cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF CHANGES IN FACTORS OF PRODUCTION COSTS ON THE ECONOMIES OF DRY FABA- BEANS AND LINTELS CROPS IN THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT

AbstractCost of production is considered an important economic factor that can refer to the efficiency of using resources. Due to the increase in prices of farm inputs and cost of farm operations, are of cultivated area of both faba beans and lintel crops has recently decreased. It is therefore, the objective of the present study to assess the effect of changes in production costs on the economies of faba beans and lentils crops. The main findings of the study are : * Cost of production of studied crops(faba beans and lentils) took an increasing trend estimated as 109.2 L.E and 104 L.E a year during the period 1990-2008 respectively. * Average costs of agricultural operations were 973 L.E and 995 L.E for faba beans and lentils in 2008 respectively. These costs represent about 48.3% and 51.4% of total variable costs of the two crops respectively. * Labor and machinery costs were the most effecting costs in farm operations, while costs of fertilizers and seed were the most effecting farm inputs for both the two crops. * Farm price for the two crops took an increasing trend estimated as 16.6L.E and 24.8 L.E a year during the period 1990-2008. Whole sale and retail prices have also taken an increasing trend during the same period. * As relation between production cost and farm price, the study reveals that a change of 10% of cash per ton of bean will lead to a change of 7.9% in farm price, while a change of lentil cost per ton of 10% will lead to a change in its farm price by about 6.9%. * The study concludes that there are no comparative advantage of both crops. * The study recommends that efforts should be made to decrease cost of local resources to increase the comparative advantage of such important legume crops.
Biodiversity and Plant Litter Decomposition in Streams

The main factors influencing litter decomposition in streams are substrate quality, metazoan feeding, microbial activity and environmental context. However, the biodiversity of both resources (litter) and consumers (mostly detritivorous invertebrates) can also influence decomposition, with consequences for stream ecosystem functioning. With regard to leaf litter diversity, in general, decomposition rates increase with litter species richness, but this relationship shifts in response to the environmental context, e.g., nutrient availability in the water column, water flow, and differential shredder feeding rates. Increasing shredder diversity tends to result in faster decomposition rates, due to facilitative and complementarity effects related to intra- vs. interspecific interactions. Multitrophic diversity is studied the least, and justifiably so given the complexities of proper experimental needs. However, available evidence suggests that loss of taxa at multiple trophic levels results in altered rates decomposition compared to those expected from intact food webs.
Aquatic Activity-Related Craniofacial Injuries Presenting to United States Emergency Departments, 2010 to 2019.

Purpose Aquatic activities are some of the most widely enjoyed sports and recreational activities in the United States. This study aimed to analyze the risks and types of craniofacial injuries associated with various aquatic activities. Methods We retrospectively analyzed aquatic activity-related craniofacial injuries between 2010 and 2019 using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database. Aquatic activities included swimming, diving, surfing, water skiing, and water tubing. Risks and types of craniofacial injuries were analyzed according to the types of aquatic activities, age, and sex. Results Among 48,112 patients with aquatic activity-related injuries, 9,529 (19.8%) had craniofacial injuries. In decreasing order of frequency, the causes of craniofacial injuries were swimming (79.6%), diving (7.5%), surfing (5.9%), water skiing (3.6%), and water tubing (3.5%). The proportion of craniofacial injuries among all injuries was higher in males than in females (22.8 vs 16.3%, P Conclusions Craniofacial injuries are a frequent cause of morbidity related to aquatic activities. Substantial variability exists in the risk and pattern of craniofacial injuries depending on the type of activity, age, and sex. These findings may aid in instituting educational programs and preventive measures against aquatic activity-related craniofacial injuries.
Winds of Justice: Post-Colonial Opportunism and the Rise of the Khmer Rouge

This chapter sets aside most well-known criticisms of the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) to focus instead on the roles of the US and China building up to the 4.5-year reign of the Khmer Rouge in an effort to highlight the absurdity of the ECCC’s 4.5-year temporal jurisdiction (1974–1979). The absurdity does not flow from the specific time-frame, but rather from the very concept of ‘international justice’ at the Court. This chapter argues that the Court's concept of justice does not gel with local conceptions of justice, which in turn do not gel with timeframes. The roles of the US and China illustrate how even imaginaries of ‘international justice’ fail to consider how lingering legacies of colonial wrongs enabled non-colonial powers to exploit Cambodia – how, by design, holistic views of ‘causation’ and therefore ‘justice’ were procedurally excluded from the realm of possibility at the ECCC. The form a ‘legitimate’ legal argument could take was predefined temporally, thereby rendering arguments that accounted for a broader range of culpability than 4.5 years to be legally ‘illegitimate’.
Sovereignty, Citizenship and Public Health in the United States

Sovereign boundaries, state borders, and distinctions between citizens and non-citizens undermine public health in the United States in a number of ways. For historical reasons, we are prone to view immigration and public health as separate interests, but they are in fact convergent. Historically, federal authority over immigration alleviated costs otherwise borne by state and local governments. Today, however, states are primarily responsible for the prevention and control of communicable disease acquired outside U.S. borders. The federal and state governments confront a stark division of authority with respect to non-citizens: The federal government decides which non-citizens to admit into the country and the terms under which they may stay, while states must cover the costs of foreign nationals who present a public health threat within the United States. Our system of federalism and a fragmented public health infrastructure mean that the cost of health control measures falls on state and local governments, with uneven effectiveness and greatly disproportionate impact in some communities. The problem is thus systemic: the fragmented structure of public health agencies in the United States can prevent an effective response to even wholly local epidemics. Nonetheless, because immigration laws affect public health in many complicated ways, we can make progress by addressing the externalities of public health problems through creative approaches to federal law, along with providing the resources needed to support these changes. This Article concludes with a discussion of a specific public health threat — drug-resistant tuberculosis — to provide a compelling context for the problems I identify.
Non-Conjugated and Conjugated Dienes in Acyclic Diene Metathesis (ADMET) Chemistry

Acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) chemistry has been a subject of interest for several years now and compliments ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) as a means to produce a variety of polymers via metal exchange reactions. ADMET chemistry is not a new concept, although it had been unsuccessful for a period of more than 20 years. The realization that the acidity of the catalyst influences the polymerization reaction led to the development of successful ADMET catalysts [1]. When Lewis-acid free catalysts are employed, competing reactions are eliminated, and the metathesis mechanism predominates [2]. Figure 1 shows the general reaction which occurs during an ADMET polymerization.
Body: Anthropological Aspects

The theoretical status of ‘the body’ in cultural anthropology has evolved in roughly four stages: (1) in earlier decades of the twentieth century, it was an implicit, taken-for-granted background feature of social life; (2) beginning in the 1970s, the body became an explicit topic of ethnographic concern; (3) from the 1980s, the body began to become a problem to be accounted for with respect to its cultural and historical mutability; and (4) by the century's end, the body offered a theoretical locus for rethinking various aspects of culture and self. This conception of the changing status of the body in anthropology guides the exposition that follows.
Pirfenidone inhibits PDGF isoforms in bleomycin hamster model of lung fibrosis at the translational level

Pirfenidone (PD) is known for its antifibrotic effects in the bleomycin (BL) hamster model of lung fibrosis. We evaluated whether pretreatment of hamsters with PD could influence the effects of BL-induced overexpression of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-A and PDGF-B genes and proteins in the same model of lung fibrosis. We demonstrate elevated levels of PDGF-A and PDGF-B mRNAs in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from lungs of BL-treated compared with saline control hamsters by RT-PCR analysis. However, these levels were not altered in BAL cells obtained from BL-treated hamsters on diets containing 0.5% PD. Western blot analysis of BAL fluid for PDGF isoforms demonstrated that PD treatment inhibited the synthesis of both PDGF-A and PDGF-B isoforms. PD treatment also decreased the mitogenic activity in the BAL fluid from BL-treated hamster lungs. Taken together, these data provide evidence that the protective effects of PD against BL-induced lung fibrosis may be mediated by a reduction in PDGF isoforms produced by lung macrophages.
Insulin and Protein Metabolism

The sections in this article are: 1 Molecular Basis of Insulin Action on Protein Metabolism 1.1 Protein Synthesis 1.2 Protein Breakdown 1.3 Transmembrane Amino Acid Transport 2 Physiological Effects of Insulin at the Whole-Body Level 3 Effects of Insulin on Muscle Tissue 4 Physiological Effects of Insulin on Other Tissues 4.1 Liver 4.2 Gut 4.3 Heart 4.4 Skin 5 Effect of Insulin on Transport in vivo 6 Insulin Resistance 6.1 Diabetes 6.2 Critical Illness 7 Exercise 8 Conclusion
Evidence on Pricing from the Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines Code-Share Agreement

Recent code-share agreements among major US airlines represent a significant development in the airline industry, as these agreements allow the partner airlines to sell seats on each other's flights across the US. In this paper, we examine with original data how prices and passenger volumes were affected by the first significant alliance among major US carriers, the 1999 alliance between Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines. We find evidence of higher passenger volumes and lower prices across markets in which CO-NW code-shared. However, we also find evidence of significantly higher prices across markets with nonstop flights from CO and NW. In these markets, our results suggest that, as CO-NW used their agreement to expand the pool of passengers to whom they can sell seats on their aircraft, they have in turn extracted a higher price, on average. Hence, airlines need not be colluding for prices to rise following code-share agreements. This finding is significant for policy-makers traditionally focus on collusion in their reviews of these agreements.
Pulse Control of Structural and Mechanical Systems

The feasibility of using openloop adaptive online pulse control is considered for limiting the response of large linear multi-degree-of-freedom systems subjected to general dynamic loading environments. Pulses of short durations are used to control the system when the system response exceeds a given threshold level. The pulse magnitudes are obtained in closed form, leading to large computational efficiencies when compared with optimal control theoretic methods. The technique is illustrated for a structural system subjected to earthquake-like base excitations.
ATP-induced potentiation of G-protein-dependent phospholipase D activity in a cell-free system from U937 promonocytic leukocytes.

Abstract Although G-protein- and protein kinase-mediated pathways have been reported to activate phospholipase D (PLD) following cell stimulation, the relation between these activation pathways and the mechanistic details of lipase stimulation remain unknown. We have studied activation of PLD by GTP gamma S (guanosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate)), and its potentiation by ATP, in a cell-free system derived from U937 human promonocytic leukocytes. ATP, in the micromolar to millimolar range, significantly augmented GTP gamma S-stimulated PLD activity (2.6-fold) and the combination resulted in a 15-fold increase in PLD activity compared to control. ATP alone did not stimulate PLD activity. Measurement of endogenous cytosolic ATP levels and nucleotide depletion with activated charcoal demonstrated that stimulation of PLD by GTP gamma S proceeds by both ATP-dependent and -independent pathways. Nucleotide specificity data suggested that the ATP-dependent pathway involves kinase activity. The tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor vanadate augmented PLD activity stimulated by GTP gamma S/ATP by 41% (p < 0.01). Conversely, the tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and herbimycin A decreased PLD activity stimulated by GTP gamma S/ATP by 58 and 35%, respectively (p < 0.001 for each). Mixing experiments utilizing subcellular fractions from herbimycin A-treated cells suggested that the relevant tyrosine kinase activity is membrane-associated. Despite its role in ATP-induced potentiation, tyrosine kinase activity is neither necessary nor sufficient for activation of PLD in this system. Protein kinase C (PKC) is unlikely to play a role in potentiation by ATP as PKC activity is not stimulated under conditions of maximal PLD activation.
Recombinational DNA Repair in Eukaryotes

DNA double-strand breaks and other damage can be repaired in cells by a process involving recombination with an undamaged homologous molecule. This is related to the recombination that occurs naturally during meiosis in most eukaryotes, and many of the same gene products are needed for both processes. Keywords: recombination; repair; double-strand breaks; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; RAD genes
A comparative cost/security analysis of fault attack countermeasures

Deliberate injection of faults into cryptographic devices is an effective cryptanalysis technique against symmetric and asymmetric encryption algorithms. To protect cryptographic implementations (e.g. of the recent AES which will be our running example) against these attacks, a number of innovative countermeasures have been proposed, usually based on the use of space and time redundancies (e.g. error detection/correction techniques, repeated computations). In this paper, we take the next natural step in engineering studies where alternative methods exist, namely, we take a comparative perspective. For this purpose, we use unified security and efficiency metrics to evaluate various recent protections against fault attacks. The comparative study reveals security weaknesses in some of the countermeasures (e.g. intentional malicious fault injection that are unrealistically modelled). The study also demonstrates that, if fair performance evaluations are performed, many countermeasures are not better than the naive solutions, namely duplication or repetition. We finally suggest certain design improvements for some countermeasures, and further discuss security/efficiency tradeoffs.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis: An Update

Cystic fibrosis is the most common fatal inherited disease of Caucasians. At present, cystic fibrosis accounts for most cases of chronic progressive pulmonary disease and for many other clinical features in the first three decades of life. Thus, it is a challenge to both pediatricians and internists, particularly chest physicians. The diagnosis is based on the triad of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pancreatic insufficiency, and increased levels of electrolytes in the sweat. The cardinal test for confirmation of the diagnosis is the "sweat test," which is an excellent discriminant for cystic fibrosis, even in adults. Ancillary features of cystic fibrosis may be of diagnostic assistance (eg, nasal polyposis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sputum, azoospermia, and others). Treatment of the pulmonary disease must be emphasized. Choice of antibiotics should be based on the results of sputum culture, but P aeruginosa is the most common pathogen. Removal of secretions by regular postural drainage and percussion is an integral part of the program. Pneumothorax, massive hemoptysis, cor pulmonale, and other complications may be encountered. Sinusitis is almost universal, and nasal polyposis is frequently present. Pancreatic insufficiency occurs in over 80 percent of the patients with cystic fibrosis and may result in intestinal malabsorption. Massive salt loss through the sweat in hot weather, a distinctive type of biliary cirrhosis without jaundice, gallbladder abnormalities, cholelithiasis, and diabetes mellitus also may be found. Of special importance are intestinal obstructive complications (meconium ileus in newborn infants with cystic fibrosis and intestinal obstruction due to fecal accumulation or intussusception in adults). Azoospermia is present in 95 percent of men and there is reduced fertility in women; however, pregnancy does occur in cystic fibrosis. This chronic and ultimately fatal disease produces a predictable set of psychosocial complications.
Considerations of a Tropospheric Scatter System for Field Use

The modern Army will place greater demands on communication requirements for capacity, range and mobility. To meet these demands with conventional equipment results in a serious increase of manpower. The encouraging possibility of employing tropospheric scatter equipment to augment and possibly replace some conventional equipments has distinct advantages. This paper surveys the basic requirements of a tropospheric scatter system and expands them to fulfill the requirements of tactical employment. Subjects such as range and frequency dependence, effect of horizon angle, modulation techniques, and antenna gain degradation are reviewed to develop the technical foundation of a tactical system. The additional requirements of mobility, simplicity, and quick response are added to present a system designed for tactical utilization. Actual results obtained over a number of paths with digital data and facsimile transmissions are presented. The paper concludes with a discussion of inherent problems in tropospheric systems and the developments required to alleviate some of the difficulties.
Structural controllability of multi-agent systems subject to simultaneous failure of links and agents

In this paper, structural controllability of a leader-follower multi-agent system with multiple leaders is studied from a graph theoretic point of view. The preservation of structural controllability under simultaneous failure in both the communication links and the agents is investigated. The effects of the loss of agents or communication links on the controllability of an information flow graph have been the subject of two previous studies. This work expands the corresponding results by considering the effects of losses in both links and agents at the same time. To this end, the concepts of joint (r, s)-controllability and joint t-controllability are introduced as quantitative measures of reliability for a multi-agent system. A method is subsequently presented for investigating the problem of joint t-controllability in a directed information flow graph, using polynomial-time algorithms. The proposed methods are applied to a number of well-known directed graphs to clarify the results.
Training Psychiatrists to Treat Dual Diagnosis Patients

ABSTRACT Despite the high incidence of dual diagnosis patients in most treatment settings, psychiatrists have not been adequately trained to care for patients with substance use disorders and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Brief rotations on detoxification or substance abuse rehabilitation units do not provide the type of training that is needed to develop the long-term management skills required to successfully treat these patients. Boston University Medical Center has developed an expanded addiction psychiatry curriculum that is coupled with a 2-year longitudinal rotation on a dual diagnosis outpatient unit. Residents receive in-depth training in cognitive behavioral and harm reduction therapy, motivational enhancement treatment, and addiction pharmacotherapy. Trainees need to work with psychiatrists who respect these patients and are willing to take responsibility to manage both SUD and co-occurring disorders. A longitudinal training experience is an ideal model for learning appropriate addiction ...
Nanotechnology for Molecular Imaging and Image-Guided Surgery

The development of biocompatible nanoparticles for in-vivo molecular imaging and targeted therapy is an area of considerable current interest. The basic rationale is that nanometer-sized particles have functional and structural properties that are not available from either discrete molecules or bulk materials. When conjugated with biomolecular targeting ligands such as monoclonal antibodies, peptides or small molecules, these nanoparticles can be used to target malignant tumors with high specificity and affinity. In the “mesoscopic” size range of 10-100 nm diameter, nanoparticles also have large surface areas for conjugating to multiple diagnostic (e.g., optical, radioisotopic, or magnetic) and therapeutic (e.g., anticancer) agents. Recent advances have led to the development of biodegradable nanostructures for drug delivery, iron oxide nanocrystals for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), quantum dots (QDs) for multiplexed molecular diagnosis and in-vivo imaging, and nanoscale carriers for short-interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery. We have developed a new class of biocompatible and nontoxic nanoparticles for in-vivo tumor targeting and detection based on self-assembled nanostrucrures and pegylated colloidal gold. These pegylated gold nanoparticles are considerably brighter than semiconductor quantum dots with light emission in the near-infrared window. When conjugated to tumor targeting ligands such as single chain variable fragment (ScFv) antibodies, the conjugated nanoparticles are able to target tumor biomarkers such as epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) on human cancer cells and in xenograft tumor models.
Development path and current status of the NANIVID: a new device for cancer cell studies

Cancer cells create a unique microenvironment in vivo that enables migration to distant organs. To better understand the tumor micro-environment, special tools and devices are required to monitor the interactions between different cell types and the effects of particular chemical gradients. Our study presents the design and optimization of a versatile chemotaxis device, the nano-intravital device (NANIVID), which consists of etched and bonded glass substrates that create a soluble factor reservoir. The device contains a customized hydrogel blend that is loaded with epidermal growth factor (EGF), which diffuses from the outlet to create a chemotactic gradient that can be sustained for many hours in order to attract specific cells to the device. A microelectrode array is under development for quantification of cell collection and will be incorporated into future device generations. Additionally, the NANIVID can be modified to generate gradients of other soluble factors in order to initiate controlled changes to the microenvironment including the induction of hypoxia, manipulation of extracellular matrix stiffness, etc. The focus of the article is to present the design and optimization of the device towards wide ranging applications of cancer cell dynamics in vitro and, ultimately, implantation for in vivo investigations.
Serotonergic and dopaminergic involvement in the mechanism of action of R-(−)-2, 5-dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine (DOB) in cats

Abstract Intraperitoneally administered R-(−)- and S-(+)- enantiomers of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromoamphetamine were evaluated for their ability to induce head-body shake, limb flick and abortive grooming behaviors in cats. The R-(−)-enantiomer was consistently more effective than the S-(+)-isomer in all three behavioral measures. Dose-response relationships were evident for head-body shakes and limb flicks for both enantiomers, but reliable abortive grooming responses appeared only after the higher doses of R-(−)-DOB. Cinanserin and methysergide pretreatments effectively antagonized the induction of head-body shakes and limb flicks by 0.1 mg/kg R-(−)-DOB. In addition, haloperidol pretreatment significantly antagonized the appearance of these behaviors suggesting that dopaminergic as well as serotonergic stimulation is involved in the elicitation of these cat behaviors by R-(−)-DOB.
Survival after recurrent nonsmall-cell lung cancer after complete pulmonary resection.

Background Survival characteristics of patients who have recurrent nonsmall-cell lung cancer after surgical resection are not well understood. Little objective evidence exists to justify treatment for these patients. Methods We prospectively followed 1,361 consecutive patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer who underwent complete surgical resection at our institution from January 1997 to December 2001. Only patients having recurrent cancer were included in the analysis. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the effect of prognostic factors on postrecurrence survival. Results Follow-up was achieved in 1,073 patients, and recurrent cancer developed in 445. Complete information was available on 390 patients for analysis. There were 262 men and 128 women. Median age at time of recurrence was 69 years. Median time from surgical resection to recurrence was 11.5 months, and median postrecurrence survival was 8.1 months. Recurrence was intrathoracic in 171 patients, extrathoracic in 172, and a combination of both in 47. Treatments after recurrence included surgery in 43 patients, chemotherapy in 59, radiation in 73, and a combination in 96. All patients who received treatment survived longer than those who received no treatment. Preoperative chemotherapy and postoperative radiotherapy for the primary lung cancer, poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status, decreased disease-free interval from initial resection to recurrence, symptoms at recurrence, and certain location of recurrence significantly decreased postrecurrence survival. Conclusions In our experience, treatment for recurrent nonsmall-cell lung cancer significantly prolongs survival. Various treatment modalities including surgery should be considered in patients with postoperative recurrent nonsmall-cell lung cancer.
Reactions of methanol on TiO2(001) single crystal surfaces

Reactions of methanoi on TiO2 were studied on three characteristic (001) single crystal surfaces: the Ar+ -bombarded surface, the {011}-facetted surface, and the {114}-facetted surface. Methanol adsorbed on TiO2(001) surfaces both molecularly and dissociatively at 200 K. Molecularly adsorbed methanol desorbed readily below 300 K. Surface methoxides formed by dissociative adsorption were removed via two channels. The removal of methoxides at 365 K as methanol was assigned to recombination with surface hydroxyl species; approximately 50% of surface methoxides were removed via this pathway. The remaining methoxides decomposed at higher temperatures. Methane, dimethyl ether, formaldehyde, and CO were produced from the decomposition of methoxides, with selectivities depending upon the surface structure and composition. The formation of methane was explained by deoxygenation of methoxides at surface Ti cations with a single oxygen deficit. The {;011}-facetted surface exhibited the highest selectivity for methane formation. Dimethyl ether was produced from methanol via disproportionation of pairs of methoxides coordinated to 4-fold oxygen-coordinated Ti4+ cations. The formation of dimethyl ether was observed only on the {114}-facetted surface. The selectivity for formaldehyde formation from methanol increased in parallel with the oxygen concentration of the surface. The {114}-facetted surface showed the highest selectivity for formaldehyde formation, as it was characterized by the highest extent of surface oxidation. On the Ar+-bombarded surface, molecular methanol as well as methoxides were formed following methanol adsorption at 300 K, and CO was produced via oxidation of carbon deposited by methoxide decomposition.
A Dual Immersion Strand Programme in California: Carrying Out the Promise of Dual Language Education in an English-Dominant Context.

This paper uses ethnographic observation and in-depth interview to look at the ways in which an English-dominant school in California, USA inhibits the fulfilment of the goals of its dual immersion ‘strand’ programme. Taking a Bakhtinian perspective on discourses, and leaning on Bourdieu's concept of ‘linguistic capital’, the paper examines discourses around language, race and power, and discusses the implications of these discourses for the construction of a biliterate, bilingual, equitable academic programme for Latino language minority students in an American context. The dominance of English, the prevalence of mainstream dominant discourses of race and power, and the English-speaking staff's deficit framing of the Latino and African American communities at the school all manifest as obstacles to the dual language programme's ability to fulfill its mission. The paper raises questions about the subtle forms of ‘benevolent’ racism that can invade schools, undermining the ability of students of colour to ...
Pancreastatin, a Chromogranin A-Derived Peptide, Inhibits Transcription of the Parathyroid Hormone and Chromogranin A Genes and Decreases the Stability of the Respective Messenger Ribonucleic Acids in Parathyroid Cells in Culture

CgA in the absence of pancreastatin was 4- to lo-fold greater at 0.5 Pancreastatin is a carboxyl-terminal amidated peptide derived from chromogranin A (CBA) corresponding to porcine CgA residues 240-288 V&&wss . ) CgA, in turn, is an acidic glycoprotein of about 450 amino acids that is costored and cosecreted with PTH in the parathyroid gland and with native hormones of many endocrine tissues. Among its effects on various endocrine glands, pancreastatin strongly inhibits the secretion of PTH and CgA by the parathyroid. The present report evaluates the action of pancreastatin on the regulation of cellular levels of PTH messenger RNA (mRNA) and CgA mRNA. After a 6-day preculture, dispersed porcine parathyroid cells were cultured for up to 48 h with or without pancreastatin in medium at stimulatory (0.5 mM) or inhibitory (3.0 mM) concentrations of Ca*+. Secretion of PTH and mM Ca2+ than at 3.0 mM Ca2+ as were the corresponding cellular levels 1316,1994) of PTH and CgA mRNAs. Pancreastatin (1O-9-1O-7 M) inhibited the secretion of PTH and CgA at 0.5 mM Ca*+ in a dose-dependent fashion by 93% and 75%. respectively, and decreased the cellular levels of PTH and CgA mRNAs 80% and 87%, respectively. Whereas pancreastatin inhibited the secretion of PTH and CgA by the fourth hour and beyond, changes in PTH and CgA mRNAs were not observed until 12 h. These decreases in mRNA were associated with a two-thirds reduction in the rates of transcription of the PTH and CgA genes. Additionally, the half-life of PTH mRNA decreased to 20 h from 38 h and that for CgA mRNA declined to 18 h from 33 h. It remains to be determined if the changes in transcription of the PTH and CgA genes and stability of their respective mRNAs are direct effects of pancreastatin or secondary actions due to the inhlaition of secretion.
Reappraisal of astigmatism induced by periocular capillary hemangioma and treatment with intralesional corticosteroid injection.

Objective To document refractive status and visual acuity before and after intralesional corticosteroid injection in children with astigmatism induced by periocular capillary hemangioma (PCH). Design Retrospective, interocular comparison, interventional case series. Participants Thirteen infants with anisometropic astigmatism of at least 1.50 diopters (D) induced by PCH. Intervention All infants had one or more intralesional corticosteroid injections of a PCH between 2 and 10 months of age. Injections of 0.3 to 1.0 ml of a 50:50 mixture of triamcinolone (40 mg/ml) and dexamethasone phosphate (4 mg/ml) were given at a single site under deep sedation. Main Outcome Measures Refraction and acuity using Teller acuity cards before and after injection. Results In affected eyes, mean astigmatisms were 3.75 D (pretreatment) and 1.25 D (posttreatment), and mean spherical errors were 0.75 D (pretreatment) and 1.50 D (posttreatment). Reduction in astigmatism was observed within 1 to 14 months after the injection. Despite reciprocal changes in astigmatism and spherical error, the amount of anisometropia (spherical equivalent) remained constant. Amblyopia was not observed before treatment and was observed in only 2 of 13 children after treatment. Complications were limited to adrenal suppression with transient reductions of linear growth and localized eyelid necrosis. Conclusions Intralesional corticosteroid injections given in infancy (between 2 and 10 months) resulted in a 63% reduction in the mean amount of astigmatism induced by PCH. The reciprocal changes of astigmatism and spherical error without changes in anisometropia suggest that the treatment effect was due to restoration of the spherical shape of the cornea. Before 3 years of age, visual immaturity exceeded the optical blur related to astigmatism induced by PCH. Therefore, astigmatism, not anisometropia or amblyopia, is the immediate indication for treatment of PCH with intralesional corticosteroids. Injection of corticosteroid at a single site minimizes the potential for severe ocular complications owing to tissue pressure and tumor volume considerations.
Perspective on the relative insignificance of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration to crop yield

Average yield of most crops in many countries increased significantly during the past 50 to 100 years. Although atmospheric CO2 concentration, [CO2]a, also increased during that time period, and although crop growth and yield can respond positively to [CO2]a increase, yield increases were due mainly to factors other than increasing [CO2]a. Similarly, some yield increases prior to 1900 were also associated primarily with factors other than changes in [CO2]a. In particular, past national average yield increases were the result chiefly of technological advances such as nitrogen fertilization; selection of genotypes with increased harvest index and disease resistance; mechanization of planting, cultivation, and harvesting; and chemical weed and pest control. If technology continues to increase average yields at recent rates, near-future increases in [CO2]a will have only small impacts on yield in comparison to technology in many countries. Conversely, if future increases in [CO2]a are the main drivers of future yield increases, those yield increases will be small. These points are demonstrated through a comparison of (i) long-term records of yield, (ii) data from key controlled-[CO2] experiments, and (iii) records of past [CO2]a. Finally, it is noted that continued [CO2]a increase may bring with it climatic changes that could have negative or positive impacts on future yield.
Cystic kidney disease: the role of Wnt signaling.

Wnt signaling encompasses a variety of signaling cascades that can be activated by secreted Wnt ligands. Two such pathways, the canonical or β-catenin pathway and the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway, have recently received attention for their roles in multiple cellular processes within the kidney. Both of these pathways are important for kidney development as well as homeostasis and injury repair. The disruption of either pathway can lead to cystic kidney disease, a class of genetic diseases that includes the most common hereditary life-threatening syndrome polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Recent evidence implicates canonical and noncanonical Wnt pathways in cyst formation and points to a remarkable role for developmental processes in the adult kidney.
Using Stable Isotope Probing to Characterize Differences Between Free-Living and Sediment-Associated Microorganisms in the Subsurface

Aquifers are subterranean reservoirs of freshwater with heterotrophic bacterial communities attached to the sediments and free-living in the groundwater. In the present study, mesocosms were used to assess factors controlling the diversity and activity of the subsurface bacterial community. The assimilation of 13C, derived from 13C-acetate, was monitored to determine whether the sediment-associated and free-living bacterial community would respond similarly to the presence of protozoan grazers. We observed a dynamic response in the sediment-associated bacterial community and none in the free-living community. The disparity in these observations highlights the importance of the sediment-associated bacterial community in the subsurface carbon cycle.
Forest decline and dieback — A global ecological problem

Destruction of tropical forests has gained world-wide attention, and the associated depletion of biodiversity has become a growing concern. Almost simultaneously, forest decline and dieback in the developed countries on both sides of the North Atlantic has become an international worry. Industrial pollution has been implicated as the major cause, but the etiology of forest decline and dieback remains largely unresolved. Decline and dieback can also be related to biotic impoverishment in the sense of reduction of canopy species diversity, simplification of structural diversity and biological mining of soil nutrients. Thus, concern over the depletion of biodiversity is highly justified. It links tropical forest destruction to forest dieback in Europe in a way not yet widely realized. At the same time, it does not diminish tge equally justified concern about industrial pollution. A world-wide internationally coordinated research program is suggested which focuses on comparative, interdisciplinary studies in those countries where forest decline and dieback has surfaced as an unresolved problem.
Centrifugal Compressor Stability Prediction Using a New Physics Based Approach

The accurate prediction of centrifugal compressor stability continues to be an important area of interest in the oil and gas industries. Ensuring stability is critical to the cost-effective installation and operation of these machines in remote environments, where field stability problems are much more expensive to diagnose and correct. Current industry standards and tools for the prediction of impeller destabilizing forces are based on empirical methods that, to date, have served fairly well for systems with reasonable stability margins. However, as stability margins are decreased, use of a modeling method that is more physics based and can better represent the observed trends in machine behavior at low stability margins is required. Furthermore, the development of megaclass liquefied natural gas (LNG) compressors and ultra-high pressure re-injection compressors provides further motivation to improve accuracy. In this paper, a new physics based expression for the prediction of impeller cross-coupling, previously described by Moore et al. ("Rotordynamic Force Prediction of Centrifugal Compressor Impellers Using Computational Fluid Dynamics," ASME Paper No. GT2007-28181), is further investigated by analyzing several classes and scale factors of impellers ranging from 2D designs used in re-injection to full 3D impellers typically used in LNG. The new expression is based on both computational fluid dynamics simulation and experimental test data from a known instability. These results are then applied to two case studies of marginally stable and unstable compressors in the field that were studied by the authors' company. For each case study, the system stability is evaluated using both the new physics based expression as well as the more traditional empirical approaches. Comparisons are made for overall stability prediction as well as sensitivity to system changes. Conclusions are made regarding the applicability and limits of this new approach.
Simulating the development of Martian highland landscapes through the interaction of impact cratering, fluvial erosion, and variable hydrologic forcing

Abstract On the highlands of Mars early in the history of the planet precipitation-driven fluvial erosion competed with ongoing impact cratering. This disruption, and the multiple enclosed basins produced by impacts, is partially responsible for a long debate concerning the processes and effectiveness of fluvial erosion. The role of fluvial erosion in sculpting the early Martian landscape is explored here using a simulation model that incorporates formation of impact craters, erosion by fluvial and slope processes, deposition in basins, and flow routing through depressions. Under assumed arid hydrologic conditions, enclosed basins created by cratering do not overflow, drainage networks are short, and fluvial bajadas infill crater basins with sediment supplied from erosion of interior crater slopes and, occasionally from adjacent steep slopes. Even under arid conditions adjacent crater basins can become integrated into larger basins through lateral erosion of crater rims or by rim burial by sediment infilling. Fluvial erosion on early Mars was sufficient to infill craters of 10 km or more in diameter with 500–1500 m of sediment. When the amount of runoff relative to evaporation is assumed to be larger, enclosed basins overflow and deeply incised valleys interconnect basins. Examples of such overflow and interconnection on the Martian highlands suggest an active hydrological cycle on early Mars, at least episodically. When fluvial erosion and cratering occur together, the drainage network is often disrupted and fragmented, but it reintegrates quickly from smaller impacts. Even when rates of impact are high, a subtle fluvial signature is retained on the landscape as broad, smooth intercrater plains that feature craters with variable amounts of infilling and rim erosion, including nearly buried “ghost” craters. The widespread occurrence of such intercrater plains on Mars suggests a strong fluvial imprint on the landscape despite the absence of deep, integrated valley networks. Indisputable deltas and alluvial fans are rare in the crater basins on Mars, in part because of subsequent destruction of surficial fluvial features by impact gardening and eolian processes. Simulations, however, suggest that temporally-varying lake levels and a high percentage of suspended to bedload supplied to the basins could also result in poor definition of fan–delta complexes.
Design, Assessment, and Evaluation of a Problem‐based Learning Environment in Undergraduate Engineering

ABSTRACT This article describes the design, evaluation, and results of an innovative undergraduate engineering course at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA). The course, ENGR 110 — Introduction to Engineering, is a problem‐based learning environment in which freshmen students work in teams to solve problems integral to a “mission to Mars”, that is, getting to Mars, constructing a research site on Mars, and developing a renewable power source there. In addition to traditional knowledge and skill objectives, the course focuses on “higher order” outcomes such as: framing and resolving ill‐defined problems; communicating via multiple media; exhibiting intellectual curiosity; and developing a rich conceptualisation of engineering. The course is described in terms of a set of pedagogical dimensions for problem‐based learning environments. Several cognitive assessment methods were used to assess student achievement and evaluate the effectiveness of the course. Results included statistically and educationally sign...
The use of prothrombin activating snake venoms to measure human prethrombin 2: Absence of prethrombin 2 in serum

The activation of the prothrombin intermediate, Prethrombin 2, has been studied in order to establish test systems that would enable identification of Prethrombin 2 in serum and Factor IX concentrates. While activation of Prethrombin 2 by Taipan Snake Venom (TSV) was slow and incomplete, inclusion of approximately molar amounts of prothrombin fragments F1 or F1.2 markedly enhanced the amount of thrombin formed by TSV. This effect could also be obtained by the inclusion of serum. Neither normal serum nor Factor V deficient serum contain any identifiable Prethrombin 2. On the other hand substantial amounts of Prethrombin 2 are present in Factor IX concentrates used for the treatment of Christmas Disease (Hemophilia B).
Enhancing stability of poly(1,3-cyclohexadiene)-based materials by bromination and dehydrobromination

Abstract In order to improve their thermal stability, poly(1,3-cyclohexadiene) (PCHD) homopolymer, diblock copolymer of PCHD with styrene (PCHD-b-PS), and crosslinked PCHD membranes were dehydrogenated by addition of bromine to the polymer in solution, followed by dehydrobromination using an isothermal treatment at elevated temperature. The brominated PCHD materials thus obtained were characterized via FT-IR and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) before and after dehydrobromination. Dehydrobromination was performed inside a TGA instrument, allowing insight into thermal stability of the analytes to be obtained. The dehydrobrominated PCHD samples were characterized using elemental analysis, and it was found the dehydrogenation of PCHD to polyphenylene was not complete. Nevertheless, some aromatization did occur, and the thermal stability of the treated polymer was greatly enhanced as compared to its PCHD precursor. Such materials may thus be of interest as high carbon content, graphene-like films. Crosslinked PCHD membranes and PCHD-b-PS diblock copolymers were treated via the same bromination/pyrolysis process, which resulted in markedly improved thermal stabilities for these materials as well.
Evolution and testing of a navigational satellite

A discussion is presented of the design and testing of the first experimental Transit satellite developed for measuring the precision of Doppler tracking, navigation tests, and geodetic determinations. Techniques developed will be employed in the prototype satellites for use in the Transit navigational system.
Repair of CSF Leaks in the Lateral Recess of the Sphenoid Sinus Transsphenoid vs. Transpterygoid Approach

Introduction: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks involving the lateral extension of the sphenoid sinus create unique challenges for the endoscopic approach. Such defects are typically inaccessible through a typical transethmoid or transsphenoid corridor. Recently, an endoscopic transpterygoid approach to the lateral sphenoid recess has been adopted and reported by several groups. However, this technique requires extended surgical time and can put the sphenopalatine ganglion and maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve at risk. In the current study we detail our experience with an extended transnasal transsphenoidal approach to lateral sphenoid sinus CSF leaks and meningoencephaloceles.