cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correction: Convergent evolution of diverse Bacillus anthracis outbreak strains toward altered surface oligosaccharides that modulate anthrax pathogenesis.

Bacillus anthracis, a spore-forming gram-positive bacterium, causes anthrax. The external surface of the exosporium is coated with glycosylated proteins. The sugar additions are capped with the unique monosaccharide anthrose. The West African Group (WAG) B. anthracis have mutations rendering them anthrose deficient. Through genome sequencing, we identified 2 different large chromosomal deletions within the anthrose biosynthetic operon of B. anthracis strains from Chile and Poland. In silico analysis identified an anthrose-deficient strain in the anthrax outbreak among European heroin users. Anthrose-deficient strains are no longer restricted to West Africa so the role of anthrose in physiology and pathogenesis was investigated in B. anthracis Sterne. Loss of anthrose delayed spore germination and enhanced sporulation. Spores without anthrose were phagocytized at higher rates than spores with anthrose, indicating that anthrose may serve an antiphagocytic function on the spore surface. The anthrose mutant had half the LD50 and decreased time to death (TTD) of wild type and complement B. anthracis Sterne in the A/J mouse model. Following infection, anthrose mutant bacteria were more abundant in the spleen, indicating enhanced dissemination of Sterne anthrose mutant. At low sample sizes in the A/J mouse model, the mortality of ΔantC-infected mice challenged by intranasal or subcutaneous routes was 20% greater than wild type. Competitive index (CI) studies indicated that spores without anthrose disseminated to organs more extensively than a complemented mutant. Death process modeling using mouse mortality dynamics suggested that larger sample sizes would lead to significantly higher deaths in anthrose-negative infected animals. The model was tested by infecting Galleria mellonella with spores and confirmed the anthrose mutant was significantly more lethal. Vaccination studies in the A/J mouse model showed that the human vaccine protected against high-dose challenges of the nonencapsulated Sterne-based anthrose mutant. This work begins to identify the physiologic and pathogenic consequences of convergent anthrose mutations in B. anthracis.
Tariffs versus quotas with endogenous quality

This paper analyzes the effects and desirability of tariffs, quotas and quality controls, when the quality of the imported good is endogenous, and the foreign producer is a monopolist. A crucial determinant of the direction of these effects is shown to be the valuation of increments in quality by the marginal consumer, relative to that of all consumers on average. A way of comparing infinitesimal equivalent policies is developed and used to compare import equivalent policies.
Static Versus Expandable Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK) Interbody Cages: A Comparison of One-Year Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes for One-Level Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

Objective To examine the effect of static versus expandable polyether ether ketone (PEEK) cages on both clinical and radiographic outcomes. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients who underwent one-level transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with either a static or expandable PEEK cage. Patient outcomes were obtained from chart review and radiographic outcomes were measured using standing, lateral radiographs. Recovery ratios and the proportion of patients achieving the minimally clinically important difference were calculated for Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Physical Component Score-12, Mental Component Score-12, visual analogue scale for back, and visual analogue scale for leg at 1 year and compared between groups. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to determine the effect of cage type on the change in patient-reported outcome measures, controlling for demographic factors. Results A total of 240 patients (137 static, 103 expandable) were included in the final analysis. ΔPhysical Component Score-12 scores at 3 months were significantly greater for the static group (16.0 vs. 10.0, P = 0.043) compared with the expandable group. Multivariate regression demonstrated that use of an expandable cage was associated with greater improvements in ΔODI (β: –7.82, P = 0.048) at 1 year. No differences were found in the perioperative change in sagittal spinal alignment within or between groups at 1 year. Subsidence rates failed to show any statistically significant difference between the 2 groups. Conclusions Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with an expandable PEEK cage is an independent predictor of improved ODI scores at 1 year. Our study showed no significant differences in subsidence rates or changes in sagittal spinal alignment between static and expandable PEEK cages.
“Stick to Sports”? First Amendment Values and Limitations to Student-Athlete Expression:

The resurgence of political activism by student-athletes raises the specter of increased constitutional challenges to public university regulations on student-athlete speech. This article explores ...
Nitroxide Diradical EPR Lineshapes and Spin Relaxation

EPR line shapes in fluid solution and electron spin relaxation times and lineshapes in frozen solution were measured at X-band for two dinitroxides. For dinitroxide 1, which has two proxyl nitroxides connected by an amide linkage, the fluid solution spectra are in the strong exchange limit (J >> nitrogen hyperfine coupling) and the interspin distance in glassy water:glycerol is about 8.8 A. For dinitroxide 2, which has two proxyl nitroxides connected by a bridging ethylenediamine and two amide linkages, the fluid solution spectra are characteristic of dynamic exchange between conformations with strong exchange (J > 850 MHz) and conformations with weaker exchange interaction. For 2, the interspin distance in glassy water:glycerol is about 9.2 A and J > 600 MHz. T1 and Tm for both dinitroxides in 1:1 water:glycerol were measured at 10 to 160 K. Relaxation times are within experimental uncertainty of values for a pyrrolinoxyl monoradical and very similar to values for a nitroxide with a piperidinyl ring. These data demonstrate that even for these relatively flexible linkages dipolar interaction with an interspin distance of about 9 A does not provide an effective spin–lattice relaxation mechanism for dinitroxides in glassy water:glycerol.
Winning the Ransomware Lottery

Ransomware is a growing threat to individuals and enterprises alike, constituting a major factor in cyber insurance and in the security planning of every organization. Although the game theoretic lens often frames the game as a competition between equals – a profit maximizing attacker and a loss minimizing defender – the reality of many situations is that ransomware organizations are not playing a non-cooperative game, they are playing a lottery. The wanton behavior of attackers creates a situation where many victims are hit more than once by ransomware operators, sometimes even by the same group. If defenders wish to combat malware, they must then seek to remove the incentives of it. In this work, we construct an expected value model based on data from actual ransomware attacks and identify three variables: the value of payments, the cost of an attack, and the probability of payment. Using this model, we consider the potential to manipulate these variables to reduce the profit motive associated with ransomware attack. Based on the model, we present mitigations to encourage an environment that is hostile to ransomware operators. In particular, we find that off-site backups and government incentives for their adoption are the most fruitful avenue for combating ransomware.
Probabilistic cost estimation methods for treatment of water extracted during CO2 storage and EOR

Abstract Extraction and treatment of in situ water can minimize risk for large-scale CO 2 injection in saline aquifers during carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), and for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Additionally, treatment and reuse of oil and gas produced waters for hydraulic fracturing will conserve scarce fresh-water resources. Each treatment step, including transportation and waste disposal, generates economic and engineering challenges and risks; these steps should be factored into a comprehensive assessment. We expand the water treatment model (WTM) coupled within the sequestration system model CO 2 -PENS and use chemistry data from seawater and proposed injection sites in Wyoming, to demonstrate the relative importance of different water types on costs, including little-studied effects of organic pretreatment and transportation. We compare the WTM with an engineering water treatment model, utilizing energy costs and transportation costs. Specific energy costs for treatment of Madison Formation brackish and saline base cases and for seawater compared closely between the two models, with moderate differences for scenarios incorporating energy recovery. Transportation costs corresponded for all but low flow scenarios ( 3 /d). Some processes that have high costs (e.g., truck transportation) do not contribute the most variance to overall costs. Other factors, including feed-water temperature and water storage costs, are more significant contributors to variance. These results imply that the WTM can provide good estimates of treatment and related process costs (AACEI equivalent level 5, concept screening, or level 4, study or feasibility), and the complex relationships between processes when extracted waters are evaluated for use during CCUS and EOR site development.
Chiral stationary phase design: Use of intercalative effects to enhance enantioselectivity

Abstract Two new chiral stationary phases derived from l -proline were designed specifically to separate the enantiomers of N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl) amino acid esters and amides and related analytes. The incorporation of structural features which diminish the retention of the first eluting enantiomers has led to the observation of separation factors as high as eighty for selected N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)leucine amides using a normal mobile phase and as high as seven using a reversed mobile phase. The mechanistic rationale by which these chiral stationary phases were designed and the underlying reasons for the high levels of enantioselectivity are discussed.
Study on the impact of barrier metal deposition processes on W Via/CA ET high resistance by TEM failure analysis

In this work we reported ET (electrical testing) failure case studies related to the process drift of barrier metal deposition (BM) during W via/CA process loops. We presented detailed TEM failure analysis in order to understand the failure mechanism and root cause behind the high via/CA resistance. We demonstrated the importance of TEM characterization and identification of key physical failure signatures for the root-cause understanding of via/CA-level ET failure, and the correlation between physical failure signatures and inline investigation results is the ley for the root cause understanding.
From Waste to Resources? Interrogating ‘Race to the Bottom’ in the Global Environmental Governance of the Hazardous Waste Trade

The rise of global environmental governance regimes allegedly contradicts the process of an environmental “race to the bottom” (RTB) that results from capitalist globalization. We examine new developments in this area through a qualitative case study of the Basel Convention. Here, we find that new regulations in toxic wastes governance are in fact being co-created with industry actors and aim to accelerate the flow of toxic “resources” to less-developed countries. Further, these shifts are legitimized by a shift in discourse— from thinking of toxics materials as “wastes” to thinking of them as “resources”— that re-frames the toxic wastes trade as essential for sustainable economic development rather than as a manifestation of global environmental injustice, thereby undermining environmentalist claims. Our findings suggest that, despite an expansion of hazardous waste regulations, the RTB concept is still relevant in the context of global environmental governance. We conclude that a fruitful avenue for applying the RTB concept in this context is to go beyond a strict materialist interpretation of global politics to also consider the role of discourses and contesting ideologies in shaping global environmental policy debates.
An in vitro examination of an extracellular matrix scaffold for use in wound healing

This paper describes evidence that an extracellular matrix (ECM) secreted by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) assembled on gelatin coated plates overlaid by a mixed matrix secreted by human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) and human dermal fibroblasts provides a viable acellular scaffold for use in wound healing. Trypsinized epidermal keratinocytes or colonies from Dispase-digested fresh and cadaver skin tissue adhered and proliferated on either HUVECs ECM/gelatin or mixed matrix overlaid on HUVECs ECM/gelatin. An epithelial-mesenchymal interaction, previously thought to be tissue-specific, was exposed as well as concomitant integrin versatility. Furthermore, heterologous HDMECs and dermal fibroblasts attached and proliferated on the mixed matrix as well as HUVECs ECM. The conditioned medium from HUVECs (HUVECs CM) was found to neutralize the lingering after effects of Dispase, and could be used for the tissue culture of epidermal keratinocytes, HDMECs and dermal fibroblasts, which share related extracellular secretions. Taken together, these results indicate that cultured epithelial autografts can be redesigned to include both epithelial and dermal elements, and advances the acellular 'sandwich' ECM scaffold as a possible structural replacement for the lamina densa and lamina lucida, damaged or completely missing in some wounds and burns.
Separate and Still Unequal? Taxing California Registered Domestic Partners

This article analyzes whether the IRS has a cogent legal basis to discriminate and deny equal treatment to domestic partners. A clear logical framework is outlined, establishing that (i) for federal income tax purposes, the test of taxability is ownership, (ii) ownership is determined by state law, and (iii) according to California state law, domestic partners own community property equally and the earned income of a domestic partner is community property. As an extension of this framework, this article argues that each domestic partner should be required to report one-half of the community income, including any combined earned income such as salaries or wages, as his or her respective income for federal income tax purposes.
Observing the classroom behavior of elementary school children.

In this study of 10 normal children and a group of children with conduct or acting out disorders, evidence has been presented to suggest that a method of direct behavioral observation in the classroom is reliable, can discriminate between normal and emotionally disturbed children, yields meaningful information on the nature of a child's maladjustment to school when it is of the conduct problem type, offers data on the efficacy of a special class program, serves as a sensitive dependent variable measure of various acute therapeutic manipulations, and is comprised largely of independent items. The relevance of this measure to children with problems other than the conduct problem type has not been established.
Effects of topic valence and pictorial distractor valence on verbalizing and evaluating topic-evoked visual imagery

We reasoned that if speakers must decide how long to reflect and how much to say about a topic, they use such guidelines as topic valence and valent situational distractors that compete for attention. We hypothesized that latency and extent of verbalization would be greater if topic valence were relatively negative, in that negative topics are “weightier” and hence deserve longer reflection and verbalization. Similarly, a negative distractor would cast a weightier aura over the task, with parallel effects. While subjects were imagining the visual scene evoked by a certain pleasant or unpleasant topic, a pleasant or unpleasant picture appeared toward the left or right, on a screen. After the picture faded subjects described the topic-evoked image. Topic valence had no effect on speech latency, whereas picture valence had the predicted effect. Negative topics increased latency of visual attention to pictures, though, as expected, subjects then looked sooner at negative pictures. Both topic valence and picture valence had the predicted effects on extent of verbalization. As predicted, too, unpleasant pictures elicited relatively negative evaluations of topic-evoked images.
Laminar segregation of the cortical plate during corticogenesis is accompanied by changes in glutamate receptor expression.

We tested the hypothesis that subtypes of glutamate receptors (GluRs) are differentially expressed during corticogenesis. The neocortex of fetal sheep (term = ∼145 days) was evaluated by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry to determine the protein expression of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors (GluR1, GluR2/GluR3 [GluR2/3], and GluR4), kainate (KA) receptors (GluR6/GluR7 [GluR6/7]), and a metabotropic GluR (mGluR5). AMPA/KA receptors and mGluR5 were expressed in neocortex by midgestation. GluR1 and mGluR5 expression increased progressively, with expression being maximal just before birth and then decreasing postnatally. GluR2/3 and GluR6/7 levels increased progressively during corticogenesis to reach adult levels near term. GluR4 was expressed at low levels during corticogenesis and in adult neocortex. The localizations of GluRs in the developing neocortex were distinct. Each GluR had a differential localization within the marginal zone, cortical plate, and subplate. GluR subtypes were expressed in laminar patterns before major cytoarchitectonic segregation occurred based on Nissl staining, although connectional patterns were emergent by midgestation based on labeling of corticostriatal projections with DiI. The GluR localizations changed during cortical plate segregation, resulting in highly differential distributions in the neocortex at term. AMPA/KA receptors were expressed transiently in proliferative zones and in developing white matter. Oligodendrocytes in fetal brain expressed AMPA receptors. The expression of ion channel and metabotropic GluR subtypes is dynamic during corticogenesis, with subtype- and subunit-specific regulation occurring during the laminar segregation of the cortical plate and differentiation of the neocortex. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 39: 67–80, 1999
Influence of culture site-specific MIC distributions on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of piperacillin/tazobactam and piperacillin: a data analysis.

Abstract Background: Investigators who perform pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) modeling with Monte Carlo simulation have historically not stratified microbiological data by culture site. This lack of stratification might be problematic if susceptibility patterns differ among sites and might lead to differences in PK-PD. Objective: This study compared the PK-PD of 2 antimicrobial regimens against 5 gram-negative bacterial species form 3 culture sites. Methods: This data analysis was performed at the Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas. Blood, pulmonary (ie, bronchial, endotracheal, lung, respiratory, sputum, and tracheal secretions), and wound distributions of MICs were extracted from the 2002 Intensive Care Unit Surveillance System database. Bacteria included Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The PK properties of piperacillin/tazobactam (3.375 g every 4 hours) and piperacillin (3 g every 4 hours) were obtained from studies in healthy volunteers. Monte Carlo simulation was used in 10,000 patients for each antimicrobial-bacteria-culture site combination. The cumulative fraction of response (CFR) for a free percentage time above the MIC of ≥50% was determined for each combination, and a clinically significant difference was defined a priori as ≥10%. Results: Data from 2408 pulmonary, 490 blood, and 242 wound isolates were included. For piperacillin/tazobactam, the CFR varied 50 for piperacillin versus E cloacae and E coli and MIC 90 for piperacillin/tazobactam versus K pneumoniae and P aeruginosa . Likewise, for piperacillin, the CFR was similar among the 3 culture sites for P aeruginosa . However, the CFR for piperacillin varied by ≥10% for A baumannii (blood > wound), E cloacae (pulmonary > blood), E coli (pulmonary and blood > wound), and K pneumoniae (wound > blood). Conclusions: The PK-PD models based on PK properties found in healthy humans and site-specific MIC distributions in this study suggest that for piperacillin, culture-site differences subsequently resulted in CFR differences that exceeded a predetermined level of clinical significance. Furthermore, these data suggest that traditional reporting strategies for microbiological data (ie, MIC 50 and MIC 90 ) might fail to adequately characterize the MIC population.
Effects of ethidium bromide and SYBR® Green I on different polymerase chain reaction systems

In an in-gel polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the generation of a 1750-bp yeast DNA fragment was inhibited when yeast DNA gel-stabs or gel-slices stained with ethidium bromide (EtBr) or SYBR Green I were used. Similar inhibition occurred to a varying degree in the reamplification of PCR fragments in prokaryotic systems. Inclusion of the dyes in PCR resulted in an inhibition at about 10 microg/ml EtBr and at 10,000-20,000-fold dilution of SYBR Green I in all systems. The effect remained unchanged despite increasing the PCR cycles to 40. However, increasing the magnesium chloride concentration did reverse the inhibitory actions, although the PCR specificity was lost. In an unusual observation, we find that, at higher dye concentrations (50 microg/ml EtBr, or thousand fold dilution of SYBR Green I), the input yeast DNA electrophoretic profile is maintained following 25 PCR cycles (despite a denaturation temperature of 94 degrees C). It varied significantly in different DNA systems and was readily reversed by high Mg++ concentrations. It is concluded that, at low Mg++ concentrations, different PCR systems are inhibited to varying extents by intercalating dyes and, in some PCR systems, intercalating dyes at unusually high concentrations maintain input DNA electrophoretic profile.
Clinical studies with pituitary adrenocorticotropin.

INTRODUCTION In 1924 Evans (25) reported that the injection of anterior pituitary extract was followed by adrenal hypertrophy. Smith (61, 62) in 1926 demonstrated that hypophysectomy induced atrophy of the adrenal cortex and that implantation of living hypophyseal tissue was followed by restoration of the gland to normal. These classical experiments established without doubt the specific tropic influence of the anterior pituitary on adrenal cortical function. Isolation of the adrenocorticotropic principle from anterior pituitary gland extract was reported by Collip in 1933 (15). In 1940 a somewhat simpler mode of preparation was described by Bates et al. (8). Further purification of the adrenocorticotropic hormone was accomplished by Evans and his group in California and Long and Sayers and their collaborators in New Haven. The former group worked with sheep pituitaries; whereas the latter used hog pitiiitaries. In 1943 Li et al. (41), employing a salt fractionation method, and Sayers et al. (56), using i...
Electrostatically protected ion sensitive field effect transistors

Abstract Two type of ISFETs with electrostatic protection have been designed and tested. They both utilize an electrically conductive layer incorporated into the gate of the ISFET. This layer is connected via an on-chip MOSFET switch to the outside circuitry. In the first type the conductor is capacitively coupled to the ion-selective membrane and to the solution. In this case the device output is proportional to the time differential of the concentration change. The applicability of this device to high-speed FIA titrations has been tested. In the second device the gate electrically contacts the membrane. In this case the output is identical to that of a conventional ISFET. The signal-to-noise ratio and the electrostatic protection of this ISFET are considerably improved.
Attachment-based treatment for vulnerable children

(2003). Attachment-based treatment for vulnerable children. Attachment & Human Development: Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 253-257.
The Effect of Corruption on Exports and Imports in Latin America and the Caribbean

ABSTRACT International trade, in particular exports and imports, are regarded as important factors that can increase the economic development of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. However, little is known whether the ability of these countries to strengthen their global positions in trade can be affected by the pervasiveness of local corruption. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of corruption on exports and imports in LAC countries. Our empirical results from the gravity model indicate that local corruption strongly reduces exports in the region. Thus, we conclude that LAC would be able to achieve more export growth if corruption in the region was effectively reduced.
Assessing the impacts of climate and land use and land cover change on the freshwater availability in the Brahmaputra River basin

Abstract Study Region: Brahmaputra River basin in South Asia. Study Focus: The Soil and Water Assessment Tool was used to evaluate sensitivities and patterns in freshwater availability due to projected climate and land use changes in the Brahmaputra basin. The daily observed discharge at Bahadurabad station in Bangladesh was used to calibrate and validate the model and analyze uncertainties with a sequential uncertainty fitting algorithm. The sensitivities and impacts of projected climate and land use changes on basin hydrological components were simulated for the A1B and A2 scenarios and analyzed relative to a baseline scenario of 1988–2004. New hydrological insights for the region: Basin average annual ET was found to be sensitive to changes in CO2 concentration and temperature, while total water yield, streamflow, and groundwater recharge were sensitive to changes in precipitation. The basin hydrological components were predicted to increase with seasonal variability in response to climate and land use change scenarios. Strong increasing trends were predicted for total water yield, streamflow, and groundwater recharge, indicating exacerbation of flooding potential during August–October, but strong decreasing trends were predicted, indicating exacerbation of drought potential during May–July of the 21st century. The model has potential to facilitate strategic decision making through scenario generation integrating climate change adaptation and hazard mitigation policies to ensure optimized allocation of water resources under a variable and changing climate.
Virus removal by iron coagulation-microfiltration

This study was undertaken to determine virus removal efficiency by iron coagulation followed by microfiltration (MF) in water treatment using the MS2 bacteriophage (approximately 25 nm diameter) as a tracer virus. Results from these bench-scale studies were used to propose a mechanism for virus removal by iron coagulation-MF. Ferric chloride was used as coagulant, and the dosages were 0, 2, 5, and 10 mg/L as Fe(III) with pH adjusted during mixing to 6.3, 7.3 and 8.3. In the absence of iron-coagulation and with less than 2 mg/L Fe, MF alone achieved less than a 0.5 log removal of MS2 virus. However, iron-coagulation pretreatment dramatically improved virus removal, especially in the 5-10 mg/L Fe dose range, ultimately achieving more than 4-log removal at pH 6.3 with 10-mg/L Fe dose. For the 5 and 10 mg/L Fe dosages, decreasing pH in the 8.3-6.3 range resulted in significantly greater virus removal. For 0 and 2 mg/L iron dosages, decreasing pH in the 8.3-6.3 range also improved virus removal, but to a lesser extent. The experimental data indicates negatively charged MS2 viruses first adsorbed onto the positively charged iron oxyhydroxide floc particles before being removed by MF. MS2 viruses were not inactivated in iron or aluminum coagulation as evidenced by the fact that their concentrations before and after coagulation, settling, and re-suspension of the coagulated sludge were not statistically different.
Conventional cells: monoclinic I‐ and C‐centered cells

In the selection of a centered cell in the monoclinic system, it is recommended that the experimentalist select an I-centered cell for those cases in which it is the conventional cell - cases in which a and c are coincident with the shortest two translations in the net perpendicular to b (b-axis unique). The common practice of selecting a non-conventional C-centered cell in such cases should be discontinued.
Signaling Pathways That Regulate Specification of Neurons in Developing Cerebral Cortex

The expression of the limbic system-associated membrane protein (LAMP), a marker of specific functional regions of the cerebral cortex, has been used to determine the environmental signals that regula
Convergence in Understanding Hypnosis? Perhaps, but Perhaps not Quite so Fast

The study of hypnosis has been plagued by conflict. Although a more recent trend has been the search for convergence among disparate points of view, two highly salient issues remain contentious: the question of whether hypnosis involves alterations in consciousness, and the nature and correlates of individual differences in hypnotic response. Theoretical convergence is a laudable goal, but not at the expense of obscuring the complexity of hypnosis as a state of altered consciousness, a cognitive skill, and a social interaction. Perhaps the best prescription for convergence in hypnosis is the cautious conviction advocated by Kenneth S. Bowers and so clearly exemplified in his own research.
Nutritional status and gastrointestinal symptoms in systemic sclerosis patients.

Summary Background and aims Gastrointestinal manifestations in systemic sclerosis (SSc) can influence the nutritional status of patients. Our objective was to examine whether nutritional status was associated with symptoms captured by the University of California Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract Questionnaire (GIT 2.0). Methods A series of 24 University of Utah SSc Center patients were assessed using the MUST, SGA, and GIT 2.0. A single evaluator administered the nutrition assessment and gastrointestinal symptom questionnaire. Results Nine patients were assessed at moderate to high risk of malnutrition using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and 12 patients with moderate to severe malnutrition using Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Neither MUST nor SGA status was associated with duration of disease. Soilage, social function and emotional subscores were associated with SGA nutritional status. Clinically significant differences in Total GIT 2.0 score, reflux, distention/bloating, soilage, diarrhea, social function and emotional well-being were observed across levels of nutritional status. Conclusions Clinically significant differences in gastrointestinal tract symptoms were observed across levels of nutritional status in patients with varying severity of SSc. These two clinically utilized tools, the SGA and the GIT 2.0, appear to be complementary in the evaluation of SSc patients.
Time-varying matched filters

We examine a generalized matched-filter problem in which the interference is a nonstationary process generated by passing white noise through a general linear time-varying filter. First a matched filter is constructed by transforming the problem into an equivalent formulation involving stationary interference and a time-varying propagation channel. Whereas the response of a time-invariant matched filter is sampled at its peak, the response of this time-varying matched filter is normalized before sampling to account for variations in the signal power. Next a matched filter is constructed using a spectral characterization of the nonstationary interference. This construction is then used to formulate a simplified solution for the case where the rate of variation in the nonstationary interference is sufficiently small. The different solutions are illustrated by a numerical example.
Agar-Based Disk Diffusion Assay for Susceptibility Testing of Dermatophytes

Currently, no agar-based susceptibility testing method has been standardized for testing dermatophytes. We describe a newly developed agar-based method employing disk diffusion assay to test the susceptibility of 47 isolates of dermatophytes against 8 antifungals. Our results show that the method is reproducible, is simple, and could be used to determine the antifungal susceptibility of dermatophytes.
Electrochemistry of cytochrome P450 BM3 in sodium dodecyl sulfate films

Direct electrochemistry of the cytochrome P450 BM3 heme domain (BM3) was achieved by confining the protein within sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) films on the surface of basal-plane graphite (BPG) electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry revealed the heme FeIII/II redox couple at −330 mV (vs Ag/AgCl, pH 7.4). Up to 10 V/s, the peak current was linear with the scan rate, allowing us to treat the system as surface-confined within this regime. The standard heterogeneous rate constant determined at 10 V/s was estimated to be 10 s-1. Voltammograms obtained for the BM3−SDS−BPG system in the presence of dioxygen exhibited catalytic waves at the onset of FeIII reduction. The altered heme reduction potential of the BM3−SDS−graphite system indicates that SDS is likely bound in the enzyme active-site region. Compared to other P450-surfactant systems, we find redox potentials and electron-transfer rates that differ by ∼100 mV and >10-fold, respectively, indicating that the nature of the surfactant environment has a significant ef...
Optical rotatory dispersion of sperm whale ferrimyoglobin and horse ferrihemoglobin.

Optical rotatory dispersion measurements of solutions of sperm whale ferrimyoglobin and horse ferrihemoglobin have been performed at wavelengths between 225 mμ and 730 mμ. Analysis of these results indicates that both proteins in dilute aqueous solution depart considerably from the behavior observed with most native globular proteins. This departure is attributed to unusually high helix contents in solution. The helix content has been estimated to be around 80% for both proteins from b0 values using the Moffitt equation in the wavelength range 236 to 334 m/μ,. The helix content has also been estimated using the intensity of the optical rotation trough at 233 mμ ( Simmons, Cohen, Szent-Gyorgyi, Wetlaufer & Blout, 1961 ). This estimate yielded values of about 75% helix content for both ferrimyoglobin and ferrihemoglobin. In addition, for both proteins, two positive Cotton effects have been observed in the visible. Their inflection points correspond to prominent absorption bands. The relationship of the structure of the molecules in dilute solution to that in the wet crystal is discussed.
Restoration Of Motion-Degraded Images In Electro-Optical Displays

The performance of imaging systems is analyzed in terms of static and dynamic parameters. In particular, the degradation of image quality of electro-optical displays, caused by the relative motions between the target and the sensor and as predicted by the dynamic MTF and the temporal characteristics of the display, is analyzed. It is shown that the dynamic MTF of the imaging systems is primarily responsible for the smearing in the degraded images. Accordingly, real-time techniques are proposed for the restoration of motion-degraded displays.
The extreme 5'-terminal sequences of sindbis virus 26 and 42 S RNA.

Abstract The messenger RNA species specified by Sindbis virus in infected cells, 26 and 42 S RNA, have been characterized with regard to their extreme 5′-terminal sequences. ( Methyl - 3 H)-Labeled m 7 G in “caps” was used to detect cap-containing, and hence 5′-terminal, oligonucleotides after digestion with ribonuclease A, or ribonuclease T 1 , plus phosphatase. Digests were fractionated by DEAE column chromatography, by cellulose acetate electrophoresis, and by DEAE paper electrophoresis. The latter two systems were also applied sequentially to 32 P-labeled samples to generate oligonucleotide fingerprints. The cap-containing oligonucleotide from T 1 -plus-phosphatase digests of 26 S RNA was isolated and shown to be m 7 GpppApUpG. The homologous oligonucleotide from such a digest of 42 S RNA behaved as if it were one pyrimidine residue larger, whereas cap-containing oligonucleotides from ribonuclease A-plus-phosphatase digests of the two RNA species had identical chromatographic and electrophoretic properties. We infer from these and earlier findings that Sindbis virus-specified 42 S RNA terminates in m 7 GpppApUpYpG. These results support the idea that 26 S RNA and 42 S RNA arise from two distinct and different initiation sites.
Intussusception, adenovirus, and children: A brief reaffirmation☆☆☆

Surgical specimens (n = 48) or autopsy case materials (n = 15) were studied from 63 pediatric patients (44 males and 19 females) with intussusceptions involving the ileocecal junction (38 patients [60.3%]), ileum (16 patients [25.4%]), jejunum (four patients [6.3%]), and other sites (five patients [8%]). Lymphoid hyperplasia formed the leading edge in 32 cases (51%); other lesions included Meckel diverticulum (six cases), lymphoma (four cases), adenomyomatous hamartoma (four cases), cecal duplication cyst (three cases), ectopic pancreas (two cases), congenital bowel malformation (two cases), and examples of Peutz-Jeghers polyp, lymphangioma, leiomyoma, and inflammatory fibroid polyp (one case each). In six cases there was no associated lesion. Immunohistochemical evaluation for adenovirus was performed in 16 of the 32 cases in which lymphoid hyperplasia was present, and five reactive cases were identified; characteristic intranuclear adenovirus inclusions were visible on hematoxylin-eosin-stained specimens from all five of these cases as well as in five additional cases (a total of 10 of 32 cases [31.2%]). The presence of Yersinia sp was confirmed by serology in one case having characteristic histologic findings. Fourteen deaths were attributable to consequences of intussusception; these patients were younger (median and mean ages, 5.5 and 8.6 months; age range, 1 month to 3.5 years) than the surviving patients (median and mean ages, 2.0 and 3.2 years; age range, 6 days to 14 years), but were not more likely to have evidence of adenovirus infection.
Irreversible cooperative phenomena

Abstract An expression in derived for the probability of occurrence of a certain path (for a shor time interval τ) for an adiabatic and an isothermal irreversible changes of state of a Markoffian system. The path probability, G(t;t + τ) is written as a function of the path parameters which specify the change of state. k ln, G(t;t + τ) is made of three terms (k is the Boltzmann constant). The first is the kinetic probability term, which comes from the mechanical transition probabilities. The second is the path entropy for the system, which is k times the logarithm of the number of equivalent paths which share the same path parameters. The third is the path entropy for the heat bath S(b), which can be written in terms of the energy of the system E(s) at times t and t + τ as S( b ) = - [ E (s) (t) + E (s) (t + τ)]/2 T + constant . The most probable path is determined by maximizing G(t;t + τ) with respect to the path parameters, with the quantities of the system at time t fixed. This expression of the path probability is first applied to typical statistical mechanical systems to show that the most probable paths agree with the correct rate equations which can be derived on the basis of intuitive arguments. Thus the proposed expression is consistent with all the known principles of irreversible thermodynamics, including the detailed balance, Onsager's reciprocal relations, and the minimum rate of entropy production for steady state. This method of path probability is then applied to the isothermal irreversible approach to equilibrium of an order-disorder alloy by using the pair approximation of the cluster-variation method. The rates of change of the long-range and short-range order parameters are calculated. In the limiting case the theory exactly leads to the equilibrium properties of the alloy based on the Bethe approximation. The applications of the method to the ideal Fermi and Bose gases are discussed.
Substrate specificity of nicotinamide methyltransferase isolated from porcine liver

Nicotinamide methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.1) has been purified over 1300-fold from porcine liver. The enzyme is electrophoretically homogeneous, exhibiting a relative molecular mass of 27,000. In addition to acting on nicotinamide and close structural analogs such as thionicotinamide and 3-acetylpyridine, the enzyme actively accommodates poor analogs such as quinoline, isoquinoline, and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline as methyl group acceptors. The enzyme may thus have the function of detoxicating numerous alkaloids in vivo. In some cases, the action of the enzyme might paradoxically increase the toxicities of substrates, but the hepatotoxic antibiotic pyrazinamide, which we considered as potentially such an enzyme-activated electrophile, did not function detectably as a substrate for the isolated enzyme.
Method for Construction of a Simple Laboratory‐Scale Nonwoven Filament Biocatalytic Filter

A method is described for constructing a simple laboratory-scale nonwoven filament biocatalytic filter (FBF) from multilayer acrylic vinyl acetate copolymer coated thread (yarn) potentially useful for investigation of biotransformations using entrapped enzymes or viable microorganisms. The porous structure of a commercial 128 μm, 279 denier, 100% polyester thread was sealed with a latex coat (precoat), then coated with a latex + sulfanilamide-azocasein mixture, and finally coated with a latex top coat to generate the multilayer coated thread. The FBF was constructed by drawing the thread across a 4 cm diameter rubber O-ring in the form of multiple layers and sealing the layers with silicone sealer. The FBF is combatible with a commercially available filter housing containing a flow distrtibutor. A method for characterizing the permeability of the sealant (top) coat of the FBF using azocasein release was also developed.
Azole antifungals: 35 years of invasive fungal infection management

Prior to 1981, treatment options for invasive fungal infections were limited and associated with significant toxicities. The introduction of ketoconazole marked the beginning of an era of dramatic improvements over previous therapies for non–life-threatening mycosis. After nearly a decade of use, ketoconazole was quickly replaced by the triazoles fluconazole and itraconazole due to significant improvements in pharmacokinetic profile, spectrum of activity and safety. The triazoles posaconazole and voriconazole followed, and were better known for their further extended spectrum, specifically against emerging mold infections. With the exception of fluconazole, the triazoles have been plagued with significant inter- and intrapatient pharmacokinetic variability and all possess significant drug interactions. Azoles currently in development appear to combine an in vitro spectrum of activity comparable to voriconazole and posaconazole with more predictable pharmacokinetics and fewer adverse effects.
The spectral radiance growth, flame temperatures, and flammability behavior of large-scale, spherical, combustion waves

The absolute spectral radiances of the infrared emissions from spherical combustion waves in methane-air mixtures were measured as a function of methane concentration, nitrogen dilution, and CF 3 Br addition. Data were obtained for the spectral range 1.7 to 4.8 μm, in a 3.66 meter (12 ft.) diameter spherical vessel, from the time of ignition to complete combustion. Radiance growth patterns for the H 2 O and CO 2 bands are resolvable into an early stage of emissivity growth and a subsequent stage of adiabatic compression. The absolute radiance of the CO 2 band peak near 4.4 μm is used to obtain measured flame temperatures, which are compared with calculated adiabatic values. Measured temperatures for the more rapidly propagating methane-air and nitrogen-diluted mixtures are nearly identical to adiabatic values. The radiance data are spectrally integrated to obtain broad-band emissivities for emission paths up to ( p H 2 O + P CO 2 ) L ≅ 7 meter atm, and temperatures as high as 2550°K. For methane-air mixtures diluted with 2% to 4% Halon, flame temperatures are significantly lower than adiabatic values during the early stages of inhibited propagation. This is followed by a rapid stage of uninhibited combustion which generates near-adiabatic pressure rises. This anomalous propagation behavior is attributable to the effects of adiabatic compression and/or turbulence. Two possible mechanisms for the reduction in Halon effectiveness are selective diffusional demixing of the CF 3 Br molecule and changes in the relative significance of pressure-dependent kinetic pathways. Low-frequency radiance oscillations are observed for all near-limit mixtures, and some general estimates of large-scale propagation behavior are made in terms of a buoyancy-induced Reynolds number.
The Drosophila single-minded gene encodes a helix-loop-helix protein that acts as a master regulator of CNS midline development

Abstract Development of the Drosophila CNS midline cells is dependent upon the function of the single-minded ( sim ) gene. Sequence analysis shows that sim is a member of the basic-helix-loop-helix class of transcription factors. Cell fate experiments establish that sim is required for early events in midline cell development, including a synchronized cell division, proper formation of nerve cell precursors, and positive autoregulation of its midline expression. Induction of ectopic sim protein under the control of the hsp70 promoter shows that sim can direct cells of the lateral CNS to exhibit midline cell morphology and patterns of gene expression. We propose that sim functions as a master developmental regulator of the CNS midline lineage.