cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chinese hamster ovarian cells transfected with human parathyroid hormone-related protein cDNA cause hypercalcemia in nude mice

Background Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP) has been implicated as a causative factor in the humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. Animal models of hypercalcemia of malignancy that have traditionally utilized human or animal tumors or injections or infusions of hypercalcemic factors have limitations that may prevent exact delineation of the biologic effects of tumor-produced PTH-rP. Experimental design To assess the effects of tumor-produced PTH-rP in vivo, we have transfected Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells with cDNA encoding human preproPTH-rP-(1-141) which then stably express only PTH-rP. We inoculated these tumor cells into nude mice, and compared tumor-bearing nude mice with similar tumor-bearing nude mice inoculated with non-transfected CHO cells using standard parameters of calcium homeostasis. Results The nude mice carrying tumors expressing PTH-rP became hypercalcemic over 12 to 18 days. Blood ionized calcium values correlated positively with plasma PTH-rP concentration and tumor volume. Plasma PTH-rP concentrations in hypercalcemic mice were similar to those reported in humans with hypercalcemia of malignancy. Bone histology and histomorphometry from hypercalcemic nude mice demonstrated increased bone resorption when compared with mice bearing nontransfected CHO tumors. Conclusions We have produced an animal model of tumor-produced PTH-rP by transfecting CHO cells with the cDNA for PTH-rP and inoculating these tumor cells into nude mice. Hypercalcemia in this model is mediated in part by the effects of PTH-rP to increase osteoclastic bone resorption. The model is advantageous because PTH-rP alone is secreted in a prolonged, constitutive fashion with pharmacokinetics similar to naturally occurring tumors. It should prove to be a useful model to study the effects of tumor-produced PTH-rP in vivo.
A Note on Deterministic Poly-Time Algorithms for Partition Functions Associated with Boolean Matrices with Prescribed Row and Column Sums

We prove a new efficiently computable lower bound on the coefficients of stable homogeneous polynomials and present its algorthmic and combinatorial applications. Our main application is the first poly-time deterministic algorithm which approximates the partition functions associated with boolean matrices with prescribed row and column sums within simply exponential multiplicative factor. This new algorithm is a particular instance of new polynomial time deterministic algorithms related to the multiple partial differentiation of polynomials given by evaluation oracles.
Sanctity of Life and the Neonatologist’s Dilemma

The term “sanctity of life” may be misunderstood in a religious sense, for instance if translated literally into German (“Heiligkeit des Lebens”, “holiness of life”). The contemporary discussion about sanctity of life does not focus on an ethics derived from a particular religion. Sanctity of life is actually used in the sense of “inviolability” or “untouchability” of [human] life (“Unantastbarkeit des Lebens”). The problem to be dealt with is: under what circumstances, if at all, may the right to live or the duty to preserve human life be questioned, for instance in the field of intensive care medicine in the case of the newborn infant.
Lipopolysaccharides: Preparation from Gram-Negative Bacteria

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the preparation of lipopolysaccharides from Gram-negative bacteria. Lipopolysaccharides are complex heteropolysaccharides that occur in the outer layer of the cell envelopes of Gram-negative bacteria. They are antigenic and contain the specific surface antigens known as somatic O-antigens. The lipopolysaccharides are also a component of the polysaccharide–lipid–protein complex referred to as endotoxin, which on injection into animals produces a number of pharmacological activities. A procedure is considered as suitable for lipopolysaccharide preparation if the polysaccharide material—somatic O-antigen—is isolated in combination with lipid A. Lipopolysaccharide was first prepared from Gram-negative bacteria by extraction with trichloroacetic acid. Other preparative methods include extraction with diethylene glycol, formamide, urea, phenol–water, pyridine–water, water at 80°, ether–water, pyridinium compounds, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide solution, and dimethyl sulfoxide.
Building a Cardio-Onco-Hematology Program

This review aims to outline the general principles of how to build a cardio-onco-hematology clinic, acknowledging that there are diverse practices ranging from private community settings to academic hospitals and each practice environment has to build its own program. The refinement of regimens and introduction of molecularly directed therapies have substantially increased survival rates for patients with cancer. In fact, a number of previous imminently fatal malignant disease processes have been turned into chronic diseases, such that patients now live with certain incurable cancers as they do, for instance, with rheumatoid arthritis. Improved cure rates and longer survivals have raised side effects of cancer treatments to a completely new level of significance. Cardiovascular toxicities are of particular concern given their impact on morbidity and mortality. In most extreme cases, patients might be cured from cancer but remain debilitated or die prematurely because of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, not an insignificant proportion of cancer patients start cancer therapy with cardiovascular risk factors and diseases at baseline. With the aging of the population, this “joint venture” is only expected to increase with important implications for the management of cancer patients. Given the need for familiarity with both, cancer and cardiovascular diseases and their ever-evolving start-of-the-art therapy and interaction potential, specialized efforts have been invoked, which may collectively be termed “onco-cardiology,” “cardio-oncology,” or “cardio-onco-hematology.” Herein, we provide recommendations for the creation and optimization of any such programmatic efforts.
The 36th annual EuroCHRIE conference: "EuroCHRIE 2018 – Be Inspired" November 7-9 2018, Dublin, Ireland

The EuroCHRIE, a federation of the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (ICHRIE), successfully organized the 36th annual conference in Dublin, Ireland from Novembe...
An evaluation of gender diversity in the American Brachytherapy Society.

Abstract Purpose Recent evaluation of female representation in major radiation oncology organizations was published by Knoll et al. (IJROBP, 2018) but did not include information about the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS). The objective of this study is to assess trends in gender diversity in the ABS. Materials and Methods Publicly available information from the ABS and American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) websites were used to determine the proportion of women in various leadership positions and receiving awards and honors. The data were organized by comparing female representation up until 2004 and then from 2005 until current as was done in the article of Knoll et al. to facilitate comparisons with ASTRO. Results Of the 579 US physician members of the ABS, 155 (27%) are women. There has been an increase in the proportion of female ABS presidents and female Hensche Award recipients between 1978–2004 and 2005–2018. There was a significant difference in the female makeup of the editorial board of the main journals for the ABS (18%) and ASTRO (43%) (p = 0.02). Two other prominent differences between the ABS and ASTRO, however not statistically significant, were the female representation of 2018 fellows (10% vs. 26%, respectively) and recipients of each organization's highest honor between 2005 and 2017 (25% vs. 6%, respectively). Conclusions Over the past decade, there has been an increase in women representation in the ABS presidency and Henschke awardees. Representation still remains low, relative to ASTRO, in other areas suggesting room for further improvement. Exploring these trends is imperative in developing potential solutions to improve gender diversity in the field of brachytherapy.
Then and Now: Reflections on Arts-Based Participatory Research with Young Children

In this chapter, the author shares experiences with arts-based participatory research with young children through the lens of ‘then’ and ‘now.’ The author considers how the past lives within her present and future as an artist, teacher, and researcher who works with young children using participatory methods. She grounds her reflection in research with children, framed as ‘our work together.’ She applies the lens of ‘then’ and ‘now’ to explore the following questions: What is participatory arts-based research with young children? Why is it important? How can we design participatory arts-based research projects with young children? What are the ethical concerns we collectively face in creating participatory arts-based research projects with vulnerable populations of young children? These questions are situated within a mapping of the author and children’s initial year of work together in one particular project: Amigos en el Jardin, Friends in the Garden.
Leber hereditary optic neuropathy plus dystonia, and transverse myelitis due to double mutations in MT-ND4 and MT-ND6

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) typically presents as painless central or centrocecal scotoma and is due to maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. Over 95% of LHON cases are caused by one of three mtDNA "common" point mutations: m.3460G>A, m.11778G>A, or m.14484T>C, which are all in genes encoding structural subunits of complex I of the respiratory chain. Intriguing features of LHON include: incomplete penetrance, tissue specificity, and male predominance, indicating that additional genetic or environmental factors are modulating the phenotypic expression of the pathogenic mtDNA mutations. However, since its original description as a purely ophthalmological disorder, LHON has also been linked to multisystemic conditions with variable neurological, cardiac, and skeletal abnormalities. Although double "common" mutations have been reported to cause LHON and LHON-plus, they are extremely rare. Here, we present a patient with an unusual double point mutation (m.11778 G>A and m.14484T>C) with a multisystemic LHON-plus phenotype characterized by: optic neuropathy, ptosis, ataxia, dystonia, dysarthria, and recurrent extensive transverse myelitis.
The Effect of Chronic Wasting Disease on Resident Deer Hunting Permit Demand in Wisconsin

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has had a negative impact on deer license demand in Wisconsin since it was first found in the state in 2002. Prior work evaluates the effect of CWD on hunting permit sales, but only in the period immediately after the disease was discovered. We use data on hunting permit sales, permit price, and other demand shifters to estimate a model of deer permit demand for the period 1966-2015. We use the estimated model to quantify the effect of CWD on (1) hunter demand for deer permits; (2) hunter surplus from hunting; and (3) lost hunting permit revenues. Hunter participation declined by 5.4% after CWD was detected in 2002. Hunter surplus decreased by $96 million over this period, while permit revenues declined by nearly $17 million. The effect of CWD was greater on demand for firearm permits than for archery permits. We also find that the effects of CWD diminish over time in absolute terms. This is because permit demand would have started to decline in 2008 even in the absence of CWD. This finding implies efforts to control CWD and efforts at hunter recruitment are economic complements and should be pursued jointly to maximize hunter welfare.
Unified value-based feedback, optimization and risk management in complex electric energy systems

The ideas in this paper are motivated by an increased need for systematic data-enabled resource management of large-scale electric energy systems. The basic control objective is to manage uncertain disturbances, power imbalances in particular, by optimizing available power resources. To that end, we start with a centralized optimal control problem formulation of system-level performance objective subject to complex interconnection constraints and constraints representing highly heterogeneous internal dynamics of system components. To manage spatial complexity, an inherent multi-layered structure is utilized by modeling interconnection constraints in terms of unified power variables and their dynamics. Similarly, the internal dynamics of components and sub-systems (modules), including their primary automated feedback control, is modeled so that their input–output characterization is also expressed in terms of power variables. This representation is shown to be key to managing the multi-spatial complexity of the problem. In this unifying energy/power state space, the system constraints are all fundamentally convex, resulting in the convex dynamic optimization problem, for typically utilized quadratic cost functions. Based on this, an interactive multi-layered modeling and control method is introduced. While the approach is fundamentally based on the primal–dual decomposition of the centralized problem, this is formulated for the first time for the couple real-reactive power problem. It is also is proposed for the first time to utilize sensitivity functions of distributed agents for solving the primal distributed problem. Iterative communication complexity typically required for convergence of point-wise information exchange is replaced by the embedded distributed optimization by the modules when creating these functions. A theoretical proof of the convergence claim is given. Notably, the inherent multi-temporal complexity is managed by performing model predictive control (MPC)-based decision making when solving distributed primal problems. The formulation enables distributed decision-makers to value uncertainties and related risks according to their preferences. Ultimately, the distributed decision making results in creating a bid function to be used at the coordinating market-clearing level. The optimization approach in this paper provides a theoretical foundation for next-generation Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) in support of a Dynamic Monitoring and Decision Systems (DyMonDS) for a multi-layered interactive market implementation in which the grid users follow their sub-objectives and the higher layers coordinate interconnected sub-systems and the high-level system objectives. This forms a theoretically sound basis for designing IT-enabled protocols for secure operations, planning, and markets.
CARDIAC PET GUIDED IMMUNOSUPPRESSION THERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF CARDIAC SARCOIDOSIS

Cardiac sarcoidosis is notoriously difficult to diagnose and treatment protocols for the disease are not well-defined. The use of cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has been suggested in guiding immunosuppression. We sought to review the utilization of cardiac PET guided
A case of influenza A H1N1 complicated with acute transverse myelitis

急性横贯性脊髓炎(ATM)为流感病毒感染后少见并发症，常突然起病，病初可有腹痛、背痛、肢体疼痛和肌无力，半数伴有发热；其典型临床表现为脊髓受累平面以下运动及感觉异常，部分病例合并大小便失禁等。国内未见有流感病毒感染后合并ATM病例相关报道。本文报道1例甲型H1N1流行性感冒合并ATM，希望引起对此类疾病的关注。
Education of pediatric surgery residents over time: Examining 15 years of case logs.

Abstract Background/Purpose Surgical indications and techniques have changed over the last 15 years. The number of Pediatric Surgery training programs has also increased. We sought to examine the effect of these changes on resident education by examining case log data. Methods Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) case logs for graduating Pediatric Surgery residents were examined from 2004 to 2018. Using the summary statistics provided, linear regression analysis was conducted on each case log code and category. Results In 2004, there were 24 Pediatric Surgery training programs and 24 Pediatric Surgery residents graduating with an average of 979.8 total cases logged. In 2018, there were 36 programs with 38 residents graduating with an average of 1260.2 total cases logged. Total case volume of graduating residents significantly increased over the last 15 years (p Conclusion Despite increasing numbers of Pediatric Surgery residents and training programs, the number of cases performed by each graduating resident has increased. This increase is primarily fueled by increase in abdominal, skin/soft tissue/musculoskeletal, hernia repair, genitourinary, and endoscopic cases. Level of Evidence Level II.
Influence of glucose levels on clinical outcome after mechanical thrombectomy for large-vessel occlusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) represents the mainstay of treatment for patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion (LVO). Intravenous thrombolysis has been associated with worse clinical outcome in patients presenting with high blood glucose levels at admission; to date the true effect of hyperglycemia in the setting of MT has not been fully elucidated. In this meta-analysis, we analyzed the influence of high blood glucose levels at admission on clinical outcome after MT. Ovid EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from their dates of inception up to March 2021. An initial search identified 2118 articles representing 1235 unique studies. After applying selection criteria, three prospective and five retrospective studies were analyzed, yielding a pooled cohort of 5861 patients (2041 who presented with hyperglycemia, and 3820 who presented with normal blood glucose levels). Patients in the hyperglycemia group were less likely to have a modified Ranking Scale (mRS) score
The identity affordances of tools: an examination of visual design tool use in STEM

This article compares how visual design tools are used during an internship for high schoolers co-researching science journalism through infographics. Drawing on interns’ documentation of design pr...
Evaluation of inducible promoter-riboswitch constructs for heterologous protein expression in the cyanobacterial species Anabaena sp. PCC 7120

Cyanobacteria are promising chassis for synthetic biology applications due to the fact that they are photosynthetic organisms capable of growing in simple, inexpensive media. Given their slower growth rate than other model organisms such as Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, there are fewer synthetic biology tools and promoters available for use in model cyanobacteria. Here, we compared a small library of promoter-riboswitch constructs for synthetic biology applications in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, a model filamentous cyanobacterium. These constructs were designed from six cyanobacterial promoters of various strengths, each paired with one of two theophylline-responsive riboswitches. The promoter-riboswitch pairs were cloned upstream of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) gene, and CAT activity was quantified using an in vitro assay. Addition of theophylline to cultures increased the CAT activity in almost all cases, allowing inducible protein production with natively constitutive promoters. We found that riboswitch F tended to have a lower induced and uninduced production compared to riboswitch E for the weak and medium promoters, although the difference was larger for the uninduced production, in accord with previous research. The strong promoters yielded a higher baseline CAT activity than medium strength and weak promoters. In addition, we observed no appreciable difference between CAT activity measured from strong promoters cultured in uninduced and induced conditions. The results of this study add to the genetic toolbox for cyanobacteria and allow future natural product and synthetic biology researchers to choose a construct that fits their needs.
Thermal detection laser spectroscopy of molecular beams

We describe the experimental methods used in carrying out high resolution infrared spectroscopy of molecular beams using bolometric thermal detection. The main applications of this technique are also described and include: studies on molecular internal vibrational relaxation, radiationless transition after “visible” excitation, photodissociation spectroscopy of van der Waals molecules, the study of coherent excitation of molecules in the infrared, multiphoton infrared spectroscopy, overtone spectroscopy and the study of large molecular clusters.
Civil Rights and the Making of the Modern American State: The Birth of the NAACP, Mob Violence, and the Challenge of Public Opinion

Our country’s national crime is lynching. – Ida B. Wells, 1900 He who attacks lynching attacks one of the oldest, one of the most deeply rooted of the institutions peculiarly American, one eminently respectable in origin, which is regarded by its adherents, not as in opposition to the established laws, but rather as a supplement to them – a species of common law which is as old as the country. – Roy Nash, 1916 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) boldly declared, “Lynching can be stopped when we reach the heart and conscience of the American people.” In the beginning, the NAACP viewed the fight against lynching as a moral struggle “of the brain and the soul and to the brain and the soul of America.” In order to wage a battle against negative public perceptions in the first quarter of the twentieth century, the NAACP launched an expansive public education media campaign where the organization investigated lynchings, wrote newspaper articles, published pamphlets, and printed its own magazine, The Crisis . The NAACP’s initial exposure-focused strategy was predicated on the belief that white Americans would become so enraged that they would feel compelled to do something to end the tragedy of racial violence. Today, looking back, it seems unlikely that the NAACP would conceive that a solution to the deepest problems that Americans faced to equal citizenship would come about through trying to change public opinion alone. But they did, revealing that “public opinion is the main force upon which the Association relies for a victory of justice” not political or legal advances. Even NAACP director of publicity and research W. E. B. Du Bois expressed his initial conviction that appealing to the hearts and minds of Americans would end lynching when he wrote, “I regarded it as axiomatic that the world wanted to learn the truth and if the truth was sought with even approximate accuracy and painstaking devotion, the world would gladly support the effort. This was, of course, but a young man’s idealism, not by any means false, but also never universally true.” Indeed, Du Bois and the rest of the NAACP would soon realize the limits of a movement aimed at reaching the “soul of America” and the resulting need to engage the federal government in preventing racial injustices at the state level.
Amino acid analysis: aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide as solvent for the ninhydrin reaction.

Abstract Methyl Cellosolve (the monomethyl ether of ethylene glycol) has been widely used as the organic solvent in ninhydrin reagents for amino acid analysis; it has, however, properties that are disadvantageous in a reagent for everyday employment. The solvent is toxic and it is difficult to keep the ether peroxide-free. A continuing effort to arrive at a chemically preferable and relatively nontoxic substitute for methyl Cellosolve has led to experiments with dimethyl sulfoxide, which proves to be a better solvent for the reduced form of ninhydrin (hydrindantin) than is methyl Cellosolve. Dimethyl sulfoxide can replace the latter, volume for volume, in a ninhydrin reagent mixture that gives equal performance and has improved stability. The result is a ninhydrin-hydrindantin solution in 75% dimethyl sulfoxide-25% 4 m lithium acetate buffer at pH 5.2. This type of mixture, with appropriate hydrindantin concentrations, is recommended to replace methyl Cellosolve-containing reagents in the quantitative determination of amino acids by automatic analyzers and by the manual ninhydrin method.
Expanding the capabilities of the NIUST AUVs

The seafloor mapping AUVs Eagle Ray and Mola Mola have vastly different capabilities and operational requirements, yet they perform complementary tasks. These AUVs are operated by the National Institute for Undersea Science and Technology (NIUST), which is a NOAA sponsored partnership between the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi. Eagle Ray collects Multibeam sonar bathymetry and CTD data, as well as data from guest payloads. Mola Mola collects color images of the seafloor along with multibeam bathymetry. In back-to-back dives, Mola Mola can conduct focused studies over targets determined from broad surveys carried out by Eagle Ray, but the two vehicles have also had successful cruises independently.
ComX is a unique link between multiple quorum sensing outputs and competence in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Natural competence for genetic transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae is achieved directly by specific proteins that are involved in DNA uptake and chromosomal recombination, and is regulated indirectly by a quorum-sensing system encoded by two loci, comAB and comCDE. The alternative sigma factor, ComX, is thought to be the unique link between quorum sensing and competence-specific genes. To test this hypothesis, we replaced the quorum-sensing inducible promoter (PQ) of the comX gene with either a constitutive promoter (PC) or a raffinose-inducible promoter (PR), so that comX transcription would be independent of quorum sensing. Surprisingly, both competence and expression of late genes, such as ssbB, cglA or celB, were found to depend on CSP in these mutants. An unknown, CSP-dependent regulator was needed when comX was expressed from these ectopic promoters, and it appears to act post-transcriptionally. However, when a multicopy nisin-inducible ComX-overexpressing plasmid was introduced, pneumococcal cells developed competence in the presence of nisin even despite deletion of comE. At 1% of the normal protein peak level, ComX protein stimulated competence without the participation of the pheromone response circuit. Thus, ComX is a unique link to competence-specific genes, but depends on multiple outputs of quorum sensing for maximal expression.
Taste and the taste of foods

At least 12 distinct taste sensations can be elicited from different parts of the oral cavity by distinct chemical compounds. The chemicals eliciting each sensation are often common constituents of foods, thus the umami sensations arise with stimulation by monosodium glutamate and nucleotides. These sensations can often be related to different physical/chemical stimulus parameters (e.g., bitterness and hydrophobicity) and neural activity in distinct chemosensory channels.
Deleuze, Rodowick, and the Philosophy of Film

D. N. Rodowick _Gilles Deleuze\'s Time Machine_ Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1997 ISBN: 0822319705 280 pp.
An Architecture for Distributed Real-Time Passive Network Measurement

We present an architecture for a Distributed Online Measurement Environment (DOME) which is a passive measurement system that correlates network information between several measurement nodes placed at different locations in the network to offer a large scale view of network operation. The system is capable of capturing packet traces and pre-processing them on the measurement node itself. Real-time queries are implemented by breaking them down into standard statistics that are updated during run-time. We present details of a prototype implementation of our architecture on an Intel IXP2400 network processor. The prototype is deployed on the main Internet access link of the University of Massachusetts and measurement results are validated against those obtained from an Endace DAG card. Performance of the prototype is compared to that of a conventional post processing system for an application to detect network anomalies.
Purification and Properties of the Fatty Acid Synthetase from Mycobacterium phlei

Abstract The fatty acid synthetase from Mycobacterium phlei has been purified 340-fold to homogeneity. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 1.39 x 106. At low concentrations of phosphate buffer (0.005 m), the synthetase dissociates into an enzymatically inactive species (7.65 S) which can be partially reaggregated and reactivated by dialysis against 0.5 m potassium phosphate buffer. The mycobacterial polysaccharides, 3-O-methylmannose-containing polysaccharide (MMP) and 6-O-methylglucose-containing polysaccharide (MGLP), stimulate the fatty acid synthetase markedly. Their presence lowers the Km values for acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA 9-fold and 4-fold, respectively. The polysaccharides also appear to function by altering the rate-limiting step of fatty acid synthesis. MMP stimulates fatty acid synthesis more effectively than MGLP. Various chemical modifications of the polysaccharides do not markedly alter their stimulating activity. Acetyl-CoA is the most effective primer and its concentration affects the degree to which MMP and MGLP stimulate fatty acid synthesis. It is proposed that the polysaccharides function primarily by binding long chain acyl-CoA and thereby relieve product inhibition of the fatty acid synthetase.
Validation of the Descriptive Tests of Mathematics Skills.

A variety of techniques were used to assess the validity of the Descriptive Tests of Mathematics Skills.(DTMS) for making placement decisions. DTMS tests were administered in 36 institutions that represented a broad spectrum of two-year and four-year colleges. A pre-post design was used in seven institutions, with a pretest only in the other colleges. Results indicated that the DTMS tests were: (1) sensitive to gains from instruction in a single semester; (2) highly correlated with course grades obtained concurrently; (3) predictive of end of course grades when the DTMS tests were administered at the beginning of the course; (4) a better predictor of course grades than SAT-Mathematical scores for remedial courses; (5) related to course difficulty as perceived by students; (6) capable of demonstrating a trait-treatment interaction in a precalculus-calculus sequence; and (7) related to the content of mathematics courses as judged by mathematics faculty members.
β‐amyloid burden is not associated with rates of brain atrophy

Objective To test the hypothesis that beta-amyloid (Abeta) burden is associated with rates of brain atrophy. Methods Forty-five subjects who had been prospectively studied, died, and had an autopsy diagnosis of low, intermediate, or high probability of Alzheimer's disease who had two volumetric head magnetic resonance imaging scans were identified. Compact and total (compact + diffuse) Abeta burden was measured using a computerized image analyzer with software program to detect the proportion of gray matter occupied by Abeta. Visual ratings of Abeta burden were also performed. The boundary shift integral was used to calculate change over time in whole-brain and ventricular volume. All boundary shift integral results were annualized by adjusting for scan interval. Demographics, cognitive measures, clinical diagnoses, apolipoprotein E genotype, neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) pathology, and vascular lesion burden were determined. Results There was no correlation between compact or total Abeta burden, or visual Abeta ratings, and rates of brain loss or ventricular expansion in all subjects. However, significant correlations were observed between rates of brain loss and age, Braak NFT stage, and change over time in cognitive measures. These features also correlated with rates of ventricular expansion. The rates of brain loss and ventricular expansion were greater in demented compared with nondemented subjects. Interpretation These findings suggest that rate of brain volume loss is not determined by the amount of insoluble Abeta in the gray matter.
Photochemistry of thiophene‐S‐oxide derivatives

Photolysis of substituted thiophene-S-oxides in solution results in the formation of either the corresponding thiophene or furan, in addition to uncharacterized materials. No good rationalization is available for the choice of which pathway may predominate, but it is demonstrated that the photolysis of 2,5-bistrimethylsilylthiopene- S-oxide produces O(3P) in the same manner as the well-established photolysis of dibenzothiophene-S-oxide. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Observations of Supercooled Raindrops in New Mexico Summertime Cumuli

Abstract Observations made in 1987 with the NCAR King Air aircraft and in 1993 with the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology dual-polarization radar have revealed the presence of supercooled raindrops in some New Mexico summertime cumulus clouds. In the case of the radar data, the evidence for the supercooled drops came from a column of enhanced ZDR that extended well above the 0°C level. The in situ data indicated that the supercooled raindrops were observed when cloud base was warmer than about 7°C and the depth of the cloud was greater than about 2.5 km.
Vitamin D insufficiency and hyperparathyroidism in children with chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with altered calcium-phosphate homeostasis and hyperparathyroidism due to decreased activity of 1α-hydroxylase and impaired activation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3]. In some patients these problems start earlier because of vitamin D deficiency. A retrospective review of patients followed in the chronic renal insufficiency clinic at Children’s Hospital of Michigan assessed the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in CKD stages 2–4 and evaluated the effect of treatment with ergocalciferol on serum parathormone (PTH). Blood levels of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3, 25(OH)D3, and parathormone (PTH) were examined in 57 children (40 boys; mean age 10.6 years). Of 57 subjects, 44 (77.2%) had 25(OH)D3 levels ≤30 ng/ml, with overall mean of 26.4 ± 14.3 ng/ml. PTH for patients with 25(OH)D3 levels >30 ng/ml was 67.84 ± 29.09 ng/ml and in the remaining patients was elevated, at 120.36 ± 86.42 ng/ml (p = 0.05). Following ergocalciferol treatment (22), PTH decreased from 122.13 ± 82.94 ng/ml to 80.14 ± 59.24 ng/ml (p < 0.001) over a period of 3 months. We conclude that vitamin D deficiency is common in children with CKD stages 2–4 and is associated with hyperparathyroidism in the presence of normal 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3. Its occurrence before significant renal impairment is noteworthy. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is emphasized.
Mu opioids enhance mossy fiber synaptic transmission indirectly by reducing GABAB receptor activation.

The cellular mechanisms underlying mu opioid facilitation of mossy fiber (MF) long-term potentiation (LTP) and synaptic transmission were investigated in the rat hippocampal slice. Naloxone (10 μM) significantly inhibited the induction of mossy fiber LTP, an effect attributed by Derrick and Martinez [B.E. Derrick, J.L.J. Martinez, Opioid receptor activation is one factor underlying the frequency dependence of mossy fiber LTP induction, J. Neurosci. 14 (1994) 4359–4367] to antagonism of endogenous opioid peptide action. We found that the inhibitory effects of naloxone were not blocked by bicuculline, suggesting that endogenous opioids did not enhance mossy fiber LTP by depressing GABAA inhibition. [d-Ala2, NMePhe4, Glyol5] enkephalin, DAMGO (300 nM), a mu opioid agonist, mimicked the action of endogenous opioids, enhancing both mossy fiber LTP induction and paired-pulse facilitation. DAMGO potentiation of the paired-pulse facilitation of mossy fiber response was also insensitive to bicuculline but was blocked by the mu selective antagonist CTOP. Further analysis of the cellular mechanism showed that the depletion of internal Ca2+ stores by thapsigargin (1 μM), or inhibition of protein kinases by application of staurosporine (1 μM) did not block the DAMGO facilitation of mossy fiber–CA3 synaptic transmission. However, application of phaclofen (100 μM GABAB receptor antagonist or SCH 50911, a more potent GABAB antagonist significantly inhibited the DAMGO effect (49±15%; 51±19% inhibition, P<0.05). The data indicate that the DAMGO effect on the mossy fiber pathway is partially mediated by a reduction in GABA activation of GABAB receptors. These findings further suggest that endogenous opioid peptides activate mu opioid receptors to facilitate mossy fiber LTP and synaptic transmission in rat hippocampus partially by GABAB receptor-mediated disinhibitory mechanism.
Role of p-Aminobenzoic Acid in Plasmodium berghei Infection in the Mouse.

Abstract Mice reared on a purified, semi-synthetic diet without added p -aminobenzoic acid (PABA) were only slightly susceptible, if at all, to blood-induced Plasmodium berghei infection. The mouse does not appear to require a dietary source of PABA since growth rate was unaffected by omission of this factor and no deficiency symptoms were detected. The oral administration of PABA at the time of infection to mice fed a PABA-deficient diet restored full susceptibility to infection and promoted normal development of the parasite; at least 1.0 mg PABA/mouse was required to support maximum development of parasitemia. While PABA was completely effective in promoting the development of P. berghei in mice fed a folic acid-deficient diet, folic acid only partially substituted for PABA in mice fed a PABA-deficient diet. Although P. berghei was susceptible to inhibition by folic acid antagonists (aminopterin, pyrimethamine), mice reared on a folic acid-deficient diet containing added PABA developed a higher degree of parasitemia than controls supplemented with folic acid. A pyrimethamine-resistant strain of P. berghei was found to have a greater requirement for PABA than a normal strain for development in the mouse.
“Combing” Through Representations of Black Girls’ Hair in African American Children’s Literature

In this article, we share findings from a content analysis of six picturebooks about hair. The picturebooks selected feature Black female protagonists and are written by African American females. Our content analysis examines the ways in which Black hair is theorized and represented to children (from diverse backgrounds) very early on in their reading trajectory. We present a discussion of the theoretical perspectives informing our analysis, followed by a review of related African American children’s literary scholarship. We then provide a description of the methodology that includes data sources, analytic procedures, and trustworthiness. Next, we present the findings, in which we delineate the three main themes identified within the six picturebooks. We conclude with reasons as to why this research is significant.
Fermentative activities of control and radiation-"killed" spores of Clostridium botulinum.

Costilow, Ralph N. (Michigan State University, East Lansing). Fermentative activities of control and radiation-“killed” spores of Clostridium botulinum. J. Bacteriol. 84:1268–1273. 1962.—Spores of Clostridium botulinum 62-A exposed to high levels of ionizing radiation will undergo the initial steps in germination as rapidly as control spores. Manometric experiments demonstrated that these irradiated nonviable spores would ferment a tryptic digest of casein (Trypticase) at an increasing rate during germination, with the production of CO2 and H2. There was, however, an increasing lag in the development of rapid rates of fermentation as the radiation level was increased. Such a lag could be simulated by the addition of chloramphenicol, and the two effects were additive. By using high spore concentrations (about 8 mg/ml), it was possible to detect the fermentation of a number of individual amino acids and of glucose. Irradiation of spores at 8.3 × 105 rads had no measurable effect on the fermentation of l-arginine or glucose, or on the endogenous rate, but it partially inhibited the Stickland reaction with l-alanine and l-proline as substrates. The endogenous activity and the l-alanine, l-proline fermentation were also inhibited by chloramphenicol to basic levels which were the same in both control and irradiated spores. Neither the l-arginine nor glucose fermentation was inhibited by this antibiotic. The data indicate that spores of C. botulinum 62-A contain basic levels of the enzymes required for their primary catabolic processes, and that, as expected, ionizing radiation levels sufficient to render the spores nonviable do not significantly affect these enzymes. Furthermore, it is indicated that spores exposed to radiation levels of up to 1.25 × 106 rads retain the ability to synthesize new protein, although it appears to be somewhat impaired.
New Polarization Interferometer for Fourier Analysis

A generator of fringes of variable frequency is described as consisting of only two Wollaston prisms W1 and W2 with attached polarizers P1 and P2. A properly oriented half-wave plate H1 is situated between W1 and W2. When the two Wollaston prisms are counterrotated by an equal angle ϕ about an axis joining the geometrical centers of their faces, fringes appear of variable frequency f=4(Ne − N0) tanα cosϕ, where α is the angle of the prisms, Ne and N0 are the principal indices. When the fringe pattern is projected by a demagnifying microscope lens, the contrast remains constant up to 280 lines/mm.
The insulin gene in diabetes.

Lack of insulin production or abnormalities affecting insulin secretion are key to the development of almost all forms of diabetes, including the common type 1 (insulin-dependent) and type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes and the more rare forms of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY). Because insulin has such a central role in the pathogenesis of both forms of diabetes, the insulin gene (INS) has always been considered a candidate susceptibility gene. A number of studies have shown that the allelic variation and parent-of-origin effects affect the transmission and expression of the insulin gene in pancreatic beta-cells and extra-pancreatic tissues. These observations have led to the formulation of new hypotheses to explain the biological mechanisms by which functional differences in the expression of the insulin gene may contribute to diabetes susceptibility.
Mishegoss: ‘Schindler's List’, Holocaust representation and film history

(1998). Mishegoss: ‘Schindler's List’, Holocaust representation and film history. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television: Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 431-436.
Information needs related to teaching about air quality.

Translating knowledge of air quality into a form that can be understood by students and the general public is a major challenge for scientists, public officials, and teachers. Social science studies have shown that both educators and the general public are relatively uninformed about recent findings in environmental research. It is especially difficult to get students of today excited about environmental issues because environmental education has become institutionalized. Students believe they know about major environmental problems even when their knowledge is rudimentary or even wrong. One problem in getting public attention is the general level of hyperbole and hysteria common in most media. Thus, do we try to be even more shrill and apocalyptic than other advocates clamoring for public notice, or should we refuse to participate in this competition for attention?A model is presented to bring K-12 teachers, scientists, and students together to develop innovative, inquiry-based, active learning materials for environmental education. Curricular materials utilizing the discovery process can be created and tested in an iterative process that incorporates the results of current science research into highly effective teaching materials for schools. Following extensive evaluative procedures and review, exemplary materials are prepared for publication. This collaborative method also gives teachers and students a more realistic understanding of how science works by giving them access to active scientists and practical scientific experience.Finally, we argue that scientists need to reveal why they care about environmental issues. It is not enough to remain aloof and objective. If we are going to motivate students and the public to make changes in their lives, we need to make a convincing case for the importance of air quality and what it means in practical terms to our common environment.
Mechanical action of the interosseous intercostal muscles as a function of lung volume.

On the basis of local stimulation of individual muscles, it has been suggested that both the external (EI) and internal interosseous intercostal muscles have an inspiratory action at low lung volumes and an expiratory action at high lung volumes. In this study, we assessed the action of the interosseous intercostal muscles at different lung volumes in 19 anesthetized dogs by synchronously activating the intercostal muscles via ventral root stimulation (VRS). An electrode was positioned on the upper thoracic spinal cord according to previously described techniques (11). The cervical phrenic rootlets were sectioned bilaterally, the accessory muscles were sectioned from the rib cage, and the origins of the abdominal muscles were sectioned from the middle region of the rib cage. Changes in airway pressure (ΔP) were monitored during the application of supramaximal stimuli after hyperventilation-induced apnea and during airway occlusion. Animals were passively inflated or deflated with a volume syringe. Precont...
The measurement of bioreductive capacity of tumor cells using methylene blue.

Abstract Purpose: Methylene blue (MB) can be used as an intracellular electron acceptor. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of MB for the determination of total bioreductive capacity of cell suspensions. Methods and Materials: We measured oxygen consumption by Clark electrode and pentose cycle activity by release of 14 CO 2 from 1- 14 C-glucose. Results: Methylene blue catalyzes the reaction of intracellular reductants NADPH, NADH, and reduced glutathione (GSH) with oxygen, causing the production of hydrogen peroxide. The reaction rate correlates with the negative charge of molecule (NADPH −4 > NADH −2 > GSH −1 ), suggesting that reaction with positively charged oxidized MB is the limiting step of the reaction. In a cellular system MB causes the electron flow from cellular endogenous substrates to oxygen. It is activated by the disruption of the NADP + /NADPH ratio due to several processes. These are direct oxidation of NADPH and GSH, the GSH peroxidase catalyzed reaction of GSH with H 2 O 2 , followed by NADPH oxidation by oxidized glutathione (GSSG). This results in increased cellular oxygen consumption and stimulation of the oxidative limb of pentose cycle (PC) in the presence of MB. The cellular effect of MB differs from other electron accepting drugs. Diamide and tert -butylhydroperoxide act as direct oxidants, while MB is an electron carrier to oxygen. Accordingly, MB shows the highest effect on PC activation and oxygen consumption. Conclusions: Our results indicate that MB may be used for the determination of the total bioreductive capacity of the cells, measured by oxygen consumption and PC activation.