cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crosstalk between Hormone and DNA Binding Domains in Estrogen Receptor Alpha: An Energy Landscape Approach

Estrogen receptor (ER) alpha is a hormone-activated transcription factor, which comprises of a highly conserved structural organization including a functional hormone binding domain (HBD) and a DNA binding domain (DBD). The mechanisms by which HBD and DBD interact in the regulation of hormone signaling are still unknown. Here, we apply a recently developed coarse-grained (CG) simulation pipeline to characterize the energy landscape of HBD-DBD interactions. First, CG models are built on HBD and DBD crystal structures and on their electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Second, ER molecular dynamics simulations are implemented and the sampling is enhanced by a push-pull-release strategy to comprehensively search for different HBD-DBD orientations. Finally, simulated ER configurations are projected onto a 3D energy globe and energetically stable conformations are identified. We found that among five identified ER conformations, four of them adopt very tight HBD-DBD packing utilizing a critical C-terminal helix (H12) as a key mediator at the domain interfaces, while the other takes a rather extended conformation and forms loose HBD-DBD contacts at a distant site. A closer examination also shows that while the binding sites from HBD for the four compact conformations are close in proximity, the DBD sites vary in contact residues and result into different HBD-DBD orientations. Detailed analyses on decomposing interfacial energies show that the molecular factors stabilizing these assembled conformations are from hydrophobic instead of electrostatic interactions. Taken together, these CG simulations and analyses reveal multiple distinct ER conformations that are accessible on the energy landscape and provide insight about HBD-DBD crosstalk into ER activation.
Selective synthesis and modification of nuclear proteins during maturation of avian erythroid cells

Abstract The synthesis of the nuclear proteins of duck erythroid cells at different stages of maturation has been investigated. Synthesis of histone fractions H1, H2a, H2b, H3, and H4 is restricted to the erythroblasts, while synthesis of H5 can be detected even at later stages of maturation after DNA synthesis has ceased. The synthesis of nonhistone nuclear proteins (NHNP), on the other hand, occurs in cells at all stages of maturation although their rates of synthesis decline as the cells mature. The same size classes of NHNP appear to be synthesized in erythroblasts and in early- and midpolychromatic erythrocytes. In late polychromatic erythrocytes the synthesis of a new group of NHNP of molecular weights ranging from 54,000 to 130,000 was observed. This group of proteins does not accumulate in the mature erythrocyte, indicating that their relative proportions are very small. Turnover of histone-bound phosphate was found to occur mainly at the erythroblast stage, except for histone H2a which was actively phosphorylated even at more advanced stages of maturation. Phosphorylation of most of the histones appears to be coupled to histone (and coordinate DNA) synthesis. Incorporation of radioactive acetate into histones occurs at all stages, but the rate of acetylation decreases four- to fivefold with maturation. Although the RNA synthetic activity of erythroid cells also decreases with age, experiments involving the use of RNA polymerase inhibitors suggest that the mechanisms that control RNA synthesis and histone acetylation are not tightly coupled.
Delamination behavior of bidirectional S2 glass epoxy laminated composite due to combined moisture and temperature cyclic loading

The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of long-term exposure of plain woven 240-D S2 glass epoxy composite laminate to dry, moist and various temperature cycles. Interlaminar shear stress was evaluated to assess the delamination tolerance on both virgin (preexposed) and harsh environment-exposed composites specimens. Delamination tests were performed with the pattern of four-point bending and tensile and compression shear tests under different combinations of humidity and temperature exposure, ranging from zero to 32 weeks. During the tests, the stress at the onset of delamination was taken as the first deviation of the load-displacement curve. Experimental study revealed that the delamination load-carrying capability reduced to 40% with the exposure time. Throughout the aging process dimensional stability was almost unchanged; however, 1.29% moisture absorption was noticeable in laminated composites. Microstructures of the delaminated surface revealed that failure occurs suddenly in ...
A kinetic analysis of hybridoma growth and metabolism in batch and continuous suspension culture: Effect of nutrient concentration, dilution rate, and pH

Hybridomas are finding increased use for the production of a wide variety of monoclonal antibodies. Understanding the roles of physiological and environmental factors on the growth and metabolism of mammalian cells is a prerequisite for the development of rational scale-up procedures. An SP2/0-derived mouse hybridoma has been employed in the present work as a model system for hybridoma suspension culture. In preliminary shake flask studies to determine the effect of glucose and glutaminE, it was found that the specific growth rate, the glucose and glutamine metabolic quotients, and the cumulative specific antibody production rate were independent of glucose concentration over the range commonly employed in cell cultures. Only the specific rate of glutamine uptake was found to depend on glutamine concentration. The cells were grown in continuous culture at constant pH and oxygen concentration at a variety of dilution rates. Specific substrate consumption rates and product formation rates were determined from the steady state concentrations. The specific glucose uptake rate deviated from the maintenance energy model1 at low specific growth rates, probably due to changes in the metabolic pathways of the cells. Antibody production was not growth-associated; and higher specific antibody production rates were obtained at lower specific growth rates. The effect of pH on the metabolic quotients was also determined. An optimum in viable cell concentration was obtained between pH 7.1 and 7.4. The viable cell number and viability decreased dramatically at pH 6.8. At pH 7.7 the viable cell concentration initially decreased, but then recovered to values typical of pH 7.1–7.4. Higher specific nutrient consumption rates were found at the extreme pH values; however, glucose consumption was inhibited at low pH. The pH history also influenced the behavior at a given pH. Higher antibody metabolic quotients were obtained at the extreme pH values. Together with the effect of specific growth rate, this suggests higher antibody production under environmental or nutritional stress.
Correlation between casting parameters and mechanical properties of an Al2O3-ZrO2 composite

Abstract Slip casting parameters and mechanical properties were analysed for several different slip casting compositions of tetragonal zirconia-toughened alumina (Al2O3-t-ZrO2). The slurries were prepared with the same weight ratio of the two solid phases, 70/30 for alumina and zirconia respectively, but with a different solid to liquid ratio and different pH of the suspensions. Distinctive features of the green and sintered bodies were shown to be highly dependent on the rheological characteristics of the slurries. Some effects on the final mechanical properties were also found.
The determination of sedimentation constants with the oil-turbine and spinco ultracentrifuges

Abstract 1. 1. Comparative studies using identical solutions have shown that the Spinco and oil-turbine ultracentrifuges give results that differ by only 2–3% when the latter instrument is properly calibrated with regard to temperature readings. 2. 2. Melting studies in the Spinco instrument failed to reveal any source of error in temperature determination. 3. 3. The sedimentation constants of several proteins as determined in a number of Spinco ultracentrifuges have been found to agree very well.
Tissue Plasminogen Activator in Human Aqueous Humor and Its Possible Therapeutic Significance

By using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we detected a significant amount of tissue plasminogen activator (0.8 ± 0.17 ng/ml) in the aqueous humor of ten normal human eyes. It was also identified on Western blot analysis. The ratio of tissue plasminogen activator to total protein in aqueous humor was about 30 times greater than the ratio of tissue plasminogen activator to total protein in plasma. There was evidence that at least some of the tissue plasminogen activator in the aqueous humor was synthesized locally by the structures bordering the anterior chamber of the eye. Tissue plasminogen activator may be a useful therapeutic modality in clinical conditions of delayed dissolution of fibrin in the eye.
1054. Hematopoietic and Non-Hematopoietic Engraftment after Bone Marrow Transplantation in Newborn Mice

Classical gene therapy protocols have employed different vehicles (e.g. viruses, liposomes, peptides) for tissue specific gene delivery. An alternative approach for delivery of therapeutic genes to specific tissues is to use adult stem cells as the 'vector' for a combination of cell and gene therapy. Ideally, bone marrow derived cells (BMDC) could be taken from a patient, genetically corrected in vitro via gene therapy, and then infused back to the patient to repair damaged tissue as fully functional genetically corrected cells. Recent discoveries show that, in addition to hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) that differentiate into all mature cells of the blood, there are BMDC that can engraft as epithelial cells throughout the body including the lung, liver and GI tract following transplantation into lethally irradiated recipients. Thus, autologous BM transplantation (BMT) based gene therapy could be useful for diseases associated with dysfunctions of these tissues. Treatments for several genetic diseases, to be effective, should be performed at the time of birth or in early childhood. BMT preparative regimens are well described for adult mice, but protocols for myelosuppression in newborn murine pups are few. Here, we compared different preparative regimens for newborn mice including: a) two doses of busulfan (B) in utero (15gr/kg each), b) one dose of busulfan (15gr/kg) in utero plus 400 cGy total body irradiation (TBI) on day 1 of life, c) 400 or 750cGy TBI on day 1 of life, or d) no pretreatment. For each regimen, the pups were transplanted with BM within 24h of birth (after irradiation). In order to determine which method is least toxic to the newborn mice while allowing a high level of hematopoietic engraftment, we assessed peripheral blood counts as well as donor hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic (epithelial) engraftment were evaluated at multiple times post-transplant. The level of toxicity was from highest to lowest: TBI 750 > 1B+ TBI400 > TBI400 > 2|[times]|B > no myelosuppression, and TBI 750 mice were sacrificed prior to 1 month post-BMT. The scale of hematopoietic chimerism was from best to worst: 1B +TBI400 > TBI750=TBI400 > 2|[times]|B > non- myeloablation, with peripheral blood chimerism up to 86% in 1B+ TBI400 treated mice and just 1.0% for non-myeloablated mice. BM derived (BMD) epithelial cells were found in lung and GI but not in the liver of transplanted recipients. The percentage of BMD epithelial cells ranged from 0-0.02% with the highest levels in the 2|[times]|B groups and 1B+ TBI400 (1B+ TBI400 = 2|[times]|B > 400TBI > no myeloablation). This level of BMD epithelial cells is similar to the percentage found after BM transplantation into lethally irradiated adult mice. In conclusion, our data suggest that the best myelosuppressive preparative regimens for the hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic engraftment include in utero exposure to busulfan, and that BMT in newborn mice leads to levels of epithelial engraftment that are similar to those in adult recipients.
Probed recall for serial order deficits in short-term memory in schizophrenic patients.

Background: Patients with schizophrenia frequently display problems in tasks demanding working memory. In a previous study, we examined short-term memory (STM) for serial order by having participants recall lists of letters from the first item to the last item in the order in which they were presented, and we examined the types of errors made (e.g., omissions, intrusions and movements; [Neuropsychology 15 (2001) 128]). We found that the disproportionate errors schizophrenic patients made were omissions at the end of six-item lists, a finding we suggested might reflect patients' longer output times, which adds to information maintenance demands. If this is the case, we predicted that the group difference in the terminal positions could be eliminated through the use of a probed recall paradigm. Method: In the current study, 26 schizophrenic patients and 33 control participants were tested on a probed recall task that was similar to our previous serial recall task except that instead of recalling the whole sequence of letters, participants were probed as to which letter appeared in a specific position in the sequence. Results: We found that when participants were probed for later positions, recall was equivalent in the groups (i.e., recency), but disproportionately worse in patients for earlier positions. Conclusions: We suggest that schizophrenic patients' limited STM span for serial order is not attributable to a selective deficit in memory for serial order. Rather, we propose that it may be explicable in terms of impaired information maintenance and thus this becomes evident in conditions involving longer sequences of stimuli.
Diocletian and the Roman recovery

CONTENTS PART I: CRISIS 1. The Third-Century Collapse 2. Virtus Illyrici PART II: EMERGENCE 3. Jove and Hercules 4. The Tetrarchy 5. Victory and Consolidation - Britain, Africa, the Danube 6. Victory and Consolidation - Egypt and Persia PART III: THE NEW ORDER 7. Defense in Depth 8. The Recasting of Government 9. Finance, Taxation, Inflation 10. A Command Economy 11. The New Order PART IV: TRIUMPHS AND DEFEATS 12. The Gods are Alive 13. Politeia Christi 14. The Great Persecution 15. Abortive Renewal PART V: AFTERMATH 16. Constantine's Completion 17. In the Long Run
AMP IS CONVERTED TO ADP AND ATP IN THE MEDIUM BEFORE IT IS BOUND TO COUPLING FACTOR 1 IN ILLUMINATED SPINACH CHLOROPLAST THYLAKOIDS

1. In~~ductinn Several lines of evidence suggest that AMP may play a role in photophosphorylation. Purified coupling factor 1 (CF 1) has a slow adenylate kinase-like activity [ 1,2]. Illumination of thylakoids in the presence of AMP and Pi causes ADP to be tightly bound to CF, [i ,3]. It was suggested [I ,3] that AMP phosphoryla- tion to bound ADP may be the primary phosphoryla- tion reaction and that the bound ADP transfers its fi phosphate to medium ADP to form ATP and regene- rate AMP. AMP also promotes a lint-dependent “Pi- ATP exchange [4] and together with arsenate relieves the inhibition of electron transport by ATP IS]. ADP and ATP in the medium exchange with adenylates bound to CF, in illuminated thylakoids [6 -81. The conversion of medium AMP to ADP bound to CF, is stow [3] _ Some ADP and ATP could be formed from AMP during the ilIum~ation. The ADP and ATP in the medium could then exchange with the nucleotides bound to CF,. The results pre- sented here give support to this indirect pathway for the conversion of medium AMP to bound ADP. 2. Materials and methods Spinach chloroplast thylakoids were isolated from market spinach [9] and were suspended in a medium which contained: 0.4 M m~nitol, 0.02 M tris(hydroxy- methyl)-methylglyc~e-NaOI~ (pH 8.25) and 0.01 M NaCl. Chlorophyll was determined spectrophoto- metrically [IO]. All reactions were carried out at room temperature in a reaction mixture which contained, unless noted otherwise: 20 mM or 50 mM Tris- (hydroxymethyl)-l~ethylglyc~e-Naomi (pH 8.25), 50 mM NaCl, 5 mM MgCl,, 1 mM potassium phos- phatebuffer,0.05mMpyocyanine,0.02mM[3H]AMP (spec. radioact. -40 cpm/pmol) and thylakoids equivalent to 0.2 mgchlorophyli~ml. Nucleotide bind- ing to thyl~oids was detested as in 181. Nucleo- tides were separated by chromatography with either columns of polyethyleneimine cellulose [ 111
Treating clients with Asperger’s syndrome and autism

Asperger’s syndrome (AS) is a form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affecting many individuals today. Although neurobiological correlates for AS have been identified, like many ASDs, AS is not completely understood. AS as a distinct disorder is also not universally accepted and in the DSM-5 AS is not considered a separate nosological entity. In contrast to some other ASDs, individuals with AS are commonly characterized by having standard or higher than average intelligence, yet difficulties in social skills and communication can present challenges for these individuals in everyday functioning. Counseling a person with AS or autism presents a unique challenge for the mental health care provider. We have compiled this review consisting of some recent ideas regarding counseling the client with AS with the goal of providing some clinical insights and practical clues. Although the focus of the present paper is largely on AS, many of these strategies could also apply to individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA).
Management of malignant distal biliary obstruction

Abstract The most common cause of malignant distal biliary obstruction is pancreatic cancer, as 70–90% of patients will develop jaundice during the course of their disease. Pancreatic cancer is usually advanced at presentation, and curative resection is possible in
Direct Solar Reduction of CO2 to Fuel: First Prototype Results

Direct solar reduction of CO2 to CO and oxygen has been demonstrated using only solar energy. Known thermochemical, kinetic, and spectral properties of the CO2/CO/O2 system enable the process. In t...
Marriage and Family Therapists’ Perspectives on Treating Overweight Clients and Their Weight-Related Behaviors

Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs), undoubtedly, will be working with clients who are overweight and are working on their weight-related behaviors (WRB). Yet, little is known about MFTs' approach with this population. Our purpose was to survey MFT students, faculty, and licensed clinicians about their current practices, training, beliefs, and theoretical perspectives of working with clients who are overweight and WRB. One-hundred eight participants completed an electronic mixed-method survey. Participants reported that they were not trained to work with overweight clients on WRB, but strongly believed they should be. Contextual differences, implications for training, and future research are discussed herein.
Molecular features crucial to the activity of pyrimidine benzamide-based thrombopoietin receptor agonists.

The identification of small molecule modulators of biological processes mediated via protein–protein interactions has generally proved to be a challenging endeavor. In the case of the thrombopoietin receptor (TPOr), however, a number of small molecule types have been reported to display biological activity similar to that of the agonist protein TPO. Through a detailed analysis of structure–activity relationships, X-ray crystal structures, NMR coupling constants, nuclear Overhauser effects, and computational data, we have determined the agonism-inducing conformation of one series of small molecule TPOr agonists. The relationship of this agonism-inducing conformation to that of other series of TPO receptor agonists is discussed.
Plans For A Large Deployable Reflector For Submillimeter And Infrared Astronomy From Space

Continuing plans for a large deployable reflector (LDR), conceived as a 10- to 30-m-diameter clear-aperture telescope, operating at wavelengths from 1000 microns to a diffraction-limited 30 microns, and to be placed in orbit for a life of 10 years by the Space Shuttle, are discussed. The primary reflector will be composed of a number of closely packed hexagonal segments of glass or lightweight composite material and attached to a truss integrating structure through position actuators providing three degrees of freedom for each segment. Technical aspects of optical design, surface measurement systems, deployment, and detectors are discussed, as are practical and fiscal limitations.
High-resolution radar imaging with applications to astronomy

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an example of a computed imaging system that is capable of synthesizing imagery having extraordinary resolution. This is accomplished by coherently processing radar returns collected from many different spatial locations. SAR has many cousins, including computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, holography, interferometric radio astronomy, and x-ray crystallography. Each of these systems acquires partial Fourier data and then employs sophisticated digital processing techniques to form 2-D, 3-D, and 4-D images. In this talk, we first provide a brief overview of Fourier-based computed imaging and then focus on the application of SAR to radar astronomy. Conventional radar imaging has been used to map the radar reflectivity of the Moon, interior planets, and asteroids, employing range-Doppler techniques. Although this form of processing has proven highly successful over the years, it is problematic for extremely fine-resolution applications. During the data collection interval (typically several minutes), the object's rotation may cause scatterers to migrate through range-Doppler resolution cells. In addition, during extended observation times, the apparent rotation rate of the object may change, and the Doppler cell boundaries may actually move. Both situations contribute to spatially-varying smearing in the image when using conventional processing on high-resolution data. To overcome this problem, we propose the application of imaging algorithms from spotlight-mode SAR. When viewed in a tomographic context, this form of processing recognizes that each range-bin datum (after range compression) represents a superposition of the reflectivity of all illuminated scatterers at that range; this is approximately a linear projection. From the projection-slice theorem, the Fourier transform of each returned signal gives a slice of the 2-D Fourier transform of the reflectivity for a 2-D surface. Collecting data from many angles, as the object rotates, provides Fourier data on a nearly polar grid. Simple polar-to-Cartesian interpolation, followed by a 2-D FFT, produces the high-resolution image. We show results of applying such processing to Lunar data acquired at Arecibo Observatory and demonstrate that the SAR-based processing method is superior to conventional range-Doppler processing. Some of our more recent work is focused on imaging of 3-D objects having unknown and possibly highly irregular shapes. This work is motivated by the problem of imaging asteroids.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Details of the alkene hydrogenation mechanism obtained by the hydrogenation of selectively deuterated substrates

Abstract The deuterated alkenes, 7,7,7,-d3-1-methycyclohexene and 2,6,6,-d3-1-methylcyclohexene, were hydrogenated to 25% completion over Pt C , Rh C , and Pd C , and the deuterium compositions of recovered olefin and product alkanes determined. From these data it has been determined that while exocyclic adsorbed species are present on the catalyst they are minor components of the reaction mixture and are detected only by exchange reactions. Endocyclic adsorbed entities are present to a much larger extent on the catalyst surface and product formation occurs through their saturation.
Learning Winner-take-all Competition Between Groups of Neurons in Lateral Inhibitory Networks

It has long been known that lateral inhibition in neural networks can lead to a winner-take-all competition, so that only a single neuron is active at a steady state. Here we show how to organize lateral inhibition so that groups of neurons compete to be active. Given a collection of potentially overlapping groups, the inhibitory connectivity is set by a formula that can be interpreted as arising from a simple learning rule. Our analysis demonstrates that such inhibition generally results in winner-take-all competition between the given groups, with the exception of some degenerate cases. In a broader context, the network serves as a particular illustration of the general distinction between permitted and forbidden sets, which was introduced recently. From this viewpoint, the computational function of our network is to store and retrieve memories as permitted sets of coactive neurons.
Bradykinin does not mediate cutaneous active vasodilation during heat stress in humans.

To test the hypothesis that bradykinin effects cutaneous active vasodilation during hyperthermia, we examined whether the increase in skin blood flow (SkBF) during heat stress was affected by block...
Management of the difficult airway in children

Airway management and endotracheal intubation in children usually present no difficulties for the experienced anaesthetist. In infants, access may be slightly more problematic because of certain anatomical variations: the tongue is large relative to the mandible and the larynx is more cephalad than in the older child. In infants below the age of four months the epiglottis is at the level of the first cervical vertebra; at six months it has moved down to the level of the third cervical vertebra. Unlike the epiglottis in adults, the epiglottis in infants is hard and narrow and is folded into an inverted U shape. These features together give rise to what many people refer to as the ‘anterior larynx’, but in fact are just due to the relative macroglossia and the higher placement of the larynx. The anatomical variations between infants, children and adults should be easily overcome by use of straight-bladed laryngoscopes which can pick up the epiglottis and reveal the larynx. The children who present major difficulties for the anaesthetist are not easily missed. In this paper I focus on congenital causes. Others are retropharyngeal abscess, burns, trauma and Still's disease.
Interstate competition and environmental regulation : A test of the race-to-the-bottom thesis

Objective. This study assesses the effect of interstate competition on the stringency with which states enforce environmental regulations. Method. Pooled cross-sectional time-series analysis of state surface-mining regulation is used to determine if the enforcement gap between a state and competitor states affects the stringency of state enforcement. Results. The results suggest that state enforcement is systematically affected by the behavior of regional competitors. States adjust their enforcement in response to competitor states when their enforcement stringency exceeds that of their competitors. When competitors' enforcement is more stringent, however, their behavior does not have a significant effect. Conclusion. This study provides empirical evidence for a race to the bottom in state environmental regulation.
A Seismological Retrospective of the Brady-Spence Prediction

In the annals of earthquake prediction research a small handful of specific predictions are notable by virtue of their impact in scientific and/or societal circles. Of these, the so-called Brady-Spence prediction that a large earthquake would strike Peru in 1981 stands out both for having been put forward by members of the mainstream earthquake science community and for having generated significant repercussions in the international arena. A well researched book-length retrospective was published in 1989 (Olson et al. 1989). This book considers the reaction to this prediction from a social science perspective. The lead author is a political scientist; two co-authors are also social scientists. Olson et al. (1989) conclude that the scientific community's response to the prediction serves as an example of the hostile reaction that Kuhn (1962) observes to be frequently engendered by scientific research that challenges existing paradigms. For the scientists involved with evaluation of the Brady-Spence prediction, the episode was generally viewed as an unpleasant exercise, best forgotten. Perhaps as a consequence, a retrospective of the prediction from a scientific perspective has never been published. The purpose of this report is to rectify that. Although it came to be known as the Brady-Spence prediction, the prediction was primarily the brainchild of Brian Brady, a geophysicist who had earned a PhD in geophysics from the Colorado School of Mines and in the 1970s worked at the United States Bureau of Mines, where his research focused on rock bursts in mines. Founded in 1910, the USBM was for years at the forefront of research in the minerals and mining fields. In September 1995 the Bureau of Mines was closed; the bureau's minerals information functions were transferred to the U.S. Geological Survey. By the mid-1970s, when Brady began to formulate his prediction, the agency's fortunes were in decline; in …
Acute Handling Stress Modulates Methylphenidate-induced Catecholamine Overflow in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Although stress is an extensively investigated phenomenon, the effects of specific stressors on the pharmacologic activity of routinely administered drugs are less well characterized. We designed the present study to investigate the effect of handling stress on catecholaminergic responsivity following an acute methylphenidate (MP, Ritalin) challenge in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) levels were simultaneously measured in 15-min samples of PFC dialysate using HPLC coupled with electrochemical detection. Sprague-Dawley rats were handled for 15 min, which produced an increase from basal extracellular DA and NE levels. Handling stress attenuates the DA response when administered 2 h prior to IP MP, whereas handling stress enhances the DA response when administered simultaneously with IG MP. These findings suggest that persistent alterations in mesocorticolimbic DA-ergic activity are induced by a short exposure to restraint stress as evidenced by the altered response to MP challenge.
Increased DNA Yield Following Enzymatic Release of Borrelia from a Collagen Matrix in Culture

Laboratory culture methods were developed to provide a means of harvesting greater amounts of DNA from Borrelia in culture. Borrelia burgdorferi B31 and Borrelia burgdorferi N40 were used in the initials experiments to develop optimal conditions. A collagenase enzyme preparation, Liberase TL, was used to release the organisms growing within a collagen matrix embedded in the culture. Optimal conditions of 2 U/mL of enzyme and 4 minutes of incubation at 37° C were obtained. Following the establishment of these parameters, 24 positive patient samples were treated with Liberase and 24 positive patient samples were left untreated. The DNA harvested from both sets was quantified and evaluated for purity. Approximately 3.3-fold more DNA was harvested from the samples treated with Liberase TL than from the untreated samples. A greater degree of DNA purity, with less residual protein remaining, was also achieved.
Dynamic analysis of planar flexible beams with finite rotations by using inertial and rotating frames

An efficient formulation for dynamic analysis of planar Timoshenko's beam with finite rotations is presented. Both an inertial frame and a rotating frame are introduced to simplify computational manipulation. The kinetic energy of the system is obtained by using the inertial frame so that it takes a quadratic uncoupled form. The rotating frame together with the small strain assumption is employed to derive the strain energy of the system. Since the exact solutions for linear static theory of Timoshenko's beam are used to obtain the strain energy, the present stiffness operator is free from the locking problem without using any special technique. The resulting equations of motion of the system are defined in terms of a fixed global coordinates system. Nonlinear effects appear only in the transformation of displacement components between global and local coordinates. This results in a drastic simplification of nonlinear dynamic analysis of flexible beams. Numerical examples demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the present formulation.
Eurymedon and the evolution of political personifications in the early classical period

In the 460s BC an unnamed artist painted an unusual oinochoe with a unique scene–a Greek chasing an Oriental archer–that marks an important stage in the development of symbolic imagery in the arts of early Classical Greece. This oinochoe of unusual shape (Plate 8a-b), now in Hamburg, was first published by Konrad Schauenburg. On side A, a bearded Greek hunter, running ¾-view to the right, clutches his phallos in his right hand and reaches his left arm toward an Oriental archer, on side B. The archer stands ¾-view to the right, bent at the hips, with his upper body in a rare frontal pose, and his hands raised to his head. A curious inscription fills the space between the two characters. Two equally plausible restorations of the inscription, each of which carries its own divergent interpretation of the images, have emerged: the original publication by Schauenburg and a response by Gloria Pinney.
Exploiting symmetry in lifted CSPs

When search problems have large-scale symmetric structure, detecting and exploiting that structure can greatly reduce the size of the search space. Previous work has shown how to find and exploit symmetries in propositional encodings of constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs). Here we consider problems that have more compact "lifted" (quantified) descriptions from which propositional encodings can be generated. We describe an algorithm for finding symmetries in lifted representations of CSPs, and show sufficient conditions under which these symmetries can be mapped to symmetries in the propositional encoding. Using two domains (pigeonhole problems, and a CSP encoding of planning problems), we demonstrate experimentally that the approach of finding symmetries in lifted problem representations is a significant improvement over previous approaches that find symmetnes in propositional encodings.
State of the art: refinement of multiple sequence alignments

Correction to Chakrabarti S, Lanczycki CJ, Panchenko AR, Przytycka TM, Thiessen PA and Bryant SH: State of the art: refinement of multiple sequence alignments. BMC Bioinformatics 2006, 7:499.
Patient and referring provider satisfaction with teledermatology.

Abstract Background: Teledermatology has become more widely used, but its impact has not been clearly elucidated. We developed a teledermatology program in response to clinical need, based on the store-and-forward approach. Objective and Methods: Our purpose was to evaluate the satisfaction of patient and referring physician by using telephone interview. Results: Both patients and providers considered this a useful program and would recommend it to a friend or colleague. The patients were split in their overall rating of the program and its ability to treat their skin conditions. Their greatest concern was their lack of direct contact with their dermatologist. Other common concerns were waiting time and follow-up. Privacy concerns were not commonly mentioned. Providers expressed greater satisfaction than their patients. Their greatest concerns involved the inability of the program to handle the demand. Conclusion: The program provided a service that was valued by both patients and providers. The most common concern was the impact on the physician-patient relationship. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2002;47:68-72.)
Use of breath carbon monoxide to measure the influence of prosthetic heart valves on erythrocyte survival.

First-generation prosthetic heart valves commonly caused sufficient red blood cell (RBC) injury to induce hemolytic anemia. Although multiple studies have shown that new-generation valves are not associated with anemia, the extent to which these valves are injurious to RBCs is not known, because RBC survival not has not been measured in these subjects. Using a technique that uses breath carbon monoxide (CO) to quantify RBC turnover, this study measured RBC life span in 38 subjects with normally functioning, new-generation valves. Erythrocyte survival averaged 98.8 ± 23 and 103 ± 15 days, respectively, in 20 subjects with mechanical valves and 18 subjects with bioprosthetic valves (p >0.05). However, these life spans were significantly (p
SEL, a Selective Enrichment Broth for Simultaneous Growth of Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes

Multipathogen detection on a single-assay platform not only reduces the cost for testing but also provides data on the presence of pathogens in a single experiment. To achieve this detection, a multipathogen selective enrichment medium is essential to allow the concurrent growth of pathogens. SEL broth was formulated to allow the simultaneous growth of Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes. The results were compared to those obtained with the respective individual selective enrichment broths, Rappaport-Vassiliadis (RV) for S. enterica, modified E. coli broth with 20 mg of novobiocin/liter for E. coli O157:H7, and Fraser broth for L. monocytogenes, and a currently used universal preenrichment broth (UPB). The growth of each pathogen in SEL inoculated at 101 or 103 CFU/ml was superior to that in the respective individual enrichment broth, except in the case of RV, in which Salmonella cells inoculated at both concentrations grew equally well. In mixed-culture experiments with cells of the three species present in equal concentrations or at a 1:10:1,000 ratio, the overall growth was proportional to the initial inoculation levels; however, the growth of L. monocytogenes was markedly suppressed when cells of this species were present at lower concentrations than those of the other two species. Further, SEL was able to resuscitate acid- and cold-stressed cells, and recovery was comparable to that in nonselective tryptic soy broth containing 6% yeast extract but superior to that in the respective individual selective broths. SEL promoted the growth of all three pathogens in a mixture in ready-to-eat salami and in turkey meat samples. Moreover, each pathogen was readily detected by a pathogen-specific immunochromatographic lateral-flow or multiplex PCR assay. Even though the growth of each pathogen in SEL was comparable to that in UPB, SEL inhibited greater numbers of nontarget organisms than did UPB. In summary, SEL was demonstrated to be a promising new multiplex selective enrichment broth for the detection of the three most prominent food-borne pathogens by antibody- or nucleic acid-based methods.
In vivo inhibition of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase by L-methionine-RS-sulfoximine; influence on intermediates of the gamma-glutamyl cycle.

—The inhibition of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase and its influence on the concentration of intermediates associated with the metabolism of glutathione was studied in mice receiving methionine sulfoximine, a convulsant agent. The activity of the enzyme decreased significantly in the liver and kidney 1-4 h after administration of methionine sulfoximine; the activity of the enzyme in the brain was unchanged after 1 and 2 h but decreased significantly after 4 h. There was a rapid and sharp decrease in the concentration of glutathione in the kidney and a slower decrease in the liver. Brain glutathione concentrations were unaffected. Methionine sulfoximine in vivo, inhibited the synthesis of l-γ-glutamyl-l-α-aminobutyrate after administration of l-α-aminobutyrate, a reaction catalyzed by γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase. The inhibitor also lowered the concentration of pyrrolidone carboxylate in mouse tissues and prevented the accumulation of this intermediate after administration of l-α-aminobutyrate. The results show that methionine sulfoximine in vivo affects the metabolism of glutathione and that this action may contribute to its convulsive properties.
Small Chamber Ideal Point Estimation

Ideal point estimation is a topic of central importance in political science. Published work relying on the ideal point estimates of Poole and Rosenthal for the U.S. Congress is too numerous to list. Recent work has applied ideal point estimation to the state legislatures, Latin American chambers, the Supreme Court, and many other chambers. Although most existing ideal point estimators perform well when the number of voters and the number of bills is large, some important applications involve small chambers. We develop an estimator that does not suffer from the incidental parameters problem and, hence, can be used to estimate ideal points in small chambers. Our Monte Carlo experiments show that our estimator offers an improvement over conventional estimators for small chambers. We apply our estimator to estimate the ideal points of Supreme Court justices in a multidimensional space. Ideal point estimation is a topic of central importance in political science. Published work relying on ideal point estimates by Poole and Rosenthal (1997) of the U.S. Congress are too numerous to list. Recent work has applied ideal point estimation to the state legislatures (Wright and Osborne 2002), Latin American chambers (Desposato 2004; Londregan 2000b), the Supreme Court (Martin and Quinn 2002), and many other chambers. The conventional methods—the maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimators—perform well when both the number of voters and the numbers of bills is large. Yet, many important applications of ideal point estimation require the analysis of small chambers. The maximum likelihood estimator (Poole and Rosenthal 1997) requires estimating both legislator-specific and bill-specific parameters. This method is extremely effective in estimating ideal points in the U.S. House and Senate. It is much less effective in estimating ideal points in smaller chambers due to finite sample identification problems. For example, Clinton, Jackman, and Rivers (2003) report that, when run on data from the Supreme Court, Poole’s W-NOMINATE program places all the justices at 2 1o r 1. Bayesian estimators have been proposed as solutions to this problem (Bafumi et al. 2005; Clinton, Jackman, and Rivers 2004; Martin and Quinn 2002). Bayesian estimators are able to deal with the finite sample identification problem because informative prior
TR-15USE OF IV N-ACETYLCYSTEINE IN COMBINATION WITH SODIUM THIOSULFATE FOR PREVENTION OF OTOTOXICITY IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS.

Although the childhood cancers medulloblastoma, osteosarcoma, hepatoblastoma, germ cell tumors, and neuroblastoma affect a relatively small number of children, with prevalence under 110,000 in the United States, the impact of these life-threatening illnesses on children and their families is significant. Standard therapy for pediatric cancers typically involves alkylating platinum chemotherapeutics, primarily cisplatin and carboplatin. Platinum chemotherapeutics and other free-radical inducing therapies such as radiotherapy can cause multiple severe systemic and neurological side effects, including permanent ototoxicity. The overall incidence of permanent bilateral hearing loss in children during cisplatin chemotherapy is 60%.(1) Our goal is to decrease the toxic side effects of cisplatin and enhance long-term quality of life by reducing lasting toxicities. Based on our preclinical and clinical studies, we hypothesize that the appropriate timing and dosing of combination chemoprotectants may reduce systemic and neurologic toxicities while maintaining dose intensity, and may even allow for the use of new strategies, such as dose-escalation or chemo-enhancement, for improved cancer control. In particular, our studies have demonstrated that high dose (400 mg/kg) intravenous (IV) N-acetylcysteine (NAC) (Acetadote®) is critical to achieve high plasma concentrations for optimum chemoprotective activity. Recently completed Phase III studies of sodium thiosulfate (STS) otoprotection in children have shown no compromise in efficacy of cisplatin if the tumor is localized (as it is in 50 + % of patients). We have applied for orphan-drug designation of IV NAC in combination with STS for prevention of ototoxicity caused by platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents in children, in addition we are developing a phase I trial of increasing NAC doses in combination with the phase III dose of STS. 1. 1. Brock PR, et al. Platinum-Induced Ototoxicity in Children: A Consensus Review on Mechanisms, Predisposition, and Protection, Including a New International Society of Pediatric Oncology Boston Ototoxicity Scale. J Clin Oncol 30(19), 2408-2417.
Physiological Evidence that a Masked Unrelated Intervening Item Disrupts Semantic Priming: Implications for Theories of Semantic Representation and Retrieval Models of Semantic Priming.

Event-related potentials were recorded in a paradigm where an unrelated word was interposed between two related words. In one condition, the intervening item was masked and in another condition it was not. The N400 component indicated that priming of the related word was disrupted by the intervening item whether it was masked or not. The data are interpreted to be inconsistent with retrieval models of priming.
The Distribution of Wage Rates

The previous chapter develops one ingredient in the final distribution of earnings: the distribution of employment. This chapter develops the other ingredient, the distribution of wage offers facing the individual and the resulting distribution of accepted wage rates. Several important questions are introduced into the study of the distribution of earnings at this point. In very simple theories, the distribution of wage rates is related directly to the distribution of some individual characteristic, such as education, ability or experience. In more complex models, it arises from the assignment of workers to jobs in a deterministic model with full employment, in which differences in wage rates are related to trade-offs between product outputs or preferences in equilibrium. With job search, however, there are several intermediate steps. Even for a group facing identical labor market conditions, the distribution of accepted wage rates will resemble neither the distribution of wage offers nor the distribution of reservation wages for the group but will depend upon an interaction between the two.
Land use history determines non-native earthworm impacts on atmospheric methane consumption in forest soils, central New York State

Yavitt, J. B. 2015. Land use history determines non-native earthworm impacts on atmospheric methane consumption in forest soils, central New York State. Can. J. Soil Sci. 95: 321–330. I used complementary field and laboratory studies to examine the impact of two types of soil disturbance on net consumption of atmospheric methane (CH4) in forest soils near Ithaca, New York. One type of disturbance is invasion of non-native earthworms that mix soil layers, and the other is agriculture, which reduces the pit-and-mound surface topography to a flat landscape. Measurements of CH4 fluxes between soil and the atmosphere were made in autumn before seasonal leaf fall when earthworms had consumed all of the previous year's leaf fall, and revealed no impact by earthworms in the never-tilled soils. Although earthworms did lead to greater consumption of atmospheric CH4 in the post-agriculture soils, the mean consumption rate was only −0.2 mg m2 d−1. Concentrations of atmospheric CH4 in wormed soils were often greater t...