cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ethanol inhibits benzo[a]pyrene-DNA adduct removal and increases 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine formation in human mammary epithelial cells.

Abstract The effect of ethanol and acetaldehyde treatment on the removal of benzo[a]pyrene diol-epoxide (BPDE)-DNA adducts in the immortalized, human mammary epithelial cell line MCF-10F was examined. Treatment of cells with 15mM and 25mM ethanol resulted in significantly more BPDE-DNA adducts/unit DNA remaining at multiple time points, compared to controls. The half-life of BPDE-DNA adducts in cells exposed to both 15 and 25 mM ethanol were 11.9 and 12.3 h, respectively, compared to a half-life of 9.8 h for the control cells. In contrast, for cells exposed to acetaldehyde at doses of 2.5 and 5.0 μM no significant trend in BPDE-DNA adduct persistence occurred, compared to controls. The inhibition of adduct removal for cells treated with ethanol was not associated with any changes in cell viability due to ethanol exposure. However, BP-treated cells exposed to 25mM ethanol exhibited a significant 2-fold increase in 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-deG) adducts compared to BP-treated cells alone. No significant increase in 8-oxo-deG was observed for cells treated with BP and exposed to 5.0 μM acetaldehyde. Thus, ethanol exposure of human mammary epithelial cells is associated with a decreased capacity to remove BPDE-DNA adducts. This inhibitory effect of ethanol on adduct removal in part may be related to ethanol-associated oxidative stress.
The individual antigenic specificity of antibodies to streptococcal carbohydrates.

Although a single electrophoretically uniform antibody component with specificity for the group carbohydrate may comprise the bulk of the γ-globulin in rabbits immunized with streptococcal vaccines, this is not always the case. Not infrequently, electrophoresis may reveal multiple antibody components. Nevertheless, it has been feasible by various preparative procedures to isolate from a single antiserum at least two antibody components with similar reactivity for the carbohydrate both of which are electrophoretically monodisperse. Light chains from such antibodies reveal a restricted pattern when examined by disc electrophoresis. Antibodies to streptococcal carbohydrates have been examined for their individual antigenic specificity. Goats were immunized with isolated Group C and Group A-variant antibodies raised in rabbits. Individual antigenic specificity of these antibodies was brought out by absorption of the goat anti-antiserum with Fr II of pooled normal rabbit sera. Additional absorption of the goat anti-antisera with Fr II diminished but did not eliminate the reactivity for the homologous antibody. Immunoelectrophoretic studies with papain fragments of purified streptococcal antibodies localized the specificity to the Fab fragment. Specificity was not confined to the isolated light chains of the antibody.
Cost-Effectiveness of Coarctation Repair Strategies: Endovascular Stenting Versus Surgery

The cost-effectiveness of stent (ST) implantation for the repair of coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is not documented in the medical literature. Inflation-adjusted hospital costs for ST implantation and for surgical (SU) repair were obtained using the HBOC Cost Accounting System software and evaluated for all patients 5 years of age or older who underwent elective treatment of CoA between July 1997 and June 2001. The average age of the ST group (n = 10) was 12.2 ± 3.9 years compared to 9.5 ± 3.5 years for the SU group (n = 12) (p > 0.10). The ST group had one failure due to inability to cross the CoA (failure rate, 10%). Successful repair was accomplished in all other ST cases and in all SU cases, with no residual systolic gradients at 1-year follow-up. Hospital length of stay for the ST group was 0.8 ± 1.2 days compared to 3.5 ± 0.5 days for the SU group (p < 0.001). The mean inflation-adjusted cost for the ST group was $7,148 ± 2,984 versus $11,769 ± 3,702 for the SU group (p < 0.005). By intention to treat analysis, the cost of repair in the ST-first group was $8,325 ± 3,354 given the 10% failure rate (p < 0.04 vs the SU only group). Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that cost of repair is lower with the ST-first strategy compared to SU only until the failure rate of ST implantation exceeds 39%. Repair of CoA using an endovascular stent strategy is cost-effective compared to conventional surgical repair.
Effect of roadway geometrics and environmental factors on rural freeway accident frequencies.

This paper explores the frequency of occurrence of highway accidents on the basis of a multivariate analysis of roadway geometrics (e.g. horizontal and vertical alignments), weather, and other seasonal effects. Based on accident data collected in the field, a negative binomial model of overall accident frequencies is estimated along with models of the frequency of specific accident types. Interactions between weather and geometric variables are proposed as part of the model specifications. The results of the analysis uncover important determinants of accident frequency. By studying the relationship between weather and geometric elements, this paper offers insight into potential measures to counter the adverse effects of weather on highway sections with challenging geometrics.
Necessity, Apriority, and True Identity Statements

L'A. etudie le cas des enonces d'identite vraie, traites par S. A. Kripke dans «Naming and Necessity»
Raman Crystallography of RNA

Raman crystallography is the application of Raman spectroscopy to single crystals. This technique has been applied to a variety of protein molecules where it has provided unique information about biopolymer folding, substrate binding, and catalysis. Here, we describe the application of Raman crystallography to functional RNA molecules. RNA represents unique opportunities and challenges for Raman crystallography. One issue that confounds studies of RNA is its tendency to adopt multiple non-functional folds. Raman crystallography has the advantage that it isolates a single state of the RNA within the crystal and can evaluate its fold, metal ion binding properties (ligand identity, stoichiometry, and affinity), proton binding properties (identity, stoichiometry, and affinity), and catalytic potential. In particular, base-specific stretches can be identified and then associated with the binding of metal ions and protons. Because measurements are carried out in the hanging drop at ambient, rather than cryo, conditions and because RNA crystals tend to be approximately 70% solvent, RNA dynamics and conformational changes become experimentally accessible. This review focuses on experimental setup and procedures, acquisition and interpretation of Raman data, and determination of physicochemical properties of the RNA. Raman crystallographic and solution biochemical experiments on the HDV RNA enzyme are summarized and found to be in excellent agreement. Remarkably, characterization of the crystalline state has proven to help rather than hinder functional characterization of functional RNA, most likely because the tendency of RNA to fold heterogeneously is limited in a crystalline environment. Future applications of Raman crystallography to RNA are briefly discussed.
Plasma coenzyme Q10 reference intervals, but not redox status, are affected by gender and race in self-reported healthy adults.

Abstract Background: Abnormal concentrations of coenzyme Q10 have been reported in many patient groups, including certain cardiovascular, neurological, hematological, neoplastic, renal, and metabolic diseases. However, controls in these studies are often limited in number, poorly screened, and inadequately evaluated statistically. The purpose of this study is to determine the reference intervals of plasma concentrations of ubiquinone-10, ubiquinol-10, and total coenzyme Q10 for self-reported healthy adults. Methods: Adults (n=148), who were participants in the Princeton Prevalence Follow-up Study, were identified as healthy by questionnaire. Lipid profiles, ubiquinone-10, ubiquinol-10, and total coenzyme Q10 concentrations were measured in plasma. The method used to determine the reference intervals is a procedure incorporating outlier detection followed by robust point estimates of the appropriate quantiles. Results: Significant differences between males and females were present for ubiquinol-10 and total coenzyme Q10. Blacks had significantly higher Q10 measures than whites in all cases except for the ubiquinol-10/total Q10 fraction. Conclusions: The fraction of ubiquinol-10/total coenzyme Q10 is a tightly regulated measure in self-reported healthy adults, and is independent of sex and racial differences. Different reference intervals for certain coenzyme Q10 measures may need to be established based upon sex and racial characteristics.
Denaturation of proteins by ascorbic acid: effects on dopamine-beta-hydroxylase.

Under conditions that are optimum for DβH, ascorbic acid denatures serum albumin, γ-globulin, catalase, and D\H. With ascorbate plus Cu2+, the proteins arc almost completely destroyed. Pyrazole protects DβH and albumin, but not catalase. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is not denatured by ascorbate, with or without Cu2+, and in combination with catalytic amounts of catalase or Fe2+ it stimulates maximum DβH activity. In other words, a combination of catalase and SOD, or Fe2+ and SOD, will protect DβH. Excessive amounts of catalase and/or other protein, either native or denatured will prevent the effects of superoxide and/or ascorbate, but cannot replace the requirements for catalytic quantities of catalase or Fe2+. The results suggest that the rate of hydroxylation of tyramine may be limited by superoxide, but that the latter per se does not denature DβH as does hydrogen peroxide. The in vitro activation of oxygen by DβH is a toxic process, involving the production of both hydrogen peroxide and superoxide and possibly other free radicals. In the absence of precise regulation of the production and concentrations of these compounds, the enzyme is denatured.
Abstract 1455:In vivocirculating tumor cells in blood, lymph and cerebrospinal fluid: dynamic cross-correlations and amplification for cancer diagnosis.

We introduced a new platform of multicolor multi-fluid in vivo flow cytometry for real-time ultrasensitive molecular detection and counting of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and their subpopulations the blood, lymph and cerebrospinal fluid9s (CSF) flows. To achieve these goals we integrated multicolor photoacoustic (PA), photothermal (PT) and fluorescent flow cytometry, and combined this technical platform with multiplex molecular targeting strategy using low-toxicity, gold-based functionalized nanoparticles as PA/PT high-contrast agents or genetically encoded proteins (e.g., green fluorescent protein [GFP]) as fluorescent labels. This platform can provide also label-free detection mode using intrinsic (e.g., melanin) molecular labels. The advantages of this new generation of flow cytometries are (1) improving sensitivity by at least a two-order of magnitude compared to available CTC-assays, and (2) significantly extending biomedical applications compared to existing in vivo flow cytometries. Using preclinical tumor-bearing mouse models of metastatic melanoma and breast cancer, and spiked human blood samples, we demonstrated that our technology can overcome great challenge in cancer research related to monitoring lymph, CSF and blood CTCs at single-cell levels in the natural environment in vivo over the long-term period of metastatic disease development from an early micrometastatic stage to deadly multiple macro-metastases. The obtained results allowed us to estimate in vivo cross-correlations between lymph, CSF and blood CTC counts, size of primary tumor and metastasis (micrometastasis) progression. We also showed that the presented approach can break some important diagnostic limitations of existing methods (e.g., low sensitivity) and potentially permits prevention, or at least inhibition, of metastatic progression. Taking into account the safe nature of the PA technology, we anticipate its quick translation for use in humans. Citation Format: Ekaterina I. Galanzha. In vivo circulating tumor cells in blood, lymph and cerebrospinal fluid: dynamic cross-correlations and amplification for cancer diagnosis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1455. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1455 Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.
A YAP/TAZ-Regulated Molecular Signature Is Associated with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent form of cancer that develops from the epithelium of the oral cavity. OSCC is on the rise worldwide, and death rates associated with the disease are particularly high. Despite progress in understanding the mutational and expression landscape associated with OSCC, advances in deciphering these alterations for the development of therapeutic strategies have been limited. Further insight into the molecular cues that contribute to OSCC is therefore required. Here, we show that the transcriptional regulators YAP ( YAP1 ) and TAZ ( WWTR1 ), which are key effectors of the Hippo pathway, drive protumorigenic signals in OSCC. Regions of premalignant oral tissues exhibit aberrant nuclear YAP accumulation, suggesting that dysregulated YAP activity contributes to the onset of OSCC. Supporting this premise, we determined that nuclear YAP and TAZ activity drives OSCC cell proliferation, survival, and migration in vitro , and is required for OSCC tumor growth and metastasis in vivo . Global gene expression profiles associated with YAP and TAZ knockdown revealed changes in the control of gene expression implicated in protumorigenic signaling, including those required for cell cycle progression and survival. Notably, the transcriptional signature regulated by YAP and TAZ significantly correlates with gene expression changes occurring in human OSCCs identified by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), emphasizing a central role for YAP and TAZ in OSCC biology. Implications: This study defines a YAP/TAZ-regulated transcriptional program in OSCC and reveals novel roles for nuclear YAP/TAZ activity in the onset and progression of this cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 13(6); 957–68. ©2015 AACR . This article is featured in Highlights of This Issue, [p. 955][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/13/955?iss=6
A phase II trial of combination chemotherapy and surgical resection for the treatment of metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma: continuous infusion doxorubicin, vincristine, and etoposide with daily mitotane as a P-glycoprotein antagonist.

BACKGROUND Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is rare, nearly always fatal, and to the authors' knowledge has few nonsurgical treatment options. Based on in vitro studies demonstrating the efficacy of mitotane as a P-glycoprotein (Pgp) antagonist, and expression of high levels of Pgp in ACC, the authors conducted a study of infusional doxorubicin, vincristine, and etoposide with oral mitotane ± surgical resection in patients with metastatic ACC. METHODS Thirty-six patients with metastatic ACC received daily oral mitotane (mean, 4.6 g/day) and 96-hour infusional doxorubicin (10 mg/m2/day), etoposide (75 mg/m2/day), and vincristine (0.4 mg/m2/day). Four responding patients (11%) underwent surgery. RESULTS Thirty-five patients were evaluable; all had metastatic disease. Eleven patients had not undergone resection of the primary tumor. Approximately 53% of patients had functional tumors. A total of 190 cycles were administered to 36 patients. Responses were observed in 8 patients (22%): 1 complete, 4 partial, and 3 minor responses. The mean duration of response was 12.4 months. Using a landmark method, the median survival of patients who did not respond to chemotherapy was 11.6 months from a point 4 months after the initiation of therapy, whereas that of 8 patients who demonstrated a response to chemotherapy was 34.3 months from that same landmark. High levels of Pgp expression were documented in nine of nine tumors. Mitotane levels > 10 μg/mL, previously shown to antagonize Pgp in vitro, were achieved in 25 of 36 patients (69%). However, rhodamine efflux from CD56-positive cells was not impaired, suggesting poor in vivo Pgp inhibition. The predominant Grade 3/4 toxicity (according to the Common Toxicity Criteria of the National Cancer Institute) was neutropenia in 66% of cycles; however, fever occurred in only 3% of cycles. Daily mitotane was associated with Grade 1/2 nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, and neuropsychiatric changes in 31 of 36 patients (86%). CONCLUSIONS Using a combination regimen of daily mitotane with infusional doxorubicin, vincristine, and etoposide in patients with metastatic ACC, responses were observed in 22% of patients. The superiority of this combination over single-agent mitotane is uncertain. The side effects of mitotane made treatment difficult. More effective Pgp antagonists are needed. Cancer 2002;94:2333–43. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10487
Care of the Dying by Physicians- in- Training An Example of Participant Observation Research

Participant observation is a method used in qualitative research, where the investigator typically has daily sustained contact with a group of people in their natural setting, observes and particip...
Altered Sympathetic-to-Immune Cell Signaling via β2-Adrenergic Receptors in Adjuvant Arthritis

Adjuvant-induced arthritic (AA) differentially affects norepinephrine concentrations in immune organs, and in vivo β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) agonist treatment distinctly regulates ex vivo cytokine profiles in different immune organs. We examined the contribution of altered β-AR functioning in AA to understand these disparate findings. Twenty-one or 28 days after disease induction, we examined β2-AR expression in spleen and draining lymph nodes (DLNs) for the arthritic limbs using radioligand binding and western blots and splenocyte β-AR-stimulated cAMP production using enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA). During severe disease, β-AR agonists failed to induce splenocyte cAMP production, and β-AR affinity and density declined, indicating receptor desensitization and downregulation. Splenocyte β2-AR phosphorylation (pβ2-AR) by protein kinase A (pβ2-ARPKA) decreased in severe disease, and pβ2-AR by G protein-coupled receptor kinases (pβ2-ARGRK) increased in chronic disease. Conversely, in DLN cells, pβ2-ARPKA rose during severe disease, but fell during chronic disease, and pβ2-ARGRK increased during both disease stages. A similar pβ2-AR pattern in DLN cells with the mycobacterial cell wall component of complete Freund's adjuvant suggests that pattern recognition receptors (i.e., toll-like receptors) are important for DLN pβ2-AR patterns. Collectively, our findings indicate lymphoid organ- and disease stage-specific sympathetic dysregulation, possibly explaining immune compartment-specific differences in β2-AR-mediated regulation of cytokine production in AA and rheumatoid arthritis.
Tensegrity Flight Simulator

Inthispaperweproposeanewmotionsimulatorbasedonatendon-controlledtensegritystructure.Thesimulator isequipped with anonlinearcontrollerthatachievesrobusttrackingofdesired motions.Thecontrollerparameters can be tuned to guarantee tracking to within a prespecie ed tolerance and with a prescribed rate of exponential convergence. The design is verie ed through numerical simulations forspecie clongitudinal motions of a symmetric aircraft.
A lectin-based gold nanoparticle assay for probing glycosylation of glycoproteins

We report a glycoanalysis method in which lectins are used to probe the glycans of therapeutic glycoproteins that are adsorbed on gold nanoparticles. A model mannose-presenting glycoprotein, ribonuclease B (RNase B), and the therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) rituximab, were found to adsorb spontaneously and non-specifically to bare gold nanoparticles such that glycans were accessible for lectin binding. Addition of a multivalent binding lectin, such as concanavalin A (Con A), to a solution of the modified gold nanoparticles resulted in cross-linking of the nanoparticles. This phenomenon was evidenced within 1 min by a change in the hydrodynamic diameter, D(H), measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and a shift and increase in absorbance of the plasmon resonance band of the gold nanoparticles. By combining the sugar-binding specificity and the cross-linking capabilities of lectins, the non-specific adsorption of glycoproteins to gold surfaces, and the unique optical reporting properties of gold nanoparticles, a glycosylation pattern of rituximab could be generated. This assay provides advantages over currently used glycoanalysis methods in terms of short analysis time, simplicity of the conjugation method, convenience of simple spectroscopic detection, and feasibility of providing glycan characterization of the protein drug product by using a variety of binding lectins.
Damping of Tensor Modes in Cosmology

An analytic formula is given for the traceless transverse part of the anisotropic stress tensor due to free streaming neutrinos, and used to derive an integro-differential equation for the propagation of cosmological gravitational waves. The solution shows that anisotropic stress reduces the squared amplitude by 35.6% for wavelengths that enter the horizon during the radiation-dominated phase, independent of any cosmological parameters. This decreases the tensor temperature and polarization correlation functions for these wavelengths by the same amount. The effect is less for wavelengths that enter the horizon at later times. At the longest wavelengths the decrease in the tensor correlation functions due to neutrino free streaming ranges from 10.7% for ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{M}{h}^{2}=0.1$ to 9.0% for ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{M}{h}^{2}=0.15.$ An appendix gives a general proof that tensor as well as scalar modes satisfy a conservation law for perturbations outside the horizon, even when the anisotropic stress tensor is not negligible.
Characterization of the Corrosion Products of Crevice Corroded Alloy 22

The crevice corrosion performance of Alloy 22 was tested under potentiostatic polarization more positive than the repassivation potential in 4 M NaCl solution at 100°C. Under this aggressive condition, crevice corrosion initiated under the crevice contacts and four stages of corrosion behavior were observed: initiation, propagation, stifling (corrosion slowed), and arrest (corrosion stopped). During the exposure, dark green deposits were found on the uncorroded metal surface around the crevice contacts, light green precipitations were found in the test solution, and the solution color changed from clear to light green. After exposure, loose black corrosion products were found under the crevice contacts. Surface analyses at the sites of varying corrosion penetrations showed similar composition depth profiles, and the results indicated that a 3-5 nm thick, chromium-rich oxide film was formed on the alloy surface. The composition depth profiles indicated that the crevice corrosion occurred by a uniform, nonselective dissolution. Surface analysis results showed that the corrosion products in the crevice were rich in O, enriched with Mo and W, and depleted of Ni and Cr relative to the bulk alloy. A solution analysis showed that Ni was the main element dissolved into the solution during the exposure.
Prostaglandin mediation of hemodynamic responses to pulmonary microembolism in rabbits: effects of ibuprofen and meclofenamate

The effect of the cyclooxygenase inhibitors ibuprofen and meclofenamate were studied to assess the role of prostaglandin release in mediating the hemodynamic response to acute pulmonary microembolism in awake rabbits. In Group I (n = 10), a control group receiving only saline infusion, there was no change in pulmonary artery pressure, thermodilution cardiac output, or pulmonary vascular resistance. Group II (n = 12) received sequential intravenous doses of polyacrylamide microspheres averaging 34 μ in diameter, and demonstrated a progressive decrease in cardiac output and stroke volume and increases in pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance. Pretreatment with either ibuprofen (Group III; n = 10) or meclofenamate (Group IV; n = 9) resulted in no change in resting hemodynamics and only minimally altered the effect of microembolism on pulmonary artery pressure. However, both ibuprofen and meclofenamate abolished the microembolism-induced decrease in cardiac output and stroke volume and b...
8×11.5-Gb/s OFDM Transmission over 1000km SSMF using Conventional DFB Lasers and Direct-Detection

We show 8 × 11.5-Gb/s (10-Gb/s after coding) optical OFDM transmission over 1000 km SSMF with conventional DFB lasers and direct-detection. Compared with the coherent-detection using ECL lasers, DFB lasers and direct-detection can significantly reduce the system complexity and cost.
Expert systems: The integrative sales management tool of the future

Personal computer technology has provided a major opportunity to develop revolutionary approaches to the solution of business problems. While applications of artificial intelligence and expert systems are rapidly emerging, few have been developed in the sales management area. Specifically, this paper proposes the creation of an expert system to enhance sales management activities and their coordination with the entire marketing function within an organization.
One-cycle control of three-phase active power filter with vector operation

Active power filters (APFs) provides an effective measure to eliminate the power line harmonic/reactive currents generated by nonlinear loads or by distributed energy sources that are connected to the grid. Active power filters are typically connected in parallel to the harmonic/reactive current sources and cancel the harmonic/reactive components in the line current so that the current flow into and from the grid is sinusoidal and in phase with the grid voltage. Since the APFs process only the harmonic/reactive power, their power-handling capability can be much higher than that of the cascade power-factor-correction methods. In this paper, the one-cycle control method is extended to control three-phase APFs. The proposed control approach employs one integrator with reset along with several logic and linear components to control a voltage-source converter to achieve three-phase unity power factor for the current to and from the power grid. No multipliers or sensors for the load current and the APF inductor current are required. Furthermore, there is no need to calculate the reference for controlling APF inductor current so that complicated digital computation is eliminated. The operation switching frequency is constant that is desirable for industrial applications. The proposed control approach features great simplicity, excellent harmonic/reactive current cancellation, and solid stability. It is a cost-effective solution for power quality control for electronic equipment, buildings, industrial facilities, ships, airplanes, distributed power generation stations, etc. All findings are supported by experimental results.
Determination of helical membrane protein topology using residual dipolar couplings and exhaustive search algorithm: application to phospholamban.

Dipolar waves are distinct hallmarks of both the secondary and tertiary structures of α-helical proteins that are immobilized in membrane bilayers or embedded in anisotropic media. We present a simple, semi-empirical approach that exploits the modulation of the amplitude and average of dipolar waves to determine the topology of α-helical proteins. Moreover, we describe the application of this method for the structural determination of a detergent solubilized membrane protein, phospholamban (PLB) that is involved in calcium regulation of cardiac muscle. When combined with high-resolution solid-state NMR data, this method can serve as a fast route for determining the topology of helical membrane proteins solubilized in detergent micelles.
The alchemy of jargon: etymologies of urologic neologisms. Number 2: basic biochemical nomenclature.

Background As the scientific community is increasingly severed from the study of linguistics, once an imperative for all scholars, the underlying significance of their common technical words is becoming blurred. This series of notes will focus on the etymologies of a series of technical scientific terms pertinent to the biomedical sciences in general and to Urology in particular. Methods These notes will give a detailed background of the history of each technical term, including how it came into being, whence it was derived, and how it impacted the scientific community through the ages. Results In this installment, the following terms will by analyzed: Biology, Biochemistry, Hormone, Protein, Lipid, Carbohydrate, Enzyme, Metabolism, and finally Chemistry. Conclusions This analysis of the history and significance of scientific terms common to the urological community works toward a fortification of their power by offering a reminder of their origins. Prostate 69:231–233, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Young's modulus of [111] germanium nanowires

This paper reports a diameter-independent Young’s modulus of 91.9 ± 8.2 GPa for [111] Germanium nanowires (Ge NWs). When the surface oxide layer is accounted for using a core-shell NW approximation, the YM of the Ge core approaches a near theoretical value of 147.6 ± 23.4 GPa. The ultimate strength of a NW device was measured at 10.9 GPa, which represents a very high experimental-to-theoretical strength ratio of ∼75%. With increasing interest in this material system as a high-capacity lithium-ion battery anode, the presented data provide inputs that are essential in predicting its lithiation-induced stress fields and fracture behavior.
Tumor in the Anterior Thigh

The investing fascia of the thigh forms a strong layer, the fascia lata, thicker on the lateral aspect where it forms the iliotibial tract, and thinner on the medial and posterior aspects. Two intermuscular septa extend between the linea aspera and the fascia lata. The medial septum, between the vastus medialis and the adductors, is thinner and becomes somewhat stronger in the lower part of the thigh. The lateral septum separates the anterior compartment of the thigh from the posterior compartment (the vastus lateralis from the short head of the biceps femoris).
The effects of surface condition on an ultrasonic inspection: Engineering studies using validated computer model

This report documents work on the effects of surface roughness on the reliability of an ultrasonic inservice inspection. The primary objective of this research is to develop ASME Code recommendations in order to limit the adverse effects of a rough surface and thereby increase the reliability of ultrasonic inservice inspections. Engineering studies were conducted that included experimental validation of computer codes. The basic problem associated with a rough surface in an inservice inspection is that as the transducer rotates slightly to accommodate the rough surface, the beam direction in the metal changes and the time of flight of the echo changes as well. One problem is the excessive weld crown, where weld material protrudes above the adjoining surfaces. In this research this condition is modeled by considering a step discontinuity on the top surface. CNDE developed several models of increasing complexity in order to model an inservice inspection. This report describes the validation of four computer codes. These codes were used to mimic an inservice inspection in order to understand effects associated with rotation of the transducer as it traverses a step discontinuity.
Abstract 662: Perivascular Adipose Tissue-derived Prostaglandins Constrict Vessel

Background: Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is associated with reduced response to vasoconstricting agents in the murine vasculature and also in human small arteries, and this anti-contractile effect is reduced in subjects with metabolic syndrome. However, it was suggested that other vasoconstrictors released from PVAT such as leptin or Angiotensin II causes vasoconstriction, suggesting that PVAT has contractile properties as well. Here we show that prostaglandins and adrenalin signaling derived from PVAT contribute to contractile properties of PVAT. Results: The effect of donor PVAT on the vascular tone was evaluated in carotid, thoracic and mesenteric arteries using a myograph chamber in which the PVAT surrounding the tested vessel was completely removed. Fifteen mg of minced PVAT (size of ∼1 mm 3 ) from donor C57BL/6J mice into the myograph chamber results in mild vasoconstriction (1.52±0.6mN) on carotid artery rings. This contractile property of PVAT is effective on vessel rings obtained from the thoracic aorta and mesenteric artery as well. PVAT from leptin knockout mice used as a donor causes vasoconstriction similar to that of wild-type mice (1.55±0.5mN leptin knockout vs. 1.52±0.6mN C57BL/6J mice). Pre-incubation of vessel rings with increasing concentrations of nonspecific COX inhibitor (10 -9 M to 10 -6 M indomethacin) inhibits PVAT-induced constriction in a dose-dependent manner (1.55±0.7mN, 1.41±0.6mN, 1.23±0.5mN, 0.95±0.4mN, 0.56±0.6mN, respectively), suggesting that PVAT-derived prostaglandin are responsible for vascular constriction. Similarly, pre-incubation with alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonists blocks PVAT-dependent vasoconstriction. Carotid artery responses to a series of 10 -7 M phenylephrine (PE) addition/wash out (5x) experiments in the myograph chamber cause alpha-adrenergic desensitization. However, in the presence of donor PVAT, carotid arteries have preserved maximal contraction after 5 rounds of PE addition/wash out experiments. Conclusion: Our studies indicate that PVAT-derived prostaglandins rather than leptin or other adipokines cause vasoconstriction and reduce vascular alpha-adrenergic desensitization.
From arguments to Supreme Court opinions in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

It is June 30, 1992. The Supreme Court handed down its decision yesterday in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and now the analysis and debate over its immediate and longterm impact on abortion law and reproductive rights will begin for legal scholars and political leaders. But for public law specialists in political science, the intellectual curiosity about this case began many months ago, and the announcement of yesterday's decision was only the latest in a string of actions that many had already followed with great interest. In the rush to explain the significance of Casey to the public, the route by which it got to the Court and the arguments that shaped the ultimate result may be easily overlooked and dismissed by some as no longer relevant: what matters now will be to feed the public's appetite for a fastfood explanation of a high-profile case. But to public law specialists, what went before matters very much, indeed. A case is more than its outcome, and the parts that came before deserve some attention for the role they played in contributing to the final result.
An Entomologist in Costa Rica.

Until the separation of Panama as an independent state from Colombia, Costa Rica was the southernmost of the five republics of Central America. It lies between Nicaragua on the north and Panama on the south, from latitude 11° to 8° North. Its general trend is from northwest to southeast, and through its entire length runs a series of peaks, many of them volcanoes, whose greatest altitude is above 12,000 feet. North of the 10th parallel, this chain divides into two branches one of which, extending in a more easterly direction toward the Atlantic, is composed chiefly of the volcanoes Poas (8786 ft.), Barba (9508 ft.), Irazu (11326 ft.) and Turrialba (10965 ft.). The other branch, retaining the southeastward trend, is continued by the Cordillera of Chiriqui in Panama and includes the highest elevations in the country. Along the 10th parallel the distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific is 185 miles, but if we measure to the eastern shore of the Gulf of Nicoya, that is from the port of Limon to Puntarenas, 125 miles. The railroad in making this transit climbs to 5000 feet and this ascent together with its windings increases the actual distance to 175 miles.
Elastic Properties of Artificially Layered Thin Films

Enhancements in the elastic moduli by factors of two or more in compositionally modulated metallic thin films have been observed for a certain range of composition modulation wavelengths. The experimental and theoretical understanding of this phenomenon, known as the supermodulus effect, is reviewed. Also, the mechanical properties of other artificially layered and composite materials are discussed and compared with the behavior of metallic superlattice thin films.
Individual and county level predictors of asthma related emergency department visits among children on Medicaid: A multilevel approach.

ABSTRACTObjective: Disparities in asthma outcomes are well documented in the United States. Interventions to promote equity in asthma outcomes could target factors at the individual and community levels. The objective of this analysis was to understand the effect of individual (race, gender, age, and preventive inhaler use) and county-level factors (demographic, socioeconomic, health care, air-quality) on asthma emergency department (ED) visits among Medicaid-enrolled children. This was a retrospective cohort study of Medicaid-enrolled children with asthma in 29 states in 2009. Multilevel regression models of asthma ED visits were constructed utilizing individual-level variables (race, gender, age, and preventive inhaler use) from the Medicaid enrollment file and county-level variables reflecting population and health system characteristics from the Area Resource File (ARF). County-level measures of air quality were obtained from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data. Results: The primary modifiable ...
Autologous Tumor Infiltrating T Cells Cytotoxic for Follicular Lymphoma Cells Can Be Expanded In Vitro

Follicular lymphomas (FLs) rarely induce clinically significant T-cell–mediated responses. We showed that freshly isolated tumor infiltrating T cells (T-TILs) lack tumor-specific cytotoxicity. Stimulation of these T cells with FL cells in the presence of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and/or costimulation via CD28 does not lead to T-cell activation and expansion. In contrast, when stimulated with FL cells preactivated via CD40, autologous T-TILs can be expanded by the addition of exogenous IL-2. These T cells can be further expanded in vitro by the addition of exogenous IL-4, IL-7, or interferon-γ, but not IL-12. Once activated, these T cells showed FL-directed cytotoxicity in four of five patients tested. We concluded that autologous cytotoxic anti-FL–specific T cells exist, but can only be detected in vitro under optimized conditions for T-cell stimulation and expansion. This suggests that their frequency in vivo is either very low or that the microenvironment does not provide the necessary signals to activate these T cells. This model system allows dissection of the requisite conditions for activation and expansion of lymphoma-directed cytotoxicity and may permit expansion of previously activated cytotoxic T cells for adoptive transfer.
More INPUT/OUTPUT

The maximum number of characters that a memory location can accommodate varies with the type of computer being used. Therefore, if someone wants their program to be able to run on a variety of computers and if alphanumeric characters are being read and printed, then each character should be read and written using the field specification A1. A drawback of this method is that the three rightmost locations in a word are not used. In a CHARACTER statement, the maximum number of characters wished to be assigned to each CHARACTER variable can be specified. A maximum of 256 characters can be assigned to a CHARACTER variable. By following a variable with an asterisk and an integer, the maximum number of characters that can be assigned to the variable can be specified. If a variable is not followed by an asterisk and an integer, then the maximum number of characters that can be assigned to it is one.
High efficiency organo-metal halide perovskite devices by spray and brush solution-processing methods

T recent emergence of efficient organic/inorganic lead halide perovskite compounds which are easy to fabricate, have better stability, and possess superior power conversion efficiency have shown the potential to transform photo-voltaics technology. These are very promising in transforming the fields of dye-sensitized, organic, and thin film solar cells. In this research, a versatile solution-processing method called “Spray+Brush” (SB) has been adopted to achieve a power-conversion efficiency of 3.52% for photo-voltaics by incorporating organo-metal halide perovskite absorbers. It has been observed that this method is more efficient and cost effective than the perovskite devices fabricated by spray (1.95%) and brush (1.17%) methods when used alone. The SB method of solution processing can be promising for various other organic coatings.
Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

dLSS is a clinical definition which describes a small spinal canal diameter commensurate with standing and walking limitations due to back and/or leg pain.
p53 pathway determines the cellular response to alcohol-induced DNA damage in MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Alcohol consumption is associated with increased breast cancer risk; however, the underlying mechanisms that contribute to mammary tumor initiation and progression are unclear. Alcohol is known to induce oxidative stress and DNA damage; likewise, p53 is a critical modulator of the DNA repair pathway and ensures genomic integrity. p53 mutations are frequently detected in breast and other tumors. The impact of alcohol on p53 is recognized, yet the role of p53 in alcohol-induced mammary carcinogenesis remains poorly defined. In our study, we measured alcohol-mediated oxidative DNA damage in MCF-7 cells using 8-OHdG and p-H2AX foci formation assays. p53 activity and target gene expression after alcohol exposure were determined using p53 luciferase reporter assay, qPCR, and Western blotting. A mechanistic study delineating the role of p53 in DNA damage response and cell cycle arrest was based on isogenic MCF-7 cells stably transfected with control (MCF-7/Con) or p53-targeting siRNA (MCF-7/sip53), and MCF-7 cells that were pretreated with Nutlin-3 (Mdm2 inhibitor) to stabilize p53. Alcohol treatment resulted in significant DNA damage in MCF-7 cells, as indicated by increased levels of 8-OHdG and p-H2AX foci number. A p53-dependent signaling cascade was stimulated by alcohol-induced DNA damage. Moderate to high concentrations of alcohol (0.1–0.8% v/v) induced p53 activation, as indicated by increased p53 phosphorylation, reporter gene activity, and p21/Bax gene expression, which led to G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Importantly, compared to MCF-7/Con cells, alcohol-induced DNA damage was significantly enhanced, while alcohol-induced p21/Bax expression and cell cycle arrest were attenuated in MCF-7/sip53 cells. In contrast, inhibition of p53 degradation via Nutlin-3 reinforced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in MCF-7 control cells. Our study suggests that functional p53 plays a critical role in cellular responses to alcohol-induced DNA damage, which protects the cells from DNA damage associated with breast cancer risk.
On-Board Diagnostic and Fault Detection Strategies for an Automotive Three-Way Catalyst

Abstract This work presents model-based strategies for on-board catalyst monitoring and fault detection using a simplified catalyst oxygen storage and reversible deactivation modeL The performance of the catalyst is inferred from the error between the post-catalyst exhaust gas oxygen sensor measurement and the model predicted value. Each of these strategies is based on the use of some test statistic that is computed from a window of post-catalyst prediction error data updated in real-time. A fault is reported when the value of this statistic exceeds a threshold that is determined from some specified confidence level. We conclude with an evaluation of these strategies
Survey Research Methods

A survey is a system for collecting valid information from or about people to describe, compare, or explain their knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. The system consists of interrelated activities that include defining precise survey objectives, writing appropriate questions and response choices, selecting respondents, and preparing a reliable and valid survey instrument. This article discusses the how the questions and responses should be stated and organized to meet the survey's objectives and the advantages and disadvantages of differing survey types such as self-administered written and online surveys and interviews. The article also addresses survey sampling, response rate, and measurement reliability and validity.
Building a Living, Breathing Archive: A Review of Appraisal Theories and Approaches for Web Archives

The paper provides a review of published literature on the collection and development of Web archives, focusing specifically on the theories, techniques, tools, and approaches used to appraise Web-based materials for inclusion in collections. Facing an enormous amount of Web-based materials, archival institutions and other cultural heritage institutions need to devise methods to actively select Webpages for preservation, creating Web archives that constitute a cultural record of the Web for the benefit of users. This review outlines the challenges of collecting and appraising Web-based materials, places the theories and activities of collecting Web-based materials within the broader discourse of archival appraisal, and points out directions for future research and critical discourse for Web archives.
Emerging second language writing identity and complex dynamic writing

Complex Dynamic Systems theory (CDS) has been widely used in the field of second-language acquisition (SLA). While adopting CDS to investigate second language writing (L2W) research, second languag...