cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A New Treatment Strategy for Diabetic Dyslipidemia

The increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is likely due in part to diabetic dyslipidemia—a condition characterized by elevated plasma levels of triglyceride‐rich lipoproteins (TRLs), smaller denser LDL particles, and decreased HDL cholesterol (1,2). Lifestyle modifications and statins are first-line interventions for CVD risk reduction in individuals with T2D, but such individuals remain at considerable risk for cardiovascular events (3). This residual CVD risk appears to be linked to abnormal metabolism of TRLs (3)—chylomicrons, VLDL, and their respective remnant lipoprotein particles (RLPs), many of which are present as intermediate-density lipoproteins (4). Thus, there is a need for developing effective and safe alternative approaches/medications to prevent and reduce diabetic dyslipidemia. In this issue of Diabetes , Roger et al. (5) report a potential new therapeutic strategy to simultaneously reduce LDL and VLDL levels by using a hybrid compound that demonstrates dual inhibition of cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1R) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in a mouse model. The elevated TRLs in T2D are generally attributed to hepatic overproduction of apolipoprotein B (APOB)-containing VLDL, increased intestinal secretion of APOB48 (a truncated form of APOB100 in chylomicrons and their remnants), and dysregulated clearance of TRLs (1,2,6,7), as shown by Fig. 1. Insulin resistance and the resulting elevated fatty acids are believed to be responsible for the abnormal TRL metabolism in T2D (1,2,7). For example, inhibition of the transcription factor FoxO1 by insulin-induced Akt activation represses expression of microsomal triglyceride transfer …
In Pursuit of “Useful” Knowledge: Documenting Technical Innovation in Sixteenth-Century Potosí

This article examines a series of proposals for improving silver refining methods presented to the municipal council of Potosi (in current-day Bolivia) in the late sixteenth century as a means of nuancing current understandings of the Iberian state’s pursuit of “useful” knowledge. Historians have argued that the sixteenth century saw the fostering of an empirical culture, one based on experiential and collaborative practices, in the Iberian world. They have stressed that as artisanal experts and royal officials developed a mutually beneficial relationship, this empirical culture became institutionalized in administrative bodies for the pursuit of useful knowledge. This article focuses on the textual production that resulted from the relationship between artisanal experts and royal officials. It probes the motivations of local officials in generating a textual record of artisanal knowledge. Historians have tended to interpret and actors at the time often stated an interest in inscribing, artisanal knowledge as expertise and experience. However, this article demonstrates that what often motivated municipal officials’ inscription of such knowledge was an emphasis on administrative knowledge as rule-following, in particular, a desire to demonstrate one’s competency as an administrator. This conclusion suggests historians should expand their conception of “useful” to better reflect how early modern actors in the Iberian world viewed their pursuit of scientific and technical knowledge. It also indicates the importance of paying attention to the process of bureaucratic knowledge production when interpreting the written traces of the scientific and technical culture of the early modern Iberian world. This article is part of a special issue entitled “Histories of Bureaucratic Knowledge,” edited by Sebastian Felten and Christine von Oertzen.
Binge-like ethanol drinking activates anaplastic lymphoma kinase signaling and increases the expression of STAT3 target genes in the mouse hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has a complex pathogenesis, making it a difficult disorder to treat. Identifying relevant signaling pathways in the brain may be useful for finding new pharmacological targets to treat AUD. The receptor tyrosine kinase anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) activates the transcription factor STAT3 in response to ethanol in cell lines. Here, we show ALK activation and upregulation of known STAT3 target genes (Socs3, Gfap and Tnfrsf1a) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and ventral hippocampus (HPC) of mice after 4 days of binge-like ethanol drinking. Mice treated with the STAT3 inhibitor stattic drank less ethanol than vehicle-treated mice, demonstrating the behavioral importance of STAT3. To identify novel ethanol-induced target genes downstream of the ALK and STAT3 pathway, we analyzed the NIH LINCS L1000 database for gene signature overlap between ALK inhibitor (alectinib and NVP-TAE684) and STAT3 inhibitor (niclosamide) treatments on cell lines. These genes were then compared with differentially expressed genes in the PFC of mice after binge-like drinking. We found 95 unique gene candidates, out of which 57 had STAT3 binding motifs in their promoters. We further showed by qPCR that expression of the putative STAT3 genes Nr1h2, Smarcc1, Smarca4 and Gpnmb were increased in either the PFC or HPC after binge-like drinking. Together, these results indicate activation of the ALK-STAT3 signaling pathway in the brain after binge-like ethanol consumption, identify putative novel ethanol-responsive STAT3 target genes, and suggest that STAT3 inhibition may be a potential method to reduce binge drinking in humans.
FGF21 defines a potential cardio-hepatic signaling circuit in human heart failure

ABSTRACT Background Extrinsic control of cardiac contractility and ultrastructure via neurohormonal signaling is well established, but how other organs regulate cardiomyocyte metabolism is less well understood. Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) a hormonal regulator of metabolism mainly produced in the liver and adipose tissue, is a prime candidate for such signaling. Methods To investigate this further, we examined blood and tissue obtained from human subjects with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) at the time of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation, and correlated serum FGF21 levels with cardiac gene expression, immunohistochemistry, and clinical parameters. Results Circulating FGF21 levels were substantially elevated in HFrEF, compared to healthy subjects (HFrEF: 834.4 ± 101.8 pg/mL, n = 40; controls: 145.9 ± 28.6 pg/mL, n = 20, p = 5.5 × 10−8). There was clear FGF21 staining in diseased cardiomyocytes, and circulating FGF21 levels negatively correlated with the expression of cardiac genes involved in ketone metabolism, consistent with cardiac FGF21 signaling. FGF21 gene expression was low in failing and non-failing hearts, suggesting at least partial extracardiac production of the circulating hormone. Circulating FGF21 levels were correlated with BNP and total bilirubin, markers of chronic cardiac and hepatic congestion. Conclusions Circulating FGF21 levels are elevated in HFrEF. The liver is likely the main extracardiac source, and congestive hepatopathy, common in HFrEF, was likely the proximate signal leading to FGF21 elevations. This supports a model of venous congestion from cardiomyopathy driving hepatic FGF21 communication to diseased cardiomyocytes, defining a potential cardio-hepatic signaling circuit in human heart failure.
Exploring Culturally Responsive Religious and Spirituality Health Care Communications among African Americans with Advanced Heart Failure, Their Family Caregivers, and Clinicians

Background: Religion and spirituality (R/S) impact how African Americans (AAs) cope with serious illness, yet are infrequently addressed in patient-clinician communication. Objectives: To explore A...
Cationic Compounds with SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral Activity and their Interaction with OCT/MATE Secretory Transporters.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, drug repurposing has been highlighted for rapid introduction of therapeutics. Proposed drugs with activity against SARS-CoV-2 include compounds with positive charges at physiologic pH, making them potential targets for the organic cation secretory transporters of kidney and liver, i.e., the basolateral organic cation transporters, OCT1 and OCT2; and the apical multidrug and toxin extruders, MATE1 and MATE2-K. We selected several compounds proposed to have in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2 (chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, quinacrine, tilorone, pyronaridine, cetylpyridinium, and miramistin) to test their interaction with OCT and MATE transporters. We used Bayesian machine learning models to generate predictions for each molecule with each transporter and also experimentally determined IC50 values for each compound against labeled substrate transport into CHO cells that stably expressed OCT2, MATE1, or MATE2-K using three structurally distinct substrates (atenolol, metformin and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium) to assess the impact of substrate structure on inhibitory efficacy. For the OCTs substrate identity influenced IC50 values, although the effect was larger and more systematic for OCT2. In contrast, inhibition of MATE1-mediated transport was largely insensitive to substrate identity. Unlike MATE1, inhibition of MATE2-K was influenced, albeit modestly, by substrate identity. Maximum unbound plasma concentration/IC50 ratios were used to identify potential clinical DDI recommendations; all the compounds interacted with the OCT/MATE secretory pathway, most with sufficient avidity to represent potential DDI issues for secretion of cationic drugs. This should be considered when proposing cationic agents as repurposed antivirals. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Drugs proposed as potential COVID-19 therapeutics based on in vitro activity data against SARS-CoV-2 include compounds with positive charges at physiological pH, making them potential interactors with the OCT/MATE renal secretory pathway. We tested seven such molecules as inhibitors of OCT1/2 and MATE1/2-K. All the compounds blocked transport activity regardless of substrate used to monitor activity. Suggesting that plasma concentrations achieved by normal clinical application of the test agents could be expected to influence the pharmacokinetics of selected cationic drugs.
Rapid and coagulation-independent haemostatic sealing by a paste inspired by barnacle glue.

Tissue adhesives do not normally perform well on tissues that are covered with blood or other bodily fluids. Here we report the design, adhesion mechanism and performance of a paste that haemostatically seals tissues in less than 15 s, independently of the blood-coagulation rate. With a design inspired by barnacle glue (which strongly adheres to wet and contaminated surfaces owing to adhesive proteins embedded in a lipid-rich matrix), the paste consists of a blood-repelling hydrophobic oil matrix containing embedded microparticles that covalently crosslink with tissue surfaces on the application of gentle pressure. It slowly resorbs over weeks, sustains large pressures (approximately 350 mm Hg of burst pressure in a sealed porcine aorta), makes tough (interfacial toughness of 150–300 J m−2) and strong (shear and tensile strengths of, respectively, 40–70 kPa and 30–50 kPa) interfaces with blood-covered tissues, and outperforms commercial haemostatic agents in the sealing of bleeding porcine aortas ex vivo and of bleeding heart and liver tissues in live rats and pigs. The paste may aid the treatment of severe bleeding, even in individuals with coagulopathies. An adhesive paste designed to mimic some properties of barnacle glue haemostatically seals tissues robustly in less than 15 s, independently of the rate of blood coagulation.
Assessing Diagnostic Error of Factors of Safety of Slopes Applying Bayesian Inference

Abstract Stability analyses are crucial for identifying soil slope failure susceptibility. Currently, several analytical methods are available to perform such analyses. However, the degree of agree...
LATE PLEISTOCENE BIGHORN SHEEP DUNG FROM EAGLE CAVE, LOWER PECOS RIVER, TEXAS

We describe dung pellets identified as bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis; Bovidae, Caprinae) radiocarbon dated to ∼12,500 cal BP, late Pleistocene. Pellets were excavated from a layer of trampled and butchered bison bones in Eagle Cave located in a box canyon tributary of the entrenched Rio Grande, southwestern Texas. Wild sheep are not known historically or from the Pleistocene from this region of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. Phytolith analysis of the fossil dung revealed that the Ovis diet was predominantly a mixture of cool and warm season grasses, but dominated by warm season grasses. Morphology and content analysis imply that the dung represent a late-summer, or more likely, winter season accumulation.
Kinetics of the Hydrogen Abstraction Reaction From 2-Butanol by OH Radical.

The kinetics of the hydrogen abstraction from 2-butanol by hydroxyl radical have been studied using multipath variational transition-state theory with the multidimensional small curvature tunneling approximation. The rate constants for each of the five hydrogen abstraction sites (C1, C2, C3, C4, and O) and the overall reaction have been computed by direct dynamics based on M08-HX/6-311+G(2df,2p) electronic structure calculations. We show that multistructural torsional anharmonicity, anharmonicity differences of high-frequency modes between the transition structures and the reactants, and reaction-path dependence of multiple reaction paths are all important factors for determining accurate reaction rates and branching fractions for this problem. The reaction barrier heights for abstraction from various sites follow the order C2 < C3 < C4 < C1 < O, but the reactivities of the various sites do not precisely follow the inverse order of barrier heights, and the order of reactivities depends on temperature. The...
Magnetic field in the plasmasphere of a compact star

The main characteristics of the plasmasphere which is likely to surround a compact star, with a strong magnetic field and a relatively large velocity of rotation, are pointed out. Special reference is made to model for thex-star ScoX-1 and the pulsar NP 0532. A forcefree magnetic field configuration is shown to be set up in the neighborhood of the star and the equation for the relevant magnetic surfaces is derived in the axisymmetric limit where the axis of rotation coincides with that of the star’s intrinsic dipolar magnetic field. A proper asymptotic solution of this equation is obtained by considering as small parameters the poloidal angle within which current flows along magnetic field lines and the ratio of the toroidal magnetic field due to the current to the intrinsic star magnetic field.
Nuclear transport HEATs up.

Importins, proteins that transport macromolecules into the nucleus, interact with cargo and regulatory molecules at different times in the transport cycle. We are now closer to understanding the structural basis of these interactions.
The Dual Role of Thyroid Hormones in Vertebrate Development and Calorigenesis

Few areas of biological research have been more frustrating than the efforts to derive a rational explanation of the mechanism of action of the thyroid hormone(s) (TH). A huge and bewildering array of observations has been published and has generated more confusion than clarification. The difficulty of successfully integrating these data has been compounded by the use of a wide range of TH dosages, from physiological (10−10 to 10−8 M) to pharmacological (up to 10−6 M) to toxic (>10−6 M); by the variation in animal condition, from completely athyroid to euthyroid to hyperthyroid; and by the use of systems varying from pure enzymes to whole animals, frequently on variable diets. The object of this chapter will be to resolve the actions of TH into two major roles and trace their development in terms of the metabolic needs and developmental requirements of all classes of vertebrates with particular emphasis on their role in amphibian metamorphosis (Shellabarger, 1964).
Epilogue: Clinical Social Work Practice—Past, Present, and Future

We were motivated to bring to life this special issue following increasingly compelling concerns by our students, our colleagues in both the field and academia, and noted by us in our practice, teaching, consulting, and applied research regarding at least the perceived—if not actual— degradation of clinical social work knowledge, values and skills in so many critical aspects of our profession. These crucial areas include the following:
Fixing a tournament

We consider a very natural problem concerned with game manipulation. Let G be a directed graph where the nodes represent players of a game, and an edge from u to v means that u can beat v in the game. (If an edge (u,v) is not present, one cannot match u and v.) Given G and a "favorite" node A, is it possible to set up the bracket of a balanced single-elimination tournament so that A is guaranteed to win, if matches occur as predicted by G? We show that the problem is NP-complete for general graphs. For the case when G is a tournament graph we give several interesting conditions on the desired winner A for which there exists a balanced single-elimination tournament which A wins, and it can be found in polynomial time.
Local solvent structure as a factor in secondary isotope fractionation phenomena of labeled amino acids on ion-exchange columns.

Abstract The separation or displacement of 3H-labeled amino acids from 14C-labeled varieties of the same species on ion-exchange columns is influenced by the presence of unlabeled amino acid, local solvent structure and buffer composition. These factors may enhance or reduce the degree of separation observed and act by affecting the diffusion of the labeled molecules. A significant inverse relationship between peak disengagement and hand-broadening processes was observed.
Photocatalyzed Ring-Opening Polymerization of 1,1,3,3-Tetramethyl-1,3-disilacyclobutane1,2

Photocatalyzed ring-opening polymerization of 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-1,3-disilacyclobutane (TMDSCB) by Pt(acac)2 is reported. Excellent conversion and high molecular weight polymers are produced in the absence of O2. Inhibition experiments reveal the coexistence of both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic species. The relative activity of these is discussed and a tentative polymerization mechanism proposed. Pt colloid is proved to be the heterogeneous catalyst by a TEM study.
Direct comparison of EUV and visible-light interferometries

Recent experiments with four 10x EUV imaging systems provide the first direct comparisons of visible-light and at- wavelength EUV interferometers performed using the state-of- the-art measurement tools that will be used to assemble and align the next generation of EUV imaging systems. Measurements from four individual multilayer-coated Schwarzschild objectives are discussed. Favorable agreement has been achieved between EUV and visible-light system wavefront measurements in all four optical systems. Measurements made in the presence of surface contamination and multilayer thickness variation, however, do show expected localized differences between the two measurements.
Computer tutors can reduce student errors and promote solution efficiency for complex engineering problems

An ability to solve complex problems, for which a variety of solution paths are possible, is an important goal in engineering education. While feedback is critical to learning, hand grading of homework rarely provides effective, timely feedback on attempts to solve complex problems. Such feedback is also unfeasible in distance education contexts. A technology, based on the approach of cognitive tutors, is presented as a generally applicable method of providing automated feedback on complex problem solving, with truss problems studied in engineering as an example. The tutor maintains a cognitive model of problem solving for this class of problems, and associates various solution steps with distinct skills or knowledge components. One can determine whether students learn individual skills by measuring the error rate as a function of practice. Prior work has shown that for many skills the error rate indeed decreases with practice. New insight into the tutor's effectiveness, pertaining to the efficiency of student solution paths, is presented in this paper. While no explicit feedback is given regarding solution efficiency, it is found that students using the tutor become more efficient with practice. Furthermore, more efficient paths are found to be associated with making fewer errors. We present a computer tutor that provides feedback on complex engineering problems.An interactive environment enables student-initiated vector diagrams and equations.A cognitive model is described that associates solution steps with distinct skills.Students learn to be more efficient without explicit guidance.Efficient problem-solving is linked to making fewer errors.
Pulmonary complications of congenital heart disease: hemoptysis.

Abstract Hemoptysis is reviewed as a rare but major complication of congenital heart disease. Forty-two patients with hemoptyses not associated with endocarditis, tuberculosis, or immediate postoperative complications are reviewed; all but 2 were cyanotic. Group I (17 patients) had extreme pulmonic stenosis or atresia, and hemoptysis was attributed to a combination of hemorrhage from enlarged tortuous bronchial arteries and thrombotic lesions in the small pulmonary arteries; one patient bled from a postoperative intercostal pulmonary artery aneurysm. In 9 patients all over 15 years of age, hemoptysis was associated with “pseudofibrosis” at the lung apices. The radiologic progression of this lesion, not previously described, is outlined. Group II (15 patients) had pulmonary vascular obstructive disease associated with varied intracardiac lesions. In 7 additional patients, all but two with PVOD, hemoptysis was associated with pregnancy or oral contraceptives. The 3 patients in Group III had varying causes for hemoptysis, including erosion of a large aberrant vessel to the lung following bronchoscopy. The relevant literature is discussed and the use of newer techniques in investigating the pulmonary vascular bed in vivo is emphasized.
Dynamics of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus SIVmac239 Infection in Pigtail Macaques

Pigtail macaques (PTM) are an excellent model for HIV research; however, the dynamics of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) SIVmac239 infection in PTM have not been fully evaluated. We studied nine PTM prior to infection, during acute and chronic SIVmac239 infections, until progression to AIDS. We found PTM manifest clinical AIDS more rapidly than rhesus macaques (RM), as AIDS-defining events occurred at an average of 42.17 weeks after infection in PTM compared to 69.56 weeks in RM (P = 0.0018). However, increased SIV progression was not associated with increased viremia, as both peak and set-point plasma viremias were similar between PTM and RM (P = 0.7953 and P = 0.1006, respectively). Moreover, this increased disease progression was not associated with rapid CD4(+) T cell depletion, as CD4(+) T cell decline resembled other SIV/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) models. Since immune activation is the best predictor of disease progression during HIV infection, we analyzed immune activation by turnover of T cells by BrdU decay and Ki67 expression. We found increased levels of turnover prior to SIV infection of PTM compared to that observed with RM, which may contribute to their increased disease progression rate. These data evaluate the kinetics of SIVmac239-induced disease progression and highlight PTM as a model for HIV infection and the importance of immune activation in SIV disease progression.
Emergency medicine resident interpretation of pediatric radiographs.

Objective: To examine the concordance of pediatric radiograph interpretation between emergency medicine residents (EMRs) and radiologists. Methods: A prospective, observational study was performed in a university pediatric ED with an annual census of 60,000 visits. Radiographs ordered by EMRs from December 1993 through October 1994 were initially interpreted solely by the EMR, with subsequent unmasked final review by attending radiology staff. Misinterpreted radiographs were placed into 3 categories. The groupings included overreads, underreads with no change in treatment, and underreads that required a change in treatment. Results: A total of 415 radiographs were interpreted by PGY1–3 residents. Overall concordance was found for 371 radiographs (89.4%). There were 44 misinterpretations (10.6%), with 24 (5.78%) overreads, 13 (3.13%) underreads, and 7 (1.69%) underreads that required follow-up interventions. Misinterpretations were similar for the different levels of training: The 5 most frequently ordered radiographs were chest (28%), ankle (7%), foot (6%), wrist (5%), and hand (5%). The most frequently misinterpreted radiographs were sinus, foot, shoulder, facial, and hand. Conclusion: 89.4% of all the radiographs interpreted by PGY1–3 residents were read correctly. Only 1.69% of the misinterpreted radiographs led to a change in management. Level of training did not significantly correlate with radiograph misinterpretation rates.
Semi-Quantitative Risk Assessment of Adjacent Track Accidents on Shared-Use Rail Corridors

Safety is a high priority for any rail system, and there are several safety concerns associated with operating passenger and freight trains on shared-use rail corridors. Adjacent track accident (ATA) is one of the most important concerns. ATA refers to train accident scenarios where a derailed equipment intrudes adjacent tracks, causing operation disturbance and potential subsequent train collisions on the adjacent tracks. Other ATA scenarios include collisions between trains on adjacent tracks (raking), turnouts, and railroad crossings. Limited literature is available that addressed the risk of ATA for shared-use rail corridors. The research described in this paper presents a comprehensive risk assessment to identify factors affecting the likelihood and consequence of adjacent track accidents. A discussion on how these factors affect the probability, consequence, and how individual factor relates to each other are provided. A semi-quantitative risk analysis is developed to investigate various factors affecting train accident rate, intrusion rate, and accident consequences. This research intends to depict a high-level overview of adjacent track accidents and provides a basis for future quantitative risk analyses and risk mitigation implementations.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
A UNIQUE MITOTIC VARIATION IN THE MARINE DINOFLAGELLATE OXYRRHIS MARINA (PYRROPHYTA)1

Mitosis is described in the flagellate Oxyrrhis marina Dujardin and is compared in related genera. Dense plaques develop in the nuclear envelope at prophase and give rise to an intranuclear spindle. Some of the microtubules associate with the chromosomes while others extend across the nucleus. The basal bodies migrate toward the poles early in division and retain a position lateral to the nuclear poles throughout mitosis. Microtubules are not present between the nucleus and the basal bodies. The nucleolus is persistent and elongates throughout anaphase and telophase. Chromosomal separation is accomplished by sliding of non-chromosomal microtubules and by elongation of the nuclear envelope rather than by shortening of the spindle microtubules. The nuclear envelope begins to constrict in the center early in anaphase. Continued constriction of the envelope and elongation of the nucleus leads to the formation of a dumbbell-shaped nucleus by late telophase. Mitosis culminates by the constriction of the nucleus into two daughter nuclei. The taxonomic position of Oxyrrhis marina is discussed in light of these findings.
Professional Identification and City Managers: An Analysis of a National Survey

This article examines the determinants of professional identification of city managers in U.S. local governments. This study explores Marvick's and Gouldner's theories on professional identification and applies these theories to whether city managers in local governments view themself as a professional, institutionalist, or hybrid. An analysis of a national survey of city managers in U.S. local governments is used to examine differences. Through descriptive statistics, this article first found out that the hybrid theory is more closely aligned with city managers’ professional identification. Second, through factor analysis the empirical results further supported the hybrid model. Finally, the logistic regression model showed that professional development activities of the city manager, not professional identification, predicted having a graduate degree in public administration/affairs. The findings from this study showed that more empirical research should be conducted examining professional identificatio...
Ultrafast Measurements On Excited State Isomerization

Etude de l'isomerisation cis trans de la liaison simple liant les substituants vinyl, isopropenyl et methyl-1' propenyl a l'anthracene en position 2
An apparatus for in situ microscopy of zone solidifying polymers

An apparatus has been developed for performing zone solidification under the polarizing microscope. The apparatus has been designed specifically for the oriented crystallisation of polymers, taking into account their susceptibility to degradation and depolymerisation. Temperature gradients of up to 400 degrees C cm-1 have been obtained, with polymer residence times in the melt being of the order of about one hour.
Distribution of enzymes catalyzing the glucosylation and sulfation steps of glucosinolate biosynthesis in Brassica Juncea seedlings and cultured cells

Abstract Tissue distribution of the enzymes PAPS:desulfoglucosinolate sulfotransferase (sulfotransferase) and UDP-glucose:thiohydroximate glucosyltransferase (glucosyltransferase) was studied in developing seedlings of Brassica juncea Coss.. Hypocotyls had the highest specific activity of enzymes, however, their total activities were the greatest in the cotyledons. The subcellular distribution of both enzymes was investigated using protoplasts generated from cell suspension cultures derived from hypocotyl explants of B. juncea . After purification of the protoplasts and their subsequent rupture, organelle fractions were obtained by differential centrifugation. Activities of both enzymes were most abundant in the soluble fraction.
Comparing SF-36 scores across three groups of women with different health profiles

Background: The widespread use of the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) facilitates the comparison of health-related quality of life (HRQL) across independent studies. Objectives: To compare the scores of eight scales and two summary scales of the SF-36 across participants in the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) trial, the Women’s Health Initiative-Dietary Modification trial (WHI-DM), and the MOS, and to illustrate the use of effect sizes for interpreting the importance of group differences. Methods: WHEL and WHI-DM are both multi-center dietary interventions; only data from the UC Davis sites were used in our study. WHEL participants had a recent history of breast cancer, WHI-DM participants were healthy, postmenopausal women, and women in the MOS had a history of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, or depression. General linear models were used to identify statistically significant differences in scale scores. Meaningful differences were determined by effect sizes computed using a common within-group standard deviation (SD) and SDs from normative data. Results: After adjusting for age and marital status, SF-36 scores for the WHI-DM and WHEL samples were similar and both had statistically significantly higher scores than the MOS sample. Relative to the WHEL or WHI-DM studies, MOS scores for scales related to the physical domain were clearly meaningfully lower whereas scale scores related to the mental health domain were potentially meaningfully lower. Conclusions: The HRQL of breast cancer survivors is comparable to that of healthy women and better than that of women with chronic health conditions, particularly with respect to physical health. This study illustrated the use of ranges of effects sizes for aiding the interpretation of SF-36 scores differences across independent studies.
Ultraviolet carcinogenesis in the teleost fish, Poecilia formosa

Abstract A calculation is made of the fraction of a population of Poecilia , formosa , that develop ultraviolet induced tumors and the result compared with the experimental data. Reasonable correlation is obtained.
Mid-Jurassic through mid-Cretaceous extension in the Central Graben of the North Sea - part 1: estimates from subsidence

The post early Carboniferous subsidence history of the Central North Sea basin can be separated into three major periods: Permian, Triassic and post Mid-Jurassic. Prior efforts to account for this subsidence within an extensional framework have concentrated on the post Mid-Jurassic. These efforts have assumed that the effects of the previous periods of extension necessary to create the Permian and Triassic subsidence are negligible. We consider the 80-km value for the Mid-Jurassic-mid-Cretaceous extension from these efforts a reasonable upper estimate of the likely amount of extension. This value has received considerable criticism as it is almost four times as great as that determined by summing the horizontal displacement (heave) on faults observed on industry seismic lines in the area. We treat the two earlier phases of extension as one phase and develop a method to estimate the maximum value of this extension. We use this value, with estimates of the total extension from the early Carboniferous to Present, to determine a likely minimum value for the mid-Mid-Jurassic through mid-Cretaceous extension. After justifying the use of Airy isostasy for the loading response of the lithosphere we show that the observed unloaded basement subsidence history is compatible with the parameters we derive for the pre and post Mid-Jurassic extension. Our minimum estimate of 38 km is still significantly higher than that: made by summing the heave on the faults active throughout the Upper Jurassic and lower Cretaceous.
The effect of L-dopa on the healing of a rat mandibular defect.

Abstract a Purpose This study was designed to evaluate the effect of L-dopa on healing of a surgically created bony defect in the adult male rat. Materials and Methods Thirty-six animals underwent surgery to create a 4mm circular defect in the left mandibular angle. They were then randomly divided into two equal groups, one receiving 0.2 g/kg/day of L-dopa for 10 days by orogastric gavage, the other group acting as a control. Six experimental and six control animals were killed at 2 weeks, and five experimental and six control animals were killed at 4 and 6 weeks postoperation. Healing was classified as complete, partial, or incomplete based on gross and radiographic observations. Results Gross observation of the experimental mandibles showed five completely healed defects (31.25%), five partially healed defects (31.25%), and six defects with no healing (37.5%). Control mandibles showed three defects with partial healing (16.67%) and 15 with no healing (83.33%). Radiographs were taken of randomly chosen mandibles in each control and experimental group. Of the six experimental mandibles, one showed no healing, three showed partial healing, and two showed complete healing of the defect. The six control mandibles showed three defects with no bone formation and three with partial healing. Conclusions The data from this study indicate that L-dopa had a promoting effect on the bony healing of defects in the rat mandible.
Continuum models for the contact line problem

Continuum models are derived for the moving contact line problem through a combination of macroscopic and microscopic considerations. Macroscopic thermodynamic argument is used to place constraints on the form of the boundary conditions at the solid surface and the contact line. This information is then used to set up molecular dynamics to measure the detailed functional dependence of the boundary conditions. Long range molecular forces are taken into account in the form of a surface potential. This allows us to handle the case of complete wetting as well as the case of partial wetting. In particular, we obtain a new continuum model for both cases in a unified form. Two main parameters and different spreading regimes are identified from the analysis of the energy dissipations for the continuum model. Scaling laws in these different regimes are derived. The new continuum model also allows us to derive boundary conditions for the lubrication approximation. Numerical results are presented for the thin film model and the effect of the boundary condition is investigated.
What Is Your Museum's Economic Footprint?

AbstractAcross the United States, museums are considered an integral part of the community fabric and an important factor in the quality of life, “Arts and culture helps foster creativity, bridges class divides, retains college graduates, recruits companies, and raises the quality of life.“1 But across the nation, museums contribute far more than just culture—they drive local and state economies. Nationally, the arts and culture sector generates $166.2 billion in economic activity, including $104 billion in household income and $29.6 billion in tax revenue annually; it also supports 5.7 million jobs.2 Knowing one's economic footprint permits institutions to concretely demonstrate their positive economic impact on a community, which is increasingly important for museums and cultural attractions as they endeavor to demonstrate the many benefits they offer communities.3 And, in a time of economic recession and increased demand and requirements for funding, this information provides power. Further, a positive...
The Modern Campus

The modern campus is a learning environment of unprecedented flexibility and effectiveness that respects and treasures the academic values and traditions of the past while embracing the technological tools of the present.
Gene therapy for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Although oral phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors have substantially improved the treatment of erectile dysfunction, unmet needs among men with erectile dysfunction still exist. This article considers the possibility of gene therapy for these patients, and discusses results from early clinical studies of gene therapy for erectile dysfunction.
Three-Dimensional Tracking of Optically Trapped Particles by Digital Gabor Holography

A new technique for 3-D position detection of optically trapped particle by digital Gabor holography is demonstrated with accuracy of ~100 nm. The particle complex optical field is reconstructed via the angular spectrum method.
Worldwide continental denudation and climatic deterioration during the late Tertiary: Evidence from deep-sea sediments

A six-fold increase in the rate of accumulation of Al 2 O 3 in north and central Atlantic and Pacific Ocean sediments indicates vastly increased denudation of the continents during the past 15 m.y. The increase is more apparent in hemipelagic than pelagic sites, demonstrating widely distributed local controls. Similarities in the rate of increase in the Atlantic and Pacific show that tectonic elevation is not responsible for the difference in sedimentation rate. Also, similarities in the difference at sites of low and high latitude suggest that glaciation is not the most significant source. A lack of correspondence between sedimentation rates and Vail9s sea-level curve similarly rule out that effect. The conclusion drawn here is that worldwide climatic deterioration during the late Tertiary is the explanation for the striking increase in detrital sedimentation in the world ocean.
Structure-dependent recombination hot spot activity of GAA.TTC sequences from intron 1 of the Friedreich's ataxia gene.

The recombinational properties of long GAA·TTC repeating sequences were analyzed in Escherichia coli to gain further insights into the molecular mechanisms of the genetic instability of this tract as possibly related to the etiology of Friedreich's ataxia. Intramolecular and intermolecular recombination studies showed that the frequency of recombination between the GAA·TTC tracts was as much as 15 times higher than the non-repeating control sequences. Homologous, intramolecular recombination between GAA·TTC tracts and GAAGGA·TCCTTC repeats also occurred with a very high frequency (∼0.8%). Biochemical analyses of the recombination products demonstrated the expansions and deletions of the GAA·TTC repeats. These results, together with our previous studies on the CTG·CAG sequences, suggest that the recombinational hot spot characteristics may be a common feature of all triplet repeat sequences. Unexpectedly, we found that the recombination properties of the GAA·TTC tracts were unique, compared with CTG·CAG repeats, because they depended on the DNA secondary structure polymorphism. Increasing the length of the GAA·TTC repeats decreased the intramolecular recombination frequency between these tracts. Also, a correlation was found between the propensity of the GAA·TTC tracts to adopt the sticky DNA conformation and the inhibition of intramolecular recombination. The use of novobiocin to modulate the intracellular DNA topology, i.e. the lowering of the negative superhelical density, repressed the formation of the sticky DNA structure, thereby restoring the expected positive correlation between the length of the GAA·TTC tracts and the frequency of intramolecular recombination. Hence, our results demonstrate that sticky DNA exists and functions in E. coli.
Controlled initial hyperkalemic reperfusion after cardiac transplantation: Coronary vascular resistance and blood flow

The coronary vascular response to controlled initial hyperkalemic reperfusion after global ischemia during cardiac transplantation was studied in 11 patients. The mean global ischemic time was 206 minutes (range, 143 to 245 minutes). All donor hearts received initial hyperkalemic crystalloid cardioplegia and subsequent oxygenated crystalloid cardioplegia during implantation. Coronary blood flow was highest during the first one to two minutes of controlled reperfusion but remained normal throughout the first ten minutes of reperfusion. Coronary vascular resistance was less than normal throughout the first ten minutes of controlled reperfusion, but there was a gradual increase throughout this period. Systemic vascular resistance remained within normal limits. The time to effective contraction was highly variable, but a greater potassium load during initial reperfusion was generally associated with a longer time to effective contraction.
Cloning and fine mapping the DNA of equine herpesvirus type one defective Interfering Particles

Abstract Equine herpesvirus type one (EHV-1) defective interfering (DI) particle DNA fragments were inserted into the Xba I site of the plasmid vector pACYC184. Five DI Xba I fragments, which ranged in molecular weight from 4.5 to 6.7 MDa, were selected for detailed analysis. Each DI DNA clone was labeled with 32 P-deoxynucleotides by nick translation and hybridized to genomic digests of EHV-1 standard (STD) DNA bound to nitrocellulose. All five clones were shown to hybridize to DNA sequences derived from the left terminus (0.00.04 map units) of the long (L) region and from the short (S) region inverted repeats (IRS, 0.79–0.86 and 0.93–1.00 map units) of the STD EHV-1 genome. Restriction enzyme mapping studies and Southern blot hybridizations employing cloned STD virus DNA fragments as probes revealed that these EHV-1 DI clones contain two major domains: (1) an L terminal region which maps to 0.01–0.04 map units and is highly conserved among all five clones, and (2) a region homologous to the IRS which appears to vary between individual clones.
Measurements of Heat Release of Diesel PM for Advanced Thermal Management Strategies for DPF Regeneration

Diesel engines typically require diesel particulate filter (DPF) systems to reduce particulate matter (PM) emissions in order to meet increasingly stringent emission regulations. While there have been noticeable advances in DPF technology, significant efforts are still needed to develop optimum DPF regeneration strategies and achieve efficient removal of diesel PM. In particular, the development of an effective thermal management system is essential to prevent the potential failure of the DPF system by the thermal runaway during soot oxidation in DPF regeneration. In an effort to develop optimum thermal management strategies, this experimental investigation is concerned primarily with measuring the instantaneous rate of heat generation as well as the total amount of heat released during the oxidation of diesel PM containing different concentrations of soluble organic fraction (SOF). The experimental approach was to measure directly, by means of a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), the amount of heat...
On Making Public Policy with Publicly Available Data: The Case of U.S. Communications Policymaking

Abstract A fundamental principle of public policymaking should be that public policy must be made with publicly available data. This article develops this position and applies it to an assessment of the current state of communications policymaking, a policy area in which controversies surrounding the transparency of policy research and the accessibility of policy-relevant data have been both common and extremely contentious in recent years. This article provides a detailed assessment of the challenges confronting greater transparency and accessibility of communications policy-relevant data, as well as a detailed set of proposals for improving the current situation, in an effort to build towards an environment in which public policy is made with publicly available data.
Union wage premiums in an instrumental variables framework

A number of studies have used simultaneous-equations models, and the Inverse-Mills Ratio procedure in particular, to calculate union wage premiums. No study, however, has attempted to build up and extend results using an innovative instrumental variables (IV) model recently developed by Duncan and Leigh. This article fills this void by not only using the IV model to update Duncan and Leigh’s estimates, but also computes union wage premiums for as many as 24 different groups of workers (as opposed to only five by Duncan and Leigh). IV estimates are also compared with results computed from the more traditional IMR and single-equation OLS models.
Transient temperature rise during regeneration of diesel particulate filters

Abstract A major technological challenge in the regeneration of diesel particulate filters (DPFs) is that sometimes the exothermic regeneration generates excessively hot local zones that melt the cordierite ceramic filter. The cause of this melting is still an open question. The temperature rise under stationary (constant feed conditions) regeneration is not sufficiently high to cause this melting. We investigated a conjecture that the high temperature excursions in a DPF may be the dynamic response to a shift from normal driving mode to idle. This shift affects three inputs: It increases the oxygen concentration and simultaneously decreases the feed temperature and filtration velocity. Infrared measurements of the spatio-temporal temperature during soot combustion on a single layer DPF confirmed that the response to such a simultaneous step change leads to a transient temperature that exceeds the highest attained for stationary operation under either the initial or final operation conditions. The transient temperature rise caused by a simultaneous step change of the three inputs was rather close to the sum of the responses the three individual changes. The amplitude of the temperature excursion depended in a complex way on several factors, such as the direction of the moving temperature front and whether the feed step-change was done before or after the formation of a moving front, and the period after the initiation of the temperature front.