cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calyculin A from Discodermia calyx is a dual action toxin that blocks calcium influx and inhibits protein Ser/Thr phosphatases

Calyculin A (Caly A) is cell permeable toxin widely used in cell biology research as an inhibitor of type 1 and type 2A protein Ser/Thr phosphatases of the PPP family. Here we tested effects of low concentrations of Caly A on proliferation of human cancer and non-cancer cell lines. We found that long-term 0.3 nM Caly A prevented G1 to S phase cell cycle progression in human Hs-68 fibroblasts and ARPE19 epithelial cells, but not human breast cancer MDA-MB-468, MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cells. These conditions produced no change in cyclin D1 levels or in the phosphorylation of endogenous proteins. However, acute application of 0.3 nM Caly A blocked serum-induced increase in intracellular calcium levels in Hs-68 fibroblasts, but not in MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells. We propose that subnanomolar Caly A prevents cell cycle progression because it blocks calcium uptake by fibroblasts. This probably involves non-selective cation channels and cancer cell proliferation was not affected because calcium enters these cells by other channels. Our results suggest that calyculin A has dual actions and acts as a channel blocker, in addition to its well-established effects as a phosphatase inhibitor.
Management of spontaneous pneumothorax

Management of patients with a spontaneous pneumothorax continues to challenge clinicians. Recent guidelines help provide care pathways for these patients and highlight the many areas in need of additional study. Management options for spontaneous pneumothoraces should be selected based primarily upon a patient's clinical status. Observation or pleural air drainage, in selected patients, plays a significant role in patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax. By contrast, pleural air drainage plays the central role in patients with a secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. Surgically directed recurrence prevention and air leak management are preferred for both primary and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax patients.
EMG Based Classification of Percentage of Maximum Voluntary Contraction Using Artificial Neural Networks

￻ Abstract - This paper presents an application of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for the classification of Electromyography (EMG) signals. The classification system has been designed to classify the percentage of maximum voluntary contraction (%MVC) from the bicep muscle. The EMG signals used in this study have been generated using a computer muscle model. Three statistical input features are extracted from the EMG signals and different structures of ANNs and training algorithms have been considered in the study. A 16 neuron hidden layer architecture trained with the scaled conjugate gradient algorithm has been found to be more efficient than the other ANN architectures tested in classifying 9 different bicep muscle contraction levels as a unit of %MVC than other ANN architectures. The ultimate goal of this research is to design a robotic system for people with disabilities and the elderly by utilizing muscle contraction levels as the input of tasks for the robot.
The Extracellular Matrix Protein Laminin α2 Regulates the Maturation and Function of the Blood–Brain Barrier

Laminins are major constituents of the gliovascular basal lamina of the blood–brain barrier (BBB); however, the role of laminins in BBB development remains unclear. Here we report that Lama2−/− mice, lacking expression of the laminin α2 subunit of the laminin-211 heterotrimer expressed by astrocytes and pericytes, have a defective BBB in which systemically circulated tracer leaks into the brain parenchyma. The Lama2−/− vascular endothelium had significant abnormalities, including altered integrity and composition of the endothelial basal lamina, inappropriate expression of embryonic vascular endothelial protein MECA32, substantially reduced pericyte coverage, and tight junction abnormalities. Additionally, astrocytic endfeet were hypertrophic and lacked appropriately polarized aquaporin4 channels. Laminin-211 appears to mediate these effects at least in part by dystroglycan receptor interactions, as preventing dystroglycan expression in neural cells led to a similar set of BBB abnormalities and gliovascular disturbances, which additionally included perturbed vascular endothelial glucose transporter-1 localization. These findings provide insight into the cell and molecular changes that occur in congenital muscular dystrophies caused by Lama2 mutations or inappropriate dystroglycan post-translational modifications, which have accompanying brain abnormalities, including seizures. Our results indicate a novel role for laminin–dystroglycan interactions in the cooperative integration of astrocytes, endothelial cells, and pericytes in regulating the BBB.
Inconsistent Discipline as a Mediator Between Maternal Distress and Aggression in Boys

The current study examines inconsistent discipline as a mediator in the association between maternal distress and child aggression and attention problems. Participants were 215 boys, ranging in age from 9 to 12 years, and their mothers. Mothers provided self-report data on socioeconomic status (SES), parenting stress, maternal distress (depression and anxiety/somatization), and use of parenting practices. They also rated their sons' levels of aggression and attention problems. Of five parenting practices measured, inconsistent discipline was most clearly related to the maternal and child variables of interest. Regression analyses indicated that inconsistent discipline partially mediated the relation between maternal distress and child aggression, when controlling for SES and stress, whereas the mediating role of inconsistent discipline in the association between maternal distress and attention problems was not supported. The different pattern for attention problems, which also includes nondisruptive behav...
Effect of Methionine upon Utilization of DL-Homocystine by Brucella suis.

SummaryBrucella suis utilized either L-cystine, L-cystathionine, or L- or D-methionine as sole sulfur source in an asparagine-lactate medium. DL-homocystine? DL-homocysteine, and DL-homocysteine thiolactone also were utilized under the same conditions, but only to a degree related to their methionine content. Purified preparations of DL-homocystine were not utilized except in the presence of small quantities of supplementary methionine. D-, L-, and DL-methionine were equally effective in promoting utilization of DL-homocystine, and their effect increased to a maximum over a range from 1 to 20 millimicrograms of methionine sulfur per ml. Oxidized casein hydrolysate and methionine sulfone inhibited the activity of D-methionine. The mode of action of methionine and the possible significance of these observations are considered from the standpoint of the inter-mediacy of homocysteine in sulfur transformations.
The biomarker niche for fibroblast growth factor 23 testing in CKD

Identifying strategies to prevent progression of CKD, reduce risk of its cardiovascular complications, and improve survival is among the highest priorities in nephrology. Progress on these initiatives has been impeded by lack of validated biomarkers of early kidney injury that offer prognostic value
Storm-time configuration of the inner magnetosphere: Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry MHD code, Tsyganenko model, and GOES observations

[1] We compare global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation results with an empirical model and observations to understand the magnetic field configuration and plasma distribution in the inner magnetosphere, especially during geomagnetic storms. The physics-based Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) code simulates Earth's magnetospheric topology and dynamics by solving the equations of ideal MHD. Quantitative comparisons of simulated events with observations reveal strengths and possible limitations and suggest ways to improve the LFM code. Here we present a case study that compares the LFM code to both a semiempirical magnetic field model and to geosynchronous measurements from GOES satellites. During a magnetic cloud event, the simulation and model predictions compare well qualitatively with observations, except during storm main phase. Quantitative statistical studies of the MHD simulation shows that MHD field lines are consistently under-stretched, especially during storm time (Dst < −20 nT) on the nightside, a likely consequence of an insufficient representation of the inner magnetosphere current systems in ideal MHD. We discuss two approaches for improving the LFM result: increasing the simulation spatial resolution and coupling LFM with a ring current model based on drift physics (i.e., the Rice Convection Model (RCM)). We show that a higher spatial resolution LFM code better predicts geosynchronous magnetic fields (not only the average Bz component but also higher-frequency fluctuations driven by the solar wind). An early version of the LFM/RCM coupled code, which runs so far only for idealized events, yields a much-improved ring current, quantifiable by decreased field strengths at all local times compared to the LFM-only code.
Enhanced Spontaneous Emission Rate of InP using an Optical Antenna

Experimental evidence of enhanced spontaneous emission from InP coupled to an optical antenna is presented. Photoluminescence measurements show a 120x increase in light emission from antenna-coupled devices over bare InP emitters.
Combined Therapy: A Research Overview

Appropriate treatment of patients with dementia must incorporate pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies. This is especially true in the treatment of behavioral disturbances in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, few studies have either compared or combined pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic methods to evaluate treatments that are often used and thought to be clinically effective.
Public health at a crossroads: assessing teaching on economic globalization as a social determinant of health

This article examines how public health faculty prepare students to respond to economic globalization, and more broadly considers the response of public health academics to structural challenges that fall within the realm of global economics, politics, and policy. At this moment, public health is at a crossroads of formalizing its education through graduate competencies and certifications. This research undertook in-depth interviews with public health faculty from across the US to explore how students are prepared to critically consider root causes and respond to political and economic trends shaping health. These interviews reveal a general dearth of attention to globalization, as well as several factors shaping public health academic knowledge production. These include the deep influence and shortcomings of funding resources; a general lack of critical perspective in public health; and both methodological and faculty competence deficiencies. Interviewees also discuss political influences and conflicting...
Structural optimization of vapor pressure correlations using simulated annealing and threshold accepting: Application to R134a☆

Abstract This paper reports the use of two methods, simulated annealing (SA) and threshold accepting (TA), to determine a set of optimal terms (the structure) of the vapor pressure correlation for the R134a. The SA algorithm with the Lundy and Mees annealing schedule, and the TA algorithm with the Aarts and VanLaarhoven schedule gave the best performance, based on minimal computational time for a given performance. SA and TA appear to be versatile, powerful and computationally simple methods for determining the structure of empirical correlations of thermophysical property data.
Categorization Effects in Value Judgments: Averaging Bias in Evaluating Combinations of Vices and Virtues

Abstract How do consumers evaluate combinations of items representing conflicting goals? In this research, the authors examine how consumers form value judgments of combinations of options representing health and indulgence goals, focusing on how people estimate the calorie content of such options. The authors show that when evaluating combinations of healthy (virtue) and indulgent (vice) options, consumers tend to systematically underestimate the combined calorie content, such that they end up averaging rather than adding the calories contained in the vice and the virtue. The authors attribute this bias to the qualitative nature of people's information processing, which stems from their tendency to categorize food items according to a good/bad dichotomy into virtues and vices. The authors document this averaging bias in a series of four empirical studies that investigate the underlying mechanism and identify boundary conditions.
A higher order finite element algorithm for the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations☆

Abstract A higher order element, the Tocher 10 or C0 Cubic on triangles, is the base for formulation of a finite element algorithm for numerical calculation of fluid flows governed by the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations. Results from the calculation of supersonic free shear layer flow are numerically accurate and in excellent agreement with finite difference solutions. Diverse characteristics for these two classes of methods emerge when the requirements of core storage and computer time are considered.
Student Attendance, Mobility, and Mathematics Achievement in an Urban School District.

ABSTRACT The authors aim to describe student attendance–mobility within a large urban district in ways that are meaningful and useful to schools and the community. First, the prevalence of mobility and nonattendance in Grades 1–12 across all students and by gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic subgroups is presented. Second, the impact on student mathematics achievement is examined. Results show that nonattendance–mobility negatively impact mathematics achievement as measured by the state's assessment, even after controlling for socioeconomic status and gender. Interestingly, there is not a differential impact across ethnicities. Black and White subgroups show similar patterns of achievement across attendance and mobility levels. Finally, the authors take a closer look at the 10 district high schools to determine where nonattendance–mobility is of particular concern. Implications for districts are discussed in terms of targeting the extent of the problem and where it is occurring, using that information t...
Nutrient constraints in the feeding ecology of an omnivore in a seasonal environment

Nutrient requirements of adult, nonreproductive, omnivorous antelope ground squirrels (Ammospermophilus leucurus) were compared with the nutritional value of their food resources. It was found that nutrient constraints would be important factors in ground squirrel feeding ecology primarily in winter. Potentially important constraints were the requirement for water and nitrogen, and a digestive requirement that average dry matter digestibility of the diet exceed ca. 50%. An unlikely constraint was the requirement for any specific mineral. A linear programming model was used to determine potential diets ground squirrels could consume which satisfied these nutritional requirements and also the ground squirrel's daily energy requirements. During spring ground squirrels could be strict herbivores, but during winter before winter rains ground squirrels had to eat some arthropods to satisfy water requirements.These ground squirrels are not energy maximizers because they spend only one third of their activity period feeding and do not accumulate excess energy as fat. Thus, optimum diets were predicted for winter and spring assuming the goal of feeding time minimization. The model correctly predicted that in wintertime ground squirrels would be primarily granivorous but would consume about 20% arthropods, and that they would switch to herbivory in springtime. Ground squirrels, however, selected a wider dietary range than predicted in both winter and spring. Possible reasons for this discrepancy include an inappropriate assumption that ground squirrels forage for food classes nonsimultaneously, and the possibility that ground squirrels employ sampling as part of their foraging behavior.
The combined efficacy of Travase and silver sulphadiazine in the acute burn

THERE is indisputable evidence in the treatment of severe burns that early d6bridement, early skin grafting and controllable infection lead to successful burn therapy. In the first 24 hours after the burn, the wound is relatively sterile. However, in the ensuing 2-4 days there is increasing invasion via the hair follicles of staphylococci and, less frequently, streptococci. Toward the end of the first week, there is increasing colonization of Gramnegative organisms and enteric organisms. If the burn is of sufficient magnitude and depth, and the bacterial colonization adequate and the host defences impaired, burn-wound sepsis results. The bacteria will permeate the eschar and invade the unburned tissue via the perivascular and perineural lymphatics (Moncrief, 1974). Teplitz (Teplitz et al., 1964a, b; Teplitz, 1965) has defined burn-wound sepsis as a situation in the burn wound in which the bacterial population exceeds a count of 105 per gramme of burn-wound tissue, a n d in which the bacteria are actively invading the underlying and adjacent unburned tissue. The number of bacteria on the surface is not an indication of the number of colonies beneath the eschar but certainly will identify the types of organisms present. It is our feeling that burn-wound sepsis is not singularly a laboratory diagnosis. Certainly, when the diagnosis is made by blood culture, it is
Human–wildlife conflict and gender in protected area borderlands: A case study of costs, perceptions, and vulnerabilities from Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal), India

Abstract Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is a growing problem for communities located at the borders of protected areas. Such conflicts commonly take place as crop-raiding events and as attack by wild animals, among other forms. This paper uses a feminist political ecology approach to examine these two problems in an agricultural village located at the border of Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand (formerly Uttaranchal), India. Specifically, it investigates the following three questions: What are the “visible” and “hidden” costs of such conflict with wildlife? To what extent are these costs differentially borne by men and women? How do villagers perceive any such differences? Survey and interview data were collected from over 100 individuals in the study site over a period of 9 months in 2003–2004. It was found that for participants in this study, costs of HWC included decreased food security, changes to workload, decreased physical and psychological wellbeing, economic hardship, and at times an increase in illegal or dangerous activities. The research also showed that although women in the study area bore a disproportionate burden of these effects, roughly half of survey respondents perceived that men and women were equally affected. A possible explanation for this gap considers the relationships between gendered uses of space, work, status, and identity. The findings illustrate the importance of addressing both visible and hidden costs of HWC for members of park communities and support a call for increased gender-sensitivity in HWC research.
SecCMP: Enhancing Critical Secrets Protection in Chip-Multiprocessors

Security has been considered as an important issue in processor design. Most of the existing designs of security handling assume the chip as a single secure unit. However, such assumption is vulnerable to exposure resulted from a central failure point. In this article, we propose a secure Chip-Multiprocessor architecture (SecCMP) to handle security related problems such as key protection and core authentication in multi-core systems. Matching the nature of multi-core systems, a distributed threshold secret sharing scheme is employed to protect critical secrets. A critical secret (e.g., encryption key) is divided into multiple shares and distributed among multiple cores instead of being kept a single copy in one core that is sensitive to exposure. The proposed SecCMP can not only enhance the security and fault-tolerance in secret protection but also support core authentication. SecCMP is designed to be an efficient and secure architecture for CMPs.
Substrate binding and C-H bond activation in the soluble methane monooxygenase hydroxylase

The selective oxidation of CH4 to CH3OH is a conceptually simple, yet functionally difficult, chemical transformation. In nature, this reaction is performed by methane monooxygenases, the soluble class of which employ carboxylate-bridged dinuclear iron centers to activate dioxygen. The process by which small molecules access the active site of the sMMO hydroxylase, the structures of intermediates in the catalytic reaction cycle, and mechanistic details about the attack on the C–H bond are subjects of intense investigation. In this commentary, we present our current views on exogenous ligand binding and dioxygen activation at the active site and the mechanism of alkane hydroxylation.
Tax Relief, or Lack Thereof, for the Long‐Term Care Costs of the Aging Population in America

ABSTRACT: As the health and longevity of Americans continue to improve, adult children caring for aging parents—possibly at the same time as raising children of their own—is becoming a national phenomenon. This paper examines current and proposed income tax relief for taxpayers who provide financial support for the long‐term care of an adult individual (e.g., parent of taxpayer). Four specific tax relief options are evaluated: dependency exemption, head of household filing status, medical itemized deduction, and dependent care credit. The current tax law is not structured to encompass the unprecedented issue of the long‐term care costs of the aging population in the United States. In response, various options are introduced to advance the discussion of tax policy alternatives.
New developments in lantibiotic biosynthesis and mode of action

Lantibiotics are a unique class of peptide antibiotics. Recent studies of the proteins involved in the elaborate post-translational modifications of lantibiotics have revealed that these enzymes have relaxed substrate specificity. These modifications include the dehydration of serine and threonine residues followed by the intramolecular addition of cysteine thiols to the unsaturated amino acids to create an intricate polycyclic peptide. The use of peptide engineering in vivo and in vitro has allowed investigation of their biosynthetic machinery. Several members utilize a unique mode of biological action that involves the sequestration of lipid II, a crucial intermediate in peptidoglycan biosynthesis, to form pores in bacterial membranes.
Self-consistent electronic structure calculation for nitrogen chemisorbed on copper (100)

Abstract A fully self-consistent calculation of the electronic structure of a N covered Cu slab is reported. The density of states shows changes relative to a clean Cu slab that reproduce the changes observed in photoemission spectra when N is chemisorbed on Cu(100). Thus initial state information is correctly mirrored in the photoemission spectra in this case. The changes are due to the presence of the N 2p-bands, and to significant alteration of the surface Cu 3d-bands by the chemisorption of N. The localization in space of the chemisorption bond and the importance of self-consistency are demonstrated.
Quality of Life After Surgery, External Beam Irradiation, or Brachytherapy for Early-Stage Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND. The primary treatments for clinically localized prostate cancer confer equivalent cancer control for most patients but disparate side effects. In the current study, the authors sought to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes after the most commonly used treatments. METHODS. A total of 580 men completed the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36, the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Prostate Cancer Index, and the American Urological Association Symptom Index before and through 24 months after treatment with radical prostatectomy (RP), external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), or brachytherapy (BT). RESULTS. General HRQOL did not appear to be affected by treatment. Obstructive and irritative urinary symptoms were more common after BT (P < .001). Urinary control and sexual function were better after EBRT than BT (P < .001 and P = .02, respectively) and better after BT than RP (P < .001 and P = .01, respectively). Among potent men, recovery of sexual function was best after EBRT and was equivalent after bilateral nerve-sparing surgery or BT. Sexual bother was more common than urinary or bowel bother after all 3 treatments. Bowel dysfunction was more common after EBRT or BT than RP (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS. In the current study, treatment for localized prostate cancer was found to differentially affect HRQOL outcomes. Urinary control and sexual function were better after EBRT, although bilateral nerve-sparing surgery diminished these differences among potent men undergoing RP. BT caused more obstructive and irritative symptoms, while both forms of radiation caused more bowel dysfunction. These results may inform medical decision-making in men with localized prostate cancer. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
A dislocation-based multi-rate single crystal plasticity model

Abstract The goal of this work is to formulate a constitutive model for the deformation of metallic single crystals over a wide range of strain rates, which is integral to computing reliable stress states of metallic polycrystals under shock loading. An elastic-viscoplastic, slip-based single crystal model that accounts for crystallographic orientation, temperature, and strain rate dependence has been formulated based on dislocation dynamics simulations and existing experimental data. The plastic model transitions from the low-rate, thermally-activated regime, to the high-rate, drag-dominated regime, by use of a distribution of dislocation velocities including kinetic effects. It has been compared favorably with experimental and computational results of copper. The transition to drag-dominated dislocation motion is predicted rather than empirically fit to experimental data.
On the academic job hunt, is there not a better way?

After a decade or more of higher education, postdoctoral experience, the papers, proposals, rejections, and successes, one might think that earning a post as an assistant professor would not be so tough. Wrong. Many consider academia the pinnacle of the job market for Ph.D.s, particularly in the sciences. If we are not the best that we can be, we will not be funded, publish in well-read journals, or land that sought after job in the ivory tower, if that is our desire. Unfortunately the academic job hunt, particularly in the United States, is a labor-intensive, time-consuming, feedback-less, and drawn-out affair where excellence in one's chosen field and likely successful fulfillment of the job requirements are often not the determining factors as to whether a candidate is made the offer.
Consensus amplification and novel multiplex sequencing method for S segment species identification of 47 viruses of the Orthobunyavirus, Phlebovirus, and Nairovirus genera of the family Bunyaviridae

A reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assay was designed, according to previously determined and newly derived genetic data, to target S genomic segments of 47 viruses, including 29 arthropod-borne human pathogens, of the family Bunyaviridae. The analytical sensitivity of the presented assay was evaluated through its application to RNAs extracted from quantitated dilutions of bunyaviruses of interest. Additionally, the assay's analytical specificity was determined through the evaluation of RNAs extracted from selected bunyaviruses and other representative arthropod-borne viruses isolated from a diverse group of host species and temporal and geographic origins. After RT-PCR amplification, DNAs amplified from bunyaviruses of interest were subjected to a novel multiplex sequencing method to confirm bunyavirus positivity and provide preliminary, species-level S segment identification. It is our goal that this assay will be used as a tool for identification and characterization of emergent arthropod-borne bunyavirus isolates of medical import as well as related viruses of the family Bunyaviridae that have not been associated with human illness.
Songbirds: A novel perspective on estrogens and the aging brain

Songbirds perform some remarkable feats of memory, including forming memories for songs and for complex spatial features of their environments. Research into the neural and hormonal control of these behaviors reveals discrete circuits that can retain considerable plasticity in adulthood. The songbird brain is also a prominent site of estrogen synthesis and a target of estrogen action. Estrogens contribute to the plasticity of the adult songbird brain and contribute to the bird's capacity to form and retrieve some memories. We describe the brain, behavior and endocrinology of songbirds and discuss these findings within the context of the neurology of the aging brain.
Whole body insulin resistance in myotonic dystrophy

To quantitate the degree of whole body insulin resistance in patients with myotonic dystrophy, three separate euglycemic insulin infusions were given to ambulatory patients and the results compared with findings in normal control subjects. Basal glucose and insulin values were similar for the two groups. There was no significant difference in insulin clearance rates between normal subjects and patients at the three insulin infusion rates used. A highly significant decrease in the whole body glucose disposal rate was seen during the 120-minute insulin infusion in the patients with myotonic dystrophy compared with normal subjects at all three insulin dosages (20 mU/m2/min: 2.18 +/- 0.29 [standard error] versus 5.49 +/- 1.72 mg/kg/min, p less than 0.0001; 80 mU/m2/min: 4.16 +/- 0.34 versus 8.49 +/- 0.45 mg/kg/min, p less than 0.0001; 200 mU/m2/min: 5.22 +/- 0.53 versus 10.06 +/- 0.50 mg/kg/min, p less than 0.0001). These marked decreases in glucose disposal rates for the patients were adjusted in accordance with their 24-hour urinary creatinine excretion rate to correct for the difference in muscle mass between patients and controls. This adjusted glucose disposal rate was 15 to 25% lower (p less than 0.02) in the patients with myotonic dystrophy at insulin infusion rates of 20 and 80 mU. During the 200 mU insulin infusions, the adjusted glucose disposal rate remained lower than that in normal subjects but was of borderline statistical significance. These studies suggest that moderately severe whole body insulin resistance is responsible for the postprandial hyperinsulinemia typically seen in patients with myotonic dystrophy.
Carcinogen induced unscheduled DNA synthesis in mouse hepatocytes.

Mouse primary liver cell cultures were examined for evidence of unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) following treatment with the carcinogens; dimethylnitrosamine (DMNA), diethylnitrosamine (DENA), 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF), N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), benzo(a)pyrene (BP), dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA), l,l,-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane (DDT), safrole, diethylstilbestrol (DES), aflatoxin Bl (AFBl), and dieldrin and the noncarcinogens; dimethylformamide (DMF), fluorene, and pyrene. Mouse hepatocyte cultures were simultaneously treated with three concentrations of each compound and 'H-thymidine. After 24 hrs, cells were fixed and processed for autoradiography. 'H-thymidine incorporation in both experimental and control cell nuclei, as evidenced by autoradiographic grains, was quantitated microscopically. DMNA, DENA, 2-AAF, MNNC, BP, AFB, and DMBA significantly increased UDS over untreated cells at all concentrations studied. DDT, DMF, fluorene, pyrene, safrole, DES, and dieldrin were negative for UDS in all concentrations examined. DMNA, 2-AAF and MNNG were also studied for UDS induction in 2 hr old, 1 day old and 4 day old cultures. A progressive decrease in UDS with increased time after plating was found in DMNA and 2-AAF treated cultures. After 4 days DMNA and 2-AAF induced UDS only at the highest concentrations examined (lo-' M and M respectively). MNNG induced UDS at all time periods and concentrations sampled. An attempt to enhance the sensitivity of the UDS assay by inducing the mixed function oxidative enzyme activity in the hepatocytes with phenobarbital administered in vivo resulted in no statistically significant increase in UDS with DMNA, 2-AAF, MNNG, DDT, and dieldrin when compared with cells from non-induced animals.
Ceramide Is Not a Signal for Tumor Necrosis Factor–Induced Gene Expression but Does Cause Programmed Cell Death in Human Vascular Endothelial Cells

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activates transcription of endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 (CD62E) in endothelial cells (ECs) through the binding to the gene promoter of the p50/p65 heterodimeric form of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and of the N-terminal phosphorylated form of the ATF2/c-Jun transcription factor, which is phosphorylated by Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). However, the intracellular signaling pathways that activate endothelial NF-kappa B and JNK in TNF-induced responses are unknown. In this study we have examined the role of a recently described TNF signaling pathway involving sphingomyelin activation to generate ceramide, a potential intracellular mediator. We find that concentrations of TNF that strongly activate NF-kappa B and JNK within 15 minutes do not produce either a measurable decline in sphingomyelin or a measurable generation of ceramide in cultured human umbilical vein ECs at any time examined. Stimulation of ECs with purified sphingomyelinase (SMase) enzyme causes a rapid 60% to 80% decrease in cellular sphingomyelin content and a large increase in ceramide. However, SMase treatment only minimally activates NF-kappa B, achieving levels that are insufficient to initiate gene transcription. Extracellular SMase does not have access to intracellular sphingomyelin, but treatment of ECs with membrane-permeant ceramide analogues still completely fails to activate NF-kappa B and only activates JNK at late times. Neither SMase nor ceramide analogues induce gene transcription or surface expression of endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecules that are readily induced by TNF. Strikingly, low concentrations of membrane-permeant ceramide cause programmed cell death in ECs, a finding not observed at any concentrations of TNF tested. We conclude that ceramide is not an important second messenger for TNF signaling of gene transcription in ECs but may be a second messenger for cell death in response to as-yet-unidentified signals.
Large thrombotic strokes in hemolytic-uremic syndrome

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Customizing PRM roadmaps at query time

We propose an approach for building and querying probabilistic roadmaps. In the roadmap construction stage, we build coarse roadmaps by performing only an approximate validation of the roadmap nodes and/or edges. In the query stage, the roadmap is validated and refined only in the area of interest for the query, and moreover is customized in accordance with any specified query preferences. This approach, which postpones some of the validation checks (e.g., collision checks) to the query phase, yields more efficient solutions to many problems. An important benefit of our approach is that it gives one the ability to customize the same roadmap in accordance with multiple, variable, query preferences. For example our approach enables one to find a path which maintains a particular clearance, or makes at most some specified number of sharp turns. Our preliminary results on problems drawn from diverse application domains show that this new approach dramatically improves performance, and shows remarkable flexibility when adapting to different query requirements.
"It must be me": ethnic diversity and attributions for peer victimization in middle school

This study examined the mediating role of self-blaming attributions on peer victimization-maladjustment relations in middle school and the moderating role of classroom ethnic diversity. Latino and African American 6th grade participants (N = 1105, 56% female) were recruited from middle schools in which they were either members of the numerical majority ethnic group, the numerical minority, or one of several ethnic groups in ethnically diverse schools. Peer nomination data were gathered in the Fall of 6th grade to determine which students had reputations as victims of harassment and self-report data on self-blame for peer harassment and the adjustment outcomes of depressive symptoms and feelings of self-worth were gathered in the Spring of 6th grade, approximately 6 months later. A mediational model in which self-blame partly explained the relation between victimization and maladjustment was supported among students from the majority ethnic group in their classroom but not among students from the minority group. The usefulness of including ethnic diversity as an important context variable in studies of peer victimization during early adolescence was discussed.
Myocardial Metabolism in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease

Investigation of myocardial metabolism has been of particular interest in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). As a test of adequate rnyocardial oxygenation, metabolic studies are employed to refine the diagnosis of IHD in patients with (1) and without (2,3) coronary atherosclerosis, and to evaluate the results of surgical revascularization of ischemic myocardium (4,5). More recently the therapeutic implication of metabolic factors in acute myocardial ischemia has received considerable attention (6,7).
Dynamics of Helicobacter pylori-Specific Immunoglobulin G for 2 Years after Successful Eradication of Helicobacter pylori Infection in an American Indian and Alaska Native Population

Helicobacter pylori antibodies were measured over 24 months in American Indian and Alaska Native persons who cleared their infections. Two months after treatment, 82% of H. pylori-negative persons remained seropositive. While there were declines in H. pylori antibodies for 12 months, after 24 months 71% of persons remained seropositive.
THE EFFECT OF PASSIVELY ADMINISTERED ANTIBODY ON ANTIBODY SYNTHESIS

Suppression of the primary response of rabbits to intravenously administered KLH can be achieved with very small amounts of hyperimmune anti-KLH administered a day later since the rabbit apparently rapidly eliminates most of the KLH by nonimmunologic means. The amount of passive anti-KLH needed to achieve immunosuppression was directly proportional to the dose of injected antigen. Antibody passively administered as much as 6-8 days after antigen still can be strongly immunosuppressive, which suggests that the antibody must be reacting with immunogen in or on responding cells or perhaps in the process of transfer between cells. There was no evidence that the presence of passively administered hyperimmune anti-KLH prior to the injection of antigen had any immunosuppressive action beyond the direct neutralization of the injected antigen. When KLH was injected in Freund adjuvant, anti-KLH incorporated with the KLH in the adjuvant was much more efficient in causing immunosuppression than anti-KLH given intravenously. The primary responses to 2 mg KLH given intravenously and 2 microg given in adjuvant reached approximately equal peaks and were suppressible by comparable amounts of intravenously administered anti-KLH. Two observations suggest that passive antibody neutralizes the immunogenic stimulus at the level of individual antigenic determinants and not merely by aggregating or precipitating entire antigenic molecules. First, anti-abalone hemocyanin (AH) which cross-reacts approximately 50% with KLH was only partially immunosuppressive even in extremely large amounts, i.e., amounts which could react with and precipitate much more KLH than could the smaller but more suppressive doses of anti-KLH. Second, when KLH and anti-KLH were given together in adjuvant, effective immunosuppression was achieved only with amounts of anti-KLH sufficient to saturate or cover virtually all available antigenic determinants. The immunosuppressive quality of passive antibody increases with time after immunization and with repeated immunization of the donor. In view of their relatively weak immunosuppressive properties, antibodies formed in the first weeks of a primary response may not contribute significantly to the turning off of the antibody response. In any event, results obtained by passive transfer of hyperimmune antibody to animals early in a primary response cannot be applied to the natural events in a primary response.
Extreme-Value Search and General Selection Algorithms for Fully Parallel Associative Memories

Several useful associative memory algorithms deal with identifying extreme values (maximum or minimum) in a specified field of a selected subset of words. Previously proposed algorithms for such extreme-value searches are bit-sequential in nature, even when implemented on fully parallel associative memories. We show how the multiple-bit search capability of a fully parallel associative memory can be used to advantage in reducing the expected search time for finding extreme values. The idea is to search for the all-ones pattern within subfields of the specified search field in lieu of, or prior to, examining bit slices one at a time. Optimal subfield length is determined for both fixed-size and variable-size bit groupings and the corresponding reduction in search time is quantified. The results are extended to rank-based selection where thejth largest or smallest value in a given field of a selected subset of words is to be identified. We conclude that significant reduction in the number of search cycles is possible in most practical extreme-value search and selection problems.
THE EMERGENCE OF MULTISPECIES ETHNOGRAPHY

Anthropologists have been committed, at least since Franz Boas, to investigating relationships between nature and culture. At the dawn of the 21st century, this enduring interest was inflected with some new twists. An emergent cohort of “multispecies ethnographers” began to place a fresh emphasis on the subjectivity and agency of organisms whose lives are entangled with humans. Multispecies ethnography emerged at the intersection of three interdisciplinary strands of inquiry: environmental studies, science and technology studies (STS), and animal studies. Departing from classically ethnobiological subjects, useful plants and charismatic animals, multispecies ethnographers also brought understudied organisms—such as insects, fungi, and microbes—into anthropological conversations. Anthropologists gathered together at the Multispecies Salon, an art exhibit, where the boundaries of an emerging interdiscipline were probed amidst a collection of living organisms, artifacts from the biological sciences, and surprising biopolitical interventions.
Seismicity induced by seasonal groundwater recharge at Mt. Hood, Oregon

Groundwater recharge at Mt. Hood, Oregon, is dominated by spring snow melt which provides a natural largeamplitude and narrow-width pore-fluid pressure signal. Time delays between this seasonal groundwater recharge and seismicity triggered by groundwater recharge can thus be used to estimate large-scale hydraulic diffusivities and the state of stress in the crust. We approximate seasonal variations in groundwater recharge with discharge in runoffdominated streams at high elevations. We interpolate the time series ofnumber ofearthquakes, N, seismic moment, Mo, and stream discharge, Q, and determine cross-correlation coefficients at equivalent frequency bands between Q and both N and Mo. We find statistically significant correlation coefficients at a mean time lag of about 151 days. This time lag and a mean earthquake depth of about 4.5 km are used in the solution to the pressure diffusion equation, under periodic (1 year) boundary conditions, to estimate a hydraulic diffusivity of UW10 31 m 2 /s, a hydraulic conductivity ofabout KhW10 37 m/s, and a permeability ofabout kW10 315 m 2 . Periodic boundary conditions also allow us to determine a critical pore-fluid pressure fraction, PP/P0W0.1, ofthe applied near-surf ace pore-fluid pressure perturbation, P0W0.1 MPa, that has to be reached at the mean earthquake depth to cause hydroseismicity. The low magnitude of PPW0.01 MPa is consistent with other studies that propose 0.019 PP9 0.1 MPa and suggests that the state of stress in the crust near Mt. Hood could be near critical for failure. Therefore, we conclude that, while earthquakes occur throughout the year at Mt. Hood, elevated seismicity levels along pre-existing faults south of Mt. Hood during summer months are hydrologically induced by a reduction in effective stress.