cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An ABCG Transporter Functions in Rab Localization and Lysosome-Related Organelle Biogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans

ABC transporters couple ATP hydrolysis to the transport of substrates across cellular membranes. This protein superfamily has diverse activities resulting from differences in their cargo and subcellular localization. Our work investigates the role of the ABCG family member WHT-2 in the biogenesis of gut granules, a Caenorhabditis elegans lysosome-related organelle. In addition to being required for the accumulation of birefringent material within gut granules, WHT-2 is necessary for the localization of gut granule proteins when trafficking pathways to this organelle are partially disrupted. The role of WHT-2 in gut granule protein targeting is likely linked to its function in Rab GTPase localization. We show that WHT-2 promotes the gut granule association of the Rab32 family member GLO-1 and the endolysosomal RAB-7, identifying a novel function for an ABC transporter. WHT-2 localizes to gut granules where it could play a direct role in controlling Rab localization. Loss of CCZ-1 and GLO-3, which likely function as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for GLO-1, lead to similar disruption of GLO-1 localization. We show that CCZ-1, like GLO-3, is localized to gut granules. WHT-2 does not direct the gut granule association of the GLO-1 GEF and our results point to WHT-2 functioning differently than GLO-3 and CCZ-1. Point mutations in WHT-2 that inhibit its transport activity, but not its subcellular localization, lead to the loss of GLO-1 from gut granules, while other WHT-2 activities are not completely disrupted, suggesting that WHT-2 functions in organelle biogenesis through transport-dependent and transport-independent activities.
Consideration of Future Consequences Influences Involvement in Romantic Partners' Health

This study examined the influence of people’s short-term (e.g., convenience) and long-term (e.g., maintain weight) motives toward their romantic partner’s health on their provision of health-relate...
Fully synthetic matrices for in vitro culture of primary human intestinal enteroids and endometrial organoids.

Abstract Epithelial organoids derived from human donor tissues are important tools in fields ranging from regenerative medicine to drug discovery. Organoid culture requires expansion of stem/progenitor cells in Matrigel, a tumor-derived extracellular matrix (ECM). An alternative completely synthetic ECM could improve reproducibility, clarify mechanistic phenomena, and enable human implantation of organoids. We designed synthetic ECMs with tunable biomolecular and biophysical properties to identify gel compositions supporting human tissue-derived stem/progenitor epithelial cells as enteroids and organoids starting with single cells rather than tissue fragments. The synthetic ECMs consist of 8-arm PEG-macromers modified with ECM-binding peptides and different combinations of integrin-binding peptides, crosslinked with peptides susceptible to matrix metalloprotease (MMP) degradation, and tuned to exhibit a range of biophysical properties. A gel containing an α2β1 integrin-binding peptide (GFOGER) and matrix binder peptides grafted to a 20 kDa 8-arm PEG macromer showed the most robust support of human duodenal and colon enteroids and endometrial organoids. In this synthetic ECM, human intestinal enteroids and endometrial organoids emerge from single cells and show cell-specific and apicobasal polarity markers upon differentiation. Intestinal enteroids, in addition, retain their proliferative capacity, are functionally responsive to basolateral stimulation, express canonical markers of intestinal crypt cells including Paneth cells, and can be serially passaged. The success of this synthetic ECM in supporting human postnatal organoid culture from multiple different donors and from both the intestine and endometrium suggests it may be broadly useful for other epithelial organoid culture.
Pediatric Nonaccidental Trauma: Experience at a Level 1 Trauma Center.

Introduction. Pediatric nonaccidental trauma (NAT) is difficult to diagnose. Several isolated injuries in NAT could happen in the setting of accidental trauma (AT), and having a high index of suspicion is important to correctly identify abuse. NAT has a significant mortality rate if the sentinel event is not adequately diagnosed, and the infant is not separated from the perpetrator. Level 1 pediatric trauma centers (PTC) see a significant number of NAT. We evaluated the injury patterns of NAT admissions at our level 1 PTC. Methods. Retrospective analysis of all cases of NAT for children under the age of two admitted at an ACS level 1 pediatric trauma center between the years of 2016 and 2018. Charts were queried for demographic data, injury patterns, mortality, and disposition. Correlation between disposition status and injury patterns was performed. The Fisher Exact test and student - test were used to study the significance of differences in categorical and continuous data, respectively. Results. 32/91 (35%) trauma patients under the age of two years were diagnosed as NAT in the three-year study period. 21/32 (39%) male and 11/26 (42%) female admissions were confirmed NAT ( ). 20 were under 1 year of age, and 12 were aged between 1 and 2 years ( ). 13 (41%) were Caucasian, 6 (19%) were Hispanic/Latino, 11 (34%) were Black, and 2(6%) were of unknown ethnicity ( ). Facial, torso, lower extremity, retinal, and internal organ injury were significantly more common with NAT. Medicaid coverage was noted in 31/32 (97%) NAT patients. 20/32 (62.5%) patients were legally displaced as a result of the NAT. Conclusion. 1/3rd of all admissions at a pediatric level 1 trauma center were identified as NAT. A high index of suspicion is necessary to not miss NAT, as injury patterns are variable. Nearly 1/3rd of all victims go back to the same environment where they sustained NAT increasing their susceptibility to future NAT.
How You Tell The Story: In Search of Complex Disabled Narratives

This is a first-person contribution to a Journal of Legal Education symposium on "Disabled Law Students and the Future of Legal Education." It details a personal search for resonant disabled narratives in the law school classroom and clinic. It also suggests that there is not an absence of disabled narratives in the law, but those that do exist are not currently framed in a way that is empowering to disabled law students.
Live-dead assay on unlabeled cells using phase imaging with computational specificity

Abstract Existing approaches to evaluate cell viability involve cell staining with chemical reagents. However, this step of exogenous staining makes these methods undesirable for rapid, nondestructive and long-term investigation. Here, we present instantaneous viability assessment of unlabeled cells using phase imaging with computation specificity (PICS). This new concept utilizes deep learning techniques to compute viability markers associated with the specimen measured by label-free quantitative phase imaging. Demonstrated on different live cell cultures, the proposed method reports approximately 95% accuracy in identifying live and dead cells. The evolution of the cell dry mass and projected area for the labelled and unlabeled populations reveal that the viability reagents decrease viability. The nondestructive approach presented here may find a broad range of applications, from monitoring the production of biopharmaceuticals, to assessing the effectiveness of cancer treatments.
Hypophosphatasia: Vitamin B6 status of affected children and adults.

Abstract Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is the heritable dento-osseous disease caused by loss-of-function mutation(s) of the gene ALPL that encodes the tissue-nonspecific isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP). TNSALP is a cell-surface homodimeric phosphomonoester phosphohydrolase expressed in healthy people especially in the skeleton, liver, kidneys, and developing teeth. In HPP, diminished TNSALP activity leads to extracellular accumulation of its natural substrates including inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), an inhibitor of mineralization, and pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP), the principal circulating form of vitamin B6 (B6). Autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive inheritance involving >450 usually missense defects scattered throughout ALPL largely explains the remarkably broad-ranging severity of this inborn-error-of-metabolism. In 1985 when we identified elevated plasma PLP as a biochemical hallmark of HPP, all 14 investigated affected children and adults had markedly increased PLP levels. However, pyridoxal (PL), the dephosphorylated form of PLP that enters cells to cofactor many enzymatic reactions, was not low but often inexplicably elevated. Levels of pyridoxic acid (PA), the B6 degradation product quantified to assess B6 sufficiency, were unremarkable. Canonical signs or symptoms of B6 deficiency or toxicity were absent. B6-dependent seizures in infants with life-threatening HPP were later explained by their profound deficiency of TNSALP activity blocking PLP dephosphorylation to PL and diminishing gamma-aminobutyric acid synthesis in the brain. Now, there is speculation that altered B6 metabolism causes further clinical complications in HPP. Herein, we assessed the plasma PL and PA levels accompanying previously reported elevated plasma PLP concentrations in 150 children and adolescents with HPP. Their mean (SD) plasma PL level was nearly double the mean for our healthy pediatric controls: 66.7 (59.0) nM versus 37.1 (22.2) nM (P
Against Homosexuality: Patriarchal Islam, US Muslims, and Religious Debate

Modernity, colonialism, and late-stage capitalism have changed dramatically the configurations of Muslim sources of religious authority. Unlike in the pre-modern period, when scholarly and legal opinions and interpretations were clearly distinguishable as normative discourses from always more diverse practices, today’s religious debate among US Muslims – including that on gender and sexuality – takes place in a porous Muslim American public square. As patriarchal Muslim scholars position themselves as gatekeepers for a “real Islam,” they construct an Islamic tradition that insists on the patriarchy as God-given and rejects any revisions toward supposedly pre-modern gender and sexual norms as a threat to the existence of “Islam” and the stability of Muslim communities and societies. Their specific arguments and hermeneutical methods “against homosexuality” therefore warrant the close analysis provided in this essay. Muslim responses to modernity appear on a spectrum and patriarchal Muslim ideas about sexuality constitute but one such response. Recognizing this allows us to appreciate the spectrum itself and read debates about sexuality as various contributions to, and positions on that spectrum. This redefinition of the place of patriarchal Islam denies its proponents a hegemonic position and allows for continued conversation.
Allosteric Functional Switch in Poliovirus 3C Protease

Viral genomes are very efficient; they are typically compact but nevertheless encode numerous elements that are essential for regulation of both its own replication and packaging, and of the host cell's machinery. Viruses have developed successful strategies to overcome their biological information storage problem. For example, the 3Cpro protein from the picornavirus family of positive-strand RNA viruses is responsible for binding of RNA control sequences to regulate translation and replication, interacting with phosphoinositide lipids (PI) to regulate the maturation of virus replication organelles, and acting as the main protease to cleave host and virus proteins to further regulate host and virus processes. 3Cpro can also be found as a domain in the 3CDpro polyprotein. 3Cpro by itself and 3CDpro have different protease specificities, and likely different RNA and PI binding capabilities. The domains in 3CDpro are tethered by a flexible linker and do not make specific 3Cpro-3Dpol interactions. Surprisingly, we have found that by extending the C-terminal tail of 3C with just a few amino acid residues, the RNA and PI binding properties alter dramatically. These functional changes are accompanied by changes in the structural dynamics of 3C, as measured by NMR relaxation methods. We propose that these findings have critical bearing on 3C function; proteolytic processing of the C-terminus is the switch from 3CDpro to 3Cpro (by itself) activities. Such a simple, but elegant, mechanism does not require any additional domain-domain interactions in the 3CDpro polyprotein to regulate 3Cpro function, and can help explain functional differences between 3Cpro and 3CDpro that have confounded virologists and structural biologists.
Prediction of Clearance and Volume of Distribution in the Obese from Normal Weight Subjects

Background and Objective The principles of allometry can be applied within a given species (intra-species scaling), for example extrapolation of pharmacokinetic parameters from adults to adolescents and older children (>5 years of age). Similarly, allometric scaling may also be used to predict pharmacokinetic parameters from normal weight subjects to the obese. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the predictive performance of several allometric methods for the prediction of drug clearance (CL) and volume of distribution (Vd) in the obese from normal weight subjects.
Regulation of Myosin-VI Targeting to Endocytic Compartments

Myosin-VI has been implicated in endocytic trafficking at both the clathrin-coated and uncoated vesicle stages. The identification of alternative splice forms led to the suggestion that splicing defines the vesicle type to which myosin-VI is recruited. In contrast to this hypothesis, we find that in all cell types examined, myosin-VI is associated with uncoated endocytic vesicles, regardless of splice form. GIPC, a PDZ-domain containing adapter protein, co-assembles with myosin-VI on these vesicles. Myosin-VI is only recruited to clathrin-coated vesicles in cells that express high levels of Dab2, a clathrin-binding adapter protein. Overexpression of Dab2 is sufficient to reroute myosin-VI to clathrin-coated pits in cells where myosin-VI is normally associated with uncoated vesicles. In normal rat kidney (NRK) cells, which express high endogenous levels of Dab2, splicing of the globular tail domain further modulates targeting of ectopically expressed myosin-VI. Although myosin-VI can be recruited to clathrin-coated pits, we find no requirement for myosin-VI motor activity in endocytosis in NRK cells. Instead, our data suggest that myosin-VI recruitment to clathrin-coated pits may be an early step in the recruitment of GIPC to the vesicle surface.
Basic Concepts in Genetics and Linkage Analysis

This chapter explores the underpinnings for observational and experimental genetics. Concepts ranging from laws of Mendelian inheritance through molecular and chromosomal aspects of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) structure and function are defined; their ultimate utilization in linkage mapping of simple Mendelian disease and common and genetically complex disease is presented. The chapter concludes with clinical examples of the various types of DNA mutation and their implications for human disease.
Fiat Daniel: The International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR). Landmarks and Highlights

The sections in this article are 1 Objectives 2 Historical Background 3 Biographical Sketch
Purification and Electron Cryomicroscopy of Coronavirus Particles

Intact, enveloped coronavirus particles vary widely in size and contour, and are thus refractory to study by traditional structural means such as X-ray crystallography. Electron microscopy (EM) overcomes some problems associated with particle variability and has been an important tool for investigating coronavirus ultrastructure. However, EM sample preparation requires that the specimen be dried onto a carbon support film before imaging, collapsing internal particle structure in the case of coronaviruses. Moreover, conventional EM achieves image contrast by immersing the specimen briefly in heavy-metal-containing stain, which reveals some features while obscuring others. Electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) instead employs a porous support film, to which the specimen is adsorbed and flash-frozen. Specimens preserved in vitreous ice over holes in the support film can then be imaged without additional staining. Cryo-EM, coupled with single-particle image analysis techniques, makes it possible to examine the size, structure and arrangement of coronavirus structural components in fully hydrated, native virions. Two virus purification procedures are described.
Microarrays and Gene Expression Profiling Applied to Drug Research

DNA microarray technology combines the recent advances in genome sequence availability with high-speed robotics. Arrays of gene sequences representing entire genomes, including the human genome, have been produced, allowing the analysis of expression for all genes in a genome in a single experiment. Global gene expression profiles of cells are being explored in a broad range of biomedical applications, from identifying cell lineages to predicting response to therapy in patients. The basic principles of microarray fabrication and analysis are presented in this chapter. Current applications of gene expression profiling to drug development, including target identification, and mechanism of action are reviewed. Finally, the potential for new applications of this technology in drug discovery and development is discussed. Keywords: DNA microarray; gene expression profiling; drug response; target identification; mechanism of action; bioinformatics
The transformation of selected steroids by Cylindrocarpon radicicola. A new biosynthetic pathway for estrololactone

Abstract The incubation of 19-nortestosterone with Cylindrocarpon radicicola produced estrone and small amounts of estradiol and estr-4-en-3,17-dione. The major pathway for the production of estrone from 19-nortestosterone by C. radicicola is probably via estr-4-en-3,17-dione, since in a separate experiment the conversion of estradiol to estrone was only 5 percent. The incubation of testololactone with C. radicicola yielded Δ1-testololactone, which indicates that the 1,2-dehydrogenase enzyme of that fungus can act on steroids which contain a D-ring δ-lactone. The incubation of 19-nortestololactone with C. radicicola gave estrololactone, which represents a new biosynthetic pathway for estrololactone.
A theorem on paths in locally planar triangulations

In this note, we show that every 5-connected triangulation in a surface with sufficiently large representativity is Hamiltonian-connected.
Splicing kinase SRPK1 conforms to the landscape of its SR protein substrate

The splicing function of SR proteins is regulated by multisite phosphorylation of their C-terminal RS (arginine-serine rich) domains. SRPK1 has been shown to phosphorylate the prototype SR protein SRSF1 using a directional mechanism in which 11 serines flanked by arginines are sequentially fed from a docking groove in the large lobe of the kinase domain to the active site. Although this process is expected to operate on lengthy arginine-serine repeats (≥8), many SR proteins contain smaller repeats of only 1-4 dipeptides, raising the question of how alternate RS domain configurations are phosphorylated. To address this, we studied a splice variant of Tra2β that contains a C-terminal RS domain with short arginine-serine repeats [Tra2β(ΔN)]. We showed that SRPK1 selectively phosphorylates several serines near the C-terminus of the RS domain. SRPK1 uses a distributive mechanism for Tra2β(ΔN) where the rate-limiting step is the dissociation of the protein substrate rather than nucleotide exchange as in the case of SRSF1. Although a functioning docking groove is required for efficient SRSF1 phosphorylation, this conserved structural element is dispensable for Tra2β(ΔN) phosphorylation. These large shifts in mechanism are likely to account for the slower net turnover rate of Tra2β(ΔN) compared to SRSF1 and may signal fundamental differences in phosphorylation among SR proteins with distinctive arginine-serine profiles. Overall, these data indicate that SRPK1 conforms to changes in RS domain architecture using a flexible kinetic mechanism and selective usage of a conserved docking groove.
The College Novel in America: 1962-1974

(1974). The College Novel in America: 1962-1974. Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction: Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 121-128.
Validity and reliability of a novel immunosuppressive adverse effects scoring system in renal transplant recipients

After renal transplantation, many patients experience adverse effects from maintenance immunosuppressive drugs. When these adverse effects occur, patient adherence with immunosuppression may be reduced and impact allograft survival. If these adverse effects could be prospectively monitored in an objective manner and possibly prevented, adherence to immunosuppressive regimens could be optimized and allograft survival improved. Prospective, standardized clinical approaches to assess immunosuppressive adverse effects by health care providers are limited. Therefore, we developed and evaluated the application, reliability and validity of a novel adverse effects scoring system in renal transplant recipients receiving calcineurin inhibitor (cyclosporine or tacrolimus) and mycophenolic acid based immunosuppressive therapy. The scoring system included 18 non-renal adverse effects organized into gastrointestinal, central nervous system and aesthetic domains developed by a multidisciplinary physician group. Nephrologists employed this standardized adverse effect evaluation in stable renal transplant patients using physical exam, review of systems, recent laboratory results, and medication adherence assessment during a clinic visit. Stable renal transplant recipients in two clinical studies were evaluated and received immunosuppressive regimens comprised of either cyclosporine or tacrolimus with mycophenolic acid. Face, content, and construct validity were assessed to document these adverse effect evaluations. Inter-rater reliability was determined using the Kappa statistic and intra-class correlation. A total of 58 renal transplant recipients were assessed using the adverse effects scoring system confirming face validity. Nephrologists (subject matter experts) rated the 18 adverse effects as: 3.1 ± 0.75 out of 4 (maximum) regarding clinical importance to verify content validity. The adverse effects scoring system distinguished 1.75-fold increased gastrointestinal adverse effects (p = 0.008) in renal transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus and mycophenolic acid compared to the cyclosporine regimen. This finding demonstrated construct validity. Intra-class correlation was 0.81 (95% confidence interval: 0.65-0.90) and Kappa statistic of 0.68 ± 0.25 for all 18 adverse effects and verified substantial inter-rater reliability. This immunosuppressive adverse effects scoring system in stable renal transplant recipients was evaluated and substantiated face, content and construct validity with inter-rater reliability. The scoring system may facilitate prospective, standardized clinical monitoring of immunosuppressive adverse drug effects in stable renal transplant recipients and improve medication adherence.
Reinforcing and discriminative stimulus effects of Ca-acetyl homotaurine in animals.

Abstract Ca-acetyl homotaurine (Ca-AOTA) has been proposed as an adjunct for ethanol detoxification. The purpose of the present experiment was to determine whether Ca-AOTA would be predicted to have abuse potential. Rhesus monkeys that were experienced in the intravenous self-administration of cocaine (n = 2) or pentobarbital (n = 2) were given the opportunity to self-administer various doses of Ca-AOTA or its vehicle (0.9% saline). Ca-AOTA (1.0–10.0 mg/kg/injection, intravenously) was not self-administered above saline levels. The discriminative stimulus effects of Ca-AOTA were evaluated in a drug discrimination procedure in which animals were trained to make one response after a training drug and a different response after saline. Rhesus monkeys trained to discriminate d-amphetaamine (n = 3) or pentobartial (n = 3) from saline were tested with doses of Ca-AOTA ranging from 10 to 100 mg/kg (PO by nasogastric tube) and at 3 different times (1,2, or 4 hr). Ca-AOTA failed to engender drug-appropriate responding at any dose or pretreatment condition in either group of monkeys. In addition, Ca-AOTA was tested in 4 pigeons trained to discriminate pentobarbital from saline. Ca-AOTA administration did not result in pentobarbital-appropriate responding in doses ranging from 30–300 mg/kg (IM) and pretreatment times ranging from 30 to 240 min. The lack of both reinforcing properties and discriminative stimulus properties to similar d-amphetamine or pentobarbital suggests that Ca-AOTA has0 little or no abuse potential.
A2 and A4 Flexor Pulley Biomechanical Analysis: Comparison among Gender and Digit

Rock climbing has become increasingly more popular in the USA over the past two decades. Accordingly, with increased participation comes an increase in climbing-related injuries. Rooks et al noted that three-quarters of elite and recreational climbers will suffer upper extremity injuries, approximately 60% involving the hand or wrist and 40% divided evenly between the shoulder and elbow. Most of these injures will be strains, microtrauma, and tendonitis; however, 30–50% represent trauma to the proximal interphalangeal region. The purpose of this study was to investigate the biomechanical properties of the A2 and A4 pulley and compare biomechanical properties among gender and digit. A specially designed materials testing machine, shown in the included figure, measured maximum breaking load, displacement and stiffness of the A2 and A4 pulleys of ten cadaveric hands using an S hook to apply a steady force until complete pulley rupture. The A2 and A4 biomechanical properties of breaking load, displacement, and stiffness did not significantly differ among the index, middle, ring, and little fingers. Additionally, there was no significant difference in A2 or A4 pulley biomechanics between male and female specimens. The A2 and A4 pulleys among differing digits and genders have similar biomechanical properties in regards to maximum breaking load, displacement, and stiffness.
Parity of participation in liberal welfare states: human rights, neoliberalism, disability and employment

Governments continue to face challenges in implementing effective strategies to increase social and economic participation of people with disabilities. In a recent OECD high-level policy forum on Sickness, Disability and Work, the main policy message was the need for a culture of inclusion; with a dual focus on short-term active policy interventions and long-term structural reform. This paper examines policies in liberal welfare states that encourage people receiving disability benefits to participate in the labor market. Examples from the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia of active labor market programs aimed at moving people with disabilities from workfare are analyzed in the context of international disability rights and neoliberal discourse. The paper explores the extent to which new approaches to activation policies are facilitating parity of participation and factors that impact the effectiveness of these policies.
Phase noise on a 2-GHz CMOS LC oscillator

This report describes a successful simulation using HSPICE and comparison with published data of the phase noise on a 2-GHz CMOS inductance-capacitance (LC) oscillator caused by low-frequency flicker noise (1/f noise). The flicker noise, which is determined by measurements on NMOSFETs, is simulated as a sum of sine waves with random phase by using MATLAB, and is finally introduced into the LC oscillator circuit as an HSPICE piecewise linear waveform. The output of LC oscillator in HSPICE is written as a series of points equally spaced in time and then the spectrum is computed by fast Fourier transform (FFT). The simulation results show the phase noise of the voltage-controlled oscillator with different noise coefficient (KF) values in the SPICE models, and demonstrate that the phase noise caused by low-frequency flicker noise has a 1/f/sup 3/ dependence on the offset frequency. The simulated sideband power spectral density corresponds to the measured values reported in the literature.
Localization of Transforming Growth Factor-β1 and Receptor mRNA after Experimental Spinal Cord Injury

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1) is a cytokine/growth factor found within the pathological central nervous system. TGFβ1 has been shown to inhibit the release of cytotoxic molecules from microglia and macrophages, decrease astrocyte proliferation, and promote neuron survival. Because of the relevance of these actions to spinal cord injury, we examined TGFβ1 and its receptors βRI and βRII mRNA levels and localization within the contused rat spinal cord using in situ hybridization. At the lesion site, TGFβ1 mRNA peaked at 7 days postinjury and declined thereafter. Temporal and spatial localization of the βRI and βRII receptor mRNA closely mimicked that for TGFβ1 in the epicenter. TGFβ1, βRI, and βRII mRNAs also were elevated rostral and caudal to the injury, especially in regions known to contain activated microglia and degenerating axon profiles. Immunohistochemical staining of nearby sections confirmed that the highest levels of TGFβ1 and receptor mRNA corresponded to regions filled with activated microglia and macrophages. The similar expression pattern of TGFβ1, βRI, and βRII mRNA within the injured spinal cord suggests a local site of action. Since TGFβ1 can act as an immunosuppressant as well as a stimulant for growth factors and neurite sprouting, it likely plays an important role, both temporally and spatially, in orchestrating postinjury events within the spinal cord.
Theory of Overlithiation Reaction in LiMO2 Battery Electrodes

Layered compounds with composition LixMO2 and structure R3m, in which M is a first-row transition metal or a combination of transition (and possibly nontransition) metals, are attractive materials for lithium-battery cathodes. For most choices of M, lithiation beyond x = 1 results in either decomposition or transformation to a nonlayered structure. In this article, we present first-principles calculations, on the basis of the GGA+U method, to compare addition, decomposition (with metal oxide and lithia as products), and displacement (with metal and lithia as products) reactions when an additional Li is added to LiMO2. We consider M = Mn, Co, and Ni, as well as equiatomic binary mixtures of these elements. Although the displacement reaction is energetically (or thermodynamically) favored, the addition and decomposition reactions are apparently more favored kinetically, as it is the latter that are observed experimentally. The ratio of the open-circuit cell voltage to the magnitude of the reaction energy, ...
Bayesian alternative to the ISO-GUM's use of the Welch Satterthwaite formula

In certain disciplines, uncertainty is traditionally expressed as an interval about an estimate for the value of the measurand. Development of such uncertainty intervals with a stated coverage probability based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) requires a description of the probability distribution for the value of the measurand. The ISO-GUM propagates the estimates and their associated standard uncertainties for various input quantities through a linear approximation of the measurement equation to determine an estimate and its associated standard uncertainty for the value of the measurand. This procedure does not yield a probability distribution for the value of the measurand. The ISO-GUM suggests that under certain conditions motivated by the central limit theorem the distribution for the value of the measurand may be approximated by a scaled-and-shifted t-distribution with effective degrees of freedom obtained from the Welch–Satterthwaite (W–S) formula. The approximate t-distribution may then be used to develop an uncertainty interval with a stated coverage probability for the value of the measurand. We propose an approximate normal distribution based on a Bayesian uncertainty as an alternative to the t-distribution based on the W–S formula. A benefit of the approximate normal distribution based on a Bayesian uncertainty is that it greatly simplifies the expression of uncertainty by eliminating altogether the need for calculating effective degrees of freedom from the W–S formula. In the special case where the measurand is the difference between two means, each evaluated from statistical analyses of independent normally distributed measurements with unknown and possibly unequal variances, the probability distribution for the value of the measurand is known to be a Behrens–Fisher distribution. We compare the performance of the approximate normal distribution based on a Bayesian uncertainty and the approximate t-distribution based on the W–S formula with respect to the Behrens–Fisher distribution. The approximate normal distribution is simpler and better in this case. A thorough investigation of the relative performance of the two approximate distributions would require comparison for a range of measurement equations by numerical methods.
Optimally mitigating BTI-induced FPGA device aging with discriminative voltage scaling (abstract only)

With the CMOS technology aggressively scaling towards the 22nm node, modern FPGA devices face tremendous aging- induced reliability challenges due to Bias Temperature In- stability (BTI) and Hot Carrier Injection (HCI). This paper presents a novel antiaging technique at logic level that is both scalable and applicable for VLSI digital circuits implemented with FPGA devices. The key idea is to prolong the lifetime of FPGA-mapped designs by strategically elevating the VDD values of some LUTs based on their modular criticality values. Although the idea of scaling VDD in order to improve either energy efficiency or circuit reliability has been explored extensively, our study distinguishes itself by approaching this challenge through analytical procedure, therefore able to maximize the overall reliability of target FPGA design by rigorously modelling the BTI-induce de- vice reliability and optimally solving the VDD assignment problem.
High Risk Behaviors Among Victims of Sibling Violence

Despite the fact that sibling abuse has been documented as the most common form of intrafamilial abuse, it has been largely overlooked. Using data from the 2007 Delaware Secondary School Student Survey (N = 8,122), this paper focuses on four objectives: to estimate prevalence of sibling abuse, examine the relationship between sibling violence and high risk behaviors such as substance use, delinquency and aggression, explore the interplay of sibling abuse and other forms of family violence in predicting high risk behaviors, and test theory. Results suggest that sibling violence occurs more frequently than other forms of child abuse. Results also confirm that sibling violence is significantly related to substance use, delinquency, and aggression. These effects remain significant after controlling for other forms of family violence. The data suggest support for feminist theory and social learning theory.
Atrial Arrhythmias Exacerbated by Theophylline: Response to Verapamil and Evidence for Triggered Activity in Man

A 75-year-old woman with acute respiratory failure due to pneumonia superimposed on bronchospastic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and dilated cardiomyopathy developed multifocal and unifocal atrial tachycardia. Arrhythmia recurrence appeared to be dependent on reaching a critical but "nontoxic" serum theophylline concentration in the presence of high normal levels of digoxin. The arrhythmias responded to a decrease in serum theophylline concentration or to the administration of verapamil. The precipitation of the atrial arrhythmias by theophylline in the presence of digitalis, both of which may increase intracellular calcium and a dramatic response to verapamil, which inhibits calcium uptake and release, suggests that these arrhythmias may represent an example of "triggered activity" in man.
A convenient procedure for the biosynthesis and isolation of 35S‐adenosylmethionine

35S-(5′-Deoxyadenosine-5′)-L-methionine (35S-adenosylmethionine, C15H23N6O5S+) has been isolated in useful amounts from yeast cells which were cultivated in a medium containing 35SO—-4. Procedures for purification and analysis are reported.
Threshold photodissociation of Cr+2

Abstract A one-photon photodissociation threshold for supersonically cooled Cr + 2 is determined to be 2.13 eV. This threshold provides a strict upper limit to the adiabatic binding energy of the ground state of chromium dimer cation if the initial internal energy of the parent ion may be neglected. From the difference in the IPs of chromium atom and dimer, an upper limit to the dissociation of Cr 2 is placed at 1.77 eV.
Integrated sensors: interfacing electronics to a non-electronic world

Abstract This paper considers the rapidly-developing field of integrated sensors, in which one or more transducers are joined with custom interface circuitry on a single chip. Many of the issues confronting continued development in this are discussed, including process compatibility and circuit partitioning. Backed by an increasingly powerful array of solid-state process technologies, integrated sensors are expected to be widely applied to extend microcomputer-based control in a variety of areas.
Creating and Teaching a Web-Based, University-Level Introductory Chemistry Course that Incorporates Laboratory Exercises and Active Learning Pedagogies

An introductory, nonscience-majors chemistry course was converted to a Web-based course. The differences in student populations, teaching strategies, laboratory methods, and learning outcomes are described. Practical information is also given on the use of software and other online technology to implement course conversion.
A systematic analysis of the in vitro and in vivo functions of the HD-GYP domain proteins of Vibrio cholerae

The second messenger cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) plays a central role in bacterial adaptation to extracellular stimuli, controlling processes such as motility, biofilm development, cell development and, in some pathogens, virulence. The intracellular level of c-di-GMP is controlled by the complementary activities of diguanylate cyclases containing a GGDEF domain and two classes of c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases containing an EAL or HD-GYP hydrolytic domain. Compared to the GGDEF and EAL domains, the functions of HD-GYP domain family proteins are poorly characterized. The human diarrheal pathogen Vibrio cholerae encodes nine putative HD-GYP domain proteins. To determine the contributions of HD-GYP domain proteins to c-di-GMP signaling in V. cholerae, we systematically analyzed the enzymatic functionality of each protein and their involvement in processes known to be regulated by c-di-GMP: motility, biofilm development and virulence. Complementary in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that four HD-GYP domain proteins are active c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases: VC1295, VC1348, VCA0210 and VCA0681. Mutation of individual HD-GYP domain genes, as well as combinatorial mutations of multiple HD-GYP domain genes, had no effect on motility or biofilm formation of V. cholerae under the conditions tested. Furthermore, no single HD-GYP domain gene affected intestinal colonization by V. cholerae in an infant mouse model. However, inactivation of multiple HD-GYP domain genes, including the four encoding functional phosphodiesterases, significantly attenuated colonization. These results indicate that the HD-GYP family of c-di-GMP phosphodiesterases impacts signaling by this second messenger during infection. Altogether, this work greatly furthers the understanding of this important family of c-di-GMP metabolic enzymes and demonstrates a role for HD-GYP domain proteins in the virulence of V. cholerae.
Perturbations of closed-loop systems in robust feedback stabilization

The largest robust stability radius γ(P0) of a system P0 is defined as the radius of the largest ball Bmax in the gap metric centred at P0 which can be stabilized by one single controller. Any controller stabilizing Bmax is called an optimally robust controller of P0 . A controller, regarded as a system, should have its own largest robust stability radius also. In this note it is first shown that the largest robust stability radius of any optimally robust controller of P0 is larger than or equal to γ(Po)- The main result of this paper is the estimate of the variations (in the L∞-norm) of the closed-loop transfer matrix caused by the perturbations of the system or of the optimally robust controller. Finally, the schemes of designing finite-dimensional controllers are presented via the largest robust stability radius. These schemes guarantee that the designed finite-dimensional controllers will stabilize the original infinite-dimensional systems. Moreover, the closed-loop transfer matrices can be estimated.
Comic Books Can Educate Children About Burn Safety in Developing Countries

Burns in developing countries account for significant morbidity and many occur within the pediatric population. This study investigates whether a comic book can increase burn awareness in primary school age children, both domestically and abroad. Based on demographic data regarding pediatric burns in developing nations, a comic book was developed to educate primary school age children on key risk factors regarding burn safety, including teaching children to not touch active stoves, not to light fireworks without supervision, and to "stop, drop, and roll" after burn injury. Students, aged 5 to 7 years, in both West Virginia, United States (N = 74), and West Bengal, India (N = 39), answered a three-question survey regarding these issues both before and after reading the comic book. Groups were compared using Fisher's exact test and significance was defined as P < .05. Initially, students answered 67.8 and 66.9% of the questionnaire correctly overall in West Virginia and West Bengal, respectively. These scores improved to 81.6 and 99.1% (P < .01 for each group), respectively, after reading the comic as a class. Specifically, there were significant increases in both groups for the questions regarding avoiding hot stoves (P < .01) and fireworks (P < .01). The lesson required 30 minutes total per class. The teachers reported that students enjoyed reading the comic and were engaged during the sessions. This study demonstrates that a comic book has value in teaching children about burn awareness. Comic books may be a cost-effective method as an outreach tool for children.
Poesía judeoespañola admonitiva: concordancias estilísticas y temáticas con la literatura moral castellana medieval

This article explores the relationship between the Sephardic "coplas admonitivas" and the literature of moral written in Castilian in the Middle Ages, both by Christians and Jews. It intends to give evidence of the existence of a relationship between the two "clerecias" that wrote in the Peninsula in this period and how some of their common practices are recognizable in the poetry of moral written by Sephardim in the Ottoman Empire.
Caution in the Use of Liquid Propane for freezing Biological Specimens

ONE of the recent innovations in freezing and drying technique is the use of liquid propane for rapid freezing. This material has explosive possibilities when cooled in liquid nitrogen that many invostigators do not seem to realize. Liquid nitrogen boils at − 195.8° C, liquid oxygen at − 183.0° C. It is common experience that if a vapour trap is cooled with liquid nitrogen and open to the atmosphere, oxygen will condense in it. Since propane molts at − 189.9° C, in the range of temperatures between its melting point and the boiling point of oxygen it is theoretically possible to get a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid propane.
Association of hyponatremia and outcomes in pulmonary hypertension.

Abstract Background Hyponatremia is known to be an important marker and prognosticator in left-sided heart failure. However, less is known about the significance of hyponatremia in pulmonary hypertension, particularly in the absence of left ventricular dysfunction. Methods and Results We identified 635 patients with pulmonary hypertension and preserved ejection fraction who were normonatremic (n = 493) or hyponatremic (n = 142). End points were mortality and readmission at 1 year. Overall, 27% of all of the patients died within 1 year. Hyponatremia was significantly associated with an increased rate of 1-year mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27–2.61; P = .001) and trended toward an association with the composite of mortality and readmission (HR 1.25, 95% CI 0.97–1.62; P = .08). Additionally, the severity of hyponatremia was directly related to the rate of 1-year mortality ( P Conclusions Hyponatremia is an indicator of poor prognosis in patients with echocardiographic evidence of pulmonary hypertension.
Color Defect and Color Theory: Studies of normal and color-blind persons, including a subject color-blind in one eye but not in the other.

It is important to find answers to two questions concerning the visual discriminations of dichromatic persons, especially deuteranopes: (i) Do such persons show a loss of sensitivity to various wavelengths of the spectrum as compared with normal subjects? (ii) What colors do they see? A number of experiments were performed on the first question. First, luminosity curves were determined on three groups of subjects, consisting respectively of five protanopes, six deuteranopes, and seven normal individuals. As compared with normal subjects, protanopes show a loss of luminosity in the red, whereas deuteranopes show a loss in the blue-to-green region of the spectrum (See 10). Second, we examined the luminosity curves of a subject whose right eye is classifiable (on the basis of color-mixture determinations) as normal and whose left eye is classifiable as dichromatic. (The hue discrimination curve for her dichromatic eye seemed comparable to the curve of the usual deuteranope except in the violet, where it manifested relatively good discrimination.) The luminosity function for this subject's dichromatic eye, determined by data on threshold and flicker, exhibits the same type of luminosity loss in the blue and green regions of the spectrum as was shown by our group of six deuteranopes. Only unilaterally dichromatic subjects can tell us how colors seen by a dichromatic eye appear to a normal eye. In the color-blind eye, our unilaterally dichromatic subject sees wavelengths below and above her neutral ("grey") point (which occurs at 502 mmicro) as, respectively, a blue equivalent to about 470 mmicro and a yellow equivalent to about 570 mmicro in her normal eye. The results on (i) luminosity loss and (ii) the seeing of wavelengths above 502 mmicro as yellow are considered theoretically. The seeing of yellow by deuteranopes and protanopes may be accounted for by an idea based on Leber-Fick transmation theory. It is proposed that the characteristic sensitivities of the red and green receptors become similar while no change takes place in their central brain connections. Losses may be introduced into the transformed sensitivity curves to indicate appropriate degrees of luminosity deficit for deuteranopes and protanopes.
Mass formulas, strong gravity, and scalar--tensor universality

We show that tensor dominance of the stress tensor and a scalar-tensor universality postulate lead to values of the $\frac{D}{F}$ ratio and the coupling constants of the $f$ meson and Pomeron to nucleons in very good agreement with experiments.