cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protoporphyrinogen oxidation in chloroplasts and plant mitochondria, a step in heme and chlorophyll synthesis

Abstract The oxidation of protoporphyrinogen to protoporphyrin was demonstrated in greening plastids and mitochondria from greening barley shoots. The plastids, purified by sucrose gradient centrifugation, were essentially free of a mitochondrial marker enzyme. The plastid activity was destroyed by mild heating and was proportional to plastid concentration suggesting, an enzymatic reaction. Uroporphyrinogen I was not oxidized at an appreciable rate. Activity was also demonstrated in etioplasts and mitochondria from dark-grown barley, and in chloroplasts from commercial spinach leaves. The chelating agent 1,10-phenanthroline partially decreased activity in plant organelles, but cyanide did not. The plastid activity, like the activity in liver mitochondria, was readily demonstrable at pH 8.4 in the presence of glutathione as reducing agent. However, the plastid activity was markedly enhanced by assay at pH 7.0 and the absence of reducing agents. These properties distinguish the activity in plants from that previously described in mammalian mitochondria and photosynthetic bacteria.
Glutamate in the inferior colliculus plays a critical role in audiogenic seizure initiation.

Abstract Alterations of excitant amino acid (EAA) action are implicated in seizure susceptibility in the genetically epilepsy-prone rat (GEPR). The inferior colliculus (IC) is critical for audiogenic seizure (AGS) initiation in the GEPR. The present study observed that bilateral microinjection into the IC of l -canaline, a glutamate synthesis inhibitor, decreased AGS severity in the GEPR and also decreased potassium-evoked release of glutamate from IC slices. Bilateral microinjection of NMDA receptor antagonists, 2-amino-7-phosphonoheptanoate (AP7) or 3-((±)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonate (CPP) into IC blocked AGS, and an antagonist at non-NMDA EAA receptors, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), also blocked AGS. NMDA receptor antagonists were 5–200 times more effective than CNQX. Microinjection of a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, dizocilpine (MK-801), into IC had little effect except with very high doses. Microinjection of CPP or AP7 into the IC blocked AGS at considerably lower doses as compared to pontine reticular formation (PRF). However, MK-801 attenuated AGS when microinjected into PRF at doses that were ineffective in IC. Systemically administered CPP blocked AGS and significantly reduced IC neuronal firing in the behaving GEPR, suggesting an important action of systemically administered NMDA receptor antagonists on brainstem auditory nuclei critical to AGS. The present results support a critical role for glutamate acting, in part, through NMDA receptors in IC in initiation of AGS.
Inversion of the V-line Radon transform in a disc and its applications in imaging

Several novel imaging modalities proposed during the last couple of years are based on a mathematical model, which uses the V-line Radon transform (VRT). This transform, sometimes called broken-ray Radon transform, integrates a function along V-shaped piecewise linear trajectories composed of two intervals in the plane with a common endpoint. Image reconstruction problems in these modalities require inversion of the VRT. While there are ample results about inversion of the regular Radon transform integrating along straight lines, very little is known for the case of the V-line Radon transform. In this paper, we derive an exact inversion formula for the VRT of functions supported in a disc of arbitrary radius. The formula uses a two-dimensional restriction of VRT data, namely the incident ray is normal to the boundary of the disc, and the breaking angle is fixed. Our method is based on the classical filtered back-projection inversion formula of the Radon transform, and has similar features in terms of stability, speed, and accuracy.
THE GLUCAGON RESPONSE OF FASTING OBESE SUBJECTS.

Abstract The storage of liver glycogen in 7 obese fasting subjects was assessed by observing the response of peripheral blood glucose to the intravenous injection of glucagon. Three subjects who were receiving liberal diets prior to the study showed a subnormal response within the first 4 days of total food deprivation. As the fast continued, the rise in peripheral blood sugar was gradually restored. During a second fast, these same subjects maintained a normal blood sugar response to glucagon. Another group of 4 subjects who had been on restricted diets prior to the study maintained their blood sugar response to glucagon during a similar fasting regimen. These observations indicate that in prolonged fasting or in periods of restricted dietary intakes, glycogen formation and gluconeogenesis are enhanced following a brief period of glycogen depletion.
Positivity-preserving high order well-balanced discontinuous Galerkin methods for the shallow water equations

Shallow water equations with a non-flat bottom topography have been widely used to model flows in rivers and coastal areas. An important difficulty arising in these simulations is the appearance of dry areas where no water is present, as standard numerical methods may fail in the presence of these areas. These equations also have still water steady state solutions in which the flux gradients are nonzero but exactly balanced by the source term. In this paper we propose a high order discontinuous Galerkin method which can maintain the still water steady state exactly, and at the same time can preserve the non-negativity of the water height without loss of mass conservation. A simple positivity-preserving limiter, valid under suitable CFL condition, will be introduced in one dimension and then extended to two dimensions with rectangular meshes. Numerical tests are performed to verify the positivity-preserving property, well-balanced property, high order accuracy, and good resolution for smooth and discontinuous solutions.
Don’t Blame Donors for Ideological Polarization of Political Parties: Ideological Change and Stability Among Political Contributors, 1972-2008

Are campaign contributors to parties and candidates in the United States becoming more ideological? Popular and scholarly accounts suggest that political contributors have disproportionate influenc...
An Algebraic Principle for the Stability of Difference Operators

This paper gives necessary and sufficient algebraic criteria for the stability of the difference systemx(t)=Ax(t−r1)+Bx(t−r2).
X-ray Resistant Cell Required for the Induction of in vitro Antibody Formation

Mouse spleen cells were separated into two populations on the basis of adherence to plastic. The recombination of these two populations was required for the in vitro antibody response to sheep erythrocytes. By separating the two populations from x-irradiated mice and combining each with the other population prepared from normal mice, it was demonstrated that the immunologic function of the nonadherent population only was highly sensitive to x-ray injury. In contrast, x-irradiation in doses as high as 1000 roentgens had no measurable effect on the immune function of adherent cells, that is, the population which first interacts with antigen and is composed principally of large phagocytic cells.
Pipecolic acid antagonizes barbiturate-enhanced GABA binding to bovine brain membranes.

l-Pipecolic acid, a brain l-lysine metabolite, is found to inhibit GABA binding to bovine synaptic membranes strongly in the presence of hexobarbital (IC50 = 2 × 10−10M), but only slightly (<10%) by itself. Longer dialysis increases this binding inhibition. Hill plots indicate heterogeneity of l-pipecolic acid displaceable GABA binding sites. l-Pipecolic acid may be an endogenous ligand acting as a neuromodulator on the GABA receptor ionophore complex, or it may act on its own membrane binding sites exerting an allosteric effect on the GABA receptor complex. This discovery may be useful for further defining pharmacological and biochemical differences between the GABA receptors in the brain.
Abandoned Oil Fields of Texas Gulf Coast: ABSTRACT

One nonconventional oil target in Texas is the oil that remains in abandoned fields, defined as those fields that had no oil or gas production in 1977 and 1982. This target includes oil that has not been tapped by conventional field development because of reservoir heterogeneity and oil in reservoirs that have not been subjected to any secondary or tertiary recovery efforts. A total of 138 abandoned oil fields having individual cumulative production greater than 500,000 bbl are located in the Texas Gulf Coast (Railroad Commission of Texas Districts 2, 3, and 4). These 138 onshore fields produced 276 million barrels of oil before being abandoned. Nongiant fields in the Texas Gulf Coast average about 40% ultimate recovery, so these fields probably originally contained about 700 million bbl of oil in place. Therefore, about 424 million bbl of oil remain unrecovered. End_Page 472------------------------------ Reservoirs in these abandoned fields are Tertiary sandstones. The 44 abandoned fields in the upper Texas Gulf Coast (District 3) produced from a wide range of plays; those plays with the largest number of abandoned fields are Yegua and Frio deep-seated domes, Eocene deltaic sandstone, and Frio barrier/strand-plain sandstone. The 19 abandoned fields in the middle Texas Gulf Coast (District 2) produced mainly from Wilcox and Frio fluvial/deltaic sandstones and from Frio and Jackson-Yegua barrier/strand-plain sandstones. The lower Texas Gulf Coast (District 4) contains 75 abandoned fields that produced from Frio fluvial/deltaic and barrier/strand-plain sandstones and from Jackson-Yegua barrier/strand-plain sandstones. End_of_Article - Last_Page 473------------
Activative fathering predicts later children's behaviour dysregulation and sociability

This study examined activative fathering observed during father-child interactions in the family home, focusing on the relation between activative fathering at child age 4 and children's behaviour dysregulation and sociability at child age 5. One hundred twenty-seven families participated in the study. Activative fathering was associated with later lower child dysregulation during a problem solving task, higher dysregulation during a wait task, and higher sociability in the home. Contrary to expectations, paternal control did not moderate these relations. Results are discussed in relation to father-child activation relationship theory.
Determination of Multiple Torsion-Angle Constraints in U−13C,15N-Labeled Peptides: 3D 1H−15N−13C−1H Dipolar Chemical Shift NMR Spectroscopy in Rotating Solids

We demonstrate constraint of peptide backbone and side-chain conformation with 3D 1H−15N−13C−1H dipolar chemical shift, magic-angle spinning NMR experiments. In these experiments, polarization is transferred from 15N[i] by ramped SPECIFIC cross polarization to the 13Cα[i], 13Cβ[i], and 13Cα[i − 1] resonances and evolves coherently under the correlated 1H−15N and 1H−13C dipolar couplings. The resulting set of frequency-labeled 15N1H−13C1H dipolar spectra depend strongly upon the molecular torsion angles φ[i], χ1[i], and ψ[i − 1]. To interpret the data with high precision, we considered the effects of weakly coupled protons and differential relaxation of proton coherences via an average Liouvillian theory formalism for multispin clusters and employed average Hamiltonian theory to describe the transfer of 15N polarization to three coupled 13C spins (13Cα[i], 13Cβ[i], and 13Cα[i − 1]). Degeneracies in the conformational solution space were minimized by combining data from multiple 15N1H−13C1H line shapes and ...
Toward an Expansive Phenomenology of Religious Existence

This review of Kevin Schilbrack’s—Philosophy and the study of religions: a manifesto—is part of a review symposium featuring reviews by Andrew Irvine, J. Aaron Simmons, and James McLaughlin and a reply by Kevin Schilbrack.
Assessing the experience in complex hepatopancreatobiliary surgery among graduating chief residents: is the operative experience enough?

Introduction Resident operative autonomy and case volume is associated with posttraining confidence and practice plans. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirements for graduating general surgery residents are four liver and three pancreas cases. We sought to evaluate trends in resident experience and autonomy for complex hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery over time. Methods We queried the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education General Surgery Case Log (2003–2012) for all cases performed by graduating chief residents (GCR) relating to liver, pancreas, and the biliary tract (HPB); simple cholecystectomy was excluded. Mean (±SD), median [10th–90th percentiles] and maximum case volumes were compared from 2003 to 2012 using R 2 for all trends. Results A total of 252,977 complex HPB cases (36% liver, 43% pancreas, 21% biliary) were performed by 10,288 GCR during the 10-year period examined (Mean = 24.6 per GCR). Of these, 57% were performed during the chief year, whereas 43% were performed as postgraduate year 1–4. Only 52% of liver cases were anatomic resections, whereas 71% of pancreas cases were major resections. Total number of cases increased from 22,516 (mean = 23.0) in 2003 to 27,191 (mean = 24.9) in 2012. During this same time period, the percentage of HPB cases that were performed during the chief year decreased by 7% (liver: 13%, pancreas 8%, biliary 4%). There was an increasing trend in the mean number of operations (mean ± SD) logged by GCR on the pancreas (9.1 ± 5.9 to 11.3 ± 4.3; R 2 = .85) and liver (8.0 ± 5.9 to 9.4 ± 3.4; R 2 = .91), whereas those for the biliary tract decreased (5.9 ± 2.5 to 3.8 ± 2.1; R 2 = .96). Although the median number of cases [10th:90th percentile] increased slightly for both pancreas (7.0 [4.0:15] to 8.0 [4:20]) and liver (7.0 [4:13] to 8.0 [5:14]), the maximum number of cases preformed by any given GCR remained stable for pancreas (51 to 53; R 2 = .18), but increased for liver (38 to 45; R 2 = .32). The median number of HPB cases that GCR performed as teaching assistants (TAs) remained at zero during this time period. The 90th percentile of cases performed as TA was less than two for both pancreas and liver. Conclusion Roughly one-half of GCR have performed fewer than 10 cases in each of the liver, pancreas, or biliary categories at time of completion of residency. Although the mean number of complex liver and pancreatic operations performed by GCR increased slightly, the median number remained low, and the number of TA cases was virtually zero. Most GCR are unlikely to be prepared to perform complex HPB operations.
Predictors of outcome after obesity surgery in New York state from 1991 to 2003.

Background This study aimed to examine hospital volume in New York state as a predictor of complications over 13 years.
A vector encoding technique applicable to tabular parsing methods

Practical table-driven parsers require substantial storage for the tables, so that ordinarily the tables are packed several entries per word. However, access to the individual bits of a word is a time-consuming unpacking procedure on many computers. The paper gives a general method for encoding tables so that no unpacking is required. The method is exemplified by the encoding of precedence tables for precedence parsers and the encoding of parsing action tables for LR(k) parsers. The storage required for this encoding is slightly larger than the storage required for the usual packed representation. The technique is applicable to the representation of any fixed table over a small value set.
Use of Health Care Services in a Sample of Drug-Involved Offenders: A Comparison With National Norms

There is evidence to suggest that drug-involved offenders are more likely to have chronic health problems, which would lead to the expectation that this group would be consumers of a disproportionate amount of health care services. However, other characteristics of the group, including higher rates of unemployment and less likelihood of health insurance, suggest that they may consume relatively low amounts of health services. This study reports on a cohort of drug-involved offenders in Delaware who were interviewed just before release from prison and again at several points following release. When compared to age- and gender-corrected norms from the National Health Interview Survey, the use of health services for drug- and alcohol-related conditions as well as for other physical conditions were all substantially higher for this group of offenders. Discussion centers on the role of drug treatment programs in reducing the need for health care services.
Experimental protocols alter phototransduction: the implications for retinal processing at visual threshold

Vision in dim light, when photons are scarce, requires reliable signaling of the arrival of single photons. Rod photoreceptors accomplish this task through the use of a G-protein-coupled transduction cascade that amplifies the activity of single active rhodopsin molecules. This process is one of the best understood signaling cascades in biology, yet quantitative measurements of the amplitude and kinetics of the rod's response in mice vary by a factor of ∼2 across studies. What accounts for these discrepancies? We used several experimental approaches to reconcile differences in published properties of rod responses. First, we used suction electrode recordings from single rods to compare measurements across a range of recording conditions. Second, we compared measurements of single-cell photocurrents to estimates of rod function from in vitro electroretinograms. Third, we assayed the health of the post-receptor retinal tissue in these different conditions. Several salient points emerge from these experiments: (1) recorded responses can be altered dramatically by how the retina is stored; (2) the kinetics of the recovery of responses to bright but not dim flashes are strongly sensitive to the extracellular concentration of magnesium; (3) experimental conditions that produce very different single-photon responses measured in single rods produce near identical derived rod responses from the electroretinogram. The dependence of rod responses on experimental conditions will be a key consideration in efforts to extract general principles of G-protein signaling from studies of phototransduction and to relate these signals to downstream mechanisms that facilitate visual sensitivity.
Theoretical considerations of RES-avoiding liposomes: Molecular mechanics and chemistry of liposome interactions.

Abstract The development of long-circulating, RES-avoiding liposomes has become a remarkable milestone in the progress of contemporary pharmacology. Drugs incorporated in such liposomes are protected from fast metabolization and clearance, and can be further targeted to a desired tissue site. Ideally, future developments should result in drug carriers which can identify and act upon their targets with even higher efficiency and selectivity, preferably close to or exceeding that of the natural immune cells. Further increasing carrier `inertness' with regard to the normal biological milieu is the major requirement for future success. The ability of natural blood components to circulate with blood for several days and weeks presents both the motivation and the challenge for further research. Today, even the best available preparations are inferior to natural proteins and cells with regard to their ability to remain in circulation by approximately two orders of magnitude. In view of the above, it seems vitally important to determine the mechanisms responsible for glycolipid- or polymer-modified liposome protection against RES, and whether any potentially useful mechanisms have been underutilized. Furthermore, identification of quantitative dependencies between liposome structure and pharmacokinetics (and mechanisms underlying such dependencies) would benefit future research and reduce the cost of development. This paper discusses the relationships between liposome structure and circulation with respect to the theoretical mechanistic models of mass transfer, liposome interactions with cells and blood proteins, and boundary effects resulting from surface modification. Special attention is paid to the practical application and limitations of the models.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CAGE VERSUS ESCAPE REACTIVITY IN THE PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF ONIUM SALTS

Photolysis of triphenylsulfonium salts in solution or polymer films gives 2-, 3-and 4-phenylthiobiphenyl isomers by an in-cage fragmentation-recombination mechanism, and the cage-escape sulfide product diphenylsulfide. Both the in-cage and cage-escape reactions result in acid production. Formation of the in-cage products is favored in viscous solutions, polymer films and in the solid state photolysis of triphenylsulfonium salts. However sensitization by photo-induced electron transfer, or triplet energy transfer, gives only the cage-escape sulfide product via the triphenylsulfur radical, or triplet phenyl radical - diphenylsulfinyl radical cation pair, respectively. In-cage and cage-escape products are also found from photolysis of diphenylhalonium salts. The importance of‘cage versus escape’ reactivity of onium salts in acid production and in the mechanistic interpretation of their photochemistry, in solution and polymer films, is discussed.
Building by benchmarking: A method of creating and evaluating an Asian American Studies collection

This article examines the methodology undertaken while investigating whether existing materials pertaining to Asian American Studies at The Pennsylvania State University Libraries could support a new academic program. Presently active academic subareas in the field of Asian American Studies were determined. Then existing collections of thirteen “benchmark” universities were examined according to these subareas and compared to the holdings of Pennsylvania State University Libraries. This method can evaluate the fitness of existing collections to new academic demands and serve as a tool for collection development by identifying present and future areas of academic study.
Urinary biomarkers track the progression of nephropathy in hypertensive and obese rats.

Aims:To determine whether urinary biomarkers of acute kidney injury can be used to monitor the progression of chronic kidney injury in a rat model of hypertension and obesity. Materials & methods: A suite of novel urinary biomarkers were used to track the progression of kidney damage in SHROB and SHR-lean rats. Results: Urinary albumin, NAG, clusterin, osteopontin, RPA-1 and fibrinogen levels were significantly elevated over time and were closely associated with the severity of histopathologically determined nephropathy in both SHROB and SHR-lean rats. Conclusion: Urinary biomarkers, such as albumin, fibrinogen, NAG, clusterin, RPA-1 and osteopontin, may serve as useful tools to track the progression of chronic kidney disease associated with hypertension and obesity.
Flight from Fallibility: How Theory Triumphed over Experience in the West . By Henry J. Perkinson. Westport, CT: Praeger Press, 2002. Pp. x, 154. $55.00.

All historians tell stories. Some rely on explicit narrative; others, on the narrative implicit in their analytic framework. Professor Henry J. Perkinson prefers explicit narrative, and for good reason. At his best he is very good at it. His pocket examinations of Anglo-American political and economic history are often perceptive and always quite delightful. Overall his stories are of decline—the decline in our understanding of knowing after Plato, the decline in Anglo-American governance after Lincoln, the decline in the free market after Adam Smith, and the decline in moral behavior after Rousseau. Now, I have nothing against stories of decline. Still, there is something quite bothersome in Perkinson's narratives. My bother begins with his hero, Karl Popper, and his treatment of that hero. Popper understood that human reason is fallible, as Perkinson asserts, but more importantly, Popper attempted to define “science,” to demarcate it from other human activities. In so doing, Popper asserted that knowledge does not come from the identification of correct ideas either by confirmation through experience or experiment, or by relation to foundational principles. For him both are logically impossible. Rather knowledge comes from the falsification of a factual proposition logically deduced from a stated hypothesis.
Ion beam sputtering in electric propulsion facilities

Experiments were undertaken to determine sputter yields of potential ion beam target materials, to assess the impact of charge exchange on beam diagnostics in large facilities, and to examine material erosion and deposition after a 957 hr test of a 5 kW-class ion thruster. The xenon ion sputter yield of flexible graphite was lower than other graphite forms especially at high angles of incidence. Ion beam charge exchange effects were found to hamper beam probe current collection diagnostics even at pressures from 0.7 to 1.7 mPa. Estimates of the xenon ion beam envelope were made and predictions of the thickness of sputter deposited coatings in the facility were compared with measurements.
The implication for the presence of a magnetosphere on Uranus in the relationship of EUV and radio emission

A report by Kaiser and Desch (1985) indicates that nonthermal radio emissions from Uranus were not detectable from the Voyager spacecraft at a range of less than 0.7 AU. This observation suggests that the planet may have significantly different magnetospheric characteristics than Jupiter and Saturn. The ratio of atomic to molecular emission in the hydrogenic atmospheres of the outer planets varies over a wide range depending on the nature of the exciting process and the altitude of the sources. The importance of the ratio of atomic to molecular emission is discussed along with the escape of atomic hydrogen. On the basis of an evaluation of the observations, the possibility is raised that the strong EUV radiation from Uranus may not be auroral in origin.
Transient solutions of the bloch equations for inhomogeneously broadened lines

Abstract The transient EPR response of a spin-polarized, inhomogeneously broadened line under conditions of magnetic field modulation is determined. Numerical solutions of the Bloch equations for spin packets with off-resonance Larmor frequencies are obtained. These solutions are then demodulated, averaged over the initial phase of the field modulation cycle and the distribution of resonant frequencies to obtain the experimentally observed lineshape. The results of these calculations are characterized for both slow and rapid passage conditions, and the effects of spin relaxation and experimental parameters on the signal-averaged output of the phase-sensitive detector are described.
Further Studies on the Nature of the Effective Supplements for Soybean Oil Meal in Chick Rations

Abstract A NUMBER of products have been found to supplement chick rations in which the protein was furnished by soybean oil meal, cereal grain products, and alfalfa leaf meal (Christiansen, Deobald, Halpin, and Hart [in press], Hayward, Halpin, Holmes, Bohstedt, and Hart, 1937). The value of the materials used as supplements does not always appear to be consistent with the quality of their protein. A number of vitamin deficient basal rations (Norris, Wilgus, Ringrose, Heiman, and Heuser, 1936; and Jukes, 1937) have a composition similar to that of the basal ration used in these studies of soybean oil meal. The growth trials reported here were devised to test the relative value of the vitamin or protein carried in various crude supplements to the “soybean meal—grain ration.” EXPERIMENTAL Day-old Single-Comb White Leghorn chicks were placed in experimental groups and housed in heated brooder houses which opened onto screened-in sun porches. Heat . . .
Simulating Category Learning and Set Shifting Deficits in Patients Weight-Restored from Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract : To examine set shifting in a group of women previously diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN) who are now weight-restored (AN-WR) and a control group and then apply a biologically-based computational model (Competition between Verbal and Implicit Systems; COVIS) to simulate the pattern of category learning and set shifting performances observed in the AN-CW group. Method: Nineteen AN-WR women and 35 control women (CW) were administered an explicit category learning task that required the initial acquisition of a rule, and after a certain number of trials, a set shift following a rule change. COVIS was first fit to the behavioral results of the controls and then parameters of the model theoretically relevant to AN were altered to mimic the behavioral results. Results: Relative to CW, the AN-WR group displayed steeper learning curves (i.e., hyper learning) prior to the rule shift, but greater difficulty in learning the new categories after the rule shift (i.e., a deficit in set shifting). Hyper learning and set shifting deficits in the AN-CW group were not associated and demonstrated a different pattern of correlations with clinical measures. Hyper learning in the AN-WR group was simulated by increasing the model parameter that represents sensitivity to negative feedback ( parameter), whereas the deficit in set shifting was simulated by altering the parameters that represent changes in rule selection and flexibility ( and parameters, respectively), processes dependent on dopamine levels. Conclusions: These simulations suggest that multiple factors can impact category learning and set shifting in AN-WR individuals (e.g., alterations in sensitivity to negative feedback, rule selection deficits, and inflexibility) and provide an important starting point to further investigate this pervasive deficit in adult AN.
Long term follow up of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers with unsuspected neoplasia identified at risk reducing salpingo-oophorectomy.

Abstract Objectives The reported incidence of neoplasia identified at the time of risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) in germline BRCA1/2 mutation carriers ranges from 4 to 12% but long-term outcomes have not been described. We evaluated recurrence and survival outcomes of mutation carriers with neoplastic lesions identified at RRSO. Methods We identified BRCA1/2 mutation carriers with neoplasia at RRSO at three institutions. Data was collected on clinical variables, adjuvant treatment and follow-up. Results We identified 32 mutation carriers with invasive carcinomas (n = 15) or high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (n = 17) that were not suspected prior to surgery. 26 occurred in BRCA1 and 6 in BRCA2 mutation carriers. Median and mean age for carcinomas were 50 years and 49.3 respectively, significantly younger than for intraepithelial neoplasm, median 53 years, and mean 55 years (p = 0.04). For the 15 invasive carcinomas, median follow up was 88 months (range 45–172 months), 7 recurred (47%), median time to recurrence was 32.5 months and 3 have died of disease; 1 additional patient died of breast cancer. Overall survival was 73%, disease specific overall survival was 80% and disease free survival was 66%. For the 17 high-grade intraepithelial neoplasms, median follow up was 80 months (range 40–150), 4 were treated with chemotherapy. One recurred at 43 months and is currently not on therapy with a normal CA125, 16 months later. All patients with noninvasive neoplasia are alive. Conclusions BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers with unsuspected invasive carcinoma at RRSO have a relatively high rate of recurrence despite predominantly early stage, small volume disease. High-grade intraepithelial neoplasms rarely recur as carcinoma and may not require adjuvant chemotherapy.
A Review of Darrell L. Bock and Robert L. Webb (eds.), Key Events in the Life of the Historical Jesus

What are the key moments in Jesus’ life? The book edited by Professors Bock and Webb contains the insightful reflections of the IBR Jesus Group. Before evaluating this collective endeavor, one should first compile a list of what one imagines are the key events in Jesus’ life and what methodology helps one make the decisions. Then, perhaps one might benefit by comparing one’s own list with the perspectives of Matthew, Mar, Luke, John, and even the IBR Jesus Group. Most likely, one will admire the Evangelists and the modern scholars’ research.
Surgical anatomy of the temporal bone posterior to the internal auditory canal: An operative approach

The aim of this study was to describe the anatomical limits of a wedge shaped area of bone lying posterior to the internal auditory canal and to describe the anatomical structures which course through it. One hundred consecutive temporal bones were dissected and topographical dimensions of the posterior wall of the temporal bone were measured along with depth measurements from the posterior fossa wall to the structures of the fundus of the internal auditory canal. A microsurgical technique was then described using the structures within this area as landmarks for specific dissection to the posterior and lateral aspects of the internal auditory canal. Results of 19 tumors have been presented. The status of the facial nerve at the end of surgery and whether or not total tumor removal was possible were discussed.
Calculated properties of polybenzene and hyperdiamond.

Ab initio pseudopotential calculations have been performed on two predicted metastable phases of carbon, ${\mathrm{C}}_{24}$ or polybenzene, and (${\mathrm{C}}_{28}$${)}_{2}$ or hyperdiamond. We report cohesive energies, lattice constants, bond lengths and angles, bulk moduli, and energy gaps.
User-Oriented Inference

Abstract A class of inferential procedures (called user-oriented procedures) related to the equal probability test of Arrow (1960) is introduced for use in many univariate problems. These procedures require that experimenters be able to interpret the parameters about which they wish to make inference. The class of procedures include confidence intervals associated with the equal probability test as well as an analogue to the P value. The confidence intervals are easier to interpret than the usual confidence intervals, especially in the case of multiple comparisons. Limitations of user-oriented procedures are also considered.
Membrane-coating granules of the epidermis.

The epidermis of young kangaroos was found to be a suitable tissue to study the formation and fate of cytoplasmic granules, called membrane-coating granules (MCG). In this tissue MCG are formed during an early stage of cell differentiation, and as the cells ascend the MCG migrate toward the cell periphery. During the granular stage of differentiation the MCG are discharged into the intercellular space. While the cells change into horny cells, their plasma membrane thickens and the intercellular space becomes filled with an amorphous substance; remnants of MCG can no longer be seen. These findings are essentially identical to those previously noted in the keratinizing oral epithelium of the mouse ( 7 ) and further the view that MCG are important differentiation products of keratinizing epithelia and participate in the formation of an intercellular cement and a protective envelope around the horny cells.
THEORY OF ION BOUNDARY LAYERS.

Theories are presented for the electric boundary layers that form on flat-plate and cylindrical probes aligned parallel with a high speed flow, when the probe potential is large and negative. Both slightly ionized continuum flows and collisionless plasmas are considered. In the former case, the probe potential is supposed sufficiently large to make the electric boundary layer thick compared with the viscous boundary layer. The corrections arising from the presence of the viscous boundary layer are calculated. The cases considered are solved either by an integral method, or by a quasi-one-dimensional method. The results obtained can be used to determine the freestream ion density from the current measured experimentally. A comparison is made between theory and some available experimental data.
Effects of compost and phosphate amendments on arsenic mobility in soils and arsenic uptake by the hyperaccumulator, Pteris vittata L.

Abstract Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata L.), an arsenic (As) hyperaccumulator, has shown the potential to remediate As-contaminated soils. This study investigated the effects of soil amendments on the leachability of As from soils and As uptake by Chinese brake fern. The ferns were grown for 12 weeks in a chromated–copper–arsenate (CCA) contaminated soil or in As spiked contaminated (ASC) soil. Soils were treated with phosphate rock, municipal solid waste, or biosolid compost. Phosphate amendments significantly enhanced plant As uptake from the two tested soils with frond As concentrations increasing up to 265% relative to the control. After 12 weeks, plants grown in phosphate-amended soil removed >8% of soil As. Replacement of As by P from the soil binding sites was responsible for the enhanced mobility of As and subsequent increased plant uptake. Compost additions facilitated As uptake from the CCA soil, but decreased As uptake from the ASC soil. Elevated As uptake in the compost-treated CCA soil was related to the increase of soil water-soluble As and As(V) transformation into As(III). Reduced As uptake in the ASC soil may be attributed to As adsorption to the compost. Chinese brake fern took up As mainly from the iron-bound fraction in the CCA soil and from the water-soluble/exchangeable As in the ASC soil. Without ferns for As adsorption, compost and phosphate amendments increased As leaching from the CCA soil, but had decreased leaching with ferns when compared to the control. For the ASC soil, treatments reduced As leaching regardless of fern presence. This study suggest that growing Chinese brake fern in conjunction with phosphate amendments increases the effectiveness of remediating As-contaminated soils, by increasing As uptake and decreasing As leaching.
CtIP: A DNA damage response protein at the intersection of DNA metabolism

The mammalian CtIP protein and its orthologs in other eukaryotes promote the resection of DNA double-strand breaks and are essential for meiotic recombination. Here we review the current literature supporting the role of CtIP in DNA end processing and the importance of CtIP endonuclease activity in DNA repair. We also examine the regulation of CtIP function by post-translational modifications, and its involvement in transcription- and replication-dependent functions through association with other protein complexes. The tumor suppressor function of CtIP likely is dependent on a combination of these roles in many aspects of DNA metabolism.
Determination and occurrence of oxofatty acids in fats and oils

A relatively simple method is detailed for the routine isolation and estimation of oxofatty acids (OFA) in lipids. The lipid in cyclohexane is transmethylated in a two-phase, 3.5 min procedure, and the carbonyls in the methyl ester fraction are derivatized with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) in the presence of monochloroacetic acid (MCA). The derivatives are fractionated on alumina, and the OFA fraction is obtained and evaluated spectrophotometrically. A large variety of animal, plant, and marine lipids contained OFA ranging from 50 μmoles/g. Data also show that (a) OFA are formed in naturally oxidizing fats and oils, and (b) strongly acidic conditions can cause elaboration of OFA in hydroperoxidized fats and oils.
Methodological developments in personality research: An introduction

This article first provides a brief overview of some of the empirical and conceptual work in personality following Mischel's (1968) critique Strengths and weaknesses of traditional personality research designs including laboratory experiments, experimental personality designs, and preexperimental correlational studies are presented Some more recent approaches to designing laboratory research that attempt to address issues of external validity and approaches to designing field Investigations that attempt to address issues of internal validity are discussed Issues associated with the measurement of constructs, the broadening of measurement methods, and newer data analytic techniques are noted Finally, a brief orientation to the other papers in the special issue is presented
Singular non-linear two-point boundary value problems: Existence and uniqueness

Abstract A general approach is presented for proving existence and uniqueness of solutions to the singular boundary value problem y ″ ( x ) + m x y ′ ( x ) = f ( x , y ( x ) ) , x ∈ ( 0 , 1 ] , y ′ ( 0 ) = 0 , A y ( 1 ) + B y ′ ( 1 ) = C , A > 0 , B , C ⩾ 0 . The proof is constructive in nature, and could be used for numerical generation of the solution. The only restriction placed on f ( x , y ) is that it not be a singular function of the independent variable x ; singularities in y are easily avoided. Solutions are found in finite regions where ∂ f / ∂ y ⩾ 0 , using an integral equation whose Green’s function contains an adjustable parameter that secures convergence of the Picard iterative sequence. Methods based on the theory are developed and applied to a set of problems that have appeared previously in published works.
A Continuous-Flow Model for Phonatory Reaction Time

The purpose of this study was to validate a proposed continuous-flow model of phonatory reaction time by investigating the temporal order of selected laryngeal and neurophysiological events involved in a phonatory reaction time task. Ten normal speakers participated in a phonatory reaction time task. Laryngeal positioning movements prior to vocal fold closure (laryngeal shift) and onset of vocal fold vibration (acoustic onset) were recorded with an electroglottograph. P300 brain potentials were collected simultaneously, and they served as an index of a central process underlying reaction time. The obtained temporal ordering of laryngeal shift, P300, and acoustic onset supported a continuous-flow model of phonatory reaction time. Use of this model might yield information that is more accurate in explaining physiological function and more precise in describing temporal patterning than the serial model.
Recordings from the stomatogastric nervous system in intact lobsters

Abstract 1. 1. The neural output of the stomatogastric ganglion was recorded from intact lobsters with implanted electrodes. 2. 2. The recorded discharge was rhythmic and patterned, and was similar to that recorded previously from isolated stomatogastric preparations. 3. 3. Variations in the period and form of the output during quiescence and following feeding suggest that although rhythmic patterns probably originate in the stomatogastric ganglion, they are also under control of modulating interneurons from the central nervous system.
A novel frequency beam-steering antenna array at Y-band

In this article, a novel frequency beam-scanning phased array antenna operating at Y-band is presented. The proposed antenna is a travelling-wave antenna, with cavity-backed patch arrays as the radiating elements. The array generates a very narrow beam (less than 2.5°) at the broadside of the antenna with ±25° steering capability. A prototype of the antenna is fabricated using silicon micromachining with high level of accuracy and low mass and cost. Moreover, a novel waveguide-probe near-field measurement setup is introduced and utilized to characterize the radiation characteristics of the micromachined beam-steering antenna and an excellent agreement between the measurement and full-wave simulation results is shown.
Superconducting absorbers for use in ultra-high resolution gamma-ray spectrometers based on low temperature microcalorimeter arrays

Abstract Higher resolution gamma-ray detectors are of significant interest to many scientific fields, including fundamental determinations of the Lamb shift in atoms with high atomic numbers, nuclear treaty verification, and environmental monitoring. High-purity germanium is presently the detector material of choice, but germanium detectors suffer from fundamental limitations on their resolution. Recent advances in the use of low temperature calorimeters can provide improvements of more than an order of magnitude. For instance, we report here a resolution of 27 eV FWHM at 103 keV. These calorimeters are made up of two components, a bulk absorber to stop incident gamma-rays and a thermometer made from a thin film electrically biased in the superconducting-to-normal phase transition, called a Transition Edge Sensor, or TES. We have now begun a systematic study of absorber behavior in order to increase efficiency and understand effects on resolution. This study leverages two recently developed capabilities: the ability to microfabricate highly uniform arrays of gamma-ray detectors and the ability to read out signals from many detectors in a single cool-down to 0.1 K using SQUID multiplexer circuits. Here, I will discuss two experiments we are currently conducting to identify better absorber materials. The first involves the use of tin (Sn) as the gamma-ray absorber and the effect of crystal grain size on the thermalization of absorbed photons. The second experiment examines the role of absorbed hydrogen in tantalum (Ta) absorbers. The presence of hydrogen is known to increase the heat capacity of Ta and may be a limiting factor in Ta's use as an improved absorber material.
How does adaptation sweep through the genome? Insights from long-term selection experiments

A major goal in evolutionary biology is to understand the origins and fates of adaptive mutations. Natural selection may act to increase the frequency of de novo beneficial mutations, or those already present in the population as standing genetic variation. These beneficial mutations may ultimately reach fixation in a population, or they may stop increasing in frequency once a particular phenotypic state has been achieved. It is not yet well understood how different features of population biology, and/or different environmental circumstances affect these adaptive processes. Experimental evolution is a promising technique for studying the dynamics of beneficial alleles, as populations evolving in the laboratory experience natural selection in a replicated, controlled manner. Whole-genome sequencing, regularly obtained over the course of sustained laboratory selection, could potentially reveal insights into the mutational dynamics that most likely occur in natural populations under similar circumstances. To date, only a few evolution experiments for which whole-genome data are available exist. This review describes results from these resequenced laboratory-selected populations, in systems with and without sexual recombination. In asexual systems, adaptation from new mutations can be studied, and results to date suggest that the complete, unimpeded fixation of these mutations is not always observed. In sexual systems, adaptation from standing genetic variation can be studied, and in the admittedly few examples we have, the complete fixation of standing variants is not always observed. To date, the relative frequency of adaptation from new mutations versus standing variation has not been tested using a single experimental system, but recent studies using Caenorhabditis elegans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae suggest that this a realistic future goal.
Becoming increasingly reliable

Autonomous mobile robots need to detect potential failures reliably and react appropriately. Due to uncertainties about the robots and their environment, it is extremely difficult to design reliable systems from the start. Instead, we advocate the structured control methodology, in which one starts with plans that work in nominal situations, and then incrementally adds reactive behaviors to handle previously unanticipated situations. We have developed the Task Control Architecture to facilitate this methodology by enabling monitors and exception handlers to be added to existing hierarchical plans. This paper details the application of this methodology to a walking rover and an indoor office robot. In both cases, robot systems were produced that can autonomously traverse long distances in obstacle-filled environments.