cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A potent and selective inhibitor for the UBLCP1 proteasome phosphatase

Abstract The ubiquitin-like domain-containing C-terminal domain phosphatase 1 (UBLCP1) has been implicated as a negative regulator of the proteasome, a key mediator in the ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation. Small molecule inhibitors that block UBLCP1 activity would be valuable as research tools and potential therapeutics for human diseases caused by the cellular accumulation of misfold/damaged proteins. We report a salicylic acid fragment-based library approach aimed at targeting both the phosphatase active site and its adjacent binding pocket for enhanced affinity and selectivity. Screening of the focused libraries led to the identification of the first potent and selective UBLCP1 inhibitor 13. Compound 13 exhibits an IC50 of 1.0 μM for UBLCP1 and greater than 5-fold selectivity against a large panel of protein phosphatases from several distinct families. Importantly, the inhibitor possesses efficacious cellular activity and is capable of inhibiting UBLCP1 function in cells, which in turn up-regulates nuclear proteasome activity. These studies set the groundwork for further developing compound 13 into chemical probes or potential therapeutic agents targeting the UBLCP1 phosphatase.
Reduced-order H∞ and LQR control for wind-excited tall buildings

Abstract Because of the large number of degrees-of-freedom involved in modeling wind-excited tall buildings, three reduced-order control methods are presented and their performances are investigated systematically. These include the state reduced-order control, critical-mode control and simple modal control. The important issues associated with reduced-order control, control spillover and observation spillover have been addressed. Both the robust H ∞ and linear quadratic regulator ( LQR ) control algorithms have been used. Applications of static output feedback controllers, that utilize only a limited number of sensors without an observer, are also investigated for practical implementations of control devices on wind-excited structures. The spatially correlated wind loads, as defined by a cross-power spectral density matrix, have been used to compute the stochastic response of the full-order tall building to demonstrate the performance of each control method. Numerical results indicate that as long as enough modes are considered in the reduced-order system, the performance for both state reduce-dorder control and critical-mode control are comparable to that of the full-order control. However, the performance of the simple modal control for reducing the acceleration response of wind-excited buildings is not satisfactory because of the spillover effects. Simulation results further indicate that static output controllers for reduced-order systems provide a possibility for reducing the required number of sensors. From the practical implementation standpoint, the state reduced-order control may be preferable to the critical-mode control, since it does not require an observer.
Cloning, expression and sequence analysis of the Bartonella henselae gene encoding the HtrA stress-response protein

A cloned fragment of Bartonella (Rochalimaea) henselae (Bh) DNA was found to direct synthesis of an immunoreactive protein in Escherichia coli (Ec). Sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame of 1509 nucleotides encoding a protein of 503 amino acids that exhibited extensive identity (over the entire protein) with the HtrA stress-response proteins of Brucella abortus (59%), Ec (37%) and Salmonella typhimurium (36%). When the putative htrA gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and used as template for in vitro transcription and translation, a protein with an apparent molecular mass of 62 kDa was synthesized from the plasmid template. These results suggest that the immunoreactive Bh protein is homologous to the HtrA class of stress-response proteins.
Dilaton-field burning in plasma

We propose a mechanism for the effective transformation of dilaton-field energy in field stars into relativisticplasma energy and radiation. The mechanism suggests initial transformation of the energy of an inhomogeneous dilaton field into electric-field energy followed by its dissipation into relativistic-plasma energy. The process is similar to the propagation of a relativistic detonation wave through a dilaton stellar atmosphere.
An introduction to model integration and integrated modeling environments

Abstract Integrated modeling systems provide support for the definition, manipulation, and control of mathematical models throughout the entire modeling life cycle. Model integration is a particularly crucial operation which requires thinking about “modeling in the large”, and which extends the scope of model management research to include manipulation as well as definition. Several aspects of model integration are identified and briefly described with respect to the problems they raise for constructing integrated modeling environments. Relevant work in these areas is cited. A brief introduction to each of the papers in this special issue is provided within the context established.
Analysis of imaging performance degradation

The wavefront aberration that is generally represented with Zernike polynomials is an approximate representation. The reasons are that, in actual optics, the wavefront has such frequency component that cannot be represented with Zernike polynomials. Moreover, it can never be scalar or monochromatic. Instead, it must be vector and polychromatic. Higher frequency component beyond Zernike representation could cause a local flare that will be observed in the surrounding area of nominally bright patterns. Vector aspect of light leads to imaging degradation combined with birefringence of the material. Even with a narrowed spectral bandwidth of excimer lasers, chromatic aberration could be a factor that impacts imaging performance. Lateral, rather than axial, chromatic aberration can be critical because it is influential to CD uniformity across the field. This paper describes the factors that deteriorate imaging performance based on Nikon’s optics, and finally concludes hat our optics is well balanced among these factors.
The protein surface is a moving target.

Abstract A clear wake-up call that we need to improve the crystallographic treatment of partial disorder is provided by DePristo, de Bakker, and Blundell (2004) in the May issue of Structure .
Adenosine stimulation of fluid transport across rabbit corneal endothelium

The rate of fluid transport across rabbit corneal endothelium has been measured with an automatic volumetric method. The present resolution of the procedure is 1–3 nanoliters, and intervals of measurement can be made as small as seconds. In the presence of glucose, oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and adenosine, the maximal rates were 6.2±1.0 μl/hr cm2, and 8.2±0.8 μl/hr cm2 if a large portion of the stroma was dissected away. In the presence of glucose and GSSG only, the rates were lower, namely 3.7±0.5 μl/hr cm2. The rates consistently increased or decreased when adenosine was added or deleted, respectively, during given experiments. The stimulation of fluid transport by adenosine was in the order of 40–50%. The results raise the possibility that this transport mechanism might be subject to metabolic control.
Endourologic Removal of Upper Airway Foreign Objects: Case Report

The authors report on removal of upper airway foreign bodies using endourology baskets and stone graspers in a patient who did not respond to standard upper airway management. The procedure was safe and effective with localization and successful removal of most of the stone burden.
Possibility of detecting Ionospheric Drifts from the Occurrence of Spread F Echoes at Low Latitudes

DURING the course of an investigation concerning the geographical extent of the scattered and diffuse echoes frequently observed during the night hours at high and low magnetic latitudes (spread F) an interesting phenomenon was observed. Times of occurrence of spread F echoes on ionospheric soundings taken every 15 min. during September and October 1957 at four stations in Peru (Talara, Chiclayo, Chimbote and Huancayo—average separation about 350 km., magnetic dip from 2° to 13°) strongly suggested that the patches of irregularities thought to be producing the spread F were often observed successively at each of the four stations. For example, an occurrence of spread F might be observed to begin at, say, 0015 hr. at Talara, the north-westernmost station, at 0045 at Chiclayo, at 0100 at Chimbote and at 0145 at Huancayo, the south-easternmost station. This tendency was particularly marked for the relatively short occurrences (less than about 2 hr. in duration) that were commonly observed during the latter half of the night. As the stations were located approximately along a straight line, it is not possible to deduce unambiguously the magnitude and direction of the suggested drift. It has been shown, however, that the geographic north–south component of the night F region drift is usually small at these latitudes1. Therefore, on the assumption that the drift was wholly in the magnetic east–west direction, magnitudes of the geographic east–west component of the apparent drifts indicated by the spread F occurrences during September and October have been estimated. A mean apparent drift velocity of 135 m./s. towards the east was obtained for period 0000–0400 hr. Skinner, Hope and Wright, using the Mitra technique at another equatorial location (Ibadan) during the same period, observed a mean east–west component of F region drift of about 110 m./s. towards the east2. The degree of agreement suggests that drifts, either of the patches of irregularities giving rise to the spread F echoes or of the disturbance producing the irregularities, may play an important part in the occurrence of spread F at low latitudes.
Predictors of Intracranial Injury in Patients With Mild Head Trauma

Abstract Study objective: To determine the prevalence of abnormal computed tomography (CT) scans and define high-risk clinical variables in patients with mild head injury. Design: Retrospective descriptive study of patients with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of 13 or greater who presented to the emergency department with blunt head trauma and who underwent cranial CT. Setting: Level I trauma center, university ED. Results: During the 15-month study period, 1,448 patients underwent CT scanning for mild head injury. Abnormalities resulting from the trauma were found in 119 (8.2%), and 11 patients (.76%) required neurosurgical intervention. Patients with higher GCS scores had a greater chance of having a solitary CT abnormality ( P =.004). Bicyclists and pedestrians struck by cars were more likely than others to sustain intracranial injury. High-risk clinical variables included the presence of cranial soft-tissue injury, a focal neurologic deficit, signs of basilar skull fracture and age older than 60 years. A strategy using those variables had a sensitivity of 91.6% and a specificity of 46.2% for detecting a CT abnormality. None of the patients missed by this strategy required medical or neurosurgical management for the CT finding. Conclusion: Abnormalities on CT scans in patients with mild head trauma are fairly common, although the need for neurosurgical intervention is rare. Clinical decision rules can be used to identify those patients with more serious intracranial pathology. Such strategies should be validated prospectively in various ED settings. [Borczuk P: Predictors of intracranial injury in patients with mild head trauma. Ann Emerg Med June 1995;25:731-736.]
Supporting Image Algebra in the Matlab Programming Language for Compression Research

Image algebra is a rigorous, concise notation that unifies linear and nonlinear mathematics in the image domain. Image algebra was developed under DARPA and US Air Force sponsorship at University of Florida for over 15 years beginning in 1984. Image algebra has been implemented in a variety of programming languages designed specifically to support the development of image processing and computer vision programs. The University of Florida has been associated with implementations supporting the languages FORTRAN, Ada, Lisp, and C++. The latter implementation involved the implementation of a class library, iac++, that supported image algebra programming in C++. Since image processing and computer vision are generally performed with operands that are array-based, the MatlabTM programming language is ideal for implementing the common subset of image algebra. Objects include sets and set operations, images and operations on images, as well as templates and image-template convolution operations. This implementation has been found to be useful for research in data, image, and video compression, as described herein. Due to the widespread acceptance of the Matlab programming language in the computing community, this new implementation offers exciting possibilities for supporting a large group of users. The control over an object's computational resources provided to the algorithm designer by Matlab means that the image algebra Matlab (IAM) library can employ versatile representations for the operands and operations of the algebra. In this paper, we first outline the purpose and structure of image algebra, then present IAM notation in relationship to the preceding (IAC++) implementation. We then provide examples to show how IAM is more convenient and more readily supports efficient algorithm development. Additionally, we show how image algebra and IAM can be employed in compression algorithm development and analysis.
Two algorithms for variable power control of heat-balance sap flow gauges under high flow rates

The advantages of variable power control for heat-balance sap flow gauges are evident under high flow rates (e.g., >600 g h -1 ) where high rates of power must be applied. Under the very high flow rates (e.g., 1500-4000 g h -1 ) of mature grapevines (Vitis spp.), we evaluated two algorithms to control the power applied to heat-balance sap flow gauges, and thus the temperature difference (AT) above and below gauge heaters: (i) a proportional-derivative (PD) algorithm and (ii) an open-loop controller following the theoretical diurnal course of irradiance. The PD algorithm was tuned for expected maximum flow rates and could keep AT within 0.1°C of its daytime (0800-1800 h) target value. Over 21 d, mean daytime ATwas 1.32 ± 0.001°C (s.e.m.) for an 18-gauge system. The algorithm was unstable early in the morning and in the evening as rates of sap flow were below those for which the algorithm had been tuned. In the open-loop algorithm, power output was programmed to change according to a sine curve tied to daylength. In well-watered vines, the power curve mimicked actual sap flow patterns. As flow rates varied it accommodated the changing dead time of the system, which is the delay or time required before any change in AT occurs. Daytime AT varied sinusoidally with a typical amplitude of 0.5 to 1.0°C. The coefficient of variation in daytime AT appeared to be higher (16-26%) under the open-loop algorithm than under the PD algorithm (5-13%). Under weekly cycles of deficit irrigation, the variance in daytime AT increased with the number of days after irrigation, suggesting that the open-loop algorithm might best be applied when the stem energy balance includes an estimate of heat storage.
Fast neutron radiotherapy for advanced malignant salivary gland tumors.

Abstract Thirty-two patients with inoperable, recurrent, or gross residual malignant salivary gland tumors received fast neutron radiotherapy at the University of Washington. Eleven patients were treated with low energy neutrons alone, four received a combined photon-low energy neutron treatment regimen ("mixed beam"), and 17 were treated with high energy neutrons alone. Patients treated for microscopic residual tumor after a surgical resection were excluded from this study. With a minimum follow-up period of one year, (maximum 12 years), the overall locoregional tumor control rate for the entire series was 81%. The 5-year locoregional tumor control rate was 69%. The overall 5-year survival rate was 33% (50% for T 3 tumors and 0% for T 4 tumors). Compared to results obtained with conventional photon and/or electron treatment for advanced salivary gland tumors, fast neutron radiotherapy appears to offer a significant advantage.
An enzymatic fluorimetric assay for myo-inositol

An enzymatic assay for myo-inositol (MI) is described. The method is based on the oxidation of MI by NAD+-dependent myo-inositol dehydrogenase, coupled to reoxidation of NADH with oxalacetate and malate dehydrogenase. The resultant malate is measured fluorimetrically. Several variations of the assay are described for measuring MI in serum and in tissues in amounts ranging from 0.2 pmol to 8 nmol. Highest sensitivity is achieved by applying an oil-well technique for handling small droplets, and by using the principle of enzymatic cycling. The potential of the technique is illustrated by MI measurements in several tissues of normal and diabetic rats and Chinese hamsters.
On the morphology of leaves

Until about 30 years ago all authorities regarded leaves as appendages, completely distinct, except for a circumscribed area of attachment, from the axes which bear them. Actually a leaf is only a special type of shoot of determinate growth; therefore it contains vascular bundles and other parts representing stem structures. The problems involved in location go far back in evolution, far beyond the evolution of higher plants, indeed, beyond the evolution of leaves themselves and are inherent in every form of branching which depends upon apical growth. There are many reasons for believing that a leaf is closely identified physiologically with a portion of the stem immediately around and below its point of insertion, and that a similar demarcation into leaf fields and primordium fields exists at the apex (11). A typical leaf is dorsi-ventral and possesses a leaf lamina in the form of a thin plate of tissue. Radial and bilateral leaves are very common in Australia and are found in the most different families; there are also transitions between dorsi-ventral and bilateral leaves. The range of morphological variation is much greater among leaves than among stems. The green foliage leaf is assumed to be the ideal form, and all other leaf organs are supposedly metamorphosed foliage leaves (4). Whatever formal definition we assume, it will be possible to find some cases which appear to contradict it (10). Arber (2) was particularly impressed by the amount of evidence carried by leaves. It seemed to her that any one who made a sufficiently detailed comparative examination would find it possible to identify, not only the family but even in many cases the genus
Consumerism, Catholicism, and Hall's Theology of the Cross

Abstract: This article examines what Catholics can learn from Douglas John Hall, a Protestant, in relationship to consumerism and the North American context. It does this by first, examining the relationship of consumerism to this context; second, viewing various Catholic reflections on consumerism through the lens of Stephen B. Bevans’ models of contextual theology; and third, placing the Catholic reflections in conversation with Hall in order to come to a constructive conclusion.
Microstructure and Hydrogen Dynamics in a-Si1-xCx:H

Small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), IR spectroscopy, and deuterium secondary ion mass spectrometry (DSIMS) were used to study the microstructure and hydrogen dynamics of undoped and boron-doped if-sputter-deposited (RFS) and electron cyclotron resonance (ECR)-deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbides (a-Si1-xCx:H) with x ≤ 19 at.%. The SAXS measurements indicated residual columnar-like features and roughly spherical nanovoids of total content CnV ≤ 1.0 vol.%. The growth of CnV with annealing was due largely to an increase in the average nanovoid radius. It was noticeably smaller than in RFS a-Si:H films. The IR spectra demonstrated H transfer by annealing from mostly bulk-like Si-H groups to C-bonds. The H diffusion and its temperature dependence in undoped films resembled those of a-Si:H and were consistent with the SAXS and IR data. Suppression of long-range motion of most of the H atoms, consistent with increased CnV was observed in B-doped ECR films. However, a small fraction of the H atoms appeared to undergo fast diffusion, reminiscent of the fast diffusion in doped a-Si:H. The results are consistent with impeded relaxation processes of the Si network, caused by the presence of C atoms, and H trapping at C-H bonds.
Susceptibility of a northern Gulf of Mexico estuary to hypoxia: An analysis using box models

Abstract The extent of hypoxia and the physical factors affecting development and maintenance of hypoxia were examined for Pensacola Bay, Florida (USA) by conducting monthly water quality surveys for 3 years (2002–2004) and by constructing salt-and-water balance box models using the resulting data. We also analyzed data from earlier summer probabilistic water quality surveys (1996–1999). Hypoxia (O2
Intrinsically irreversible light-driven engine

We examine a reciprocating heat engine which necessarily operates far from equilibrium and about an unstable steady state. The piston of the engine is driven by the nonlinear coupling of the working fluid to an external light source which provides high quality heat and to the environment into which waste heat is dumped. We determine the piston trajectories that optimize two different criteria of process performance, the maximization of work output, and the minimization of entropy production. The trajectories optimizing different performance goals are qualitatively different. In engines not dominated by friction losses, the cycle optimizing work output requires that the expansion stroke begins with a slight compression and the temperature of the working fluid increases briefly.
Inhibition of rat brain galactocerebroside sulfotransferase by triazine aromatic dyes: Interaction with the 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate binding site

Abstract The mechanism of inhibition of rat brain cerebroside sulfotransferase (EC 2.8.2.11) by a series of triazine aromatic dyes was examined. These dyes are putative site-specific probes of the “dinucleotide fold”. All of the dyes examined were competitive inhibitors of cerebroside sulfotransferase with respect to 3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate (PARS) binding. In addition, the binding of the dye, Congo Red, to the sulfotransferase was associated with a red shift in its absorption spectrum. Based on these results, it is suggested that rat brain cerebroside sulfotransferase contains a “dinucleotide fold” as a structural feature of the protein.
IFME: information filtering by multiple examples with under-sampling in a digital library environment

With the amount of digitalized documents increasing exponentially, it is more difficult for users to keep up to date with the knowledge in their domain. In this paper, we present a framework named IFME (Information Filtering by Multiple Examples) in a digital library environment to help users identify the literature related to their interests by leveraging the Positive Unlabeled learning (PU learning). Using a few relevant documents provided by a user and considering the documents in an online database as unlabeled data (called U), it ranks the documents in U using a PU learning algorithm. From the experimental results, we found that while the approach performed well when a large set of relevant feedback documents were available, it performed relatively poor when the relevant feedback documents were few. We improved IFME by combining PU learning with under-sampling to tune the performance. Using Mean Average Precision (MAP), our experimental results indicated that with under-sampling, the performance improved significantly even when the size of P was small. We believe the PU learning based IFME framework brings insights to develop more effective digital library systems.
Variceal Bleeding: Prophylaxis, Treatment, and Prevention

Variceal bleeding leads to significant morbidity and mortality in patients with portal hypertension. Mortality can be greater than 50% with the initial bleed and many patients develop recurrent bleeding with equal or greater mortality. Currently cirrhosis is the leading cause of portal hypertension, which is defined as a hepatic vein-portal vein gradient greater than 5 mmHg. Portal hypertension may arise from increased splanchnic blood flow due to systemic vasodilation that occurs in the hyperdynamic circulation of cirrhosis or from increased vascular resistance in intrahepatic and/or portocollateral vessels; by decreasing splanchnic blood flow, portal inflow decreases and so does portal pressure. Pharmacologic therapy consisting of nonselective β-blockers, vasopressin, and octreotide act by decreasing splanchnic blood flow, and long-acting nitrates may cause direct vasodilation of portocollateral vessels and/or decreased splanchnic blood flow. Nonselective β-blockers are the cornerstone of treatment for ...
The Effect of Questions in Education and Other Enterprises.

(1982). The Effect of Questions in Education and Other Enterprises. Journal of Curriculum Studies: Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 127-152.
Space-Charge-Limited Currents in Solids

Currents, far in excess of ohmic currents, can be drawn through thin, relatively perfect insulating crystals. These currents are the direct analog of space-charge-limited currents in a vacuum diode. In actual crystals, the space-charge-limited currents are less than their theoretical value for an ideal crystal by the ratio of free to trapped carriers. Space-charge-limited currents become, therefore, a simple tool for measuring the imperfections in crystals even in the range of one part in ${10}^{15}$.The presence of traps not only reduces the magnitude of space-charge-limited currents, but also is likely to distort the shape of the current-voltage curve from an ideal square law to a much higher power dependence on voltage. The particular shape can be used to determine the energy distribution of traps.The presence of traps tends to uniformize the charge distribution between electrodes, to introduce a temperature dependence of the current, and to give rise to certain transient effects from which capture cross sections of traps may be computed.Space-charge-limited currents offer another mechanism for electrical breakdown in insulators.
Homotopy conditions that determine rational homotopy type

Abstract Let H be a connected c.g.a. over Q of finite type with H1=0 and additive basis {xα} ordered by increasing degree. Let (L,d) be the Quillen model with respect to the xα's and consider the d.g. Lie algebra of derivations ( Der L,δ) with δ induced by d. According to Schlessinger and Stasheff, there is a d.g. sub-Lie algebra ( L ,δ) whose cohomology classifies the rational homotopy types Y with H ∗ (Y)≈H (up to automorphism). Here we observe that the bigrading on L induced by the index α and derivation degree gives rise to a decreasing filtration and compatible decomposition δ=Σk≥0δk. We apply the spectral sequence associated with this filtration to classify spaces Y with H ∗ (Y)≈H ∗ C P(n)∨ C P(n+k)) for k≤n.
Photo-induced and bias induced metastable states in the transverse conduction of PNPN doping-modulated a-Si:H superlattices

Abstract We report here large metastable changes in the conductance G(V) perpendicular to the layers of doping-modulated hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si : H). A high or a low G(V) state is obtained with zero or a large bias applied while cooling from 160°C. A large persistent excess conductance (persistent photoconductance) is found after a brief illumination. This effect decreases with increasing bias applied during or after illumination.
Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in mice induces chronic lung inflammation, iBALT formation, and fibrosis.

Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP) lung infection can induce chronic lung inflammation and is associated with not only acute asthma but also COPD exacerbations. However, in mouse models of CP infection, most studies have investigated specifically the acute phase of the infection and not the longer-term chronic changes in the lungs. We infected C57BL/6 mice with 5×105 CP intratracheally and monitored inflammation, cellular infiltrates and cytokine levels over time to investigate the chronic inflammatory lung changes. While bacteria numbers declined by day 28, macrophage numbers remained high through day 35. Immune cell clusters were detected as early as day 14 and persisted through day 35, and stained positive for B, T, and follicular dendritic cells, indicating these clusters were inducible bronchus associated lymphoid tissues (iBALTs). Classically activated inflammatory M1 macrophages were the predominant subtype early on while alternatively activated M2 macrophages increased later during infection. Adoptive transfer of M1 but not M2 macrophages intratracheally 1 week after infection resulted in greater lung inflammation, severe fibrosis, and increased numbers of iBALTS 35 days after infection. In summary, we show that CP lung infection in mice induces chronic inflammatory changes including iBALT formations as well as fibrosis. These observations suggest that the M1 macrophages, which are part of the normal response to clear acute C. pneumoniae lung infection, result in an enhanced acute response when present in excess numbers, with greater inflammation, tissue injury, and severe fibrosis.
Regulation of a c-Jun Amino-terminal Kinase/Stress-activated Protein Kinase Cascade by a Sodium-dependent Signal Transduction Pathway

Palytoxin is a novel skin tumor promoter that does not activate protein kinase C. Previous studies demonstrated that palytoxin stimulates a sodium-dependent signaling pathway that activates the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK) in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. In this study we show that a JNK kinase known as the stress-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase-1 (SEK1) plays an important role in the regulation of JNK by palytoxin. We found that palytoxin stimulates the sustained activation of both JNK and SEK1 in COS7 and HeLa cells. Transiently expressed SEK1 isolated from palytoxin-treated cells can phosphorylate and activate JNK, which, in turn, can phosphorylate c-Jun. Furthermore, expression of a dominant negative mutant of SEK1 blocks activation of JNK by palytoxin. Sodium appears to play an important role in the regulation of JNK and SEK1 by palytoxin. Activation of JNK and SEK1 by palytoxin, but not anisomycin, requires extracellular sodium. Complementary studies showed that the sodium ionophore gramicidin can mimic palytoxin by regulating JNK and SEK1 through a sodium-dependent mechanism. Collectively, these results demonstrate that palytoxin stimulates a sodium-dependent signaling pathway that activates the SEK1/JNK/c-Jun protein kinase cascade.
Recent CLEO Results on Charmed Baryons

Using data recorded by the CLEO II and CLEO II.V detectors at CESR, we report new measurements of the and masses, and the first measurements of their intrinsic widths. The measured widths of these particles agree with the theoretical predictions. We also present a new measurement of the mass of the charmed baryon, observed by its decay into , and the first observation of a new state which is identified as the , the isospin partner of the previously discovered and . The quark model predicts many excited states of Λc and Σc baryons, some of which cannot, because of quantum mechanical conservations rules, decay via one pion to the ground state. We present results of a search for such states decaying via dipion decays into the ground state Recently, The CLEO collaboration also reported the existence of a pair of excited Ξc particles decaying into . These are thought to be orbitally excited Ξc's with JP = 3/2-. Here we present a search for the analogous JP=1/2- particles, which are predicted to decay into .
NUMERICAL CONVOLUTION FOR SOLUTION OF WAVE PROPAGATION PROBLEMS: FILTER SCHEME METHODS

Filter scheme methods are numerical convolution techniques for the solution of partial differential equations and are fundamentally different from finite-difference or finiteelement methods. The ba...
Extended Survival Hypothesis and Fermion Masses

Abstract In this paper two things are done. First we discuss the extended survival hypothesis which states that at each energy scale the only scalars in existence are those that are going to develop a vacuum expectation at a lower energy. Second we give some examples which show how the extended survival hypothesis can greatly enhance the predictive power of a theory and lead to several relations among fermion masses.
Placenta Percreta and Uterine Rupture Associated With Prior Whole Body Radiation Therapy

Abstract Background: Injury to reproductive organs including the uterus is a known complication of ionizing radiation, but the risks to the mother and fetus during subsequent pregnancies are not well defined. Case: A young woman with a remote history of whole body irradiation for childhood leukemia had uterine rupture at 17 weeks’ gestation. Pathologic examination of the supracervical hysterectomy specimen revealed a posterior-fundal placenta percreta with a diffusely thinned myometrium (1–6 mm). The clinicopathologic findings were consistent with prior radiation injury. Conclusion: Uterine irradiation may predispose to abnormal placentation and uterine rupture in a subsequent pregnancy.
Growth kinetics of microalgae in microfluidic static droplet arrays

We investigated growth kinetics of microalgae, Chlorella vulgaris, in immobilized arrays of nanoliter-scale microfluidic drops. These static drop arrays enabled simultaneous monitoring of growth of single as well as multiple cells encapsulated in individual droplets. To monitor the growth, individual drop volumes were kept nearly intact for more than a month by controlling the permeation of water in and out of the microfluidic device. The kinetic growth parameters were quantified by counting the increase in the number of cells in each drop over time. In addition to determining the kinetic parameters, the cell-size distribution of the microalgae was correlated with different stages of the growth. The single-cell growth kinetics of C. vulgaris showed significant heterogeneity. The specific growth rate ranged from 0.55 to 1.52 day(-1) for different single cells grown in the same microfluidic device. In comparison, the specific growth rate in bulk-scale experiment was 1.12 day(-1). It was found that the average cell size changes significantly at different stages of the cell growth. The mean cell-size increased from 5.99 ± 1.08 to 7.33 ± 1.3 µm from exponential to stationary growth phase. In particular, when multiple cells are grown in individual drops, we find that in the stationary growth phase, the cell size increases with the age of cell suggesting enhanced accumulation of fatty acids in older cells.
Allosteric Regulation of Nipah Virus Entry into Host Cells

Nipah viruses are highly virulent and cause recurring encephalitis in humans with 77% mortality. The entry of these viruses into host cells is triggered when specific glycoproteins on the viral membrane, called attachment proteins, bind to their appropriate receptors on the host cell membrane. The attachment proteins have separate domains for receptor binding and mediating virus-host membrane fusion. However, the molecular details of how the receptor-binding signal transduces from the receptor-binding domain to the fusion-mediating domain remains unknown. Understanding this process has been challenging mainly because receptor binding induces only minor structural changes in the receptor binding domain (mean deviation < 0.2 nm). This implies that signal transduction occurs primarily via changes in side-chain rotations and fluctuations. Consequently, to understand signaling in such scenarios, one needs to look beyond examining differences between two protein structures. An understanding of signal transduction in such systems requires a quantitative assessment of differences in structural ensembles. Here we will present the development of new methods to quantitatively evaluate differences in conformational ensembles [1,2]. The primary challenge that these methods overcome is associated with comparing two high dimensional vector spaces. In addition, we will present how we have used this method in conjunction with accelerated conformational sampling techniques to illuminate the molecular details underlying the allosteric regulation of Nipah entry into host cells. These studies highlight, in general, how signals can be transferred across nanometer long distances in proteins without major backbone rearrangements. We anticipate that our method and approach will be applicable to several other systems where allosteric signaling is achieved via small changes in protein structure.[1] RE Leighty, S Varma, J. Chem. Theory Comput. 9 (2013) 868.[2] S Varma, M Botlani, RE Leighty, Proteins (2014) In press.
Unstable growth of thermally induced interacting cracks in brittle solids: Further results

Abstract This paper is complementary to a previous work[1] in which the growth and stability of a system of thermally induced equally spaced parallel edge cracks in a half-plane consisting of a homogeneous isotropic linearly elastic brittle solid has been studied. Initially the half-plane has a uniform temperature, and the edge cracks are introduced by continuous cooling of its free surface. The cracks grow into the solid at an equal rate with the increasing thickness of the thermal boundary layer which forms close to its free surface. However, because of the interaction between adjacent cracks, a critical state may be reached after which some of the cracks stop growing while the remaining ones grow at a faster rate. This new growth regime may again be interrupted at a new critical state where either the cracks which had stopped growing would then suddenly snap closed while the remaining cracks jump to a finitely longer length, or a different growth regime takes place, depending on the nature of the temperature profile. The present work is concerned with a careful examination of the growth regime at and after the above-mentioned second critical state. This examination requires consideration of three interacting unequal cracks which involves crack extension in both Modes I and II. As in [1] two different temperature profiles, relevant to the problem of heat extraction from hot dry rock masses, are considered. It is shown that when the temperature profile in the solid is in the form of an error function, the inclusion of the third interacting crack changes the previously obtained results qualitatively (i.e. no crack closure is attained in this case), whereas for the second temperature profile our new (more complicated) calculations only confirm the previously obtained results.
Selective motor control in spastic cerebral palsy

of children in this cohort later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by a specialized autism clinic. This may not be representative of other GDD cohorts and, as pointed out by the authors, may have accounted for some of the variability in the cognitive abilities of this sample. It may have been beneficial to evaluate this group separately. It is important to note that this study by Riou et al. does indeed challenge the prevalent hypothesis that all children with GDD have a cognitive impairment. As noted in this study, there are at least two subsets of children with GDD, those with and those without cognitive impairment. This has important diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic implications for the clinical setting.
Repeated MDMA (“Ecstasy”) exposure in adolescent male rats alters temperature regulation, spontaneous motor activity, attention, and serotonin transporter binding

Previous research in our laboratory found that repeated exposure of adolescent rats to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) impaired working memory and reduced anxiety. The present experiment extended these findings by investigating the physiological, behavioral, and neurotoxic effects of a modified MDMA treatment regimen. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received 5 mg/kg of MDMA hourly for a period of 4 hr on every fifth day from postnatal day 35-60. Acute effects of the MDMA treatment included hypothermia, serotonin syndrome behavior, and ejaculation. Body weight gain was attenuated by repeated drug administration. The animals completed anxiety and working memory tests beginning 4 days after the final MDMA dose. MDMA altered habituation to the open-field, increased locomotor activity in the elevated plus-maze, decreased attention in the novel object-recognition test, and reduced serotonin transporter binding in the neocortex. These results indicate that repeated exposure to a relatively moderate MDMA dose during adolescence produces later changes in behavior and neurochemistry.
Metrology methods comparison for 2D structures on binary and embedded attenuated phase-shift masks

There are several different methods for printing contact holes on wafers using optical lithography. A preferred resolution enhancement technique for improved contact hole lithography performance is the embedded attenuated phase shift mask (EAPSM). The EAPSM comes in many flavors and forms, but the current preferred form is a film transmission of 6 percent and a phase shift of 180 degrees relative to the clear fused silica areas. It is important to note that the phase shift and transmission values for the phase shift mask are at the actinic exposure wavelength of the wafer stepper/scanner. That is the mask is designed to have a transmission of 6 percent and phase shift of 180-degrees at 248nm or 193nm, depending on the wafer stepper. The resulting transmission of the phase shift mask at the inspection tool wavelength of 365nm is much higher, and the phase shift of the 365nm radiation is significantly less than at the shorter actinic wavelength. The gray-scaled aerial images that are collected by the mask inspection tool could vary significantly for the same size 2-D feature in the binary mask, the 248nm EAPSM, and the 193nm EAPSM. This is also compounded by the fact that the inspection tool calibrates the background transmission of the phase shift material as 0 percent transmission and calibrates the transmission of the fused silica as 100 percent transmission. When these gray-scaled images are used in an energy flux algorithm for contact area measurement, they can be potentially different for each of the three types of masks used to print contact holes. This paper explores the issues involved in using an off-actinic aerial image as the basis for the AVI method of contact sizing.
Chickens from lines selected for high and low body weight show differences in fatty acid oxidation efficiency and metabolic flexibility in skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue.

The Virginia lines of chickens have resulted from more than 55 generations of artificial selection for low (LWS) or high (HWS) juvenile body weight. We hypothesized that the relative hyperphagia and greater body weight in juvenile HWS chickens are associated with altered fatty acid oxidation efficiency and metabolic flexibility in tissues associated with energy sensing and storage, and relative cellular hypertrophy in white adipose tissue. Hypothalamus, liver, pectoralis major, gastrocnemius, abdominal fat, clavicular fat and subcutaneous fat were collected from the juvenile (56–65 days old) LWS and HWS chickens for metabolic, gene expression and histological assays. The HWS chickens had reduced fatty acid oxidation efficiency in abdominal fat (P<0.0001) and reduced rates of oxidation in abdominal fat and gastrocnemius (P<0.0001) as compared with the LWS. There was reduced citrate synthase activity in white adipose tissue (P<0.0001) and greater metabolic inflexibility in skeletal muscle (P=0.006) of the HWS compared with the LWS. Greater pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) and forkhead box O1A (FoxO1) mRNA were found in skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue of 56-day-old HWS than LWS. Expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in all adipose tissue depots was greater (P<0.05) in LWS than in HWS chickens. The HWS chickens had larger (P<0.0001) and fewer (P<0.0001) adipocytes per unit area than the LWS. Compared with the LWS, the HWS chickens have impaired metabolic flexibility and fatty acid oxidation efficiency due to greater pyruvate dehydrogenase activity to accommodate the influx of acetyl-CoA from fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. These metabolic adaptations can be linked to differences in gene expression regulation, adipocyte cellularity and body composition between the lines, which may provide valuable insight into metabolic disorders in other species.
Gentamicin-Adenylyltransferase Activity as a Cause of Gentamicin Resistance in Clinical Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Abstract Gentamicin adenylyltransferase activity was found in extracts of clinical isolates of gentamicin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Extracts of one of these isolates, P. aeruginosa POW, inactivated gentamicin in the presence of adenosine 5′-triphosphate. Extracts of strain POW catalyzed the binding of radioactivity from [14C]adenine adenosine 5′-triphosphate to gentamicin components, tobramycin, sisomicin, kanamycin A and B and, to a variable degree, streptomycin and spectinomycin. The substrate profile with these agents and other aminocyclitols was similar to that obtained with R factor-mediated gentamicin adenylyltransferase found in Enterobacteriaceae. Adenylylating activity was absent in gentamicin-susceptible mutants of strain POW. Adenylylation may be added to acetylation as an enzymatic mechanism responsible for gentamicin resistance among strains of P. aeruginosa.
Common Misconceptions About Sleepwalking and Other Parasomnias

ni cs .c om Parasomnias are behaviors—sometimes complex behaviors—that come out of sleep or out of the transition between sleep and wakefulness. Parasomnias are actually statistically common, but frequently misunderstood by the lay public and those in the medical field. A web search for the term “sleepwalking” brings back hundreds of hits, but rarely for the medical condition. Losing sports teams, governments, and countries are all said to be “sleepwalking.” Sleepwalking is used in the sense they are unaware of what is going on around them, not paying attention to what is obvious to others, or moving without purpose or intention. The scientific definition of sleepwalking shares very little with this common understanding. It skims the surface of what we have come to understand is a group of complex and fascinating sleep disorders. It has been known for hundreds of years that individuals may arouse and/or arise during sleep and perform complex behaviors without conscious awareness or memory of their actions. Early theories of sleepwalking and what we now understand are other types of parasomnias were attributed to demonic or divine possession and other supernatural explanations. Later theories assumed sleepwalkers to be insane or mentally ill. In the 19th century theories evolved with sleepwalking being classified as a sleep disease. Later theories assumed that sleepwalkersmust be acting out their dreams. This all occurred before the discovery of