cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aortic thrombosis presenting as congestive heart failure: An umbilical artery catheter complication

UMBILICAL ARTERY CATHETERIZATION is used in the management of critically ill newborn infants requiring frequent measurement of blood gases and arterial pressure. However, complications of the procedure occur frequently.' 10 We report two infants who developed congestive heart failure after UAC removal, resulting from completely occlusive aortic thrombi. CASE REPORTS Patient 1 was the 4,300 gm female product of a postterm gestation, and had had perinatal asphyxia, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, and apnea. UAC was maintained for monitoring and for fluid and blood administration ~br five days. Ten hours after catheter removal, tachypnea, tachycardia, oliguria, and absence of palpable femoral pulses were noted. The chest radiograph showed cardiomegaly. The patient was treated with digoxin and furosemide, and transferred to this hospital. She was in moderately severe CHF and was taken to emergency cardiac catheterization. No intrinsic cardiac structural defects were found. Pressures in the ventricles were equal (105/30 mm Hg) and diminished pressure (74/70 mm Hg) was noted in the abdominal aorta. Angiocardiography revealed poor biventricular contractility, moderate tricuspid and mitral insufficiency, and a completely occlusive aortic thrombus at the level of the celiac axis. A catheter embolectomy was unsuccessfully attempted via a right femoral arteriotomy. The patient remained anuric and became progressively acidotic. Abdominal ultrasound demonstrated an aortic intraluminal echo, compatible with thrombus (Fig. 1). A transabdominal distal aortic arteriotomy was performed and a wellformed thrombus was removed. Embolectomies of the thoracic
Marilyn Monroe, ‘sex symbol’: film performance, gender politics and 1950s Hollywood celebrity

Publicised, promoted and received as an erotic female object, Marilyn Monroe's celebrity image represented both ‘pure’ femininity and ‘immoral’ female sexuality for post-war American culture. However, her film performances reveal an embodied female subject, and the self-awareness, irony and contradiction in her roles often elicit sympathetic female identification. Focusing on the first years of her career as a star between 1952 and 1954, while she worked under contract at 20th Century Fox, this essay will account for the mechanisms by which the industry positioned and contained Monroe as a ‘sex symbol’ who broke social taboos, but never dismantled the ideological hegemony of straight, male sexuality. At the same time, this essay will investigate the extent to which her performances expose the patriarchal identificatory systems that helped commodify and circulate her image as a metonym for normative female sexuality in the 1950s.
Precision measurement: A comb in the extreme ultraviolet

A 'comb' of photons at evenly spaced frequencies in the extreme ultraviolet has been generated. It will allow a more precise search for variation in the fine-structure constant, which sets the strength of the electromagnetic force. See Letter p.68 Laser-based optical frequency combs, so called because they emit evenly spaced spectral lines, are used in precision spectroscopy and other applications requiring accurate measurements, such as atomic clocks. Efforts to extend this capability to shorter wavelengths in the extreme ultraviolet — which would open up exciting new applications, including searches for variation in fundamental constants — have lacked sufficient power for the purpose until now. Jun Ye and co-workers demonstrate a new approach, using a high-power, high-repetition pulsed infrared laser coupled into an optical cavity, to produce an improved extreme UV comb. In a first precision spectroscopy demonstration, they use direct frequency comb spectroscopy to determine argon and neon atomic transitions with ultra-high precision.
The Beatitudes and Erikson's life cycle theory

This article argues that Erik Erikson's life cycle theory is implicitly undergirded by the biblical form that is widely regarded as the essence of the Christian way of life, namely, the Beatitudes. Linkages are proposed between the eight Beatitudes in Matthew's account and Erikson's eight stages of the life cycle. These linkages lead to the conclusion that Erikson's life cycle theory is intended for the same type of persons to whom Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is addressed. Like the Sermon on the Mount, the life cycle theory is a message of hope to those of our contemporaries whose lives are filled with disappointment, injustice, humiliation, and pain. It is also argued that Erikson's life cycle theory is inherently eschatological, and therefore differs in important respects from developmental theories that are linear and progressive.
Hydroxamic Acids Block Replication of Hepatitis C Virus

Intrigued by the role of protein acetylation in hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication, we tested known histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors and a focused library of structurally simple hydroxamic acids for inhibition of a HCV subgenomic replicon. While known HDAC inhibitors with varied inhibitory profiles proved to be either relatively toxic or ineffective, structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies on cinnamic hydroxamic acid and benzo[b]thiophen-2-hydroxamic acid gave rise to compounds 22 and 53, which showed potent and selective anti-HCV activity and therefore are promising starting points for further structural optimization and mechanistic studies.
Solution factors affecting the adsorption of phenol onto a siltstone

Abstract Phenolic compounds are a major pollution by-product of the underground coal gasification process. The adsorption of phenol onto a siltstone was studied using batch techniques and 1:1 crushed siltstone to solution slurries. The siltstone used was associated with a Wyoming coal deposit of a type similar to that which could be gasified in situ. The pH of the solution was found to be the major factor controlling the adsorption of phenol onto the siltstone. Phenol was adsorbed when the solution pH was less than the pKa while no sorption was observed at higher pH. Since in situ gasification sites have an elevated pH post gasification, phenolic compounds may be transported by groundwater in these regions. Significant differences were also found for the adsorption of phenol onto initially wet or dry adsorbate. Desorption studies were also performed. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms were used to model the data.
Risk factors for MDS and acute leukemia following total therapy 2 and 3 for multiple myeloma

Lenalidomide has been linked to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) after autotransplants for myeloma. Total therapy trials (TT; TT2−/+ thalidomide) and TT3 (TT3a with bortezomib, thalidomide; TT3b with additional lenalidomide) offered the opportunity to examine the contribution of these immune-modulatory agents to MDS-associated cytogenetic abnormalities (MDS-CA) and clinical MDS or acute leukemia (“clinical MDS/AL”). Of 1080 patients with serial cytogenetic studies, MDS-CA occurred in 11% and clinical MDS/AL in 3%. Risk features of MDS-CA included TT3b, age ≥65 years, male gender, levels of β-2-microglobulin >5.5 mg/L, and multiple myeloma relapse. Clinical MDS/AL occurred less frequently in the control arm of TT2 and more often with TT3a and TT3b. Since MDS-CA often antedated clinical disease, periodic cytogenetic monitoring is recommended. Larger CD34 quantities should be collected upfront as the risk of MDS could be reduced by applying higher CD34 doses with transplant. Thus, treatment, host, and myeloma features could be linked to MDS development after therapy for this malignancy. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov: TT3A: NCT00081939, TT3B: NCT00572169.
Morphological assessment with the maximum entropy production rate (MEPR) postulate

The three established techniques that are currently employed for the prediction of solidification bifurcations and the shape of cast microstructures are reviewed. The main limitations of these established techniques are discussed with examples. A more recent model called the maximum entropy production rate (MEPR) postulate is also reviewed as to its ability to predict patterns, especially those that form during positive temperature gradient solidification. The principle of MEPR states that if there are sufficient degrees of freedom within a system, it will adopt a stable state at which the entropy generation rate is maximized in an open thermodynamic system. In the context of steady state solidification, pathway selections are reflected in the overall steady-state morphological features and shape-bifurcations that are noted with a change in the rate of solidification.
Elevated protein expression of cyclin D1 and Fra-1 but decreased expression of c-Myc in human colorectal adenocarcinomas overexpressing β-catenin

Mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli tumor suppressor gene, or its downstream target beta-catenin, have been implicated in the initiation of most sporadic human colorectal epithelial neoplasms. These mutations, in turn, lead to aberrant nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin and subsequent activation of the beta-catenin/Tcf transcription factor complex. In vitro studies utilizing cultured human colon cancer cell lines have identified c-myc, cyclin D1 and fra-1 as target genes of beta-catenin/Tcf signaling. In our study, 12 cases of human colorectal adenocarcinomas were examined by Western immunoblotting analysis and immunohistochemical staining to specifically investigate whether the protein expression of these target genes was indeed altered in vivo by beta-catenin dysregulation. The results show that the protein level of beta-catenin was significantly increased in all 12 tumors (3.4 +/- 1.0-fold increase compared to the control normal mucosa by Western immunoblotting, p < 0.05), and this increase was associated with positive nuclear staining by immunohistochemistry in 10 cases. Increased levels of expression of cyclin D1 and Fra-1 proteins were also demonstrated in every tumor (9.0 +/- 2.7 and 3.3 +/- 0.9-fold increases compared to normal mucosa, respectively). Surprisingly, the protein level of c-Myc was significantly decreased in all tumors examined by 49 +/- 19% (p < 0.05), but the c-myc mRNA level was increased in 8 of 12 tumors when compared to that in normal mucosa by RT-PCR. Immunohistochemical staining performed on these carcinomas and additional 27 colorectal carcinomas further demonstrated that the protein expression level of c-Myc and beta-catenin nuclear localization were not correlated. Moreover, 15 of 20 colorectal adenomas exhibited positive nuclear beta-catenin immunostaining, among which 11 also exhibited increased c-Myc protein expression. These data thus support the notion that upregulation of cyclin D1 and Fra-1 in human colorectal adenocarcinomas is driven by abnormally expressed beta-catenin. However, the regulation of c-myc expression in colorectal tumors appears to be more complex. While dysregulated beta-catenin may cause a transcriptional upregulation of the c-myc gene, the c-Myc protein expression appears to be further regulated by a posttranscriptional mechanism(s) during the process of neoplastic progression.
Infections and human tissue transplants: review of FDA MedWatch reports 2001–2004

More than 1.5 million tissue allografts are transplanted annually in the U.S. As part of the federal effort to improve tissue safety, FDA’s May 2005 Current Good Tissue Practices (CGTP) Rule requires tissue establishments to report to FDA serious infectious adverse events following allograft transplantation. To provide baseline data, we summarize reports of such infections received by FDA prior to the CGTP Rule. We reviewed reports received by FDA’s MedWatch adverse event reporting system during 2001–2004. Our case definition was a reported infection in a human tissue transplant recipient within 1 year of transplantation. We examined demographics, tissue type, clinical outcomes and interventions, infectious organism(s), time from transplant to infection and reporter characteristics. We identified 83 reports of infections following allograft transplantations. Median patient age was 40 years (range: 1 month–87 years). The allografts included heart valves (42%), tendons (33%), bones (8%), blood vessels (6%), ocular tissues (5%), and skin (4%). Commonly reported outcomes and interventions were hospitalization (72%), antibiotic therapy (46%) and graft removal (42%). Nine of 11 patients who expired had received heart valves. In 65 reports that identified suspected organisms, bacteria were most common (42), followed by fungi (25) and prions (1). The median time from transplant to infection was 5.5 weeks (range: 3 days–52 weeks). Tissue manufacturers submitted 26% of reports. Among the remaining 74%, the reporters were quality assurance staff, infection control or risk management personnel (45%); physicians (15%); consumers (15%); nurses (13%); and surgical staff (12%). This is the first review of reports to FDA for infections following allograft tissue transplantations. Infections led to serious outcomes and involved many tissue types. Although we were unable to confirm that reported infections were caused by the suspected tissue product, required reporting by tissue establishments and improvements in adverse event investigation will help to improve tissue safety surveillance.
A SIZE-DISTANCE RELATION IN FOOD SELECTION BY BEAVERS'

The relationship between sizes of trees cut by beavers and distances from the borders of their ponds was examined at three sites in central Massachusetts. For most tree genera, the beavers cut a smaller range of sizes far from shore than close to shore, and relatively more small trees and fewer large trees at greater distances. The second of these results differs from the pattern of preference found in other studies in which predators were much larger than their prey, unlike this case of beavers feeding on trees. Both kinds of results are consistent with an optimal foraging model of size—distance relations in which pursuit or provisioning time depends on size of prey as well as distance (Schoener 1979).
Differences in Relationship Quality Measurement and Covariate Influence Between Individuals in First and Second Marriages: A Propensity Score Analysis

Few studies have examined relationship quality construct measurement and covariate influence differences between first married and remarried individuals. We used multiple-sample confirmatory factor analysis and structural regression invariance testing to assess relationship quality measurement and covariate influence differences between these two groups. We account for selection bias on 11 observed selection variables by comparing outcomes before and after propensity score greedy matching procedures. Using a sample of 2,030 first married and 488 remarried individuals from the Relationship Evaluation Survey, prematching results indicate some significant differences between groups. Postmatching results, however, indicate that all measurement and structural parameters can be constrained to be equal between groups without worsening model fit. Implications, limitations, and future directions for research are discussed.
The Discuss List and Agenda-Setting on the Supreme Court

The literature on Supreme Court agenda-setting has focused almost exclusively on the justices' votes and the Court's decision on certiorari. Yet, the certiorari vote is only one component of the agenda-setting process on the Supreme Court. There is a critical, prior step in the process: justices have a mechanism for winnowing the thousands of cert petitions filed with the Court to a relative handful that they consider at conference. This mechanism is the discuss list. We examine explanations for justices' participation in forming the Court's discuss list. Specifically, we use data derived from the papers of former Justice Harry A. Blackmun, exploring the number of cases that each justice adds to the discuss list for every conference from the 1985 term to the 1993 term.
A cis-acting element present in multiple genes serves as a repressor protein binding site for the yeast CAR1 gene.

Abstract Induction of the arginase (CAR1) gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has previously been shown to require participation of a cis-dominantly regulated upstream repression sequence (URS). Deletion of this element results in high-level expression of the CAR1 gene without inducer. To determine the structure of the CAR1 URS element, we performed a saturation mutagenesis. Results of the mutagenic analysis indicated that the CAR1 URS was a 9-base-pair palindromic sequence, 5'-AGCCGCCGA-3'. A DNA fragment containing this sequence was shown to bind one or more proteins by a gel shift assay. DNA fragments containing point mutations that completely eliminated URS function were not effective competitors in this assay, whereas those which supported URS function were effective competitors. Sequences in the 5'-flanking regions of 14 other genes were found to be homologous to the CAR1 URS. These sequences were shown to support varying degrees of URS function in the expression vector assay, to bind protein as demonstrated by the gel shift assay, and to compete with a DNA fragment containing the CAR1 URS for protein binding. These results indicate that the CAR1 URS element possesses the characteristics of a repressor binding site. Further, they are consistent with the suggestion that sites homologous to the CAR1 URS may be situated in the 5'-flanking regions of multiple unrelated yeast genes. The widespread occurrence of this element raises the possibility that it is the target site for one or more negatively acting general transcription factors.
Author response: relationship between foveal cone specialization and pit morphology in albinism.

We read with interest the letter from Alan D. Springer,1 and would like to thank him for his critique of our recent work.2 We would like to respond by highlighting valid points, as well as address some clear misunderstandings.
Computer Learning Networks and Student Empowerment.

Abstract A major development in computer-assisted language learning has been the expanded use of the computer as a medium of communication. This, in turn, allows for computer learning networks of students within a class or across classrooms who share information and documents, hold electronic discussions, do collaborative writing and organize cross-cultural exchanges. Proponents of computer learning networks claim that they are anexcellent tool for fostering new social relations in the classroom, resulting in greater student empowerment. This paper examines whether computer networks are indeed an effective tool for empowering second-language learners, focusing on three aspects: autonomy, equality and learning skills. It concludes that computer learning networks do have the potential to empower students when they are used appropriately, and provides some pedagogical suggestions for the effective use of computer networking in the second- and foreign-language classroom.
Origins and development of biomedical engineering within chemical engineering

Over the past 45 years, the field of biomedical engineering has found a welcome home in academic chemical engineering departments and in companies working with artificial organs, medical devices, and pharmaceutical formulations. The contributions of chemical engineers to the definition and the growth of the field have been important and at times seminal. The development and early contributions in the biomedical field with special emphasis on the contributions of chemical engineers is examined. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50: 536–546, 2004
Simplified stochastic gradient adaptive filters using partial updating

In some adaptive filtering applications, the least-mean-square (LMS) algorithm may be too computationally- and memory-intensive to implement. The authors present two adaptive algorithms that update only a portion of the coefficients of the adaptive system on average. These algorithms use a decimated version of the regressor vector signal and thus are particularly suited to filtered-regressor algorithms used in infinite-impulse-response (IIR) filtering and active noise control applications. The authors provide statistical analyses and simulations of these algorithms that indicate that their behavior with stationary random input signals is similar to that of a periodic update version of the LMS adaptive algorithm. The robustness of the proposed algorithms for periodic inputs is also discussed. >
Students’ Self-Perceptions of Knowledge and Skills Pre and Post Externship

Student self-rating and self-reflection are often used as part of a formative assessment in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) graduate programs. This article focuses on the use of a rating scale assessing speech-language pathology graduate students’ self-perception of their readiness for school and medical externships utilizing a survey format. Students completed a pre and post survey during their culminating externship experiences reflecting their perceived level of required assistance and independence with disorder groups and processes. The results of this project will be discussed with the information benefiting graduate programs in planning curriculum, assessing externship experiences, and providing a tool for student focus on perceived areas of need during the externship and at the initiation of the Clinical Fellowship (CF).
Distinguished Lecture on Economics in Government: What Central Bankers Could Learn from Academics--and Vice Versa

Academic writing about monetary policy has been useful to practical central bankers, but more of (certain aspects of) the economists' way of thinking could profitably be imported. On the other hand, academics could improve their analysis, and make it more useful to policymakers, if they would pay more attention to certain 'real-world' aspects of monetary policy. The author draws on his experience at the Federal Reserve Board to point out a number of specific lessons for each side.
A large scale comparison of option pricing models with historical market data

A set of stock option pricing models is implemented on the Connection Machine-2 and the DECmpp-12000 to compare model prices and historical market data. Improved models which incorporate stochastic volatility with American call generally have smaller pricing errors than simpler models which are based on constant volatility and European call. In a refinement of the comparison between model and market prices, a figure of merit based on the bid/ask spread in the market and the use of optimization techniques for model parameter estimation, are evaluated. Optimization appears to hold great promise for improving the accuracy of existing pricing models, especially for stocks which are difficult to price with conventional models. >
Highly efficient targeted mutagenesis in axolotl using Cas9 RNA-guided nuclease

Among tetrapods, only urodele salamanders, such as the axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum, can completely regenerate limbs as adults. The mystery of why salamanders, but not other animals, possess this ability has for generations captivated scientists seeking to induce this phenomenon in other vertebrates. Although many recent advances in molecular biology have allowed limb regeneration and tissue repair in the axolotl to be investigated in increasing detail, the molecular toolkit for the study of this process has been limited. Here, we report that the CRISPR-Cas9 RNA-guided nuclease system can efficiently create mutations at targeted sites within the axolotl genome. We identify individual animals treated with RNA-guided nucleases that have mutation frequencies close to 100% at targeted sites. We employ this technique to completely functionally ablate EGFP expression in transgenic animals and recapitulate developmental phenotypes produced by loss of the conserved gene brachyury. Thus, this advance allows a reverse genetic approach in the axolotl and will undoubtedly provide invaluable insight into the mechanisms of salamanders' unique regenerative ability.
Connecting Teacher Efficacy Beliefs in Promoting Resilience to Support of Latino Students

This article explores the connection of teacher self-efficacy beliefs in promoting student resilience to teaching practice and support of Latino students. Results suggest that efficacy beliefs rela...
Relative potencies of the four stereoisomers of isomalathion for inhibition of hen brain acetylcholinesterase and neurotoxic esterase in vitro

The cholinergic toxicity of malathion is exacerbated by its isomerization product, isomalathion, which inhibits detoxifying carboxylesterases as well as target acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Previous work has shown that the four stereoisomers of isomalathion, (1R, 3R), (1R, 3S), (1S, 3R), and (1S, 3S), differ in their inhibitory potencies against either rat brain or electric eel AChE. The present study examined the relative inhibitory potencies of these stereoisomers and the totally racemic mixture (1RS, 3RS) against hen brain AChE and neurotoxic esterase (NTE) to provide new data on stereoselective inhibition of neurotoxicologically significant esterases and to assess the potential of these compounds to cause organophosphorus (OP) compound-induced delayed neurotoxicity (OPIDN). The order of potencies against hen brain AChE was (1R, 3R) > (1R, 3S) > (1RS, 3RS) > (1S, 3R) > (1S, 3S), with a 15-fold difference between the strongest (ki = 388 mM-1 min-1; 20 min I50 = 89.3 nM) and weakest (ki = 25.6 mM-1 min-1; 20 min I50 = 1354 nM) inhibitors. Both asymmetric centers contributed substantially and interdependently to inhibitory potency, but the effect of changing the configuration at phosphorus alone was greater than changing the configuration at carbon alone. None of the isomalathions was an effective inhibitor of hen brain NTE (extrapolated 20 min I50 values were 1.2 to 29 mM), yielding NTE/ AChE I50 ratios (neuropathy target ratios, NTRs) of 1.5 x 10(3) to 1.5 x 10(5). NTRs of this magnitude indicate that none of the isomalathions should initiate OPIDN, even after doses greatly exceeding the LD50. Therefore, reports of OPIDN or other neuropathic sequelae associated with malathion exposures in humans cannot be explained on the basis of NTE inhibition by contaminating isomalathions.
Morphological specializations of baleen whales associated with hydrodynamic performance and ecological niche.

Feeding behavior, prey type, and habitat appear to be associated with the morphological design of body, fluke, and flippers in baleen whales. Morphometric data from whaling records and recent stranding events were compiled, and morphometric parameters describing the body length, and fluke and flipper dimensions for an ''average'' blue whale Balaenoptera musculus, humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, gray whale Eschrichtius robustus, and right whale Eubalaena glacialis were determined. Body mass, body volume, body surface area, and fluke and flipper surface areas were estimated. The resultant morphological configurations lent themselves to the following classifications based on hydrodynamic principles: fast cruiser, slow cruiser, fast maneuverer, and slow maneuverer. Blue whales have highly stream- lined bodies with small, high aspect ratio flippers and flukes for fast efficient cruising in the open ocean. On the other hand, the rotund right whale has large, high aspect ratio flukes for efficient slow speed cruising that is optimal for their continuous filter feeding technique. Humpbacks have large, high aspect ratio flippers and a large, low aspect ratio tail for quick acceleration and high-speed maneuvering which would help them catch their elusive prey, while gray whales have large, low as- pect ratio flippers and flukes for enhanced low-speed maneuvering in complex coastal water habitats. J. Morphol.
What Made Large US Banks Susceptible to a Systemic Crisis

This study investigates what features of large US banks could have made them susceptible to a systemic crisis. Employing both market and accounting data we isolate four factors. The first is the long-term trend in rates of return (on equity or assets) which was negative for about a decade leading up to the crisis. The second is the increasing size of very large banks relative to the overall macro-economy. This trend was observed over a twenty year sample period. The third factor is rising correlations of bank returns – also a long term trend – which has been reported in other studies. Fourth, and finally, is the existence of Too Big to Fail (TBTF) banks. Our probability-of -default measures suggest that, had TBTF banks not existed, there might not have been a banking crisis.
Effect of hematologic improvement (HI) on survival in patients (pts) given targeted therapy (TT) as initial treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS)

7059 Background: Recent years have seen the introduction of TT for pts with AML and HR- MDS (> 10% marrow blasts). New criteria, less stringent than those for CR, for response to these agents have ...
Using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) in Life Course Health Development Research

The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) is a nationally representative birth cohort study of approximately 4900 children born in large US cities between 1998 and 2000. Nonmarital childbearing increased dramatically in the second half of the twentieth century, raising questions about the capabilities of unmarried parents, the nature of parental relationships, and their implications for child health development and wellbeing. The FFCWS has become a leading source of information about unmarried parents and their children and about child health development more generally. The study contains biological and social indicators of children’s cognitive health development as well as social determinants of health and children’s broader social environment. This rich measurement, coupled with a longitudinal design and multilevel structure, makes it an ideal resource for life course health development research. This chapter describes the demographic, scholarly, and policy context in which the FFCWS was designed, as well as technical details that will enable new users to use the study effectively. We include details of sampling, data availability, variable structure and content, as well as features of the data that enable it to be used in longitudinal research. Finally, the chapter provides information about resources that will be available in the future and institutional resources available for users of the data.
STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY. Locking down the core of the pore.

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), first observed by electron microscopy 65 years ago, mediate selective transport of macromolecules between the nucleus and cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. Although the exact size and protein composition of NPCs can vary between species, these massive and complex machines are highly conserved in their overall organization, which consists of multiple copies of ∼30 nuclear pore proteins, or nucleoporins (Nups), in a symmetrical eightfold radial arrangement. Deciphering the structure of this immense complex has required ongoing multifaceted approaches ( 1 ). On page 106 and 56 in this issue, Chug et al. ( 2 ) and Stuwe et al. ( 3 ), respectively, have employed parallel approaches in very distant species and arrived at remarkably similar and informative structures of an essential subcomplex of the NPC.
A Pilot Study of the Effect of Daikenchuto on Rectal Sensation in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Background/Aims Daikenchuto (TU 100), a botanical agent that modulates gastrointestinal nerves, is used in the treatment of motility and functional disorders. Our aim was to study the effects of TU-100 on rectal compliance and sensation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods In 20 patients per treatment arm, we conducted a single-center, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled, singledose pharmacodynamics study evaluating the effects of TU-100, 15 g (5 g t.i.d. [means 3 times a day]), for 14-16 consecutive days on rectal compliance and rectal sensation (thresholds and sensation ratings), all measured at baseline and on the last day of medication treatment. The primary endpoint was rectal sensation thresholds and sensation ratings in response to balloon distension at 32 mmHg. Secondary endpoints were rectal compliance, sensation thresholds, ratings and tone (fasting and postprandial), bowel pattern, abdominal pain (average and worst severity) and bloating scores, IBS quality of life and safety profile. Results Rectal sensation ratings post-treatment were significantly associated with baseline (pre-treatment) ratings and with level of anxiety or stress recorded at the time of the sensation testing. There were no effects of TU-100 treatment on rectal sensation ratings, sensation thresholds, rectal fasting or postprandial tone, rectal compliance, bowel function, abdominal pain or bloating scores, or IBS quality of life. Conclusions TU-100 did not significantly affect rectal compliance and sensation in patients with IBS in this study. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2016;22:69-77)
How Will the '4:1 Ratio' Change with Increasingly Effective Systemic Therapy.

The 4:1 ratio between a reduction in local recurrence at 5 years and a reduction in mortality at 15 years has been well established in clinical practice. The Ratio is particularly useful to estimate the survival benefit of adding RT, particularly in the postmastectomy setting where the use of RT is not routine. It is worth noting, however, that the 4:1 ratio is an average effect that is largely based on trials without systemic therapy and does not account for the interrelated issues of (1) competing risks of local recurrence and distant metastases, (2) biologic heterogeneity, and (3) the impact of (improving) systemic therapy. If the ratio becomes less than 4:1, it means that local treatment is even more important for long-term survival. In this talk, emerging data will be presented illustrating how the 94:1 ratio9 is influenced by competing risks of local recurrence and distant metastases, biologic heterogeneity, and the impact of improving systemic therapy. The current data suggest that over the short to intermediate time frame, with increasingly effective systemic therapy, the risk of LR will be less, but the ratio will also be less. Current systemic therapy is most effective in the setting of microscopic residual disease or micrometastases. As systemic therapies are better able to sterilize distant disease, improvements in local-regional control have become more important. As systemic therapy continues to improve such that it can control both distant and local-regional disease, the eventual goal is that local therapy could be completely eliminated; however, that is likely to be sometime into the future. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr MS3-2.
Sequence analysis of 3 virulence factors from Streptococcus suis serotype 2 isolates in Zhejiang province

猪链球菌血清2型(SS2)是引起人、猪感染发病的重要人兽共患病病原~[1].本研究选用7株在2005-2008年从浙江省不同地区的疑似病例中分离的SS2菌株,进行荚膜多糖(Cps)2J、EF、MRP基因克隆、测序,并与国内外猪链球菌相关基因序列进行比较分析。
THRIVES: Using the best evidence to prevent violence against children.

More than 1 billion children – half the children in the world – are victims of violence every year. As part of the Post-2015 sustainable development agenda, the UN has issued a global call-to-action: to eliminate violence against children. Essential to preventing violence against children is guidance to countries on using the best available evidence to address this problem. THRIVES provides this evidence. It represents a framework of complementary strategies that, taken together, have potential to achieve and sustain efforts to prevent violence against children. These strategies, which span health, social services, education, and justice sectors, include Training in parenting, Household economic strengthening, Reduced violence through legislative protection, Improved services, Values and norms that protect children, Education and life skills, and Surveillance and evaluation. For each THRIVES area, we review evidence for effectiveness and identify programmatic or policy examples. This framework will facilitate commitments to effective, sustainable, and scalable action.
Genetic Predisposition to Autoimmune Diseases Conferred by the Major Histocompatibility Complex: Utility of Animal Models

The human immune system has evolved over the centuries due to strong selection pressures caused by various infectious agents. The major players for clearing infection are the genes of major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The MHC region encodes for the most polymorphic genes in the human genome, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes. A population with diverse HLA class II alleles is able to generate a response to various infections and thereby has a survival advantage. However, the presence of certain class II alleles has been linked to the development of autoimmune diseases. The development of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), type 1 diabetes (T1D), multiple sclerosis (MS), or celiac disease (CD) or others is determined by genetic and environmental factors. Among the genetic factors, HLA class II genes confer the highest relative risk for the majority of autoimmune diseases. Thus autoimmunity is a side effect of an HLA gene which is efficient in clearing infections.
Stimulus meaningfulness and similarity, recall direction and rate of recall test

In a previous study, decreases in stimulus meaningfulness and similarity produced increases in the differences between forward and backward recall following paired-associate (PA) acquisition. This experiment indicated that these relationships were not a result of the long recall test interval used. Although the overall level of recall was reduced under a faster test rate, the meaningfulness-similarity recall direction relationships were independent of test rate.
Neonatal Immune Responses during Group B Streptococcal Infections

Group B streptococcus (GBS) still remains an important cause of neonatal sepsis in spite of various preventive strategies. The immune response of a neonate varies from an adult human immune system and makes a newborn more vulnerable to illness not typically manifested by adults. Microbial virulence, bacterial load, and immaturity of immune response system may explain the variation in severity of illness in term and preterm neonates. In this review, the mechanisms of GBS invasion and infection in a neonate are described. We also try to identify the host immune response to various bacterial components of GBS and possible future strategies to mitigate this immune response to improve neonatal outcomes after GBS sepsis.
Diabetes: SGLT2 inhibitors and diabetic ketoacidosis - a growing concern.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a worrying complication associated with the use of sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or T2DM. A recent analysis of data in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System by Fadini and colleagues adds to this concern.
Corporal Punishment in Public Schools: What Are the Issues?

This chapter analyzes incidences of corporal punishment to highlight the severity of the problem. In each case, the reasons corporal punishment was administered, by whom, and what injuries were subsequently received are included. Several definitions of corporal punishment are considered. These all include the central idea that corporal punishment is physical harm received as punishment in order to try and change a person’s behavior. Whether corporal punishment is child abuse is discussed, with a cursory look at the definitions of abuse given by some states. This chapter includes examples of where doctors have, on occasion, notified Child Protective Services (CPS), but have been told that the state cannot interfere with school policy. Finally, the doctrine of in loco parentis is considered as it relates to public schools.
Abstract 077: In Vivo Evidence of AT1a Receptor-Mediated Uptake of Angiotensin II by the Proximal Tubule Visualized by Intravital Multiphoton Imaging

The development of all forms of angiotensin II (ANG II)-dependent hypertension is associated with higher levels of intrarenal ANG II, which are greater than can be explained on the basis of circulating ANG II and suppressed cortical renin expression. In the present study, we used intravital multiphoton imaging to test the hypothesis that AT1 (AT1a) receptor-mediated uptake of ANG II by the proximal tubules of the kidney plays a major role in the underlying mechanisms. Adult male Munich-Wistar rats were anesthetized with Inactin and continuously infused with a pressor dose of Alexa 488-conjugated ANG II (50 ng/min, i.v.) for 2 hr. Time-dependent proximal tubular uptake responses of Alexa 488-ANG II were studied with mean arterial blood pressure maintained at ~150 mmHg throughout the experiment. After 30 min infusion, very low levels of Alexa 488-ANG II were visualized within proximal tubules and cortical collecting ducts (CCDs) (p
Does crystallography need a new name

Our notion of crystallography and how we communicate it needs to adapt to the major emerging frontiers of science in order to ensure that our community continues to thrive.
How to Enhance Student Motivations by Borrowing from Modern Practices: Can We Learn Algorithms from People Who Compute Fast

In the previous chapter, we showed how to use usual modern practices when teaching math. In this chapter, we focus on unusual modern practices, namely, on the ability of some people to perform calculations unusually fast. In the past, mathematicians actively used this ability. With the advent of computers, there is no longer need for human calculators – even fast ones. However, recently, it was discovered that there exist, e.g., multiplication algorithms which are much faster than standard multiplication. Because of this discovery, it is possible than even faster algorithms will be discovered. It is therefore natural to ask: did fast human calculators of the past use faster algorithms – in which case we can learn from their experience – or they simply performed all operations within a standard algorithm much faster? This question is difficult to answer directly, because the fast human calculators’ self-description of their algorithm is very fuzzy. In this chapter, we use an indirect analysis to argue that fast human calculators most probably used the standard algorithm.
The Antihypertensive Function of the Renal Medulla

In the normal state the known antihypertensive and prohypertensive functions of the kidney-excretory control of excess sodium and water on the one hand and direct pressor effects on the other-are k...
Removal of the algal toxin microcystin-LR in permeable coastal sediments: Physical and numerical models

Microcystin is one of the most common toxins associated with freshwater harmful algal blooms, but little is known about microcystin fate in the aquatic environment. Laboratory wave tank experiments were performed to determine whether exchange of surface water and pore water (benthic exchange) removes and dilutes microcystin-LR (MC-LR) at environmentally relevant concentrations in coastal waters overlying permeable sediments. Over the 100 h experiment, 60% of MC-LR mass was removed due to interaction with sediment (via adsorption and/or biodegradation), while only 20% was removed in an experiment without sediment. The observed fate and transport of MC-LR in sediments was adequately described with a one-dimensional reactive transport model that uses an enhanced diffusion coefficient to represent benthic exchange of solutes. Numerical sensitivity studies showed that MC-LR removal increases with hydraulic conductivity of sediment and wave height and decreases with water depth. For MC-LR concentration at the WHO recreational guideline (20 ppb), sandy sediments can remove the equivalent MC-LR mass in 1 m of surface water under typical nearshore wave conditions within tens of hours. In open water at large depths above a silty bed, removal times are much longer (on the order of weeks). Wave-driven benthic exchange is therefore an important control on MC-LR fate in energetic coastal areas but not in deep or calm settings where sediment–water interactions are greatly reduced. The nearshore fate of algal toxins is important to human health and socioeconomic vitality, since recreational activities and direct human exposures are concentrated along coasts.
Bedside Computer Vision - Moving Artificial Intelligence from Driver Assistance to Patient Safety.

Bedside Computer Vision Computer vision, a rapidly progressing domain of artificial intelligence, may ultimately permit further improvement in patient safety. Researchers have been testing an AI-ba...
The Brown-Headed Cowbird: A Model Species for Testing Novel Research Questions in Animal Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

Although the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) is the most intensively studied brood parasite in the world, much of the research on cowbirds has focused on the negative effects of parasitism. Here, we argue that negative attitudes toward the cowbird have overshadowed opportunities this species provides for advancing our understanding of social behavior, physiology, evolution, and ecology and conservation of birds. Cowbirds are widely distributed, amenable to captive study, and easy to study in areas where they are abundant. Cowbird nestlings must communicate to unrelated host parents, but unlike some parasitic nestlings, they have no specialized adaptations for doing so. In some areas they often share nests with relatives, which may influence the degree of virulence host experience. The generalist strategy of the cowbird can be used to answer questions about the impact of high reproductive output on female cowbirds, maternal allocation of resources into eggs, and the consequences of exposure to a range of pathogens while visiting host nests. Cowbirds and their hosts provide a contrast to cuckoo-host systems because they are at an earlier stage of coevolution, and only a minority of hosts shows effective defenses against parasitism. Cowbirds serve as a model species for studying song learning as aspects of their complex vocalizations are dependent on experience to different degrees. Cowbirds also challenge assumptions of the link between mating systems and parental care because cowbirds are often socially monogamous. Finally, cowbirds are unique among brood parasites for their effects on endangered host species. In this chapter, we discuss the value of cowbirds as a model species in these areas and suggest avenues for future research.
Introduction to James and Stein (1961) Estimation with Quadratic Loss

Section 2 of this paper presents the most striking theorem of post-war mathematical statistics: Suppose X is a κ-dimensional random vector, having a multivariate normal distribution with mean vector μ and covariance matrix the identity, $$X \sim {{N}_{k}}\left( {\mu ,I} \right). $$ (1)
MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF ANTIBODY ACTION: USE OF CROSS-LINKING REAGENTS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the molecular mechanisms of antibody action and describes the use of cross-linking reagents. Antibodies have no ability to alter the antigen with which they combine directly; they change the ultimate fate of the antigen only by interacting with effector system. When the high molecular weight product of cross-linking with the cleavable reagent is rerun under conditions where the crosslinks are broken, a new component is observed that has a molecular weight of about 30,000. The cross-linked product can be observed after reacting either intact cells or cells solubilized with nonionic detergents. Some of the serotonin that can be released by the higher oligomers is completely resistant to release by dimers. Dimers by themselves are adequate to stimulate secretion of at least a portion of the releasable serotonin. Trimers are more active than dimers, while the higher oligomers are even more effective.
Detection and Communication with Entanglement

We provide a numerical model for the probability of detecting a test object using entangled states in the optical regime. In this model, we will consider objects with varying optical properties. Using these results, we propose a new communication protocol based on quantum illumination.