cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acylation of cholesterol by microsomal enzymes from mouse preputial gland tumors

Abstract Cholesterol:acylCoA acyltransferase activity, assayed in subcellular fractions from mouse preputial gland tumors, was found to be microsomal. CoA and ATP were necessary for the esterification of cholesterol and palmitic acid, and the reaction was stimulated by Mg 2+ and bovine serum albumin. The pH optimum was close to 8. The microsomal enzyme esterified the membrane cholesterol as well as the cholesterol added to the incubation mixtures. Both cholesterol pools were esterified linearly with time, indicating that they equilibrate very rapidly to form a single pool accessible to the enzyme. The enzyme preferred palmitic acid or pentadecanoic acid as substrate over oleic and linoleic acids. The cholesterol ester fraction isolated from preputial gland tumors had oleic acid as the most abundant acid, but also contained considerable amounts of a mixture of acids between C14 and C16.
Benzene-Templated Model Systems for Photosynthetic Antenna−Reaction Center Function†

A synthetic strategy for preparing artificial photosynthetic antenna−reaction center complexes based on formation of a benzene core via a Diels−Alder reaction has been applied to the preparation of a zinc porphyrin (PZn)−free base porphyrin (P2H)−fullerene (C60) molecular triad. Spectroscopic studies in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran show that excitation of the zinc porphyrin antenna moiety to form 1PZn−P2H−C60 is followed by singlet−singlet energy transfer to the free base porphyrin excitation energy trap (τ = 59 ps), yielding PZn−1P2H−C60. The free base porphyrin first excited singlet state decays by photoinduced electron transfer to the fullerene (τ = 25 ps), producing a PZn−P2H•+−C60•- charge-separated state. Charge shift (τ = 167 ps) yields PZn•+−P2H−C60•-. This final charge-separated state is formed with quantum yields >90% following excitation of any of the three chromophores. Charge recombination in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (τ = 50 ns) occurs by an apparently endergonic process to give triplet states of t...
Drinking water turbidity and emergency department visits for gastrointestinal illness in New York City, 2002-2009.

Background Studies have examined whether there is a relationship between drinking water turbidity and gastrointestinal (GI) illness indicators, and results have varied possibly due to differences in methods and study settings. Objectives As part of a water security improvement project we conducted a retrospective analysis of the relationship between drinking water turbidity and GI illness in New York City (NYC) based on emergency department chief complaint syndromic data that are available in near-real-time. Methods We used a Poisson time-series model to estimate the relationship of turbidity measured at distribution system and source water sites to diarrhea emergency department (ED) visits in NYC during 2002-2009. The analysis assessed age groups and was stratified by season and adjusted for sub-seasonal temporal trends, year-to-year variation, ambient temperature, day-of-week, and holidays. Results Seasonal variation unrelated to turbidity dominated (~90% deviance) the variation of daily diarrhea ED visits, with an additional 0.4% deviance explained with turbidity. Small yet significant multi-day lagged associations were found between NYC turbidity and diarrhea ED visits in the spring only, with approximately 5% excess risk per inter-quartile-range of NYC turbidity peaking at a 6 day lag. This association was strongest among those aged 0-4 years and was explained by the variation in source water turbidity. Conclusions Integrated analysis of turbidity and syndromic surveillance data, as part of overall drinking water surveillance, may be useful for enhanced situational awareness of possible risk factors that can contribute to GI illness. Elucidating the causes of turbidity-GI illness associations including seasonal and regional variations would be necessary to further inform surveillance needs.
Reticular Infantile Hemangioma of the Limb Can Be Associated with Ventral-Caudal Anomalies, Refractory Ulceration, and Cardiac Overload

We describe six patients with an uncommon variant of infantile hemangioma that we have termed reticular, occurring in the extremity, which were associated with intractable ulceration, anogenito-urinary-sacral anomalies, and sometimes cardiac overload. The extreme end of the spectrum is exemplified by a male neonate who presented with a stained, enlarged, pulsatile lower extremity, and cardiac failure. He also had hepatic hemangiomas and ambiguous genitalia. Progressive soft tissue necrosis and bony destruction necessitated amputation. The histopathologic features differed from those of typical infantile hemangioma: infiltrative (not lobular) and involving fascia, muscle, and bone. The mid-spectrum is illustrated by five females with reticular infantile hemangioma of the lower limb, buttock, and perineum. Four of these infants had a ventral-caudal anomaly, including omphalocele, recto-vaginal fistula, solitary/duplex kidney, imperforate anus, and tethered cord; one infant also had hepatic hemangiomas. Deep ulcerations healed following corticosteroid therapy; one patient required skin graft for closure of a thigh wound. The minor end of the spectrum is exemplified a patchy lesion in the distal limb. The reticular variant of infantile hemangioma can be confused with other vascular anomalies in the limb, such as capillary malformation, cutis marmorata telangiectasia congenita, diffuse arteriovenous malformation (Parkes Weber syndrome) and capillary-lymphatico-venous malformation (Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome). The macular network-like appearance of the tumor and coexisting ventral-caudal structural anomalies is analogous to the association of posterior fossa brain malformations, hemangiomas, arterial anomalies, coarctation of the aorta and cardiac defects, and eye abnormalities association in the craniofacial region.
On subpicosecond excitation energy transfer in light harvesting complexes (LHC): the B800–850 LHC of Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1

Abstract Recent subpicosecond transient absorption studies on the B800–850 light harvesting complex (LHC), and the carotenoid, spheroidene, from Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1 are discussed. The lifetime of excited bacteriochlorophyll a, B800, in the LHC is established as 0.70 ps at room temperature. Of more general significance, evidence is presented indicating that carotenoid to bacteriochlorophyll energy transfer may occur from each of two excited states of the carotenoid, the “S 2 ” and the S 1 states. In a separate study, resonant third harmonic generation from all trans β-carotene has detected a new electronic state in that carotenoid. It is nearly degenerate with its “S 2 ” state and very strongly dipole coupled to it. The generalization of this finding, theoretically justified, suggests that the “S 2 ” states of carotenoids are extraordinarily polarizable, and therefore may easily acquire a strong dipole moment in a suitably asymmetric environment. It also indicates that the in vitro to in vivo transfer of rate constants relating to the “S 2 ” state must be carried out with caution.
Predicting the outcome of cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer: a review.

Introduction: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of gynecologic cancer-related mortality in the United States. Surgical cytoreduction is the cornerstone of current treatment in patients with advanced disease, but it offers the best chances for overall survival when optimal cytoreduction is achieved. Clinicopathological and radiological models for predicting optimal resectability have not been universally applicable. Objective: To summarize the existing surgical data on current serologic, radiological, and surgical tools used to predict the resectability of advanced ovarian cancer. Methods: Systematic review of surgical studies on primary cytoreductive surgery for advanced ovarian cancer reported in the English-language literature between 1980 and 2009. Results: Seventeen retrospective studies using cancer antigen 125, and 8 retrospective studies using radiological imaging modalities to predict resectability of advanced ovarian cancer were reviewed. Five laparoscopic-based reports of ovarian cancer resectability were also reviewed as well as 5 studies examining the role of clinicopathological variables affecting surgical cytoreductive ability. These studies were analyzed according to the rate of optimal cytoreduction achieved and the reported sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and predictive values of predictive parameters described. Finally, the various conclusions were compared. Conclusions: The rates of optimal cytoreduction vary among surgeons. A universally applicable clinical model that can predict which patients will undergo optimal cytoreduction remains elusive. More research is needed to devise a set of uniform criteria that can be used to predict ovarian cancer resectability among different patient populations.
Characterization of Two Novel Type I Ribosome-Inactivating Proteins from the Storage Roots of the Andean Crop Mirabilis expansa

Two novel type I ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) were found in the storage roots of Mirabilis expansa, an underutilized Andean root crop. The two RIPs, named ME1 and ME2, were purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, cation-exchange perfusion chromatography, and C4 reverse-phase chromatography. The two proteins were found to be similar in size (27 and 27.5 kD) by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and their isoelectric points were determined to be greater than pH 10.0. Amino acid N-terminal sequencing revealed that both ME1 and ME2 had conserved residues characteristic of RIPs. Amino acid composition and western-blot analysis further suggested a structural similarity between ME1 and ME2. ME2 showed high similarity to the Mirabilis jalapa antiviral protein, a type I RIP. Depurination of yeast 26S rRNA by ME1 and ME2 demonstrated their ribosome-inactivating activity. Because these two proteins were isolated from roots, their antimicrobial activity was tested against root-rot microorganisms, among others. ME1 and ME2 were active against several fungi, including Pythium irregulare, Fusarium oxysporum solani, Alternaria solani, Trichoderma reesei, and Trichoderma harzianum, and an additive antifungal effect of ME1 and ME2 was observed. Antibacterial activity of both ME1 and ME2 was observed against Pseudomonas syringae, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Agrobacterium radiobacter, and others.
The Relationship Between Students' Perceived Sense of Community and Satisfaction, Achievement, and Retention in an Online Course

This study evaluated students’ sense of community, satisfaction, achievement, and retention in 3 sections of the same online undergraduate psychology course. Use of asynchronous discussion threads and students’ perceived interaction with fellow students and the instructor were all correlated with students’ perceived sense of community (SOC). When student-student and student-instructor interactions were examined more specifically, the sum of student-student interaction variables was related to SOC, while the sum of student-instructor interaction variables was not. Additionally, although sense of community was related to student satisfaction within the course, it was not related to either course grade or retention in an online course of study. A review of student comments exemplified this and showed that while some students enjoyed, needed, or desired social interaction, some students did not desire sense of community in an online course environment.
Providing witness anonymity in peer-to-peer systems

In this paper, we introduce the concept of witness anonymity for peer-to-peer systems. Witness anonymity combines the seemingly conflicting requirements of anonymity (for honest peers who report on the misbehavior of other peers) and accountability (for malicious peers that attempt to misuse the anonymity feature to slander honest peers). We propose the Secure Deep Throat (SDT) protocol to provide anonymity for witnesses of malicious or selfish behavior to enable such peers to report on this behavior without fear of retaliation. On the other hand, in SDT the misuse of anonymity is restrained in such a way that any malicious peer that attempts to send multiple claims against the same innocent peer for the same reason (i.e., the same misbehavior type) can be identified. We also describe how SDT can be used in two modes. The active mode can be used in scenarios with real-time requirements, e.g., detecting and preventing the propagation of peer-to-peer worms, whereas the passive mode is suitable for scenarios without strict real-time requirements, e.g., query-based reputation systems. We analyze the security and overhead of SDT and present countermeasures that can be used to mitigate various attacks on the protocol. Our analysis shows that the communication, storage, and computation overheads of SDT are acceptable in peer-to-peer systems.
Computing Curricula: A Comparison of Models

An analysis of eight computing model curricula verifies that there are significant differences between computing disciplines. While there are many courses in the models with the same or similar names, the courses may be completely different. By reverse engineering model course descriptions, the courses are compared to determine the inclusiveness of each course in each of the others. Although expected, these results are significant for colleges and universities establishing or revising computing programs.
Sustained NMDA receptor activation by spreading depolarizations can initiate excitotoxic injury in metabolically compromised neurons

Spreading depolarizations (SDs) are slowly propagating waves of near-complete neuronal and glial depolarization. SDs have been recorded in patients with brain injury, and the incidence of SD significantly correlates with outcome severity. Although it is well accepted that the ionic dyshomeostasis of SD presents a severe metabolic burden, there is currently limited understanding of SD-induced injury processes at a cellular level. In the current study we characterized events accompanying SD in the hippocampal CA1 region of murine brain slices, using whole-cell recordings and single-cell Ca(2+) imaging. We identified an excitatory phase that persisted for approximately 2 min following SD onset, and accompanied with delayed dendritic ionic dyshomeostasis. The excitatory phase coincided with a significant increase in presynaptic glutamate release, evidenced by a transient increase in spontaneous EPSC frequency and paired-pulse depression of evoked EPSCs. Activation of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) during this late excitatory phase contributed to the duration of individual neuronal depolarizations and delayed recovery of extracellular slow potential changes. Selectively targeting the NMDAR activation following SD onset (by delayed pressure application of a competitive NMDAR antagonist) significantly decreased the duration of cellular depolarizations. Recovery of dendritic Ca(2+) elevations following SD were also sensitive to delayed NMDA antagonist application. Partial inhibition of neuronal energy metabolism converted SD into an irrecoverable event with persistent Ca(2+) overload and membrane compromise. Delayed NMDAR block was sufficient to prevent these acute injurious events in metabolically compromised neurons. These results identify a significant contribution of a late component of SD that could underlie neuronal injury in pathological circumstances.
Analyzing the Performance of an Agent-based Neural System for Classification Tasks Using Data Distribution among the Agents

The use of intelligent agents in the structure of multi-classifier systems has been investigated in order to overcome some drawbacks of these systems and, as a consequence, to improve the performance of such systems. As a result of this, the NeurAge system was proposed. This system has presented good results in some conventional (centralized) classification tasks. Nevertheless, in some classification tasks, relevant features can be distributed over a set of agent. These applications can be classified as distributed classification tasks. In this paper, an investigation of the performance of the NeurAge system in distributed classification tasks will be performed. In other words, it will be investigated the performance of NeurAge when the data are distributed over its agents.
Hospital readmissions for decompensated cirrhosis.

Preventable hospital readmissions are common among patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Not only are they harmful to patients, they also negatively impact the financial margin for hospitals and clinicians. In the future, advanced technology will likely be used to improve patient education and in‐home monitoring.10, 11 For now, however, clinicians can help prevent readmissions with simple interventions such as PCDIs and early postdischarge telephone calls.
Student Voice in the Elementary Years: Fostering Youth-Adult Partnerships in Elementary Service-Learning

Service-learning is promoted widely by professional organizations (NCSS, 2001), but often with little reflection on the nature of meaningful student participation and the impact of teacher leadership styles. The authors studied mixed-age “small school” advisory groups involved in service-learning at one elementary school; observational, interview, and focus group data were collected. They present three case studies that represent various leadership typologies of elementary service-learning: The Catalyst, The Synthesizer, and The Commander. The authors then map these leaders' priorities onto a Youth Adult Partnership (YAP) continuum to suggest how student voice, a common component of successful service-learning, might occur in the elementary years.
Estimating drug effects in the presence of placebo response: Causal inference using growth mixture modeling

Placebo-controlled randomized trials for antidepressants and other drugs often show a response for a sizeable percentage of the subjects in the placebo group. Potential placebo responders can be assumed to exist also in the drug treatment group, making it difficult to assess the drug effect. A key drug research focus should be to estimate the percentage of individuals among those who responded to the drug who would not have responded to the placebo ('Drug Only Responders'). This paper investigates a finite mixture model approach to uncover percentages of up to four potential mixture components: Never Responders, Drug Only Responders, Placebo Only Responders, and Always Responders. Two examples are used to illustrate the modeling, a 12-week antidepressant trial with a continuous outcome (Hamilton D score) and a 7-week schizophrenia trial with a binary outcome (illness level). The approach is formulated in causal modeling terms using potential outcomes and principal stratification. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) with maximum-likelihood estimation is used to uncover the different mixture components. The results point to the limitations of the conventional approach of comparing marginal response rates for drug and placebo groups. It is useful to augment such reporting with the GMM-estimated prevalences for the four classes of subjects and the Drug Only Responder drug effect estimate.
Poverty and Inequality and Capabilities Equality: Basic Issues and Problems

Poverty and Inequality. Edited by David B. Grusky and Ravi Kanbur. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2006. 200p. $55.00 cloth, $21.95 paper.Capabilities Equality: Basic Issues and Problems. Edited by Alexander Kaufman. New York: Routledge, 2005. 224p. $125.00.Two trends, each a generation in the making, have affected the recent study of poverty and inequality. In 1979, Amartya Sen asked “Equality of What?” in his Tanner Lecture at Stanford University. There, and in numerous articles and books since, Sen and his collaborators developed a rich account of poverty, inequality, and of human well-being more generally considered. This work, though its original basis was in the classical political economy of subsistence and human freedom, grew to be buttressed by a wide range of ethical, social, and other economic matters. In so doing, it encouraged the development of the second trend, the greater interweaving of developments in the different social sciences and in political and philosophical theory that might be brought to bear on the consideration of poverty and inequality. There has come to be a greater understanding by economists, sociologists, political theorists, and philosophers of what they might learn from one another.
Adaptive rate QS-CDMA UWB systems using ternary OVSF codes with a zero-correlation zone

For a quasi-synchronous code-division multiple access (QS-CDMA) system, the relative time delays between the signals of different users can be maintained with a given time certainty. In this paper, the time delay is modelled as a uniformly distributed random variable on (-tau, tau). It is known that the multiple access interference (MAI) of the QS-CDMA system can be significantly reduced by employing spreading sequences with a zero-correlation zone (ZCZ). Hence, we propose a construction method for the design of ternary orthogonal variable-spreading-factor (OVSF) codes with a ZCZ of arbitrary lengths. Based on the knowledge of tau, we demonstrate how to select the OVSF code tree with different ZCZ to increase the aggregate throughput of DS-UWB systems with a loose synchronization. Once the OVSF code tree is selected, an adaptive date rate transmission scheme is proposed which can further increase the aggregate throughput by allocating OVSF codes to the active users
Ca2+ Permeability of Rat Parotid Gland Basolateral Plasma Membrane Vesicles is Modulated By Membrane Potential and Extravesicular [Ca2+]

This study examines the Ca2+ permeability of basolateral plasma membrane vesicles (BLMVs) isolated from the rat parotid gland by monitoring the rate of 45Ca2+ efflux from actively-loaded (via the Ca(2+)-ATPase) inside-out BLMVs. Ca2+ efflux from BLMVs into a K(+)-gluconate medium which hyperpolarizes the cytoplasmic side (i.e. outside) of the inside-out BLMVs resulted in a faster rate of Ca2+ efflux compared with a control medium containing N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG)-gluconate. Conversely, Ca2+ efflux into a medium which depolarizes the cytoplasmic side of the BLMVs (NMDG-chloride) resulted in slower rates of efflux compared with those observed with the control medium. This increased rate of 45Ca2+ efflux from the hyperpolarized BLMV was inhibited by 1 mM Ni2+, yielding a rate of efflux similar to the rate observed in depolarized BLMVs. The rate of Ca2+ efflux from BLMVs was affected by [Ca2+]o ([Ca2+] on the extravesicular, cytoplasmic side of the vesicle). When [Ca2+]o was kept > 200 nM during efflux, the rate of Ca2+ efflux from both hyper- and depolarized BLMVs was slow and relatively unresponsive to changes in [Ca2+]o, despite sizeable changes in the Ca2+ gradient across the BLMV. However, when [Ca2+]o was lowered < 200 nM, there was an abrupt increase in the rate of Ca2+ efflux from both hyper- and depolarized BLMVs. Additionally, when [Ca2+] was < 200 nM, the rate of Ca2+ efflux appeared to be more sensitive to driving force changes. These data suggest that Ca2+ permeability across the rat parotid gland basolateral plasma membrane is modulated by membrane potential and [Ca2+] on the cytoplasmic side.
Norepinephrine and impulsivity: effects of acute yohimbine

Rationale Rapid-response impulsivity, characterized by inability to withhold response to a stimulus until it is adequately appraised, is associated with risky behavior and may be increased in a state-dependent manner by norepinephrine.
Effect of viral upper respiratory tract infection on the urge-to-cough sensation

Summary Background Recently, interest has emerged in the sensation of irritation that precedes the motor act of coughing; this phenomenon has been termed the urge-to-cough (UTC). Although one previous study has demonstrated a transient enhancement of cough reflex sensitivity during acute upper respiratory tract infection (URI), the effect of URI on UTC has not previously been investigated. Methods Employing standard cough challenge methodology, we measured cough reflex sensitivity in 24 otherwise healthy adult nonsmokers during URI and again after recovery (4–8 weeks later) by determining C 2 and C 5 , the concentrations of capsaicin inducing 2 or more and 5 or more coughs, respectively. In addition, we determined the capsaicin concentration at which the UTC sensation first occurred, without an associated motor cough, and termed it C u . Furthermore, we determined the difference between concentrations of capsaicin inducing the first motor event of cough (C 1 ) and C u , and have termed it C Δ . Results During URI, cough reflex sensitivity as measured by C 1 ( p = 0.033) and C 5 ( p = 0.001), as well as the urge-to-cough threshold, C u ( p = 0.046), were significantly enhanced compared to the post-recovery state. The degree of change in cough reflex sensitivity (C 5 ) was significantly greater than that of the urge-to-cough threshold, C u ( p = 0.044). Conclusion Our results demonstrate that the UTC sensation is transiently enhanced during URI. We also confirm the results of the lone previous study that demonstrated transient enhancement of cough reflex sensitivity during URI. The UTC threshold may represent an additional relevant end point to measure in future studies evaluating potential antitussive agents.
IMPULSE CONTROL IN DISCRETE TIME

We present here impulse control theory in discrete time. We show the connection between quasi-variational inequalities (QVI) in this context, with the standard formulation of dynamic programming. We show that the QVI formulation brings many interesting features, completing the standard formulation of dynamic programming. We study applications to inventory control in discrete time.
The challenge of studying the effects of managed care as managed care evolves.

Managed care today, for both Medicare beneficiaries and others, bears increasingly less resemblance to the managed care plans of the early 1990s (Lesser, Ginsburg, and Devers 2003). Utilization management strategies such as gatekeeping and preauthorization are on the decline. Many health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are starting to look more like preferred provider organizations (PPOs) because of reductions in selective contracting. And cost sharing is increasingly shifting to patients. With Medicare reform looming, accompanied by heated debates about a larger role for managed care and competition, there is a heightened need for data on the performance of managed care in its current form. But managed care's rapid evolution has made it a moving target, particularly challenging to study in a timely fashion. Researchers often lack up-to-date data, so that studies frequently draw conclusions that have considerably less relevance when they are published than they would have had were managed care a more stable element in the health insurance market. But getting the data to keep up with managed care is difficult to achieve. Thus, at a minimum, the data used should contain elements pertinent to the contemporary status of managed care. Whether data sources are old or new, to have findings that are useful to policymakers, researchers must interpret their findings in the context of the changes managed care has undergone. Several papers in this issue of Health Services Research touch on different aspects of managed care. What they have in common is research involving data that predate recent changes in managed care, yet each provides valuable lessons for managed care's latest evolution.
Aerosol hygroscopicity at high (99 to 100%) relative humidities

Abstract. The hygroscopicity of an aerosol strongly influences its effects on climate and, for smaller particles, atmospheric lifetime. While many aerosol hygroscopicity measurements have been made at lower relative humidities (RH) and under cloud formation conditions (RH>100%), relatively few have been made at high RH (99 to 100%), where the Kelvin (curvature) effect is comparable to the Raoult (solute) effect. We measured the size of droplets at high RH that had formed on particles composed of one of seven compounds with dry diameters between 0.1 and 0.5 μm. We report the hygroscopicity of these compounds using a parameterization of the Kelvin term, in addition to a standard parameterization (κ) of the Raoult term. For inorganic compounds, hygroscopicity could reliably be predicted using water activity data (measured in macroscopic solutions) and assuming a surface tension of pure water. In contrast, most organics exhibited a slight to mild increase in hygroscopicity with droplet diameter. This trend was strongest for sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), the most surface-active compound studied. The results suggest that, for single-component aerosols at high RH, partitioning of solute to the particle-air interface reduces particle hygroscopicity by reducing the bulk solute concentration. This partitioning effect is more important than the increase in hygroscopicity due to surface tension reduction. Furthermore, we found no evidence that micellization limits SDS activity in micron-sized solution droplets, as observed in macroscopic solutions. We conclude that while the high-RH hygroscopicity of inorganic compounds can be reliably predicted using readily available data, surface-activity parameters obtained from macroscopic solutions with organic solutes may be inappropriate for calculations involving micron-sized droplets.
Cysteine-Scanning Mutagenesis Supports the Importance of Clostridium perfringens Enterotoxin Amino Acids 80 to 106 for Membrane Insertion and Pore Formation

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) causes the gastrointestinal symptoms of the second most common bacterial food-borne illness. Previous studies suggested that a region named TM1, which has amphipathic characteristics and spans from amino acids 81 to 106 of the native CPE protein, forms a β-hairpin involved in β-barrel pore formation. To further explore the potential role of TM1 in pore formation, the single Cys naturally present in CPE at residue 186 was first altered to alanine by mutagenesis; the resultant rCPE variant, named C186A, was shown to retain cytotoxic properties. Cys-scanning mutagenesis was then performed in which individual Cys mutations were introduced into each TM1 residue of the C186A variant. When those Cys variants were characterized, three variants were identified that exhibit reduced cytotoxicity despite possessing binding and oligomerization abilities similar to those of the C186A variant from which they were derived. Pronase challenge experiments suggested that the reduced cytotoxicity of those two Cys variants, i.e., the F91C and F95C variants, which model to the tip of the β-hairpin, was attributable to a lessened ability of these variants to insert into membranes after oligomerization. In contrast, another Cys variant, i.e., the G103C variant, with impaired cytotoxicity apparently inserted into membranes after oligomerization but could not form a pore with a fully functional channel. Collectively, these results support the TM1 region forming a β-hairpin as an important step in CPE insertion and pore formation. Furthermore, this work identifies the first amino acid residues specifically involved in those two steps in CPE action.
Performance evaluation of HF aircraft antenna systems

Many antennas, especially for aircraft application, must radiate into large sectors and operate over wide bands of frequency. At the same time, means of pattern control are often limated. In order to evaluate the performance of such antennas, several antenna-rating schemes have been proposed in the past. This paper1is concerned with the evaluation of HF aircraft antennas used for long-range voice ground-to-air and air-to-ground communications. The different antenna evaluation methods are compared theoretically for consistency among themselves. It is shown that they all lead to essentially identical relative ratings of different antennas used on the same aircraft. Furthermore, these ratings can be related to articulation scores, operationally the most significant parameter of voice-communication circuits. Since all the rating schemes investigated lead to about the same results, the simplest of these, namely the radiation pattern efficiency, appears to be the most suitable measure of effectiveness of HF aircraft antennas. The conclusions reached were verified through computations on radiation patterns obtained from model measurements.
Amphetamine-Induced Plasticity of AMPA Receptors in the Ventral Tegmental Area: Effects on Extracellular Levels of Dopamine and Glutamate in Freely Moving Rats

Previous electrophysiological studies suggested that the initiation of behavioral sensitization to cocaine and amphetamine involves a transient increase in AMPA receptor responsiveness in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). To test this, we used in vivo microdialysis to examine the effects of intra-VTA administration of AMPA (10 microm) and NMDA (100 microm) on dopamine (DA) and glutamate efflux in the VTA and the nucleus accumbens (NAC), an important target of VTA DA neurons. We compared rats treated for 5 d with saline or 5 mg/kg amphetamine and withdrawn for 3 or 10-14 d. After 3 d of withdrawal, intra-VTA AMPA increased both NAC and VTA DA levels to a greater extent in the amphetamine group, whereas NMDA produced similar effects in the saline and amphetamine groups. This enhanced responsiveness to AMPA was no longer evident in rats tested 10-14 d after the last injection. In addition, intra-VTA AMPA but not NMDA increased both VTA and NAC glutamate levels in rats tested 3 d after the last injection of amphetamine but not in saline controls. After 10-14 d, the responsiveness of glutamate levels to AMPA was no longer evident in the NAC but persisted in the VTA. Additional studies indicated that the glutamate effect in the NAC may involve increased responsiveness of DA receptors within the NAC. These findings establish an in vivo animal model with which to explore the consequences of repeated drug administration for AMPA receptor plasticity in the VTA. They also indicate that repeated amphetamine leads to potentiated interactions between DA and glutamate transmission.
Examination of student's motivational beliefs and faculty's role

Students come to universities with different goal orientations and therefore have different needs. Identifying varying orientation approaches, by highlighting differentiating traits, is a necessary step for developing a curriculum that will challenge and develop all students. This paper focuses specifically on three goal orientations which are performance approach, performance avoid, and mastery approach. This study explored these orientations using a mixed methods approach of quantitative surveys of seventeen students followed by qualitative interviews of five students. The Pittsburgh Freshman Engineering Survey was selected as the survey tool, and questions demonstrating qualities of different goal orientations were identified. The survey results identified the primary goal orientation for each student. The students with the strongest orientation in each category were identified, and some of these were subsequently interviewed. From the interview summaries and literature research, recommendations were developed for meeting the needs of the three goal orientations. While the recommendations specifically target the junior level Energy Lab at our university, they can be applied much more broadly.
Barrier Properties of Thermoplastic Elastomer Films

Abstract One application of barrier materials is chemical protective clothing. A variety of chemical protective clothing options are currently available, but many of the barrier materials combine good fluid resistance with high resistance to moisture vapor transport. This generates heat stress to the wearer. For certain applications it is desirable to find materials which are elastic, easy to process, and comfortable to use, while still having good fluid resistance. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) represent a developing family of materials that may provide an answer to those requirements, but have not been thoroughly investigated for this application. In this work, commercially available thermoplastic elastomers and their blends were evaluated. Film samples were prepared by either extrusion or compression molding, and their barrier properties evaluated in terms of water vapor transmission, fluid vapor transmission, and fluid absorption. Films prepared from a polyester TPE showed the highest water vapor tra...
EFFECT OF STEROIDS ON HUMAN CELL CULTURES; SUSTAINING EFFECT OF HYDROCORTISONE.

SummaryThe effect of 8 steroid hormones on 12 lines of human cells was studied in tissue culture. The steroids included estrogens, androgens, progestins, and hydrocortisone. The cell lines included amnion, epidermoid carcinomas, adenocarcinomas and sarcomas. Cytotoxic effects were not acute, but developed after several days if at all. No consistent relationship was apparent between minimum cytotoxic dose and endocrinologic characteristics of the steroids or type of cell. Testosterone and androsterone were toxic to most cell lines at 10 γ/ml. The ovarian and cervix adenocarcinoma cells were sensitive to most of the steroids at 10 γ/ml. Toxicity at 1.0 γ/ml was rare. Hydrocortisone at 2.5 to 10 γ/ml greatly extended the duration of good growth in cell lines HEp 1 and RPMI-41.
Recognition and recall of verbal material as a function of degree of training

Since the 19th century, recognition has been accepted as more sensitive than recall in measuring retention, Considerable research supports this conviction which has influenced both pedagogy and experimental psychology. The research below demomonstrates that recognition is superior to recall only at early stages of serial verbal learning. Previous demonstrations of the superiority of recognition are believed to be an artifact of multiple-choice tests which may reflect the elimination of incorrect alternatives rather than recognition of correct alternatives.
Arab contemporary political thought: secularist or theologist?

This paper constitutes an attempt to show the large diversity of Arab culture and the various stages through which Arab political thought has developed since the reign of Muhammad Ali in Egypt in the early 19th century up to the present. This panorama of the various schools of political thought shows the impact of the constantly changing geopolitical environment on Arab thinkers. It also shows that essentialist attempts to analyze and grasp the ‘Arab mind’ through a single factor and, namely, through the structure of Muslim theology and laws (sharia) are not successful and lead to impoverishing the richness of both Arab culture and political thought.
New Developments in Within-Person Research

Within-person studies have become increasingly popular over the last two decades, providing important insights to the organizational literature. This symposium attempts to showcase a selection of s...
The Effect of Total Household Decolonization on Clearance of Colonization With Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of total household decolonization with intranasal mupirocin and chlorhexidine gluconate body wash on recurrent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection among subjects with MRSA skin and soft-tissue infection. DESIGN Three-arm nonmasked randomized controlled trial. SETTING Five academic medical centers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS Adults and children presenting to ambulatory care settings with community-onset MRSA skin and soft-tissue infection (ie, index cases) and their household members. INTERVENTION Enrolled households were randomized to 1 of 3 intervention groups: (1) education on routine hygiene measures, (2) education plus decolonization without reminders (intranasal mupirocin ointment twice daily for 7 days and chlorhexidine gluconate on the first and last day), or (3) education plus decolonization with reminders, where subjects received daily telephone call or text message reminders. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Owing to small numbers of recurrent infections, this analysis focused on time to clearance of colonization in the index case. RESULTS Of 223 households, 73 were randomized to education-only, 76 to decolonization without reminders, 74 to decolonization with reminders. There was no significant difference in time to clearance of colonization between the education-only and decolonization groups (log-rank P=.768). In secondary analyses, compliance with decolonization was associated with decreased time to clearance (P=.018). CONCLUSIONS Total household decolonization did not result in decreased time to clearance of MRSA colonization among adults and children with MRSA skin and soft-tissue infection. However, subjects who were compliant with the protocol had more rapid clearance Trial registration. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00966446 Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1-8.
The Compactness Theorem and the Existence of Area-Minimizing Surfaces

This chapter explains the compactness theorem and the existence of area-minimizing surfaces. The compactness theorem deserves to be known as the fundamental theorem of geometric measure theory. It guarantees solutions to a wide class of variational problems in general dimensions. It says that a certain set F of surfaces is compact in a natural topology. The two main lemmas are the deformation theorem and the closure theorem. The deformation theorem approximates an integral current T by deforming it onto a grid of mesh 2 ɛ > 0. The resulting approximation, P , is automatically a polyhedral chain. The main error term is ∂ S , where S is the surface through which T is deformed. There is a secondary error term, Q , because of moving ∂ T into the skeleton of the grid. The chapter presents the proof of the existence of an area-minimizing surface with given boundary B , where it is necessary to keep surfaces under consideration inside some large ball B ( 0 , A ). This is accomplished by projecting everything outside the ball onto its surface.
Seismic Design in Western Kentucky: Issues and Alternatives

A better seismic design for building and other structures is the most effective way to reduce seismic risk and avoid earthquake disaster. Adoption and implementation of new seismic safety regulations and design standards have caused serious problems in many communities in the New Madrid region, including western Kentucky, however. The main reasons for these problems are (1) misunderstanding of the national seismic hazard maps and (2) confusion between seismic hazard and seismic risk. Both are caused by probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). PSHA is a mathematical formulation derived from a probability analysis on the distribution of earthquake magnitudes, locations, and ground-motion attenuation. Some assumptions and distributions associated with PSHA have been found to be invalid in earth science, however. In addition, PSHA contains a mathematical error: equating a dimensionless quantity (the annual probability of exceedance – exceedance probability in one year) to a dimensional quantity (the annual frequency of exceedance with the unit of per year [1/yr]). Thus, PSHA is scientifically flawed and the resulting seismic hazard and seismic risk estimates are artifacts. The national seismic hazard curves and maps are artifacts because they were produced from PSHA, even though the inputs are scientifically sound. Although seismic hazard and seismic risk have often been used interchangeably, they are two fundamentally different concepts. Seismic hazard describes the natural phenomenon or property of an earthquake, whereas seismic risk describes the probability of loss or damage that could be caused by a seismic hazard. Seismic hazard and seismic risk play different roles in engineering design and other policy considerations. Furthermore, measures for seismic hazard mitigation are different from those for seismic risk reduction. The difficulties in the development of design ground motion for NEHRP provisions are caused by the use of the national seismic hazard maps which are neither seismic hazard nor seismic risk. The resulting design ground motions for building codes and other policy considerations are therefore problematic. California’s experience proves that deterministic/scenario seismic hazard analysis is an appropriate approach for seismic hazard assessment, seismic risk assessment, as well as *Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky, 504 Rose Street, Lexington, KY 40506; phone (859) 323-0564; fax (859)257-1147; e-mail: zmwang@uky.edu. 112 Seismic Hazard Design Issues in the Central United States engineering design and other policy considerations. Deterministic/scenario seismic hazard analysis is also appropriate for engineering design and other policy considerations in the New Madrid region, as well as other regions.
Deformation Twinning in Ceramics

Deformation twinning is a process which usually occurs when glide deformation is inhibited. In some ceramic materials and minerals, deformation twinning is the lowest temperature deformation process observed. Details of twin formation and growth in alumina are presented and a surface defect model for a twin boundary is suggested.
Autoradiographic comparison of D1-specific binding of [3H]SCH39166 and SCH23390 in the primate cerebral cortex

Abstract Quantitative autoradiography was used to compare the binding of the novel dopamine D 1 receptor antagonist, [ 3 H]SCH39166, with that of the widely used radioligand, [ 3 H]SCH23390 (in the presence of ritanserin), in the primate cerebral cortex. Specific binding of both radioligands, determined using SCH23390 or cis -flupentixol as displacing agents, had very similar densities and distributions throughout the cortex. However, the specific binding of [ 3 H]SCH39166 obtained with SCH39166 as a blank was significantly higher than that obtained using SCH23390 or cis -flupentixol as displacing agents in some layers of motor, somatosensory and occipital cortices. In addition, the non-specific binding of [ 3 H]SCH39156 obtained in the presence of an excess of SCH23390 of cis -flupentixol displayed a complex laminar pattern very different from that of the specific binding. These observations suggest that [ 3 H]SCH39166 may have a high affinity to more than the D 1 receptor subtype bound by SCH23390 or cis -flupentixol. Also, these additional sites are likely to be different from 5-HT 2 or 5-HT 1C receptors since the latter sites were not displaced by 1 μM SCH23390.
Imagining EA 2.0: Outcomes of the 2016 Federal Environmental Assessment Reform Summit

In May 2016, in anticipation of a formal review of federal environmental assessment processes, experts gathered from across Canada to discuss, weigh options and make recommendations on key issues in federal environmental assessment. It was widely acknowledged that the current regime under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 is broken and needs to be replaced with a visionary new approach comprised of a package of integrated, leading-edge approaches to federal environmental assessment. This paper describes the discussions and outcomes of the Summit, including twelve pillars of a leading-edge environmental assessment regime for Canada. They are:1. Sustainability as a core objective;2. Integrated, tiered assessments starting at the strategic and regional levels;3. Cumulative effects assessments done regionally;4. Collaboration and harmonization;5. Co-governance with Indigenous Nations;6. Climate assessment to achieve Canada’s climate goals;7. Credibility, transparency and accountability throughout;8. Participation for the people;9. Transparent and accessible information flows;10. Ensuring sustainability after the assessment;11. Consideration of the best option from among a range of alternatives; and12. Emphasis on learning.
Cavity-Enhanced Ultrafast Spectroscopy: Ultrafast meets Ultrasensitive

Using a frequency comb laser and optical cavities, we introduce a new technique for performing femtosecond time-resolved optical spectroscopy with high sensitivity. We present transient absorption measurements with a noise level of ΔOD= 2 × 10−10.