cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biotite weathering and nutrient uptake by ectomycorrhizal fungus, Suillus tomentosus, in liquid-culture experiments

Abstract Ectomycorrhiza-forming fungi (EMF) alter the nutrient-acquisition capabilities of vascular plants, and may play an important role in mineral weathering and the partitioning of products of weathering in soils under nutrient-limited conditions. In this study, we isolated the weathering function of Suillus tomentosus in liquid-cultures with biotite micas incubated at room temperature. We hypothesized that the fungus would accelerate weathering by hyphal attachment to biotite surfaces and transmission of nutrient cations via direct exchange into the fungal biomass. We combined a mass-balance approach with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to estimate weathering rates and study dissolution features on biotite surfaces. Weathering of biotite flakes was about 2–3 orders of magnitude faster in shaken liquid-cultures with fungus compared to shaken controls without fungus, but with added inorganic acids. Adding fungus in nonshaken cultures caused a higher dissolution rate than in inorganic pH controls without fungus, but it was not significantly faster than organic pH controls without fungus. The K+, Mg2+ and Fe2+ from biotite were preferentially partitioned into fungal biomass in the shaken cultures, while in the nonshaken cultures, K+ and Mg2+ was lost from biomass and Fe2+ bioaccumulated much less. Fungal hyphae attached to biotite surfaces, but no significant surface changes were detected by SEM. When cultures were shaken, the AFM images of basal planes appeared to be rougher and had abundant dissolution channels, but such channel development was minor in nonshaken conditions. Even under shaken conditions the channels only accounted for only 1/100 of the total dissolution rate of 2.7 × 10−10 mol of biotite m−2 s−1. The results suggest that fungal weathering predominantly occurred not by attachment and direct transfer of nutrients via hyphae, but because of the acidification of the bulk liquid by organic acids, fungal respiration (CO2), and complexation of cations which accelerated dissolution of biotite. Results further suggest that both carbohydrate source (abundant here) and a host with which nutrients are exchanged (missing here) may be required for EMF to exert an important weathering effect in soils. Unsaturated conditions and physical dispersal of nutrient-rich minerals in soils may also confer a benefit for hyphal growth and attachment, and promote the attachment-mediated weathering which has been observed elsewhere on soil mineral surfaces.
Quantifying the limits of convective parameterizations

[1] Quasi-equilibrium (QE) closure is an approximation that is expected to apply to a large ensemble of clouds under slowly changing weather conditions. It breaks down under rapidly changing conditions or when the domain size is too small to provide an adequate sample of the cloud field. We explore fluctuations about an equilibrium state as simulated by a three-dimensional cloud-resolving model. An ensemble of simulations is used to determine how the response to prescribed periodic large-scale forcing changes with the period of the forcing and the size of the averaging domain. The vertical profile of the forcing is loosely based on GATE data. Results are compared with those from constant forcing simulations. In the constant forcing simulations, the noise-to-signal ratio is nearly independent of forcing magnitude. With time-varying forcing, a considerable range of responses is found. As expected, the more slowly the forcing varies, the better the response is approximated by QE. Errors become large when the period of the forcing is less than 30 h, suggesting that the diurnal cycle cannot be accurately simulated with a QE closure. Nondeterministic variability becomes more significant with smaller domain sizes. For the cases studied, a domain width of at least 180 km is needed to obtain an adequate sample of the cloud population.
Differential Experience and Recognition Memory for Faces

Summary Two recognition memory experiments using photographs of black, white, and Japanese faces as stimuli were performed. In Experiment I, white Ss showed most accurate recognition memory for white faces, next most accurate recognition for black faces, and least accurate memory for Japanese faces. In Experiment II, both white and black Ss were tested with all three groups of faces. Again, it was found that whites did better on white faces than on black faces and did least well on Japanese faces. Blacks, in contrast, did best on black faces, next best on white faces, and also did least well on Japanese faces. This interaction of race of 5 with race of pictured face points to differential prior experience with various kinds of faces as the basis for these differences in memory performance. More generally, these findings support the applicability of the concept of schema to the processes by which faces are discriminated, processed, stored, and remembered.
GLYCOSIDASES IN THE EARTHWORM, LUMBRICUS TERRESTRIS.

Abstract 1. 1. An intestinal extract of Lumbricus terrestris was found to contain α-mannosidase, α-galactosidase, β-galactosidase, α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase and β-glucuronidase activities. A similar muscle extract of this organism also contained all of these enzymes except β-glucosidase; however, all activities were lower in muscle. The optimal pH ranges of these enzymes are between pH 3·0–5·0. 2. 2. Both intestine and muscle have high levels of α-mannosidase, α-galactosidase and β-galactosidase as compared to the other glycosidases. β-N-acetyl- D -glucosaminidase was not detected in either intestine or muscle. 3. 3. Intestinal extract of this organism was also able to liberate glucose from trehalose.
Evaluation of prostate-specific antigen and prosttic acid phosphatase as prostate cancer markers

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) have been evaluated in patients with prostate cancer, benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), and prostatitis. PSA has proved to be diagnostically more sensitive than PAP for the detection of prostate cancer: 95.0 per cent vs 60.0 per cent for 40 newly diagnosed cancer cases, and 97.1 per cent vs 65.7 per cent for 35 relapsed cases. This also holds true for those patients with early-stage disease: 71.4 per cent vs 0 per cent for 7 Stage A1 cases. The specificities of PSA and PAP are comparable, 96.8 per cent vs 98.9 per cent, respectively. PSA is also more sensitive for monitoring therapy, since it usually rises before PAP and always precedes clinical signs of relapse. Although PSA may be elevated more frequently than PAP in some patients with BPH and prostatitis, it is postulated that these patients with elevated serum PSA and normal serum PAP may fall into a high-risk sub-population which may have early prostate cancer or precancerous conditions not easily detectable by current clinical and diagnostic techniques. Our data suggest PSA is a sensitive useful tumor marker for the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer. In addition, PAP, in combination with PSA, may serve as a useful adjunct for differential diagnosis and confirmation of advanced stage prostate cancer.
Obesity and Inflammation : A New Look at an Old Problem

Obesity is a highly prevalent disease with multiple implications for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The traditional view of obesity is that excessive adipose tissue represents a passive storage depot of excess energy. However, obesity has been demonstrated to be a highly active endocrine organ with multiple metabolic pathways that interact with classic cardiac risk factors. The role of inflammation in atherosclerosis has been clarified by the ready availability of a variety of markers, including C-reactive protein, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-α, hemostatic markers, resistin, and a variety of emerging markers such as interleukins and adhesion molecules. Adipose tissue has been demonstrated to be the site of synthesis of a variety of proteins that are intimately involved in the regulation of inflammation. The concept that obesity represents an inflammatory state has gained credence over the past decade and has provided insights into the mechanisms of atherosclerosis and risk factor interaction.
Prevalence and Significance of Pancreatic Acinar Metaplasia at the Gastroesophageal Junction

Pancreatic acinar metaplasia (PAM), defined as nodules of glandular tissue forming acini composed of cells with coarse apical eosinophilic granules, with or without mucous cells, was recently recognized in gastric mucosa, but its significance is not known. As part of a study on intestinal metaplasia
Postpartum ovarian vein thrombosis after vaginal delivery: A report of 11 cases

Objective: To review and characterize the presentation of postpartum ovarian vein thrombosis after vaginal delivery. Methods: We reviewed medical records of patients with the prior diagnosis of septic pelvic thrombophlebitis, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism associated with pregnancy. The study covered the 10-year period from July 1984 through August 1994 and included women hospitalized at E. H. Crump Women's Hospital, Regional Medical Center, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee. Results: During the study period, there were 76,858 deliveries: 13,109 cesareans and 63,749 vaginal deliveries. Eleven patients had documented postpartum ovarian vein thrombosis after vaginal delivery. Ten patients were readmitted an average of 7.6 days after delivery (range 3–17). The diagnosis was documented by computed tomography (CT) scan or ultrasound in ten women and laparotomy in one. Nine patients were readmitted with the presumptive diagnosis of endometritis, the other two with the presumptive diagnosis of pyelonephritis. Nine were treated initially with ampicillin, gentamicin, and clindamycin. Heparin therapy was added when failure of clinical response was noted. No patient defervesced within 24 hours of beginning heparin therapy, only two patients defervesced within 48 hours, and the remaining patients became afebrile at an average of 6.8 days (range 4–18, median 5). Conclusion: The diagnosis of ovarian vein thrombosis should be considered early in the care of patients readmitted with a diagnosis of endometritis after vaginal delivery. If prompt defervescence does not occur with aggressive intravenous antibiotic therapy, a CT scan should be obtained in a timely manner for prompt diagnosis and therapy. Our findings do not support the time-honored rule that septic pelvic thrombophlebitis and ovarian vein thrombosis respond within 24–48 hours to therapeutic anticoagulation with heparin.
Who Bears the Burden of Development Impact Fees

Abstract We theorize how the real estate market will respond to development impact fees. We look at the effects of impact fees on residential and nonresidential real estate under different supply and demand relationships and in the short term and long term. We examine prices that developers, homebuyers, and landowners pay or receive. We also explore how impact fees affect the distribution of development among communities in metropolitan areas. We conclude, on the whole, that neither developers nor landowners will bear the major burden of paying impact fees. Rather, consumers—homebuyers, renters, or nonresidential tenants—will pay the major share of development impact fees in the long term.
Reconstruction implementation based on a flat panel detector cone beam breast CT

Flat panel detector based cone beam breast imaging CT can provide 3-D image of the scanned breast with 3-D isotropic spatial resolution, overcoming the disadvantage of the superimposition of structure associated with X-ray projection mammography that makes a small carcinoma (a few millimeters in size) difficult to detect when it is occult or in dense breast, which leads to a high false-positive biopsy rate. Circular scan CBBCT is the most desirable mode due to its simple geometrical configuration and potential applications in functional imaging. Only circular scan, however, can't provide the sufficient information for nearly exact reconstruction, and thus resulting in the reconstructed image artifacts, such as density drop and geometrical deformation when the cone angle becomes large. In order to combat this drawback, a circle plus sparse helical line scan scheme is proposed. Computer simulation on mathematic breast phantom testifies the practical feasibility of the new scheme and correction of those artifacts to a certain degree.
The discovery and commercialization of group transfer polymerization

Group transfer polymerization (GTP) is a fundamentally new method for polymerization of acrylic monomers, discovered at DuPont over 20 years ago. It allows one to make block and other specialized polymer chain architecture at above ambient temperature. The method uses silyl ketene acetals as initiators and requires a nucleophilic catalyst. DuPont uses the process to make dispersing agents for pigmented inks and automobile finishes. The development of GTP from its discovery to introduction of commercial products is presented. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2855–2860, 2000
Statistical processing for gastric slow-wave identification

Successful identification of gastric slow waves in canine gastric electrical activity (GEA) data was achieved using a statistical data-processing procedure based on the multiple linear regression (MLR) curve fitting technique. Both distal and proximal waveforms were identified, first by construction of separate orthonormal bases from pre-selected sets of representative distal and proximal gastric slow waves (GSWs). Respective basis matrices were used to fit proximal and distal data to an MLR data model. Residual waveforms were computed from the original and ‘fitted’ waveforms and used in identifying GSWs in the data. Canine GEA data were split into 1800-point blocks, and each 245-point data segment in a block was processed to identify the GSWs. Gastric slow waves were located in the data using a residual mean-squared error (MSE) threshold and, for distal GEA data, the minimum value of the main distal waveform peak. All threshold values were determined empirically and were set to detect GSWs while limiting false matches. Identification rates of 95% and 99% for proximal and distal GSWs, respectively, represent a significant improvement over those obtained in a previous study in which the same data were analysed using linear signal-processing methods. The use of the method presented in this paper for real-time identification of GSWs in conjunction with an implantable gastric pacer unit appears promising. Because the technique is inherently customisable, results obtained in this study should also be applicable to human subjects.
Molecular Cloning, Expression, and Characterization of Novel Human SULT1C Sulfotransferases That Catalyze the Sulfonation ofN-Hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene *

Upon sulfonation, carcinogenic hydroxyarylamines such as N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (N-OH-2AAF) can be further activated to form ultimate carcinogens in vivo. Previous studies have shown that a SULT1C1 sulfotransferase is primarily responsible for the sulfonation of N-OH-2AAF in rat liver. In the present study, two novel human sulfotransferases shown to be members of the SULT1C sulfotransferase subfamily based on sequence analysis have been cloned, expressed, and characterized. Comparisons of the deduced amino acid sequence encoded by the human SULT1C sulfotransferase cDNA 1 reveal 63.7, 61.6, and 85.1% identity to the amino acid sequences of rat SULT1C1 sulfotransferase, mouse SULT1C1 sulfotransferase, and rabbit SULT1C sulfotransferase. In contrast, the deduced amino acid sequence of the human SULT1C sulfotransferase 2 cDNA displays 62.9, 63.1, 63.1, and 62.5% identity to the amino acid sequences of the human SULT1C sulfotransferase 1, rat SULT1C1 sulfotransferase, mouse SULT1C1 sulfotransferase, and rabbit SULT1C sulfotransferase. Recombinant human SULT1C sulfotransferases 1 and 2, expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to near electrophoretic homogeneity, were shown to cross-react with the antiserum against the rat liver SULT1C1 sulfotransferase and exhibited sulfonating activities with N-OH-2AAF as substrate. Tissue-specific expression of these novel human SULT1C sulfotransferases were examined by employing the Northern blotting technique. The results provide a foundation for the investigation into the functional relevance of these new SULT1C sulfotransferases in different human tissues/organs.
Hematopoietic cytokine-induced transcriptional regulation and Notch signaling as modulators of MDSC expansion

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) differentiate into mature lineage restricted blood cells under the influence of a complex network of hematopoietic cytokines, cytokine-mediated transcriptional regulators, and manifold intercellular signaling pathways. The classical model of hematopoiesis proposes that progenitor cells undergo a dichotomous branching into myelo-erythroid and lymphoid lineages. Nonetheless, erythroid and lymphoid restricted progenitors retain their myeloid potential, supporting the existence of an alternative 'myeloid-based' mechanism of hematopoiesis. In this case, abnormal pathology is capable of dysregulating hematopoiesis in favor of myelopoiesis. The accumulation of immature CD11b+Gr-1+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) has been shown to correlate with the presence of several hematopoietic cytokines, transcription factors and signaling pathways, lending support to this hypothesis. Although the negative role of MDSCs in cancer development is firmly established, it is now understood that MDSCs can exert a paradoxical, positive effect on transplantation, autoimmunity, and sepsis. Our conflicted understanding of MDSC function and the complexity of hematopoietic cytokine signaling underscores the need to elucidate molecular pathways of MDSC expansion for the development of novel MDSC-based therapeutics.
The remnant's rapid heartbeat

Problemes poses par l'annonce de la decouverte du pulsar de SN 1987A par Kristian et al. (1989)
Recovery of a soybean urease genomic clone by sequential library screening with two synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides.

We report the first isolation of a low-copy-number gene from a complex higher plant (soybean) genome by direct screening with synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide (oligo) probes. A synthetic, mixed, 21-nucleotide (nt) oligo (21-1) based on a seven amino acid (aa) sequence from soybean seed urease, was used to screen genomic libraries of soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) in the λ Charon 4 vector. Twenty homologous clones were recovered from a screen of 500000 plaques. These were counterscreened with embryo-specific cDNA (15-2 cDNA) made by priming with a second, mixed 15-nt oligo (15-2), based on a Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) urease peptide [Takishima et al., J. Natl. Def. Med. Coll. 5 (1980) 19–23]. Five out of 20 clones were homologous to 15-2 cDNA and proved to be identical. Nucleotide sequence analysis of representative clone E15 confirmed that it contained urease sequences. Subclones of E15 homologous to the oligo probes contain a deduced amino acid sequence which matches 108 of 130 aa residues of an amino acid run in a recently published [Mamiyaet al., Proc. Jap. Acad. 61B (1985) 359–398] complete protein sequence for Jack-bean seed urease. Using clone E15 as a probe of soybean embryonic mRNA revealed a homologous 3.8-kb species that is the size of the urease messenger. This species is absent from mRNA of embryos of a soybean seed urease-null mutant. However, both urease-positive and urease-null genomes contain the 11-kb DNA fragment bearing urease sequences.
Expression of α-tryptase and β-tryptase by human basophils

Background α and β-Tryptase levels in serum are clinical tools for the evaluation of systemic anaphylaxis and systemic mastocytosis. Basophils and mast cells are known to produce these proteins. Objective The current study examines the effect of the α,β-tryptase genotype on basophil tryptase levels and the type of tryptase stored in these cells. Methods Tryptase extracted from purified peripheral blood basophils from 20 subjects was examined by using ELISAs measuring mature and total tryptase and by using an enzymatic assay with tosyl-Gly-Pro-Lys-p-nitroanilide. Tryptase genotypes (4:0, 3:1, and 2:2 β/α ratios) were assessed by using a hot-stop PCR technique with α,β-tryptase–specific primers. Total α,β-tryptase mRNA was measured by means of competitive RT-PCR, and ratios of α to β-tryptase mRNA were measured by means of hot-stop RT-PCR. Results Tryptase in all but one of the basophil preparations was mature and enzymatically active. Tryptase quantities in basophils were less than 1% of those in tissue mast cells. Tryptase genotypes (β/α) among the 20 donors were 4:0 in 7, 3:1 in 7, and 2:2 in 6. Tryptase protein and mRNA levels per basophil were not affected by the tryptase genotype. Conclusion Basophils from healthy subjects contain modest amounts of mature and enzymatically active tryptase unaffected by the tryptase genotype.
Research: Telepointing issues in desktop conferencing systems

In WYSIWIS desktop conferencing systems with shared spaces, telepointers are used to point to items in spaces shared with other participants. This paper discusses issues in telepointing from several viewpoints. The first part discusses design issues such as the number of pointers and the extent of the shared area. The next part focuses on the relationship between telepointing and the autonomy of each machine. Our tests and discussions show that the more autonomy each machine has, the more telepointing problems arise, and the less WYISWIS is supported. The paper also compares implementation methods.
Uncertainty Reporting for Experimental Thermodynamic Properties

This paper reviews practices in the expression of uncertainty in the experimental literature for thermodynamic property measurements with determinations of critical temperature for pure compounds used as a case study. The time period considered is from 1940 to the present, with an emphasis on results published since 1990. One hundred ninety-four articles were considered involving hundreds of compounds. The goals of this paper are to show how the nature and extent of estimations of uncertainty have changed in this time period and to document the extent to which the information provided in the articles corresponds to the recommendations of the GUM. (The GUM is the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement published in 1993 by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO. This document describes current recommended practices in this area.) It is shown that although gradual and continuous progress has been made in the reporting of uncertainty information, comprehensive uncertainty analy...
Moderately increased constitutive proline does not alter osmotic stress tolerance

Proline-overproducing carrot cell lines were isolated by selection in medium containing hydroxyproline, a toxic analogue of proline. During growth of the cells in culture, length of lag phase, doubling time, and maximum fresh weight were the same for the hydroxyproline-resistant cell line (HP) and the wild-type cell line (JW). Proline content and resistance to hydroxyproline in the HP and JW lines were not strictly correlated indicating that another reason besides the constitutive level of proline is involved in hydroxyproline resistance. Tolerance to polyethylene glycol-induced desiccation stress was not different between the two lines except perhaps at the early stages of culture growth when the proline levels of the two cell lines were nearly the same. The complexity of the relationship between proline accumulation and osmotolerance is discussed and strategies to achieve constitutive high levels of proline accumulation in plants are proposed.
Clinically unimportant pharmacokinetic drug interaction between fluvoxamine and single doses of caffeine

Background Coadministration of caffeine (CAF) and fluvoxamine (FLU) results in impaired CAF clearance and prolonged elimination half-life. The clinical importance of this interaction, attributable to CYP1A2 inhibition by FLU, remains to be firmly established. Methods In a double-blinded, 4-way, cross-over study, 7 subjects received single 250 mg doses of CAF (or placebo) concurrent with FLU (4 doses of 100 mg) or placebo. For 24 hours after CAF or placebo administration, plasma concentrations of CAF, CAF metabolites, and FLU were determined. Psychomotor performance, degree of sedation, and EEG activity were assessed as well. Results Compared to the control condition, FLU significantly reduced apparent oral clearance of CAF (105± 21 vs 9.1± 2.7 ml/min, p <0.01), prolonged elimination half-life (4.9± 0.7 vs 55.9± 10.7, p <0.01), and increased peak plasma concentrations (5.8± 0.5 vs 8.1± 0.8, p <0.05). CAF administration produced CNS-stimulating effects compared to placebo; however coadministration of FLU with CAF did not augment psychomotor performance, sedation, or EEG effects attributable to CAF. Conclusions Coadministration of FLU with single doses of CAF produced a highly significant pharmacokinetic interaction in the absence of any changes in CAF pharmacodynamics. However, the observed interaction predicts extensive CAF accumulation with daily ingestion of caffeine in FLU-treated individuals. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2005) 77, P41–P41; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2004.12.050
Interventional cardiology: Transformation to transradial--safe and effective.

Analysis of cardiovascular registry data suggests that cardiologists who practice femoral cardiac catheterization can convert to safer transradial approaches with a learning experience of 30–50 procedures. This conversion is associated with no loss of procedural success and no increase in serious adverse outcomes.
Piecewise linear approach to the Stokes equations in 3-D

Since the beginning of the 1970's, people have developed mixed finite element methods for incompressible flow. The velocity and pressure interpolations are required to satisfy a Ladyshenskaya-Babuska-Brezzi (LBB) condition which precludes many natural elements. Over the past 20 years, most mathematicians and engineers believed this to be necessary. In this research, a least-squares method for three-dimensional (3-D) problems is proposed. This method leads to a minimization problem and thus it is not subject to the restriction of the LBB condition. Piecewise linear elements can be applied for the approximation functions; the simplest and natural elements are easy to program and achieve optimal rates of convergence.
NER300: Lessons learnt in attempting to secure CCS projects in Europe

Abstract CO 2 Capture and Storage (CCS) has become an integral and priority part of European energy policy over the last years. However, CCS is not a feasible climate change mitigation option yet. In order to bring the technology towards reduced costs and to make CCS an economically viable mitigation option, the European Commission created a comprehensive demonstration programme aimed to encourage development and accelerate commercial CCS deployment. The goal was to have up to 12 CCS demonstration projects by 2015. This is far away from reality today. Despite the tremendous effort, the two major European CCS funds – the European Energy Programme for Recovery and more recently the New Entrants Reserve of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme Programme (NER300) – are struggling to secure a single demonstration project to move forward. Originally intended as a CCS instrument, the NER300 first round published on November 2010 has been followed with great expectation by CCS community. However, in December 2012 the Commission announced that not one CCS project was awarded. This paper reviews the NER300 process, analyses the reasons for the programme's lack of success in securing CCS demonstration projects, and distills the lessons learnt.
Judgments of recency for long sequences of pictures: The absence of a developmental trend

Abstract Recency judgments were examined for four groups ( N = 40 per group) aged 7, 8, 10, and 18 years. The S s were required to choose either the near or far item on a series of test pairs embedded within a long sequence of single inspection items. No age effects were found. Performance was more accurate the longer the separation between the original presentation of the two test items and the shorter the lag from the most recently presented item to the test. Implications for general and developmental theories of memory were discussed. The data supported the hypothesis that tasks, which do not require deliberate mnemonic strategies, are not developmentally sensitive.
Transition stratigraphy and the problem of remanence lock‐in times in the Siwalik red beds

The record of paleomagnetic polarity transitions can provide relative time information in the stratigraphic record on scales of hundreds to thousands of years. Transition stratigraphy is here used to determine the relative lock-in times of several components of magnetization in the Siwalik red beds.
Circadian Rhythms in Acute Intermittent Porphyria—a Pilot Study

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an inherited disorder of heme synthesis wherein a partial deficiency of porphobilinogen [PBG] deaminase [PBGD], with other factors may give rise to biochemical and clinical manifestations of disease. The biochemical hallmarks of active AIP are relative hepatic heme deficiency and uncontrolled up-regulation of hepatic 5-aminolevulinic acid [ALA] synthase-1 [ALAS1] with overproduction of ALA and PBG. The treatment of choice is intravenous heme, which restores the deficient regulatory heme pool of the liver and represses ALAS1. Recently, heme has been shown to influence circadian rhythms by controlling their negative feedback loops. We evaluated whether subjects with AIP exhibited an altered circadian profile. Over a 21 h period, we measured levels of serum cortisol, melatonin, ALA, PBG, and mRNA levels [in peripheral blood mononuclear cells] of selected clock-controlled genes and genes involved in heme synthesis in 10 Caucasian [European-American] women who were either post-menopausal or had been receiving female hormone therapy, 6 of whom have AIP and 4 do not and are considered controls. Four AIP subjects with biochemical activity exhibited higher levels of PBG and lower levels and dampened oscillation of serum cortisol, and a trend for lower levels of serum melatonin, than controls or AIP subjects without biochemical activity. Levels of clock-controlled gene mRNAs showed significant increases over baseline in all subjects at 5 am and 11 pm, whereas mRNA levels of ALAS1, ALAS2, and PBGD were increased only at 11 pm in subjects with active AIP. This pilot study provides evidence for disturbances of circadian markers in women with active AIP that may trigger or sustain some common clinical features of AIP.
Ensemble-based semi-supervised learning approaches for imbalanced splice site datasets

Producing accurate classifiers depends on the quality and quantity of labeled data. The lack of labeled data, due to its expensive generation, critically affects the application of machine learning algorithms to biological problems. However, unlabeled data may be acquired relatively faster and in larger quantities thanks to current biochemical technologies, called Next Generation Sequencing. In such cases, when the number of labeled instances is overwhelmed by the number of unlabeled instances, semi-supervised learning represents a cost-effective alternative that can improve supervised classifiers by utilizing unlabeled data. In practice, data oftentimes exhibits imbalanced class distributions, which represents an obstacle for both supervised and semi-supervised learning. The problem of supervised learning from imbalanced datasets has been extensively studied, and various solutions have been proposed to produce classifiers with optimal performance on highly skewed class distributions. In the case of semi-supervised learning, there are not as many efforts aimed at the imbalance data problem. In this paper, we study several ensemble-based semi-supervised learning approaches for predicting splice sites, a problem for which the imbalance ratio is very high. We run experiments on five imbalanced datasets with the goal of identifying which variants are the most effective.
On the dual coordinate ascent approach for nonlinear networks

Abstract Dual coordinate ascent algorithms are popular methods for solving convex separable cost network flow problems due to their inherent simplicity and implementation performance. The principal disadvantage of the coordinate ascent approach is the inability to determine a good feasible solution without solving to optimality. This paper proposes a finitely convergent method that can be used to truncate the coordinate ascent algorithm with an e-optimal solution. Computational experience indicates that good feasible solutions can be found quickly with this approach.
A cluster expansion for stochastic lattice fields

A Langevin equation of Landau-Ginzburg type for the stochastic dynamics of a scalar field on a lattice is studied. A cluster expansion is developed for this problem which converges for large mass. As a consequence, one establishes uniformly in the volume: (a) exponential decay of correlations in space and time, and (b) exponential approach to equilibrium for a class of nearby initial distributions.
Improving research on teacher quality in science and mathematics: Report of a symposium of scientists, educators, and researchers

Many initiatives designed to improve the quality of elementary and secondary teachers have been proposed and implemented at national, state, and local levels. It is unclear whether these initiatives are based on a common definition of teacher quality or adequate knowledge about the conditions that produce quality teaching. This article summarizes the results of a symposium of the National Research Council on the state of research knowledge on teacher quality. Topics for needed research that were identified in the symposium included studies on the effects of state and local policies which set new standards for teachers, studies on the subject-matter knowledge and preparation of teachers, analyses of alternative methods of developing teaching skills, and assessments of the effects of school conditions for teaching on career patterns of teachers.
Effects of Numeric Representation of Women on Interest in Engineering as a Career.

Little is known about how the presence of women influences undergraduates’ experiences in engineering. This paper presents results from a mixed methods, multivariate, and multi- institutional study to determine the impact of the numeric representation of women on the intent to be employed in engineering following graduation. Results from the analysis of both quantitative and the qualitative data suggests that numbers matter because it contributes to the perception that women have the skills, abilities, and interests to succeed in engineering.
Examining the impact of larval source management and insecticide-treated nets using a spatial agent-based model of Anopheles gambiae and a landscape generator tool

Background: Agent-based models (ABMs) have been used to estimate the effects of malaria-control interventions. Early studies have shown the efficacy of larval source management (LSM) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) as vector-control interventions, applied both in isolation and in combination. However, the robustness of results can be affected by several important modelling assumptions, including the type of boundary used for landscapes, and the number of replicated simulation runs reported in results. Selection of the ITN coverage definition may also affect the predictive findings. Hence, by replication, independent verification of prior findings of published models bears special importance. Methods: A spatially-explicit entomological ABM of Anopheles gambiae is used to simulate the resource-seeking process of mosquitoes in grid-based landscapes. To explore LSM and replicate results of an earlier LSM study, the original landscapes and scenarios are replicated by using a landscape generator tool, and 1,800 replicated simulations are run using absorbing and non-absorbing boundaries. To explore ITNs and evaluate the relative impacts of the different ITN coverage schemes, the settings of an earlier ITN study are replicated, the coverage schemes are defined and simulated, and 9,000 replicated simulations for three ITN parameters (coverage, repellence and mortality) are run. To evaluate LSM and ITNs in combination, landscapes with varying densities of houses and human populations are generated, and 12,000 simulations are run. Results: General agreement with an earlier LSM study is observed when an absorbing boundary is used. However, using a non-absorbing boundary produces significantly different results, which may be attributed to the unrealistic killing effect of an absorbing boundary. Abundance cannot be completely suppressed by removing aquatic habitats within 300 m of houses. Also, with density-dependent oviposition, removal of insufficient number of aquatic habitats may prove counter-productive. The importance of performing large number of simulation runs is also demonstrated. For ITNs, the choice of coverage scheme has important implications, and too high repellence yields detrimental effects. When LSM and ITNs are applied in combination, ITNs’ mortality can play more important roles with higher densities of houses. With partial mortality, increasing ITN coverage is more effective than increasing LSM coverage, and integrating both interventions yields more synergy as the densities of houses increase.
Stroop Interference and Color-Word Similarity

Stroop interference refers to the finding that it takes longer to name the color of an incongruent color word (e g, the word blue shown in green) than it does to name the color of a neutral stimulus (e g, a series of number signs shown in green) Incongruent color-word stimuli can differ in the similarity between the color in which the word is printed and the color denoted by the word (e g, the word blue shown in green vs yellow) This research shows that the amount of interference obtained is related to color-word similarity, suggesting that word-reading and color-naming processes interact at a conceptual level prior to response emission
Plasma Membrane CFTR Regulates RANTES Expression via Its C-Terminal PDZ-Interacting Motif

Despite the identification of 1,000 mutations in the cystic fibrosis gene product CFTR, there remains discordance between CFTR genotype and lung disease phenotype. The study of CFTR, therefore, has expanded beyond its chloride channel activity into other possible functions, such as its role as a regulator of gene expression. Findings indicate that CFTR plays a role in the expression of RANTES in airway epithelia. RANTES is a chemokine that has been implicated in the regulation of mucosal immunity and the pathogenesis of airway inflammatory diseases. Results demonstrate that CFTR triggers RANTES expression via a mechanism that is independent of CFTR's chloride channel activity. Neither pharmacological inhibition of CFTR nor activation of alternative chloride channels, including hClC-2, modulated RANTES expression. Through the use of CFTR disease-associated and truncation mutants, experiments suggest that CFTR-mediated transcription factor activation and RANTES expression require (i) insertion of CFTR into the plasma membrane and (ii) an intact CFTR C-terminal PDZ-interacting domain. Expression of constructs encoding wild-type or dominant-negative forms of the PDZ-binding protein EBP50 suggests that EBP50 may be involved in CFTR-dependent RANTES expression. Together, these data suggest that CFTR modulates gene expression in airway epithelial cells while located in a macromolecular signaling complex at the plasma membrane.
Spatial influence vs. community influence: modeling the global spread of social media

In this paper we seek to understand and model the global spread of social media. How does social media spread from location to location across the globe? Can we model this spread and predict where social media will be popular in the future? Toward answering these questions, we develop a probabilistic model that synthesizes two conflicting hypotheses about the nature of online information spread: (i) the spatial influence model, which asserts that social media spreads to locations that are close by; and (ii) the community affinity influence model, which asserts that social media spreads between locations that are culturally connected, even if they are distant. Based on the geospatial footprint of 755 million geo-tagged hashtags spread through Twitter, we evaluate these models at predicting locations that will adopt hashtags in the future. We find that distance is the single most important explanation of future hashtag adoption since hashtags are fundamentally local. We also find that community affinities (like culture, language, and common interests) enhance the quality of purely spatial models, indicating the necessity of incorporating non-spatial features into models of global social media spread.
Alpha-N-acetyl beta-endorphins in the pituitary: immunohistochemical localization using antibodies raised against dynorphin(1-13).

: Intense immunohistochemical staining of the intermediate lobe of the pituitary was observed by using an antiserum raised against synthetic dynorphin(1-13) treated with a water-soluble carbodiimide (CDI). Subsequent studies showed that the immunostaining was blocked by preincubation of the antiserum with acetylated derivatives of both β-endorphin and dynorphin(1-13) as well as by CDI-treated dynorphin(1-13), but only weakly by authentic dynorphin(1-13). Neither nonacetylated β-endorphin nor any other fragments of the ACTH/endorphin precursor blocked the immunostaining of the intermediate lobe. Analysis of the CDI-treated dynorphin(1-13) used as an antigen showed that most of the peptide was acetylated at primary amino groups. CDI treatment of dynorphin(1-13) results in the formation of an acetyl derivative because the commercially available peptide is supplied as the acetate salt. The antibodies responsible for the intermediate lobe staining were isolated by affinity chromatography, using a column containing partially purified intermediate lobe extract linked to an affinity resin and a radioimmunoassay (RIA) was developed with CDI-treated dynorphin(1-13) used as a trace and as a standard. Competition studies showed 0.5-1% cross-reactivity with α-N-acetyl β-endorphin(1-31), α-N-acetyl β-endorphin(1-27), and totally acetylated β-endorphin(1-31). Nonacetylated β-endorphins did not cross-react. Posterior-intermediate lobe extracts from rat and beef were fractionated by gel filtration. Rat posterior-intermediate lobe extracts were also fractionated by cation-exchange chromatography. Fractionated extracts were analyzed by RIAs for β-endorphin, CDI-treated dynorphin(1-13), and authentic dynorphin(1-13). The results suggested that the peptides responsible for the intermediate lobe staining were mainly four different derivatives of β-endorphin bearing an acetyl group at the amino terminus. No immunostaining was seen in the posterior and anterior lobes of the pituitary. This suggests that the intermediate lobe is the main source of acetylated β-endorphins in the pituitary.
Oxidation of Arylcyclopropanes in Solution and in a Zeolite: Structure and Rearrangement of the Phenylcyclopropane Radical Cation

The structure of phenylcyclopropane radical cation (1•+, R = H) is derived from CIDNP effects observed during the electron transfer reaction of 1 with chloranil. This species is an example of an elusive structure type. The secondary cyclopropane protons show significantly divergent hyperfine coupling constants due to an unprecedented stereoelectronic effect. Incorporation into a redox-active pentasil zeolite (Na−ZSM-5) converts 1 or its p-methoxy derivative (1, R = OCH3) to trans-propenylarene radical cations (2•+, R = H, OCH3).
Separation of basic drugs by packed‐column supercritical fluid chromatography 3. Stimulants

A wide range of stimulants was rapidly and efficiently separated with symmetrical peak shapes with a tertiary supercritical mobile phase and a cyanopropyl liquid chromatography column. Compared with other drug families studied in this series, the stimulants exhibited a much broader range of retention. Several strong bases, including primary aliphatic amines, were easily eluted with a modified mobile phase. The stimulants were generally more retained than antipsychotic drugs. Compared with antidepressant drugs, a few stimulants behaved similarly, but most were more strongly retained. Modifier concentration proved to be the most effective means for changing both retention and selectivity. An over-the-counter eye drop solution (an aqueous buffer) was analyzed for tetrahydrozoline. The positive results with good peak shapes indicate that packed-column supercritical fluid chromatography is compatible with at least small aqueous samples.
Early-life lead exposure results in dose- and sex-specific effects on weight and epigenetic gene regulation in weanling mice

Aims: Epidemiological and animal data suggest that the development of adult chronic conditions is influenced by early-life exposure-induced changes to the epigenome. This study investigates the effects of perinatal lead (Pb) exposure on DNA methylation and bodyweight in weanling mice. Materials & methods: Viable yellow agouti (Avy) mouse dams were exposed to 0, 2.1, 16 and 32 ppm Pb acetate before conception through weaning. Epigenetic effects were evaluated by scoring coat color of Avy/a offspring and quantitative bisulfite sequencing of two retrotransposon-driven (Avy and CDK5 activator-binding protein intracisternal A particle element) and two imprinted (Igf2 and Igf2r) loci in tail DNA. Results: Maternal blood Pb levels were below the limit of detection in controls, and 4.1, 25.1 and 32.1 µg/dl for each dose, respectively. Pb exposure was associated with a trend of increased wean bodyweight in males (p = 0.03) and altered coat color in Avy/a offspring. DNA methylation at Avy and the CDK5 activator-bin...
Effects of zebra mussels on phytoplankton and ciliates: a field mesocosm experiment

Many observational studies in North American lakes have documented decreases in phytoplankton abundance after the invasion of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). However, few field experiments have examined in detail the effect of zebra mussels on phytoplankton abundance and species composition over an extended period. Replicated in situ mesocosms were used to evaluate the impact of natural densities of zebra mussels on phytoplankton and ciliate biovolume, anal algal species composition over a 5-week period in a habitat that lacked extant mussel populations. Mussel biomass used in the experiment was determined using a regression model based on a data analysis that predicts zebra mussel biomass from total phosphorus concentration. Within 1 week, zebra mussels decreased phytoplankton biovolume by 53% and ciliate biovolume bi 71%. The effect of zebra mussels on dilate biovolume was sustained throughout the study. However, the effect of zebra mussels on phytoplankton abundance gradually waned over the remaining 4 weeks of the experiment, such that the declining effect of zebra mussels could not be explained by a shift towards less edible and/or faster growing algal species. The mussels' declining condition could help to explain the effect observed over the course of the experiment.