cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Genetic and Epigenetic Contributions of Sperm to Early Embryogenesis

During fertilization, the sperm delivers a haploid set of chromosomes to the zygote. Genetic alterations, such as numerical or structural chromosome defects, can affect the ability of the embryo to undergo normal development. Similarly, epigenetic defects, such as abnormal methylation of gene promoters, may affect gene expression during embryogenesis and affect the viability or health of the developing embryo. This chapter explores the genetic and epigenetic contributions of sperm to normal embryogenesis.
The Harmonic Conceit: Music, Nature and Mind in Wordsworth’s Prelude

Phenomenology, as a theoretical framework applied to literature, has alerted us to the complex interrelation of reader and writer in the production, formation and reception of a text. My study of Wordsworth is here in the area of the poet’s own ideas about perception, and more importantly self-perception. The Prelude, Wordsworth’s long autobiographical poem, (I am working from the 1805 version) is itself a writing of the poet’s own life — a self-perception — though it is not traditional autobiography, in the sense of a linear rendering of experience and circumstance. Events are out of order, sometimes repeated, and experiences are conflated. There are aspects of the poet’s life curiously absent or reworked, confounding those readers past and present who expect a confessional autobiography like St. Augustine’s or Rousseau’s.
Rapid and low-cost development of microfluidic devices using wax printing and microwave treatment

Abstract Wax printing is a print-and-peel (PAP) rapid prototyping technique that enables rapid creation of master molds for miniaturized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) systems, circumventing the need for specialized microfabrication personnel and facilities. We have demonstrated wax printed molds with microwave thermal processing to cure PDMS (25 min) and thermally anneal PDMS to glass (30 min), representing one of the fastest non-lithographic methods for the fabrication of PDMS microfluidic structures to date. The smallest fabricated features are on the order of 350 μm wide and 5 μm tall. Three devices were fabricated using this technique, including a microfluidic gradient generator, a T-droplet generator, and a Y-channel microfluidic device, with performance comparable to literature devices fabricated via traditional photolithography. Direct comparison between Y-channel devices made with the new rapid prototyping technique and with standard photolithography showed similar laminar flow performance, and thus the feasibility of our method. We have demonstrated device fabrication from design phase to testing within one hour, thus our innovative method significantly speeds up the development of microfluidic tools.
Toward a Better Understanding of the Magnetocaloric Effect: An Experimental and Theoretical Study of MnFe4Si3.

The low temperature ferromagnetic ordering in the title compound is reinvestigated by time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and spin-polarized TB-LMTO electronic structure calculations.
Foster Youth, Health, and College Campus Support Program Participation: The First-Year Experience.

This study examined the physical, mental, and emotional health of former and current foster youth students participating in campus support programs during their first year at a four-year university...
Superhydrophobic Functionalization of Cotton Fabric via Reactive Dye Chemistry and a Thiol–ene Click Reaction

A straightforward method for imparting superhydrophobic character to cotton textiles using methods based in textile processing and organic synthesis was developed. Cotton fabric was first treated with a common dye anchor, cyanuric chloride, which was subsequently reacted with cysteamine to yield a thiol function on the surface. Thiol–ene click chemistry was employed to attach alkyl chains to render the surface hydrophobic. Effects of temperature and reaction time on the click reaction step were investigated to optimize the process, and a water contact angle exceeding 150° was obtained after reaction at 100 °C and 60 min. Furthermore, it was shown that both AIBN and hydrogen peroxide are effective initiators for the click reaction. The efficacy of the resulting textile in separating hydrocarbons from water was demonstrated. This straightforward preparation of a superhydrophobic textile is most promising in that it is accomplished without incorporating perfluorinated functional groups or nanoparticles.
Tune-All Substrate-Integrated-Waveguide (SIW) Bandpass Filters

This paper reports on a new type of substrate- integrated-waveguide (SIW) bandpass filters (BPFs) with multiple levels of transfer function adaptivity. They are based on series- cascaded in-line coaxial resonators and a coaxial-resonator-based transmission-zero (TZ) generation section. The proposed architecture allows the realization of the following reconfigurable characteristics: i) tunable center frequency with either constant absolute bandwidth (BW) or constant fractional bandwidth (FBW), ii) tunable BW, and iii) an intrinsically switched-off response. Alternative realization schemes using parallel and series resonators are discussed with the purpose of improving the stopband performance. For proof-of-concept demonstration purposes an L-band SIW-based BPF prototype was designed, manufactured and measured. It exhibited the following RF performance characteristics. Center frequency tuning between 1.24 and 1.8 GHz (1.5: tuning ratio), BW tuning between 190 and 78 MHz (2.44:1 tuning ratio) and intrinsic switching-off with > 30 dB of isolation in the range between 0.75 and 2.25 GHz.
Resonant tori, transport barriers, and chaos in a vector field with a Neimark-Sacker bifurcation

Abstract We make a detailed numerical study of a three dimensional dissipative vector field derived from the normal form for a cusp-Hopf bifurcation. The vector field exhibits a Neimark–Sacker bifurcation giving rise to an attracting invariant torus. Our main goals are to (A) follow the torus via parameter continuation from its appearance to its disappearance, studying its dynamics between these events, and to (B) study the embeddings of the stable/unstable manifolds of the hyperbolic equilibrium solutions over this parameter range, focusing on their role as transport barriers and their participation in global bifurcations. Taken together the results highlight the main features of the global dynamics of the system.
Hematogenous Donor Cell Routing Pathway After Transamniotic Stem Cell Therapy

Donor mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been documented in fetal and maternal circulations after plain intra-amniotic injection, with diverse therapeutic effects. We sought to determine the pathwa...
The Impact of VLSI on Medical Signal Processing

Publisher Summary This chapter describes those aspects of health care delivery that deal with the analysis of various biological signals that are crucial and germane for medical diagnosis. The problem of signal analysis and recognition of patterns is an integral part of the work of the clinician in making diagnoses. When the electrical activity of the heart, brain, or muscle is being analyzed by the physician, a pattern-recognition process takes place in the human mind. The recent developments in very large-scale integration (VLSI) technology allow implementation of such methodologies for pattern recognition and signal analysis by small and inexpensive microprocessors. Three classes of fundamental biological signals are considered separately in the field of neurophysiological signals: (1) the electroencephalogram, (2) the evoked potentials, and (3) the electromyogram. Implementation of VLSIs in signal processing is developing in two major domains. In the conventional field of microprocessors, new chips allow most of the complicated signal processing to be performed on-line on inexpensive hardware. A new domain of development is in the special-purpose VLSI chips that are designed to function as peripheral components attached to the bus of a conventional host general-purpose CPU device. The design of these chips constitutes a new area of hardware programming.
Modern B-Tree Techniques

Invented about 40 years ago and called ubiquitous less than 10 years later, B-tree indexes have been used in a wide variety of computing systems from handheld devices to mainframes and server farms. Over the years, many techniques have been added to the basic design in order to improve efficiency or to add functionality. Examples include separation of updates to structure or contents, utility operations such as non-logged yet transactional index creation, and robust query processing such as graceful degradation during index-to-index navigation. This survey reviews the basics of B-trees and of B-tree indexes in databases, transactional techniques and query processing techniques related to B-trees, B-tree utilities essential for database operations, and many optimizations and improvements. It is intended both as a survey and as a reference, enabling researchers to compare index innovations with advanced B-tree techniques and enabling professionals to select features, functions, and tradeoffs most appropriate for their data management challenges.
Differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into immunostimulatory dendritic cells under feeder-free culture conditions

4996 The objective of this study was to develop a scalable and broadly applicable active immunotherapy approach against cancer and infectious diseases, circumventing the limitations typically encountered with autologous vaccination strategies. We hypothesized that human embryonic stem cells (hESC) can serve as a virtually unlimited source for generating dendritic cells (DC) with potent antigen presenting function. Here, we investigated the developmental processes and requirements for generating large numbers of mature, antigen-presenting DC from pluripotent hESC. An animal product and feeder cell-free culture system was developed to differentiate hESC into mature DC sequentially through hematopoietic and myeloid precursor stages. Using this method, we were able to yield large numbers of mature immunostimulatory DC from hESC to enable clinical investigation. Upon activation with proinflammatory cytokines, the hESC-derived DC secreted IL-12p70, migrated in response to MIP-3beta and exhibited allo-stimulatory capacity. Most importantly, antigen loaded, hESC-derived DC were capable of stimulating potent antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell responses capable of recognizing and killing human target cells expressing tumor or viral antigens in a HLA class I-matched semi-allogeneic assay system. Moreover, HLA class II-mismatched hESC-derived DC induced a potent Th1-type cytokine response without expanding and activating FOXP3+ regulatory T cells in vitro. These data suggest the development of a novel active immunotherapy platform to stimulate potent T-cell immunity in patients with intractable diseases such as cancer or viral infection.
Data-Centric Communication Approach For Energy Transactions in Multimicrogrid Systems

In this paper, a data-centric communication framework is proposed for energy transactions in multiagent-based multimicrogrid systems, where market players compete together through a decentralized market framework. To do the transactions, the Data Distribution Service (DDS) is used as a data-centric communication middleware and data objects are defined based on the market structure and required data formats. To ensure about the market players’ authentication and correctness of messages, a two-step security measure is implemented to check the user authentication, encrypt/decrypt the messages and control the market players’ access to topics through an effective key management mechanism and access permission profile. This approach is optimized by defining an ID management scheme over the DDS topics, which will result in reducing the number of topics within the DDS domains and facilitates data exchange among participants.
The Humility of the Eternal Son: Reformed Kenoticism and the Repair of Chalcedon

The Chalcedonian Definition of 451 never completely resolved one of the critical issues at the heart of Christianity: the unity of the 'person' of Christ. In this eagerly-awaited volume - the result of deep and sustained reflection - distinguished theologian Bruce Lindley McCormack examines the reasons for this philosophical and theological failure. His book serves as a critical history that traces modern attempts at resolution of this problem, from the nineteenth-century Lutheran emphasis on Kenoticism (or the 'self-emptying' of the Son in order to be receptive to the will of the Father) to post-Barthian efforts that evade the issue by collapsing the second person of the Trinity into the human Jesus - thereby rejecting altogether the logic of the classical 'two-natures' Christology. McCormack shows how New Testament Christologies both limit and authorize ontological reflection, and in so doing offers a distinctively Reformed version of Kenoticism. Proposing a new and bold divine ontology, with a convincing basis in Christology, he persuasively argues that the unity of the 'person' is in fact guaranteed by the Son's act of taking into his 'being' the lived existence of Jesus.
COVID‐19 pandemic‐related transition to telehealth in child and adolescent mental health

Introduction Objectives Procedures Results Conclusion This article explores one mental health company's urgent response to the global COVID‐19 pandemic, and the multifaceted implications of quickly transitioning to telehealth services.The purpose of this article is to share information with interdisciplinary professionals about the planning, implementation, and results of transitioning to telehealth services during a pandemic.We compiled practice‐related data regarding company attendance rates and customer and employee satisfaction with telehealth. Data include feedback from more than 40 clinicians and 60 families.The data suggest there are both benefits and limitations to engaging in telehealth services within a mental health company. Attendance rates increased dramatically, engagement improved with adolescents but proved challenging with the younger children. Telehealth helped overcome many typical barriers to mental health treatment. Concerns remain regarding confidentiality, assessment of abuse and neglect, and ability to read nonverbal social cues.Families and practitioners experienced the convenience and benefits of telehealth but also expressed concerns over certain limitations. Finding a responsible way to incorporate telehealth into practice postpandemic is a priority for mental health practitioners, both now and in the immediate future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Family Relations is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Associations of Neighborhood Safety and Collective Efficacy with Dietary Intake among Preschool-Aged Children and Mothers.

Background: Positive neighborhood environments may promote healthier behaviors, yet few studies have examined associations between neighborhood social environment and diet. We examined associations...
Hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis: Response to continuous insulin infusion.

Objective To assess the response of serum triglycerides (TG) to continuous insulin infusion (CII) in adults with hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis (HTGP). Methods Retrospective analysis of TG response to standardized CII therapy in 77 adults admitted to intensive care with TG >1000 mg/dL and HTGP. Results Participants had initial TG 3869.0 [2713.5, 5443.5] mg/dL and were 39.3 ± 9.7 years old, 66.2% males, 58.4% Hispanic, BMI 30.2 [27.0, 34.8] kg/m2, 74.0% with diabetes mellitus (DM) and 50.6% with excess alcohol use. TG-goal, defined as ≤1,000 ± 100 mg/dL, was achieved in 95%. Among the 73 TG-goal achievers (responders), 53.4% reached TG-goal in <36 hours after CII initiation (rapid responders). When compared to slow responders taking≥36 hours, rapid responders had lower initial TG (2862.0 [1965.0, 4519.0] vs 4814.5 [3368.8, 6900.0] mg/dL), BMI (29.4 [25.9, 32.8] vs 31.9 [28.2, 38.3] kg/m2), DM prevalence (56.4 vs 94.1%), and reached TG-50% (half of respective initial TG) faster (12.0 [6.0, 17.0] vs 18.5 [13.0, 32.8] hours). Those with DM (n = 57) vs non-DM (n = 20) were obese (31.4 [28.0, 35.6] vs 27.8 [23.6, 30.3] kg/m2), took longer to reach TG-final (41.0 [25.0, 60.5] vs 14.5 [12.5, 25.5] hours) and used more daily insulin (1.7 [1.3, 2.1] vs 1.1 [0.5, 1.9] U/kg/day). Among those with DM, the rapid responders had higher daily use of insulin vs slow responders 1.9 [1.4, 2.3] vs 1.6 [1.1, 1.8] U/kg/day. All results significant. In multivariable analysis, predictors of faster TG response were absence of DM, lower BMI and initial TG. Conclusion CII was effective in reaching TG-goal in 95% of patients with HTGP. Half achieved TG-goal within 36 hours. Presence of DM, higher BMI and initial TG slowed the time to reach TG-goal. These baseline parameters and rate of decline to TG-50% may be real-time indicators to initiate and adjust the CII for quicker response.
A Metamodel-Based Approach to Formalizing UML

The {\it Unified Modeling Language} (UML) comprises several different notations for object-oriented modeling with no formal semantics attached to the individual diagrams. We have developed a general framework for formalizing a subset of UML diagrams in terms of various formal languages, with a focus on embedded systems. We take a homomorphic approach in our formalization framework by constructing mappings from the metamodels of UML diagrams to the metamodel of a given target specification language. Using this approach, we have formalized UML in terms of VHDL and Promela, the specification language for the SPIN model checker. An overarching goal of this project is to provide users with a migration path from existing object-oriented modeling notations to target specification languages that have extensive tool support. The existing tools enable the analysis of the UML diagrams via their corresponding specifications. We have also developed a number of visualizations to assist in the interpretation of the analysis results.
A Comparison Between Satellite-Defined and Parameterized Land-Water Differences in Emitted Longwave Radiation

An analysis is performed to qualitatively compare the seasonal variation in emitted longwave radiation over land and over water areas as determined from 12 months of Nimbus 6 satellite data with that defined from parameterizations of this radiation budget component. These variations are noted when land and water surface areas are mapped to corresponding areas at the 'top' of the atmosphere. Variations of a surface-temperature-dependent parameterization of emitted longwave radiation originally suggested by Budyko (1969) are considered. The longwave radiation parameterizations indicate small differences between land and water profiles of emitted longwave radiation at the top of an atmospheric column in low latitudes in comparison to large differences in this feature shown to exist in the satellite data. The small differences are noted in linear parameterizations of emitted flux when zonally-averaged satellite data are used to define equation coefficients.
Castration-resistant prostate cancer: Many treatments, many options, many challenges ahead

Although the long natural history of prostate cancer presents challenges in the development of novel therapeutics, major contributions have been observed recently. A better understanding of the long-term complications of androgen deprivation has changed the initial approach to most patients with advanced disease. Specifically, recognition of the limitations of prostate-specific antigen has driven the pursuit of new tools capable of becoming true surrogates for disease outcome. Understanding the molecular biology of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) has led to a dramatic paradigm shift in the treatment of patients with metastatic disease where the androgen receptor becomes a central therapeutic target. Specific adrenal inhibitors and engineered super androgen receptor inhibitors have become the most promising agents in the disease. Novel immune therapies have been shown to improve survival in selected patients with castration-resistant disease despite the inability to impact traditional markers of response. Similarly, agents such as cabazitaxel and abiraterone acetate have demonstrated clinical benefit are now a standard of care in docetaxel-refractory metastatic CRPC patients. All these changes have occurred in a relatively short period and are likely to change the prostate cancer treatment paradigm. This review summarizes the current management of CRPC and discusses potential future directions.
Modeling and Optimization for Transportation Systems Planning and Operations

*To be presented at the International Symposium on Large Engineering Systems, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, August 9-12, 1976
Psychosocial effects of cancer economics on patients and their families

Cancer frequently follows an unpredictable course, with patients experiencing numerous disruptions in their lives. Concomitantly, the enormous financial burdens that accompany the onset and subsequent treatment of cancer become even more overwhelming. Regardless of socioeconomic status, almost all families confronted with cancer and its treatment will have financial problems. Poor people are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer when the disease is advanced and treatment options are significantly more limited. Limited access to medical care carries the additional risk of denied access to community resources, which often are made through referrals from the health care system
Real-time sensing and discrimination of single chemicals using the channel of phi29 DNA packaging nanomotor.

A highly sensitive and reliable method to sense and identify a single chemical at extremely low concentrations and high contamination is important for environmental surveillance, homeland security, athlete drug monitoring, toxin/drug screening, and earlier disease diagnosis. This manuscript reports a method for precise detection of single chemicals. The hub of the bacteriophage phi29 DNA packaging motor is a connector consisting of twelve protein subunits encircled into a 3.6-nm channel as a path for dsDNA to enter during packaging and to exit during infection. The connector has previously been inserted into a lipid bilayer to serve as a membrane-embedded channel. Herein we report the modification of the phi29 channel to develop a class of sensors to detect single chemicals. The Lysine-234 of each protein subunit was mutated to cysteine, generating 12-SH ring lining the channel wall. Chemicals passing through this robust channel and interactions with the SH-group generated extremely reliable, precise, and sensitive current signatures as revealed by single channel conductance assays. Ethane (57 Daltons), thymine (167 Daltons), and benzene (105 Daltons) with reactive thioester moieties were clearly discriminated upon interaction with the available set of cysteine residues. The covalent attachment of each analyte induced discrete step-wise blockage in current signature with a corresponding decrease in conductance due to the physical blocking of the channel. Transient binding of the chemicals also produced characteristic fingerprints that were deduced from the unique blockage amplitude and pattern of the signals. This study shows that the phi29 connector can be used to sense chemicals with reactive thioesters or maleimide using single channel conduction assays based on their distinct fingerprints. The results demonstrated that this channel system could be further developed into very sensitive sensing devices.
A mechanically coupled reaction–diffusion model for predicting the response of breast tumors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy

There is currently a paucity of reliable techniques for predicting the response of breast tumors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The standard approach is to monitor gross changes in tumor size as measured by physical exam and/or conventional imaging, but these methods generally do not show whether a tumor is responding until the patient has received many treatment cycles. One promising approach to address this clinical need is to integrate quantitative in vivo imaging data into biomathematical models of tumor growth in order to predict eventual response based on early measurements during therapy. In this work, we illustrate a novel biomechanical mathematical modeling approach in which contrast enhanced and diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging data acquired before and after the first cycle of neoadjuvant therapy are used to calibrate a patient-specific response model which subsequently is used to predict patient outcome at the conclusion of therapy. We present a modification of the reaction-diffusion tumor growth model whereby mechanical coupling to the surrounding tissue stiffness is incorporated via restricted cell diffusion. We use simulations and experimental data to illustrate how incorporating tissue mechanical properties leads to qualitatively and quantitatively different tumor growth patterns than when such properties are ignored. We apply the approach to patient data in a preliminary dataset of eight patients exhibiting a varying degree of responsiveness to neoadjuvant therapy, and we show that the mechanically coupled reaction-diffusion tumor growth model, when projected forward, more accurately predicts residual tumor burden at the conclusion of therapy than the non-mechanically coupled model. The mechanically coupled model predictions exhibit a significant correlation with data observations (PCC = 0.84, p 4 fold reduction in model/data error (p = 0.02) as compared to the non-mechanically coupled model.
Limnological Studies of a Subarctic Lake System

A limnological study was carried out on a pair of lakes within the taiga forest of interior Alaska. These lakes, Ace and Deuce Lakes, are irregular in that one of them (Deuce Lake) is meromictic, never undergoing complete circulation, and the other (Ace Lake) has a spring circulation which is confined to the surface layers and autumnal mixing is attenuated. The ionic composition is similar to lakes in the surrounding area, with somewhat higher levels of dissolved ions. The unique features of the lake system are related to the meromictic tendencies and highly colored water with rather high ionic content. Primary productivity rates are relatively high by interior Alaskan standards, and nutrient levels are high. Primary productivity is confined to the surface meter, but even so annual productivity amounts to more than 70 g C/m2-yr.
Reaching Families with Preschoolers at Risk of Physical Child Abuse: What Works?

The effectiveness of a community-based parent education and support program in improving risk factors associated with physical child abuse (i.e., parental stress, impaired parent-child interactions, verbal and physical aggression, and poor quality of the overall home environment) was tested. Pre- and posttest data were collected on 116 families for three structured programs and every three months for one ongoing support group. Level of program involvement was framed as duration (length of time) and intensity (programming per week). Strongest gains were made by parents who participated in the more intensive programs. Especially notable in regard to the most intensive program, was the mandatory parent and child components, four contacts per week, clear identification of risk factors, and the provision of transportation when needed. These findings have important implications for targeting service delivery for families with preschoolers at risk of physical child abuse.
Reactions to Victimization and Coping Strategies of Battered Women: The Ties That Bind

Abstract This paper constitutes a review of articles which have as their scope the reactions of battered women to the victimization they experience and the coping strategies they employ ta handle the abusive relationship. The reactions and coping strategies are explored in light of their paradoxical effects which actually serve to make it more difficult for the battered woman to leave the abusive relationship. Articles are discussed in terms of their contribution to the theories of victimization of battered women and theories regarding their coping styles. Research in the future needs to concentrate on operationalizmg various theories in the area for empirical testing and battered women need to be more directly compared with other victim groups.
Activating and fluorescent wave-lengths of furocoumarins: psoralens.

BIOLOGICAL photosensitized reactions are known to result from the absorption of a wide spectrum of radiation. The energy and therefore the wave-length of light absorbed and the biological changes occurring in photosensitized reactions are obviously closely related. A fundamental law of photochemistry, the Grotthus–Draper law, states that only radiation absorbed by the reacting system is effective in producing chemical change. Thus the radiation producing the photosensitizing reaction (that is, the action spectrum) should correspond to the absorption spectrum of the photosensitizing agent.
Speciation and Coordination Chemistry of Uranyl(VI)−Citrate Complexes in Aqueous Solution

The pH dependence of uranyl(VI) complexation by citric acid was investigated using Raman and attenuated total reflection FTIR spectroscopies and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. pH-dependent changes in the nu(s)(UO(2)) envelope indicate that three major UO(2)(2+)-citrate complexes with progressively increasing U=O bond lengths are present over a range of pH from 2.0 to 9.5. The first species, which is the predominant form of uranyl(VI) from pH 3.0 to 5.0, contains two UO(2)(2+) groups in spectroscopically equivalent coordination environments and corresponds to the [(UO(2))(2)Cit(2)](2)(-) complex known to exist in this pH range. At pH values >6.5, [(UO(2))(2)Cit(2)](2)(-) undergoes an interconversion to form [(UO(2))(3)Cit(3)](3)(-) and (UO(2))(3)Cit(2). ESI-MS studies on solutions of varying uranyl(VI)/citrate ratios, pH, and solution counteranion were successfully used to confirm complex stoichiometries. Uranyl and citrate concentrations investigated ranged from 0.50 to 50 mM.
Post-Translational Regulation of Neuronal Acetylcholine Receptors Stably Expressed in a Mouse Fibroblast Cell Line

Second messenger regulation of neuronal acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) was investigated in a mouse fibroblast cell line, M10, stably transfected with chicken alpha 4 and beta 2 cDNAs. Both forskolin and 8-bromo-cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) induced large increases in the numbers of AChRs. The increases were due in part to increased transcription and translation of the alpha 4 and beta 2 genes. Blockade of protein synthesis with cycloheximide, however, revealed that forskolin also exerts a post-translational effect, increasing the number of surface receptors by twofold. Immunoblot analysis of sucrose gradient fractions confirmed that the cells had a large fraction of unassembled subunits potentially available for receptor assembly. The post-translational effect of forskolin was blocked by H-89, an inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and by okadaic acid, an inhibitor of phosphatases 1 and 2A. Nicotine also acted post-translationally to induce a twofold increase in the number of surface receptors, but the mechanism differed from that utilized by forskolin, since the effects of the two agents were additive and were differentially affected by okadaic acid. The results suggest that protein phosphorylation-dephosphorylation mechanisms act post-translationally to increase the number of neuronal AChRs maintained on the cell surface. This could be achieved by increasing the efficiency of receptor assembly, transport, or stabilization on the cell surface.
The effects of machining on the microstructure and transformation behavior of NiTi Alloy

This study presents evidence of a machining-induced deformation layer in a NiTi shape memory alloy and the subsequent effect of this layer on the underlying transformation behavior of the material. Severe twinning-induced deformation was observed in the substrate of samples pre-cooled and machined by orthogonal cutting under cryogenic conditions, while (1 1 4)B2-type deformation twinning and significant dislocation activity was observed after dry machining of the NiTi. In addition, cryogenic machining resulted in a much deeper affected zone than machining under dry conditions.
Declining Social Services and the Threat to Social Reproduction: An Urban Dilemma

RECENT FISCAL CRISES experienced by city and federal governments, together with changes in the economy, have resulted in a decline in basic urban services. Since these services are important aspects of the material resources necessary for survival, their decline is threatening the ability of poor and working-class populations to maintain themselves. The magnitude of current urban problems suggests that we are in the midst of a nationwide crisis in social reproduction. The complex relationship between production for profit and the provision of goods and services for social existence is discussed. This topic is explored in New York City, in the context of decentralization–a recent reform in city government designed to improve service delivery that involves local organizations and other interest groups having a voice in the decision making affecting the quality of the local environment. The relationship between the needs of neighborhood residents, the organizations that emerge to represent their interests, and urban economic policies are discussed, [decentralization, social reproduction, local organizations, social conflict, urban services, urban neighborhoods, citizen participation]
A review of the audio and video steganalysis algorithms

Steganography is the process of hiding information in cover media to obtain the stego media, such that the cover media is perceived not to have any embedded message for its unintended recipients. Steganalysis is the mechanism of detecting the presence of hidden information in the stego media and it can lead to the prevention of disastrous security incidents. The three common forms of cover media used in Steganography are Image, Audio and Video. Only few algorithms are available for audio and video steganalysis and there is no comprehensive survey available for the same. The high-level contribution of this paper is a critical review of the algorithms available for audio and video steganalysis. We observe that each of these two cover media has its own special attributes and steganalysis algorithms developed for one category are not applicable to the other. We anticipate that this paper will serve as a launch pad for investigators interested in audio and/or video steganalysis research.
Preparation and Characterization of Cobalt(II) Complexes Derived from Hexadentate ‘Tripod’ Ligand and Their Potentials as Epoxidation Catalysts

Abstract The ligand N,N,N'N'-tetrakis(1-hydroxymethyl-2-benzimidazolylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (HMEDTB) (L) has been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses and spectral data. Its reaction with cobalt(II) chloride hexahydrate, or cobalt(II) nitrate hexahydrate in the molar ratio of 1:2 in acetonitrile afforded the complexes [Co(L)]2+ 2NO3 − (1), and [Co2(L)Cl2]2+ 2Cl− (2), respectively. Elemental analyses and spectral data on compound (1) show it to be a mononuclear cationic cobalt(II) complex in an octahedral geometry, with two nitrate ions as counterions. Similar data on compound (2) reveal the presence of a cationic dicobalt complex with bridging hydroxide in possibly a trigonal bipyramidal geometry. Compounds (1) and (2) catalysed the epoxidation of styrene in 53.8 and 34.3% yields, respectively.
Impact of Generic Advertising for Fluid Milk on Demand for Whole, Lowfat, and Skim Milks

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a statistical difference exists in sales responsiveness to advertising among consumers of whole, lowfat, and skim milks. A case study for New York City was presented using data from monthly time series for demand from 1986 through 1992. Separate demand functions were estimated for whole, lowfat, and skim milks when advertising expenditures for generic fluid milk were used as one of the explanatory variables. The results indicated that long-term advertising elasticities (i.e., percentage change in per capita sales given a 1% change in generic fluid milk advertising expenditures) were 0.16, 0.19, and 0.18 for whole, lowfat, and skim milk products, respectively. These estimates were higher than previous estimates for generic fluid milk advertising elasticities in New York City. The long-term sales response to generic advertising was significant for all three fluid milk products. We concluded that generic fluid milk advertising, as currently structured, has a positive and equal impact on demand for whole, lowfat, and skim milks.
Continuous drying and dehydration of sodium carbonate monohydrate in a fluidized bed

A two-phase model has been developed to simulate the dynamic behavior of the drying and dehydration of sodium carbonate monohydrate in a fluidized bed. The model includes details on the variation of the particle temperature and moisture content with residence time within the bed. In addition, the variation of superficial gas flow and the minimum fluidization velocity, with time, has also been accounted for. Calculations show that the accumulation of liquid moisture and the cohesive forces between bed particles in the presence of free water on their surface can, under certain circumstances, lead to defluidization. The system performance is most sensitive to the steam-tube duty, feed rate of the wet cake, and the variation of the minimum fluidization velocity with liquid moisture content of the bed particles.
Priorities for disclosure of the elements of informed consent for research: a comparison between parents and investigators.

Summary Background: Disclosure is a key element of the informed consentprocess. This study examines and compares the priorities for disclo-sure of the elements of informed consent between parents ofpaediatric research subjects and investigators.Methods: The study sample comprised 184 parents who had beenapproached for permission to allow their child to participate in aclinical anaesthesia or surgery study. Parents were asked to rank 11elements of informed consent that they believed were most importantfor them to know before allowing their child to participate in aresearch study. In addition, 38 investigators were asked to rank, inorder of importance, the same elements that they felt were mostimportant for parents to know.Results: The results showed that risk was the most important elementconsidered by both parents and investigators. However, parentsplaced signiﬁcantly greater importance on knowledge of the potentialbeneﬁts to their child (direct) and to other children (indirect)compared with investigators, and less importance on the details of theprotocol and the element of voluntariness.Conclusions: These results demonstrated differences in the prioritiesfor disclosure of the elements of consent between parents andinvestigators. As such, they may be important in directing theinvestigator to focus on the elements that are most important toparents and thus maximize their ability to provide truly informedconsent.Keywords: informed consent; paediatric research; ethics; disclosure
Detection of Metastatic Adrenal Carcinoma Using 131I-6-β-Iodomethyl-19-Norcholesterol Total Body Scans

Adrenal and total body scintigraphs with 131I-6-β-iodomethyl-19-norcholesterol were obtained in 5 patients who had had prior resection of adrenal cortical carcinoma. The results were compared with roentgenographic findings and liver, bone, and total body gallium-67 citrate scintigraphs. Metastatic lesions were detected with radiolabeled cholesterol in 4 of 5 patients, including 3 liver metastases, 2 bone metastases, and 1 lung metastasis. These lesions were also demonstrated by one or more of the other diagnostic modalities. All initial findings were negative in a fifth patient, who developed brain metastases within two months. The 6-methyl-analog of iodocholesterol makes it possible to detect metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma with total body scans. Whether or not this agent is “tumor specific” and will be of significant clinical utility will have to be determined more fully in a larger series of patients.
Effect of gonadotrophic hormones on glucose metabolism by luteinized rat ovaries.

Purified LH has been shown to exert a pronounced stimulatory action upon the rate of in vitro glucose uptake by slices of luteinized rat ovaries. This effect became evident within 30 minutes after intravenous injection of the hormone, but could not be produced by addition of the hormone directly to the incubation media. Whole ovaries and quartered ovaries utilized glucose less rapidly than did thin slices, but were still responsive to LH stimulation in vivo. The other gonadotrophins, FSH and prolactin, produced no stimulatory effects that could not be explained on the basis of LH contamination. LH failed to stimulate glucose uptake by adrenal, kidney, diaphragm, thymus, uterus and adipose tissue. The stimulation of ovarian glucose uptake by LH was accompanied by a less pronounced increase in conversion of glucose-1-C14 and glucose-6-C14 to C14O2 and to C14-lipids. Carbon 1 of glucose appeared in both CO2 and lipids at essentially the same rate as carbon 6, both in unstimulated and in LH-stimulated luteini...
Influence of sex and estrous cyclicity on conditioned cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior in rats

Rationale Sex differences have been reported in physiological and behavioral responses to cocaine, but it is unclear whether sex differences exist in conditioned-cued relapse to cocaine seeking after prolonged abstinence. Furthermore, the role of estrous cyclicity in conditioned-cued relapse has not been investigated.
Social security is NOT a substitute for annuity markets

Abstract Common wisdom suggests that a fully-funded actuarially fair social security system should increase welfare when households face longevity risk and annuity markets are missing. This wisdom is based on the observation that social security pays benefits as life annuities and therefore appears to complete the market. However, we argue that common wisdom is based on a benefit-only analysis that ignores a fundamental cost—social security crowds out the bequests that households leave (and receive) in general equilibrium. We conduct a general equilibrium cost-benefit analysis of the longevity insurance role of social security, and we show that under certain conditions this decline in bequest income offsets any possible gains from access to a public annuity pool. We abstract from distortions to national income and factor prices to show that the equilibrium bequest channel is all that is needed to reach this conclusion.
Building the crops of tomorrow: advantages of symbiont-based approaches to improving abiotic stress tolerance

The exponential growth in world population is feeding a steadily increasing global need for arable farmland, a resource that is already in high demand. This trend has led to increased farming on subprime arid and semi-arid lands, where limited availability of water and a host of environmental stresses often severely reduce crop productivity. The conventional approach to mitigating the abiotic stresses associated with arid climes is to breed for stress-tolerant cultivars, a time and labor intensive venture that often neglects the complex ecological context of the soil environment in which the crop is grown. In recent years, studies have attempted to identify microbial symbionts capable of conferring the same stress-tolerance to their plant hosts, and new developments in genomic technologies have greatly facilitated such research. Here, we highlight many of the advantages of these symbiont-based approaches and argue in favor of the broader recognition of crop species as ecological niches for a diverse community of microorganisms that function in concert with their plant hosts and each other to thrive under fluctuating environmental conditions.
Counseling Suicidal Adolescents Within Family Systems: Ethical Issues:

Major ethical considerations must be taken into account when providing counseling services to suicidal adolescents and their families. This article explores these ethical issues and the American Counseling Association and International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors ethical codes relevant to these issues. Related liability and malpractice information is also discussed, including how counselors can follow professionally accepted standards of care and what must be done to improve client care and decrease the chances of a lawsuit.
Absence of Molecular Defect in the Type II 3β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) Gene in Premature Pubarche Children and Hirsute Female Patients with Moderately Decreased Adrenal 3β-HSD Activity

ABSTRACT: To date the molecular basis and hormonal criteria for inherited mild late-onset 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) deficiency congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) have not been defined. We have thus investigated the presence or absence of mutation in the type II 3β-HSD gene encoding adrenal/gonadal 3β-HSD in each of five premature pubarche children and hirsute female patients manifesting moderately decreased adrenal 3β-HSD activity. ACTH-stimulated hormonal levels in all patients compared with mean levels in pubertal stage-matched normal subjects were between 2.5 and 6.5 SD for 17-hydroxypregnenolone levels, and between 2.5 and 7 SD for dehydroepiandrosterone levels in all except one patient. 17-Hydroxypregnenolone to cortisol ratios were between 2.5 and 4.3 SD, and dehydroepiandrosterone to androstenedione ratios were between 3 and 8.6 SD. The type II 3β-HSD gene regions of a putative promoter, exons I, II, III, and IV, and exon-intron boundaries in all subjects were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and then sequenced. All patients had normal sequences of the type II 3β-HSD gene in both alleles. Three female patients heterozygotic for severe 3β-HSD deficiency CAH with one allele mutation of the gene demonstrated normal ACTH-stimulated hormone profiles. These data indicate that moderately decreased adrenal 3β-HSD activity resulting in modestly increased Δ5 precursor steroid levels and Δ5 to Δ4 steroid ratios in premature pubarche and hirsute patients is not caused by a mutation in the type II 3β-HSD gene. This suggests that the moderately decreased adrenal 3β-HSD activity in the patient is not due to mild late-onset variants of inherited 3β-HSD deficiency CAH, whereas the carriers for true 3β-HSD deficiency CAH do not express decreased adrenal 3β-HSD activity.
Lewis acid - promoted cyclopropanation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds by diazocarbonyl compounds. A facile synthesis of 1,2-disubstituted cyclopropylcarbonyl compounds of high isomeric purity

Abstract Antimony pentafluoride promotes condensation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones with diazocarbonyl compounds to form 1,2-disubstituted cyclopropylcarbonyl compounds in preparatively useful yields. Isomerization of the cyclopropylcarbonyl derivative by antimony pentafluoride produces the more stable geometrical isomer in high isomeric purity.