cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of in vivo methods for rapid reduction of “stage-fright” in the college classroom: A field experiment

Forty-seven speech-anxious college students in introductory speech courses were treated for performance anxiety by participating in one of four conditions: (1) talking and giving speeches in situations that gradually increased in difficulty (successive approximation); (2) performing repeatedly at a difficult speech task ( in vivo flooding); (3) performing repeatedly in a situation calculated to be more difficult than the eventual test situation (implosive practice); and (4) group discussion regarding their anxiety over giving speeches (attention placebo). In three of the four conditions, i.e., successive approximation, implosive practice and attention placebo, half of the subjects were graded by their instructors on their preand post-test speeches. Subjects in all three treatment conditions improved significantly more than those in the placebo condition on both behavioral and self-report measures. In vivo flooding was shown to be significantly more effective than successive approximation and implosive practice on the behavioral measure. Non-graded subjects indicated significantly more change than graded subjects on the self-report measure. Implications for various desensitization procedures and for treatment of speech anxiety are discussed.
Glaucoma Secondary to Benign Adrenal Adenoma

Cushing, in 1932, demonstrated that the signs and symptoms previously considered to be due to hyperactivity of the adrenal cortex could result from a basophilic adenoma of the pituitary body. It has since been established that the clinical manifestations of this disease are due to a secondary hypercortisolism re­ sulting from excess ACTH production. Currently, the term "Cushing's syndrome" is used to describe the signs and symptoms of endogenous hypercortisolism whether caused by an adrenal adenoma, an adrenal carcinoma, or the ectopic ACTH syndrome^ while the term "Cushing's disease" is applied to hyper­ cortisolism secondary to hasnpViilir adejjpma of the pnify gland. Although references to the retinal and vas­ cular changes in Cushing's syndrome are fre­ quent, the effects of this disorder on the ocu­ lar pressure have received scant attention. The earliest reference to elevation of the ocular pressure in a case of Cushing's syndrome ap­ peared in 1937. In 1968, Neuner and Dardenne reported seven of 29 patients with Cushing's syndrome whose ocular pressure rose above 23 mm Hg. Three patients showed visual field defects. The purpose of this paper is to report a classical case of Cushing's syndrome secon­ dary to a benign adrenal adenoma, which af­ forded an unusual opportunity to evaluate the mechanism of the markedly elevated ocu­ lar prggsjire.
Language Boundaries in South America

A glance at a map of language distribution reveals a series of linguistic boundaries which forms a line running across the top of the southern cone of South America from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Maritime Cordilleras of the Andes in the west. In the east this line separates Spanish from Portuguese-speaking territory. In the west it defines the southern limits of Quechua, the largest of the American Indian language communities. And in the center of the continent it involves Guarani which has attained a degree of national importance unmatched by any other native American language. The diversity of languages and linguistic landscapes along this line, as well as the nature of the boundaries which separate them, are of interest both to linguists and geographers as well as to scholars concerned with the broader interdisciplinary field of borderland studies.
On-Line Compressor Washing Practices and Benefits

Compressor washing is a common gas turbine maintenance task. This paper presents results from field surveys of gas turbine users, manufacturers, and washing agent suppliers. These surveys were conducted to assess current washing practices and needs for various user applications. Plans for field testing to evaluate performance and effectiveness of on-line washing are also presented.Copyright © 1989 by ASME
Transformation of the gene for hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase.

Purified DNA from wild-type Chinese ovary (CHO) cells has been used to transform three hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) deficient murine cell mutants to the enzyme positive state. Transformants appeared at an overall frequency of 5×10−8 colonies/treated cell and expressed CHO HPRT activity as determined by electrophoresis. One gene recipient, B21, was a newly isolated mutant of LMTK− deficient in both HPRT and thymidine kinase (TK) activities. Transformation of B21 to HPRT+ occurred at 1/5 the frequency of transformation to TK+; the latter was, in turn, an order of magnitude lower than that found in the parental LMTK− cells, 3×10−6. Thus both clonal and marker-specific factors play a role in determining transformability. The specific activity of HPRT in transformant extracts ranged from 0.5 to 5 times the CHO level. The rate of loss of the transformant HPRT+ phenotype, as measured by fluctuation analysis, was 10−4/cell/generation. While this value indicates stability compared to many gene transferents, it is much greater than the spontaneous mutation rate at the indigenous locus. The ability to transfer the gene for HPRT into cultured mammalian cells may prove useful for mutational and genetic mapping studies in this well-studied system.
Identification of a novel mitochondrial complex containing mitofusin 2 and stomatin-like protein 2.

A reverse genetics approach was utilized to discover new proteins that interact with the mitochondrial fusion mediator mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) and that may participate in mitochondrial fusion. In particular, in vivo formaldehyde cross-linking of whole HeLa cells and immunoprecipitation with purified Mfn2 antibodies of SDS cell lysates were used to detect an ~42-kDa protein. This protein was identified by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry as stomatin-like protein 2 (Stoml2), previously described as a peripheral plasma membrane protein of unknown function associated with the cytoskeleton of erythrocytes (Wang, Y., and Morrow, J. S. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 8062–8071). Immunoblot analysis with anti-Stoml2 antibodies showed that Stoml2 could be immunoprecipitated specifically with Mfn2 antibody either from formaldehyde-cross-linked and SDS-lysed cells or from cells lysed with digitonin. Subsequent immunocytochemistry and cell fractionation experiments fully supported the conclusion that Stoml2 is indeed a mitochondrial protein. Furthermore, demonstration of mitochondrial membrane potential-dependent import of Stoml2 accompanied by proteolytic processing, together with the results of sublocalization experiments, suggested that Stoml2 is associated with the inner mitochondrial membrane and faces the intermembrane space. Notably, formaldehyde cross-linking revealed a "ladder" of high molecular weight protein species, indicating the presence of high molecular weight Stoml2-Mfn2 hetero-oligomers. Knockdown of Stoml2 by the short interfering RNA approach showed a reduction of the mitochondrial membrane potential, without, however, any obvious changes in mitochondrial morphology.
Spontaneous symmetry breaking and the formation of columnar structures in the primary visual cortex

We presents a simple model in which the formation of ocular dominance columns in striate cortex emerges spontaneously. The model generalizes Kohonen's original self-organizing model while incorporating a continuous variable corresponding to ocularity. We demonstrates in this model that the column formation is a sort of phase transition due to (local) spontaneous breaking of left-right ocular symmetry in the distribution of nerve cells in the cortex observed at early stage. In particular, he derives an exactly (locally) periodic columnar structure with the hyper column width given by ∼4√3σ where σ is the lateral correlation length of the model. This result does not depend on the details of the generalization of Kohonen's model. Generalization to formations of another columnar structure is straightforward.
1152 INTRAVENTRICULAR HEMORRHAGE IN PREMATURES: NEUROBEHAVIORAL FINDINGS AND NATURAL HISTORY

1152 INTRAVENTRICULAR HEMORRHAGE IN PREMATURES: NEUROBEHAVIORAL FINDINGS AND NATURAL HISTORY
Paradoxical vocal fold motion in children and adolescents.

Paradoxical vocal fold motion (PVFM) is a complex adductory disorder of the vocal folds that frequently is mistaken for asthma. PVFM typically requires behavioral intervention by a trained speech-l...
The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems

A US Navy carrier strike group (CSG) is an important element of US policy projection through military assets. The CSG is a system of systems (SoS) representing both an organisation of people and a collection of ships, aircraft, and support equipment designed to support US global interests. The CSG is a metasystem composed of a number of separate subsystems (vessels, air wing, and staffs), and it fits the classic definition of a SoS proposed by Maier (1999). Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) subsystems in a carrier strike group (CSG) are a SoS supporting the larger CSG. This paper will introduce the reader to the US Navy CSG. It will include a summary of components in the CSG SoS, the SoS's mission, a description of the component systems, how the SoS is organised, and how the metasystem is purposefully directed by its command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) subsystems. The paper serves as an introduction to this issue's following papers that will use emerging system of systems engineering (SoSE) principles and methods to provide a more holistic frame of reference for understanding CSG C4ISR as a SoS.
Odour thresholds of some organic compounds associated with food flavours

A simple technique for measurement of olfactory thresholds of odorous materials is described. Sensitivity and reproducibility of the method was good, but many precautions must be taken to insure reliability of results. Olfactory thresholds for a number of pure compounds, several of which were identified in potatoes, are presented. In general, sulphur compounds and short-chain unsaturated aldehydes gave the lowest and highest thresholds, respectively. The thresholds of a homologous series of saturated aliphatic aldehydes decreased progressively with increase in chain length from C5 to C10. Similar results were obtained with a series of unsaturated aldehydes. Thresholds of some of the more potent compounds were less than 0.1 of a part per 109 parts of water.
Upper Extremity Arterial Bypass Distal to the Wrist

Abstract Seventeen arterial bypass procedures distal to the wrist have been performed in 13 men and two women at the Oregon Health Sciences University during the past 9 years. Ten patients had traumatic true or false aneurysms of the ulnar artery with digital embolization. Five patients with end-stage renal disease had severe hand and finger ischemia manifested by rest pain or digital ulceration resulting from widespread forearm and hand arterial occlusions. Patients with aneurysms of the ulnar artery underwent excision and reversed autogenous vein grafting ( n = 11) from the distal ulnar artery in the forearm to the superficial palmar arch. All the patients with end-stage renal disease had severe occlusive disease of the forearm and hand arteries and underwent a variety of procedures including radial-radial bypass ( n = 2), ulnar-ulnar bypass ( n = 2), radial-radial bypass with takedown of a Brescia-Cimino fistula ( n = 1), and brachial-radial bypass ( n = 1). High-quality upper extremity and magnification hand arteriography was essential for operative planning and was available on all patients. Distal saphenous vein from the ankle or foot was the graft source in 16 procedures and basilic vein the source in one procedure. All operations were performed with headlight illumination, optical loupes, fine sutures, and microvascular instruments. There were no operative deaths or major complications. The mean follow-up period was 14 months. Of the 17 grafts, 16 remained patent by clinical and vascular lab criteria. The single occlusion occurred in an ulnar aneurysm bypass and was accompanied only by mild intolerance to cold. All lesions in patients with digital ischemic ulcerations healed, and all patients experienced relief of rest pain. Three patients with patent grafts have residual symptoms of Raynaud's disease in the ipsilateral hand but are otherwise free of symptoms. Two patients died of end-stage renal disease at 7 and 19 months after operation. Both had patent grafts and well-perfused hands. On the basis of this experience, we believe that patients who have embolizations to the digital circulation from an ulnar aneurysm may be considered for aneurysm excision and interposition grafting. Patients with end-stage renal disease and critical hand and finger ischemia who are facing digital amputation because of the ischemia should be considered for detailed hand arteriography to assess the potential of bypassing the arterial obstruction with a distal anastomosis in the palm. A variable but small number of these patients may experience significant symptomatic relief from such procedures. (J Vasc Surg 1992;16:633–42.)
Annual changes in basophilic cell types in the pituitary gland of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

Abstract 1. 1. Three types of basophils in the pituitary of channel catfish were distinguished by location, staining reaction, age of differentiation and annual change in size. 2. 2. TSH cells were located primarily in the dorso-lateral proximal pars distalis, differentiated early and were largest in winter. 3. 3. Proximal pars distalis gonadotrophs were only present in adult fish, were largest during the spring when the gonads were developing and were designated maturational gonadotrophs. 4. 4. Pars intermedia gonadotrophs differentiated in immature fish, increased in cell size during autumn when gametogenesis occurs and were designated gametogenic gonadotrophs.
Direct identification of product CH2SH+/CH3S+ structures in the dissociation of CH3CH2SH+ and CH3SCH3+ via collisional activation

Abstract We report an experiment on the structural identification of CH3S+/CH2SH+ formed in the collision-induced dissociation reactions of CH 3 SCH 3 + ( CH 3 CH 2 SH + )+ Ar . We found that CH2SH+ is the dominant ion formed in the collision-induced dissociation of CH3CH2SH+, while CH3S+ is produced in abundance along with CH2SH+ in the collision-induced dissociation of CH3SCH3+. The results are attributed to the non-statistical nature of the dissociation processes.
A COMPARISON OF PHOSPHORUS AND WATER CONTRIBUTIONS BY SNOWFALL AND RAIN IN NORTHEAST OHIO

A record snowfall of 55.8 centimeters occurred on December 1 and 2, 1974 in Portage County, Ohio. An early winter thaw melted the greater part of the snow by December 22, 1974, and a two-day rain fell from December 23 to December 25. These weather events provided an opportunity to compare snowmelt and rainfall contribution to runoff and phosphorus loading to the Twin Lakes Watershed. Phosphorus concentrations of the snow and rain were determined. Six lake inflows and two lake outflows were measured daily for volume and phosphorus concentration. The snow added 217,000 cubic meters of water and 2.2 kilograms of total phosphorus to the watershed. The rain added 74,000 cubic meters of water and 1.6 kilograms of total phosphorus. Total water discharge from the watershed during December was 244,537 cubic meters and total phosphorus output was 20.3 kilograms. The snow provided 49.9% of the discharge and 8% of the phosphorus whereas the rainfall contributed 28% of the discharge and 6% of the phosphorus. These results indicate that while snow is a significant source of water, it is not a large source of phosphorus. The greatest contribution of phosphorus comes from fine sediment carried by storm runoff.
Semiautomatic video database system

We present a prototype video database system designed to accept video sequences as well as still images. The system indexes these sequences based on scene changes, creates a primitive structure of these sequences, and searches this structure for queried objects using specific color features. A video sequence input to the database is first indexed into subsequences using a color histogram difference method. A hierarchical structure is created by thresholding the sequences at various levels of inter-frame difference. For every subsequence that is identified, the first frame in that subsequence, the representative frame, is entered into the database. The system then automatically generates a description for the frame in terms of its color histogram features. Subsequently, the video sequence may be searched for objects (specified as regions of other video sequence frames or still images) using color similarity matching.
Plasmonic and Metamaterial Cloaking: Physical Mechanisms and Potentials

Artificial materials, metamaterials and plasmonic media have recently received tremendous attention from the scientific communities, media and the general public, following novel ideas and suggestions for their potential use in a variety of applications such as cloaking. Here we briefly review and highlight some of the available solutions for invisibility and cloaking that employ metamaterials and plasmonic materials at various frequencies. We briefly overview some of the different cloaking mechanisms recently proposed in the literature, such as plasmonic cloaking based on scattering cancelation, coordinate-transformation cloaking and anomalous localized resonances for cloaking, in particular providing some details for scattering-cancelation-based plasmonic cloaking. We mention the main analogies and differences among these various approaches and we discuss some possible ideas for realizations and applications of these results, with particular attention to the physical phenomena involved.
Peru Under Garcia: An Opportunity Lost

Part 1 The upswing, 1985-87: economic policy-playing by new rules APRA'S political triumph Sendero Luminoso and the Guerrilla challenge. Part 2 The downturn, 1987-90: the economy from boom to bust and beyond the political response to the crisis spiral of violence.
Child mortality after Hurricane Katrina.

BACKGROUND: Age-specific pediatric health consequences of community disruption after Hurricane Katrina have not been analyzed. Post-Katrina vital statistics are unavailable. The objectives of this study were to validate an alternative method to estimate child mortality rates in the greater New Orleans area and compare pre-Katrina and post-Katrina mortality rates. METHODS: Pre-Katrina 2004 child mortality was estimated from death reports in the local daily newspaper and validated by comparison with pre-Katrina data from the Louisiana Department of Health. Post-Katrina child mortality rates were analyzed as a measure of health consequences. RESULTS: Newspaper-derived estimates of mortality rates appear to be valid except for possible underreporting of neonatal rates. Pre-Katrina and post-Katrina mortality rates were similar for all age groups except infants. Post-Katrina, a 92% decline in mortality rate occurred for neonates ( Language: en
Ia specific antilymphocyte antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis

Antilymphocyte antibodies (ALA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have increased reactivity with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) activated lymphoblasts which are known to have increased expression of Ia antigen. The present experiments suggest that part of this reactivity represents an Ia specificity of ALA. Fifteen of 18 RA sera tested were able to inhibit the binding of monoclonal anti-Ia antibodies as measured by a rosette method. RA sera did not inhibit the binding of other monoclonal antibodies: anti-OKT3, anti-OKT4, and anti-OKT8. The ability of RA sera to inhibit the binding of anti-Ia antibody was eliminated after absorption of the RA sera with an Ia positive human cell line (B35M) but not by an Ia negative line (MOLT4). Blocking of anti-Ia binding was greater in the IgG fraction of the RA sera but also occurred in the IgM fraction. Experiments including ultracentrifugation, pepsin digestion of RA sera, and preincubation of lymphoblasts with aggregated IgG demonstrated that Fc binding by RA sera was not a factor. Both monoclonal anti-Ia and anti-Ia heteroantiserum also had increased reactivity with lymphoblast target cells. Pepsin digested Fab fragments of the anti-Ia heteroantiserum were able to block the activity of cytotoxic RA serum. However, ALA cytotoxic to lymphoblasts did not correlate with anti-Ia by rosette method. Ia-specific ALA by rosette method was associated with donor variability but did not appear to be HLA-DR restricted. Ia-specific ALA did correlate with disease activity. These data suggest that anti-Ia activity is present in RA sera and may play an immunoregulatory role in this disease.
Direct measurement of ozone production rates in Houston in 2009 and comparison with two estimation methods

Abstract. Net ozone production rates, P(O3), were measured directly using the Penn State Measurement of Ozone Production Sensor (MOPS) during the Study of Houston Atmospheric Radical Precursors (SHARP, 2009). Measured P(O3) peaked in the late morning, with values between 15 ppbv h−1 and 100 ppbv h−1, although values of 40–80 ppbv h−1 were typical for higher ozone days. These measurements were compared against ozone production rates calculated using measurements of hydroperoxyl (HO2), hydroxyl (OH), and nitric oxide (NO) radicals, called "calculated P(O3)". The same comparison was done using modeled radicals obtained from a box model with the RACM2 mechanism, called "modeled P(O3)". Measured and calculated P(O3) had similar peak values but the calculated P(O3) tended to peak earlier in the morning when NO values were higher. Measured and modeled P(O3) had a similar dependence on NO, but the modeled P(O3) was only half the measured P(O3). The modeled P(O3) is less than the calculated P(O3) because the modeled HO2 is less than the measured HO2. While statistical analyses are not conclusive regarding the comparison between MOPS measurements and the two estimation methods, the calculated P(O3) with measured HO2 produces peak values similar to the measured P(O3) when ozone is high. Although the MOPS is new and more testing is required to verify its observations, the measurements in the SHARP field campaign show the potential of this new technique for contributing to the understanding of ozone-producing chemistry and to the monitoring of ozone's response to future air quality regulatory actions.
Molecular and morphological divergence in the butterfly genus Lycaeides (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in North America: evidence of recent speciation

Male genital morphology, allozyme allele frequencies and mtDNA sequence variation were surveyed in the butterfly species Lycaeides idas and L. melissa from across much of their range in North America. Despite clear differences in male genital morphology, wing colour patterns and habitat characteristics, genetic variation was not taxonomically or geographically structured and the species were not identifiable by either genetic data set. Genetic distances (Nei’s Da 0.002‐0.078, calculated from allozyme data) between all populations of both species were within the range commonly observed for conspecific populations of other butterflies. The most frequent mtDNA haplotype was present in individuals of both species in populations from southern California to Wisconsin. We conclude that speciation has probably happened recently and the lack of genetic differentiation between the species is the product of either (1) recent or ongoing gene flow at neutral loci, and/or (2) an insufficiency of time for lineage sorting. The evolution of male genital morphology, wing colour patterns and ecological characteristics has proceeded more rapidly than allozyme or mtDNA evolution.
The search for axions

The axion is a light pseudoscalar particle predicted to exist as a consequence of the Peccei–Quinn solution to the strong-CP problem. Its abundant production in the early Universe along with its stability and insignificant interaction cross-section make it a prime dark matter candidate. This report summarises the search for dark matter axions using resonant microwave cavities as well as searches for axions produced in the Sun and in the laboratory. All of these current experiments focus on the axion–photon interaction, as coherent axion–photon mixing in strong magnetic fields of large spatial extent can make up for the extraordinary weakness of the the coupling of axions to photons.
Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Security Issues: Impacts on Environmental Engineering Research and Design

On September 11, 2001, the possibility of an international terrorist attack within the continental United States became a reality. The most recent terrorist attacks targeting the United States have been directed at constructed facilities and infrastructure e.g., the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, selected postal facilities and congressional offices . Although these attacks seemed to initiate terrorism in the continental United States, numerous domestic terrorism attacks and incidents have occurred in the United States since the early 1950s. Terrorism can be defined as the unlawful use of force or violence, or threatened use of force or violence, against persons and places for the purpose of intimidating and/or coercing a government, its citizens, or any segment thereof for political or social goals. This definition highlights the following concepts: • Intimidation and fear are the agents of change desired by the terrorists. • The terrorist’s victims may not necessarily be the ultimate targets of the attack. Since the victims are pawns in an attempt to instill fear, those who observe the act are the intended targets. Among the most critical infrastructure areas needing protection are potable water treatment, storage and distribution systems, and wastewater collection and treatment systems. It would be difficult to explain the fear and panic that the people of a community would experience if they were to wake up one morning and find out that they could not use the drinking-water system or wastewater system because of a terrorist attack or vandalism. During such natural disasters as hurricanes, local areas have had to resort to using bottled water and portable toilets for relatively brief periods of time. However, during a widespread terrorist attack, large population areas—including hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and prisons—could be severely affected for extended periods of time. Congress included a drinking-water component in PL 107-188, the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act, passed in June 2002. This legislation required drinking-water systems serving more than 3,300 people to conduct a vulnerability assessment to help them determine their vulnerability to various threats, including intentional contamination. In addition, this legislation required utilities to revise or prepare an emergency response plan that incorporated the results of the vulnerability assessment. On January 30, 2004, President Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive-9 HSPD-9 . This directive established a national policy to defend the agriculture, water, and food system of the United States against terrorist attacks and other emergencies. It also called on the federal agencies responsible for agriculture, food, and water security to “develop robust, comprehensive and fully coordinated surveillance and monitoring
Expression of nuclear receptor coactivators in androgen-responsive and -unresponsive motoneurons

Adult rat lumbar motoneurons in the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) respond to androgens with an increase in soma size. This response is mediated by the androgen receptor (AR) in these motoneurons. Interestingly, other lumbar motoneurons in the rat possess the AR, yet do not respond to androgens in this fashion. This paradox suggests the existence and participation of nuclear receptor coregulators in conferring direct androgen-responsiveness to select motoneurons in the adult rat spinal cord. Nuclear receptor coregulators have received much attention recently for their proposed role in enhancing or repressing the transcriptional activity of steroid hormone receptors. The present study used immunocytochemistry to identify a number of nuclear receptor coactivators that are expressed by adult lumbar motoneurons: SRC-1, SRC-2, CBP, p300, and cJUN. Results of this study indicate that all five of these coactivators are abundantly expressed in the androgen-responsive SNB, and in two adjacent motor pools, the androgen-responsive dorsolateral nucleus (DLN), and the androgen-unresponsive retrodorsolateral nucleus (RDLN). While we detected significant regional differences for only SRC-1 and cJUN, the SNB consistently contained the highest percentage of immunoreactive motoneurons for all five cofactors examined. Our results indicate five different putative cofactors have the potential to participate in motoneuronal responses to androgens, since their distribution overlaps well with the distribution of ARs in these motoneurons.
Convergence analysis for the extended-Kalman-filter based algorithm of target tracking and identification

The joint problem of target tracking and identification was discussed previously by the authors (1991), and a tracking/identification algorithm using an extended-Kalman-filter-based associative memory (EK-FAM) was demonstrated through several examples. The convergence properties of the algorithm are discussed. Under the appropriate conditions, a contraction operator can be developed, using Banach space concepts that guarantee convergence of the algorithm. >
Phase II Study of Nelarabine with Hyper-CVAD in Patients with Previously Untreated T Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL) and Lymphoblastic Lymphoma (LL)

Abstract Abstract 1501 Introduction: Hyper-CVAD achieves high rates of complete remission (CR) and improves clinical outcomes in patients (pts) with T-ALL/LL. However, about 50% of pts will relapse. Nelarabine is a novel agent active in relapsed/refractory T lymphoid malignancies, but its activity in frontline therapy of T-ALL/LL remains unclear. We therefore studied the efficacy and safety of nelarabine in combination with hyper-CVAD in frontline therapy for pts with T-ALL/LL. Methods: In this phase II trial we enrolled 36 pts with T-ALL/LL who were treated at our institution from August 2007 to April 2012. Pts received two cycles of nelarabine either during or shortly after the intensified consolidation; two more cycles were given during the maintenance phase. Nelarabine was administered at a dose of 650mg/m2IV daily for 5 days. Pts with bulky mediastinal disease could receive radiation therapy followed by 24 cycles of vincristine, prednisone, mercaptopurine, methotrexate (POMP maintenance). Maintenance cycles 18 and 19 consisted of methotrexate/asparaginase and hyper-CVAD, respectively. CNS prophylaxis included 8 intrathecal treatments of methotrexate alternating with ara-C. Results: 36 pts with T-ALL/LL were enrolled with a median age of 38 years (19–78). Male to female ratio was 26 to 10. Twenty-one pts (58.3 %) had T-ALL, 15 (41.3 %) had LL. Eighteen pts had diploid karyotype; 14 pts had bulky mediastinal disease, and 4 had CNS involvement. Thirty-three (91.6 %) pts achieved CR and 2 (5%) PR. Flow cytometry based MRD negative CR was seen in 8/15 (53%) pts with T-ALL who achieved a CR and had MRD status assessed at the time of CR. With a median follow up duration of 19 months (2–57+), 21 pts (58.3%) are still in remission and alive, 10 (27%) had a relapse (two alive and 8 died) and one pt was lost to follow up, 3 pts did not respond and one died during CR. Probability of CR duration at 3 years was 66%. Three-year probabilities for overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) were 62% and 61%, respectively. Median OS and DFS have not yet been reached. Thirty (83%) pts had at least one infection grade ≥3. Thrombotic episodes occurred in 6 pts (17%) (4 PE, 2 DVT). Sixteen (44%) pts had G1–2 peripheral neuropathy. Because of neuropathy, the nelarabine dose had to be reduced to 650 mg/m2on alternating days (D1, 3, 5) in two patients and was withheld in another. Conclusions: Nelarabine can be safely combined with Hyper-CVAD in pts with newly diagnosed pts with T-ALL/LL. The combination of nelarabine with hyper-CVAD is active and can achieve MRD negative CR in T-ALL/LL. Disclosures: Kantarjian: Genzyme: Research Funding. Thomas: Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Talon Therapeutics: Honoraria. Ravandi: Genzyme: Research Funding. Burger: Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Research Funding. Faderl: Genzyme: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.
Proteolytic refolding of the HIV‐1 capsid protein amino‐terminus facilitates viral core assembly

After budding, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) must 'mature' into an infectious viral particle. Viral maturation requires proteolytic processing of the Gag polyprotein at the matrix-capsid junction, which liberates the capsid (CA) domain to condense from the spherical protein coat of the immature virus into the conical core of the mature virus. We propose that upon proteolysis, the amino-terminal end of the capsid refolds into a beta-hairpin/helix structure that is stabilized by formation of a salt bridge between the processed amino-terminus (Pro1) and a highly conserved aspartate residue (Asp51). The refolded amino-terminus then creates a new CA-CA interface that is essential for assembling the condensed conical core. Consistent with this model, we found that recombinant capsid proteins with as few as four matrix residues fused to their amino-termini formed spheres in vitro, but that removing these residues refolded the capsid amino-terminus and redirected protein assembly from spheres to cylinders. Moreover, point mutations throughout the putative CA-CA interface blocked capsid assembly in vitro, core assembly in vivo and viral infectivity. Disruption of the conserved amino-terminal capsid salt bridge also abolished the infectivity of Moloney murine leukemia viral particles, suggesting that lenti- and oncoviruses mature via analogous pathways.
Advanced breakeven analysis of agricultural enterprise budgets

Advanced conceptual techniques for breakeven analysis of agricultural enterprise budgets are developed and applied. Breakeven points of a single agricultural enterprise, breakeven points between enterprises, and elasticities of breakeven points between enterprises are defined and mathematically derived. Breakeven equations were reduced to computational formulas for several budget components: output price, yield, input price, input requirement, variable cost, fixed cost, and total cost. Application of the advanced breakeven techniques provide evidence that both rice and wheat production seem especially desirable for the Arkansas Delta region in light of a fluctuating economic environment.
Recruitment, abundance, and predation on the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) on northeastern estuarine rocky shores

We report on patterns of abundance, recruitment, and predation on the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) in three human-dominated estuaries in the northeastern United States. Through replicate field experiments and observational studies at multiple sites nested within each of the three estuaries, we investigated the relative influences of local and regional scale variation in select bottom-up and top-down factors on blue mussel populations on wave-protected rocky shores. The most striking result was the decoupling between adult abundance and recruitment: mussel recruitment rates were highest in the most northern estuary, Casco Bay, while adult abundances were highest in the most southern estuary, Long Island Sound. We detected evidence of top-down forcing on adult abundance by consumers in the two more southern estuaries, Narragansett Bay and Long Island Sound, but not in Casco Bay. Finally, we observed some indications of bottom-up forcing on mussel abundance and recruitment at the within-estuary scale, but these signals were not consistent among estuaries or across the responses measured (e.g., adult abundances and recruitment rates). Our results support previous work demonstrating the importance of both top-down and bottom-up influences on rocky shore populations, and also highlight how future research—particularly integrating studies of the different ontogenetic stages of mussels—could further advance understanding of biological population dynamics in this and other systems.
Pharmacokinetic evaluation of eszopiclone: clinical and therapeutic implications.

Introduction: Eszopiclone is the active S-enantiomer of R,S-zopiclone, and is a cyclopyrrolone hypnotic acting via the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor system. Nearly 6 million prescriptions for eszopiclone are written yearly in the United States. Areas covered: This paper addresses the pharmacokinetic properties of eszopiclone and the extent to which the longer half-life of eszopiclone compared to other commonly used hypnotics (immediate-release zolpidem, modified-release zolpidem, triazolam, zaleplon) may translate into either improved efficacy in enhancing sleep maintenance, or increased probability of residual sedative or performance-impairing effects. Expert opinion: Eszopiclone is metabolized mainly by Cytochrome P450-3A (CYP3A) isoforms. The mean half-life in healthy nonelderly individuals (6.1 h) is prolonged in the elderly, in patients with hepatic insufficiency, and by coadministration of CYP3A inhibitors. In clinical trials, eszopiclone consistently improves sleep maintenance relative to placebo, b...
Resource Allocation in a Breeding Program for Phosphorus Concentration in Maize Grain

When beef cattle (Bos taurus) are fed grain of maize (Zea mays L.) in which the concentration of phosphorus (P) exceeds the animal's need for this element, the excess P is excreted in the feces. Spreading this manure on cropland increases the potential for P pollution of surface waters by run-off. Experiments were undertaken to determine the relative magnitudes of genotypic and nongenotypic variances of P concentration in maize grain (P-Gr) to assess the ability to select maize genotypes in which this trait more closely matches the dietary need of beef cattle. Genetic variability was found in a population developed from a cross of Illinois High Protein (IHP) x Illinois Low Protein (ILP). Because of few low P-Gr segregates, the IHP x ILP population was not considered a good breeding source for this trait. Nongenetic sources of variance were significant but small compared with genotypic variances. Broad-sense heritability (H) for P-Gr among S 1 family means in the IHP x ILP population was estimated at 0.82. This high value suggested that this trait would respond to selection. A comparison of mean values of S 1 families selected on the basis of performance in 2000 or in 2001 alone to those selected on the basis of 2-yr data suggested that the loss in efficiency resulting from selecting on 1-yr data would be only approximately 5%.
The influences of mass loading and rapid dilution of secondary organic aerosol on particle volatility

Abstract. The thermally induced evaporation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) has been characterized for SOA formed from the dark ozonolysis of α-pinene at initial mass concentrations ranging from 1 to 800 μg m−3. Temperature-dependent particle size distributions were measured using a thermodenuder and the resulting mass thermograms were compared between the SOA formed at the various SOA mass concentrations. Negligible differences were observed between the mass thermograms for SOA concentrations 380 μg m−3) and then rapidly isothermally diluted to low concentrations (1–20 μg m−3) were identical to those for the SOA that was initially formed at low concentrations. The experimental results were compared to a kinetic model that simulates particle evaporation upon heating in a thermodenuder for a given input volatility distribution and particle composition. Three cases were considered: (1) the SOA was composed of semi-volatile monomer species with a volatility distribution based on that derived previously from consideration of SOA growth experiments; (2) the initial SOA was composed almost entirely of non-volatile dimers that decompose upon heating into their semi-volatile monomer units, which can then evaporate; and (3) where a volatility distribution was derived by fitting the model to the observed mass thermograms. It was found that good agreement is obtained between model predictions and the observations when the particle composition is dominated by either compounds of low volatility or by dimers. These same models were used to simulate isothermal evaporation of the SOA and were found to be broadly consistent with literature observations that indicate that SOA evaporation occurs with multiple timescales. The use of the semi-volatile monomer volatility distribution fails to reproduce the observed evaporation. The presence of dimers and larger oligomers in secondary organic aerosol formed from products of the reaction of α-pinene and O3 has been well established in laboratory studies. However, the timescale and relative importance of the formation of oligomers or low-volatility compounds in the growth and evaporation of SOA has been debated. This study provides further support that low-volatility compounds and oligomers are formed in α-pinene + O3 in high abundances and suggests that their formation occurs rapidly upon particle formation.
Benign hamartomatous polyp of the palatine tonsil

A rare and possibly unique benign polypoid tumour of the palatine tonsil is described. It contained the two basic tissue types of the tonsil--lymphoid and epithelial--in the characteristic close anatomical relationship of tonsillar tissue. The features of this rare lesion lend support to the hypothesis that benign tumours of the tonsil may be hamartomas of tonsil or branchiogenic remnants rather than true neoplasms.
Popular Magazines, Popular Culture: Gradations of Celebrity in the Romantic Period

Celebrity and popular culture emerged simultaneously, and synergistically, in part through the agency of the periodical press during the romantic period. As modes of fame multiplied, the audience of celebrity understood itself as a collective—often British, polite, class-oriented—and as individuals modeled through the individualized celebrity that periodicals could project. This process—centered on fashion and fame—integrated notions of the popular and the common with those of the spectacular and the unique. For emerging discourses that consolidated middle-class ideals, such as gastronomy, sports, and contemporary etiquette, the popular magazines occupied a crucial position in what Jon Klancher has denominated “the social text” and helped legitimize themselves by producing their own localized celebrities. Exploring articles from a range of periodicals on a diverse set of topics, this essay shows the reliance of popular magazines on popular culture, understood both in terms of those celebrities of popularity and those commonplace games, sports, and activities associated with the populace.
Caspase-2 Mediates Neuronal Cell Death Induced by β-Amyloid

beta-amyloid (Abeta) has been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Deposits of insoluble Abeta are found in the brains of patients with AD and are one of the pathological hallmarks of the disease. It has been proposed that Abeta induces death by oxidative stress, possibly through the generation of peroxynitrite from superoxide and nitric oxide. In our current study, treatment with nitric oxide generators protected against Abeta-induced death, whereas inhibition of nitric oxide synthase afforded no protection, suggesting that formation of peroxynitrite is not critical for Abeta-mediated death. Previous studies have shown that aggregated Abeta can induce caspase-dependent apoptosis in cultured neurons. In all of the neuronal populations studied here (hippocampal neurons, sympathetic neurons, and PC12 cells), cell death was blocked by the broad spectrum caspase inhibitor N-benzyloxycarbonyl-val-ala-asp-fluoromethyl ketone and more specifically by the downregulation of caspase-2 with antisense oligonucleotides. In contrast, downregulation of caspase-1 or caspase-3 did not block Abeta(1-42)-induced death. Neurons from caspase-2 null mice were totally resistant to Abeta(1-42) toxicity, confirming the importance of this caspase in Abeta-induced death. The results indicate that caspase-2 is necessary for Abeta(1-42)-induced apoptosis in vitro.
Overactivation of Hedgehog Signaling Alters Development of the Ovarian Vasculature in Mice

The hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway is critical for ovarian function in Drosophila, but its role in the mammalian ovary has not been defined. Previously, expression of a dominant active allele of the HH signal transducer protein smoothened (SMO) in Amhr2cre/+SmoM2 mice caused anovulation in association with a lack of smooth muscle in the theca of developing follicles. The current study examined events during the first 2 wk of life in Amhr2cre/+SmoM2 mice to gain insight into the cause of anovulation. Expression of transcriptional targets of HH signaling, Gli1, Ptch1, and Hhip, which are used as measures of pathway activity, were elevated during the first several days of life in Amhr2cre/+SmoM2 mice compared to controls but were similar to controls in older mice. Microarray analysis showed that genes with increased expression in 2-day-old mutants compared to controls were enriched for the processes of vascular and tube development and steroidogenesis. The density of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM)-labeled endothelial tubes was increased in the cortex of newborn ovaries of mutant mice. Costaining of preovulatory follicles for PECAM and smooth muscle actin showed that muscle-type vascular support cells are deficient in theca of mutant mice. Expression of genes for steroidogenic enzymes that are normally expressed in the fetal adrenal gland were elevated in newborn ovaries of mutant mice. In summary, overactivation of HH signaling during early life alters gene expression and vascular development and this is associated with the lifelong development of anovulatory follicles in which the thecal vasculature fails to mature appropriately.
Effect of liquid modified by non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasmas on bacteria inactivation rates

Several studies compared two dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment regimes and their effect on viable bacteria inactivation e.g. [1, 2]. Significant difference was shown between direct and indirect treatments where plasma either contacts the surface being treated or does not. The sterilization efficiency drops by almost an order of magnitude when plasma is generated remotely (indirectly) [1, 2]. However, this effect was mostly found on uniform surfaces such as agarous gel. In wounds for example, bacteria can often “hide” in pores. Therefore in the case of plasma treatment of wounds and other complex surfaces, irregularities in surface topology prevent effective implementation of direct plasma treatment. In this case, plasma related inactivation effect is believed to be delivered by neutral active species produced by the discharge in liquids (e.g. water, blood, etc.) present at the wound site, i.e. so-called plasma “pharmacological” effect.
Heterodyne-detected and ultrafast time-resolved second-harmonic generation for sensitive measurements of charge transfer.

In organic photovoltaics many key ultrafast processes occur at the interface between electron donor and acceptor molecules. Traditional ultrafast spectroscopies, such as pump–probe or time-resolved fluorescence, are not ideal for studying the interface because most of their signal is from the bulk material. Time-resolved second-harmonic generation (TRSHG) spectroscopy solves this problem by only generating signal from the interface. We demonstrate an optically heterodyned TRSHG to reduce the impact of stray light, enhance sensitivity, and detect the full complex signal field.