cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of human serum on the bactericidal activity of daptomycin and vancomycin against staphylococcal and enterococcal isolates as determined by time-kill kinetic studies

Abstract The bactericidal activity of daptomycin and vancomycin alone in cation-supplemented Mueller-Hinton broth and in human serum against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus faecalis was evaluated by exposing replicating microorganisms to concentrations ranging from 2 to 128 μg/ml for 24 hr. In addition, the possibility of emergence of resistance, the stability of each agent in the respective medium, and the percent of protein binding by human serum for each agent was evaluated. We found that a concentration of ⩽ 8 μ g/ml of daptomycin was sufficient to achieve bactericidal activity (⩾99.9% killing of the inoculum) in cation-supplemented Mueller-Hinton broth for all staphylococcal isolates tested; a concentration of ⩽ 16 μ g/ml of daptomycin was required for bactericidal activity in cation-supplemented Mueller-Hinton broth for enterococcal isolates. In human serum, comparable bactericidal activity with daptomycin was achieved only with concentrations 8–16 times higher. A similar but less pronounced effect in human serum was seen for vancomycin. Neither daptomycin nor vancomycin was appreciably degraded in human serum over a 24-hr period. It is likely that the clinical efficacy of daptomycin in humans would be enhanced by higher dosing than has been studied to date.
Human K10 epithelial keratin is the most abundant protein in airborne dust of both occupied and unoccupied school rooms

Previously it was demonstrated that the levels of large particles (>2 micron) and associated bacterial cell envelope markers increase greatly on occupation in schools; it was hypothesized that the source of both was shed human skin. In the current work to test this hypothesis, room air cleaners were used to collect airborne dust (>50-100 mg) from occupied and unoccupied school rooms which was then subjected to proteomic analysis. Proteins were extracted from the dust and separated using two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D GE). In situ digestion of protein spots with trypsin released peptides, which were subsequently analyzed by matrix assisted laser desorption/deionization, time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS-MS). In Coomassie blue stained gels, a single spot generally dominated the 2D gels; this protein was identified by tandem mass spectrometry as K10 epithelial keratin. The results experimentally confirm previous anecdotal reports that human skin is readily shed into air and suggest that increased levels of microbial markers and large particles observed in occupied rooms are also derived from skin.
Persistence of Active Lactic Streptococcal Bacteriophage in Intravenously Inoculated Mice

Abstract Persistence of active lactic streptococcal bacteriophage in internal organs of 104 inoculated Swiss mice was determined. The mice were inoculated intravenously with 0.2ml each of whey lysate containing the phage. Individual mice were sacrificed at intervals over a period of 91 days and the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, and spleen assayed for phage content. Phage was recovered last from the kidneys the 11th day after inoculation, from the liver and lungs the 22nd day, the heart the 24th day, and from the spleen the 85th day. The highest counts were obtained from the spleen and liver and the lowest from the heart. The analysis of variance of the data on the logarithmic basis indicated that variations associated with the organ, treatment, day, and weight of organ were highly significant at the 1% level. Organ×treatment interaction was not significant. The regression coefficients of phage count in relation to day indicate the rate of decrease was most rapid in the spleen, followed in order in the liver, kidney, lungs, and heart; but, because of higher initial counts, persistence was greatest in the spleen.
Divergent neural β tubulin from the antarctic fish notothenia coriiceps neglecta: Potential sequence contributions to cold adaptation of microtubule assembly

The cytoplasmic microtubules of the cold-adapted Antarctic fishes, unlike those of homeotherms and temperate poikilotherms, assemble and function at body temperatures in the range -1.8 to +2 degrees C. To determine whether alterations to the primary sequence of beta tubulin may contribute to enhancement of microtubule assembly at cold temperatures, we have cloned and sequenced a 1.8-kilobase neural beta-chain cDNA, Ncn beta 1, from an Antarctic rockcod, Notothenia coriiceps neglecta. Based on nucleotide sequence homology, Ncn beta 1 probably corresponds to a class-II beta-tubulin gene. The 446-residue beta chain encoded by Ncn beta 1 is closely related (sequence homology approximately 95%) both to the neural class-I/II isotypes and to the neural/testicular class-IV variants of higher vertebrates, but the sequence of its carboxy-terminal isotype-defining region (residues 431-446) has diverged markedly (> or = 25% change relative to the I/II/IV referents). Furthermore, the Ncn beta 1 polypeptide contains six unique amino-acid substitutions (five conservative, one nonconservative) not found in other vertebrate brain isotypes, and the carboxy-terminal region possesses a unique tyrosine inserted at position 442. We conclude that Ncn beta 1 encodes a class-II beta tubulin that contains sequence modifications, located largely in its interdimer contact domain, that may contribute to cold adaptation of microtubule assembly.
Atmospheric neutrino mixing and b–τ unification

Abstract Extrapolating the τ and b masses in the MSSM tends to give for their ratio at the GUT scale a number around 1.2, for most viable values tan β , rather than the minimal SU (5) prediction of 1. We suggest that this may be due to large off-diagonal elements in the charged lepton mass matrix M L that can also explain the large atmospheric neutrino mixing angle. Several simple models with definite predictions for m τ / m b ( M GUT ) are presented.
Kinetics of dichlobenil degradation in soil

Summary. The rates of degradation of dichlobenil (2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile) in soil were determined at 67 and 267°C. The degradation followed first-order kinetics but at 67°C this occurred after an initial lag period of 10 weeks. The half-lives were 28 weeks (+ 10 weeks lag) at 6.7°C and 19 weeks at 26.7°C. The activation energy for the decomposition was the relatively low value of 3.57 kcal/mole, indicating that the degradation of dichlobenil is not as markedly affected by temperature as that of many other herbicides. The only detectable metabolite was 2,6-dichlorobenzamide, a compound that should have a substantially lower vapour pressure and a higher affinity for surfaces than the parent compound. Cinetique de la degradation du dichlobenil dans le sol Resume. Les taux de degradation du dichlobenil (2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile) dans le sol ont ete determines a 6,7 et 26,7°C. La deSgradation suivit une loi cinetique du premier ordre, mais a 6,7°C ceci se produisit apres une periode initiate de latence de 10 semaines. Les demi-vies furent de 28 semaines (plus 10 semaines de latence) a 6,7°C et 19 semaines a. 26,7°C. L'energie d'activation pour la decomposition s'etablit a la valeur relativement faible de 3,57 kcal/mole; ceci indique que la degradation du dichlobenil n'est pas aussi profondement affcctee par la temperature quc celle de beaucoup d'autres herbicides. Le seul metabolite detectable fut le 2,6-dichlorobenzamide, compose qui devrait avoir une pression de vapeur notablement plus faible et une affinite plus grande pour les surfaces que le compose apparente. Kinetik des Dichlohenil-Abbaus im Boden Zusammenfassung. Es wurde die Abbaugeschwindigkeit von Dichlobenil (2,6-Dichlorbenzonitril) im Boden bei 6,7°C und 26,7°C bestinimt. Der Abbau entsprach einer Reaktion erster Ordnung. Bei 6,7°G setzte der Abbau nach einer lag-Phase von 10 Wochen ein. Die Halbwertzeiten betrugen 28 Wochen (+10 Wochen lag-Phase) bei 6,7°C und 19 Wochen bei 26,7°C. Die Aktivierungsenergie war verhaltnisniassig niedrig und betrug 3,57 Kcal/Mol und zeigt, dass der Abbau von Dichlobenil durch Temperatur nicht so stark beeinflusst wird wie bei vielen anderen Herbiziden. Der einzige nachweisbare Metabolit war 2,6-Dichlorbenzamid, der einen wcsentlich nieddgeren Dampfdruck und eine grossere Affinitat gegenuber Oberfiachen haben durfte als die ursprungliche Verbindung.
Finding Intersections and Normalizers in Finitely Generated Nilpotent Groups

We present algorithms for computing intersections, normalizers and subgroup products of subgroups in finitely generated nilpotent groups given by nilpotent presentations. The problems are reduced to solving for certain minimal solutions in linear Diophantine equations over the integers. Performance of the algorithm using a Mathematica implementation is demonstrated.
Antigen-Presenting Cells Are Stratified Within Normal Human Corneas and Are Rapidly Mobilized During Ex Vivo Viral Infection

PURPOSE To define the phenotype and location of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in normal donor human corneas, and to assess the response of APC to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. METHODS Donor human corneal tissue was analyzed by fluorescence confocal microscopy and flow cytometry to determine the phenotype and location of tissue-resident APCs. Confocal fluorescence microscopy was also utilized to investigate the response of corneal resident APCs to ex vivo infection with HSV-1. RESULTS CD11c(+) dendritic cells (DCs) and CD207(+) Langerhans cells (LCs) were situated predominantly in the basal epithelium and CD68(+) macrophages in the anterior stroma of human corneas. The majority of DCs expressed major histocompatibility complex class II. Corneal resident APCs colocalized with HSV-1-infected corneal cells within 8 to 16 hours of ex vivo infection. CONCLUSIONS The stratification of APCs found in human corneas is very similar to that previously reported in mice, confirming the relevance of murine models for the study of corneal APCs. Furthermore, corneal resident APCs are capable of rapidly mobilizing to the site of trauma and HSV-1 infection within the cornea.
Basal cell carcinoma and actinic keratoses: patients' perceptions of their disease and current treatments.

Background The increasing incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer constitutes a significant worldwide epidemic. Chronic exposure to ultraviolet light is the predominant risk factor for basal cell carcinoma (BCC), which will make up approximately 80% of new cases of skin cancer per year, and for actinic keratoses (AK), an early manifestation of squamous cell carcinoma. BCC and AK are associated with considerable morbidity, which can be decreased if detected and treated early. Methods Patients in the United States (US), Australia, Spain and Germany took part in discussion groups in which they were asked about their knowledge of BCC or AK and current diagnosis and treatment processes. Results In this study, patients were found to have only a basic understanding of BCC or AK, and furthermore, they were not satisfied with the amount of information provided by their physician about their treatment options, and possible side-effects such as pain and scarring. Conclusions Increased public awareness about BCC and AK may potentially aid in their early detection and treatment.
On non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination and interpretation of the matorral vegetation in lowland Murcía

The plant-environment relationships in a range of matorral communities, having different rainfall conditions in semi-arid lowland habitats in Murcia, S.E. Spain, were examined using the non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination technique. Hypotheses on floristic variations were derived based on an interpretative strategy which involved a site configuration rotation, followed by stepwise multiple regression analysis. An environmental data set was used to isolate variables associated with site co-ordinate trends. Results showed that floristic variation in these communities was mainly determined by aspect induced radiation receipt. Besides, most environmental trends in the study areas were found to be oblique to original site ordination axes and configuration rotation seemed to be a prerequisite in quantitative interpretation. The interpretative strategy introduced in this study was effective. It enhanced straightforward, quantitative and objective interpretation whereby inductive inferences on environmental trends could be readily formulated.
Food restriction and stimulation of monooxygenation of p-nitroanisole in perfused rat liver.

Abstract This study assessed the effects of food restriction on the metabolism of model monooxygenase substrates in the perfused rat liver. Female Sprague-Dawley rats had access ad lib . to a Purina 5001 nonpurified diet (control) or were given 65% of the intake of controls for 3 weeks. Livers were perfused with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit buffer using a non-recirculating system, and the rates of monooxygenation of p -nitroanisole and 7-ethoxycoumarin were measured. The results indicate that food restriction stimulated p -nitroanisole O-demethylation from 2.9 ± 0.2 to 4.6 ± 0.5 μ mol/(g.hr) when saturating concentrations of p -nitroanisole were infused. Concomitantly, the ratio of β-hydroxybutyrate to acetoacetate (B/A) and the rates of ketogenesis (B + A) were increased significantly by food restriction. Further, p -nitroanisole (200 μmnol/L) increased hepatic malate concentration nearly 3-fold in liver extracts from food-restricted rats. However, infusion of either a low concentration of p -nitroanisole (50 μmol/L) or 7-ethoxycoumarin (200 μmol/L) did not alter these parameters. On the other hand, food restriction did not alter rates of monooxygenation in isolated microsomes supplemented with excess NADPH. Taken together, these data support the hypothesis that high concentrations of p -nitroanisole increased monooxygenation in food-restricted rats by stimulating fatty acid oxidation, which elevates the mitochondrial NADH/NAD + ratio. This, in turn, increases the availability of reducing equivalents in the form of NADPH by a malate-pyruvate exchange system, leading to increased drug metabolism.
Newer fluoroquinolones and the management of respiratory tract infections.

Infections of the respiratory tract remain one of the leading causes of death in the United States [1]. The cost burden for bacterial infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract is tremendous; the cost alone of treating patients with communityacquired pneumonia (CAP) has recently been estimated to be close to $10 billion (US) [2]. In addition, the emergence of drugresistant pathogens presents a challenge to infectious disease clinicians. Several common respiratory tract pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, have shown a progressive tendency to develop resistance to both b-lactam and non‐b-lactam antibiotics. National and international multicenter surveillance programs have been tracking the prevalence and patterns of antimicrobial resistance among respiratory tract pathogens. At the local level, these surveillance programs can be used to help guide therapeutic decisions. Newer antimicrobials for the treatment of CAP, such as the newer fluoroquinolones, offer significant advantages over existing agents, including a broader spectrum of activity, improved safety, higher bioavailability, and reduced resistance potential. These agents may also offer shorter courses of therapy, enhanced patient compliance, and potential economic savings. The newer fluoroquinolones, which have been engineered to exhibit enhanced gram-positive activity while maintaining gram-negative activity, are frequently active against resistant bacterial strains. There are 2 means by which bacteria can become resistant to fluoroquinolones: mutations in 1 or both of fluoroquinolone enzyme targets and overexpression of multidrug efflux pumps. Each fluoroquinolone has different relative activities against the enzymes, which may also vary with the type of pathogen. Enzyme targets may be more susceptible to the newer fluoroquinolones, thereby decreasing the likelihood of bacterial resistance. Knowledge of these variations is important in selecting the appropriate dosage regimen for clinical care. The discovery of multiple drug‐resistant S. pneumoniae (DRSP), which is defined as having reduced susceptibility to >2 antibacterials, has heightened the interest in fluoroquinolones. Some formerly potent antipneumococcal agents, such as the b
Convection heat transfer distributions over plates with square ribs from infrared thermography measurements

Abstract Heat transfer measurements were performed on two ribbed plates, with constant heat flux surfaces, using an infrared (IR) thermography technique. The tests were conducted in a turbulent flow wind tunnel (0.5 × 10 6 6 ) at two roughness heights ( e/D h = 0.052 and 0.093 ). The transverse ribs on the plates had a square cross section. The experimental technique provided local variations of heat transfer coefficients not only between ribs but also surrounding the ribs, with better resolution than techniques currently used. The results suggested a separation-reattachment flow distribution over the plate with a pitch ratio ( p/e ) of 12 and a trapped vortex flow between ribs for a p/e of 5
GH Deficient Children Receiving GH Replacement Do not Grow during Intermittent Infectious Illness

Five growth hormone deficient children, aged 5.3 to 12.6 yrs, were measured regularly once or twice weekly by knemometry, a novel and noninvasive technique of accurate lower leg length measurement. The total period of observation was 40 months in the 5 children. During this time all children received replacement therapy with extractive human pituitary growth hormone 12 IU/m2/week by daily s.c. injections. 11 intermittent infectious illnesses occurred within the observation period of 40 months. During the infectious diseases a significant decrease of the mean lower leg growth velocity down to -0.012 mm/day was observed. During the following convalescent period (14 days) mean lower leg growth velocity rose up to +0.107 mm/day (p less than 0.001). Growth hormone substitution was not changed throughout the period of observation.
Fractional-intensity widths and Stark-broadening formulas for the hydrogen Balmer lines

Abstract Tables of the electron density as a function of the fractional-intensity widths of Stark-broadened H α , H β , H γ and H δ line profiles have been prepared by interpolating the tables of S(α) values of Griem, Kolb and Shen. These tables are useful for electron density measurements and for constructing theoretical line profiles. Some rather simple formulas are presented which describe the electron density in terms of the fractional-intensity widths of these four lines.
Numerical Simulation of Vortex Generating Jets in Zero and Adverse Pressure Gradients

Numerical simulations of vortex generating jets (VGJs) on a ∞at plate at a Reynolds number based on plate length of 50,000, were performed using a time-accurate hybrid Navier-Stokes solver. Three ∞ow conditions were studied, and the results were compared to a companion experimental study. The numerical time-averaged ∞ow fleld of a steadyblowing, angled jet subjected to no pressure gradient, showed good agreement with experimental particle image velocimetry (PIV) data in terms of velocity components and vortical structure formations. Observed ∞ow features include a large vortex which dominates the downstream wake region. Instantaneous views of the steady jet show the formation of \kidney" vortex rings which were previously observed in various ∞ow visualization experiments. Pulsing of the angled jet was then analyzed with the zero pressure gradient freestream. A qualitative comparison between phase-lock averaged experimental and instantaneous numerical results was performed, with good agreement in terms of jet ∞uid convection downstream during the pulse period. Finally, an adverse pressure gradient was applied to the ∞at plate which induced a laminar separation zone aft of the VGJ hole, similar to that found on the suction side of a low pressure turbine blade. The pulsed, angled jet produced strong spanwise vortices in the separated free shear layer which appear to weaken the separation zone and facilitate the removal of the low-momentum separated ∞uid from the domain. The laminar separation zone does not return to its pre-pulse size before the subsequent pulse period begins. Qualitative comparisons of streamwise velocity showed good agreement between experimental and numerical data in terms of jet ∞uid interaction with this weakened separation zone.
The biosynthesis of alkyl glyceryl ethers by microsomal enzymes of digestive glands and gonads of the starfish, Asterias forbesi.

Abstract 1. 1. A microsomal enzyme system that can synthesize alkyl ether linkages in glycerolipids has been isolated from the digestive glands and gonads of the starfish, Asterias forbesi . The total lipids of the microsomes from the digestive glands contain approx. 4.5% alkyl glyceryl ethers and 5.5% alk-1-enyl glyceryl ethers. The chain lengths of alkyl moieties consist of 16:0 (31%), 18:0 (39%) and 20:1 (13%), whereas the chain lengths of the alk-1-enyl moieties consist mainly of 18:0 (79%). 2. 2. The biosynthetic system for alkyl ethers utilizes long-chain fatty alcohols and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate as substrates and ATP, CoA, and Mg 2+ as cofactors. The time-course for the reaction is linear for at least 90 min, and the products produced have chromatographic properties identical to those which we have found in microsomes from neoplastic cells. No alk-1-enyl glyceryl ethers are formed in this system. Gas-liquid chromatography of the 14 C-labeled O -alkylglycerol isopropylidene derivatives (prepared after LiA1H 4 reduction of total lipids) revealed that approx. 90% of the 14 C was associated with the C 16:0 glyceryl ether fraction after incubation of 14 C labeled C 16:0 fatty alcohol.
Spanwise modal competition in cross-waves

Abstract An asymptotic theory for cross-waves generated by an oscillating wavemaker in a semi-infinite rectangular wave tank is derived for the limit of large mode number. The possibility of multiple mode excitation is included by introducing a spanwise modulation. The partial differential equations governing the evolution of inviscid cross-waves are shown to be two coupled nonlinear Schrodinger equations. Energy dissipation in the system is taken into account including a linear damping term. A center manifold analysis is used to reduce the PDEs to a system of coupled Landau equations in the neighborhood of a codimension-two point where two adjacent spanwise modes are marginally stable. Four possible steady states of the system are found, one of which is a mixed-mode superposition of two spanwise modes. A Hopf bifurcation from the mixed mode is predicted for some parameters; extending the system to higher order allows the stability of this bifurcation to be determined in terms of perturbations to a Hamiltonian system. Both subcritical and supercritical bifurcation are possible. An experimental study in the neighborhood of a codimension-two point shows good agreement with the theoretical predictions including the discovery of a mixed-mode state.
Nonlinear Guided Wave Phenomena

The current state of the art of applications of nonlinear optics to optical waveguides is reviewed, with emphasis on recent progress in the area of third-order interactions. In the last few years, various groups have reported calculations and experiments on degenerate four-wave mixing, and a variety of effects that depend on an intensity-dependent refractive index including power-dependent field distributions, nonlinear coherent directional couplers, nonlinear prism couplers, and nonlinear grating phenomena.
Ability Grouping Is Not Just Tracking Anymore.

The No Child Lett Behind legislation, with its emphasis on conducting scientifically based research, has reopened the door to a set of instructional and curricular practices left for dead in light of the scathing criticism of Oakes and Slavin in the 1980s, mainly ability grouping. This article represents a review of the literature of best practices, both instructional and curricular, that may lead to increased achievement among America's gifted and talented youth, whether they reside in an enrichment or resource room or the regular classroom. The review suggests that flexible ability grouping, combined with appropriate curricular revision or differentiation, may result in substantial achievement gains both for average and high ability learners. It is imperative that researchers in the field of gifted education take the lead in this endeavor so that no child, including the gifted and talented, will be left behind.
A TAXONOMIC REVIEW OF TRICHOGRAMMA (TRICHOGRAMMANZA) CARVER (HYMENOPTERA: TRICHOGRAMMATIDAE), WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SPECIES FROM AUSTRALIA1

Trichogramma (Trichogrammanza) Carver, known only from southeast Australia, is reviewed and 2 new species, T. (T.) carverae and T. (T.) tenebrosum, are described. Results of cross-breeding studies between 2 forms of T. (T.) funiculatum Carver are briefly discussed.
China: Strengthening Monetary Policy Implementation

The People's Bank of China (PBC) has made great strides in modernizing its monetary policy frameworks but their effectiveness will diminish as the sophistication of the economy increases. Empirical evidence supports maintaining a reference to money in China's monetary strategy and enhancing the role of interest rates in its conduct. We advocate adoption of an eclectic strategy involving the monitoring of several indicators, and of a short-term interest rate as the operational target. The PBC should be granted discretion to change its policy rate, and there are no technical obstacles for such a move to occur in the near future.
Peptides Containing γ,δ-Dihydroxy-l-leucine

(±)-Dehydroleucine was prepared and resolved by porcine kidney acylase. Under the conditions of the Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation (SAD), employing AD-mix-α, Nα-carbobenzyloxy-(2S)-4,5-dehydroleucine methyl ester (16) gave rise to a 6.5:1.0 mixture of γ-lactones 17, favoring the 4R configuration. Such carbamate-protected α-amino-γ-hydroxylactones are not recommended as intermediates for peptide synthesis, since model studies showed that lactone 13 was unreactive toward amines. Moreover, the lactone ring could not be opened hydrolytically without epimerization at Cα. Nα-Carbobenzyloxy-(2S)-4,5-dehydroleucine (22) was condensed with valine ethyl ester (19) to give dipeptide 23. Treatment of 23 with AD-mix-β, under the SAD conditions, converted the dehydroleucine residue to γ,δ-dihydroxyleucine with 4S configuration, as occurs in alloviroidin (3), a natural product isolated from Amanita suballiacea.
Spillover from marine reserves related to mechanisms of population regulation

Spillover of fish from marine reserves to adjacent harvested waters may be mediated by density-independent movement, density-dependent movement, or both. If dispersal is by random movement, populations within the reserve must be regulated by density-dependent population growth (DDG). Density-dependent movement (DDM) can also regulate the population if accelerated emigration from a reserve to the surrounding fishing grounds leads to substantially increased mortality. Using spatially explicit models, we show that stock per unit area is bounded for DDG and increases with size for DDM. With DDG, spillover rate per unit area of reserve is maximized with reserves around 50% larger in linear dimension than the minimum size for population persistence. With DDM, spillover per unit area of reserve increases with reserve size. The results highlight the need for the mechanism of population regulation to be incorporated into theoretical and empirical investigations of marine reserve ecology.
Subtrochanteric femur fractures

Subtrochanteric femur fractures have demanded special consideration in orthopaedic traumatology, given the high rate of complications associated with their management. The intense concentration of compression, tensile, and torsional stresses and decreased vascularity of the region has challenged orthopaedists with problems of malunion, delayed union, and nonunion resulting from loss of fixation, implant failure, and iatrogenic devascularization of the operative exposure. Only recently has a better understanding of fracture biology, reduction techniques, and biomechanically improved implants allowed for subtrochanteric fractures to be addressed with consistent success.
The Arabidopsis thaliana REDUCED EPIDERMAL FLUORESCENCE1 Gene Encodes an Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Involved in Ferulic Acid and Sinapic Acid Biosynthesis

Recent research has significantly advanced our understanding of the phenylpropanoid pathway but has left in doubt the pathway by which sinapic acid is synthesized in plants. The reduced epidermal fluorescence1 (ref1) mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana accumulates only 10 to 30% of the sinapate esters found in wild-type plants. Positional cloning of the REF1 gene revealed that it encodes an aldehyde dehydrogenase, a member of a large class of NADP+-dependent enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of aldehydes to their corresponding carboxylic acids. Consistent with this finding, extracts of ref1 leaves exhibit low sinapaldehyde dehydrogenase activity. These data indicate that REF1 encodes a sinapaldehyde dehydrogenase required for sinapic acid and sinapate ester biosynthesis. When expressed in Escherichia coli, REF1 was found to exhibit both sinapaldehyde and coniferaldehyde dehydrogenase activity, and further phenotypic analysis of ref1 mutant plants showed that they contain less cell wall–esterified ferulic acid. These findings suggest that both ferulic acid and sinapic acid are derived, at least in part, through oxidation of coniferaldehyde and sinapaldehyde. This route is directly opposite to the traditional representation of phenylpropanoid metabolism in which hydroxycinnamic acids are instead precursors of their corresponding aldehydes.
Effects of morphological families on English compound word recognition: A multitask investigation

Three experiments examined the influence of first lexeme morphological family size on English compound word recognition. Concatenated compound words whose first lexemes were from large morphological families were responded to faster in word naming and lexical decision than compounds from small morphological families. In addition, an eye movement experiment showed that gaze durations were shorter on compounds from large morphological families during sentence reading. This was mainly due to more refixations on compounds from small morphological families. Posthoc analyses and re-analysis of past studies suggested that compounds with a larger number of higher frequency family members (HFFM) are read more slowly than compounds with fewer HFFM. Thus, while morphological family size is generally facilitative, the presence of HFFM has an inhibitory effect on eye movement behaviour. The time-course of these effects is discussed.
Optogalvanic response to light: photon energy vs photon number; comments

This Letter is a rebuttal of Kopeika's criticsm of our paper. To summarize the important points: We claimed that the magnitude of the optogalvanic effect (OGE) in U, Na, Eu, and Zr was independent of the ionization potential of the atom and depended on only the number of photons absorbed. Both mechanisms, increased electron temperature and direct ionization, undoubtably proceed simultaneously and the relative importance of one or the other probably depend on the experimental conditions. Our experiment has not demonstrated an increase in the electron temperature, rather our data appear to contradict the direct ionization mechanism in a hollow cathode discharge. More experimental evidence is necessary to determine the relative importance of the two mechanisms and their dependence on experimental conditions. (AIP)
Success Stories: Breeding for Wheat Disease Resistance in Kansas

the development, release, and adoption of wheat cultivars with resistance to important wheat diseases. As a result of the annual disease survey and estimation of losses, the impact that resistant cultivars had on disease losses could be quantified. This paper describes the use of genetic resistance in wheat for control of diseases and related yield effects in Kansas during the past 25 to 30
Concurrency extraction via hardware methods executing the static instruction stream

Hardware solutions to low-level (semantic) concurrency extraction are presented, focusing on the reduction of both control-flow and dataflow inhibitors of concurrency in general-purpose and scientific instruction streams. In the first model, CONDEL-1, an input code control flow model based on the code's branch domains is used in the algorithm to detect the reduced procedural dependencies in the input code. This model allows branches to execute concurrently. The cost and delay of the model's concurrency hardware are demonstrated to be relatively low, especially for the detection of concurrency beyond branches. The reduced procedural dependence techniques of CONDEL-1 are combined with high-speed reduced data dependency techniques to yield a machine model, CONDEL-2, executing standard sequential code in a manner beyond data-flow. Simulation results are presented and analyzed, showing the model's functionality and performance improvement. The beneficial effects of limited software optimizations are also reviewed. >
The Graffiti Solution

Graffiti is regarded by many as a blight on our cities because it contributes to visual pollution. City governments spend vast sums in an effort to clean the ubiquitous graffiti from urban walls. I suggest that the cleansing strategy is an expensive, ineffective way of dealing with the problem; well-known management techniques can solve the problem more efficiently.
Diapycnal Mixing in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

The vertical dispersion of a tracer released on a density surface near 1500-m depth in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current west of Drake Passage indicates that the diapycnal diffusivity, averaged over 1 yr and over tens of thousands of square kilometers, is (1.3 6 0.2) 3 10 25 m 2 s 21 . Diapycnal diffusivity estimated from turbulent kinetic energy dissipation measurements about the area occupied by the tracer in austral summer 2010 was somewhat less, but still within a factor of 2, at (0.75 6 0.07) 3 10 25 m 2 s 21 . Turbulent diapycnal mixing of this intensity is characteristic of the midlatitude ocean interior, where the energy for mixing is believed to derive from internal wave breaking. Indeed, despite the frequent and intense atmospheric forcing experienced by the Southern Ocean, the amplitude of finescale velocity shear sampled about the tracer was similar to background amplitudes in the midlatitude ocean, with levels elevated to only 20%‐50% above the Garrett‐Munk reference spectrum. These results add to a long line of evidence that diapycnal mixing in the interior middepth ocean is weak and is likely too small to dictate the middepth meridional overturning circulation of the ocean.
Creating a Learning Space in Problem-based Learning

An important aspect of PBL problems is the affordances that they hold for engaging students in discussion of important content knowledge. In this paper, I argue that one can analyze a problem in terms of a deep problem space and a broader learning space to identify the conceptual ideas for potential engagement. The problem space refers to the specific ideas and concepts that are part of the goals of the problem at hand. The learning space includes those aspects of the problem space and also includes the broader space of related conceptual ideas such as the anatomy and physiology related to a particular disorder or the pathology and clinical medicine of other disorders that might be considered as part of a differential diagnosis. This idea is tested in an exploratory analysis of a PBL tutorial conducted by Howard Barrows. The results demonstrate that much of students’ talk is focused in these related conceptual spaces and a substantial amount of the overall learning space is engaged in the group discussion. These results have implications for understanding the affordances of problems and providing another lens on how learning unfolds in a PBL problem. It also provides another means for evaluation of learning and assessment of discursive productivity in PBL groups.
IL-23: A Cytokine That Acts on Memory T Cells

The newly discovered cytokine interleukin (IL)-23 shares some in vivo functions with IL-12, including the activation of the transcription factor STAT4 (signal tranducer and activator of transcription-4). Indeed, the receptors for each appear to share one subunit, but also have at least one distinct subunit. Frucht discusses the similarities of IL-12 and IL-23 and the effects that distinguish one from the other. In contrast to IL-12, IL-23 appears to participate in the proliferative signal in memory T cells. More functions that distinguish IL-23 from IL-12 are likely to be uncovered as soon as the other component(s) of the IL-23 receptor are molecularly cloned and characterized.
Vacuolar and Plasma Membrane Proton Pumps Collaborate to Achieve Cytosolic pH Homeostasis in Yeast

Vacuolar proton-translocating ATPases (V-ATPases) play a central role in organelle acidification in all eukaryotic cells. To address the role of the yeast V-ATPase in vacuolar and cytosolic pH homeostasis, ratiometric pH-sensitive fluorophores specific for the vacuole or cytosol were introduced into wild-type cells and vma mutants, which lack V-ATPase subunits. Transiently glucose-deprived wild-type cells respond to glucose addition with vacuolar acidification and cytosolic alkalinization, and subsequent addition of K+ ion increases the pH of both the vacuole and cytosol. In contrast, glucose addition results in an increase in vacuolar pH in both vma mutants and wild-type cells treated with the V-ATPase inhibitor concanamycin A. Cytosolic pH homeostasis is also significantly perturbed in the vma mutants. Even at extracellular pH 5, conditions optimal for their growth, cytosolic pH was much lower, and response to glucose was smaller in the mutants. In plasma membrane fractions from the vma mutants, activity of the plasma membrane proton pump, Pma1p, was 65–75% lower than in fractions from wild-type cells. Immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed decreased levels of plasma membrane Pma1p and increased Pma1p at the vacuole and other compartments in the mutants. Pma1p was not mislocalized in concanamycin-treated cells, but a significant reduction in cytosolic pH under all conditions was still observed. We propose that short-term, V-ATPase activity is essential for both vacuolar acidification in response to glucose metabolism and for efficient cytosolic pH homeostasis, and long-term, V-ATPases are important for stable localization of Pma1p at the plasma membrane.
Becoming Austrian: Women, the State, and Citizenship in World War I

Copyrighted and originally published by Cambridge University Press and can be found at: http://www.cambridge.org/
Outcomes of carotid endarterectomy versus stenting in comparable medical risk patients.

Objective In medically high-risk patients the choice between carotid artery stenting (CAS) and carotid endarterectomy (CEA) can be difficult. The purpose of this study was to compare risk-stratified outcomes of CAS and CEA. Methods Patients who underwent isolated primary CEA (n = 11,336) or primary CAS (n = 544) at 29 centers in the Vascular Study Group of New England were analyzed (2003-2013); patients with previous ipsilateral CEA or CAS, or concomitant coronary artery bypass graft were excluded. A medical risk score based on predicted 5-year mortality was developed for each patient using a Cox proportional hazards model. Patients in the highest risk score quartile were termed high-risk (vs normal-risk for the other three quartiles). Medically high-risk patients had a 5-year survival of 65% and comprised 23% of CEA and 25% of CAS patients. Risk-stratified outcomes were compared within neurologically symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Results Among asymptomatic patients, rates of in-hospital stroke and/or death were not different between CAS and CEA in normal and high-risk cohorts, ranging from 0.7% in normal-risk CEA patients to 1.6% in high-risk CAS patients. In symptomatic patients, significantly worse outcomes were seen with CAS compared with CEA in normal-risk and high-risk patients. Normal-risk symptomatic patients had a stroke or death rate of 1.3% with CEA, but 5.2% with CAS ( P P Conclusions In the Vascular Study Group of New England, asymptomatic normal- and high-risk patients do equally well after CEA or CAS. However, normal- and high-risk symptomatic patients have substantially worse outcomes with CAS compared with CEA. High medical risk alone might be an insufficient indication for CAS in symptomatic patients.
Ensuring latency targets in multiclass Web servers

Two recent advances have resulted in significant improvements in Web server quality-of-service. First, both centralized and distributed Web servers can provide isolation among service classes by fairly distributing system resources. Second, session admission control can protect classes from performance degradation due to overload. The goal of this work is to design a general "front-end" algorithm that uses these two building blocks to support a new Web service model, namely, multiclass services which control response latencies to within prespecified targets. Our key technique is to devise a general service abstraction to adaptively control not only the latency of a particular class, but also to bound the interclass relationships. In this way, we capture the extent to which classes are isolated or share system resources (as determined by the server architecture and system internals) and hence their effects on each other's QoS. For example, if the server provides class isolation (i.e., a minimum fraction of system resources independent of other classes), yet also allows a class to utilize unused resources from other classes, the algorithm infers and exploits this behavior, without an explicit low level model of the server. Thus, as new functionalities are incorporated into Web servers, the approach naturally exploits their properties to efficiently satisfy the classes' performance targets. We validate the scheme with trace driven simulations.
Tissue‐Engineered Liver

The severe donor liver shortage, high cost, and complexity of orthotopic liver transplantation have prompted the search for alternative treatment strategies for end-stage liver disease, which would require less donor material, be cheaper, and be less invasive. Hepatic tissue engineering encompasses several approaches to develop adjunct internal liver support methods, such as hepatocyte transplantation and implantable hepatocyte-based devices, as well as temporary extracorporeal liver support techniques, such as bioartificial liver assist devices. As hepatocytes are highly sensitive to various environmental parameters, such as culture medium, substrate composition and topology, the presence or absence of contacts with other cells, and physical forces, it is important to first develop a small-scale liver functional unit that performs stable long-term liver-specific functions. This unit forms the basis of larger devices that contain sufficient numbers of cells to have a therapeutic benefit. The major hurdles in the scale-up of liver cell-based assist devices is the procurement of a sufficient number of cells, and the engineering of devices that provide good oxygen and nutrient transport to the cells. These remaining challenges must be resolved in order to develop the next generation of implantable and extracorporeal devices for adjunct or temporary liver assist. Keywords: liver; hepatocyte; stem cells; cell culture; biomaterials; bioreactor; extracorporeal device; transplantation; tissue engineering; metabolic engineering
Inducing parturition in mares using a modified low-dose oxytocin protocol

s / Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 34 (2014) 222 222 [2] Camillo F, Marmorini P, Romagnoli S, et al. Clinical studies on daily low dose oxytocin in mares at term. Equine Veterinary Journal 2000; 32:307–10. [3] Villani M, Romano G. Induction of parturition with daily low-dose oxytocin injections in pregnant mares at term: Clinical applications and limitations. Reproduction in Domestic Animals 2008;43:481–3. [4] Ousey JC, Dudan F, Rossdale PD. Preliminary Studies of Mammary Secretions in the Mare to Assess Fetal Readiness for Birth. Equine Veterinary Journal 1984;16:259–63. [5] Fowden AL, Forhead AJ, Ousey JC. Endocrine adaptations in the foal over the perinatal period. Equine Veterinary Journal 2012;44: 130–9.
Transcriptional dysregulation of inflammatory/immune pathways after active vaccination against Huntington′s disease

Immunotherapy, both active and passive, is increasingly recognized as a powerful approach to a wide range of diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Huntington's disease (HD), an autosomal dominant disorder triggered by misfolding of huntingtin (HTT) protein with an expanded polyglutamine tract, could also benefit from this approach. Individuals can be identified genetically at the earliest stages of disease, and there may be particular benefits to a therapy that can target peripheral tissues in addition to brain. In this active vaccination study, we first examined safety and immunogenicity for a broad series of peptide, protein and DNA plasmid immunization protocols, using fragment (R6/1), and knock-in (zQ175) models. No safety issues were found. The strongest and most uniform immune response was to a combination of three non-overlapping HTT Exon1 coded peptides, conjugated to KLH, delivered with alum adjuvant. An N586-82Q plasmid, delivered via gene gun, also showed ELISA responses, mainly in the zQ175 strain, but with more variability, and less robust responses in HD compared with wild-type controls. Transcriptome profiling of spleens from the triple peptide-immunized cohort showed substantial HD-specific differences including differential activation of genes associated with innate immune responses, absence of negative feedback control of gene expression by regulators, a temporal dysregulation of innate immune responses and transcriptional repression of genes associated with memory T cell responses. These studies highlight critical issues for immunotherapy and HD disease management in general.
Meta-analyses of studies of the human microbiota

Our body habitat-associated microbial communities are of intense research interest because of their influence on human health. Because many studies of the microbiota are based on the same bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene target, they can, in principle, be compared to determine the relative importance of different disease/physiologic/developmental states. However, differences in experimental protocols used may produce variation that outweighs biological differences. By comparing 16S rRNA gene sequences generated from diverse studies of the human microbiota using the QIIME database, we found that variation in composition of the microbiota across different body sites was consistently larger than technical variability across studies. However, samples from different studies of the Western adult fecal microbiota generally clustered by study, and the 16S rRNA target region, DNA extraction technique, and sequencing platform produced systematic biases in observed diversity that could obscure biologically meaningful compositional differences. In contrast, systematic compositional differences in the fecal microbiota that occurred with age and between Western and more agrarian cultures were great enough to outweigh technical variation. Furthermore, individuals with ileal Crohn's disease and in their third trimester of pregnancy often resembled infants from different studies more than controls from the same study, indicating parallel compositional attributes of these distinct developmental/physiological/disease states. Together, these results show that cross-study comparisons of human microbiota are valuable when the studied parameter has a large effect size, but studies of more subtle effects on the human microbiota require carefully selected control populations and standardized protocols.