cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: Literature Review

Radical cystectomy is the standard treatment for patients with clinically localized muscle invasive bladder cancer, providing a 5-year survival rate of approximately 50%. Failure to cure is often due to the presence of occult metastases beyond the margins of local therapy, indicating a need for eradication of micrometastatic disease with systemic treatment, in order to improve survival. Combined chemotherapy regimens, such as methotrexate-vinblastine-cisplatin (CMV), methotrexate-vinblastine-cisplatin-doxorubicin (M-VAC) and gemcitabine-cisplatin (GC) have already demonstrated their effectiveness in patients with advanced or metastatic disease and have been considered as appropriate regimens in the peri-operative setting. Large randomized studies with a prolonged follow-up have been able to confirm a modest survival benefit with neoadjuvant therapy. A recent meta-analysis, including all previous reported randomized trials, concluded that neoadjuvant chemotherapy administration provides a significant survival benefit and can be administered without adverse outcomes resulting from delayed local therapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy trials, although promising, have failed to show statistically improved survival, mostly due to small sample sizes and absent or inconclusive data on overall survival. A multi-center randomized-controlled trial is currently ongoing, in order to elucidate the role of post-operative chemotherapy administration.
Memory Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis: A Quantitative Review

To assess the nature and magnitude of memory impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS), the authors analyzed quantitatively 36 studies comparing the memory performance of MS participants to healthy controls. The authors studied (a) the pattern of impairment across short-term memory (STM), working memory (WM), and long-term memory (LTM); (b) the moderating influence of retrieval support on LTM impairment; (c) the covariation of WM and LTM impairment; and (d) the moderating influence of clinical characteristics of the MS sample on memory impairment. The analyses revealed significant impairment across all memory domains and failed to support a retrieval-based account of LTM dysfunction in MS patients. In addition, robust associations were found between clinical features of MS and memory impairment. The findings suggest a more global pattern of memory deficits in MS than has been previously believed, with deficits clearly associated with neurological disability and disease course.
The solubilization of propane by mixed micelles composed of sodium alkyl sulfates

Abstract The solubility of propane has been determined at elevated pressures in aqueous solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) mixed with varying proportions of either sodium octyl sulfate (SOS) or sodium hexyl sulfate (SHS) at 25°C. The solubility of propane follows Henry's law in every instance. Above the CMC, the solubility of propane is found to increase linearly with total surfactant concentration in solutions containing a fixed ratio of SDS with either SOS or SHS indicating solubilization by mixed micelles of these species. The degree of solubilization varies in a continuous manner with surfactant composition. Critical micelle concentrations determined for these surfactant mixtures agree well with predictions based on the assumption that mixed micelles constitute a condensed pseudo phase which exhibits ideal solution behavior. The linear dependence between the extent of gas solubilization and the total surfactant concentration observed for each mixture above the CMC is interpreted according to this model to indicate that enhanced micellar gas solubility resulting from the enrichment in SDS content of the mixed micelles serves to compensate for a deficiency, relative to total surfactant concentration, of micellized surfactant ions.
Oligomerization, Biogenesis, and Signaling Is Promoted by a Glycophorin A-like Dimerization Motif in Transmembrane Domain 1 of a Yeast G Protein-coupled Receptor

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can form dimeric or oligomeric complexes in vivo. However, the functions and mechanisms of oligomerization remain poorly understood for most GPCRs, including the alpha-factor receptor (STE2 gene product) of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we provide evidence indicating that alpha-factor receptor oligomerization involves a GXXXG motif in the first transmembrane domain (TM1), similar to the transmembrane dimerization domain of glycophorin A. Results of fluorescence resonance energy transfer, fluorescence microscopy, endocytosis assays of receptor oligomerization in living cells, and agonist binding assays indicated that amino acid substitutions affecting the glycine residues of the GXXXG motif impaired alpha-factor receptor oligomerization and biogenesis in vivo but did not significantly impair agonist binding affinity. Mutant receptors exhibited signaling defects that were not due to impaired cell surface expression, indicating that oligomerization promotes alpha-factor receptor signal transduction. Structure-function studies suggested that the GXXXG motif in TM1 of the alpha-factor receptor promotes oligomerization by a mechanism similar to that used by the GXXXG dimerization motif of glycophorin A. In many mammalian GPCRs, motifs related to the GXXXG sequence are present in TM1 or other TM domains, suggesting that similar mechanisms are used by many GPCRs to form dimers or oligomeric arrays.
The fitting and prediction of vibration-rotation spectra with spin interactions

Abstract This paper describes the solution of several problems associated with the fitting and prediction of vibration-rotation spectra with multiple spin interactions. In order to regularize arithmetic with complex operators, a modified Wang basis function is proposed which has the property of making all operators which are even powers of angular momentum pure real and all odd powers pure imaginary. Next, a generalized direction cosine operator is described, which can be calculated in a Wang basis using a spherical tensor formalism. Finally, the problem of assigning quantum numbers is addressed for the case when there are more than two interacting states. A robust algorithm for assignment and sorting of eigenvectors is presented.
Health Operations Research: A Survey of Programs of American Universities

The delivery of health care in a technologically based culture has created complex problems which tax the ability and preparedness of those intimately involved with this industry to present optimal solutions. The Health Applications Section of ORSA as the technical umbrella for professionals in Health Care is perhaps one of the largest and most active sections in ORSA today. We were interested in examining the sources and methods used for generating professionals in this field. In an effort to answer this question, we conducted a survey which is summarized in the sequel. The survey covered the following aspects of a typical university's operation---program location; education programs: students, courses, projects, theses and degrees; research programs: funded and unfunded projects; and faculty: size and interests. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to approximately 17 major institutions with known interest and activities in the area. Sixty-five per cent of those contacted responded. The results follow.
Comparison of fruits of syringodium (cymodoceaceae) from Texas, the U.S. virgin islands and the Philippines

Abstract Fruits of Syringodium, described by den Hartog (1970) in “The Sea-Grasses of the World”, were with an intact exocarp, but the mature fruit in marine sediment loses the fleshly exocarp and retains only stony endocarp. The mature fruits of S. filiforme Kutz. from Texas and the U.S. Virgin Islands taper in two directions, but the smaller fruits of S. isoetifolium (Aschers.) Dandy from the Philippines are rounded at the base. The fruits of S. filiforme have a lacinia with a long tapering point, but those of S. isoetifolium have a blunt-tipped lacinia.
Computer-based route-definition system for peripheral bronchoscopy.

Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scanners produce high-resolution images of the chest. Given a patient’s MDCT scan, a physician can use an image-guided intervention system to first plan and later perform bronchoscopy to diagnostic sites situated deep in the lung periphery. An accurate definition of complete routes through the airway tree leading to the diagnostic sites, however, is vital for avoiding navigation errors during image-guided bronchoscopy. We present a system for the robust definition of complete airway routes suitable for image-guided bronchoscopy. The system incorporates both automatic and semiautomatic MDCT analysis methods for this purpose. Using an intuitive graphical user interface, the user invokes automatic analysis on a patient’s MDCT scan to produce a series of preliminary routes. Next, the user visually inspects each route and quickly corrects the observed route defects using the built-in semiautomatic methods. Application of the system to a human study for the planning and guidance of peripheral bronchoscopy demonstrates the efficacy of the system.
The GA-ACO Method Applied to Engineering Design

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to describe refinements to the recently developed GA-ACO method and to show its application to a real world engineering design problem. The GA-ACO method is a genetic algorithm with a new operator, called an ACO operator. ACO stands for Ant Colony Optimization. The ACO operator uses pheromone trails, a method from Ant Colony Optimization to influence the genetic algorithm. The GA-ACO method is used to optimize an engineering design. Engineers produce a preliminary design for a system using a CAD tool. The output of the CAD tool is then translated into a design graph. Many additional characteristics of the design can be represented by labels on the design graph. The GA-ACO method is then used to optimize these labels. This technique can be applied widely to many design optimization problems. The application considered in this paper concerns optimization of designs for efficient assembly. It uses problems in engineering design encountered at Newport News Shipbuilding, the largest shipyard in the United States. We present a comparison of variations of the GA-ACO method with a standard genetic algorithm for this type of problem.
Polyspecific and autoreactive IgA secreted by hybridomas derived from Peyer's patches of vomitoxin-fed mice: characterization and possible pathogenic role in IgA nephropathy

A total of 122 immunoglobulin (Ig)A-producing hybridoma clones were isolated from the Peyer's patches of vomitoxin-fed BALB/c mice and the resultant antibodies were characterized for their antigenic specificity and pathogenic potential. When reactivity was tested against a panel consisting of DNA, sphingomyelin, thyroglobulin, collagen, casein, cardiolipin and bovine serum albumin conjugates of phosphorylcholine, inulin and trinitrophenol that were representative of self and non-self antigens, approximately 95% of the monoclonal IgAs bound to at least one of the panel antigens and 80% bound to more than one antigen. The polyspecificity of some of the monoclonal IgAs was further suggested by demonstrating the capacity of one antigen to inhibit binding of monoclonal IgA to another antigen. Protein staining and Western blotting of gradient native polyacrylamide gels, indicated that trimeric IgA predominated in the isolated monoclonal IgAs. Repeated injections of mice with representative monoclonal IgAs induced microhaematuria in three of four of the clones tested but not IgA deposition in the kidney glomerulus. In addition, three of the four monoclonal IgAs caused IgG and C3 deposition in the kidney mesangium. These and previous results suggest that dietary vomitoxin promotes the polyclonal activation and expansion of IgA-secreting B cells at the Peyer's patch level and that resultant polyspecific, autoreactive IgA may contribute to kidney pathogenesis.
Derivatives of trifluorovinylsulfur pentafluoride (SF5CFCF2) II

Abstract Trifluorovinylsulfur pentafluoride (SF 5 CFCF 2 ) and carbonyl fluoride will add, in the presence of cesium fluoride and acetonitrile, to form SF 5 CF(CF 3 )C(O)F. This new acid fluoride serves as a source for preparing derivatives containing the SF 5 CF(CF 3 ) - grouping. The following new compounds have been prepared and characterized: SF 5 CF(CF 3 )X where X = C(O)F, C(O)CH 3 , C(O)OH, C(O)NH 2 , CN. The dimer, (SF 5 CFCF 2 ) 2 , has also been prepared. Infrared, mass, and nmr spectra are presented in order to support their proposed structure.
Cell Cycle Control by a Complex of the Cyclin HCS26 (PCL1) and the Kinase PHO85

The events of the eukaryotic cell cycle are governed by cyclin-dependent kinases (cdk's), whose activation requires association with cyclin regulatory subunits expressed at specific cell cycle stages. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the cell cycle is thought to be controlled by a single cdk, CDC28. Passage through the G1 phase of the cell cycle is regulated by complexes of CDC28 and G1 cyclins (CLN1, CLN2, and CLN3). A putative G1 cyclin, HCS26, has recently been identified. In a/alpha diploid cells lacking CLN1 and CLN2, HCS26 is required for passage through G1. HCS26 does not associate with CDC28, but instead associates with PHO85, a closely related protein kinase. Thus, budding yeast, like higher eukaryotes, use multiple cdk's in the regulation of cell cycle progression.
Oxygen-defect structure of non-superconducting La1.85Sr1.15Cu2O6.25: excess oxygen in the interlayer site

Abstract The structure of the metallic, but nonsuperconducting, double-layer phase, La 1.85 Sr 1.15 Cu 2 O 6.25 has been refined from neutron powder diffraction data; space group 14/mmm, a=3.8530(1) A , c=20.0833 (3) A . Sr 2+ ions are ordered predominantly into the nine-coordinated site in the T-type layer of the structure. Occupation of the interlayer site by the relatively large La 3+ /Sr 2+ ions allows intercalation of the excess oxygen at the (0, 0, case1 2 ) site between the CuO 2 layers. In addition, vacancies are introduced in the O(1) sites of the CuO 2 planes. This partial destruction of the two-dimensional nature of the structure may be responsible for the lack of superconductivity in this phase, in contrast to the recent observation of a T c of 60 K in the similarly-doped calcium phase La 1.6 Sr 0.4 CaCu 2 O 6 .
First Report of Xanthomonas translucens Causing Etiolation on Creeping Bentgrass Turf in Illinois, Kentucky, and North Carolina

Symptoms of etiolation, which is an abnormal elongation and yellowing of tillers, have been observed on creeping bentgrass [Agrostis stolonifera L. (CBG)] putting greens for decades; however, symptoms are typically transient and non-problematic. Reports of etiolation have become more frequent recently and research supports the involvement of bacteria (1). During stressful summer periods in 2011 and 2012, 62 CBG putting green samples were submitted to the NCSU Turf Clinic exhibiting symptoms of etiolation, chlorosis, and/or general decline. Microscopic examination of stem and leaf tissue often showed bacterial streaming from the xylem tissue. Symptomatic tissue was surface disinfested in sodium hypochlorite (10% Clorox) for 5 min, blotted dry, and rinsed in sterile dH2O. Disinfested tissue was placed in a small drop of sterile dH2O on a glass microscope slide and cut to allow bacteria to stream into the water for 2 min. The resulting bacterial suspension was streaked onto three nutrient agar (NA) plates an...
Folic Acid Metabolism in Normal, Folate Deficient and Alcoholic Man

Summary. Folate metabolism was studied in normal, folate-deficient and alcoholic man by tracer measurements of plasma clearance, urinary excretion, tissue storage and release of folate using both [3H]pteroylglutamic acid (3H-PteGlu) and 14C-methyl-H4PteGlu. Alcohol ingestion did not adversely affect tissue uptake of folates. Whether in normal or folate deficient subjects, the relative clearance rates of 3H-PteGlu and 14C-methyl-H4PteGlu were maintained in the face of alcohol ingestion and there was no evidence of increased urinary loss of intact vitamin or labelled breakdown products. As measured by the flushing technique, the rate of storage or tissue binding of 3H-PteGlu was not influenced by folate deficiency, folate store depletion or alcohol ingestion. However, alcohol may retard the release of methyl-H4PteGlu from tissue stores to plasma. A significantly greater recovery of 14C-methyl-H4PteGlu with flush was observed in those normal subjects who ingested alcohol for 6 d. A partial block in the rate of release of tissue folate stores would be a possible mechanism behind the rapid depression in serum methyl-H4PteGlu levels and early induction of megaloblastic erythropoiesis which has been observed following acute alcohol ingestion.
Assessment of Age-Related Changes in Left Ventricular Twist by 3-Dimensional Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine the normal value of left ventricular (LV) twist in 3-dimensional (3D) geometry and to study the effects of aging on 3D LV twist by sophisticated newly developed 3D speckle-tracking echocardiographic techniques. METHODS Recent developments in miniaturized ultrasound arrays have provided us with high-quality 3D echocardiographic data. Speckle tracking based on 3D images is robust to out-of-plane motion error, whereas 2-dimensional speckle tracking is inherently unable to analyze 3D cardiac motion and may lead to measurement inaccuracies. Three-dimensional LV volumetric images were acquired from 124 healthy volunteers (aged 21-82 years) and were analyzed by a recent speckle-tracking method. Left ventricular twist was analyzed as apical rotation relative to the base in the 3D coordinates. The measured parameters in this study were peak apical rotation, peak basal rotation, peak LV twist, normalized peak LV twist, and peak untwist velocity. RESULTS As seen from the apex, the normal LV maintains a wringing systolic displacement with an initial counterclockwise rotation followed by a clockwise rotation in the LV basal plane and a counterclockwise rotation in the LV apical plane. In general, the apical and basal twist increases during the aging process, leading to an increased LV twist value. The mean peak twist ± SD in young participants (21-35 years) was 11.73° ± 2.67°, whereas the value for older participants (>65 years) was 18.57° ± 3.08° (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography can be an effective noninvasive method for assessing 3D LV twist. Age-related differences in the 3D LV twist may be the result of the age-related changes in the endocardial myofibers.
Material Parenting: How the Use of Goods in Parenting Fosters Materialism in the Next Generation

This research introduces the concept of material parenting, in which parents use material goods to express their love or to shape children’s behavior. Despite the common use of material goods for these purposes, possible long term effects of material parenting practices have not been studied. This article addresses this oversight by examining the potential effects of material parenting on the material values of children once they’re grown. This research proposes and tests a material parenting pathway, in which warm and supportive parents provide children with material rewards that in the long run foster materialism in adulthood. An insecurity pathway to materialism, previously proposed in the literature, is also examined. Results from three survey studies provide support for both pathways. Results also suggest that material parenting may influence children’s material values by (possibly unintentionally) encouraging them to use possessions to shape and transform the self.
Periphyton as an indicator of restoration in the Florida Everglades

Periphyton communities dominate primary production in much of the Florida Everglades wetland and therefore contribute to soil production, ecosystem metabolism and secondary production as well as the composition of dependent communities. Decades of research in the Everglades have supported research findings from other wetland types that cumula- tively show that periphyton communities respond very rapidly to alterations in the two dominant drivers of wetland structure and function—hydrology and water quality. Hydrol- ogy controls periphyton productivity and composition by regulating moisture availability, substrate typesavailable for colonization and supply of nutrients. Nutrients, particularly the limitingnutrientinthissystem,phosphorus(P),control levelsofproductionand community composition. Because periphyton communities are well-established to be related to hydrol- ogy and water quality, an indicator was developed based on three periphyton attributes: abundance, quality (i.e., nutrient content) and community composition. This assessment tool offers a qualitative assessment of ecosystem response to potential changes in manage- ment activities at a time scale appropriate for active management. An example is provided of how the indicator can be used to assess the current water quality and hydrological conditions from high-density spatial surveys. Detected patterns of deterioration align with expectations derived from model predictions and known sources of nutrients and unnatural hydrologic regimes. If employed adaptively in ecosystem management, this tool can be used to both detect and react to change before the system has been irreparably altered.
Mixed-phase AR models for voiced speech and perceptual cost functions

Mixed-phase AR models are introduced for encoding the magnitudes and phases of the harmonics of voiced speech. Motivation for the use of the mixed-phase AR models is given and several cost functions are introduced, forming the basis for algorithms which estimate the model parameters. An efficient algorithm based on a quasi-linear least squares approach is presented, and a more sophisticated algorithm based on the perceptual masking properties of the ear is described. When the algorithms are used to model voiced speech signals using a 14th order mixed-phase model, high quality speech can be produced. >
Southeast Asians: Asian-Pacific Americans at Risk for Substance Misuse

Projections indicate that by the year 2000 over a million Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese will be living in the United States. There is sparse information relative to the use of substances by these groups due to the absence of national prevalence data. The combined stressors that these refugee groups have faced puts them at high risk for substance misuse. Southeast Asians infrequently use substance misuse and mental health services, which has been perceived as a lack of need for services by these groups. In reality, there is a critical shortage of culturally-appropriate treatment and intervention programs as the prevalence of substance misuse increases in these populations. [Translations are provided in the International Abstracts Section of this issue.]
Stimuli-Responsive Core–Shell Microcapsules with Tunable Rates of Release by Using a Depolymerizable Poly(phthalaldehyde) Membrane

Flow-focusing microfluidic techniques were used to provide access to core–shell microcapsules in which the shell is composed of end-capped poly(phthalaldehydes) that depolymerize completely from head-to-tail in response to fluoride. Microcapsules made from these depolymerizable polymers provide an amplified response to the applied chemical signal, where the rate of the response can be tuned both by varying the length of the polymer and the thickness of the shell wall.
Formation control of autonomous agents in 3D workspace

A general method of controller design is developed in this paper for the purpose of formation keeping and reconfiguration of multiple autonomous vehicles. Controllers are designed to keep multiple vehicles in a required formation, and to coordinate the vehicles in the presence of environmental changes. The method is applicable to a large variety of autonomous agents. Examples and simulations are given for ground vehicles, robotic arms and satellites.
Discussion of "No-load losses in transformer under overexcitation/inrush-current conditions: tests and a new model"

The author comments on the paper by A. Gaudreau et al. on no-load losses in transformer under overexcitation/inrush-current conditions (see ibid., vol.17, p.1009-17, 2002). The author asks the authors to answer seven questions related to the paper.
How do people's concepts of place relate to physical locations?

Advances in GPS and wireless networking technologies have enabled a new class of location-aware applications, including location tracking [10,2], location-enhanced messaging [3,9], location-based gaming(www.botfighters.com), and navigation aids for the visually impaired [12]. However, these applications typically represent places quite simply, as a geographical point or a point plus radius. We conducted an experiment that showed that this simple representation is not expressive enough to represent the full range of people’s everyday places. We also present a set of more complicated physical shapes that our subjects found sufficient to cover their places. These results identify representational requirements for location-aware systems, have implications for systems that aim to acquire place representations, suggest enhanced applications, and open up interesting avenues for future research.
Lipocalin 2 deficiency inhibits cell proliferation, autophagy, and mitochondrial biogenesis in mouse embryonic cells

Lipocalin 2 (LCN2) has been recently implicated as a critical player in multiple cancer tumorigeneses. However, the molecular mechanisms for its tumorigenic role are poorly understood. Herein, we investigated the effects of LCN2 on cell proliferation, autophagy, and mitochondrial biogenesis in MEF cells. We observed that LCN2 deficiency significantly inhibited cell proliferation and autophagy in MEF cells. Furthermore, mitochondrial DNA content, mRNA expression levels of mitochondrial-encoded gene cytochrome oxidase 2 and PGC-1α were all markedly reduced in LCN2−/− MEF cells. Additionally, when compared with wild-type MEF cells, LCN2−/− MEF cells expressed significantly higher levels of IRS-1, and displayed more potent TNFα-stimulated NF-κB activation. These findings demonstrate that LCN2 is a critical regulator of cell proliferation, autophagy, and mitochondrial biogenesis.
Local and public heritage at a World Heritage site

Abstract The World Heritage Rock Art of the Sierra de San Francisco site in Mexico maintains some of the oldest and largest prehistoric murals in North America. The local ranching community is the custodian of a double heritage, the UNESCO-sanctioned rock art and their own ranching heritage. The rock art heritage is both tangible and public, known to and authenticated by professional archaeologists, while the ranching heritage is largely intangible and private, a lived and remembered experience known within families. As economic conditions deteriorate, the ranchers seek to expand their tourism activities to include their ranching heritage. Understanding their double heritage along tangible/intangible and public/private axes clarifies the challenges they face.
Noninvasive optical polarimetric glucose sensing using a true phase measurement technique

The development and testing of a noninvasive true phase optical polarimetry sensing system to monitor in vivo glucose concentrations is described. To demonstrate the applicability of this optical sensor for glucose movement, the authors calibrate the system and then test it in vitro using both a glass test cell filled with glucose solution in the physiologic range, with a path length of 0.9 cm to approximate the 1-cm path length present in the anterior chamber of the eye, and then on an excised human eye. The technique used helium neon laser light which was coupled through a rotating linear polarizer along with two stationary linear polarizers and two detectors to produce reference and signal outputs whose amplitudes varied sinusoidally with a frequency of twice the angular velocity of the rotating polarizer, and whose phase was proportional to the rotation of the linear polarization vector passing through the glucose solution. >
Children's Environmental Health Research--Highlights from the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health

A growing body of evidence has been generated indicating that the fetus, infant, and young child are especially susceptible to environmental toxicants as diverse as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, lead, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Exposures to these toxicants may be related to the increases in recent decades in childhood asthma, cancer, and developmental disability. The Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH), located in New York City, has developed four cohorts around the world to elucidate the relationships between these exposures and childhood illness. This article summarizes the recent findings from the Center's projects in the context of current research in children's environmental health.
Effects of increased viscosity on the movements of some invertebrate spermatozoa.

In the wave pattern of a flagellum generating planar undulatory bending waves, bending and unbending are represented by rather abrupt transitions between bent and unbent states (Brokaw & Wright, 1963; Brokaw, 1965). The magnitude of these transitions is indicated by the radius of curvature of the bent regions of the wave pattern, but their detailed time course cannot be resolved. The propagated bending waves required for propulsion are generated by the progression of these transitions along the flagellum.
Tailoring of Glycopeptide Scaffolds by the Acyltransferases from the Teicoplanin and A-40,926 Biosynthetic Operons

Summary The teicoplanin acyltransferase (Atf) responsible for N -acylation of the glucosamine moiety to create the teicoplanin lipoglycopeptide scaffold has recently been identified. Here we use that enzyme (tAtf) and the cognate acyltransferase from the related A-40,926 biosynthetic cluster (aAtf) to evaluate specificity for glycopeptide scaffolds and for the acyl-CoA donor. In addition to acylation of 2-aminoglucosyl glycopeptide scaffolds with k cat values of 400–2000 min −1 , both Atfs transfer acyl groups to regioisomeric 6-aminoglucosyl scaffolds and to glucosyl scaffolds at rates of 0.2–0.5 min −1 to create variant lipoglycopeptides. Using the teicoplanin glycosyltransferase tGtfA, tAtf, and GtfD, a glycosyltransferase from the vancomycin producer, it is possible to assemble a novel lipoglycopeptide with GlcNAc at β-OH-Tyr 6 and an N 6 -acyl-glucosaminyl-vancosamine at Phegly 4 . This study illustrates the utility of chemo- and regioselective acyltransferases and glycosyltransferases to create novel lipoglycopeptides.
Extension of a two-step calibration methodology to include nonorthogonal sensor axes

We present an extension of the nonlinear two-step estimation algorithm originally developed for the calibration of solid-state strapdown magnetometers. We expand the algorithm to include nonorthogonality within a sensor set for both two- and three-axis sensors. Nonorthogonality can result from manufacturing issues, installation geometry, and in the case of magnetometers, from soft iron bias errors. Simulation studies for both two- and three-axis sensors show convergence of the improved algorithm to the true values, even in the presence of realistic measurement noise. Finally the algorithm is experimentally validated on a low-cost solid-state three-axis magnetometer set, which shows definite improvement postcalibration. We note that the algorithm is general and can be applied to any two- or three-axis sensor set (such as accelerometers) with an error model consisting of scale, offset, and nonorthogonality errors.
Communication Between Scientists and Practitioners: The Important Link in Knowledge Utilization

Abstract Personal interaction between investigators doing research and potential users of results of research is essential for the incorporation of new information into policy and practice. Interactive workshops, advisory committees, interdisciplinary research projects, and professional societies are some of the arenas where this interaction takes place. Researchers, practitioners, and society benefit from increased interaction through better focused and directed research and receptive clientele for results of research.
Toward in-line phase-sensitive fiber-parametric amplification of multichannel signals

Employing all-optical means to prepare phase-coherent input signal-idler pairs, we implement a multichannel in-line phase-sensitive fiber-parametric amplifier. Feasibility of three-channel operation using a single pump is demonstrated.
Revisiting neighborhood density: Adult perception of phonological similarity

Phonological similarity (i.e., neighborhood density) has been operationalized in the literature as a single phonemic difference between words. However, few studies have assessed the validity of such a measure. In the present study, 50 typical adults were presented with 70 nonwords and asked to name a similar-sounding real word for each item. Results indicated that participants changed an average of one segment per word, although a fifth of productions involved changing more than one of the segments; substitutions were the most common change. Targets that received a wide variety of responses and that did not phonologically resemble many real words resulted in the greatest number of changes. Using a single-segmental metric to index phonological similarity has its limitations, and may inadequately incorporate other influential elements of a word such as the frequencies of its neighbors.
Rearing Trichogramma nubilale (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) on Ultraviolet-Irradiated Eggs of the European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Trichogramma nubilale Ertle and Davis may be reared on eggs of European corn borer (ECB), ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), which have been killed by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A dosage of 30 min is sufficient to cause 100% mortality in ECB eggs 0 to 4 hold. T. nubilale reared for five consecutive generations on dead, UV-irradiated eggs exhibit a slightly shortened life span, but there were no significant changes in the number of progeny per female, adult emergence, sex ratio, and progeny produced per ECB egg.
Epithelial nests in intraoral sensory nerve endings simulating perineural invasion in patients with oral carcinoma.

Encapsulated structures composed of sheets of squamous cells adjacent to axons and small nerves were found close to the medial surface of the mandible over the area of the insertion of the pterygomandibular raphe in nine of 14 mandibles examined. All of the patients had had mandibulectomy for some type of carcinoma. These structures are not neoplastic but may easily be misinterpreted as such. Their exact nature is unknown, but it seems likely that these are sensory nerve endings with squamous metaplasia of Schwann cells.
Physically scarce (vs. enriched) environments decrease the ability to tell lies successfully.

The successful detection of deception is of critical importance to adaptive social relationships and organizations, and perhaps even national security. However, research in forensic, legal, and social psychology demonstrates that people are generally very successful deceivers. The goal of the current research was to test an intervention with the potential to decrease the likelihood of successful deception. We applied findings in the architectural, engineering, and environmental sciences that has demonstrated that enriched environments (vs. scarce ones) promote the experience of comfort, positive emotion, feelings of power and control, and increase productivity. We hypothesized that sparse, impoverished, scarcely endowed environments (vs. enriched ones) would decrease the ability to lie successfully by making liars feel uncomfortable and powerless. Study 1 examined archival footage of an international sample of criminal suspects (N = 59), including innocent relatives (n = 33) and convicted murderers (n = 26) emotionally pleading to the public for the return of a missing person. Liars in scarce environments (vs. enriched) were significantly more likely to reveal their lies through behavioral cues to deception. Study 2 (N = 79) demonstrated that the discomfort and subsequent powerlessness caused by scarce (vs. enriched) environments lead people to reveal behavioral cues to deception. Liars in scarce environments also experienced greater neuroendocrine stress reactivity and were more accurately detected by a sample of 66 naive observers (Study 3). Taken together, data suggest that scarce environments increase difficulty, and decrease success, of deception. Further, we make available videotaped stimuli of Study 2 liars and truth-tellers.
Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone in the Human Fetal Brain * †

Hypothalamic and other brain tissues were obtained after death from human fetuses aborted by hysterectomy at various conceptional ages. Immunoreactive luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) activity in tissue extracts was determined by a double-antibody radioimmunoassay method. Fetal hypothalamic and cortical tissue at 5 weeks after conception showed no assayable LHRH activity. At 6 weeks, immunoreactive LHRH was detectable in extracts of both the hypothalamus and the cortex, and levels appeared to fluctuate with a trend to increase until the 20th week. Two of four fetuses at 13 and 14 weeks' conceptional age had significantly higher LHRH activity in the thalamus than in the rest of the central nervous system. After 16 weeks, LHRH activity was detected in the hypothalamus, thalamus, cerebrum, and cerebellum in decreasing concentrations, respectively. As the age of the fetus progressed from 16 to 20 weeks, the LHRH concentration in the hypothalamus increased significantly, from 1.2 pg/mg to 29.3 pg/mg of wet tissue. LHRH concentrations in specimens of comparable conceptional age that could not be promptly dissected were lower than in those dissected within 30 minutes after the ligation of uterine arteries.
Recurrent CD: Medical Prophylaxis

Post-operative recurrence of Crohn’s disease is a significant problem with endoscopic recurrence rates reported to be between 70 and 90 % within 1 year. In addition 70 % of patients will proceed to a second operation over the course of their lifetime. Prevention of this post-operative recurrence is essential and the post-operative setting should be viewed as the ideal opportunity to prevent symptomatic disease and need for future surgery. Utilizing a preventative and treatment strategy based on patient risk with frequent objective monitoring of disease and titration of medical therapy based on these objective findings, future disability, and surgery may be avoided in the majority of patients.
Measurement of transcriptional activity in pathogenic bacteria recovered directly from infected host tissue

In order to understand the genetic regulation of bacterial genes whose products are important for pathogenesis, one needs to measure the expression of the genes during the infection process. We have devised a method to measure the transcriptional activity of such genes from bacteria recovered directly from infected host tissue. Starting with bacterial strains containing lacZ transcriptional fusions to the genes of interest, animals can be infected, with subsequent isolation of infected host tissue. Here we describe the separation of bacterial cells away from a particular host tissue and the subsequent measurement of the activity of beta-galactosidase, the product of the lacZ gene, in the bacterial cells. This assay is sensitive enough to compensate for the potentially low number of bacteria recovered from the infection site.
Paleo-tribology: development of wear measurement techniques and a three-dimensional model revealing how grinding dentitions self-wear to enable functionality

In most mammals and a rare few reptilian lineages the evolution of precise dental occlusion led to the capacity to form functional chewing surfaces due to pressures generated while feeding. The complex dental architectures of such teeth and the biomechanics of their self-wearing nature are poorly understood. Our research team composed of paleontologists, evolutionary biologists, and engineers have developed a protocol to: (1) determine the histological make-up of grinding dentitions in extant and fossil taxa; (2) ascertain wear-relevant material properties of the tissues; (3) determine how those properties relate to inter-tissue-biomechanics leading the dental functionality using a three-dimensional Archard's wear model developed specifically for dental applications; (4) analyze those data in phylogenetic contexts to infer evolutionary patterns as they relate to feeding. Finally we discuss industrial applications that are emerging from our paleontologically-inspired research.
GaInNAs Structures Grown by MBE for High-Efficiency Solar Cells: Final Report; 25 June 1999--24 August 2002

The focus of this work is to improve the quality of GaInNAs by advanced thin-film growth techniques, such as digital-alloy growth techniques and migration-enhanced epitaxy (MEE). The other focus is to further investigate the properties of such materials, which are potentially beneficial for high-efficiency, multijunction solar cells. 400-nm-thick strain-compensated Ga0.92In0.08As/GaN0.03As0.97 short-period superlattices (SPSLs) are grown lattice-matched to GaAs substrates. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of digital alloys is 3 times higher than that of random alloys at room temperature, and the improvement is even greater at low temperature, by a factor of about 12. The room-temperature PL intensity of the GaInNAs quantum well grown by the strained InAs/GaN0.023As SPSL growth mode is higher by a factor 5 as compare to the continuous growth mode. The SPSL growth method allows for independent adjustment of the In-to-Ga ratio without group III competition. MEE reduces the low-energy tail of PL, and PL peaks become more intense and sharper. The twin peaks photoluminescence of GaNAs grown on GaAs was observed at room temperature. The peaks splitting increase with increase in nitrogen alloy content. The strain-induced splitting of light-hole and heavy-hole bands of tensile-strained GaNAs is proposed as an explanation of such behavior.
Human–Animal Interaction in the Aging Boom

Human–animal interactions (HAIs) continue to be an important part of the lives of many people as they age. Numerous studies have provided research data to support its beneficial effects, both physiological and psychological, in the lives of older adults. Retirement residences which facilitate pet ownership and provide programs encouraging human-animal interaction may be valuable for many elderly persons.
Modeling of the Propagation of Pitting Corrosion by Point Processes

We performed a series of experiments aimed at the investigation of the propagation of pitting corrosion in stainless steels. A collection of fragments of the surface damaged by pitting corrosion was obtained with the help of the anode polarization of samples of materials in chlorine-containing media. For the analysis of their images, we used statistical modeling performed with the help of point processes. To model the mutual influence of pitting defects, we used Markov processes with pairwise interaction. It is shown that the characteristics of stochastic processes can be used for the determination of the correlation between pits.
Ground-based, integrated path differential absorption LIDAR measurement of CO 2 , CH 4 , and H 2 O near 1.6 μm.

A ground-based, integrated path, differential absorption light detection and ranging (IPDA LIDAR) system is described and characterized for a series of nighttime studies of CO2, CH4, and H2O. The transmitter is based on an actively stabilized, continuous-wave, single-frequency external-cavity diode laser (ECDL) operating from 1.60 to 1.65 μm. The fixed frequency output of the ECDL is microwave sideband tuned using an electro-optical phase modulator driven by an arbitrary waveform generator and filtered using a confocal cavity to generate a sequence of 123 frequencies separated by 300 MHz. The scan sequence of single sideband frequencies of 600 ns duration covers a 37 GHz region at a spectral scan rate of 10 kHz (100 μs per scan). Simultaneously, an eye-safe backscatter LIDAR system at 1.064 μm is used to monitor the atmospheric boundary layer. IPDA LIDAR measurements of the CO2 and CH4 dry air mixing ratios are presented in comparison with those from a commercial cavity ring-down (CRD) instrument. Differences between the IPDA LIDAR and CRD concentrations in several cases appear to be well correlated with the atmospheric aerosol structure from the backscatter LIDAR measurements. IPDA LIDAR dry air mixing ratios of CO2 and CH4 are determined with fit uncertainties of 2.8 μmol/mol (ppm) for CO2 and 22 nmol/mol (ppb) for CH4 over 30 s measurement periods. For longer averaging times (up to 1200 s), improvements in these detection limits by up to 3-fold are estimated from Allan variance analyses. Two sources of systematic error are identified and methods to remove them are discussed, including speckle interference from wavelength decorrelation and the seed power dependence of amplified spontaneous emission. Accuracies in the dry air retrievals of CO2 and CH4 in a 30 s measurement period are estimated at 4 μmol/mol (1% of ambient levels) and 50 nmol/mol (3%), respectively.
Broadband True-Time-Delay Circularly Polarized Reflectarray With Linearly Polarized Feed

We introduce a new technique for designing low-profile circularly polarized reflectarray antennas with ultrawideband, true-time-delay responses. The proposed reflectarray uses the unit cells of ground-plane-backed, anisotropic miniaturized-element frequency selective surfaces as its spatial time-delay units (TDUs). Each TDU is composed of a stack of nonresonant rectangular-shaped capacitive patches featuring asymmetric gap spacings and separated from one another by thin dielectric substrates. The TDUs are designed to provide a reflection phase difference of 90° between the horizontal and vertical components of the incident wave over a wide bandwidth. This way, a linearly polarized incident field is converted to a circularly polarized radiated wave. A device prototype that operates at $X$ -band is designed, fabricated, and measured. Measurement results demonstrated that the reflectarray antenna provides a gain of 23.7 dB with variations less than 3 dB within the 8–12 GHz operating frequency range or equivalently 40% bandwidth. Time-domain measurement results demonstrate the suitability of this device for operation with wideband pulses. The reflectarray is also used in a multibeam antenna and it is shown that the structure provides a wide-angle scanning performance with a field of view of ±45°.
Initial characterization results of a 1024x448, 25-μm multi-frame camera with 2ns integration time for the Ultrafast X-ray Imager (UXI) program at Sandia National Laboratories

The Hippogriff camera developed at Sandia National Laboratories as part of the Ultra-Fast X-ray Imager (UXI) program is a high-speed, multi-frame, time-gated imager for use on a wide variety of High Energy Density (HED) physics experiments on both Sandia’s Z-Machine and the National Ignition Facility. The camera is a 1024 x 448 pixel array with 25 μm spatial resolution, containing 2 frames per pixel natively and has achieved 2 ns minimum integration time. It is sensitive to both optical photons as well as soft X-rays up to ~6 keV. The Hippogriff camera is the second generation UXI camera that contains circuitry to trade spatial resolution for additional frames of temporal coverage. The user can reduce the row-wise spatial resolution from the native 25 μm to increase the number of frames in a data set to 4 frames at 50 μm or 8 frames at 100 μm spatial resolution. This feature, along with both optical and X-ray sensitivity, facilitates additional experimental flexibility. Minimum signal is 1500 erms and full well is 1.5 million e-.