cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anabolic-androgenic steroids decrease dendritic spine density in the nucleus accumbens of male rats.

Recent studies have demonstrated that anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) modify cognitive processes such as decision making and behavioral flexibility. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these AAS-induced cognitive changes remain poorly understood. The mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) system, particularly the nucleus accumbens (Acb), is important for reward, motivated behavior, and higher cognitive processes such as decision making. Therefore, AAS-induced plasticity in the DA system is a potential structural substrate for the observed cognitive alterations. High doses of testosterone (the most commonly-used AAS) increase dendritic spine density in limbic regions including the amygdala and hippocampus. However, effects on Acb are unknown. This was the focus of the present study. Adolescent male Long-Evans rats were treated chronically for 8 weeks with high-dose testosterone (7.5 mg/kg in water with 13% cyclodextrin) or vehicle sc. Brains were stained by Golgi–Cox to analyze neuronal morphology in medium spiny neurons of the shell region of Acb (AcbSh). Eight weeks of testosterone treatment significantly decreased spine density in AcbSh compared to brains of vehicle-treated rats (F1,14 = 5.455, p < 0.05). Testosterone did not significantly affect total spine number, dendritic length, or arborization measured by Sholl analysis. These results show that AAS alter neuronal morphology in AcbSh by decreasing spine density throughout the dendritic tree, and provides a potential mechanism for AAS to modify cognition and decision-making behavior.
Finite element simulation of the undular hydraulic jump.

The study of the undular hydraulic jump and its evolution has attracted the attention of theoreticians since the early stages of analytical developments in wave motion. The problem, although of great practical importance, has been excluded from the list of high priority problems for hydraulic engineering applications because it is not amenable to solution based on the ordinary methods available in practice. Very few attempts to model the undular jump are known, and the few methods known in the literature are either very complicated or lead to very poor results. Perhaps the best available model is due to the efforts of Abbott and Rodenhuis(1972) and Peregrine(1966).
Human sperm fertilizing potential in vitro is correlated with differential expression of a head-specific mannose-ligand receptor.

Objective To determine whether different patterns of surface expression of mannose-ligand binding sites are correlated with capacitation and predictive of the ability of human sperm to recognize and fertilize eggs in vitro. Design Analysis of motile sperm populations (from fertile donors, males presenting for routine semen analysis, and men undergoing IVF) before and after incubation in capacitating media. Setting Patients from an infertility practice at a major university hospital. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures The mannose ligand-binding capacity of sperm populations were initially assayed by solid-phase mannosylated polyacrylamide bead binding studies. Sperm surface D-mannose binding sites thus detected were localized and visualized by fluorescence microscopy after reaction with a mannosylated fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled neoglycoprotein probe. Results were correlated with acrosomal status, reproductive histories, and IVF outcomes. Results The percent of sperm with head-directed surface expression of a mannose-specific receptor was increased in fertile donors and males exhibiting normal fertilization in IVF after incubation in albumin-supplemented Ham's F-10 medium (GIBCO Laboratories, Grand Island, NY). In normospermie males exhibiting zona binding failure in IVF, mannose-specific receptor was observed over the head surface of few incubated sperm. Conclusions The appearance of D-mannose-ligand binding sites on the surface of heads of human spermatoza is associated with zona binding ability in IVF and is a putative determinant in human gamete recognition and fertilization.
King Lear: The Bias of Nature

His nobles assembled, his two elder daughters with their husbands before him, his youngest daughter present and her two suitors sent for, Lear, King of Britain, asks for the map and, speaking in measured, deliberate tones, announces: Know that we have divided In three our kingdom; he speaks in a language that admits of no doubt: the knowledge that he is transmitting concerning the physical world is certain: the map is in front of everyone to see. The phrase Know that we is spoken in a manner that implies that the listeners must receive the knowledge as incontestable fact.
Minimal Brain Dysfunction in Perspective

Although the term minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) recently has been supplanted by alternative nomenclature (DSM III, Spitzer, 1980), it continues to be applied in substance, if not in name. In part, this may reflect its relevance to a variety of problems (Birch, 1964; Denckla, 1977b; Touwen, 1978; Yule, 1978). Included within the rubric of MBD is a wide array of childhood disabilities, such as the failure to develop age-appropriate academic skills; attention deficits and hyperactivity; perceptual-motor, language, memory and cognitive deficiencies; difficulties in social adjustment; and, neurologic signs of EEG abnormalities (Conners, 1967; Clements, 1966; Gross & Wilson, 1974; Ochroch, 1981; Touwen & Prechtl, 1970; Wender, 1971). The incidence of these disorders varies markedly with estimates ranging as high as 50% for children seen at mental health centers, and between 5% to 20% for children in the school population (Becker, 1974; Minskoff, 1973; Schmitt, 1975; Wender, 1971).
The Association of Physical Activity Change with Self-Esteem in Ethnic Minority Women: A Prospective Analysis

This study examined the association of physical activity with self-esteem in sedentary ethnic minority women. One hundred two women participated in a randomized, controlled trial of a 7-week, behaviorally based telephone and mail intervention that promoted the adoption of walking for exercise. Participants were randomly assigned to an intensive intervention or limited contact group. At the 5-month measurement, both groups reported similar increases in walking, significant improvement in total self-esteem scores, and increases in attractiveness and competency-related esteem scores. Controlling for condition, changes in walking were correlated with changes in total self-esteem. Increases in moderate physical activity were associated with improvements in self-esteem in ethnic minority women.
MLL-Associated Leukemias Drive Expression of MiR-9, Required for Tumorigenesis

Abstract 525 Acute leukemia represents one of the most deadly cancers in the United States. Clinical treatments in leukemia have progressed significantly through the use of therapies targeted specifically to chromosomal translocations. The success of these therapies has provided a model for future treatment in various cancers. However, there are various subtypes of leukemia where five-year survival and relapse rates have poor clinical outcome, indicating that new therapies are needed. A particular leukemia subtype, namely mixed lineage leukemia (MLL)-rearranged leukemia that is a result of chromosomal rearrangements leading to fusions between MLL and partner genes, is associated with a dismal outcome. Therapeutic targeting of MLL rearrangements has proven challenging as there have been dozens of described rearrangements. An emerging hallmark of cancer is the deregulation of non-coding RNAs called microRNAs (miRs). We hypothesized that MLL-associated leukemias have aberrant microRNA expression. We performed microRNA microarray analyses on leukemia patient samples and showed that microRNA-9 (miR-9) is highly upregulated in MLL-associated leukemias. We discovered that expression of miR-9 enhances cell transformation in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo , and the opposite is true when miR-9 function is inhibited by anti-miR sponges. Interestingly, we observed that mice transplanted with both MLL-AF9 and miR-9 had a significantly higher amount of blast-like cells and immature cells in the bone marrow and fewer in the peripheral blood compared to mice transplanted with MLL-AF9 alone. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-9 function causes a significant defect in stem cell self-renewal and myeloid differentiation. Thus, this suggests that miR-9 has a critical role in stem cell potentiation and myeloid promotion in MLL-associated leukemias. To investigate target genes of miR-9, we correlated microarray expression of miR-9 and those of its putative target genes predicted with multiple prediction algorithms. We identified six potential target genes that exhibit a significantly inverse correlation of expression with miR-9 and are inhibited in MLL-associated leukemia. These identified genes are Transforming growth factor beta-induced protein ( TGFBI ), E-cadherin ( CDH1 ), Nuclear factor-kappa-B p105 subunit ( NFkB1 ), Ras homolog gene family member H ( RHOH ), Ring1 and YY1-binding protein ( RYBP ) and Foxhead Box O3 ( FOXO3 ), We demonstrated that all these targets genes are inhibited upon expression of miR-9, in vitro and in vivo and blocking miR-9 function rescues their expression. As these target genes affect multiple cell processes such as proliferation, stem cell differentiation, chromatin remodeling, and cellular migration, it appears that miR-9 is a potential master regulator during MLL-associated tumorigenesis. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Social Class Matters: Class Identities and Discourses in Educational Contexts.

AbstractIn this conceptual literature review, the authors analyze research from the last 20 years to explore how social class discourses are reproduced, resisted, and appropriated within Kindergarten through Grade 12 classrooms in the United States. The findings challenge commonly held deficit discourses about students and families from economically disadvantaged communities and highlight how discourses are sustained and reproduced in schools through educators’ class-based assumptions, high-stakes assessment practices, and class-biased curriculum. Findings also highlight the unique and varied ways that students negotiate dominant discourses of social class as they perform hybrid class identities, resist deficit discourses, and explore class status and relations. The authors offer a rationale for considering social class more prominently within social justice-oriented teaching and research and provide suggestions for educators to engage with issues of social class in schools.
The Experience of Being Silent

Silence has captivated the human psyche from time immemorial. In the fables of the Golden Age, it is said that primordial humankind understood the language of all animals, trees, rocks, and natural elements. This first language, it is believed, came from the fullness of silence and communion with the Divine, in which the Divine and the individual existed as one. The biblical “fall” refers to the awareness of the separation between the individual and the Divine. It was precisely because of this standing out of individuals from the primordial wholeness and oneness of all things in the Divine that this union was broken and the dual nature of reality emerged. In turn, the self or ego was born and the incessant struggle for reconnection or union with the Divine was initiated.
Valuing the opportunity cost of travel time in recreation demand models: an application to aggregate data.

The travel cost model was used to estimate the opportunity cost of travel time for recreation trips to 11 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoirs in Kansas and Missouri. The analyses are based on a...
Lifestyle behavior patterns and mortality among adults in the NHANES 1988-1994 population: A latent profile analysis.

Abstract Evidence suggests interdependent associations of individual modifiable behaviors with health outcomes. However, such interrelations have not been accounted for in previous behavior-outcome associations. We conducted latent profile analysis (LPA) on self-reported levels of alcohol consumption, restaurant dining, vitamin/mineral supplement use, physical activity (PA) and smoke exposure (first- and second-hand smoke) separately for smokers (N = 4530) and non-smokers (N = 13,421) using data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) to identify subgroups with similar levels within and across behaviors. Cox-proportional hazards models were used to compare mortality rates between subgroups from cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-causes at an average of 16.4 (±6.1) years follow-up. Five behavioral typologies were identified in non-smokers (“Moderates”, “Low Risk Factors”, “Restaurant Diners”, “Moderate Passive Smokers” and “Heavy Passive Smokers”), and four in smokers (“Moderates”, “Low Risk Factors”, “Heavy Smokers” and “Physically Active”). As a group, “Moderates” had levels of each behavior that were not significantly different from at least one other group. Compared to “Moderates”, in non-smokers “Restaurant Diners” had lower hazard from all-cause (hazard ratio (HR):0.84, 95% CI:0.74–0.97) and CVD (HR:0.59, 0.43–0.82) mortality, while “Low Risk Factors” had higher cancer mortality (HR:1.38,1.03–1.84). In smokers, compared to “Moderates”, higher hazards for mortality were found for “Heavy Smokers” (all cause: HR:1.34, 1.12–1.60; CVD: HR:1.52, 1.04–2.23; cancer: HR:1.41 1.02–1.96) and “Low Risk Factors” (all-cause: HR:1.58, 1.14–2.17). Taken together, when restaurant dining, PA and smoking exposures are grouped together, novel predictions for mortality occur, suggesting data on multiple behaviors may be informative for risk stratification.
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy after an upper and lower endoscopy: a case report and review of the literature

Gastrointestinal endoscopies are safe and follow guidelines that emphasize patient care. Although adverse outcomes are rare, high-risk patients may be predisposed to certain events. We report a unique case of a Caucasian woman with takotsubo cardiomyopathy following an upper and lower endoscopy. Our report suggests the importance of understanding possible endoscopic complications in patients who may experience stress cardiomyopathy.
Biogenetic Autonomy of Mitochondria and Its Limits

The past ten years have seen such an almost explosive growth of efforts devoted to studies on mitochondrial biogenesis that they occupy at least as much contemporary journal space as do studies on mitochondrial function and energetics, their much more venerable companions. The results of this endeavor have been fairly spectacular: the documentation of the existence and the characteristics, in molecular terms, of a novel and separate system for the maintenance, duplication, and expression of genetic information within the organelle and its interaction with the classical nucleocytosolic system of the eukaryotic cell (for recent reviews see refs. 1–10).
Tumor board automation.

297Background: Coordinating tumor boards is a complex resource intensive process. Nebraska Medicine has 16 oncology-based Tumor Boards weekly. Preparation included multiple emails between disciplin...
Advances in Online Audio-Visual Meeting Transcription

This paper describes a system that generates speaker-annotated transcripts of meetings by using a microphone array and a 360-degree camera. The hallmark of the system is its ability to handle overlapped speech, which has been an unsolved problem in realistic settings for over a decade. We show that this problem can be addressed by using a continuous speech separation approach. In addition, we describe an online audio-visual speaker diarization method that leverages face tracking and identification, sound source localization, speaker identification, and, if available, prior speaker information for robustness to various real world challenges. All components are integrated in a meeting transcription framework called SRD, which stands for “separate, recognize, and diarize”. Experimental results using recordings of natural meetings involving up to 11 attendees are reported. The continuous speech separation improves a word error rate (WER) by 16.1% compared with a highly tuned beamformer. When a complete list of meeting attendees is available, the discrepancy between WER and speaker-attributed WER is only 1.0%, indicating accurate word-to-speaker association. This increases marginally to 1.6% when 50% of the attendees are unknown to the system.
Bioelectronic protein nanowire sensors for ammonia detection

Electronic sensors based on biomaterials can lead to novel green technologies that are low cost, renewable, and eco-friendly. Here we demonstrate bioelectronic ammonia sensors made from protein nanowires harvested from the microorganism Geobacter sulfurreducens. The nanowire sensor responds to a broad range of ammonia concentrations (10 to 106 ppb), which covers the range relevant for industrial, environmental, and biomedical applications. The sensor also demonstrates high selectivity to ammonia compared to moisture and other common gases found in human breath. These results provide a proof-of-concept demonstration for developing protein nanowire based gas sensors for applications in industry, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and healthcare.
Highly Saturated Glassy Liquid Crystal Films Having Nano- and Microscale Thicknesses for High-Power Laser Applications

The optical properties of glassy liquid crystals (GLC’s) designed to provide high resistance to laser-induced damage are explored. GLC’s readily enable freezing of the anisotropic ordering of liqui...
Effect of Chinese characters on machine learning for Chinese author name disambiguation: A counterfactual evaluation:

Chinese author names are known to be more difficult to disambiguate than other ethnic names because they tend to share surnames and forenames, thus creating many homonyms. In this study, we demonst...
Truck travel time performance measures and their association with on- and off-network characteristics

Abstract Trucks transport a significant amount of freight and are susceptible to traffic congestion related delays. Practitioners are interested in identifying suitable truck travel time performance measures and examining their association with on-network (road) and surrounding off-network (land use and demographic) characteristics for planning, designing, and building better transportation facilities. The focus of this research is on the investigation of truck travel time performance measures and their association with on-/off-network characteristics using Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. Truck travel time data for the year 2019 and on-network and off-network characteristics captured using geospatial methods were considered for 501 links in Mecklenburg County, Buncombe County, and Wake County in North Carolina, USA for this research. The average travel time (ATT), planning time index (PTI), buffer time index (BTI), and travel time index (TTI) were selected based on the correlations within the truck travel time performance measures. Road functional class, number of through lanes, area type, annual average daily traffic (AADT), and speed limit are significantly but lowly associated with the truck travel time performance measures. The agriculture, light commercial, and residential land uses in the near vicinity have a moderate to strong association with the truck travel time performance measures. The associations varied with the truck travel time performance measure, day of the week, time of the day, and buffer width to capture off-network characteristics. The methodology and findings assist in identifying potential corridors/areas for the implementation of truck exclusive lanes, truck signal priority at intersections, decentralized delivery locations, or other unconventional strategies.
Numerical Solution of Saint-Venant Equations

The general, one-dimensional Saint-Venant equations are presented for a rigid open channel of arbitrary form, not necessarily prismatic, containing a flow that may be spatially varied. The theoretical basis for the method of characteristics is reviewed and used to show that, in the general case, the speed of long-wave disturbances is given by the slope of the characteristic curves. Finite-difference schemes on a rectangular net in the x - t plane and based on the characteristic forms of the Saint-Venant equations, as well as on the direct forms, are given and examined for their stability. The von Neumann technique for stability analysis is presented in detail. Explicit numerical schemes, which are simple, but require small steps in time because of stability problems, are contrasted with implicit schemes that permit numerical solution over large time steps but require the solution of large sets of simultaneous algebraic equations at each step. The double-sweep or progonka method, an exact time- and space-saving technique for solving these (locally linearized) equations, is also given in detail.
Power Flow Fundamentals

The term “power flow” recognizes that a different technique is now used to determine the state of the power system. A more correct description is that a power flow solution is numerically found. The main output of such a solution is the power flow on all transmission and/or distribution devices. The power flow on each device is checked against the device flow capability to determine whether the device will stay within operationally accepted limits. 1 Introductory Comments and Background 2 Newton--Raphson Method Using the Augmented Jacobian Matrix 3 Example System 4 Extensions Keywords: load flow; FACT devices; HVDC system; conservation of energy; jacobian matrix
A Preliminary Study of the Superoxide Dismutase Content of Some Human Tumors

The cell cytosol superoxide dismutase (SODase) content of 46 human tumors was investigated. The extraction procedure of McCord and Fridovich was used with the epinephrine assay of Misra and Fridovich (J. Biol. Chem., 247; 3170-3175, 1975). The purpose of the study was to determine whether SODase could be reliably assayed from small, biopsy-sized pieces of tumor (0.5 to 1.0 g). In most cases it was possible to examined larger masses of tumor, which served as a control of the methodology. In this preliminary study SODase values, calculated from a standard curve derived from purified bovine blood SODase with a specific activity of 2584 units/mg, ranged from as little as 0.23 to as much as 160.5 units/g of tumor. These findings suggested that the procedures used might be feasable on a routine basis to determine the SODase content of tumors and its possible relationship to the radiation sensitivity of the tumors.
Species diversity in the Phanerozoic: an interpretation

Species diversity among fossil invertebrates of the Phanerozoic is highly correlated with volume and area of sedimentary rocks. The correlations are statistically significant at the 1% level. The relationship holds even in regions (such as Canada) where the area and volume of rock do not increase through time. These results are interpreted as indicating that the apparent number of species is strongly dependent on sampling and that many of the changes in diversity seen in the Phanerozoic are artifactual. Consequently, there is no compelling evidence for a general increase in the number of invertebrate species from Paleozoic to Recent. This conclusion applies primarily to marine organisms. Diversity may have been in dynamic equilibrium throughout much of this time. A few intervals of the Phanerozoic have consistently fewer invertebrate species than would be predicted from the amount of sedimentary rock available for study. The Silurian, Permian, and Cretaceous stand out in this regard. This may result either from lower than normal diver- sity during these periods or from an unusual abundance of unfossiliferous rocks (evaporites, red beds, etc.).
STORM: simple tool for resource management

Virtualization has recently become very popular in the area of system engineering and administration. This is primarily due to its benefits, such as: longer uptimes, better hardware utilization, and greater reliability. These benefits can reduce physical infrastructure, space, power consumption, and management costs. However, managing a virtualized environment to gain those benefits is difficult and rife with details. Through the use of a concept known as virtual appliances, the benefits of virtualization can be brought to organizations without sufficient knowledge or staff to install and support a complex virtual infrastructure. This same concept can also be used to provide cheap datacenter services to larger companies, or research facilities that are unable or unwilling to run a high performance computing environment. In this paper, we describe Storm, a system designed to simplify the development, deployment and provisioning for common applications. The system is designed to be easy to configure and maintain. It can automatically react to changes in system load to deploy additional services and it dynamically powers client machines using IMPI controls to enhance energy savings. We demonstrate the utility of the system using scalable mail appliance.
A Search for Pulsations in O VI Planetary Nuclei

The first two pulsating central stars of planetary nebulae to be discovered were those of K 1-16 (Grauer & Bond 1984) and Lo 4 (Bond & Meakes 1990). They are nonradial, multiperiodic g-mode pulsators, with typical periods near 25-31 min. They are O VI nuclei or related objects, with extremely high temperatures (T eff ≳100, 000 K), hydrogen deficiency, and high abundances of C and O.
Arginine to glutamine substitutions in the fourth module of Xenopus interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein.

PURPOSE Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) is unusual for a lipid-binding protein in that its gene is expressed uniquely by cells of photoreceptor origin and consists of four homologous repeats, each coding for a module of approximately 300 amino acid residues. All-trans retinol binding domains, which appear to be present in each module, are composed of conserved hydrophobic regions [Baer et al, Exp Eye Res 1998; 66:249-262]. Here we investigate the role of highly conserved arginines contained in these regions. METHODS To study the arginines in an individual module without the interference of ligand-binding activity elsewhere in the protein, we expressed in E. coli the fourth module of Xenopus IRBP by itself as a soluble thioredoxin fusion protein (X4IRBP). Arginines 1005, 1041, 1073 and 1122 were separately replaced by glutamine using PCR overlap extension mutagenesis. The glutamine substitutions were confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The binding of all-trans retinol and 9-(9-anthroyloxy)stearic acid (9-AS) to X4IRBP and each of the mutants was evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy. Binding was followed by monitoring the enhancement of ligand fluorescence and the quenching of protein endogenous fluorescence. The ability of the recombinant proteins to protect all-trans retinol from oxidative degradation was evaluated by monitoring absorbance at 325 nm over time. RESULTS The substitution of Gln for Arg1005 about doubled the amount of ligand necessary to attain saturation and about doubled the level of fluorescence enhancement obtained at saturation for both all-trans retinol and 9-AS. Although there was not a significant change in the Kd, the substitution increased the calculated number of binding sites (N) from approximately 2 to approximately 4 per polypeptide. The other Arg->Gln mutants did not significantly change the Kd or N. None of the mutations compromised the ability of the module to protect all-trans retinol from degradation. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the function of the conserved arginines in IRBP is fundamentally different from that of other retinoid-binding proteins. These residues do not appear to play a role in defining the specificity of the ligand-binding domain. Rather, Arg1005 appears to play a role in defining the capacity of the domain. Our data suggest that the binding site consists of a single hydrophobic cavity promiscuous for fatty acids and all-trans retinol.
Phase Transitions in Ferroelectric KNb O 3

It is shown that ferroelectric KNb${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ undergoes another phase transition at -10\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C in addition to two phase transitions previously reported at 225\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 435\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. At this lowest phase transition KNb${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, on cooling, changes its orthorhombic structure to a rhombohedral one, and this change is accompanied by a sharp change of the dielectric constant. The specific heat anomalies at three transitions were measured, and the results are compared with the case of BaTi${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$.
Prostaglandin control of renal circulation in the unanesthetized dog and baboon

Effects of indomethacin and meclofenamate, inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis, were evaluated in the regulation of renal blood flow in conscious and anesthetized dogs and in tranquilized baboons, instrumented with arterial pressure catheters and renal blood flow probes. Indomethacin, 10 mg/kg, did not alter renal blood flow or resistance significantly in the conscious dog. In the anesthetized dog, however, indomethacin caused a reduction in renal blood flow (25 +/- 3% of control) and an elevation of renal vascular resistance (45 +/- 8% of control). Meclofenamate, 4 mg/kg, reduced renal flow (12 +/- 2%) and increased renal vascular resistance 15 +/- 4% in conscious dogs. In conscious dogs and tranquilized primates, indomethacin and meclofenamate reduced the reactive hyperemia in the renal bed after 15 s occlusion from a control of 36 +/- 5 ml to 6 +/- 2 ml, and after 45 s occlusion from a control of 98 +/- 9 ml to 17 +/- 5 ml. Methoxamine (10-50 mug/kg per min) and angiotensin II (0.03-0.12 mug/kg per min), infused in graded doses, induced significantly greater renal vasoconstriction in conscious dogs in the presence of indomethacin. Thus, in the conscious animal, prostaglandins appear to play only a minor role in the control of the renal circulation at rest, but are of greater importance in mediating the renal responses to reactive hyperemia and to vasoconstriction.
Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) pharmacogenetics: association of polymorphisms with functional differences in estrogen hydroxylation activity.

Activation of 17β-estradiol (E2) through the formation of catechol estrogen metabolites, 2-OH-E2 and 4-OH-E2, and the C-16α hydroxylation product, 16α-OH-E2, has been postulated to be a factor in mammary carcinogenesis. Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) exceeds other P450 enzymes in both estrogen hydroxylation activity and expression level in breast tissue. To determine whether inherited variants of CYP1B1 differ from wild-type CYP1B1 in estrogen hydroxylase activity, we expressed recombinant wild-type and five polymorphic variants of CYP1B1: variant 1 (codon 48Arg→Gly), variant 2 (codon 119Ala→Ser), variant 3 (codon 432Val→Leu), variant 4 (codon453Asn→ Ser), variant 5 (48Gly, 119Ser, 432Leu, 453Ser). The His-tagged proteins were purified by nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) chromatography and analyzed by electrophoresis and spectrophotometry. We performed assays of E2 hydroxylation activity and quantitated production of 2-OH-E2, 4-OH-E2, and 16α-OH-E2 by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Wild-type CYP1B1 formed 4-OH-E2 as main product ( K m, 40 ± 8μ m; k cat 4.4 ± 0.4, min-1; k cat/ K m, 110 mm-1min-1), followed by 2-OH-E2 ( K m, 34 ± 4μ m; k cat, 1.9 ± 0.1 min-1; k cat/ K m, 55 mm-1min-1) and 16α-OH-E2 ( K m, 39 ± 5.7μ m; k cat, 0.30 ± 0.02 min-1; k cat/ K m, 7.6 mm-1min-1). The CYP1B1 variants also formed 4-OH-E2 as the main product but displayed 2.4- to 3.4-fold higher catalytic efficiencies k cat/ K m than the wild-type enzyme, ranging from 270 mm-1min-1 for variant 4, to 370 mm-1min-1 for variant 2. The variant enzymes also exceeded wild-type CYP1B1 with respect to 2- and 16α-hydroxylation activity. Thus, inherited alterations in CYP1B1 estrogen hydroxylation activity may be associated with significant changes in estrogen metabolism and, thereby, may possibly explain interindividual differences in breast cancer risk associated with estrogen-mediated carcinogenicity.
Management of Sodium Abnormalities in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit

Patients with neurological injury commonly acquire changes in their sodium levels, both as a consequence of their disease process and iatrogenically. Hyper- or hyponatremia in the neurosurgical intensive care unit can easily be broken down to neurological causes, medical causes, and iatrogenic causes. Promptly diagnosing conditions in which sodium levels rapidly change are especially important in this patient population because of the effect on cerebral volume. When sodium levels change quickly, large shifts in water occur over the cellular membrane, which can lead to neuronal and cell swelling or shrinkage. Inappropriate or delayed diagnosis and treatment may lead to severe morbidity or even death. The rate of correction of these derangements depends on how rapidly the onset occurred. In this review, we will discuss hypernatremia and hyponatremia and their retrospective etiologies, diagnoses, treatments, and complications.
A bicriterion algorithm for the allocation of cross-trained workers based on operational and human resource objectives

The problem of allocating a pool of cross-trained workers across multiple departments, units, or work centers is important for both manufacturing and service environments. Within the context of services, such as hospital nursing, the problem has commonly been formulated as a nonlinear assignment problem with an operationally-oriented objective function that focuses on the maximization of service utility as a function of deviations from target staffing levels in the departments. However, service managers might also deem it appropriate to consider human resource-oriented goals, such as accommodating worker preferences, avoiding decay of skill productivity, or the provision of training. We present a bicriterion formulation of the nonlinear worker assignment problem that incorporates both operational and human resource objective criteria. An algorithm for generating the entire Pareto efficient set associated with the bicriterion model is subsequently presented. A small numerical example is used to illustrate the bicriterion model and algorithm. A second example based on a test problem from the literature is also contained in the paper, and a third example is provided in an online supplement. In addition, a simulation experiment was conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of the algorithm to a variety of environmental characteristics.
Optimal aircraft rerouting during commercial space launches

To reduce the risk to nearby aircraft during space vehicle launches, the FAA shuts down a large column of airspace, often for hours at a time. These airspace restrictions lead to many rerouted aircraft. Recent research has explored ways to make airspace closures dynamic throughout the launch process and limit their geographic extent. This paper models the problem as a Markov decision process whose solution defines when an aircraft should be rerouted, minimizing inconvenience and cost while maintaining safety. The model captures the launch vehicle trajectory, probability of anomaly, potential debris trajectories, and air traffic. An optimization approach known as backwards induction value iteration results in a policy that recommends aircraft maneuvers. The scenario investigated in this work includes a two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, commercial aircraft at 35,000 ft, and potential debris trajectories. This approach yields policies that are safe and that cause minimal disruption to the airspace.
GNSS/INS aided precise re-photographing

Re-photographing is a well-established method of acquiring new images in the same location where old photos were taken, in order to visualize changes and evolutions of the analyzed scene. According to the goal of the re-photographing procedure, different techniques can be employed, mainly based on visual methods, image cues or positioning sensors. The paper, after a review of the re-photographing procedures and techniques, presents a GNSS/INS aided method to achieve precise re-photographing results. Architectural and natural scenarios are used to test the developed method.
Situational determinants of communication apprehension

The theoretical foundation of communication apprehension is a trait conceptualization of speech anxiety. Although stability is implicit in the general notion of traits, the stability of communication apprehension measures has not been well documented. This study was conducted to determine whether or not an impending classroom performance affects PRCA scores. The results indicate that subjects anticipating a speech performance report higher communication apprehension than those anticipating a lecture. Moreover, the results indicate the possibility of disarray of PRCA scores following anticipated speech performance.
Studies of phosphorescent probes for proteins.

Abstract 1. 1. Certain capabilities and limitations of using bound phosphorescent chromophores to study protein structure were investigated. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors with three different arrangements of singlet and triplet energy levels relative to those of tryptophan were used to determine their ability to transfer triplet energy. 2. 2. Ligands representing each of the three spectroscopic energy level arrangements were found to exhibit triplet—triplet energy transfer with a tryptophan residue at the active site of carbonic anhydrase. This greatly increases the number of ligands which may be useful as phosphorescent probes. 3. 3. The efficiency of energy transfer occurs to varying degrees depending upon the inhibitor. This is a potential source of data for determining the position of the ligand in the binding site.
Joint Sparse Recovery Method for Compressed Sensing With Structured Dictionary Mismatches

In traditional compressed sensing theory, the dic- tionary matrix is given ap riori, whereas in real applications this matrix suffers from random noise and fluctuations. In this paper, we consider a signal model where each column in the dictionary matrix is affected by a structured noise. This formulation is common in direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation of off-grid targets, encountered in both radar systems and array processing. We propose to use joint sparse signal recovery to solve the com- pressed sensing problem with structured dictionary mismatches and also give an analytical performance bound on this joint sparse recovery. We show that, under mild conditions, the reconstruction error of the original sparse signal is bounded by both the sparsity and the noise level in the measurement model. Moreover, we implement fast first-order algorithms to speed up the computing process. Numerical examples demonstrate the good performance of the proposed algorithm and also show that the joint-sparse recovery method yields a better reconstruction result than existing methods. By implementing the joint sparse recovery method, the accuracy and efficiency of DOA estimation are improved in both passive and active sensing cases.
Spectroscopic characterization of core-based hyperbranched poly(ethyleneimine) and dendritic poly(propyleneimine) as selective uptake devices

Dendritic polymers have a wide range of potential applications; however, the extensive synthesis and limited availability of bulk quantities of dendrimers restrict their use. Core-based hyperbranched polymers (CBHPs) are, therefore, an attractive alternative to dendrimers for many applications. The selectivity of core-based hyperbranched poly(ethyleneimine), as a host for phenol blue and 2-hydroxy Nile red guests, was investigated using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. Research results are compared to those for its dendritic counterpart, poly(propyleneimine). Phenol blue is known to associate near the core in both the CBHPs and dendrimers investigated. The interfering agent, 2-hydroxy Nile red, has also been shown to associate with these polymers; however, this interaction occurs in the outermost branches. In this work, it was found that phenol blue was sequestered in both the CBHPs and dendrimers in the presence of interfering agent, and this association appeared to be the same as that of the polymers with phenol blue alone. Although the presence of 2-hydroxy Nile red did affect the association of phenol blue, there was still considerable association even when 2-hydroxy Nile red was in 10-fold excess. The association of phenol blue with both the CBHPs and dendrimers was stable and robust; however, the association of 2-hydroxy Nile red was relatively weak and unstable.
Time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy and fluctuation correlation analysis of major histocompatibility complex class I proteins in fibroblast cells

Abstract Major histocompatibility complex class I proteins, MHC(I), are expressed in almost all nucleated cells and synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The orientation and mobility of these complexes are crucial in their biological function in the immune system, i.e., the cytosolic pathogen peptides loading and their presentation to T-cell receptors at the plasma membrane, where cell destruction is triggered. Here, we investigate the structural flexibility and associations of GFP-encoded MHC(I) alleles (H2L d ), namely H2L d GFP in and H2L d GFP out , in cultured mouse fibroblast cells. Time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy of H2L d GFP in in the ER indicates a dominant overall tumbling motion of 56 ± 7 ns (ER), with a fast conformational flexibility, as compared with a restricted rotation of H2L d GFP out . At the single-molecule level, the diffusion coefficient of H2L d GFP in and H2L d GFP out in the ER is (1.8 ± 0.5) × 10 −9 and (2.1 ± 0.6) × 10 −9 cm 2 /s, respectively, as revealed by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. A complementary immunoblotting of H2L d GFP constructs, isolated from mouse fibroblast cells, reveals band at 75 kDa as compared with 29 kDa of the free EGFP. These real-time dynamics provide new insights into the structural flexibility and intracellular associations of GFP-labeled MHC(I) alleles (H2L d ) in living cells.
Backstabbing in Organizations: Employees’ Perceptions of Incidents, Motives, and Communicative Responses

This study examined employees’ perceptions of backstabbing in the workplace and an initial typology was developed for backstabbing incidents, perceived motives, and communicative responses. We employed thematic inductive analysis and unitizing to develop the typology and approached this study from the decoder's perspective (the target), whereas previous research on other negative behaviors in the workplace focused on the encoder's perspective (the perpetrator). Results indicated that active incidents (e.g., talked behind back) were more prevalent than passive incidents (e.g., withheld information), perceived motives were primarily self-interest (e.g., self-advancement), and communicative responses included interaction (e.g., confronted backstabber), action (e.g., left job), and inaction (e.g., ignored). Other responses were emotion and cognition. Demographics indicated that this phenomenon cuts across numerous organizations, industries, and hierarchical positions.
Diffusion of chromium and aluminum in Ni-20Cr and TDNiCr /Ni-20Cr-2ThO2/.

Diffusion coefficients have been measured for Cr51 in fine- and coarse-grained TDNiCr (Ni-20Cr-2ThO2) and in fine-grained Ni-20Cr in the temperature range from 1038 to 1200 C. Selective diffusivities have also been determined for specimens of these alloys which were aluminized to give an initial surface concentration of 5.8 wt % Al. Finally, diffusion coefficients for interdiffusion of aluminum in TDNiCr and Ni-20Cr have been obtained from electron probe microanalysis of the aluminized specimens. For a given grain size and temperature there is no difference in diffusivities for chromium diffusion in TDNiCr or Ni-20Cr. Diffusion coefficients increase with decreasing grain size for both alloys. Comparison of aluminum diffusion data obtained from electron microprobe profiles with radiotracer chromium diffusivities suggests that aluminum diffuses approximately three times faster than chromium in TDNiCr and Ni-20Cr.
Monoaromatic compounds in ambient air of various cities: a focus on correlations between the xylenes and ethylbenzene

Speciation of o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene and ethylbenzene was performed by gas chromatography from ambient air and liquid fuel samples collected at various locations in 19 cities in Europe, Asia and South America. The xylene's mixing ratios were compared to each other from the various locations, which included urban air, traffic air and liquid fuel. For all samples, the xylenes exhibited robust correlations, and the slopes remained constant. The m-xylene/p-xylene ratio was found to be 2.33±0.30, and the m-xylene/o-xylene ratio was found to be 1.84±0.25. These ratios remain persistent even in biomass combustion experiments (in South America and South Africa). Comparing the xylenes to toluene and benzene indicate that combustion, but not fuel evaporation, is the major common source of the xylenes in areas dominated by automotive emissions. Although a wide range of combustion types and combustion efficiencies were encountered throughout all the locations investigated, xylenes and ethylbenzene ratios remained persistent. We discuss the implications of the constancies in the xylenes and ethylbenzene ratios on atmospheric chemistry.
Studies on the mechanism of action of phenolic disinfectants. II. Patterns of release of radioactivity from Escherichia coli labeled by growth on various compounds.

Previous studies on the leakage of radioactivity from glutamate-C 14 labeled Escherichia coli cells in the presence of phenolic disinfectants were extended to involve cells labeled by growth on glucose-U-C 14 , acetate-C 14 , adenine-C 14 , sulfate-S 35 , and phos-phate-P 32 . In general, the phenolic disinfectants considered caused varying amounts of radioactivity to be released from the labeled cells. The phenol derivatives did not cause leakage of significant amounts of radioactivity from heat-treated cells, and cells exposed to n -butanol (which breaks the osmotic barrier) did release additional radioactivity when treated with p -chloro-aw-xylenol or phenol, but the total counts released under the experimental conditions did not exceed that with further butanol treatment. Cells labeled with P 32 , once treated with p -chloro- m -xylenol, continued to release radioactivity in saline buffer but glucose-C 14 -labeled cells did not. The amount of radioactivity released from variously labeled cells in the presence of phenol, p -chloro- m -xylenol, or n -butanol was affected by temperature.
Transfer function synthesis as a ratio of two complex polynomials

Experimental frequency response data obtained from a linear dynamic system is processed to obtain the transfer function as a ratio of two frequency-dependent polynomials. The difference between the absolute magnitudes of the actual function and the polynomial ratio is the error considered. The polynomial coefficients are evaluated as the result of minimizing the sum of the squares of the above errors at the experimental points. The polynomial coefficients are computed numerically using an IBM 704 FORTRAN program. The magnitude and phase angle of the transfer function are evaluated at the various frequencies, using the computed polynomial ratio; and are compared with the observed data. The method presented here gives an analytic description of the complex transfer function superior to that given by minimization of the "weighted" sum of the squares of the errors in magnitude.