cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Safety and outcomes of laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery in patients 60 years of age and older.

Abstract Background Many surgeons are hesitant to offer bariatric surgery to patients >60 years of age because of concern of the considerably greater perioperative risk and less weight-control efficacy. We hypothesized that laparoscopic Roux-en- Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) can be performed in this patient population with acceptable morbidity and can achieve effective weight control. Methods A retrospective review was performed of patients >60 years of age who had undergone LRYGB at the Bariatric Institute at Cleveland Clinic Florida from 2001 to 2004. The data assessed included age, gender, preoperative and postoperative weight and body mass index (BMI), and postoperative complications. Results A total of 92 patients >60 years who had undergone LRYGB were reviewed in this study. The mean preoperative weight and BMI was 136.6 kg and 48.4 kg/m2, respectively. The mean postoperative weight and BMI was 100.3 kg and 35.9 kg/m2, respectively. The mean percentage of excess weight loss was 53.85%. The early complications were an anastomotic leak in 2 patients (2.2%), intraluminal hemorrhage in 1 patient (1.1%), pulmonary embolus in 1 patient (1.1%), pneumonia in 1 patient (1.1%), and atrial fibrillation in 1 patient (1.1%). The late complications included stenosis at the gastrojejunostomy in 8 patients (8.6%), marginal ulceration in 3 (3.2%), small bowel obstruction in 1 (1.1%), internal hernia in 1 (1.1%), and abdominal wall hernia in 1. No mortality occurred. Conclusion LRYGB can be performed safely and can achieve effective weight control in patients >60 years of age.
Identification of Tyrosine 972 as a Novel Site of Jak2 Tyrosine Kinase Phosphorylation and its Role in Jak2 Activation

Jak2 is a 130 kDa tyrosine kinase that is important in a number of cellular signaling pathways. Its function is intrinsically regulated by the phosphorylation of a handful of its 49 tyrosines. Here, we report that tyrosine 972 (Y972) is a novel site of Jak2 phosphorylation, and hence auto-regulation. Specifically, we found that Y972 is phosphorylated and confirmed that this residue resides on the surface of the protein. Using expression plasmids that expressed either wild type Jak2 or a full length Jak2 cDNA containing a single Y972F substitution mutation, we investigated the consequences of losing Y972 phosphorylation on Jak2 function. We determined that the loss of Y972 phosphorylation significantly reduced both Jak2 total tyrosine phosphorylation and phosphorylation of Y1007/Y1008. Additionally, Y972 phosphorylation was shown to be important for maximal kinase function. Interestingly, in response to classical cytokine activation, the Jak2-Y972F mutant exhibited a moderately impaired level of activation when compared to wild type protein. However, when Jak2 was activated via a GPCR ligand, the ability of the Y972F mutant to activate was completely lost, therefore suggesting a differential role of Y972 in Jak2 activation. Finally, we found that phosphorylation of Y972 enhances Jak2 kinase function via a mechanism that appears to stabilize the active conformation of the protein. Collectively, our results suggest that Y972 is a novel site of Jak2 phosphorylation and plays an important differential role in ligand-dependent Jak2 activation via a mechanism that involves stabilization of the Jak2 active conformation.
Cancer therapy with tetrathiomolybdate: antiangiogenesis by lowering body copper--a review.

A new anticopper drug, tetrathiomolybdate (TM), developed for Wilson’s disease, is a very promising antiangiogenic agent. Copper levels lowered into an antiangiogenic window by TM have shown efficacy against cancer in a variety of animal models as well as in patients. The only significant toxicity so far results from overtreatment and excessive bone marrow depletion of copper. The resulting anemia and/or leukopenia is easily treatable by dose reduction or drug holiday. The underlying concept for TM efficacy as an anticancer agent is that when the body’s copper status is in the window, cellular copper needs are met and toxicity is avoided. Copper status is relatively easily monitored by following serum ceruloplasmin, a copper-containing protein secreted by the liver at a rate dependent upon the amount of copper in the liver available to incorporate into the protein. The authors speculate that the copper level is a primitive angiogenesis and growth-signaling regulator that has been retained throughout evolution.
Moral and Ethical Issues in Working With Lesbians and Gay Men

In this article, we address some of the ways that ethical issues have been confronted and avoided in the social work profession and argue that a social constructionist perspective allows for the generation of principles for a practice that foregrounds critical thinking and a value-based ethical stance. We outline these principles and consider them in relation to the special issues that arise in practice with lesbians and gay men.
The semantic vector space model (SVSM): a text representation and searching technique

This paper describes a text representation and searching technique labeled as "Semantic Vector Space Model" (SVSM). The proposed technique combines Salton's VSM (1991) with distributed representation of semantic case structures of natural language text. It promises a way of abstracting and encoding richer semantic information of natural language text, and therefore, a better precision performance of IR, without involving sophisticated semantic processing. >
PET-Based Confirmation of Orientation Sensitivity of TMS-Induced Cortical Activation in Humans

Background Currently, it is difficult to predict precise regions of cortical activation in response to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Most analytical approaches focus on applied magnetic field strength in the target region as the primary factor, placing activation on the gyral crowns. However, imaging studies support M1 targets being typically located in the sulcal banks.
A novel synthesis of ceramide from lignoceric acid and sphingosine by rat brain preparation; the amide formation requires a pyridine nucleotide

Abstract The conversion of free lignoceric acid and sphingosine to lignoceroyl sphingosine (ceramide) by rat brain particulate fraction and two cytosolic factors, one heat-stable and the other heat-labile, requires pyridine nucleotide. This enzymatic reaction is apparently different from two previously published enzymic reactions, microsomal sphingosine:acyl CoA acyltransferase and the reverse reaction of lysosomal ceramidase. The reaction is strongly inhibited by common respiratory chain inhibitors, KCN, Antimycin A and sodium azide, this indicates the involvement of an electron-transfer system. From these observations it appears that the brain ceramide synthesis described above is catalyzed by an enzyme system which involves a mechanism for amide formation which has not been previously characterized.
PRE-HEART-TRANSPLANT DEPRESSION IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER RISK OF IN-HOSPITAL MORTALITY: A PARADOX, CONFOUNDING, OR UNDERDIAGNOSIS PHENOMENA? FINDINGS FROM A US NATIONAL STUDY

Depression is a common problem among patients awaiting heart transplantation, but little is known about the impact of pre-transplant depression and its treatment on outcomes of heart transplantation. Of 13,961 heart transplant recipients (ICD-9 procedure code 37.51) within the Nationwide Inpatient
Association of IGF-I Levels with Muscle Strength and Mobility in Older Women

The functional consequences of the age-associated decline in IGF-I are unknown. We hypothesized that low IGF-I levels in older women would be associated with poor muscle strength and mobility. We assessed this question in a population representative of the full spectrum of health in the community, obtaining serum IGF-I levels from women aged 70-79 yr, enrolled in the Women's Health and Aging Study I or II. Cross-sectional analyses were performed using 617 women with IGF-I levels drawn within 90 d of measurement of outcomes. After adjustment for age, there was an association between IGF-I and knee extensor strength (P = 0.004), but not anthropometry or other strength measures. We found a positive relationship between IGF-I levels and walking speed for IGF-I levels below 50 microg/liter (P < 0.001), but no relationship above this threshold. A decline in IGF-I level was associated with self-reported difficulty in mobility tasks. All findings were attenuated after multivariate adjustment. In summary, in a study population including frail and healthy older women, low IGF-I levels were associated with poor knee extensor muscle strength, slow walking speed, and self-reported difficulty with mobility tasks. These findings suggest a role for IGF-I in disability as well as a potential target population for interventions to raise IGF-I levels.
Paleomagnetic systematics of ordinary chondrites

The investigation shows that the decrease in intensity and the increase in stability of natural remanent magnetization (NRM) to alternating field (AF) demagnetization roughly parallel the decrease in Ni-Fe metal content and the corresponding enrichment of the metal phases in Ni. The stability of NRM within a chemical type appears to decrease with increasing degree of metamorphism, a feature interpretable in terms of composition, size, and shape of metal grains. Paleofield intensities required to imprint the NRM as thermo-chemical remanence are in the range from 0.01 to 0.3 Oe.
Active methane venting observed at giant pockmarks along the U.S. mid-Atlantic shelf break

Abstract Detailed near-bottom investigation of a series of giant, kilometer scale, elongate pockmarks along the edge of the mid-Atlantic continental shelf confirms that methane is actively venting at the site. Dissolved methane concentrations, which were measured with a commercially available methane sensor (METS) designed by Franatech GmbH mounted on an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), are as high as 100 nM. These values are well above expected background levels (1–4 nM) for the open ocean. Sediment pore water geochemistry gives further evidence of methane advection through the seafloor. Isotopically light carbon in the dissolved methane samples indicates a primarily biogenic source. The spatial distribution of the near-bottom methane anomalies (concentrations above open ocean background), combined with water column salinity and temperature vertical profiles, indicate that methane-rich water is not present across the entire width of the pockmarks, but is laterally restricted to their edges. We suggest that venting is primarily along the top of the pockmark walls with some advection and dispersion due to local currents. The highest methane concentrations observed with the METS sensor occur at a small, circular pockmark at the southern end of the study area. This observation is compatible with a scenario where the larger, elongate pockmarks evolve through coalescing smaller pockmarks.
Toxicological studies on tylosin: its safety as a food additive.

Abstract Tylosin has been shown to be relatively non-toxic following oral administration of large single doses to mice, rats and dogs. Intravenous injection of solutions of various salts showed the acute lethal dose in mice and rats to be 580–695 mg/kg. The toxicity in guinea-pigs was of the same order as erythromycin and penicillin. Diets containing tylosin base up to 1% were well tolerated by rats for 2 yr. Growth was normal and no visceral or haematopoietic damage was produced. Reproduction and lactation studies through three generations showed no alterations in growth or viability at a concentration of 1% in the diet. In an attempt to produce toxic effects, diets containing levels of 2 and 5% tylosin were well tolerated for 2 yr. Lack of palatability of higher concentrations caused retardation of growth and death from malnutrition. Studies designed to demonstrate the possible toxicity of transformation products of tylosin formed during food processing revealed no effect on growth nor any visceral damage. 2-Yr studies in dogs showed that doses up to 100 mg/kg/day, equivalent to 4000 ppm of the diet, produced no visceral or haematopoietic damage. Two dogs had slight sulphobromophthalein retention that returned to normal within 2 wk after withdrawal of treatment. No alteration in the faecal flora was found. Higher daily doses of 200 mg/kg were well tolerated for 2 yr with one of four dogs showing mild pyelonephritis. Of the four dogs that received 400 mg/kg/day for over 2 yr, one revealed bilateral nephrosis, mild chronic pyelonephritis and mild chronic cystitis. Serum levels of tylosin in dogs were detectable at a dietary level of 10 mg/kg/day and were quite high after larger doses. There was no evidence of accumulation in the serum after 2 yr. The no-effect level in rats was 10,000 ppm or higher and in dogs, 4000 ppm. These studies have demonstrated the safety of tylosin and should justify a tolerance for the use of tylosin as a direct food additive.
The effect of tryptophan on postoperative endodontic pain

Abstract Fifty consecutive patients requiring nonsurgical endodontic therapy were the subjects of this pain-control study. Twenty-five subjects received 3 gm of tryptophan in divided 0.5-gm doses over a 24-hour period, beginning before the start of treatment. The other twenty-five subjects received an identically appearing placebo on the same dosage schedule. Pain intensity was evaluated by the subjects on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 = no pain, 10 = severe pain) (1) prior to the start of treatment, (2) after 24 hours, and (3) 1 week later. Results showed that the most meaningful difference was found at 24 hours, when the tryptophan group was significantly better than the placebo group (F = 7.46, df = 1.96, p
Student Response to Selective Grading in College Economics Courses.

(1998). Student Response to Selective Grading in College Economics Courses. The Journal of Economic Education: Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 195-201.
Seasonal and habitat differences in the abundance of primates in the Amazon (Tapajos) National Park, Brazil

Twelve species of primates occur in the Amazon (Tapajos) National Park. The abundance of these species varies with habitat type and extent of human disturbance. Seasonality of rainfall and river level significantly affect the abundance of primates in seasonally inundated forest but not in upland forest types.
Symmetric Nonbarotropic Flows with Large Data and Forces

We prove the global existence of weak solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations of compressible, nonbarotropic flow in three space dimensions with initial data and external forces which are large, discontinuous, and spherically or cylindrically symmetric. The analysis allows for the possibility that a vacuum state emerges at the origin or axis of symmetry, and the equations hold in the sense of distributions in the set where the density is positive. In addition, the mass and momentum equations hold weakly in the entire space-time domain, but with a nonstandard interpretation of the viscosity terms as distributions. Solutions are obtained as limits of solutions in annular regions between two balls or cylinders, and the analysis allows for the possibility that energy is absorbed into the origin or axis, and is lost in the limit as the inner radius goes to zero.
Stabilization of human papillomavirus virus-like particles by non-ionic surfactants

Human papillomavirus (HPV) virus-like-particles (VLPs) produced by recombinant expression systems are promising vaccine candidates for prevention of cervical cancers as well as genital warts. At high protein concentrations, HPV VLPs, comprised of the viral capsid protein L1 and expressed and purified from yeast, are protected against detectable aggregation during preparation and storage by high concentrations of NaCl. At low protein concentrations, however, high salt concentration alone does not fully protect HPV VLPs from aggregation. Moreover, the analytical analysis of HPV VLPs proved to be a challenge due to surface adsorption of HPV VLPs to storage containers and cuvettes. The introduction of non-ionic surfactants into HPV VLP aqueous solutions provides significantly enhanced stabilization of HPV VLPs against aggregation upon exposure to low salt and protein concentration, as well as protection against surface adsorption and aggregation due to heat stress and physical agitation. The mechanism of non-ionic surfactant stabilization of HPV VLPs was extensively studied using polysorbate 80 (PS80) as a representative non-ionic surfactant. The results suggest that PS80 stabilizes HPV VLPs mainly by competing with the VLPs for various container surfaces and air/water interfaces. No appreciable binding of PS80 to intact HPV VLPs was observed although PS80 does bind to the denatured HPV L1 protein. Even in the presence of stabilizing level of PS80, however, an ionic strength dependence of HPV VLP stabilization against aggregation is observed indicating optimization of both salt and non-ionic surfactant levels is required for effective stabilization of HPV VLPs in solution.
Body mass index and health related quality of life in elementary school children: a pilot study

Background We investigated the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) indicated by baseline health status in elementary school children.
Regulation of triglyceride metabolism by glucocorticoid receptor

Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that play critical and complex roles in the regulation of triglyceride (TG) homeostasis. Depending on physiological states, glucocorticoids can modulate both TG synthesis and hydrolysis. More intriguingly, glucocorticoids can concurrently affect these two processes in adipocytes. The metabolic effects of glucocorticoids are conferred by intracellular glucocorticoid receptors (GR). GR is a transcription factor that, upon binding to glucocorticoids, regulates the transcriptional rate of specific genes. These GR primary target genes further initiate the physiological and pathological responses of glucocorticoids. In this article, we overview glucocorticoid-regulated genes, especially those potential GR primary target genes, involved in glucocorticoid-regulated TG metabolism. We also discuss transcriptional regulators that could act with GR to participate in these processes. This knowledge is not only important for the fundamental understanding of steroid hormone actions, but also are essential for future therapeutic interventions against metabolic diseases associated with aberrant glucocorticoid signaling, such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, central obesity and hepatic steatosis.
Current-mode divide-by-two circuit

A current-mode divide-by-two circuit is presented which does not rely on well matched components and a high gain opamp. The circuit can be employee as a reference-generating circuit of an algorithmic current-mode A/D convertor.< >
Risk and climate change: perceptions of key policy actors in Canada

This article examines factors that predict perceptions of risk associated with global climate change. The research focuses on the perceptions of those associated with climate change policy making in the prairie region of Canada. The data are from an online survey (n=851) of those policy actors. The analysis integrates several dominant approaches to the study of risk perception: psychometric approaches that examine the effects of cognitive structure; demographic assessments that examine, for example, differences in perception based on gender or family status; and political approaches that suggest that one's position in the policy process may affect his or her perceived risk. Attitudes toward climate change are to a degree predicted by all of these factors, but only when indirect effects are observed. Sociodemographic characteristics have little direct effect on perceived risk, but do affect general beliefs that affect risk perceptions. Perceived risk is related more strongly to these general beliefs or world views than to more specific beliefs about the effects of climate change on weather patterns. Position within the policy process also contributes to our understanding of perceptions, with industry and governmental actors demonstrating similar attitudes, which contrast with environmental groups and university researchers.
Nonlinear filters for long range radars

Accurate estimation of the state vector of ballistic missiles tracked by long range radars is an important and difficult nonlinear filtering problem. In particular, the problem of ldquofalse cross range observabilityrdquo is discussed in, and essentially the same problem is addressed in. The radars of interest are phased arrays with ranges of thousands of kilometers, as described in. As explained in, the measurement error volume of such radars are highly non-Gaussian in Cartesian coordinates, and the degree of non-Gaussianess becomes more severe at longer ranges and with improved range measurement accuracy, owing to pulse compression. This paper was written for normal engineers, who do not have homotopy for breakfast.
Defuzzification as a special way of dealing with retranslation

The problem of defuzzification is examined in this paper from a broader perspective as a special way of dealing with the general problem of retranslation. The paper includes an overview of different formulations of the problem of defuzzification, as well as an overview of methods that have been suggested in the literature for dealing with the problem. Our own approach to defuzzification, which is described in the paper in more details, is based on relevant measures of uncertainty-based information. This paper is a companion to our recent paper that addresses the general problem of retranslation in computing with perceptions (Martin and Klir 2006).
LEFT MAIN CORONARY ARTERY ST-ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION: CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND OUTCOMES FROM A MULTICENTER REGISTRY

ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) involving the left main coronary artery (LMCA) has been associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Most studies are limited by small sample sizes. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients with LM
Assessment of input-output properties and control of neuroprosthetic hand grasp

A description of three tests which have been developed to evaluate rapidly and quantitatively the input-output properties and patient control of a neuroprosthetic hand grasp is presented. Each test utilizes a visual pursuit tracking task during which the subject controls the grasp force and grasp opening (position) of the hand. The tests provide a rapid evaluation of both the system and the user. They provide information to (1) help interpret subject performance of functional tasks, (2) evaluate the efficacy of system features such as closed-loop control, and (3) screen the neuroprosthesis to indicate the need for retuning. >
A conserved regulatory element present in all Drosophila rhodopsin genes mediates Pax6 functions and participates in the fine-tuning of cell-specific expression

The Drosophila rhodopsin genes (rh's) represent a unique family of highly regulated cell-specific genes, where each member has its own expression pattern in the visual system. Extensive analysis of the rh's has revealed several functional elements that are involved in cell-specificity. We have investigated the functional role of the RCSI/P3 site that is found in the proximal promoter of all Drosophila rh genes. This sequence is remarkably conserved in evolution and is located 15-30 bp upstream of the TATA box. We have previously shown that, in the context of the rh1 promoter, this element is recognized in vivo by a Pax6 protein, the master regulator of eye development. Thus, rh regulation might represent the ancestral function of Pax6. Here, we investigated the role of the RCSI/P3 sequence in the other rh genes and show that they also mediate Pax6 function. We also tested the potential impact of the various RCSI/P3 sequences on the precise cell-specific expression of rh genes. Our results demonstrate that, even though all RCSI/P3 sequences bind Pax6, they are clearly distinct in various rh promoters and these differences are conserved throughout evolution: RCSI/P3 appears to participate in the fine-tuning of cell-specificity. We also show that Pax6 or a related Pax protein may be involved in the regulation of olfactory genes. Therefore, in addition to performing a global photoreceptor-specific function, RCSI also appears to mediate the combined action of Pax6 and other factors and to contribute to rh regulation in subsets of photoreceptors.
GRIP1 in GABAergic synapses.

The glutamate receptor-interacting protein GRIP1 is present in glutamatergic synapses and interacts with the GluR2/3/4c subunits of the AMPA receptors. This interaction plays important roles in trafficking, synaptic targeting, and recycling of AMPA receptors as well as in the plasticity of glutamatergic synapses. Although GRIP1 has been shown to be present at GABAergic synapses in cultured neurons, the use of EM (electron microscopy) immunocytochemistry in the intact brain has failed to convincingly reveal the presence of GRIP1 in GABAergic synapses. Therefore, most studies on GRIP1 have focused on glutamatergic synapses. By using mild tissue fixation and embedding in EM, we show that in the intact brain the 7-PDZ domain GRIP1a/b is present not only in glutamatergic synapses but also in GABAergic synapses. In GABAergic synapses GRIP1a/b localizes both at the presynaptic terminals and postsynaptically, being frequently localized on the synaptic membranes or the synaptic junctional complex. Considerably higher density of GRIP1a/b is found in the presynaptic GABAergic terminals than in the glutamatergic terminals, while the density of GRIP1a/b in the postsynaptic complex is similar in both types of synapses. The results also show that the 7-PDZ and the shorter 4-PDZ domain splice forms of GRIP1 (GRIP1c 4-7) frequently colocalize with each other in individual GABAergic and glutamatergic synapses. The results suggest that GRIP1 splice forms might play important roles in brain GABAergic synapses. J. Comp. Neurol. 488:11–27, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Classification of Chemical Substances using Particulate Representations of Matter: An analysis of student thinking

We applied a mixed‐method research design to investigate the patterns of reasoning used by novice undergraduate chemistry students to classify chemical substances as elements, compounds, or mixtures based on their particulate representations. We were interested in the identification of the representational features that students use to build a classification system, and in the characterization of the thinking processes that they follow to group substances in different classes. Students in our study used structural and chemical composition features to classify chemical substances into elements, compounds, and mixtures. Many of the students’ classification errors resulted from strong mental associations between concepts (e.g., atom–element, molecule–compound) or from lack of conceptual differentiation (e.g., compound–mixture). Strong concept associations led novice students to reduce the number of relevant features used to differentiate between substances, while the inability to discriminate between two con...
Gold and silver nanoparticles: a class of chromophores with colors tunable in the range from 400 to 750 nm.

This paper presents several solution-phase methods for the large-scale synthesis of metal nanoparticles with controllable compositions (e.g., spherical nanoparticles of gold/silver alloys), morphologies (e.g., nanospheres, triangular nanoplates, circular nanodisks, and nanocubes of silver), and structures (e.g., solid vs. hollow colloids). Spectral measurements indicated that the positions of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) bands for these nanoparticles could be tuned by varying all these parameters. The number of SPR peaks was found to increase as the symmetry of the nanoparticles decreased. In addition to their use as chromophores with strong extinction coefficients, these nanoparticles could serve as a platform to probe binding events of chemical and biochemical species on their surfaces. Gold nanoshells with hollow interiors were, in particular, shown to exhibit a much higher sensitivity to environmental changes than gold solid colloids with roughly the same size.
Synthesis fo the hardware/software interface in microcontroller-based systems

Microcontroller-based systems require the design of a h ardw are/s oft w are int erfa ce that enables software running on the microcontroller to control external devices. This interface consists of the sequential logic that physically connects the devices to the microcontroller and the software drivers that allow code to access the device functions. This paper presents a method for automatically synthesizing this hardware/software interface using a recursive algorithm. Practical examples are used to demonstrate the utility of the method and results indicate that the synthesized circuit and driver code are comparable to that generated by human designers. This new tool will be used by higher-level synthesis tools to evaluate partitionings of a system between hardware and software components.
Why “Go Public”? Presidential Use of Nominees to the U.S. Courts of Appeals

In recent years, presidents have utilized public appeals on behalf of their nominees to the U.S. Courts of Appeals with increasing regularity. In this study, I examine the timing, audience, and themes of these presidential speeches from 1977 to 2004. I find that presidents have tended to discuss circuit court nominees who are vulnerable to defeat in the confirmation process before narrow audiences consisting of sympathetic groups or campaign supporters. Presidents discussed nominees in an effort to influence Senate behavior, but more so to court favor with like-minded groups and link nominees to electoral politics. These findings indicate that presidents have begun to insert their nominees into public political discourse for their own political gain, rather than to help their nominees secure confirmation.
Brn-3.0: a POU-domain protein expressed in the sensory, immune, and endocrine systems that functions on elements distinct from known octamer motifs.

Abstract Characterization of Brn-3.0 and identification of a highly related member (Brn-3.1) of the class IV POU-domain family suggest potential roles of Brn-3.0 in the development of retinal ganglion cells and sensory neurons, as well as potential roles in the pituitary gland and the immune system. Brn-3.0 is expressed in the pituitary gland and in a corticotroph cell line. A functional DNA response element has been identified in the proopiomelanocortin promoter. In contrast to previously described mammalian POU-domain proteins, Brn-3.0 binds relatively ineffectively to known octamer DNA motifs, but instead binds with high affinity to a distinct set of DNA elements, functioning as a transcriptional activator. Brn-3.0, Brn-3.1, and the Drosophila tI-POU share an N-terminal region of homology, referred to as the "POU-IV box," which is similar to a conserved functional domain in the c-myc gene family.
Inhibition of Papain in Meat by Potato Protein or Ascorbic Acid

Three methods (Warner-Bratzler shear, myofibril fragmentation index, and sensory panel evaluation) were used to determine effectiveness of ascorbic acid or potato inhibitor on papain activity in meat. Potato inhibitor at 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 mg/mL did not sustain inhibition of papain activity in meat. While 2.5 × 10--3M ascorbic acid inhibited papain in meat, this quantity of ascorbic acid induced off-flavor which was unacceptable to sensory panelists. A lower level of 2.5 × 10--4 M would retard but not completely eliminate papain activity while producing more acceptable sensory results.
Tibetan tectonics from 40Ar/39Ar analysis of a single K-feldspar sample

'*°Ar/39Ar data on an alkali feldspar sample from the Quxu pluton, Gangdese batholith, southern Tibet, allow a detailed assessment of unroofing and uplift history between 35 and 18 Ma. The 39Ar Arrhenius plot for this sample shows departures from a linear relationship between the effective diffusion parameter, log(D/r2), and reciprocal temperature, which we interpret to be the result of a distribution of distinct diffusion-domain sizes. We use an alternative way of plotting the Arrhenius data that exhibits domain size versus cumulative % 39Ar released during step heating. The 4°Ar/39Ar age spectrum of the sample has features, such as local age plateaus, that are most easily explained in terms of the distinctive closure age of particular domains. The fact that the same distribution of diffusion-domain sizes explains both the Arrhenius data and the age spectrum is an indication that the diffusion properties operating in the laboratory are those of the sample while it was in its natural environment. Modelling of the age spectrum with a distribution of domain sizes results in the recovery of a continuous cooling-history segment rather than a single time temperature datum. We demonstrate the robustness of the cooling-curve determination by showing the large misfits to the age spectrum that arise from relatively small changes in the cooling history. The best-fit cooling curve for the Quxu sample shows a decreasing rate of cooling in the time interval 35-18 Ma, followed by a very rapid cooling beginning at about 18 Ma. We have used a thermal model for the conductive cooling of an unroofing pluton to estimate the rate of unroofing required to explain the Quxu cooling curve, and find that in the 35-20 Ma time interval, the primary control of the thermal evolution is the conductive loss of magmatic heat with little or no unroofing (unroofing rates of approximately 0.05 mm/yr) followed by a brief period ( < 5 Ma) of very rapid unroofing with rates of order 2 mm/yr.
The Differentiation of Membrane Properties of Spinal Neurons

Studies of neural induction involve assessments of neuronal differentiation following experimental manipulations. These studies have in the past relied principally on neuroanatomical descriptions of neurite outgrowth, which assess an important neuronal phenotype. In recent years, it has become possible to analyze the differentiation of key cytoplasmic specializations of neurons, such as their neurotransmitter synthetic capacity, as well as the differentiation of their characteristic membrane properties. Some of the recent progress in understanding the development of neuronal-membrane properties will be reviewed. These assays are likely to be useful in studies of neural induction for several reasons: (1) The increasing ease of application of the techniques involved invites their general use. (2) Acquisition of neuronal membrane properties occurs very early in normal embryonic development, recommending them for rapid evaluation of neuronal induction. (3) As Fig. 1 illustrates, different neurons exhibit different constellations of properties that appear in particular sequences (Spitzer and Lamborghini, 1981). A broader characterization of neuronal development affords the opportunity to distinguish the induction of different neuronal types.
Mental illness stigma, psychological resilience, and help seeking: What are the relationships?

Abstract While the concepts of mental illness stigma, resilience, and help seeking are well established, scholars are only beginning to explore how these might be related. This qualitative study explored relationships between stigma, resilience, and help seeking in a focus group design. Results indicated two main themes related to stigma and resilience including: resilience helps decrease stigma, and stigma decreases resilience. Three main themes related to stigma, resilience, and help seeking were: stigma leads to decreased help seeking and decreased resilience, help seeking leads to stigma and lowered resilience, and help seeking leads to increased resilience and decreased stigma.
Masspec - multiagent system specification through policy exploration and checking

Multiagent systems have been proposed as a way to create reliable, adaptable, and efficient systems. As these systems grow in complexity, configuration, tuning, and design of these systems can become as complex as the problems they claim to solve. As researchers in multiagent systems engineering, we must create the next generation of theories and tools to help tame this growing complexity and take some of the burden off the systems engineer. In this thesis, I propose guidance policies as a way to do just that. I also give a framework for multiagent system design, using the concept of guidance policies to automatically generate a set of constraints based on a set of multiagent system models as well as provide an implementation for generating code that will conform to these constraints. Presenting a formal definition for guidance policies, I show how they can be used in a machine learning context to improve performance of a system and avoid failures. I also give a practical demonstration of converting abstract requirements to concrete system requirements (with respect to a given set of design models).
DNA Conformational Distribution and Dynamics during Search and Recognition of Damaged Sites by DNA Repair Protein RAD4/XPC

DNA damage repair proteins need to scan and identify DNA lesions in genomic DNA. In mammalian nucleotide excision repair (NER), lesion recognition is carried out by the Xeroderma Pigmentosum C protein complex (XPC). Rad4, a yeast XPC ortholog, recognizes DNA lesions by inserting a β-hairpin and flipping out damaged nucleotides away from the protein. Rad4, covalently tethered to undamaged DNA, flips out even normal nucleotides to form the same ‘recognition’ structure. Thus, lesion discrimination must depend on differences in the kinetics of recognition rather than structural differences in the stable states of the bound complexes. In this ‘kinetic gating’ mechanism, the probability that a freely diffusing Rad4 flips out nucleotides competes kinetically with Rad4 diffusing away from that site. Using laser temperature-jump spectroscopy, we have measured Rad4-induced nucleotide-flipping rates from within a 3-bp mismatch (model) lesion, for both freely diffusing and tethered Rad4, using 2-aminopurine (2AP) as a probe. Our results reveal 2-5 fold slower relaxation rates for 2AP-monitored nucleotide-flipping dynamics when Rad4 is tethered at the mismatch site compared to when it is freely diffusing, consistent with the notion of competing pathways if the protein can diffuse away from a lesion site. Additionally, we have combined the unique sensitivity of picoseconds-resolved fluorescence lifetime measurements with novel tricyclic cytosine analogs incorporated in DNA (FRET pair: tCo-tCnitro) as probes of DNA twisting/unwinding fluctuations. While the mismatched and matched DNA exhibited similar average FRET, suggesting similar average DNA conformations, the lifetime data reveal multiple distinct conformations for mismatched DNA in contrast to the single dominant conformation seen for matched DNA. These results indicate enhanced unwinding fluctuations in the vicinity of a mismatch “lesion”, perhaps signaling “distress” to a protein searching for damaged sites.
PAX stains in hematologic malignancies, a diagnostic pitfall: a comparative study evaluating monoclonal PAX8s, polyclonal PAX2, and PAX5

Paired-box (PAX) genes constitute a family of genes involved in development. PAX5 is expressed in B lineage lymphomas. Recent studies report positive staining of polyclonal PAX8 in B cell proliferations due to N-terminus homology between PAX5 and PAX8. However, the expression of PAX2 or monoclonal antibodies against the N-terminus of PAX8 (PAX8N) in these neoplasms has not been fully evaluated. The goal of this study was to evaluate the expression of PAX8N, monoclonal C-terminus PAX8 (PAX8C), and polyclonal PAX2 in hematologic malignancies and to compare the results with PAX5. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for PAX5, PAX8N, PAX8C, and PAX2 was performed on follicular lymphoma grades 1–3 (FL1–FL3), diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), nodal marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), plasmacytoma, anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), and peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL). Expression was scored based on percentage of nuclear staining in neoplastic cells. PAX8N staining correlated with PAX5 and was positive in all B cell neoplasms examined, while PAX8C was negative. PAX2 had sporadic expression in FL2, FL3, DLBCL, and MCL. All PAX stains were nearly or entirely negative in plasmacytomas, ALCL, and PTCL. PAX8N stains B cell neoplasms and its positivity parallels PAX5. PAX8C does not stain any of the aforementioned neoplasms, and PAX2 shows no distinct pattern. While PAX8C has a role in discriminating lymphoid and epithelial malignancies, PAX8N, polyclonal PAX8, and PAX2 do not. This study illustrates the importance of knowing specific IHC targets to avoid misdiagnosis.
Effects of Defects Part A: Treatment of Manufacturing Defects as Uncertainty Variables in a Wind Blade Probabilistic Design Framework

It has been reported that a leading cause of repairs and failures in wind turbine blades is attributable to manufacturing defects. The size, weight, shape and economic considerations of wind turbine blades have dictated the use of low cost composite materials. Composite structure manufacturing quality is a critical issue for reliability. While significant research has been performed to better understand what is needed to improve blade reliability, a comprehensive study to characterize and understand the manufacturing flaws commonly found in blades has not been performed. The work presented herein is focused on performing mechanical testing of flawed composite specimen and developing probabilistic models to assess the reliability of a wind blade with defects. The analysis postulates that one should assess defects as a design parameter in a parametric probabilistic analysis. A consistent framework has been established and validated for quantitative categorization and analysis of flaws. Results from this effort have shown that the probability of failure of a wind turbine blade with defects, can be adequately described through the use of Monte Carlo simulation. The two approaches detailed in this analysis have shown that, by treating defects as random variables, one can reduce the design conservatism of a wind blade in fatigue. Reduction in the safe operating lifetime of a blade with defects, compared to one without has shown that the inclusion of defects is critical for proper reliability assessment. If one assumes that defects account for some of the uncertainty in the blade design and these defects are analyzed with application specific data, then safety factors can be reduced. It has been shown that characterization of defects common to wind turbine blades and reduction of design uncertainty is possible. However, it relies on accurate and statistically significant data.
Tension between General Education and Chinese Higher Education System

Complicated tensions exist between the idea of general education and the Chinese higher education system.Such tensions are misleading people's understanding and interpretation of general education,as well as heavily hindering its process of localization.To be specific,the tensions mainly include a series of conflicts at three different levels.First,for the macroscopic ideas of higher education development,general education leads to such conflicts as liberalism vs.collectivism,humanism vs.scientism,people-oriented vs.society-oriented,cultivating students'quality vs.pursuing economic utility,and improving the strategies of learning vs.expanding the range of knowledge.Second,in terms of the management system of universities,general education brings forth conflicts to the current specialty structure,administrative system,curriculum system,teacher/student management system,and cross-university cooperation mechanism.Third,regarding the curricula and instructions in universities,similar conflicts could be found in many aspects,including the internal structure of curricula,course content,course format,and the roles of teaching.The existence of such tensions implies the complicated benefit game within universities,and the likelihood of achieving harmonious integration as well.To better understand and alleviate those tensions,it is required to incorporate the core value of general education and the local conditions of China,discovering and building the curriculum system of general education with Chinese characteristics.
Rare Probability Estimation under Regularly Varying Heavy Tails

This paper studies the problem of estimating the probability of symbols that have occurred very rarely, in samples drawn independently from an unknown, possibly infinite, discrete distribution. In particular, we study the multiplicative consistency of estimators, defined as the ratio of the estimate to the true quantity converging to one. We first show that the classical Good-Turing estimator is not universally consistent in this sense, despite enjoying favorable additive properties. We then use Karamata’s theory of regular variation to prove that regularly varying heavy tails are sufficient for consistency. At the core of this result is a multiplicative concentration that we establish both by extending the McAllester-Ortiz additive concentration for the missing mass to all rare probabilities and by exploiting regular variation. We also derive a family of estimators which, in addition to being consistent, address some of the shortcomings of the Good-Turing estimator. For example, they perform smoothing implicitly and have the absolute discounting structure of many heuristic algorithms. This also establishes a discrete parallel to extreme value theory, and many of the techniques therein can be adapted to the framework that we set forth.
Bayesian Inference for a Normal Dispersion Matrix and its Application to Stochastic Multiple Regression Analysis

SUMMARY This paper discusses Bayesian inference procedures for a normal dispersion matrix. Structural information for the prior mean of the dispersion matrix is incorporated into the analysis through a Normal-Wishart prior distribution. Many of the resulting Bayes estimates are invariant, consistent and asymptotically efficient. Using this procedure, a coherent Bayesian argument for stochastic multiple regression analysis is developed, where dependent and independent variables are jointly random, without experimental control. It is shown that ordinary least squares, a general form of ridge regression, and factor analysis regression methods can be represented as special cases within this general framework. The preliminary report of a simulation study indicates that the Bayesian regression techniques demonstrate substantial improvements over least squares, even using frequentist criteria. Finally, the related problem of joint estimation of the normal population mean and dispersion matrix is briefly discussed in Section 5. The resulting Bayes estimate for the population mean is shown to be closely related to Stein estimates.
Femoral and tibial fractures combined with injuries to the femoral or popliteal artery. A review of the literature and analysis of fourteen cases.

This analysis of thirty-six reported cases of femoral or popliteal arterial injury in the lower limb associated with femoral or tibial fracture and fourteen such cases seen in our hospitals does not substantiate the need for internal fracture fixation. A satisfactory and practical method of immobilizing fractures associated with arterial injury was 4.5 to 6.8 kilograms of skeletal traction. The method of managing the fracture should not be allowed to take precedence over treatment of the related serious injury to the soft tissues.
Low pH Acridine Orange Stain for Trichomonads

This article describes the use of the fluorochrome acridine orange in low pH buffer to stain smears of genital tract specimens for Trichomonas vaginalis. Unlike previously described acridine orange stains for trichomonads, this simplified procedure has only three steps and can be used for air-dried smears on untreated microscope slides. In a double-blind study of 350 specimens, trichomonads were found in 49 specimens. Of these 49 specimens, 47 were detected by this acridine orange stain and 23 were detected by the unstained wet preparation technique.