cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Walnut Consumption Alters the Gastrointestinal Microbiota, Microbially Derived Secondary Bile Acids, and Health Markers in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background Epidemiologic data suggest that diets rich in nuts have beneficial health effects, including reducing total and cause-specific mortality from cancer and heart disease. Although there is accumulating preclinical evidence that walnuts beneficially affect the gastrointestinal microbiota and gut and metabolic health, these relations have not been investigated in humans. Objective We aimed to assess the impact of walnut consumption on the human gastrointestinal microbiota and metabolic markers of health. Methods A controlled-feeding, randomized crossover study was undertaken in healthy men and women [n = 18; mean age = 53.1 y; body mass index (kg/m2): 28.8]. Study participants received isocaloric diets containing 0 or 42 g walnuts/d for two 3-wk periods, with a 1-wk washout between diet periods. Fecal and blood samples were collected at baseline and at the end of each period to assess secondary outcomes of the study, including effects of walnut consumption on fecal microbiota and bile acids and metabolic markers of health. Results Compared with after the control period, walnut consumption resulted in a 49-160% higher relative abundance of Faecalibacterium, Clostridium, Dialister, and Roseburia and 16-38% lower relative abundances of Ruminococcus, Dorea, Oscillospira, and Bifidobacterium (P < 0.05). Fecal secondary bile acids, deoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid, were 25% and 45% lower, respectively, after the walnut treatment compared with the control treatment (P < 0.05). Serum LDL cholesterol and the noncholesterol sterol campesterol concentrations were 7% and 6% lower, respectively, after walnut consumption compared with after the control treatment (P < 0.01). Conclusion Walnut consumption affected the composition and function of the human gastrointestinal microbiota, increasing the relative abundances of Firmicutes species in butyrate-producing Clostridium clusters XIVa and IV, including Faecalibacterium and Roseburia, and reducing microbially derived, proinflammatory secondary bile acids and LDL cholesterol. These results suggest that the gastrointestinal microbiota may contribute to the underlying mechanisms of the beneficial health effects of walnut consumption. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01832909.
Metformin inhibits stromal aromatase expression and tumor progression in a rodent model of postmenopausal breast cancer

Obesity and type II diabetes are linked to increased breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. Patients treated with the antidiabetic drug metformin for diabetes or metabolic syndrome have reduced breast cancer risk, a greater pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant therapy, and improved breast cancer survival. We hypothesized that metformin may be especially effective when targeted to the menopausal transition, as this is a lifecycle window when weight gain and metabolic syndrome increase, and is also when the risk for obesity-related breast cancer increases. Here, we used an 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced mammary tumor rat model of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive postmenopausal breast cancer to evaluate the long-term effects of metformin administration on metabolic and tumor endpoints. In this model, ovariectomy (OVX) induces rapid weight gain, and an impaired whole-body response to excess calories contributes to increased tumor glucose uptake and increased tumor proliferation. Metformin treatment was initiated in tumor-bearing animals immediately prior to OVX and maintained for the duration of the study. Metformin decreased the size of existing mammary tumors and inhibited new tumor formation without changing body weight or adiposity. Decreased lipid accumulation in the livers of metformin-treated animals supports the ability of metformin to improve overall metabolic health. We also found a decrease in the number of aromatase-positive, CD68-positive macrophages within the tumor microenvironment, suggesting that metformin targets the immune microenvironment in addition to improving whole-body metabolism. These findings suggest that peri-menopause/menopause represents a unique window of time during which metformin may be highly effective in women with established, or at high risk for developing, breast cancer.
THE PERIODIC STRUCTURE APPROACH

This chapter presents an array of dipoles connected at constant spacing along a uniform transmission line. In view of the perfect periodicity of the structure, there will evidently exist traveling wave solutions, that is, solutions with constant phase shift β and attenuation α per period or cell. If there were no coupling by radiation between the dipoles, there would be only one mode or more precisely one forward and one backward. There is radiation coupling between dipoles, but still, for a single mode, all dipoles have the same effective impedance. However, this impedance changes with the mode; that is, it depends on α and β . The chapter discusses circuit-theory approach to periodically loaded transmission lines, conditions for attenuation of the current distribution, and connection with radiation from dipole arrays.
ASHP guidelines on managing drug product shortages.

Drug product shortages can adversely affect drug therapy, compromise or delay medical procedures, result in medication errors, and cause patient harm.[1][1]–[38][2] In addition to these potential problems, healthcare professionals are also increasingly concerned about the tremendous resources
Early Adoption of New Supplemental Benefits by Medicare Advantage Plans.

Following CMS’ 2018 expansion of supplemental benefits available to HMO and PPO Medicare Advantage enrollees, this study assesses enrollee adoption by type of benefit (eg, caregiver support, in-home personal care, palliative nursing, and social work) and specific plan characteristics in the first year.
Van der Waals epitaxy and composition control of layered SnSxSe2−x alloy thin films

Epitaxial SnSxSe2−x films with tunable band gap energies (1.0–2.2 eV) are of growing interest for photodetectors and 2D heterostructures for nanoscale electronics. In this study, powder vapor transport growth of SnSxSe2−x was investigated on c-plane sapphire and epitaxial graphene (EG)/6H–SiC substrates using tin, sulfur, and selenium powder sources in a heated tube furnace. The SnSxSe2−x composition was controlled by varying the sulfur and selenium source temperatures and the corresponding chalcogen vapor pressure ratio. Raman spectroscopy was used to determine the alloy composition of the films, and the optical properties were characterized using UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy. SnSxSe2−x grown on sapphire consisted of vertically oriented platelets. By contrast, large-area, planar coalesced SnSxSe2−x films grew on EG with low surface roughness indicative of a van der Waals growth mode. High-resolution X-ray diffraction θ–2θ scans and pole figure analysis confirm that the SnSxSe2−x films are c-axis oriented with epitaxial relation being $$\left[ {11\bar 20} \right]$$ SnSxSe2−x‖ $$\left[ {10\bar 10} \right]$$ 6H–SiC.
Fungicide efficacy trials for the control of powdery mildew (Podosphaera cerasi) on sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium)

Powdery mildew is a detrimental foliar disease of sweet cherry trees. The disease is predominantly managed by spraying synthetic fungicides throughout the growing season. The emergence of resistant...
COVID-19 on Social Media: Analyzing Misinformation in Twitter Conversations

The ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic highlights the inter-connectedness of our present-day globalized world. With social distancing policies in place, virtual communication has become an important source of (mis)information. As increasing number of people rely on social media platforms for news, identifying misinformation and uncovering the nature of online discourse around COVID-19 has emerged as a critical task. To this end, we collected streaming data related to COVID-19 using the Twitter API, starting March 1, 2020. We identified unreliable and misleading contents based on fact-checking sources, and examined the narratives promoted in misinformation tweets, along with the distribution of engagements with these tweets. In addition, we provide examples of the spreading patterns of prominent misinformation tweets. The analysis is presented and updated on a publically accessible dashboard (this https URL) to track the nature of online discourse and misinformation about COVID-19 on Twitter from March 1 - June 5, 2020. The dashboard provides a daily list of identified misinformation tweets, along with topics, sentiments, and emerging trends in the COVID-19 Twitter discourse. The dashboard is provided to improve visibility into the nature and quality of information shared online, and provide real-time access to insights and information extracted from the dataset.
Functional Error Correction for Robust Neural Networks

When neural networks (NeuralNets) are implemented in hardware, their weights need to be stored in memory devices. As noise accumulates in the stored weights, the NeuralNet’s performance will degrade. This paper studies how to use error correcting codes (ECCs) to protect the weights. Different from classic error correction in data storage, the optimization objective is to optimize the NeuralNet’s performance after error correction, instead of minimizing the Uncorrectable Bit Error Rate in the protected bits. That is, by seeing the NeuralNet as a function of its input, the error correction scheme is function-oriented. A main challenge is that a deep NeuralNet often has millions to hundreds of millions of weights, causing a large redundancy overhead for ECCs, and the relationship between the weights and its NeuralNet’s performance can be highly complex. To address the challenge, we propose a Selective Protection (SP) scheme, which chooses only a subset of important bits for ECC protection. To find such bits and achieve an optimized tradeoff between ECC’s redundancy and NeuralNet’s performance, we present an algorithm based on deep reinforcement learning. Experimental results verify that compared to the natural baseline scheme, the proposed algorithm can achieve substantially better performance for the functional error correction task.
Multiscale Modeling Reveals the Cause of Surface Stress Change on Microcantilevers Due to Alkanethiol SAM Adsorption.

Experimental results show that the adsorption of the self assembled monolayers (SAMs) on a gold surface induces surface stress change that cause a deformation of the underlying substrate. However, ...
Inequality in Urban America and Clergy Advocacy on Economic Restructuring

Clergy responses to economic formation and de-formation within American ‘Rust Belt’ cities such as Pittsburgh and Detroit are examined in the light of conceptions of civic and Christian ‘community’ as drawn from select sources in ethics and political philosophy. The relative absence of clergy from urban economic restructuring efforts within these contexts is noted in the essay, while also paying attention to several notable clergy exceptions to this pattern who provided important critiques of corporate sector economic predations and of clergy moral indifference or active complicity.
Zircon geochronology and geochemistry of the Ward Hunt pluton, Pearya terrane, Canadian High Arctic: Insights into its age, origin, and circum-Arctic Timanide connections

The northern margin of the Neoproterozoic Timanide Orogen is truncated by Paleozoic deformation of the Caledonian Orogen. Evidence for dispersion of terranes affected by the Timanide Orogen is documented through contemporaneous tectonothermal activity, and by detrital zircon in sedimentary rock from across the Arctic Ocean margins. However, directly tying these terranes to the Caledonide realm is hindered by the paucity of appropriate events in proximal terranes. The Ward Hunt Pluton, a previously undated syenite–monzodiorite intrusion located on Ward Hunt Island, northern Pearya terrane, yields a crystallization age of 542 ± 2 Ma. Trace-element data from the igneous zircon suggest that the pluton intruded older metasedimentary rocks of the terrane as part of a volcanic arc system, indicated by juvenile Hf isotopic signatures and trace-element data. The data support links between the Pearya terrane and other Neoproterozoic–Cambrian arc systems, such as those proposed in Arctic Alaska-Chukota and the Alexander terrane.
Investigation of ACE2 N-terminal fragments binding to SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD

Abstract Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is an emerging global health crisis. With over 7 million confirmed cases to date, this pandemic continues to expand, spurring research to discover vaccines and therapies. SARS-CoV-2 is the novel coronavirus responsible for this disease. It initiates entry into human cells by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) via the receptor binding domain (RBD) of its spike protein (S). Disrupting the SARS-CoV-2-RBD binding to ACE2 with designer drugs has the potential to inhibit the virus from entering human cells, presenting a new modality for therapeutic intervention. Peptide-based binders are an attractive solution to inhibit the RBD-ACE2 interaction by adequately covering the extended protein contact interface. Using molecular dynamics simulations based on the recently solved cryo-EM structure of ACE2 in complex with SARS-CoV-2-RBD, we observed that the ACE2 peptidase domain (PD) α1 helix is important for binding SARS-CoV-2-RBD. Using automated fast-flow peptide synthesis, we chemically synthesized a 23-mer peptide fragment of the ACE2 PD α1 helix (SBP1) composed entirely of proteinogenic amino acids. Chemical synthesis of SBP1 was complete in 1.5 hours, and after work up and isolation >20 milligrams of pure material was obtained. Bio-layer interferometry (BLI) revealed that SBP1 associates with micromolar affinity to insect-derived SARS-CoV-2-RBD protein obtained from Sino Biological. Association of SBP1 was not observed to an appreciable extent to HEK cell-expressed SARS-CoV-2-RBD proteins and insect-derived variants acquired from other vendors. Moreover, competitive BLI assays showed SBP1 does not outcompete ACE2 binding to Sino Biological insect-derived SARS-CoV-2-RBD. Further investigations are ongoing to gain insight into the molecular and structural determinants of the variable binding behavior to different SARS-CoV-2-RBD protein variants.
Base and Nucleotide Excision Repair Pathways in DNA Plasmids Harboring Oxidatively Generated Guanine Lesions

The base and nucleotide excision repair pathways (BER and NER, respectively) are two major mechanisms that remove DNA lesions formed by the reactions of genotoxic intermediates with cellular DNA. We have demonstrated earlier that the oxidatively generated guanine lesions spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) and 5-guanidinohydantoin (Gh) are excised from double-stranded DNA by competing BER and NER in whole-cell extracts [Shafirovich, V., et al. (2016) J. Biol. Chem. 321, 5309-5319]. In this work we compared the NER and BER yields with single Gh or Sp lesions embedded at the same sites in covalently closed circular pUC19NN plasmid DNA (cccDNA) and in the same but linearized form (linDNA) of this plasmid. The kinetics of the Sp and Gh BER and NER incisions were monitored in HeLa cell extracts. The yield of NER products is ∼5 times greater in covalently closed circular DNA than in the linearized form, while the BER yield is smaller by ∼20-30% depending on the guanine lesion. Control BER experiments with 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG) show that the BER yield is increased by a factor of only 1.4 ± 0.2 in cccDNA relative to linDNA. These surprising differences in BER and NER activities are discussed in terms of the lack of termini in covalently closed circular DNA and the DNA lesion search dynamics of the NER DNA damage sensor XPC-RAD23B and the BER enzyme OGG1 that recognizes and excises 8-oxoG.
L’éducation en Afrique Subsaharienne francophone dans un contexte de COVID-19 (Education in French-Speaking Sub-Saharan Africa in the Context of COVID-19)

French Abstract: Plusieurs mois apres l’arrivee de la covid-19 et la fermeture des classes en Afrique Subsaharienne francophone, la situation epidemiologique n’est pas toujours sous controle. Hormis la perte de revenu des employes du secteur educatif prive, la fermeture prolongee des classes apparait comme un prejudice pour les apprenants et pourrait negativement impacter le developpement a long terme. A cet effet, nous menons une reflexion sur les conditions d’une ouverture des ecoles afin que le remede ne soit pas pire que le virus. Sur la base de la modelisation des series chronologiques interrompues, nous montrons que l’ouverture totale ou partielle des classes ne se traduit pas necessairement par une augmentation du taux de croissance du nombre de cas confirmes de covid-19 dans les pays de l’echantillon. Ce resultat montre que si les mesures barrieres sont respectees dans les ecoles, les autorites devraient ouvrir les classes, meme quand le pic de l’epidemie n’est pas encore atteint. English Abstract: Several months after the arrival of covid-19 and the closure of classes in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa, the epidemiological situation is not always under control. Apart from the loss of income of employees in the private education sector, the prolonged closure of classes appears to be detrimental to learners and could negatively impact long-term development. To this end, we are conducting a reflection on the conditions for opening schools so that the remedy is not worse than the virus. Based on the modeling of the interrupted time series, we show that the full or partial opening of classes does not necessarily translate into an increase in the growth rate of the number of confirmed cases of covid-19 in the countries in the sample. This result shows that if the barrier measures are respected in schools, the authorities should open the classes, even when the peak of the epidemic has not yet been reached.
Hemodynamic determinants of left atrial strain in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A combined echocardiography and CMR study

Background Left atrial (LA) strain is associated with symptomatic status and atrial fibrillation in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, hemodynamic determinants of LA reservoir (LARS), conduit, and pump strains have not been examined and data are needed on the relation of LA strain with exercise tolerance in HCM. Methods Fifty HCM patients with echocardiographic and CMR imaging within 30 days were included. Left ventricular (LV) volumes, mass, EF, scar extent, extracellular volume fraction (ECV), and LA maximum volume were measured by CMR. Echo studies were analyzed for mitral inflow, pulmonary vein flow, mitral annulus tissue Doppler velocities, LV global longitudinal strain, and LA strain. Twenty six patients able and willing to exercise underwent cardiopulmonary stress testing for peak oxygen consumption (MVO2), and VE/VCO2 slope. Patients were followed for clinical events. Findings LARS was significantly associated with indices of LA systolic function, LV GLS, and LV filling pressures (P<0.05). Conduit strain was significantly associated with mitral annulus early diastolic velocity and ECV, whereas LA pump strain was determined by LA systolic function and indices of LV end diastolic pressure (all P<0.05). LARS and conduit strain were significantly higher in patients who achieved ≥80% of MVO2. LARS, conduit, and pump strains were significantly associated with atrial fibrillation (P<0.05). Conclusions LV structure, systolic and diastolic function, and LA systolic function determine the 3 components of LA strain. LA strain is associated with exercise tolerance and clinical events in patients with HCM.
Cellular Biology of the Neurosecretory Neuron

The sections in this article are: 1 Cytology of Neurosecretory Neurons 2 Neurosecretory Granules 3 Synthesis of Neurosecretion 4 Axonal Transport of Neurosecretory Material 4.1 Phenomenon of Transport 4.2 Rates of Transport 4.3 Effect of Electrical Activity on Transport 4.4 Mechanism of Transport 4.5 Modification of Neurosecretion During Transport 5 Release of Neurosecretory Material 6 Intraneuronal Carrier Proteins 7 Electrophysiology of Neurosecretory Neurons 8 Synaptology 9 Relations with Glial Elements 10 Regeneration of Neurosecretory Neurons 11 Addendum
Netsolve and its application

This talk will look at future directions for network-enabled server. These Grid based tools will allow users to present a numerical problem to a server and let the server make decision on the most appropriate method and platform based on the best available software and hardware resources in a dynamic fashion. NetSolve is a project that aims to bring together disparate computational resources connected by computer networks. It is a RPC based client/agent/server system that allows one to remotely access both hardware and software computers. Currently, a wide range of applications have integrated and make use of the NetSolve system. For example: Subsurface Modeling, Cellular Microphysiology, Nuclear Engineering, Image Processing, Geographical Analysis, and Programming and Visualization Environment. Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Network Computing and Applications (NCA01) 0-7695-1432-4/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
VORTEX: Video retrieval and tracking from compressed multimedia databases-visual search engine

Multimedia data is generally stored in compressed form in order to efficiently utilize the available storage facilities. Access to archives is dependent on our ability to browse compressed multimedia information-retrieval and tracking from coded video databases. In this paper, a novel visual search engine for video retrieval and tracking from compressed multimedia databases is proposed. The goal of the project is the implementation of a visual browser that operates in a distributed environment where users initiate video searches and retrieve relevant video information simultaneously from multiple video archives. Being presented with a query in the form of template images of objects, the system operates on the compressed video to find the images or video sequences where those objects are present and their positions in the image. Upon user's request, the system will decompress and display only the video sequences of interest.
Inelastic Analysis of Suspension Roof Structures

The elastic and inelastic deformation behavior and the ultimate load capacities of suspension roof structures is presented. The equations for the forces and displacements of cable networks resulting from changes in loading have inherent mathematical difficulties which are investigated and physically explained. Specific existing solution techniques are modified and proposed for use in order to improve the convergence for solutions of any type of cable network with any type of applied loading. Examples of highly nonlinear cable networks with symmetrical and unsymmetrical loading are calculated for illustration. Using an accelerated convergence technique, the nonlinear behavior of cable networks resulting from a combination of large displacements and of inelastic material behavior is investigated. Four orthogonal networks of both positive and negative Gaussian curvature are examined and compared. The large reserve carrying capacities inherent in cable networks is indicated. The important parameters which influence the ultimate load capacities are discussed.
Constraints on the CKM angle γ from B→K ∗± π ∓

Abstract We present constraints on the CKM parameter γ= arg V ub ∗ formed within the framework of SU(3) symmetry and based on charmless hadronic B decays to K ∗± π ∓ and other pseudoscalar-vector final states. For strong phases of O (10°) , our analysis weakly favors cos γ γ with an experimental uncertainty of less than 10° can be attained with an order-of-magnitude improvement in the precision of the experimental inputs, but SU(3) symmetry breaking could introduce corrections approaching the size of the current experimental uncertainties.
A technical modeler's interface for urbansim, a system for integrated land use, transportation, and environmental modeling

Patterns of land use and available transportation systems play a critical role in determining the economic vitality, livability, and sustainability of urban areas. Transportation interacts strongly with land use. For example, automobile-oriented development induces demand for more roads and parking (which in turn induces more automobile-oriented development), while compact, pedestrian-friendly urban environments can induce more walking and demand for transit. Both land use and transportation have strong environmental effects, in particular on emissions, resource consumption, and conversion of rural to suburban or urban land.
Text mining for user perspectives on the physical workplace

This paper reports on analysis of open-ended survey responses from a commercial building indoor environment satisfaction survey database maintained by the University of California at Berkeley’s Center for the Built Environment. Building from satisfaction ratings and standardised categorical responses collected in surveys for 192 U.S. office buildings, text analysis software is used to analyse text responses to open-ended survey questions, focusing on occupants’ perspectives on the workplace and building overall, temperature, and acoustics. These occupant texts detail interactions between occupants and their physical environment in a technical sense but also interpret these interactions, assess their consequences, and reflect on social relationships and other matters that lie outside dimension-by-dimension assessments of the physical environment. Viewed together these texts reveal a user-centred perspective that points to issues that rest below the surface of more technical analyses of buildings, such as over airconditioning, worker stress and frustration, workplace usability, and relationships between physical and other aspects of the workplace. Attending to this perspective could lead to improvements in occupant experience, building and technology design, building operations, and survey research, as well as inform initiatives that require occupant adaptation and cooperation, including those for greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Exploring virtual environments in a decentralized lab

Virtualization technology has been used in a decentralized manner to deliver hands-on labs in an intrusion detection course in the past three years. The availability of free virtualization software and low-cost but high-performance personal computers made it possible for students to run virtual machines and perform lab exercises on their own computers. Different virtualization options including VMware, Sun xVM VirtualBox and Virtual Computing Lab (VCL) were explored. Both VMware and VirtualBox were proven to be effective tools for lab purposes. The decentralized virtual lab approach and the centralized remote lab approach (ex. VCL) can be complementary.
Effect of erythropoietin on anemia of peritoneally dialyzed anephric rats

Effect of erythropoietin on anemia of peritoneally dialyzed anephric rats. The effect of erythropoietin on anemia was studied in anephric rats undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Both the number of bone marrow red cell precursors and plasma iron turnover were markedly depressed in untreated peritoneally dialyzed anephric animals when compared to peritoneally dialyzed sham-operated control rats. Anephric rats receiving 2 U of erythropoietin per day for 12 days had greater than threefold more bone marrow red cell precursors and a twofold larger plasma iron turnover than did the saline injected anephric rats. There was no significant difference in either bone marrow red cell precursors or plasma iron turnover in the erythropoietin-treated anephric rats when compared to the nonuremic controls. Although the rats receiving erythropoietin for 12 days had a significantly higher hematocrit (29.5%) than the saline injected uremic rats did (19.0%), the hematocrit was significantly lower than that found in nonuremic control animals, either receiving erythropoietin (48.1%) or not receiving erythropoietin (41.6%). Our data suggests that erythropoietin is potentially a useful agent for the treatment of anemia of chronic renal failure. Effet de l'erythropoietine sur l'anemie de rats anephriques en dialyse peritoneale. L'effet de l'erythropoietine sur l'anemie a ete etudie chez des rats anephriques soumis a la dialyse peritoneale. Le nombre de cellules medullaires precurseurs d'hematies et aussi le turnover du fer sont nettement diminues chez des rats anephriques non traites soumis a la dialyse peritoneale par rapport a des controles (reins intacts) soumis aussi a la dialyse. Les rats anephriques qui recoivent 2 U d'erythropoietine par jour pendant 12 jours ont une augmentation superieure a trois fois des cellules medullaires precurseurs d'hematies et un turnover du fer deux fois plus rapide que les rats anephriques temoins. Il n'y a pas de difference significative entre les rats anephriques traites et les rats controles non uremiques. Bien que les rats qui ont recu de l'erythopoietine pendant 12 jours aient un hematocrite significativement superieur (29,5%) a celui des rats uremiques controles (19,0%), leur hematocrite est significativement inferieur a celui des rats non uremiques, que ceuxci recoivent ou non de l'erythropoietine (respectivement 48,1% et 41,6%). Nos observations suggerent que l'erythropoietine est potentiellement un agent efficace pour le traitement de l'anemie de l'insuffisance renale chronique.
A first-order algebraic differential equation

4a,P(w, w’) = (S(w, w’))~ +F(w), (2) where S(w, w’) = 2a,w’ + a2w2 + asw + a, and F(w) is a polynomial in w of degree <4 over E. Formula (2) shows that P(w, w’) is reducible over E if and only if --F(w) is a perfect square over E. We are primarily interested in the case where --F(w) is not a perfect square over an algebraic closure of E; then, P(w, w’) is not reducible over any field extension of E. We shall use information about S(w, w’) or F(w) as a guide to transform the differential equation P(w, w’) = 0 into a simpler one. For elements 01, /3, y, S in E which satisfy a6 ,By f 0, set
The Impact of Shifting From “How Teachers Teach” to “How Children Learn”

Abstract The authors report the results of a 5-year study in which a university worked collaboratively with a public school district to redesign teacher education and professional development, and to raise student achievement. The university sought to field base their teacher education program; the public school district attempted to improve faculty development. The collaborative goal of the university and school district was to improve education in the public school and thereby raise student achievement. In a collaborative effort, university faculty, public school teachers, and university pre-service teachers used shared decision making to enhance the learning of public school students. Thus, the focus of planning for university seminars and public school staff development shifted to fit the needs of public school students. The collaborative's vision was based on education practices that (a) were developmentally appropriate, (b) valued cultural and linguistic diversity, and (c) recognized the social natu...
Patterns in effects of sulfhydryl reagents on transport in bovine lens

Active fluxes of Na+ and Rb+ and mediated transport of organic nutrients in the bovine lens were inhibited by five sulfhydryl reagents, whereas that of inorganic ions was increased, with the exception of the ouabain-resistant component of Na+, which was not significantly altered. The changes produced by the reagents indicate that cysteinyl residues are essential for normal operation of most of the transport systems investigated. The variable effectiveness of the reagents on transport of some of the solutes may provide information on the microenvironment of critical sulfhydryl residues in the transporters: that for glucose, adenosine, and influx of Ca++ appears to be hydrophobic; for acetate and influx of Na+, hydrophilic. Comparison of the rates of inactivation of influx via the L-system of 1-aminocyclo-pentane-1-carboxylate indicates that p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonate is most effective, inhibiting almost completely in 10 minutes. There was no significant lag in inhibition by the selective glutathione ox...
Optimum delay and sequence estimation from incomplete data

An easily implementable dynamic programming algorithm that estimates sequences and timing delay jointly from the contaminated decision statistics available to the receiver is introduced. Although the algorithm is optimal in a joint maximum-likelihood sense, given the observed data, it is not globally optimal, since the observed data do not constitute a sufficient statistic in the absence of synchronization. On the other hand, the observed data are simple to collect, the receiver is simple to implement, and the performance obtained is robust to timing errors. Moreover, the simplicity of the observed data makes the receiver easily implementable digitally, and the need for a separate synchronizer is obviated. >
Pupylation versus ubiquitylation: tagging for proteasome-dependent degradation

Prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein (Pup) is the first identified prokaryotic protein that is functionally analogous to ubiquitin. Despite using the proteasome as the end-point for proteolysis, Pup differs from ubiquitin both biochemically and structurally. We will discuss these differences that have been highlighted by several recent studies. Finally, we will speculate on the possible interactions between the two analogous pathways in pathogen and host.
Primary Events in the Photocatalytic Deposition of Silver on Nanoparticulate TiO2

The photocatalytic deposition of silver from ethanol solution on TiO2 nanoparticles prepared with a chemisorbed surface alkoxide layer has been examined in real time by picosecond-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy. This photocatalyst formation of surface-trapped photoelectron states, hypothesized to be Ti(III), can be followed on the time scale of the experiment (≤10 ns). Loss of these electrons to recombination is inconsequential, presumably owing to sacrificial hole trapping by the surface alkoxide states. Silver deposition occurs on the same time scale, and the pseudo-first-order rate constant for growth of the silver(0) transient absorption is the same as for the disappearance of the Ti(III) states under these conditions. We infer that one-electron, inner sphere reduction of Ag(I) by Ti(III) is rate determining in the formation of the colloidal silver deposit. These particles must accordingly grow by a sequence of alternating electronic and ionic events analogous to those hypothesized to be i...
Gas-phase processes and measurements of macromolecular properties in solution: On the possibility of false positive and false negative signals of protein unfolding

Abstract Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is increasingly applied to study protein behavior in solution, including characterization of their higher order structure, conformational dynamics and interactions with small ligands and other biopolymers. However, actual measurements of fundamental ionic parameters (mass and charge) take place in vacuum, and an array of gas phase processes occurring prior to protein ion detection and characterization may certainly affect them. While most previous studies were concerned primarily with the effect of gas phase processes on mass measurement (e.g., integrity of macromolecular complexes in the absence of solvent, non-specific interactions, etc.), the focus of our attention is the ionic charge. Charge state distributions of protein ions in ESI MS are often used to characterize large-scale dynamic processes in solution (such as protein unfolding). Formation of metastable protein aggregates either in the bulk of solution or in the electrosprayed droplets, their consequent transfer to the gas phase and asymmetric dissociation may give rise to a population of highly charged ions. Presence of such ions in ESI mass spectra usually indicates loss of native structure in solution. Therefore, studies of large-scale conformational dynamics in solution by monitoring protein ion charge state distributions should be carried out at low protein concentrations in order to minimize the occurrence of false positive signals of protein unfolding. The opposite phenomenon, absence of highly protonated ionic species in ESI spectra of unfolded proteins, does not occur even in the case of highly acidic proteins lacking a sufficient number of basic residues.
Pathogenesis of primary defects in mitochondrial ATP synthesis.

Maternally inherited mutations in the mtDNA-encoded ATPase 6 subunit of complex V (ATP synthase) of the respiratory chain/oxidative phosphorylation system are responsible for a subgroup of severe and often-fatal disorders characterized predominantly by lesions in the brain, particularly in the striatum. These include NARP (neuropathy, ataxia, and retinitis pigmentosa), MILS (maternally inherited Leigh syndrome), and FBSN (familial bilateral striatal necrosis). Of the five known pathogenic mutations causing these disorders, four are located at two codons (156 and 217), each of which can suffer mutations converting a conserved leucine to either an arginine or a proline. Based on the accumulating data on both the structure of ATP synthase and the mechanism by which rotary catalysis couples proton flow to ATP synthesis, we propose a model that may help explain why mutations at codons 156 and 217 are pathogenic.
Active immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer with tumor cells genetically engineered to secrete multiple cytokines

Background. Vaccination of tumor-bearing animals with tumor cells genetically engineered to secrete cytokines including interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) has been shown to induce effective tumor-specific immune responses capable of inhibiting local and metastatic disease. Previous unsuccessful attempts to enhance this immune response by means of the secretion of multiple cytokines possessing different immunologic mechanisms of action may have been due to the inherent inefficiency of the gene transfer systems used. We postulated that tumor cells genetically engineered by means of a novel gene transfer method resulting in high level secretion of both cytokines would be more effective than tumor cells secreting a single cytokine in inhibiting the growth of existing tumors. Methods. Nonimmunogenic, murine pancreatic cancer cells (Panc02) were engineered to secrete IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-2 and IFN-γ, or neomycin phosphotransferase. Mice were inoculated with 5×10 5 parental Panc02 tumor cells subcutaneously. Beginning 3 days later, animals then received a series of four weekly vaccinations with irradiated Panc02/Neo, Panc02/IL2, Panc02/IFN, or Panc02/IL-2/IFN. Results. Treatment with Panc02/Neo, Panc02/IL-2, or Panc02/IFN resulted in 0%, 40%, and 30% tumor-free survival, respectively. In contrast, 80% of animals vaccinated with Panc02/IL2/IFN were free of tumor at 100 days. All animals free of disease were resistant to subsequent tumor challenges. Conclusions. These data show that vaccination with tumor cells that secrete high levels of multiple cytokines was more effective in treating established pancreatic tumors and represents an improvement over existing single cytokine strategies.
A four-component one-pot synthesis of alpha-Gal pentasaccharide.

A four-component one-pot sequential synthesis of α-Gal pentasaccharide 2 with minimal protecting group manipulations in a very short period of time is described in this paper.
Quantification of regional blood flow by monitoring of exogenous tracer via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Deuterium and fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy have been employed for quantification of regional blood flow in concert with nonradiative, exogenous, freely diffusible tracers such as D2O and freon gas. Typically, the tracer residue washout was monitored by NMR over time following tracer administration by bolus injection or inhalation. The theory, including compartmental analysis, required to quantitatively derive volumetric tissue blood flow and perfusion is reviewed herein. Applications of NMR tissue blood flow measurement techniques to tumor, muscle, liver, and brain are presented with discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of NMR methods. © 1990 Academic Press, Inc.
Computation of potential temperature of seawater for an arbitrary reference pressure

Abstract A procedure is outlined for computing potential temperature to an arbitrary reference pressure, based on a fourth-order Runge-Kutta integration of the adiabatic lapse rate. A single-step integration over the oceanographic range of pressure (0 to 10,000 dbar) yields numerical errors of 0.1 mdeg C or less. Overall accuracy is determined by errors of lapse rate estimates ( Bryden , Deep-Sea Research, 20, 401–408, 1973). The integration algorithm appears to be a practical alternative to empirical formula with reference pressure as an additional variable.
Engineering and hydrogeological problems associated with in situ treatment

Abstract Most organic materials that contaminate soil and the subsurface environment are readily degraded by natural biological processes. To this degree, in situ bioremediation can be thought of as a highly successful purification process. However, some organic molecules are naturally refractory to biodegradation, or other environmental factors induce molecular recalcitrance such as the absence of a proper microbial population or the presence of unsuitable environmental conditions. Examples of recalcitrant groundwater contaminants are soluble components of petroleum hydrocarbons (BTEX) and chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs). Organic recalcitrance may be changed through introduction of degrading populations of microorganisms or by changing the environmental conditions through introduction of nutrients or other chemicals. The most significant engineering deficiency in in situ bioremediation is the absence of proven methods to introduce such materials into the subsurface environment for efficient mix...
The electrophysiologic effects of antiarrhythmic drugs.

Abstract In this review antiarrhythmic agents are classified into 3 groups: (1) those that remove or prevent the factors responsible for the electrophysiologic abnormality underlying an arrhythmia; (2) those that enhance the effects of acetylcholine either by increasing parasympathetic effects or by decreasing sympathetic effects; and (3) those that directly alter the electrophysiologic properties of cardiac cells. If bretylium and propranolol are excluded from the drugs in group 3, then all of the drugs within this group have in common the ability to suppress diastolic depolarization and to shift the membrane potential during repolarization from which the earliest premature response can originate to a more negative value. By so doing, the rate of depolarization of the earliest premature response may be increased, in spite of a rightward shift of the membrane responsiveness curve. The importance of these effects is discussed in terms of current concepts of the genesis of arrhythmias.
Relative contributions of bipolar cell and amacrine cell inputs to light responses of ON, OFF and ON-OFF retinal ganglion cells.

Light-evoked postsynaptic currents (lePSCs) were recorded from ON, OFF and ON–OFF ganglion cells in dark-adapted salamander retinal slices under voltage clamp conditions, and the cell morphology was examined using Lucifer yellow fluorescence with confocal microscopy.The current–voltage relations of the lePSCs in all three types of ganglion cells are approximately linear within the cells’ physiological range.The average chloride/cation conductance ratio ðDgClðNRÞ=DgCðNRÞÞ of the lePSCs is near 3, suggesting that ganglion cell light responses are associated with a greater postsynaptic conductance change at the amacrine-ganglion cell inhibitory synapses than at the bipolar-ganglion cell excitatory synapses.By comparing the charge transfer of lePSCs in normal Ringer’s and in picrotoxin þ strychnine þ Imidazole-4-acidic acid, we found that the GABAergic and glycinergic amacrine–bipolar cell feedback synapses decreased the light-induced glutamatergic vesicle release from bipolar cells to all ganglion cells, and the degree of release reduction varied widely from ganglion cell to ganglion cell, with a range of 3–28 fold. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.All rights reserved.
On the Folkman Number f(2, 3, 4)

Let f(2, 3, 4) denote the smallest integer n such that there exists a K 4-free graph of order n for which any 2-coloring of its edges yields at least one monochromatic triangle. It is well known that such a number must exist. For a long time, the best known upper bound, provided by J. Spencer, was f(2, 3, 4) < 3.109. Recently, L. Lu announced that f(2, 3, 4) < 10,000. In this note, we will give a computer-assisted proof showing that f(2, 3, 4) < 1000. To prove this, we will generalize an idea of Goodman's, giving a necessary and sufficient condition for a graph G to yield a monochromatic triangle for every edge coloring.
Mass communication and the election process: A re‐assessment of two decades of research

Researchers have ignored the role of mass communication in the process of political socialization. Research on the media's influence in the election process stem from classical studies largely reported prior to the political use of television. Recent evidence suggests that mass communication may have direct effects on political behavior. Though the literature fails to resolve the question of media's influence in the election process, previous pronouncements of “limited effects” need to be re‐assessed. Suggested hypotheses for that assessment are presented.
Stabilizing a nonlinear model-based networked control system with communication constraints

In this paper, a class of nonlinear networked control systems (NCS) operating over a shared-channel are considered. For sensor networks and networks requiring information collaboration among various devices, the objective to reduce contention and use the bandwidth limited network resources more efficiently can be achieved by developing “smart” sensors. Model-based control and event-based triggering can be fused such that smart sensors determine the “value of information” for stable operation of control systems. A context-aware feedback policy can be developed for a class of nonlinear NCS based on the informational value of sensor measurements that minimizes network usage or traffic. The developed aperiodic feedback policy guarantees global asymptotic tracking of output states of an uncertain system along the desired time-varying trajectory. A direct adaptive parameter update law is formulated to estimate the uncertain system dynamics that can further reduce feedback requirements. A piecewise continuous tracking controller is developed and validated using extensive simulation results for nonlinear scalar and coupled MIMO systems.