cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Sunitinib in a Patient with von Hippel-Lindau Disease : Targeting Angiogenic Factors in Pheochromocytoma and Other von Hippel-Lindau Disease-Related Tumors

Context: von Hippel-Lindau disease is characterized by highly vascularized tumors of multiple organs. Evidence Acquisition: We present a patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease with multiple renal and pancreatic tumors and a malignant pheochromocytoma infiltrative of the sacrum and associated with lymph nodule metastases. The pheochromocytoma expressed high protein level of vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor-β receptor. The patient presented with a poor performance status, severe pelvic pain, weight loss, and manifestations of catecholamine excess. Evidence Synthesis: Treatment against malignant pheochromocytoma with surgery, chemotherapy, or participation in clinical trials was not feasible because of the patient’s poor performance status, the presence of multiple tumors, and the extension of the pheochromocytoma into the bones. Patient was treated with sunitinib, a potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, RE...
Nanoporous amorphous manganese oxide as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction in alkaline solutions

Abstract A nanoporous amorphous manganese oxide is investigated as electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline solutions. Cyclic voltammetry of catalytic electrodes based on the amorphous manganese oxide in oxygen-saturated electrolytes indicates that the amorphous manganese oxide catalyzes a two-electron reduction of molecular oxygen to HO2−. An oxygen reduction current density of more than 100 mA / cm 2 is attained with an oxygen back-feed gas diffusion electrode with a low-catalyst loading of ca. 0.85 mg / cm 2 . The significant catalytic activity might be due to high concentration of lattice defects and active sites of the amorphous material, which would have potential applications in metal–air batteries and low-power fuel cells.
C-terminal α-synuclein immunoreactivity in structures other than Lewy bodies in neurodegenerative disorders

α-Synuclein is a presynaptic terminal protein that accumulates abnormally in plaques in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in Lewy bodies in Lewy body disease (LBD) and in filamentous inclusions in multiple system atrophy. Since it has been previously shown that proteinase K or formic acid pretreatment enhances α-synuclein immunoreactivity in Lewy bodies and plaques, we hypothesized that the immunoreactivity in tangles, glial cells and Pick bodies might be revealed by such pretreatment. Brain sections from patients with AD, LBD, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and Pick’s disease were pretreated with proteinase K or formic acid and immunostained with antibodies against the N-terminal, C-terminal or non-amyloid β component of AD amyloid (NAC) regions of α-synuclein. This study showed that after proteinase K (but not formic acid) pretreatment the anti-C terminus antibody immunostained neurofibrillary tangles of AD, PSP and CBD, and glial inclusions of PSP and CBD, as well as Pick bodies. Western blot analysis confirmed that in cases other than LBD, the anti-C terminus antibodies also recognized the native α-synuclein band and no cross-reactive bands were observed. In contrast, in LBD, after formic acid pretreatment with the anti-NAC antibody astroglial cells and granular neurons were immunostained. The N-terminal region antibody only recognized the lesions in LBD cases and not those of other neurodegenerative disorders. These results support the view that different fragments of α-synuclein might play an important role in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders.
Electron affinities of cyano-substituted ethylenes

Electron affinities of ethylene and six cyano-substituted ethylenes (cyanoethylene, 1, 1-dicyanoethylene, cis-1, 2-dicyanoethylene, trans-1, 2-dicyanothylene, tricyanoethylene, and tetracyanoethylene) were determined using six different density functional or hybrid Hartree-Fock/density functional methods. Equilibrium geometries and harmonic vibrational frequencies for each species were determined with each density functional method. Experimental electron affinities exist for three of the six systems studied (cyanoethylene, trans-1, 2-dicyanoethylene, and tetracyanoethylene); for the three systems, the absolute average EA errors for the different methods are 0.10eV (BLYP), 0.19ev (BHLYP), 0.22eV (B3LYP), 0.20eV (BP86), 0.78eV (B3P86), and 0.81eV (LSDA). The electron affinities of gem-dicyanoethylene, cis-discyanoethylene, and tricyanoethylene are not known from experiment but are predicted here to be 1.23eV (gem-dicyanoethylene), 1.32eV (cis-dicyanoethylene), and 2.41eV (tricyanoethylene). Contrary to earl...
A new genus and species in the cicada tribe Cicadini (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Thailand

A new cicada genus and species, Kaphsa concordia gen. et sp. nov., is described from Chaiyaphum, Thailand. Haphsa aculeus Lee is transferred to Kaphsa to become Kaphsa aculeus (Lee) comb. nov. The new genus Kaphsa is closely related to Haphsa Distant and is placed in the subtribe Dundubiina of the tribe Cicadini.
CAM: today and tomorrow

Two of my associates published a brief paper highlighting significant Production Automation literature. It covered more technology than American industry has implemented. More has been written on Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) than anyone can read, and the field is still largely unstructured.
TLR5 activation induces secretory interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (sIL-1Ra) and reduces inflammasome-associated tissue damage

Toll-like receptor-5 (TLR5)-mediated detection of flagellin induces nuclear factor (NF)-κB-mediated transcription of host defense gene expression, whereas recognition of intracellular flagellin by interleukin (IL)-1-converting enzyme protease-activation factor (IPAF) results in maturation/secretion of the inflammasome cytokine IL-1β. The potent effects of IL-1β are counter-regulated by secretory IL-1 receptor antagonist (sIL-1Ra). We studied the roles of flagellin receptors in regulating the expression of IL-1β and sIL-1Ra and their subsequent roles in inflammation. Flagellin induced sIL-1Ra in intestinal epithelia and macrophages in a dose- and time-dependent manner, whereas IL-1β was only induced in macrophages. In vivo, flagellin-induced sIL-1Ra, but not IL-1β, was absolutely dependent upon TLR5 expressed on non-hemopioetic cells. Thus, loss of TLR5 increased the IL-1β/sIL-1Ra ratio on flagellin treatment, which correlated with increased inflammatory pathology in response to this product. Furthermore, the flagellin/TLR5 interaction was important for the induction of sIL-1Ra and limiting inflammatory pathology on Salmonella infection. Finally, reduced sIL-1Ra levels in TLR5KO mice correlated with spontaneous colitis. Taken together, we demonstrate that intestinal epithelia, despite not expressing IL-1β, secrete sIL-1Ra in a TLR5-dependent manner suggesting that loss of TLR5 may promote inflammation by increasing IL-1β activity. Thus, optimizing the balance between inflammasome cytokines and their endogenous inhibitors might prove a useful strategy to treat inflammatory disorders.
The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana activate toll and JAK-STAT pathway-controlled effector genes and anti-dengue activity in Aedes aegypti

Here we investigated the effect of Beauveria bassiana infection on the survival of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and the modulation of their susceptibility to dengue virus infection. Application of B. bassiana caused a reduction in the life span of A. aegypti and hindered dengue virus replication in the mosquito midgut. Fungus infection induced the expression a variety anti-microbial and dengue virus restriction factor genes. Transient reverse genetic analyses showed that the JAK-STAT pathway is implicated anti-fungal defense of Aedes mosquitoes. Our data suggest that this B. bassiana-mediated anti-dengue activity is likely to be at least partly indirectly mediated through the activation of the mosquito’s anti-dengue Toll and JAK-STAT pathways.
A comparative ultrastructural study of the pars tuberalis of various mammals, the chicken and the newt

The pars tuberalis of the rat, mouse, garden door mouse, European hamster, cat, cattle, chicken and newt is composed of two main cell types: specific secretory cells and follicular cells. The specific cells are characterized by comparable morphologic features in the investigated species, despite differences in the diameter of the secretory granulated vesicles; the ultrastructural morphology of these cells is different from that of any of the known cell types of the adenohypophysis. The follicular cells are devoid of secretory granules, they do not only line the numerous follicular cavities of the pars tuberalis but may also be found in the periphery of the cell cords (border cells). In addition, gonadotrophic cells are found; they predominate in the distal portion of the pars tuberalis and are definitely activated by castration or hypophysectomy. Experimental interventions on most of the major endocrine systems did not cause any noticeable ultrastructural changes in the specific cells. It appears certain that the pars tuberalis secretes a specific hormone whose function remains to be determined.
National health insurance: Some lessons from the Canadian experience

In the current American debate over national health insurance an examination of the Canadian governmental experience is very instructive. Canada is enough like the United States to make the effects of Canadian health insurance policies rather like a large natural experiment. The Canadian experience—universal government health insurance administered by the ten provinces with some fiscal and policy variations—can be used to predict the impact in the United States of proposed national health insurance plans on the medical care system, and the reaction of mass publics and national policymakers to these effects. The central purpose of the Canadian national health insurance was to reduce and hopefully eliminate financial barriers to medical care. In this it succeeded. But it also produced results which Canadian policymakers never anticipated: essentially unexpected side-effects on cost, quality, organization, and manpower distribution of the particular national health insurance program adopted. It should be cause for concern, the article concludes, that most of the prominent American national health insurance proposals resemble the Canadian program in failing to provide a single level of government with both the means and incentives to curb the inflationary effects of national health insurance. The lesson from Canada is that unless the system has very strong anti-inflationary mechanisms and incentives built into it, national health insurance will feed the fires of medical inflation despite great formal governmental authority to control it.
Tracking moving acoustic sources with a network of sensors

This paper presents issues and algorithms for the problem of source tracking with a network of aeroacoustic sensors. We study fusion of data from sensors that are widely separated, and we give particular attention to the important issues of limited communication bandwidth between sensor nodes, effects of source motion, coherence loss between signals measured at different sensors, signal bandwidth, and noise. We compare the tracking performance of various schemes, including joint (coherent) processing of all sensor data, as well as data-reduction schemes that employ distributed computation and reduced communication bandwidth with a fusion center. The key result of our analysis is a quantification of the potential gain in source tracking accuracy that is achievable with greater communication bandwidth and joint processing of sensor data. We show that the potential gain in accuracy depends critically on the scenario, as determined by the source motion parameters, signal coherence between sensors, bandwidth of the source signals, and noise level. For scenarios that admit increased accuracy with joint processing, we present a bandwidth-efficient algorithm that involves beamforming at small-aperture sensor arrays combined with time-delay estimation between widely-spaced sensor arrays.
Monuments, Empires, and Resistance: The Araucanian Polity and Ritual Narratives

Introduction 1. Purposes, settings, and definitions 2. Shaping analogical and conceptual perspectives 3. Araucanian prehistory and history: old biases and new views 4. Imbricating social, material, metaphorical, and spiritual worlds 5. The ethnographies of kuel, narratives, and communities 6. An archaeological view of kuel and rehuekuel 7. Contact, fragmentation, and recruitment and the rehuekuel 8. Recursiveness, kinship geographies, and polity 9. Epilogue and dying mounds.
Development of Spice Models for Amorphous Silicon Thin-Film Transistors

In this paper we describe a new analytic model for both the current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics of amorphous-silicon thin-film transistors. This analytic model has been incorporated into a circuit simulation program (SPICE) to provide an accurate comprehensive three terminal model for amorphous-silicon thin-film transistors. We present results showing good agreement between circuit simulations based on this new device model and experimental data. The development of amorphous silicon SPICE simulation tools increases the design accuracy of advanced analog and digital circuits.
Influence of β‐Alanine on Hairpin Polyamide Orientation in the DNA Minor Groove

Antiparallel polyamides containing 1H-pyrrole, 1H-imidazole, and 3-hydroxy-1H-pyrrole amino acids display a preference for minor-groove binding oriented N-C with respect to the 5′-3′ direction of the DNA helix. We find that replacement of a central Py/Py pair with a β/β pair within a ten-ring hairpin relaxes the orientation preference and, for some DNA sequences, causes the polyamide to prefer the opposite C-N orientation. Substitution of the achiral γ-aminobutanoic acid (γ) with either (R)(or S)-2-(acetylamino)-4-aminobutanoic acid moderates the orientation preference of the 2-β-2-hairpin.
Sec61β – a component of the archaeal protein secretory system

Abstract Sec61p/SecYEG complexes mediate protein translocation across membranes and are present in both eukaryotes and bacteria. Whereas homologues of Sec61α/SecY and Sec61γ/SecE exist in archaea, identification of the third component (Sec61β or SecG) has remained elusive. Using PSI–BLAST, the archaeal counterpart of Sec61β has been detected. With the identification of the Sec61β motif, functions for a universal family of archaeal proteins can be predicted and the archaeal translocon system can be definitively detected.
Protein Transport to Choroid and Retina following Periocular Injection: Theoretical and Experimental Study

Ocular neovascularization is a major cause of blindness in several diseases including age-related macular degeneration (choroidal neovascularization) and diabetic retinopathy (retinal neovascularization). Antiangiogenic agents with clinically significant effects exist, but a key question remains: how to effectively deliver drugs to the site of neovascularization. Periocular delivery of drugs or proteins is less invasive and safer than intravitreous delivery, but little is known regarding how and to what extent agents access intraocular tissues after periocular injection. We present a computational model of drug or protein transport into the eye following periocular injection to quantify movement of macromolecules across the sclera of the mouse eye. We apply this model to the movement of green fluorescent protein (GFP) across the mouse eye and fit the results of in vivo experiments to find transport parameters. Using these parameters, the model gives the profile of interstitial GFP concentration across the sclera, choroid and retina. We compare this to predictions of transport following intravitreous injections. We then scale up the model to estimate the transport of GFP into the human choroid and retina; the thicker sclera decreases transscleral delivery. This is the first model of ocular drug delivery to explicitly account for transport properties of each eye layer.
Sulforaphane induces growth arrest and apoptosis in human ovarian cancer cells

Objectives. Isothiocyanates (ITC) from broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables have long been shown to have chemopreventive properties, as demonstrated in cancer models in rodents. Sulforaphane (SFN) is a major ITC present in broccoli. We examined the effects of SFN on the growth of the OVCAR-3 and SKOV-3 ovarian carcinoma cell lines. Methods. Cell cycle phase determination was performed using a Coulter flow cytometer. DNA strand breaks in apoptotic cells were measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end-labelling (TUNEL). Results. There was a concentration dependent decrease in cell density. Approximately 50% decrease was observed after 48h of incubation with SFN (2 µM). Analysis of cell cycle phase progression revealed a decrease in the cell populations in S and G2M phases, with an increase of G1 cell population, indicating a G1 cell cycle arrest. The degree of decrease in the replicating population was concentration and time dependent. Incubation of OVCAR-3 cel...
Post-transcriptional effects of extracellular pH on tumour necrosis factor-α production in RAW 246.7 and J774 A.1 cells

The present studies determined the eects of extracellular pH (pHo) on the production of tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) in the macrophage-like cell lines RAW 246.7 and J774 A.1. The cells were activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at pHo 5.5, 6.5 or 7.4. TNF-a gene transcription was monitored by Northern blot analysis. Synthesis of the cytokine was monitored by ELISA measurements of the TNF-a content of cell-conditioned media (extracellularly released TNF-a) and cell lysates (cytosolic TNF-a). The magnitude of the TNF-a response diered markedly between the two cell lines. RAW cells were more responsive to LPS than were J774 cells. However, the eects of pHo on TNF-a production were similar in the two cell lines. TNF-a gene transcription was insensitive to experimental pHo. The pHo had no eect on the abundance of TNF-a mRNA at 2, 4 or 18 h. Nonetheless, synthesis of TNF-a was aected significantly by pHo. The TNF-a contents of cell-conditioned medium and cell lysate at 18 h were reduced progressively at lower pHo values. The data indicate that pHo alters TNF-a production in RAW and J774 cells at a post-transcriptional level. These findings suggest that pHo influences the phenotypic responses of macrophages to activating stimuli and modifies the role that macrophages play in inflammatory and immune actions.
The role of trait self-objectification in smoking among college women

Self-objectification, which is the internalization of an observer’s perspective of the self, has been related to restrained and disordered eating patterns and depression. Because disordered eating and depression are known co-factors for smoking, we tested the possible involvement of trait self-objectification in the relationship between these mental health dimensions and smoking in a sample of 130 college women smokers and non-smokers. As hypothesized, we found that trait self-objectification mediated the relationship between smoking status and dieting and disordered eating behaviors. There were no significant differences in depression between smokers and non-smokers, which limited further exploration of the relationship. Implications for trait self-objectification as relevant to women’s weight-control smoking and the relevance of self-objectification to other health behaviors are discussed.
Mass fractal dimension and the compactness of proteins.

Vibrational dynamics and energy flow in a protein are related by Alexander-Orbach theory to the protein's mass fractal dimension $D$ and spectral dimension $\overline{d}$. Burioni et al. [Proteins: Struct., Funct. Bioinf. 55, 529 (2004)] recently proposed a relation between $\overline{d}$ and protein size based on their computational analysis of a set of proteins ranging from about 100 to several thousand amino acids. We report here values for $D$ computed for 200 proteins from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) ranging from about 100 to over 10 000 amino acids and examine variation of $D$ with protein size. The average $D$ is found to be 2.5, significantly smaller than a completely compact three-dimensional collapsed polymer. Indeed, we find that on average a protein in its PDB configuration fills about three-quarters of the volume within the protein surface. Protein mass is also found to scale with radius of gyration with an exponent of 2.5 for this set of proteins.
Linear Inequalities for Flags in Graded Partially Ordered Sets

The closure of the convex cone generated by all flag f-vectors of graded partially ordered sets is shown to be polyhedral. In particular, we give the facet inequalities to the polar cone of all nonnegative chain-enumeration functionals on this class of partially ordered sets. These are in one-to-one correspondence with antichains of intervals on the set of ranks and thus are counted by Catalan numbers. Furthermore, we prove that the convolution operation introduced by Kalai assigns extreme rays to pairs of extreme rays in most cases. We describe the strongest possible inequalities for graded partially ordered sets of rank at most 5.
Electron acceleration by a laser pulse in a plasma.

The acceleration of an electron by a circularly polarized laser pulse in a plasma is studied. It appears possible to increase significantly the energy of a preaccelerated electron. Although the pulse tends to generate a plasma wake, to which it loses energy, one can eliminate the wake by choosing the duration of the pulse judiciously. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Reactivity with lectins of the saccharide components of rhodopsin in reconstituted membranes. Orientation of the carbohydrates

Abstract Rhodopsin-containing liposomes may provide a model for investigating the interaction of intrinsic membrane glycoproteins in biological systems. As part of the characterization of this preparation, the surface orientation of the carbohydrates of rhodopsin, assembled from purified bovine rhodopsin and egg phosphatidylcholine was examined, and is the topic of this report. The major tool used in these studies was the interaction with the carbohydrate-specific reagents, plant lectins. Two techniques were used: (1) lectin-mediated aggregation of the liposomes, as measured by light scattering; (2) the binding of 125 I-labeled succinylated concanavalin A, and Scatchard analysis as a measure of affinity. The preparation most extensively examined had a mole ratio of rhodopsin:phospholipid of 1:100. Among a variety of lectins which were examined, only concanavalin A, succinylated concanavalin A, and wheat germ agglutinin were able to mediate the aggregation of rhodopsin-containing liposomes, as expected. The aggregation with concanavalin A was prevented by the presence of sugars having the α- d -glucopyranosyl configuration, and that brought about with wheat germ agglutinin, by N -acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). In addition, the aggregation with concanavalin A was reversed with methyl α- d -mannoside, and with wheat germ agglutinin, by GlcNAc, suggesting that membrane fusion did not take place. On a molar basis, wheat germ agglutinin brought about a greatly reduced extent of aggregation as compared to concanavalin A, suggesting the relative inaccessibility of GlcNAc residues in the liposomes as compared to mannose. The initial rate of the aggregation, however, were similar with either lectin. The first-order rate constants were unaffected by wide variation in the concentrations of concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin, and by variation in the mole ratios of rhodopsin in the liposomes from 0.2 to 19 moles per 100 moles of egg lecithin. Rhodopsin-liposomes were also prepared from a total lipid extract of rod outer segments instead of egg lecithin. Similar kinetic properties were exhibited by this preparation as were obtained with the liposome prepared with the purified phospholipid. Scatchard analysis of the binding of 125 I-labeled succinylated concanavalin A by rhodopsin liposomes indicated the presence of a single class of binding site as the preferred fit, with an apparent K d of 2.8·10 −7 M. The binding was destroyed or extensively interfered with by trypsinization and by periodate treatment.
Sequential Transphosphorylation of the BRI1/BAK1 Receptor Kinase Complex Impacts Early Events in Brassinosteroid Signaling

Brassinosteroids (BRs) regulate plant development through a signal transduction pathway involving the BRI1 and BAK1 transmembrane receptor kinases. The detailed molecular mechanisms of phosphorylation, kinase activation, and oligomerization of the BRI1/BAK1 complex in response to BRs are uncertain. We demonstrate that BR-dependent activation of BRI1 precedes association with BAK1 in planta, and that BRI1 positively regulates BAK1 phosphorylation levels in vivo. BRI1 transphosphorylates BAK1 in vitro on specific kinase-domain residues critical for BAK1 function. BAK1 also transphosphorylates BRI1, thereby quantitatively increasing BRI1 kinase activity toward a specific substrate. We propose a sequential transphosphorylation model in which BRI1 controls signaling specificity by direct BR binding followed by substrate phosphorylation. The coreceptor BAK1 is then activated by BRI1-dependent transphosphorylation and subsequently enhances signaling output through reciprocal BRI1 transphosphorylation. This model suggests both conservation and distinct differences between the molecular mechanisms regulating phosphorylation-dependent kinase activation in plant and animal receptor kinases.
Modeling and process control of MOCVD growth of InAlGaAs MQW structures on InP

Abstract We have developed a model which integrates calculation of InAlGaAs multiple quantum well (MQW) transition energies using the envelope function approximation with a statistical analysis of the PL emission wavelength, net strain and MQW period measured for a variety of MQW designs grown by MOCVD. The model relates the measured MQW parameters directly to MOCVD process parameters, allowing an accurate prediction of the process parameters required to grow a specified MQW design. This greatly reduces the need to grow and characterize individual calibration layers. The difference of the measured and predicted MQW parameters is recorded run-to-run over time, which allows process variability to be analyzed across a number of process parameters with intentional variations to grow different MQW designs.
Principles of parametric temporal imaging. II. System performance

For pt. I, see ibid., vol. 36, p. 430, April 2000. The waveform manipulation technique known as temporal imaging can expand or compress signals in time while maintaining the shape of their envelope profiles. The temporal imaging system is analogous to that of its spatial counterpart, with dispersive propagation performing the role of diffraction and quadratic phase modulation in time acting as a "time lens." Recent work has concentrated on time lenses produced by the parametric mixing of the dispersed input signal with a linearly chirped optical pump pulse because of the broad bandwidth, and thus fine temporal resolution, that can be obtained. In a previous paper, we presented the numerous parametric imaging configurations that are possible and drew temporal ray diagrams to illustrate their operation. In this paper, we study the performance of these systems. Resolution, field of view, number of resolvable features, and distortions particular to this approach are discussed.
Resonant amplification of electroweak baryogenesis at preheating

We explore viable scenarios for parametric resonant amplification of electroweak (EW) gauge fields and the Chern-Simons number during preheating, leading to baryogenesis at the EW scale. In this class of scenarios time-dependent classical EW gauge fields, essentially spatially homogeneous on the horizon scales, carry the Chern-Simons number which can be amplified by parametric resonance up to magnitudes at which unsuppressed topological transitions in the Higgs sector become possible. Baryon number nonconservation associated with the gauge sector and the highly non-equilibrium nature of preheating allow for efficient baryogenesis. The requisite large $\mathrm{CP}$ violation can arise either from the time dependence of a slowly varying Higgs field (spontaneous baryogenesis) or from a resonant amplification of $\mathrm{CP}$ violation induced in the gauge sector through loops. We identify several $\mathrm{CP}$-violating operators in the standard model and its minimal extensions that can facilitate efficient baryogenesis at preheating, and we show how to overcome would-be exponential suppression of baryogenesis associated with tunneling barriers.
How urbanization affects energy-use in developing countries

Abstract This paper identifies mechanisms whereby urbanization affects energy consumption. Industrialization and urbanization accompany each other during economic development, but urbanization exerts a number of independent influences on energy-use. It permits economies of scale in production but requires more transportation. Food must be transported to urbanized populations and relatively smaller agricultural populations must modernize, entailing considerable increases in agricultural energy-use. In cities, a number of production activities which were domestically provided in rural areas, using human or animal energy, shift to sources outside the household, using modern energy sources. The largest single source of change in energy-use is personal transportation. Passenger transport in cities is heavily weighted towards fuel-using modes, particularly as incomes increase. To assess the overall impact, a regression analysis of 59 developing countries for 1980 is conducted. Holding constant per capita income and the extent of industrialization, the elasticity of energy consumption per capita and per dollar of GDP is between 0.35 and 0.48.
Genetic indicators of iron limitation in wild populations of Thalassiosira oceanica from the northeast Pacific Ocean

Assessing the iron (Fe) nutritional status of natural diatom populations has proven challenging as physiological and molecular responses can differ in diatoms of the same genus. We evaluated expression of genes encoding flavodoxin (FLDA1) and an Fe-starvation induced protein (ISIP3) as indicators of Fe limitation in the marine diatom Thalassiosira oceanica. The specificity of the response to Fe limitation was tested in cultures grown under Fe- and macronutrient-deficient conditions, as well as throughout the diurnal light cycle. Both genes showed a robust and specific response to Fe limitation in laboratory cultures and were detected in small volume samples collected from the northeast Pacific, demonstrating the sensitivity of this method. Overall, FLDA1 and ISIP3 expression was inversely related to Fe concentrations and offered insight into the Fe nutritional health of T. oceanica in the field. As T. oceanica is a species tolerant to low Fe, indications of Fe limitation in T. oceanica populations may serve as a proxy for severe Fe stress in the overall diatom community. At two shallow coastal locations, FLD1A and ISIP3 expression revealed Fe stress in areas where dissolved Fe concentrations were high, demonstrating that this approach may be powerful for identifying regions where Fe supply may not be biologically available.
PREVALENCE OF NEUROTOXIC CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM TYPE C IN THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACTS OF TILAPIA (OREOCHROMIS MOSSAMBICUS) IN THE SALTON SEA

Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) have been implicated as the source of type C toxin in avian botulism outbreaks in pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) at the Salton Sea in southern California (USA). We collected sick, dead, and healthy fish from various sites throughout the Sea during the summers of 1999 through 2001 and tested them for the presence of Clostridium botulinum type C cells by polymerase chain reaction tar- geting the C1 neurotoxin gene. Four of 96 (4%), 57 of 664 (9%), and five of 355 (1%) tilapia tested were positive for C. botulinum type C toxin gene in 1999, 2000, and 2001, respectively. The total number of positive fish was significantly greater in 2000 than in 2001 (P,0.0001). No difference in numbers of positives was detected between sick and dead fish compared with live fish. In 2000, no significant relationships were revealed among the variables studied, such as location and date of collection.
Making a tumour's bed: glioblastoma stem cells and the vascular niche

Glioblastoma stem cells might be dependent on cues from aberrant vascular niches that mimic the normal neural stem cell niche. What are the implications of these findings for treatment of this disease? Parallel to the role that normal stem cells play in organogenesis, cancer stem cells are thought to be crucial for tumorigenesis. Understanding normal development might therefore lead to better treatments of cancer. We review recent data that stem cells of glioblastoma, a highly malignant brain tumour, seem to be dependent on cues from aberrant vascular niches that mimic the normal neural stem cell niche. These data have direct implications for cancer, highlighting the similarity between normal and malignant stem cells and identifying the tumour microenvironment as a target for new therapies.
Use of Drifting Invertebrates by Young-Of-Year Brown Trout in Stream-Margin Habitat

ABSTRACT We studied the feeding dynamics of young-of-year (YOY) brown trout (Salmo trutta) inhabiting stream-margin habitat of a mountain stream during August and September. We found invertebrates in fish stomachs throughout 24-h sampling periods. The abundance of items in stomachs increased with the density of drifting invertebrates after dark. Composition of stomach contents and composition of drifting invertebrate samples were related, but Ephemeroptera larvae had positive electivity indices more frequently than other taxa. The mean lengths of invertebrates in stomachs were greater than those in samples of drifting invertebrates.
Constant-Humidity chromatography of prostaglandins and their metabolites on a neutral silicic acid-glass microfiber matrix

Abstract Solvents have been developed for separating phospholipids, prostaglandins E (PGEs), PGFs, 15-keto-PGFs, 15-keto-PGEs, 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-PGEs, 15-keto-13,14-dihydro-PGFs, PGAs, fatty acids and triglycerides by a single 15.5-cm migration on a nominally 650-μm thick sheet of neutral silicic acid-glass microfiber matrix in a sandwich chamber. The various classes of PGs and metabolites can then be separated according to unsaturation by cutting off a strip of the first chromatogram which contains one or two PG classes and allowing the compounds from this strip to migrate onto a silver nitrate-treated sheet of the silicic acid-glass microfiber matrix. Such a double development permits the isolation of PGs with less than 0.009% of labeled fatty acid precursor (100–200 dpm of 0.5–1.0 μCi) remaining as a contaminant of the isolated PG. The relative humidity was found to have a profound effect upon the separation. The range of humidity between 15 and 40% gave the best separations with the greatest reproducibility in the absence of AgNO3 treatment, while 60–70% humidity was best with AgNO3-treated sheets.
Subunit dissociation and reconstitution of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase from Chromatium vinosum.

Abstract The large and small subunits of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase from Chromatium vinosum were dissociated and separated at pH 9.6 by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. After further purification by gel filtration, the small subunit fraction contained no carboxylase activity. The large subunit fraction was highly depleted of small subunit based on analysis by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Carboxylase activity of the large subunit fraction was ~1% of the untreated native enzyme. Addition of purified small subunit to the large subunit fraction yielded increases of up to 67-fold in carboxylase activity, further indicating that both subunit types are required for catalysis by this enzyme. The isolated large subunit was fully capable of high-affinity activator 14 CO 2 binding in the presence of Mg 2+ and 2-carboxyarabinitol bisphosphate, indicating that the activator and catalytic sites were not grossly denatured by the depletion of small subunit. Kinetic constants of the native C. vinosum enzyme defined a new class of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase, which permits the detection of possible kinetic differences if the large and small subunits can be favorably reassembled with those of another kinetic class. From experiments with the enzymes from tobacco and spinach leaves it is concluded that the enzyme from higher plant sources is not suitable for such dissociation/reconstitution-type experiments.
The Association Between Food Insecurity and Inflammation in the US Adult Population

Objectives. To expand the understanding of potential pathways through which food insecurity is associated with adverse health outcomes, we investigated whether food insecurity is associated with nutritional levels, inflammatory response, and altered immune function.Methods. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2006) with 12 191 participants. We assessed food insecurity using the US Department of Agriculture food security scale module and measured clinical biomarkers from blood samples obtained during participants’ visits to mobile examination centers.Results. Of the study population, 21.5% was food insecure. Food insecurity was associated with higher levels of C-reactive protein (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04, 1.40) and of white blood cell count (AOR = 1.36; 95% CI = 1.11, 1.67). White blood cell count partly mediated the association between food insecurity and C-reactive protein.Conclusions. These fin...
Electroreflectance from flatband

Abstract One strategy for achieving quantitative electroreflectance, electroreflectance from flatband, is reviewed. In flatband electroreflectance, major emphasis is placed on determining the conditions for zero space charge, flatband. Modulations are then done from this condition to large depletion or accumulation band bending. An electrolyte technique is employed that enables the attainment of relatively uniform field strength across the light penetration depth. Results obtained by this experimental approach applied to Ge and GaAs are discussed. At the direct edge in these materials an interference between light and heavy hole contributions to E0 is observed. Both one electron and exciton theories are shown to have enough flexibility to fit the direct edge lineshapes; however, neither theory yields completely consistent parameters. The E1, E1+ Δ1 lineshapes are shown to fit a two-dimensional critical point theory. Modulations of highly doped n type Ge and GaAs into accumulation produce lineshapes dissimilar to the usual Franz-Keldysh and can be explained by band-filling effects.
Epstein-Barr Virus LMP1 Modulates Lipid Raft Microdomains and the Vimentin Cytoskeleton for Signal Transduction and Transformation

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an important human pathogen that is associated with multiple cancers. The major oncoprotein of the virus, latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), is essential for EBV B-cell immortalization and is sufficient to transform rodent fibroblasts. This viral transmembrane protein activates multiple cellular signaling pathways by engaging critical effector molecules and thus acts as a ligand-independent growth factor receptor. LMP1 is thought to signal from internal lipid raft containing membranes; however, the mechanisms through which these events occur remain largely unknown. Lipid rafts are microdomains within membranes that are rich in cholesterol and sphingolipids. Lipid rafts act as organization centers for biological processes, including signal transduction, protein trafficking, and pathogen entry and egress. In this study, the recruitment of key signaling components to lipid raft microdomains by LMP1 was analyzed. LMP1 increased the localization of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and its activated downstream target, Akt, to lipid rafts. In addition, mass spectrometry analyses identified elevated vimentin in rafts isolated from LMP1 expressing NPC cells. Disruption of lipid rafts through cholesterol depletion inhibited PI3K localization to membranes and decreased both Akt and ERK activation. Reduction of vimentin levels or disruption of its organization also decreased LMP1-mediated Akt and ERK activation and inhibited transformation of rodent fibroblasts. These findings indicate that LMP1 reorganizes membrane and cytoskeleton microdomains to modulate signal transduction.
A prospective, randomized, controlled trial of benzodiazepines and nitroglycerine or nitroglycerine alone in the treatment of cocaine-associated acute coronary syndromes

The purpose of the present study was to compare the use of lorazepam plus nitroglycerine (NTG) versus NTG alone in the reduction of cocaine induced chest pain in the emergency department. The secondary objective of the study was to help determine the safety of lorazepam in the treatment of cocaine- associated chest pain. The study was a prospective, randomized, single-blinded, controlled trial conducted at an university-affiliated urban emergency department (ED). All patients who presented with cocaine-associated chest pain were enrolled. Exclusion criteria included age greater than 45 years, documented coronary artery disease, chest pain of more than 72 hours duration, or pretreatment with nitroglycerin. Patients were given either sublingual nitroglycerine (SL NTG) (Group 1) or SL NTG plus 1 mg of lorazepam intravenously (Group 2) every 5 minutes for a total of 2 doses. Chest pain was recorded on an ordinal scale of 0 to 10 at baseline, and then at 5 minutes after each dose. Adverse reactions to medication were also recorded. Twenty-seven patients met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in the study. The average age of these subjects was 34.1 years, and 67% were men. The NTG-only group consisted of 15 patients and the NTG-plus-lorazepam group consisted of 12 patients. Baseline mean chest-pain scores were 6.87 in Group 1 and 6.54 in Group 2, with no differences between groups. Five minutes after initial treatment, mean scores for the two groups were 5.2 and 3.9, respectively, with a difference in means of 1.24 (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.8-3.8). Five minutes after the second treatment, the mean scores were 4.6 and 1.5, respectively, with a difference in means of 3.1 (95% CI 1.2-5). Kruskal-Wallis testing showed a significant difference in pain relief between the two study groups (P =.003), with greater pain relief noted at 5 and 10 minutes in the NTG-plus-lorazepam group (P =.02 and P =.005, respectively). All patients in the study were admitted to the hospital, but no patient in either group had an acute myocardial infarction or cardiac complications in the ED. No adverse side effects were noted for either group. The early use of lorazepam with NTG was more efficacious than NTG alone, and appears to be safe in relieving cocaine-associated chest pain.
Sensory modifications of heart rate in crayfish

Summary o 1. A diminished sensory input from tactile, sound, vibration as well as visual and chemical sources results in a slowing of the crayfish heart. Within a period of 2 hr in such an environment, the heart rate was observed to decrease to nearly half that of the normal active rate. 2. Illumination of the animals following a diminished sensory input was shown to be accompanied by an acceleration of the heart to the original level, usually within 1/2 hr. 3. The chemoreception of food results in a cardiac arrest which may be sustained for 10–15 sec. During the consumption of food, the swallowing. reflex often produced a 2–3 sec heart block. During other phases of food searching or feeding, a marked cardiac acceleration was seen. 4. Locomotion affects the heart of the crayfish by increasing the rate. The tail-flip escape response appears more complex. There is typically an immediate but transient bradycardia followed by an increase in rate to above normal. 5. The normal heart rate in the free unrestrained crayfish may vary from near 60/min to 120/min at 24°C, depending upon the stimuli received from the internal and external environment. The rate change is often striking. In a single individual, an extremely rapid rate change from 45/min to 96/min was observed in response to tactile stimulation. Cardiac arrest may be equally abrupt. Although heart blocks are more difficult to induce during tachycardia, they occur frequently in response to the strong chemical stimulation accompanying feeding. 6. Visual, chemical or vibrational stimulation resulting from the presence of another individual of the species is apparently not an adequate stimulus to alter heart rate. The presence of another species, or contact between two individuals dividuals of the same species, does alter the heart rate, but the nature of the stimulus is not clear. 7. The neuronal and hormonal mechanisms which may account for the observed variations in heart rate are briefly reviewed.
Relating Carbon Monoxide Photoproduction to Dissolved Organic Matter Functionality

Aqueous solutions of humic substances (HSs) and pure monomeric aromatics were irradiated to investigate the chemical controls upon carbon monoxide (CO) photoproduction from dissolved organic matter (DOM). HSs were isolated from lakes, rivers, marsh, and ocean. Inclusion of humic, fulvic, hydrophobic organic, and hydrophilic organic acid fractions from these environments provided samples diverse in source and isolation protocol. In spite of these major differences, HS absorption coefficients (a) and photoreactivities (a bleaching and CO production) were strongly dependent upon HS aromaticity (r2 > 0.90; n = 11), implying aromatic moieties are the principal chromophores and photoreactants within HSs, and by extension, DOM. Carbonyl carbon and CO photoproduction were not correlated, implying that carbonyl moieties are not quantitatively important in CO photoproduction. CO photoproduction efficiency of aqueous solutions of monomeric aromatic compounds that are common constituents of organic matter varied with the nature of ring substituents. Specifically, electron donating groups increased, while electron withdrawing groups decreased CO photoproductivity, supporting our conclusion that carbonyl substituents are not quantitatively important in CO photoproduction. Significantly, aromatic CO photoproduction efficiency spanned 3 orders of magnitude, indicating that variations in the CO apparent quantum yields of natural DOM may be related to variations in aromatic DOM substituent group chemistry.
A refined concept of the Critoniopsisbogotana species group in Colombia with two new species (Vernonieae, Asteraceae)

This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Robinson, Harold, Keeley, Sterling C. (2015): A refined concept of the Critoniopsisbogotana species group in Colombia with two new species (Vernonieae, Asteraceae). PhytoKeys 48: 85-95, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.48.8810, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.48.8810
Banking Behaviour in an Arabian Gulf Country: A Consumer Survey

This is a report of a survey examining key aspects of Saudi Arabian banking behaviour such as a bank's experience, reputation, service, personnel quality, location. The services that account‐holding customers use are examined and their satisfaction with financial, social and security risks are not perceived as influencing decisions to open an account. Strategies for appealing to potential customers are suggested.