cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and Characterisation of Anisic Acid Complexes with Biologically Active Metal Ions

Animal and plants contain carboxylic acids, which are involved in their metabolic reactions. It is also well known that metal ions are involved in their metabolic reactions. So far the complexation of carboxylate ions with metal ions has been extensively studied. Since neutral or acidic medium is existing in most of the biological reactions in animals and plants it is interested to study the complexation of organic carboxylic acids in neutral medium with biologically active metal ions such as manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc. Complexes of anisic acid were prepared in neutral medium and were characterized. In such complexes the carboxylic acid group is not ionized and carbonyl oxygen of the carboxylic acid is coordinated to the metal ions. However the microbial study is not the scope of this work.
Far Infrared Voltage-Tunable Spectrometer-Detector

An n-channel MOSFET at low temperatures exhibits a photoresistive response when illuminated by far-infrared radiation due to electron transitions defined by the potential at the Si-SiO 2 interface. Gate voltage variations lead to continuous tuning between 8 and 35 meV.
Smoking Cessation in Stroke Survivors in the United States: A Nationwide Analysis

Background and Purpose: Continued smoking after stroke is associated with a high risk of stroke recurrence and other cardiovascular disease. We sought to comprehensively understand the epidemiology...
Exposure–Response Relationships of Anticancer Agents: Application in Drug Development and Drug Label

The understanding of exposure–response relationship (ER) is critical in oncology drug development and drug approval. The ER relationship not only helps in selecting the optimum dose and regimen for testing in the pivotal clinical trial for approval, but allows recommending dose adjustment for patients with special conditions. The exposure variables are mostly area under the concentration–time profile (AUC) and/or plasma or serum concentration, while the response variable ranges from biomarkers to clinical endpoints. Application of ER assessment in oncology drug development is illustrated using approved cancer drugs, such as busulfan, zolandronic acid, imatinib, docetaxel, carboplatin, vandetanib, everolimus, and ipilimumab. The FDA guidance on ER relationships elaborates on the regulatory applications, study design, and data analysis aspects of the clinical trials that should be conducted during drug development. The results of the clinical trials exploring ER relationships are usually described in the “Clinical Pharmacology” section of the drug’s package inserts; however, the impact and interpretation of the results of these trials reflecting in dose modifications, therapeutic drug monitoring, and safety are included in “Highlights,” “Dosage and Administration,” and “Warnings and Precautions” sections of the label.
High‐Throughput Gene Silencing and mRNA Expression Analysis in Hepatocyte Sandwich Cultures

Primary hepatocyte sandwich cultures are useful for a variety of research applications where maintenance of metabolic competency is essential. To ensure an optimal hepatocellular phenotype, cells are seeded on collagen-coated dishes and embedded with an overlay of Matrigel. This culturing condition makes gene silencing by traditional reagent-mediated transfection methods challenging. Here, an siRNA delivery method in primary mouse hepatocytes that allows cells to be cultured with Matrigel overlay is described. This method delivers >80% mRNA silencing with minimal alterations in cell viability. A 96-well format allows for high-throughput RNA processing and downstream quantitative PCR applications and reduces time and resources. This format is particularly useful when experiments requiring many different sampling conditions (such as pharmacologic dose-response curves) are required. Curr. Protoc. Toxicol. 55:14.11.1-14.11.11. © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: hepatocyte; siRNA; gene expression; gene silencing
Ceramides, mitochondrial fission, and reactive oxygen species a novel mechanism of obesity-induced insulin resistance (LB167)

Reactive oxidative species (ROS) is a known byproduct of mitochondrial dysfunction and is believed to contribute to inflammation signaling commonly found in insulin resistance. Ceramide is a sphingolipid that serves as an important second messenger in an increasing number of stress-related pathways. Ceramide has long been known to have morphological and physiological effects on mitochondria, which could potentially alter levels of ROS. The focus of this study is to determine whether increased ceramide levels result in ROS generation and decreased mitochondrial respiration in myotubes via altered mitochondrial morphology. C2C12 Skeletal muscle cells were used to assess the effect of ceramide on ROS generation and electron microsopy was used to image the morphological changes. Ceramide synthesis can be stimulated by treatment with exogenous fatty acid, thus myotubes were simultaneously treated with exogenous fatty acid following SPT2 knockdown (SPT is the rate limiting enzyme in ceramide synthesis), ROS inc...
Human pituitary growth hormone: Intrinsic lipolytic activity on rabbit fat cells☆

Abstract The stimulation of lipolysis in isolated rabbit fat cells by human growth hormone was investigated in detail. The action of the hormone on rabbit adipocytes is very similar to that of adrenocorticotropin and the melanotropins. The effect is rapid, requires Ca2+, appears to be mediated by cyclic AMP, and is not blocked by inhibitors of protein synthesis. The lipolytic action of human growth hormone was neutralized by antisera to itself and to human chorionic somatomammotropin. Several lines of evidence indicate that the rapid lipolytic activity of the growth hormone in rabbit fat cells in an intrinsic property of the hormone, although the physiological significance of this activity remains obscure.
Histone modification and exchange during gene transcription: signals and mechanisms (108.1)

Maintenance of ordered chromatin structure over the body of genes is vital for the regulation of transcription. Increased access to the underlying DNA sequence results in the recruitment of RNA polymerase II to inappropriate, promoter-like sites within genes, resulting in unfettered transcription. Our recent studies show how Set2-mediated methylation of histone H3 on Lys36 (H3K36me) maintains chromatin structure by limiting histone dynamics over gene bodies, either by recruiting chromatin remodelers that preserve ordered nucleosomal distribution or by lowering the binding affinity of histone chaperones for histones, preventing their removal.
Mode-directed fixed point computation

Goal-directed fixed point computation strategies have been widely adopted in the tabled logic programming paradigm. However, there are many situations in which a fixed point contains a large number or even infinite number of solutions. In these cases, a fixed point computation engine may not be efficient enough or feasible at all. We present a mode-declaration scheme which provides the capabilities to reduce a fixed point from a big solution set to a preferred small one, or from an infeasible infinite set to a finite one. We show the correctness of the mode-declaration scheme. One motivating application of our mode-declaration scheme is for dynamic programming, which is typically used for solving optimization problems. There is no need to define the value of an optimal solution recursively, instead, defining a general solution suffices. The optimal value as well as its corresponding concrete solution can be derived implicitly and automatically using a mode-directed fixed point computation engine. This mode-directed fixed point computation engine has been successfully implemented in a commercial Prolog system.
Greater excitability and firing irregularity of tufted cells underlies distinct afferent-evoked activity of olfactory bulb mitral and tufted cells

Mitral and tufted cells, the two classes of principal neurons in the mammalian main olfactory bulb, exhibit morphological differences but remain widely viewed as functionally equivalent. Results from several recent studies, however, suggest that these two cell classes may encode complementary olfactory information in their distinct patterns of afferent-evoked activity. To understand how these differences in activity arise, we have performed the first systematic comparison of synaptic and intrinsic properties between mitral and tufted cells. Consistent with previous studies, we found that tufted cells fire with higher probability and rates and shorter latencies than mitral cells in response to physiological afferent stimulation. This stronger response of tufted cells could be partially attributed to synaptic differences, as tufted cells received stronger afferent-evoked excitation than mitral cells. However, differences in intrinsic excitability also contributed to the differences between mitral and tufted cell activity. Compared to mitral cells, tufted cells exhibited twofold greater excitability and peak instantaneous firing rates. These differences in excitability probably arise from differential expression of voltage-gated potassium currents, as tufted cells exhibited faster action potential repolarization and afterhyperpolarizations than mitral cells. Surprisingly, mitral and tufted cells also showed firing mode differences. While both cell classes exhibited regular firing and irregular stuttering of action potential clusters, tufted cells demonstrated a greater propensity to stutter than mitral cells. Collectively, stronger afferent-evoked excitation, greater intrinsic excitability and more irregular firing in tufted cells can combine to drive distinct responses of mitral and tufted cells to afferent-evoked input.
Near‐field response to transpression along the southern San Andreas fault, based on exhumation of the northern San Gabriel Mountains, southern California

[1] Near-field mountain building is common along transpressive faults, but how vertical deformation relates to oblique plate motion versus local structural complexity has not been universally established. We have investigated the mechanisms of exhumation along the southern San Andreas fault in the northern San Gabriel Mountains to examine the effects of pure-shear-dominated transpression (obliquity >20°). Although rugged topography suggests near-field uplift, low-temperature thermochronometry indicates minimal exhumation. Apatite (U-Th)/He ages are >10 Ma along narrow ridges within the fault zone, implying near-field rock uplift is not pervasive along this oblique plate boundary. Ages farther from the fault are younger (∼5 Ma) and suggest a deformation event occurred during the transition of activity from the San Gabriel fault to the modern San Andreas strand. These results reveal a heterogeneous crustal response to transpression and imply that secondary structures or geometrical complexities play a primary role in near-field bedrock uplift along transpressive faults.
Fields Without Cutoffs

The construction of P(φ)2 quantum fields given here is valid for semibounded interaction polynomials P of the form P = even + linear. Other constructions apply to general semibounded P; see also Chapter 18. In this chapter, the problem of existence is separated from regularity. We prove the existence of a Euclidean measure dµ, obtained as an infinite volume limit of the finite volume measures of Chapter 8. The proof uses monotone convergence and uniform upper bounds.
Antifungal Properties of Cranberry Juice

Cranberry juice exerts a significant in vitro antifungal effect on eight representative species of dermatophytes, whereas it has no apparent effect on Candida albicans. The antifungal effect is fungistatic. Benzoic acid or other small molecular weight components, or both, were responsible for the fungistatic action. Studies with C. albicans on the effect of pH alone and the effect of pH on the ionization of benzoic acid indicate that cranberry juice would exert an even more significant antifungal action if the pH were left at its native value of 2.8; not adjusted to 5.6. This would probably be due to pH and a larger amount of free benzoic acid. Further investigation suggested that benzoic acid loses some of its antifungal properties in cranberry juice at pH 5.6. This investigation suggests that the dermatophytes may have a higher sensitivity to benzoic acid or other small molecular weight components of cranberry juice, or to both.
Changing policy and legislation and its effects on inclusive and special education: a perspective from England

This article, by Brahm Norwich of the Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, sets the recent legislative changes in the special education system in England, the Children and Families Act (2014), in the context of wider changes in the school system, such as changes in curriculum–assessment, the governance of schools and inspection arrangements. It also sets out the recent legislative changes in terms of the recent history of the Labour period of government, with its adoption of market principles with social inclusion as key policy commitments. A case study of a secondary school is presented to illustrate some of these points. Despite the new legislative system being described as a radical approach involving aspiration and support for special educational needs, the article argues that proposed changes promise to be marginal and defined by policy commitments to markets and small government. Moreover, there are continuing and unresolved issues from the Labour Government period that are still to be fully addressed. Research is also presented on the distribution of pupils with Statements in secondary schools and the recent rising pattern of special school placement for the first time in 30 years.
CivisAnalysis: Interactive Visualization for Exploring Roll Call Data and Representatives' Voting Behaviour

We present Civis Analysis, a web-based system for the visualization of roll calls of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies that can give citizens a unique view of the country's political history. Covering roll calls of six legislatures as well as six presidential elections, Civis Analysis combines roll call visualization techniques with techniques for the visualization of temporal data. In this work, we provide a visualization of roll call results as a n-dimensional space, coupling votes with the spectrum of deputies and the votes of a set of deputies with the spectrum of roll calls. We also provide a long-term political timeline integrated with election data (election results and political alliances). Our tool supports textual and visual filtering and includes auxiliary visualizations that provide an overview of the political scenario regarding deputies, parties, coalitions and their behavior along time. We also report a remote user study conducted to evaluate Civis Analysis.
Demonstration of a free-space optical interconnect in a CMOS chip

We have developed a hybrid optoelectronic circuit to demonstrate a free-space optical interconnect in a CMOS chip. Discrete GaAs-based optical devices are hybridly integrated with a 0.8 micrometers CMOS chip fabricated by a MOSIS foundry. The CMOS chip consists of two separate digital modules, an ALU and a ROM, communicating via a pair of optical interconnects. Each interconnect consists of a CMOS laser driver that converts full CMOS logic-level data into a suitable laser drive current, a laser-photodetector pair, and a CMOS transimpedance amplifier that converts a photocurrent from the photodetector into logic-level data. An on-chip clock is used to time the serialization and deserialization of 4-bit words of data across each interconnect at a data rate of 40 Mb/s. In order to account for limitations of the hybrid design as well as process variations, pads are provided for off-chip clock signals to override the built-in clock and therefore operate the interconnect at a transmission rate different from the design value. Each laser-photodetector pair is fabricated from a single laser structure epitaxially grown on semi-insulating GaAs substrate. Similar to a laser-photomonitor arrangement, a dry etch is used to divide the laser structure into a separate laser and photodiode. This device is then hybridly integrated with the CMOS chip to implement the proof-of-principle free-space optical interconnect. Experimental results for the optical elements and simulation results for the CMOS design are presented to demonstrate the operation of the chip.
Metal ion catalyzed hydrolysis of ethyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate.

Abstract 15 N isotope effects in the nitro group and 18 O isotope effects in the phenolic oxygen have been measured for the hydrolysis of ethyl p -nitrophenyl phosphate catalyzed by several metal ions. Co(III)–cyclen at pH 7, 50 °C, gave an 15 N isotope effect of 0.12% and an 18 O one of 2.23%, showing that P–O cleavage is rate limiting and the bond is ∼50% broken in the transition state. The active catalyst is a dimer and the substrate is presumably coordinated to the open site of one Co(III), and is attacked by hydroxide coordinated to the other Co(III). Co(III)–tacn under the same conditions shows a similar 15 N isotope effect (0.13%), but a smaller 18 O one (0.8%). Zn(II)–cyclen at pH 8.5, 80 °C, gave an 15 N isotope effect of 0.05% and an 18 O one of 0.95%, suggesting an earlier transition state. The catalyst in this case is monomeric, and thus the substrate is coordinated to one position and attacked by a cis -coordinated hydroxide. Eu(III) at pH 6.5, 50 °C, shows a very large 15 N isotope effect of 0.34% and a 1.6% 18 O isotope effect. The large 15 N isotope effect argues for a late transition state or Eu(III) interaction with the nitro group, and was also seen in Eu(III)-catalyzed hydrolysis of p -nitrophenyl phosphate [Bioorg. Chem. 28 (2000) 283].
Inorganic nanoparticles as optical sensors of DNA

The 1 - 100 nanometer size range encompasses the dimensions of proteins and DNA. In this size range the bulk properties of inorganic materials become influenced by quantum mechanical effects and become size-dependent. Semiconductor nanoparticles are photoluminescent throughout the visible; the emission maximum is dictated by particle size, nature of the surface, and nature of the bulk material. We have used the photoluminescence of semiconductor nanoparticles to infer how oligonucleotides with unusual structure bind to the nanoparticles, providing insight into local structure and flexibility of the DNA. More recently we have examined the effects of base modifications on these binding events. Metallic nanoparticles can also interact with DNA, and these interactions can be monitored by the visible absorbance spectrum of the nanoparticles and by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Metallic surfaces that are rough on the nanometer scale are known to enhance the Raman signals of adsorbates by up to a million-fold. The result of photoluminescence titrations of abasic DNA and SERS DNA-nanoparticle studies will be reported.
Invariant-based probabilistic target tracking and identification with GMTI/HRR measurements

An invariant-based algorithm is presented for ground moving-target tracking and identification using ground moving-target indicator and high-resolution range measurements. The algorithm effectively exploits coupled information between target kinematics and identification spaces by introducing the concept of local and global motion. A geometrical invariant constraint based on the target rigidity principle is built into target kinematics and measurement models, which facilitate joint information exploitation. An interacting multiple template algorithm is developed to tightly work with a traditional tracker for joint tracking and identification. Besides providing target kinematics behaviour and identity information, the algorithm is capable of reconstructing the prominent physical structure of a moving target.
The Third International Inflammatory Breast Cancer Conference

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive and deadly form of breast cancer. Disease-specific research and conferences have been organized since 2008 with the intent to bring together experts in various disciplines. This report focus on the Third International IBC Conference held in Philadelphia on December 2012.
“Conceptual clarification” or confusion in “the study of sensation seeking” by J. S. H. Jackson and M. Maraun

Abstract Jackson and Maraun claim that the Sensation Seeking Scales (forms II, IV, and V) do not measure sensation seeking because the scales were developed using factor analyses of items rather than rationally using the original construct. The constructs were changed after the factor analyses revealed a different structure than anticipated and the new constructs were validated using Cronbach and Meehl's ‘construct validity’. One cannot assume that the meanings attributed to test items on a rational basis is the same as that given by test respondents. If there are subfactors one cannot assume they are organized in the meaning dimensions hypothesized by the test constructors. Meaning resides in the construct validity of the test as well as the content validity and factor analyses are an important step in establishing content validity.
Impact of power purchases from non-utilities on the utility cost of capital☆

Abstract The bond rating agencies in the USA have asserted that long-term power purchase contracts between non-utility generators and utilities are the equivalent of debt to the utilities, and therefore raise the cost of capital to the purchaser. Non-utility generators claim that these contracts reduce risk to the utilities. This debate is reflected in the 1992 Energy Policy Act. This paper investigates this controversy from the perspective of the equity markets. Using a CAPM framework, various specifications of the cost of equity capital are estimated, to shed light on this question. No evidence is found for the hypothesis that non-utility generation contracts raise the cost of capital. There does appear to be a slight increase in this cost for those utilities seeking to build their own generation capacity as opposed to purchasing it from non-utility suppliers.
Photoblinking and Photobleaching of Single Molecule Fluorescent Probes Induced by Mn2

Photophysical phenomena leading to blinking and irreversible photobleaching represent a major obstacle that limits the utility of organic fluorophores in fluorescence-based techniques involving the detection of small numbers of molecules. In recent work, we demonstrated that the coordination of paramagnetic transition metals (e.g. Mn2+) to DNA induces intersystem-crossing in dyes covalently attached to the nucleic acid. This results in fluorescence quenching, triplet blinking and accelerated photobleaching. The increase in triplet formation in the presence of manganese was demonstrated using transient absorption techniques and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy for a series of rhodamine and cyanine dyes, including TAMRA, Cy3 and Cy5. These results are particularly relevant for single-molecule or fluorescence correlation spectroscopy experiments aimed to study enzymes that act on DNA, where Mn2+ is used to relax the sequence-specificity of enzymes that catalyze phosphoryl transfer reactions (e.g. polymerases and restriction endonucleases).
Estonia in the 1990s

Abstract As Estonia nears its second decade of restored independence, it seems appropriate to offer an overview and assessment of developments during the 1990s.1 The time perspective is now sufficient to justify such an exercise, and although numerous specific ­­ and often very valuable ­­ studies of various aspects of the transition in Estonia have been published in recent years, they typically remain focused on only part of the overall picture. After a brief look at the process by which an independent Estonia was reestablished in 1991, this article provides a summary analysis of the main trends in domestic politics, foreign policy, economic development, population shifts and society, and culture during the decade of the 1990s. The emphasis is on the political sphere, but all major aspects of Estonia's post-communist evolution are covered.
Dose-dependent surmountability of locomotor activity in caffeine tolerance.

Abstract For two chronic intraperitoneal caffeine dose regimens (10 and 80 mg/kg per day), tolerance developed rapidly (2–3 days) to the stimulatory effects of caffeine on locomotor activity. However, surmountability of the tolerant activity rate levels by caffeine administration was dose dependent: Activity rate was restored fully by acute caffeine administration for the 10 mg/kg per day series, but not for the 80 mg/kg per day series. The extent of tolerance was also dose-dependent: Tolerance was incomplete for the low-dose daily caffeine series but complete for the high-dose series. Upon discontinuation of daily caffeine dosing, activity rate decreased to the original baseline levels for both chronic series. Caffeine tolerance and the quantification of its surmountability may be explained by the pharmacokinetics of caffeine and the upregulation of adenosine receptors.
Bayesian analysis of the astrobiological implications of life’s early emergence on Earth

Life arose on Earth sometime in the first few hundred million years after the young planet had cooled to the point that it could support water-based organisms on its surface. The early emergence of life on Earth has been taken as evidence that the probability of abiogenesis is high, if starting from young Earth-like conditions. We revisit this argument quantitatively in a Bayesian statistical framework. By constructing a simple model of the probability of abiogenesis, we calculate a Bayesian estimate of its posterior probability, given the data that life emerged fairly early in Earth’s history and that, billions of years later, curious creatures noted this fact and considered its implications. We find that, given only this very limited empirical information, the choice of Bayesian prior for the abiogenesis probability parameter has a dominant influence on the computed posterior probability. Although terrestrial life's early emergence provides evidence that life might be abundant in the universe if early-Earth-like conditions are common, the evidence is inconclusive and indeed is consistent with an arbitrarily low intrinsic probability of abiogenesis for plausible uninformative priors. Finding a single case of life arising independently of our lineage (on Earth, elsewhere in the solar system, or on an extrasolar planet) would provide much stronger evidence that abiogenesis is not extremely rare in the universe.
Numerical Solutions for Laminar Incompressible Flow Past a Paraboloid of Revolution

Numerical solutions are obtained to the Navier-Stokes equations for flow past a paraboloid of revolution at zero angle of attack for a full range of Reynolds numbers. The solution approaches the Stokes and Oseen results at low Reynolds number and approaches the boundary-layer solution at high Reynolds number. The numerical method employed is an implicit alternating direction method which converges to the steady-state solution rapidly. Numerical experiments are made to determine the optimal time step for maximum rate of convergence.
Daily Orthogonal Kilovoltage Imaging Using a Gantry-Mounted On-Board Imaging System Results in a Reduction in Radiation Therapy Delivery Errors

Purpose To determine whether the use of routine image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) using pretreatment on-board imaging (OBI) with orthogonal kilovoltage X-rays reduces treatment delivery errors. Methods and Materials A retrospective review of documented treatment delivery errors from 2003 to 2009 was performed. Following implementation of IGRT in 2007, patients received daily OBI with orthogonal kV X-rays prior to treatment. The frequency of errors in the pre- and post-IGRT time frames was compared. Treatment errors (TEs) were classified as IGRT-preventable or non-IGRT-preventable. Results A total of 71,260 treatment fractions were delivered to 2764 patients. A total of 135 (0.19%) TEs occurred in 39 (1.4%) patients (3.2% in 2003, 1.1% in 2004, 2.5% in 2005, 2% in 2006, 0.86% in 2007, 0.24% in 2008, and 0.22% in 2009). In 2007, the TE rate decreased by >50% and has remained low ( P = .00007, compared to before 2007). Errors were classified as being potentially preventable with IGRT (e.g., incorrect site, patient, or isocenter) vs. not. No patients had any IGRT-preventable TEs from 2007 to 2009, whereas there were 9 from 2003 to 2006 (1 in 2003, 2 in 2004, 2 in 2005, and 4 in 2006; P = .0058) before the implementation of IGRT. Conclusions IGRT implementation has a patient safety benefit with a significant reduction in treatment delivery errors. As such, we recommend the use of IGRT in routine practice to complement existing quality assurance measures.
On viscosity solutions of fully nonlinear equations with measurable ingredients

We study fully nonlinear, uniformly elliptic equations with measurable ingredients. Caffarelli's recent work on W2,p estimates for viscosity solutions has led to significant progress in this area. Here we present a unified treatment of this theory based on an appropriate notion of viscosity solution. For instance, it is shown that strong solutions are viscosity solutions, that viscosity solutions are twice differentiable a.e., and that the pointwise derivatives satisfy the equation a.e. An important consequence of our approach is the possibility of passage to various kinds of limits in fully nonlinear equations. This extends results of this type due to Evans and Krylov. Our work is to some extent expository, the main purpose being to provide an easily accessible set of tools and techniques to study equations with measurable ingredients. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Direct Observation of Endocytosis of Gastrin Releasing Peptide and Its Receptor

Endocytosis of the gastrin releasing peptide receptor (GRP-R) may regulate cellular responses to GRP. We observed endocytosis in transfected epithelial cells by confocal microscopy using cyanine 3-GRP (cyanine 3.18-labeled gastrin releasing peptide) and GRP-R antibodies. At 4 degrees C, cy3-GRP and GRP-R were confined to the plasma membrane. After 5 min at 37 degrees C, ligand and receptor were internalized into early endosomes with fluorescein isothiocyanate-transferrin. After 10 min, cy3-GRP and GRP-R were in perinuclear vesicles, and at 60 min cy3-GRP was in large, central vesicles, while GRP-R was at the cell surface. We quantified surface GRP-R using an antibody to an extracellular epitope and an 125I-labeled secondary antibody. After exposure to GRP, there was a loss and subsequent recovery of surface GRP-R. Recovery was unaffected by cycloheximide, and thus independent of new protein synthesis, but was attenuated by acidotropic agents, and therefore required endosomal acidification. Internalization of 125I-GRP, assessed using an acid wash, was maximal after 10-20 min, and was clathrin-mediated since it was inhibited by hyperosmolar sucrose and phenylarsine oxide. Thus, GRP and its receptor are rapidly internalized into early endosomes and then dissociate in an acidified compartment. GRP is probably degraded whereas the GRP-R recycles.
Diagnosis of atypia/follicular lesion of undetermined significance: An institutional experience.

Background: The overall malignancy rate for the thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) diagnosed as atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) ranges from 5% to 30%. In this study, we present our institutional experience with thyroid nodules diagnosed as AUS/FLUS and further stratified into subcategories. In addition, we also assessed the significance of various clinicopathologic factors that may influence AUS/FLUS diagnoses and their outcomes. Design: A search of our laboratory information system was performed to identify all in-house thyroid FNA cases diagnosed as AUS/FLUS from 2008 to 2012. The data were collected and characterized by patient demographic information, cytopathology diagnosis with sub-classifiers and follow-up. Results: The case cohort included 457 cases diagnosed as AUS/FLUS. These were further sub-classified into one of six subcategories depending on the cytomorphologic findings and suspicion for or against a neoplastic process. Of the 457 cases, repeat FNA and/or surgical follow-up was available in 363 cases. There were 182 (39.8%) cases with cytologic follow-up only; 18 (9.9%) remained as AUS/FLUS, while 158 (86.8%) were re-classified with the majority being benign (142 cases). Histologic follow-up was available in 181 (39.6%) cases. There were 60 malignant cases confirmed by surgical excision, with an overall malignancy rate of 33.1%. The malignancy rate was 38.8% for cases with a repeat FNA versus 25.6% for cases that went directly to surgery without a repeat FNA. Papillary thyroid carcinoma accounted for 93.3% (56 cases) of the malignant cases. Conclusion: Based on our study, even though the malignancy rate of AUS/FLUS cases is similar to those reported for cases diagnosed as follicular neoplasm/suspicious for follicular neoplasm, we are of the belief that these comparable malignancy rates are a product of better clinical management and selection of patients diagnosed as AUS/FLUS for surgery after a repeat FNA.
Deletion 12q: a second patient with 12q24.31q24.32 deletion.

We report on a 20-month-old patient with facial dysmorphisms, microcephaly, cardiac septal defects, global developmental delay, and failure to thrive. Karyotypic evaluation revealed an interstitial deletion of the long arm of one chromosome 12, del(12)(q24.31q24.32). Only one other patient with a similar deletion has been reported previously. By comparing the two patients, we can begin to identify a characteristic phenotypic pattern. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
IPSCs put to the test

Analysis of a test set of cell lines shows that induced pluripotent stem cells perform as well as embryonic stem cells in differentiating to motor neurons.
Paraplegia after tethered cord surgery: an uncommon combined anomaly of spinal arteriovenous fistula and sacral lipoma--case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: The coexistence of spinal arteriovenous malformation with congenital abnormalities is relatively common. However, the association of a spinal arteriovenous malformation and lipoma is rare. We present an adult patient with this combined anomaly and discuss the clinical relevance of this case. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 42-year-old Caucasian man with progressive paraparesis initially underwent surgery for a tethered spinal cord. Postoperatively, he became paraplegic. He improved gradually over an interval of 8 months and, at that point, worsened again. Subsequent angiographic study revealed a spinal dural arteriovenous fistula located at S1-S2. Additionally, an occipital dural arteriovenous malformation was discovered near the transverse sinus. INTERVENTION: The spinal arteriovenous fistula was excised along with the sacral lipoma. The occipital arteriovenous fistula was embolized successfully at a later time. CONCLUSION: The patient had immediate improvement in sensory symptoms after surgery. At 9 months follow-up, he had regained the ability to walk with crutches, but his bladder dysfunction persisted. Recognition of co-existing vascular anomalies, such as spinal arteriovenous malformations, is important in patients with tethered cords. The mechanisms involved in this patient's worsening neurological condition after release of the tethered cord are discussed.
Withdrawing antimalarial drugs: impact on parasite resistance and implications for malaria treatment policies

Malaria continues to be a leading cause of death in the tropics, taking the heaviest toll on children in Africa, where drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum has led to rising malaria mortality. High rates of chloroquine resistance prompted many countries in Africa to switch to alternative therapies to treat malaria. Parasites carrying mutations that render them chloroquine resistant may lose their survival advantage with the removal of chloroquine drug pressure. Alternatively, organisms may have undergone compensatory mutation that provides a survival advantage even in the absence of drug pressure. Decreasing drug resistant malaria has been reported following discontinuation of antimalarial drugs. However, most such reports are limited by the incomplete removal of chloroquine drug pressure, unreliable in vitro susceptibility assays and/or small, poorly described study populations. In Africa, Malawi was the first country to switch from chloroquine to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for the first line treatment of malaria. An effective campaign to end chloroquine use provided an excellent opportunity to study the natural history of drug resistance following the reduction of drug pressure. The finding that drug resistance decreases with the removal of drug pressure could provide a new paradigm for malaria treatment policies in Africa.
Preserving and interpreting the landscape legacy of Thomas Dolliver Church

When one contemplates the great legacy of significant American gardens preserved for future generations, masterworks such as Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia, Beatrix Farr...
Dynamic relationship analysis of us gasoline and crude oil prices

This paper studies the dynamic relationships between US gasoline prices, crude oil prices, and the stock of gasoline. Using monthly data between January 1973 and December 1987, we find that the US gasoline price is mainly influenced by the price of crude oil. The stock of gasoline has little or no influence on the price of gasoline during the period before the second energy crisis, and seems to have some influence during the period after. We also find that the dynamic relationship between the prices of gasoline and crude oil changes over time, shifting from a longer lag response to a shorter lag response. Box-Jenkins ARIMA and transfer function models are employed in this study. These models are estimated using estimation procedure with and without outlier adjustment. For model estimation with outlier adjustment, an iterative procedure for the joint estimation of model parameters and outlier effects is employed. The forecasting performance of these models is carefully examined. For the purpose of illustration, we also analyze these time series using classical white-noise regression models. The results show the importance of using appropriate time-series methods in modeling and forecasting when the data are serially correlated. This paper also demonstrates the problems of time-series modeling when outliers are present.
Surface coverage in CT colography studies

The early detection of colorectal polyps may reduce morbidity and mortality due to colon cancer. Reliable detection of polyps in CT colography requires presentation of the entire colonic surface to the radiologist. We have developed a simple technique for quantifying surface coverage of the colonic mucosa as shown on CT colography. The air in the colon is segmented. A shell surrounding the air volume is generated by successively growing surfaces contiguous with previously grown voxels using thresholds of -900 HU and -100 HU. To evaluate techniques used for viewing the colon, shell voxels used in the presentation techniques are monitored, and a list of voxels missed by the technique is compiled. The missed voxels can be visually inspected and quantified using clustering methods that parameterize volumes of missed voxels. The usefulness of this method was investigated using a technique that displays reformatted views about a pre- calculated centerline. A modification of the presentation method in which additional images are generated by interpolation to improve surface sampling near regions of high centerline curvature was also evaluated. The surface coverage and neighborhood parameters were calculated for 15 clinical colography studies. The results indicate that an average of 99.68% of the shell voxels were included in the reformatted images prior to interpolation. Surface coverage was improved to 99.9% when additional interpolated planes were included. The average number of missed neighbors improved from 8.13 to 5.29 with interpolation. The dimensions of the missed volumes provided useful information for surface coverage.
Mood Modifying Substance Usage among 4-H and Non-4H Youth in Illinois

In a survey of 4-H and non-4-H youths from ten urban and ten rural counties, the author investigated the extent and predictors of drug abuse. His research reveals the mood modifying substance usage attitudes of his subjects and recommendations for future research.
Single-crystal studies of peptide prolyl and glycyl 15N shielding tensors.

15N shielding tensors were determined for the central peptide groups in GGV, AGG, and APG by single-crystal NMR. We find that the angle between the downfield component (δ11) and the N−H or the N−Cδ (pro) bonds is in the range of 20−23° and in accord with previous solid-state NMR measurements. However, AGG, unlike APG or GGV, has a distorted peptide plane, and δ11 lies approximately in the plane of N, Cα, and H rather than in the peptide plane defined by heavy atoms. Accurate orientations of δ22 and δ33 were determined, and the usual assumption that δ22 is along the peptide normal was found only in APG which has a highly nonaxial tensor. More generally, δ22 and δ33 are rotated about the δ11 axis (36° in GGV). These results are compared with DFT calculations to gain a structural understanding of the effects of intermolecular interactions on shielding tensor principal components and orientations. Trimeric clusters containing H-bonded neighbors predict the orientations of the principal components within 2−3°,...
Cytoreductive surgery and continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion in patients with mesothelioma and peritoneal carcinomatosis: hemodynamic, metabolic, and anesthetic considerations.

Cytoreductive surgery and continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion (CHPP) involve the conduct of a complex surgical procedure and delivery of high-dose hyperthermic chemotherapy to the peritoneum. This therapeutic modality has been shown to benefit patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis resulting from gastrointestinal and ovarian tumors and mesothelioma. However, it is unknown whether the primary disease (mesothelioma versus peritoneal carcinomatosis) affects hemodynamic and metabolic perturbations during the course of CHPP with cisplatin. We examined the perioperative course of patients undergoing CHPP with cisplatin and evaluated the effect of primary diagnosis (mesothelioma versus peritoneal carcinomatosis) on hemodynamic and metabolic parameters in response to peritoneal perfusion. Sixty-nine mesothelioma and 100 peritoneal carcinomatosis patients underwent 169 consecutive cytoreduction and CHPP procedures with general anesthesia. During CHPP, patients from both groups developed significant increases in central venous pressure, and heart rate, decreases in mean arterial pressure (all P < 0.0001), metabolic acidosis with significant decreases in pH and bicarbonate (P < 0.0001), deterioration of gas exchange with significant increases in PaCO2 and oxygen alveolar–arterial gradient (P < 0.0001), and significant increases in activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and prothrombin time (PT) and decreases in hematocrit and platelet counts (all P < 0.0001). However, patients with mesothelioma had lesser increases in temperature (P < 0.01) and heart rate (P < 0.0001) and lesser decreases in hematocrit (P = 0.0013) during CHPP and greater decreases in sodium bicarbonate (P = 0.0082) after completion of CHPP compared with patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. We conclude that the transient hemodynamic and metabolic perturbations associated with cytoreductive surgery and CHPP with cisplatin can vary according to the primary diagnosis (mesothelioma versus peritoneal carcinomatosis) warranting this therapy.
The effect of varied reinforcement training on behavior following incentive reduction

Three groups of rats were given 50 acquisition trials with large, varied, and small reward respectively. Following acquisition all Ss received 12 small reward trials. These 12 trials constituted an incentive reduction phase for the Ss trained under large and varied reward. The incentive reduction results showed a large decrement in performance for the Ss trained under large reward, while the Ss trained under varied reward showed only a very slight decrement in performance.
Applied Sources for Teachers of Nonparametric Statistics

We describe primary a d supplementary textbooks for a course on nonparametric statistics, list conceptual and applied articles using these techniques, and recommend use of SPSS-X. All of these materials have been favorably received by students in our course.
Pea–Fusarium solani Interactions Contributions of a System Toward Understanding Disease Resistance

ABSTRACT This mini-review points to the usefulness of the pea–Fusarium solani interaction in researching the biochemical and molecular aspects of the nonhost resistance components of peas. This interaction has been researched to evaluate the resistance roles of the phytoalexin, pisatin, the cuticle barrier, and the activation of the nonhost resistance response. Concurrently, evaluations of associated signaling processes and the tools possessed by the pathogen to contend with host obstacles were included. The properties of some pathogenesis-related genes of pea and their regulation and contribution to resistance are discussed. A proposed action of two biotic elicitors on both chromatin conformation and the architectural transcription factor, HMG A, is presented and includes time lines of events within the host immune response.
Epilepsy and malformations of cortical development: new developments.

Purpose of review Malformations of cortical development (MCD) are increasingly recognized as causes of epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders. This review summarizes recent developments in the classification, specifically focusing on how genetic and cellular pathway advances are changing our understanding of MCD and how this applies to clinical care. Recent findings Recent studies have shown that mutations can have variable impact on not only the pattern of MCD but also the location of cortical involvement. Regulatory G protein GPR56 mutations can selectively cause polymicrogyria in the Sylvian fissure bilaterally. In addition, recent data suggest that somatic mutations can be detected in about 30% of patients with diffuse and focal MCD but the majority are not detectable with common sequencing. Similarly, MRI at higher field is able to detect abnormalities not seen on clinical scanners. The classification scheme and pathogenesis of MCD converge by common genes affecting similar pathways, which, in turn, modify the classification of these disorders. These advances are impacting treatment and genetic management. Summary The classification of MCD in epilepsy has progressed from simple correlations with syndromes and imaging data to molecular pathways underscoring the significance of common mechanism in brain maldevelopment and epilepsy.