cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fatty acid synthetase of bovine mammary: Properties and products

Fatty acid synthetase purified (20 times) from lactating bovine mammary tissue had an approximate mot wt of 485,000. The enzyme had a high content of acidic and hydrophobic amino acid residues; 62±4 sulhydryl groups and one 4' phosphopantetheine residue/mole of enzyme. The enzyme was relatively stable when stored (3 mg/ml) in potassium phosphate buffer (250 mM), containing dithiothreitol (5 mM) at -5 C or at -30C or as a lyophilized powder at -30 C. Preincubation at 37 C in presence of dithioltreitol (5 mM) was necessary for obtaining maximum activity at the optimum pH of 6.8. Maximum specific activity of the isolated enzyme was 55 nmoles acetyl-coenzyme A min(-1)mg(-1) incorporated A min(-1)mg(-1) incorporated into fatty acids. Butyryl-coenzyme A or acetyl-coenzyme A (30μM), malonyl-coenzyme A (65 μM), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced form (300 μM) were required for optimum fatty acid synthesis. Malonyl-coenzyme A decarboxylase activity (5 nmoles min(-1)mg(-1)) associated with the enzyme permitted fatty acid synthesis in the presence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced form and malonyl-coenzyme A. The enzyme utilized acetyl-coenzyme A, butyryl-coenzyme A, and hexanoyl-coenzyme A as primers, with butyryl-coenzyme A giving the maximum rate of fatty acid synthesis. Apparent Km values of 22,6.7, 3, 22, and 20 μM were obtained for malonyl-coenzyme A, acetyl-coenzyme A, butyryl-coenzyme A, hexanoyl-coenzyme A, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced form, The fatty acid synthetase was inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide, iodoacetamide, and progressively inhibited by increasing concentrations of long chain acyl-coenzyme A, i.e. palmityl-coenzyme A and myristyl-coenzyme A. This inhibition was relieved by bovine serum albumin or β-lactoglobulin (3 mg/ml). Palmitic acid was the major product of bovine mammary fatty acid synthetase. However, small amounts of fatty acids, 4∶0-14∶0 inclusive, also were synthesized. The pattern of fatty acids was altered by varying malonyl-coenzyme A to acetyl-coenzyme A ratios and by increasing the enzyme levels in the assays. At high concentrations of enzyme (0.5 mg/ml), greater amounts of short and medium chain fatty acids were generated.
Ethanol ingestion and related hypoglycemia in a pediatric and adolescent emergency department population

Objective:To estimate the frequency of associated hypoglycemia in an ethanol-ingesting pediatric and adolescent population. Methods: The study was a retrospective review of nondiabetic pediatric and adolescent patients with measurable ethanol levels (i.e., >2 mmol/L) who had an ED serum glucose level determined. Results: Over the four-and-a-half-year study period, there were 254,234 pediatric visits. One hundred eleven had ethanol levels determined (0.044% of patients) due to suspected ingestion. Of these 111, 88 had glucose levels determined. The mean age of the 88 patients was 14 years, with a mean glucose level of 5.6 mmol/ L [101 mg/dL; interquartile range (IQR) 4.7-6.3 mmol/L] and a mean ethanol level of 30 mmol/L (IQR 15–43 mmol/L). Glucose levels were < 67 mg/dL (hypoglycemia) in three of the 88 (3.4%) ethanol-positive patients; all the hypoglycemic patients had significant behavioral changes. Conclusion: In this large retrospective series, the number of patients for whom the clinical suspicion of ethanol ingestion was confirmed was quite small. Hypoglycemia occurred in only 3.4% of these selected patients; all had altered behavior. Pediatric patients with presentations suggesting ethanol intoxication with altered behavior should be assessed for concurrent hypoglycemia.
Are SUVs supremely unsafe vehicles?: Analysis of rollovers and injuries with sport utility vehicles

With increasing speed limits and more light trucks penetrating the market, concern over their rollover risk is growing. In particular, the general public and automobile manufacturers would like to know if the increasingly popular sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are indeed safer than other vehicle platforms. The influences of various vehicle platforms on rollovers and driver injuries were investigated. Specifically, (a) the rollover intensities of SUVs vis-a-vis those of other vehicle types in single-vehicle crashes and (b) the severity of the resulting driver injury were explored. Data from a good-quality federally maintained database were used for crash analysis. The database contains a relatively clean stratified sample of police-reported tow-away crashes nationwide, and it contains detailed information about vehicle rollovers. Rollover intensity, captured by the number of quarter turns, was investigated by using weighted negative binomial models; injury severity, measured on the abbreviated injury scale, was examined by using weighted ordered logit models. New insights emerged about the factors that increase rollover intensity and injury severity. As expected, SUVs are more likely to roll over and therefore injure their occupant drivers more severely. However, SUVs also protect their drivers during collisions because of their greater crashworthiness. In fact, the SUV crashworthiness effect exceeds the rollover effect, on average. The implications of these findings are discussed.
The shortage of engineers a problem for education and industry

The present acute shortage of engineers caused by the United States' selective service policy during World War II is currently of much concern to the profession. Although it is probable that it will be at least five years before the condition is corrected, the situation can be alleviated somewhat by intelligent co-operation among the main competitors for the available supply of qualified engineers—industry, research, and education.
Relational Diagnosis and Psychotherapy Treatment Cost Effectiveness

Despite a call by researchers for estimates of the treatment effectiveness and cost effectiveness for relational problems, very little has been done to answer this call. The present study is an examination of actual treatment costs and recidivism rates for patients treated for a relational problem (either in individual or conjoint therapy sessions) in the Cigna network. Policymakers and third-party payers may use such clinical-effectiveness and cost effectiveness data to make decisions regarding treatment of relational problems and funding allocation. The present study is also the first to compare the costs of couples therapy versus family therapy for relational problems.
Space-Variant 2-D Processing Using A Sampled Input/Sampled Transfer Function Approach

Any slowly varying 2-D space-variant system can, in principle, be represented holo-graphically by spatially sampling the input plane and multiplexing the respective system transfer functions. This paper describes an alternative multiplexing technique in which one samples in the Fourier plane to produce the multiplexed holograms. Various techniques for accessing any particular set of the multiplexed transfer functions are considered. Preliminary experimental results are also presented.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Mean–range based distribution-free procedures to minimize “overage” and “underage” costs

Abstract We discuss several mean–range based distribution-free decision procedures to minimize several “overage” and “underage” cost functions. For a general cost function, we identify the most favorable distribution and the least favorable distribution associated with the random variable of interest and determine the upper and lower bounds for the cost function. For the quadratic cost function, we recommend the min–max distribution-free decision. For the linear cost function, we identify the range of potential optimal decisions and recommend a hybrid distribution-free decision that has several desirable properties. We provide several numerical examples to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed distribution-free decisions.
Reduction of the nocturnal rise in pineal melatonin levels in rats exposed to 60-Hz electric fields in utero and for 23 days after birth

Rats exposed to 60-Hz electric fields of either 10, 65, or 130 kV/m from conception to 23 days of age exhibited reduced peak nighttime pineal melatonin contents compared to unexposed controls. As a group, the exposed rats also exhibited a phase delay, estimated at approximately 1.4 hours, in the occurrence of the nocturnal melatonin peak. No clear dose-response relationship was noticed over the range of electric field strengths used as treatments in these experiments. These are the first studies concerned with the effects of electric field exposure on the pineal melatonin rhythm in immature rats. The findings are generally consistent with those obtained using adult rats, where electric field exposure has been shown to abolish the nighttime rhythm in pineal melatonin concentrations.
Surf zone currents over irregular bathymetry: Drifter observations and numerical simulations

[1] Surf zone currents over irregular bathymetry were observed with GPS-tracked drifters and modeled with the depth-integrated nonlinear shallow water equations. Trajectories of drifters released in 1–2 m depth sometimes defined rip currents and surf zone eddies, features that have been difficult to resolve with fixed instruments. The drifter-delineated surf zone circulation evolved as the tidal level changed during each 4–6 hour deployment. In one case, as the tide dropped, a shore normal rip current present for the first 2 hours evolved to a more shore parallel flow. In a second case, on a rising tide a well-developed bifurcated rip current was replaced by a weak, amorphous circulation. Rip current velocities were strongest near the surf zone edge and decayed by an order of magnitude within 2 surf zone widths from the shoreline. An eddy was observed to persist over a bathymetric depression within the surf zone for at least 1 hour. Observed and numerically simulated drifter trajectories define similar flow features, but the observed and modeled velocities differed by roughly a factor of 2, and flow evolution observed during roughly 0.5 m changes in tidal level were reproduced only if the simulated water levels varied by about 1 m. The alongshore momentum balance was spatially variable, with wave forcing balanced by pressure gradient, friction, and advective terms. The cross-shore momentum balance was everywhere dominated by wave forcing and pressure gradient terms of about equal magnitude. In the vicinity of a simulated rip current the residual of the cross-shore wave forcing and pressure gradient increased and was balanced by advection terms.
Displacement distributions in diffusion by atomic replacement : Ir atoms on Ir surfaces

Les atomes sautent suivant la direction au lieu de la direction du canal atomique a empilement compact plus doux. Les sites visites par la diffusion d'un atome adsorbe forment un filet c(2×2) du reseau du substrat. Etude comparative avec la marche aleatoire du reseau c(2×2). La diffusion intervient probablement par un mecanisme de remplacement atomique
Bone Marrow Transplants from Unrelated Donors for Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Background Chronic myeloid leukemia can be cured by marrow transplantation from an HLA-identical sibling donor. The use of transplants from unrelated donors is an option for the 70 percent of patients without an HLA-identical sibling, but the morbidity and mortality associated with such transplants have been cause for concern. We analyzed the safety and efficacy of transplants from unrelated donors for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia and identified variables that predict a favorable outcome. Methods Between May 1985 and December 1994, 196 patients with Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase received marrow transplants from unrelated donors. Results The median follow-up was 5 years (range, 1.2 to 10.1). Graft failure occurred in 5 percent of patients who could be evaluated. Acute graft-versus-host disease of grade III or IV severity was observed in 35 percent of patients who received HLA-matched transplants, and the estimated cumulative incidence of relapse at ...
Optical switches based on semiconducting vanadium dioxide films prepared by the sol-gel process

Vanadium dioxide thin films have been grown from vanadium tetrakis (t-butoxide) by the sol-gel process. A new method for the synthesis of the vanadium precursor was also developed. Films were deposited by dipcoating glass slides from an isopropanol solution, followed by postdeposition annealing of the films at 600°C under nitrogen. The properties of these films, to a high degree, were a function of crystalline boundaries and crystalline grain size. These gel-derived V02 films undergo a reversible semiconductor-to-metal phase transition near 72°C, exhibiting characteristic resistive and spectral switching comparable with near stoichiometric V02 films prepared on non- crystalline substrates by other techniques. Paralleling the investigation of pure V02, films were doped with hexavalent transition metal oxides to demonstrate lowering of the transition of the transition temperature.
A Local Currency in a Dollarized Economy

The paper uses a dual-currency search theoretic approach to demonstrate that it is possible to induce the acceptance of a local currency in a dollarized economy. In the model, we assume that a foreign currency is in full circulation and the government policy tool is the convertibility of the local currency to the foreign currency. We show that the economy can achieve equilibria where two monies are in circulation if the government can raise a sufficiently high probability of exchange between the two currencies.
Boundary Layer and Microphysical Influences of Natural Cloud Seeding on a Lake-Effect Snowstorm

Abstract The first detailed observations of the interaction of a synoptic cyclone with a lake-effect convective boundary layer (CBL) were obtained on 5 December 1997 during the Lake-Induced Convection Experiment. Lake-effect precipitation and CBL growth rates were enhanced by natural seeding by snow from higher-level clouds and the modified thermodynamic structure of the air over Lake Michigan due to the cyclone. In situ aircraft observations, project and operational rawinsondes, airborne radar, and operational Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler data were utilized to document the CBL and precipitation structure for comparison with past nonenhanced lake-effect events. Despite modest surface heat fluxes of 100–200 W m−2, cross-lake CBL growth was greatly accelerated as the convection merged with an overlying reduced-stability layer. Over midlake areas, CBL growth rates averaged more than twice those previously reported for lake-effect and oceanic cold-air outbreak situations. Regions of the lake-effect...
Partial racemization of amino acids in meteorites: implications for their possible modes of origin

The structural proteins of all living organisms consist of twenty amino acids, nineteen of which have asymmetric centers. In living organisms these amino acids occur almost exclusively in the L-configuration. Protein amino acids synthesized by non-biological processes in the laboratory have resulted exclusively in racemic mixtures. Unfortunately, most amino acids that have been extracted from meteorites are partially racemic, thus complicating an assessment of their modes of origin. Alternative pathways for the occurrence of partially racemized amino acids in biotic and abiotic materials are discussed in an attempt to clarify the significance of their occurrence in meteorites, in particular with respect to the origin of life in the solar system.
Speculation techniques for improving load related instruction scheduling

State of the art microprocessors achieve high performance by executing multiple instructions per cycle. In an out-of-order engine, the instruction scheduler is responsible for dispatching instructions to execution units based on dependencies, latencies, and resource availability. Most existing instruction schedulers are doing a less than optimal job of scheduling memory accesses and instructions dependent on them, for the following reasons:• Memory dependencies cannot be resolved prior to execution, so loads are not advanced ahead of preceding stores.• The dynamic latencies of load instructions are unknown, so scheduling dependent instructions is based on either optimistic load-use delay (may cause re-scheduling and re-execution) or pessimistic delay (creating unnecessary delays).• Memory pipelines are more expensive than other execution units, and as such, are a scarce resource. Currently, an increase in the memory execution bandwidth is usually achieved through multi-banked caches where bank conflicts limit efficiency.In this paper we present three techniques to address these scheduler limitations. One is to improve the scheduling of load instructions by using a simple memory disambiguation mechanism. The second is to improve the scheduling of load dependent instructions by employing a Data Cache Hit-Miss Predictor to predict the dynamic load latencies. And the third is to improve the efficiency of load scheduling in a multi-banked cache through Cache-Bank Prediction.
A new perspective on anisotropy and multiple energy gaps in superconductors

Abstract New perspective on superconducting anisotropy and multiple energy gaps: direct experimental evidence shows that widely accepted anisotropy and multiple energy gap interpretations of tunneling data are consistent with a voltage divider model and may not relate to intrinsic superconducting properties. The model also accounts for other common data anomalies.
Reasoning about networks with many identical finite-state processes

Abstract : If we consider a distributed mutual exclusion algorithm for processes arranged in a ring network in which mutual exclusion is guaranteed by means of a token that is passed around the ring. A first attempt might be to consider a reduced system with with one or two processes. If the reduced system can be shown to be correct and of the individual processes are really identical, then we are tempted to conclude that the entire system will be correct. This type of informal argument is used quite frequently by designers in constructing systems that contain large numbers of identical processing elements. It is easy to contrive an example in which some pathological behavior only occurs when, say, 100 processes are connected together. By examining a system with only one or two processes it might be quite difficult to determine that this behavior is possible. One has the feeling that in many cases this kind of intuitive reasoning does lead to correct results. The question addressed is whether it is possible to provide a solid theoretical basis that will prevent fallacious conclusions in arguments of this type. Besides providing a firm basis for a common type of informal reasoning, our results are crucial for the success of automatic verification methods that involve temporal logic model checking. These techniques check that a finite-state concurrent system satisfies a temporal logic formula by searching all possible paths in the global state graph determined by the concurrent system. They have been used successfully to find subtle errors in tricky self-timed circuits--errors apparently unknown to the circuit designers. By using these results, model checking may become feasible for networks with large numbers of identical processes.
Accelerated characterization of creep response of an off-axis composite material

Abstract The accelerated characterization of the creep response of a unidirectional off-axis composite has been investigated. The composite used in this study was SMC-C50, a sheet molding compound containing 50% by weight of continuous glass fiber in a polyester resin. The fiber orientation studied was 15° with respect to the applied load axis. Short-time creep tests were performed at various stress levels at elevated temperatures. The creep data were modeled using the Findley eqution coupled with the fine-temperature-stress superposition principle. This modeling process is to determine the vertical and horizontal shift factors that are used to generate the master curve for long-time creep response. Two master curves were constructed for a reference condition of 23°C and 10·8 MPa. The proposed accelerated characterization procedure produced the smooth master curves of creep responses of 57 days and 400 days from several short-term (180 min) experimental creep data.
Measuring cognitive distortion in antisocial youth: Development and preliminary validation of the 'How I Think' questionnaire

The present study describes the development and preliminary validation of the 'How I Think' questionnaire (HIT), a new measure of self-serving cognitive distortion. The HIT is based upon Gibbs and Potter's [Gibbs, 1993; Gibbs et al., 1995] four-category typology of cognitive distortion: Self-Centered, Blaming Others, Minimizing/Mislabeling, and Assuming the Worst. The preliminary HIT exhibited high test-retest and internal consistency reliability, and generally good construct validity. Correlations between the HIT and self-reported antisocial or externalizing behavior remained significant after controlling for internalizing disorders [Achenbach, 1991]. The four typological categories performed comparably well. The HIT was partially successful in discriminating criterion groups. The findings are discussed in terms of theory, research, and application.
Intraventricular injection of neuropeptide Y antisera curbs weight gain and feeding, and increases the display of sexual behaviors in obese Zucker female rats

Obese Zucker rats are hyperphagic, overweight, and infertile. It has been postulated that neuropeptide Y (NPY) overproduction may contribute to obesity and infertility in these animals. To test this hypothesis, ovariectomized, adult obese Zucker rats were implanted with cannulae in the third ventricle and subsequently injected with NPY antisera or normal rabbit sera (NRS) 6, 4 and 2 h before experimental observation. Steroid-treated females injected with NPY antisera were significantly more receptive and were more likely to show proceptive behaviors than after treatment with NRS (e.g., lordosis quotient: NPY antisera, 65.5+/-6.9%; NRS, 30.9+/-11.6%, P 0.5) suggesting that general malaise was not responsible for the effects of NPY antisera on food intake or body weight. These data suggest that endogenous neuropeptide Y contributes to excessive feeding and weight gain, and suppressed reproductive behaviors in obese Zucker female rats.
The role of case management within a community support system: partnership with psychosocial rehabilitation.

The Strengths model of team case management was assessed relative to an existing high quality psychosocial rehabilitation program that informally provided many services typical of case management (e.g., service linkage, monitoring, and consumer advocacy). The experimental evaluation triangulated consumer and family member responses with mental health professional reports and consumer records of hospitalization and crisis center contacts. An analysis of data from these four sources revealed that one year after full program implementation, consumers who received case management in conjunction with psychosocial rehabilitation functioned at a higher level of competency and experienced significantly lower psychiatric symptomatology than consumers who received only psychosocial rehabilitation. Implications for the successful integration of case management into an existing community support program are discussed.
Large planetary nebulae and their significance to the late stages of stellar evolution

Spectrophotometry of 75 large PNe with Shklovsky radii greater than 0.15 pc is presented and used to calculate nebular parameters and compositions, stellar Zanstra temperatures and luminosities, and core masses. Nine new Peimbert type I nebulae are identified. About 40 percent of the stars that are on cooling tracks are above 0.7 solar mass, and over 15 percent are above 0.8 solar mass. The large planetaries demonstrate a clear positive correlation between nitrogen enrichment and core mass. N/O is anticorrelated with O/H. The radii of the nebulae whose stars lie along specific cooling tracks increase monotonically with decreasing central star temperature. For a given central temperature, the nebular radii also increase with increasing core mass, showing that in this part of the log L-log T plane the higher mass cores evolve more slowly in agreement with theoretical prediction. However, theoretical evolutionary rates for the large nebulae stars appear to be much too slow.
MU TRANSPOSITIONAL RECOMBINATION : DONOR DNA CLEAVAGE AND STRAND TRANSFER IN TRANS BY THE MU TRANSPOSASE

Central to the Mu transpositional recombination are the two chemical steps; donor DNA cleavage and strand transfer. These reactions occur within the Mu transpososome that contains two Mu DNA end segments bound to a tetramer of MuA, the transposase. To investigate which MuA monomer catalyzes which chemical reaction, we made transpososomes containing wild-type and active site mutant MuA. By pre-loading the MuA variants onto Mu end DNA fragments of different length prior to transpososome assembly, we could track the catalysis by MuA bound to each Mu end segment. The donor DNA end that underwent the chemical reaction was identified. Both the donor DNA cleavage and strand transfer were catalyzed in trans by the MuA monomers bound to the partner Mu end. This arrangement explains why the transpososome assembly is a prerequisite for the chemical steps.
Peroxynitrite oxidation of tubulin sulfhydryls inhibits microtubule polymerization.

Considerable evidence both in vitro and in vivo implicates protein damage by peroxynitrite as a probable mechanism of cell death. Herein, we report that treatment of bovine brain microtubule protein, composed of tubulin and microtubule-associated proteins, with peroxynitrite led to a dose-dependent inhibition of microtubule polymerization. The extent of cysteine oxidation induced by peroxynitrite correlated well with inhibition of microtubule polymerization. Disulfide bonds between the subunits of the tubulin heterodimer were detected by Western blot as a result of peroxynitrite-induced cysteine oxidation. Addition of disulfide reducing agents including dithiothreitol and β-mercaptoethanol restored a significant portion of the polymerization activity that was lost following peroxynitrite addition. Thus, peroxynitrite-induced disulfide bonds are at least partially responsible for the observed inhibition of polymerization. Sodium bicarbonate protected microtubule protein from the peroxynitrite-induced inhibition of polymerization. Tyrosine nitration of microtubule protein by 1 mM peroxynitrite increased approximately twofold when sodium bicarbonate was present whereas the extent of cysteine oxidation decreased from 7.5 to 6.3 mol cysteine/mol tubulin. These results indicate that cysteine oxidation of tubulin by peroxynitrite, rather than tyrosine nitration, is the primary mechanism of inhibition of microtubule polymerization.
Regulation of tyrosinase mRNA levels in mouse melanoma cell clones by melanocyte-stimulating hormone and cyclic AMP.

Mouse melanoma cells in culture respond to melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) by demonstrating increased activity of tyrosinase, the rate-limiting enzyme for melanin synthesis. Because this stimulation is strictly dependent upon continued transcription and translation, we have carried out studies to determine if MSH increases the level of tyrosinase mRNA. The abundance of tyrosinase message levels in melanoma cells treated with either MSH or dibutyryl cAMP was determined by Northern blot analysis utilizing a 946 base pair mouse tyrosinase cDNA probe. The tyrosinase cDNA was isolated from a λgt11 expression library generated from mRNA isolated from theopylline-induced Cloudman melanoma cells. The abundance of tyrosinase mRNA was determined in an amelanotic cell clone (AM-7AS) and a melanotic cell clone (MEL-11AS). The melanotic cell line had five times as much tyrosinase activity and almost 10 times more tyrosinase mRNA than the amelanotic line. Tyrosinase activity and mRNA increased in both cell lines after MSH addition. The amelanotic line treated with MSH for three days showed a fivefold increase in tyrosinase activity and a twofold increase in tyrosinase mRNA. The melanotic cell line treated with MSH for three days showed a 3.7-fold increase in enzyme activity and an eightfold increase in the abundance of tyrosinase mRNA. Dibutyryl cAMP also stimulated tyrosinase activity and the accumulation of tyrosinase mRNA. The data suggest that MSH, acting through cAMP, promotes an accumulation of tyrosinase mRNA.
Diaries, dicks, and desire: how the leaky traveler troubles dominant discourse in the eroticized Caribbean

This article employs ‘unconventional linguistic self-designation’ in an attempt to move beyond the abstract signifying logics commonly used to theorize First-World/Third-World sex tourism in a language of knowledge, power, and resistance. I look specifically at the sexual liaisons between Western tourists, including myself, and men from the Dominican Republic. In my efforts to move away from representational logics, I mobilize an apparatus utilizing feminist and queer affect theory, notions of embodiment, and a phenomenological language of ‘orientation’. I analyze the journal accounts of my own erotic encounters with Dominican men to stimulate a certain type of layered thinking capable of accessing affective dispositions and challenging the notion of an oriented, stable, composed subject. Neither tourist nor local Dominican men fit this unitary description. Instead, I rely on metaphors of disorientation, rupture, and leakage to arrive at indeterminate, fleeting, fugitive experiences, defying common touris...
Overview of a roundtable on NHANES monitoring of biomarkers of folate and vitamin B-12 status: measurement procedure issues

A roundtable dialogue to discuss “NHANES Monitoring of Biomarkers of Folate and Vitamin B-12 Status” took place in July 2010. This article provides an overview of the meeting and this supplement issue. Although the focus of the roundtable dialogue was on the measurement of folate and vitamin B-12 status biomarkers in NHANES, this article also describes the relevance and importance of these issues for clinical and research laboratories. The roundtable identified the microbiological assay (MA) as the gold standard for measurement of serum and red blood cell folate concentrations. The roundtable noted that differences in results between the Bio-Rad Quantaphase II procedure (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA) that NHANES 1991–1994 and 1999–2006 used and the MA that NHANES 2007–2010 used will require adjustment equations to evaluate time trends. The roundtable found that the close agreement between the serum results for the MA and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) procedures supported the conversion to LC-MS/MS for serum folate in future NHANES. The roundtable recognized the uncertainty about whether subclinical vitamin B-12 deficiency is a public health concern but encouraged reinstatement of at least one circulating vitamin B-12 measure and one functional vitamin B-12 status measure in future NHANES. The use of serum vitamin B-12 and plasma methylmalonic acid would provide continuity with past NHANES. The roundtable supported the continued use of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reference materials in NHANES biomarker analyses and the further development of additional reference materials by the NIST.
Egg Shell Color and Egg Production in New Hampshire Laying Hens as Affected by Nicarbazin Medication

ABSTRACT NICARBAZIN effectively controls experimentally induced coccidiosis in chickens. Barber (1955) reported that levels of 0.02, 0.0125, and 0.0075 percent in mash gave protection against both Eimeria tenetta and E. acervulina. The regimen was not accompanied by toxicity or interference with development of immunity. Ott et al. (1955) reported that this drug, when incorporated in the feed of growing chicks at levels of 0.01 and 0.02 percent, did not interfere with normal growth or feed utilization. Likewise, these authors stated that it did not interfere with sexual maturity, egg production, or egg fertility. However, the feeding of the drug to New Hampshire laying hens was reported by these authors to be associated with a change in the color of the egg shells from brown to white and with reduced hatchability. McClary (1955) observed that nicarbazin at 0.0125 percent in the diet of White Rock hens was responsible for changing the color . . .
Lanthanum and Procion yellow as extracellular markers in the crystalline lens of the rat

Abstract When rat lenses are incubated in La(NO3)3 or Procion yellow containing salt solutions at 37°C, the markers enter the lens extracellular space as determined by electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy respectively. Nearly continuous tracks of either marker can be found between each epithelial cell whether the incubations are done by totally immersing the lenses in solution in a single chamber or by isolating the anterior and posterior lens surfaces so that only a small portion of the anterior surface contacts the marker containing solution. Counting of specialized junctions associated with lens epithelial cells in thin sections, shows that less than 20% of these cells have junctions associated with their lateral borders, either near the anterior pole of the lens or near the equator. Junctions between epithelial cells and lens fibers occur more frequently near the equator than anteriorly. It is concluded that the extracellular space between rat lens epithelial cells is not sealed off by zonulae occludentes and that morphologic markers are free to move in the channels between these cells. It is further suggested that the well known physiologic barrier at the anterior side of the lens is not associated directly with the lens epithelium. Procion yellow does not enter the nuclear extracellular space even after eight hours of incubation although it is ubiquitously distributed throughout the cortical extracellular space.
The geometrical construction of pointwise distributions on curves

A method is developed to generate desirable pointwise distributions along curves. This is accomplished with a simple geometrical construction which provides a global parameter for curvature clustering together with other parameters for arbitrary local clustering specifications. The level of available precision is considerable in that exact numbers of points can be assigned to both local clusters and to curvature simultaneously with specified spacing from the endpoints. The basic construction simply involves the generation of an auxiliary curve along outward normal directions from the given one. The distribution results when uniform arc-length increments are taken along the auxiliary curve and are projected back along the normals to our given curve. This construction can be applied either directly or in the form of equivalent weight functions. Moreover, it is valid regardless of whether the curve lies in Euclidian space or in surfaces and regardless of the dimensionality of the space in which the curve lies.
Formanilide inhibition of rat brain monoamine oxidase.

1. Forty-two formanilides were examined for their potency as in vitro inhibitors of rat brain monoamine oxidase (MAO). Structure-activity relationship data obtained with tryptamine as substrate indicated that for maximum MAO inhibitory activity formanilides should be substituted in ring positions 2 and 5, 2 and 4, or 2, 4, and 5. 2. The most potent formanilides tested were substituted with halogen in ring positions 2 and 5 and 2, 4, and 5. 3. Other strong di-substituted formanilide MAO inhibitors contained halogen in ring positions 2 and 4 or methyl in ring position 2 and chlorine in ring position 4 or 5. 4. The other strong tri-substituted formanilide MAO inhibitor contained methoxy at ring positions 2 and 4 and chlorine in ring position 5. 5. Structure-activity relationship data with dopamine and serotonin as substrates generally were similar qualitatively to those with tryptamine. 6. However, with β-phenylethylamine as substrate, maximum inhibitory potency of formanilides was associated with chlorine in ring position 3 and chlorine or methyl in ring position 2 or 4. 7. Generally serotonin was the most sensitive substrate to inhibition by formanilides followed in sequences by dopamine, tryptamine and β-phenylethylamine. 8. Thus, formanilides generally were more potent inhibitors of MAO-A (serotonin oxidation) than of MAO-B (β-phenylethylamine oxidation), and the selectivity differential was especially marked in some cases. For example, 5-chloro-2,4-dimethoxyformanilide was greater than 7079 times more potent against rat brain MAO when assayed with serotonin (pI50 5.85) than with β-phenylethylamine (pI50 < 2.00); four other formanilides yielded selectivity differentials ranging from 100- to 631-fold.
Signal intensity and reinforcement effects on reaction time in brain-damaged and familial retardates.

The effects of attentional and motivational variables on reaction time in brain-damaged and familial retardates were investigated. Reaction time was functionally related to 2 intensities of an auditory reaction signal under conditions of contingent, noncontingent, or no reinforcement over 5 30-trial sessions for both etiologic groups. While no significant differences between brain-damaged and familial Ss were found, reaction time decreased as signal intensity increased and decreased over sessions as a function of contingent reinforcement. Likewise, differences in reaction times to each signal intensity became smaller over sessions as a function of contingent reinforcement. Results were discussed in relation to previous research and in relation to the relative effect of attentional and motivational factors in the reaction-time performance of the retarded.
Fluorescence in situ hybridization for distinguishing cellular blue nevi from blue nevus-like melanoma

Background: Blue nevus-like melanomas are melanomas that arise in association with blue nevi or closely simulate the histopathologic appearance of a blue nevus, usually a cellular blue nevus (CBN). Although the majority of CBN can be readily distinguished from blue nevus-like melanoma by conventional microscopy, there are a subset of cases where this distinction may be exceedingly difficult or impossible. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the ability of a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay targeting 6p25 (RREB1), 6q23 (MYB), 11q13 (CCND1) and the centromere of chromosome 6 (Cep6) to distinguish between CBN and blue nevus-like melanoma. We identified five cases of blue nevus-like melanoma and 12 cases of CBN. Results: The FISH assay was performed with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Three of five cases met the 6p25/Cep6 criteria, all five met the 6p25 gain criteria and three of five met the 6q23/Cep6 loss criteria. None of the cases met criteria for gains in 11q13. None of the 12 CBN met any criteria for melanoma. Conclusions: A combined analysis of clinical aspects, histopathologic changes and FISH analysis could potentially contribute significantly to the ability of pathologists to discriminate between blue nevus-like melanoma and blue nevi in challenging cases. Gammon B, Beilfuss B, Guitart J, Busam KJ, Gerami P. Fluorescence in situ hybridization for distinguishing cellular blue nevi from blue nevus-like melanoma.
The molecular and biochemical basis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD, BMD) have both been clinically recognized for over 100 years, yet throughout much of that time nothing beyond clinical evaluation and supportive care during the disease course was available to patients. The identification of the molecular basis of DMD/BMD in 1986 paved the way for extensive progress toward the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
Toward a theory of apractic syndromes

Abstract Theoretical development on human motor behavior has occurred largely independently of data on pathological movement disorders. This paper represents an initial attempt to interface findings from studies of apraxia and those of normal motor behavior with a view to formulating a common theoretical framework. Such an integration may ultimately aid in understanding the nature of skill acquisition and provide insights into the organization of motor systems. Three putative theoretical models of movement control are discussed with reference to apractic syndromes. The most commonly accepted view—the hierarchy—possesses properties such as linear transitivity and unidirectionality of information flow that render it inadequate in explaining functional plasticity in the central nervous system. The heterarchy, which incorporates reciprocity of function and circular transitivity, is a more likely candidate but suffers from an inability to regulate the degrees of freedom of the system. Our favored candidate is the coalition model which embodies heterarchical principles, but in addition, offers a solution to the problems of degrees of freedom and context for motor systems. Evidence is reviewed from apraxia of speech and limbs in terms of a coalitional style of control and an experimental approach, consonant with coalitional organization, is developed. We promote the claim that an understanding of apractic behavior—and perhaps motor systems in general—will benefit when clinicians and experimenters embrace a theory of context and constraints rather than a theory of commands as is currently in vogue.
Early embryonic death of glutamate carboxypeptidase II (NAALADase) homozygous mutants.

Glutamate carboxypeptidase II (EC 3.4.17.21) catalyzes the hydrolysis (Km = 0.2 microM) of the neuropeptide N-acetylaspartylglutamate to yield N-acetylaspartate and glutamate and also serves as a high-affinity folate hydrolase in the gut, cleaving the polyglutamate chain to permit the absorption of folate. N-acetylaspartylglutamate is an agonist at the mGluR3 metabotropic receptor and a source of extracellular glutamate through hydrolysis by glutamate carboxypeptidase II. Given the important role of glutamate in brain development and function, we were interested in the effects of a null mutation of glutamate carboxypeptidase II that would potentiate the effects of N-acetylaspartylglutamate. The PGK-Neomycin cassette was inserted to delete exons 9 and 10, which we previously demonstrated encode for the zinc ligand domain essential for enzyme activity. Successful germline transmission was obtained from chimeras derived from embryonic stem cells with the targeted mutation of glutamate carboxypeptidase II. Homozygous null mutants did not survive beyond embryonic day 8. Folate supplementation of the heterozygous mothers did not rescue the homozygous embryos. Mice heterozygous for the null mutation appeared grossly normal and expressed both mutated and wild-type mRNA but the activity of glutamate carboxypeptidase II is comparable to the wild-type mice. The results indicate that the expression of glutamate carboxypeptidase II is upregulated when one allele is inactivated and that its activity is essential for early embryogenesis.
Information System Conversion Strategies: A Unified View

Information system conversion has been with us since users of punched-card tabulating systems first moved to vacuum-tube computers. However, it has generally been seen as an afterthought: once the â€œinterestingâ€ development stages of analysis, design and so on are done, it will just happen. This article attempts to view the process holistically, from both the technical and human viewpoints, reflecting the fact that information systems have both technical and human components. It shows how ignoring one side or the other can lead to problems, which can be avoided if all aspects are considered together. It proposes a systematic approach to considering these issues and points out benefits to both researchers and practitioners from using it.
5‐HT1A receptor localization on the axon hillock of cervical spinal motoneurons in primates

Serotonin (5-HT) has direct and specific effects on the activity of spinal cord motoneurons. The 5-HT1A receptor has been shown to mediate motoneuron responses in spinal reflex pathways using the highly selective 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT. We have developed an antipeptide antibody that recognizes a specific region (the second external loop) of the 5-HT1A receptor. This 5-HT1A receptor antibody labels populations of neurons and glia in the primate cervical spinal cord. The highest receptor density is present in the superficial lamina of the dorsal horn, around the central canal, and on the axon hillock of large ventral horn motoneurons. The cellular labeling pattern on motoneurons shows a single, densely stained, tapering process emanating from the perikaryon. A more diffuse label is also present throughout the soma. Dendritic labeling was not apparent. These results suggest that post-synaptic 5-HT1A receptors may be involved in modulating spinal motoneuron activity at the key site of action potential initiation, the axon hillock.
Ultra high frequency polynomial and sine artificial higher order neural networks for control signal generator

New open box and nonlinear model of Ultra High Frequency Polynomial and Sine Artificial Higher Order Neural Network (UPS-HONN) is presented in this paper. A new learning algorithm for UPS-HONN is also developed from this study. A control signal generating system, UPS-HONN Simulator, is built based on the UPS-HONN models. Test results show that, to generate any nonlinear control signal, average error of UPS-HONN models is under 1e-6.
Enantioselective palladium-catalyzed addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to an allene derivative.

Enhancing atom economy of the metal-catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation (AAA) shifts from the usual nucleophilic displacement of a leaving group to an addition of a pronucleophile to a double bond. Using 1-alkoxyallenes as proelectrophiles, the palladium-catalyzed AAA proceeds with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds as pronucleophiles with excellent regioselectivity and enantiomeric excess under optimized conditions. The pH of the medium proved crucial for reactivity/ selectivity. By using the more acidic Meldrum's acids, the reactions required a co-catalytic amount of Bronsted acid. such as trifluoroacetic acid. Single regioisomeric products of 82-99% ee were obtained. On the other hand, the less acidic 1,3-diketones failed to react under such conditions. The fact that a less acidic acid like benzoic acid sufficed, suggested the need for general base catalysis as well. Thus, a mixture of triethylamine and benzoic acid proved optimal (ee's 93-99). Employment of the (/?,/?)-phenyl Trost ligand gave a product with S configuration. A model to rationalize the results has been developed.