 87%, respectively. Anti-NGF blocked the effects of NGF but failed to reduce ChAT and AChE activities below control levels in cultures of high plating density. Fifth, astrocytes attenuate the expression of ChAT and AChE by septal neurons in the absence of NGF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Storage subsystem workload characterization in a real life personal computer environment

Storage subsystem performance is a critical factor in the overall computer system performance. To evaluate and improve the performance of existing and future storage subsystems for an environment, the workload as seen by the storage subsystem in that environment has to be characterized. In the paper, storage subsystem workload in a real life Netware personal computer environment is traced using the storage subsystem tracing tool (SSTT) introduced in Ali et al. (1992). SSTT is an operating system independent tool which is shown to introduce minimal overhead. Workload characterization is then performed by using analysis tools that have been developed to study important statistical parameters of the traced workload such as logical block address (LBA) frequency, IO request interarrival time frequency, IO request size, and the instantaneous demand on the storage subsystem. Distributions for these important parameters are obtained and analyzed.
A More Critical Use of Fairness Opinions as a Practical Approach to the Behavioral Economics of Mergers and Acquisitions

This paper responds to Professor Donald C. Langevoort's essay entitled "The Behavioral Economics of Mergers and Acquisitions" (12 Transactions: Tenn. J. Bus. L. 65 (2011)). Together with Professor Langevoort's essay and another responsive work written from the standpoint of behavioral psychology – Eric Sundstrom's "Tall Steps, Slippery Slopes & Learning Curves in the Behavioral Economics of Mergers & Acquisitions" (12 Transactions: Tenn. J. Bus. L. 65 (2011)) – this paper preliminarily explores solutions to behavioral issues in the context of mergers and acquisitions. Specifically, this paper contends that changes in the contents, construction, use, and assessment of fairness opinions may better enable fairness opinions to counteract the potential and actual biases of corporate management and shareholders in M&A decision-making. The paper begins by briefly reviewing the nature (attributes, benefits and detriments), regulation, and utilization of fairness opinions in the M&A transactional process, including the ways in which fairness opinions manifest, support, and attempt to counteract behavioral norms. Next, the paper suggests best practices in the construction and use of fairness opinions that take into account our knowledge of behavioral psychology as it relates to M&A transactions. The net effect of these best practices is to transform what may be unconscious behavioral norms into conscious biases that, once exposed, can be confronted and, as desired, mitigated.
Inhibition of Amyloid Precursor Protein Processing Enhances Gemcitabine-mediated Cytotoxicity in Pancreatic Cancer Cells *

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma or pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at a very late stage at which point treatment options are minimal. Current chemotherapeutic interventions prolong survival marginally, thereby emphasizing the acute need for better treatment options to effectively manage this disease. Studies from different laboratories have shown that the Alzheimer disease-associated amyloid precursor protein (APP) is overexpressed in various cancers but its significance is not known. Here we sought to determine the role of APP in pancreatic cancer cell survival and proliferation. Our results show that pancreatic cancer cells secrete high levels of sAPPα, the α-secretase cleaved ectodomain fragment of APP, as compared with normal non-cancerous cells. Treatment of cells with batimastat or GI254023X, inhibitors of the α-secretase ADAM10, prevented sAPPα generation and reduced cell survival. Additionally, inhibition of sAPPα significantly reduced anchorage independent growth of the cancer cells. The effect of batimastat on cell survival and colony formation was enhanced when sAPPα downregulation was combined with gemcitabine treatment. Moreover, treatment of batimastat-treated cells with recombinant sAPPα reversed the inhibitory effect of the drug thereby indicating that sAPPα can indeed induce proliferation of cancer cells. Down-regulation of APP and ADAM10 brought about similar results, as did batimastat treatment, thereby confirming that APP processing is important for growth and proliferation of these cells. These results suggest that inhibition of sAPPα generation might enhance the effectiveness of the existing chemotherapeutic regimen for a better outcome.
A relative damping criterion for linear systems

Many feedback controls and other physical systems are designed on the basis of linear theory, that is, linear differential equations with constant coefficients. A. Leonhard1?3 and A. Vazsonyi4 have given graphical methods for determining whether all roots of the characteristic equation are located within certain sectors of the complex plane. Vazsonyi's method determines whether all dimensionless damping rates ? of any linear system are greater than any prescribed value. Each pair of complex conjugate roots of the characteristic equation of a linear system has its own value of ?. Any such pair can be expressed as
Cultured hepatoma cells for the study of enzyme regulation: induction of ornithine decarboxylase by insulin and asparagine

The induction and decay of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) by insulin and asparagine in cultures of H4-II-EC3 (H35) hepatoma cells was studied in a modified Waymouth medium in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS) and in serum-free media. The insulin response was enhanced by the presence of asparagine although the effect of asparagine was not so much on the initial increase as it was on a slowing of the decline after the maximum was reached at 6 to 8 h after the supplements were added together with fresh medium. In all cases the initial ODC activity was zero at zero time for addition of media and supplements, and, after reaching the maximum, activity declined to near zero by 24 h. Fetal bovine serum gave induction that followed a similar time course but was inferior to the combintion, of insulin plus asparagine and, in fact, FBS inhibited the latter response. Putrescine (the product formed from ornithine by ODC), at 10−5 M, markedly inhibited the induction of ODC by insulin or FBS, but the inhibition was less when asparagine was present.
WHY PILOTS MISS THE GREEN BOX: HOW DISPLAY CONTEXT UNDERMINES ATTENTION CAPTURE

Visual displays often employ the onset or flashing of an element to notify users of important events. Recent research findings and operational experiences in data-rich, event-driven domains, such as aviation, suggest that this design approach, which was supported by findings from early basic research on attention capture, is not always successful. The goal of this study was to examine how display context affects the effectiveness of abrupt onset signals. Participants in this study performed an externally paced visual task while trying to detect abrupt-onset stimuli, which were presented against 5 different display backgrounds and at 2 different eccentricities. The display background varied in terms of its dynamics and its color similarity to the target. Color similarity, the movement of background elements, and increasing target eccentricity resulted in reduced detection performance. The findings from this study help explain why pilots on modern flight decks sometimes miss changes in the status and behavi...
Longitudinal prospective study of matrix metalloproteinase-9 as a serum marker in gliomas

The objective of this study was to evaluate if longitudinal measurements of serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) correlated with disease status or survival in adults with gliomas. Serum samples were collected prospectively and concurrently with MRI scans at multiple time points during the course of the disease. MMP-9 levels were determined by ELISA and correlated with radiographic disease status and survival. Forty-one patients with low-grade gliomas, 105 with anaplastic gliomas, and 197 with glioblastoma enrolled in this study from August 2002 to September 2008. A total of 1,684 serum samples (97.1% of all MMP-9 samples) had a matching MRI scan. No statistically significant association was observed between levels of serum MMP-9 and radiographic disease status in low-grade gliomas (P = 0.98), anaplastic gliomas (P = 0.39) or glioblastomas (P = 0.33). Among patients with glioblastoma, longitudinal increases in MMP-9 had a weak association with shorter survival (HR = 1.1 per each doubling in MMP-9 levels, 95% CI, 1.0–1.3, P = 0.04) but they were not independently associated with survival when adjusted for age, extent of resection, and performance status. Changes in serum MMP-9 were not associated with survival in the anaplastic glioma cohort. Serum MMP-9 showed no utility in determining glioma disease status and was not a clinically relevant prognostic marker of survival.
Calcineurin Mediates the Calcium-dependent Inhibition of Adipocyte Differentiation in 3T3-L1 Cells

Recent studies have revealed that the calcium-dependent serine/threonine phosphatase calcineurin mediates the effects of intracellular calcium in many different cell types. In this study we investigated the role of calcineurin in the regulation of adipocyte differentiation. We found that the specific calcineurin inhibitors cyclosporin A and FK506 overcame the antiadipogenic effect of calcium ionophore on the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. This finding suggests that calcineurin is responsible for mediating the previously documented Ca2+-dependent inhibition of adipogenesis. We further demonstrate that the expression of a constitutively active calcineurin mutant potently inhibits the ability of 3T3-L1 cells to undergo adipocyte differentiation by preventing expression of the proadipogenic transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα). This calcineurin-mediated block in adipocyte differentiation is rescued by ectopic expression of PPARγ1. Finally, we demonstrate that inhibition of endogenous calcineurin activity with either FK506 or a specific calcineurin inhibitory peptide enhances differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells in response to suboptimal adipogenic stimuli, suggesting that endogenous calcineurin activity normally sets a signaling threshold that antagonizes efficient adipocyte differentiation. Collectively, these data indicate that calcineurin acts as a Ca2+-dependent molecular switch that negatively regulates commitment to adipocyte differentiation by preventing the expression of critical proadipogenic transcription factors.
Sensorineural hearing loss: Potential therapies and gene targets for drug development

Recent advances in the developmental biology, genetics and cell biology of the inner ear are guiding research to novel therapeutic modalities - a market currently estimated to be at least US Dollars 10 billion. This article highlights prospects to manipulate the mammalian hearing organ with gene and stem cell delivery to the inner ear to protect, repair or regenerate the hair cells, supporting cells and associated nerves.
Ovicidal, Larvicidal, and Biotic Effects of Xanthene Derivatives in the House Fly, Musca domestica L.

Xanthene dye treatment caused mortality in every developmental stage of the house fly, Musca domestica . Treated adults exhibited decreased fecundity and reduced egg viability. Treated eggs allowed to develop in untreated media and untreated eggs allowed to develop in treated media resulted in greater than 90% mortality prior to adult emergence. Early fourth instar larvae placed in dye treated media at 2.0 g/kg exhibited reductions of up to 81% in adult emergence.
Bow Echo Mesovortices. Part II: Their Genesis

Abstract This two-part study examines the damaging potential and genesis of low-level, meso-γ-scale mesovortices formed within bow echoes. This was accomplished by analyzing quasi-idealized simulations of the 10 June 2003 Saint Louis bow echo event observed during the Bow Echo and Mesoscale Convective Vortex Experiment (BAMEX). In Part II of this study, mesovortex genesis was investigated for vortices formed at different stages of convective system evolution. During the early “cellular” stage, cyclonic mesovortices were observed. The cyclonic mesovortices formed from the tilting of baroclinic horizontal vorticity acquired by downdraft parcels entering the mesovortex. As the convective system evolved into a bow echo, cyclonic–anticyclonic mesovortex pairs were also observed. The vortex couplet was produced by a local updraft maximum that tilted baroclinically generated vortex lines upward into arches. The local updraft maximum was created by a convective-scale downdraft that produced an outward bulge in th...
Dietary approaches to improving atheroprotective HDL functions.

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are known to protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD). In addition to facilitating reverse cholesterol transport to remove excess lipids from the body – including atherosclerotic plaques – HDL exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, vasodilatory, and antithrombotic activities. Together, these properties contribute to the overall atheroprotective nature of HDL. However, similar to many other physiological pathways, these HDL parameters are known to become dysregulated in conditions of metabolic disease. Further, research suggests these alternative HDL properties may be regulated independently of blood HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and must therefore be considered when designing HDL-targeted therapies. To date, a number of dietary strategies have been investigated to assess the effect of dietary components on functional properties of HDL beyond HDL-C. This review will highlight the bioactive nutrients, functional foods, and dietary programs known to modulate HDL function as a means of reducing CVD.
Consumption and production of digital public goods modeling the impact of different success metrics

With the Internet has come the phenomenon of people volunteering to work on digital public goods such as open source software and online encyclopedia articles. Presumably, the success of individual public goods has an effect on attracting volunteers. However, the definition of success is ill-defined. This paper explores the impact of different success metrics on a simple public goods model. The findings show that the success metrics considered have minimal impact on the behavior of the model, leading to the conclusion that many proposed success metrics measure the same phenomenon.
Reconciling thermodynamic and dynamic methods of computation of water-mass transformation rates

Abstract The computation of the water-mass transformation rate in a particular density range from thermodynamic and dynamic methods are compared and reconciled by diagnosis of the Atlantic sector of a global integration of an ocean model driven by analyzed air–sea fluxes. In the absence of diffusive processes, the rate of subduction of fluid between two density surfaces across a fixed control surface, and integrated across the ocean from one solid boundary to another, must be equal to the rate of formation of fluid at the sea surface induced by surface fluxes in that density range. But due to the action of mixing on the body of fluid between the control surface and the sea-surface, transformation may differ from the integrated subduction. We find that vertical diffusive fluxes at the base of the winter mixed layer and in the seasonal thermocline can substantially modify transformation due to air–sea interaction and bring about an accommodation between it and the subduction rate. In high latitudes, an additional accommodation is achieved by lateral diffusive fluxes directed across the almost vertical isopycnals, typical of the deep, end-of-winter mixed layers of the sub-polar gyre. Finally we speculate on the likely nature and intensity of the mixing processes at work in the boundary layer of the ocean and their role in subduction and transformation.
The mechanism of dual responsiveness in muscle fibers of the grasshopper Romalea microptera.

Dually innervated Romalea muscle fibers which respond differently to stimulation of their fast and slow axons are excited by intracellularly applied depolarizing stimuli. The responses, though spike-like in appearance, are graded in amplitude depending upon the strength of the stimuli and do not exceed about 30 mv. in height. In other respects, however, these graded responses possess properties that are characteristic of electrically excitable activity: vanishingly brief latency; refractoriness; a post-spike undershoot. They are blocked by hyperpolarizing the fiber membrane; respond repetitively to prolonged depolarization, and are subject to depolarizing inactivation. As graded activity, these responses propagate decrementally. The fast and slow axons of the dually responsive muscle fibers initiate respectively large and small postsynaptic potentials (p.s.p.'s) in the muscle fiber. These responses possess properties that characterize electrically inexcitable depolarizing activity. They are augmented by hyperpolarization and diminished by depolarization. Their latency is independent of the membrane potential. They have no refractory period, thus being capable of summation. The fast p.s.p. evokes a considerable or maximal electrically excitable response. The combination, which resembles a spike, leads to a twitch-like contraction of the muscle fiber. The individual slow p.s.p.'s elicit no or only little electrically excitable responses, and they evoke slower smaller contractile responses. The functional aspects of dual responsiveness and the several aspects of the theoretical importance of the gradedly responsive, electrically excitable component are discussed.
Daily and circadian fluctuation in 2-deoxy[14C]-glucose uptake in circadian and visual system structures of the chick brain: effects of exogenous melatonin

Previous studies show that several structures of the house sparrow visual system are metabolically rhythmic, as determined by 2-deoxy[(14)C]glucose (2DG) uptake, and that these metabolic rhythms depend upon rhythmic melatonin in this species. In many species of birds, high affinity binding of 2[(125)I] iodomelatonin is widespread in the brain, especially in visual system structures. The present study asks whether 2DG uptake is similarly rhythmic in the chick brain and whether exogenous melatonin administration affects 2DG uptake. Chicks were injected with 2DG and sacrificed 1 h later. Their brains were removed and processed for 2DG autoradiography. Chicks were injected during the late day with melatonin or saline prior to the 2DG injection and brain processing. We found that the visual suprachiasmatic nucleus showed both daily and circadian differences in 2DG uptake. Six of seven visual structures displayed daily uptake changes, while only two structures showed circadian fluctuations. Melatonin affected daytime 2DG uptake within visual suprachiasmatic nucleus and ectostriatum only. These results indicate that the chick circadian system is involved in the regulation of energy metabolism in the visual system but that the role for pineal melatonin in that regulatory process is a subtle one.
Enoxaparin therapy for arterial thrombosis in infants with congenital heart disease.

To investigate efficacy and safety of enoxaparin for catheter-related arterial thrombosis in infants with congenital heart disease. Prospective observational study. Pediatric Intensive Care and Cardiology Unit at the University Children's Hospital of Zurich. A cohort of 32 infants aged 0–12 months treated with enoxaparin for catheter-related arterial thrombosis from 2002 to 2005. Dose requirements of enoxaparin, resolution of thrombosis by Doppler ultrasound, and bleeding complications. Catheter-related arterial thrombosis was located in the iliac/femoral arteries in 31 (97%) infants and aorta in 1 infant, and was related to indwelling catheters and cardiac catheterization in 17 (53%) and 15 (47%) cases, respectively. Newborns required increased doses of enoxaparin to achieve therapeutic anti-FXa levels (mean 1.62 mg/kg per dose) compared with infants aged 2–12 months (mean 1.12 mg/kg per dose; p = 0.0002). Complete resolution of arterial thrombosis occurred in 29 (91%) infants at a mean of 23 days after initiation of enoxaparin therapy. Partial or no resolution was observed in 1 (3%) and 2 (6%) infants, respectively, at a mean follow-up time of 4.3 months. Bleeding complications occurred in 1 (3%) infant. Enoxaparin is efficient and safe for infants with congenital heart disease and catheter-related arterial thrombosis, possibly representing a valid alternative to the currently recommended unfractionated heparin.
The dynamics of thermal-induced phase separation in PMMA solutions

Small-angle light scattering and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to study morphology development in poly(methyl methacrylate) membranes formed by the thermal inversion method. Analysis of the early time behavior of the scattered intensity in terms of Cahn−Hilliard theory establishes spinodal decomposition as the mechanism of phase separation for the conditions studied. The intensity maximum position for late-stage growth follows a power law dependence with a time exponent of approximately one-third, which is consistent with diffusive coarsening mechanisms. Solutions quenched to regions of the phase diagram below the glass transition temperature show an immediate arrest in the location of the scattered intensity maximum, indicating a locking-in of the phase-separated structure. Domain sizes obtained from SEM measurements of annealed, quenched samples are shown to be consistent with light scattering measurements.