cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
279 The change of complement regulatory proteins and disease activity of systemic lupus erytheromatosus

Background and aims Complement activation is one of the important pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and it has been revealed to associate with the activity of SLE. Complement regulatory proteins (CRPs) play critical roles on the regulation of alternative complement pathway, however, studies focus on the CRPs during SLE flare-up remains limited. This study was to investigate the change of CRPs and end products of compliment activation on active and remission phases of SLE. Methods Forty paediatric SLE patients were enrolled. The clinical manifestation, laboratory data, and serum CRPs, C5a, and C5b-9 on active and remission phases were analysed. Results The mean age of patients was 13.9±3.8 years with female predominant (7:1). The mean renal and non-renal SLEDAI at active and remission phases were 4.25 vs 0.45 and 8.32 vs 1.25, respectively. Fever, rash, and arthritis were the most common features and kidney was the most common involved organ at active phase. The mean serum complement factor H and I levels at active phase were significantly lower than that at remission phase. The mean serum CD46 level at active phase was higher significantly compared with that at remission phase. The serum C5a and C5b-9 at active and remission phases were no significant difference. Five patients had sequelae including 1 intracranial haemorrhage and 4 chronic kidney disease. Conclusions Serum complement factor H, I and CD46, but not C5a and C5b-9 were associated with disease activity of SLE.
Shape-dependent surface magnetism of Co-Pt and Fe-Pt nanoparticles from first principles

In this paper, we have performed the first-principles density functional theory calculations to predict the magnetic properties of the CoPt and FePt nanoparticles in cuboctahedral, decahedral, and icosahedral shapes. The modeled alloy nanoparticles have a diameter of 1.1 nm and consist of 31 $5d$ Pt atoms and 24 $3d$ Co (or Fe) atoms. For both CoPt and FePt, we found that the decahedral nanoparticles had appreciably lower surface magnetic moments than the cuboctahedral and icosahedral nanoparticles. Our analysis indicated that this reduction in the surface magnetism was related to a large contraction of atomic spacing and high local Co (or Fe) concentration in the surface of the decahedral nanoparticles. More interestingly, we predicted that the CoPt and FePt cuboctahedral nanoparticles exhibited dramatically different surface spin structures when noncollinear magnetism was taken into account. Our calculation results revealed that surface anisotropy energy decided the fashion of surface spin canting in the CoPt and FePt nanoparticles, confirming previous predictions from atomistic Monte Carlo simulations.
Residency Training: The need for an integrated diversity curriculum for neurology residency.

Background: Providing culturally responsive care to an increasingly multicultural population is essential and requires formal cultural humility training for residents. We sought to understand the current prevalence and need for this type of training within neurology programs and to pilot an integrated curriculum locally. Needs assessment: We surveyed via email all program directors of academic neurology programs nationally regarding the prevalence of and need for formal cultural responsiveness training. Forty-seven program directors (36%) responded to the survey. The majority of respondents did not have a formalized diversity curriculum in their program (65%), but most (85%) believed that training in cultural responsiveness was important. Program description: We developed locally an integrated diversity curriculum as a proof of concept. The curriculum covered topics of diversity in language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, and socioeconomic status designed to focus on the needs of the local community. Program evaluation included a pre and post survey of the learner attitudes toward cultural diversity. Future directions: There is an unmet need for cultural responsiveness training within neurology residencies, and integrating this curriculum is both feasible and efficacious. When adapted to address cultural issues of the local community, this curriculum can be generalizable to both academic and community organizations.
Bidirectional Associations Between Eating and Alcohol Use During Restricted Intake

Many individuals seek to improve their health by restricting intake of alcohol or food. This paper critically examines the existing literature on how restricted alcohol use may increase eating and, reciprocally, how restricted eating may increase alcohol use. Prior non-human animal research suggests that (a) alcohol deprivation causes increased eating behavior and (b) food deprivation causes increased alcohol use. Preliminary observational findings suggest that these effects translate to humans. Future experimental research is needed to identify for whom, for how long, why, and for what specific eating and drinking behaviors these bidirectional effects emerge. We provide a hypothesis-generating tool to guide future research. Understanding bidirectional associations between eating and alcohol use during restricted intake requires additional research. This research may have important treatment implications for multiple health behavior change interventions as well as treatment for alcohol use and eating disorders including addictions.
Prediction of online social networks users' behaviors with a game theoretic approach

As the number of users on social media platforms increases, a problem of great significance becomes clear: the increasing amount of negativity within the communities. We create a game that has two social media users, or players, trying to extend their outreach while keeping a positive community. Using five variables collected from 50 Instagram profiles, we create cost and payoff functions for the decision making part of the game. We implement those functions and make several discoveries: contrary to popular belief, the comments and negative comment percentages are not correlated; the number of followers directly impacted the number of likes on a user's posts; the cost function output increases with the payoff function output in a strong positive correlation; and that an increase in the number of followers number increase on an account results in an increase in number of comments.
Flying to Fail: Costly Signals and Air Power in Crisis Bargaining

Theories of crisis bargaining suggest that military mobilizations act as costly signals of resolve, increasing the credibility of coercive threats. In this article, I argue that air mobilizations, ...
Assessing delay and barriers to risk-reducing surgery in women with BRCA mutations.

5564Background: The NCCN recommends risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) for women with BRCA mutations by age 35-40 or upon completion of childbearing. We previously reported that RRSO was be...
Demographic variation of Ki67 and its relation with prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer: A single-center pilot project.

e11539 Background: Ki-67 is a proliferation marker expressed during cell cycle. ASCO does not recommend this biomarker to be done routinely in breast cancer. As triple negative breast cancer lacks ...
“Easy Living”: From The Price of Salt (78) to Carol (EP)

This chapter adopts a musical structure in order to riff on the representation of desire and sexuality in Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt and Todd Haynes’s adaptation, Carol (2015). While the A side of the first ‘record’ glosses Billie Holiday’s recordings of “Easy Living”, the B side delineates Highsmith’s recourse to “Easy Living” in her novel. The second, ‘extended playing’ record (EP) charts, via a series of four ‘cuts’, the progression of Therese and Carol’s affair in Carol. The coda reflects on Anthony Minghella’s recourse to the classical European music in his 1999 adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley and the import of this source music in order to point up Haynes’s use of popular American music in the conclusion to Carol.
History of concussion and risk of subsequent injury in athletes and service members: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Risk of secondary injury after a primary concussion in sports and military contexts is an emerging area of interest in research. The purpose of this review was to provide an evidence synthesis describing risk of injury in athletic and military populations with and without a history of concussion. Electronic database searches were completed through September 7, 2018 in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL and SCOPUS. Peer-reviewed observational studies of any design with participants who were athletes or service members; measured the outcome of any type of injury; and compared injury between those with and without a history of concussion were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Q-Coh II. Twenty-seven articles were included. Seventeen meta-analyses were completed for risk of any injury, risk of concussion, and risk of extremity injury using odds, hazard, and rate ratios. The results indicate significantly increased odds of all injuries (OR = 2.55; 95%CI 1.85,3.52); concussion (OR = 3.73; 95%CI 2.41,5.78); and lower extremity injuries (OR = 1.60; 95%CI 1.32,1.94) in those with a history of concussion compared to those without. Additional analyses reveal this increased risk is apparent when looking at time to event data and rate of injury based on number of exposures. While the reasons for the increased incidence of secondary injury associated with a concussion are not yet understood, there are potentially behavioral attributes and motor control deficits that contribute. It is suggested that research is needed to determine if active therapeutic treatment for disturbances in sensorimotor and neuromotor control after concussion could attenuate the increased risk for injury.
Liquid biopsy using the nanotube-CTC-chip: capture of invasive CTCs with high purity using preferential adherence in breast cancer patients

In this paper, we report the development of the nanotube-CTC-chip for isolation of tumor-derived epithelial cells (circulating tumor cells, CTCs) from peripheral blood, with high purity, by exploiting the physical mechanisms of preferential adherence of CTCs on a nanotube surface. The nanotube-CTC-chip is a new 76-element microarray technology that combines carbon nanotube surfaces with microarray batch manufacturing techniques for the capture and isolation of tumor-derived epithelial cells. Using a combination of red blood cell (RBC) lysis and preferential adherence, we demonstrate the capture and enrichment of CTCs with a 5-log reduction of contaminating WBCs. EpCAM negative MDA-MB-231/luciferase-2A-green fluorescent protein (GFP) cells were spiked in the blood of wild mice and enriched using an RBC lysis protocol. The enriched samples were then processed using the nanotube-CTC-chip for preferential CTC adherence on the nanosurface and counting the GFP cells yielded anywhere from 89% to 100% capture from the droplets. Electron microscopy (EM) studies showed focal adhesion with filaments from the cell body to the nanotube surface. We compared the nanotube preferential adherence to collagen adhesion matrix (CAM) scaffolding, reported as a viable strategy for CTC capture in patients. The CAM scaffolding on the device surface yielded 50% adherence with 100% tracking of cancer cells (adhered vs. non-adhered) versus carbon nanotubes with >90% adherence and 100% tracking for the same protocol. The nanotube-CTC-chip successfully captured CTCs in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients (stage 1-4) with a range of 4-238 CTCs per 8.5 ml blood or 0.5-28 CTCs per ml. CTCs (based on CK8/18, Her2, EGFR) were successfully identified in 7/7 breast cancer patients, and no CTCs were captured in healthy controls (n = 2). CTC enumeration based on multiple markers using the nanotube-CTC-chip enables dynamic views of metastatic progression and could potentially have predictive capabilities for diagnosis and treatment response.
Design of Nonpeptidal Ligands for a Peptide Receptor: Cholecystokinin Antagonists.

Coupling of the benzophenones (I) with D-tryptophan methyl ester hydrochloride (II) gives the benzodiazepinones (III).
When to vaccinate a fluctuating wildlife population: Is timing everything?

Wildlife vaccination is an important tool for managing the burden of infectious disease in human populations, domesticated livestock and various iconic wildlife. Although substantial progress has been made in the field of vaccine designs for wildlife, there is a gap in our understanding of how to time wildlife vaccination, relative to host demography, to best protect a population. We use a mathematical model and computer simulations to assess the outcomes of vaccination campaigns that deploy vaccines once per annual population cycle. Optimal timing of vaccination is an important consideration in animals with short to intermediate life spans and a short birthing season. Vaccines that are deployed shortly after the birthing season best protect the host population. The importance of timing is greater in wildlife pathogens that have a high rate of transmission and a short recovery period. Vaccinating at the end of the birthing season best reduces the mean abundance of pathogen‐infected hosts. Delaying vaccination until later in the year can facilitate pathogen elimination. Policy Implications. Tuning wildlife vaccination campaigns to host demography and pathogen traits can substantially increase the effectiveness of a campaign. Our results suggest that, for a fluctuating population, vaccinating at, or shortly after, the end of the birthing season, best protects the population against an invading pathogen. If the pathogen is already endemic, delaying vaccination until after the birthing season is over can help facilitate pathogen elimination. Our results highlight the need to better understand and predict host demography in wildlife populations that are targeted for vaccination.
Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus Infection by Number of Vaccine Doses Among US Women

More than a decade after the introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the United States, only 51.1% of adolescents have completed the vaccine series, while a greater number (68.1%) received at least 1 dose.1 The suboptimal series completion rate in the United States is partly attributable to the barriers, including unawareness of or forgetting the need for additional doses, lack of insurance coverage or health care professional recommendations, and less frequent contact with the medical system.2,3 To simplify the recommendations, trials are evaluating the efficacy of a single-dose regimen.4 In this study, we investigated HPV infection prevalence among women by number of vaccine doses received.
The Use of Nonspeech Oral Motor Exercises in the Treatment of Children With Cleft Palate: A Re-Examination of Available Evidence

Purpose The purpose of this tutorial is to re-examine the current literature on nonspeech oral motor exercise (NSOME) in general and its use in the treatment of children with cleft palate specifically and provide a best practice recommendation. Method The Population Intervention Comparison Outcome process was used to investigate the clinical question. This systematic framework identifies the clinical population, evaluates the intervention(s) applied to the population, assesses the results of interventions, and delineates the outcome. A literature search, which examined developmental research, applied clinical research, and systematic treatment reviews, was conducted for this purpose. Results The literature reviewed herein suggests that, on a number of different levels, the implementation of NSOMEs does not result in positive communication outcomes for children with cleft palate who present with velopharyngeal dysfunction or compensatory speech errors. Conclusion Based on the current review, there is no empirical support for the use of NSOME as a direct or adjunct treatment for velopharyngeal dysfunction or compensatory speech errors. Appropriate treatments for these communication disorders include surgical, dental, and speech-based interventions.
Arches of St John’s

This photograph depicts a gateway at the Oud Sint-Janshospitaal, a medieval Flemish hospital. This hospital was open to the poor and sick, helping to make health care accessible to the surrounding community. Just as it was in the Middle Ages, health care access is a salient issue today.
Social Movements Against Racist Police Brutality and Department of Justice Intervention in Prince George's County

Racist police brutality has been systemic within Prince George's County Maryland. The victims include African Americans, the mentally challenged, and the immigrant populations creating a complex and uneven public health impact. Three threads characterize the social movements and intervention since 1970.First, a significant demographic shift occurred as African Americans became the majority population in the late 1980's when the first Black County Executive was elected in 1994. Despite the change in political leadership, police brutality remained rampant. Lower-income households located close to the District of Columbia and "inside the beltway" experienced the most police brutality. In 2001 the Washington Post revealed that between 1990 and 2000, Prince George's police shot and killed more citizens per officer than any of the 50 largest city and county law enforcement agencies in the country 84% of whom were Black. Of the 147 persons shot during the 1990's, 12 were mentally and/or emotionally disturbed; six of these shootings were fatal.Second, resistance to police brutality emerged in a variety of political formations throughout the period, especially in the late 1990s. Sustained community pressure prompted the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open a civil rights investigation of the police department in November 2000. To avoid a potential federal lawsuit, the county leadership negotiated a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the DOJ to enact policy reforms, part of which called for supplementing the departmental mobile crisis team, comprised of mental health care professionals, to respond to all cases involving mentally challenged citizens.Third, the incomplete process of change subsequent to the ending of five years of DOJ oversight suggests a continued challenge to social movements opposing police brutality.This study focuses on the effectiveness of the MOA along with the activism of the People's Coalition for Police Accountability (PCPA) in reforming a culture of police brutality. The intensive oversight by the DOJ, combined with engaged citizen activism reduced the incidences of police brutality during the period 2004-2013. Since the termination of DOJ oversight, disturbing developments suggest the need for continued and sustained activism. Since 2010, county officers have fatally shot 14 people, several in questionable circumstances. At the same time, the Prince George's police department has received more tactical military weaponry than any other jurisdiction in the state of Maryland under the 1033 program of the National Defense Authorization Act.
Enhancing the sensitivity of an atom interferometer to the Heisenberg limit using increased quantum noise

In a conventional atomic interferometer employing N atoms, the phase sensitivity is at the standard quantum limit: 1/N. Under usual spin squeezing, the sensitivity is increased by lowering the quantum noise. It is also possible to increase the sensitivity by leaving the quantum noise unchanged while producing phase amplification. Here we show how to increase the sensitivity, to the Heisenberg limit of 1/N, while increasing the quantum noise by N and amplifying the phase by a factor of N. Because of the enhancement of the quantum noise and the large phase magnification, the effect of excess noise is highly suppressed. The protocol uses a Schrodinger cat state representing a maximally entangled superposition of two collective states of N atoms. The phase magnification occurs when we use either atomic state detection or collective state detection; however, the robustness against excess noise occurs only when atomic state detection is employed. We show that for one version of the protocol, the signal amplitude is N when N is even, and is vanishingly small when N is odd, for both types of detection. We also show how the protocol can be modified to reverse the nature of the signal for odd versus even values of N. Thus, for a situation where the probability of N being even or odd is equal, the net sensitivity is within a factor of 2 of the Heisenberg limit. Finally, we discuss potential experimental constraints for implementing this scheme via one-axis-twist squeezing employing the cavity feedback scheme, and show that the effects of cavity decay and spontaneous emission are highly suppressed because of the increased quantum noise and the large phase magnification inherent to the protocol. As a result, we find that the maximum improvement in sensitivity can be close to the ideal limit for as many as 10 million atoms.
Evaluation of the effect comorbid Parkinson syndrome on normal pressure hydrocephalus assessment.

Abstract Objective The primary aim of the study was to assess the effect comorbid Parkinson syndromes have on results of CSF tap test (TT) and shunt outcomes for patients presenting with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). We hypothesized that patients with possible NPH and comorbid Parkinson syndromes with Positive DaT scans will not respond to CSF TT at the same rate as patients without comorbid Parkinson syndromes. Additionally, we followed a small number of patients with positive DaT scans who were shunted to assess long term outcome of comorbid Parkinson syndromes. Methods Medical records and neurological exams of 251 patients were reviewed. In our analysis 101 patients with no parkinsonian symptoms and no DaT scans were included as a control group, there were 52 patients with DaT scans, 31 patients were positive (DaT-P). Gait measures were assessed before and after CSF TT using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test or paired t-tests were used. To compare the effect of DaT-P and Control, we used an ANCOVA controlling for age, sex, assistive device used, and past medical history effecting gait. Results There was not a significant difference in response between Control and DaT-P group. The Control group improved on timed up and go (TUG) by 14.82%, DualTUG 16.35%, 10-meter Walk Test (10MWT) 18.13%, MiniBEST 15.91%, and 6-minute Walk Test (6MWT) 13.96%, while the DaT-P group improved on TUG by 14.93%, DualTUG 17.24%, 10MWT 22.68%, MiniBEST 18.07%, and 6MWT 16.06%. Conclusion Our findings suggest that patients with possible NPH and suspected comorbid movement disorder, showed similar improvement after diagnostic CSF TT compared to participants with no parkinsonian symptoms present on exam. Data availability statement Data relevant to the study will be made available from the corresponding author upon a reasonable request.
An analysis of general-audience and Black news sites’ coverage of African American issues during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study has compared the news coverage of African American issues during the COVID-19 pandemic between general-interest online newspapers and Black news sites. Compared with COVID-19 pandemic ne...
Excess low-temperature specific heat in K0.3MoO3.

The thermal conductivity and specific heat of the charge-density-wave compound ${\mathrm{K}}_{0.3}$Mo${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ have been measured between 0.1 and 1 K. The thermal conductivity is typical of a good crystal, while the specific-heat measurements show an excess contribution which is linear in temperature and corresponds to approximately 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{20}$ states/eV ${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$. This excess specific heat indicates significant randomness, in spite of good stoichiometry and crystal quality. We speculate that the phase distortions of the randomly pinned charge-density wave are responsible for the excess low-lying excitations.
Multimaterial chalcogenide fibers and devices for the mid-IR

Chalcogenide glass fibers offer a fruitful playground for mid-infrared nonlinear optics but are hampered by mechanical fragility and high chromatic dispersion. I review recent efforts on novel of chalcogenide fibers that address these perennial issues.
Modeling within-die spatial correlation effects for process-design co-optimization

Within-die spatial correlation of device parameter values caused by manufacturing variations has a significant impact on circuit performance. Based on experimental and simulation results, we: (1) characterize the spatial correlation of gate length over a full-field range of horizontal and vertical separation; (2) develop a rudimentary spatial correlation model; and (3) investigate its impact an the variability of circuit performance.
Network-level analysis of metabolic regulation in the human red blood cell using random sampling and singular value decomposition.

Extreme pathways (ExPas) have been shown to be valuable for studying the functions and capabilities of metabolic networks through characterization of the null space of the stoichiometric matrix (S). Singular value decomposition (SVD) of the ExPa matrix P has previously been used to characterize the metabolic regulatory problem in the human red blood cell (hRBC) from a network perspective. The calculation of ExPas is NP-hard, and for genome-scale networks the computation of ExPas has proven to be infeasible. Therefore an alternative approach is needed to reveal regulatory properties of steady state solution spaces of genome-scale stoichiometric matrices. We show that the SVD of a matrix (W) formed of random samples from the steady-state solution space of the hRBC metabolic network gives similar insights into the regulatory properties of the network as was obtained with SVD of P. This new approach has two main advantages. First, it works with a direct representation of the shape of the metabolic solution space without the confounding factor of a non-uniform distribution of the extreme pathways and second, the SVD procedure can be applied to a very large number of samples, such as will be produced from genome-scale networks. These results show that we are now in a position to study the network aspects of the regulatory problem in genome-scale metabolic networks through the use of random sampling. Contact: palsson@ucsd.edu
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FUNCTIONAL COMPLEXITY AND THE MOLECULAR ORGANIZATION OF THE ANTENNAPEDIA LOCUS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

The Antp locus is involved in the development of the thorax of the larval and adult Drosophila. The absence of Antp + function during embryogenesis results in the larval mesothorax exhibiting characteristics of the prothorax and an ensuing lethality; the loss of Antp+ function in the development of the adult thorax causes specific portions of the leg, wing and humeral imaginal discs to develop abnormally. Every Antp mutation, however, does not cause all of these developmental defects. Certain mutant alleles disrupt humeral and wing disc development without affecting leg development, and they are not deficient for the wild-type function required during embryogenesis. Other Antp mutations result in abnormal legs, but do not alter dorsal thoracic development. Mutations of each type can complement to produce a normal adult fly, which suggests that there are at least two discrete functional units within the locus. This hypothesis is supported by the fact that each of the developmental defects arises from the alteration of a different physical region within the Antp DNA. These observations indicate that the complete developmental role of the Antp locus is defined by the spatial and temporal regulation of the expression of several individual functional units.
Oxidative coupling of methane I. Behavior and characteristics of PbMgO catalysts

The role of the lead active species has been studied for PbMgO catalysts in the oxidative coupling of methane. In general, the effect of adding lead to MgO was to increase the rate of total methane conversion. The C2 selectivity exhibited a volcano-type pattern with a maximum of 51% being achieved at about 0.4 at.% Pb. This volcano-type behavior is interpreted in terms of an “isolated site”-type mechanism. Addition of PbO in small amounts to a relatively inert MgO matrix results in the formation of a number of isolated strong oxidizing sites which can generate the methyl radicals more efficiently. Since these sites are isolated, the methyl radical has little likelihood of being further oxidized and can desorb into the gas phase where it can couple to form ethane. Surface and bulk characterization studies of the catalysts suggest that at low loadings the lead is indeed highly dispersed on the surface of the catalyst.
Role of two active site Glu residues in the molecular action of botulinum neurotoxin endopeptidase.

Abstract Botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) light chain (LC) is a zinc endopeptidase that causes neuroparalysis by blocking neurotransmitter release at the neuromuscular junctions. The X-ray crystal structure of the toxin reveals that His223 and His227 of the Zn 2+ binding motif HEXXH directly coordinate the active site zinc. Two Glu residues (Glu224 and Glu262) are also part of the active site, with Glu224 coordinating the zinc via a water molecule whereas Glu262 coordinates the zinc directly as the fourth ligand. In the past we have investigated the topographical role of Glu224 by replacing it with Asp thus reducing the side chain length by 1.4 A that reduced the endopeptidase activity dramatically [L. Li, T. Binz, H. Niemann, and B.R. Singh, Probing the role of glutamate residue in the zinc-binding motif of type A botulinum neurotoxin light chain, Biochemistry 39 (2000) 2399–2405]. In this study we have moved the Glu 224 laterally by a residue (HXEXH) to assess its positional influence on the endopeptidase activity, which was completely lost. The functional implication of Glu262 was investigated by replacing this residue with aspartate and glutamine using site-directed mutagenesis. Substitution of Glu262 with Asp resulted in a 3-fold decrease in catalytic efficiency. This mutation did not induce any significant structural alterations in the active site and did not interfere with substrate binding. Substitution of Glu262 with Gln however, dramatically impaired the enzymatic activity and this is accompanied by global alterations in the active site conformation in terms of topography of aromatic amino acid residues, zinc binding, and substrate binding, resulting from the weakened interaction between the active site zinc and Gln. These results suggest a pivotal role of the negatively charged carboxyl group of Glu262 which may play a critical role in enhancing the stability of the active site with strong interaction with zinc. The zinc may thus play structural role in addition to its catalytic role.
Anomalous cleavage of aspartyl-proline peptide bonds during amino acid sequence determinations.

Abstract Aspartyl-proline peptide bonds have been found to be hydrolyzed during exposure to low pH values under conditions where other aspartyl bonds are stable. The mechanism of this hydrolytic reaction is concluded to proceed via intramolecular catalysis by carboxylate anion displacement of the protonated nitrogen of the peptide bond. The enhanced rate with proline as compared to other amino acids is undoubtedly due to the greater basicity of the proline nitrogen.
The relative reactivity of deoxyribose and ribose: Did DNA come before RNA?

If it is assumed that there was a precursor to the ribose-phosphate backbone of RNA in the preRNA world (such as peptide nucleic acid), then the entry of various sugars into the genetic material may be related to the stability and non-enzymatic reactivity of the aldose. The rate of decomposition of 2-deoxyribose has been determined to be 1/3 that of ribose. In addition we have measured the amount of free aldehyde by H-1 and C-13 NMR and find that it has approximately 0.15% free aldehyde compared to 0.05% for ribose at 25 C. This suggests that deoxyribose would be significantly more reactive with early bases in the absence of enzymes. This is confirmed by urazole and deoxyribose reacting to form the deoxynucleoside 45 times faster as 25 C than urazole reacts with ribose to form the Ribonucleoside. Urazole is a potential precursor of uracil and is a plausible prebiotic compound which reacts with aldoses to form nucleosides. Thus the non-enzymatic reactivity of deoxyribose would favor its early use over ribose until enzymes could change the relative reactivities. Most of the reasons that RNA is presumed to have come before DNA are extrapolations back from contemporary metabolism (e.g. the abundance of ribose based coenzymes, the biosynthesis of histidine, deoxyribonucleotides are synthesized from ribonucleotides, etc.). It is very difficult to reconstruct biochemical pathways much before the last common ancestor, and it is even more difficult to do more than guess at the biochemistry of very early self-replicating systems. Thus we believe that these reasons are not compelling and that the non-enzymatic chemistry may be more important than enzymatic pathways for constructing the earliest of biochemical pathways. While the RNA world has been discussed at great length, there has not been an exploration of the transition out of the RNA world. We have constructed many possible schemes of genetic takeover events from preRNA to modern DNA, RNA, protein system which could generate the RNA metabolic fossils we see today.
A comparative analysis of different methods for routine blood component preparation.

A PPROXIMATELY 50 million units of blood are collected worldwide and separated into components each year. The consistent preparation of red cell concentrate (RCC), fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and platelet concentrates (PC) containing the maximum amounts of therapeutic blood elements and minimum amounts of unwanted residual cells are common goals of component preparation. Routinely, whole blood is collected into simple primary anticoagulant/nutrient solutions such as ACD, CPD, or CP2D, and centrifuged to separate the plasma or platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and the red cells are then diluted with an additive solution (AS) that contains red cell-specific nutrients. 1,2 Residual leukocytes have been identified both as the source of microaggregates and the enzymes that damage red cell membranes in the absence of plasma inhibitor. Therefore, red cell additives used in Europe were optimized for buffy coat (BC)depleted red cell storage, whereas in North America similar red cell quality was achieved without this step. 3-8 A variety of component separation techniques have evolved to satisfy different preparation priorities. Processing variables relevant to these techniques are summarized in Table 1. Broadly, these variables reflect a desire either to optimize BC separation and maximize plasma harvest or to maximize cellular recovery commensurate with acceptable plasma harvest. In North America red blood cells (RBC) are mixed directly with AS, whereas in Europe the RBC are first depleted of the BC before AS addition. 44 To maximize factor VIII yield, minimize 2,3, diphosphoglycerate (DPG) loss, and avoid the potential for bacterial growth during the whole blood hold period, platelet and
Temperature-field reconstruction for the application of prostate cryosurgery

This study is a part of an ongoing effort to develop means to monitor the temperature field during minimally invasive cryosurgery — the destruction of undesired tissues by freezing. In particular, this study focuses on developing a method for temperature-field reconstruction based on data obtained from an array of wireless implantable temperature sensors. Results of this study indicate that the implantable sensors can potentially improve cryosurgery monitoring. Results of this study further demonstrate that the location of the lethal temperature can be identified, which represents an unmet need in current cryosurgery practice.
Temperature dependent splitting of the 59Co hyperfine field in GdCo2

Abstract We have studied the temperature dependence of the 59Co NMR in the magnetically ordered state in GdCo2 between 1.3 K and 335 K. A clearly resolved splitting in the 59Co spectrum is observed to occur at 200 K. This splitting is interpreted as due to a change in easy axis from [100] to a detection which is not a major symmetry axis. Furthermore, a sharp change in the intensity ratio of the two clearly resolved lines in the spectrum occurs at about 300 K.
Modelling the economics of animal health control programs using dynamic programming

Abstract A new application of an optimization tool, dynamic programming (DP), is described to model the economics of animal health control programs. To demonstrate the value of this technique, a model is applied to determine optimal net benefits of controlling East Coast fever (ECF) in Malawi Zebu cattle in the Lilongwe plateau. The objective function was the present value of net benefits due to treatment, defined as mortality savings minus treatment costs. Mortality savings were based on decreased mortality from ECF following treatment. Model constraints included herd size, animal (herd) nutritional requirements, and program budget. Treatment options were tank dipping in acaricide, and vaccination. Secondary data from a dipping trial of 1800 Malawi Zebu cattle conducted from 1991 to 1994 were used to determine probabilities of mortality. Total optimal net benefits of long-term treatment (25 years, i = 10%) from vaccination (Malawi Kwacha (MK) 21 069) exceeded benefits for treatment with chlorfenvinphos acaricide (MK15 203).
Experimental evaluation of the electron donor ability of a gold phosphine fragment in a gold carbene complex

X-ray analysis of the gold cyclopropyl(methoxy)carbene complex [(P)AuC(OMe)(c-Pr)]+ SbF6− [P = P(t-Bu)2o-biphenyl] and comparison to extant protonated cyclopropyl ketones indicates that electron donation from the (P)Au fragment to the electron-deficient C1 atom is similar to that provided by a cyclopropyl group.
Effect of Surfactants on the Physical Stability of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone

The physical stability of a human growth hormone (hGH) formulation upon exposure to air/water interfaces (with vortex mixing) and to nonisothermal stress [determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)] was investigated. The effect of these stresses on the formation of soluble and insoluble aggregates was studied. The aggregates were characterized and quantified by size exclusion-HPLC and UV spectrophotometry. Vortex mixing of hGH solutions (0.5 mg/mL) in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, for just 1 min caused 67% of the drug to precipitate as insoluble aggregates. These aggregates were noncovalent in nature. Non-ionic surfactants prevented the interfacially induced aggregation at their critical micelle concentration (cmc) for Pluronic F-68 (polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene block polymer) and Brij 35 (polyoxyethylene alkyl ether) and above the cmc for Tween 80 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate). However, the same surfactants failed to stabilize hGH against thermal stress in DSC studies. Higher concentrations of surfactants actually destabilized hGH as evidenced by the decrease in the onset temperature for the denaturation endotherm.
Scientific Reunions at the Natural History Museum

I WRITE to correct a small error that has crept into the note on the meeting of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea which appeared in NATURE for March 11. When the members of that council visited the Natural History Museum on March 2 they were entertained, not by the Trustees, but by the Staff Association, the occasion being a scientific reunion, as was, indeed, stated in a later note in the same issue. I may add that these reunions are held with the approval and permission of the Trustees.
Functional outcome after the Fontan operation: factors influencing late morbidity

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the functional outcome of a large number of patients after modifications of the Fontan operation and to investigate perioperative risk factors that might influence late functional state. Methods: A comprehensive cross-sectional review of the first 500 patients undergoing a Fontan operation at our institution was undertaken. Those surviving with an intact Fontan circulation were reviewed by questionnaire to assess functional status and medication history. Medical records, chest roentgenograms, echocardiograms, cardiac catheterizations, and laboratory investigations were also reviewed to assess postoperative status. Results: Three hundred sixty-three long-term survivors with an intact Fontan circulation were identified during cross-sectional follow-up. Median age at operation was 5.0 years (range 0.4 to 31 years), and median follow-up was 5.4 years (range 1.7 to 20 years). Most patients (91.1%) were in New York Heart Association class I or II. In a multivariate model, poor (class III or IV) functional state was associated with longer duration of follow-up ( p < 0.001), a prior atrial septectomy ( p = 0.03), and a prior main pulmonary artery-ascending aorta anastomosis ( p = 0.05). Conclusions: A poor functional outcome is uncommon after the Fontan operation but becomes more frequent with increasing duration of follow-up. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1997;114:392-403)
Theoretical and Applied Sources for Teachers of Structural Equation Modeling

We describe software and present theoretical and applied sources for teaching a graduate course in structural equation modeling. We recommend Linear Structural Relations (LISREL; Joreskog & Sorbom, 1989) as the primary structural equation modeling software because it is the most generally applicable and widely available of the appropriate software packages, and it is fully supported by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, 1988). We also suggest relevant background readings, recommend principal textbook sources and review articles, and advocate reading empirical journal articles to accompany the core texts. These sources are offered as part of a comprehensive teaching approach designed to impart an appreciation for and working knowledge of LISREL-based structural equation modeling.
Antiochus IV as the Scorned Prince in Dan 11:21

AbstractWhile most English translations render nbzh in Dan 11:21 as “contemptible, vile, despicable,” closer examination will demonstrate that this Biblical Hebrew word should be translated as “spurned, scorned, rejected.” Once one understands Dan 11:21 accordingly, other ancient sources can be brought to show that this verse states, in its own thinly-veiled code, that before his rise to power, Antiochus IV, son of the late king Antiochus III and brother of the current king Seleucus IV, had been scorned and had not been given appropriate royal honors. This verse should be seen as another element in the evaluation of Dan 11 as an accurate and important historical source for the events surrounding the rise and rule of Antiochus IV.
Intergenerational and environmental factors influencing pregnancy outcomes

PURPOSE: Factors that relate to the mother's own course of growth and development might influence later reproductive performances. This study examines the effect of maternal birth weight and maternal height and maternal weight gain, on term-small for gestational age (SGA) and preterm delivery.METHODS: Data used for this study were from the South Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and birth certificate files for 1993-1995. Since PRAMS data were weighted to adjust for sampling probabilities, non-response and survey design, Survey Data Analysis (SUDAAN) software was used in all analyses.RESULTS: Maternal birth weight was strongly associated with term SGA (OR = 3.65; 95% CI = 1.83-7.29), but not preterm delivery among black mothers; it was associated with preterm delivery (OR = 1.86; 95% CI = 1.09-3.17), but not term-SGA for white mothers. Maternal birth weight was associated with term SGA among nonsmokers only (OR = 2.34; 95% CI = 1.33-4.11). Maternal weight gain modified the effect of height on birth outcomes. Among women with inadequate weight gain, there was a 3-fold increase in risk for term-SGA (OR = 3.06; 95% CI = 2.41-3.89) for short maternal height, but not for preterm delivery. Among women with adequate plus weight gain, the association between short maternal height and term-SGA was 2.7 (95% CI = 0.55-9.43) compared to 3.67 (95% CI = 0.1.41-9.56) between short maternal height and preterm delivery. Maternal weight gain also modified the effect of maternal height on both outcomes for black mothers and for nonsmokers only.CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate the need for interventions directed to those women who can benefit most from appropriate targeted weight gain recommendations. Therefore, prevention methods should be implemented to encourage short stature women to gain adequate weight during pregnancy.
Molecular Interactions between Organized, Surface-Confined Monolayers and Vapor-Phase Probe Molecules. 8. Reactions between Acid-Terminated Self-Assembled Monolayers and Vapor-Phase Bases

We present the results of a study of the interactions between three different acid-terminated selfassembledmonolayer(SAM)surfacesandthreebasicvapor-phaseprobemolecules. TheSAMsarecomposed of4-mercaptobenzoicacid(MBA),3-mercaptopropionicacid(MPA),and11-mercaptoundecanoicacid(MUA), and the vapor-phase probes are, in order of increasing solution-phase acidity, decylamine, pyridine, and pyrazine. Our results are based on data from surface infrared spectroscopy and thickness-shear mode mass sensors. We find that all three SAMs irreversibly bind approximately one monolayer of decylamine, although there are slight differences that correlate with the structural nuances of the SAMs. The MPA andMBASAMsbinddecylaminethroughanelectrostaticinteractionbroughtaboutbytransferofaproton from the acid to the base. Because the MUA SAM is more impenetrable than the others, complete proton transferishindered,andbindingofdecylaminearisesthroughacombinationofprotontransferandstrong hydrogen bonding. In the presence of its vapor, pyridine adsorbs to MBA surfaces at near-monolayer coverage, but upon N2purging about two-thirds of it desorbs. Only one-half monolayer of pyrazine, which is less basic than pyridine, adsorbs to the MBA SAM, and upon N2purging, about two-thirds of it desorbs. The aliphatic acid SAMs follow a similar trend. The results of this study indicate that the extent of base binding correlates most strongly with the structural nuances of the acidic SAMs and the relative basicity of the vapor-phase bases. These results are relevant to SAM-based chemical sensors.
Magnetoresistance of UBe13 at high pressures

Abstract We have measured the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of UBe 13 for magnetic fields up to 8 T and pressures to 95 kbar. Pressure increases the temperature range over which ϱ = ϱ 0 + AT 2 , while the pressure and magnetic field dependences of ϱ 0 and A reflect changes in the quasiparticle interactions.
The Ontogenesis of Gramine in Barley Seedlings

A sensitive paper chromatographic technique was developed for the separation and identification of the basic nitrogenous compounds in barley seedlings. This method was utilized to follow the ontogenesis of gramine in normal and etiolated plants. It was established that gramine does not exist in the ungerminated seed, the coleoptiles, or roots of Charlottetown No. 80 barley, but is present in the leaf on the third day following germination and remains there in detectable quantities for at least fifty days. No qualitative differences in gramine content were observed between the normal and etiolated seedlings. The significance of these results with reference to seemingly conflicting previous reports is discussed.