cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of cytokines on in vitro growth of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes obtained from human primary and metastatic liver tumors

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) were isolated from 22 human primary and metastatic liver tumors, and expanded in vitro in the presence of either interleukin-2 (IL-2, 100 U/ml) plus tumor necrosis factorα (TNFα, 1000 U/ml), IL-2 (1000 U/ml) plus IL-4 (1000 U/ml) or IL-2 (1000 U/ml) alone. TIL proliferated in culture in 20/22 cases. Among different cytokine combinations, TNFα and IL-2 were most effective in promoting the outgrowth of CD3+ CD8+ T lymphocytes (mean ± SEM: 90%±5) in the cultures of TIL from primary liver tumors. Cytotoxicity against autologous tumor cells was demonstrated in all early cultures of TIL from primary liver cancers in the presence of IL-2 plus TNFα. In contrast, cultures of TIL derived from colon cancer metastatic to liver had significantly lower levels of autotumor cytotoxicity and proportions of CD3+ CD8+ cells (40%±13) than those of TIL from primary liver tumors. The addition on day 0 of interferons (α or γ) to TIL cultured in the presence of TNFα and IL-2, significantly augmented cytotoxicity against autologous tumor. In contrast, incubation of TIL in the presence of IL-4 and IL-2 did not result in increased autotumor responses in the cultures of TIL from primary liver tumors. The expansion (-fold) of TIL (day 30) cultured in the presence of IL-2 alone compared to that in the presence of TNFα and IL-2 was significantly greater for hepatocellular carcinoma (median, 280 vs 260) than for autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes (36 vs 27), cholangiocarcinoma (42 vs 51) or TIL from metastatic colon cancer (39 vs 30). Outgrowth of TIL in IL-2 plus TNFα offers an opportunity for in vitro enrichment in cells with autotumor cytotoxicity in primary liver tumors. However, this cytokine combination was unable to promote and sustain growth of autotumor effectors from TIL in metastatic liver cancer.
Improving Pharmaceutical Product Development and Manufacturing: Impact on Cost of Drug Development and Cost of Goods Sold of Pharmaceuticals

It is not commonly understood that one of the largest components of the overall cost of bringing a new drug to the market is the cost of product development. Cost of product development can account for as much as 30% to 35% of the total cost of bringing a new drug to the market. Quality of product development also affects time to market and the quality of manufacturing and therefore cost of manufacturing. Investment in basic research in the science of product development and manufacturing will pay for itself through savings achievable in the cost of new drug development and in the cost of goods sold (COGS) of pharmaceutical products. In order for us to arrive at good estimates of the saving potential, one first needs to have credible estimates of the cost of new drug development and the overall COGS for pharmaceutical products.
Enhanced visualization of peripheral nerve and sensory receptors in the scanning electron microscope using cryofracture and osmium-thiocarbohydrazide-osmium impregnation

Two methods of specimen preparation for the scanning electron microscope (SEM) have been combined for the reliable exposure and examination of nervous system tissue. When the specimen is postfixed with OsO4 prior to aqueous cryofracturing, large internal surfaces of nervous tissue are exposed, with minimal distortion to the cytoarchitecture. All tissue surfaces and interstices are subsequently impregnated with a conductive, metallic layer of osmium using a modified osmium-thiocarbohydrazide-osmium technique (OTOTO). This OTOTO technique permits SEM examination without any additional vacuum evaporated or ion-sputtered metallic layers, and has been found to eliminate specimen charging reliably. Nervous tissue has been examined in the secondary electron mode of the SEM with unrestricted use of beam currents varying from 1.3 to 60 μA, at accelerating voltages ranging from 2.5 to 80 kV, and at both low (10 ×) and high (80 000 ×) magnifications. In addition, a differential deposition of osmium in the tissue after the OTOTO technique has been identified using both transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. The enhanced mass-density of myelin resulting from the amplification of osmium's natural affinity for unsaturated lipids was best demonstrated by the backscatter electron mode of the SEM. This mode of imaging was found useful in the identification of myelin sheaths.
The sommerfeld half‐plane problem revisited III: Parallel plate media with mixed boundary conditions

A plane wave is normally incident upon an infinite stack of equally spaced parallel plates which are semi-infinite and not staggered. The plates satisfy the so-called “Rawlins” boundary conditions. This problem is formulated as a pair of simultaneous integral equations of the Wiener-Hopf type and solved by a method proposed by A. E. Heins in 1950.
The Spoken Syntax of Normal, Hard-of-Hearing, and Deaf Children

A spoken language sample of 50 sentences was obtained from 30 normal and 30 hearing-impaired children and quantified according to total output and syntactical accuracy. A total score of structural ...
Ethical Issues Arising in Biotechnology

(1997). Ethical Issues Arising in Biotechnology. Journal of Pharmacy Teaching: Vol. 6, No. 1-2, pp. 33-47.
Frontal Sinus Osteoma: Complete Removal via Endoscopic Sinus Surgery and Frontal Sinus Trephination:

Endoscopic sinus surgery has improved our understanding of normal sinus physiology and enabled us to provide better surgical treatment of sinus disease. A method for removal of frontal sinus osteom...
Neuroprotective effects of the glutamate release inhibitor 619C89 in temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion

619C89 is a use-dependent Na+ channel antagonist that decreases the release of glutamate during ischemia. The efficacy of this drug in reducing infarction volume 72 h after occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) for 2 h in rats (n = 93) was determined by analysis of TTC-stained coronal section of the brain. Doses of 10, 20, 30 and 50 mg/kg of study drug given i.v. prior to MCA occlusion significantly (P < 0.05−0.01) reduced infarction volume in cortex compared to vehicle controls. Only the 50 mg/kg dose reduced infarction volume in the striatum (P < 0.05). Administration of 50 mg/kg of 619C89 30 and 60 min after the onset of ischemia reduced cortical infarction volume (P < 0.05), but there was no effect when the drug was given 5 min after reperfusion. No post-treatment regimen reduced striatal infarction volume. These results confirm the neuroprotective effects of 619C89 in temporary focal ischemia.
Islam in America: Separate but Unequal

While Washington focuses its campaign to win hearts and minds on Muslims abroad, pressing issues will soon challenge America at home. Will the United States successfully meet the greatest challenge to its melting pot identity and domestically make room for this potent cultural and religious force?
Overload control in QoS-aware web servers

With the explosive use of Internet, contemporary web servers are susceptible to overloads during which their services deteriorate drastically and often lead to denial of services. Overloads are of more serious concerns for QoS-aware servers. Evaluation of performance of QoS-aware servers in terms of the number of request completion is not very meaningful. A better measure would be the number of completed sessions. In this paper, we proposed two methods to prevent and control overloads in web servers by utilizing session-based relationship among HTTP requests. We first exploited the dependence among session-based requests by analyzing and predicting the reference patterns. Using the dependency relationships, we have derived traffic conformation functions that can be used for capacity planning and overload prevention in web servers. Second, we have proposed a dynamic weighted fair sharing (DWFS) scheduling algorithm to control overloads in web servers. DWFS is distinguished from other scheduling algorithms in the sense that it aims to avoid processing of requests that belong to sessions that are likely to be aborted in the near future. The experimental results demonstrate that DWFS can improve server responsiveness by as high as 50% while providing QoS support through service differentiation for a class of application environment.
Metal/metal homo-epitaxy on fcc (001) surfaces: Is there transient mobility of adsorbed atoms?

We have investigated the dynamics of adsorption of a metal atom on a fcc (001) metal substrate of the same atom type. Two points were considered in detail: (1) the extent of ballistic or transient mobility (i.e., ability of the adatom to transform kinetic energy gained by adsorption into motion parallel to the substrate); (2) convergence of results with the number of moving atoms retained in the simulation. Using the molecular dynamics technique with four different types of potential energy surfaces (PES), we have discovered there is no transient mobility for the Cu/Cu(001) system at a surface temperature of 80 K and an incident gas atom Kinetic energy of 0.25 eV. We have also discovered an important pitfall in such simulations: use of an insufficient number of active substrate layers leads to incorrect results displaying significant ballistic motion of the adsorbate. Using our most accurate many-body density functional based MD/MC-CEM PES and retaining sufficient number of active layers, we have also found an absence of transient mobility for the Ni/Ni(001), Rh/Rh(001), Pd/Pd(001), Pt/Pt(001), and Au/Au(001) systems. Only the Ag/Ag(001) system, with a very small diffusion barrier, was found to display any mobility.
Predicting soil water retention characteristics from soil physical and chemical properties

Abstract Knowledge of soil water availability for plant growth is vital for the development of plant growth simulation models. Data on soil water availability are often not available because field and laboratory measurements of soil water content are time‐consuming and tedious. The objective of this study was to develop alternative procedures to predict water content at ‐10 kPa (UL10), ‐33 kPa (U133), ‐1500 kPa (LL), and the potential available water capacity (AWC) from easily and routinely available soil properties. Multiple regression equations for soil orders of Soil Taxonomy were developed using a database containing information of about 12,000 pedons of the continental U.S., Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and some foreign countries. Regression equations with bulk density, sand, silt, clay, and organic carbon contents accounted for up to 83% of the variation in UL10 for all orders except Ultisols. For Ultisols, sand content accounted for up to 90% of the variation in UL10. Equations with clay and organic carbon...
Properties of Gelatin/Carbonate Apatite Composite Compared to Bovine Bone

Bone is a composite of approximately 65% inorganic phase (carbonate apatite, CHA) and a 35% organic phase (mostly collagen). To date, several commercial composites consisting of natural or synthetic polymers and calcium phosphates ( hydroxyapatite, tricalcium phosphate, biphasic calcium phosphates) are recommended for use in bone repair. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the physico-chemical properties of gelatin/carbonate apatite composites with that of bovine bone. Native (Gel) or cross-linked (Gel*) was used. Methods: The CHA was prepared by hydrolysis method. The gelatin (denatured collagen) was cross-linked using Genipin. The gelatin/CHA composite were prepared by mixing of 35% gelatin and 65% CHA and freeze-drying. The composites were characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetry (TGA). Dissolution properties were determined in acidic buffer (0.1M KAc, pH 6, 37°C). Mechanical strength was determined using 3-point bend test. Bovine bone was similarly characterized for comparison. Results: The composition and crystallite size of the CHA were similar to that of the bone mineral. The Gel/CHA and Gel*/CHA composites showed several physico-chemical properties (crystallinity, composition, thermal stability, mechanical strength, dissolution rate) similar to that of bone. Gel*/CHA compared to Gel/CHA composites showed lower elastic modulus, flexural strength, dissolution rate, swelling and higher porosity. Conclusion: The Gel*/CHA composites presented several properties similar to those of bovine bone and may have potential as bone substitute materials.
Eat or Get Eaten? How Equity Ownership and Diversification Shape CEO Risk-Taking

The article reports on a study relating to the impact of equity ownership and diversification on executive risk-taking. Researchers studied firms in the U.S. cable television industry from 1986-1996. They found that during turbulent times chief executive officers (CEO) with smaller ownership stakes were more likely to exit the industry, as a means of risk reduction. This indicates that CEOs may worry more about job loss than loss of personal wealth in terms of risk taking. The study also revealed that cable firms with no diversification were less likely to buy out their competitors.
Predictors of medication adherence in the elderly

As average life expectancy increases, so do the incidence of chronic diseases and the number of persons receiving long-term drug therapy. Thus elderly patients' noncompliance with medication regimens has the potential for sweeping medical and economic consequences and is likely to become increasingly important in the design of disease-management programs for this population. The author conducted a MEDLINE search of the English-language literature for the years 1962 to 1997 to identify articles concerning predictors of medication compliance in the elderly. A descriptive analysis of this literature indicated that there remains some uncertainty about the reasons for noncompliant medication-taking in the elderly. Clear associations have been established between elderly patients' medication adherence and race, drug and dosage form, number of medications, cost of medications, insurance coverage, and physician-patient communication. However, the findings are inconsistent with regard to the effects of patients' age, sex, socioeconomic status, living arrangement, comorbidities, number of physician visits, and knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about health. Until the results of further comprehensive studies are available, the current knowledge should be considered when designing and implementing disease-management programs for the elderly.
Strategies toward biocompatible artificial implants: Grafting of functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)s to poly(ethylene terephthalate) surfaces

Epoxide and aldehyde end-functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs) (Mw = 400, 1000, 3400, 5000, and 20,000) were grafted to poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film substrates that contained amine or alcohol groups. PET-PAH and PET-PEI were prepared by reacting poly(allylamine) (PAH) and polyethylenimine (PEI) with PET substrates, respectively; PET-PVOH was prepared by the adsorption of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) to PET substrates. Grafting was characterized and quantified by the increase of the intensity of the PEG carbon peak in the X-ray photoelectron spectra. Grafting yield was optimized by controlling reaction parameters and was found to be substrate-independent in general. Graft density consistently decreased as PEG chain length was increased. This is likely due to the higher steric requirement of higher molecular weight PEG molecules. Water contact angles of surfaces containing long PEG chains (3400, 5000, and 20,000) are much lower than those containing shorter PEG chains (400 and 1000). This indicates that longer PEG chains are more effective in rendering surfaces hydrophilic. Protein adsorption experiments were carried out on PET- and PEG-modified derivatives using collagen, lysozyme, and albumin. After PEG grafting, the amount of protein adsorbed was reduced in all cases. Trends in surface requirements for protein resistance are: surfaces with longer PEG chains and higher chain density, especially the former, are more protein resistant; PEG grafted to surfaces containing branched or network polymers is not effective at covering the underlying substrate, and thus does not protect the entire surface from protein adsorption; and substrates containing surface charge are less protein-resistant. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5389–5400, 2004
Comparison of Observed and Model Wind Velocities

Abstract The global band wind analysis produced by the Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center (FNOC) has been compared with direct buoy observations of winds in the Central Equatorial Experiment. Using the six months of available data it is concluded that the FNOC winds are generally lower in variability than the actual observations. In most cases the spectral coherence between the wind products and the buoy observations is not good. Discrepancies in model results versus buoy observations do not appear to be related to lack of real-time input data for analysis.
Effects of mesoscale atmospheric convection cells on the waters of the East China Sea

Currents and atmospheric parameters were measured in the East China Sea in February, 1975, as part of the AMTEX'75 program. These data were used to describe outbreaks of cold continental air over this warm and shallow sea. Particular emphasis was placed on describing the structure of mesoscale atmospheric cells embedded in the outbreaks and the effects of these cells on the water column.
On the state of the parental phosphorus during reproduction of bacteriophage T2.

Abstract E. coli bacteria were infected with a purified stock of T2 bacteriophage whose deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) had been labelled with radiophosphorus 32P. The infected cells were then broken open by decompression at various times during the latent period and t he state of the radiophosphorus of the resulting lysate characterized by precipitation with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) before and after digestion with deoxyribonuclease (DNase) and by differential centrifugation in an ultracentrifugation in an ultracentrifuge separation cell. It was found that throughout the first half of the latent period the largest fraction of the parental phage phosphorus appears to remain part of structures which possess the characteristics of fubrous DNA, i.e. are TCA-insoluble before and TCA-soluble after digestion with DNAse and sediment with sedimentation near 10S. Most of t he remainder of the parental 32P is broken down to low-molecular weight substances which are TCA-soluble and possess sedimentation constants of less than o.5S. During the second half of the latent period, some of the parental phosphorus is reincorporated into the mature progeny phages their intracellular appearance at that time, which represent a state of the 32P of TCA-insolubility after DNase digestion and sedimentability at 800S. At not ime during the latent period does there appear to exist an important fraction of the 32P introduction into the host cell in which it resides in structures stable to the conditions of cellular disruption employed and intermediate in size between DNA fibers and mature bacteriophage particles.
A new mutation rpoD800, affecting the sigma subunit of E. coli RNA polymerase is allelic to two other sigma mutants.

We have characterized a new mutation rpoD800 affecting the sigma gene of E. coli. Upon transfer to high temperature, a strain with the rpoD800 mutation ceases growth within 30 min. We find that this mutation renders sigma about 10-fold more thermolabile than the wild type sigma at 45°C in vitro. We have compared the temperature profile for inactivation of wild type and mutant sigma and find that the mutant inactivates at a temperature about 9° C lower than does the wild type.
The importance of accounting for spatial and temporal correlation in analyses of ecological data.

nonlinear inversion: how many parameters can we estimate and which measurements are most useful? Global Change Biology 7:495-510. Williams, M., P. A. Schwarz, B. E. Law, J. Irvine, and M. R. Kurpius. 2005. An improved analysis of forest carbon dynamics using data assimilation. Global Change Biology 11:89-105. Xu, T., L. White, D. Hui, and Y. Luo. 2006. Probabilistic inversion of a terrestrial ecosystem model: analysis of un certainty in parameter estimation and model prediction. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 20. [doi: 10.1029/2005GB002468]
Acquisition, durability and impact of parallel processing perioperative system designs in North America

Abstract The rising cost of health care provision coupled with constrained reimbursements in North America drive the need to use operating rooms as effectively as possible. We created an OR of the Future demonstration project to assess the impact of a ‘parallel processing’ perioperative system for patient management and OR preparation. Running traditionally sequential activities in parallel creates substantial time savings and potential for additional throughput. We measured the performance of the new system as a function of time, and found that the new perioperative system was both easy to learn and durable over time. Comparison of the OR of the Future to another hospital's perioperative systems design effort shows that there are many ways to establish the parallel flow needed to enhance OR throughput.
Novel circulating fast fluidized-bed membrane reformer for efficient production of hydrogen from steam reforming of methane

The coupling of steam reforming and oxidative reforming of methane for the efficient production of hydrogen is investigated over Ni/Al2O3 catalyst in a novel circulating fast fluidized-bed membrane reformer (CFFBMR) using a rigorous mathematical model. The removal of product hydrogen using palladium hydrogen membranes “breaks” the thermodynamic equilibrium barrier exists among the reversible reactions. Oxygen can be introduced into the adiabatic CFFBMR for oxidative reforming by direct oxygen (or air) feed and through dense perovskite oxygen membranes. The simulations show that high productivity of hydrogen can be obtained in the CFFBMR. The combination of these two different processes does not only enhance the hydrogen productivity but also save the energy due to the exothermicity of the oxidative reforming. Based on the preliminary investigations, four parameters (number of hydrogen membranes, number of oxygen membranes, direct oxygen feed rate and steam-to-carbon feed ratio) are carefully chosen as main variables for the process optimization. The optimized result shows that the hydrogen productivity (moles of hydrogen produced per hour per m3 of reactor) in the novel CFFBMR is about 8.2 times higher than that in typical industrial fixed-bed steam reformers.
Documenting the subjective patient experience of first versus second cataract surgery.

Purpose To examine the subjective patient experience after cataract surgery. Setting Single multisurgeon cataract facility. Design Prospective intraindividual observational study. Methods Patients completed a questionnaire immediately after cataract extraction performed in their second eye. All patients had second-eye surgery within 6 months of first-eye surgery. Cases longer than 30 minutes were excluded. Results Of the 292 patients who completed the questionnaire, 12 were excluded based on surgical time. The response rate varied per question. The surgery was rated as taking longer or being more painful in the second eye by 127 patients (45.4%) and in the first eye by 38 patients (13.5%) ( P P P = .3) or sedation used ( P = .96). Conclusions Of 125 patients who rated second-eye surgery as the generally more unpleasant procedure, 90 (72.0%) were similarly or more relaxed during the second procedure. Second-eye cataract surgery was perceived as being a longer and/or more painful procedure by a significant number of patients (45.4%), and only 3.48% thought that vision in the second eye would be worse. These results can help surgeons when counseling patients regarding expectations for second surgery. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Approaching single-junction theoretical limit using ultra-thin GaAs solar cells with optimal optical designs

Single-junction GaAs solar cells have been studied extensively recently, and have reached over 28% efficiency. Further improvement requires an optically thick but physically thin absorbing layer to provide not only high open-circuit voltage but also large short-circuit current. This paper studies various optical designs, such as light scattering and reflection at various surfaces. It is concluded that thin GaAs solar cells with hundreds of nanometers thickness and the combination of textured surfaces and reflective back surfaces can potentially offer efficiencies greater than 30% under one sun AM1.5G solar spectrum. A practical approach is proposed to realize these structures by roughening a lattice-matched ZnSe layer grown on the device. The achievable efficiencies of all these structures are discussed.
Investigation of Initial Sr87 / Sr86 Ratios in the Sierra Nevada Plutonic Province

One to three whole-rock samples from each of more than a dozen discrete plutonic intrusions in the east-central Sierra Nevada batholith have been analyzed for Sr 87 /Sr 86 and Rb/Sr ratios to obtain information on initial Sr 87 abundances. The initial Sr 87 /Sr 86 ratios in the rock magmas forming this province appear to have been in the range 0.7073 ± .0010 in the majority of cases. This range is definitely higher than that found for modern alkali-type and tholeiite-type basalt magmas of oceanic regions, which commonly range between 0.703 and 0.705. However, it is much lower than the average Sr 87 /Sr 86 ratios found in Precambrian sialic regions which range from 0.71 to 0.73. It seems clear therefore that the Sierra Nevada magmas were not derived solely either from the typical source regions of oceanic basalt or from the melting of ancient crustal sial. It is possible that these magmas represent a mixture of oceanic basalt and crustal sial, as would be the case of anatexis in a geosyncline containing much volcanic material of fairly recent origin and some terrigenous sialic detritus. They may instead be of mantle derivation with admixtures of crustal material assimilated during their rise. The whole-rock Rb-Sr age results derivec from the study indicate that the Lamarck and Mount Givens Granodiorites and the alaskite of Evolution Basin and porphyritic biotite granite of Dinkey Lakes form a younger group of intrusive rocks of 90 ± 10 m.y. Although the sampling was not designed for isochron age studies, it appears that most of the remaining rock units are considerably older.
Contribution of leg and splanchnic free fatty acid (FFA) kinetics to postabsorptive FFA flux in men and women.

We have previously shown that upper-body adipose tissue is more lipolytically active than lower-body adipose tissue in lean and obese women. The present studies were conducted to determine whether these regional differences are also present in men. Twenty-five lean, healthy men and 24 lean, healthy women underwent measures of body composition, postabsorptive systemic free fatty acid (FFA) flux, and leg and splanchnic FFA uptake and release. Upper-body adipose tissue was more lipolytically active than lower-body adipose tissue in both men (53.4 +/- 32.2 v 26.6 +/- 12.9 micromol x kg fat(-1) x min(-1), P < .001, respectively) and women (41.2 +/- 22.3 v 18.4 +/- 8.2 micromol x kg fat(-1) x min(-1), P < .001, respectively). The correlations between leg FFA release and systemic FFA flux were modest in women and men (r = .38, P = .07 and r = .56, P = .003, respectively) as were the correlations between splanchnic FFA release and systemic FFA flux (r = .41, P = .06 and r = .40, P = .07, respectively). No effect of gender on the relationship between leg or splanchnic FFA release and systemic FFA flux was detected. In summary, upper-body FFA release is greater than lower-body FFA release in both men and women, and the relationship between leg or splanchnic FFA release and systemic FFA release is weak and similar in men and women. These findings suggest that regional differences in postabsorptive FFA kinetics are unlikely to be responsible for differences in regional fat distribution.
The effect of lexical frequency on spoken word recognition in young and older listeners.

When identifying spoken words, older listeners may have difficulty resolving lexical competition or may place a greater weight on factors like lexical frequency. To obtain information about age differences in the time course of spoken word recognition, young and older adults’ eye movements were monitored as they followed spoken instructions to click on objects displayed on a computer screen. Older listeners were more likely than younger listeners to fixate high-frequency displayed phonological competitors. However, degradation of auditory quality in younger listeners does not reproduce this result. These data are most consistent with an increased role for lexical frequency with age.
The synthesis of short- and medium-chain-length poly(hydroxyalkanoate) mixtures from glucose- or alkanoic acid-grown Pseudomonas oleovorans

NRRL B-778 accumulated mixtures of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and medium-chain-length poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (mcl-PHAs) when grown on glucose, octanoic acid or oleic acid, whereas growth on nonanoic acid or undecanoic acid resulted in copolymers of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate (PHB-co-HV). Acetone fractionation verified the presence of PHB/mcl-PHA mixtures. The acetone-insoluble (AIS) fractions of the polymers derived from glucose (PHA-glucose), octanoic acid (PHA-octanoic) and oleic acid (PHA-oleic) were exclusively PHB while the acetone-soluble (AS) fractions contained mcl-PHA composed of differing ratios of 3-hydroxy-acid monomer units, which ranged in chain length from 6 to 14 carbon atoms. In contrast, both the AIS and AS fractions from the polymers derived from nonanoic acid (PHA-nonanoic) and undecanoic acid (PHA-undecanoic) were composed of comparable ratios of 3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) and 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV). The unfractionated PHA-glucose, PHA-octanoic and PHA-oleic polymers had melting temperatures (Tm) between 177 and 179°C, enthalpies of fusion (ΔHf) of 20 cal/g and glass transition temperatures (Tg) of 3–4°C. This was due to the large PHB content in the polymer mixtures. On the other hand, the PHA-nonanoic and PHA-undecanoic polymers had thermal properties that supported their copolymer nature. In both cases, the Tm values were 161°C, ΔHf values were 7cal/g and Tg values were −3°C. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2002) 28, 147–153 DOI: 10.1038/sj/jim/7000231
CARM1 automethylation is controlled at the level of alternative splicing

Co-activator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) is subjected to multiple post-translational modifications. Our previous finding that automethylation of CARM1 is essential for regulation of transcription and pre-mRNA splicing prompted us to investigate how automethylation is regulated. Here, we report that automethylation is regulated by alternative splicing of CARM1 mRNA to remove exon 15, containing the automethylation site. Specifically, we find that two major alternative transcripts encoding full-length CARM1 (CARM1FL) and CARM1 with exon 15 deleted (CARM1ΔE15) exist in cells, and each transcript produces the expected protein. Further biochemical characterizations of the automethylation-defective mutant and CARM1ΔE15 reveal overlapping yet different properties. Interestingly, other arginine methylation substrates also have missing exons encompassing the site(s) of methylation, suggesting that protein arginine methylation level may, in general, be controlled by the alternative splicing mechanism. Finally, we observed differential distribution of CARM1FL and CARM1ΔE15 in epithelial and stromal cells in normal mouse mammary gland. Thus, alternative splicing not only serves as the determinant for CARM1 automethylation but also generates cell type-specific isoforms that might regulate normal ERα biology in the mammary gland.
Relationship of locus of control to preoperative anxiety.

Summary.-Scores on Rotter's I-E scale and Zuckerman's Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, Today Form for 91 presurgical patients (18-85 yr.) were symmetrically distributed. When I-E scores were partitioned Externals were significantly more anxious than Internals, but the actual mean difference was small. About 10% of the variance in anxiety was accounted for by the s of .31 with I-E scores. Time of day of test was not critical. Two major theories of the relationship between preoperative emotional factors and postoperative adjustment are found in current literature. Earlier Janis (1958) applied the emotional drive theory of Miller and Dollard (1941) to the study of a group of surgical patients. This theory suggests that a moderate level of preoperative fear stimulates the "work of worry and enhances postoperative adjusunent." High or low levels of preoperative fear, on the other hand, are likely to interfere with adequate postoperative adjustment. The preoperative care which seems logically to follow such a theoretical view would involve (1) assessment of the patient's level of fear and (2) intervention (generally some cype of information giving) designed to increase the fear of patients with low levels or reduce that of patients with high levels. One might also assume from this model that preoperative care of the patient with moderate fear would in- volve giving only the information necessary for the patient's cooperation. We have found no published research which specifically tested and supported the Janis theory. Further, the results of Levenchal (1963), Keane ( 1968), and Wolfer and Davis (1970) did not support the theory. These studies indicated that the relationship between preoperative fear and postoperative adjustment was generally linear. Patients with low fear tended to show the best postoperative adjustment while those with high fear were least adjusted. It should be noted, however, that the variety of measures of postoperative adjustment limits comparison of results from one study to the next. The other view was offered by Johnson, et al. ( 1971). According to their "parallel response model," emotions should be considered a response instead of a drive. The patient's behaviors related to controlling current dangers are also a response. These responses, the emotional and the instrumental, while deriving from the patient's appraisal of a threat situation, may be independent of each other or may interact in complex ways (p. 64). The test of their hypothesis 'The investigators extend their appreciation to the School of Nursing, Univecsicy of Pennsylvania for funds necessary to the completion of this project.
Incidence of major depressive episode correlates with elevation of substate region of residence

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common disorder that is often associated with suicide. We have recently suggested that elevation may play a role in regional variations in rates of suicide. We hypothesize that there is also a significant correlation between incidence of MDD and elevation of residence.
Lightning: Phenomenology and Parameters Important for EMC

Phenomenology and various parameters of lightning discharges are reviewed. In particular, direct lightning current measurements on instrumented towers and currents inferred from measured electric or magnetic fields (as done in modern lightning location systems) are discussed. Properties of first and subsequent strokes are compared. The average number of strokes per flash and multiple channel terminations on ground are considered. Parameters of subsequent strokes in natural lightning are compared to their counterparts in rocket-triggered lightning.
Metabolism of a dithiocarbamate fungicide thiram to carbon disulfide in the rat and its hepatotoxic implications.

Thiram, tetramethylthiuram disulfide, is used extensively as an agricultural fungicide whose toxicity is largely dependent on its metabolism. The following experiments were carried out to investigate whether carbon disulfide (CS2) is a metabolic product of microsomal monooxygenase catalyzed metabolism of thiram in rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (160-200 g) were given thiram (60 mg/kg, b.wt.) in corn oil by intraperitoneal injection and placed individually in a metabolic apparatus. Concentration of CS2 in the breath was determined by drawing the expired air through a series of traps containing a CS2 complexing agent. Expiration of CS2 was almost complete within 5 hrs following thiram administration. The formation of CS2 from thiram was increased by pretreatment of rats with phenobarbital and decreased by SKF 525-A. Furthermore, measurement of the activities of hepatic microsomal and serum enzymes at 5 hrs and 24 hrs following thiram treatment indicated that thiram caused significant loss of cytochrome P-450 and benzphetamine N-demethylase activity only at 24 hrs interval whereas there was significant elevation of sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) and serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (SGOT) activity at 5 and 24 hrs after treatment. The data confirm that CS2 is an in vivo metabolite of thiram and may be, in part, responsible for the observed hepatotoxicity.
Race and Wealth: A Demographic Analysis of Black Homeownership*

Historically, the rate of black homeownership has been low compared to nonblacks. The purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which levels of black homeownership are determined by selected social factors and racial discrimination. The findings reveal that blacks are less likely to be homeowners in nearly every sociodemographic category. The one exception is the finding that elderly blacks are more likely than blacks and nonblacks in all other age categories to be homeowners.
Perceiving affordances : Visual guidance of stair climbing

How do animals visually guide their activities in a cluttered environment? Gibson (1979) proposed that they perceive what environmental objects offer or afford for action. An analysis of affordances in terms of the dynamics of an animal-environment system is presented. Critical points, corresponding to phase transitions in behavior, and optimal points, corresponding to stable, preferred regions of minimum energy expenditure, emerge from variation in the animal-environment fit. It is hypothesized that these points are constants across physically similar systems and that they provide a natural basis for perceptual categories and preferences. In three experiments these hypotheses are examined for the activity of human stair climbing, by varying riser height with respect to leg length. The perceptual category boundary between "climbable" and "unclimbable" stairs is predicted by a biomechanical model, and visually preferred riser height is predicted from measurements of minimum energy expenditure during climbing. It is concluded that perception for the control of action reflects the underlying dynamics of the animal-environment system.
Comments on "Improvement of broadband feedforward amplifier using photonic bandgap"

A number of technical facts were either claimed or implied in the letter by J. Yoon and C. Seo (see ibid., vol.11, no.11, p.450-2, Nov. 2001). Without clarification or supporting data, the claims presented could mislead the reader into drawing inaccurate conclusions regarding the performance increase of feed forward amplifiers due to the so-called photonic bandgap structure.
Construction and Preliminary Validation of the Auburn Differential Masculinity Inventory

Hypermasculinity has been defined as exaggerated masculinity, including callous attitudes toward women and sex, and the perception of violence as manly and danger as exciting (D. L. Mosher & S. S. Tomkins, 1988). Hypermasculinity is correlated with sexual assault, poor relationships, and poor interpersonal coping. Criticisms of existing measures include biased or objectionable language, outdated phrasing, and forced-choice items. To address these problems, rational and empirically based procedures, including factor analysis, were used to develop the Auburn Differential Masculinity Inventory (ADMI). This 60-item inventory provides a total score plus 5 provisional scales reflecting hypermasculinity, sexual identity, dominance and aggression, conservative masculinity, and devaluation of emotion. The ADMI-60 has demonstrated adequate reliability and validity. Subscale development is ongoing. As such, scale scores should be interpreted cautiously.
THE FOURTH PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS.

The Fourth Pacific Science Congress was held in Batavia and Bandoeng, Java, May 16 to 25, 1929, under the auspices of the Netherlands Indies Science Council acting as a member of the Pacific Science Association. The Netherlands East Indies government cooperated with the Council in every way to assure the success of the Congress. Overseas delegates were guests of the Netherlands East Indies government and Science Council, not only during the actual duration of the meetings, but also for all the numerous excursions provided from May 12 to June 5, throughout Java and neighboring islands. In his address which officially opened the meeting in Batavia, His Excellency, the Governor General of the Netherlands Indies, pleasantly expressed the hope that the American delegates would experience a " Dutch treat'7 in a sense otherwise than the one in which the term is often used ' ' rather ungraciously to Dutch hospitality.'7 It may be said with full assurance that His Excellency's hope was completely realized! Space will not permit so much as mention of the numerous interesting and sometimes highly instructive entertainments offered the delegates. Scarcely more than mention can be made of the principal excursions of interest to botanists and agriculturists. It may be added in passing, that the special scientific excursions were probably of equal, and sometimes of greater value than the meetings themselves. When one considers how full of treasures of scientific interest is that region of the world, it is not difficult to understand the enthusiasm of the delegates for studying nature in the East Indies first hand. The administration of the Congress anticipated this desire and provided for it most generously. In attendance were 191 delegates (members) and perhaps 75 to 100 participants. Fig. 1# shows the group of delegates and participants and fig. 2, the Executive Committee of the Congress. Twenty-four countries were represented. Among the fifty or more delegates who may be classified as Botanists, a few will be mentioned as follows : Dr. D. van Leeuwen, Director of the Botanical Gardens, Buitenzorg; Dr. F. von Faber, Director of the Treub Laboratory, Buitenzorg; Dr. M. Myoshi, Emeritus Professor of Botany, Tokyo Imperial University; Dr. F. A. F. C. Went, Professor of Botany, University of Utrecht, and President of the Eoyal Academy of Sciences, Amsterdam ; Dr. C. J. Skottsberg, Director, Botanic Gardens, Gothenburg, Sweden; Dr. E. J. Goddard, Dean of Agriculture, * The figures are copied from illustrations furnished by the Congress.
An invariant formula for a star product with separation of variables

Abstract We give an invariant formula for a star product with separation of variables on a pseudo-Kahler manifold.
Ab initio molecular dynamics of ultrafast electron injection from molecular donors to the TiO2 acceptor

The photoinduced electron transfer (ET) from a molecular electron donor to the TiO2 semiconductor acceptor triggering Gratzel solar cells and other photochemical applications is investigated. The reported simulations reproduce the experimentally observed ET time-scale, establish the reaction mechanism, and provide a detailed picture of the ET process. The electronic structure of the chromophore-semiconductor system is simulated by density functional theory (DFT). Ab initio molecular dynamics (MD), including non-adiabatic (NA)transitions between electronic states, NAMD, is used to follow the ET reaction in real-time and at the molecular level. The simulation indicates that thermally driven adiabatic ET s dominant at room temperature. Vibrational motions of the chromophores induce oscillations of the photoexcited state energy that drives the photoexcited state in and out of the TiO2 conduction band. Two distinct types of ET events are observed depending on the initial conditions. At low initial energies the photoexcited state is well localized on the chromophore, and an activation is required for ET, with comparable contributions from both the adiabatic and NA mechanisms. At high initial energies the photoexcited state is already substantially delocalized into the TiO2 substrate. The remaining fraction of the ET process occurs rapidly and by the adiabatic mechanism.© (2003) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A soil toxicity test using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and an effective method of recovery

A new method for recovering nematodes from soils in an efficient, reproducible, and non-destructive manner has been developed. It was used to conduct short-term soil toxicity tests using the soil-dwelling nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and several different soil types spiked with copper chloride. The recovery method, which involves centrifugation through a colloidal silica suspension, allows the nematodes to be extracted from the soil matrix so that lethality can be assessed. The nematodes are unharmed by the recovery procedure, and both live and dead individuals are recovered with high efficiency (well over 80%), allowing reproducible concentration-response curves to be made after a 24-h exposure. The LC50s for copper were increased about tenfold by the presence of soil, and different soils had significantly different effects on toxicity. Toxicity of copper ion was also influenced by the concentration of sodium chloride and potassium chloride in the test solution, and the presence of bacteria increased the toxicity of copper ion in some soils. The LC50s in soil were close to the LC50 for the 2-week earthworm soil toxicity test, suggesting that a 24-h nematode toxicity test may be comparable to the 2-week earthworm test in terms of sensitivity.
Danon Disease Clinical Features, Evaluation, and Management

Danon disease is an X-linked dominant skeletal and cardiac muscle disorder with multisystem clinical manifestations. It was first described in boys presenting with cardiomyopathy, skeletal myopathy, and varying degrees of intellectual disability.1 As histological findings of glycogen buildup in muscle tissue similar to those seen in Pompe disease were noted, the condition was originally considered to be a lysosomal storage disease and was termed glycogen storage disease type IIb. In 2000, Nishino et al2 identified the genetic defects in the lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 ( LAMP2 ) gene, encoding the LAMP2 protein. Most Danon disease mutations lead to an absence of LAMP2 protein expression,2 a situation more problematic in men who are hemizygous for LAMP2 . For reasons not yet fully understood, reduction in LAMP2 disrupts intracytoplasmic trafficking and leads to accumulation of autophagic material and often glycogen in skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle cells (Figure 1).2 Major clinical features include skeletal and cardiac myopathy, cardiac conduction abnormalities, mild intellectual difficulties, and retinal disease. Men are typically affected earlier and more severely than women. The disease is unfamiliar to many practitioners, and the majority of published data stem from case reports with a brief clinical review published in 2002.4 Our aim was to perform a systematic review of Danon disease, provide a comprehensive clinical and molecular update, and propose diagnostic and management guidelines for clinicians and researchers working with patients with Danon disease. Figure 1. Histological images from skeletal muscle biopsy and endomyocardial biopsy.3 Electron microscopy shows intracytoplasmic vacuoles (arrows) containing autophagic material and glycogen in both ( A ) skeletal muscle (bar 1 μm) and ( B ) endomyocardial tissue biopsy (bar 1 μm). Reprinted from Taylor et al3 with permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2007, Nature Publishing Group. Authorization for this adaptation has been obtained both from …