cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The determination of glutathione, cyst(e)ine, and other thiols and disulfides in biological samples using high-performance liquid chromatography with dual electrochemical detection.

Abstract A determination of glutathione, cysteine, and their disulfides using HPLC and dual electrochemical detection (HPLC-DEC) was described previously but was not validated in biological tissues for these and other important thiols and disulfides (SH/SS). Thus, our objectives were to develop this method to quantify simultaneously reduced and oxidized glutathione, cysteine, cystine, and other SH/SS in various tissues, including human blood and plasma, rat liver and hippocampus, mosquito, and spinach leaf. Optimal conditions were determined for sample processing and analysis using metaphosphoric acid and HPLC-DEC. Authentic standards of 10 common SH/SS compounds were resolved and eluted within 15 min, and all standard curves were linear from 5 to 1600 pmol. Validation was based on the following: First, tissue sample sizes were proportional to peak areas over an eightfold range. Second, recovery of SH/SS added to samples before processing was 96–101%. Finally, the results were equivalent and correlated highly with values for total SH by 5,5′-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) assay ( r 2 = 0.996) and for total glutathione by DTNB-GSSG reductase assay ( r 2 = 0.998). The life span of the Au/Hg electrode was limited to 200–500 samples based on the lineal range of standard curves. On the basis of these results, we believe that this method will fill a long-time need for the simultaneous determination of SH/SS in biological tissues.
Quantum bags at strong coupling.

We examine the effect of quantum fluctuations on the formation of nontopological solitons in a relativistic field theory containing {ital N} fermions and a single scalar field. We present the exact large-{ital N} solution, valid for arbitrary Yukawa coupling {ital g}. We find that this theory supports nontopological solitons, or bags, which are bound states of {ital N} fermions. Because of the effects of the Dirac sea, these quantum solitons differ dramatically from those of the classical theory. In particular, for large {ital g}, the energy of the quantum solitons is proportional to {ital g}, the binding energy remains small, and the bags remain shallow. Thus, quantum corrections invalidate the classical picture of tightly bound fermions inside deep bags.
Edge coloring of graphs with small average degrees

Let G be a simple graph with average degree d? and maximum degree Δ. It is proved, in this paper that G is not critical if d?≤6 and Δ?8, or d?≤203 and Δ?9. This result generalizes earlier results of Vizing (Metody Diskret. Analiz. 5 (1965) 9), Mel'nikov (Mat. Zametki 7 (1970) 671) and Hind and Zhao (Discrete Math. 190 (1998) 107) and Yan and Zhao (Graphs Combin. 16 (2) (2000) 245). It also improves a result by Fiorini (Math. Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc. 77 (1975) 475) on the number of edges of critical graphs for certain Δ.
Fes tyrosine kinase promotes survival and terminal granulocyte differentiation of factor-dependent myeloid progenitors (32D) and activates lineage-specific transcription factors.

The c-fps/fesproto-oncogene encodes a 92-kDa protein-tyrosine kinase that is involved in myeloid cell development and function. We have recently shown that expression of an activated allele of Fes (Fesact) in monocyte precursors resulted in their differentiation into functional macrophages through the activation of lineage-specific transcription factors. We now report that this kinase also plays a role in the survival and terminal differentiation of granulocyte progenitors. The expression of Fesact in factor-dependent 32D cells prevented their apoptotic death after interleukin-3 removal, but Fesact-expressing cells remained factor-dependent for proliferation. Removal of interleukin-3 from the Fesact-expressing cells was followed by granulocytic differentiation in the absence of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor within 4–8 days. The differentiated cells had distinctive granulocyte morphology and there was up-regulation of CD11b, Gr-1, and late differentiation markers such as lactoferrin, suggesting that this kinase induced terminal granulocytic differentiation. Concomitantly, Fesact down-regulated the macrophage marker F4/80, suggesting that the biological activity of Fes was coordinated in a lineage-specific manner. Further analysis showed that Fesact caused activation of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α and STAT3, two transcription factors that are involved in granulocyte differentiation. Our results provide evidence that Fes may be a key component of the granulocyte differentiation machinery, and suggest a potential mechanism by which this kinase may regulate granulocyte-specific gene expression.
Nationalism, state formation and the public sphere: Eritrea 1991–96

This article attempts to situate the transition to statehood in Eritrea in the context of its time, culture, and political history. It argues that the transition is profoundly shaped by the international conjuncture within which it unfolds, as well as by the social and political experiences of the nationalist movements. The economic, social, and political aspects of the transition are highlighted with a view to illuminating their overall trajectory and complex dynamics. The establishment of national sovereignty, it is argued, does not entail some unproblematic process of national integration, but only creates a nationally defined public space through which the multi‐faceted issues of post‐independence Eritrea will be contested. State formation is therefore understood as a continuation of the nation‐making process which cannot be reified as a finished project. The article concludes by examining the contradictory but pregnant possibilities for establishing a democratic political and social order.
Rare‐Earth Oxide Availability in Market Economy Countries

This paper presents a review by the Bureau of Mines on the 1985 status of the rare earths industry in the Market Economy Countries (MEC). Demonstrated resources for the 38 evaluated MEC properties are estimated at 3.3 million metric tons of recoverable rare-earth oxides. About 75% of the total is contained in producing properties, and 21% are contained in undeveloped properties; the remaining 4% are contained in past producers. Total MEC production in 1985 was estimated at 30 500 mt. Assuming demand does not increase sharply, producing properties can continue to meet overall rare earths demand through at least the end of this century.
Infants' Perception of Emotion From Body Movements

Adults recognize emotions conveyed by bodies with comparable accuracy to facial emotions. However, no prior study has explored infants' perception of body emotions. In Experiment 1, 6.5-month-olds (n = 32) preferred happy over neutral actions of actors with covered faces in upright but not inverted silent videos. In Experiment 2, infants (n = 32) matched happy and angry videos to corresponding vocalizations when the videos were upright but not when they were inverted. Experiment 3 (n = 16) demonstrated that infants' performance in Experiment 2 was not driven by information from the covered face and head. Thus, young infants are sensitive to emotions conveyed by bodies and match them to affective vocalizations, indicating sophisticated emotion processing capabilities early in life.
WHAT IS HAMILTON'S PRINCIPLE?

IN a recent paper R. S. Capon (1) quotes with approval an argument of Hertz purporting to show that Hamilton's principle is not satisfied for nonholonomic systems and in particular does not yield Lagrange's equations with undetermined multipliers. He also summarizes an argument of Holder and Voss that does derive these equations from a different statement of the principle. This argument is given more fully by Whittaker (2) and by Jeffreys and Jeffreys (3). Capon condemns it on the ground that 'no reasons, based on the theory of the calculus of variations, are given for the wide departures from the generally accepted formalism which are made'; the 'generally accepted formalism' being defined by the condition that 'the comparison paths are required to satisfy the conditional equations, the displacements being free'. As full reasons for the departures are given in the works cited, it appears that Capon considers them unworthy of mention because they concern the physical conditions to be satisfied. I propose to show that Hertz's argument fails to express these conditions and the Holder-Voss argument succeeds. The fundamental point is that in the standard form of Hamilton's principle the forces are supposed to possess a work function W, in the sense that however the system is moved from one position to another the forces do the same amount of work. In this strict sense no non-holonomic system has a work function, because in general the displacements would involve friction and the work done by the frictional forces would depend on the path. But if the paths are restricted by the condition that the frictional forces do no work, there may be a unique work function subject to this restriction. In a problem of rolling it is possible to consider paths where one body is lifted out of contact with the other and placed directly in its final position. It then becomes natural to ask what modification of Hamilton's principle is required if the work function is defined in this restricted way. The need for some modification is plain.
Analyzer scan modes for hybrid mass spectrometers

The scan modes that can be used to obtain daughter ion, parent ion, and constant neutral-loss spectra on hybrid mass spectrometers are derived for instruments with a quadrupole combined with a magnetic and/or electric sector. All combinations of sector/quadrupole and quadrupole/sector instruments are discussed. The advantages or lack thereof of the various scans are presented with respect to operation, resolution and potential artifacts.
Interaction of Nanosized Copolymer Networks with Oppositely Charged Amphiphilic Molecules

A new class of nanocomposite materials is synthesized by reacting nanoscale networks of cross-linked hydrophilic nonionic and cationic polymers, poly(ethylene oxide)-cl-polyethyleneimine, with anionic surfactants. Formation of hydrophobic domains from polyethyleneimine-surfactant complexes leads to a network collapse exhibited in a decrease in the particle size from ca. 300 nm to ca. 50 nm. Due to their cross-linked architecture, the poly(ethylene oxide)-cl-polyethyleneimine-based complexes are more resistant to the changes in the environmental characteristics, such as pH and salt concentration, compared to complexes formed by a graft copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-g-polyethyleneimine and surfactants. Poorly soluble biologically active molecules, retinoic acid and indomethacin, were immobilized in the network complexes forming stable aqueous dispersions. The release of the drug from the network dispersion has been demonstrated. These materials are potentially useful as carriers in pharmaceutical drug del...
Analogous responses in the nucleus accumbens and cingulate cortex to pain onset (aversion) and offset (relief) in rats and humans

In humans, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc) appears to reflect affective and motivational aspects of pain. The responses of this reward-aversion circuit to relief of pain, however, have not been investigated in detail. Moreover, it is not clear whether brain processing of the affective qualities of pain in animals parallels the mechanisms observed in humans. In the present study, we analyzed fMRI blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activity separately in response to an onset (aversion) and offset (reward) of a noxious heat stimulus to a dorsal part of a limb in both humans and rats. We show that pain onset results in negative activity change in the NAc and pain offset produces positive activity change in the ACC and NAc. These changes were analogous in humans and rats, suggesting that translational studies of brain circuits modulated by pain are plausible and may offer an opportunity for mechanistic investigation of pain and pain relief.
Thermo-optical Responses of Nanoparticles: Melting of Ice and Nanocalorimetry Approach

The thermo-optical properties of gold nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in an ice matrix were investigated using photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. An intense laser beam alone will not melt ice, but the addition of embedded Au NPs allows for melting with resonant laser light of relatively weak intensity. This is due to the strong absorption of Au NPs in the plasmon resonance regimen. We can determine the threshold melting power, P melting(T), where T is the background temperature by recording time-resolved Raman scattering signals of the system. A resultant loss of ice signal indicates melting and an absence of conversion to water implicates an irreversible loss of water molecules to the gas phase due to the location of the Au NP agglomerate at or near the ice/vapor surface. For fully embedded NP agglomerates, the ice/water phase transition can be monitored through Raman spectroscopy and the number of NPs in an agglomerate and their interactions can have a greater effect on localized heat generation. The local temperature inside and around the NP agglomerate depends strongly on its geometry and leads to a large scatter in the measured P melting as a function of the reduced temperature for different agglomerates. Immobilized Au NP agglomerates can also be characterized using single-particle spectroscopy, and results show that the plasmon emission of Au NPs scales with the number of NPs in an agglomerate.
Clinical Differences Between Solifenacin and Tolterodine

Overactive bladder (OAB) is characterized by involuntary detrusor contractions that result in bothersome urinary symptoms. The estimated US prevalence of OAB is 16% among men and 16.9% among women, comprising some 37.4 million Americans. The mainstay of treatment is medication. Although all drugs have variable degrees of efficacy and tolerability, several have emerged that yield good clinical results with tolerable side effects. This review focuses on two frequently prescribed drugs, solifenacin and tolterodine, and compares their clinical efficacy. A PubMed review was conducted with “solifenacin” and “tolterodine” as search words. Articles that compared the two medications were reviewed for content and number of study participants. Those with the most relevant findings and the highest number of participants were included. Both solifenacin and tolterodine show clinical efficacy for the treatment of OAB. Solifenacin seems to have better results in some series, with similar side effects. Antimuscarinic therapy is effective as OAB treatment. Both solifenacin and tolterodine have good clinical efficacy. However, in head—to-head trials, solifenacin seems to have somewhat better outcomes. Solifenacin, 5 mg, has less reported dry mouth than tolterodine, but at 10 mg, the incidence of dry mouth is similar.
Large-scale photosynthetic production of carbon-13 labeled sugars: the tobacco leaf system.

Abstract A system is described for the production of carbon-13 uniformly labeled starch, glucose, fructose, and sucrose from kilogram quantities of tobacco leaves. Nearly 60% of the CO 2 administered (at 80 atom % carbon-13 or above) was found in these four compounds; the loss of enrichment between carbon-13 administered and isolated sugars was 3% or less. About 25 g 13 C-glucose can be produced in a 40-hr incubation from 1.2 kg of leaves. Label uniformity in the products was established by 13 C-nmr spectroscopy.
Location tracking using quorums in mobile ad hoc networks

Abstract We explore applications of quorum systems to the problem of tracking locations of mobile users in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). The location tracking system uses biquorum systems, a generalization of traditional quorum systems. We performed extensive simulations of the location tracking system. The simulation results show that our strict biquorum implementation has better performance than the traditional strict quorum implementations. Moreover, our results show that randomized dynamic quorum implementations have better overall performance than strict (bi)quorum implementations.
Type I and type II Na+ channel α‐subunit polypeptides exhibit distinct spatial and temporal patterning, and association with auxiliary subunits in rat brain

Here we investigate differences in the temporal and spatial patterning, and subunit interactions of two of the major Na(+) channel alpha-subunit isoforms in mammalian brain, the type I and type II Na(+) channels. By using subtype-specific antibodies, we find that both isoforms are abundant in adult rat brain, where both interact with the covalently bound beta2 auxiliary subunit. Immunoblot analysis reveals complementary levels of type I and type II in different brain regions, with the highest levels of type I in brainstem, cortex, substantia nigra, and caudate, where it is found predominantly on the soma of neurons, and the highest levels of type II in globus pallidus, hippocampus and thalamus, where it is preferentially localized to axons. Developmentally, type I Na(+) channel polypeptide expression in brain increases dramatically during the third postnatal week, peaks at the end of the first postnatal month, and then decreases such that adult levels are approximately 50% of those at peak. Type II Na(+) channel polypeptide expression in brain also undergoes large increases in the third postnatal week, but levels continue to increase such that peak expression levels are maintained in adult animals. Type I Na(+) channels are found associated with the auxiliary beta2 subunit at all ages, whereas free type II Na(+) channels exist during the first two postnatal weeks. Thus, although expression of these two Na(+) channel alpha subunits in heterologous systems yields currents with very similar electrophysiological and pharmacological properties, their distinct spatial and temporal patterning, and association with auxiliary subunits in brain, suggest that they perform distinct, nonoverlapping functions in situ.
Coalition economic policies in Iraq: motivations and outcomes

Abstract Explanations of the current violence and instability in Iraq range from stubborn ethnic rivalries to insufficient troop levels. While not contesting these hypotheses, this essay nonetheless posits an alternative position: inappropriate economic policies. The Coalition Provisional Authority's abrupt liberalisation of prices and markets aimed to improve efficiency in the allocation of resources and to expand output, yet resultant joblessness has promoted insecurity, which, in turn, has reduced Iraq's already low capacity to absorb investments, essential for transition. Moreover, Coalition measures have reinforced public anxiety about the arbitrary nature of markets, underlining the historically uncertain character of property rights and ironically fuelling resistance to future reform. People-centred approaches, structured around a guaranteed public employment scheme, offer an alternate economic path.
Neural network reconstruction of single-photon emission computed tomography images

An artificial neural network (ANN) trained on high-quality medical tomograms or phantom images may be able to learn the planar data-to-tomographic image relationship with very high precision. As a result, a properly trained ANN can produce comparably accurate image reconstruction without the high computational cost inherent in some traditional reconstruction techniques. We have previously shown that a standard backpropagation neural network can be trained to reconstruct sections of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images based on the planar image projections as inputs. In this study, we present a method of deriving activation functions for a backpropagation ANN that make it readily trainable for full SPECT image reconstruction. The activation functions used for this work are based on the estimated probability density functions (PDFs) of the ANN training set data. The statistically tailored ANN and the standard sigmoidal backpropagation ANN methods are compared both in terms of their trainability and generalization ability. The results presented show that a statistically tailored ANN can reconstruct novel tomographic images of a quality comparable with that of the images used to train the network. Ultimately, an adequately trained ANN should be able to properly compensate for physical photon transport effects, background noise, and artifacts while reconstructing the tomographic image.
Energy-Efficient Task Scheduling Algorithms with Human Intelligence Based Task Shuffling and Task Relocation

Currently, more and more vendors such as Amazon, Google, IBM and Microsoft are dedicated to developing their cloud platforms for increasing large-scale data and more complex software systems. The cloud computing technique is rapidly changing the computing environment for various applications. However, a large number of cloud servers consume massive energy and produce huge pollution. The Smart2020 analysis shows that cloud-based computing data center and the telecommunication network will generate emission about 7% and 5% each year in 2002 and 2020, respectively. This paper aims to develop a new green algorithm that can help multiple CPUs in the cloud network not only complete the tasks before a deadline, but also greatly reduce the energy consumption. Our new green algorithm with human intelligence can effectively make task assignments via partial task shuffling and adjust the cloud servers' speeds through smart task allocation under the time constraint. Sufficient simulation results indicate that the new green algorithm with intelligent strategies is effective compared with a traditional method and another new method. In the future, we will apply both ancient and modern human's intelligent strategies to improve green optimization algorithms.
Tramp-iron remover for a field forage harvester

AN electronic tramp-iron remover for chopped hay in pneumatic conveyors has been previously described for application in fixed installations such as barns or feed-mills.1,2 When green chopped hay is fed, however, a field harvester is the only machine that handles the hay pneumatically. The tramp-iron remover can be adapted for use on a field harvester to make a self-contained unit that is in some ways simpler than the one described earlier for fixed locations.
Assessment of Aging at FHWA’s Pavement Testing Facility

Field cores were taken in 1995 and 2002 from eight asphalt pavements constructed in 1993 at FHWA's pavement testing facility to evaluate in situ pavement aging. Dynamic mechanical properties of these cores were evaluated by using the Superpave® shear tester. The moduli of aged pavements were also predicted from binder, aggregate, and mixture properties with available prediction models, and the aging severity levels of all pavements were compared between the lab-measured and model-predicted. Eight pavements with two polymer-modified and six unmodified binders were evaluated in this study. Polymer-modified asphalt pavements showed comparatively lower aging than unmodified asphalt pavements. For unmodified asphalt pavements, stiffer asphalts tended to have higher aging indices. The binder aging index was found to be inversely proportional to the loading frequency, and differences between the aging indices for different binders were higher at lower frequency. Comparison of lab-measured and model-predicted bin...
Mixing in an intermeshing twin screw extruder chamber: Combined cross and down channel flow

The cross and down channel flows are analyzed in the center of an idealized leakproof intermeshing twin screw extruder chamber. The respective velocity components are assumed to vary only with channel depth. Because the screw flights block the cross channel flow, fluid circulates between two complementary channel depths in the cross channel direction just as predicted for single screw extruders. In addition, fluid circulates between an independent set of channel depths in the down channel direction due to the seal provided by the second screw lands. When the two fluid motions are considered simultaneously, a fluid particle is predicted to follow a complex path over a number of channel depths during its residence time in the extruder. This unique flow also causes particles which are initially near one another to eventually move to significantly distant locations. Furthermore, a wide range of velocities and shear rates is experienced by a fluid particle as it moves to the various channel depths. The strain predicted by two approaches is nearly uniform for the twin screw extruder product in striking contrast to the distribution of absolute strains found in single screw devices. The strain uniformity, wide shear history, and fluid separation predicted by this analysis of a limiting case may help explain the good mixing capabilities of these devices.
Differential neuronal vulnerability varies according to specific cardiopulmonary bypass insult in a porcine survival model.

Objective We investigated whether the degree of vulnerability of different areas in the developing brain varies according to the specific mechanism of the insults caused by cardiopulmonary bypass. Methods A meta-analysis of 2 experimental studies (n = 80) was conducted. The end points of the otherwise identical studies were tissue oxygen index in the first experiment, whereas cerebral microvessel vasoconstriction and inflammatory response of endothelial cells were directly visualized in the second study. We assigned ultra–low flow bypass at 25 °C for 60 minutes as control; circulatory arrest at 25 °C for 60 minutes as ischemic stress under circulatory arrest (ischemia–CA); and ultra–low flow bypass at 34 °C for 60 minutes as the stress under ultra–low flow bypass (ischemia–ULF). Histologic neuronal damage was the primary outcome. Secondary measures included neurologic recovery. Results Vasoconstriction after ischemia and inflammation after bypass were independent predictors of severe histologic damage. The caudate nucleus was significantly vulnerable to ischemia–CA and was significantly influenced by vasoconstriction. In contrast, the hippocampus was significantly vulnerable to ischemia–ULF. The different forms of ischemic insults did not influence Purkinje cells, whereas Purkinje damage significantly correlated with inflammation. Tissue oxygen index had the ability to differentiate accurately regional damage. Neurologic recovery under ischemia–CA was significantly worse compared with ischemia–ULF. Neurologic recovery correlated with neuronal damage in the caudate nucleus, but it did not correlate with damage in the hippocampus. Conclusions Neuronal vulnerability in different areas of the developing brain varies according to mechanisms of bypass-induced ischemic stress. Certain regional damage may not be apparent in assessing acute neurologic recovery.
FAST, APPROXIMATE ALGORITHM FOR DETECTION OF SOLVENT-INACCESSIBLE ATOMS

Up to about half of the atoms in biopolymers are inaccessible to solvents. If such atoms can be rapidly identified, time can be saved in the subsequent computation of atomic surface areas. A quick, approximate method, termed buried atom elimination (BAE), was developed for the detection of such atoms. Following the literature, the method makes use of a Gaussian function to calculate the neighbor density in four tetrahedral directions in 3-dimensional space, sometimes twice with different orientations. In macromolecules, our method detects between 63 and 81% of the buried atoms but also incorrectly classifies 2–8% of the exposed atoms as buried. These misidentified atoms all have small solvent-exposed (accessible) surface areas (SASAs): their surfaces sum to a maximum of 0.5% of the molecular SASA, and their maximum atomic SASA is 5.1 A2. Using our recently reported LCPO method for computing atomic surfaces, which is one of the fastest available, the use of BAE increases the overall speed of computing the atomic SASAs by a factor of up to 1.6 for surfaces only and 1.9 when first and second derivatives are computed. BAE decreases the LCPO average absolute atomic error from about 2.3 A2 to about 1.7 A2 (average for larger compounds). BAE was introduced into the MacroModel molecular modeling package and tests show that it increases the efficiency of first- and second-derivative energy minimizations and molecular dynamics simulations without adversely affecting the stability or accuracy of the calculations. BAE parameters were developed for the most important atom types in biopolymers, based on a parameterization set of 18 compounds of different size (33–4346 atoms) and class (organics, proteins, DNA, and various complexes), consisting of a total of 23,186 atoms. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 20, 586–596, 1999
Dihydroetorphine: physical dependence and stereotypy after continuous infusion in the rat.

In a previous study in this laboratory, exposure of rhesus monkeys to intermittent, high doses of dihydroetorphine for 42 days did not evoke behavioral signs of physical dependence on this opioid either after it was abruptly withdrawn or after challenge with a high dose of naloxone. To investigate further the physical dependence capacity of this opioid, it was given by infusion to rats thereby exposing receptors chronically and continuously to this opioid. Abstinence expressed as body weight loss, irritability, and wet-dog shakes was observed after abrupt withdrawal of the low-dose regimen (5,10, 40 and 40 μg/kg per day for 4 days, respectively). The high-dose regimen (10, 20 and 80 μg/kg per day for 3 days, respectively) produced stereotypy and physical dependence. Although many reported molecular events and dependence studies suggest otherwise, dihydroetorphine's propensity to produce physical dependence, an important determinant of opioid abuse, is real.
Identical or Overlapping Sequences in the Primary Structure of Human α2-Macroglobulin Are Responsible for the Binding of Nerve Growth Factor-β, Platelet-derived Growth Factor-BB, and Transforming Growth Factor-β

Abstract α2-Macroglobulin (α2M) functions as a proteinase inhibitor and as a carrier of diverse growth factors. In this study, we localized binding sites for platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and nerve growth factor-β (NGF-β) to a linear sequence in the 180-kDa human α2M subunit which includes amino acids 591–774. A glutathione S-transferase fusion protein containing amino acids 591–774 (FP3) bound PDGF-BB and NGF-β in ligand blotting assays whereas five other fusion proteins, which collectively include amino acids 99–590 and 775–1451 did not. The K Dvalues for PDGF-BB and NGF-β binding to immobilized FP3 were 300 ± 40 and 180 ± 30 nm, respectively; these values were comparable with those determined using methylamine-modified α2M, suggesting that higher-order α2M structure is not necessary for PDGF-BB and NGF-β binding. PDGF-BB and NGF-β blocked the binding of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) to FP3. Furthermore, murinoglobulin, which is the only known member of the α-macroglobulin family that does not bind TGF-β, also failed to bind PDGF-BB and NGF-β. These results support the hypothesis that either a single linear sequence in human α2M or overlapping sequences are responsible for the binding of TGF-β, PDGF-BB, and NGF-β, even though there is minimal sequence identity between these three growth factors. FP3 blocked the binding of PDGF-BB to a purified chimeric protein, in which the extracellular domain of the PDGF β receptor was fused to the IgG1 Fc domain, and to PDGF receptors on NIH 3T3 cells. Thus, FP3 may inhibit the activity of PDGF-BB.
Tipping as risk sharing

Abstract Tipping is often dismissed as an exception to the assumption of rational economic agents. This paper describes situations where tipping is, in fact, an effective mechanism for risk sharing and welfare improvement. When risk-averse customers purchase a service with uncertain quality, tipping can reduce the customer's exposure to risk by making part of the price of the service discretionary. These findings help explain why we tend to tip restaurant workers but not retail workers and why some high-risk service providers, such as lawyers and automobile mechanics, are not typically tipped.
Drug use patterns and infection with sexually transmissible agents among young adults in a high-risk neighbourhood in New York City

Aims To determine relationships between drug use ‘hardness’ (defined in increasing order of hardness as no drug use, marijuana use, non-injected heroin or cocaine use, crack smoking and injection drug use) and prevalences of several sexually transmissible infections among young adults in a high-risk neighbourhood. Drug users, particularly injection drug users and crack smokers, may be a core group for some sexually transmitted infections. Design Cross-sectional survey and assays of young adults from (a) a household probability sample and (b) a targeted sample of youth who have used injected drugs, crack, other cocaine or heroin. Setting Bushwick, an impoverished New York City minority neighbourhood with major drug markets. Participants A total of 363 18–24-year-olds from a household probability sample; 165 Bushwick 18–24-year-olds who have used injected drugs, crack, other cocaine or heroin. Measurements Drug use by self-report; serum- and urine-based assays for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia and herpes simplex (type 2). Findings Household-sample prevalences: HIV, hepatitis C and syphilis, 1%; gonorrhoea 3%; chlamydia 5%; past or present hepatitis B infection 8%; herpes simplex (type 2) 18%. In combined household and targeted samples, hepatitis C and HIV were concentrated among drug injectors. Herpes simplex (type 2), syphilis and hepatitis B increased among women with ‘hardest drug ever used’. Conclusions Using ‘harder’ drugs is associated with some but not all of these infections. Prevention efforts should help youth avoid unsafe sex and higher-risk drugs.
Systemic delivery of siRNA via LCP nanoparticle efficiently inhibits lung metastasis.

Targeted delivery remains the major challenge for the application of small interfering RNA (siRNA). We have developed a lipid/calcium/phosphate (LCP) nanoparticle (NP) to improve siRNA delivery efficiency. The LCP NP was prepared by using microemulsion technology to form calcium/phosphate (CaP) core and further coated with cationic lipids. The final NP was grafted with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and anisamide (AA) ligand on the surface to target sigma receptor-expressing B16F10 melanoma cells. The LCP NP exhibited a 40 nm particle size, a +25 mV zeta-potential, and 91% siRNA encapsulation efficiency. After a single intravenous (i.v.) injection of antiluciferase siRNA (0.12 mg siRNA/kg) formulated in targeted LCP NP, luciferase activity in metastatic B16F10 tumor-loaded lungs decreased by 78% in C57BL/6 mice. In a therapeutic experiment, siRNA against MDM2, c-myc, and VEGF coformulated in the targeted LCP NP resulted in simultaneous silencing of the respective oncogenes in metastatic nodules. Treatment with siRNA in the targeted NP significantly reduced lung metastases (~70–80%) at a relatively low dose (0.36 mg/kg), whereas control group showed little therapeutic effect. Moreover, this targeted LCP NP significantly prolonged the mean survival time of the animals by 27.8% compared to control group without showing any toxicity at the therapeutic dose.
3D Global Tomographic Velocity Model Building

Accurate subsurface velocity estimation is crucial in seismic exploration, especially for prestack depth migration, depth conversion, geopressure prediction and AVO attribute computation. 3D reflection tomography is the most accurate method available for velocity estimation. The challenge that we face is in designing an accurate tomographic system capable of efficiently handling large volumes of seismic data acquired over increasingly complex targets.
High active carrier concentration in n-type, thin film Ge using delta-doping

We demonstrate CVD in situ doping of Ge by utilizing phosphorus delta-doping for the creation of a high dopant diffusion source. Multiple monolayer delta doping creates source phosphorous concentrations above 1 × 1020cm−3, and uniform activated dopant concentrations above 4 × 1019cm−3 in a 600-800nm thick Ge layer after in-diffusion. By controlling dopant out-diffusion, near-complete incorporation of phosphorus diffusion source is shown.
Evidence of Direct Communication of Bone Marrow Cells with the Endolymphatic Sac in Experimental Autoimmune Labyrinthitis

In experimental autoimmune labyrinthitis, we found that the guinea pigs sensitized with bovine inner ear antigen (IEAg) developed cellular infiltration within the endolymphatic sac (E. sac). In this study, we investigated the distribution of immune mediated cells within bony vascular channels. The channels, which are normally found around the E. sac, are tiny and contain few immune-mediated cells. In contrast, in guinea pigs sensitized with IEAg bony vascular channels were large and contained immune-mediated cells. We hypothesize that immune-mediated cells in these channels are the result of the immune response directed against inner ear antigen, and that some immune-mediated cells seen in the E. sac during inner ear inflammatory events have migrated from the adjacent bone marrow.
Cosine series design of [-2T,2T] symbol shapes for spectrally efficient quadrature binary modulation systems

This paper evaluates the performance of partial response quadrature modulation techniques using symbol shapes based on the cosine series functions design approach. The baseband quadrature modulation symbol is allowed to spill outside the interval [-T,T] to the interval [-2T,2T]. Spectral efficiency, envelope uniformity, intersymbol interference and probability of error are the performance parameters of interest. Linear and hard-limiting channels are considered. Resulting performance is compared to that of quasi-bandlimited (QBL) signaling introduced by Amoroso (1979) and quadrature overlapped raised cosine (QORC) modulation introduced by Austin and Chang (1981). A simple modulator implementation for a synthesized symbol shape which resembles n=3 QBL is also presented. >
Three- to six-year follow-up of stand-alone BAK cages implanted by a single surgeon

Abstract Background context Multiple studies involving the outcomes of anterior interbody cages have been published, but the majority were by authors who designed the cage. No outcome studies with Bagby and Kuslich (BAK) cages implanted by a single-surgeon have either 3 years of follow-up or at least 25 patients. Purpose To determine the 3- to 6-year clinical outcomes, including fusion rate, revision rate, complications and functional status of patients who underwent placement of anterior, stand-alone BAK cages by a single surgeon. Study design This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent anterior, stand-alone BAK cage placement by a single surgeon with a minimum of 3 years of follow-up. Patient sample A total of 46 consecutive patients who underwent placement of anterior BAK cages from 1997 to 1999 were the study group. Outcome measures Complications, fusion rate, revision rate, Prolo scores, Oswestry scores, pain scores, patient satisfaction. Methods A retrospective review of charts of patients undergoing anterior stand-alone placement of BAK cages over the study period were reviewed. Demographic data were collected, and postoperative radiographs and clinic notes were reviewed. Patients were then contacted to complete a survey to determine Prolo and Oswestry scores, workers' compensation status and general satisfaction with the procedure. Patients were also asked to undergo repeat radiographs of their lumbar spine to determine if the operative levels had fused. Results Follow-up was available on 33 of 46 patients (72%). At least 10 patients (22%) required revision surgery. Ten patients (22%) had 14 total complications not requiring revision surgery. Seventy percent of patients had a fair or poor outcome as assessed by the Prolo rating system, and 58% of patients had at least “severe disability” according to the Oswestry outcome scale. Fifty percent of patients were satisfied with their surgery. Conclusions This single-surgeon series of stand-alone BAK cages demonstrates significantly worse clinical outcomes than has been previously reported. The use of stand-alone BAK cages for degenerative disc disease should be reconsidered given the large number of patients with unacceptable outcomes.
Research on Mental Health Services for Hispanics: Targets of Convergence.

In reaching to serve the mental health needs of new catchment neighborhoods, the 1963 federally funded Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) program stimulated culturally oriented research on the effectiveness of mental health services for Hispanics. The research, at first scattered and diffuse, has converged on a number of targets. This article examines four of the targets of research and how they can be brought into a unified perspective if they are viewed in temporal order as sequenced disadvantages Hispanics confront in using mental health services. The targets can be arrayed longitudinally: reasons for Hispanics' underutilization of professional mental health services, difficulties in retaining Hispanics in such services, errors in evaluating their mental health, and the problems of adapting treatment modalities to their needs.
Regulation of T Cell Priming by Lymphoid Stroma

The priming of immune T cells by their interaction with dendritic cells (DCs) in lymph nodes (LN), one of the early events in productive adaptive immune responses, occurs on a scaffold of lymphoid stromal cells, which have largely been seen as support cells or sources of chemokines and homeostatic growth factors. Here we show that murine fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs), isolated from LN of B6 mice, play a more direct role in the immune response by sensing and modulating T cell activation through their upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in response to early T cell IFNγ production. Stromal iNOS, which only functions in very close proximity, attenuates responses to inflammatory DC immunization but not to other priming regimens and preferentially affects Th1 cells rather than Th2. The resultant nitric oxide production does not affect T cell-DC coupling or initial calcium signaling, but restricts homotypic T cell clustering, cell cycle progression, and proliferation. Stromal feedback inhibition thus provides basal attenuation of T cell responses, particularly those characterized by strong local inflammatory cues.
Stability and binding energy of small asymptotically Randall-Sundrum black holes

We study the binding of a small black hole to a positive-tension brane in the second Randall-Sundrum scenario (RS2) with orbifold symmetry. We find that a small black hole on the brane has substantial binding energy to the brane, and is stable against escaping into the bulk. This result can be applied in other models with an orbifold-symmetric brane. We also find a novel static black hole, which is completely localized off the brane and is unstable against translations transverse to the brane. Our results are obtained analytically by applying a variational principle to black hole initial data. This paper is the second in a series on asymptotically RS black holes.
(1,0) Supergravity and the Heterotic String

The most general super-Weyl-invariant theory of matter coupled to supergravity is constructed in (1,0) superspace. This theory is shown to correspond to the heterotic string. A complete superfield formulation of supergravity, world-sheet gauge invariance, super-Weyl invariance, and string actions in (1,0) superspace is presented.
Does linguistic input play the same role in language learning for children with and without early brain injury

Children with unilateral pre- or perinatal brain injury (BI) show remarkable plasticity for language learning. Previous work highlights the important role that lesion characteristics play in explaining individual variation in plasticity in the language development of children with BI. The current study examines whether the linguistic input that children with BI receive from their caregivers also contributes to this early plasticity, and whether linguistic input plays a similar role in children with BI as it does in typically developing (TD) children. Growth in vocabulary and syntactic production is modeled for 80 children (53 TD, 27 BI) between 14 and 46 months. Findings indicate that caregiver input is an equally potent predictor of vocabulary growth in children with BI and in TD children. In contrast, input is a more potent predictor of syntactic growth for children with BI than for TD children. Controlling for input, lesion characteristics (lesion size, type, seizure history) also affect the language trajectories of children with BI. Thus, findings illustrate how both variability in the environment (linguistic input) and variability in the organism (lesion characteristics) work together to contribute to plasticity in language learning.
Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation To Treat Hypercapnic Coma Secondary to Respiratory Failure*

Introduction Hypercapnic coma secondary to acute respiratory failure (ARF) is considered to be a contraindication to the use of treatment with noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV). However, intubation exposes these patients to the risk of complications such as nosocomial pneumonia, sepsis, and even death Patients and methods We performed a prospective, open, noncontrolled study to assess the outcomes of NPPV therapy in patients with a Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score of ≤ 8 points due to ARF. The primary goal of the study was to determine the success of NPPV therapy (defined as a response to therapy allowing the patient to avoid endotracheal intubation, and to survive a stay in the ICU and at least 24 h on a medical ward) in patients with hypercapnic coma, compared to those who started NPPV therapy while awake. The secondary goal of the study was to identify the variables that can predict a failure of NPPV therapy in these patients Results A total of 76 coma patients (80%) responded to NPPV therapy, and 605 patients with GCS scores > 8 responded to therapy (70%; p=0.04). A total of 25 coma patients died in the hospital (26.3%), and 287 noncoma patients died in the hospital (33.2%; p=0.17). The variables related to the success of NPPV therapy were GCS score 1 h posttherapy (odds ratio [OR], 2.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.53 to 3.53) and higher levels of multiorgan dysfunction, as measured by the maximum sequential organ failure assessment index score reached during NPPV therapy (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.92) Conclusions We concluded that selected patients with hypercapnic coma secondary to ARF can be treated as successfully with NPPV as awake patients with ARF
Bacteriophage T7 mRNA is polyadenylated.

To determine whether the RNA of bacterial viruses is polyadenylated like bacterial mRNAs, pulse-labelled as well as the steady-state population of bacteriophage T7-specific transcripts were examined for the presence of poly(A) tracts by binding to oligo(dT) cellulose followed by hybridization with specific gene probes. Representatives of all classes of bacteriophage-specific mRNA — early, middle and late — were found to be polyadenylated. This conclusion was confirmed by screening the products of oligo(dT)-dependent cDNA synthesis. A cDNA library was prepared from RNA synthesized after bacteriophage T7 infection and the sequence of bacteriophage-specific clones was determined to define the sites of polyadenylation. About half of the clones were polyadenylated near the end of a protein-coding region, one of them at the site of post-transcriptional processing by RNase III. Other clones were polyadenylated within protein-coding regions. These observations suggest that polyadenylation occurs after the nucleolytic processing of primary transcripts and in some cases also after mRNA degradation has already begun.