cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Local conformational dynamics regulating transport properties of a Cl−/H+ antiporter

ClC-ec1 is a Cl- /H+ antiporter that exchanges Cl- and H+ ions across the membrane. Experiments have demonstrated that several mutations, including I109F, decrease the Cl- and H+ transport rates by an order of magnitude. Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations of explicit proton transport across the central region in the I109F mutant, a two-dimensional free energy profile has been constructed that is consistent with the experimental transport rates. The importance of a phenylalanine gate formed by F109 and F357 and its influence on hydration connectivity through the central proton transport pathway is revealed. This work demonstrates how seemingly subtle changes in local conformational dynamics can dictate hydration changes and thus transport properties. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Microfluidic Technologies for High Throughput Screening Through Sorting and On-Chip Culture of C. elegans.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful model organism that has been widely used to study molecular biology, cell development, neurobiology, and aging. Despite their use for the past several decades, the conventional techniques for growth, imaging, and behavioral analysis of C. elegans can be cumbersome, and acquiring large data sets in a high-throughput manner can be challenging. Developments in microfluidic “lab-on-a-chip” technologies have improved studies of C. elegans by increasing experimental control and throughput. Microfluidic features such as on-chip control layers, immobilization channels, and chamber arrays have been incorporated to develop increasingly complex platforms that make experimental techniques more powerful. Genetic and chemical screens are performed on C. elegans to determine gene function and phenotypic outcomes of perturbations, to test the effect that chemicals have on health and behavior, and to find drug candidates. In this review, we will discuss microfluidic technologies that have been used to increase the throughput of genetic and chemical screens in C. elegans. We will discuss screens for neurobiology, aging, development, behavior, and many other biological processes. We will also discuss robotic technologies that assist in microfluidic screens, as well as alternate platforms that perform functions similar to microfluidics.
Disposition of Oral Cannabidiol-Rich Cannabis Extracts in Children with Epilepsy

Despite limited evidence, cannabidiol-rich cannabis extracts have been popularly used in pediatrics. With increased use, it is critical to determine basic pharmacokinetic parameters of cannabidiol in these extracts in the pediatric population. The objective of this study was to determine the disposition of oral cannabidiol cannabis extracts and drug interactions in children with pediatric epilepsy. We conducted a prospective observational study evaluating the disposition of oral cannabidiol in children (< 18 years of age) receiving cannabidiol extracts for epilepsy. Subjects underwent serial blood draws after oral cannabidiol administration. Cannabidiol and metabolites, along with anticonvulsant concentrations were determined. Twenty-nine patients had sufficient pharmacokinetic data and were included in the analysis. Mean age was 9.7 years (standard deviation 4.3) and 17 patients (59%) were male. Median peak plasma cannabidiol concentrations was 13.1 ng/mL (interquartile range 6.8–39.3 ng mL); median time to peak of 2.0 h (interquartile range 2.0–4.0 h). Mean acute elimination half-life of oral cannabidiol was 6.2 h (standard deviation 1.8 h). There was an observed half-life of degradation of 533 days noted for cannabidiol concentrations when stored for 0.6–3.1 years. There was some impact on cannabidiol pharmacokinetic parameters when cannabidiol was co-administered with zonisamide (elimination rate constant and V1) and levetiracetam (elimination rate constant). In pediatric patients using oral cannabidiol-rich cannabis extract for epilepsy, the time to peak concentration of plasma cannabidiol and average acute elimination half-life were shorter than those reported for adults. Co-administration of zonisamide and levetiracetam had some impact on cannabidiol pharmacokinetic parameters. There was an observed degradation of plasma cannabidiol in long-term storage. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifer no. NCT02447198.
8 – Intelligent Systems

Publisher Summary Intelligence has much to do with meaningful activity. As Wittgenstein wittily suggests, one should not ask for meaning but for use. This leads straight to the concept of purposeful activity. There are two major computational schools of thought competing on understanding what intelligence is and how to build intelligent machines. The artificial intelligence (AI) approach is based on symbolic processing and logic, while the parallel and distributed processing (PDP) approach is based on distributed computation. Logic operates in terms of symbols and propositions; however, recent research on mental imagery seems to suggest that spatial reasoning involves images rather than mere symbols. Symbolic processing is also deeply rooted in atomistic philosophy and in the certainty of a given proposition. Much of modern science and philosophy speaks instead the language of uncertainty and relativism. This chapter discusses the issues of representation and reasoning as they relate to building knowledge-based systems. A major problem within the AI community is the lack of a common language or formal methods for describing the knowledge-based systems being built. Without a uniform framework for describing AI systems, it is difficult to understand the conceptual architecture and functionality behind a system's numerous implementation details, sometimes called AI paradigms.
Characteristics of Serotype 3 Invasive Pneumococcal Disease before and after Universal Childhood Immunization with PCV13 in Massachusetts.

Background: Although a substantial decline in vaccine-serotype invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) incidence was observed following the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV), the estimated range of thirteen-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV13) effectiveness for serotype 3 disease is wide and includes zero. We assessed the impact of PCV13 on serotype 3 IPD incidence and disease characteristics in Massachusetts’ children. Methods: Serotype 3 IPD cases in children <18 years old were identified via enhanced passive surveillance system in Massachusetts. We compared incidence rates and characteristics of IPD cases before and after PCV13. Results: A total of 47 serotype 3 IPD cases were identified from 2002 to 2017; incidence of serotype 3 IPD in the years following PCV13 was 0.19 per 100,000 children compared to 0.21 before PCV 13, incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.86 (95% CI 0.47–1.57). The majority (78%) of post-PCV13 serotype 3 IPD cases occurred among fully vaccinated children. Age distribution, clinical syndrome and presence of comorbidities among serotype 3 IPD cases were similar before and after PCV13 introduction. There was no association between the date of the last PCV13 dose and time to IPD to suggest waning of immunity. Conclusions: seven years following PCV 13 we found no significant changes in serotype 3 IPD incidence or disease characteristics in children in Massachusetts.
Student Affairs Today: Learning How to Meet Current Challenges.

Student affairs was founded on student needs surrounding advocacy and inclusion. Due to a general lack of knowledge surrounding the field’s formation, NASPA worked to create the book Reflecting Bac...
Medium-term monitoring reveals effects of El Niño Southern Oscillation climate variability on local salinity and faunal dynamics on a restored oyster reef

Human activities and regional-scale climate variability drive changes in the ecology of coastal and marine ecosystems. Ecological restoration has emerged as a best-management practice to combat habitat degradation and restore lost ecological functions. However, relatively short project monitoring timeframes have limited our understanding of the effects of interannual climate cycles on water quality and restoration dynamics. We collected measurements on a 23-ha oyster reef constructed in the Gulf of Mexico to determine the relationship between El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-driven climate variability and local salinity patterns, and to evaluate the effects of this climate variability and salinity on oyster population dynamics and faunal community composition over a medium-term (five-year) timeframe. The role of ENSO-driven climate variability on local salinity patterns (primarily from changes in precipitation and evaporation) and faunal dynamics was investigated using the Oceanic Nino Index (ONI). Salinity was negatively correlated with ONI with an approximately 4-month lag. Higher ONI values (El Nino periods) were followed by reductions in salinity, increases in oyster recruitment and density, and reductions in resident motile fauna density and species richness. Lower ONI values (La Nina periods) had higher and less variable salinities, and higher areal coverage of restoration substrates by large oysters. ENSO-driven salinity reductions in the second year after reef construction coincided with a shift in resident motile faunal community composition that was maintained despite a second strong salinity reduction in year 5. Our results indicate that it is important to expand the typical monitoring timeframes to at least five years so that resource managers and restoration practitioners can better understand how both short-term environmental variability and longer-term climate cycles can affect the outcomes of restoration actions.
Initial management of suspected poisoning in children and young people

Abstract The child or young person with suspected poisoning is a relatively common emergency presentation in paediatrics. The toxic agent is frequently known, though on occasion a significant amount of detective work is required. Fortunately, poisoning causing significant harm is rare, but the possibility is ever present. The cornerstone of assessment and management is good medical and nursing care, combined with early recourse to specialist advice when the risk or presence of significant harm is identified. An overview of the approach to these clinical situations is outlined with practical examples provided to illustrate this for common poisons.
The reactions γγ → WL+WL− and γγ → ZLZL in SU(N) strongly interacting theories

Abstract Building on recent phenomenology of γγ → ππ , we discuss the expectation for two-photon production of longitudinal gauge boson pairs in SU ( N ) technicolor theories. The treatment involves a matching of dispersive techniques with the methodology of chiral perturbation theory.
Representing the Negative: Positing the Lesbian Void in Medieval English Anchoritism

The medieval vocation of "anchoress" included women who dedicated their whole lives to contemplative prayer by dwelling in small cells attached to churches. Ostensibly this provided complete solitude, yet in truth, the women lived in a liminal world of mediated solitude. The Rules for recluses all provided for the existence of at least one female servant who was also partially enclosed. The day-to-day contact with the outside world, the purchase of necessities, and the general upkeep of the household fell to them. Moreover, the anchoritic cell provided something that the majority of medieval households did not have - a private space. This space was specifically female, specifically female-controlled, and specifically eroticized. I suggest that in the early Middle Ages, the anchoritic cell provided the necessary space and conditions necessary to create a "lesbian void," in which the anchoress could explore woman-woman erotic possibilities. This void was supported not only by the cell's configuration, but also through the religious Rule for anchoresses as well as by medieval theological concepts about "lesbian" acts. Thus, the two women - anchoress and maid - could create an interior society, presumably one in which class rules were somewhat suspended, and perhaps sexual rules as well.
Polo de Ondegardo y el «Discurso sobre la descendencia y gouierno de los ingas»

El presente ensayo analiza la informacion relativa al pasado prehispanico que contiene el manuscrito titulado «Discurso sobre la descendencia y gouierno de los ingas» con el proposito de identificar al responsable de la recopilacion de tales datos y estudiar la relacion entre el texto y otros escritos que tratan sobre la historia incaica. El articulo sostiene que el «Discurso» recoge informacion acerca del pasado prehispanico recopilada por el licenciado Polo de Ondegardo y no por Cristobal Vaca de Castro, como tradicionalmente se ha senalado.
THE FABRIC OF THE WORLD: deleuze on fetishism and generative time images

Deleuze's attitude towards fetishistic desire reveals important ethical commitments found throughout his philosophical corpus, bridging the gap between works written alone and those co-written with Felix Guattari. This essay traces the function of the “scene” in Deleuze's writings from Coldness and Cruelty through Thousand Plateaus to Cinema 2, showing its kinship with the concepts of “flesh” and “montage” in Merleau-Ponty and Lacan, and bringing Deleuze into dialogue with feminist and queer accounts of fetishistic sexuality.
An Integrated Approach to Image Watermarking and JPEG-2000 Compression

A scheme which integrates image compression and image watermarking in an effective way is proposed in this research. The image compression scheme under consideration is EBCOT (Embedded Block Coding with Optimized Truncation) which has been adopted in the verification model (VM) of the emerging JPEG-2000 image compression standard. The watermark is embedded during the process when the compressed bit-stream is formed, and can be detected on the fly in image decoding. Thus, watermark embedding and retrieval can be done very efficiently in comparison with other existing watermarking schemes. In addition to efficiency, the proposed scheme has many interesting features. The embedded watermark is robust against various signal processing attacks such as coding and filtering while the watermarked image maintains good perceptual quality. The watermark retrieval procedure does not require the knowledge of the original image. Furthermore, the watermark can be detected progressively and region of interest (ROI) watermarking can be accomplished easily.
Using the world wide web (www) for educational activities

The purpose for conducting this study was to (1) design a Web-based record-keeping tool for an undergraduate instructional technology course at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and (2) implement a formative evaluation of its effectiveness. The design of the Web-based tool was addressed through providing brief descriptions for: (1) the Web server that contains the tool, (2) the Web pages that interact with the students and instructors, (3) the HyperCard$\sp{\rm TM}$ "stacks" that store information about the instructors and their students, and (4) the AppleScript$\sp{\rm TM}$ CGIs that link the HyperCard$\sp{\rm TM}$ "stacks" with the Web pages (through the Web server software). To investigate the effectiveness of the Web-based tool, two research questions were developed: (1) Does the Web-based tool enhance the communication between instructors and their students? and (2) Does the Web-based tool implement the basic elements of a good Web design (ease of use, reliability, viewability, attractiveness, etc.)? To answer these questions, an on-line survey was developed based on a comprehensive review of related literature. The population of the study consisted of 115 students and 2 instructors in the undergraduate instructional technology course "CURR359," available on-line at http://www.unl.edu/tcweb/Courses/359Site/359Page.html, offered by the Center for Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the Spring semester of the academic year 1998. The whole population was selected to be the sample for the study. A HyperCard$\sp{\rm TM}$ "stack" designed by the researcher was used to store and analyze the data collected from participants. Tables and Microsoft$\sp{\circler}$ Excel charts (histograms) were used to report the results of the study. The results of the study revealed a strong agreement among students and instructors that (1) the Web-based tool enhances the communication in the classroom, and (2) the Web-based tool implements some of the basic elements of a good Web design (ease of use, reliability, viewability, attractiveness, etc.) However, there was less agreement on the system's response time and the user's sense of satisfaction when using the system.
CSB investigation of Chevron Richmond refinery pipe rupture and fire

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) investigated a pipe rupture of a high temperature light gas oil line at the Chevron Richmond Refinery in Richmond, CA. The CSB found technical, regulatory, and Chevron organizational factors causal to the incident. This article is a summary of the technical and organizational analysis presented in the CSB final investigation report on the Chevron Richmond Refinery incident. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 34: 355–359, 2015
Cannabis and related impairment: the unique roles of cannabis use to cope with social anxiety and social avoidance.

Background and Objectives Social anxiety appears to be a risk factor for cannabis-related problems. Socially anxious individuals are vulnerable to using cannabis to cope in social situations and to avoiding social situations if marijuana is unavailable. Yet, the relative impact of cannabis use to cope with social anxiety relative to use to cope with negative affect more broadly has yet to be examined. Methods The present study used the Marijuana to Cope with Social Anxiety Scale (MCSAS) to examine the incremental validity of using cannabis use to cope in social situations (MCSAS-Cope) and avoidance of social situations if cannabis is unavailable (MCSAS-Avoid) in a community-recruited sample of 123 (34.1% female) current cannabis users. Results After controlling for age of first cannabis use, gender, alcohol and tobacco use, other cannabis use motives, and cannabis expectancies, MCSAS-Cope remained significantly positively related to cannabis use frequency and cannabis-related problems. After controlling for age of first cannabis use, gender, alcohol and tobacco use, and experiential avoidance, MCSAS-Avoid remained significantly related to cannabis problems but not frequency. Discussion and Conclusions The present findings suggest that cannabis use to manage social forms of anxiety may be important to understanding cannabis use behaviors. Scientific Significance The current findings identify cognitive/motivational factors implicated in more frequent cannabis use and in cannabis-related impairment, which may be essential to inform efforts to further refine prevention and treatment efforts. (Am J Addict 2014;23:598–603)
Regulation of T-cell activation and migration by the kinase TBK1 during neuroinflammation

Development of an immune or autoimmune response involves T-cell activation in lymphoid organs and subsequent migration to peripheral tissues. Here we show that T-cell-specific ablation of the kinase TBK1 promotes T-cell activation but causes retention of effector T cells in the draining lymph node in a neuroinflammatory autoimmunity model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). At older ages, the T-cell-conditional TBK1-knockout mice also spontaneously accumulate T cells with activated phenotype. TBK1 controls the activation of AKT and its downstream kinase mTORC1 by a mechanism involving TBK1-stimulated AKT ubiquitination and degradation. The deregulated AKT-mTORC1 signalling in turn contributes to enhanced T-cell activation and impaired effector T-cell egress from draining lymph nodes. Treatment of mice with a small-molecule inhibitor of TBK1 inhibits EAE induction. These results suggest a role for TBK1 in regulating T-cell migration and establish TBK1 as a regulator of the AKT-mTORC1 signalling axis.
Spectrum Sensing Measurements of Pilot, Energy, and Collaborative Detection

In this paper we present an experimental study that comprehensively evaluates the performance of three different detection methods proposed for sensing of primary user signals in cognitive radios. For pilot and energy detection, our measurement results confirmed the theoretical expectations on sensing time performance. However, a physical implementation of these detectors in the presence of real noise uncertainties, analog impairments and interference allowed us to establish practical bounds on the detectable signal levels. In the case of collaborative detection, our analysis of experimental data collected in indoor environments identified the design parameters that can significantly improve the sensing gain: adaptive threshold, spatial separation and multiple antennas.
The role of the maternal-fetal medicine specialist in high-risk obstetric care

The maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist is a member of the health care team who possesses expertise in the management of the high-risk pregnancy. The MFM specialist has advanced knowledge of obstetric, medical, genetic, and surgical complications of pregnancy and the effects of complications on the mother, fetus, and newborn. The MFMspecialist may function as consultant, comanager, or direct care provider and may be equally comfortable in antepartum ambulatory, inpatient obstetric, and critical care settings. As the female population increases, the number of MFM specialists also is expected to grow.
A comparative study on transverse elastic wave propagation in laminates: Subsonic case

Many approximate theories have been advanced for the analysis of elastic wave propagation in layered composites. Most comparisons between these theories and the linear theory of elasticity have been restricted to cases of harmonic wave propagation. In this paper, such comparisons are made in a somewhat more demanding context: namely, the steady-state response of an unbounded periodically layered medium to a moving subsonic load, simulated by a self-equilibrating body force. Both the load speed and load thickness are adjustable, lending a valuable flexibility to the study. The approximate models treated are as follows: the effective stiffness theory, the effective modulus theory, a Nayfeh and Gurtman-type mixture theory, and a Hegemier-type theory of interacting continua. All responses are assumed to have achieved a steady state, and a Fourier transform is used with the linear theory of elasticity. Inversion is achieved numerically, through use of the Fast Fourier Transform. It is found that the effective stiffness theory is the most accurate overall of the approximate theories considered though not entirely satisfactory, and that, for this theory, load thickness, rather than load speed, is the decisive parameter.
Mechanistic studies of epoxide hydrolase utilizing a continuous spectophotometric assay

Abstract A precise continuous photometric assay has been devised and utilized for mechanistic studies of chicken and rat liver microsomal epoxide hydrolase (EH). The assay is based on monitoring the hydration of p -nitrostyrene oxide (PNSO) at 310 nm. Rat liver EH hydrates S -(+)- and R -(−)-PNSO differentially, the K m and V values for the former being ca. four times those for the latter; in contrast, enantiomeric differences are negligible with chicken liver EH. With rat EH V increases slightly from pH 7 to 8 and then falls rapidly from pH 8 to 9.5; K m remains constant from pH 7 to 8 and then increases steadily from pH 8 to 9.5. In 86 mol% D 2 O the solvent isotope effect on V ( H 2 O D 2 O ) is 1.103 ± 0.015. Both rat and chicken EH show a 3% inverse isotope effect for the hydration of [7- 2 H]PNSO and a 4% normal isotope effect for the hydration of [8- 2 H 2 ]PNSO. These observations are discussed in terms of the possible participation of acid as well as base catalysis in the enzymatic mechanism.
Colorimetric method for determination of amidase activity toward N-alkyl and N,N-dialkyl amides

Abstract A colorimetric method is described which can be used to measure amidase activity toward N -alkyl and N,N -dialkyl amides. The assay is based on the reaction of 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene with the amine formed on enzymic hydrolysis.
Acoustic-Gravity Wave Propagation from Nuclear Explosions in the Earth's Atmosphere

Abstract In order to account for certain characteristic features of the atmospheric pressure oscillations produced by nuclear explosions, a numerical matrix method is used to solve the equations governing the horizontal propagation of acoustic-gravity waves in a stratified atmosphere. Solutions for various three- and four-layer models are found to be in qualitative agreement with the observations. In particular, they show normal dispersion (group velocity increasing with period) in the range of periods from 1 to 10 min and inverse dispersion (group velocity decreasing with period) at both shorter periods and, for some models, also at periods of the order of 5 to 15 min.
Stacked double-macrocyclic ligands II. Synthesis of cofacial diporphyrins†

A new class of dimeric porphyrin ligands and their metal complexes have been prepared by an unambiguous and high-yield synthetic scheme.
Automated WAIS testing correlated with face-to-face WAIS testing: A validity study

Automated WAIS results were correlated with criterion measures that consisted of face-to-face WAIS results. A counter-balanced procedure was used in which one group of 20 subjects received automated testing in the first session and then faceto-face testing in the second session while another group of 20 subjects received face-to-face testing first and then automated testing afterwards. The validity coefficients for IQ measures for the automated-first group and the face-to-face-first group were verbal IQ 0-92, 0-95; performance IQ 0-93, 0-88; and full scale IQ 0-95, 0-96. It was concluded that more research needed to be focused into this area to hasten the time when automated procedures would become the clinicalstandard methods for performing certain psychological testing functions.
Sonographic, pathologic and karyotypic findings in a rare case of placenta fenestrata

Abnormalities of placental shape are occasionally seen on ultrasound. They have not been reported to be associated with abnormalities in fetal anatomy and karyotype. Here, we report on a rare case of placenta fenestrata with triploid karyotype. A 15-year-old patient presented at 21 weeks and 3 days gestation for ultrasound evaluation following an abnormal triple screen and abnormal ultrasound. Multiple fetal abnormalities were noted as well as several cystic areas with pulsatile flow on Doppler ultrasound in the placenta. After termination of the pregnancy, a rare abnormality in the placental shape, placenta fenestrata, was noted. The fetal karyotyping showed a triploid karyotype. This is the first reported case of placenta fenestrata diagnosed on ultrasound. In addition, this is also the first reported case of karyotype abnormality associated with abnormality of placental shape.
Child neurology: a trilogy.

You of bone and sinew To whom I gave my evening One fine day Tell me secrets men of human dialect alone Will not cannot fathom. You of flower butterfly of Dragon sugar fairytale of …
Note on the Donnan equilibrium

The solution for the spatial distribution of ions in a Donnan equilibrium has been given by J. H. Bartlett and R. A. Kromhout (1952). The present note gives an explicit solution for the case in which the length of the region containing the membrane is large; in biological situations this requires only that the length considered should be greater than a few hundred Angstrom units. The Donnan equilibrium may be considered to be a special case of a situation in which forces other than electrical act upon the ions; in particular, it represents the case in which only one ion is acted upon and the energy difference on the two sides of the membrane is infinite. An expression is given for the difference in energy of theith in terms of the electrical potential and of the ion concentrations. As an illustration, the results are applied to nerve membrane potentials.
Response of Cloud Supersaturation to Radiative Forcing

Time-dependent solutions are obtained for droplet temperatures and supersaturation, in a study of the diffusional growth or evaporation of cloud droplets due to net emission or absorption of radiation, taking into account the partitioning of the net radiation budget between the droplets and the ambient air. Radiative perturbations are noted to result in very high rates of change in droplet temperatures. As the droplets evaporate or grow due to radiative effects, the saturation ratio of the ambient air adjusts in keeping with changes in the water vapor density and temperature of the air.
Design and Application of EHV Shunt Reactors

This paper discusses the use of EHV shunt reactors on transmission systems from the application and reactor design viewpoints. Various factors relating to reactor construction, including testing, are discussed, and emphasis is placed on a gapped-core design for EHV applications. The results of steady-state and transient performance studies for this design are presented.
The p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 blocks adenosine A(1) receptor-induced attenuation of in vivo myocardial stunning.

There is considerable evidence implicating a key role for p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in ischemic and pharmacological preconditioning against myocardial infarction. However, there have been few, if any, studies examining the role of p38 MAPK in the protection of stunned myocardium. The purpose of this study was to determine whether p38 MAPK plays a role in the adenosine A1 receptor anti-stunning effect in in vivo porcine myocardium. Regional myocardial stunning in anesthetized, open-chest pigs was induced by 15 min of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion and 3 h of reperfusion (RP). Animals were treated with either vehicle (n = 5), AMP579 (70 μ g/kg i.v.; 25 μ g/kg bolus + 1.5 μ g/kg/min for 30 min prior to ischemia, n = 5), the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 (0.25 mg/kg i.v. bolus, n = 4) or a combination of SB203580 plus AMP579 (n = 5). Regional ventricular function was monitored by measurements of segment shortening and load insensitive parameters including preload recruitable stroke work (PRSW) and PRSW area (PRSWA). The ischemic area at risk was similar in all groups and there was no necrosis in any heart. Treatment with AMP579 significantly improved reperfusion regional PRSW and PRSWA compared to vehicle controls. The p38 inhibitor SB203580 alone did not alter the extent of myocardial stunning, but it abolished the beneficial effect of AMP579 pretreatment. These results provide the first evidence that p38 MAPK activation may play an important role in the mechanism by which adenosine agonists attenuate myocardial stunning.
Energy cost of living

We evaluate the energy requirements of household expenditures for all products from the 1960–1961 Consumer Expenditure Survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We use more detail and employ more accurate energy intensities than in a previous, preliminary work (R. Herendeen, Affluence and energy demand, Mechan. Engng, October, 1974), and also introduce a modest analysis of errors. We find that, within error bounds, one “universal” curve shows the dependence of energy impact of expenditures for households of 2 through 6 members. This curve bends down somewhat; that is, it is less than linear. The single-member household falls below the “universal” curve, apparently because of reduced purchases of actual energy. A typical poor household exerts ~65% of its energy requirements through its purchases of residential energy and auto fuel; for an affluent household, this fraction drops to 35%. We also find evidence that urban life is approximately 15% less energy intensive (Btu per dollar expended) than rural non-farm life.
Closed rotating cosmologies containing matter described by the kinetic theory A: Formalism

Abstract In this and the accompanying paper, we investigate the Kinetic Theory of collisionless systems in closed, anisotropic (Bianchi Type IX) cosmologies including the effects of rotation. In this paper we show, for collisionless radiation which was produced in a thermal process (i.e. which had a thermal distribution at one instant), that the energy density T00 can be written ϱν[1 + Vν(β, t)], where ϱν∞R−4 and Vν(β, t)≧0 is a function of the anisotropy, β and of the time. The exact form of Vν cannot be given explicitly, but we give several limiting cases, including the small anisotropy limit. We discuss the behavior of the distribution function for two special cases (subsets of the full rotating situation). We present a Lagrangian for the behavior of the anisotropy in these models. The contribution of the collisionless radiation to the motion of the anisotropy is given by the appearance of a term proportional to Vν in the Lagrangian. We discuss the meaning of the angular momentum constraints embodied in the T0i = G0i equations. We analyze the behavior of the models in the large anisotropy regime in terms of “wall collisions.” We discuss the geodesic equation, and show that it can be reduced to a one-dimensional time dependent Hamiltonian system. We show that in the large anisotropy regime, certain parameters of the geodesic motion are essentially constant, if cosmological parameters were the same in the distant past, as they are today. (This is taken to suggest that dissipation may have occurred in the interim to change those parameters). The accompanying paper will give an explicit calculation in the small anisotropy regime, and will apply these results to the observations of the microwave background radiation.
Development of Bilingual Phonological Awareness in Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners: The Roles of Vocabulary, Letter Knowledge, and Prior Phonological Awareness

Theories concerning the development of phonological awareness place special emphasis on lexical and orthographic knowledge. Given the large degree of variability in preschool classrooms that house Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELL), this study controlled for classroom effects by removing classroom means and covariances based on 158 children from 40 classrooms. Path analyses of the child-level covariance matrices tested the extent to which vocabulary and letter knowledge in each language predicted growth in English and Spanish phonological awareness of 130 preschool-age, Spanish-speaking ELLs. Results supported cross-linguistic effects of prior phonological awareness and Spanish vocabulary in the development of bilingual phonological awareness. Implications for theory, instruction, and research methods are discussed.
What Are the Essential Features of a Liability

SYNOPSIS: The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) are in the process of jointly re-examining their conceptual frameworks. The re-examination includes assessing the definition of a liability. The Boards’ existing liability definitions include three criteria: (1) a present obligation; (2) a past transaction or event; and (3) a probable future sacrifice of economic benefits. The Boards have recently proposed that a liability be defined as “a present obligation for which the entity is the obligor” (FASB 2008c, 2). The proposed definition mentions only one time dimension (the present). References to the past and future are omitted. This paper argues that these omissions are undesirable. Omitting a reference to the past removes the link between the definition and the tradition of historically based financial statements. More importantly, however, the failure to reference future sacrifices of economic benefits divorces the definition from the primar...
Interaction analyses of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1A toxins with two aminopeptidases from gypsy moth midgut brush border membranes

Abstract A 100 kDa aminopeptidase N isolated from Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth) larval midgut brush border membrane vesicles (BBMVs) has previously been reported to function as a surface binding protein for the entomocidal protein toxin CrylAc from Bacillus thuringiensis (Valaitis et al., 1995; Lee et al., 1996). Fractionation of detergent-solubilized, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C-digested BBMV membrane proteins by ion-exchange chromatography revealed two distinct peaks of aminopeptidase activity from which two proteins, APN-1 and APN-2, were purified. Western blot immunoanalysis revealed that the previously reported 100 kDa APN (APN-1 in this study) was antigenically distinct from the newly identified 105 kDa APN-2. Both ligand blots and CrylAc-Sepharose affinity chromatography revealed that only APN-1 was able to bind CrylAc. The narrow specificity and kinetic binding characteristics of APN-1 for CrylAc were determined using a surface plasmon resonance-based optical biosensor. APN-1 from the gypsy moth possessed a single CrylAc toxin-binding site and did not interact with either CrylAa or CrylAb. The association and dissociation rate constants of CrylAc and APN-1 were determined to be 7.2 × 104 Ms−1 and 2.3 × 10−3s−1, respectively, with an apparent affinity constant of 3.2 × 10−8M. Toxin binding to APN-1 was directly inhibited with N-acetylgalactosamine, suggesting that this aminosugar forms an integral part of the binding site. The absence of recognition of all Cry toxins by APN-2 suggests that either APN-2 recognizes an untested subclass of Cry toxins, or alternatively, not all APN molecules in larval midguts serve to function as toxin-binding proteins.
Quantification of homoharringtonine and harringtonine in serum by chemical ionization mass spectrometry

Homoharringtonine and harringtonine are esters of cephalotaxine and are naturally occurring alkaloids in certain coniferous trees in China. These compounds have been shown to have activity against certain types of leukemia in cell cultures, experimental animals, and initial clinical trials in China, and will undergo Phase I trials in several institutions. A gas chromatographic mass spectrometric technique was developed for the quantification of both drugs in serum. One drug serves as internal standard for the other. The drugs are extracted from serum with dichloromethane and are quantified by monitoring the protonated molecular ions of the trimethylsilyl derivatives obtained by chemical ionization (methane). Masses monitored are: m/z = 690 for homoharringtonine and m/z = 676 for harringtonine. Detection limit: 10 ng ml-1 (20 nmol); reproducibility: 1.6-15.0% in the 0-200 ng ml-1 range. Serum levels of harringtonine reached 145 ng mg-1 upon intraperitoneal injection of 3 mg kg-1 in BDF-3 mice.
Technical training: an application of a strategy for learning structural and functional information

Abstract Little research has been directed to the development of learning strategies for acquiring technical information. The present experiment tested a strategy, developed from principles on general text processing, for learning technical material, specifically, structural and functional information. In addition, the effectiveness of cooperative learning was examined as a technique for learning technical information and as a vehicle for implementing the strategy. The results demonstrated that cooperative learning was effective for acquiring structural and functional information and the technical learning strategy was effective for acquiring structural information.
Lsh, a modulator of CpG methylation, is crucial for normal histone methylation.

Methylation of histone tails and CpG methylation are involved in determining heterochromatin structure, but their cause and effect relationship has not been resolved as yet in mammals. Here we report that Lsh, a member of the SNF2 chromatin remodeling family, controls both types of epigenetic modifications. Lsh has been shown to be associated with pericentromeric heterochromatin and to be required for normal CpG methylation at pericentromeric sequences. Loss of Lsh, in Lsh-deficient mice, results in accumulation of di- and tri-methylated histone 3 at lysine 4 (H3-K4me) at pericentromeric DNA and other repetitive sequences. In contrast, di- or tri-methylation of H3-K9 and distribution of HP1 appear unchanged after Lsh deletion, suggesting independent regulatory mechanisms for H3-K4 or K9 methylation. Experimental DNA demethylation with 5′-azacytidine results in a similar increase of H3-K4me. These results support the model that loss of CpG methylation caused by Lsh deficiency antecedes elevation of H3-K4me. Thus, Lsh is crucial for the formation of normal heterochromatin, implying a functional role for Lsh in the regulation of transcription and mitosis.
Extended neck dissection

BACKGROUND: This study defines the clinical settings in which extended radical neck dissection (ERND) was performed and determines its impact on control of disease in the neck and on survival. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 106 patients undergoing ERND between 1984 and 1993. Most (76) had metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) that had extended to extranodal structures in the upper neck. RESULTS: Five-year disease-free survival was 39%, and disease was controlled in the neck in 72 patients (68%) with a median follow-up of 5.5 years. A trend toward better survival was seen in patients with SCC (47% at 5 years), compared with those with other histologies (24% at 5 years; P <0.12). Patients with levels I, II, or III involved had better survival (46% at 5 years) than those with level IV, V, or multiple levels involved (14% at 5 years; P <0.0088). Finally, when prior radiation therapy precluded additional irradiation of the neck, survival was only 22% at 5 years, compared with 47% for those who received postoperative radiation (P <0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Although advanced neck disease invading adjacent structures remains an ominous sign, neck control and 5-year survival were achieved in nearly one half of these patients when multimodality therapy was possible.
Familiarity and female mate choice in two species of voles (Microtus ochrogaster and Microtus montanus)

Abstract The effect of familiarity on female mate choice was examined in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and montane voles (M. montanus). In experiment I females were given simultaneous access to a male with which they had just mated and to a novel male. Prairie vole females mated preferentially and spent more time with the familiar males; montane voles showed no preference. Experiment II consisted of two tests in which familiarity was established by housing a female across a wire mesh barrier from a male for 2 weeks. Female prairie voles showed no preference based on familiarity. Overriding any effect of adjacent housing was a preference in the second test for the male from which they received their first ejaculate in test 1. Montane voles spent more time with the unfamiliar male. Therefore, in prairie but not montane voles, copulation and/or the receipt of an ejaculate appears to be responsible for the ‘stamping in’ of a preference for a particular male. These results suggest that finely tuned differences in a female's reproductive responses to familiar and unfamiliar males may be proximate behavioural processes underlying species differences in mating systems.
Fourth-generation fluoroquinolones: new topical agents in the war on ocular bacterial infections

Purpose of review The fourth-generation fluoroquinolones, moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin, were introduced in 2003 promising improved spectrum of activity and delayed development of resistance. Although these topical agents have recently been introduced in commercial form, there is already a growing body of evidence showing excellent potency in the war on ocular infections. The purpose of this review is to discuss the literature to date regarding these two agents. Recent findings Since their introduction in 1990 in the United States, fluoroquinolones have rapidly become the standard of care in the topical antibiotic arena. Unfortunately, recent evidence has shown the widespread use of fluoroquinolones, not only in eye care, but also in agriculture, and general medical and surgical use, has lead to decreasing susceptibilities of important ocular bacterial pathogens. Moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin have improved potency and are able to overcome resistant isolates. These agents also provide improved penetration into ocular tissues. Summary Moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin offer improved spectrum of activity, increased penetration into ocular tissues, and delayed propensity to the development of bacterial antibiotic resistance.
POROUS ELECTRODE THEORY ANALYSIS OF A VARIABLE-DEPTH, FLOW-BY POROUS ELECTRODE

A comparison has been made between a variable-depth and constant-depth, flow-by porous electrode in which a single metal ion deposition occurs in parallel with proton reduction. Porous-electrode theory was applied to calculate the reactor's performance under limiting-current and below limiting-current conditions. The thickness profile of the variable-depth electrode was calculated—as first suggested by Kreysa—by constraining the solution phase potential drop across the electrode to remain constant and independent of streamwise position. For each reactor configuration, identical electrolyte and electrode properties, processing rate, reactant conversion, and inlet thickness were assumed. Under this basis of comparison, the results show: the space-time yield of the constant-depth electrode is larger, but the variable-depth electrode better utilizes the separator's and counterelectrode's surface area; the power requirement of the variable-depth electrode is greater; and, the current efficiency is parameter de...
Osteosarcomagenesis: Modeling Cancer Initiation in the Mouse

Osteosarcoma remains a deadly malignancy afflicting adolescents and young adults. The lack of a precursor and the panoply of genetic aberrations present in identified osteosarcomas makes study of its initiation difficult. A number of candidate hypotheses have been tested in the mouse, a species with a higher background incidence of osteosarcoma. Chemical carcinogens, external beam radiation, and bone-seeking heavy metal radioisotopes have all proven to be osteosarcomagenic in wild-type mice. A number of oncogenes, introduced via integrating viruses or aberrantly activated from heritable genetic loci, participate in and can individually drive osteosarcomagenesis. Germline and conditional gene ablations in the form of some but not all aneuploidy-inducing genes, conventional tumor suppressors, and factors that function normally in mesenchymal differentiation have also proven osteosarcomagenic, especially in combinations that silence the Rb1 and p53 pathways. This paper reviews the rich history of mouse models of osteosarcomagenesis, what they have taught us about the human disease, and what future mouse experiments yet promise to teach.